by C. Baely
Sara seemed to feel his pain, and without further hesitation, she leaned forward and took his hands in hers.
Archail’s sullen eyes, not seeming so bright anymore, looked up at her. A weak smile grew on his sad face, but that subdued happiness never reached his eyes.
“We tried our utmost to quickly find a solution to stop the massacre, but to our surprise, the virus, after decimating our world, waned and died out on its own.”
Archail stared at the wall behind her now, lost in his memories. “We had lost all our children, the elders and the greater part of our younger adults. A few moon cycles later, we discovered that those of us left could no longer procreate. The women could not bear children that lived more than a few days, so we were doomed to be the last of our kind.” He inhaled deeply. “Our choices were limited. We had the technology to clone ourselves to perpetuate our species, but we rejected it because our research indicated that repeated cloning would degrade our DNA and inevitably lead to extinction. What was deemed the best choice, was to administer the immortality vaccination to the population and search for another solution through the passing cycles.”
Sara watched him carefully, and a question formed in her mind. “How long ago did this happen?”
Archail stared back into her eyes. “Almost three thousand of your Earth years ago.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You mean to tell me that you are almost three thousand years old?”
Archail smiled broadly and said teasingly, “Why? Don’t you like older men, little one?”
Sara felt her blood rising to her cheeks. She was prepared to reassure him that his age didn’t matter to her, but she stopped the words before they left her mouth. “How did you end up going to Earth? At least it looked like Earth in my dream. It had to be.” She recalled her dream thoughtfully as she spoke.
Archail smiled once more on seeing she had managed to avoid his question. Choosing not to press the matter, he answered her question instead. “We conducted considerable research on our own world before we decided to visit other compatible worlds and search for new solutions there. You see, it was very easy for us to disguise ourselves and mingle with the native populations. We first visited the planet Ataries, which is much like yours in terms of conditions, but naturally the vegetation and wildlife have evolved differently, and the people there are more advanced than humans in ways that I cannot even begin to explain.
“Anyway,” he continued, disregarding the insulted look Sara was giving him, “When they discovered our presence, they requested that we leave their planet. The Atarians suggested Earth as a possible alternative, because they had been observing it and its people for thousands of cycles already. As a result, we decided to visit your planet and see if we could find a solution to our problem there. Your civilization, back in those times, was still young. It was easy for us to observe your people and mingle with them. For our base, we chose a remote island off the coast of Greece, where the climate was similar to ours, and quickly began our research.”
He paused when he noticed how silent Sara was.
Sara smiled up at him and said with sincerity, “What were your people called in ancient Greece?”
“You may have heard about us from the works of your philosopher Plato. They called us the Atlantians.”
Sara’s eyes opened wide with astonishment on hearing the name. “Atlantis is mostly believed to be a myth back on Earth.”
Archail laughed softly at her admittance. “Yes, well, the people back then were somewhat in awe of us, so it is natural that later generations had trouble believing the stories.”
Sara’s curiosity was well and truly piqued, but just as she was about to ask more, the dining room door opened, and Dar made an appearance.
Dar paused for a moment when he saw his leader with the earthling mate, leaning close to each other and holding hands. He made a coughing sound to announce his presence and approached the table were they sat. “My great Vasil, I am sorry to bother you, but I have important news.”
Archail pulled away from Sara and stood up, but before leaving, he turned to look at Sara with a warm smile on his lips. “We will continue this later, little one.”
Chapter 15
Archail returned late in the evening. The three moons of Prador, rich in light, had risen and shone upon the flourishing gardens of the palladium. The soft grass yielded under his feet as he paced. He walked slowly, deep in thought, considering the news Dar had brought. Troubled lines had formed on his brow for the first time in a long time as he evaluated the choices available to him.
Sara was young, perhaps too young, but willing to learn from him and his people. She was strong in heart and soul, patient, and a responsive bed mate, even though he could see she was rather inexperienced in the ways of lovemaking. During the night they had been together, she had seemed reluctant to try all the positions he had initiated.
An amused smile came to his face when he recalled the shock in her wide blue eyes when he had positioned her back to him, patiently showing her how satisfying it could be to unite that way. She hadn’t disappointed him with her fervent response as they moved in unison, ultimately reaching the heights of satisfaction. He felt his own body harden in response to the memory, reminding him just how much he wanted this woman. An increasing warmth filled his heart when he was around her.
That on its own was a problem. His feelings and senses were invigorated by her scent, the graceful way she moved, how she looked at him, and the lively spirit she had displayed so many times these past few days. These feelings weren’t just a response to her ancient blood calling him, as Dar had claimed. He felt much more for her than just a primitive attraction. Maybe her scent had drawn him in the beginning, but not anymore.
She was special to him, and he wanted her as his life mate. The realization stopped him in his tracks. The lines on his face grew deeper as he forced himself to face reality. He would have to let her go. It wasn’t even a choice. It was his duty toward his people and the promise he had made to the council. He would need to life-mate with another, someone who had been selected for him since the beginning, someone he had repeatedly refused. Even if he chose to ignore his promise, he couldn’t put Sara through the vulgar test of the ceremony. His chosen life mate would be put through so much to prove herself worthy of a Pradorian leader, and he couldn’t stand to have Sara harmed in any way, especially not in that way.
Then his sister’s message came to mind. Dar said Irina had tested the serum on the life-mated couple she had taken with her, and the female Pradorian was already carrying her first child. It seemed his people would have a chance to procreate again. He had agreed with Dar about the need to inform the council immediately of this news, but it meant he would have to let Sara go much sooner than he had anticipated or was prepared to do. The pain coursing through his heart made him wince as he brought a hand to his chest.
Archail drew in a deep breath and raised his eyes to stare at the grand palladium where the woman he loved was waiting for him. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides, because he knew what he had to do would hurt them both. He forced himself to walk toward the stairs as he finally reached a decision.
* * *
Sara stood outside on the balcony, as she had done many nights, enjoying the soft breeze touching her freshly washed skin. She waited, wrapped in a soft towel, for Archail to join her, anticipating the night that would follow. She recalled his promising words to her in the dining room before he left. We will continue this later, little one.
Now that she knew a substantial part of his past, she felt closer to him than ever before. She had felt his pain and anguish as he described his people’s turmoil, and she now wanted more than ever to be with him and love him with all her body and soul. He could be strong and rough if he chose to be, but she knew he could also be kind, caring, thoughtful, gentle, and passionate. After all, he had said from the very beginning that she was his mate, and Sara now wanted to be his.
His confession the night before about wanting her for more than to just carry his baby gave her a renewed hope about their future together, and she felt more than willing to spend her life with him.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the door opened and closed as Archail entered the room. His face resembled a hard, dark mask as he searched the room until he spotted her.
* * *
His breath involuntarily rushed out of his chest as he watched her basking in the soft light of the moons, making her flawless skin glow. It beckoned him to touch her. Her long red-copper hair moved lightly in the gentle night breeze, making her look ethereal and so seductive his first instinct was to reach out to her, take her in his arms, and claim her for his own for all time.
His hand rose toward her of its own accord, but on realizing what he was about to do, he stopped himself abruptly. Anger rose inside of him at his weakness. When he spoke, though, his voice came out steady and loud enough for her to hear, surprising even him. “So here you are, little one.”
Sara turned and ran to close the distance between them, reaching out with her arms to rest them on his broad chest. Smiling gently up at him, her small face rose to his. “I’ve been waiting for you.” Her eyes glowed with anticipation.
Archail lifted his hands and, placing them on hers, he gently moved her hands from his chest. “You should not have. It is late into the night, and you should rest.”
Sara’s eyes grew larger in surprise at his distant response. He’d never reacted so passively toward her before, at least not when there was a prospect of making love.
Archail saw her eyes open to him like a window into her soul. She looked up at him with a mixture of disappointment, confusion, and, great Prador help them both, desire. A feeling stirred so strongly within him that he thought he would surely drown if he didn’t succumb to it. So deep was the feeling that it made him take a step backward and increase the distance between them.
“Archail, is something wrong?” Sara sounded troubled by his reaction.
“Of course not.” He made his best effort to look reassuringly into her questioning blue eyes. “It is just that I have had a long day. Speaking with Dar exhausted me with so many decisions to make.” He realized he wasn’t deviating that far from the truth, yet his decision was wavering within him.
“Oh, I see! Would you like to go to bed then?” This time there was a hint of suggestive promise in her voice, and an elusive smile formed on her full lips as she moved closer to him again.
Archail’s hand moved of its own accord as it came to cup her soft cheek, but he tried to remind himself of what he had to do. “Aren’t you tired, little one?” The moment he touched her, he felt his strength leaving him. He knew right then that he would do anything she asked of him.
“No,” she said, still smiling up at him. She leaned her head sideways into his palm and her true-blue eyes twinkled in the dim light of the room. “I feel wide awake. Is that wrong?” She sounded playful as her hand came up to his chest and drew a small circle with her finger on his tight, cool skin.
Archail drew in a sharp breath as his body became increasingly aroused. His heart beat faster, playing an out-of-control rhythm, as her spell once again wove its magic around him. He tried desperately to keep what little remained of his composure as he spoke. “Yes, it is. It is very wrong, little one…” But as he spoke, he found himself already leaning closer, claiming her wanting lips with his own. I’ll taste her sweetness one last time. His hand came up to find the soft towel covering her naked body. With one smooth tug, he let it fall to the floor like a useless rag, exposing her to him. Just one last time…
His heart grew darker with desire and need as he cupped one of her full round breasts in his hand. His nimble fingers slowly coaxed the small red bud, and a moan was drawn unexpectedly from the depths of his being as the peak of her breast promptly responded to his smooth touch. She did so many things to him. That he unwittingly reacted to her like this made it even harder for him, but he couldn’t find the strength to stop.
Her eyes were closed now as he savored the sensations he awakened in her. A small moan left Sara’s lips as he released her mouth and lowered his wet lips to slowly plant soft kisses down her neck. His lips moved to her jealous breast, which seemed to be equally in need of his attention. Its pink prick hardened as he sucked and tasted it, paying extra attention to lick every small texture of the hardened skin.
Her breath quickened. Her searching hands climbed their way up his back to his shoulders. They continued until her fingers locked into his hair, drawing him ever closer and silently urging him to continue.
Archail was all too eager to please her, so he continued his path lower down her silky skin, pausing to gently lay searching kisses on her tight belly. Sara moaned again in response and threw her head back. Her hair played along Archail’s hands as they rested on the firm skin of her buttocks and held her in place for his mouth’s perusal.
He wanted her more than life itself, and his need grew more intense by the second as he touched every part of her skin, felt every trembling sensation of her response, and heard every sharp breath she inhaled. It would be torture for him to deny her, and he simply didn’t want to.
With that thought in mind, he lowered himself further. Sinking to his knees now, he brought one hand between her legs and coaxed them open. His tongue, hot and wet, claimed her sensitive center with such eagerness it threatened to reach her to the stars and beyond. A scream left her lips as she reached a sudden release. He so attentively drew it out of her as the tension left her body, and her weight fell forward in his arms. He rose and, sweeping her into his arms, took her to their bed and laid her gently on the mattress.
As he lay next to her, she turned to him with a mischievous smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Now, it’s your turn.” Without waiting for his response, she laid soft kisses on his neck and chest, touching his warm, broad chest with her searching and persistent hand. She then followed a path down his muscled belly and quickly approached his aroused manhood.
Archail’s need grew so strong for her that it became physical pain, making his voice sound harsher than intended. “No!” He rapidly leaped off the bed as if she had stung him.
Sara remained frozen were she lay, startled by the sudden display of rejection.
A blush rose in her cheeks.
Archail, watching the change in her expression, felt like the very monster she had originally accused him of being. His intention wasn’t to hurt her but rather to avoid causing her more harm, knowing he would have to give her up.
He had decided not to lay with her again. In his mind, he was protecting her from becoming pregnant with his child and then being forced to live alone, since he would be life-mated with another soon. Seeing the pain in her eyes made him feel like punching himself, even though that wouldn’t change the way things were. Sara’s voice brought him out of his turbulent thoughts.
“Why, Archail?”
She tried again when he didn’t answer. “Did I do something wrong?”
Archail, hearing the hidden pain in her questions, felt the blood drain from his face. Taking a deep breath, he resolved himself to do what he needed to. “No, Sara, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that I don’t want to. That’s all.”
Sara watched him closely. “Why did you do that to me if you didn’t feel like continuing it?”
“I saw you wanted me, so I gave you what you asked for.” He knew he sounded cold and indifferent as he hid the true feelings running through him like sharp cutting blades. Every word he said forced her further away from him.
Sara jumped from the bed and grabbed the towel that still lay on the floor, wrapping it around her like a protective shield. “Who told you to play the martyr? Who said you had to do anything to me?”
Archail felt like twice the monster. “I didn’t have a choice, did I?”
“Oh! Well. I definitely didn’t force you if that’s what you are insinuating!” Her voice held a
tone of angry resentment as she turned and walked away from him with her head held high.
Archail inhaled the sweet scent of her skin as it reached his nostrils from her sudden move. He had to fight to stay away from her. He was hanging on by the slenderest of threads, and if he wasn’t careful, he knew it would break and let all his feelings for her flood his mind. Prador help him if that happened, because all Atalas would collapse in ruins. “No, you did not force me, but you would not take no for an answer either.”
Sara’s eyes now threw sparks of flaming rage toward Archail. “What is wrong with you?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued her assault. “All you’ve done throughout my time here is to constantly try to claim me with your body and have me as your own. You even told me you wanted me for more than simply bearing your child, and now you treat me like this? Why?” Her voice broke, revealing her desperation at being unable to understand his sudden change.
Archail felt like he was being cut open and left to bleed. He took a deep breath. “You are free, Sara. I will no longer hold you to our agreement.” He paused, inhaling deeply again. “You will be injected with the immortality serum, and you will be able to live freely among my people as you choose, unless you wish otherwise.”
Sara stared at him, confusion and shock evident in her expression. Tears collected in her eyes, and she turned away.
Her voice trembled. “You…” She paused. After an unbearable amount of silence, she forced herself to continue. “You don’t want me anymore?”
Archail wanted to scream. The pain he felt in his heart was tearing him to shreds, but his body remained where it stood. “It has nothing to do with not wanting you, little one.” He moved a few steps closer, but paused to comb his fingers through his hair. Had she noticed, he was sure Sara would have seen the desperation showing in his eyes. “I do not have the right to want you. I never did.”
