by Vi Voxley
Her orgasm was so close he could almost feel it. The heat between them providing slick heat for their writhing against each other as drops of sweat beaded on their skin.
"Moan for me," the harbinger growled, his gaze nailed to Jackie's gorgeous face.
The look of utter ecstasy on his fated's gorgeous features was incredible to behold. Her lips were parted, her green eyes narrowed as she did as she was told, letting him hear every sound that escaped those kissable pink lips.
"You already got my submission," Jackie whispered breathlessly, her voice shaking as she neared her climax. "Don't push your luck."
Kol-Eresh groaned, his cock straining painfully against his boxers, harder than he could ever remember being just from pleasuring his fated.
"There is no luck," he growled in response. "There is only me and you are mine. And I think it's you who shouldn't push it. Not when I can feel your tight pussy contracting around me, aching for me. You would do anything I asked for right now."
The desire burning in Jackie's eyes confirmed that he was right and showed how afraid she was of that truth all in one glance.
"If I told you to bend over my bed right now and spread your legs for my cock, you would," Kol-Eresh said, aware that his own voice was straining to stay steady as well.
Jackie moaned.
"You are too close now," the harbinger continued, "too close to tell me no and I know that. I feel that. If I wanted to fuck you right now, if I wanted to claim your body as mine at this moment, all you could do was beg me for more."
"You – are – horrible," Jackie whimpered. "That is not consent."
"I know," Kol-Eresh replied with a grin, pushing his desire to the backdrop in his mind. "Notice how I'm not doing that, but it doesn't make me wrong now, does it?"
Jackie arched her back, almost twisting herself out of his hands when his fingers hit the spot in her pussy again and again, bringing her to the edge of her pleasure so fast it left her reeling.
"Does it?"
"Yes, gods damn you, yes!" Jackie cried out. "I want you, I need you. Don't stop, don't stop, just let me cum..."
"Beg."
The look in Jackie's eyes nearly made him cum. The flashing greens held his gaze as his fated's mouth opened in a desperate, hopeless cry. Knowing perfectly well what he was doing, Kol-Eresh kept up the merciless rhythm he'd set, pushing her so close to coming as it was possible to be while still keeping his movements purposefully shallow.
"Please," Jackie breathed, "please!"
Uncharacteristically, Kol-Eresh showed her mercy. He fingered her tight, wet pussy until Jackie cummed screaming in his arms, her body thrashing wildly in his grip as the orgasm took her. Her voice was hoarse and broken by the time the shudders ended. When the harbinger lowered her to the sheets, Jackie was left lying there, not moving a muscle.
She looked absolutely divine like that, her hair messed up, her chest heaving and the dark fire still simmering in her eyes.
Kol-Eresh pushed his boxers down, kneeling above her, pulling his cock out. Jackie let out a startled gasp.
"Don't move," he ordered roughly, wrapping his fingers around his shaft and starting to work on himself.
The pace he set was fast and harsh, almost hurting, but he was far beyond caring. Every single second of being with Jackie had pushed him closer to that moment and it had become impossible to resist. He groaned, seeing the way his fated couldn't look away from him even as she backed away a little.
"I have never seen a female as fucking gorgeous as you are," the harbinger said, the bright rush of his orgasm approaching so fast it made him lose all rhythm, tugging on his rock-hard cock. "The little sounds you make when you think I don't hear them, the way your body feels against me, the look in your eyes when you cummed..."
Grunting, low and deep, Kol-Eresh let the orgasm wash over him. His hot seed spilled on Jackie's belly, the hottest thing he'd ever seen. It nearly made him cum again to see his seed sprayed on his fated's body. It could only be better if it was in her, but for now, this would do.
He'd expected a glare from Jackie, more of her righteous anger as he'd pushed her straight into his arms, but instead there was a soft, mischievous smile on her lips.
"This is one way to settle an argument, I suppose," she said.
Kol-Eresh laughed.
"If all our fights could end like this, I would be more than happy with that," he replied.
"I imagine," Jackie said, resting her head on the pillow.
The smile fell from her lips as she stared at the ceiling, but it returned, shy and a little sad.
"So no going home for me?" she asked. "Ever?"
"No," Kol-Eresh said, regretting that he had to hurt her like that, but it was better that she accepted the reality of her new life sooner rather than later.
Jackie nodded, a pensive look on her face.
"Alright," she said, almost emotionless before the soft smile returned. "Can I at least take a bath, then?"
Eight
Jackie
It felt good to run.
The next morning, when she woke up, Jackie felt the familiar ache in her limbs. The artificial light that was made to mimic the early hours of the day also reminded her vividly of what had happened the night before.
The half-naked warlord lying next to her was also a dead giveaway.
Jackie had managed to slip out of Kol-Eresh's arms without waking him, although going by her experience, the harbinger probably merely allowed her ten minutes of solitude for a shower. She had also found the first pleasant surprise on the Leviathan that actually gladdened her, although the fur carpet and the delicious food had also been nice.
Someone kind and dutiful and obviously Terran had left her a little bag along with her new wardrobe that Jackie had quickly brushed through. They were mostly adorned with a violet pattern she assumed signified Kol-Eresh's standing and position. Those she had expected and yes, there were some very naughty pieces of lingerie there as well that Jackie swore she'd find a way of avoiding.
The bag was very appreciated, though, with a toothbrush and other necessities she'd already begun to miss.
Breakfast had come next.
Jackie had dreaded that moment. She had somehow, using the latest known denial and memory suppression techniques, managed to justify the night before to herself. If she kept believing it happened because of a shock and that she was half-asleep throughout it, maybe her conscience would stop pestering her.
It didn't, but at least Kol-Eresh didn't bring it up either. Jackie had fully expected to be treated like a new wife, yet the harbinger didn't lay a finger on her as he'd sent in orders for breakfast.
She could almost believe the bastard was teasing her.
There was simply no other reason to eat half-naked. The wardrobe had yielded her a tunic that was much more modest.
"Are we out of the wormhole?" Jackie dared to ask conversationally. "I don't feel the ship rocking anymore."
"Yes," Kol-Eresh said. "The Leviathan exited early this morning. We'll be at Luminos tomorrow."
Tomorrow. So much for trying to get accustomed to a few things before seeing my new home world.
"Alright," Jackie said.
She'd decided that her best chance, after the humiliating display she'd put on the previous night, was to keep the harbinger as far away from her as possible. It meant pretending that she was settled on getting used to the life he offered.
"I have to oversee a few matters today," the harbinger told her as she drank something that weirdly resembled tea. "Can I trust you to stay in these quarters and not try anything foolish?"
Jackie laughed softly.
"I'm light years from home," she said. "By your own admission, there aren't any life-supporting planets out there even if I could pilot a ship, which I unfortunately can't. And I already proved to you I'm not so great at combat either, so... there is nowhere else for me to go."
Kol-Eresh nodded.
"Reasonable," he remarked. "I like
that. If you keep up this kind of behavior, your life on Luminos could be a very good one. As the fated of a harbinger, you'd be allowed more freedom than the others. Given that you earn it first, of course."
"Earn it," Jackie couldn't stop herself from asking. "What type of earning are we talking about?"
She was imagining gold bikinis.
Kol-Eresh's dark, sharp eyes told her that he was aware of her line of thought.
"I mean trustworthiness," he said. "If I return to my quarters tonight and you are here without any reports that you tried to escape, that is the first step."
Trustworthiness. I can't believe he'd dare to use that word.
Jackie's tongue got the better of her again.
"Nayanors are a weird species," she stated. "Everything you respect about yourselves is completely taboo for me and the other women. You're saying that you don't want me to do everything in my powers to escape when you would most certainly do exactly that if our roles were reversed."
Kol-Eresh laughed, nodding.
"That is true," he admitted. "But you are not a Nayanor. Now, can I trust you to stay?"
Jackie had considered that and decided to go for it.
"You can trust me a little more, actually," she said.
"How so?" Kol-Eresh asked, frowning slightly. "There might come a day when you accompany me to a raid and I will not post guards at your door, but not today. Usually harbingers show that kind of leniency when the bond has lasted for years and the female has children back on Luminos, waiting for her."
Gods.
"Nothing like that," Jackie said, suddenly very aware of the tremble in her hand.
She bit her lip and forced her hand to stay still. The chalice clattered when she set it at the table. Kol-Eresh's eyes followed her, but the harbinger said nothing.
"I would like to run, if that's possible. Guards are okay, if you think they're necessary."
"Run," the harbinger repeated.
"Yes," Jackie said. "When you took me from Terra, that is what I was doing. I have no idea what Nayanors do for a training but I can't shake the mental image of a room full of mechs and all kinds of terrible machines trying to kill you."
The smirk on Kol-Eresh's lips said that wasn't far from the truth.
"Obviously I'm not suited for that, but I run," Jackie went on. "It's one of the things I enjoy doing very much. I'd like to keep that up, even here."
The tremor was growing stronger all of a sudden and it was harder to keep smiling. The small relief that exercise offered had so far been more fun for her and not actual treatment. Jackie had asked mostly as a whimsy, but now she couldn't imagine what she would do if Kol-Eresh refused. To be cooped up in his quarters all day, it would be the death of her.
Possibly literally.
"Very well," the harbinger said to her instant relief. "I will summon a guard for you."
"Thank you," Jackie said, holding on to her left arm and hoping it wasn't noticeable how badly she was shaking.
So there she was.
The small arena had something resembling a track that she could use. The ground below her feet was made to mimic some terrain that she assumed was Luminos. The rough, unyielding feel of it didn't exactly speak of sandy beaches and pretty waterfalls. As much as Kol-Eresh had told her, Jackie was expecting a cruel, rough world like Nayanors themselves.
The guard who had accompanied her – Holom – was practicing on some kind of a strange contraption in the middle of the arena. He'd tried keeping an eye on her very dutifully, but after seeing she was doing nothing interesting, started on his own workout.
A few days ago, Jackie would have thought that he was a feast for the eyes of a woman, but now, looking at the topless warrior battle the mech he'd chosen... she could only think of the harbinger.
It was amazing how he managed to make all the other seven-footers in his ship look like poor clones of him.
She kept running, trying to calm her breathing and focus on the path ahead.
The tremor wasn't going away as fast as it had before, but running was definitely helping so Jackie planned on doing that until she dropped from exhaustion.
Heads turned as she passed the warriors training on the arena. Jackie tried to keep a safe distance and not get in anyone's way, but she was still getting odd looks. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure she heard the word "female". It seemed the warriors were not used to a woman joining them on the arena.
Some looked quite insulted, not that Jackie cared. They did accomplish something, and that was to make Kol-Eresh easily rise above them in her eyes. Seeing the gruff, posturing warriors eye her like she was some whore of their commander's that they had to entertain for his sake, Jackie found herself to be thankful.
Whatever else the gods had done to her, at least they hadn't gifted her to one of those guys.
Jackie felt her heart pounding faster, but for a long time she didn't pay attention to it. That was the normal part of running.
Until it was so loud she could hear it echoing in her head. She made it to the seat where she'd left her hoodie and water.
Her hands were shaking very visibly when she reached for the bottle. Jackie spilled most of it, trying to take a few sips. The world was going dark and red around her as if a vein had burst in her eyes.
It's happening, Jackie got to think before she collapsed on her knees, trying to breathe. I should have told him...
The warriors were coming over, concerned looks on their faces as the fated of their commander slid to the floor, trembling from head to toe.
"Call the healers! Alert the harbinger!" she heard someone call.
The minutes she laid on the ground of the arena, the warriors’ muffled voices reaching her through some mist in her head, were the longest and scariest in Jackie's life. There were tears running down her cheeks. Her fingers were digging fruitlessly into the ground beneath her, hoping that it would help her hold on to life for just a few moments more.
Until he came for her.
The last thing Jackie could remember was seeing Kol-Eresh, coming toward her with a look in his dark eyes that made her tortured heart skip another beat. The warriors were backing away from him as he strode across the arena like a warrior god, looking powerful enough to battle death itself.
Jackie's grip on the ground faltered and the darkness took her.
Nine
Kol-Eresh
The bright lights of the healer quarters all shone down on Jackie.
His fated laid on the operating table in front of him. It was protocol that no warriors were allowed in there with the healers, but no one had dared to remind the harbinger of that.
Kol-Eresh stood, unmoving, looking at Jackie's lifeless body and hearing every breath that she took. They were few and all of them were shallow.
He hadn't said a word since he'd gently lowered Jackie to that table and taken up guard above her.
The tension in the room was palpable.
The healers were shuffling around Jackie, trying to determine what had happened to his beautiful fated. From time to time, Kol-Eresh saw their eyes flicker to him and the naked fear that he saw there told him many things, none of them pleasant.
One, the healers had no idea what was going on with Jackie, given that they would have told him if they did. And two, they were very much aware of what fate awaited them if they couldn't save her life.
Nayanors were not a forgiving species. Kol-Eresh had dealt out harsh punishment for much less than letting his fated die before his eyes.
"Harbinger," the lead healer finally turned to him.
Kol-Eresh turned his burning eyes to him. Forack had served him well for years and he trusted the man's judgment on any other day but the one where he had to strain to hear Jackie's breathing.
"Choose your words very carefully, healer," he replied, the dark tone of his voice making nearly everyone in the bay wince.
Only Forack, who had survived his worst moods, met his gaze.
Al
l Nayanors were born warriors. Even the techs and pilots, healers and scientists were in great shape, but they didn't match the warriors who lived for battle. Forack was no match for him and he knew it very well. Kol-Eresh had promoted him years ago by killing his predecessor before the healer's eyes so slowly that Forack had interrupted, earning several scars and the harbinger's respect.
Now he stood closer than ever to his own painful demise.
"Do you want me to tell you the truth, Harbinger?" Forack replied tersely, holding his head up high. "Or do you want me to use pretty words I'd save for a very, very young child?"
Kol-Eresh turned slowly, the first motion after he'd entered the room. Towering over the healer, his arms crossed over his wide chest, the harbinger leaned down and spoke in a deep voice that seemed to silence even the machinery in the room.
"Are those the words you want to take to the gods, Forack? Because I will make them your last if your next ones aren't a whispered apology on your gods-damned knees."
Forack didn't budge while his staff looked on in horror. They had served the lead healer for years and Kol-Eresh could see that unlike warriors, they harbored some sense of loyalty for the man. Enough not to want to witness his gruesome murder, at least.
"I don't know what happened to her," Forack said. "You can take my head now, Kol-Eresh, or I can tell you what I'd do next because the last I remember, I didn't stop fighting for any of my patients until I heard their last breath."
The harbinger looked at Jackie. His fated's breaths sure sounded like each could be her last.
The consideration didn't take long. Whatever was wrong with Jackie, Kol-Eresh was sure Forack's blood wasn't the cure, no matter how much he spilled. And on a ship where even his captains cowered from him when his temper was raging, Forack was a rare reprieve.
"She's not waking up," he replied instead, making it half-statement, half-question.
"No," Forack said, trying hard to mask the sigh of relief as he realized that he would live to see another day. "She's in some sort of shock. I could try waking her forcefully, but until we know what's happened, I would not."