by Voxley, Vi
The flagship had caught her off guard because she'd expected savages, and apparently it applied to their commander too. Aria had thought she'd find bloody weapons and hides, but instead the quarters looked eerily normal. Except for the trophy room, of course. That Ryden did have, like all the other generals.
Aria walked between shelves of strange weapons taken from different enemies and had to suppress a shiver when she saw the trophy beasts. The stuffed enemies were huge, each bigger than the next. All of them had a scar somewhere, marking the place where Ryden had stabbed them with his spear.
Aria couldn't believe half of those things existed, much less that someone could kill one. But if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Brions never took credit for something they didn't do. Ryden would never display anything in his trophy room that he hadn't personally killed.
After the trophy room, there was one more room that Aria hadn't dared to explore yet. Mostly because she dreaded how it might affect her decision about Ryden. They still had a talk coming up, she would make sure of that, even if it—and he—terrified and excited her.
When the exhaustion finally started to catch up to her, Aria gathered her courage and slipped into the bedroom.
It was as grand and imposing as everything else in Ryden's chambers. A huge bed sat in the middle of the room, covered in red linens and edged with gold, like the Brion ceremonial armor. She reached out to touch it and found it to be surprisingly soft. In fact, it made her eyelids very heavy just through contact with her skin.
She would worry about her guilt later, Aria decided. In a way, Ryden was right. She'd done much already, hadn't she? It was okay that she got to sleep a bit as well.
Aria undressed, feeling weirdly vulnerable, even if she knew that Ryden would have killed anyone who dared to spy on his gesha. It was something about the huge room, she thought, that made her feel exposed. Or maybe it was the absence of Ryden.
Sighing, Aria slid into the bed between the sheets that flowed over her skin. It had to be some sort of a special material, because it seemed to change its temperature according to hers. Too tired to try and figure it out, Aria rested her head on the pillows.
That turned out to be a terrible idea. The pillows, the sheets—they smelled like him. Strong and masculine like Ryden himself. Before her pride caught up with her, Aria had pressed her face deeper into the fabric, breathing in his scent, a moan escaping her lips. Her head was instantly crowded by the memories of their fucking, of his powerful body pounding into her, making her come...
This is going great, Aria thought. One whiff of him and I forget all of my dignity. Literally, one whiff.
But as much as she tried to embarrass herself out of it, she couldn't help rubbing her nose against the pillows, bathing herself in his scent too. It brought a smile to her lips, one that refused to leave no matter what she did. Not even the war raging on Ilotra bothered her anymore. She was warm and safe and home.
Aria fell asleep before she had the chance to chastise herself for thinking that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Aria
She woke to a thunderous lack of sound.
On Ilotra, she'd gotten so used to background noise that she was noticing its absence. There were her fellow ambassadors, clerks, and attendants. In Ilotra's halls, there were always tons of people talking, arguing, laughing, and fighting. It was the way the moon worked.
And when war came to her home, the noise had only grown in volume. Aria had gotten used to that too. The explosions and clashes of blade against blade and shouting and screaming.
Now, nothing. She opened her eyes, frowning, hearing absolutely nothing. Oh sure, she thought she could hear a small engine nearby, possibly a bathroom heater, but no one was talking. She could hear her own deep breaths. It was completely uncanny. No wonder she woke up so abruptly.
Her situation came back to her along with Ryden's scent. Aria turned over to lie on her stomach, her nose pressed into the sheets, smiling against them.
It wasn't so bad, was it?
Exchanging your freedom for some excellent sex.
The thought rang less true than it had the day before. Maybe it had been the sleep she'd so desperately needed, but Aria no longer felt trapped like she had before. She didn't know much about Isolde Fenner, but she did know the woman had initially fought the bond too. But she had ultimately given in and was happy by all accounts. So maybe it was just something she had to get used to?
I can definitely get used to waking up in that bed, Aria thought.
Only instead of the lingering ghost of him, Ryden would be there in person, sleeping by her side. She moaned at the idea of being awoken by his strong arms pushing her legs wider apart for him, the general's fingers pressing into her wet pussy.
Aria whimpered into the pillow, pressing her own hand between her legs, shivering in excitement and anticipation. She'd been tense and afraid for so long, the only time she'd found any pleasure had been with Ryden and that had been transcendent. Right then in the complete peace and calm of the general's quarters, she worked herself open with her fingers, pushing them deeper inside.
The memory of Ryden taking her played before her eyes, more sensations and touches than what actually happened. Aria moaned, thinking that she had a sure way to make all of her fantasies come true. She imagined Ryden's wicked, skillful tongue on her pussy, licking her clit and rubbing herself against his sheets.
With one finger, Aria slowly circled her clit, already breathing heavily against the linens. She wished so badly for him to be there with her right then, but he would be soon. All she had to do was say yes and she could have it all.
Aria sobbed, feeling how wet she was only at the idea of being with Ryden again. She couldn't deny she wanted him so badly it hurt. He was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen, with his broad shoulders and washboard abs and that maddening smile that played on his lips just for her. And while he definitely wasn't a prince, who would even want one? Ryden was braver than any man she'd ever met, speaking his mind no matter the consequences, putting his life on the line to save her and Ilotra. Why would she say no to him?
Her own whine brought her back to the reality, to the urgency of her lust. She remembered how good his huge cock had felt inside her, stretching her wider than any man ever had before.
The thought was delicious and dirty and Aria wanted more. Ryden's cock had been the biggest she'd ever seen or tasted and all she could think of was how badly she needed it again. To feel it claim her pussy, push it open for the general with each long, ecstatic thrust that would send her to heaven like it had before.
She wanted to see how much of it she could fit in her mouth too, hear Ryden groan for her, feel the weight of him on her tongue. Above all else, to hear him in pleasure, to know she was the only one who could do that to him.
Her fingers were working faster and harder inside her. Aria's hips were moving in sync with them, grinding herself against the bed, imagining that her fingers were Ryden's cock, fucking her into his bed, just like that, as hard as he could. She needed him, needed all of his strength and even his roughness, needed him to claim her like she longed to be taken.
Aria's cries were muffled by the pillows, but she desperately hoped no one was listening in on her when the general's name slipped over her lips. Saying it was like calling to him, and it became a mantra for her. She gasped, pushing down faster on her fingers, biting her lip in pleasure. It wasn't nearly as good as when Ryden had really been with her, when he'd fucked her so hard she hadn't been able to breathe properly.
It didn't matter; she was too close already, too far into her fantasy of the general taking her again. She writhed on her fingers, trying to not be too loud, but failing miserably. The sheets were damp underneath her as her orgasm built and her cries turned incoherent.
She slipped the other hand into her panties, rubbing her clit while fucking herself with her fingers. Her ass was up in the air, and Aria could feel the blanket
sliding over her skin. She imagined what an image she had to be, looking like an offering, with her legs spread wide and her fingers working her pussy open.
That was exactly what she was. Aria moaned, imagining Ryden watching her preparing herself for him, offering her body for him to take. She could practically see his green eyes burning with lust, hear his raspy breathing, see his firm chest rise and fall in desire.
She willed the dream general to get on the bed behind her, like that, take ahold of her hips and push himself inside in one firm stroke. She cried out, mimicking the motion with her fingers, feeling them brush against the spot inside her.
Aria's sobs echoed in the room as she kept up the brutal pace that she remembered, trying to match it, but hungering for more. The closer she got, the more she realized that she would never be able to replicate what Ryden did to her body. She wanted him, needed him to make her body sing again, make it twitch and shiver under his thrusts.
She cried out as she reached her climax, her entire body shaking from the released tension from head to toe. Aria stayed there, panting, trying to learn how to breathe again before she finally collapsed on the sheets, satisfied and happy.
Yeah, she thought. Saying no to Ryden will be a blast.
Even in her post-orgasmic bliss, the binding thing came back to bother her. Aria didn't know if she was ready to believe in the bonds, even if they were known to work. She honestly wasn't sure if she was the type of person to make something work based on... fate? Whatever it was that the Brions believed in, that arranged their matches and fated couples. Gods.
She lay there for a long time, thinking everything over, but again and again her thoughts returned to the general and to the feeling she got when she was with him. She felt a sense of true calm, of being right where she was supposed to be. Like a broken half made whole.
Eventually, Aria got up. She'd allowed herself one night of peace and quiet, but it was time to find out how Ilotra was doing. She also ached to know if Ryden had managed to kill the Host yet. She figured he hadn't, or someone would surely have come to tell her, right?
It turned out she didn't even need to go out of her room to find out what was going on. Next to the bedroom, there was a small lounge with seats and a huge wall-mounted screen that was directed at Ilotra. Aria took only one look before realizing that the reason she had peace and quiet was because the noise wasn't allowed to reach her.
Of course it would have been impossible for her to hear anything in space, but she figured the Conqueror had to have been buzzing, considering what was going on down below.
Ilotra was in ruins. Huge parts of it seemed blackened to her eye, either burned or bombed to ashes. As far as Aria could see, the lower levels hadn't collapsed, but the upper ones had suffered terrible damage. Even that wasn't the thing that drew her gaze the most.
The space around the Conqueror was littered with destroyed Clayor warships. She knew they were the Clayors' and had been completely taken out, but Aria was only able to classify them as such by bits and pieces.
There were so many broken ships floating around that she didn't understand how the smaller vessels could move at all. The Conqueror, of course, was simply pushing its way through. Aria didn't need to ask what had created most of the damage she was witnessing.
How long was I sleeping?
Aria could do nothing else but stare. For all of the death and destruction, the battle wasn't over yet. She saw flashes and explosions farther away, saw a few graze the side of the Conqueror, but they didn't even scratch the huge warship.
Ryden, Aria thought with dread.
She needed to know if the general was alive down there on burning Ilotra. She was on her way to the console to demand that someone tell her when the Conqueror turned and she saw the reason why Ilotra was burning.
The Clayor flagship had finally reached Ilotra too.
It was a big, ugly ship, reminding her more of a floating hive, but the gun turrets protruding from every surface looked dangerous. And used. It wasn't until they were facing the Clayor ship that Aria understood why they'd been turning. Long cannons rolled out of the Conqueror's side right before her eyes.
The Brion flagship was doing what it had been ordered to do. It was putting itself between the enemy and Ilotra. Aria realized that two of the biggest ships in the system were about to try and blow each other to pieces. And she was on one of them.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Ryden
Ryden felt like laughing.
It didn't happen to him often. The general wasn't a naturally humorous person, as he'd been told by his braver and more foolish warriors.
Looking up at his flagship, Ryden couldn't help but find painful irony in the situation. So much for sending Aria to the safest place in the system.
The huge Clayor hive ship, Enor, had jumped to the system mere hours after he'd sent Aria away from the moon. At first, he hadn't been worried. Brion warships were far superior to anything else that the galaxy had to offer, but it seemed the hive mind was full of surprises.
While the Enor might have been less powerful than the Conqueror, it was by far more agile. It could move faster and make maneuvers the bigger ship couldn't. And of course, the hive mind had no reservations about destroying smaller ships by simply crashing into them.
Only with great trouble had they finally forced the Enor back, because the other allied fleets were busy holding back the smaller armies. Even Ryden felt like the space around Ilotra was becoming a bit too crowded. Space battles were difficult to clean up, he knew that. Looking at the amount of wreckage in the skies, he wondered if Ilotra would ever return to full functionality.
But it was still standing. They hadn't surrendered it and all of the enemy's attempts to gain ground on Ilotra's surface had been in vain. That came with the price of barrages, but Ryden cared little for architecture when more important things were at stake.
And speaking of more important things: Aria was up there. A morbid grin appeared on the general's lips as he wondered if he'd truly sent both her and his flagship to their deaths this time. He had ordered the Conqueror to stay between the Enor and the moon and Ryden had no intention of taking that order back.
He trusted the flagship to be able to take on the Clayor vessel, but he couldn't rule out boarding. Then he'd simply have to trust his warriors to be able to protect Aria.
Every inch of him ached to go and join her and lead the counterattack from the bridge of the Conqueror, but he didn't do that. His place was on Ilotra as long as the Host remained there. He couldn't risk another massacre or someone else trying to apprehend the Host.
For example, the Koliar commander. Stavor stood by his side, a perpetual frown on his face. The warlord hadn't taken the hive mind's tricks with him well. Ryden knew he thirsted for the Host's blood, but someone who had been taken by the Host once could be manipulated again. He'd said as much to Stavor. The warlord had merely growled and glared at him.
"Don't you worry," he'd said menacingly. "I won't let it happen again. I will show that bastard what it means to mess with me."
Ryden didn't say anything, but he kept Stavor around. If only to keep an eye on him.
They were looking for the new Host. Ryden was certain he'd struck a deadly blow to the old one, but since the Clayors were keeping up the fight and not backing away an inch, there had to be a new one. Trouble was, this time he had no idea what it looked like.
The scan worked, though. He and Stavor were combing Ilotra, killing everything that stood in their way, tightening the noose around the Host. Slowly but firmly they pushed the Clayors into a corner, provoking the Host to come out of hiding and fight them.
Above their heads, the Conqueror was exchanging fire with the Clayor flagship and it was obvious that the Brion ship was stronger. If it kept its position and didn't let the Enor close to the moon, it would all be over soon.
The Clayor vessel had good shields and it was even able to dodge a few shots, but ultimately it had to go down at some
point. Ryden felt like it was almost anti-climactic, but regretted his jinx a moment later when the report came in.
"Runners," one of his officers announced. "It looks like the Host is on the move."
Ryden and Stavor took off at once, aching to put an end to it once and for all. They chased the fleeing Clayors into one of the few working hangars, where the bulk of the enemies turned to bar their way.
"The Host is trying to escape," Stavor growled, crashing into the Clayors beside him. "The coward."
Ryden agreed, fury threatening to take hold of him. After everything, the Host thought it might escape the punishment for all that had happened? It certainly seemed so, but the idea that the hive mind would abandon his goals so easily didn't ring true to him. Farther beyond, he glimpsed a Clayor champion standing alone in the midst of the others, looking straight at him with a smile. If possible, the new Host was even bigger than before.
Ryden hoped he hadn't made a mistake in leaving the dying Host behind. Even a wounded Host could have delayed him until the mass of Clayors tore him to shreds like General Poliren. No, he'd done the right thing, but seeing the new Host, Ryden knew the second fight would be harder than the first.
The lesser Clayors were blocking his way, but he and Stavor were merciless. The bodies of the fallen enemies lay before their feet as they advanced furiously, tired of chasing the Host all over Ilotra. But it seemed it had one more chase in store for them. The Palian fleet outside was shooting all of the approaching Clayor ships to pieces, but eventually one managed to slip through and Ryden saw the Host board and give him a wide smile.
"He's getting away," Stavor barked. "We can't let it escape."
"We won't," Ryden said grimly. "It has nowhere to go. The system is surrounded, its ships outmatched by the Conqueror. All we have to do is shoot it down. I expected better from the hive mind."
