The pilot looked pleadingly at Pyra, the anger and frustration now gone from his expression. The Denynso warrior remained quiet for far longer than was comfortable. Jacob wanted him to respond, to say something, anything. He wanted Maxim to step forward and say something. These were the men who were supposed to be the leaders, who were supposed to be in charge of what was happening and guiding all of them. Yet they seemed not to know what they should do.
“Pyra?” Maxim finally said.
The warrior looked to Maxim and the two men exchanged a meaningful look that he didn’t understand. It carried in it moments that they had experienced well before Jacob encountered them, dark moments that obviously impacted both of them in serious ways.
“I don’t want to do it again,” Pyra said. “I can’t do that again.”
“This isn’t the same thing,” Maxim said. “You know that. You aren’t doing anything that isn’t justified.”
“And if he’s right?”
“Then we’ll find out. But for now, we can’t just trust that what he’s saying is true. He was right. We don’t all know each other. We’ve accepted that as part of what we’re facing, but there is still an element of risk that we can’t just ignore.”
Pyra nodded and looked back at Frederick.
“You’ll stay here,” he said. Frederick started to protest, but Pyra held up a hand to silence him. “We’ve had a long day and are tired. We need to eat and to rest. In the morning, we’ll do exactly what you think we should and get off of the ship. We’ll decide then what we’re going to do with you. Until then, you’ll stay here in this pod. We’ll bring you supplies for the night.”
Frederick looked tense, but resigned. He took a few steps back from the men and gave a single nod. He said nothing, and the men left the room, securing the locks back into place.
“He can’t get out of there?” Maxim asked.
Jacob shook his head.
“No. According to Frederick himself, this ship was created with isolation pods. They have no way of opening from the inside. There is nothing that he can do. We’ll pass the supplies to him through a hatch so that he can’t try to overpower anyone who comes. Until we open the door, he’s there.”
“Good,” Pyra said. “That will give us time to eat, rest, and check the injured. We need to make sure they will be ready to leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Jacob asked. “We’re leaving the ship that quickly?”
“Yes,” Maxim said. “We need to leave first thing in the morning and get back to the compound. We’re safer all together. The faster we get back to the compound, the faster that all of us are more secure and we can decide on our next actions.”
They went back to the main floor of the ship and headed directly for the kitchen. Samira and Jane were sitting there and both women jumped up, scrambling to make food for the men as quickly as they could. Jacob stepped to the side of the room and held his arms out to Phaedra. She curled into them, sighing as her head came to rest on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her close, thankful that he was back in the ship with her, though he had been willing to travel as far as he would need to go to find the men.
Chapter Twelve
Gyyx walked down the hallway toward the pod, leaving the sound of the group still gathered in the kitchen talking behind him. He didn’t want to eat. He didn’t want to talk through the situation anymore. He had heard it enough. All he wanted was Leia.
As if his thoughts had called out to her, she stepped out of the passenger pod and stopped in the middle of the corridor, her eyes widening when she saw Gyyx standing in front of her. Without saying a single word, Gyyx closed the space between them and wrapped one arm around her waist. He swept up her tiny form against his chest, crushing his mouth down on hers. Leia gave herself completely into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing his tongue to slip through her lips to massage against hers. His mate felt so small, so fragile in his arms, and he remembered the first time that he had held her this way. He had worried that he would hurt her, but their passion had proven she was more than a match for him and he knew that there was no need to stop and try to slow himself.
Gyyx carried Leia directly into the passenger pod and hit the control panel with his elbow to close the door behind them. His mouth continuing to play across hers, he kicked off his boots, then lowered her to the bed. Staring down at her, he peeled off his shirt and dropped it to the side. Leia stared up at him, her eyes widened and her lips slightly swollen and red with the depth and intensity of his kiss. He undressed as Leia watched him, revealing himself to her purposefully. She watched him with a blend of emotion in her broad, beautiful eyes. There was deep, rich hunger there that he knew was reflected in his own eyes, but there was also a hint of something softer. This was sudden and impulsive, but that didn’t change the love that both felt for each other and the desire they felt to express it.
Gyyx watched Leia's eyes rove across his body, taking him in as if she wanted to memorize all of him, keep him closer in her heart for if they had to be apart again. He stepped forward to the end of the bed and reached for the waistband of her pants, guiding them down off of her hips and along her legs, revealing that she was completely bare beneath them. Growling deep in his throat, Gyyx removed the rest of her clothes at a frantic pace, tossing them aside as fast as he could so that he could be near her sooner. He wanted to touch every inch of Leia and feel her smooth skin against his. In the long days and even longer nights that they had been apart, he had dreamed of filling his hands with the softness of her. Now that she was lying in front of him, nothing separating them in this treasured moment, she was irresistible.
Gyyx finally indulged his desire to touch her. He ran his hands along the deep curve of her waist, knowing that if he turned his fingers in, they would touch around her body and then up her belly onto her breasts. Despite how small she was, her body still felt full and delicious in his hands. The incredible lushness of her filled his palms and made him tremble with anticipation. He paused with his hands cupped over her breasts and let his thumbs and forefingers gently squeeze her nipples. She arched into the touch and he saw her eyes flutter closed. Leia was totally under his control, soft and compliant, waiting for Gyyx to guide her in every direction he wanted to bring her.
Gyyx didn’t want to rush through any step of this experience. He wanted to savor every second of being close to her again. Memories of the taste of her brought him to his knees in front of her and his hands to her knees so that he could ease her thighs apart. Her body opened to him and he could already see how wet and ready for him she was. Leia was waiting for him, eager for him, but he wasn't going to let this end yet. There was so much more that he wanted to explore. Though every time that they were together was incredible, he never felt as though his desire for her was assuaged. He never felt that he had experienced her in all of the ways that he wanted.
Resting one hand lightly on Leia’s belly to hold her in place, Gyyx ducked his head down and drew his tongue through her folds in one long lick. Leia gasped and reached down for him, but he eased her hand away from his head, forcing it back until she let it settle by her shoulder. He licked her again, pausing for a moment to flick the tip of his tongue across the sensitive pearl at her peak that had come forward with his coaxing. Trailing his other hand down her body until it reached the apex of her thighs, he carefully eased one finger inside of her, feeling himself melt at the softness of her hot, wet walls closing in around it.
He moved his finger gently within her as he continued to trace the petals and folds of her core with his tongue. Gyyx applied slightly more pressure against her upper wall, exploring the pattern of ridges until he found the smooth, slightly softer spot that he knew would push her to the brink of her control. He rubbed his fingertip onto it and heard Leia give a sharp intake of breath. Her body was starting to tremble, and he pulled back, not ready to bring her to that moment yet. Gyyx rose up over her and took her hands, pushing them back so that he
pinned them on the bed. Leia gasped slightly, but he could see her chin lifting and her mouth opening as if seeking his. Exerting every bit of control that he could find within him, he stretched out across her, letting their bodies meet so that every inch of her touched him in some way. He slowly lowered his mouth back to hers and brushed it slowly across her lips. She whimpered softly and parted her lips. He showed his desperation for her by dipping his tongue briefly into her mouth, allowing it to glide across the inside of her bottom lip.
He ran his hands down her arms and along the sides of her body, then wrapped one around her waist so that he could pull her closer to his body. His size fully enveloped her, and he felt powerful and protective. In one smooth movement, he rolled both of them over so that Leia lay on top of him, the warm wetness of her core nestling against his already surging erection. Gyyx reached down for her legs and tucked his hands around the backs of her thighs, guiding them onto either side of his body so that she straddled him. Leia sat up, putting her body on display just for him.
In that moment it seemed that Leia had rediscovered the confidence and strength that she had always shown and was ready to take back control by offering him some of the delectable pleasure he had for her. She lifted her hips, moving them forward so that her wet body slid along his hardened length. Reaching forward, she wrapped her hand around the front of his hardened cock and held it in place so that she could massage it as she slowly rolled her hips against it. Gyyx bit his bottom lip in response to the sensation and strained to hold himself back from simply taking hold of her and doing everything that he wanted.
"You're so close," she whispered, the first words that they had spoken to each other. “Can you feel how close you are?”
Gyyx nodded.
"I could just slide inside of you."
Leia leaned forward and let the taut peaks of her breasts brush against his chest as she brought her mouth close to his ear.
"Please," she whispered, the warmth of her breath trailing along the side of his neck and sending a shiver through his body. "Make love to me."
Gyyx turned his head so that he could capture her mouth with his, kissing her with the same passionate intensity that he had when he first saw her. He used one hand to adjust her body until the tip of his erection nestled against her opening. He lifted his hips just enough that he entered her. Leia pressed back so that she sat up, allowing her body to sink down onto him until her hips rested on his and their bodies completely melded. Gyyx felt both of them pause, the sound of their labored breath audible in the silence of the room around them. He couldn’t imagine feeling anything more incredible than when they had first completed their bond, but now he felt a pleasure that sent him outside of his body and beyond existence.
Leia smiled down at him as she began to move her hips. She rolled them slowly but deliberately, ensuring that their bodies never parted even as he stroked within her. They hadn’t bothered to turn on the main light of the pod, which meant that only the green glow from the small lamp at the side of the bed provided illumination for them. As Gyyx reached up to run his hand down the front of Leia’s body and feel the beating of her heart against his palm, he was thankful for the darkness. This was nothing short of reverent worship of one another and of their bond, and being surrounded by the shadows seemed to honor them with security and comfort.
After a few moments of simply enjoying the feeling of her grinding against him, Gyyx brought a hand to the small of her back to hold her still, then sat up and tucked her close into his lap. He leaned forward and touched his mouth to the soft dip at the base of her throat. Leia adjusted her position so that she got off of her knees and wrapped her legs around his hips. She reached around to encompass him as much as she could with her arms, wrapping one around his shoulders and bringing the other hand up to cup the back of his head. She tipped her own head back to allow him greater access so that he could kiss more of her throat and collarbones. They remained just like this for several long seconds. The closeness of their bodies made it so that their breaths synchronized, reminding Gyyx that they were truly one, bonded together as they had always been meant to be, a united being that had been crafted since before birth to live their lives alongside one another. He tightened his hips to sink into her more deeply and she rocked her hips in response. Gyyx needed more and he brought his hand between them to rest the pad of his thumb to her clit. He applied gentle pressure and created small circles that made her moan.
Leia increased her pace and leaned back to prop one hand on his leg for more leverage. Gyyx met each rock of her hips with a lift of his own so that they created tight, intense strokes. He could hear her sounds bubbling up from her chest and out from between her lips and as he drove into her. Soon her head fell back, and they became louder and more desperate. Finally, her fingers dug into the back of his shoulder and he felt her arch, her body squeezing down on his as she cried out. His name tumbled from her lips with such abandon that Gyyx felt every semblance of control that he had left dissolve away. Gyyx lifted her with one final thrust before he felt himself pulse and pour into her.
Gyyx carefully rolled her onto her back, still slowly stroking her as the aftershocks of his orgasm rolled through him. He gazed down at her, his hand tenderly brushing along her forehead and the side of her face. He wanted to speak. He wanted to put a voice to everything that was inside of him, but he knew that he didn’t have to. There was nothing that he needed to say to her that would tell her any more powerfully than she already knew. All he needed to do was watch her eyes flutter closed and her face relax as her body curled into his to know that she felt everything that he could have ever said.
Chapter Thirteen
Ellora ran up to Ivy and looked at her frantically.
“Have you seen Athan?” he asked.
Ivy shook her head.
“No,” she said. “Not since yesterday.”
Ellora felt her heart sink even further than it had already been. She didn’t think that Ivy would know where he was, but she could think of no one else to ask. Neither he nor Malcolm showed up for training that morning, and when she went to Icelyn’s home, she realized that the young woman was missing as well.
“No one knows where they are,” she said.
“Is something wrong?”
Ellora looked either direction to make sure that there was no one close enough that they would hear. Though she didn’t see anyone, she didn’t feel completely confident and reached out to take Ivy’s wrist. She pulled her toward Maxim’s house, not saying anything else until they got inside, and she closed the door behind them.
“I think that they might be in serious danger,” she said.
“Why?” Ivy asked. “What’s wrong?”
Ellora walked to the sofa in the living area and sat down, waiting until Ivy joined her. She drew in a breath and explained the situation with Malcolm, Athan, and Mhavrych as well as she could, knowing that she didn’t have all of the information. When she was finished, Ivy was staring at the table in front of her.
“What does this have to do with Maxim?” she asked.
It was a question that Ellora was expecting, but also one that she didn’t know how to answer. It was natural for Ivy’s first thoughts to be of the man she loved and the father of her unborn child, but as much as Ellora knew that all of this was linked, she couldn’t explain it.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t understand what’s happening right now any more than you do. You know everything that I know.”
“I do?” Ivy asked.
Ellora could see the relief in Ivy’s eyes that she was no longer being kept in the dark about what was going on. She nodded.
“I don’t know where they are or why they went, but I know that they are in danger. They wouldn’t have disappeared without saying something, at least to me. Athan wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Have you told him about the page from the patient file that I found in the war room?”
“Not yet. I didn’t have the cha
nce to.”
“Do you think that it could be a part of this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand how it could or what it means. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Where is it?”
“Still at my house. I hid it in my bedroom. It was hidden extremely carefully and that means that someone wants it.”
“Why?”
“People don’t hide things unless they don’t want them to be found, especially so carefully. That war room was already a secret. Why would Aegeus go to such lengths to hide something in a place that was already hidden if he didn’t know that there was someone who would be coming after it?”
“Are you confident that it was your husband who hid it? Could it have been his father or someone else who knew about the war room?”
“I don’t think that there’s a way for us to know that until we can speak to Aegeus.”
Ellora saw a flicker of painful hesitation in Ivy’s eyes.
“Do you believe that he’s still alive?” she asked.
Ellora hated the sound of the words. She sat up straighter and nodded.
“Yes,” she said with all of the confidence that she could put into it. “I know that Athan said Ryan implied he was going to kill Aegeus before he could ever get back home to me, but I refuse to believe that. My husband has survived all these years. When I thought that he had died in that battle, I died along with him. I will not die again. He is alive. He has to be alive.”
Ivy reached over and took Ellora’s hand.
“I believe he’s alive, too,” she said softly.
Ellora nodded and squeezed her hand tightly. Her mind suddenly sharpened and snapped away from the thoughts of her husband.
“Why did you ask where the page is?” she asked.
“I wanted to look at it again. I might be able to get something from it.”
“Let’s go. I’ll get it for you. Besides, if Athan comes back, he’ll go there first.”
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