Invasion Earth

by Loribelle Hunt

  “What have you done to me?” she demanded. To her horror, tears thickened her voice. It didn’t sound very commanding. It sounded weak and she hated that, hated herself for feeling it. Hated him for bringing it out. “Never mind that. Undo it!”

  Alrik tried to wrap an arm around her and she fought the urge to cling to him. Instead she pulled away and marched across the room.

  “Let me explain,” he said.

  “Do that. No wait. Don’t! Just undo it.” She tried to finish calmly, but heard the hysteria rising in her voice.

  Alrik knew about the demands of the bonding, of course. But knowing intellectually and living it were two wildly different things. When she stirred from sleep, he felt her. Discussing the proposed trade agreements with his brother, he’d monitored her, felt her consideration of the situation, her growing confusion, her rising panic, and the ever present need for his body.

  The best thing to do for both of them would be to kick his brother out, take her, and then talk. By the time her alarm drove her to him, the need overwhelmed her and he feared his own grip on control. Inexplicably, he wanted her to understand before he gave in to the demands of their bodies.

  He realized too late she was beyond reasoning. Tossing her over his shoulder, he returned to the bedchamber. With shaking hands, he ripped the sheet from her grasp and pinned her down. In those few short moments, they were both panting and he plunged into her body in one sure stroke. He held himself immobile, ignoring his body’s demand to thrust in and out of her. Her hands came up. Unsure if she meant to fight him or embrace him, he secured her wrists next to her head. She sucked in deep breaths and his heart hammered. This was not how he wanted them to come together.

  Lust and confusion warred in her eyes. He watched her face as she battled both, and felt her body soften around him when she gave into the craving. Exhaling a sigh of relief, he released first one wrist then the other, testing her reaction. Instead of clawing his eyes out, she clasped his shoulders and bent her legs, knees at his waist. She lifted her head to bite at his neck, wiggled her hips in silent demand. He was more than happy to oblige her and started moving in fast sure strokes.

  They stared at each other in silence, gasping at the strength of the bond’s need to merge. Held in its grasp, he couldn’t spare a thought for gentleness or fostering future trust. Lifting her ankles over his shoulders, he gave in to his body’s demand that he claim her. Hard. Now. He thrust hard enough to move them along the bed. But he was not so far gone that he didn’t feel the shudders wrack her body when she came. He quickly followed and collapsed over her, spent.

  Laney lay under him trying to catch her breath. What the hell was that? If she weren’t on board a space ship, she would have said the earth moved. Come to think of it, the bed had moved. But that didn’t account for the way her body hummed or the way she wanted to cling to Alrik when he rolled off of her to pull the sheet back over them. She felt off balance and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sensation of being … tethered. Reminding herself over and over again this man was her enemy. But even as she tried to keep that reminder firm in her mind, her body stayed tuned to his as if on high alert. When she found her voice, it came out low and unfamiliar, not the strong voice of command she was accustomed to.

  “What’s going on here, Torfa?”

  He sighed and rested a forearm over his face. “Alrik.”

  The silence stretched while she waited, and she opened her eyes and rolled on to her side to watch him struggle with his answer. Tension lined his face and she felt a moment’s pang at his distress before squashing it down. They were not on the same side. He got them into this mess; he could get them out.

  “So Alrik?” she nudged. “Tell me why that just happened. Why do I feel connected to you?”

  He lowered his arm and looked at her. “Genetically, we’re very similar.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, trying to hurry him up. “Our researchers say there are a few anomalies, but otherwise we’re the same.”

  “Yes,” he cleared his throat. “About those anomalies. We don’t really understand how it works.” He sat up. “We seem to have a … perfect match, our der’lan. It’s probably a prehistoric leftover to assure survival. My world is mostly desert. Survival depends on working together.”

  Her eyes narrowed as he paused again. She had a sneaking suspicion why he was taking so long to find the right words. He’d already decided the identity of his ‘perfect match.’ She waited him out.

  “My people don’t know how the process works, but we know when we meet our mate. When we see her.”

  He met her gaze and she saw his certainty reflected there. Some primal part of her responded, but her logical side insisted it was impossible. They weren’t from the same planet. They weren’t even supposed to be the same species.

  “Not me,” she denied.

  “Oh yes. You.” With the sexy grin that threatened to melt her heart, he tugged her onto his chest. His fingers gently traced the fluttering pulse in her neck. “And you feel it too.”

  “No,” she whispered.

  Quiet settled over the room. She fought to come up with another explanation. Years of living alone? Years of repressed lust? There had to be a logical, scientific explanation for the extreme awareness she felt, but deep down, she knew the truth of what he said. She shoved the inner voice away. She wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet.

  Her entire existence was changing, morphing without her knowledge or consent. She wanted to wallow in anger at the injustice of it, but her curiosity and lifelong habit of never surrendering took over. First, she needed to determine if there was a way to break this bond. If not … well, she would deal with that later. Maybe it wasn’t what he said. Maybe it was his pheromones or some gas in the air. Maybe it was an elaborate trick. Science had to explain it, whatever it was.

  “Okay. Explain the sex thing. Why do I feel connected to you and how do you stop it?”

  “You don’t stop it,” Alrik growled and his fingers tangled in her hair, tugging until they were nose to nose. “The bond once made cannot be broken.”

  She sighed. She was afraid he’d say that.

  “And the sex,” he paused as if not approving the word, “is necessary. Our bodies need to join often to reinforce the bond.”

  His voice lowered on the last words, husky with arousal and his eyes hooded in a look she had begun to identify as ‘get ready, he’s going to pounce!’ Could she starve the bond? Would refusing to feed the craving she felt for him snap it? She fought it, but her body responded without her permission. She was beginning to think his revenge for her military prowess would be to fuck her to death. But what a way to go, Laney.

  “Doesn’t that make it a little hard to get anything done?”

  She tried to move off him, but he held her hips in place against his growing erection. She gasped at the feel of him, hard and smooth, warm and just nudging her pussy. Muscles already clenching to hold him in, she adjusted herself over him and he jerked up, gasping at the contact. Focus here, Laney. But he felt so good lodged inside her, not moving, just existing. The contact alone quieted the need raging through her blood. But ultimately it wasn’t enough. She wanted to explore him, wanted to discover every inch of his large muscled body. Mostly just wanted to feel him deep enough it threatened her ability to breathe. At the moment she was the one in control and she had every intention of taking advantage of it.

  She raised herself up his length slowly, before slamming back down.

  “Kind of defeats the survival mechanism theory, doesn’t it?” she gasped.

  With a wicked smile, she raised herself up again, and he choked out a laugh. Good. She liked a man who could laugh in bed.

  “You want to discuss this now?” he asked.

  She leaned forward, left a line of light teasing kisses down his neck, across his shoulders, down his chest. She paused at one nipple, exulted at the way he jerked beneath her when her teeth closed over the hard tip. She rocked against h
im, taking his cock as deeply as she could, but it never felt deep enough.

  “It appears to be the only way to finish a conversation with you.”

  He better hurry up. Every time she thrust down, the tip of his cock hit the sensitive front of her vaginal wall. She quivered with the need to come but tried to hold back, wanting to draw out the superb torture for them both.

  “The edge will wear off some, once the bond is firm,” he gasped.

  Assuming that was as much information as she could expect now and no longer able to stand the suspense, Laney reached up and grasped his shoulders for leverage. Her hair swung around them like a dark red curtain, whispering over the hardened tips of her nipples. She groaned in response to the stimulus. Moving in earnest, she increased the pace until their bodies were slamming together. She relished the sound of flesh slapping against flesh. An orgasm wrenched through her body and her muscles milked him, unwilling to let go. A dim corner of her mind registered his roar of release with relief. She really felt worn out now.

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  Chapter Four

  Laney woke with a jerk, sitting bolt upright on the bed, a little disoriented. She knew immediately where she was, but it was impossible to judge time in the closed confines of the starship. How long had she slept?

  Alrik slumbered next to her, eyes shut and chest rising and falling in a deep even rhythm. She slipped from the bed and crept into the other room, gathered and pulled on her clothes with swift efficient movements. She spared a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the big warrior hadn’t woken before she snuck out into the hall. The door slid softly shut behind her. She leaned against the corridor wall, staring unseeing at the ceiling and grinding her teeth. Anger and shame rode her hard.

  She heard footsteps in the distance and straightened, making her face a mask of calm indifference. Only she would realize it was a lie. Setting off in the direction she’d come from earlier, she wandered the maze of the ship until she came back to the shuttle bay and was able to retrace her steps to her room.

  As she approached she saw a dim glow from the common room and wondered who was left awake at this late hour. Her stomach rumbled. Or if there was any food left in the room. Hunger was as good an excuse as any to check it out. It was something she had a semblance of power over, at least.

  Unlike her attraction to the enemy alien or his plans for her.

  When she saw who was in the room she wished she could backpedal out, but it was too late. She’d already been spotted.

  “Bradford.”

  “Colonel Eldridge.”

  She nodded at the man drinking a beer at a table and approached a tall cooler on one wall. She grabbed a bottle of water, eyeing the beer wistfully, and a sandwich before turning back to face him. Using the heel of his boot he shoved a chair out in an invitation to sit. She sat while trying to force away her unease and suspicion. She unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite.

  “Guess I don’t need to ask where you disappeared to.”

  She narrowed her eyes but didn’t answer. She didn’t trust him, didn’t know what his game was, and she’d be better off keeping her movements and thoughts to herself until she did. They sat in silence while she finished the small meal, but she felt him watching her. When she looked up and met his gaze, there was a calculating look in his eyes. He was definitely up to something.

  “The others have returned to Earth?” she asked, keeping her voice low. The silence of the ship seemed to demand that consideration.

  “All but the three of us.”

  Laney looked around. “Where’s the General?”

  Eldridge shrugged. “Turned in already.”

  She nodded and started to stand. Not a bad idea. Eldridge stopped her with a hand on her wrist. His touch made her skin crawl and she just managed to repress a flinch.

  “Wait.”

  She pulled her hand free and slowly sank back in the chair, curiosity and suspicion warring within her. “Why?”

  “You have more to lose here than anyone.”

  She snorted. Not a great revelation there. “So?”

  He leaned over the table, his voice lowering to almost a whisper. “What if there was another way?”

  She cocked an eyebrow. A way out of the marriage or a way out of the treaty altogether? If Alrik was right about this bond, it wouldn’t be so simple to escape. But she refused to believe there was no way to break it. She didn’t respond, just sat still and quiet waiting for Eldridge to go on.

  “We have the Doomsayer. They can’t use it.”

  The transfer of the weapon had taken place earlier in the evening. Some people thought that was meant to be seen as a sign of cooperation. A step in the right direction, towards peace. Laney was more of the opinion the Delroi didn’t need it and maybe wouldn’t care if Earth started up hostilities again.

  Her smile was brittle. “You think they don’t have something similar themselves? They came half way across the galaxy to start this war.”

  And for what? Earth was in near ruins. They had no resources left worth mentioning. Was it really about women? The idea seemed preposterous. But if there was another motive, damned if she could see it. She shook her head.

  “I don’t see another way, Colonel, but if you figure something out be sure to let me know.”

  She moved to stand but again he stopped her.

  “You’re in the best position to find their weakness.”

  She arched her eyebrows in an effort to cover her reaction to the suggestion. She was a soldier; it was what she should be doing. Looking for their motives. Ferreting out their strengths and weaknesses. So why did the idea leave such a bad taste in her mouth? She wished Britt and Kendall were with her. Both were old Army friends, Kendall a doctor and Britt one of Laney’s best spies. They were the only two people she trusted implicitly. They were usually her best advisors and if ever she needed a sounding board the time was now.

  Eldridge stood and walked towards the doorway. Pausing he looked back over his shoulder and met her gaze.

  “Think about it, Sergeant Major.”

  Damn the man. She would be thinking of little else.

  When she was alone she turned to the window she’d been avoiding staring out of before and took a deep breath. Looked out in wonder. The view was magnificent. The inky black background was filled with pinpricks of light and the moon hung huge and close. She lifted her fingers to the glass, traced its shape. They were so close she almost felt as if she could reach out and touch it. Somewhere on board there must be a window that overlooked the Earth. She wanted to see it and promised herself she’d find it later.

  She concentrated on what that view would look like, forcing thoughts of Earth conspiracies and alien invaders from her mind. What would she give to go back two years? To go back to a time when her biggest concern was subduing the rebellion of a local protectorate or figuring out which of her soldiers should be promoted? She sighed and forced herself to face the hard truth. It had never been that simple.

  She heard soft steps behind her, saw a man’s reflection in the glass. The first thing she noticed was that he carried himself like Alrik and she thrust the image away. Then she realized she knew this man. Well, not personally. But she’d seen him on Earth before the invasion. Her smile was grim as she studied his image in the glass. This was something she knew how to do. Let the games begin.

  Barak ducked behind one of the big bulkheads as the Earth Colonel left the room. He wasn’t sure what to do with this new information, so he waited for the woman, to see what her next move would be. When she didn’t exit, he stepped out of the shadows and walked the few feet to the open doorway. Her back was to him, and he studied her a few moments trying to decide if she was a threat or not.

  “You might as well come in,” she said softly, then turned her head to look over her shoulder.

  He caught his breath. Reminded himself she belonged to the Commander. But she was stunning. No way around it. Her hair was loose and hung d
own her back. Her carriage was regal. As if she’d been born to be a prince’s der’lan. And it appeared she had been. The question was could she be trusted? Mates did not always live peacefully together. A fact he had unfortunate first hand knowledge of. His parents had made an art of misery.

  She stood before a large view port that looked out onto the planet’s lone moon. If they’d been on the other side of the ship she’d be able to see Earth and the vast Delroi armada. These rooms had been chosen for that reason, a small concealment of their real strength.

  He met her gaze, nodded, but didn’t speak. After a few seconds she returned her perusal to the window before her. She was as composed as any leader he’d ever met and that left him uncertain. He hated uncertainty. He’d been on Earth for two years, insinuating his way into the Earth Army. He’d had some opportunity to study her.

  She was calm. Controlled. Brilliant. Practically a legend to her own people. As far as the symbolism went, there was no better choice than Sergeant Major Laney Bradford. A well respected leader of Earth mating one of the ruling sons of Delroi. Perfect. Except he couldn’t believe she would go so peacefully, give in so easily. Not this woman. Not the Butcher of Roses. Alrik wasn’t worried and that was fine. But it was Barak’s job to think of these things. His job to stay one step ahead. Which is why he’d been lurking in the hallway when she’d spoken to Eldridge. That one was up to no good. Barak just hadn’t figured out how yet.

  “I’ve seen you before,” she said, her voice low, a little husky with an edge of steel under it. “Wearing the uniform of one of my brigades.”

  He got the message. Sergeant Major Bradford was not a woman to be taken lightly. She turned around to face him. Her hands hung loosely at her sides, her chin tilted slightly up in the air. He had a vision of her garbed formally for court standing before the throne back home that nearly knocked him to his knees. It wasn’t just her beauty or her composure. It was the fiery intelligence blazing from her eyes that nearly did him in.