by Vi Voxley
The sound of metal gliding was the only noise in the room, other than the celebrations outside as Chase drew his long daggers from their sheaths, a warning expression on his face.
"We can finish our duel right here," he snarled, taking the comment for an insult.
"Put your toys away," Havoc said, his deep voice booming as he didn't turn his gaze from Chase's for a second. "I'm not attempting to pick a fight. You and I have to stop trying to tear each other's throats out. Now tell me, are you a Gargon warrior or not?"
Naturally, Chase didn't answer that, the daggers twirling in his hands as he took a step closer.
"I see," Havoc said coldly. "Then tell me, since when do we consider the worst option the most likely? We are Gargons. We fight for the best until our last breath and if we should fail, even our losses would be sung of.
"Before blood gushes out of a hundred wounds on my body, I will not stop fighting for everything. Octava, the Alliance, and Dana. I can't believe I have to tell you this – just because we can lose one or all of them does not excuse us from fighting for them."
That worked.
Slowly, surely, Chase put the daggers away and glared at him with the same look he always had on his face when he couldn't decide whether he hated or respected Havoc more.
"You're right," he said quietly, offering Havoc his hand then, which he gripped at the wrist like Gargon warriors did. "Until the very end."
"Until the very end," Havoc replied.
One way or another.
10
Dana
The warlords kept their promises, which was just another thing in the long line of positives Dana had to consider.
And question. Of course she was doing both naturally.
What kind of woman wouldn't consider guys like that? For gods' sake, am I crazy to throw this away? Or, am I crazy to consider throwing myself into the same trap twice? Fool me once... Sean deserves better than a life of uncertainty.
It was funny, in a way. The entire galaxy was close to being fucked and come tomorrow, even the great Octava would be in uproar about the coming war. Her personal life was messed up in a way Dana couldn't have predicted in a million years and Sean was completely enthralled with both of her new fateds.
She hadn't told him all of it, though. She thought her son's pleas would be the hardest thing to say no to, especially as she could not explain to him the weight of the matter. All he saw were fearless warlords, men of myth. He didn’t see the trouble they could be. The way they could bring pain into his life as well as hers.
They were sitting on the roof of Chase's house, enjoying the festivities from a nice, private distance. Down on the streets, the party continued. It wasn't just the celebration of the Sanguine and all the new bonds, which had been many as she had been told – it was a chance for the Gargons themselves to let go. The fated bonds were a massive part of their life and for one night, they got to really revel in them.
Dana was expecting fireworks. It felt like a fireworks moment. As it stood, the city of Taria itself was a golden sea of lights, flicking like tiny stars in the darkness of the night around them.
Sean was sitting on her lap, eating away at the pastry in his hands and unable to take his admiring eyes off the warlords. Dana hadn't either, although for considerably more personal reasons.
It was amazing how at ease they could both look, ready to face the Iron League while accepting her deal with more grace than Dana had expected. She knew she was wounding them deeply by not jumping up and down with joy, yet they had taken that blow like it was nothing.
Hah, it's almost like they've been warriors all their life or something.
"Can I try the dagger?" Sean asked.
Dana felt the smile on her lips widen. For the past half an hour, her son had been attempting to weigh the armors and weapons of her fated, one item after the other.
She wanted to tell him no so badly. All the arguments about safety, propriety and everything else were right there, at the tip of her tongue. Dana simply couldn't bring herself to deny Sean the chance to really be happy, not when she knew what was coming. With the Iron League in play, none of them were safe.
Besides, Gargons had been a bad influence on her too, it seemed. She no longer believed, like many Terrans did, that kids were too stupid to live. Sean had been very careful with every item he was given, respectful even, far from putting himself in any danger despite only being seven.
She was so proud. So incredibly proud and all the more afraid for it.
I have no idea what the right choice for him is, or for me. It's just very scary to trust my fate in the hands of some unseen power I barely believe in. Just the same, I can't just deny this either.
It was true that denying the existence of the bond would have been considerably easier if Dana hadn't felt it, blooming slowly at the back of her mind.
Chase was observing her with the sexiest grin playing on his lips. After everything that had transpired between them, he was still the man he was rumored to be and Dana found herself drawn to him with a gravitational pull she couldn't resist.
The smile on his face seemed genuine to her, as though all the bad energy in the room downstairs had been washed away.
"If your mother allows it," Chase said, baring his teeth in playful grin. "I would give it to him in the sheath, of course."
"Sure," Dana said, laughing. "Be careful, Sean. It's not a toy!"
How many times have I said that now?
The boy jumped up from her lap and eagerly ran to Chase. Dana let out a small sigh. Her little boy was not so little anymore.
For the more casual occasion, the warlords were out of their armors, although they still wore the weapons and their colors. Like that, freed from the confines of their black shells, both somehow looked even more powerful.
Dana had a hard time denying that her body wanted to feel the heat of them both. The hunger for intimacy in her was nearly as strong as the lust for love.
Her time with Sean's father hadn't been happy, exactly. After Ryan, she'd avoided men like the plague until she forgot what a man's touch felt like, and she’d been okay with that.
The few clumsy attempts to date during her time as a captain of a civilian vessel went horribly – although more on the scale of awkwardness rather than being unpleasant. For example, Mack had been perfectly understanding when Dana told him she simply couldn't do it.
In time, she'd managed to convince herself that she didn't need it. That sleeping alone in a bed that was cold when she climbed into it was fine. That Sean was all she needed, that motherly love was enough for a woman.
It had come easily enough. Her son was her first priority, after all. His safety and well-being had to be put before anything else. No way in hell would she bring a man into his life who she couldn’t trust implicitly.
And she wasn’t certain she could trust anyone like that anymore.
The night around them was warm and nice, the perfect summer's eve. And looking at Havoc's bulging biceps, plain even under the massive coat he was wearing, Dana nearly let out a whine. She had rarely wanted anything as badly as to climb into his arms and feel the body heat of a true, genuine man.
A man who had already let her know that he’d do anything for her.
Looking at Chase wasn't any better. The warlord was carefully removing the dagger from his hip. She doubted he needed to do it so slowly, but she appreciated the fact he was providing a good example for Sean.
After so many trips to Octava, Dana had been really worried that Sean might try pick up the Gargon rashness. So far, he’d remained the sweet, conscientious boy she’d hoped he’d stay.
Chase's long dark strands fell over his face as he glanced at her, winking. It sent a shiver down Dana's spine, a nigh visible one. Where Havoc made her want to cuddle, feel safe and warm, Chase would keep her in his strong arms, gently caressing her skin as he kissed her neck...
She ripped herself out of her desires with a shake of her head, knowing those da
ydreams shouldn’t go far. Not until she was sure of what she was going to do next.
The evening was simply perfect, if not for the fact that literally everything was wrong. She knew what it was, too. It was the doubt, the fear. She was so tired of it. All Dana wanted was to let go, to allow herself to trust again.
"Careful now," Chase was saying as Dana exchanged an amused look with Havoc, leaning forward to see if her son would manage.
Naturally, all three of them had said "no" to Sean's request to try Havoc's sword. Dana doubted she could have lifted that one herself. It was taller than her, a two-hander.
With a deeply concentrating look on his face, tongue stuck out a little, Sean took the dagger.
Well, to Chase it was a dagger. Dana chuckled a little, seeing her son sway under the weight, guessing it was more like a sword to her and a massive glaive to Sean. The boy tried to keep his balance, but ended up falling anyhow.
Dana gasped, jumping to her feet. Only Sean never hit the ground.
The warlords had moved so fast she hadn't even seen them. Both wore the same cocky grin, looking at her all scared as they righted her son. Sean was safely in Chase's grip – in fact, the warrior was holding him a little off the ground by the collar of his coat. And Chase's dagger was neatly in the grip of Havoc's extended hand.
“Whoa!” Sean gasped.
It was evident that his admiration for the two warlords was only going to grow after that particular feat of agility.
Every mother should have these guys around, Dana thought. They're like personal safety nets.
The second she'd thought that, Chase asked:
"Do you want to try something cool?"
She didn't even get to reply before Sean was jumping up and down, demanding that they do whatever Chase had in mind. It was hard to hide how very little surprised she was.
"I could hang him off the edge of the roof," Chase offered with a grin. "The streets below are like rivers of light right now. It would be a pretty sight."
Dana's mouth dropped open in horror.
"Hey," she protested. "I was fine with the weight-lifting because the worst that could happen was that he could fall on his ass and get a small bruise. A life lesson. You want to hang my son above a street five stories up?"
"Yes," Chase said, the smile broadening on his lips as Sean jumped up and down like an electric bunny. "He'd love it. Do you really think I'd offer if I wasn't sure he was safe? Do you really think I would drop him?"
That was a good point, but Dana wasn't sure how much it mattered.
"Please, Mom, please," Sean chimed in, coming to tug at the sleeve of her uniform coat.
Her son's eyes gleamed in the light of the festival below, blue like hers. The smile on his lips told Dana that he was already seeing himself swinging above the city.
I'm a shame to mothers everywhere.
"If you drop him, I'm going to join the Iron League," she told Chase with a small smile, turning serious then. "He's my life. Don't try anything dangerous."
The warlord gave her a little bow, looking so amazingly hot in that second, framed by the aura of lights that Dana had to stifle a small moan. Then all desire washed away as Chase picked up Sean as easily as though the boy weighed nothing.
Dana watched, her eyes wide as Chase said something quietly and Sean giggled like she hadn't seen him do in years.
She sometimes wondered if the boy missed his father more than he was telling her.
Dana had never really brought herself to tell Sean everything that had happened with his father. He didn’t need to have his mental image of Ryan more ruined than it already was. As a child, it was easier to remember good things and she didn't want to rob Sean of the good memories.
She would have given everything to know if the two warlords could ever replace Ryan in Sean's heart.
If that was so, she would have gladly given them the chance Chase had asked for.
"Mommy, I'm flying!" Sean yelled.
And so he was. Chase was standing at the edge of the roof, one boot on the low edge of it, his hands extended in front of him, holding Sean in his firm grip.
I thought he was going to lean over the edge, not actually fly there.
Not a word left her lips. The moment was just so surreal. Sean flaying in the air like he was in a wind tunnel, laughing so hard he was starting to hyperventilate. Chase holding him, his dark hair flowing gently in the summer night's breeze. Standing there, strong and firm, he was without a shadow of a doubt the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen.
Desire surged through her like a shock, the flames eating her up inside.
Then Havoc appeared beside her. She looked up at him, needing to crane her neck a little. From one gorgeous man to another, the soft smile on Havoc's lips softened his otherwise harsh features.
My dark prince and gentle giant.
They watched together as Sean squealed in delight for a long minute before Chase finally lifted him back to the roof. He didn't look tired in the slightest, merely amused.
As for Sean, Dana felt actual tears of joy in her eyes, seeing how happy her new fateds were making her son. The boy was running around like crazy, acting pretty much the same as seven-year-old boys everywhere – it shouldn't have been so special, but it was. It had been a long time since Dana had seen him so full of life.
The flame of hope flared to life in her heart.
She simply couldn't get the warlords out of her mind, not even when she laid in her bed a few hours later. Everyone else was sleeping, at least Dana presumed they were. It had been a long day for all of them.
Neither dreams nor sleep came to her. Only desires and dreams of a different sort.
Dana moaned quietly, biting her lip as she slipped a hand between her legs under the thin blanket. She was loving her new room, more spacious than anything she'd ever had on the Sanguine. Terrans didn't build luxury compartments for their officers, not that she would ever have asked for one.
The soft, silky linens the servants had brought her felt amazing against her skin as Dana pressed her eyes shut, seeing the warlords framed by the ten thousand lights burning all over Taria. She slipped two fingers in her pussy, gasping quietly when she felt how wet she was for them. The thought urged her on to move her hand quicker, the other fondling her breasts as she imagined her fateds doing the same.
The moment the images of Havoc and Chase conjured before her eyes, Dana knew she'd been without the touch of a man for too long. She didn't think she'd ever gone that close to the edge so quickly. Her fingers worked her pussy with a hard, merciless rhythm as she moaned, aching to feel the cocks of her fateds within her.
She had no doubt that they were big as most Gargon men were. Dana let out a small whimper, thinking how good it would feel to be spread open, to be fucked by a cock impossibly large. She added a third finger, gasping when her pussy resisted a little.
That was what she wanted, needed. Them to push her to the edge of her limits, their thick cocks stretching her pussy open for them.
She could almost see them on top of her, the images flashing before her eyes as Havoc and Chase appeared in her mind's eye. Dana thrashed on the sheets, the heat growing unbearable as she squirmed, sliding her other hand to her pussy too. She wet the tip of one finger and teased her clit, biting her lip not to scream out loud as she imagined her fated licking her.
She needed them so badly it hurt. Dana was caught between two sets of desires and somehow it made everything a hundred times more vivid. She longed for Havoc's strength, to be lifted into the air as his cock pushed into her pussy, held there with ease.
To be pounded into the bed, the warlord's massive body making hers shake under the powerful thrusts... And Chase, climbing on top of her, his long fingers teasing every pleasure spot on her body. Pushing into her with a teasing rhythm, keeping her on her toes before finally slamming into her, taking her over the edge.
"Fuck," Dana whispered, her wet fingers scissoring in her throbbing pussy.
He
r orgasm hit so hard it left her trembling on the sheets, breathing heavily and staring at ceiling. Every nerve ending in her body was stimulated, it seemed, shuddering slightly. Dana let out a small moan as her afterglow slowly set, her body spent and her mind finally sleepy.
With regret, she pushed herself up and took a shower, letting the cool water wash every trace of her masturbation away.
She practically fell on the bed when she got back and that was where morning found her.
11
Havoc
The next morning seemed like a bad dream compared to the night before. Or at least that was how it could have been.
Listening to the broadcast informing Gargons of the impending danger and the restrictions that brought, Havoc was proud. Initial reports coming in confirmed his highest hopes – that his people were scared, but prepared.
There was no panic, no confusion. Only the good kind of questions, like how civilians could help and how the armada wanted them to relocate if needed.
Dana was very pale when she came out of her room that morning, closing the door carefully after her. Havoc tried not to notice the nearly see-through white blouse she had slept in, igniting the lust in his body so fast it nearly made him dizzy.
His fated was truly gorgeous like that, her red hair messed up a little and her beautiful blue eyes still a little sleepy. The shirt left her long lean legs bare for his gaze. He couldn't stop imagining spreading them apart for him, thrusting his hard, thick cock into the wetness between them.
His fated would moan and writhe beneath him, making those little sounds females let slip over their lips when they were truly in pleasure.
He focused on her again when Dana had made sure her son was still sleeping, peeking into his room.
"How is it going?" she asked quietly. "Do we need to leave soon?"
"Everything is as fine as could be expected," Havoc said. "The Sanguine has already left as per our orders for the city near the mountains. Chase is making the last preparations for us to leave and then we will take you to my villa."
