Tournament of Fire

by Toni L. Meilleur

  “‘Tis fortunate to have been awakened early. I can use the extra time to prepare it is my final battle after all.”

  “Final battle?” Curiosity enveloped Kegan. “What do you mean, is this a do or die battle?”

  Da’rak sighed heavily and rose from the control box. He leaned against the chamber. One hand covered his fist and he leaned his forehead against them before he spoke.

  “It is the last battle of my condition to return to Paa’eva. I had to win nine battles in a row. Each battle held on a different planet. I fought my ninth battle here on Earth. I fight every fifty years. I slept here until the final one, the tenth one. I am to fight that one on Paa’eva, it is my only chance at regaining my throne.”

  Kegan tried to digest his words and what they meant. Nine battles, fought every fifty years and he didn’t look a day over thirty. That would make him… Shit on a stick! He was over …

  “Uhm, how long did you rule?” She tried to keep her voice level. She didn’t want him to stop— she needed information.

  “I ruled for one hundred of your Earth years, before I was dethroned.” His voice filled with an emotion she could not fathom. Okay, so every fifty years plus a one hundred ruling…

  “And, uh, how old do you have to be to rule?” She made the question sound casual, but inside her heart was beating frantically. This would be the reason why the images felt so old. So ancient. It would explain why there were so many, and she knew she had not scratched the surface of his long life.

  “I was young, only two hundred in your years. I can see now what I could not see then. I should have smelled the corruptness, but I was forced to rule early because of my father’s death. I must make the betrayers pay for crimes against my father and myself. This last battle is most important. Many will try to stop me from even fighting. You see I cannot risk you out of my sight.” He sighed heavily then crouched again at the box out of her sight.

  Kegan’s mind was still swirling with numbers. If she was correct this man was over seven hundred years old. What was he exactly? She didn’t even want to go into his strange abilities. Hell, did she even have the mental stamina to pit her little thirty-three-year-old brain against his? So lost in her thoughts she’d forgotten about the ‘leva’ as Da’rak called him. He seemed sick now, sluggishly moving about the cave floor, sniffing around.

  “Da’rak?” she said softly. He grunted in response. “Something is wrong with the leva, I think.” Not being on expert on levas, she was almost sure turning in circles and stumbling was not normal behavior even for a monster.

  Da’rak rose immediately and cursed under his breath. He approached the leva that now had stopped moving. Kegan watched in amazement as he gently stroked the beast and crooned words in its pointed ears. It settled down on all fours much like a dog and rested its head on its huge paws. Then the leva went completely still, like stone.

  “What’s wrong with it?” Kegan approached softly. Not really liking the thing but it was a living thing and seemed to be sick.

  “Earth cannot sustain levas. It does not provide the right frequency of energy and therefore their energy is drained quickly. That is why he returns to stasis. I must find herbs for him. I can fix this.” He grabbed her gloved hand and began heading out of the cave.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You tell me.” he answered. He stopped and turned to her, putting his hands upon her shoulders. “I need you to think of a place with lots of vegetation. I have to find herbs for him. I am asking you do not try to trick me or get away; we will lose time to save him. It was foolish of me to wake him without the proper herbs handy, but I thought he would make the trip. Obviously he had been in stasis longer than I had guessed.”

  Kegan realized he was pleading with her to help. While the disgusting creature meant nothing to her, it was obviously highly prized by this man. For reasons she did not know, she wanted to please him, to help him. She wanted the look of worry to leave his face. She shook her head and concentrated. The world went fuzzy and squiggly again and she found herself in her mother’s wild garden. It has been two years since she visited this place, two years since her mother died. She pointed to the area where her mother grew various herbs. She turned her back while he selected plants.

  Da’rak stopped in the middle of picking an herb at the sudden onslaught of grief that overwhelmed him. He was puzzled. He liked the leva a lot but its death surely would not cause this reaction in him. He plucked another plant when the feeling became stronger. He put the last of the herbs in a pouch that hung at the band of his pants and turned to see Kegan’s shoulders shaking almost imperceptibly. She was in great pain. He was feeling her pain.

  By gods, he knew now what he had been trying to avoid. She was really his, in every sense of the word. He had found his shanzah! Or life companion. His head clouded at the information, but her pain cut sharply through. He came up behind her and encircled her small waist, taking them back to the cave. He said nothing because he sensed she did not want to talk. Could not talk. He gently forced her to sit. She brought her knees up and laid her head against them, hiding her face from him as she cried.

  Da’rak tracked her emotions, waiting for the moment when she wanted him to intervene. Right now, he sensed she just needed to do something she had not done before. It felt as if his insides were burning as he watched her. He sat across from her and began preparing the herb concoction for the leva, monitoring her closely. Still she cried. He finished and administered it to the leva. It would not recover from the effects of the stasis until they were back on Paa’eva, but it would live. Da’rak could not wait for her any longer; she was killing him from the inside out.

  “What is it, shanzah?” he asked, kneeling in front of her and gently stroking the soft curls that were not bound.

  “My mother.” She hiccupped softly. “It was too much… I did not think… I thought I had dealt with this.” She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of a gloved hand.

  “She has departed,” he stated, prompting her to go on.

  “She died two years ago, from cancer.”

  “It is a disease?” he asked, not familiar with diseases. His people had very few and what they had could be cured.

  “Yes, there was no way to help.” She sniffed again. Then brought her tear-filled, brown eyes at level with his lavender and gold ones. “I never cried the whole time, she needed me strong,” she whispered. “She was so scared, and I got so used to holding the tears…” She trailed off as a fresh wave consumed her.

  “You do not have to hold your tears ever again, shanzah.” Da’rak looked into her eyes, willing her to trust him. “If I can help it, there will be no more tears.”

  He took his rough hand and gently tilted her face up and kissed her. It was so quick and so gentle Kegan never saw it coming, but quickly she melted into it. Opening her mouth for him. Letting him taste her, the salt from her tears. He cupped her beautiful face in his hands like it was the most precious, delicate thing and deepened the kiss.

  “Share your pain with me,” he whispered against her lips. Kegan felt the emotional burden she had been carrying melt away. It was as if someone had literally taken it out of her, leaving her with nothing but the love she had shared with her mother. Kegan broke the kiss and stared into Da’raks eyes.

  “What did you do?” she asked breathlessly. Feeling drained from the crying.

  “I took your pain into myself.” he said quietly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

  “Why?” she searched his face looking for answers.

  “In time, shanzah, I will tell you, but not right now.” He lowered his head again and covered her mouth with his own. She was his, and he would claim her now.

  Chapter Four

  So this is what it was like to kiss a man from another planet, Kegan mused, lost in the fire of his kiss. His tongue swirled around her tongue seducing, no challenging it to respond. His taste was spicy and his mouth was hot, a heady combination. She would thin
k about her actions later. How could she possibly justify kissing the very man who kidnapped her and held her prisoner? It would bear too much thought and right now her mind was already occupied.

  She trailed her hand to his broad shoulders and shamelessly felt them up. Loving the feel of the muscles bunched under her hand. His skin was smooth and firm and she briefly wondered what it would be like to run her tongue along the edges of his muscles everywhere. She gasped into the kiss as his hands lightly cupped her through the sweatshirt. It felt like his very hands were heated and searing her, oh so deliciously.

  He broke the kiss just long enough to place tender kisses along the trail of her tears. Then she felt that moist tongue trace the outline of her lips before delving back into her mouth. One hand on her breast, he placed the other gently behind her head as he steadied her, allowing himself to kiss her much more deeply. Who was that moaning so shamelessly? The slut! Kegan felt her mind denying her part in the tryst. She usually had so much more control than this, and for the love of God, she was being held prisoner, right? She made her tongue dance around his, refusing to give her predicament any more thought.

  Da’rak felt as though he drunk a hundred cups of tilla. In all his seven hundred and fifty years he couldn’t think of a single time when he was so out of sorts. Her mouth was like Paa’eva’s finest nectar. Her moaning was driving him to heights of a sexual feeding frenzy. Her breasts, while small, were firm and fit so perfect in his hands. He cupped them, squeezed them, feasted at her mouth. Lust began to strengthen and blind him. He gasped for air, determined to keep his control and sorely losing. Breathing deeply, he pulled away and ripped her strange clothes in half. She let out a small cry of surprise and immediately went to shield herself from his hungry gaze.

  “Do not hide from me, shanzah,” he ordered quietly. “You are mine to look at, and by the gods, you are the most beautiful female I have ever seen,” he finished almost in a whisper.

  Normally, Kegan would have bristled at the order in his voice, but what he said and the way he said it made her feel all feminine and beautiful. She knew she would curse herself later for allowing him to order her about but for now… Slowly she lowered her hands and took a deep breath. If he didn’t like what he saw…well, the hell with him! But deep inside, she prayed that he would…

  As soon as she dropped her guard, Da’rak swooped down and clamped his mouth to her bra-covered breast. She felt the heat of his mouth through the thin lace and arched her back in response. He settled on his knees in front of her, suckling at her through the bra. Feeling sexy now, she peeled the straps of the bra down and pulled. Momentarily he broke away, but only long enough for the bra to slide further down, then he clamped down on her naked nipple.

  She swallowed the moan threatening to bubble over. He, however, did not bother to hide his appreciation for her taste as he sucked the nipple into his mouth with a small slurp and drew on it hard. Kegan had no idea her core was so connected to her nipple. She could feel herself getting wet for him, soaking through her cotton thong. Hell, if she ventured an honest guess, she was probably soaking the sweatpants as well. How long had it been since she last had sex? She couldn’t remember. She allowed him to lay her prone on the cave floor’s soft dirt. His legs straddled either side of her as he continued his sensual attack on her breast, only stopping long enough to give the other equal opportunity enjoyment.

  “Shanzah, this is not the place I had in mind to take you,” he moaned hotly against her breast.

  “You’re not ‘taking me’,” she muttered, determined to show face until the end. Just because she was acting like a slut didn’t mean she had to be easy. Kegan chose that moment to fondle his ass and squeeze. Did he have rock hard glutes or what?

  “It would seem your mind is leading a rebellion against what your body wants.” He chuckled in her ear. Sounding sexy as all get out. Bastard!

  “I am in complete control,” she panted out, barely able to catch her breath.

  “Well, then that makes two of us,” he rebutted, now using his hands as lethal tools of seduction. Riding them all over her body. She heard a ripping sound and was vaguely aware of her delicate bra being savagely removed and thrown across the cave. “I do not like the barriers your clothes provide.” He crawled down her body, leaving kisses where he traveled. Kegan mewled her appreciation, her skin hot for his kisses.

  Da’rak laved his tongue across her abs and let his tongue sweep around her navel, enjoying the small navel ring piercing it. “On my world, when a woman pierces this place, it is to tell the males she is sexually aggressive and would have nothing less than rough mating.” His words vibrated against the ring. “Is this what you tell me, shanzah?” he said softly, his breath fanning her skin.

  “I have it because I like the way it looks,” she muttered lost in sense overload.

  “Then we shall see together what it is you really like,” he teased, pulling down her sweatpants. He stopped, suddenly looking at her feet. “Those are ugly shoes.” He frowned “What are they called?”

  Kegan pushed herself up to her elbows and looked down at him, offended but still turned on. “They are called tennis shoes and these are the latest style,” she huffed out.

  “They cover your feet totally. A female’s feet are a source of her sexual pleasure; they should be seen, not covered by such bulky material.” Even as he spoke the words, he peeled the shoes off once he figured out how to remove them. He threw the socks after the shoes and proceeded to pull her pants all the way off.

  “Ah,” was all he said as he looked at her small, red painted toenails. He picked up a foot and slowly began to massage it. Kegan’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. He then picked up the other one and began the same process on that foot. By the time he was done, Kegan was boneless. He kissed her ankles, first one then the other. Then he gently picked up her right leg and ran his tongue from the back of her thigh to the end of her leg, giving Kegan goose bumps like she never had before. He picked up her left leg and nibbled in various places, licking until he came to the apex of her thighs.

  “A true lover loves every inch of his woman.” he said arrogantly, reaching for her panties.

  Embarrassment flowed through Kegan. She was ashamed at how wet she was for him. No one had ever turned her on this much.

  “Hold it there, Bub,” she frantically screeched, holding out a hand to stop his progression.

  “I told you, I am Da’rak.” His eyes flashed gold in anger. Kegan rolled her eyes.

  “It’s a saying on this planet,” she explained impatiently. He seemed slightly mollified but continued to give her a questioning look. “Why am I the only one being undressed here?”

  “Shanzah, if you wish to see me naked, why did you not say so?” He gave her a wicked grin and it was at that moment Kegan began to rethink her whole stalling plan. Surely to stop the progression of sex you didn’t insist the other person unclothe?

  She watched in almost virgin fashion as he removed his scant clothing. He tossed his vest like an afterthought. However his weapon—which had somehow had been clinging to his back—he lay a few feet away as if it were a precious child. She had to remember to ask him about that later. He slipped the boots off easily. Now the pants… Oh God, he was taking off his pants. Surprise, he was going commando! She watched his excited member bounce free from the leather-like material. It was perfect in every way imaginable. Thick and long, the head looked like fruit to be sucked and…

  Kegan blushed. Da’rak caught her blush, and if he got any more arrogant, she would kill him. He knelt over her again. His erection seemed to be pointing directly at her. Zeroing in on her, marking her.

  “Now your turn.” He laughed softly, grabbing the edges of her panties and pulled them down. When he had them fully off of her, he smiled, his dimples in full heavenly view.

  “I like this cloth.” He grinned, bringing the thong to his face and sniffing heavily. “You are truly addicting.” He looked fully at her, his eyes almost fully gold,
the lavender but a small dot. “What do you call this?”

  “A thong,” she answered him breathlessly. Now completely turned on by the fact that his man was sniffing her underwear and grinning like a tiger that took down its prey. That is if tigers could smile and still look sexy.

  “When we get to Paa’eva, we will tell the seamstress to make you many of these.” He tossed the underwear behind him, and before Kegan could protest her not going to Paa’eva, his tongue invaded the folds of her sex.

  Kegan now knew what butter felt like when faced with scorching heat. He lapped gently at her first, then his strokes became firm and longer. He hummed against her, making her clit vibrate. She pressed his head to her, stroking his long hair. It fell across her wrists and felt like a cross between soft fur and hair.

  He spread her legs further apart, trying to get better access to her cream. She let her legs fall to either side. He grunted approval of her actions and penetrated her with his tongue. Her back arched right up off the ground. Instinctively, she closed her legs around his head. He pushed them open again used his tongue to alternate between penetrating and licking. When she felt the beginnings of her orgasm, her legs shook from the force of it. She was coming hard, and before she could stifle her scream, it ripped free from her throat, echoing in the cave. It was at that moment Da’rak clamped right down on her clit and sucked, not only making the first wave last, but she seriously suspected she was having a two for one as she rode the waves.

  Da’rak watched her writhe underneath his onslaught; he felt the tremors coursing through her body. While she was caught up in the throes of her second orgasm, he pumped all of his thickness into her, making her gasp from the sensation. As soon as he entered her sheath, pleasure erupted in his body, sending shock waves throughout. She was so wet for him, so tight for him, so his. Her slick walls gripped him. She felt like fire and velvet pulling at him, inviting him to stay forever. He slowly pushed himself further until he was buried in her to the hilt. She clung to him, her gloved hands sliding against the sweat on his back until she locked them around his arms, gripping them tightly.