by Ella Maven
For a long time, he didn’t move, and then he heaved a long sigh before leaning back in the chair, forcing it onto two legs as he crossed his arms over his chest. “And why would we help you do that? They don’t bother us.”
“We have stolen data from them recently and have found they sold many of our warriors to the Plikens.”
That got a response of him. He cursed low under his breath. “Heard about how they run Vixlicin. Slaves in mines, gladiators, prisons.”
“Right, and there was one name that didn’t seem familiar to us, with a mark beside their name that made us believe he wasn’t a Drixonian. Does the name Kazel mean anything to you?”
The front legs of his chair crashed down, and he lunged forward until our noses almost touched. “How do you know that name?” he hissed, his eyes lightening to a near blinding white.
“I just told you,” I bared my teeth, refusing to back down from his anger. “He was stolen from this plant and sold to the Plikens.”
He rose to his feet and whirled around, showing me his back, as he fisted the hair at the top of his head. His shoulders hitched, and I could hear his panting breaths in the dim light. When he spoke again, his voice was low and deadly. “If you’re lying to me, I will rip out all of your machets one by one and then peel your skin from your body while you scream.”
“Descriptive,” I muttered. “And I’m not lying. I know you care about honor, and so do I. So do we.” I took another swig of the spirits. “Who is he?”
Sherif dropped his hands to his side and slowly turned to sink down in his chair once again. “He’s my brother. My blood brother.”
A pang of sympathy in my gut made me wince. “I can’t promise Kazel is alive. I can’t even promise he’s still on that planet. But I can promise you he was once sold there. If you help us, we will do everything in our power to find him when we search for our own stolen brothers.”
He held my gaze silently for a long time. “And how would you like us to help you?”
“Got a few warriors who are really good at that blanking thing you do?”
For the first time since I’d met him, Sherif grinned.
Tabitha
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a wall of vines, and for a moment, I panicked. The last time I woke up like this, I’d been alone. But a solid wall of heat at my back and a soft snoring made me smile. I rolled over to find Xavy fast asleep on his back, arms and legs spread out like a starfish.
The evidence of last night’s fight remained on his scales, but the cuts were healing, and his expression was peaceful. I admired his loks where they rested on the furs, happily comparing the patterns to mine. They reminded me of wings, and I smiled, remembering his dragon aura in my mind, which was calm and resting.
I reached across him for a drink of qua, finding my throat sore from last night’s screaming—first in fear during the fight, and then in pleasure afterward.
He’d won, he really won.
I almost wondered if I’d wake up this morning and it would have all been a dream, but there was no Varnex, no scary Kaluma warriors demanding the use of my womb. Just Xavy, passed out next to me in his birthday suit.
I pulled down the furs to study myself and prodded each mark he’d made last night. My thighs burned, and my breasts were tender. I wondered what I looked like, because I could only imagine the hickeys he’d left all over my neck.
I should have let him sleep, but I was nearly giddy with relief and happiness. He was mine—Xavy the charming fighter and pilot, was all mine. I had the loks and sore pussy to prove it.
The furs had slipped down to his waist, and I could see the outline of his cock resting against his thigh. Glancing at his face to confirm he was still sleeping, I pulled the fur down to his knees, revealing his half-hard shaft. I flicked the piercing at the tip with a finger, but he didn’t move.
Grasping it gently at the base, I licked around the head before drawing the tip into my mouth.
His hips jerked, and he made a snorting sound, but his eyes remained closed.
I smiled and sucked while rolling his balls in my other palm.
A long, low moan left his lips before his eyes popped open. They immediately dropped, alert, to meet mine.
“Tab,” he whispered.
“You can keep sleeping,” I murmured as I licked down the row of piercings on the underside of his shaft. “I’m just taking care of this for you. Mate.” I grinned and took him into my mouth, sucking hard.
He groaned and folded one arm behind his head. “Like I’m going to sleep through this.” He reached down and fisted my hair gently. “Keep going, pretty Tabby. Suck me off with that mouth of yours.”
His raspy demand turned me on, and I felt myself grow wet as I straddled his leg.
I went to work with my mouth and fist, working him over as he bucked his hips into my face.
He came on a low growl, holding me as the head of his cock bumped the back of my throat.
Before I could blink, he hauled me up his body and plunged his still-hard cock into my wet entrance. I threw my head back as I rode him hard, slamming my ass onto his thighs until the sounds of our slapping flesh and breathy moans filled the space. He fondled my breasts and teased my nipples before digging his claws into my hips as he encouraged me to fuck him faster and harder.
“I don’t think there will be a morning where I don’t want to fill you.” He smacked my ass and I yelped. “Come on my cock, pretty mate. I want to feel you squeeze me.”
My orgasm rolled into me slow and lazy, and I braced myself on his chest with my hands as it built until I shuddered and whimpered. He fucked into me until he came too, his cock pulsing as he emptied his release inside me.
I collapsed on his chest, and he ran his hands up and down my body, pressing kisses to my temple and hair. “Best morning ever,” he whispered. And I giggled.
No one bugged us. I only got out of bed when I smelled food to find a tray of fruits and some porridge-like mash along with a steeped tea. Xavy told me that was all Wensla’s doing, and then he told me about his conversation with Sherif while I was asleep.
“So, he said yes?” I spooned a bit of the porridge into my mouth. It was sweet and nutty.
“He said he would gather a council today. They have to vote him in as pardux, but he said he doesn’t foresee that being a problem. There are some Varnex holdouts, but none that are strong enough to beat him in a challenge. So, after he is confirmed as pardux, he will bring my proposal to the council for consideration.”
“I can’t believe that about his brother. Wensla said he disappeared one day, and that was the catalyst for everything—his mother taking her own life and his father going mad.”
Xavy nodded. “And as far as we know, the Uldani are responsible…”
“They have a lot to answer for.”
His face darkened as he stabbed at some fruit with a small wooden pick. “Yes, they do.”
Around mid-day, Sherif arrived with Wensla in tow. Xavy left with him, and I watched them go anxiously, hoping the council had agreed to help us. As usual, Sherif’s expression gave nothing away.
Wensla no longer wore her heavy necklace. In fact, she wore nothing but a band across her breasts and a pair of loose pants with sandals. She handed me a similar outfit, and I got dressed while she prepared our lunch.
I wasn’t quite hungry yet. Xavy and I hadn’t done much since breakfast but lay in the furs and clean ourselves with the basin of qua and a foamy soap. So, I sat while she nibbled on a sandwich full of meat leftover from the night before.
“So, tell me what’s happened since last night,” I said, eager to get some gossip. I missed chatting with my friends back at the Night Kings clavas.
Wensla smiled, and I realized I’d never seen a true smile from her, not until now. “I met with Sherif this morning. All the unmated females will be able to choose our mates. He also said if we choose not to mate, that’s an option as well, but he strongly encouraged me to try, be
cause as you can see, we need to repopulate.”
“Are you okay with that?”
She nodded. “I am, because he said Gurla and I may mate the same male.”
I cocked my head, unsure why that mattered. “Why do you want to do that?”
“Gurla is…” Wensla swallowed and her eyes drifted to her sandwich, where she picked the crust before she once again met my gaze. “I love her. We love each other.”
My mouth dropped open. I’d had no idea, not in all this time. I knew she was protective of Gurla, but I hadn’t realized why. “Oh Wen. I can’t imagine how hard this was on both of you.”
Her eyes filled, and she didn’t bother to hide her tears as they dripped to dampen her bread. “I had managed to save her from his attentions, but he was losing interest in me and some of the other females. It was only a matter of time.” She let out a long breath and waved her hand. “But that’s in the past now. I love Gurla, but I want to be a mother. So does she. So, we will choose a male mate who will take both of us.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have a lack of volunteers for that action.”
She laughed, and the sound was pretty. “There were several in the council already who asked to be considered.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
She nodded vigorously. “Very much so. And it’s something I thought I’d never have. I thank you, the purple storm, who blew in here and changed everything.”
“I think that was all Xavy.”
She shook her head. “If it weren’t for you, I believe Varnex would have killed Xavy immediately. They kept him alive at first to learn more about you.”
I didn’t want to think about Xavy dying at their hands before he was even able to state the purpose of his mission. “Well, then I’m glad I accidentally fell asleep on his cruiser. Sometimes mistakes work out in the end.”
“You’re a brave human, Tabitha. I’ve heard stories about humans, and most paint you as weak and easily controlled. You are neither.”
I laughed but startled with a short scream as the vines flew open.
Xavy burst inside, his face alight as he grinned and held out his hand. “Come, Tab. I have something to show you.”
I took his hand because I’d let Xavy lead me anywhere.
Sixteen
Hap
I stared down the tree-lined path leading away from our gates. This was my routine every morning. After waking Shep up with my lips around his cock, I’d eat, grab some pula, and sit on the parapet at the top of our gates.
I was waiting for Tabitha. Just as I’d been since we woke up to find she was gone and learned with horror she’d boarded Xavy’s cruiser. The last we heard from them was a distress signal. And that was it. When I’d found out about that, I’d crumpled to the ground and screamed until I went hoarse. My best friend couldn’t be dead. Tabitha was larger than life, from her purple hair to her smiles to her winks. Everyone loved her.
A hand settled around my waist and I was pulled back into a solid body. I didn’t have to look to know who it was as I could tell by the ornate wooden cuffs on his wrist that matched my own. Shep rested his chin on my shoulder. “I worry this obsession with watching for her is going to cause you more pain.”
“She’ll be back. I know it.”
He was quiet for a long time. “Hap, they crashed into the freshas.”
Some of the others had wanted to hold a memorial for Xavy and Tab, but I refused. Until we had proof they were dead, I wouldn’t believe it. “She’s alive. I can feel it.”
His hand drifted up to rub my stomach. I loved when he did that. “I believe you.”
“Do you?” I turned in his arms to assess his expression.
Of course, his eyes were nothing but warm and caring. That was Shep. Some rotations I wasn’t sure I deserved him, but he told me over and over again I made him happier than he’d been since before the virus. That I was the missing piece that made him feel like he had a home and a place.
“I do, but that doesn’t mean they’ll make it back. They could be anywhere.”
“They’ll find a way.” I was insistent.
Shep smiled and cupped my face. “I wanted you to fight for yourself, but it seems my plan backfired on me. Now you’re nothing but stubborn grit.”
I grinned. “See? You have no one to blame but yourself.”
He snorted, and I turned back around to gaze down the path. I took a sip of my pula, remembering Tabitha telling me stories about a place called Starbucks where she ordered flavored drinks with sweet cream on top. Frachipino or something.
“Do you know what a Frachipino is, Shep?”
“A what?”
“Never mind.”
Without Tab, I wasn’t sure I ever would have had the courage to tell Shep how I felt, or even know what to do with my hand on a cock. Tabitha knew. She knew everything, it seemed. I hoped, wherever she was, that she’d finally convinced Xavy to kiss her.
I sighed. “I should probably get to work. Frankie’s crib isn’t going to make itself.”
Shep nodded and took a step off the parapet, me at his heels, when I felt the ground rumble. I froze, and Shep whirled around, eyes wide.
We both scrambled to the top as shouts rose from inside the walls.
Daz tore out of the dining hall, Sax on his heels, as the rumble grew louder, shaking the trees and walls, the very air vibrating in a blur.
I placed my hands over my ears as a massive hover car, bigger than the size of a Drixonian cruiser, roared up the path.
It could have been anyone—the Uldani, a Pliken army, anything. But I knew in my heart who was in that vehicle.
“Tabitha,” I whispered.
Seventeen
Tabitha
When we’d first arrived at the Kaluma settlement, I’d been terrified and would have given anything to leave as soon as possible.
As excited as I was to get back to my friends—I missed my girls and Hap—I couldn’t stop crying at leaving Wensla. Her and Gurla showered me with gifts, things I didn’t want to take, but couldn’t refuse because I knew that would have been rude. They gave me white stone bracelets and a few pendants, extra clothes, and a whole package of a sweet bar of candy they called jio.
All the women hugged me, and some were already paired up with warriors they’d secretly crushed on for years while suffering—literally—under Varnex. The once somber atmosphere was alive with hope, and I was so proud to be a part of it.
There was still a faction of warriors who had distanced themselves, and Xavy told me those were the Varnex loyalists.
Sherif had shrugged and said, “They’ll either come around or they’ll be in the ground.” And that was that.
I shivered at the coldest in his tone. He would be a strong pardux.
Now we rode in a tank-like hover car called a returo. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. It could travel over water for short distances, and luckily the Kaluma knew which routes to take to get us back to our continent safely.
Sherif didn’t join us, as he couldn’t leave his settlement during a major adjustment. His friend Cravus stayed behind too. Leading our small contingent of twenty Kaluma warriors was Bosa. He and Xavy had made nice after Bosa clubbed him in the head.
I didn’t see how that was something one could get over. I kept my distance from the big Kaluma, but he didn’t seem to like me either. I remembered Wensla saying he didn’t like outsiders. When I’d expressed worry to Xavy about him joining us, he’d told me that while Bosa hated outsiders, he liked the Uldani the least. He was eager to fight, as Kazel, Sherif’s brother, had been a good friend of his.
I slept for most of the journey near the back of the returo, while the rest of the warriors sat in a line on identical chairs lining the sides. They didn’t speak much, and many of them dozed as well during the smooth ride.
Xavy woke me up with a touch to my shoulder.
I blinked my eyes open to see him crouched in front of me.
“We’re
almost home, Tab.”
Home. The word filled me with warmth and excitement. Shaking off the last bit of sleep, I hopped up and rushed to the center of the returo. Like a submarine, the only way to see out of the car was through a telescope.
The warrior responsible for the post stepped aside for a moment to let me peek outside.
I caught a glimpse of the familiar tree-lined path and nearly squealed at the sight of the gates.
“Home,” I whispered.
Xavy wrapped his arm around me as we walked to the side of the returo, where the hatch would open. We wanted to be the first ones off the vehicle so Daz would know this was a friendly visit from the normally secluded Kaluma.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot, vibrating with excitement. As soon as the returo rumbled to a stop and settled on the ground, a hiss echoed through the cabin and then the hatch opened. As soon as there was a crack large enough for me to slip through, I darted out of Xavy’s hold and bolted outside.
“Tab!” I heard him call, but I knew this was safe. This was home. Rounding the front of the returo, I heard the creek of the gates begin to open.
“I’m home!” I called, laughter bubbling up from my throat as I nearly tripped over my own feet. I heard the pounding footsteps of Xavy behind me just as a blue figure burst through a small crack in the gates.
Hap raced toward me, his hair flopping. “Tabitha!” His voice cracked, and we hit each other at maximum speed. The breath left my lungs in a rush as he crushed me to his chest, picking me off the ground while he chanted in my ear. “I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew.”
“I missed you so much,” I gasped. “Now let me down before you crack a rib.”
