The Sentinel

by C Cato

  “Yes, although I didn’t know there were successful ones.”

  “Of course, there were. Still are apparently. Relationships are only as successful as we make them. So, I had two moms and two dads. It’s natural to me to love where I love. My lovin’ Ian didn’t diminish my love for you. I tried to talk to him about it, but,” he shrugged. “He never understood.”

  “With Keet, did you feel something?”

  Cole leaned back to regard her. “Longin’ mostly. Didn’t have time to analyze it too much, but once he was gone it was like...” he shook his head.

  “Like having part of your soul ripped away.”

  His eyes widened. “Yeah.”

  Sonya touched his face. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m sorry that man hurt you. You deserve so much more than that.”

  She traced a line down his jaw to his ear, ending with a firm hold at the nape of his neck. She wanted him. To taste him, to touch him. “Cole,” she breathed.

  If there was any lingering doubt hidden in the corners of her psyche, he brushed them all away with his kiss. There was an intensity that had her panting, but he was so gentle she trembled at the tenderness. He nibbled at her lips, first the bottom and then the top, but made no move to penetrate or rush. Opening his mouth slightly, he used his teeth to scrape at her lower lip and then swiped it with the tip of his tongue. The wet heat of it made her moan. Cole pulled away and fumbled for the comm control at his temple. Sonya heard the channel click.

  “Don’t be shy, baby. I want to hear you.”

  He renewed his assault on her mouth with enthusiasm, and she felt him grow and harden beneath her thigh. She shifted to add friction, and he groaned into her mouth.

  “None of that,” he said as his tongue filled her. His left hand moved to her hip, stilling her. “This is about you right now. I want to show you how special you are. That I’m not out to gain a trophy, or something quick. I want you, Sonya. All of you. Forever. Let me show you.”

  “Yes.”

  He withdrew his tongue slowly, and Sonya made a noise of protest while sucking on it hard to keep it in her mouth. When he finally won free, his eyes were half-lidded, and he was breathing as heavily as she was. Moving his other hand to her hip, he shifted her in his lap, her legs opened to lay outside of his, her back against his front and his steel girth searing a brand across her behind. He kissed a trail from her ear, down her neck, and she bent her head to the side to give him room. Hands drifted from her hip to the hem of her tunic top, and she reached down to lift it for him. A firm grip on her wrists stopped her.

  “No. Put your arms around my neck. Just feel.”

  With a contented sigh, she let go of the cloth and reached back to circle his neck and clasp her hands together.

  His hands continued their journey to the edge of her tunic and dipped underneath. The heat of him against her skin made her jump in his lap, earning her a groan from him and a bite on her shoulder. He splayed his fingers and grazed her torso until he reached her breasts. She pressed into his hands when he cupped her, but she was mindful to not let go of her hold on his neck. He lifted his hands away just enough that only his palms teased her hardened peaks, and he moved in lazy circles.

  Against her will her hips moved in a reciprocal rhythm.

  “Baby, you’re killing me,” he moaned in her head. Out loud it was more of a choking sound.

  “Only as much as you’re killing me.”

  He stopped teasing and pinched her nipples hard, and her back arched as she cried out. The heat from his hands combined with the growing heat from her body to culminate in the throbbing between her legs. Her hips rocked against his shaft, wanting more of him.

  “Cole, please,” she whimpered.

  He nudged the side of her jaw with his nose until she turned her face to him, and he reclaimed her mouth. She loved the taste of him, the feel as he thrust in and out. Loved the lazy pace of his kiss.

  One hand left her breast and skimmed her abdomen, which twitched and jumped at the teasing touch, stopping at the waist of her pants. She wore the plain loose linen pants and tunic that was common for Celene and her husbands. He made quick work of the drawstring and slid inside. The furnace in her stomach tripled heat production when his hand covered her throbbing pussy. Sonya squirmed with wanton abandon in his lap, while maintaining her grip around his neck. He moaned into her mouth.

  “You’re so hot, baby.” His middle finger pressed into her folds and brushed her clit. She cried out at the pulse of pleasure that spread from her center to the tips of her fingers and toes, the sound swallowed by Cole.

  It only seemed to fuel him. He deepened his kiss, becoming more insistent. Demanding.

  A second finger joined the first and rubbed the length of her slit. “So wet for me. I can’t wait until I can bury myself inside you.”

  “Yes, please,” she begged.

  “Not today.” His fingers slipped into her opening, and Sonya clenched around him. She was rocking harder, unable to control herself. “That’s it, baby. Fuck my hand. I want to feel you coming.”

  He pulled his hand away, and Sonya nearly let go to protest out loud. They broke the kiss together, but before she could voice her displeasure, he brought his wet fingers to his mouth. Hypnotized by his hooded eyes, and swollen lips, she was captivated when he sucked his fingers clean. Cole’s eyes rolled back and closed as he moaned around them.

  “So good,” he hummed into her mind. He reclaimed her lips and she tasted her own tart flavor on him, making her moan more forcefully into his mouth. She’d tasted herself before, but never in this way.

  His fingers slid back into her pants and insider her to take up the same rhythm as his tongue. The heel of his palm smashed hard against her clit.

  She writhed against him, her solid pillar. Sonya rocked harder and he stopped torturing her nipples to place hot palm against her belly and thrust against her ass. Every backward push pressed him tighter, until she could feel his pulse as his cock strained against his pants. He groaned low and deep, sending a new shot of liquid heat into his eager hand.

  She was climbing to a level of rapture she’d never experienced before. Her lips ached with the force of his kisses, and her nipples throbbed from his earlier attentions. Each touch pushed her closer to her climax. The flat of his palm on her belly made her shiver.

  He broke away to press kisses along her cheeks and eyes and put his forehead against hers. “I want you to come for me, baby. I want to hear it. Don’t hold back,” he said, his voice ragged.

  Curling his fingers upward, he found her G-spot and applied pressure there and against her clit. She bucked against him hard, and with a loud cry she came, spending into his hand.

  “Come with me,” she begged, capturing his lips again, riding the waves of her orgasm as he tortured her with his questing fingers. Again and again they rose and fell as she convulsed around him.

  “Love you, Sonya.”

  His hand stiffened, and his fingers pushed deeper, prolonging her pleasure as his entire body tightened and he pulsed beneath her. His fingers curled and dug into her stomach as he thrust wildly against her lost in his own release until, together, they crested and slowed.

  Breathing hard, she released her hands and buried her face in the crook of his neck. They trembled together, allowing their hearts to return to a semi-normal pace, but Cole didn’t remove his hand from her greedy body.

  Small waves of pleasure were already beginning to radiate from her core rippling around his fingers. She wasn’t done.

  “Again, baby?”

  “Hey guys!” said Risa.

  Sonya snapped her legs closed, effectively trapping Cole inside of her.

  “Would have called, but you guys locked us out,” she said, the grin on her face obscene.

  He choked out a laugh. “This would be a lot less embarrassin’ if my hand wasn’t buried in your pussy, baby.”

  Sonya wholeheartedly agreed, but she couldn’t get her legs t
o cooperate. Flames of embarrassment licked her face. “Oh god,” she croaked.

  “Okay then,” said Risa, drawing out the words. “Just wanted to let you know dinner’s ready, and don’t forget to wash your hands,” she said with a wink.

  Sonya wondered where that axe had gone.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sonya

  “Felix—brother, friend, lover—your time was short but full. You were loved wholeheartedly, and together we had built a home. A family. Although, you are laid to rest, you will live on in the eyes of our daughter and in hearts that ache for your absence,” Alex paused, choked, and lowered his head.

  Celene took up the narrative. “Beloved. Rest well, knowing we will continue to love and take of one another. We love you.”

  Sonya stood back away from the grieving family as they each laid a rose over a cairn they’d built as a memorial. Because of the sickness that killed him, his body had to be immediately burned to ensure he didn’t infect anyone else. Celene and the others had understood, but it didn’t stop Sonya from feeling like the villain.

  The weather had been remarkably cooperative during the service, but rain fell with the placement of the last flower, like someone pushed a cosmic pause button.

  “I’ll take Elise to the barn so you can talk to Celene more about those women. We need to learn as much as we can,” said Cole as everyone turned back to the house. Elise had become fond of Cole over the last few days and clung to his hand during the memorial, much to the amusement of her fathers. “Wanna come with me, baby girl? I have a story I think you’d like to hear.”

  “Oh, can I, Mommy?” she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

  Celene shook her head with a small smile. “You may, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  “No trouble at all, ma’am,” said Cole.

  Sonya quivered. The man was getting under skin.

  The husbands had already gone in the house, and Sonya and Celene hurried to join them. Risa trailed behind.

  Alex and Titus had moved to the great room and set up a chess set. Rolly and Elijah were gone, so Sonya assumed they went back upstairs. She followed Celene into the kitchen, and they sat at the wood table, pushing the boxes holding molding bread cultures to the end of the table and out of the way.

  Celene glanced between her and Risa, her mouth pressing into a thin line. “You aren’t Valkyrie. So, who are you? Are you from beyond the Great Northern Barrier?”

  “Great Northern Barrier?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “The wall that separates the old Canadian territories from the south.”

  “Holy shit! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time!” said Risa, her cheeks growing a rosy red as she tried to hold in her mirth.

  “True, but be serious here.” Out loud, Sonya said, “Where we come from is far from here, and no we’re not Valkyrie. You were though, right? That’s why you had that sword?”

  “Yes. When I became pregnant, we fled the city.”

  “Why?”

  “You really don’t know about them?” Sonya shook her head, and so did Risa. “Where you come from must be really remote. The Valkyrie have existed since the Great Plague.”

  Sonya had so many questions already. She bit her tongue to stay quiet.

  “They founded Haven to protect women and to try and repopulate after so many had died, but their methods became—”

  “Cruel? Barbaric? You can say it love. They’re bitches,” said Rolly, from the kitchen doorway. “Was going to make some tea. Want some?”

  “Shouldn’t you be resting?” asked Celene.

  He shrugged. “Was planning to. Elijah had other ideas.”

  Sonya glanced at Risa who nodded with a chuckle. She did not envy the woman her hearing.

  Celene rolled her eyes, earning a chuckle from Sonya.

  “The Valkyrie’s methods are less than ideal, and the birthrates have continued to drop over the years of their rule.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Sonya. “If the Valkyrie is made up of women, why is the birth rate declining?”

  “Valkyrie are all infertile,” she said, her expression blank.

  “But you have Elise,” said Sonya, her confusion only growing.

  “Yes. Which is why I’m not anymore. I had begun to sleep with my unit a year before, but when we learned I was pregnant, we were all shocked. There was no one to turn to for answers, and our only recourse was to escape Haven. If ever caught, it would be a death sentence for my husbands.

  “Why?” asked Risa.

  “It is a capital crime to remove a woman from Haven. If caught the men face execution, and the woman is sold at the auction block… unless she has proved fertile. Then her fate is even less ideal. I don’t want to imagine what would happen to my little girl.”

  Sonya wanted even less to do with these women now. “Elise had said there are other farms like this one?”

  Celene sighed heavily. “Yes, and they will all need to leave when we do. All of them escaped from Haven. None are willing to give up their wives to save their own lives.”

  “Why do you have to leave?” asked Risa. “If they are coming for us, once we’re gone, they won’t come here.”

  “If the Valkyrie have come this far north, they won’t give up. Most aren’t as hidden as we are.”

  The wind began to pick up, and a rumble of thunder rattled the windows. A streak of bright light cut across the glass.

  “Maybe we should bring the others in from the barn,” suggested Celene. A deafening clap of thunder and a white flash accompanied by a sizzling crack rocked the house.

  That had been too close.

  Sonya powered up, and Risa did the same. They ran the short distance to the front door only to see the barn burning. The fire moved like liquid across the wood slats.

  God! Please help us!

  “Cole!” Risa was already running for the burning building. “We’re coming!”

  “We’re trapped! Soren’s burned. We need an out!”

  Please don’t leave us! Sonya couldn’t move from the porch. Her body wouldn’t cooperate. A cold sweat trickled down the back of her neck. It was the accident all over again.

  “Sonya! Get your fucking ass over here! I need you!” The shouted reprimand pulled her from the loop of remembering.

  “Elise!” The tortured cry of a frightened mother released her from her paralysis. She forced herself to take one step at a time until she was by Risa’s side. The front of the barn was a flame and there was no way around it.

  “Is there another way in?” Sonya shouted to Celene. Her husbands were pulling buckets from the side of the house and running behind it, probably to the bathhouse.

  “Yes! There is a smaller set of doors on the back side, but it’s blocked. A rock fall a few years back.”

  Risa was already running. Sonya stayed with her. There was a ramp of rock that climbed partly up the cliff face and butt against the back of the barn. Risa waded in and began tossing stones. Sonya grabbed one and threw it aside. Grunts and curses surrounded her as the husbands came to help.

  “We’re at the backdoor, Cole. Can you get everyone here? We’re almost through,” said Sonya frantically.

  “Yes. When you get it open, move. The horses are by the door.”

  Sonya warned everyone, and they moved the last few stones blocking the way. She and Risa wrenched the doors open and allowed the frightened horses to bolt. Cole came next. Elise, swaddled in silver blankets, poked her soot-stained face out. They were both coughing hard.

  “My baby!” said Celene, snatching her child from Cole.

  Ditre limped out with Soren. When they’d all moved far enough away from the burning building, Ditre laid his charge down in the soggy grass. The Sentinels had all crowded around their wounded friend, and Sonya pushed them out of the way to see the damage. He screamed when she gingerly lifted his arm to evaluate his burns.

  “Second degree. We need to get you inside. I’ll need to clean these while the
y are still open wounds, but it should heal.”

  Soren shivered, and his teeth chattered.

  “Sonya! Cole!” Elise broke free from her parents and ran to Cole, who crouched and opened his arms for her. None of them had powered down, and the blue of their skin was a stark contrast to the gray day and the fiery backdrop. “I’m okay, baby girl, but you should go and be with your momma and daddies. I’m sure they want to see you right now,” said Cole, pushing her back toward her parents.

  Celene and the others all wore varying expressions of terror.

  Sonya dropped her gaze, peering down at herself. “Power down. Everyone. We’re scaring them.” The blue glow that enhanced the colors of the fire, vanished. She stood and held up her hands beseechingly. “We won’t hurt her any more today than we would have while you were all incapacitated. If you give us a chance, we can explain.”

  Celene held out her hand. “Come here, Elise.”

  Sonya eased her forward until she reluctantly shuffled her feet to her parents. Elijah picked her up and tucked her close to his side, but he had a smile on his lips. The first to recover.

  “My love, I think we should invite these kind folks inside. Not only have they saved our daughter’s life and ours, they have now saved our horses. I think that’s worth a few minutes of explanation.”

  Reaching for her daughter, she put the girl on her hip and turned back toward the house. Alex shot wary glances over his shoulder, plastered to her side.

  Sonya followed at a more sedate pace. She liked these people, and they were being forced from their home because they had led the enemy to their door. Now, she’d frightened them as well. Stopping short of the porch, she turned to Cole. “I think we should just leave. We’ve done enough to them.”

  Cole advanced until he was mere inches from her. “You feel guilty?”

  She put her head down and nodded.

  “Don’t. We’ll go in and explain and if they want us to leave, we will.”

  Lifting her head, she turned back to the door and strode inside. The family sat together in the living room. Elise, still wrapped in the blanket Cole had given her, sat in her mother’s lap on the couch.