“There isn’t going to be a fucking fight. Studoc will drop us off. Faith will do her little chemistry experiment, and then he’ll pick us up and we’ll wait for it to work.”
After a previous heated debate about the risk of two flights, versus the risk of trying to remain in hiding, Athtar had prevailed. He didn’t want to be on the surface a moment longer than necessary.
An hour later, Studoc landed behind a small ridge for just long enough to let them out, then immediately took off again. On the other side of the ridge was a narrow valley leading to the larger spur of rock concealing the lab. Despite Ultana’s dire predictions, the weather wasn’t bad. Only a light snow was falling and almost no wind disturbed them as they made their way as quickly as possible across the valley. He carried the pack of supplies, over Faith’s objections, of course. After her third stumble, he tucked her against his side. It was colder than a Braxian morloc’s tit, but he was filled with an unexpected feeling of contentment. He had his woman at his side and they were finally taking action instead of fucking talking.
Just before they reached the outcropping where Faith assured him the rear entry was concealed, she stopped him and began rummaging through the pack. She pulled out a small metal object that opened out into a tripod like base and dish like top.
“What the fuck is that?”
“It’s the communication blocker. It will stop any electronic signals from coming in or out.”
“Where did it come from?” He didn’t remember anything like that in the ship’s equipment.
“Oh, I made it. Studoc had some spare parts that I could use.”
“Fuck, woman, is there anything you can’t do?”
She blushed and turned away from him to set the device in place. As she did, she tripped and would have fallen on top of the device if he hadn’t caught her. She gasped and clutched his arm with her free hand, then laughed.
“Apparently, walking is one of the things I can’t do.”
Her face flushed with cold and laughter, framed in the white fur hood, she looked as beautiful as he’d ever seen her. Ignoring their deadline, he bent down and kissed her cold lips until they warmed beneath his. She softened against him, opening to his demand, and he savored the sweet taste of her mouth and the feel of her perfect body pressed tightly against his. Only the memory of their task and his reluctant acknowledgement of the conditions stopped him from taking her to the ground.
“Fuck, you’re a distraction,” he muttered when he finally raised his head. It took a few more seconds for her eyes to flutter open.
“You were the one who kissed me,” she said.
“Can’t help it when you look so fucking good.”
She blushed and swayed back towards him, but he turned her around and swatted her ass. “Put that thing up and let’s get this done.”
With his help, she concealed the little device in a crevice of rock. A small red light blinked at the base but wasn’t visible unless someone was right on top of it. With a satisfied nod, she then led the way along the rock face to where the entrance was concealed. The door was disguised to look like part of the surface, and they were within a few feet of it before he could tell that it was there. Faith pushed aside some stones to reveal a small concealed panel and then pulled out her tablet.
“They may have changed the passwords since I left,” she muttered, fingers flying.
“Is that a problem?”
“Oh, no.” She pushed up her glasses gave him an impish grin. “They can’t keep me out.” A few more keystrokes, and then the door silently slid into the wall. They were through and the door closed behind them within a few seconds. Even inside the corridor, the air was below freezing, but without the constant wind it felt warmer. He pushed back his hood and shook his head. Fuck, he hated wearing so many clothes.
Now that they were inside, he could tell from the rough construction that this had never been intended as a major passageway. A narrow path had been cut through the rock, but the walls had been left unfinished, only the floor smoothed out enough to be walkable. There was general air of neglect and decay.
“Doesn’t anyone come here?” he asked
“I don’t think so. Even the video surveillance doesn’t extend this far. The only reason I discovered it was because there was a door in one of the supply closets and it didn’t seem to lead anywhere.” She shrugged. “I was curious. When I hacked into the utility systems, I realized that this was where the water pumping system was located. It’s just down here.”
They followed the passageway around several turns before it opened into a larger cavern. The air was warmer here and damp enough that moisture trickled down the walls and dampened the floor. On one side was an array of tanks and pumps making low rhythmic sounds and Faith headed directly for them. He caught up with her in time to catch her as she slipped on the wet floor, but she was too focused to do more than throw him a quick smile.
Together, they wrestled off the heavy metal grate topping one of the tanks. Or more accurately, he removed it while she made admiring noises.
“How did you do this before?” he asked.
“I didn’t. I just dumped the poison through the grate and left it to circulate.” She pointed to four small bags tied to the underside of the grate. “Those contain the antidote. I made them small enough to fit through the holes.” She gave them a worried look. “They’re getting low. The rate of absorption is faster than I calculated.”
“Will they last long enough for this new potion of yours to take effect?”
“They should.”
“Then don’t fucking worry about it. What next?”
“Hand me that white container from the pack. Carefully. You don’t want anything inside there touching you.”
He handed it to her and watched as she twisted the lid slightly, then lowered it very carefully into the water. There was an immediate reaction, the water bubbling around the lid as the container sank down out of sight.
“It gives me fucking nightmares thinking of you working around chemicals.”
“Oddly enough, I’ve never been clumsy there.” She gave him a rueful grin. “I guess I make up for it everywhere else. We just need to put the grate back on and we can go.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. Tonight, everyone will start feeling kind of queasy. Tomorrow they’ll be weak and shaky, and it will get worse over the next few days. With any luck, they’ll just assume it’s food poisoning.”
Fuck, she was a dangerous woman. His dick throbbed approvingly. “Pretty fucking simple.”
“I told you I could have done it by myself.”
“You couldn’t have fucking moved this by yourself,” he said, hefting the heavy metal back into place and watching her eye him appreciatively.
“No. I would have had to spoon it out.”
Remembering the way the water had bubbled around her concoction, he shuddered. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
As soon as they emerged from the tunnel, it was obvious that conditions had changed. Despite the respite of being inside, the air was noticeably colder. The wind gusted through the valley, almost strong enough to sway him on his feet, but at least the snowfall hadn’t increased. Clouds loomed heavy on the horizon, already obscuring the tops of the surrounding mountains.
“We’d better hurry,” he said grimly.
She nodded, raised that determined little chin, and set out with him. They were two thirds of the way across the valley when disaster struck. Even though Faith was tucked against his side again, her foot caught in a narrow gap in the rock and she pitched forward. He caught her but her face turned pale.
“My ankle,” she cried.
Her foot was still wedged between the rocks, and the ankle was at an awkward angle. He carefully worked it free, but she cried out as soon as she tried to put any weight on it. Fuck. He lifted her into his arms, and she turned her face into his neck with a small sob.
“Don’t cry, baby. You’ll be fine.”
At first, he actually made better time carrying her than having to help her along, but the wind continued to pick up and the snow started coming down in big flakes that swirled about them with increasing fury. Even though he knew Studoc wasn’t going to be able to land in this, he continued in that direction since it was closer than the tunnel and he could still make out the ridge through the snow. He had seen some small caves when they started their trek and those were his goal now. When they finally reached the rocky outcropping, his feet felt like lead. Faith was silent in his arms, except for the frequent shivers wracking her body. The slow laborious process of trying to find a suitable shelter in the ever-increasing blizzard sapped his strength, but he forced himself to go on. The first opening he found was a mere crack in the rock, too small and too exposed to provide any real shelter. Determined not to fail Faith, he kept going, finding his way along the rock face more by feel than sight, one arm trailing along the surface to check for gaps.
When his arm actually disappeared into the cliff, he was too sluggish to do more than stare at it for a few minutes. The realization slowly dawned that there was an opening. It was barely larger than his body, but he managed to wedge his way slowly inside, carefully keeping Faith away from the sharp edges of the rock. Once he was through the narrow gap, the sound of the wind dropped away, leaving his ears ringing in the silence. Very little light filtered through the opening but there was enough to see that he had found a small cave. His head was scraping the ceiling but there was enough room for both of them to sit down and he collapsed gratefully to the floor.
“Faith, Faith are you all right?” His voice sounded odd, hoarse and slow, but her eyes fluttered open.
“C-c-cold,” she whispered.
“I know, baby. Just hold on.” Reluctantly putting her down for a minute, he dug through their pack with clumsy fingers, until he found the survival kit that Grabon had insisted he buy. It took him three times to actually light the small portable heater that was included but once it was lit, it immediately began to emit a gentle warmth. With his last shred of energy, he placed himself between Faith and the opening, gathered her in his arms, and turned her toward the heat source. She nestled closer to him as he fell into an exhausted sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Faith was dreaming. She was lying on a tropical beach, the sun beating down on her exposed body. At first it was pleasant, but the temperature gradually increased until she felt like she was on fire. She tried to stand up, but her ankle hurt as soon as she moved it and she cried out in pain. The sensation woke her, and she peered through blurry eyes at the rock surrounding her. Where was she? Was she back in the lab? Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, baby,” Athtar’s voice came from behind her, and she realized that the heat coming from his big body had entered her dream. She tried to turn towards him and accidentally moved her ankle again. She whimpered.
“Stop fucking moving,” he growled, before carefully picking her up and sitting her across his lap.
“Where are we?” She remembered twisting her ankle and Athtar carrying her, but it all disappeared into a blur of cold and pain after that. All she’d been able to do was to hang on to him and pray for it to end.
“One of the caves near the pickup site. But we’re not getting the fuck out of here anytime soon. Listen.”
Now that he called it to her attention, she could hear the winds howling outside the small cave. Fortunately, the angle of the opening meant that little snow actually made it into the confined space, and a tiny heater gave off more than enough heat to counteract what did make it through. In fact, she was so warm that she started to pull off her coat.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’m hot.”
“It’s not that fucking warm in here.”
Ignoring him, she continued to take off her coat. That helped some but when she reached for her sweater to pull it over her head, he grabbed her hands.
“Stop taking your fucking clothes off.”
“That's something I never thought I’d hear you say,” she said, then started giggling.
“Faith, are you all right?”
“I don’t know. I feel so strange.” Flashes of heat kept surging through her system, and she was suddenly acutely aware of Athtar’s closeness and his big warm body. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” she whispered.
“That’s because we’re on a fucking ice planet. Fuck, baby, what are you doing?”
She had managed to open his coat enough that she could snake her hand through the opening, feeling his taut stomach muscles flex beneath her fingertips. An eight pack at least, she thought dreamily, as she let her hand drift down over them to his waistband. She began working at the fastening of his pants, her nipples already hard and her pussy slick.
“Faith, this isn’t the fucking time—”
“Yes, it is. It’s time for fucking.” She giggled again, aware that her voice sounded strange but ignoring it as she finally managed to open his pants and grab hold of his big, perfect cock. Despite his protests, he was already hard and pulsing in her hands.
“I want you inside me,” she said as she tried to unfasten her own pants with one hand, refusing to let go of him with the other. “Ouch.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately.
“My stupid ankle. I can’t get my pants off,” she wailed.
“Are you sure you want to fucking do this now?”
A tear dripped down her cheek and her lip trembled. “Don’t you want me anymore?”
“Of course I fucking want you,” he growled. “I always want you.” He still didn’t move, and another tear appeared. That hard face softened. “Don’t cry, baby. I’ll help. Just hold still.” With his usual effortless strength, he very carefully eased her pants down and freed her uninjured leg, then swung her around so that her legs were resting over his and his cock was thrumming against her pussy.
“Fuck, you’re wet,” he said as he slid her back and forth a few times, teasing her clit with those marvelous vibrations. It felt fantastic but she was consumed with the need to have him inside her. She tried to lift herself up and cried out again.
“Fuck, if you don’t stop moving, I’m going to spank your ass.”
“Yes, please.”
“This is not the fucking place,” he growled.
“Just fuck me, please.” Heat and need kept washing through her body and she was desperate to have him inside her.
“Oh, I’m going to fuck you.” The familiar white flames were glowing in his eyes. “You just hold on and don’t fucking try and move. I'll take care of you.” As he spoke, he lifted her up, then lowered her down over his cock. Even as wet as she was, he had to ease his way into her while she bit her lip, trying her best not to wiggle. Her whole body was hot and aching for him. Too slowly, he thrust his way up inside her with the familiar stretch that would almost have been pain if it didn’t feel so good. Ripples of pleasure were flooding her from the constant pulse of his cock. When at last she was completely full of him, he stopped and lowered his forehead to hers, letting the vibrations flow between them, building each other’s pleasure.
“Give me that fucking perfect mouth,” he growled, and tilted her head back to give her a long demanding kiss, still holding her impaled on his massive cock. She returned it eagerly, but the heat was already building, and she started to squirm, trying to get some friction on her swollen nub. He smacked her butt and the pleasant sting only increased her need.
“Please, Athtar. I need you.”
“Put your arms around my neck and fucking hold on,” he ordered. She obeyed immediately and he finally began to move. As he slowly lifted her, she could feel her pussy clinging to him, reluctant to let even an inch of him leave her needy channel. When she was suspended at the top of his cock, only the broad head still stretching her open, he let her drop back down. She squealed with pleasure at the rapid, overwhelming fullness, and clung to his neck. He lifted her again,
just as slowly, before dropping her back down. The contrast of slow withdrawal and sudden aching fullness had all of her senses firing. All she could do was cling to him as the pleasure built, her clit vibrating in time with his cock as he moved faster and faster. His body tensed and she could feel his muscles straining as he no longer let her drop but forced her down faster and faster.
“Come for me,” he ordered, and she flew over the edge just as he shuddered and started filling her with jet after jet of hot liquid while she trembled and clung and called out his name
For a long moment, they stayed locked together before he finally raised his head and gave her a gentle kiss. She kissed him back and suddenly realized she was shaking again, and not from excitement this time.
“C-c-cold,” she stuttered, chills wracking her body even though she was still pressed close against his warmth.
“Fuck. I knew I shouldn’t have let you take your clothes off.” He quickly lifted her free, then put her pants back in place and wrapped her coat around her. It didn’t help that her teeth were chattering so hard she could actually hear them. Athtar picked her up and put her back on his lap as she tried to get closer, desperate to get warm. The cave started to spin.
“I-I d-don’t feel v-very good,” she managed.
He cupped her face, then swore. “Fuck, you’re burning up. Gods dammit, Faith, why didn’t you tell me you had a fucking fever?”
That wasn’t fair; she didn’t know that she had a fever. She tried to tell him, but the words came out all garbled. She felt him sigh as he gathered her close, rocking her gently.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. Just hold on, everything is going to be fine.”
The cave continued spinning around her and she closed her eyes. As she drifted off, she heard Athtar swearing continuously but he had her cradled gently in his arms and his voice was a soothing rumble beneath her ear and she gave in to the darkness.
Faith and the Fighter Page 9