Athtar carefully put Faith back down while he gathered their few supplies. He was trying very hard not to think about her question. Gods, he wanted her to stay with him, but how could he ask her? Oh, she might agree for a while, but how long would she be happy traveling around on a freighter? How soon would she abandon him for fucking science? Forcing his concerns to the back of his mind, he helped her into her outerwear. The last thing he did was to turn off the small heater.
“This was Grabon’s idea, you know,” he said. He didn’t think it would help to mention that Grabon had insisted he take it in case Faith betrayed him.
“In other words, he expected things to go wrong?” she asked dryly.
“He likes to be prepared.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s a damn Boy Scout.”
“He is not a boy.”
“Never mind. Is it time to leave?”
“Yes.” He picked her up and, despite the circumstances, loved having her back in his arms. Like everything else with her, she felt right there.
The air outside was bitterly cold but the wind wasn’t blowing and no snow fell from the heavy clouds. Faith shivered and buried her face in his neck. Luckily, the landing site wasn’t far and by the time they made it around the jagged spur of rock at the end of the valley, the flyer had landed.
Grateful as hell to see it, he carried Faith on board. Grabon was waiting just inside the airlock.
“How is she?” he demanded.
“She is just fine,” Faith said tartly.
“No, she’s not fucking fine. Like I said, she broke her fucking ankle and she ran a fever for two fucking days.”
“Put her in the bunk. I brought a portable scanner and I want to check her ankle.”
“It’s fine,” she muttered again, but both men ignored her.
He laid her carefully in the bunk, his chest aching at how small and helpless she looked. Grabon moved closer and he had to bite back an instinctive growl of protest. Instead, he moved to the head of the bed and took Faith’s hand in his.
“There’s no sign of fever now,” Grabon said, running a medwand over her.
“She had a dose of sothiti.”
“Hm. It seems to have worked. All of her vital signs are within normal ranges. It was probably just due to exposure.”
“Njkall said the atmosphere can be dangerous if you are injured,” Faith said.
Grabon frowned at him. “That is not something that has previously been disclosed. I will take a sample to study. Now I’m going to examine your ankle.”
While Faith gripped his hand, Grabon carefully cut away her boot. Athtar had been afraid to remove the boot previously and now he swore viciously at the bruised and swollen flesh.
“Gods dammit. I knew I should never have let you come down on this fucking planet.”
“You didn’t let me do anything,” she said, and fuck if she didn’t lift her damn chin. “We had a deal.” Then she winced as Grabon probed her injury.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Athtar growled. “You’re supposed to be helping her, not hurting her.”
Grabon sat back on his heels and sighed. “Athtar, I can’t help her unless I know what’s wrong. Why don’t you go sit with Studoc?”
“Fuck, no.”
“Then stay quiet.” Grabon turned back to Faith, his face softer than usual when regarding her. “It is not my intention to hurt you, but I have to examine you.”
“I know. I’m not as crazy as some people,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
Grabon’s lips twitched, then he focused on Faith’s ankle. After another quick manipulation of her ankle, during which she paled and Athtar clenched his fists on the bunk rail to avoid throwing Grabon against the nearest wall, he used the scanner to survey the injury.
“It’s not broken but you have a severe sprain. I’ll put a healing gel on it to help with the bruises, then wrap it tightly to hold it in place, but you need to stay off of it until it heals.”
“I can’t,” she said. “We’ve got to back down to the planet tonight.”
“If you need to stay the fuck off of it, then you’re not going back down to the fucking planet,” Athtar growled.
“Oh, yes, I am. The scientists are sick and the Hothians are leaving tonight. It’s our best chance.”
“The Hothians are leaving?” Grabon asked.
“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly. “Faith talked them into it.”
“And you are determined to do this?” Grabon turned back to Faith. “Even at the risk of permanent injury to yourself?”
“Yes,” she said defiantly, tilting that stubborn little chin.
“Fuck, no,” he roared, but both of them ignored him.
To his shock, Grabon inclined his head. “Then I will do what I can to assist you.”
“Fucking forget it. We’re leaving this fucking hellhole before anything else fucking happens.”
Faith turned back to him and took his hand, her eyes pleading with him. “Athtar, you know we have to do this. Please don’t be upset.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. His every instinct told him to carry her as far away from this place as possible. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being in pain, but neither could he resist the look of entreaty in those big eyes. Part of him also knew that she was right—this was the best time to destroy the weapon. Frustrated and concerned, he growled and pulled away from her touch.
“I’m going to see if fucking Studoc is actually following my fucking orders since no one else will fucking listen to me.” He looked down at Faith, his chest aching. “Stay in the fucking bunk. When we get back to The Lady, I’ll carry you on board.”
“Yes, dear,” she said meekly, but her eyes twinkled at him from behind her glasses. With a reluctant grin, he shook his head, pressed a quick, hard kiss to those tempting lips, and went to join his pilot.
For once, Faith actually listened to him and stayed in the bunk for the rest of the short trip. He stood on the small bridge, bullying Studoc and fighting the urge to join Faith. Once safely on board The Lady, he carried Faith to the med lab where Grabon worked on her ankle before wrapping it tightly in a bandage.
“Stay off of it as much as possible,” Grabon warned. “Your determination is… admirable, but you should not take any unnecessary risks.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
“You’re damn right, you won’t,” he said as he picked her up and headed for their cabin.
“What are you doing? I want to check my formulas again.”
“Why? I don’t for one fucking second think you made a mistake.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Well, probably not. But I like to be sure.”
“And I like to see you in our fucking bed and that’s where we’re going.”
“Bully,” she muttered, but then she gave him a speculative look from under her lashes.
“What are you thinking?”
“Just that it’s going to be a long wait until tonight. We’ll need to do something to pass the time.” She twisted in his arms enough to rub her breasts against his chest. His body responded immediately and he felt his dick start to stiffen.
“Is your fever coming back?”
“My fever? Why would you think… Oh.” Her cheeks were bright pink now. “I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have forced myself on you.”
“You didn’t fucking force yourself on me. I always want you, baby.”
“I always want you, too, Athtar. I…” She hesitated and he tensed, half hoping, half dreading what she was about to say. Instead, she bit her lip and looked away, changing the subject. “I’d love a bath. I wish the ship had one.”
The vision of Faith surrounded by nothing but bubbles did nothing to make his dick soften and he had to fight the impulse to offer to have one installed. She wouldn’t stay with him. He had to fucking remember that.
“We’ll just have to find another way to get you clean.”
“Mm. I like the sound of that.” She leaned back and sm
iled up at him, so fucking sweet. “I’m going to forget how to walk with you carrying me all the time like this.”
“Fine with me,” he said, as he carried her into their cabin. Precious was curled up in the middle of the bed. She jumped to her feet, her whole body wagging, and tripped over the covers in her rush to get to them. He put Faith down carefully, then untangled Precious. She licked his face repeatedly with her long forked tongue then tried to do the same to Faith.
“I don’t think that’s the kind of bath she had in mind, Precious,” he said as the little animal lunged for her.
“She’s fine. Come here, sweetie. Did you miss us? I missed you, too.” Faith laughed as Precious jumped and wiggled in her arms, stubby little tail wagging frantically. He wondered if his pet was going to miss her as much as he was. Shoving aside the depressing thought, he went to strip off his clothes and start the shower.
When he returned, Faith and Precious were cuddled up together in the big bed.
“Would you rather rest?”
“No,” she said through a yawn. “I want to get clean first.” Her eyes traveled over his body appreciatively. “I assume you’re helping me clean up?”
“Fuck yeah.” As carefully as possible, he removed her clothes, trying to ignore the tempting sight of her naked body. She blinked up at him as he removed her glasses, then smiled.
“Why, Captain,” she said, as she reached for his dick. “You seem to be a little excited.” Her hand closed around his now fully erect cock and gave him a little squeeze as he thrummed in response.
“Shower,” he said firmly, trying to resist the temptation to simply join her on the bed. Of course, having his woman naked in his arms while he got her all wet and soapy wasn’t a bad alternative. In fact, it was a little too good as she squirmed and wiggled against him. Somehow he managed to get them both washed and dried without letting her eager little hands distract him too much—although he did spend a long time making sure that every part of her was scrupulously clean. She was still pink and glowing when he laid her back in the bed.
“Aren’t you going to join me?”
“I should check on the ship.”
“If I can’t check on my experiments, you shouldn’t be able to check on the ship, either.”
He shook his head and gave into temptation. Precious huffed as he picked her up and settled her in her basket, but she circled once and laid down. He returned to the bed and lifted Faith’s injured ankle up on to a pillow. He settled between her legs, keeping his weight off her body as he looked down at her for a long minute. The green in her eyes intensified and she reached up to cup his face and bury her hand in his hair.
“What is it, Athtar?”
“I love you, Faith,” he blurted, and immediately closed his eyes. Fuck. He hadn’t intended to tell her.
“I know,” she said softly. “You said it in the cave when I was sick, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.” Seeing her so ill, afraid that he was going to lose her, he hadn’t been able to deny his feelings.
“I love you, too, you know.”
His heart skipped a beat. “You do?”
“Well, of course I do. You’re everything I never even knew I wanted.” She tried to smile but her lips were trembling. “Tell me that means we can be together.”
Gods, he wanted to say yes. Instead, the truth tumbled out. “I… I don’t fucking know. I can’t give up my ship. And you won’t be happy here.”
“How do you know?” she said, lifting her chin.
“Because you’re a scholar—you want to study. What are you going study onboard a fucking freighter?”
Her mouth opened and he thought she was about to deny his words. A spark of hope flared, but then she shook her head slowly. “You’re right. I have to have something to occupy my time.”
Pushing aside his despair, he bent his head and kissed her, relishing her sweet taste and her eager response. When he raised his head, her eyes were heavy and her cheeks flushed. He growled approvingly before making his way down her body. He spent a long time on her breasts, teasing and tugging the fat little nipples until they were swollen and distended and she was lifting her hips impatiently. He kept going, dipping his tongue into the adorable dimple of her bellybutton before finally lowering his head between her legs.
She was flushed and swollen here, too, her clit emerging from its hood, and little pearls of moisture caught in the silky dark curls. Grunting impatiently, he spread her nether lips so that every inch of pink glistening flesh was exposed to him and took a long satisfying lick from her luscious cunt to her swollen clit. The small nub of flesh quivered against his tongue and he circled it, gradually increasing the pressure until she tensed and cried out, her hips thrusting upward.
“That’s one,” he said.
“One?” Her voice sounded dazed, but he ignored her, returning to long slow licks from bottom to top. She gasped and clutched his head, trying to use his braids to urge him on, but he ignored the slight, pleasant sting and kept the slow pace. Fuck, she tasted good on his tongue, and he worked it deeper into the tiny entrance to her luscious cunt. Even that was a tight fit and his cock ached. He ground it against the bed and tried to ignore the ache. Grabbing her sweet ass, he pulled her even closer, desperate for more, sending his tongue as deep as it would go into her quivering channel. He nudged her clit and she came a second time, milking his tongue with long stroking pulls.
“Two,” he said when her muscles relaxed, raising his head enough to breathe the word against her reddened clit. She shivered in response and he followed with a delicate stroke across the exposed flesh.
“Oh. I can’t…”
“Yes, you can.” Ignoring her muffled protest, he continued the tantalizing strokes, circling and teasing, until she was lifting her hips again. He pushed a thick finger into her clenching sheath and she rocked against him. Her juices coated his finger and he used it to circle her little pucker.
“Where do you want me, baby? Here…” He returned to her cunt. “Or here?” Back to her bottom hole, pressing harder this time so that she loosened and allowed him into that hot dark channel.
“B-both. I want both,” she gasped, rocking harder. He obeyed, pushing his thumb into her cunt and immediately setting up a demanding rhythm, gradually increasing the pressure on her clit until she was writhing beneath him, panting and calling out his name. He scissored his fingers and sucked her clit into his mouth and she exploded, her body convulsing, squeezing his digits so tightly that he could feel it in his neglected cock. With a roar he rose over her and stroked frantically, wanting her as covered in his scent as he was in hers. A soft hand joined his, and white jets of seed exploded, coating her stomach and hitting her still quivering clit, mingling in the dark curls. When the last drop emerged, he felt as drained as if he’d gone four rounds in the pit. He collapsed down next to her.
“Three,” he mumbled, trying to find the energy to move. “I should clean you up.”
“Later,” she whispered, wiggling closer. She kissed him slowly, tenderly, then smiled. “I like tasting us together.”
“Me, too, baby.” He tucked her in his arms and gave into exhaustion. He had his woman safe and satisfied in his arms and for right now, it was enough.
Chapter Seventeen
Faith laid awake long after Athtar’s body relaxed into sleep. He loved her. She hugged the knowledge to herself, even as she worried that it wouldn’t make any difference in the end. He was right; as much as she loved being onboard the ship, she couldn’t spend the rest of her days being idle. And she would never ask him to give up the ship. Perhaps she could find a job working on one of planets where he traded. And wait for him to stop by between voyages, the rest of the time as alone as she had been her whole life? The thought filled her with desolation and the stars outside the viewport disappeared in a blur of tears.
She eventually drifted off into a tired sleep. When they both woke, he carried her to the shower again, neither of them talking, but she took co
mfort in his tenderness. After they dressed, they met in the lounge with the rest of the crew and went over the plan. Athtar and Faith would take the flyer to the back entrance, landing immediately next to it this time, and slip in long enough to set off the gas. Once they rendezvoused with The Dancing Lady again, the ship would land on the field outside the loading dock. If Njkall had kept his word, the Hothian guards would be gone and she would be able to bring everyone in through the main entrance.
Bringing up a screen with her rough sketch of the compound, she went over the layout.
“The guard quarters are here, behind the loading dock and the supply chambers. Dining hall and lounge here. The Kaisarian guards should be somewhere in this area.”
Kanithe nodded. “Ultana and I will locate them and secure the bodies.”
“The cells are located here,” she continued. Athtar growled, but she ignored him. “Then this small pod of Kaisarian scientists and finally the Elginar quarters, right outside the main entrance to the labs.”
“How many in the cells?”
“Only three when I left,” she said sadly. “There were twelve originally.”
“I suggest we leave them there while we deal with the others,” Grabon said.
“I don’t like it, but I suppose you’re right.”
“How many Kaisarian scientists?” he asked.
“I don’t know for sure. They tended to rotate in and out, but usually no more than four or five at a time.”
“We’ll bring them into the Elginar quarters,” Grabon decided. “It will be easier to secure them in a central location.”
“And then I’ll wake everyone one up and give them a choice.”
“I don’t fucking like it. Let the bastards die,” Athtar growled. Looking around she could see that everyone agreed with him.
“I can’t. Maybe not all of them knew what was being done.”
Athtar sighed. “All right, baby. We'll do it your way.”
Everything actually proceeded according to plan this time. Athtar carried Faith through the back entrance to set off the gas, and then they rejoined the ship. After Faith opened the loading dock doors, she insisted that Athtar put her down. He did so reluctantly.
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