Hard Sands: Warlords of Atera
Page 18
Nakan grunted between licks. Kalinda had the feeling he, too, was approaching that ultimate release.
“It’s too much,” Kalinda yelled out. “I can’t take it anymore! I’m going to come!”
She wasn’t even sure if Nakan knew what that meant but he seemed to get the picture.
“Me too, my kode!” he yelled out and started drilling her even faster.
As her breath quickened and her pleasure rose, she not only felt the stone against her breasts get warmer but saw it glow a bright yellow color.
And it wasn’t only her stone. Dangling before her from Nakan’s chest, his stone too glowed. Nakan was right. These stones were special, a true example of their commitment to one another. As they both neared that utter pinnacle, their stones were connecting.
It hit Kalinda like a freight train. All at once, the ecstasy overcame her. Every inch of her body tingled—unlike anything she had ever experienced.
She was so enthralled with the feeling she almost didn’t notice Nakan yelling at nearly the exact same time. He had pushed himself in as far as he could possibly go, which only intensified Kalinda’s pleasure. Very quickly, she felt a warmth from inside her and knew Nakan had come just as she had.
And as she felt his warmth, the release continued. It was hard to know just how much time had passed, but if Kalinda had to guess, she assumed it was well over a minute.
Even after most of the deliciousness subsided, Kalinda had a wave of happiness overcome her. She couldn’t quite explain it. She’d had plenty of orgasms but never had such joy been brought on afterward. She was on a high as if she was in her own world.
No, not her own world, she was in Nakan’s world. She looked at him longingly as he slowly pulled his massiveness out of her. Once he had, he lay down next to her, resting his hand on her heaving stomach. She was huffing trying to catch her breath.
“That was the greatest feeling I have ever experienced in my life, my kode,” Nakan near whispered. Even he was out of breath.
“Me too,” Kalinda muttered.
This obviously brought Nakan great joy as his lips tightened in an alien smile.
“Better than any other man has ever brought you?”
Kalinda grinned. “Much, much better.”
“That is because we are meant to be. The Goddess brought you to me so I could bring you your best happiness.”
And suddenly, the joy Kalinda felt made sense to her. Maybe this was the feeling people experienced when they found someone absolutely right for them. That was something Kalinda had never encountered before because, well, clearly she had never met the right person for her.
Goddess or no, Kalinda knew that Nakan was the one for her… the only one.
A thought came to her suddenly as she remembered the intense ecstasy she felt a moment ago.
“Our stones, they were glowing!”
Nakan smiled. “Yes, of course. It symbolizes that we have finally mated to each other.”
This planet never ceased to surprise Kalinda. She couldn’t comprehend how a stone from this planet could connect to her and Nakan. But it was clear that it had and it only cemented the idea for her that they were meant to be.
“So…” Kalinda began softly, “what now?”
“Now… now we begin a life together, my kode. Now I care for you for the rest of my days. I keep you happy and with me, you will help lead my people.”
For a moment, Kalinda had the inclination to question him, to ask him what exactly he meant by that. She had concerns about their future still, concerns about her ability to take on a leadership role.
But she wasn’t going to bring them up because she trusted Nakan. Whatever he had planned, she believed in it.
“I guess now the crazy adventure of our love begins, huh?” Kalinda asked.
“It began the day the Goddess landed you on my planet, my kode. And I have treasured each day since then.”
Epilogue
Kalinda got comfortable in the Hard Sands research lab positioned near the top of the mountain, data pads spread around her—each one filled with information on Ateran technology. She’d gathered everything she could from every source available and now she found herself up to her elbows in schematics, research data, and prototypes. The data presented to her by the Ateran scientists was a lot to absorb, and she was only beginning to understand the differences between Ateran and human technology while she struggled to learn their written language. But, it was only the start of her journey and she had no doubt she could learn.
She had accepted Atera as her new home now that she mated Nakan, but she still wanted to get in touch with Earth. Not only for her own sake, but also for the sake of the other human women living on the planet. Plus, contact with other worlds would benefit Ateran society as a whole. That was one of her responsibilities as the new Lady of the Hard Sands.
The twin suns shined through one of the openings of the large, metallic building—a unique structure after being surrounded by hard stone and dark tunnels within the mountain. It had taken days of pestering before the Aterans even admitted the research facility existed and she’d been surprised as hell when she first saw the structure.
Getting them to talk about the building had been like asking someone if she could watch them bathe. The Aterans knew this technology existed, but discussing it was like an invasion of privacy. She’d chalked it up to their religious beliefs, the goddess’ desire for them to embrace the simpler things in life. Apparently, it wasn’t only that they didn’t use their technology in day-to-day life, but they also didn’t discuss it—at all.
She shared the facility with a half dozen Ateran scientists. It hadn’t been surprising to learn that a race focused on war, honor, and religion didn’t encourage the exploration of the sciences. The Aterans she’d met so far—some of the top minds in the Hard Sands—were very different from those living in the city. Since she’d arrived they hadn’t spoken about warriors, duels of honor, or ancient traditions. Instead, they were as eager to learn from her as she was to learn about Ateran tech.
Unfortunately, she had a lot of catching up to do. She figured it’d take her months before she had a firm understanding of the unique intricacies of Ateran technology. Specifically, the way they drew power from deahmid stones—something that seemed almost supernatural. Then it could be years before she applied her off-world knowledge to help the Aterans reach the next step in their advancement. But, she had time, and she was overjoyed to have work in front of her.
Kalinda was deep into a report on power transference systems when the door opened. She glanced up to see their visitor and was surprised to see Nakan stride into the facility. He’d never set foot inside the building since she’d started her studies. Like many others, he seemed uncomfortable being in a place designed to advance technology when his belief system was centered around shunning that same tech.
She smiled up at him as he crossed the room. “Hey there, to what do I owe the honor?”
He bent and placed a kiss on her forehead, and then held out a small device with a screen attached. “You have a communication.”
“A… communication?” Kalinda’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, eyes opened wide. She took the device. She recognized it as a VidComm unit—something rare to see in the Hard Sands. Even when sending a message to someone on the far side of the mountain city, Nakan preferred to send messengers. Even if it meant waiting hours for a response instead of using this type of instantaneous two-way communication. He told her they usually reserved use of the VidComms to speaking with Aterans from other sand territories.
She took the device from him and set it on the table, adjusting the screen until she spied the human face displayed there.
“Sheri!” Her voice came out as a high-pitched squeal. “Oh my god, are you okay? How are you?”
“I’m fine,” Sheri grinned. “Everything’s good. How are you? You look healthy.”
Kalinda laughed. “Yeah, yeah I am.” Now anyway. “I’m good.”
<
br /> She hadn’t seen Sheri since they’d initially crashed on Atera. Sheri had been taken to the Red Sands, the territory to the east, with a handful of other human women. The rest—the most injured of the women—were taken to the Living Sands in the south.
“Are you being treated well?”
“Very well,” Kalinda laughed. Again, she was treated well now that Chaze was a distant memory. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell the woman she was essentially married to the ruler of the Hard Sands. It seemed like a lot to dump on Sheri all at once. Though she did reach up and give Nakan’s hand an affectionate squeeze.
Sheri’s gaze followed the motion and her lips curled into a smile. “I can see that. And the others?”
“Everyone is well cared for. There was a bit of… drama when we first arrived but things have settled down. I wanted to get in touch with you, but there’s been so much else on my plate.”
“I understand.” Sheri gave her a slow nod. “I’ve had a lot going on myself, but I want to make sure we can all stay in touch. I think it’s important that we stay connected despite the distance between us.”
“Definitely.” Kalinda jerked her head in agreement. “What about the others? The ones who went south?”
“I spoke to one of the women not too long ago. They’re all well. Mostly, at least.”
“Mostly?” She frowned and glanced up at Nakan. He stood a bit straighter and diverted his gaze, not meeting her eyes. She wondered if there was something he hadn’t shared with her.
“Well, one woman was injured pretty badly. Remember when they separated us? The ones with the worst injuries were taken south because they have the best healers.”
Kalinda remembered how effective the Healing Sands were at healing injuries. She didn’t know where the sands came from, but she knew the southern territory was the only place they were found. She and Nakan were still developing new trade agreements to have a new batch of the Healing Sands delivered to them.
“They should all be okay now, right? I mean, they have this stuff, the Healing Sands. It’s like magic. It can cure almost anything.”
Nakan tensed even more.
Sheri glanced at Nakan and nibbled her lip—a show of nerves. “Almost all of them are fine. One still hasn’t woken up.”
Kalinda’s breath caught in her throat. She had been so preoccupied with everything happening in the Hard Sands that it had never occurred to her there might be others still in danger. “She’s in a coma?”
“That’s what they said. But their healers are doing everything they can.”
Kalinda glanced at her mate. “Did you know about this?”
Nakan didn’t quite meet her stare. “I did speak with Warlord Traze recently. We are in the middle of negotiations now that I have discovered a new source of deahmid stones.”
Kalinda’s frown deepened. Nakan had been excited when his Stone Sense finally began to work, and he had found a new source of the unusual stones. Mining operations were already underway, and she suspected that whatever had blocked Nakan’s senses had been related to their mating—either biological or psychological in nature. Before they mated, his mind hadn’t seemed as clear, as if everything in his blood had been focused on claiming her and making her his. Now that those urges were sated, he was able to think more clearly, and the Stone Sense had come to him at once.
What he hadn’t told her, however, was that he had already heard news about the others from the ship. Based on the way he avoided her eyes, she suspected there was something else he wasn’t saying.
“Nakan,” her voice was firm. “What’s going on? What did Traze say?”
Nakan cleared his throat. “All is well. The human women are being cared for, and Traze’s kode is expected to recover before long.”
A gasp came from the VidComm unit. “Did he say kode?”
From the other woman’s tone, Kalinda guessed that Sheri already knew what kode meant. And from the look on Nakan’s face, he felt he had already said too much.
Now she understood why had had been hesitant to tell her. She had experienced firsthand what it was like when an Ateran male wanted to claim a female as his own. The stirring of an Ateran’s blood happened the first time he so much as laid eyes on his future mate.
And, apparently, that stirring could happen even if the woman in question was in a coma.
Kalinda could barely imagine what this other woman would go through when she finally awoke. When she opened her eyes and realized she’d already been claimed by the warlord of the Living Sands…
* * *
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About the Author
Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes urban fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romances, and non-fiction.
It goes without saying that there's always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way.
Today she lives in Central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
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