by L H Whitlock
Her slick walls wrapped around him. He nearly felt himself slamming into her cervix, filling her completely, absolutely. The pleasure became too much and he let loose his own scream, more animal than man, and emptied himself inside her.
For several minutes he stayed inside her heat, not wanting to leave. The only sound was that of the shower and their panting. The best tune he had ever heard.
With a groan he pulled himself out of her and flipped her around so she was pressed against him. He backed her into a wall and locked her lips with his. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and his hands locked on her hips. It was a rough, desperate kiss, a duel for control that neither of them wanted to give up. Alyssa finally broke the kiss, gasping for air. She looked up at him, her lips swollen and eyes glazed over.
“I like showers,” she whispered, her voice barely louder than the water.
Brock touched his forehead to hers and ran a thumb over her lips. “Stay with me?”
“Where would I go?”
“I mean travel with me. Let’s discover the galaxy together.”
Alyssa brushed her lips against his. “I thought you would never ask.”
Brock growled and captured her lips. He lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he surged forward again. His need couldn’t be sated. Neither could his love for her. He never would have thought he would have fallen for someone like this. He thought he had loved Lily, and he did, but Alyssa was an entirely different thing. She owned his heart and soul, and he didn’t want it any other way.
63
Ulrick lapped at the sensitive bud between Lily’s legs, capturing it between his lips and rolling, allowing Lily’s gasps to tell him what she wanted.
“Ulrick, you are driving me crazy!” Lily gasped.
Ulrick growled his approval against her. He felt drunk on her; he couldn’t sate the irresistible craving for her, for the taste of her. He dipped a finger into her. She was ready for him. And gods, he wanted her, but he wanted her to unravel completely, to go insane before he took her. And from the sounds of her moans and the bucking of her hips, he was close.
He added a second finger and she clenched around him again, arching her back as she came around his fingers: her second time. He found himself smiling against her womanhood with pride. Should he go for a third? Absolutely.
“Gods, Ulrick,” Lily gasped. “I can’t handle it, I need you.” Her fingers fisted in his hair, pulling strands from the leather strap. “Please, now!”
“I need to taste you, A’Kilini.” He nipped at the swollen lip of her womanhood and she cried out.
“You have done plenty of that,” she gasped between breaths. “I need you, inside me…”
Ulrick growled as he plunged his tongue into her, using a thumb to rub over her bud. With each stroke she cried out, her hips and legs moving on their own. Her fingers clenched in his hair and she cried out, her scream desperate. Still he lapped at her, making sure she didn’t know what to expect, making sure to brush against her sensitive spots. He had worked hard to discover them all, yet he wanted to discover more.
She threw her head back, her toes clenched, and she brought her knees up as her orgasm ripped through her body, shaking her, unraveling her to the point where she couldn’t make out a word.
Ulrick pulled himself up and leaned over her, staring at her until she met his gaze. Her lids were half-lidded and pupils dilated.
“Ulrick,” she murmured, her voice tired and silky.
He surged forward, wrapping his arms around her so he was plastered against her, his body with hers. The markings on his arms flared in a heated dance, hers matching his in rhythm. A spark of black flared from him and came to rest on her body, further marking her as his. He bit into the flesh of her neck, rough yet gentle at the same time. Suckling until he left his mark. She hated when he did that, and he hadn’t yet admitted to her that it was one of his deepest desires to see his marking on her; he wanted his love to be visible. So there was no mistaking. Her eyelids fluttered and he knew he had pushed her too far, to exhaustion.
She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to his shoulders, trusting him to take her where she needed to go. With a final thrust he buried his face in the crook of her neck and let himself spill inside her. Her legs dropped, her body completely sated.
He rolled to the side, taking her with him so her head rested on his chest. He rubbed his thumb over her arm, watching her markings spiral and twist. His did the same, but the dance wasn’t nearly as beautiful as it was on her. He was so tired of war, so tired of death. All he wanted was to hold her like this forever, to see her when he first opened his eyes and to fall asleep inside of her at night. Yet he couldn’t get rid of his past. He couldn’t change the things he had done and he would spend the entirety of his life making up for it.
She sighed softly and snuggled against him. He brought the blanket over them, blocking out the slight chill in the air. He kissed her forehead and a smile crept over her face.
“I love you,” he murmured against her hair.
“Forever and into the stars,” she murmured back, her voice thick with pleasure and exhaustion.
A ding at the door sounded and a voice came through the Comm. “Master Ulrick, Master Ulrick.”
Ulrick growled and Lily placed a hand softly against his chest. “Easy,” she whispered, a smile twinkling in her eyes.
“What is it?” he bit out. He knew his anger was his darkness, but Lily accepted him—foolish as it may be—for what he was, even if that was a monster.
“I am sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with you.”
“Then speak.”
“In private, sir.”
Lily cupped his cheek and tilted his face to look at him. He found himself nuzzling into her palm. Only she could tame the horrific ‘planet eater,’ as he had been dubbed. “It’s okay. Go. I need to rest, you have worn me out.”
Pride swelled in his chest and he grinned down at her.
“Oh, do not look so proud of yourself. It has been a long few days.”
“I am sure it has,” he murmured against her lips. Then he reluctantly left the warmth of her arms. He pulled on his black slacks, tucked in his black shirt, and shoved his feet into his boots. And then he slipped out the door.
Bixom stood in the hallway in a long-sleeved black shirt, vest, and cargo pants. His brown hair was damp and his brown eyes seemed tired. He was leaner then Ulrick, but nearly just as tall. Most Hilians were tall and lean; Ulrick was just bulkier then most.
“What can I help you with, Bixom?”
“Can we talk in the common room?”
Ulrick nodded and followed the smaller man down the hallway. A red glare shined through the floor-length windows and a shiny metal planet surrounded by a junk yard of debris and ships came in to view.
Their ship was silently drifting away until it was safe to open a TIP without dragging the Developers in with them. So far they were unnoticed, but the way Ulrick’s luck ran, that wouldn’t last for long.
Bixom walked up to the window and looked out. “I don’t like the look of that star.”
“Neither do I.” He stared at the other man. “What is disturbing you?”
Bixom sighed and scratched his hair. “I—what race is Gloria?”
“I am unsure.”
Bixom nodded and looked away.
“Why do you ask?”
“She... she is my Ja’ Keo Gruna.”
“She certainly is not Hilian.”
“Maybe she is a little Hilian?”
“I would have a hard time believing so.”
Bixom rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to show his markings slowly spiraling around his arm, a sign that his life mate was close, but not in the immediate proximity.
“Do you think it is possible for her to be my mate without being Hilian?”
Ulrick crossed his arms. “I have not heard of it before, but if we are having a shortage of females, it may be possible that we are evolving to hav
e life mates outside of our race. The same has happened to many civilizations, it is entirely possible.”
Bixom nodded. “I cannot believe I have been given a life mate so beautiful.”
“You are lucky, Gloria is a fine female.”
Bixom nodded.
“Have you spoken with her yet?”
“No, I wanted to make sure, first, that I was not going crazy or something, and to make sure I had your blessing. I know she is very important to your Ja’ Keo Gruna.”
“I would not keep you from your life mate, but you must be good to her or I cannot say the same for Lily.”
Bixom nodded. “Of course.”
For a moment, Ulrick stared out the window at the red star and swore he saw it pulse. He stared for a few moments longer to see if it would do it again, but it seemed stable.
“I am going to rest with my mate; you should rest too. We should be safe to TIP in a few hours.”
64
Alyssa thought she felt a shake, but when she peeked she found Brock holding her tightly and she nestled back against him. It must have been only her imagination.
Brock smelled of salt, shined metal, and a hint of male muskiness. An odd smell, but one she discovered that she loved. The lights flickered on, then back off.
Brock stirred next to her and sat up. “Did you see that?”
She nodded.
“Get dressed,” he instructed.
She immediately pulled herself out of bed and tugged on the uniform Lily had given her a few hours ago. She was honored to be given a team uniform. It consisted of black cargo pants tucked into black combat boots and a simple black shirt with a vest overtop. Inside the vest were several pockets containing a bunch of battle necessities, most of which she considered quite barbaric, but Lily looked offended when she had said so.
Just as she was closing the RAB around her wrist the ship shook violently, then Alberta’s voice sounded through the Comm.
“Unders tack.”
“Alberta, you are not the pilot of this ship, I am!” a gargled voice argued through the Comm.
“I’s pilot.”
“This is Rowan’s ship, not yours, and not Lily’s.”
“I’s sitting in chair.”
“Because you pushed me out.”
“Gets off Comm, serious attack.”
Alyssa looked over at Brock. He shrugged. “Don’t ask me, she does her own thing.”
“Alberta, what’s going on?” Brock asked.
“Unders tack.”
“Yeah, got that, but what the fuck is happening, how did they find us?”
“Amateur pilot used stabilizer.”
The male voice gasped. “We were about to hit an asteroid, I was just getting us out of the way.”
“Caught.”
“What?”
“Just getting caught.”
“How long?” Brock asked.
“Not long.” The ship rocked again. “Shield sucks.”
“Shit!” Brock cursed. He looked over at Alyssa. “You ready? Stay close to me.”
Alyssa nodded and followed him in a sprint down the hallway.
Gloria, Ulrick, Lily, and Bixom stood in the center of the hallway.
“It’s about time you got here!” Lily teased.
“Usually we’re waiting on Gloria’s pretty little ass, so stop complaining.”
Bixom shot him a glare.
“Everyones to controls stations!” Alberta screamed.
The ship rocked violently. The lights flickered on and off. An explosion erupted from somewhere close by and screams echoed through the stainless hallways.
Rowan ran into the hallway. “This way, you guys! We have to get to the bridge and help.”
The group ran in a V formation and skidded around the corner.
As they passed a window Brock let out a curse. Developer ships surrounded them. Beacons flashed as pulses of radioactive lasers were shot at them. The ship’s shield flickered a gold color, the tell-tale sign of failure.
“Betters though, get to single fighter. Open TIP in fifteen,” Alberta said through the Comm.
“What?” Alyssa asked.
“She is setting a TIP to open in fifteen minutes. We need to evacuate into single fighters and use the TIP once it has opened.
“Others bad news,” Alberta said.
“What’s that?” Brock asked.
“This star about to explode.”
“Yeah, we got that.”
“No. I means now.”
“Are you fucking joking?”
“Why I kid exploding star.”
“Fuck!” Brock roared. He skidded to a halt and took off in the opposite direction, not checking to see if the team was following; the clang of their steps behind him was all he needed.
An explosion sounded and the ship jolted. Alyssa toppled into Gloria and the two tumbled into Bixom before falling to the ground. Brock turned, picked Alyssa up, and started back down the hallway.
“I can’ts get out,” Alberta said through the Comm. “Systems shutting down, door not open.”
“Shit!” Lily cursed.
“I’ll get her,” Gloria said, already running down the hallway.
“Gloria!” Lily yelled after her. Then she turned to Brock and motioned with her hands for him to do something.
Brock was about to volunteer when Bixom stepped forward. “I will go with her.”
“But…” Lily’s protests fell flat as Bixom headed after the linguist.
“It is okay, A’ Kilini, he is an honorable warrior. She is in good hands.”
Lily hesitated, but nodded.
“Whatever you say, but we need to get to the dock and help get people off the ship,” Brock said.
65
Alyssa rested her palms on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
“We have to go,” Brock said, his voice sharp.
“No. We have to wait for Alberta and the others,” Lily protested.
“A’ Kilini, we do not have time,” the Hilian said. Alyssa found herself staring at his arm for a moment. She thought the whole story about the markings was romantic.
The ship’s defense system droned another warning. “Abandon ship. Abandon ship. All crew to the dock. Abandon ship. Abandon ship. All crew to the dock.”
Brock and Ulrick both looked at Lily and motioned to the ship.
“Just give me a second. I will get them.” Lily took off toward the door, but Ulrick grabbed her and collected her against his chest. She kicked and screamed at him, but her voice was lost as an eruption rocked the ship. The ship tilted and fire rushed down the hallway.
“Alberta! Gloria!” Lily shrieked, but Ulrick was already pulling her inside the shuttle.
Brock grabbed hold of Alyssa’s arm, almost painfully, and yanked her into the shuttle.
Lily frantically punched at her RAB, calling to her friends, trying every line available. Ulrick buckled her in and then closed the door. The escape pod dislodged from the ship and the sound of the warnings cut off. They drifted away silently, eerily, slowly. The metal bodies of Developers gleamed across the battle field like swarms of annis. The red giant pulsed and released a flare of energy. Thankfully it went in the opposite direction.
“Alberta?” Lily yelled into her RAB again. The team waited in silence for a response from the other line.
“We’s fines. Get to TIP.”
“Thank the gods! Is Gloria with you?”
“I’m here!” Gloria’s voice rang through the RAB, and Alyssa found that she was glad the colorful woman was okay.
“I am also here,” Bixom said.
“There it is! Get to the TIP!” Gloria shrieked through the RAB.
Alyssa looked over at the distorted sphere. A condensed galaxy shone in the center, unknown, misplaced stars distorting the area. They didn’t have a choice in the matter. They were too close and the ship crashed into the orb. Lights flickered and the ship shook. Alyssa gripped onto her seatbelt and squeezed her eyes shut. B
rock’s hand gripped her knee, his warmth reassuring. The vibrations increased and she rattled against her seat. Warning sirens blared, and for a minute she feared something had gone wrong. Then the vibrations stopped and silence once again filled the ship. The lights flickered back on and she slowly opened her eyes.
“We made it,” Brock mumbled, his grip tightening on her knee.
“Where are we?” Alyssa asked.
Ulrick leaned forward and looked at the navigation. “We are somewhere near the pirate trading post.”
“Pirates?”
“The trading post was destroyed by the Developers,” Ulrick said.
“Wait.” Lily unbuckled and pressed her palms to the windows, then zoomed in and out of the navigation screen. “Something is wrong... where are they?”
“They’ll be here,” Brock reassured.
“No!” Lily said, her voice raised and panicked. “The TIP closed. They are not here! We have to go back!”
Ulrick reached out and crushed the small woman to his chest. His hand stroked through her white-blonde hair. “We can’t go back A’Kilini. We can’t. There isn’t enough power to open a TIP, we will be stranded. We must find a ship at the nearest planet, a real ship. Then we will find them.”
Tears tickled Alyssa’s nose, and she wiped them away quickly. She mustn’t show emotion, she would be banished. She looked over at Brock and saw tears lingering in his beard. She reached out to brush the tip of her finger over one that lingered in his beard.
“You’re crying.”
Brock forced a smile at her and gripped her knee. “I’m worried, but it’s okay to cry when you’re worried.”
Alyssa nodded, then turned toward the Hilian. “Where do we find a ship?”
Ulrick smiled at her. “I like your spirit. The nearest is only a day’s voyage.”
***
A ball sat in Brock’s stomach and he didn’t have the energy to fight his fear. Where was the rest of his team—Alberta, Gloria, and the Renegade? He glanced over at Alyssa and saw her emerald eyes fixed on him. She offered him a small smile to try and reassure him, and, while it didn’t quite dispel the feelings, he felt his blood warm. He reached out to stroke her cheek, but her eyes glassed over and she stared at him with a coolness that iced his bones.