Willa's Way

by Reagan Woods

  Corians had no sense of romance. At. All.

  She and Tiron would bond as soon as his father and brothers were located and notified. Waiting for them was a point in Liania’s favor, apparently. Willa understood that Tiron would have to return to the Trident as soon as possible, but she hadn’t expected to end her day mated.

  “Now, there is the small matter of Willa’s unauthorized removal from these premises.” Miska smiled coldly.

  Giaon, who had seemed to greatly enjoy the dickering, stood up straighter.

  Willa hadn’t given the vicious Corian female or the cruel Dodd much thought since her ordeal ended. She’d been too focused on holding her panic inside and missing Tiron. Strangely, it hadn’t occurred to her to wonder why the Rions hadn’t asked her what had happened.

  Dawning suspicion sent a chill through her. Madame Rion wouldn’t have done that terrible thing to her, would she? But it had to be one of them. Whoever had taken her had walked right in and pulled her from the reconditioner. They needed high-level security access to do something like that.

  “Sorry we’re late.” Sorin bowed low to Miska, giving her a cheeky smile as the missing Rion males filed into the receiving room, each bowing to their Queen.

  “You’re right on time.” Miska smiled back at Sorin before turning to Viro. “Well?”

  He pulled out a small holoprojector and sat it in the middle of the floor. “My Queen, I’ve done as you asked. This is the reconstructed security feed from Willa’s rooms. I’ll run it on parallel with the movements of all in the house.”

  “You can do that?” Linron asked, amazed.

  “Just watch,” Sorin advised quietly, putting a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.

  Will watched Viro’s experiment come to life. A three dimensional small-scale display of the sprawling complex popped up in front of them in a ten foot cubed space. Red haze resembling a small energy field highlighted all of the ingresses and security points within the complex.

  Small people scurried about their business. Up and down the corridors they zoomed, pausing briefly for conversations or to complete a task. A blue light hovered in the upper right quadrant and Willa realized that was a halo over her miniature.

  The scurrying figures slowed dramatically. “Now watch this.” Viro pointed to the tiny Willa and they watched as three unknowns plucked her from the reconditioner. “If we trace this back…” He stuck a finger into the holoprojection and pushed the Willa-nappers backwards. “We’ll see that these three hooded people passed through four security points. All four points have one thing in common,” he said, pointing to another figure that was nearby every time there was a security breech.

  “Beandra?” Linron was skeptical. “Really? She seems too…noble for that kind of thing. How’d she do it?”

  “She has an illegal jammer. It must be an implant because it didn’t trigger any of our search arrays,” Viro answered.

  “Where is this Beandra now?” Miska asked.

  “She’s being detained,” Daniron spoke up for the first time.

  “You had cause to believe she did this?” Liania turned dark, questioning eyes on her mate.

  “No.” He gave her a gentle smile. “I thought that it was suspicious that she tried to leave in the middle of the night.”

  “Right after someone leaked information that Willa was still alive,” Viro confirmed.

  “I had put out the story that Willa died of internal injuries right after Giaon brought her home.” Sorin took up the narrative. “And Viro had cut the public feed so that only the archivists could go back and catalogue her injuries.” He looked apologetically at Miska. “Sorry, Auntie, we had to do it.”

  She brushed the comment aside. “Why did she do it?’

  “Because she’s obsessed with bonding into our family,” Liania said quietly. “I’m so sorry that I allowed her to stay on.” She looked beseechingly at Tiron. “Please don’t hold it against us.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Aunt Miska.” Tiron made a small bow. His hand possessively on Willa’s neck, he said, “Mother, I’d like a moment alone with Willa before we take the bond oath.”

  “Of course.” Miska stood and ushered Liania from the receiving room. “But don’t be too long,” she said over her shoulder. “I think we should rub your bonding in Beandra’s face before we execute her.”

  “She was kidding, right?” Willa asked, a worried look on her lovely face as she turned into his waiting arms.

  “Ah…I’d rather talk about us right now,” he evaded, bending down to seal his lips over hers in a heated kiss. “I’m sorry that I put you in such a dangerous position.”

  “I know you didn’t do it on purpose,” she breathed, soft lips rubbing against his as she spoke.

  They were so close that they shared one another’s air; it was a singular experience for Tiron. He loved the intimate affection that she lavished on him. If all Earth females were like Willa, males everywhere would wage war to get their hands on one.

  “I can’t emphasize enough…” she punctuated her words with little roaming kisses to his chin, nose and cheeks. “How much I would appreciate it if you would consult me before you pack me off like that again.”

  “I am a male of action,” he replied, pulling her softness against his throbbing hardness.

  She felt incredible, and he’d missed her unbearably. He kissed a trail across her cheek to nibble on her little earlobe.

  “I’ll try not to upset you as we go through life together,” he whispered, darting his tongue out to leisurely trace the whorl of her ear. “But sometimes it will happen. I love you and I cannot resist my need to keep you safe.”

  “You love me?” She pulled back, eyes scouring his face for the truth.

  “I do.” He smiled gently down at her. “So much.”

  “Oh, Tiron.” She blinked several times. Something must have gotten into her eye. “Oh, I love you, too.” She burst into alarming, noisy tears.

  Tiron started to panic. He didn’t resist his urge to pick her up bodily and offer comfort. As her sobs began to subside, he kissed the top of her head and asked, “If you love me, why are you crying?”

  “It’s not my damned hormones,” she choked, laughing. “I’m just feeling very emotional right now, okay?”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Wilhelmina Anderson, do you take this bond oath of your own free will?” Tiron’s deep voice asked soberly.

  “I do,” she replied, laying her palm on the small data pad for the scan.

  “Then it is done.” Tiron’s large hand replaced hers.

  His brothers looked on soberly. Giaon’s expression of longing made her realize that this might be the only bonding ceremony Tiron’s brothers ever saw. As things stood, they wouldn’t ever have the opportunity to bond anyone. That was so tragic it made her heart ache.

  “That’s it?” She asked, amazed at the utter lack of pomp and circumstance, not to mention, romance.

  “That is it,” he confirmed, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

  Tiron looked so joyful, as though he’d won some glorious prize. For a girl who struggled for so long to find her place on Earth, it was heady stuff.

  “How do you feel about finding an Earth priest once this whole war is over and having a wedding?” If she didn’t ask, she’d never know, right?

  He gave an indulgent laugh. “I did ask you to marry me, too. First, I’d like to show you to your new suite.”

  “Oh, yes, our contract is in full effect,” she laughed, giving a wave of thanks to Miska as Tiron propelled her from the room.

  The two hard-eyed females definitely had redefined Willa’s idea of happily ever after. While Liania wanted her to guarantee a specific number of pregnancies – at least, five, of course, Miska had demanded a certain standard of living – no more servant’s apartments for Willa.

  “Wow.” She expelled a slow whistle, marveling at the vaulted ceiling of her new rooms. Turning a slow circle, she gawked
open-mouthed at the clean lines and sumptuous, gleaming finishes of the low tables. The sofas and pillows scattered about were a dream to behold. Creamy colors in opulent textures covered every piece.

  “Are these your quarters?”

  “Ours,” he corrected, not bothering to admire the space. “I’m particularly interested in what you think of the sleeping platform. Though, I must warn you, I have no interest in sleep.” he pulled the canes from her unresisting hands, dropping them to the polished stone floor. Hooking an arm around her torso, he dragged her up against his broad, muscular chest.

  She wrapped her legs tightly around his trim waist to grind against his mouthwateringly large erection. “I’m not sleepy at all,” she purred, boldly twining her hands in his thick hair and pulling his lips to hers.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  One Month Later

  CGA Flagship Victory, General’s Quarters

  “Are you coming to bed?” Arianna padded up to rub his shoulders.

  Since they bonded, Darvan had tried to bring work home in the evenings instead of staying late in his office. “I still have a few hours to put in,” he replied, pulling her around to stand in front of his arm chair. He pushed away the hovering data screen.

  “Ok.” She tried to hide her jaw-cracking yawn.

  Darvan chuckled, lifting her nude form onto his lap. “Something tells me you’ll be asleep by the time I make it to bed.”

  She hummed agreement, scooting further up his thighs so she could lean her back against his chest. He knew he should send her to rest, but he chose to savor the feel of her, instead.

  Lately, he found holding Arianna close far more relaxing than sleeping. When he was awake, he could control his fears for his beautiful little mate. But, when he slept, the nightmare of losing her to a Corian prison, or worse, tormented him.

  Arianna had been Darvan’s Captive and his lover before becoming his mate. To his shame, he’d used her like a pawn, intending to distract Jorkan from his divisive meddling between the Warriors and the High Council. Jorkan, a latent genius with a penchant for helpless beauties, had, in turn, used Arianna to send their enemies the key to unlocking the galaxy-wide energy field around the Milky Way.

  Ostensibly, Arianna had been taking her daily lessons in the reconditioner. In actuality, Jorkan had written a temporary behavior protocol into her brain, making her send the codes to the Ventix while he sabotaged the energy fields at the Earth work camps. Her brain’s unusual plasticity had saved her from a horrible death, but she had committed the crime. And Darvan’s own brother, Vank, had died in the resultant destruction of the Horizon.

  The High Council, under tremendous pressure from the populous, had chosen to try Arianna for treason. Her trial date was fast approaching. Darvan had applied for reassignment or leave time in order to accompany her to Cor I for the proceedings. The CGA High Council had denied his request.

  Tracing his hands across her still-flat stomach, he asked pensively, “Did you take a new holo of them today?”

  “I left it on your pillow. Want me to go get it?”

  “No, stay here.” He gently palmed a sensitive breast, pulling her back more firmly into his body. The hardened peaks of her nipples were darkening already, in preparation to suckle his daughters. Darvan imagined them, together, as a family. He would hold one tiny female with Arianna’s beautiful face and his dark coloring. She would nurse an identical little female. The dream brought him peace.

  “I never asked you if you wanted to be a mother. I’m sorry for that.”

  He often found himself wishing he could read her mind. She seemed to take the stresses of impending motherhood and her looming trial in stride.

  Neither addressed the issue. They couldn’t know who was monitoring them, so they quietly stockpiled foodstuffs and medical supplies in case they needed to flee the system. But Darvan still hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  “It’s a little late for regrets now, don’t you think?” she chuckled, bending a pale little arm back to hook around his neck, opening her body to his reverent touch.

  He leaned down to nuzzle kisses to the back of her neck and shoulder. “I do not regret it. Do you?” Darvan hardened against her firm, round bottom. He walked the fingers of his unoccupied hand down to the slick folds between her thighs.

  Parting her silky legs, she let them splay wantonly off to either side of his bent knees. “I don’t think so,” she sighed, tilting her head back, seeming to enjoy his unhurried touch as much as he loved touching her.

  “That’s hardly reassuring,” he complained drily.

  “You didn’t spend your day listening to the medics debate the merits of slicing you open versus forcing you to squeeze two twelve-pound bowling balls out of your hooha. Trust me, none of that was reassuring, either.”

  “Ouch.” He winced pressing his palm protectively to the area in question.

  “I’m going to be the size of a small shuttle craft,” she grumbled.

  Arianna’s one area of insecurity in all of this was, bizarrely, how much weight she would gain. Females were mysterious creatures. “You’ll always be beautiful to me.”

  “Prove it.” She arched her body, rubbing against his caressing hands and rocking her bottom against his pulsing cock.

  “I’d love to.” He circled a finger around her tight entrance, debating. “But I’m afraid you’ll be asleep by the time I can break away.”

  “I think I should introduce you to the concept of the quick fuck.” She turned her body, straddling him.

  “Such dirty words.” He grinned at her naughty look, watching with anticipation as she shoved his shirt up to rub her soft breasts against his chest. Her long, silky blonde hair slid between them.

  “You know you like it.”

  Arianna drew the tabs of his pants apart, and he raised his hips to help wrestle them down his thighs. Using the arms of his chair for balance, she lowered, her slippery folds clinging as she pushed onto his turgid cock. Her strong internal muscles squeezed as she set her pace.

  Darvan marshalled all of his considerable self-control, he wouldn’t come before she did. No matter how amazing she felt riding him. He bumped his thumbs up against either side of her clit, encouraging her release.

  “Ahhhh!” He came with a roar that mingled perfectly with her cry of fulfillment.

  Hugging her tight to his heaving chest, Darvan panted, “No matter what happens, I love you.”

  He hoped it was enough to see them through the coming storm.

  Epilogue

  Tiron returned to his quarters, exhausted from a long day on the Command Deck. The com screen flashed a message indicator. It was probably from Willa. He missed her more every day. Leaving her the morning after their bonding ceremony had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

  Willa had reluctantly agreed to stay with his family until after the babe made his appearance. She didn’t want him to leave her, but she understood his need to know they were safe and well cared for.

  He had plans in place to be present via com connection for the birth. However, if the Ventix didn’t make another aggressive move in this sector between now and the due date, he was going to put in for a month’s personal time. Tiron desperately wanted to be with Willa while she brought their son into the world.

  For a moment, he debated saving the communique as a treat to watch after he finished his daily reports, but he couldn’t wait. She might have news of the child’s development. Or she might have made good on last night’s naughty promise…

  Before he had left Cor II last month, Tiron asked Viro to install a secure, encrypted connection so he and Willa could communicate more easily. As a reward for his thoughtfulness, Willa had introduced him to com sex. He was the luckiest male in the entire universe. Bar. None.

  “Tiron.” Willa’s face popped onto the screen. “I don’t have much time. Your family and I are fleeing deeper into the planet.”

  Something exploded and the feed shook, nearly fuzzing out. When the image
stabilized, he saw that she was terrified, her wide hazel eyes darted around in panic. Her voice sounded distorted and kept cutting out, “Ventix ships…surrounded…please…I love you.”

  There was a brief glance of Giaon, hand outstretched as another explosion rocked the com screen. The message ended abruptly.

  Shock and grief tried to drag him to his knees, but he resisted. Giaon knew the cave routes of Cor II like the backs of his hands. Tiron had to believe that they’d gotten to safety. And his mate was a fighter, if anyone could endure until help arrived, it was Willa.

  How had the Ventix made it past Council Command’s early warning system?

  Surely, out of the billions of people in Corian space, someone would have thought to send a distress signal.

  And what of the neighboring Doranos galaxy? Were they under attack as well?

  “Darvan,” he shouted as soon as the General answered his com. “You need to try to contact Cor I, your family, the Council, someone. Ri is under attack.”

  “What?” Darvan looked as dumbfounded as Tiron felt.

  “Watch this.” Tiron shared Willa’s ominous warning.

  “Oh, no.” Darvan shook his head in denial. “Those can’t be…is that a Devastator?”

  “We don’t have any time to lose,” Tiron urged. “It’s timestamped during second watch. That was hours ago!”

  From the Author

  Thanks for reading Willa’s Way: Earth Neverafter Book 2. I hope you enjoyed the beginning of Willa and Tiron’s story. If you did, I hope you’ll rate and review it on the purchase site.

  I’d like to send a very special thank you to the lovely people who wrote in after I release Arianna’s Alien: Earth Neverafter Book 1. You guys rock for asking such amazing questions. I published a short list of answers on my Goodreads page and to the FAQ’s on my web-site. I’m sorry to those of you who I had to reply to with ‘you’ll have to just wait and see’ answers. I hate giving away the plot twists for subsequent books (the characters don’t like it, either). Thanks for being such good sports.