Dark Fire

by Cynthia Sax

  But the time wasn’t right for that joining. Both sides of him realized that truth. While he waited for her and for him to be ready, he’d safeguard her.

  And they’d have this. He grunted into her mouth, reveling in their encounter, in the pleasure it gave him. His mate lifted her hips, her eyes darkening with desire, widening with need. Her short, blunt fingernails dug into his scales, were unable to pierce them.

  His mate was as fierce as he was, and their passion, primed by a rest cycle of platonic touching, spiraled upward. He wouldn’t last long and neither would she. She panted against his lips, her brown skin glistening with perspiration, her arms and legs trembling.

  “Dare.” A plea reflected in her eyes. “More.”

  More might hurt his little human. Even his beast acknowledged that possibility. He gave her different, swiveling his hips, grinding against her clit.

  Her spine bowed. Her mouth opened. He covered her lips, silencing her scream, devouring her release. She clutched him tight to her, her pussy gyrating against his shaft.

  He gritted his teeth, held on for four, five, six heartbeats, couldn’t last longer. Breaking their kiss, he tilted his head back and roared, coming hard, his beast fully in control.

  Clicking his back teeth sparked his stomach vapors. He spewed fire into the air while cum jetted from his tip.

  That essence, hotter than any human’s, splattered against his mate’s stomach. She squeaked, tremors shaking her form, the heat setting off another round of release.

  He gave her more, as much as he had. His fire extinguished. He collapsed, flattening her.

  She didn’t make a sound. He rolled onto his back, taking her with him, their physiques slick, their chests heaving.

  The sounds of her panting stimulated and reassured him. She had survived the encounter with his beast.

  “Did I harm you, female?” He had lost himself in her.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice was faint.

  He lifted his head and studied his mate, needing to be certain. Her cheeks were flushed. Her lips curled upward into a small smile.

  She was healthy physically and emotionally. The tension inside him dissipated. His Drache hadn’t hurt her, hadn’t pushed her to move faster than she desired.

  He wasn’t that broken.

  His mate folded her arms across his pecs, rested her chin on them, gazing at him with wide eyes, questions encased in their depths.

  “It is never like that.” He answered one of them. “No one else can give me that satisfaction. Only you.” He unstuck a strand of hair from her cheek, brushed it back. “You’re my mate.”

  Her forehead furrowed. “It wasn’t like that with the Rebel female?”

  “I’ve never touched the Rebel female.” He hadn’t met the female. She was merely a mission for him.

  Her lips twisted. “Then you don’t know.” She tumbled off him, landing feet-first on the floor. “It could be like that with her.”

  “No, it couldn’t.” He sat upright. “It won’t be that way with anyone other than you. Dracheons only have one mate.” He’d explained that to her before they slept.

  But his female didn’t believe it. He read that truth in her eyes.

  “Faylee—”

  “No.” She lifted her hand, as though she sought to stop him, a skilled Dracheon warrior, with her tiny palm. “It’s time to return to reality.” She looked toward the portal. The sky was tinted a light purple, the sun rising. “Your Rebel female is waiting for you.”

  “She isn’t mine.” But his mate was right. Explanations would have to be made later.

  They had a mission to complete.

  Faylee wrapped strips of fabric around her hips, constraining her form once more. His cum covered her stomach.

  He should clean her but he liked having his scent on her skin. It pleased the primal part of him. And he suspected she would cover herself with dirt as soon as they left the structure, completing her disguise.

  He donned his ass coverings, pulled on his boots and fastened them. Her scent lingered on his physique also. Females would know he was hers.

  Not that his mate believed that. She wound fabric around her chest, her face dark with concentration.

  He preferred she stay in the chamber while he retrieved the Rebel agent, but his doubting female might disappear while he was gone. His Drache also refused to leave her. They had to stay together.

  She put on her ass coverings. They looked like they’d fall apart with one strong pull, yet concealed everything from her waist down. Her overlarge boots hung off her legs.

  “You could wear the flight suit.” The domicile workers had dropped one off. “It should fit you.”

  “It would get me killed.” She grumbled. “That’s what it would do.” She pulled her collection of rags over her head, completing her disguise.

  Dare added reassuring he could safeguard her to the list of things they’d discuss later. He strapped weapons to his body.

  The dagger for his spine sheath and the gun normally carried in his left side holster had gone missing since he’d met his beautiful thief. He suspected they were in one of her hidden pockets.

  She could have them. He didn’t lock his guns. His scales made that impossible. She would be able to use them…if that was necessary.

  “Take everything.” He tugged on the bottom of her chest covering, unable to prevent himself from touching her, the contact soothing his beast.

  “I always take everything.” She glanced up through a veil of shaggy hair. “There are thieves everywhere.” A ghost of a smile curved her lips.

  His mate had made a joke. He grinned.

  “I’ve caught one of those thieves.” He tapped her nose and she blinked. “Follow me until we exit the structure.” He pulled his cloak over his head. His bigger form would shield her from view. “Then you can lead, mate.”

  “Child.” She corrected him. “Outside these chambers, you’ll call me child.”

  Some of his humor faded. “You can be a grown female now. I’ll protect you.”

  Her wrinkled nose communicated she didn’t trust him to do that. “You gave me your word.”

  “I did.” He sighed, regretting that decision. “I’ll call you child when we’re not alone.”

  “Three-eyed Mak’s boys are everywhere.” She swaggered toward the doors, walking like one of them. “Don’t assume we’re alone.”

  “I am a warrior.” He wasn’t incompetent. “I’ve been in hostile situations.” He suspected he would soon walk into another one. “Keep a hand on my back.”

  His Drache required that reassurance, grew unsettled when they didn’t touch, and it would allow him to adjust his speed to hers. If her grip on him slipped, he’d shorten his stride.

  He placed a palm on the control panel, the doors opened, and he stepped into the corridor. Two males stood at the end of the space, looked up at him when he appeared.

  He squared his shoulders, giving his mate a bigger area to hide behind, and strode toward the exit.

  Faylee followed him, her tread silent.

  Her hand on his lower back comforted his beast, her fingers slender, small. Although her head barely reached his chest, she matched his pace.

  He exited the structure through the back doors. Boys scattered. They were dressed in rags, their faces dirty.

  Those must be Three-eyed Mak’s boys. Dare’s lips flattened. They knew where Faylee had spent the rest cycle.

  She was right. They were everywhere. Underestimating the male’s power and reach would put his mate in peril. He couldn’t do that.

  He stepped to the side. Faylee moved forward, scooped guck off the pathway, smeared it over her face, hands, every bit of exposed skin. She waved at him, indicating he should do that same.

  He swallowed a wince, covered his scales with grime. His humanoid side recoiled. His Drache, that primitive part of him, rejoiced.

  His mate approved, looking him over and nodding. Her opinion and the success of the mission were more
important than society’s views of his cleanliness.

  She dashed forward, sprinting from shadow to shadow. For a human, she moved quickly, her garments fluttering around her.

  Dare chased her through the pathways of the settlement. His beast was ecstatic and his cock was hard. He lived for the hunt, lusted after his female. The combination thrilled him. He wanted to catch her, roll her onto the flat stone, take her.

  That wasn’t possible. They had a mission to complete.

  His female slowed more and more. They approached a row of domiciles. She pressed her slight form against a wall, brought her right index finger to her lips, communicating he should be quiet.

  A troop of Humanoid Alliance males marched past them, guns in their hands. They were led by a gray-haired human. The decorations on his chest covering indicated he was a commander.

  “Everyone inside dies,” the male ordered. “Allow no one to escape.”

  His minions broke down the doors to a domicile and stormed inside. Gunfire sounded.

  Dare stepped forward.

  Faylee placed one of her hands on his chest, stopping him. She shook her head.

  He waved his arms toward the domicile. They had to protect the Rebel agent. She was his mission.

  His mate cupped her chest and then slid a finger across her neck. She believed the big-breasted female was already dead.

  That would mean failure and he didn’t fail. Ever.

  He pointed to her feet. She was a fragile human and should stay there, out of danger. He’d rescue the Rebel agent.

  His mate narrowed her eyes at him.

  There was no time for a long good-bye. Beings were dying. He drew two of his guns, glanced at his female one more time, and barreled forward.

  Chapter Six

  The damn male was going to die.

  Faylee watched as his broad shoulders disappeared through the doorway. The gunfire intensified. His big muscular body was likely the target of that assault.

  It was time for her to leave. She glanced to the right, peering along the main pathway, in the direction of the caves. Three-eyed Mak owned her. She wasn’t free to be with the silver-scaled Dracheon. One planet rotation was all they could have.

  And she didn’t owe Dare anything. Sure, he’d given her two mind-blowing orgasms, the best sexual experiences of her lifespan, but he’d found release also. Customers paid pleasure workers for encounters like that. He’d gotten it for free.

  She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left. Why wasn’t she leaving? She knew nothing about fighting, hadn’t even shot a gun.

  Though she supposed it wasn’t too difficult. She took the weapon she’d stolen from Dare out of her pocket and studied it. It had a huge button that must be the trigger. All she’d have to do was press it.

  She looked at the domicile the Rebel agent had been hiding in. The doors were broken. Entering it would be easy.

  But it would also be dumb. This wasn’t her fight. The Rebel agent meant nothing to her. Faylee could die if she tried to help.

  The sound of shooting continued to echo in her ears. Her warrior could still be alive.

  Or he could be dead. Her heart squeezed. She could be risking her life for nothing.

  Because, fuck it all, she was going in. She sprinted through the doorway, gripping the gun in both of her hands.

  The scene was chaotic. Smoke and gunfire residue hung in the air. The scent of blood and battle assaulted her nostrils. Projectiles zinged by her head.

  She rolled on the floor. Shard of debris sliced through her garments, leaving trails of pain over her skin. She hid behind an upturned horizontal structure.

  “Mate.” A roar cut through the commotion.

  Dare was alive. The knot in her stomach unraveled. He spewed fire, blasting the Humanoid Alliance males with orange and red flames. They screamed, waving their arms in the air, their body armor melting, their skin bubbling, bursting. He blazed them until they were lumps of burnt flesh.

  Stars. She stared at the male who had held her so tenderly during the rest cycle. The Dracheon in him was fully exposed, his scales shining, his claws extended, his face stark and primitive. He was huge and fierce and a force to be reckoned with.

  She wanted him. With every feminine cell in her body.

  A Humanoid Alliance male peppered her horizontal support shield with projectiles. Dare rushed toward him, muscles flexed, jaw clenched. His opponent spotted him and spun around.

  Her Dracheon warrior swiped his long claws over the male’s neck, slicing deep. The male’s head fell to the floor and rolled over the tiles, spraying blood everywhere.

  Dare moved toward her, clearing the path between them, killing every Humanoid Alliance male she saw. She didn’t spot any Rebels, not alive. Bodies lay around her, their faces contorted with horror, their eyes open and blank.

  A gray-haired human male clad in a torn Humanoid Alliance uniform appeared behind Dare. The commander, that bastard, had survived the initial confrontation also. He coolly aimed both of his guns at her warrior’s back.

  “Behind you.” Faylee pointed her sole weapon in the commander’s direction and pressed the trigger.

  The recoil flung her across the chamber. She slammed against a wall, the impact jarring her body, pushing the air from her lungs, causing bright lights to explode in her brain.

  White dust rained down on her as she slid along the surface, landing with a thump on the floor. She struggled to catch her breath, every part of her aching.

  “Mate.” Dare crouched in front of her. Projectiles pinged off his back. Scales fell. There was no blood, no visible wounds.

  Her damn male was projectile-proof. Her lips twisted as he retracted his claws. The Dracheon didn’t need saving.

  He gripped her chin, raised her gaze to his. Concern reflected in his eyes. If that emotion was true, and she believed it was, he was the only being in the universe who cared if she lived or died.

  He ran his hands over her, as though searching for wounds

  “I’m fine.” It was a lie. She wasn’t fine but she’d survive. “Did you find your Rebel female?”

  Vicuska was the reason he’d come to Mirage, not her. She couldn’t forget that.

  “I’ll get her.” He dragged the remnants of one of the doors toward her, the thick metal protecting her. “You stay here.”

  She nodded, unable to go anywhere, her chest tight. He disappeared into the white haze. The gunfire slowed and then ceased.

  Was everyone dead? Was Dare one of the casualties?

  Or had he been wounded? Did he need her help?

  Her gun had been dropped somewhere between the place where she shot it and the place where she landed. She searched through her pockets, found the dagger.

  Daggers had to be easier to use than guns. She pushed herself upward. Her legs screamed a protest, wobbled yet held.

  “Where are you going?” Dare appeared before her. A body was draped over his right shoulder. One of his arms was strapped below a curvy ass.

  That must belong to Vicuska, his mission.

  Not knowing or trusting her, Faylee lifted her eyebrows and nodded toward the female, silently asking her big warrior what happened.

  “She got clipped in the skull by a projectile and is unconscious.” He patted the female’s legs. “She can’t hear you. You can talk.”

  “The Humanoid Alliance males…” she whispered. The gunfire had stopped. They might be listening.

  “Are dead or gone.” Dare scowled. “That gray-haired bastard got away.”

  Shit. The commander had heard her yell at Dare. He knew she was female.

  “Were you leaving also?” Her warrior jutted his jaw, his eyes hard. “Is that why you’re standing when I told you to stay where you were?”

  “I thought you needed saving.” She said it between clenched teeth, feeling like a fool. “I was wrong. Again. But I’ll rectify that mistake.” She stomped toward the doorway. “I brought you here. You have your beautiful Rebel agent.
” He no longer needed her. “I’m leaving.”

  “You’re not leaving without me.” He followed her, carrying the other female as though that took no effort.

  “You’re shiny.” She stopped and faced him. “You’re carrying a female.” She grabbed what appeared to be a covering cloth and tossed it over him. “The Humanoid Alliance commander hasn’t given up. He has gone to gather more of his minions. When he finds them, he’ll track you down and kill you.”

  “I have a ship.” Dare didn’t appear worried about the situation. “We’ll be gone before then.”

  “They’re monitoring the main landing pad.” She guessed that was where he’d parked his ship. Visitors and wealthy residents utilized the space. “They’ll blow you up before you leave the ground.”

  “I’ll take them out first.” He had a solution for that problem too. “You can watch the Rebel agent while I eliminate them.”

  Faylee eyed him. He might be able to kill all of the Humanoid Alliance males. She’d never seen anyone fight like him.

  He could also die. She didn’t want to take that risk.

  “I’ll find you a ship.” She sighed, wondering how the fuck she got herself involved in all of this.

  Because sourcing a ship would cost her. Three-eyed Mak would require her freedom and much more in exchange for the favor.

  Dare and his female would live. That was most important to her. She wouldn’t have their deaths on her conscience. He’d find happiness…with someone else.

  Fuck. That hurt her heart.

  Dare, the male she was intent upon saving, studied her. “Not everyone uses the main landing pad.” He was scarily perceptive. “You plan to steal a ship.”

  Stealing that big of an item was beyond her capabilities.

  “The ship won’t be fancy.” She ignored the judgment in his voice. “But it should get you to the next settlement.”

  She had to source it first. That meant meeting with Three-eyed Mak.

  She looked at Dare. He’d covered his head with the cloth. It draped over the Rebel agent and his shoulders.

  She couldn’t leave him in the structure. The commander and his males would return. That Humanoid Alliance bastard would find him at the rest cycle domicile also.