Dark Fire

by Cynthia Sax

  Faylee’s body hummed with anticipation. “We don’t have time to—”

  His lips captured hers, silencing her words, redirecting her thoughts to him, only him. They had time for a kiss, perhaps more.

  She grasped his shoulders and leaned into his fit form. He ravished her mouth, their tongues tumbling, twining, his heat branding her, marking her as his.

  He tasted of smoke and aroused male. His hardness pressed against her stomach. She rubbed along him. His fingers curled under her ass. He lifted her higher, pressing her against him.

  This was worth every sacrifice she had made in the past couple of planet rotations and would make in the future. She’d risk her lifespan again and again, with no hesitation, for another one of his embraces.

  Needing a tinge of pain, she flicked her tongue against his teeth. He growled and sucked on her injured flesh, the tugging felt down to her pussy.

  This wild warrior was hers for the moment, all of his attention on her. She wasn’t invisible, wasn’t unworthy, not in his fire-filled eyes. She was feminine, priceless, strong.

  “I’ll stay close to you, mate.” He leaned his forehead against hers, his warm breath wafting over her cheeks. His scales decorated every exposed part of him, the tiny ridges visible through the dirt. “You’ll never be alone.”

  “I could fuck this up.” She whispered the confession, admitting to that fear.

  “Then we’ll fight.” His smile was rueful. “That’s what I do best.” He reached into a holster, dropped a dizzying number of sunstones into her palms, closed her fingers over them. “These are for your little friends.”

  Friends. She’d never seen the boys in that light. Although they had no credits, no freedom, they did have each other.

  She might no longer be considered one of them. Girls were ridiculed, despised, hated by the boys, viewed as weak, emotional, useless.

  But she continued to care for them and after she left, she couldn’t cover their shortfalls. The not-yet-skilled boys, the ones without her ability to steal, would owe more and more to Three-eyed Mak, falling deeper into his debt until they could no longer escape the caves.

  The sunstones might buy some of them their freedom.

  She looked up at Dare, wanting to thank him yet unable to say the words. No one had ever cared for her like this, giving her something for nothing.

  He squeezed her hands. “Now, we’re ready.”

  She inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, mentally preparing herself to face the boys. “I’ll go first.”

  “I’ll be right behind you.” Dare placed his hand on the small of her back, the contact buttressing her courage.

  “I’ll be last.” Vicuska muttered. “Trying not to get in the way.”

  “We have to protect you.” Faylee attempted to ease the Rebel agent’s unhappiness. “If we die, the mission could still succeed. If you die, the mission is over.”

  “No one is dying.” Her warrior pushed her out of the cavern.

  Boys crowded on ledges, lurked in the shadows. She met their gazes, her chin high. It felt strange to look at them directly. She’d hidden her eyes from the boys her entire lifespan.

  “You don’t have to leave, boy,” one of them yelled.

  “We’ll protect you.” Another voice from the darkness contributed.

  She was still boy, still one of them. Faylee swallowed the ball of emotion forming in her throat.

  “I have to leave.” She spoke loudly to enable them all to hear her. “My presence here is putting you in danger.”

  That prompted a flurry of boasts and scoffs, the boys claiming they weren’t scared and didn’t need protecting. No one would mess with Three-eyed Mak.

  Free to speak after solar cycles of near silence, she joked with the boys, sharing things she’d always wanted to say. She commented on one boy’s impressive speed, another kid’s ability to mimic, admired an older boy’s burping prowess.

  They teased her about sounding like a girl, gave her a rough time about keeping the company of fancy arses. Dare and Vicuska remained outsiders, excluded from the conversation.

  Which emphasized how much she belonged. Glowing with that acceptance, she headed toward an exit large enough for her big Dracheon male to maneuver through. It was positioned closest to the settlement’s north entrance.

  More boys stepped forward to say good-bye. She distributed the sunstones to the smallest, the slowest, the least-skilled kids.

  She approached Overclocked reluctantly, knowing that would be the most difficult farewell. Since the boy arrived at the caves, struggling with all his might to keep up with Three-eyed Mak, they had felt an affinity toward each other. They were two beings who were different, who didn’t quite fit in their worlds.

  She would miss him.

  When she came within reach, her friend dropped a device down to her. She caught it, examined it, didn’t know what it was.

  “It’s a voice changer.” He didn’t meet her gaze. “Stick it to your chest, boy.”

  She did that immediately, hiding the device under her ragged chest covering. “Thank you.” Her voice now resembled his, boyish yet light, suiting her small form.

  Overclocked shrugged. That slight movement told her everything he couldn’t say. He cared for her, would miss her too.

  “Any merchant in the settlement would be lucky to have a being with your skills.” She placed her remaining sunstones on his ledge. “Pay off your debt and get out of here.”

  Overclocked nodded.

  She tilted her face upward, not allowing her tears to fall. That would embarrass both of them. Boys didn’t cry.

  “Good-bye, my friend,” she whispered as she strode away from him.

  “I’m proud of you, mate.” Dare’s voice was gruff.

  Why was he proud of her? Did he think she was leaving her life of crime behind her also? She sniffed. “Overclocked has other skills. I don’t.” Stealing was all she could do.

  “You have many skills.” He splayed his fingers over her back as they walked. “You merely haven’t discovered them yet. You’ve been too busy staying alive.”

  “You’re good at disguises.” Vicuska contributed to the conversation. “And seeing in the dark. The light is very dim here.”

  “Your sight will improve even more after we bond.” Dare’s assumption that would happen was reassuring. “Dracheons have superior senses.”

  “I’ll be the best thief on the planet.” She stuck her head out of the cave’s exit, scanned the crowded pathway, didn’t spot any Humanoid Alliance minions.

  She merged with the masses of beings. Dare attracted some attention, but it was brief. The higher-credit beings looked at him and then looked away.

  Her lips twitched. They likely thought he’d ask them for help.

  She navigated the pathways, leading her team through the settlement. The route became less and less occupied, the few beings using it preoccupied with their own tasks, their own worries.

  It was the working part of Mirage. The pathway to the north entrance was primarily used by tradesbeings. Stinky Jim and his wreck of a ship didn’t garner a second glance.

  The eccentric male cackled to himself as he spotted her. “She’s all yours.” He waved proudly at the vessel.

  The bridge was open to the air, had space for two torn seats. The transparent panel erected at the front, designed to block the wind and sand, was cracked. Garbage hung from the ship’s sides. The panels were dented and rusted. Flying insects buzzed around it.

  The back was a closed container. Dare opened it. The refuse was waist deep, the smell repulsive.

  Vicuska’s face paled. She pinched her nose and waded into the mess, not hesitating, not making a sound.

  Faylee’s respect for the female increased. She might look like a fancy arse but she had the nerve of a cave dweller.

  Dare shut the back, sealing the Rebel agent inside the space. She wouldn’t exit until they arrived at the Refuge.

  Faylee moved to the front of the ship. T
he ramp to the captain’s seat was missing. She tried to reach the threshold, couldn’t. The ship hovered too damn high off the ground.

  Dare grinned and tossed her upward. She grasped the frame, steadying herself. Some of the metal crumbled in her hands.

  Her huge Dracheon rounded the front of the vessel and claimed his place beside her. Metal scraped against metal as he made space for his longer legs, pushing his seat back as far as it could go.

  The trip wouldn’t be comfortable for any of them. The padding under Faylee’s ass oozed liquid. The console was coated with a layer of black grease. She studied the controls, managed to move the ship forward.

  The crowd parted in front of them. They puttered along at what appeared to be the hauler’s top speed. The rattling was deafening.

  Three Humanoid Alliance minions were waiting for them at the gates. They looked at each other, their lips moving. The youngest male threw his hands in the air, shook his head, walked to her side of the ship.

  She glanced at Dare. Her warrior stared straight ahead of him, his face blank, his body tense. His scales weren’t visible. His beast was under control.

  “Where are you going?” The male eyed her.

  “We be goin’ to the Refuge for a pickup.” She spat on the console. “The usual. Same shit, different planet rotation.” She laughed off-key and scratched her leg.

  “Right.” The male looked down his nose at her, his disdain palpable. “And you?” He addressed Dare.

  “The big arse don’t speak.” She answered for her warrior. “He be dumb as a fresh turd but strong, can lift this here hauler wit one hand.” She smacked the goober she’d left on the console.

  The Humanoid Alliance minion’s top lip curled. “What do you have in the back?”

  “Rottin’ vegs, dead things, shit, all the stuff ye fancy arses ain’t wantin’.” She wiped her hands on her ass coverings.

  “I have to open it up, take a look.” The male walked to the back.

  “Suit yerself.” Fuck. Aware the other males were watching her, she didn’t glance at Dare, tried to remain calm.

  If the male spotted Vicuska, they were dead.

  The Humanoid Alliance minion opened the back, then immediately closed it again. “Son of a Palavian whore.” He rushed to the edge of the pathway, bent over and vomited, puking on the white stone.

  The other males laughed, slapping their knees, clearly entertained.

  “You’re cleared to proceed.” The biggest one waved them through.

  They’d passed the first stopping point. Faylee exhaled the breath she was holding. The ship jerked forward, chugging along at a pace only slightly faster than she could run.

  Sand swirled around the ship. Sweat dripped down her spine, Carinae E’s solitary sun heating her form. The settlement gradually faded from view behind them.

  She squeezed Dare’s wrist. “It’s safe.”

  He lurched, his scales rushing to the surface. “Did they touch you?”

  “My stench kept them away.” She grinned at him. “You don’t need to kill anyone…not yet.”

  Her warrior didn’t laugh, didn’t smile. “A normal Dracheon could better protect you. He could control his beast and be aware of his surroundings, talking and acting like a human would.”

  “Normal Dracheons sound extremely boring.” She preferred her much-more-savage male.

  He stared at her for a moment.

  “Am I right?” She suspected she was.

  His lips curled upward. “You’re right. They are extremely boring.”

  She threw her head back and laughed.

  Chapter Nine

  The journey to the Refuge would take the entire planet rotation. The ship was barely operational and painfully slow. If it hadn’t been needed to pass through the Humanoid Alliance stopping points, he would have suggested they discard it and walk.

  Once they’d put some distance between them and Mirage, Dare opened the back of the hauler a crack, allowing Vicuska to get some fresh air. The temperature climbed higher and higher. The Rebel agent must be dripping with sweat.

  Faylee’s forehead glistened, his little human also warm…and a bit weary, her eyelids lowering.

  His lips twitched. “I’ll fly the ship.”

  She nodded, her expression drowsy. He switched seats with her, drawing her body over his, the contact exciting him.

  He placed his hands on the console’s control panel, played with the settings. Nothing he did made the vessel move faster.

  The route didn’t occupy his mind. It was a straight line from one settlement to the other. The terrain consisted of sand, sand, and more sand.

  His Drache grew more and more uneasy, prowling around his insides, growling. Seeking to calm his beast, he hooked an arm around his mate’s waist and pulled her onto his lap.

  “Hey.” She batted his chest. “You’re flying the ship.”

  “I can fly the ship like this.” He didn’t like her modified voice and longed to hear her real one, but the device on her chest was necessary.

  The Humanoid Alliance weren’t kind to females. Sounding like a boy made crossing the stopping points safer to do.

  “Can you?” She shifted until she straddled him. The scent of her arousal battled the less-pleasing aromas.

  “I can.” His primitive beast liked the combination of fragrances and didn’t mind the dirt. His cock pushed against the confines of his ass coverings. His attention was split between the female snuggling against him and the endless sand dunes stretching in front of the ship.

  She slipped her hands under his chest covering. His muscles flexed as she brushed her fingertips over his abs. “Should we test that theory?”

  “I can’t control my scales when you touch me.” He could barely think when she fondled him. Restraining his beast was far beyond his capabilities.

  Faylee nuzzled against him, her mouth hot and wet and extremely arousing. “You told me Dracheons have superior senses.”

  “We do.” All of his senses were enthralled by her.

  “If you hear a ship approach, tell me and I’ll stop touching you.” She circled his flat male nipples and pleasure swept across his chest. “When we’re alone, I want your scales to show. They’re shiny.” She licked him and he shuddered. “I love shiny things.”

  All of the pilfered objects in his little thief’s pockets had been shiny. She’d even snatched the glazed nourishment bars first.

  “Your mission is to fly the ship while I’m sitting on your lap.” She swiveled her hips, rubbing against his cloth-covered shaft and a rumble erupted from his lips.

  “Sitting implies being still.” His voice deepened.

  “If I’m never still, I’ll never be caught.” She drifted her fingers over his chest, her exploring driving him wild. “Keep your palms on the console’s control panel.”

  He’d believed his parents had done everything to try to increase his control. He was wrong. His tiny mate had found another way to push his limits.

  She rocked against him, her back arched, her hands all over him. Pressure formed at the base of his spine. He exhaled smoke, his body temperature spiraling upward.

  “You’re so warm.” She toyed with the waistband of his ass coverings, skimming her fingers between the fabric and his scales. “So hard.”

  He shifted under her, unable to stay still. “For a female who had never been kissed, you know how to talk dirty.” She could make him come with mere words.

  “I’m inexperienced, not innocent.” Her hands delved lower. “I’ve watched pleasure workers service males for solar cycles.”

  He envisioned his mate spying on couples from the shadows, her big brown eyes wide, her cheeks flushed. His cock bobbed. “Did it arouse you?”

  “It frustrated me because I couldn’t have what they had.” She unfastened his ass coverings, was unable to free much of him. “No one could know I was female.” Her fingertips grazed his sensitive tip, poked into his slit.

  He gritted his teeth, fighting t
he urge to take his hands off the console and direct her movements. “You can have me. I know you’re female.”

  “I plan to have you.” She sank to her knees before him, positioning herself between his legs, her face a breath away from the bulge in his ass coverings. “If I can figure out how to access your cock.”

  “My cock is yours.” He lifted his hips.

  She pulled the leather to his thighs, sat back on her boot heels and stared at him. “You have scales there too and they’re shiny.”

  His groin had been covered with the leather. It was clean.

  “They call me to you.” She curled her fingers around his shaft, gripping him gingerly as though she didn’t want to hurt him.

  He groaned.

  “Am I hurting you?” She loosened her hold.

  “No. Grip me tighter.” He prompted. “I’m not fragile.”

  “Are you certain?” She adjusted her clasp on him, the pressure exquisite. “Males seem fragile. When the boys get kicked in the balls, they squeal.”

  “I’m certain.” He tilted his head back, amused by his mate’s insights, stimulated by her touch. “My cock can take more.”

  “Hmmm…” She slowly pumped him, her beautiful face intense with concentration, her gaze fixed on that part of him.

  His Drache wanted to focus on her also. He couldn’t do that. He had to pass his female’s test, keep their ship on its path, move them closer and closer to the Refuge, where Faylee would be safe.

  She stroked him up and down, up and down, running her palms along his length. The sun’s rays shone on her black hair. Metal rattled.

  The ship was their private oasis in a sea of sand. There was only her and him and the blue sky above them.

  The starkness of the terrain was suited to them. Her hold on him felt right. They were both uncivilized beings, had been solitary for far too long.

  “Am I doing this correctly?” She glanced up at him through her shaggy hair, her eyes large with concern.

  “You’re perfect, mate.” If she did him more correctly, he’d come in her hands.

  She glowed, worked him harder. A bead of pre-cum formed on his cock head. She swiped her thumb over it and sucked in her breath. “It sizzles.”