by Voxley, Vi
7
Kerven
All his previous dreams and wishes about his fated had crumbled like ruins when he saw Paula. She was so far above them the captain couldn't believe he'd ever wasted his time with the images that were already fading from his mind.
She walked by his side, the color on her cheeks telling him she was still reliving their stolen meeting in her mind.
It was good. He wanted to be in her thoughts all the time, as well as near her.
Active wartime and with her mission still ongoing, it wasn't the best time to tell her the second half of that truth, but Kerven was prepared to do that when the time was right.
Paula had accused him of being arrogant, of presuming he already had her. That was merely a hope he harbored. The Brion bonds worked in mysterious ways, often to the annoyance of the couple, but they had a way of bringing them together in the end more often than not.
He didn't doubt that Paula would submit herself to him, but it wasn't the one-way path she seemed to think it was. The bonds were, as Brions had noticed a long time ago, a weakness as much as they were a strength.
Heading towards the meeting, Kerven had never felt more alive. His every sense was heightened even above the usual level of Brions. His will to prove himself was unmatched and he ached to return to battle, to channel the awesome power that was flowing through his veins after finding his fated.
Yet there was no denying that he'd also gained a weakness. From the second he'd laid his eyes upon her, Paula was everything. No Brion could ever truly understand the full meaning of that without having experienced it themselves.
She was his life, his heart and his very soul. The captain would have died for her. His gesha's rule was absolute, even if he wasn't about to let her have her way in everything.
Her safety and happiness were his first priority, even more than the command of his general. She was a part of him that couldn't be severed and Kerven knew that any pain that ever befell her would also hurt him because his desire to keep her safe was that strong.
He didn't want her for his bed alone, or to make her a trophy. A gesha was a lost second half of his very being, with everything that entailed and more. Kerven would have gladly put himself in harm's way to spare her a thousand times over, but he would never let her come to danger.
Any real danger, that is, the captain thought, looking around on the battlefield.
He could see why the Elders had doubted for so long. The planet was completely beneath his skills as a warrior, but as long as Paula was there and his orders stood, so did he.
His gesha's words still echoed in his head. Perhaps the Elders were convinced by the importance of her mission on Jumel, which was why they chose to let him interfere to save the precious goods of the Hoolas.
The newly assembled war council was in place and it seemed like they were all waiting for him. With his lieutenants and the Terran commander Major Burton with his aides, they were all there now. The major was giving him a look of obvious dislike, but Kerven didn't have time for his petty jealousy.
No man wanted to yield control of the battlefield, he understood that. Kerven merely doubted there was anyone more qualified than he was to lead their next operation.
He walked right up to the map of the area, projected by a hastily organized holographic table, taking control of the meeting.
"This is the grove in question," he pointed, mostly to his own warriors who hadn't been fighting their way towards it inch by inch for weeks now. "Dr. Allen tells me the seeds are invaluable.
“Our duty is to give her and her crew time to collect them, keeping the enemy away from them as well to stop them from destroying the seeds. I've been given to understand it's what they will attempt to do if we get closer, yes?"
"Yes," Paula answered before the major could. "Unfortunately, the Hoolas believe the seeds are sacred. They don't have the virus here, but the seeds still play a large part in their lives and healing practices. They do not understand that if we do not stop the virus, it will soon reach Jumel as well and then it might be too late.
“The Union offered to trade for them. Believe me, the incentives were great, but the Hoolas don't want to allow the seeds to be taken from Jumel. They will burn the grove if we so much as get a chance to collect any. My hope is that it's a bluff, but I can't guarantee it."
"If they burn it, this has all been for nothing," the major growled. "All my men dead for nothing."
"War is risk," Kerven answered flatly. "You know that. Which is why it's our goal to minimize that. You have digging equipment here, do you not?"
"Of course," Burton replied, his eyes narrowing. "If you plan to do what I think you are, it's insane. The tunnel would have to be enormous to let a sufficient amount of men through to secure the area. An excavation of that sort will not go unnoticed."
Paula was looking at him, a curious, soft smile on her lips. She wasn't taking part in the military dialogue, but she was daring him to come up with a solution and Kerven wasn't going to disappoint her.
"Men, maybe," he allowed. "For Brions, not much is needed. We will launch an assault, drawing their attention away from the grove, thinking we're going to push through their lines. At that point, my men and I will appear from the tunnel and protect Dr. Allen's team as she collects what we need. We will retreat the same way, if possible. If not, I will break through."
"Break through," Major Burton repeated, every word dripping with the bitterness of disbelief. "There are so many of the bastards out there the ground is black as far as the eye can see. There are hundreds of thousands."
"Numbers, nothing more. I will break through, Major. That is all."
The finality in his tone finally shut the commander of the Terran forces up. He wasn't silent for long, however, grumbling as he spoke.
"It will still take time. A few days, at most, but that's a lot of hours for the enemy to ambush us or attempt an airstrike if we act suspiciously."
"Then don't," Kerven replied, shrugging. "Send out scouting parties. We can even plan a smaller scale attack, pretend we want to take the hill first. It should be far enough so that they wouldn't destroy the grove, but it would keep the enemy busy until we are finished. In the meanwhile, prepare your troops for the real battle."
Grunting, the major nodded, agreeing.
"Also, I will be taking Dr. Allen away from the field until the final attack," Kerven said. "She will be safe on my ship until the time of the battle. I trust you'll find someone to take over her duties."
Paula began to protest, but the captain led her out of the headquarters by gently taking her arm and half-dragging her away from it all. He hadn’t provided a reason for removing her, because he didn’t need to.
"Uncool," she protested as soon as they were outside again, heading for the dropship again. "I will never hear the end of that from the major."
"Why would you care? Is it likely you'll see him ever again?"
"No," Paula admitted with a frown, "but unlike Brions, I care about what I leave behind and that definitely didn't help my reputation here. I've had enough fights with the general to begin another one–"
Kerven stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him.
"Has he hurt you?" he demanded. "If he has touched one hair on your head, I will cut him in half where he stands."
Paula looked at him, her beautiful blue eyes filled with suspicion.
"You really do mean that, don't you?" she asked.
"Naturally," the captain replied. "You are my gesha. No one who hurts you lives. Just say the word."
"No," she said after the tiniest moment of hesitation. "Major Butthurt is an asshole, but he doesn't deserve to be hurt for it. He has done nothing to me. In fact, right before you showed up, he saved my life."
That changed things, but Kerven still ached to teach the major a lesson.
"Very well," he promised. "I will not harm him. Until you ask me to."
Paula smiled, nodding.
"I'll keep that in mind. N
ow, tell me, are all Brion war councils so one-sided? It seems to me it was a briefing more than a dialogue."
Kerven chuckled.
"I could have allowed a discussion, but this way is faster," he explained. "My general proved that a long time ago. He had meetings and let everyone speak their minds. Then he proposed his own plan and it was always better. Since then, we just use the time for something more productive, like training exercises."
"That's diplomatic," Paula said, the sarcasm plain in her voice. "Democratic, too."
"Brions aren't democratic," Kerven said, pulling her into his arms in front of the door of the dropship. "Our strongest and wisest rule us and the rest take what they want. We earn everything we have or we die for it. That's the Brion way."
Paula's eyes were challenging him and no Brion ever backed down from that.
"You know what it is that I want," the captain said, kissing her, feeling her melt into the touch as easily as before. "This is your chance to tell me I presume too much."
Paula chuckled softly against his lips, but no protest came and she wrapped her hands around his neck when Kerven lifted her into his embrace and carried her to the dropship. He pressed her against the familiar wall again when the ship took off, the pilots having been summoned during the short walk from the meeting.
He couldn’t help but admire the way her light blues shone like stars in the dim light.
"Just make sure we're there when the battle begins again," Paula whispered when he caught her lips in the first kiss along the way of making her his forever.
8
Paula
She barely noticed the darkness.
In Brion ships, it was everywhere. That was the second thing everyone learned about them, right on the heels of "don't provoke". Their superior senses and constant need to push their limits were the reason all ships of the powerful species were kept dark on purpose. It also helped them to communicate in the beautiful and deadly language of the valor squares – the signals only Brions fully understood.
Wrapped in Kerven's arms, Paula only caught glimpses of their travel through the ship. She was only aware of his arms around her, the scent that was driving her passion through the roof and the bonding that was waiting for her.
Last chance to turn back, she thought.
It would have been the reasonable thing to do. So many things at stake.
Her career, for the obvious one. The Galactic Union tolerated relationships as long as they didn't get in the way and Brions bindings certainly did. If she went through with it, she'd have to go with Kerven to his ship. It would be her new home and while Paula doubted she'd be useless there, it still meant leaving everything she'd ever known behind.
Reason tried its best shot too, but that ship had already sailed. Then pride tried, but it was hopelessly lost in the flames burning in Kerven's eyes as he carried her like a bride and no words of resistance came from her lips.
Her biggest concern was the planet far, far below them. Brions were famous for putting their fated above everything else, but Paula needed him to focus on their task as soon as the tunnel was ready.
She liked his plan. It was a good plan, but like with everything else in the galaxy, it wasn't bulletproof. Something could go wrong and Paula wasn't sure Kerven wasn't about to grab her and leave everyone else behind in order to save her.
It sounded much more romantic than it was, but that was exactly what the Brions were known for. A man who was torn between two priorities couldn't lead a mission like that and so far, Paula's only comfort was that hopefully he didn't have to choose.
All those arguments disappeared like dust in the wind when the door of Kerven's room slid shut behind them and they were finally completely alone. No battlefield noise, no looming major. It was so quiet for a second Paula thought she'd gone deaf.
When Kerven slowly began removing his armor, the argument inside her was over. It all washed to the background, reduced to distant worries when all she wanted was right in front of her in all his glory. She rushed to him, helping with peeling away the layers of metal that stood between her and the body she longed for.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, she thought absently, her heart drumming out of her chest.
The captain grinned, the smile making him look like a beast ready to pounce, which only served to excite Paula more. She let out a small whimper when Kerven finally pulled the black shirt he had been wearing underneath his armor off and she got to see the man who was supposed to be her eternal mate until the stars themselves went out.
He was magnificent.
She froze to the spot, her fingers inches from his smooth, tanned skin, not even daring to touch him out of an irrational fear that like a vision, he'd be gone when she got too close. The strength the captain had shown on the battlefield showed in every last chiseled muscle, his wide shoulders and bulging biceps.
After a long moment, Paula could no longer resist wanting to run her hands over the firm chest and feeling him under her touch.
She gasped, relishing in the power playing underneath the flawless, perfect skin. Kerven was taking heavy breaths and she didn't mistake it for exertion for a moment.
Then the captain stepped out of the short boxers he'd been wearing and Paula's breath caught. Her hands stopped, slowly edging downward until reaching the largest cock she'd ever seen. When her fingers slipped around the shaft, she could hear the captain grunt approvingly, but her own mind was running blank.
It felt huge, thick and long and still growing harder. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine it inside her, but even in her mind's eye it was almost impossible to take a cock that big.
When she looked up, Kerven's eyes were alight with lust. The valor squares on his neck glinted and sang a low hymn to her, the tune bringing a smile to her lips like it was meant for her.
Perhaps it was.
She wrapped her hands around his neck when Kerven lifted her into his arms and didn't put her down before they were on the bed. The captain lowered her down on the sheets and for a moment, Paula was keenly aware of how dirty she was after all that time on the battlefield.
Kerven ripped her uniform right down the middle.
She didn't feel sorry, not even a little, when the brown garment was tossed from the bed, but it did mean she had to take a very obvious walk of shame later, in whatever Kerven found for her to wear.
Does it even matter? If you go through with this, there’s no going back…
In that moment, she forgot about Jumel. With a hungry groan, Kerven leaned down to kiss her wildly as he tore her panties with the same amount of care he'd shown to her uniform. Paula moaned out loud, fully exposed to the captain's gaze now.
She didn't need to worry about whether he liked what he saw because his mouth had never left her. His tongue was wrapped around one of her nipples while his long fingers teased the other.
Paula whimpered in need, arching her back to meet his every movement, feeling the captain's cock grow harder against her thighs. The girth of it still intimidated her, but she had endured plenty of pain in her life. That one, at least, she was willing to accept gladly.
Judging by the way Kerven was kissing and groping her, Paula wasn't sure if he was going to fuck her just like that, with no preparation. Her worries turned out to be unfounded when the captain lowered himself between her thighs and sucked her clit into his hot mouth.
She let out a silent scream of pleasure, her whole body shuddering from head to toe, the heat of her need burying her under it. The captain's mouth simply felt amazing on her, his tongue in her pussy. When he pushed in two fingers, Paula couldn't stop her hips from helping along, fucking herself on his digits.
I guess it doesn’t matter, she told herself as she groaned.
Kerven's other hand came up to rub her clit, dipping the finger into her wet pussy to moisten it, then sliding it over and around the sensitive spot until Paula was trembling. A series of moans fell from her lips, one after the other, each resembling Kerven's
name more and more.
He looked up at her, a grin on his lips, pushing his tongue against her clit in the next second to make her shiver and sit up, her hands fisted into the sheets.
"Fuck – fuck me," she pleaded. "I can't take this anymore. I don't want to be teased slowly, I want you in me..."
Kerven regarded her, but Paula only saw him through a haze of lust, her breath coming in short, pleading sobs. She had never felt anything close to how the captain was making her feel. No other man had ever brought her so close to her orgasm that fast and that hard.
She needed more, needed all of him.
"Please, Kerven," she panted, "I want to cum with you inside me, I want to feel that huge cock of yours fucking me when I–"
She finally seemed to speak the magic words, because the captain rose up, standing before her in all his glory, his sculpted chest glistening with sweat. He laid down on top of her, pinning Paula to the bed.
She loved the feel of him on top of her, his weight pushing her down and holding her in a cage of the passion between them. The captain nudged her legs apart and Paula moaned, feeling the head of his cock pressing against her pussy. She spread her thighs further apart, wrapping them around Kerven's abdomen as the captain pushed in, every inch of him bringing a louder moan from Paula's lips.
"You are so tight," the captain growled, his deep voice shaking a little. "My gesha, your pussy feels so good, so ready for me."
She whimpered, letting her head fall back on the pillows, closing her eyes when Kerven kissed her. The entire world seemed to revolve around them, the captain's thick cock pushing into her.
He was so big that Paula felt the walls of her pussy tremble with pressure, trying to take him all in. The pain had the most delicious edge she'd ever tasted.
"More–" she pleaded, "you feel amazing..."
When Kerven was finally fully seated inside her, the captain gave her a moment to adjust, but Paula was already feeling like she was going to lose her mind if he didn't move soon. She dug her nails into the skin on his back, urging him on, but Kerven needed nothing of the sort.