by Voxley, Vi
"Have no fear," Kerven told her then, ripping her out of her musings. "I will do as I promised. I could never disappoint or hurt you."
She wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd already hurt her once. She didn't think she could forget that so easily even if moment by moment, the truth of his words dawned on her. There really was no love in her heart for Terrans, at least not in the way that Brions stood as one.
She liked them, yes, felt pity for them when they hurt. She loved the planet itself.
Yet if she had to leave it all behind, Paula didn't think she'd be heartbroken. A little homesick, maybe.
A home that I willingly left a while ago.
"I trust you," she said. "When will the attack begin?"
"Soon," the captain said, a small smile on his lips. "Would you wish to rest until then? I can have one of the dropships be made into a bunk for you. No one else would be there, if you don't want my company."
She did. So very much. It was increasingly difficult to deny herself that.
"I don't believe I could sleep tonight," she said, trying to smile and banish the cold fear that had crept into her heart. “And I have a cot in one of the auxiliary tents,” she said vaguely.
Not once on Jumel had she feared for her own life. She still didn’t, not as much as she was afraid for Kerven. That fate or gods or whatever else ruled her destiny would see her turning the captain down and take him away from her as a punishment.
He was a powerful warrior, the equal of any in the galaxy, and the Hoolas were not the toughest opponents he'd faced, no doubt. Life had taught her, however, that even one mistake or a lucky shot by the enemy could end it all. Being the best didn't make one invincible.
There had been plenty of ‘invincible’ warriors cut open on her operating table.
Kerven was looking at her. Paula didn't know what he could read from her body language and the way her heart beat. She only saw him closing the distance between them, lifting her chin up gently and pressing a chaste kiss on her lips.
She didn't pull away. The thought of losing him was suddenly unbearable and every moment spent with the captain precious to her.
"If you will not sleep, would you care for my company while we wait?" he asked.
She nodded before she even got the chance to reconsider.
"I'd like that," Paula admitted.
The smile on his lips warmed her heart in a way she didn't think was possible. Altogether, there was no simple base lust on his gorgeous features, only genuine happiness.
The desire had raged between them with a burning heat. Now Paula had proof that the love the bond promised was there too, right in the captain's eyes as he offered her his arm. It was the strangest thing, to be courted on a battlefield.
Only that with Kerven, Paula barely noticed their surroundings. He had a way of making the world fall away, leaving only the two of them.
He led her to the dropship he'd arrived with. With the hatch open, they sat on the edge of it, hidden from sight on three sides by the hard, dark metal. Somehow, it reminded Paula of sitting on a porch on a late winter night when the world was swept into darkness.
The flashing lights of the construct machines and the distant fire meant to cover it were providing a real show for them. There they sat, removed from the world and unwelcome gazes, while a planet was being torn apart for the greater good. Paula's heart was beating in her chest, aching for more closeness, not knowing how to do that without literally asking for it.
It's not like we're at the movies so I could pretend to get scared. The weather isn't doing me any favors either. It's not that cold.
Her thoughts really had to be very loud, or Kerven really could read minds, since in the next moment Kerven leaned in for another kiss, pulling her against him. Paula melted into his embrace, forgetting about all the obstacles in their way in favor of kissing the man of her dreams until she ran out of air.
13
Paula
It was impossible to resist.
Kerven claimed her lips like he was drowning and her mouth was the only source of air in the world. His hands found their way into her hair, pulling at it gently to bring soft moans from her lips.
The captain pulled her into his lap, holding her so close it seemed to Paula that they were one. The hard metal of his armor pressed against her breasts, making her ache for his warmth. She wanted nothing more than to feel his skin against hers, to make love to him again and have no care in the world.
Down on Jumel, the rest of the world was harder to forget, as were Kerven's words. She pulled away from the kiss, looking at him seriously, searching for answers in his deep blue eyes. The captain barely gave her a moment, though. His hands were already clawing at her uniform, pulling it over her bare shoulders.
Paula moaned, letting her head fall back when the captain kissed her neck, sucking on her flesh to leave marks. She had no doubt he was doing just that, marking her, claiming her for his own. Only unlike before, she had no protest about that.
It felt good to be his and have him, if only for one night. There was still so much trouble in their way and from experience, Paula knew that issues like that didn't make a relationship stronger. They only served to tear the lovers apart.
Surely, not even the famed Brion bonds could triumph over everything life had in store for them.
Kerven pulled her back into a hard, demanding kiss. The whimpers that fell from her lips only urged him on, his hands ripping another uniform off her. Paula stopped him with a hand on his chest, shaking her head.
"If you think I'll walk out of your ship naked this time, you must be crazy," she told him breathlessly. "Haven't you heard of zippers? Or buttons? This has both."
The captain grinned, his ravenous eyes traveling over her body in his lap. When he lifted his fiery gaze back to her, Paula felt the lust flare to life within her. Her pussy throbbed hungrily, needing more of him.
"So it does," Kerven allowed. "You must excuse me. You are very hard to resist. I can do many things. Controlling myself around you is one of the hardest and most challenging."
Smooth-talker.
"Try," she answered shortly. "You are not excused."
With a fierce smile, Kerven gave her a small bow. Then he stood, lifting her with him as though she weighed nothing at all. Holding her in his strong arms, the captain carried her the few steps into the ship.
Paula had expected to be lowered down to stand on her own feet there, finally out of sight of even those who were looking at the hatch straight ahead. Instead, Kerven slammed her against the wall, kissing her deeply, pulling her blouse and jacket down, baring her breasts. He groped them, his mouth never leaving hers.
One of his legs came up to support her so Paula was sitting on it. What would have been an awkward and hard position for others seemed to be nothing to a Brion.
She moaned when Kerven lowered his head to kiss and lick her breasts, pulling her nipples between his lips and rolling his tongue over them. Closing her eyes in pleasure didn't help to try and focus in the midst of the pleasure that suddenly ruled over them both.
Not when she wanted him so badly.
"You are so beautiful," Kerven whispered to her, his hands groping her ass as she rubbed herself shamelessly against his armored leg. "Your heartbeat is like music to me. I can hear every time it skips when I do something you like. I want to drive you wild with pleasure, to make you breathless... all for me."
Paula could only moan. For the first time in her life, she envied the amazing Brion senses. What Kerven was saying sounded so good – to actually listen to his reactions, not guess at them. Then again, she didn't really need to when his desire for her was so obvious. It was exhilarating, to keep pushing him to extremes merely by existing.
Kerven lowered her to the ground only for a moment. He sunk down to one knee, pulling her pants down and leaving her pussy at his mercy. With a growl, the captain pressed his face between her legs, nibbling at her clit. Paula let out a quiet scream, spreading her
legs and running her fingers through his hair, messing up the short ponytail he wore.
His tongue felt amazing on her wet pussy. Kerven was relentless, never taking his mouth off her. The captain sucked on her clit gently, teasing it with the tip of his tongue. Paula shuddered in the ecstasy that brought. She wanted to have him inside her, feeling empty without his hard cock in her pussy.
Kerven seemed to have other ideas. He stood again, lifting her up in the air. Paula wrapped her hands around his neck for balance, not that the captain needed help. Her pants were around her knees, leaving her ass and pussy bare for him to do what he wanted.
Capturing her lips again, Kerven pushed two fingers inside her, scissoring them around in her wetness. Her pussy caught his digits inside, clenching down on them every time he pushed his fingers past her entrance.
It felt absolutely divine, like he was born knowing every inch of her body, knowing exactly where to push to make Paula squirm with need. She rutted against him, kissing his lips, her moans letting the captain know how much she was enjoying what he was doing.
"Please," she whispered against his mouth, breathing heavily. "Make me cum, I – I want you, I want this so much..."
Kerven groaned, his deep voice giving her goosebumps, making her shudder in pleasure.
At the back of her mind, Paula knew she was in a world of trouble, mostly with herself. Brions didn't take no for an answer often, and she was not doing herself any favors by not giving Kerven a single, clear signal.
Basically telling him to go fuck himself and then asking him to fuck her didn't exactly match, only – she couldn't stop. Everything the captain was doing was driving her absolutely insane with need, making her whimper in need as he fingered her.
There was no escape for her. She was completely and utterly lost and only Kerven possessed the key to set her free.
She cried out, again and again as the captain brushed against the spot within her. His mouth was inches from her ear. Paula could hear every grunt, every low groan he breathed. It tickled her skin, made her quiver and writhe in his arms.
Before, he'd called her pulse music to his ears. In return, she thought she could listen to him forever, loving how much he enjoyed pleasing her.
Her body was ready to give in to everything he wanted, her pussy pulsing in anticipation of her approaching orgasm.
"In me," she breathed. "I need you in me, Kerven – fuck me..."
The captain didn't need to be told twice. Pulling his fingers out of her, Paula was forced to stand on her shaking legs for another moment while Kerven released his cock from the confines of his armor. It was as hard and thick as she remembered, making her mouth water.
At some point, if there was a future for them, she wanted to make him feel what he did to her. To have that man writhe under her tongue, his thick cock in her mouth. She wanted him to fuck her mouth right then and there if only her own needs wouldn't have been almost blinding at that point.
For the third time, Kerven lifted her up, this time lowering her on his cock, thrusting in. Paula screamed heartily this time, feeling herself sink down on it. She clung to him, rolling her hips on his cock, hoping he moved before she lost her mind.
Grabbing a hold of her hips, Kerven began to move. The merciless, savage rhythm shook Paula's body from head to toe, making her feel like she was going to pass out before she ever cummed.
"So good," she moaned, "Kerven!"
Kerven's breath was coming in quick, hard bursts as the captain pounded her against the wall of the dropship. Her ears picked up the sound of their fucking and despite her concerns about her reputation, she couldn't bring herself to care at this point who heard or knew.
Arching her back, Paula moaned his name when the captain slammed into her, thrusting himself inside completely with every movement. Her pussy clenched under the rough treatment, making her sob and cry out, exactly the way she wanted it.
"I'm going to... Kerven, I–" she whispered, no longer having any strength left in her, only enough to endure the mind-blowing pleasure he was giving her.
Her orgasm hit so hard she cried out, long and hard. Panting for air, she tore at Kerven's armor, biting down on his neck when the pleasure made her body shudder in exertion and release.
The captain grunted when her pussy clenched down on his cock, hard, losing any semblance of pace. He slammed into her as hard as he could, his hands grabbing her ass as he spent his seed into her pussy. Paula moaned, feeling her insides being filled with its warmth.
They stayed locked together like that for a long moment before her feet finally touched the ground again, Kerven's cum slicking her thighs.
Oh, well, it's a good thing I don't need to run and move fast today, right, she thought sarcastically, knowing it was a very distant concern.
She could move when she needed to. Brions had their spears and strength and skills – it didn't make her any less useful to the cause. Paula knew she could keep up and do her part.
Dressing, she glanced at Kerven, who was regarding her with silent admiration. He didn't say anything, didn't try to force her to change her mind.
The bond was there, they had already established that. Now, the real challenge was coming to grips with it.
Oh, that, and saving the future of the Galactic Union, of course.
14
Kerven
The time had come.
Kerven stood before the mouth of the tunnel, stretching under Jumel's surface all the way to the grove of the Eden seeds.
He was overcome with a peculiar excitement and anxiety. In a way, the captain had expected it.
His first solo mission away from the immediate support of the gigantic flagship was bound to be a special event. Yet when he'd heard about the planet, he'd almost been disappointed. The Hoolas weren't worthy opponents to him and the only reason he had still obeyed was because he was a Brion and that was what they did.
Other species almost never understood that paradox. The mightiest warriors in the galaxy only had the luxury of being what they were thanks to obedience to their Elders. It kept them together, united, bound to tradition and the rule of their leaders.
On their own, Brions would have been a liability.
More so than anyone else, the Brions knew it themselves. There were rumors the Elders had appointed one of the generals to be an executioner, dealing quick deaths to those who got out of line. The consensus was that this was for the best.
Brions were wild but anarchy didn't suit them.
After finding his gesha, everything had changed for Kerven. Now, he was faced with the single most important battle of his life, even if the Hoolas themselves barely struck him as opponents. Millions of lives hung in the balance, as Paula had told him. More privately, the fate of his bond to his fated was to be tested in the next several hours.
Kerven vowed not to lose either of those battles. Admitting defeat simply wasn't in the nature of Brions, especially where it counted so much.
He let his eyes wander over the warriors he'd brought. Most of them were handpicked – men and women who had decided to follow his lead a long time ago, back when he wasn't even yet a captain. Kerven felt certain they would have his back.
There were more Terrans and while some comfort could be found in numbers, the captain would have taken his own small unit over any army, any day. He trusted each and every one of them to obey him without hesitation and die if need be. With Terrans, he could not be so certain.
Finally, Kerven's eyes fell on Paula. She stood ready as well, her cheeks still red from the parting kiss they'd shared. Her colleagues waited with her, to rush into the tunnel at his order and collect the precious cargo. As soon as the area was secured, support ships would fly to them to pick the doctors up and deliver them to safety.
He couldn't think about that, not too long at least. The promise he'd made to Paula weighed heavy on his heart. Kerven didn't want to imagine the moment when he had to choose between her life and losing her forever.
S
he smiled at him. A little, soft smirk that told him she couldn't fight the feelings she had for him, as much as she might have liked to. And there was his answer to all the questions.
"Move out!" he bellowed to his warriors and he rushed into the tunnel first, hearing the others follow.
His last image of Paula was her beautiful blue eyes, wide and wild. She seemed to yell something but it was lost to the noise of the decoy battle in the distance.
Kerven ran through the tunnel, keeping the agreed pace. Up ahead, the Terrans were ready to blow the last part of the tunnel, taking them right into the grove. He signaled them through his comm link when he passed the assigned point.
The tunnel shook under the impact. It was hastily built, meant to last only that one day to allow the troops to pass through. Dirt fell from the roof as his unit kept running, paying the structure no heed. The only thing Kerven was aware of was the light up ahead and the furious roaring of the enemy.
He dashed out of the tunnel, into a world of fire and gunfire both. It took him only a second to understand what was going on.
Paula hadn't been joking. The Hoolas really had set fire to the grove and flames higher than the hills were surrounding him on all sides. They'd done that in a manner of seconds since the fire had definitely not been there before the detonation.
The enemies themselves were raining down fire upon his warriors from all sides. The Brion armor was the hardest war gear in existence, but the array of shots was so intense the sheer power of them almost knocked him off his feet.
Cursing the Hoolas for being so unreasonable, Kerven opened the comm link, paying no attention to the inferno around him.
"The grove is on fire!" he reported to Major Burton and Paula. "Send in the collectors, we will hold off the Hoolas! Send ships to put out the fires! All in, there is nothing to lose now!"
He didn't listen to the affirmatives, trusting that the same horrible sight greeted Paula and the Terran commander from their outpost.