CALLEY (RIBUS 7 Book 3)

by Shae Mills

  Chelan was momentarily speechless. “A fighter,” she repeated almost in amazement.

  Dar nodded. “I did not want to risk having it spotted by others in the day. It would have caused quite another calamity. But I would have used one if necessary.”

  Chelan looked about her. “Where is it?”

  Dar smiled. “There is one just over there in the trees. There are others accessible to me at all times.”

  Chelan felt a familiar surge of adrenalin run through her, the same one she felt every time she thought about or witnessed the true scope of the Empire’s power. The technology, the warriors—all possessed an awe-inspiring aura infused with indisputable lethality. In her early days with the Empire, it had scared her, then, eventually, it had captivated her. But now that she was a part of it all, she felt a sense of pride so deep she got goosebumps every time she thought of any aspect of the military might that enveloped her.

  Finally, she looked back at the pool, and then tentatively touched the cold water. Slowly, she slid in. “Arggg,” she groaned, her teeth chattering.

  Dar reached for her and pulled her to him. Chelan faced him and straddled his lap. Then she hugged him close. “Have you communicated with Solis?”

  Dar shook his head. “I dare not try.”

  Chelan pulled back and stared into his azure eyes. “How do we find out about the status of RIBUS 7?”

  Dar’s hands smoothed over her slender waist. “We don’t. If RIBUS 7 succumbs to battle, the distress signals will go out. Korba will order all ships in the vicinity to assist, and that includes RIBUS 8. If she is called to arms, Solis will get a message to us one way or another.”

  “But the men on the dark side of the moon and beyond—will they not help Fremma?”

  Dar hesitated, hoping she would not ask too many questions. “No. As long as you are here, their orders are to protect you. If I had sent any messages early on, they would have known I was here, and all would have been lost. But right now it appears there is an Imperial blackout, so no messages are being sent to or received from anywhere.”

  Chelan nodded slowly knowing all too well what a blackout implied. She furrowed her brow. “But Fremma’s men, had they ended up knowing you were here, they would not have dared to harm you. You are not hurting me.”

  Dar smiled at her naivety. “My Lady, I have defied Korba. I have left my ship and my Command. And I have challenged the Let and will soon consummate that union.” He raised his brows. “I do not think his Majesty will be amused, and neither would Fremma. At the very least, they would whisk you away from me. At worst, I could be executed.”

  Chelan winced and hugged into him. “I guess, then, we remain silent for a time.”

  Dar smiled. “Time will tell. If there is unexpected movement on your moon, the sensors will alert me. If RIBUS 7 approaches, then we deal with that. And finally, if she is no more, then Korba or another RIBUS will be on its way for you. That will take months. We can be gone from here by then if need be.”

  Chelan shook her head slowly. “You take too many chances, Dar.”

  “For you, yes.”

  Chelan smiled at him. “We make a fine pair,” she whispered lovingly.

  “And we will make a fine child.”

  Chelan pinked and then she remembered something. “I have a question for you.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “As far as my protection is concerned, I know Fremma said he would leave men on Earth. The man on the plane that day—was he Iceanean?”

  Dar hesitated. “He was.”

  “Do you know how many men Fremma left?”

  Dar shifted her slightly. “Tens of thousands.”

  “On Earth?” she exclaimed.

  Dar nodded. “They not only have to keep you in their sights, they have to monitor all Earth communications. Just as we would not want you located by ROPE, we would not want you to be the victim of your world’s wars or any other disaster, natural or manmade. The men located on your moon, and those farther out in the solar system—they watch for ROPE, and they would call on RIBUS 7 if there was trouble.”

  Chelan went to speak but then her mouth snapped shut. Everything hit her at once. “Oh my god.”

  “What?”

  “The man on the plane. You said he was Iceanean, past tense.”

  Dar frowned. “I could not take a chance on him recognizing me.”

  “Before we got to Customs, you disappeared.”

  Dar nodded. “I needed to deal with him.”

  Chelan slumped. “And you said that Fremma’s men kept me in their sights. That means they would have known of us here, and that means…”

  Dar took in a deep breath. “You should not concern yourself with these things.”

  “But… what did you do?”

  Dar sighed. “I replaced Fremma’s men with my own.”

  “Oh…” was all she could manage.

  Dar looked deep into her troubled eyes. “The ways of the Empire are not gentle, my Lady. And you know what I have sacrificed to be here with you. You are well aware of what a Warlord is capable of, especially me.”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He nodded to her. “My tactics are not to be your concern. What we have here and now needs to be our focus. What is done is done.”

  But Chelan felt it was her concern, and she wrestled with more questions. “In Chicago one day, I left Will’s apartment, and a shadow disappeared down the stairwell.” She searched his eyes. “Was that a warrior, one of my guards?”

  Dar only nodded.

  She took a deep breath. “When you were not around…”

  “I was doing legitimate company work. But at times when you appeared safe, I was here, securing the area and preparing for our arrival.”

  Chelan stilled, apprehensive about her next question. “And all Fremma’s men?”

  Dar did not try to hide his concern over the direction of the conversation, nor did he relish the thought of lying to her. And so he told the truth. “Most of Fremma’s men were sent out in advance of your arrival. They were tracked by me and my contingent as they came in. When the full body of Fremma’s men was present and accounted for, both those on the moon and those on the periphery of the solar system, they were eliminated en masse so no distress signals could go out. Taking care of the men on Earth required a little more finesse. They were taken out as necessary. Just before we left Chicago for here, the last of Fremma’s men were replaced. My men were in position long ago.”

  “Oh,” she breathed, and she felt her stomach turn. “So many have died because of me,” she whispered dolefully.

  “It was all my decision. People died because of what I dictated.” His voice became but a whisper. “Now… no more sad thoughts. We need to think to the future—our future.”

  He was right, and Chelan did her best to clear her troubled mind, the man holding her becoming her sole concern. “You mentioned our child.”

  “He or she will be beautiful.”

  Chelan paused. “When can we begin?”

  Dar’s fingers traced over her lush pink lips. “As soon as you are ready, my beautiful woman.”

  Chelan looked beyond him as she pondered his offer. She wanted him to swell within her, wanted to experience his essence sexually. But as far as actually getting pregnant, her mind raced. “How about the minute we board RIBUS 8?”

  Dar smiled slyly. Then he nuzzled her neck, his tongue tasting her as he scented her. He reached for the soap and began rubbing the bar over her full breasts. “That could be a while from now. How about we start now?”

  “Now? Here?”

  Dar kissed her mouth hard. Soapy fingers reached between her parted thighs and penetrated her. “You are in estrous, my Lady. You have but to say yes and it is done.”

  Chelan moaned, his touch inflaming her. “I want you so badly.”

  Dar lathered over her body with the soap until he had paid careful attention to every slippery bit of her. And when he was finished, Chela
n took the bar and began on him. When both were cleansed, Dar rose with her from the pool. She hugged in tightly to him for warmth. After a short walk, Dar set her down on a blanket in the middle of a small grass-covered meadow.

  His fingers touched her face, his eyes studying her like never before. “There are risks,” he began in his soft, low voice. “Korba is unpredictable. Though I have assessed the situation and the outcome as well as I can, it is still fraught with unknowns.”

  Chelan nodded but remained quiet.

  Dar looked at her inviting lips as his fingers traced over them. “You still have choices, my Lady.”

  Chelan’s eyes roved over his handsome features, his face now framed by his surreal silver blonde hair. His azure eyes seemed to glow, their radiance highlighted by his rich bronze skin. “I have made my choice. I am remaining true to my heart no matter what the consequences. I want you, to be with you always—here, on Iceanea, or on RIBUS 8. And I will adhere to your wish for fidelity, and I will bear your child.”

  Dar’s face became very serious. “You will lose your title.”

  Chelan almost laughed. “That I do not care about. The word ‘Empress’ has never flowed well off my tongue.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Chelan took a deep breath. “I am sure.”

  Dar stared hard at her. “Chelan, after tonight, you will be pregnant by my seed. There will be no turning back. The Let will have been challenged, and our survival will be dictated by the Emperor. I will die defending you and my decision, but that is a risk I take willingly. You must understand that the same fate, by our laws, may extend to you. I will use all my forces to ensure your safety, but I cannot fight the Empire.”

  “I understand,” she whispered.

  “You will lose him, Chelan.”

  Chelan felt her tears well, but she quelled them. “I know.”

  Dar’s fingers travelled down her throat and traced the faint scars on her delicate neck and shoulder. “The only other thing you must know is that once you have conceived, you can not leave here for three Earth months. To use the antigravity mechanisms in the fighters would damage the fetus. Whether Fremma returns or Korba arrives, or whatever else happens, you are captive here for that length of time.”

  Chelan nodded. “It is okay, as long as you are here.”

  Dar smiled. “You know I will be.”

  Chelan’s thoughts scattered. Then she looked deep into Dar’s eyes. “Will it hurt?”

  Dar’s fingers traced down her slender arm. “Did it with Shan?”

  Chelan’s mind catapulted back through time. She thought about the warrior who had loved her in the caverns of Iceanea. “A little.”

  Dar drew her to him. “That is because you are small.”

  “Small? Small how?”

  “Your cervix, Chelan. When you ovulate, it opens a tiny amount. When we come inside you, that opening is dilated.”

  “Uh… you what?”

  Dar chuckled at the anxious look on her lovely face. “It is okay, my Lady. When we prepare to ejaculate, the last approximately ten centimeters of our organ expands in circumference. That is how we lock inside you. Then the very tip of the penis elongates just a little, hardening further. It is then capable of penetrating the cervix so that we can inject the sperm directly into the uterus. It pretty well ensures fertilization.”

  Chelan squirmed. “Oh,” she uttered. She took a minute to imagine such a thing, almost grimacing at the thought. “So why does it hurt?”

  “Because the cervix in our women is much larger, and the organ simply slips in. With you, some dilation must occur.”

  Chelan swallowed. “I see,” she whispered.

  Dar smiled, his concern for her comfort paramount. “I do not want to hurt you, Chelan. If it is too uncomfortable, we can wait. Or I can release at a shallow depth just inside you. I do not have to pierce you.”

  Chelan shook her head. “No, it is okay.” She touched his smooth cheek and then kissed him gently. “It does not matter,” she cooed. “I just want you inside me. And I want to feel and experience everything.”

  Dar returned her kiss and Chelan immediately forgot about any impending discomfort. She laid back and pulled him to her.

  Dar moved over her, her legs surrounding his waist and opening to him. Ever so gently, he entered her. Chelan arched toward him and smiled at him. “With the Guild,” she said, “how many nights did you spend doing exactly this?”

  Dar painted her lips with kisses, his pelvic motions slow and deep. “None,” he whispered.

  Chelan grabbed onto his long hair, his swelling inside her temporarily taking her breath. Then she relaxed. “You lie, my Lord. I have seen the long list of offspring you have sired.”

  Dar chuckled at her and then lay gently on her. “I have never created a child with a woman I have loved.” He teased her neck with his tongue. Then he looked down into her wide eyes. “As a Warlord, I inseminated many as my duty dictated. But I made love to none.”

  Chelan smiled, and then her body began to cramp. The pain spread across her abdomen and radiated down her thighs. She stiffened slightly. Shan had receded from her at this point, but not Dar. He was still focused on her.

  “Talk to me, pretty lady.”

  Chelan nodded. “It feels like menstrual cramps.”

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  Chelan’s fingers slipped around his neck and drew him down to her. “Never,” she murmured in his ear.

  He held her face with his hands as he feathered more kisses over her, leaving no part of her face untouched. He pressed in deeper still, grinding against her with smooth pelvic rotations.

  Her fingers whispered down his sides and over his buttocks. He was all cast iron, rock hard inside her and out. He was magnificent.

  She closed her eyes momentarily, absorbing all the wonderful sensations. “You no longer move in and out of me.”

  “No. The swelling makes that difficult. Plus withdrawal would defeat the purpose of entering your cervix. All the sensitive nerves around the head become secondary to the nerves at the base of the penis. To rub against you as I am doing now is the stimulus that will cause me to come when I am ready.”

  Chelan bit her lip. Between the fullness within and his pressure against her femininity, she was in ecstasy.

  Dar’s voice was soft and low. “You are beautiful, my Lady. You have honored me by giving me the right to share myself totally with you. I want to come inside you, to consummate our union completely now, but first I seek your final permission.”

  She felt tears of happiness welled in her eyes as he became completely still. She nodded once. “Please. I too will be honored to accept your gift, our shared bonding complete in the most beautiful of ways.”

  She saw him smile, and then she gasped as he contracted powerfully, filling her with his seed. She felt his heavy balls pulse as sperm surged through his penis and into her. More pressure built inside her, and more tears of joy flowed, her body accepting all that he could give.

  Dar hunched over as tremors rippled through his body, his contractions inside her so powerful that his orgasm left him winded. Impulses of pleasure from deep inside his sac radiated throughout his pelvis, his semen igniting nerves inside his shaft as it propelled forward, the sensations so electrifying he felt as though he would come forever. Wave after wave of euphoria took him to heights where he had never been before.

  He squeezed his eyes tight and clenched his jaw, the forceful muscular contractions filling Chelan with his life-giving essence. He came as hard as he had ever come, and he knew he had filled her completely. He took several deep breaths and then looked into her love-struck eyes. She was glowing.

  Chelan returned his gaze, his alien eyes mesmerizing her, her heart full, her womb fuller. He was divine. Then she felt the pressure inside her abating. “I love you,” she whispered as she took his lips.

  Their kiss was long and tender, their love conveyed through their total immersion in one another. Then Dar smi
led at her, staying pressed deep within her as he softened completely. “Now I want you to come for me, pretty lady. Your orgasm will hold the sperm high within you and tighten your cervix.”

  She nodded and he withdrew from her depths slowly. Then he slid down her lithe body and settled between her legs.

  Chelan looked up at the sky and cried out as his tongue took her expertly. His hands surrounded her hips, holding her fast as he fed. Then he took her hard swollen clit between his teeth and flicked his tongue over her. She grabbed for his thick hair and arched to him, exploding in rapture. She cried out again as her body shuddered, every muscle contracting so forcefully, it hurt ever so wondrously.

  Chelan moaned as he pressed his lips against her engorged tip, forcing yet more contractions. Finally, when her body went languid, he rose back over her, his sculpted shoulder muscles supporting his weight as he lowered himself onto her gently. She smiled at him, her loving eyes shining with adoration.

  Dar smiled back and nipped at her neck. Then he kissed her lips once and looked down at her in silence.

  Chelan’s breathing finally began to return to normal. “When I come, how do you know what it does to me?”

  Dar chuckled. “I know everything about you, my Lady.”

  Chelan shook her head slowly in amazement. Then she stared at him. “Did you do that to the women of the Empire too?”

  Dar’s tongue teased her lips. “Do what?”

  Chelan twisted from him slightly. “Make them come.”

  Dar smiled mischievously. “What do you think?”

  Chelan hesitated. She went to raise her hands to his shoulders, but she felt him ease his weight farther onto her, thwarting any attempt she made to move. “It is just that… Well, you said what it does… the orgasm, I mean. If you had to ensure a pregnancy for the Guild…”

  Dar finally shook his head at her. “Oh, pretty lady. Inseminating throngs of women is not sensual. Believe it or not, though it is not unpleasant, it is work. But the act I just shared with you is one of the most intimate imaginable. I would taste only of the one I love and cherish, and that is you.”