He groaned as his knees gave way, and he slid onto her pliant body, his semi erection cradled between her slick thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and for the next few minutes neither of them spoke or moved. The aftermath was too delicious, too heady to do anything other than let it spread over them like a gentle rain. Soaking through their skin to cover them with its sweet blanket of completeness.
Devorah felt his lips kiss the top of her head, and she smiled. It had been years since she had taken a man to her bed. Years since she had allowed another man to have this kind of absolute control over her soul and her body. Not since you met him, a little voice whispered in the back of her mind.
It was true. From that time, when he and the other Guardians had come to rescue her people from her planet before their sun went nova, and took everyone back to Synaria, her body seemed to isolate itself. Her thoughts had remained on the intense man who’d made it a personal issue to physically remove her from her hospital because she’d refused to leave until she was certain every one of her patients had been taken to safety. At that moment, when he held her tightly in his arms as he hurried to return to the ship, she’d known there would never be another man allowed into her life. And for years afterward, while she worked diligently to establish a career for herself on his world, she had watched him from afar. Never daring to hope to meet him again. Never daring to dream of even a chance encounter.
Until that eventful day StarLight entered the hospital, and Devorah had had the singular luck to be on duty that day.
Commander moved slightly to remove his weight off her. She turned to cuddle against his chest although they both continued to radiate heat. His hand lifted her chin to where he could kiss her.
“Why did we wait so long?” he murmured. His breath stirred the fine hairs at her hairline. A couple of strands drifted down and tickled her cheek. Before she could brush them back, he tucked them behind her ear. “By the stars, that was nothing like I’d dreamed it would be.”
She smiled but managed to give him a critical look. “Oh? Nothing whatsoever?”
His boyish grin melted her heart. “No. It was better. In fact, there’s no way I could have imagined how fantastic it would be.”
A wayward thought suddenly came to her. Opening her eyes a little wider, she peered closer into his eyes. “Paol, were you a virgin before we made love?”
“No, but it’s been a long, long time. I’ve forgotten when was the last time I’d had a woman.” He scratched the side of his jaw. “In fact, it’s been years. Why’d you ask? Did I act like I didn’t quite know what I was doing?” He chuckled at the idea.
She answered him with a soft kiss. Reluctantly pulling away, she threaded the fingers of one hand through his thick hair. “What now, Paol? What happens to us now?”
Unexpectedly, he rolled onto his belly and propped himself up on his elbows. Looking down at her, he gave her another one of those heart-melting smiles. “No more separation. No more working apart. I’m sticking with you from here on out. What do you say, Dev? Care to be wrapped in silver ribbon? Of course…” He glanced around her apartment. “I don’t know how I’ll feel about bunking behind the clinic.”
She laughed and hugged him tightly. He enclosed her within the circle of his strong arms and hurried to silence her with his kisses. Kisses that inevitably led to more lovemaking, and continued into the night until well past daybreak the next day.
Chapter Three
Assignment
StarLight watched as Guardian Transport Two was delivered five weeks later. Standing at a safe distance inside the bay, she noted the difficulty the crew was having as the massive repair ship from Abernath attempted to slowly lower the ship into its cradle. The storm outside was creating a problem with the tractor beams, making the ship swing dangerously, until Blender created a counter wind to help buffer the descent.
She was aware of someone coming up behind her. A pair of arms possessively encircled her, and a hand caressed her extended belly. Hunter lowered his chin onto her shoulder.
“Good morning, my love. How are you feeling?”
She smiled. The warmth of his body pressing against her back and buttocks was comforting. “How was roll call? Anything of importance?”
He lightly kissed her cheek. “So far, it looks like a slow day, which is good. We need to work on getting Two back into service.”
She glanced at him. “I thought all its repairs were supposed to have been done at the base on Abernath.”
“They concentrated on getting the engines back online. Deceiver thought it would be better if we finished the repairs here at Command.” He kissed her cheek again, following it with a nuzzle. “I miss having you at roll call.”
Star patted his hand where it continued to stroke her swollen abdomen. “I do, too, but Doctor Perlakian says I need to get as much rest as possible.” Chuckling, she added, “Dev still hasn’t forgiven me for taking off to the black hole.” She wriggled slightly, seeking more of his hard warmth along her lower back. Hunter growled at her.
“Careful. It’s been a while since we’ve had any of that kind of intimacy, and when you do that, you’re not helping matters.”
“You know I can help you with that.” She smiled seductively. Even though she felt like a bloated garf whale, her husband always managed to keep her feeling sexy.
“Nope.” He gave her cheek another peck before repositioning his arms around her. “It’s either a two-way street, or nothing. And you haven’t answered my question. How are you feeling, other than your back aches?”
“Want me to make a list?”
At that moment, the babe kicked outward, enough to show the outline of its tiny foot. Both StarLight and Hunter laughed.
“She’s precocious,” Star accused lovingly.
“She’s like her mother,” he responded, earning a playful retaliatory slap on the arm.
“So how long do you think it’ll take us to get Two back up to speed?” Deceiver inquired, walking up to join them.
“Hopefully, not long,” Hunter responded, eyeing the outer hull. “Let’s hope most of what we’re looking at is cosmetic damage.”
“Cosmetic, hell,” Commander said, taking a stance next to the Guardian leader. “That ship’s been through a shit storm, and then some. It’s a good sign those guys managed to get the engines back online. But has anyone checked to see if the internal workings have been fried? I wouldn’t be surprised to find every power cell totally drained.”
“Guess we’ll find out when we get inside her,” Deceiver commented. “Let’s go grab a hand comp and see how depressing things look.”
Hunter gave his wife another kiss, this time on the lips. “Go sit down. Get off your feet. Why don’t I bring you a comp, and you can help me with recalibra—”
The claxon went off, signaling an emergency call. Everyone froze as Deceiver ran to the communications board. All ears strained to listen.
“Guardian Command! Can you read us? Please respond! This is Fio Toreedus on Sigma Vialla’s third moon! Guardian Command!”
“This is Guardian Command,” Deceiver answered. “We read you. What is your emergency?” He tried to adjust the vid screen, but received only static.
“Thank the heavens! This is Fio Toreedus. I’m with five other men on the third moon of Sigma Vialla. It’s in the Mandrus Vialla system.”
“We know the location. What is your emergency?”
“We’ve crashed in the middle of a major blow storm, and we need to be rescued before this gets stronger. Our systems are failing. We have less than forty percent oxygen, and we’ve lost all heat.”
“Surface temps in a blow storm can reach negative three hundred degrees,” Provoker commented from across the bay.
Deceiver nodded. “What’s your current temperature, Toreedus?”
“Negative sixty-nine degrees, and dropping more than ten degrees every minute.”
“We hear you. We’re sending two men to your location immediately. When we
get within locator distance, we’ll contact you and order you to turn on your locator. Otherwise, shut down all non-essential systems to conserve your energy. We expect to reach you in approximately…” He paused and looked to Time Merchant, who was already using a data board to run some calculations.
“One hundred eighty-seven minutes,” the man gave him.
“One hundred ninety minutes,” Deceiver replied.
“Thanks, Guardian Command. We’ll be waiting for you.”
The line went dead, and Deceiver turned to face the others. His eyes automatically locked onto Master Hunter. “I hate to do this, but I have no other choice. Hunter, Challenger, I’m sending you two to Sigma Vialla.”
“Deceiver, Star’s due to give birth in a couple of weeks.” Sender stepped up to state the obvious. “Why not let me go in his place? I can transport those people up to Three.”
The Guardian grimly nodded, but addressed Hunter. “I know, but they shouldn’t be gone more than a few days.”
“Why just them two?” Provoker questioned. “Three can hold several more of us, including the six survivors. Why not send Sender? The two of them working together can get the job done in half the time.”
Deceiver thought about it, then nodded. “All right. Sender, you go with them. But remember, this is a rescue mission only. Go, pick up, and bring back, unless their home planet is somewhere between there and here. Then you can drop them off along the way. Any more questions?”
Sender hurried to catch up with Challenger, who was already halfway across the bay, heading toward Transport Three, which sat in its docking cradle several meters away. Glancing over his shoulder, he called out, “No more time for questions. We have to get to Sigma Vialla before six men freeze to death. Hey, Hunter! I’m driving!”
StarLight turned and faced her husband. She didn’t try to mask the anxiety on her face. “Udo?”
He quickly kissed her. “I’ll be back. Don’t worry. Remember? Destiny promised we’re going to have a son sometime in the future,” Hunter teased, and gave her a wink.
She looked behind him to where the slender woman stood almost in the rear shadows of the bay. Although the psychic was uncannily accurate with all her predictions, Star continued to have doubts about Destiny’s track record. Nothing was ever guaranteed to work one hundred percent of the time. Sooner or later, the woman had to make a mistake. Star hoped the promise of her and Hunter having a son together would eventually come about. Even with her trepidations, that singular promise was enough to give her some consolation.
Star tried to hug him as best as her big tummy allowed. “Yes, I know you’ll return, but there’s always the chance you could be seriously injured. Or there could another incident, and you be gone again for weeks or months.”
“But I’ll be back,” he whispered. “I’ll be back, and we’ll love again. In the meantime, Emma, please watch over your mother and little sister until I return.”
At their throats, the ebony HeartCrystal trilled in reply. The almost sentient temporal stone connected them in ways that continued to surprise them.
A final kiss, and Hunter trotted toward the transport as the big ship’s engines fired up.
Star remained in the bay while the others filed into the main building. She watched the Guardian fleet’s biggest ship gradually lift itself off its cradle, rising slowly upward until it cleared the open bay doors. As the transport’s engines roared to life, sending the vessel into space, she blew a kiss in its direction.
“He’s right, you know,” a familiar and loved figure whispered beside her. A petite hand threaded fingers through hers.
Star gave the hand a squeeze. “I hope so, Fire. I hope you’re both right.”
Her friend gave her arm a little jerk. “Hey, I’m hungry. Want to share a slice of direlli pie with me? My treat.”
Star chuckled. “When aren’t you hungry? But come to think of it, I’m feeling a bit hungry, too. We may need to order up two whole slices, instead of sharing one.”
Morning Fire grinned. “Sounds good to me.”
Star allowed the woman to lead her out of the bay, but not before she took one last look at the empty cradle where Three had docked. As the door closed behind her, she pasted a smile on her face and placed the tips of her fingers on the stone embedded in the hollow of her throat.
You’ll let me know if something happens to him, won’t you, Emma?
The gem chirped an affirmative. And, oddly enough, it gave her comfort.
Chapter Four
Delay
“What in the name of all that’s holy is that?”
Sender’s question matched Hunter’s own non-verbal surprise as they neared the Mandrus Vialla system. Even with the ship’s internal lights on, the phenomenon whirling past the small galaxy was bright enough to throw a swirling palette of colors through the front viewscreen. The hues spun across their features like a giant kaleidoscope.
“It’s pretty. I’ll grant you that. But it doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. I don’t know what to make of it, but I’m throwing up the shields just in case,” Challenger answered, reaching for the main navigation board.
Hunter kept his eyes glued on the object. “They said they were in the middle of a blow storm. This looks more like an ion storm, and a monster one at that!”
Challenger nodded as he brought the ship closer to the outer edge of the configuration. “We’re coming up on Sigma Vialla. I wonder which one is the third moon?”
Sender manned the communications. “This is Guardian Transport Three calling the survivors on the third moon of Sigma Vialla. This is Guardian Transport Three calling the survivors on the third moon of Sigma Vialla. Can you read us? We need your locator turned on. Please respond.”
Almost immediately, a little blip popped onto the viewscreen. It highlighted the medium-sized moon on the far edge of the little planet it circled. Hunter groaned softly.
“The densest portion of that storm is about to envelope that moon. Sender, see if you can get a verbal response from them. Find out what their current temperature is.”
“This is Guardian Transport Three calling the survivors on the third moon of Sigma Vialla. We have your location and we’re closing in. Can you give us a verbal response? Can you tell us what your current situation is? What is the surface temperature?”
They waited a full minute, with no reply from the survivors. Left with having to find out for themselves, Hunter ran a full scan on the moon’s surface, with no result. He softly cursed. “The instruments can’t read the surface. The storm’s intensified to the point where it’s blocking everything.”
Challenger brought the ship into an irregular orbit, keeping them on the outer edge of the enormous, multi-colored cloud. Setting Three on autopilot, he turned to Hunter.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you once say you couldn’t penetrate an ion storm? Something about it that affects that protective bubble you’re inside?”
“It depends on whether they’re negative or positive, and how many urgs are being generated.” Hunter glanced over at Sender, who was addressing the computer link on the console. “What does it show, Sender?”
“We’re currently looking at six hundred forty urgs of positive ions.” She looked over at them. “But it’s fluctuating like crazy, spiking into the eight hundred range at times.”
“Hunter?”
Hunter shook his head. “As far as I know, my limit is just under five hundred urgs.”
“This thing is rolling like a wave sine,” Sender interjected. “There are moments it dips below three hundred.”
“Can the computer track those dips?” Hunter asked her.
The young woman re-checked the ship’s mainframe. After a long moment, she raised her head. “Somewhat. The window’s very, very narrow. Ninety seconds is the longest lead it can give us.”
“Ninety seconds is plenty of time.” Hunter got to his feet. “Challenger, I need a precise location. Try to narrow it to the smallest field you
can muster.”
“What are you thinking?” Challenger asked.
“You’re going to wait for the levels to drop.” Sender stared at Hunter with undisguised worry. “You’re going to try to dodge the spikes in order to bring those survivors back here. Hunter, that’s crazy!”
“But it could work,” he argued.
“Then take me with you,” she demanded.
He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. If I get caught in an unexpected burst, and I lose my protective shield, you and I could both perish.”
“Terash dung.” Challenger grinned. “You’ve got a son to father in the future.”
“Or I could be lost again for months or years,” Hunter shot back. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his short, curly hair. “Or Sender, you could die, and I won’t forgive myself if that happened. Especially after what you and Seeker went through after we were swallowed up in that wormhole. No, I’m going in this alone.”
Sender reached out and grabbed a fistful of his uniform. The expression on her face hardened as she met him almost nose-to-nose. “Now, listen up, Master Hunter. We’re Guardians. You, Challenger, and me. We take the risks. We don’t shy away from what needs to be done. You got a plan? Great. Now I got a plan. Want to hear it?”
He couldn’t help the grin creasing the corners of his mouth. “Sure. What is it?”
“I’m not limited by this storm. But what I need is a direct line to feed through, in order to send people back to this ship. That’s going to be you. I say we go down together. Then you bring one of the survivors back here. That will give me a conduit and an exact location where I can upload the rest of them.”
HeartStorm (HeartFast Series Book 3) Page 2