by Elin Wyn
“Damn, Stasia,” he sighed. “I knew you were weak… I just didn’t know you were this pathetic.”
“You’re the one who’s pathetic, you little shit,” I growled, taking one step toward him as my blood started to boil. I was more than ready to punch his smug face. “Why don’t you stop behaving like a child, Roddik? You’re a grown man, aren’t you? So stop fucking around. It’s time you act responsibly. These people are counting on you!”
“And that’s exactly why we’re going to do this,” he spat back at me, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He looked angrier than I had ever seen him before, which was to be expected: Roddik wasn’t used to people standing up to him. “And either get with the problem or I will—”
“You’ll what?” I defied him to continue, even though I didn’t want to hear his reply.
“Let’s calm down!” I heard Iq'her’s voice say, and I turned around to see him walking toward us. He had his holobelt on, which meant he still wanted to keep his disguise. Apparently, I had jumped the gun when I thought he had left. Whatever he was planning, it didn’t involve abandoning the group.
“This is none of your fucking business!” Roddik shouted toward Iq'her, but his words seemed to have missed his target. Iq'her just ignored my brother and, before anyone could stop him, he walked up to me and draped one arm over my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, Roddik, just trying to keep the peace,” he said, and I suddenly realized he was trying to defuse the situation. In a way, that was infuriating. I almost wanted him to turn the damn holobelt off, reveal himself, and kick the shit out of Roddik. As it was, he settled on the other available option.
“Come, Stasia,” he whispered, and I followed his lead.
We walked out of the circle that had formed around Roddik and made our way toward the edge of the clearing.
“Yeah, walk away, you cowards!” Roddik jeered, but Iq'her didn’t allow me to reply.
He just held me tight and guided me out of the clearing, only stopping when we were by ourselves.
“Roddik isn’t going to be swayed like that,” Iq'her finally said, his tone so casual it almost seemed like he was talking about the weather. “I appreciate what you were trying to do, but your brother isn’t going to change his mind.” His arms were wrapped tightly around me now.
“Yeah, well, I had to try,” I said, inhaling the strange, musky scent of him. “If I don’t stop him, that idiot is going to end up dead.”
“Stasia…” He hesitated for a moment, and I could tell he wasn’t sure how to continue. I wondered if he intentionally pulled me closer to him. “Why do you care so much about Roddik? I know that he is your brother, but he has so little respect for you. And yet, you care for him. You protect him. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I replied, an unintended edge to my voice. I started to pull away now. “I know that he doesn’t give a damn about me. But he’s my brother… I can’t just abandon him! You saw how he’s acting. If I don’t keep my eyes on him, he’s going to end up dead.”
I slumped to the ground then, all strength leaving my body. I hadn’t realized how much I was leaning on Iq'her.
I felt exhausted, probably more than I had ever felt in my entire life. Ever since our parents had died, Roddik had become my number one priority, but he wasn’t the same person from before. He had turned into a hateful little man, and still… I simply couldn’t let go of him.
“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, my voice so faint that the slightest breeze could’ve carried my words away. “I’m just so freaking lost. I hate him but...I promised my parents I would always look after him, Iq'her. I can’t break that promise. I simply can’t.”
Then the tears came.
I tried to stop them, but this time I simply couldn’t. They rolled down my cheeks effortlessly, and the moment one of them reached my lips, a violent sob shook my whole body. Iq'her went down on one knee in front of me and, looking into my eyes, pulled me into an embrace, his strong, massive arms helping to erase some of my pain.
But the sobs kept coming, the floodgates had opened and emotions were pouring from me.
“I’ve failed already, haven’t I?” I sobbed, my heart breaking into a million little pieces. “My brother… he’s lost, and there’s no finding him. I’ve failed, Iq'her. I’m useless.”
“No, you’re not,” he whispered into my ear. “You’re the bravest woman I’ve ever met, Stasia. And it’s not your fault your brother turned out the way he has. It’s no one’s fault… war does strange things to people, and there’s no controlling that. And for what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry. I’m sorry the Xathi came to this planet because of us, and I’m sorry you’ve had to endure all of this.” After a short pause, he laid one hand on the nape of my neck, caressing my skin with his fingers.
“It’s not your fault, either,” I told him. “You’re trying to help.”
“I am. But the things I did...I had no right to spy on you, Stasia. Had I known that—”
“No,” I cut him short. “I didn’t like it at first, but now I’m glad that you put the tracker on me. Roddik… he needs to be stopped, and I can’t do it alone.”
“I’m right here. We’ll fix this.”
“I just want it all to end,” I said. “And I want to go home.”
“And you will. I promise you.” He held me tight, and I laid my head on his chest. For a short while, neither of us said a thing. I just let him calm me down, the warmth of his body having a soothing effect on mine. For the first time in months, I felt safe. More than that, I felt that I had finally met someone that truly cared for me.
With Iq'her, I didn’t feel alone anymore.
“Thank you,” I breathed out, looking up into his eyes.
“For what?”
“For being here.”
With that, I just let instinct guide me.
I stretched upward and brushed my lips against his. His mouth felt just right and, even if for just a fraction of a second, nothing else seemed to matter. I could feel his hands on my back. He was pulling me closer to him and I let myself go.
I didn’t want to resist.
I felt his strong hands caress me and I rubbed my body against his. I was acting wantonly but I didn’t care. All I cared about was kissing him.
The rest of Ankau could go to hell for all I cared.
Only when I pulled back from him did I realize what I had just done.
My emotions had taken over me, and I had surrendered myself to Iq'her.
Thing is… I would gladly do it again.
“I’m going to protect you,” he said, holding my chin up with two fingers. “I’m going to keep you safe, Stasia, and that’s a promise.”
Iq’her
I escorted Stasia back to the campsite. Most of the humans were sitting around the campfire, talking. I wasn’t able to hear what they were talking about, not from where we were.
After a moment’s hesitation, I flicked the bug still in my pocket to tracking only. It was unlikely that we’d pick up any new information from Roddik tonight, and I’d violated Stasia’s trust enough on this mission.
Whoever had been assigned to monitor this channel didn’t need to hear any more of her personal business.
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked her quietly as I brought her over to her lean-to. It wasn’t badly built, but the tree she had attached it to looked as if it was dying. Things were progressing far too fast in regard to the death of the vegetation. It wasn’t natural. It wasn’t safe.
She shook her head. “No, but I’ll find some way through it. I always do.” She was still upset and hurt by Roddik, I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice.
She was on the verge of being broken.
The kiss that we had shared a few minutes ago was still echoing inside me. The sensations that I felt in my head and in my heart the moment our lips touched were so intense, it was as if my entire life had been building to that moment. I knew, at that
very instant, that I wanted to make this woman my lifemate. There was nothing else in existence that I wanted more than to spend my life with her and make her smile.
Knowing that her brother treated her the way he did, I wanted to put him into a coma, then take his comatose body and bury the body parts in so many different places that no deity in the history of deities could ever find them all.
She had to be my mate.
There was no other reason my logic, my control, would totally abandon me.
Nothing else mattered but her.
I helped her into her lean-to and sat down outside the ‘entrance’ to it. “Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. He’s my brother. I have to figure it out. I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”
“I won’t get hurt. I was trained for things like this,” I said softly.
She looked up at me, her eyes still red from having cried so much. “You’ve been trained to take care of an emotional sister while her jackass brother tries to overrun a human settlement just because they might be friendly towards other races?”
“Well,” I said with an exaggerated smirk, “if you really must know, it was covered in the second week of training. I scored the highest marks.”
Despite herself, she laughed. It was nice to see her happy, even if it was only for a short moment. Her laughter, no matter what anyone could ever tell me, was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.
I arched my eyebrows several times and smiled a goofy smile meant just for her. She snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter. After a few short moments, she stopped laughing. “Thank you for making me feel a little better,” she said.
“It was my honor and pleasure, m’lady,” I said with a mock bow.
She smiled again, but this smile looked forced and a bit sad. “I’m tired. Will I see you in the morning?”
“Without a doubt.”
“Okay.” She nodded slowly. “Good night, Ilkay,” she said, using the human name I had chosen.
“Good night, Stasia,” I replied, not moving.
“You’re not going anywhere?”
I looked at her. Her lithe figure called me. Her beautiful face beckoned me.
“I want to make sure you’re alright.”
She took two steps back to me.
“You’re my protector?” she asked.
I nodded.
“You want to take care of me?”
“Always.”
“Will you comfort me?”
“I will.”
She took two more steps. Now she was less than a foot from me. I could smell the fragrance of her hair.
I could see the swell of her breasts. Her chest heaved upwards with each breath she took.
When she saw me looking at her, she gave a short gasp.
“Will you let me comfort you?”
I did not answer. Instead, I brought my arms around her and pulled her close. She brought her mouth to mine.
I felt her delicate little mouth as her tongue parted my lips. My tongue darted out and she was ready.
I felt her breath on me. My skin was on fire. I felt her hands on my throat, as they felt the muscles on my chest. She moaned into my mouth and I picked her up.
Stasia wrapped her legs around me as my hands caressed her plump bottom. I squeezed her lush hips and she gasped.
I bit her neck and she tried as hard as she could to remain silent.
We had to be quiet. The sounds of our passion could not penetrate the forest and bring others to our location.
But I had to have her. I couldn’t wait. I needed to give her the pleasure that she had given me with her presence.
I set Stasia down.
“Iq’her…” she began, but I shushed her. Instead, I turned her around.
She hesitated briefly before letting me move her body until she was nestled against me, her back pressed into my chest.
With gentle strokes, I ran my hands over her breasts.
“Squeeze them, Iq’her,” she moaned softly. “Harder.”
I complied. My hands moved of their own accord as I took each mound of flesh in my hands and rubbed them through her shirt. She squirmed and hissed in pleasure and I managed to move my hands under her shirt, where I was able to pay her breasts closer attention.
My cock, always hard in her presence, threatened to burst through my pants.
It was throbbing. Blood pounded in my ears and I tried desperately to remember my surroundings. We were in hostile territory and I needed to stay alert.
But then Stasia backed up, impossibly closer, and rubbed herself against my thickened and engorged cock.
“Do you like that?” she asked in a whisper. “Is this better than saying goodnight?”
I growled and pushed it harder against her. She cooed and began to jerk herself against it, as if she was trying to impale herself with her pants still on.
We did not have time to couple, but I knew what to do for her.
Lifting her against me, I backed us away from her lean-to, further into the woods, where we’d be safe from prying eyes. I carefully undid the buttons to her pants and let them fall. I eased down her underclothes and brought them to her ankles.
I put one hand over her mouth.
“You must be silent,” I whispered in her ear. “No one must hear.”
She nodded as my other hand traveled from her breasts, down to her stomach, and finally came to a rest over her naked mound.
She gave a soft ‘ooh’ as my fingers traversed over her slit.
She was wet. Her juices were already leaking from her and travelling down her legs. She began to kick her legs until her pants were off and her legs could separate unencumbered.
And that’s when I used my index finger to travel from the top of her slit down.
“Fuck, Iq’her,” she hissed from behind my hand. “Your finger feels so good.”
I began to run my finger over her slick folds over and over. Human female physiology was something that I had read about after meeting Stasia in the restaurant and it took me only a few seconds to find what she referred to as…
“My clit. Oh god. Oh god,” she moaned.
I placed two fingers over the hood and began to move them in a circular motion, bending my knees slightly to lift her from the ground, supporting her slight weight on my thighs.
Her head lolled back onto my chest as she felt herself suspended in midair as explosions of pleasure hit her body. I could feel her muscles spasm and buck as my fingers worked on her. Stasia’s head rolled to the side as she attempted to get words out.
“Quiet,” I whispered to her, reminding her of her part of this bargain.
And I plunged my fingers in deep into her tight heat.
If Stasia could have shrieked, every living creature in the area would know what was going on. But instead, she kicked her feet against my legs as she lost control of her limbs.
I kept thrusting my fingers into her, going deeper each time. Once completely inside of her, I made a come-hither motion with my fingers against her walls, and once again Stasia exploded.
Bringing pleasure to my mate was perhaps one of the most satisfying endeavors in the universe.
There she was, helpless in my arms as I kept her suspended in midair. Her legs thrashed. Her head rolled from side to side. Her breathing was short and ragged as orgasm after orgasm consumed her.
“So good…” she moaned.
“This is but a taste,” I informed her, my breath hot on her ear. “Speaking of such things…”
I lifted her higher, turning her until her sweet pussy was in front of my face and she clasped my shoulders with desperate fingers.
“Can you be quiet without my help?” I demanded.
“I don’t know, I don’t know…” she started.
But it was too late for caution. I drove into her dripping folds with my tongue, lapping her nectar until she wrapped her legs around my shoulders, her hands fisting on my scalp.
>
Two licks. And then three more and she collapsed onto me, shuddering in bliss.
I stood there for a long moment, breathing deeply of her scent.
My mate.
Happy and relaxed.
Because of me.
If I’d thought I would do anything for her before, that was nothing to the feeling of possession that washed through me now.
I should take her from this cursed forest, away from her idiot brother.
Lock her in the new home, drive her to a screaming mess in my arms, over and over.
And she’d never trust me again.
I’d promised to try to bring this disaster to a peaceful conclusion.
Let her brother have every chance.
And so, I would.
For her.
Gently holding her as her shaky knees re-accustomed themselves, I helped her put her pants back on.
“Well, these panties are ruined,” she said with a smile.
With her leaning on my arm, we started back towards her lean-to then, against my better judgement, shared a furtive kiss that was laced with desire.
“Good night, Stasia.” I bid her. “Stay safe. I’ll be near.”
I watched as she nestled down in the scant bedding, obviously uncomfortable.
After this, never again, I swore as I made my way over to the campfire, curious as to what was being said. Roddik sounded uncharacteristically calm, and that worried me.
“My brother and his family were killed when those things arrived. I’ve never been able to forgive them like my sister has,” I heard one of the men saying as I took a seat along the outer circle of people.
Another one nodded. “Same here. My wife forgave the bastards and even started working with them when we lived back in Duvest. I moved everyone to Nyheim after the bugs were killed, thinking the rest of the aliens would leave, but they didn’t.”
“What happened to your wife, Dunk?” one of Roddik’s closest people asked.
“Ex-wife,” the one called Dunk said. “She said that my refusal to give them the benefit of the doubt wasn’t something she wanted to be a part of.” His voice was filled with love and forgiveness when he mentioned her, but as soon as he mentioned us in any way, the hatred in his voice dripped.