by Ashley West
As she watched, Kratos cut one of them down. His sword flashed once and then twice, and the creature crumpled to the ground, bleeding out. He whirled, but the other one had retreated back into the building.
“Are you okay?” Kirstie asked, hurrying to his side.
Kratos snorted. “Takes more than that to get me down.”
“You always say that.”
“It’s always true.”
A whistling noise split the air, and Kirstie jerked back just in time to miss getting blasted. Kratos swore. “Stay here,” he said firmly, and then dashed inside.
And yes, she was well aware that she should have done as she was told, but it was hard to watch him charge forward into danger like this. He was protecting her, trying to defend her people because she'd asked him to. The rest of his group weren't even there, and he was on his own in this. If something happened to him, if he got hurt or killed, she'd never be able to forgive herself, and she figured the least she could do was watch the fight.
So she crept inside.
The sounds of fighting were easy to follow, and she walked in just in time to see the creature kicking out with an oddly shaped foot to slash a kick right across Kratos' middle.
Clawed feet tore a hole in his shirt, and blood welled up in the wake of it. Kirstie inhaled sharply.
Kratos was still going, though, seeming to ignore the wound in favor of lunging with his sword, crashing it down onto the blaster the creature still held, the screeching whine of metal sliding against metal ringing out and making Kirstie want to slap her hands over her ears.
Kratos just snorted and whirled with the sword to come around from behind, whacking the creature with the flat of it and sending it stumbling. He caught sight of her standing there and gave her a flat look, but he didn't say anything, apparently not wanting to bring attention to the fact that she was there. As long as the creature didn't see her, then she was fine. Probably.
The battle kept going. It was quick, too quick to follow properly, and Kirstie was stunned. She'd never seen Kratos fight full on like this before. Sometimes he sparred with Sanaal or Milara, and she watched when she was there, but this was different. This was Kratos trying to kill this thing before it could kill him, and he wasn't messing around. Each swing of his sword was clearly designed to do damage. To hurt, wound, rip and leave him the victor.
The creature could sense that, obviously, because it fought back just as hard. It was scary to think that it didn't have a real weapon and was gaining as much ground as it was. All it had was a blaster that it used to deflect Kratos' blows, and it was holding its own very well.
Kratos didn't seem to tire, though, and eventually he found an opening. He'd drawn the fighting around in a circle so that he was standing in front of Kirstie, blocking her from view and serving as a shield between her and the creature.
It worked, for a time, at least until the creature realized what Kratos was doing and managed to shake him, darting around to get between them.
Kirstie screamed as it got close, heart in her throat as she moved without thinking. She threw a punch, hitting the creature in its face and causing it to stumble backwards. That was enough for Kratos to grab the cloak and drag it further back, running it through with his sword.
As soon as the creature crumpled to the ground, dead, Kratos rushed forward and grabbed her up, holding her close. His hands checked her over for any sign that she might have been hurt, and then he was kissing her hard, relief evident in his movements.
His breath was hot against her lips as he panted, fire in his dark eyes. "You are so reckless," he practically growled, and Kirstie knew she was being scolded, but god. He was so attractive like this. His arms were linked around her waist, and he had hauled her closer, right out of harm's way before she could be blasted into little pieces for her bravery. "What if something had happened to you?" he asked, following the question up with a good amount of swearing she couldn't understand but picked up the tone of.
"At least you know the time you spent training me has paid off?" she tried, giving him a sheepish smile.
He did not look the slightest bit amused when he glared at her.
"This is serious," he insisted, and she knew that, but it was hard to feel ashamed or bad about what she'd done when he was so close to her, and she could feel his heartbeat and the strength in his hands and arms. When he was speaking to her in that low voice that tightened things low down in her body and make her curiously damp. She wondered what it would sound like when he...
No.
Bad.
Focus.
"Are you even listening to me?" he demanded.
"Yes," Kirstie replied in a small voice. "I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear?"
Kratos huffed and glanced away at the crumbling wall of the building before he looked back at her. "No. I want you to be safe."
"I'll do better next time. Promise."
He didn't look like he believed her, and when she cracked a little smile at him, he glared again. This time his eyes darted to her lips before going back up, and Kirstie decided to be a little bit wicked. This probably wasn't the time or the place for this, but she hadn't been this close to him in days, and she'd missed it. And she wanted him.
She dragged her tongue along her bottom lip slowly, a tease, and when his eyes followed the motion, she awarded herself mental points. He'd already admitted that he'd been with plenty of women, and Kirstie knew those women had probably been more interesting than her, but there she was, holding his attention anyway.
With a low noise of either pure arousal or annoyance, Kratos leaned in and kissed her hard.
They'd kissed a few times since that first one. Usually small kisses that they could sneak into their few moments alone. The Grey knew they were being hunted in earnest now, and so there were attacks more often than not, making it so that The Kilan were always busy. But Kratos made a point to come give her 'progress reports' which mostly consisted of him telling her about the battles and then kissing her lightly for as long as they thought they could get away with.
It usually wasn't very long.
But now they were out in the middle of nowhere together, and while it was hardly a romantic spot, it was quiet. There was no one around, and the corpses of The Grey that Kratos had killed were far enough away that they did nothing to ruin the mood.
Kirsten was smart enough (and horny enough) to realize an opportunity when she saw one.
She kissed him back, letting him know that she didn't want him to stop. Kirstie thought she knew him well enough by now to know that he'd push for a different location. For at least going back to the ship before they did anything they might regret, but that wasn't what she wanted.
She wanted this sense of urgency, the way nearly being killed sped her heart rate and heated her blood. The way his arms were wrapped around her so tightly like he didn't want to let go. She wanted him still keyed up with adrenaline and not holding back.
He seemed to sense that from the near frantic way she kissed him back. The way she clung to him, fingers fisted in the torn and bloody fabric of his shirt. He changed his grip on her so that his arms were under her thighs, and her bottom was right in his hands. It had her legs spread open wide, and just the positioning of it made her blush and want more.
They didn't stop kissing.
Kratos nipped at her bottom lip and then soothed it with the warm slide of his tongue, and Kirsten whimpered for him so softly. She pressed closer, arms going around his neck, fingers tangling in the soft hair at his nape. When his hands squeezed at her bottom, she moaned right into his mouth.
Kratos pulled back just a bit, breathing ragged, and he looked at her with eyes that bled lust everywhere. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?" he asked, voice so low and deep.
"Tell me?" Kirstie replied, trying not to sound like she was begging. But it was one of the things she loved most, having an effect on someone, being significant enough to make them feel something, and she wanted to know
just what she was doing to him.
Instead of trying to put it in words, Kratos let her slide down to the slightly uneven ground, holding onto her so she didn't stumble on her wobbly footing. He took one of her hands and pressed it to the front of his pants, letting her feel what she had done to him.
He was hard. His cock was a thick outline in his pants, hot even through the fabric of them and thicker than Kirstie had been expecting.
She didn't know why she hadn't expected him to be huge, considering how large he was, and she was anxious and excited at the prospect of seeing if that would fit in her.
Kratos took the same hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers and giving her a heated look. "Come with me," he said.
She allowed him to lead her further away from the place where they'd fought, deeper inside of the building they'd been in. It was ruined for the most part, but they found plenty of beds, and Kirsten couldn't stop giggling.
"What's so funny?" Kratos asked, pushing her lightly into the room and bending to kiss her neck.
The room was still intact, which was great for them, and even if the power was out, and all they had was a bed and a bathroom, it suited their purposes well.
"Mmm," she hummed, tipping her head to one side to give him better access. Her neck was so sensitive, and his lips were warm and sure as they glided across skin. "Nothing. Just we're having a secret rendezvous in an abandoned hotel. It's very post-apocalyptic."
He didn't seem to get the joke, but that was fine. As long as he kept kissing her. As long as he kept pulling her closer, fingers firm on her waist as he held her. He slipped those fingers under the hem of her shirt and brushed skin, and she swallowed hard.
"You're so soft," Kratos breathed, like she was a wonder.
"Mmm," she murmured. "You're not. I like it."
He smirked against the skin of her neck. "Not with you around, I'm not."
She giggled and he nipped at her neck, turning that giggle into a low moan. "Kratos, please."
"Tell me what you want, sihan," he murmured back.
"Touch me."
She blushed at the prospect of having to tell him where she wanted his touch, but he seemed to catch on quickly, sliding one hand down her stomach to settle between her legs. A jolt of pleasure shot through her when he rubbed there, through her clothes, those sure fingers finding the place she wanted to be touched the most and pressing a bit harder.
Kirstie trembled in his grip, whimpering and rolling her hips. "More," she breathed. "Please."
He didn't make her wait or beg more. For someone so used to getting what he wanted, he was very good at giving, it seemed. His hand let up only to slide into her pants and underwear, fingers just as confident as he seemed to be as they slipped past her folds to stroke her wet heat.
Her knees threatened to buckle, and she wrapped fingers around his forearms, holding on as he teased her. She couldn't help the way she was practically humping his hand, getting wetter for him by the second.
When he pushed a finger right up into her, she nearly came on the spot.
"Kratos," she panted, just the edge of a whine in her voice. "Oh, god. God, that feels good."
He smirked and slipped another finger into her.
By the time he had her naked and on the bed, Kirstie was a mess. She was so wet between her legs, that it was smeared on her thighs, the scent of her arousal thick in the air. Kratos seemed to find it wonderful, and he worked her with his fingers, braced over her on one hand while the other teased at her clit, until she arched and came with his name on her lips.
He had stripped off his torn shirt, and had just opened his pants enough to pull out his cock, tantalizing and hard. Kratos sat back on his heels and licked his fingers clean of her release, eyes glinting in the waning sunlight that shone into the room.
"Can you handle more?" he asked.
Kirstie's chest heaved, and even though she'd just come for him and was indeed still riding the aftershocks of that pleasant experience, seeing his cock there, proud and jutting out from his waistband, made her want to try it. She knew she was more pliable now that she had gotten off, and she was still so turned on.
"Yes," she whispered back.
She reached for him, one hand wrapping around the base of his length, and she sucked in a breath. It was so warm, the skin soft even while the flesh was hard. Her fingers didn't meet around the middle of it. Her mouth watered.
Kratos took over from there, bucking into her hand before he pulled himself back over her. "We'll go slow," he murmured, leaning down to kiss from her breasts to her mouth, lips lighting a trail of delicious heat through her as they went.
All Kirstie could do was hold onto his shoulders as he settled himself between her legs and then pressed forward, the head of his cock rubbing and slipping in the wetness from her arousal and subsequent release.
She moaned for him when the head of him brushed her sensitive clit, and when he started the slow slide inside of her, she closed her eyes and focused on breathing.
It was definitely a stretch. Her body worked to accommodate something much bigger than it had ever taken before, but even that was a turn on.
It was tight, tight, tight, and she gasped as he filled her, squirming and arching and whimpering, finding herself close all over again.
"You're so tight," Kratos groaned, his own eyes shut tight as he breathed deeply. "So good." He held himself still for a long moment and then set an easy rhythm; slow and steady so they could both get used to it.
Every other breath was a curse, and it didn't take long for his hips to stutter and speed up, pushing himself deeper into her.
And Kirstie welcomed it. She took it and let it amp up her feelings of pleasure. That white heat was racing down through her, filling her up at her center before spreading out to her fingers and toes, making her fingers bite harder into the skin of his arms and her toes curl against the blankets of the bed.
"Kratos," she gasped, arching and twisting with how good it was. "So close. Oh god, please don't stop."
He looked like he couldn't have if he wanted to, and when she came, he grunted and followed close behind.
He was careful, so careful not to collapse on top of her, which she appreciated because a few hundred pounds of muscular man seemed like a lot to be getting on with. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and flipped their positions so that she was cradled to his chest. It was so easy to let herself get wrapped up in the warmth of it and how solid he was beneath her, and she smiled, snuggling against her.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a cuddler,” she murmured.
“I’m a man of many talents,” he replied, and she could feel his voice rumbling through his chest. “Multi-faceted. Like a gem. A big gem.”
Kirstie giggled and pressed a kiss to his chest. “You’re ridiculous is what you are,” she murmured. “We shouldn’t sleep here.” She said it, but didn’t make any attempt to move.
“You can,” Kratos replied, lowering his head to press a kiss to the top of hers. “I’ll wake you if there’s trouble.”
“But-”
“Shh,” he said. “Sleep, sihan.”
Kirstie slept.
Chapter Fourteen: Second Thoughts
“I want to talk to you.”
It wasn’t a request, mostly because Milara didn’t make those, and Kratos sighed, continuing to drink his spirit.
“I don’t think I can stop you, can I?” he replied with a huff. “What’s up, Mil?”
“You and that girl.”
And yeah, he’d sort of known this was going to come up eventually. There wasn’t much he could do to stop Milara from voicing her...concerns or opinions, whichever these were going to be, so he just took a seat at the table and set his cup down, folding his arms to settle in. “What about her?”
“I want to know what you’re doing.”
“I thought we were saving them,” he said, blinking innocently at her. She scowled in return.
; “Don’t be cute, Kratos.”
“I can’t help that, Milara.”
Milara shook her head. “You need to listen to me, Kratos. Because I’m only going to say this once. You’re not the only one involved in this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that the chances of these humans coming up with this money at the end of this mess are very small, and you know that. You know that they’re going to be all hurt and broken and ruined before this is done.”
“Isn’t that what the collateral was for in the first place?”
She gave him a harsh look. “You and I both know that you aren’t going to take her.”
Kratos’ eyes went wide at that. He’d been thinking about it lately because Milara was right. The humans really weren’t likely to be able to come up with the money any time soon, which meant that it would be up to Kirstie to fulfill the terms of their deal. Keith would rage and try to stop her, and Kratos knew Kirstie well enough by now to know that she would let them take her to keep her end of the deal. She was honest and trustworthy like that. And honestly, Kratos has been thinking the exact opposite of what Milara thought he had. He’d been thinking about how nice it would be to have Kirstie come with them. She was a breath of fresh air, really. Something different from all the others he knew, and having her on board with them would be wonderful.
“Do you care about her at all?” Milara asked suddenly.
Kratos’ head jerked up. “What?”
“You heard me. Do you care about her at all? I know you, Kratos. I know how you are with women. You chase them until they give in, give you what you want, and then the fun’s gone. We’re never in one place long enough for you to have to form any lasting ties with anyone, and I don’t even think you know the meaning of the word commitment. You’re playing with her.”
“Excuse me?” He was less than pleased by this rant now. Mostly because he couldn’t argue with a good chunk of it. He’d spent his life going in search of pleasure when he wasn’t working, and for the most part, he wasn’t ashamed of that. There was nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy himself. But he did take offense to Milara’s pronouncement that he was just toying with Kirstie. He hated the way she said it. Like she knew everything already, like there was no way possible that he could actually care about her.