by S. E. Smith
Frazer’s head dropped down until his chin rested on his chest. His hands fell limply to his side. He looked defeated but Cosmos wasn’t about to believe that a man like Frazer would just accept death, not when he still could draw a breath.
Cosmos patiently waited until Frazer’s head rose. The cold calculating look of hatred shown clear, proving what he thought - Frazer would not give up as long as he lived. His eyes flickered briefly to the spear that was lying just out of reach of the man kneeling in front of him. His eyes jerked up in time to see the slight movement of Frazer’s hand as he reached behind him.
Pain exploded through Cosmos as he realized that Frazer had taken not one but two weapons. He staggered as the long blade of the knife embedded to the hilt in his right thigh. He fell backwards onto the ground as the loud roars of rage echoed from those watching around the arena. His eyes turned to Teriff and J’kar who were holding Mak back. A soft cry sounded faintly before it was concealed.
Terra! Cosmos painfully bit out.
He is getting up! Cosmos, he has his spear. No one can help you. The council will only let Mak finish him for fighting with dishonor if you are killed, Terra cried out.
Cosmos pushed Terra’s voice and his pain to the back of his mind. He gripped his spear tightly in his left hand while he wrapped his right hand around the hilt of the knife. He watched through a haze of pain as Frazer staggered over towards him. Hatred and triumph gleamed in his eyes.
“You should have killed me while you had the chance, Raines,” Frazer gloated. “Now your mommy can cry over your grave too.”
Cosmos waited until Frazer stopped just in front of him. When the man raised his arm to drive his spear into him, Cosmos lunged forward driving his own spear through the stomach of the man who had murdered his father while ripping the knife from his thigh and driving it through the man’s throat. A roar of pain ripped from his lips as the blade pulled from his flesh.
Frazer’s eyes widened in surprise, his hands opening in reflex as the two blades pierced him before glazing over and becoming empty. Cosmos fell backwards into the dirt thrusting Frazer as far away from him as he could before he collapsed.
“Cosmos!” Terra’s cry echoed around him.
Things began to blur as he stared up at the ceiling of the arena. His mind processed the fact that he had been so focused on killing Frazer that he had not even bothered looking up at the ceiling. It was a truly beautiful piece of artwork. Intricate murals depicting different warriors battling covered the arched surface. The colors were bold and the more he stared the more he saw. At times, he could swear they actually moved. He blinked rapidly when they went out of focus. He wanted to study them and wondered vaguely if his fight with Frazer would ever be depicted up there. Maybe after he was dead they would paint it.
You will not die, Terra admonished him as she gently lifted his head.
Why do I feel so tired? Cosmos asked with a frown. Did he hit an artery?
I think you nicked it when you pulled the knife out of your leg, she said in reproach. Didn’t you think a spear through his heart enough?
I didn’t get his heart, Cosmos said feeling his eyes drooping even though he tried to keep them open. I went through his stomach. The acid alone would be devastating to the organs surrounding it.
Hush now, you silly man, and let me take care of you, Terra murmured as she spoke softly to someone else standing near her.
I want to have a baby, Cosmos muttered suddenly.
Soft laughter filled his mind. Let me keep you alive first then we will talk about having a baby.
Avilov? Cosmos whispered faintly.
Mak is excited that he will have a chance to kill someone. He is really very upset that the man has touched his mate. I think he would have knocked you out anyway so he could have his chance at him, Terra responded lightly.
Cosmos smiled as he thought of Avilov facing the huge Prime warrior without his lackeys to protect him. He felt a tug on his leg and heard the sound of material ripping but everything seemed to be coming from a great distance. His mind tried to analyze and record everything but it was getting hard to remain focused. A soft brush of warmth washed over him, pulling at him as if there was suddenly someone tightly holding on to him.
I’ve got you, Terra whispered as everything faded around him. Rest, my love.
Chapter 25
Cosmos had to blink several times before things started to come back into focus. His head felt like it was full of cotton and his body felt like lead. He shifted his right hand under the soft material of the bedspread covering him, sliding it down to his thigh where the knife had struck him. He was surprised to feel only a slightly raised line of skin. The area around the line was a little tender but nothing like it should have been.
“You will always have a faint reminder but once the hair grows back over it, you will not even be able to see it,” Terra’s soft voice said from beside the bed.
Cosmos turned his head. He couldn’t see her face. It was cast in shadows with the sun streaming through the window behind her. He knew he was in their living quarters at the palace. He looked back around as the sound of a throat clearing in the doorway drew his attention away from her. Teriff stood at the entrance watching him.
“Hey,” Cosmos said weakly.
Teriff raised his eyebrow. “I am not sure what that means but I will assume that you will live,” Teriff said dryly, stepping into the room.
“Of course he will live,” Terra snapped sternly as she rose from the chair she had been sitting in and crossed over to sit on the edge of the bed. “He was never in any danger. I was protecting his life force with my own.”
Teriff’s eyes darkened as he remembered how close he came to losing his beautiful daughter and the mate he had come to respect as a son. He pulled a chair that was by the door closer to the bed and sat down heavily. He studied his daughter and her mate for several moments before he cleared his throat.
“I wanted to tell you I was wrong about you,” Teriff began gruffly, looking with a solemn expression at Cosmos. “I’m… sorry.”
Cosmos’ eyes widened at the huge warrior’s words. “Hold on, I need to be sitting up to hear this,” he muttered as he struggled to sit upright.
He nodded his thanks when Terra helped him. He leaned forward so she could stack the pillows behind him. Leaning back against them, he grabbed her hand when she made to move away again. There was no way he was letting her get away from him, not after he thought he had lost her for a minute or two there in the arena. He pulled her down against him on the bed, tucking her firmly under his arm.
“Okay, can you repeat that?” He asked with a small grin.
Teriff released a loud sigh. “Tilly and Tresa both said you would enjoy this. I won’t even start to tell you what RITA2 said,” he muttered.
“I told him he better be prepared to eat a lot of crow,” RITA2 responded, shimmering into a solid form in the middle of the room.
“Holy shit!” Cosmos muttered, his jaw dropping as he saw a fully corporeal figure materialize. “How the hell were you able to do that? I mean, I know you had a holographic shape down but this is… this is incredible!”
RITA2 giggle and winked. “DAR, darling, I need you!” RITA2’s called out in a husky voice filled with amusement.
A moment later, the dark form of a massive Prime warrior appeared next to her. The sculptured face and form was even larger than Mak who was considered unusually large for a Prime male. What drew Cosmos attention the most were the dark silver eyes that burned with an unnatural light.
“You called, my love?” DAR replied in a deep voice.
RITA2 winked and grinned. “I programmed him to say that,” she whispered dramatically.
“Not likely,” DAR replied dryly. “If you remember, I was the one who wrote the script that allowed the programming that created this form.”
RITA2 giggled as he slid his arm around her curvy figure. “We are working with RITA to get her a shape. We already have F
RED and she is just dying to develop the script for what she is going to look like. She has already talked to Tilly about if she would mind using Lucy’s form,” RITA2 said referring to Tilly’s grandmother who had been a member of the French Underground during World War II.
Cosmos snapped his jaw shut wondering what in the hell he and Tilly had done. Their programming was taking on a life of its own. He could already see the possibilities and the problems that could develop.
RITA2 stepped closer to the bed, leaning over to brush a kiss across Cosmos’ forehead. He could almost imagine feeling soft lips touching his skin. She stood back and wrapped her arm around DAR with a small sigh.
“You know,” she said quietly. “I’ve always thought of you more as my son than as my creator or a father figure. I’m glad you are okay, Cosmos, and very sorry RITA and I couldn’t have done something to save your father.”
Cosmos stared at the curvy redhead standing in front of him. If it wasn’t for the fact he knew she wasn’t a real form, he would never have guessed that she wasn’t human. Warmth flooded him as feelings rushed through him as he realized that she looked just like he always imagined she would if she was human.
“Thanks, RITA2,” Cosmos responded. “I like your new form – as a friend,” he hastily added when DAR shot a dark, glowing look at him.
RITA2’s laughter echoed as she began to fade. “Come on, darling. I wanted to show you a new replication script I was thinking about.”
“Replication program?” Teriff said looking at Terra and Cosmos in horror.
“Oh God,” Cosmos said with a laugh. “I hope she wasn’t referring to what I think she was!” His mind filled with images of little RITA and DARs running through the palace.
Teriff’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he stood up with a nod. “You are alive. I have said I am sorry. Now I want more grandbabies. I will leave you to work on it. I expect them soon. I must go now. Tink and J’kar are bringing their daughters to me so I may watch them. I have promised them a ‘horsey’ ride,” he said proudly before he turned to leave. He paused at the door, looking at Cosmos once more. “You are a worthy warrior. I know you will protect my daughter well,” he added before he gave one more brisk nod and left them alone.
*.*.*
Cosmos watched as Teriff left. They heard the outer door close before Cosmos tilted his head back and rested his head against the headboard. He wondered how long he had been out of it for so much to happen.
Three days, Terra replied resting her cheek against his bare chest. There was more damage to the artery than I first realized and you bled heavily.
Avilov? Cosmos asked, enjoying talking to Terra this way. It felt more intimate. What happened to him?
Mak was very happy to stand in as your second as he had already been granted, Terra responded. The council agreed as Frazer fought without honor and Mak had a sound case against Avilov to allow him to go ahead and fight the male. I was not there for the fight but from what I heard, it did not take as long for Mak to kill him as my brother had hoped. The man fought but he was not a warrior. RITA2 said my brother toyed with him as long as he could before Avilov collapsed from blood loss and died. The healer who pronounced his death said the man already had damage to his heart and would not have survived much longer anyway.
You were not supposed to be there for my fight with Frazer. You were supposed to stay with my mother, Tilly, and your mom, Cosmos gently admonished, running his hand up and down her arm as she shivered.
They wanted me to go to you, including your mother, Terra replied huskily. It is a good thing that I did. You would have died if I had not wrapped your life force with my own.
Cosmos didn’t reply as Terra showed him everything that happened through her memories. Vivid images filled his mind as she relived his fight with Frazer. Her fear and horror rolled through him as he saw Frazer throwing the knife he had taken. As if watching a movie, he saw an image of himself strike out at Frazer when the man moved to kill him. He saw the knife being ripped from his leg and the blood pooling around him as it cut into the main artery in his thigh. He would have been dead in minutes from blood loss if not for Terra.
“I love you,” he said huskily, pulling her tighter against him. “Thank you… for everything.”
Terra looked up at him. “I was so scared I would lose you,” she whispered in a choked voice. “I never want to see you covered in blood like that again. I could feel you dying and I felt so helpless because they would not let me go to you until Frazer was declared dead.”
Cosmos leaned down, brushing a kiss across her mouth. The soft tremble of her lips drew a low groan from him. His body tightened. Three days of sleep and restorative healing suddenly reset his body back to the normal buzz that powered him.
“If you are my nurse, I think I might need help with my bath,” Cosmos murmured against her lips with a wicked twinkle glittering in his eyes. “I would hate to have a relapse or anything.”
Terra blushed as she saw the tented cover of the sheet over his lap. She pulled back and smiled seductively as she slid out of the bed. Reaching down, she jerked her shirt over her head revealing she wasn’t wearing anything under it.
Cosmos drew in a sharp breath as his eyes soaked in the smooth heavy globes and dark centers. “Damn! I think I’m going to be under your tender care for a long, long time,” he hissed scrambling out from under the covers of the bed.
Terra hurried around when he swayed for a moment. “Are you sure you are up to this?” She asked anxiously as she slid her arm around his waist.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a grin looking down, not at her but further.
Terra’s eyes followed his and she gasped as she saw his cock jerking up and down. The long, thick bulbous head swelled even more as she gazed down at it. Cosmos’ chuckle drew her attention back up to his face.
“If you keep staring at me like that I don’t think I’m going to make it to the bathroom,” he murmured, sliding his arm up until he was cupping her left breast in the palm of his hand. “I told you I wanted a baby. I meant it,” he said softly, looking deeply into her eyes.
Terra smiled up at him before she guided him to their bathing room. “Well, you heard my father. He wants more grandbabies. I think we should start working on it. According to Tilly, the more you practice, the better you get.”
Cosmos groaned as he felt her brush the tip of his cock with her hand as she stepped over the lip of the sunken tub. Hell, if she got any better he would die of pleasure, Cosmos thought as she pulled him down into the swirling warm water.
*.*.*
Cosmos leaned back against the edge of the huge tub. It was more than big enough for the two of them. He closed his eyes as he felt Terra’s strong fingers begin to massage the soap into his skin. He wanted to savor the feel of her touching him. Never had he ever experienced the feelings he did with her. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell or show her just how much she meant to him but he would spend the rest of his life trying.
A low moan escaped him as she straddled him and carefully poured warm water over his head. She gently wiped the water from his face with a soft cloth before he heard her pour some shampoo into her hand. A moment later, he felt her fingers as they scraped lightly over his scalp. She rose up and down as she worked the shampoo from front to back. Unable to help himself, he cracked his eyelids open just enough to watch her.
Cosmos gulped as his eyes met the dark rosy areolas and taut nipples of her breasts as she rose up again. He could feel his breathing increase and his mouth water as she leaned forward and worked her fingers through his hair that had grown a little longer over the past couple of months.
When her left nipple brushed his lips, he opened his mouth and latched onto it – sucking hungrily. Her hands fisted in his hair, tugging just enough to add a little pain with the pleasure. Her short gasping breaths echoed loudly.
“Cosmos,” she panted. “Oh yes, baby.”
Cosmos released her nipple with a po
p and leaned back. “I like it when you call me that,” he said with a twinkle.
“I like it when you suck on my breasts,” Terra admitted. “It ‘turns me on’ as Tilly would say.”
Cosmos grimaced. “I’m not sure I want to know what else Tilly has been teaching you,” he said with a look of disgust on his face.
“I don’t know,” Terra teased. “I’ve found the information to be very enlightening and some of it is downright fascinating. How about I just show you instead?” She suggested lowering her head to seal her lips against his as she began rotating her hips. “I’ll start with the lap dance,” she breathed out.
“Oh… hell,” Cosmos whispered hoarsely as his head fell back in pleasure.
Chapter 26
Cosmos shuddered as Terra rotated, swiveled and rocked her hips and upper torso. At the same time, she continued washing and rinsing his hair. The combination of the slippery soap, her soft flesh and her fingers fleetingly touching him everywhere was enough to drive him crazy.
His cock was as hard as a steel pipe and throbbing in time with her touch. Every time he would reach for her, she would stop and shake her head. She murmured something about Tilly saying foreplay led to more satisfaction during love making. Cosmos didn’t give a damn about foreplay right now. As far as he was concerned she had moved from foreplay to torture the moment she straddled him.
He drew in swift breaths as her hands moved over his chest, tangling in the light hair covering it and gently pulling on it. He cried out when she teased his nipples with her lips, tongue and teeth. His eyes followed the line of her spine as she sank further into the water and lifted her ass up just enough that the water teased him with hints of silky flesh.
“Terra… baby,” Cosmos mumbled as she wrapped her hand around his throbbing length. “Please baby, enough foreplay.”
She leaned forward and brushed a kiss across his lips before drawing his bottom lip between her teeth. “Not yet,” she whispered, letting his straining member go and moving her hand down between his legs. “I’m not finished washing you.”