The Mercenary (The War Chronicles Book 1)

by Petra Landon

  Saakshi shuddered and gasped, her hands scrabbling for purchase on the silken piliken coverlet she held onto as a lifeline. Mindless with passion and almost delirious from the pleasure, she felt him rear up from his position between her knees. Her eyes watched through a haze of unfamiliar desire as he grasped his male part to place it carefully at her feminine entrance, slick with the essence he’d teased out of her, even as the gentle clasp on her right ankle opened her up more for his penetration. Her heart beat fast, suffocatingly loud in her ears, despite her ragged breathing and the mix of confusion and passion she was struggling to come to grips with. One fleeting glance at the large darker gray part of him poised to claim her had her quickly looking away. His big body surged over her, careful to keep his weight off her by bracing his forearms on the bed on either side of her. For a moment, Saakshi found herself drowning in the dark eyes, the blaze in their depths answered by the fire he had stoked in her. He bent his head to the breast he’d ignored before to lap at it delicately. Her eyes closed, her breathing ragged. Every time she gasped softly from the pleasure he elicited with his tongue on her, he employed a subtle twist of his hips to slide a little into her until he was halfway in.

  The dark eyes moved to tangle with hers, the fire in the black depths blazing now, his jaw clenched and his face tight with desire.

  “So tight” he remarked in his scratchy voice, the words torn from him. “Are you sure you’ve done this before?”

  “Yes” she said, a little indignantly through the haze of her own blazing fire. “But he wasn’t this big.”

  He chuckled softly at her words.

  “You’re right. I am a big murtobak” he acknowledged huskily.

  His big body vibrated gently as he chuckled, the part of him inside her vibrating in tandem. Her hips wriggled spontaneously in response to the wonderful sensation. It spurred him on to surge into her with a single powerful thrust as he seated himself to the hilt. She whimpered in reaction, the feeling of being stretched so full almost too much to bear.

  “All right, tseriya?” he inquired anxiously. She found herself nodding to reassure him, wanting to rid his voice of the anxiety.

  He continued the little rocking movement in her without unseating himself significantly, the dark eyes watching the expressions that raced across her face. After a few minutes of this, he swooped down to capture her lips, tracing them lightly with his tongue. He thrust tentatively into her once and she gasped at the sensation. His tongue took immediate advantage to slide in, tasting and lapping at the inside of her mouth. Saakshi moaned softly into his mouth as pleasure swept over her from his slow thrusts into her. She moved restlessly under him in wordless encouragement. He rocked back and thrust powerfully, his tongue mimicking the action in her mouth.

  “Look at me” the husky command swept through her as he reared up to watch her. “I want to watch your eyes as you become mine.”

  Saakshi obeyed him, staring helplessly into the burning eyes, his expression a little savage as he ground into her, his thrusts getting progressively deeper and faster. A nameless pleasure built slowly within her, speeding towards an unknown climax. She writhed under him, past the point of no return. He leant down to trace the little point of her right ear and nip the fleshy part near the top. It drove her over the edge and she screamed with pleasure as she came. When she was done, she lay back, limp and exhausted, while he gripped the coverlet strongly to increase the tempo of his body as he thrust into her. His face tightened with an expression of exquisite torture and Saakshi clasped him to her in response. One small hand caressed his back soothingly. Her ownership bracelet with the attached suppressor device grazed his back, but he ignored it. His eyes stared fiercely into her sated ones to hold her captive while he pumped into her. Something squeezed delicately at her heart as he gave a soft grunt, surging into her one final time with a hoarse cry, to spill his essence inside her.

  Saakshi allowed her eyes to close as he slumped over her, careful to keep his weight off her while he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She relaxed, pleased by the feel of his lips on her nape. They lay entwined together for a few minutes, their hearts beating in tandem, neither inclined to any conversation. Her hand, the one without the ownership bracelet, caressed his shoulder and back without conscious thought. She felt a soft kiss on her nape before he extricated himself from her to climb off the bed, his movements surprisingly graceful for such a large man.

  “Stay here” he directed quietly, the dark eyes mysterious in the soft light.

  Obedient to his wishes, Saakshi lay unmoving, her sated body disinclined to let go of the wonderful aftermath. The entire experience felt like a dream to her.

  Wow, who knew it could be like this? The male wasn’t joking - he certainly has a healthy sexual appetite. I can barely muster the strength to move.

  The Captain returned with a warm and wet towelette and proceeded to clean her between the thighs with gentle care. Saakshi squirmed in wordless protest.

  “Allow me” he met her eyes directly. “It is my pleasure.”

  She lay back without further protest and let him have his pleasure, her arms coming up to cover herself.

  “Was I too rough with you?” he asked her, the dark eyes candid and earnest.

  Her eyes shot to him, the remembered sensations washing over her.

  “No” she shook her head shyly. “You were perfect.”

  A singularly attractive smile lit up his face as he gazed down at her, the black eyes possessive as they roamed over her.

  “Perfect, hmm?” he remarked huskily.

  Saakshi couldn’t help but nod mutely in assent.

  He headed back into the bathing enclosure with the used towelette, gloriously male in his nakedness. Saakshi sat up to glance around the chamber. She was suddenly nervous. They were done, and he didn’t seem too disappointed. But she wasn’t sure what the protocol was in this situation. Should she perhaps get ready to return to her dormitory? She glanced down at herself, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to at least be dressed when she faced him again. She hurried over to where she’d placed her uniform and underclothes after the shower, to tug on the fraying piece of underclothing that was one of the only two sets she owned. The tips from Trader Pik’s would need to be applied towards some new underclothes soon, she sighed.

  “Going somewhere?” inquired a deep male voice from behind her.

  She whipped around, hoping he wouldn’t notice the holes in the serviceable underclothing she had on; the only thing covering her.

  “I wasn’t sure … I thought I’d go back to the dorm and … umm… leave the bed to you” she stammered.

  “I’m willing to share” he offered, his voice rife with soft persuasion. “Stay with me. I’ll walk you over before your shift begins tomorrow.”

  For the third time that evening, he held out his hand to her, completely unselfconscious of his nudity.

  Saakshi walked over to him and let him lead her to the bed, scooting over to make room for him. He pulled out a blanket from a unit under the bed to place it over them both. His voice activated the room controls until just a faint light from the bathing enclosure permeated the room. He settled down on his side to face her as she lay on her back to stare at the ceiling with one arm folded on her ribcage. His big hand played with the fingers of her hand that rested on her chest.

  “Alright, tseriya?” he asked softly.

  “Yes” she answered, her voice equally soft.

  He lay silent beside her, his breathing progressively more even until his hand stopped playing with her fingers although he still retained his clasp of her hand. Saakshi assumed that he’d fallen asleep when he spoke again.

  “Zoran” he said suddenly into the darkness.

  Saakshi turned her head to look at him.

  “My name” he explained. “Zoran Hadari-Begur-Kor. Call me Zoran.”

  He pronounced his name by rolling out the z and r sounds.

  “Zoran” she tested his name on her tongue.
“I’m glad you came to Trader Pik’s.”

  She caught a brief flash of white as he smiled in the darkness.

  “Saakshi neh Merama tik Ulmik pura Bedana. Call me Saakshi.”

  “Saakshi” he mused, drawing out the aa sound like she had done. “It’s pretty. What does it mean?”

  “It means ‘witness’ in a very old language called Sanskrit that is not spoken any more. My people believe that Budhi was originally derived from Sanskrit.”

  “It suits you.”

  Then, a short while later.

  “Saakshi” he said huskily, his voice rough with sleep. “I’m glad you came to me for help.”

  Sometime later in the night, she was awakened by warm hands and urgent lips.

  “Don’t like this” an indignant voice muttered over her. “Want to feel you.”

  She felt hands tugging at her underclothes, growing progressively impatient with frustration. A ripping sound followed by the tattered remnants of her underclothes being taken off her roused Saakshi enough to try and protest the massacre of one of the only two pairs of underclothing she possessed. She attempted sleepily to form the words to explain the urgency of the matter to him. The hands reached for her, clasping her tightly to his warm skin before going slack, the owner of the hands breathing gently into her neck as he slept with her cradled into the curve of his big body. Saakshi gave up all attempts to explain, falling back into exhausted sleep – she’d worry about her underclothes tomorrow.

  Zoran slipping carefully out of the cozy bed awoke Saakshi again at dawn. She opened bleary eyes to mutter an incoherent protest at the sudden removal of his big warm body.

  “Sleep, tseriya. I’ll wake you before your shift” he reassured her softly.

  Saakshi felt a feather-soft kiss on her shoulder and a second blanket wrapped around her as she drifted back into sleep again.

  She felt refreshed when she awoke for the third time, a feeling of warmth and happy lethargy permeating her. The soft sheets under her and the cozy blanket over her puzzled her for a moment as she gazed around her, a little disoriented and not properly awake yet. The bed felt much larger than the narrow one she usually slept in, the chamber looked much more opulent than her utilitarian dorm, and she seemed to be completely naked under the covers. It was the last discovery that had Saakshi blinking abruptly awake. Her eyes swept the room to find the Hadari’Kor male seated comfortably in the Conversation Section.

  Captain. No ... Zoran. His name is Zoran.

  Images from the night before swept over her as memories from their passionate encounter surged back to her.

  Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.

  Colorful tattoos that shimmered and rippled on his chest while he gazed down at her with blazing hungry eyes.

  Look at me. I want to watch your eyes while I make you mine.

  His dark head between her splayed thighs as he lapped at her intimately with his tongue.

  So tight. Are you sure you’ve done this before?

  His tongue sliding into her mouth in an imitation of his action as he thrust powerfully into her.

  Alright, tseriya?

  The vivid memories overwhelmed her as she studied him intently, his boot clad feet propped casually up on the oval center table. He was dressed in the black uniform he favored, his attention focused on a tablet in his hand while steam arose from the mug he held in his other hand. He must have sensed her, for he turned his head to look at her. Her heart gave the same uncomfortable lurch that only he seemed to elicit from her. He put down the tablet in his hand to take a sip of his hot drink, his eyes resting on her. Those dark eyes, usually such a good mirror of his thoughts, held an expression this morning she couldn’t read.

  “You’re awake. Good” he remarked. “You’ve a couple of hours before you start your shift.”

  She merely stared back at him in a sleepy haze, and his lips quirked with amusement, taking in her flushed skin and sleep-kissed eyes.

  “Not a morning person, hmm?” he murmured.

  He sauntered over with his drink to gaze down at her prone figure before holding out a hand to her.

  “Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s get you into the shower. We don’t want you to be late for work the first time you stay over.”

  Her response was to pull the blanket more securely around her, supremely conscious of her nakedness under it. She glanced at the hand he held out to her, the blanket that covered her, and the entrance to the bathing enclosure that felt like miles away in her current state.

  “Nothing I didn’t see last night, tseriya” he remarked, supremely amused by her reaction.

  Saakshi flushed, unable to meet his laughing eyes.

  “All right” he sighed theatrically. “I will turn my back if I must.”

  True to his word, he turned away and Saakshi hurried to slip out of the covers and dash into the bathing enclosure.

  When Saakshi came out again, attired in the big fluffy robe from last night that had miraculously found its way back on its hook in the enclosure, he held out a tablet to her from where he stood by the dinner table.

  “The menu for the Synthesizer” he pointed towards the family-sized Food Synthesizer in the corner she’d observed the night before. “Pick something and it’ll be ready by the time you’re dressed.”

  Saakshi glanced around, looking for the uniform she’d left neatly folded on a chair by the Conversation Section. It was too dirty to wear for the day. She’d have to go by her dorm to change before she showed up for her shift at Trader Pik’s.

  “I sent your uniform out to be laundered this morning. It came back while you were in the shower” he gestured at a neat bundle on the bed.

  Pleasure bloomed, somewhere deep in her, at the simple gesture that spoke volumes about him.

  “Thank you. That is very kind of you” she thanked him, completely disarmed by his thoughtfulness. He nodded, a little uncomfortable by her gratitude for the simple act.

  She scrolled through the list on the tablet to order herself a hearty nutritious platter, transmitting the order to the Synthesizer.

  “Would you like some coffa?” Zoran offered, gesturing at his fresh steaming drink.

  A strong but pleasing aroma wafted gently from his cup.

  “I’ve never had coffa before” she confessed.

  “Never?” Zoran exclaimed incredulously. Coffa was widely available everywhere due to its popularity across different worlds and races.

  “On my home world, it is illegal for Budheya to imbibe coffa. The limited supply is intended exclusively for the Ketaari occupation forces.”

  Zoran stared at her, silenced by her simple admission. The Ketaari liked to call their domain the Budh-Ketaari Empire to paper over the façade of their occupation of a peaceful and accomplished people. He’d even fought on occasion for the Ketaari, though he personally found them a little uncivilized and repugnant with their constant war-mongering, inexhaustible greed for territory, and their racist treatment of all their non-Ketaari subjects. Even the Hadari’Kor, whose traditional way of life was to earn a living by using their formidable skills to fight for whichever side was willing to pay top currency, found the Ketaari’s unhealthy eagerness to conquer and subjugate too much to stomach. And that was before he’d met this little Budheya girl who looked like she hadn’t had a square meal in her life, had pain implants forcibly injected into her body, had been sent off to a lawless and potentially dangerous space station to work long hours with no pay, was shackled by an ownership bracelet to signify her slave status, and had been reduced to offering herself to a stranger to escape the fate of being the plaything of the same occupiers who had spent the last century grinding the collective faces of her people into the dirt. Zoran found himself clenching his jaw against a blinding burst of sudden rage at the injustice of it all.

  “Well …” he drawled, aiming for lightheartedness. “Since we don’t give a hoot about Ketaari …”

  “Sons of swines” she interjected.
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br />   “Exactly” he stated with approval. “I decree that you shall try some coffa. I assure you that my coffa brewing skills are spoken of with awe in at least three star systems.”

  “I would like that” she replied, a grin springing to her lips.

  He programmed the Food Synthesizer into coffa brewer mode and commenced the careful art of measuring out the ingredients necessary to provide the addictive taste of a perfect cup of coffa.

  A gasp from behind him diverted Zoran’s attention from his careful task. He placed the ingredients aside to turn around. Saakshi was staring down at the intricately worked piliken underclothes he’d found after spending the morning scouring the businesses on the space station. She reached hesitantly for the neatly folded bundle to run a wondering finger over the fine ultrasoft fitted bodice before glancing back at him, her eyes full of surprised inquiry.

  “It’s for you. I got it to replace the one I damaged last night.”

  “No” she shook her head forcefully, her response immediate and heartfelt.

  “No?” he repeated slowly.

  “I cannot accept such an expensive gift from you.”

  The expression on his face tightened and his eyes went carefully blank.

  “I spent an hour this morning trying to find the right fit. I even took in the torn one to get your size right” he informed her tersely, his voice brusque with anger.

  Saakshi stared back him, an uncertain expression on her face.

  “Look” he said impatiently. “I ripped it off you last night. So, can we just call this a replacement and leave it at that?”

  After an infinitesimal hesitation, Saakshi nodded reluctantly. She knew that it was much more than a replacement. It was the most luxurious thing she’d ever owned in her life. But Zoran’s expression was thunderous and she didn’t want to rock this new arrangement between them before she had figured out the parameters of it.

  “Thank you” she muttered, turning away towards the bathing enclosure to change.