Dagger's Hope

by S. E. Smith

  “Dagger,” she moaned as he pressed forward

  He intensified his attack on her clitoris, causing her to cry out at the same time as he pushed forward. Jordan felt a fleeting flash of pain, but the power of the orgasm that broke over her at the same time as he pushed through the thin barrier of her virginity swept it away before it registered. Her body pulsed as wave after wave of explosive pleasure burst through her.

  A low, startled cry escaped her when he rose above her and gripped her hips in his large hands. She felt his cock align with her still pulsing core. He looked down at her as he pressed forward.

  An intense expression, a combination of desire and pain, was frozen on his face as he pushed forward. She raised her legs to wrap around his hips and dug her heels into the upper curve of his ass. Her eyes locked with his as he pushed forward.

  “Jordan, my Amate,” he whispered in a rough voice. “You are mine forever.”

  Jordan’s eyes brightened with moisture at the emotion on his face as he held himself still to give her body time to adjust to his claim. The intensity, warmth, and emotion in them showed her more than any words could that he loved her. She raised her arms to him, needing to hold him.

  He bent forward, sliding his hands up her hips past her waist before wrapping them around her back and pulling her close to him as he began to rock back and forth. Her arms slid around him and her eyes closed. She wanted to forever lock this moment into her memories.

  The warmth of his breath caressed her neck as his arms tightened around her. His hips moved in slow, precise strokes at first, but as his breathing increased, so did the power of each stroke. She could feel the pressure building inside her again.

  A low moan escaped her and her fingers kneaded his skin, her hips rotating and moving in rhythm with him as she fought her way to the top of the mountain. She knew the moment she reached it. Her body, full and humming from Dagger’s hot shaft inside her, wrapped him in a fist and pulsed around him as she came again with an intensity that left her gasping.

  “Jordan!” Dagger’s harsh hiss echoed in her ear as he drove deep into her and froze, his loud pants of breath pulling at her heart. “Oh, my beautiful Jordan.”

  *.*.*

  Dagger shuddered as his body pulsed deep inside his Amate. Her sweet taste was still on his lips. When she had come, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold back. The thought of her hands and her mouth on him would have sent him over the edge. It had been too long for him and tasting Jordan’s ambrosia had been like water to a dying man. It had flooded through him, healing the wounds not visible to anyone else.

  He wanted their first time to be about pleasure, not pain. That was why he had brought her to a peak before he pushed through the barrier that he had felt. The taste of her orgasm mixed with the blood of her innocence sent a powerful, primitive wave of desire through him. He had risen up and pressed into her.

  What he had not expected was her to lock gazes with him in understanding and acceptance of the emotions driving him. He had pushed deep into her and she met him all the way. They were partners, the other half of each other. He was the savage to her gentle, the primitive to her dark to her light.

  When she opened her arms to him, he knew that was where he belonged. The feel of her body, connected to his, sent spears of pleasure rocking through every nerve-ending until he felt like shards of electricity were bursting and pulsing in a web of overload. Each stroke pulled him deeper and deeper into her hot core until he felt like they were one.

  Just when he thought he couldn’t feel any more pleasure, she shattered around him in one pulsing wave after another. Her hot channel had gripped him in a tight fist, stroking and squeezing the smooth skin of his cock. He had exploded, pouring his seed into her in pulsing streams.

  It took several minutes for him to realize that the dampness on the skin of her neck was not from sweat, but from him. Tears that he had not known he was capable of shedding silently dampened her skin. They were tears of hope, relief, and joy for being given a second chance.

  “You are mine,” he brokenly whispered. “I am Dagger. I belong to Jordan as she belongs to me. Forever will I tie my life to hers. I will care for, protect and give my seed only to her. She is my Amate. She is my life. I love you, Jordan. You make me whole when I never thought it possible. You gave me hope when I had nothing else to hold onto. You… You make me… complete.”

  Jordan’s fingers ran tenderly through his short hair. He felt the soothing touch, knowing that she recognized how fragile a thread he held on his emotions. After several minutes, she turned her head enough to press a kiss against his shoulder.

  “I want to explore you,” she whispered. “I want to touch you and hold you and never, ever let you go.”

  Dagger pulled back. Leaning on one elbow, he brushed her hair back from her face. Now… Now, he might be able to handle it. The key word was might.

  Chapter 12

  Dagger gently brushed the tangle of hair away from Jordan’s peaceful face. She had fallen into an exhausted sleep after their lovemaking. Unfortunately, he could only let her rest for a short time. They both needed to be ready for the landing. It would be dangerous with only one engine. Leaning over her, he brushed a tender kiss across her lips and leaned back to watch as she woke for the first time in his arms. The fear that he would hurt her had dissolved under her gentle touch. Whatever magic she held in her slender palms had calmed the beast inside of him and soothed his battered soul.

  "Is it time?" Jordan asked sleepily, yawning and snuggling against the warmth of his body. "I could stay here forever."

  "We are nearing the planet. I need to pilot us in and I want to make sure that you are strapped in," he replied, letting his fingers drift down to her bare shoulder. "I love you, Jordan. You are an extraordinary female."

  He watched as her face softened and glowed at his words. "I love you, too," she whispered, rising up to press a kiss to his lips. "Let's do this."

  He nodded, swallowing over the lump in his throat. Rolling out of the bed, he grabbed his pants off the floor. He jumped in surprise when he felt a light slap across his ass. He turned to look at Jordan with a raised eyebrow. She was grinning at him in appreciation.

  "Sorry, couldn't resist," she laughed, dancing away from him when his eyes brightened at her teasing. “Dress, we don’t have much time.”

  Dagger ran his eyes appreciatively over Jordan as she pulled on her own clothing. When he was with her, he felt… right, complete. Pulling on his boots, he held out his hand to her.

  “It is going to be a dangerous entry. I’ll have to use the thrusters to try to keep the ship level. I don’t want it to spin out of control as we enter the orbit of the planet,” Dagger explained as they stepped out of the room and headed down the hall to the lift.

  Jordan squeezed his hand tightly in hers. “What do you need me to do?” She asked in a husky voice.

  “First and foremost, stay safe for me,” he replied, pulling her into his arms as the doors to the lift closed around them. He held her tight on the short ride up. “I will probably need your help with the controls. It will be difficult to try to control the thrusters and keep the ship on course.”

  “I can do it,” Jordan said with a reassuring smile. “I was a gamer. I have great control when it comes to things like that.”

  Dagger chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know what a ‘gamer’ is, but something tells me you were the best,” he said, turning as the doors opened.

  He led her down the corridor and paused at the door to the small bridge so that they could see the planet they were approaching. Out of the front view screen, the small red, green, and white planet on which they would take temporary refuge loomed before them. Stepping forward, Dagger motioned for Jordan to sit in the right seat while he took the left.

  “Computer, show topography of the projected path,” he instructed, punching in the commands for the manual override.

  Glancing at the screen, he found what he was looking
for. There was a huge cave located several meters above the thick jungle below. It would be difficult, but not impossible to land the Lexamus IV in it. Landing there would provide shelter from the creatures below, from the intense heat, and from any scans.

  “That is our target,” he said, pointing to the holographic image. “It will be difficult, but not impossible.”

  His eyes flickered to Jordan when she released a delicate snort and rolled her eyes at him. An unexpected grin curved his lips upward. She had that look on her face again. The one that said she was on a mission.

  “I’ve got it,” she replied, grinning at him. “We can do this.”

  Dagger nodded and turned his focus back on the planet as it grew closer. He redirected power to the front shields as they began their descent into the outer layers of the planet’s atmosphere. Flickering a quick glance at Jordan, he saw that she was focused on the map in front of her.

  “When we return to Rathon, I want you to wear my Claiming mark,” Dagger muttered in a low voice.

  Jordan didn’t turn her head, but he saw the smile on her face. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” she retorted lightly. “I think things are about to heat up a bit.”

  Dagger turned his head back toward the front. His jaw locked in determination. The front shields glowed with the red flames of entry, but were holding. He sent a series of burst from the thruster when the ship began to violently rock and began to dangerously lean to the left.

  Neither one of them talked. Dagger held the controls, his focus on the readings in front of him. The temperature in engine two was rising. Jordan was doing an excellent job of guiding them, allowing him to focus on keeping the Lexamus IV level and monitoring the readings.

  The Lexamus IV shook and rocked. The sound of alarms exploded over the rattling of the equipment and the roar of the over taxed engine. Dagger reached up and silenced it.

  “Warning, engine two temperature levels rising,” the computer stated. “Shields at thirty-four percent. Port thrusters at fourteen percent.”

  “Yippee Ki-yay, Mother Computer. Tell us something we don’t know,” Jordan muttered under her breath.

  “We’re through,” Dagger shouted, briefly glancing over at Jordan’s pale face.

  Jordan didn’t turn to look at him, just gave him a brief, strained smile. His eyes swept down to where her hands gripped the navigation stick. Her hands were wrapped around them and he could tell she was fighting to retain control. He silenced the computer and turned off the alarms when the ship rocked again before his hand returned to the thruster control.

  “Heading sixty-four degrees, nine minutes,” Dagger commanded the computer.

  “Confirmed,” the computer replied. “Thrusters at nine percent.”

  “Dagger!” Jordan cried out when the Lexamus IV tilted crazily and began to spiral out of control.

  “I’m cutting power to the left engine,” Dagger shouted.

  The moment he cut the engine, the Lexamus IV began to rapidly drop. Using just the thrusters, he corrected the roll with a series of bursts from both the right and left stabilizer. His eyes flickered down to the power grid. They were down to four percent on the left thruster.

  “There it is,” Jordan called in a husky voice.

  Dagger saw the cave as well. It would be an impossible landing. His eyes turned to a break in the forest showing on the screen. A long, narrow cut appeared between the thick jungle. They were descending too quickly and too fast to make the cave. If he didn’t find another landing, they would crash into the side of the red mountainside.

  “Take over the thruster control,” Dagger ordered. “Keep us as level as you can.”

  He didn’t wait for Jordan to respond. He didn’t have time. Switching the control of the thruster to her, he took over piloting the Lexamus IV.

  “Steady,” he murmured, more to himself than to Jordan, who was releasing small bursts from each thruster. “Steady.”

  The ship clipped the top of the mammoth trees before it glided over them and dropped even lower. Dagger pulled up the nose of the Lexamus IV and shouted for Jordan to give full thrust as he lowered the landing gear.

  “Dagger,” Jordan cried out in alarm when the left thruster died just feet from the ground and the Lexamus IV tilted.

  The Lexamus IV lurched as Jordan changed the direction of the thruster to compensate as the Lexamus IV landed heavily just feet from a large river that had been shielded by the tall, red grass and thick forest. It took several long minutes before either one of them moved, both still amazed that they had landed in one piece.

  “We did it,” Jordan’s soft, astonished whisper echoed through the cabin. “I… We did it.”

  Dagger turned to look at Jordan. She was staring with wide eyes out the front of the view screen. His pride in her soared when he saw that her hand was trembling when she reached up to push her hair back from her face. No matter what the challenge, she didn’t back down, nor did she give up.

  Releasing the strap that had automatically extended, he swiveled in his chair and rose. Taking the step closer to her chair, he bent and turned her chair toward him before releasing her restraints. Taking her trembling hands in his, he pulled her up and into his arms.

  “Yes, we did it. Together,” Dagger murmured, as he realized that Jordan wasn’t the only one shaking.

  Chapter 13

  Jordan pushed back the strand of hair that had fallen forward as she cleaned up the mess in the dining area. Dagger was doing a systems check for damage and determining what needed to be done for the repairs. It had only been an hour since they landed, but there was a lot that needed to be done.

  She had left him to do what he knew best while she decided she needed a hot drink to calm her nerves. She knew that she was close to having a quiet breakdown and didn’t want Dagger to see her when she did. It was her way of dealing with all the stress and changes. Whenever she felt things becoming overwhelming, she would find a nice quiet place to be alone. Sometimes she would cry, sometimes she would just think and let the events play out until she could file them away.

  That is what she was doing now. Well, while she cleaned up the mess from their dinner last night. She had forgotten all about the remains of the dinner they had left on the table. It had gone flying during their descent to the planet. Spying another piece of vegetable under the table, she crawled under and picked it up. She dropped it on the tray with the rest of the items and wiped the floor.

  Scooting backwards, she scooped up the trays and cups and stood. A slight smile curved her lips as she thought about the reason that they had left the food on the table. Last night had been not only incredible, but more than she could ever have imagined.

  She walked over and deposited the items in the cleaning unit. It would dissolve all the food particles along with it. Her mind wandered back to Earth as she rinsed out the cloth she was using and walked back to the table and chairs to wipe them down. A sigh escaped her as her hand moved slowly over the smooth surfaces. So much had happened over the last few years, especially since she met Dagger.

  *.*.*

  Star Raider: Over two and a half years before:

  Jordan walked along the corridor of the massive spaceship feeling overwhelmed by it. Heck, she was feeling overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last few days. The fact that she, Jesse, and Taylor had woken on a spaceship racing through a star system would have stunned anyone… human.

  She swallowed as she passed several of the huge Trivator warriors standing in the hallway talking. She shied away from them when they stopped talking and gave her an assessing look. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she hurried past them.

  She was searching for a place where she could be alone to think, to try to deal with everything that had happened since she had woken up. She was sharing a room with Taylor, and while she desperately loved her little sister, she needed to be by herself. Taylor was currently in a bad mood after Saber, one of the Trivator warriors responsible for them being there
, had chewed Taylor out a short time ago in the training room.

  Jordan could understand her little sister’s anger. She was feeling pretty angry herself right now. She just held it in. None of them had asked to be taken from Earth. Hunter, another Trivator warrior, had ‘claimed’ her older sister Jesse as his Amate. Jordan had found out last night that Amate meant he had claimed Jesse as his ‘wife’.

  “Oh!” Jordan cried out in surprise when she felt a hand touch her arm from behind. Swirling around, she paled when she saw it was the same Trivator male that had saved her not once, but twice, back on Earth. “You… you… startled me,” she said, stumbling backwards and looking away from his intense stare.

  “Where are you going? You should not walk around without an escort,” Dagger growled.

  Jordan bit her lip, refusing to look at the man that was the cause of many of her feelings of confusion. Instead, she shrugged and started to turn away from him, hoping that if she just ignored him, he would leave her alone like the other warriors did. A shiver of unease and anger burst through her when she felt his fingers wrap around her arm.

  “Don’t touch me,” she hissed in a low tone.

  She felt his fingers loosen and he released her, but there was a feeling of reluctance to the movement. It was almost as if he didn’t want to let her go. Tears burned her eyes as another wave of confusion swept through her. She just wanted to be left alone!

  “My apologies,” he responded in a stiff voice. “I asked where you were going. I will escort you.”

  “I don’t know,” she reluctantly admitted in a voice that was barely audible. “I don’t know anymore.”

  She lowered her head to hide her face as it crumbled and silent sobs shook her thin shoulders. If she thought she felt lost at any time during the four years since these aliens had first appeared and their world had dissolved into a nightmare, it was nothing to what she was feeling now.

  She didn’t fight it when strong arms swept her off her feet. Instead, she felt that same sense of being cocooned in warmth and safety as she had the last two times he had held her. The first time had been in the parking garage when Dagger, Hunter, and Saber had found them hiding.