by Bertina Mars
Vron made a growling sound at the back of his throat. “He had . . . his pleasure?” he asked with great difficulty.
Maya gave him a sardonic smile. “My dad’s training came to the rescue. All he got that night was a black eye and a sprained wrist.”
“Good,” Vron said with obvious relish.
“Perhaps,” Maya said. “But it screwed my career over. He reported me for assaulting him and when I said he’d tried to assault me first the top brass drummed me out of the service. This jerk was well connected you see, and the High Command didn’t want a scandal, so they hushed it all up. I was the scapegoat and that was that.”
“Despicable,” Vron thundered. “Was there no way you could appeal against their decision?”
“I was mad as hell at first,” Maya said. “I threatened to go to the holo-news about it, but the top brass said something like this would tarnish my dad’s reputation, and I couldn’t bring myself to do anything that could harm him, even from beyond the grave. So, I decided to go quietly.”
“A grave injustice,” grumbled Vron. “But how did that bring you here?”
“In the months after that I just fell to pieces,” Maya said grimly. “I gave up on life completely. Started drinking and binging and became a total mess. I got into debt and my landlord was threatening to evict me from my housing pod. Everything was going to hell, and then I saw the ad for the clinical trial and the money it offered. I had nothing else to lose and just couldn’t resist.”
“A typical Yojaridan ploy,” said Vron. “I am sorry this misfortune befell you. Couldn’t you have gone to your mother for help?”
“We hadn’t parted on good terms, and I couldn’t bear to face her after what had happened at the training facility. I was too ashamed to go to her for help. In our last conversation I’d said some pretty unpleasant things to her. Now I wished I’d swallowed my pride. I guess I’ll never see her again.”
“Not necessarily,” Vron said cryptically.
Maya looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Why do you think I got you out of the palace if I didn’t intend to get out back to Earth?”
Maya opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything. A waterfall of hope cascaded over her. Back to Earth! Thank God, she finally had a chance to escape this hellhole! Her euphoria evaporated as quickly as it had come.
If she were going back to Earth that meant she wouldn’t be spending any more time with Vron. The thought lowered her spirits. “You can really get me back to Earth?” she asked.
“It won’t be easy,” Vron warned. “Officially the only space port on Raja-kell is at the palace and travel on and off world is strictly monitored, but there are reports of a smuggling operation active in the north. My plan is to get you there in one piece and arrange for your transport back to Earth.”
Maya nodded. “What about you, though?”
“What about me?”
“If and when I do make it off Raja-kell, what will happen to you?”
Vron looked nonplussed. “Doesn’t matter,” he said bluntly. “I will just live in the rainforest for as long as the Blood God wills it.”
“But you’ll be all alone!” Maya retorted now exasperated by his Martyr-like attitude. “You’ll be homeless and a fugitive, and all because you helped me. That isn’t right! You deserve better!”
“It is not up to us what we think we deserve. We receive our allotted fate and must deal with it as best we can. My life in the palace had ended a long time before you came along. I’m finally free.”
“Doesn’t sound much like freedom to me,” Maya said sullenly, “and what about the other captured women and my friend Tia? Am I supposed to go back to Earth without them?”
“Don’t be difficult!” Vron snapped, raising his voice by a fraction of an octave. Maya stiffened as she realised she’d stir up that deep anger of his. “I can’t save everyone!” he said getting abruptly to his feet and she glimpsed the war of emotions on his face before his cold mask descended again.
“We best get moving,” he added in a much calmer tone. “We have a long journey ahead of us.”
With that, he picked up the bag of supplies he’d bought from the village and went back into the cabin to retrieve his rucksack.
Maya got to her feet and said nothing. He was right of course, but she didn’t relish the idea of leaving Tia and the others behind, or Vron for that matter, if and when the time came. But that was fate for you.
*
When Vron said it was going to be a long journey, he wasn’t kidding. They plunged deep into the jungle, moving on foot across miles of uneven terrain. Living off fruit and bathing in pools and springs, Vron also taught her bush craft and showed her what bark to chew to keep her teeth clean.
It was extremely gruelling and Maya hadn’t undergone such an enduring process since her training for the Space Marine Corp. At night when they stopped to rest she fell instantly asleep in the special netted sleeping bags that kept out the night insects, and was awake at first light.
The exhausting regime meant that she and Vron barely spoke to each other, but her feelings for him were growing stronger. His silent, brooding power consumed her soul and she ached for him to take her in his powerful arms and to taste his lips.
She wanted him to touch her body, caress her until she was driven to the point of no return. She wanted him between her thighs, ploughing her hard until she was driven into a frenzy of wild passion. She was as hot and as wet as the deep jungle they travelled through.
Vron, however, stayed silent and distant, remaining respectful and moving away when it was her turn to bathe, though she was sure he felt the same about her as she did about him.
Every so often, she caught him looking at her when he thought she hadn’t noticed and her heart thrilled at his gaze. She wanted him to make a move, but nothing happened and this was hardly the time and place to explore any potential relationship.
The journey was mostly uneventful, except for a couple of times when a patrol almost stumbled across them. In those instants, they had to hide away and those were the only times he got close to her leaning in protectively as the soldiers tramped by. Those were the most intense times, being so near him and though danger was so close they were so wonderfully stimulating.
Finally though, they reached their destination. Vron took her to a rocky outcropping overlooking a mountainside. A majestic waterfall rushed down into a vast lake thousands of kilometres below their feet. After weeks of unbroken vegetation, it was a wonderful contrast for her eyes.
“Here we are,” Vron said abruptly standing by the rock wall.
Maya stared at him perplexed and her eyes widened as he pressed a camouflaged switch on the rock and a circular doorway appeared as if by magic. Vron saw her amazement and a smile spread across his face. It made him look even more gorgeous. “Care to go in?” he asked, clearly pleased that he’d impressed her.
She nodded and stepped through the opening. As soon as she did, a soft yellow light came on showing her a flight of steps that led down to a huge chamber of white marble.
She moved down the steps, staring at the huge white statue that stood in the centre of the chamber overlooking a large pool of pristine water. The statue was of a naked woman with voluptuous curves and large breasts, smiling down serenely at Maya. She stared up at it in wonder before turning to Vron. He closed the secret doorway with another unseen switch and padded down to join her.
“What is this place?” she asked, completely wonderstruck.
“My people did not always worship the Blood God,” Vron said, “and we were not the savage people we are now. Once we possessed a vastly superior civilisation where technology and spiritual enlightenment were the great pillars of our society. That was the time when we followed the divine teachings of the Moon Lady.” He pointed to the statue.
“That was a thousand years ago, and that mighty civilisation collapsed through war and natural disasters until all that remained were these small shrines dot
ted about the deep jungle.”
He stepped further into the room and gestured to Maya to sit down on the nearby horseshoe shaped couch. It felt luxuriously soft on her aching joints. He sat at the other end from her at a respectful distance.
“This place is amazing,” she said, still staring round in wonder. “How did you find it?”
“I told you that to question the power of the Blood God is forbidden, but from an early age I questioned the dogma. When I became Chief of Security I obtained access to forbidden texts from the Archive. I learnt about Raja-kell’s hidden past and the worship of the far kinder and gentle Moon Lady.
I became an adherent and discovered this shrine, finding it to be a self-contained environment that could provide for my needs. It was then that I decided that if I ever needed to I would come here to live out the rest of my days if life in the palace became too unbearable. It will make a suitable base of operations while I make arrangements to get you back to Earth.”
“Maybe I don’t want to go back to Earth,” Maya said, looking at his chiselled face. Her desire for him was overwhelming and now they had reached the safety of the shrine she could contain herself no longer.
He frowned. “What do you mean? You have to get back to Earth. This is no place for you.”
She didn’t answer straight away. She stretched and looked over at the pool. “That water sure looks inviting.”
“Oh, of course, you must want to bathe,” Vron said, standing up quickly. “The water is clean and fresh and self-regulating. Just go right in, I will go to the kitchen and prepare some food. I bought some suitable clothing when I visited that village, so I’ll leave it for you when you’re done. Just call when you are ready for food.”
“You don’t have to run off, you don’t want to,” Maya said airily. She pulled off her walking boots and padded to the side of the pool. Without missing a beat, she pulled off the ragged, dirty robe that she’d worn for travelling and tossed it onto the floor.
She now stood naked before Vron, showing him all her glory. No longer self-conscious or nervous, she felt empowered by her sexuality. She wanted Vron so badly; she would quite gladly throw caution to the wind.
She glanced behind her and saw him standing rooted to the spot, his silver eyes glued to her. She gave him an enticing smile and then stepped into the pool.
The waters were refreshingly cool and invigorated her straight away. She dipped her head under to clean her hair and when she surfaced again, Vron was still watching her. She moved over to the edge of the pool and outstretched her arms, showing him her ripe, ample breasts.
With agonising slowness, he padded closer to the pool, and keeping his sultry gaze fixed on her, slowly undressed. Maya drank in the smooth, chiselled contours of his body as he stood naked before her, and his thick manhood swung free.
Wetness gathered between Maya’s legs and her ache for him intensified. His eyes never leaving her, he slipped into the pool and moved closer.
Her lips parted and a shudder ran down her spine as she breathed in his musky scent, which mingled with the scented water. For long moments, they watched each other in silence before he sharked forward and their lips locked in their first deep, passionate kiss.
She opened her mouth to him, the sense of relief and desire flooding through her. Her hands wrapped round him and she ran her fingers down his sleek back and iron hard buttocks.
His tongue danced with hers as his own hands began exploring her, caressing her thighs before running up her sides to her plump breasts. His erection pressed like a steel bar into her groin.
“Vron,” she sighed as they eventually parted from the kiss. “I’ve waited so long for this.”
“I too,” he whispered, his deep voice thrumming through her. He planted small, teasing kisses along the corner of her mouth before moving down the nape of her neck, giving her shoulder a playful nip.
His hands worshipped her swelling breasts and his fingers stimulating her tightening nipples. Maya moaned helplessly beneath his expert touch and squeezed his buttocks tighter, squashing his throbbing dick against the succulent morass of her pussy.
After a while, he moved down and grabbed her hips and pulled her up until she was sitting on the side of the pool. Water cascaded along her legs and he put his hands on her thighs and spread them wider.
Maya let out a throaty moan as he buried his face between her legs and flicked his tongue along her. His mouth suckled her wet lips, applying just enough to pressure to drive her crazy but not send her over the edge.
She arched her back as his tongue went deeper, and wrapped round her. She bit her lip and squeezed and fondled her breasts, losing herself in the moment.
He devoured every inch of her, desperate to bring her absolute pleasure. The mounting pressure of orgasm gripped her and she finally climaxed with a long, ragged scream. Her mind was fractured by the intensity of her release and she panted hard as she slowly regained her wits.
Vron left her silky folds and made to hug her, but she grabbed his shoulders and urged him to sit up on the side of the pool. In a few moments, the roles were reversed, and she was back in the water with her head between his strong legs.
Her mouth slipped over his magnificent manhood and she ran her tongue along his shaft before pushing down to the root. He grunted with pleasure and brought his hand down to bunch up her wet hair.
As she continued feasting on him, he signalled her to stop, and they shifted position again. This time, both of them were standing in the water. He crushed her to him and she pressed her breasts against his finely toned pectoral. She planted kisses along his neck and nipped his ear as he guided his thick manhood into her.
“Oh Vron!” she moaned. “Yes! Oh yes!”
He squeezed her thighs as he entered her and slowly began thrusting. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him for dear life. No other man, she’d been with felt as amazing as this, and she wanted to posses every inch of him. He was her master and she willingly submitted to him.
He swayed his hips, making figure of eight motions as he fucked her, driving her over the edge. She clutched the back of his neck and pressed her burning lips to his mouth. “Harder!” she begged between frantic kisses. “Harder! Harder!”
He picked up speed, making her moan louder and she clawed his back and butt losing herself in sweet oblivion. His hands squeezed her breasts hard and he let out a low groan as he exploded inside her.
For long moments afterwards, they clung to each other, and then very tenderly, Vron pulled out of her. With reverential motions, he washed her glistening body and then they both walked naked to a smaller chamber set off to the side of the central room.
Vron had converted this into a makeshift bedroom when he first came here. He told her to lie face down on the bed and putting the pillow under her pelvis so that her bottom was slightly raised, he used a jar of ayuliop sap, and started to massage her. Maya luxuriated in his touch, sighing softly as his nimble fingers worked out the aches in her body. She tingled as he started slowing kissing the length of her spine, moving down to her peachy butt.
He flicked his tongue along her moist ass crack and she didn’t stop him when he eased his lubricated finger inside her. Using more of the sap, he made her ready for him again and pressing his weight down on her willing body, he pushed into her from behind.
Maya gripped the woollen blanket, her breath taken away by his magnificent beast. He moved slowly getting her used to it, and his hand moved under her and found her swollen clit again.
Maya bit into the fabric of the blanket as he rubbed and circled her pleasure point and started thrusting harder inside her. Sweat crested her milk-white flesh and she became dizzy with sensation.
His hot mouth nipped and licked her ear and his fingers playing with her took her to the highest level of heaven, before he released a second sticky load inside her quivering body.
Finally sated, they lay in each other’s arms and dripped into deep, oblivious sleep.
; Chapter 6: A New Life And A Final Choice
For a month, they lived a blissful existence in the hidden shrine of the Moon Lady. Living off the fruit that grew around them and enjoying the facilities of the once advanced civilisation it became a kind of dream for Maya.
She had never felt as complete and as happy as she did with Vron, and any thoughts of returning to Earth faded away. Unfortunately, reality was soon to intrude and change everything.
They were sitting together outside the shrine one night, staring up at the stars and the bright ice white moon, when they heard the distant muffled sounds of explosions.
Lying in Vron’s arms, Maya sat up suddenly and look out at the darkness beyond the lake. She caught glimpses of red light and the smell of burning stained the air.
“Vron!” she exclaimed. “What’s happening?”
Vron remained silent, his face closed and emotionless in the moonlight. “We’d best get inside,” he said at last.
“But what’s happening?”
“Inside,” Vron repeated, guiding her to her feet. She could tell he was in one of his moods again, and there was no point arguing. But she wasn’t going to pretend it didn’t happen. Something ominous was going on and she was certain that it was linked to her and Vron.
They made love later that night, and though it was amazing as usual, Vron seemed distracted and mechanical. Afterwards, she slipped into a few hours of uneasy sleep haunted by dreams of burning and destruction and woke suddenly to catch Vron slipping out of bed and getting dressed.
“You’re going out to investigate what happened, aren’t you?” she asked, sitting up in bed.
“Go back to sleep,” he said as he pulled on his toga. “I will be back soon.”