by Vi Voxley
And what security protocols? She didn't know it was that bad already, even if –
"Octava is a border world," Eva went on before Riley could delve too deep into her musings, her hands folded neatly in front of her chest. "It means every move the Iron League makes against us will strike hardest here. Make no mistake, the Gargons are more than capable of taking that hit.
“The two commanders lead the fiercest armies known to us. That is what I want you to understand before you embark on your own private adventures in this gorgeous place.
"Gargons are warriors. You will learn to know them, the colorful ink on their skin easily gives them away. They are fighters to the bone, which is great. Smart, too, and very perceptive. None of that makes them tame. I need you to understand that. Gargons are fierce, absolutely brutal when they need to be and very, very dangerous.
"We are guests on their world. Remember that."
When she was done, a silence set. Riley said nothing but her mind was racing. It was not the welcome she'd been expecting. Every advertisement and column and report she had read had said the Gargons were perfectly agreeable. It seemed that the general perception of them was too important for the actual truth.
She couldn't fight down the small smile on her lips. The story was getting better with every second. She was genuinely growing excited, barely able to wait until she met her first...
"Is that so?" a deep, powerful voice asked then, sounding like it was coming right behind her.
Riley noticed Eva jumping a good few inches off the ground, impressive for a woman on high heels, before Riley turned around to look at who was addressing them.
Her mouth dropped open.
Behind her stood the two most stunningly handsome men in existence. She could only assume they were the commanders because if there was someone who outranked the two towering warlords before her, Riley couldn't imagine them.
Both the commanders were very tall, broad-shouldered and powerful. Long lines of tattoos ran down their tanned, golden skin like Eva had said – one wore dark silver and the other a deep, forest green. From her readings on the ways of the Gargon warriors, Riley knew they symbolized the warrior's chosen weapon skill and along with it, the enhancements they'd gone through.
The silver was for morphing weapons like the sword on the belt of the warlord. It could change its form, although Riley doubted anyone but the man carrying knew how or what it would turn into.
The dark green was the marking of terrible, lightning-quick speed. The warrior with green wore a short spear on his back and many small blades fastened in sheaths on his armored thighs.
To be honest, Riley barely noticed the weapons. Her eyes were nailed to the warlords like they were pulling her in with magnets.
The warriors wore dark armors and their eyes naturally matched their colors. Deep green for green and dark gray for silver. The silver warrior observed the crowd with an easy smile, messy dark hair falling on his eyes, standing proud and watchful like a statue.
The warrior with green was serious, his long blonde hair with green streaks tied behind his head in a fashion Riley had never seen before. It looked like the streaks formed a dragon in there, mouth open to swallow the world.
She didn't know how much time had passed since her eyes were trapped by those two amazing men, but then Eva's voice pulled her back into reality.
"Commanders," she said, fear plain in her voice. "I didn't know you would be joining us so soon."
"You mean you didn't know we'd overhear," the silver warlord said, his deep voice making Riley shiver.
She had to bite her lip not to let out a small moan. Her core pulsed from just looking at them. It wasn't just the time spent in warzones either – Riley had never been that turned on in her life. It was like the warlords had a telepathic shortcut to her mind and they were stimulating her without ever laying a hand on her.
"We take it as a compliment," the green warrior added, walking to stand next to Eva, towering easily over the tall woman. "Tame is not a word I would use for us either."
Eva seemed to have lost her trail of thought. She struggled for words, possibly also affected by the two gorgeous hunks standing next to her. Riley noticed – when she got enough oxygen in her brain again – that despite presenting a united front, there was a clear rift between the commanders. They didn't stand next to each other, keeping Eva between them like she was a barrier.
"Ahem," Eva said, gathering herself. "May I present Commander Cole..."
He was the warrior in green.
"… and Commander Harbor."
The silver commander's eyes swept over her and for a second there, Riley felt the gaze of those deep, gorgeous eyes stop on her. She saw a flash like someone had lit a fire in the warlord. In the next moment, it dimmed a little but didn't disappear. He was definitely watching her now and Riley ached for a cold shower.
If that man could make her come apart like that with just his eyes alone, she couldn't imagine what he would do with his cock and hands and tongue and...
I’ve been at war for too long.
"Moving on now," Eva was saying, a hint of hysteria in her voice. "I will leave you in the very capable hands of the commanders. Again, I welcome you all to Octava."
She rushed away in a flurry of heel clicks, looking very happy to be away from the warlords.
"Now," Cole said when Eva was gone, addressing the crowd. "That was interesting. We Gargons are aware of our reputation, after all."
His voice was like someone was massaging her skin with silk. Riley shivered, hoping no one noticed but every pair of eyes was on the warlords. The two commanders exchanged a long, meaningful look.
"Because we must say," Harbor added. "Everything she said is true."
What a story, Riley thought.
5
Cole
The Terrans were quiet, like a baffled herd of frightened animals. Cole let his eyes wander over them, deciding on the best course of action. After Harbor's last words, the air itself was expectant of what would come next.
He wondered if he ought to tell the Terrans they weren't in any danger from them. Cole chose not to. Fear, he'd learned, make people more receptive to orders. If the gathered people believed that the Gargons would not take disobedience well, they were bound to move faster at a time when it was needed.
"You all have places to be on my home world," he addressed the gathered Terrans. "Before that, before we let you embark further from this embassy, there is the safety briefing. I don't think I need to tell you it concerns the Eridons."
A hush went through the gathered crowd, a murmur of dread. Then a voice rang out, clear and silvery and beautiful.
"Are we in danger?"
Cole turned, unbidden, towards the speaker.
It was a gorgeous woman, the most breathtaking female he'd ever seen. She had brilliant light gray eyes and the soft wave of her hair made him think with longing how good it would feel under his fingers. Cole ached to pull the curls back just a little, let the female moan when he kissed her neck...
His body's reaction was so sudden and so sharp it startled him a little.
Curious.
He searched his heart. The Gargon bonds were unparalleled in the galaxy but it was as unknown to him as it was to the Terrans. Neither he nor Harbor had found their fated yet, still on the search for their other half, their love.
The truth was right there, in his heart, as certain as the foundations of the world itself.
The sense of soaring through the air filled him. His powerful body tingled as though it had just been recharged with life. Cole had never felt anything like that before. The world itself around him seemed to shift, swim into focus when before it had been nothing but a blur.
He breathed out, barely aware he'd been holding it in. His fated's appearance was the single most incredible moment in a Gargon man's life. Everything in him reached out for her, needing to possess and keep her.
Cole's cock was hard in his pants, pressing against
the rough dark, flexible armor he wore. The female was calling to him with such might it left him deaf. He thought he would have gladly never heard anything but her sweet voice again.
Cole became aware that the Terrans were expecting an answer. There was a suspicious little frown on the beautiful freckled face of his fated. He realized he hadn't given her an answer for a long moment, but there was something off with that picture.
Harbor and he didn't exactly get along. Alright, getting along would have been a massive development for their strained relationship. The two commanders of the Gargon armadas were not friends, that was for sure.
It didn't stop them from fighting the enemy side by side when their people and the Alliance needed them to. Cole relied on Harbor even if he couldn't stand the man's shadow.
Harbor hadn't answered either. In fact, when Cole turned his head, he saw the other warlord look at his fated with much the same astonishment he imagined was reflected in his own eyes.
This can't be. The gods would not punish us like this.
A deep irritation rose within Cole. What were the odds that he and Harbor would come to share a fated? It was so miniscule, so ridiculous for them to be paired up like that... Yet even that anger and bitter disappointment didn't wash away the light that was his fated.
"Commander?" she asked again and the Terrans shifted uncomfortably.
Cole regained his senses with difficulty. Everything he wanted was to pull the female away from the others, tell her about her destiny by his side and kiss her soft lips until they were his and his alone.
It had to wait, though. There were few things in the entire world that took priority over enjoying his first kiss with the female and her safety was definitely one of them.
"No," he said, adding: "Miss...?"
"Riley," the female said and her voice was shaking just a little, her eyes flicking between him and Harbor.
She had clearly noticed their long silence. Cole cursed the gods for choosing the absolute worst time to present his fated to him.
"You are not in danger, Riley," he told the female.
Never will be if I have any say in this.
"None of you are," Cole went on, seeing the way the Terrans relaxed, if only a little. "The Alliance is well-protected and Octava better than most. But we live in perilous times. The Iron League is active once more and this time, they have let the Eridons run wild. We suspect it is to prepare us for a larger invasion sometime in the future.
“Right now, the Eridons are nothing more than tools to make you scared. Which you should be, if you ever happen to face one, but Harbor and I are here to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Right now, all of you and every other Terran lives in Taria," Harbor took over, the authority in his deep voice easily capturing the attention of the crowd.
Cole didn't miss the fact they were both still staring at the female. The certainty settled in his mind. He and Harbor shared a fated. It was at once the best and the worst day of his life.
The best, he corrected in his head. Nothing could ruin finding her at last, not even the man who thinks there is nobility in pointless death.
"Our own people know what to do in case of an Eridon raid," Harbor said. "For your safety, we have prepared a special facility that you are to go to when the alarm sounds. We will visit it first, explain the precautions you need to take and then you are free to go. Is this understood?"
There were murmuring replies from the crowd, including the gorgeous female. Riley. Cole noticed that she wasn't entirely pleased with the explanation, which made him smile appreciatively. She looked at smart as she was beautiful, already sensing that something was off.
Harbor had been adamant about not telling them about the approaching Eridon force. If their captains were doing their job, the Eridon ship would never reach Octava and there was no need to upset the Terrans.
If the enemies were to break through, the Terrans were the safest with them.
"Move out," Cole ordered and the crowd fell into uneasy step behind them as they led the Terrans through the embassy and to the waiting hovership.
One by one, they scrambled into the cramped space of the ship and strapped themselves in. Riley came last, looking around in wonder, her sharp gray eyes taking in everything while the others seemed focused on the apparent danger.
"Miss Riley," Cole stopped her when she was about to climb into the ship.
The female stopped, a small smile playing on her full pink lips, a questioning look in her eyes.
"Yes, Commander?" she asked, unaware how very obvious her attraction was. "Is there something wrong?"
Nothing could be wrong around you, not now, not ever.
"No," Cole said, grinning, as the last of the other Terrans swept by them, leaving only the last seats empty. "I just wanted to make sure you got a seat next to me."
She covered her surprise well. Just for a moment, the smile widened, brightening her up in a way Cole didn't think he could ever forget. The image of her, shining in the daylight, was instantly embedded in his heart.
"I see," Riley said quietly. "What earned me the honor, then?"
"You ask good questions," Harbor replied for him, coming to stand beside them, his dark eyes eating her up.
The sight sent furious pulses through Cole. To see him look at his – their – fated like that was almost unbearable.
If Riley noticed, she didn't give them any clue of that. Giving them another long look, she let Cole help her into the ship. Her soft hand in his made his body roam with electricity. The commander wanted so much more, needed every inch of her to be his, but there would be plenty of time for that.
He had only just found her. They had all the time in the world to be together.
Until then, the way her fingers squeezed his was enough to feel her racing pulse and know she felt the bond too, even if she didn't recognize it yet.
Cole and Harbor were the last to board the hovership and it took off towards the reinforced station they'd picked for the refuge of the Terrans.
Both of them remained standing, towering above Riley as she sat, sneaking glances at them. Her hands were shaking a little.
Cole had never been so impatient to finish with his duties as in that moment. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms, to feel that gorgeous curvy body lean against his. The moans he'd tease from her...
"I'm glad I decided to come," Riley said, smiling, as the hovership sped away towards their future.
I am glad you came as well.
6
Harbor
She was finally there, in his life.
Harbor could barely believe it. Every Gargon man was on the lookout for their fated, since the moment they became old enough to have a bride. As for himself, Harbor had never actively searched for her. He had simply trusted in the gods and fate to bring her to him, unexpected exactly like that.
The thrill he'd wanted, every bit of that shock he'd longed for, it was all there. The second his eyes fell upon Riley, Harbor had experienced the full power of the thing that made Gargons so special.
Recently, the bonds between Gargons had grown lesser and instead, others had emerged. The scientists thought it was to keep the bloodlines active and evolving, trying to bring in new blood. Terrans especially were a good match for them, genetically speaking, so they had established closer relations with Terra. It was all very new, but the first successes had been promising.
It was more than likely the reason why many of the women were there, looking for a fated.
Looking at Riley, Harbor knew at least one of them had succeeded.
He couldn't take his eyes off her. Sitting there, her beautiful eyes peeking at him when she thought he wasn't looking, his fated was the single most amazing thing in the galaxy.
Harbor wasn't overexaggerating when he said that. The bonds between the fated were made of something stronger than anything else in the galaxy. It couldn't be grasped, or explained, or bottled. The bonds were there, keeping the fated together unt
il the first moment they saw each other until their last.
From every beat of their hearts to every breath they took, it was the union that couldn't be broken since they belonged to each other so absolutely.
"Can I ask something?" Riley spoke up over the noise of the engine. "Is it common for the leaders of the armadas to come and give Terrans a tour?"
Harbor felt himself smiling, just a little.
"No," he admitted, exchanging a quick look with Cole.
He couldn't bear to think of the other commander right then.
On that morning, Harbor had been thrilled about not seeing Cole again for a long time after they'd ensured the Terrans were safe in their domain. He could take his flagship and go off to wage war against the Eridons as was his place, leaving Cole to do the same.
Somewhere far from him, preferably.
"Can I ask why us?" Riley went on. "Why today of all days?"
"I think it's better if you don't," Harbor said carefully, keeping his voice as low as possible so the others wouldn't hear them.
To his surprise, Riley nodded, accepting that for an answer. Usually, Terrans couldn't let things like that go, but she seemed to trust them instinctively.
That was good. It showed the bond was true and strong, already working to bring them closer.
If only he didn't have to share her with Cole.
The hovership touched down next to the station and Harbor was the first one out. He agreed with Cole on at least one thing and that was the desperate, undeniable need to be near Riley, even if they had not even discussed it in half a word with one another yet. Before Cole could do the same, Harbor reached up to help Riley off the ship.
He could hear her gasp when he lifted her up and put her down next to the ship in one smooth motion. The light gray eyes were wide in her head.
"Wow," she whispered breathlessly. "You did that like I weighed nothing."