Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2)

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  Heavy footsteps coming up the door drew his gaze away. His pilot entered the shuttle with a small female with short black hair. She wasn’t naked, but there was enough skin exposed to give him a look at went she hide beneath the material.

  “Nice one, my friend.” Zol’tsa stood up and moved out of the way for the pilot to place his female next to his. “Let’s get them up to the ship. I want to taste my female.”

  Both men laughed then seated themselves in the front seats. The door lifted shut and sealed itself with another hiss. The pilot checked his instruments then lifted the shuttle off the ground. The cloaking device automatically engaged itself as soon as they were far enough off the ground.

  “How long do you think it will take before they notice the shuttle is gone?” he asked the pilot.

  “They won’t.”

  “How so?” He knew is pilot was good but how good?

  “That’s the beauty of my work, sir. As soon as the shuttle cloaked itself it left behind a holo-vid. As far as the humans can see the shuttle is right where we left it. And if someone should go near it, it will emit an electrical pulse.”

  Zol’tsa smiled. His pilot was better than he had thought. “Excellent!”

  Chapter 10

  Serelath and Parath were rolling around on the floor of his quarters when he entered his quarters. The two dragons had been doing the same thing for days now. Every time he returned they were up to something and to make matters worse, Kelly sat on the sofa watching and egging them on.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” He stood over the dragons lying on the floor.

  I teaching Parath how to fight. She needs to know how to protect herself, Serelath said he rolled the smaller dragon beneath him.

  “Umm…she’s a dragon! She already knows how to protect herself.”

  Serelath ignored him. Kelly walked up to him and tiptoed to place a kiss on his cheek. He took her in his arms and covered her mouth with his. Gods, he would never get enough of this female. She drove all of his sensed crazy when he was around her. Kelly pulled away first and looked at him.

  “I think Serelath has a crash on my dragon,” she whispered.

  He looked over to the pair on the floor. Why hadn’t he thought of that? Serelath was much older than Parath and knew the ways of the dragons. Was it possible Serelath was wanting to take a mate?

  “How are things going?” Kelly asked.

  “About the same. The search teams haven’t found a single Lephusan. Everything is deserted and there isn’t a trace of where they may have gone. It’s dumbfounding.”

  “But how could a planet full of people just up and disappear?”

  “It wouldn’t be too hard since they didn’t have many people left. The last battle wiped out most of the strong males. Those that were left could have only been the young, females, and the old. Not enough to start over in a new place.”

  He led her over to the sofa and pulled her down on his lap. Her fingers started to work their magic on the back of his neck where the muscles were tense. He closed his eyes as the movements helped to ease some of pain.

  “What are you going to do? I mean, where do you even start to search for them?”

  “We’ll stay here for another day then move on to the closest known habitable planet. Someone somewhere has to know where they went and who they went with. The odds are, Zol’tsa found his way back to Lephus and has claimed the people for himself. If that’s the case then, we have a whole new situation on our hands. Gods, baby, that feels great!” He rolled his neck to the side as her fingers massaged a particularly tense spot. “I should send you back to Qetera.”

  “What?” Her fingers stopped their magic. “I’m not going back without you!”

  He knew it would be a fight to get her to return to their home where he would she was safe. “I wouldn’t have to worry about you if I knew you were safely back on Qetera. I can’t have my mate in the middle of the battle if things go bad again.”

  She jumped off his lap and stood before him with her hands on her hips, legs spread apart, and eyes glaring at him. “Just you wait one minute! I am not about to be sent away just because you think things might get hairy. No way bud. You brought me along for a reason and I intend on staying with you. I can take care of myself if you happen to get into a ‘battle’.” She used two fingers on each hand to pretend like she was putting quotations marks around the word battle.

  “I told you already, I will not allow you to act like one of your law enforcers. It is my duty to keep you safe.” He didn’t want to argue with her. He had come back to their quarters with the intentions of seducing his mate then getting a few hours of sleep. His plans obviously were not going to happen by the look on Kelly’s face. He knew that look and what it meant.

  “OH! So now, I’m a duty?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that, baby. Just come sit back down.” He patted his knee.

  “Don’t call me baby when we are having a fight and I will not sit down!” Her face was flushed with anger and her hands were balled into fists.

  He sighed. That was it! He was ending this! He stood up in a flash, grabbed her under the arms, and lifted her off the ground.

  “Put me down!” She kicked her legs in an attempt to get him to let her go.

  He was so turned on now that he couldn’t put her down even if he wanted to. He didn’t utter a word or a sound as he backed her up against the wall in the main room.

  “What are..,” he cut her words off.

  His mouth claimed hers as he wedged his knee between her thighs to hold her up. His tongue didn’t wait for permission to enter her mouth. When she attempted to speak again, his tongue slipped in to ravage her mouth. It was a demanding forceful kiss. There was nothing gentle about it or gentle about what he was about to do to her.

  One hand moved from under her arm to relocate into her hair while the other slipped beneath the shirt she was wearing. He fondled her breast roughly as his hand tightened in her hair to bend her neck back some.

  “You are mine! Mine!” He growled against the soft skin of her neck. Her breathing had picked up as she struggled to push him away. “I will never let anyone harm you! You understand that?” He spoke in between the kisses and bites he was trailing along the side of her neck. “I want to hear you say it! Say you are mine!”

  He continued with his rough administrations. Her fists had stopped their pummeling and were now engaged with feeling his shoulders as he strained against her. He could feel the heat from her pussy as it pressed down on his knee. She moaned loudly when he pinched the tight nipple under the shirt. Gods, he needed to feel her skin pressed against his. Without thinking, his hands grabbed the collar of her shirt around her slim throat then pulled the obstructing material apart in one swift rip. Her breasts spilled free as the shirt hung limply from her arms.

  He slipped one arm under her ass and lifted her up until her breasts were even with his mouth. He sucked in one nipple and immediately got another moan of pleasure. His free hand had to touch her pussy. She was wearing a skirt so it made his exploration a lot easier when his hand found nothing barring his way to her sex. He ran his fingers through her slit and found she was soaking with her own juices.

  He released the nipple he was suckling with a pop and said, “Gods, baby, you are so wet.” The fingers slid through her outer lips and up to where her little button lay hidden. When he touched the bud, she jerked with a loud gasp. As his fingers began to circle the swollen clit, she started to grind her pussy onto his hand.

  “Does that feel good, baby?” He lowered her back down some so he could claim her mouth again.

  “Yes! Oh yes! Please don’t stop!” Her cries enticed him to sink two fingers into her hot, wet pussy.

  “Baby, you’re so tight! I love to feel you wrapped around my fingers as I finger fuck you. I want you to come for me, baby. Come around my fingers.” His tongue dove into her mouth the same way his fingers sank into her mound. Small, wet slapping sounds could be heard
as he pumped his fingers in and out of her over and over. She ripped her mouth away from his and screamed out as her orgasm hit her. He felt the muscles in her pussy clenching and pulling his fingers farther into her. He continued to pump her as she rode out her release on his fingers.

  Unable to wait any longer, he withdrew his fingers and brought them to his mouth. Her juices tasted like pure heaven as he sucked and licked every drop of the dripping hand. “Ummm, delicious!” His cock hardened painfully. “I have to be inside you.”

  A quick as he could, he opened the front of his uniform pants letting his cock spring free. Kelly was still in the after throws of her orgasm when he positioned his cock at the entrance of her throbbing pussy.

  “Say it, Kelly. I can’t wait any longer. Say you are mine!” He was trembling as he forced himself to hold back.

  She opened her eyes and looked right in his. “I’m yours.”

  That was all he needed to hear before he surged forward. She gasped and clung tightly to his shoulders as his cock filled her in one swift thrust. He hit the end of her channel then swiftly pulled out only to slam back into her. He moved his hips faster and faster until he felt his own release building. This was not going to a long, dragged out session, but there a quick, hard fuck that they both needed. Her pussy started to tremble and quiver as it prepared to come around his cock.

  “Come again for me,” he hissed through his teeth. His words sent her over the edge and with two more thrusts he followed her. His seed emptied into her hot core and coated her channel. Damn it! She was his!

  He held her tightly to him until the waves of ecstasy began to fade. They were both breathing hard and were covered in sweat as he held her up against the wall. He pulled back to touch her cheek with his hand when he had regained his breath. “Did I hurt you?”

  Kelly smiled then laughed which made her pussy grip his cock again. “No. Not at all. I…I just wasn’t expecting that.”

  He smiled back. “I didn’t want to argue and you are not just a duty. You are my true life mate. There is no one else in the entire universe that can make my blood boil as you can. I would die for you and I would kill for you. I would not be able to live with myself if something ever happened to you.” He ran his thumb across her parted lips. “I will let you stay here with me on the ship, but… if danger should break out or any harm comes to you, I will immediately send you back to Qetera. Agreed?”

  She hesitated for a moment before she replied, “Agreed.”

  Is it safe to come out now? Serelath called out through the mind link.

  “Yes, you can come out now.” Kharis quickly released Kelly and rearranged his clothes while Kelly did the same. There wasn’t much hope for the shirt Kelly still had dangling from her arms. It was ripped beyond repair, but she held it together until she could go change.

  “Serelath, I need you to accompany me down to the surface of Lephus. I want you to help search for any life forms that may still exist. For the most part, I suspect that the Lephusans have moved on, but I want to be sure.”

  It would be my pleasure. When do we leave? Serelath plopped down on the carpeted floor near the sofa.

  “My teams are preparing as we speak. We shouldn’t be down there long. The initial search with the ship’s scanners showed only moderate heat signatures. They appear to be small animals but just to be on the safe side, I want to check it out. If nothing pans out then I want to head for Galaxis 9. I might be able to find out something there.”

  Should we take Parath? It might be a good experience for her.

  “I think you’re right. If Parath is going to be part of my mate then she needs to learn how we do things. Make sure you keep an eye on her. I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Kelly that we let something happen to her dragon.”

  “Did you say something about Parath,” Kelly asked as she walked out of the bedroom with a new shirt on.

  “I’m going to take her down to the surface with us. There isn’t much of a chance for any violence so this would be a good time for her to learn.” He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to his sudden decision to take away her newest friend.

  “I think that’s a great idea. I know she’s young and all, but she needs to learn how to defend herself from those who might want to harm her.” Kelly walked past him and went into the kitchen. “How long do you think y’all might be gone?”

  He followed her into the kitchen to watch her move. She had a way about her that he loved and just couldn’t form into words. It was as if she had a magnetic force that moved with her and drug him along. “A few hours at the most. Not too long. We’ll be leaving within the hour.”

  She drained the glass of water she had filled from the pitcher in the cooling unit then sat the empty glass in the sink. She sauntered over to where he leaned against the counter watching her. “Well then, you had better kiss me goodbye and be on your way. I’ll be waiting for you to return.”

  He took her in his arms when she rubbed her body against his. “Oh, I would hope so, my love.”

  “I’ll be waiting for you in our bed…naked.”

  His cock jump at the thought of taking her again. He would have to make sure they weren’t gone to long since he would hate to miss out on another taste of her luscious little body.

  “I will be back as soon as I can.” He kissed her softly on the lips then touched her nose with his finger.

  “Be careful.”

  He nodded as he stepped away from her. “As always. Serelath, Parath let’s head out!”

  Two flashes of color zoomed by as the door to their quarters opened. Kharis followed closely behind as the dragons glided through the corridor. This trip down to the surface should be interesting with a new dragon. This was the first time in years he got to work with a new dragon. It was his pleasure to be able to shape the female into a fighting machine that would protect not only Qetera but also his mate.

  ******

  An hour later the team of shuttles landed on the rocky surface of Lephus. How anyone could have ever lived on such a hostile planet was beyond him. The landscape was unforgiving with its jagged rocks and dry soil. A constant, wild wind whipped over the surface causing the soil and dirt to fly up into the air. Sandstorms were a common thing and were to known to be quite dangerous at times. To be on the safe side, he made all of his men wear respirators along with their com links.

  The shuttles emptied out as soon as they touched down. There were four teams sent to search different quadrants of the planet. He and twenty of his men were in the main quadrant that housed most of the people at one time.

  “Let’s move out. Remember, report to me immediately if you see or come across anything suspicious.” He had checked his weapon before he moved out. The last thing he needed was to be caught off guard with a malfunctioning gun.

  The group left the shuttles on the outskirts of the central city, or what you could call the main city. It looked more like a village than a city in its current condition. Several buildings stood in a sad state of disrepair or were completely crumbled down upon themselves. The streets were littered with trash and with what smelled like raw sewage. Obviously, Ruehar had let his city fall into chaos.

  A moment of pity overcame him when he thought about the few women and children that had once lived in the deplorable place. The group proceeded through the streets at a slow pace searching each building as they went along. In the sky above, Serelath and Parath soared over the city searching for any heat signals.

  Serelath, you find anything yet? He kept his eyes peeled for any sudden movements.

  Nothing that would indicate the presence of a Lephusan.

  The pair spoke through their mind link to keep the conversation at a minimum. If there was anyone left he didn’t want to scare them off.

  As the small group of men approached a dilapidated building, laser shots skimmed across their path causing them to run for cover. Kharis ducked into the doorway of a single storied building that had been ransacked.

&nb
sp; Serelath, did you see where that came from? He peered around the corner to see if he could place where the assailant was hiding. Movement out the corner of his eye caught his attention in the building diagonally across from him. A curtain was blowing through a broken window on the second story. The shape of a head peaked up from the windowsill giving him enough time to see where his attacker was hiding. Using hand signals to his closest men, he pointed up to the window. Two men slipped across the road and headed for the building in question. There was no way he would be able to cross the street and enter the building without being seen because of his current location. He had been the closest to the shooter and was pinned down in the doorway until his men captured the assailant.