by Shae Mills
He looked at her hard as his fingers slowly and tenderly followed the thin red line that traversed the width of her pretty throat. His other hand brushed over the scar on her right shoulder.
Chelan shivered at his gentle touch, a proliferation of antagonistic emotions coursing through her. She felt fear and apprehension coupled with sexual desire, but all were overshadowed by her all-consuming nervousness.
"Who did this to you?" he rumbled, his voice deep and restrained.
Chelan shivered, and suddenly hugged her exposed breasts. She let her head tip forward, and her long hair cascaded protectively about her. "It was a misunderstanding," she uttered nearly imperceptibly.
Korba's fingers retraced her scars. "Chelan," he breathed. He placed his finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. "Who cut you?"
Insidious panic began to devour her. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she muttered quickly. "It was a mistake."
Korba's eyes were ablaze with a hateful fire as he spoke from between clenched teeth. "Hurting you is indeed someone's mistake."
Chelan hugged herself tighter. She forced her chin from his finger and looked away. "I had..." She looked down. "I had run into a rough moment with Fremma and had asked Dar's permission to stay in the small room off the workout area." Chelan hesitated. "I got up late one night, awakened by some sounds that I could not identify."
She faltered, and Korba watched her body tremble. He wanted to take her, to comfort her, but he wanted to know the name of her assailant more.
Her voice became very soft. "I went to the Command Center thinking that Dar had returned." She looked at him, wishing she did not have to continue. But his eyes bored into her, and she realized she had no choice. "Dar and Fremma had requested a military meeting with Solis, and he had arrived early." She shuddered. "He saw me for what I was, an alien intruder to be dealt with swiftly and effectively." She closed her eyes. "But Dar and Fremma arrived in time to stop him."
Korba held his breath, remaining silent. He was not sure exactly how he felt or how he should react. He watched his pretty woman quivering before him, and he knew that the dark rage that was welling up in him would only scar her further. His hands went to her slender shoulders, and he drew her forward onto his chest. Only then did she release her arms from their frantic embrace, allowing herself to melt into the comfort of his powerful body.
"It was a mistake, Korba," she pleaded. "And Dar dealt with him."
Korba remained mute as his mind tore through his options. His hands stroked her bare back, consoling her while his heart continued to swell with hostility. He pulled her farther up his body and nuzzled in under her hair. "I should slit his throat," he seethed.
"No!" she cried, hugging him fiercely. "Please, no," she pleaded in desperation. "It happened a long time ago, long before we came together. If he had killed me before your arrival, you would not have felt and reacted the same way. Upon your return I would have simply been gone, and the whole incident would not have mattered."
Korba moaned, his anger turning instantly to profound despair. He clutched her, rolling with her as he placed her onto her back. "No," he breathed as he looked down into her pretty face. "No, Chelan. That's not true."
His fingers went to her throat as he retraced the fine, red scar. His voice was sorrowful. "My grief would have been no less diminished if you had died before my return than if you perished now. Why do you think I put you in the care of Fremma, my best and most trusted man, and then asked Dar to keep you well for me while I was gone? Oh, Chelan. The only thing that differs now from when I first saw you is the admission of my love for you to myself. I would have been beset with anguish had I returned only to learn of your death."
Korba appealed to her. "Chelan, when I stepped up to the Command Center a few days ago, and my weary eyes beheld you, I was so happy and yet so confused. I wanted to take you right then and there, as I have always wanted to, and yet at the same time I wanted to retreat, scared to death of my own powerful urges and emotions. I watched you beat Fremma at the war game, and I was so proud. And then I watched him come on to you, his heart and loins full of desire, and my heart nearly broke at the thought that I was too late, that I had lost your heart to another. My love and passion for you have never been anything less than they are right now. Only my own blindness and stubborn foolishness kept us from remaining together in the beginning."
His eyes were grievous, his heart heavy. "I was such a fool, my Lady. If I could go back in time, I would do it all so differently. I would have come to you and explained the mission. I would have cared for you when you were ill, and I would have said good-bye. I apologize for all of those indiscretions with every fiber of my being."
Chelan's heart brimmed with adoration, his words of cherished devotion saturating her with love. But she feared for the officer. "It was a mistake with Solis, my love. Please let it go. I have forgiven him, and hurting him now would serve no one's purpose."
Korba closed his eyes and sank down onto her chest. She was right. He hugged her breasts to his face and immersed himself in her sweet scent. "No one will ever hurt you again, Chelan. I stake my life on that promise."
Chelan clung to him for a long while, her spirit soaring. Her fingers slid through his long hair, and she kissed the top of his head. She closed her eyes, the feel of his hand on her breast sending pulses of desire throughout her body. "I want to make love with you," she breathed.
Korba rose off her and removed his hand from her soft fullness. "You see Stose first. I will not damage you again."
Chelan nodded and followed him off the bed. She stood before him and watched his beautiful male muscles undulate in unison as he began dressing. She bit her lip as he tucked himself into his uniform pants, the sight of him sheathing himself nearly too much for her to handle. She reached for him, halting his movements.
Korba saw the undiminished desire in her eyes, and he smiled lecherously at her. "You're going to slow down the process of going to see Stose."
"Only for a little while. Besides, I have been taught that there are many beautiful ways to make love." She smiled flirtatiously. "Stose can wait." She picked up her clothing and headed toward the workout area.
Korba followed, collecting the rest of his uniform as he went. Chelan led him to the shower. She smiled at him, oozing sexuality as she helped him remove his pants. She shed the remains of her attire and then drew him into the water. Silently, she began washing every inch of his virile body. She paid tender attention to all of him, and when she was satisfied with her labor of love, she reached up and took his lips with hers.
Korba responded to her, pressing her sensual, wet flesh into his. But Chelan slipped out of his embrace, moving down his body like a coating of sweet cream.
Korba moaned. He looked down at her and reached for her face. "I get the impression that you're determined never to let me rest, thereby forever depriving me of my command," he uttered.
Chelan peered up into his handsome bronze face. She smiled as she watched the water cascade over his delicious flesh. "Just once. Or would you prefer that I stop?"
She did not wait for his reply, and within seconds he was hers. Korba leaned against the shower wall, raising his face to the rushing water. Spasms of torrid desire surged through his loins, her gentle manipulations sending him into another time and dimension. He groaned as he thought of being inside her, and he wished that he could take her right then and there. His body's response to his thoughts coupled with her masterful touch nearly drove him beyond reason. He gasped, wishing that the water was colder... much colder.
Chelan felt his increased urgency, and she stood, taking his lips aggressively while she stroked him to an explosive orgasm. Every muscle in his body contracted almost violently, and he grabbed her to him.
"We go to Stose now," he rasped.
Chelan smiled and watched him hunch over as the last of his tremors passed. His lungs worked for air as he wiped his hair from his face and then stepped quickly fro
m the shower. She was delighted with the intensity of the arousal she had brought him to, but she was not finished with him yet. She turned her back to him and reached for the cleansing bar. She knew she could send renewed waves of frenzy throughout him, untouched.
Korba attempted to contain his thoughts while he watched her. For the first time he wondered just what pleasures she had brought to Fremma and how often. They had shared the same bed for months, and suddenly Korba was hit with a profusion of foreign feelings. He was both envious and mildly jealous of his friend, and at the same time he actually felt perturbed about his decision to take the Rigilean mission. He had cheated himself and her out of countless hours of love and ecstasy.
Korba recoiled at the next revelation. For the first time in his life he regretted having gone into battle. He shook his head, attempting to sort through the strange new feelings, but his attention was soon diverted. He studied Chelan and was caught up by the beauty before him. He watched her coat herself with the bar, her hands moving slowly and seductively over her curves. Her skin glistened, her erect nipples begged to be touched, and when she slipped her long tapered fingers into her own folds, he lost it.
Korba was on her in an instant. He wanted to consume her, all of her, and his hands coursed over her slippery body. He bit into her neck, and she arched to him, presenting her aching breasts to him. But he had other plans. He drew her down, pressing her to her back and spreading her legs wide. He looked up into her large eyes, the water cascading over her just as he buried his face in her hot softness, her flesh ripe for the taking. She cried out as his fingers and tongue drove her wild. And only when her last spasm of ecstasy passed did he reluctantly withdraw from her overflowing depths. Though she was spent, he was still afire, the smell and taste of her carnal milk driving him mad.
He tilted his face to the water, hoping that with the clearing of her scent would come the clearing of his senses. Finally, he rose, drawing her up with him. He turned away from her, collecting himself as he stepped out of the shower. Only when he heard her step from the water did he dare to turn back to her. He watched as she slipped into her white gown, and as she looked up at him, her demure smile nearly caused him to harden again. She bewitched him wholly, a fact he was keenly aware of. He took several calming breaths and then tucked himself into his uniform, hoping that this time they would make it to Stose.
Satisfied that he was finally in control of himself, he moved to her and turned her away from him. Tenderly, he brushed out her golden-brown hair, arranging it perfectly as it flowed down her slender back. When he had finished, he circled her and then stepped back, his eyes tracing over her flawless beauty. "I've married a goddess," he whispered.
Chelan blushed and kissed him gently. "And I, my Lord, have married a god."
Korba was dumbstruck. Everything about her rendered him mute. No longer could words alone describe adequately what he felt for her or the extent of his love. He could only turn and lead her back to the Command Center.
Chelan stood and watched him as he donned his shroud, complete with all his weaponry. Then he pressed a security button, and the doors parted, allowing admittance to the six familiar shrouds.
Korba simply smiled at her and nodded toward the entry. Chelan turned and ascended the stairs, accompanying him on the short trip to his personal sickbay.
When Chelan stepped through the doors of the medical center, the anxiety she had kept so well suppressed surfaced. She felt short of breath, and her hands became cool. The unknowns surrounding the testing were beginning to gnaw at her, and she wanted desperately to go back to the Command Center. But she knew she could not disappoint Korba. She stood very still and watched as Korba ordered all but two guards out.
Suddenly, Stose appeared, smiling warmly as he greeted them. "Ah, a return visit to see Fremma, I assume?"
Chelan swung around to Korba before he could correct the doctor, her bright eyes pleading.
Korba smiled at her and then looked to Stose. "Yes, we'd like to see him if all is well."
Stose nodded to them and then ushered them to the private room. Korba stood with the doctor at the entry as Chelan moved to the far side of Fremma's bed. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her chest as she looked down into his peaceful face. She remained still for a long time, a serenity surrounding her as she noticed that his coloring had improved greatly.
Chelan looked to Stose expectantly and signed to him in flawless battle language. Both men remained stationary, both rendered temporarily wonderstruck by her proficiency with the language. Finally, Stose signed back that Fremma had been resting peacefully all day and that it was okay to wake him.
Chelan smiled and then looked to Korba for his final approval.
Korba hesitated, still in awe of his beautiful alien mate. Slowly, he nodded.
Chelan reached for Fremma's hand, her touch immediately rousing him from his slumber.
"Oh, my Lady," he smiled. "What a sight for weary eyes."
Chelan nodded toward Korba. "I've brought you some company, Fremma," she said softly.
Fremma turned his head just as Korba stepped up to the bedside. "My Lord," he acknowledged. "I believe congratulations are in order. I'd like to shake the hand of the luckiest man in the galaxy."
Korba smiled back at him and extended his hand to the warrior. "I believe the fact that you are here today after what I did to you indicates that you are the luckiest man in the galaxy, my dear friend."
Fremma smiled. "I guess I am, my Lord, as I live to see the most beautiful woman I know become as happy as she could be by the side of her great Warlord."
Chelan was completely overwhelmed by emotions. She glanced at Korba, but she was unable to speak.
Korba watched her momentarily and then looked down at Fremma, squeezing his hand. "I believe you should get well soon..." He paused. "Or rather, I order that you get well soon, as I believe that you have a promise made to you by our cherished lady, one which I will not stand in the way of."
Chelan looked up into Korba's eyes, her heart spilling over with love for him for what he had just done.
Fremma seemed dazed. He could only stare at Chelan.
Chelan pinked and began to fidget. "Well, umm, you would have to get better first, of course."
Fremma chuckled and then winced. He clutched his chest and tried to still himself. "I'm working on it as fast as I can."
Korba grinned at the man. "Work faster. There are other things I need you to do besides tending to Chelan."
Chelan's jaw dropped. "My Lord!"
Fremma ground his teeth in an attempt to keep from laughing and further hurting himself. "Both of you, get out of here before I relapse."
Korba recoiled in mock offense. "Such insubordination!"
Chelan rounded the bed quickly and grabbed Korba by the arm. "Let's let the poor man rest. The two of you can discuss the finer points of dealing with me later."
She pushed Korba toward the door as she glanced back at Fremma. "Behave and get some sleep," she ordered.
The warrior nodded to her, and he smiled as the two disappeared.
Korba snagged her about the waist and gave her a hard kiss. "I see you're getting bossy."
"And you're incorrigible."
"I am not. I was just speeding things along."
Chelan rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Let's get this other matter dealt with."
Korba held Chelan by his side as they approached Stose. "Let's go to your private office where we can speak. Chelan and I have something to discuss with you."
Stose threw the Warlord a questioning look and then glanced at Chelan. "Certainly. Follow me."
Stose led them through a series of doors and into his office area. There Korba ordered the two guards to stay outside. Stose offered them a couple of chairs and then sat down quickly himself, feeling odd about standing over the Warlord.
Korba glanced at Chelan and then decided to get right to the point before she had time to change her mind. He addressed Stose. "Is it
possible to have the genetic testing done this morning?"
Stose's eyes popped open wide as he looked to Chelan with surprise. "So it has come to this already?"
Chelan looked immediately to the floor and bit her lip nervously.
Stose took a deep breath and ran his hand through his thick hair. "Yes, it is possible," he began. "But have you discussed with Chelan the risks to her of carrying your child?"
Chelan interrupted. "I don't care what the risks are, Dr. Stose. I simply want to know if we can try. I'll deal with the risks later."
Korba was pleasantly surprised by Chelan's uncharacteristic assertiveness, and his face slowly broke into a broad smile.
"Okay," said Stose. "I leave all the details up to you two and will stick to the preliminary medical aspects myself." Stose sat back in his chair, remaining silent for a long time while his eyes studied Chelan. Then he spoke. "Chelan, I require a couple of your eggs, a uterine biopsy, and several samples of various body fluids. Do you wish me to describe the procedures to you or would you rather enter them blind?"
Korba saw her muscles tense, and he reached for her hand, but Chelan did not answer.
Stose glanced uneasily at Korba, hoping the Warlord would defuse the situation. But Korba did not intervene with her thoughts or decisions.
Chelan took a deep breath, her eyes still on the floor. "Will it hurt?" she asked numbly.
"No, it won't. With our women, I usually use a simple nerve block." Stose looked up at Korba. "But with her, I would like to put her right out. It would be less traumatic."
Chelan's eyes shot to Korba's. Her anxiety flared and her voice shook. "But if I'm asleep, he can—"
"No," said Korba firmly. "I will stay with you throughout the procedure, Chelan. I will not leave your side. Nothing untoward will happen to you."
But Chelan jumped to her feet, startling both of the men. She hugged herself fiercely. "No," she whispered. "Just the nerve block. I don't want to sleep."
Korba rose ominously. "No one will hurt you, Chelan. No one." He watched her tremble, and his blood festered at the thought of her rape. He stepped up to her and hugged her close, kissing the top of her head as he stroked her long hair. "Do you want him to explain what he is going to do? I think he should if you are going to be awake."