by Kit Tunstall
She tried to shove his hands away, but he was certainly stronger than she was. Fighting was doing no good, and she was certain he’d soon conquer her. Her strength was already waning under the brunt of his, and she knew she had to switch tactics.
As loathsome as it was, she forced herself to relax and stare up at him as he pinned her hands to the bed. “If you insist on having your guards here, I’ll try to ignore their presence then.”
He eyed her warily, not releasing her just yet. “How surprisingly accommodating of you.” His tone revealed skepticism.
She frowned. “It’s not like I want them to be here, but it appears they’re a fixture, and I agreed to this marriage to secure the peace.”
His grip softened slightly, though he was still on the edge of striking at any moment, as evidenced by his body language. “Perhaps you should show me how dedicated you are to this notion of peace, Jordan.”
She almost heaved as her stomach churned, but she tried to keep her expression neutral and her tone impassive. “What do you want?”
He flipped her over on top of him, settling his back against the headboard in a semi-seated position. “Pleasure me, wife.”
She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she nodded. She would do that if she had to, but she hoped to have an opportunity before it reached that point. When his hands dropped away from her, though he was still cautious, she scooted up his body so that she was straddling his thighs.
Being that close to him in such an intimate pose made her skin crawl, and she buried her face against his chest for a moment as she drew in a deep breath, struggling to hide her expression of disgust. She hoped he would take it as her clumsy seduction attempt as she kept her face hidden and breathed in deeply, waiting until the surge of nausea had passed before lifting her head again.
She stretched, bringing herself higher so that her lips brushed against his jawline. She kissed him there before moving her lips closer to his, reminding herself what was at stake when she neared his mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was kiss him, but if it gave her the opportunity she needed, she had to take it.
With a deep breath to control her nausea, she pressed her mouth lightly to his, unsurprised when his lips consumed hers in a greedy kiss. He was the type to take and take, and he’d never give, and her life would have been miserable if she’d actually been there to try to coexist with him as his empress.
His octopus hands returned, roaming freely over her body and requiring every ounce of strength she had not to pry his hands from her breasts when he cupped them, his fingers tugging roughly at her nipples. She wasn’t certain if he was unskilled or just uncaring, but he would certainly be a terrible lover. She was certain it wouldn’t get to that point. She’d rather drive the hair comb into her own brain first.
She continued kissing him and stroking his shoulders, ever alert to his deepening breath and clear loss of control. His pace was growing more frantic, and he was clearly lost in lust. She stretched her arms, lifting a hand up to her hair decoration, and he didn’t even flinch. He didn’t pay any attention to what she was doing, and she could have been anyone or anything. As long as he received pleasure, he didn’t care about the identity of his partner, and he certainly wouldn’t care about ensuring his lover was gratified too.
She was thankful for that, having no wish to experience Aryk’s attempts at tenderness, if he even knew how. She didn’t want his hands on her, and she would require the hottest shower she could stand after this was over.
That was assuming she survived it. She knew her odds of doing so weren’t great as she pulled the hair comb from the twist she’d used to secure it, holding tightly to the handle as she pulled it back with all her strength. As soon as the guards realized what she had done, they would arrest her, and if they didn’t kill her, she’d probably be subject to some gruesome form of public execution if Ysaak and the others weren’t successful.
She steeled herself, finding surprisingly few doubts about her ability to carry through with this now that the time was at hand. As Aryk roughly palmed her breasts, she put all of her strength into her arm, driving it around and down, wincing as the blade penetrated his brainstem, and his hot blood splattered on her hand.
He jerked and spasmed, his eyes going wide with shock as he stared at her. It didn’t take long for the light to dim from his eyes and disappear completely, and then he slumped backward. It was over in less than a minute, but time seemed to have completely stopped during those handful of seconds.
It resumed abruptly when hard hands clasped her wrists, dragging her away from Aryk’s body. One of the guards focused solely on Aryk, while the other one confined her hands with cuffs before hitting her in the face as hard as he could. Stars danced behind her eyes, and she swayed on her feet. She was certain she would have fallen if the guard hadn’t maintained his cruel hold on the too-tight cuffs, making chains dig into her delicate skin.
It was worth it, whatever they did to her. Aryk was dead, and as long as Ha had been captured, or even better, killed while trying to escape, this nightmare was mostly over. She had to find a way to communicate with the others that Ysaak should step in, but she wasn’t certain how she’d manage to do that with her wrists bound and the two angry guards flanking her as the one gave up any attempts to resuscitate Aryk.
“He’s dead,” the one guard said to the other, looking shocked.
“His nanotechnology should repair the damage.”
Jordan grinned at him, though there was no humor in her voice. “It would, except one of our people figured out a solution that dissolves the nanotechnology, forcing the nanos to disintegrate. That’s why I had to stab him in the brainstem, destroying the hive of where the nanotechnology starts building itself so it wouldn’t have a chance to repair or warn the rest of the nanotechnology.”
The other guard slapped her with his hand across the mouth, making blood spatter and the taste of copper blossom on her tongue. She turned her head and spat, wincing at the pain from doing so. Maybe she should keep her mouth shut for now.
With that resolve in mind, she marched quietly between them, offering no resistance as they led her to the exit of the chamber. She was trying to be pragmatic. If the others’ plans had succeeded, she wouldn’t be in the custody of these guards for long. If they hadn’t succeeded, she was likely marching to her death, but it would just be that much faster than what many of the other people on Earth would face.
After assassinating Aryk, if someone else took over and wouldn’t follow Ysaak, there would probably be a full-scale war, because they wouldn’t care about what happened to the humans. Not that Aryk had cared either. He had simply cared about acquiring her, which had made him present the façade of being willing to work together for peace.
She was lost in her thoughts, dreading the possible future, so it took her a moment to realize one of her guards had dropped to the floor beside her. She looked down, stunned and trying to figure out how that had happened, as the other guard beside her stiffened and raised his pulser. Before he had a chance to use it, he grunted and slumped forward, and as he fell onto his stomach on the floor, she saw the gaping wound in his back, grimacing at the gruesome sight.
She turned to face whomever had taken out the guards, hoping it would be one of her allies. Even better, it was her mate, and she threw herself against Sash with a small cry of relief, burrowing against him as his arms came around her. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“As am I. Are you injured?”
She lifted her head, which must have clearly shown him the damage the guards and inflicted on her face. “I have a heck of a headache, but I’ll live.” She grinned at him. “That’s more than I can say for Aryk.”
“You succeeded?” At her nod, he grinned. “I’m so proud of you, Jordan. It was too much to ask of anyone without training, but if anyone could accomplish it, I knew it was you.”
She laid her head against his shoulder again, wishing she could wrap her arms around him. “I don’
t suppose you have a key for these cuffs?”
He stepped back. “Lift your arms above your head and spread your wrists as far as possible.”
Her eyes widened when she saw him lift his pulser after changing a setting, and she braced herself when she did as he had directed, stretching her wrists as far apart as possible so he’d have several inches of chain at which to aim. Less than a second later, he had pressed the trigger, and the chain gave way, allowing her to drop her arms at either side of her body.
That pose didn’t last long, and she threw herself against him again, this time wrapping her arms around him and enjoying the safety of being in Sash’s arms. “I’m sorry I hit you,” she whispered against his chest.
He must have heard her words, even though they were spoken softly, because he laughed. “It’s all right. I understand why you did it, though I wish we’d had a chance to talk more about the plan.”
“I was afraid to say too much in that bedroom, not knowing if I was being watched or recorded.” She lifted her head, holding onto his shoulders as she did so. “I couldn’t risk Aryk finding out I was there to assassinate him, or I would have told you everything at that point.”
He nodded. “I understand, and it’s not like you had a chance to tell me before the guards folded in and took you. I’m just glad Karsh was able to replicate their technology so we could use it against them.”
“What about Ha? Did you get him?”
Sash nodded. “Ryland and Orix were folding back with him to the ship when I left them to find you. I had to make sure you were safe, and there were quite a few guards that wanted to make sure that didn’t happen, but they won’t be a problem.”
She thought about asking for details, but decided she didn’t want to know. She felt the same way about what she’d had to do to Aryk. Unless Sash needed or wanted all the details, she didn’t intend to share them. It was a traumatic event, and she’d be happy to forget about it for the rest of her life, rather than dwell on it or discuss it endlessly. No doubt, she would have to debrief someone with the details, but she hoped it wouldn’t be Sash. They didn’t need the ugliness between them, from either of their actions. They were justified, but better forgotten as quickly as possible.
“Let’s go home.”
She hesitated for a moment at his suggestion. “Is everything done on the planet? I mean everything we had to do?”
He nodded. “All the teams have checked in, and I heard updates as I was dealing with the people keeping you from me. Every one of our strike teams succeeded. Ysaak is at this moment in the throne room, reclaiming the Dazon Empire, and the ambassador is with him, though I’ve heard the emperor is fussing about her insisting on traveling with him this late in her pregnancy.”
“Their baby needs to be born on Dazonia Major, because it will cement the child’s future claim to the throne.”
He nodded, seeming pleased with her perceptiveness. “That’s exactly what Embeth said. Were you part of her plan?”
She shook her head. “No, but it makes perfect sense. If you were about to become the emperor, our children would have to be born on Dazonia Major as well.”
His arms tightened around her, and he regarded her solemnly. “Is that something you want?”
She frowned in confusion. “To stay on Dazonia? No, not really. The Moon feels like home to me now.”
He smiled, but shook his head. “It does to me as well, but I wasn’t talking about staying on Dazonia. I was asking about children. Do you want to be my mate and have my children?”
She arched her brow. “Yes, of course. I thought we established that already.”
He shrugged. “I’m just making sure, I guess. That wasn’t really time to reach any firm decisions earlier. We were too busy doing other things to talk much on Outpost 182, and then you sent me back to the consulate, because it wasn’t safe to speak in your room. I’d like to know that we’re on the same page. Is that the correct saying?”
She nodded. “It is the correct saying, and I believe we’re firmly on the same page. Isn’t this the page where it says happily ever after?” He seemed confused by the reference, and she waved her hand, making a mental note to tell him about human fairy tales at some point. For now, she would just have to show him, she decided, as she pulled him close for a very deep kiss, sighing with pleasure to feel Sash’s arms around her and his mouth over hers. This was definitely the happily ever after point.
Epilogue
There were a surprising number of functions that the commander of the Moon Consulate and his mate had to attend on Dazon, especially in the first year after peace was declared. There was Ysaak’s formal coronation, followed scant weeks later by the introduction ceremony for First Prince Elan, presented by the proud Emperor and Empress.
That occasion was followed by the first royal bonding ceremony since Jordan had briefly been forced to marry Aryk, when Princess Teleeza took a human mate. She and Damon Connors wore the kursti with pride, and though Jordan had her own profound and lasting love, she couldn’t help a small hint of envy when she saw how deeply the couple was devoted to each other. That quickly faded when Sash put his arm around her waist, his hand settling on her burgeoning stomach and reminding her she had her own perfect partner.
After the ceremony, the next major event took place on Earth, where Dr. Ha was tried and convicted for billions of crimes, including a count of murder for each life he had stolen by deploying the biological weapon that induced ROMKS among the population. He was sentenced to execution, and though the details were quiet, and the actual event remained secret and unattended by the vast majority of the public, it was accomplished within weeks of his verdict.
Jordan and Sash remained mostly oblivious to that, having decided they didn’t care to follow the finer details. The timing of his execution coincided with their planned getaway to Outpost 182, where they spent days lost in each other and nights holding one another. It was their belated honeymoon, and there was no room to worry about the fate of Jorvak Ha on their private slice of Eden.
Her mother was there for the long and difficult birth of their child. Fortunately, Jordan was only expecting one, but Elizabeth Saunders Darvig was a large baby and difficult to expel into the world. During contractions, Jordan had screamed a vow to the entire room that she’d never have another, but as she watched Sash hold their newborn daughter, that idea had already faded into one of temporary insanity. There would be more babies, and probably more screaming, but it would be worth it.
He sat on the edge of her bed, holding out their daughter so she could start nursing. She carefully took Elizabeth, surprised by the solid weight of her. She weighed almost eleven pounds, but it felt like more. Perhaps it was because she was just so tired, but either way, she was happy to see her daughter looked healthy and had a set of lungs to match her mother’s. As she positioned the baby, allowing her to latch on, she looked at Sash, and they traded a tender smile.
“Do you remember asking me about the happily ever after page?”
She nodded as she pushed back a long, thick curl off Elizabeth’s forehead, noticing her daughter had a less pronounced brow ridge and the faintest hint of eyebrows. Her skin was pale golden, but she had dark hair like both of her parents, and her eyes were a startling shade of lavender, though Jordan didn’t know if that would change as she got older. Human babies often changed eye color, but perhaps this would be her color for life. If so, the boys were in trouble when her daughter grew up, because she was going to be stunning.
“I understand the reference now. We’re definitely on the same page, my love.”
She smiled at him, taking his hand with her free one and holding tightly to her mate. They were certainly on the same page, but nowhere near the end.
This concludes the Dazon Agenda. The authors hope you enjoyed the series. If so, please consider leaving a review. Thank you.
About Juno
Juno Wells grew up on Florida’s Space Coast, watching the shuttles take off from Cape Canaver
al. When she hit college, her childhood fantasies about space travel turned highly romantic. Now her mind reels with space adventures of fantastic alien lords in distant galaxies, and the Earth women they love.
Wells’ stories explore the complex, sensual relationships between inhabitants of different star systems. There are always happy endings just as there is always a new world to explore.
Her work is exclusive to Amazon, so read as much as you like with Kindle Unlimited.
Have a comment? Make first contact with Juno at [email protected].
Want More from Juno Wells?
Here is a short list of books currently available:
Alien Commander’s Bride: Draconians (Dragon Shifter Scifi BBW BWWM Romance) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017PX5FUY/?tag=dirtydiscourse-20
Trouble: A Soldier of the Union Novella (Sci-fi Alien Romance) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014UAWORC/?tag=dirtydiscourse-20
Gemini - Taken by the Alien Kings: A Sci-Fi Menage Alien Romance (Lords of Astria) - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0100Q5D14/?tag=dirtydiscourse-20
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About Aurelia
Aurelia Skye is the pen name Kit Tunstall uses when writing science fiction romance. It’s simply a way to separate the myriad types of stories she writes so readers know what to expect with each “author.”
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