Heart of a Commander [Daughters of Lyra Series]

by Felicity Heaton

  His body covered hers and he buried his face into her neck.

  Anything.

  He licked her throat and she felt it turn numb.

  Or perhaps he didn't need a push. Perhaps he had already made his decision and was only holding back the bloodlust for her sake. He hadn't hurt her so far, not really. She had expected more than just a few minor scratches.

  She moaned and her mind went blank when he thrust deeper into her, his pace increasing, and he breathed hard into her ear. His hands closed over her shoulders and she wrapped her arms around him, skimming her fingers over the shifting muscles of his back. She arched into him, tightening her muscles around his length as it drove into her, so deep that her insides coiled tight, ready to explode again. A few more thrusts and a warm rush burst through her, her body convulsing around his.

  Van growled and she squeaked when he pulled out of her, turned her over onto her front and pulled her hips up. He thrust into her from behind, harder now, so deep that she lost her mind a little more with each plunge of his length. She pushed herself up onto her hands and bit her lip, moaning each time their hips met. He growled again and she sensed his restraint snap. His fingers tightened against her hips, clinging to them as he pounded into her, seeking his own release. She clenched his length in her depths, hoping to help him find it, loving the feel of him thrusting into her. She felt every ounce of his power in each thrust, every ounce of his strength.

  It felt divine.

  Her breasts wobbled back and forth with each deep thrust, her moans combining with his and filling the room along with their hard breathing. She closed her eyes when her insides began to tighten again and begged him not to stop. He moved faster, deeper, taking her out of her mind. Close. She was so close.

  With a roar, he came, filling her with his warm seed. He grabbed her around the ribs and pulled her up so her back was flush against his front, his length still inside her. She ached and writhed against him, desperate for release again. It had promised to be mind blowing.

  Van made sure it was.

  He snarled and then sunk his fangs into her neck. Intense pleasure tore through her and she convulsed against the restraint of his arms as she came, her whole body quivering with her release. The universe turned bright white. Her ears rang.

  Pain was the first thing Amerii felt on coming back to the galaxy. Her neck hurt with each hard pull Van made on her blood but it felt good at the same time. She leaned back into him, unable to resist as he drank deeply from her. She sighed when he began to slow and then shivered when he withdrew his fangs and licked her neck.

  Her neck.

  He had bitten her there.

  Van released her and she collapsed into the bed, dreamily touching the pronounced bumps on her throat.

  With a sleepy smile, she looked at Van. He looked troubled. She crooked her finger at him, wanting him to come to her. He hesitated a moment and then lay beside her. She didn't press him into speaking.

  There were no words that could convey what this moment had meant to her, and she knew that he would find it impossible to find the right words too.

  She lay close to him and smiled again when he carefully lifted her, moved the covers away, and then settled her down on the bed. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lay beside her before covering them both with the blanket. She snuggled into his back when he rolled onto his side, her forehead pressing against his shoulder.

  Her hand skimmed down his arm and she smiled. It was all a little overwhelming, but she knew that it was so much more so for Van. She could feel the tension radiating through him. What thoughts were troubling him? She ran her fingers back up his arm, her touch light. She hoped it comforted and reassured him as she intended it to. Moving closer to him, she pressed the length of her body into his and kissed his back and shoulders, memorising the feel of his skin beneath them and the warmth of him.

  "Van?” she whispered against his back, afraid of disturbing him but wanting to reassure him as best she could.

  He was silent for a long time and then said, “Amerii?"

  "I love you.” She pressed another kiss to his back and wrapped her arm around him, her hand splaying out against his chest. “Nothing will change that."

  Silence.

  "Van?” she said, her voice trembling now. He was still so tense. She wished that he would turn towards her. She wanted to see his face and look into his eyes when she said these things. Pulling on his arm, she tried to force him to roll over and look at her. “Turn around."

  He did and she moved backwards to give him room. His eyes were dark as he looked into hers, full of conflict. She stroked her fingers over his brow and then down his cheek, smiling at him the whole time.

  "I love you,” she said again and the tension in his expression lifted a little. “I'm glad that I'm yours now ... your mate ... there's no one else that I want as mine."

  He swallowed, frowned and pulled her close to him as he rolled onto his back, growling possessively. She pressed a kiss to his chest and then looked up and studied his beautiful face as he fell asleep, wishing with all her heart that he didn't feel so unworthy of her.

  She hoped that things would be different now.

  Now that she was his.

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  Chapter 7

  Amerii shifted on the seat of the small shuttle as it descended into the atmosphere of Varka Two. She looked herself over for the millionth time, wondering what her captain was going to make of her outfit. Van had insisted that she change into a black armoured suit. It was tight to her skin, the thick material lined with some kind of liquid metal that responded to impacts. She had discovered that when she had been prodding it whilst walking and had bumped into Van, forcing her finger into the chest area of the suit. It had instantly hardened and then became soft again. Varkan technology certainly was incredible.

  Her gaze roamed to Van where he sat close beside her, a huge black heavy artillery laser rifle cradled in his lap. He wore a suit similar to hers. It mimicked his muscles perfectly, giving her every reason to remember how good he had looked naked. She wet her lips.

  "We will arrive shortly. It will be day in the area where the old base station is situated,” Van said and she noticed that he seemed uneasy about that.

  Varkans didn't like the daylight. The other Varkan soldiers in the transport shuttle with her and Van were already wearing their black visors in preparation.

  Van's sat on the seat beside him.

  "The area is shielded as per Varkan regulations but the facility is old. We must be on our guard."

  Amerii nodded, knowing exactly how to read between the lines of what he had said to the meaning beneath. It wasn't just information or a warning. It wasn't just that she would see firsthand Varka's method of filtering the light to protect their sensitive eyes, or the fact that Wraiths used to inhabit the planet and could return at any moment to attack them there.

  It was that he was worried about her and that he would do all he could to protect her.

  He placed his hand over hers where it rested on her knee and closed his fingers around it, holding it. None of the other Varkans seemed to notice or they were doing an admirable job of pretending they hadn't seen this sign of affection from their commander towards a Lyran. Van squeezed her hand and she looked back at him.

  She was surprised when he leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear that she didn't understand. It wasn't Varkan. It was another language. Perhaps the old Varkan language but no words that she was familiar with.

  He kissed the spot on the neck of her armoured suit that was directly over the marks on her neck. She smiled and blushed, that blush turning to a blazing fire when she realised that all of the soldiers opposite her were now facing her direction. Van kissed her neck again, whispered something else, and moved back into his seat.

  She glanced at Van, glad that he was all right with what had happened between them and that he seemed more comfortable around her now. She placed her other
hand over his where it covered hers and held it.

  The pilot announced they had entered the facility docking area and, a moment later, they touched down, the thrusters of the small vessel deafening her as they fired to stop its descent.

  Van's hand left hers and went to his gun. He stood, slung the strap of his gun across his body, and motioned to his soldiers. She didn't understand what any of the elaborate gestures meant.

  When the soldiers had filed out, Van offered her his hand. She placed hers into it and stood, looking into his eyes as he smiled and brushed her hair from her face.

  "Remain close to me, Amerii,” he said, his dark eyes giving her the impression that he was thinking about violent things. Was he really that worried that the Wraiths would attack? Lyran reports indicated that they had been quiet in this area for some time now. “I will not let anything happen to you."

  She leaned into his touch, seeking its comfort, and then closed her eyes as she pressed a kiss to his palm.

  "What did you say to me that you wanted those men to hear?” she said with a sly smile, seeing straight through him.

  When her eyes met Van's, there was an awkward look in his.

  "That you are mine, and only mine, and I would not share you with any male."

  "Mmm,” Amerii said and pushed his gun aside before wrapping her arms around his neck. “I don't want to be anyone else's. I only want to be yours."

  He smiled, exposing his sharp teeth. “Truly?"

  She nodded. “There's no other man in the universe for me. I love you."

  His eyes widened and then closed as he leaned in to kiss her. She sighed against his lips as they touched hers in a sensual caress that heated her blood and made her heartbeat quicken. She frowned over the loss as they left hers and looked at him.

  "What about your father?” Van said.

  Amerii's frown stuck. “I'm really not interested in my father in that way."

  "I am being serious."

  He looked it too. She stroked his cheek, enjoying the sight of him so deadly serious and intense. His red irises were brighter than they had been a moment before. Had he been thinking about her blood while they had been kissing?

  "My father will be fine,” she said and released him. She walked a little way towards the exit of the shuttle and then paused, looking back at Van with a wide smile. “Of course, he won't make it easy on you at first."

  Van paled.

  "I'm joking,” she said and he glared at her. She made a mental note that Van didn't like jokes. When he walked towards her, she went to leave the shuttle but his hand on her arm stopped her.

  "Take this,” he said and she turned back to see him holding out a small laser rifle.

  He really wasn't taking any risks.

  She slung the strap of the rifle over her shoulder and weighed it up. It was a good weapon. She had shouldered a few rifles in her time and this had to be the finest and most balanced one she'd had the opportunity of using.

  A glance at Van made her blood boil with desire. He stood tall, back straight, holding the massive rifle. The armoured suit he wore really did make him look as though someone had stripped him and painted him black. It was a divine sight. She blushed when she remembered that he was all hers now, and she was his. She touched her neck again, her fingers hovering over the point where he had bitten. His gaze shifted there, boring into it and heating it until it matched the fierce temperature of her blood.

  She wasn't sure how she was going to break it to her parents. Her mother would understand but her father was protective of her, and then there were her uncles. Sebastian, the king of Lyra, would understand. After all, it was his daughter Sophia who was married to Emperor Varka. Balt might not be too upset since his eldest daughter Renie was marrying a Vegan, but her youngest uncle, Remi would. He had suffered both physically and emotionally because of the Varkans and the war. She doubted that he would be able to bring himself to see past Van's role in that war, just as he couldn't bring himself to speak to Regis.

  "Come,” Van said, dragging her out of her thoughts.

  Amerii pushed them to the back of her mind. When the time came, she would deal with them. Until then, she had a mission to focus on and a job to do. She followed Van out of the shuttle and watched two small Lyran vessels land, sending plumes of gritty black sand into the air. The ribbons twirled like smoke, drawing her eyes upwards to the dome. The sky was dull, nothing like the one she was used to seeing back on the planets of Lyra. She wondered if she could stand to be always under a dome, locked away from the sun and the sky. If Van were with her, she probably could get used to it.

  The dome on Varka Two had its purpose though, and it wasn't only to protect the Varkans’ eyes. It regulated the temperature of the station and protected its occupants from the harsh rays of the Varkan sun. Apparently, it was almost twice as strong as the sun of Lyra and because of Varka Two's proximity to it, the dome was essential. Without it, the temperature would be near impossible to bear.

  Nothing could survive here.

  She remembered the Wraiths.

  Something could live here, but it wasn't something she wanted to meet.

  The dome protected against that too. At least, she hoped it did. It looked weak in places as her eyes scanned the perimeter. They would have to fix it.

  She walked forwards with Van and, as he joined his men, she noticed that he had put his visor on. The two sides of it swept around to form a point a short distance from the tip of his nose, a line running directly over the top of his head where the sides joined.

  When her captain stepped out of the first Lyran vessel, his first officer at his side, Amerii saluted and stood straight. Her captain raised an eyebrow at her apparel and her heart beat harder as she prayed to Iskara that he wouldn't make a scene. She didn't know how Van would react if he did, or if he treated her any less than Van thought royalty should be treated. She had seen his disapproval both when she had been on her ship and Van had first met her captain, and when she had been on the Varkan vessel and her captain had ignored her.

  She hoped that he would ignore her now.

  "Commander Aeris, we are ready to begin our inspection."

  "We will split into two groups. I will escort you, your first officer and Princess Amerii. I am sure you wish to tour the facility. My officers and those left of yours will inspect the facility and decide upon any repairs or changes that will need to be made to accommodate Lyrans. All officers are to maintain a state of alert. We do not know if the Wraiths have returned. I would order your men to remain close to mine,” Van said, his voice deep and carrying a note of authority that practically challenged her captain to disapprove of his plan.

  Amerii waited to see how her captain would respond. A momentary flicker of something crossed his face, something remarkably similar to irritation or anger, but quickly disappeared when Van stepped forwards. Any sign that her captain was going to speak out against the plan or attempt to take leadership of the mission faded along with his courage and his colour. His skin paled, turning almost as white as Van's.

  Van grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

  "Shall we,” Van said, holding his hand out to one side.

  He walked ahead of them, his massive rifle constantly at the ready. Wherever he turned his head, he turned it. Did he really think the Wraiths might attack here? The barrier was thin in places. It was possible that they could get through and Van had mentioned that there had been sightings of them in this area of space.

  Was this the reason Varka had insisted on escorting them to the planet and remaining with them a time rather than letting them arrive on their own? Lyra had never fought Wraiths before. The Wraiths had never attacked them during the insurgences or the war before that. She had only read sketchy data on them before Sophia had married Regis and Varka had made their military data available to Lyran soldiers. She had read all about them then, wanting to know what sort of species it was that shared the Varkans’ planets.

  They sounded terrifying.


  Creatures that were like ghosts, able to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, impossible to hit without the correct weapon.

  She hoped she didn't meet one.

  Her captain moved and she followed him, walking beside his first officer. Van dropped back to walk alongside her captain but near to her too. He turned his head slightly towards her, clearly glancing in her direction. She knew what he wanted but she couldn't do it. It wasn't her place to walk beside her captain. Van had to understand that to her captain, she was a lieutenant, not a princess.

  Van dropped back again as they entered the building and even though she couldn't see where he was looking because of his visor, she could feel that his eyes were on her.

  He explained, seemingly to her alone, his attention always with her, about the rooms they were passing through. This complex had been the stronghold of Varka on this planet many years ago. They hadn't used it since Lyra had withdrawn and it had returned to Varkan hands. There was a corridor and steps leading downwards that Van went straight past without explaining. She knew why. There was only one place that he wouldn't want to take her or her comrades. The cells. She could read his silence as clearly as her captain and first officer would be able to. They had held many Lyrans in this complex once and even though Varka Two had returned to Varka over fifty years ago, there were still those that would have had kin held in those cells.

  If they had ever caught her uncle, they would have held him here and tortured him for information. While that thought disturbed her, it didn't change her feelings towards the Varkans. That time was long over and peace had long reigned between their species. Lyrans had captured Varkans too and tortured them. She took a deep breath and told herself that was the face of war.

  It was a face that she hoped to never see.

  They came out into a long wide room. The lights above were dim but it was bright enough for her to see that Heavy Armour suits lined the walls. She had never seen one in real life but had read all about them. She walked over to the nearest suit and ran her hands over the bulky black frame, shaped reminiscent of muscles, and down the arms. The sleek black helmet stared lifelessly down at her. It was incredible. If a soldier were to wear this, they would be well protected but completely unhindered by the suit. In fact, judging by the complex array of pistons and fluid tubes, the soldier would be able to move faster and with more strength than they normally had. The metal was cool under her fingers. Varkan steel. There was nothing stronger in the galaxy. Van would look incredible in it.