by Lisa Lace
Leanne gasped in delight. “That’s amazing!”
She knew enough about Wescra technology by now to work out what was going on. The tent was a hologram but made solid by force fields. It would certainly protect them better than any fabric tent would have. When she and Resek crawled inside, exhausted from the day’s travel, there was a low bed waiting for them.
They ate some of the Wescra version of trail rations – a mixture of meat and nuts, made into small, hard cakes.
Leanne was ready to lie down and sleep, but Resek was looking at her in a way that made her blood heat. Oh, she remembered. They needed to be together for strength. The thought already had her body responding, and when Resek reached for her, she surprised him by straddling his hips, leaning down to kiss him.
They were both too tired for anything fancy, but that didn’t stop the raging desire inside Leanne needing to be fulfilled. She ground down on Resek, enjoying the way his eyes closed as she rubbed against his cock.
She shimmied out of her combat uniform and was soon naked atop him. Resek was still clothed and made moves to rectify that at once, which was difficult with Leanne sitting right on his cock. He didn’t seem to want to move and lose the contact.
Leanne chuckled and yanked his uniform down around his legs. That would have to be good enough. She wasn’t sure she could wait long enough to get him fully naked. The constant tension she’d felt throughout the day seemed to demand release, and Resek could give it to her.
She positioned herself, then slid onto his cock. It filled her pussy so completely, and she moaned at the sensation of him inside her. She began to move, and Resek surged his hips up to meet hers. Leanne felt like she couldn’t go fast enough. He pumped into her, each stroke making her cry out louder, so much that she hoped this tent was soundproof.
Resek’s hand came off from around her back and reached toward her clit. Leanne felt his fingers brush it, and it was so good that she felt she might die right then and there. She was soaked, and there were slick, slapping sounds between them. Resek’s fingers worked her clit.
Leanne placed a hand over his, guiding him until he was touching her in that perfect way that made her lose control. She cried out as she came, and her tightening pussy sent Resek off. Then he was coming too, hard and fast and so delicious.
Leanne managed to maneuver herself so that she was lying next to him. It was cold, but she didn’t want to get dressed again. She snuggled into Resek’s side as he pulled a blanket over them. Apart from how amazing it was, what they’d just done would give him strength for what was to come the next day. She just hoped it was enough.
The next morning, Resek was brisk and business-like. “I will go in first,” he explained. “I need to get the layout of the place. I will signal you with this when I am ready.”
He pushed a communicator into her hand. “When I signal you, follow the trail that I’ll leave and join me. We can’t make an exact plan until I see what we’re dealing with. I’ll tell you what to bring. Hopefully, we can just blow the whole place sky high, but it may have built-in defenses against explosives.”
“What do we do if that happens?”
“We do it the old-fashioned way. Arm ourselves, seek out Commander Snu and kill him.”
Leanne bit her lip but didn’t say anything. She believed in their cause, but that still didn’t make her like the idea of killing a man, even one pressing a war. She hoped it worked out as they expected, and Resek would be the one to do it. But she knew that if it came down to it, she would be called on to complete the mission if Resek couldn’t.
She also knew, since Resek had constantly drummed it into her, that war seldom went as planned.
“While you wait, you can check the weapons. And start setting up defenses around here in case we’re discovered.”
“I will. Stealthy as well. The pod’s shields can be extended to hide this location, right?”
“Yes, but it’s still Greli technology, which leaves a higher risk of them discovering it. Do what you can, though. I will signal you when I’m ready.”
Before he could leave, Leanne grabbed him by the uniform and kissed him. Resek was surprised for only a moment before he returned the kiss.
“It’ll be ok.” He spoke gently, stroking her cheek.
Leanne nodded and clung to him for a moment, before forcing herself to let go.
“I will contact you.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
It didn’t take long before Resek was out of sight. He walked swiftly but carefully, soon entering the forest, where he wouldn’t be as easily detected.
If Leanne had thought yesterday had gone slowly, she’d been wrong. Today was the definition of slow. She knew that it wouldn’t take Resek long to get to the Greli base, but he’d take his time checking it out. Good battle strategy was good planning, he’d taught her.
Leanne knew how good he was at what he did, but she couldn’t help but worry. What if someone caught him? What would they do to him? Nothing good, she was sure of that much.
As the hours passed, Leanne resisted the urge to contact Resek on the communicator, to check if he was ok. She was only supposed to contact him in an emergency, and she doubted her own feelings of panic counted as one.
Resek had trained her well, and within two hours of his leaving, she’d already checked all the weapons and set up the pod’s shields as best she could to protect them. Then she had nothing to do but wait.
She forced herself to eat, knowing she had to keep her strength up. Today was going to be far from easy.
Leanne jumped when the communicator finally pinged. She read the message quickly.
Come when it’s dark. Bring handguns and shields. A couple of smoke bombs if you can carry them easily.
She wanted to ask him if he was alright, but obviously, he was if he was sending the message. Leanne’s insides unclenched in relief. So far, everything had gone as planned. She’d been hoping to meet up with Resek earlier, but it made sense to wait until it was dark.
Where should I meet you?
The answer came at once. When you first catch sight of the base, turn left, just before the stream. There is a storage shed just off the main premises. I will be there. Come to me one hour after the sun sets.
I will. See you soon.
Leanne tucked the communicator into her belt and started getting everything together. She made up a light pack, one that wouldn’t slow her down too much, managing to get in two of the heavy smoke bombs. She guessed the lack of explosives meant that the facility was indeed shielded against them. It would make the mission more dangerous, having to hunt down Snu and shoot him in person, but there was nothing to be done about that.
It didn’t take long to prepare for the trip. When she was done, Leanne still had hours before she needed to leave. She wanted to message Resek, just to talk to him. If he was hiding in the supply tent, he’d be available to talk, right?
Very reluctantly, she decided against it. Resek had taught her better than that. While in enemy territory, he needed to be constantly vigilant, not distracting himself by reassuring her.
Leanne didn’t know quite what she did in those hours before she left. She suspected it was mostly pacing up and down, but that didn’t stick in her mind. All she was focused on was leaving at exactly the right time to get to Resek.
She was ready to head out the moment the sun started touching the horizon. She set off at a brisk pace. She’d given herself slightly more than an hour, seeing as Resek walked faster than her. As promised, he’d left a trail.
She headed north, and before long, she came upon a red piece of cloth pinned to one of the trees. Satisfied she was going the right way, Leanne continued.
Had she been more advanced, Resek would have simply carved a line on various trees along the path, but she wasn’t confident she'd be able to find them, so Resek left the painfully obvious red strips. As long as no one came wandering this way, they should be fine.
The walk was tiring, but Lea
nne was pleased by how well she managed it. She’d never been particularly sporty, but over the past weeks, she’d built up a lot of strength and endurance. She ignored the aches and pains that started in her body and kept heading resolutely towards Resek.
By the time the facility was in sight, the sun had almost completely set. Leanne headed left as instructed, keeping to the trees and watching for any sign of patrols. She spotted the supply shed easily enough, though the door was facing the base. If anyone was looking, they’d see her slipping inside.
She crept around the back and smiled. There was a small hole in the back of the shed, no doubt cut by Resek, who must have had the same thoughts about going in through the door.
Leanne pushed her backpack in front of her and crawled inside. The shed was crowded and smelly, but she didn’t care about that.
“Resek?”
There was no answer to her whisper, and Leanne finally managed to get up amidst the clutter of stuff. “Resek?”
The shed was small, and there was nowhere to hide. Resek wasn’t here. She looked around in dismay. Why wouldn’t he be here? He would if he could; she knew that much. Something must have happened.
Leanne stood rooted to the spot, trying to control her panic. What should she do? If Resek needed to be rescued, she was his only chance, and she suddenly felt hopelessly inadequate. She should have gotten the contact numbers for some of Resek’s men. She kicked herself for not planning ahead for this kind of situation. Good battle strategy was good planning, and she’d failed.
What would Resek tell her to do? Leanne’s mind spun as she tried to think. He’d been waiting here. If he wasn’t here anymore, that meant he must have been captured. That meant – that meant the Greli knew about this shed. They knew that more people might be coming.
She could almost hear Resek’s voice in her head as her training kicked in. Get out!
Leanne threw herself at the hole in the shed, desperately squirming her way out.
It was too late. She heard a huge bang, and everything exploded around her.
Chapter Thirteen
Everything hurt. Leanne blinked slowly, trying to get her vision to clear. She groaned and tried to move. There was dust everywhere, and she coughed, struggling to breathe.
“Lie still. Be quiet. I will get you out of here.”
It took a moment for her to recognize the voice, but when she did, Leanne slumped in relief. Resek. Resek would help her. She could vaguely make out his silhouette now, frantically pulling rubble away from her. There were shouts in the distance, coming closer every second.
“This is going to hurt.” Resek's voice was quiet but firm.
He was right. As he hauled her up, Leanne screamed, feeling as though every nerve ending in her body was protesting to the torture of being moved.
“I’m sorry, but we need to hurry.” Resek murmured into her ear, holding her as gently as he could while running. Leanne closed her eyes and focused on not throwing up.
She wanted to cry in relief when they finally stopped. There were more voices, but Resek wasn’t running away from them. So she assumed they were his men. A flash of blue told her she was right. Wescra surrounded them. Leanne thought she recognized one of the doctors she’d worked with before, but that might just be her imagination. Everything was fuzzy around the edges, and the world was spinning.
She tried to hold onto consciousness, but far too soon, everything faded away.
When she woke, she was in considerably less pain. And she could breathe without coughing. She looked around to see Resek sleeping on a pallet next to her. His side was heavily bandaged. She looked appreciatively at the sight of his bare skin and the contour of his waist. If she wasn’t so sore, she might have reached over and touched him. Leanne tried to piece together what had happened.
She’d been in that shed, then it had blown up. The Greli must have known she was there. They had to have had Resek, or he would have been there to meet her. How did he escape to rescue her? How did he run with a wound like that, let alone carry her away?
“Resek?”
He stirred and opened his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore.” Leanne wanted to be strong for him. “Better, though.”
“You were badly injured. The doctors healed you as much as they could, but it’ll take a few days for everything to get back to normal.”
Leanne realized they must have used some of the scarce healing technology to have improved her condition this much in what she assumed was a couple of hours.
“What happened?”
“The Greli caught me. I killed three of them, but there were too many. They were holding me. I tried to escape but couldn’t. Then I heard an explosion. I knew you were in trouble. Something came over me. I’m not sure what it was, but I felt stronger than I ever had before. I was able to break my bonds and run.
“The Commander was there. I probably could have killed him, but if I did, it wouldn’t have left enough time to save you. They’d have caught and killed you. I got you out of there and called for backup and doctors. You’ve been asleep for nearly half a day.”
That didn’t surprise Leanne, considering how badly she’d been injured. What did surprise her was that Resek had chosen to save her over completing their objective. She could feel a giddy smile on her face. He chose her. It made her heart flutter with something hot and sweet, something she saw when she looked into Resek’s eyes. Resek the man, not the Commander.
Resek was giving her a funny look, and she quickly changed the subject. “How did you get injured?” She gestured to his side, which he had a hand over.
“One of the guards stabbed me in the fight when they found my hiding place.”
“You’re ok now, though?”
Resek grinned. “I’m hard to kill. These are special bandages. They should have me healed up in a few more hours.”
Leanne lay back, her head throbbing slightly. “How long do we have? What’s happening with our mission?”
“We don’t know right now. It depends on what Snu decides. They may leave for a safer location, or they may stay here to send men to hunt us down. Considering the fact that I killed three of his prized guards, I imagine he’ll go for the latter. If he does, he’ll be heavily protected, knowing we’re after him. But there’s still a chance we can get him.”
“Once we find out what he’s doing, we should move quickly, before he has much of a chance to set up more sophisticated defenses.”
Resek looked at her with what she was sure was pride. “Good. You’re becoming a strategist as well as a fighter. I’m waiting to hear back from my scouts. Once we know what Snu has decided, if you’re well enough, we’ll move out.”
Leanne wasn’t sure she’d be well enough to want to move anytime soon, but she nodded bravely.
The doctor came in and checked on them. Apparently, Leanne was well enough to walk. She really wanted to sleep, but training with Resek had taught her how to ignore physical discomfort. So she obediently wobbled to her feet.
Her right leg throbbed. Considering that the doctor told her it had been broken a couple of hours before, she decided she’d gotten off lightly.
To her surprise, Resek’s arms wrapped around her. He lifted her easily.
“What are you doing?” Her voice squeaked in surprise.
“You’re in pain.” He didn’t give any other explanation. She relaxed into his arms as he carried her to what she assumed was a temporary command station. Leanne watched from her chair as Resek talked to various scouts on communicators. They’d set up a pretty good base in short notice, though Leanne reminded herself that she had been asleep for a while.
After a while, she got bored watching one-sided com conversations and decided to try to go for a walk. Her muscles could probably use some stretching.
“Leanne! Where are you going?”
“I’m going for a walk.”
“No, you are not.” Resek's voice snapped the command. “Sit back down.”
Leanne frowned at him. What was wrong with him? She couldn’t sit in this chair forever. Resek had already turned back to his officers, assuming she’d do as she was told. Screw that.
She’d barely gotten three feet before Resek’s arms were around her again. He pulled her firmly to the same chair she’d been in a moment ago.
“Do I need to tie you down?”
“Resek, what’s wrong with you? I just want to go for a walk. I’m not going to run off and try to finish Snu single-handedly.”
“It’s dangerous.”
Leanne stared at him, trying to read his expression. He seemed closed off, even cold. Resek absently looked her up and down, apparently checking for any injuries, before resting a restraining hand on her shoulder while turning to continue his conversation.
Leanne thought she understood, though that didn’t make it any less annoying. Resek was more shaken about nearly losing her than he was willing to admit. If it had been the other way around, Leanne would probably want to tie him to a chair too.
She huffed and crossed her arms, getting comfortable. He couldn’t keep her cooped up forever. Meanwhile, she spent the time admiring his ass as he moved around, giving orders and taking messages. She wanted to get up and grab it, but she wasn’t sure how well that would go down with all the other soldiers around.
Besides, they were both still injured. Leanne smiled to herself as she thought of what she was going to do to Resek when they were both fully healed.
Finally, Resek seemed to finish with whatever he was doing. He came to pick her up again, despite Leanne’s protests that she could walk.
“We’ve set up tents for tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll move.”
Leanne pressed herself close to him, very aware of how close they were. She reached up to kiss Resek. He responded briefly, but sighed and tucked her head under his chin.
“Not tonight. The healers say you’re not well enough yet.”
They were in the tent by now, and Resek wasted no time in tucking Leanne into the wide cot and slipping in next to her.
“I’m fine.” Leanne kissed him again, and she could feel his cock hardening, pressing into her stomach.