by Vi Voxley
This time, the force was enough to throw him right into the bridge wall, but it hadn't been Audrey who hit him.
The roar that came from her throat as she rose was definitely not her either.
For a second, Tieran stared eye to eye with a presence that was using her as a conduit. Endless hatred and hunger flared in the beautiful green eyes that were not suited for those emotions.
His armor changed and he shook the glaive open. Every paladin on the bridge rounded up, surrounding Audrey.
"Don't hurt her," he ordered roughly. "Audrey, you have to put the bracelet back on–"
He didn't have time to finish the sentence before she charged, knocking a two-ton console out of the way like it was made of paper. When Tieran saw a horrible bruise on her hand, fury roared in him. The Fearless was giving her the power, but it was using a body that wasn't meant to channel that sort of strength, uncaring of what happened to her.
"Audrey!" he called, jumping out of the way of her.
It would have been so easy. The Fearless was tempting him to strike at her, but Tieran refused to harm her.
That, however, left the bridge undefended. He knew he couldn't let the Fearless destroy the ship if he had any hope of stopping the Jorcossi, but he didn't think he could have hurt Audrey.
For a moment, he saw recognition in her light green eyes, once more hers, but then it was gone again. She was battling a creature far more powerful and older than she was, but the fact that she hadn't given in completely was a true testament to her spirit.
“Move,” he growled at the crew, who were scrambling out of Audrey’s path.
Tieran tried to keep her away from them, but Audrey was unstoppable without him resorting to using his glaive on her. In a final attempt, the last line of defense, he put himself between her and the others. When Audrey took a purposeful step towards him, she twitched as though a part of her refused to move.
She was there, still fighting. He remembered their kiss, the moment that had made his very soul burn with the flames of passion. The way she'd held on to him and kissed him back ferociously, like he was everything she'd ever wanted…
Tieran lowered the glaive. It was a risky move, but it was all he had.
There was no way he could cut the connection by killing her. His hand would never rise against Audrey, he knew that without a shadow of doubt.
So he let her come. Audrey roared again, her beautiful features twisted, jumping at him. The forward motion was enough to knock them both on the floor, but she was holding back, throwing her hands around him instead of trying to rip him apart. Tieran caught her, grabbing her wrist and slamming the bracelet shut.
She collapsed as if shot in the head, crumbling into his embrace. Peace returned to the bridge, but in his arms, Audrey's body was nearly lifeless and her pulse was very weak.
"Clean this up," Tieran ordered, picking her up hastily. "Make sure we don't lose the ship. Not now."
He carried her back to the med bay, running, hating the fact it was the second time already when he had to do that. How much more did she need to suffer before he could kill the thing that threatened her?
His pulse was racing, anger swirling through him. It was an emotion he had never expected to feel. Through all his missions, through all his training, he had been instilled with the knowledge that anger would never lead him down the wrong path. It was an emotion the paladins had been trained to not know.
And yet it seemed to be all he knew for a moment. With Audrey’s life in danger, he could sense nothing but rage within himself towards those who made her suffer like that.
Tieran laid her down on a surgical table, waiting for the healers to make sure she had no permanent damage from the connection. He took deep, cooling breaths, pushing down the jumble of feelings within him.
He didn't know what complications there could be, but his mind conjured up the worst possibilities. If she woke up and wasn't all Audrey, would he be able to do his duty?
For the first time in his life, Tieran wasn't certain of that. He had vowed to give his life in the service of the galaxy and was prepared to do that without a second's hesitation, but he didn't think he could take Audrey's life.
If she opened her eyes and the hateful light burned in her beautiful greens, could he do what was expected of him?
The answer was no. Audrey didn't deserve to die like that, didn't deserve anything that had happened to her. He resolved himself to wait, hoping instead of preparing.
There was little else he could do.
When at last Audrey opened her eyes and smiled, seeing him, Tieran swore he would never let her be in that kind of danger again. It had been too close for his liking, too terrifying to even consider losing her.
How a paladin can change…
"Hey," she whispered. "I'm still here."
"Yes," he answered, running his fingers gently over her cheek. "It seems it takes more than a Fearless to take you down."
Audrey laughed, nodding, although he could see she was still very weak.
"Was it useful, at least?" she asked. "Did you find out anything new?"
"You were amazing," he said earnestly. "We now know the Fearless has a lifestone. That is invaluable information. We won't be facing that surprise on the battlefield."
"Good," she said happily, before becoming worried. "I didn't hurt anyone, did I? Please tell me I didn't hurt anyone. I tried so hard to kick it out of my head, but..."
"Everyone is fine," Tieran assured her. "And you did good. Better than good. To force a Fearless down, even a part of him, is something very few people in the galaxy could."
That seemed to please Audrey, but there was still something bothering her.
"What's wrong?" he asked, worried that she might be more hurt than she let on.
"Tieran..." she whispered, her voice shaking a little. "It wants me too, now. It wants all of the stone, even hints of it still left in me. I think knows I can sense the stones... Once it gets the rest, it will be coming for me."
“I’ll never let that happen.”
9
Audrey
The experience left her shaken, Audrey couldn't deny that.
It wasn't every day that she was possessed by one of the most vicious beings ever to be born to the galaxy, after all.
Tieran never asked her how it had felt, probably out of respect for her feelings and not wanting to make her relive it, and she didn't think she could have described it to him even if she'd tried. It wasn't like many people had a reference base to that sort of thing.
Audrey thought it most resembled the moment when she'd held the stone. Like something infinitely bigger and stronger took her over, pushed her own existence aside and filled her with something else.
She did try to relay as much as she could about her findings, though.
"For a second there, I felt it all," Audrey told Tieran. "The hunger it felt, the viciousness of its dark spirit. The things it's prepared to do to get to the lifestone. And... I always thought they were mindless. Everyone describes them as these unstoppable monsters, but I don't think it's entirely true. I don't think it is as reckless as we would like to believe. You have to be careful with it, Tieran."
The paladin nodded solemnly, listening to her attentively. Audrey was grateful to be able to help.
Every detail she could remember would help Tieran ultimately beat it, even if Audrey didn't want to consider him facing that horror. Having seen the man fight helped a little. The paladin was far from being defenseless, but Audrey had seen the devil itself. She couldn’t help but worry.
The healers confirmed that physically and mentally, she was fine, just a bit shaken. She thought she saw Tieran sigh in relief and she had to admit she had been worried too. The connection she had to the lifestone and the Fearless... it was good to hear they hadn't left a permanent mark on her.
After being discharged from the med bay, she returned to her room, idly twirling the bracelet around her wrist. She hadn't realized before how much p
rotection it provided to her.
Climbing into bed, she thought she'd get some rest after the day she'd had. Tieran had told her they were closing in and she took courage from that. If they caught the Jorcossi, it would make the fight with the Fearless that much easier.
Climbing under the sheets that were unfamiliar in their coolness, Audrey thought of Verien. She knew the planet and the station functioned well enough without her guarding gaze for a while, but she missed it.
In case they didn't succeed in stopping it, the Fearless would set its sights on the planet. If the Jorcossi splitter had done so much damage, Audrey didn't even want to know what the Fearless was capable of.
With Tieran gone, there was no one on Verien that could face it.
Sleep didn't come easily to such a troubled mind. Audrey lay awake, telling herself it was all going to be okay, but the day's events kept her mind active.
More than the Fearless, she couldn't get Tieran's kisses out of her mind. Even if they could never work, even if they couldn't be... the memory of him made her smile. Her body reacted to the image of the commander, instantly aching for him to be there with her.
Tieran was the last thing she thought of before finally slipping into the dream world.
There, a nightmare greeted her.
Audrey didn't know whether the Fearless had left a mark of itself in her head or if the experience itself had been that traumatizing. All she was aware of was that she woke, screaming. Not just that. She was crying, panting for air.
And then Tieran was there.
She didn't know how he'd gotten in when she was sure she'd locked the door, but the commander of the ship surely had a master key. She didn't care either way.
In the dimness of her room, the paladin crossed the room with three long strides and then Audrey was in his strong, firm arms, pressed against him. Distantly, she noticed he was out of his armor.
He’s here.
It was clear she'd woken him too and that Tieran had run to her as soon as he'd heard her screams. His masculine scent was no longer overshadowed by the metallic smell of his armor. It was all him, all Tieran now. Audrey buried her face against his neck, instantly calmed down by his presence.
He didn't say anything, running his hands over her back soothingly, waiting for her to stop shivering. Then he kissed her, pulling her right back into reality. Audrey clung to him like a lifeline, needing him to prove to her she was still alive, still her.
Tieran's tongue danced with hers in her mouth as she tasted him. Her body responded to his closeness, her pussy getting wet, aching for his touch, but Audrey didn't say anything.
If anything were to happen between them, she didn't want it to be any kind of comfort sex, nor something they did to drive away her fears. For now, Tieran being there was good enough for her, even if it was hard not to rut herself against him.
Under the black shirt he was wearing, Audrey could feel his sculpted muscles, hard as marble. She was reminded of seeing him topless that day. She didn't bother to deny she wanted to climb him so badly, but she settled for brushing her fingers over Tieran's biceps, pulling him closer to her.
"Will you stay with me?" she asked, her voice shaking.
As an answer, Tieran climbed into the bed with her. Audrey snuggled back into his arms, resting her head on his chest, feeling him comb his fingers through her long hair. It felt really nice, and safe.
With him, Audrey felt like nothing in the galaxy could harm her, not even her dreams. Tieran had a way about him, making her feel secure. He was a stern, quiet and unrelenting figure, but to her, he represented safety and ease.
She knew there was a fight ahead. She had no intention of backing down now or running anywhere, no matter what Tieran said or thought. The Fearless had been terrifying, but that was only proof that it needed to be taken down.
Audrey might have left Verien, but she was still the governor of the planet and would defend it at all costs. She was more help here than she would be back on the planet, waiting for it to crash down around her if the Fearless got to it.
Right then and there, she was happy. The moment of weakness had passed and Audrey swore that she would lead the paladins to the Jorcossi. Now that she knew she needed to watch out for the Fearless looking for her, it was merely a bit more difficult.
She smiled, realizing she was thinking like Tieran. The situation had gotten harder, but at its core, it was really simple.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she whispered, feeling her eyelids grow heavy.
Audrey fell asleep like that, determined not to be useless in the coming battle. She couldn't help Tieran in any other way, but if she needed to face down the Fearless again for him, she would.
She woke without the artificial sunlight that she'd grown so used to. The room was still dark, kept so by the ship until she was up. Audrey had no idea what time it was, but Tieran was there with her, so it couldn't have been that late.
At first she thought the commander was sleeping, but as soon as she moved, he did too.
"Did I let you sleep at all?" she asked, concerned.
Tieran nodded, a smile on his lips.
"Paladins can sleep when they choose to," he said. "But I have been up for an hour now."
Audrey glared at him, sitting up.
"Why didn't you move me then?" she asked. "I don't want to keep you."
Tieran's eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn't identify, his dark hazel eyes staring right into her soul.
"You weren't keeping me. I wanted to be here with you. To guard your sleep."
That was awfully nice and sweet of him, but Audrey had noticed the bulge under the blankets too and raised a quizzical eyebrow, smirking.
"And?" she teased.
"I won't deny it was difficult to remain unaffected by such beauty."
Oh well, wow. If you put it like that, morning wood sounds almost romantic.
Before she could say anything or joke to ease the tension suddenly between them, Tieran slowly pulled her back to him, kissing her gently. Audrey moaned, grinding herself against him, unthinking.
She ran her hand over Tieran's crotch, feeling his cock stir in response to her touch at once. As it grew harder, Audrey's eyes went wide. She pushed her hand under the sheets and heard Tieran groan, low and deep and sexy, but she needed to be sure.
As Audrey wrapped her fingers around his cock, she could feel how huge he was. At the back of her mind, she wondered if she perhaps shouldn't have done that to complicate their relationship even further, but she couldn't resist.
Tieran definitely wasn't saying anything to stop her, for sure. He pushed his left hand between her legs instead, running one finger over her wet pussy.
Audrey moaned, closing her eyes in pleasure. The way he teased her clit, running circles around it with his finger, dipping it into her pussy – it was quickly driving all sense from her.
Her hand was still wrapped around his cock, feeling its impressive thickness and length. It made her mouth water, aching to see how much of him she could fit in her mouth. With his other hand, Tieran groped her ass, moving her hips in rhythm against his finger, making her squirm for him.
She whimpered in pleasure when he kissed her, while simultaneously pushing a finger deeper into her pussy, brushing against the spot within her. Audrey shivered, pressing herself closer to him, the walls of her pussy squeezing down on his finger.
Tieran's dark eyes were fixed on her. She could see him breathe heavily as she worked his cock, feeling him throb in her hand. He pushed another digit into her and Audrey knew she was close...
“Commander,” the comm link discarded on the floor bleeped loudly. “You are needed on the bridge. Immediately.”
Audrey groaned, flattening herself against the sheets. Sweat slicked her forehead and she was breathing heavily, but before Tieran could even say anything, she was pushing him off of her with the stubbornness only years of inhospitable planets and solving one crisis after another could give her.
&nb
sp; “Audrey,” Tieran started as she rolled off the bed.
“No, don’t,” she said, picking up the comm link and tossing it at him. “The Fearless has the lifestone. The whole universe is at stake. We thought we could get away with a moment for ourselves, but I guess it isn’t going to happen right now.”
She bit her lip, watching Tieran pull a hand through his hair. His cock was still so hard and inviting and she wanted nothing else than to press herself against him and hear him growl as he cummed.
Save the universe first, she reminded herself, closing her eyes as she quickly dressed.
“We are not done here,” Tieran said, coming up to her.
He tipped her chin upwards and Audrey gave him a small smile, before the paladin dipped down to kiss her. It was a soft, quick kiss, but it worked just as well as the passionate, drawn out ones to fan the flames of lust in her belly.
“I will be right there,” he stated into the comm link, a hint of ruefulness to his tone.
Quickly, she got dressed and ready. Tieran left her for only a moment to gather his own clothes from his room. They walked to the bridge together. As soon as they stepped in, crew members rushed to Tieran.
"Commander," one of them said hurriedly. "The Jorcossi have changed their course."
"Where are they going?" Tieran asked, his deep voice confident and determined. "We can't lose them now."
"Sir," the paladin said. "Their course is very clear, traceable now that they're closing in. They have turned around. The enemy is coming straight for us. And Verien."
Tieran and Audrey exchanged a look. He nodded, accepting it with the Palian unflappability.
As for Audrey, she felt like a cold hand was closing around her heart. Somewhere beyond the stars, a vicious gaze was looking for her and her world.
10
Tieran