by ML Guida
She arched her back so he could take more of her flesh inside his wicked mouth. Each time she gasped, each time she moaned or groaned, he’d tug gently on her nipple with his teeth and then lick it with his rough tongue, caressing it until she was shaking with need. Sweet, shuddering spasms rippled through her body. She cried out shamelessly, cradling his head to her breast, her hands clawing through his thick blond hair.
His warm breath heated her skin, and he lapped his tongue all over her body. The stubble on his jaw chafed her skin while his other hand kneaded and teased her other breast, pulling and pinching her nipple. Her heartbeat danced in delight as desire drummed inside her.
He looked up at her. “Take off your jeans.”
“What?” She pushed his hair back as her befuddled brain tried to comprehend his command.
“Now.”
His voice was so husky and demanding that goosebumps broke out all over her sultry skin. As if in a trance, she got off the bed and shed her jeans and underwear. She covered herself with her hands, not wanting to see disappointment in his eyes.
“Remove your hands,” he whispered.
She forced herself to lower her trembling hands. He flickered his gaze over her, not saying a word. Her heart thumped so loud that she thought he’d hear how nervous she was. Her hands twitched, and she rubbed one foot over the other. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he was as naked as she was. She wouldn’t have felt so vulnerable, but standing in her glory, there was nothing to hide. All she could think about was if he was wishing Cosima was here instead of her.
He stretched out his hand. “Come here.”
She numbly obeyed, trying to read whether he was disappointed, but she couldn’t tell. She wasn’t sure, but she thought some of the swelling on his lips had gone down. Maybe it was just her imagination.
He pulled her onto the bed and gently kissed her. “You’re lovely.”
She wanted to believe him. He pushed her onto her back, then rolled on top of her. His body bathed her in warmth. He covered her lips with his, kissing her thoroughly. She met his demanding lead, amazed by his stamina. A man wouldn’t be able to do the feats he was doing, but then again, he wasn’t a human. He was a Zalarian and a shape-shifting dragon.
He skimmed the length of her leg, then his fingers caressed her soft thatch of dark hair, stealing her breath. At first he was stroking gently, but then he inserted a finger, moving it back and forth, probing deeper, igniting a passion within her. She squirmed beneath him, but he wasn’t through with her. His kiss was more demanding, more determined, more powerful, sucking the very life out of her.
He slowly left her lips. “I need to taste you.”
She was panting, too wrapped up with the tingling sensations overwhelming her to answer.
He licked and sucked his way down her torso. His hot mouth paid attention to each breast, laving them with an expertise that left her wriggling with desire. The power within her was building stronger, her heart speeding into a frantic state, blood surging through her like a runaway river, and she was suddenly afraid–afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Damon,” she gasped.
But he didn’t answer as he edged down to her quivering belly, his tongue circling inside her button. She cried out as the first orgasm hit her, and she arched off the bed, screaming. It was almost too much, too powerful, too scary.
“I don’t know if I can handle this,” she panted.
“Yes, you can.”
He parted her trembling thighs, then in a quick instant, he removed his finger and his mouth was on her. She thought she would have jumped off the bed and hit the ceiling if it wasn’t for his large body pinning her. His probing tongue spurred another wave of desire within her, and the same power built inside her, demanding to be released. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she couldn’t think, couldn’t talk.
She moved her hands to his massive shoulders, and instead of pushing him away, clung tight as another orgasm hit her hard. She screamed out his name, digging her nails into his flesh. It broke every boundary inside her, as if something had been hidden and was now awake. Each time their bodies moved a crackling friction spread over her like wildfire.
He pulled away from her and smiled. “So passionate, you are.”
Heat rose over her face, but then she sucked in her breath. “Your face. The bruises are gone!”
“Thanks to you.” He smiled. “But we’re not done.”
He got off the bed, and in one quick movement jerked off his clothes. He still had purplish-blue bruises on his torso, but they weren’t as severe. He slowly crawled up her trembling body, kissing and licking as he went. She didn’t know if she could handle a third orgasm.
“Open your legs.”
She stared at his handsome face, panting and quaking beneath him, but she slowly did as he asked. She expected him to enter her slowly, but she was wrong. He slammed his cock into her wet sheath in one quick movement and thrust inside her again and again. Astonishingly, she matched his rhythm, driving him deeper and deeper inside her. Heavens to Betsy, she couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded harder than a ramming billy goat.
She put her hands on his back and actually felt the burned and crinkled flesh turning smooth. She wanted to say something, but the crazy pace escalated into a turbulent storm. A furious frenzy gushed inside her, exploding into a fiery release. The orgasm clenched her like never before, and whatever was inside fragmented. Light burst into the room as if the blinding sun had suddenly moved inside Damon’s quarters. Hera winced and closed her eyes tight. The bed rocked violently then stopped abruptly.
He cried out, and in one final thrust, spilled his seed deep inside her. He collapsed on top of her, and they both lay there, stunned.
She clutched his shoulders tight. “What the hell just happened? Is that normal for your species?”
For a minute, she thought he’d passed out, but he finally lifted his head. “Species? I thought we were beyond that. And no, this isn’t normal.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Well, I haven’t either.”
Something was different inside her. She didn’t know what it was, but her skin tightened and tickled and tingled. Power cloaked her like a blanket of fairy dust. She had to be imagining this. The sex just had been incredible–no mind-blowing, awesome. It would be so hard to leave Damon, but she’d made up her mind, she wasn’t going to be the runner-up to Ms. America.
“Wait a minute.” He caressed her face with his hand. “I can’t believe it. It’s…it’s gone.”
She frowned. “Great balls of fire, you’re kidding?” She rubbed his back, searching for the slightest blemish, but her hands only moved over smooth skin. “You’re right. I don’t feel anything.”
That wasn’t true. His muscles rippled beneath her, and his strength intimidated her, since he could easily crush her if he wanted.
He ran the tips of his fingers down her side. “I don’t feel it inside me. The voice is finally dead.”
She trembled at the soft caress, trying to concentrate and ignoring his pulsing hips. “But how? I don’t know what happened.”
“I think,” he hesitated. “I think the light came from you.”
Not wanting to believe it, she glared. “You’re crazier than a sprayed cockroach.”
He frowned. “What’s a cockroach?”
“A bug that goes nuts when its sprayed with Raid.”
“What’s–”
“A bug-killer.”
He shrugged. “It still doesn’t change anything. A golden aura came over you, and then it emitted in the whole room. Do you feel any different?”
She wasn’t sure she should tell him. He might be her mate, but he’d not once said he cared about her. All he kept saying was that he was confused. Not exactly what she’d wanted to hear. “It’s was just the best sex I’ve ever had. That’s all.”
He gave her a doubtful look but didn’t press her, luckily. She’d just lied, but
she wasn’t fixing to answer a million questions, especially since telling the truth wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans.
Because she had no freaking clue what had happened.
12
Damon studied Hera’s flushed face. She was lying, or at least holding something back. He could keep her imprisoned until she told the truth, but he wanted her to trust him.
“As much as I want to linger here, we have to tell the others.”
She stiffened beneath him. “Tell them what?”
“Light is what it kills the creature. I heard the creature scream and die when the bright light illuminated the room.”
“I’m not going to sleep with everyone infected.”
He blinked, then slowly grinned. “Nor would I allow it.”
She gave him a quizzical look. “I don’t understand.”
He kissed her gently on the forehead. “The only reason why it worked with me is that you’re my mate. It wouldn’t work with anyone else.”
“Why?”
“According to the Fates, sex between designated mates create an extraordinary power. I’d never believed it. Until now.”
“But there are no females on your planet. How will this help anyone on Zalara?”
“I don’t know, but on the planet, the creatures always hid in the shadows. Maybe they weren’t just hiding, maybe bright lights can hurt them.” He reluctantly rolled off her, then tilted her chin. “Come on, get dressed.”
She folded her arms over her beautiful breasts. “So, you’re just going to announce to everyone that we had fantastic sex and now ding-dong the wicked creature is dead?”
“I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“No, you wouldn’t, would you?”
He reached for her, but she lurched away and snagged her clothes off the floor. He was completely at a loss for words and couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out why Hera was madder than a pissed off scoli.
They quietly got dressed. Damon kept going over their conversation and couldn’t figure out where he’d earned her scorn. Human women were so different than Zalarain women. They hungered for sex as much as any man, but maybe this wasn’t true for humans.
Hera took the tie out of her hair and quickly braided it. Her cheeks were chafed, and her lips were swollen from where he’d kissed them. The others would take one sniff or one look and would know immediately what they’d been doing. Hell, Tryker knew what would happen when he and the orderlies brought him here.
She headed for the door, and he thought he saw tears glistening on her eyelashes and her lower lip trembling. He blocked her path.
“Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”
“Do you remember what I asked you before we slept together?”
His stomach tightened at what was coming. “I do.”
“Good. I healed you. So, now I want you to take me home.” She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t disappoint me.”
With that, she straightened her shoulders and walked out the door without another word. He followed behind her, not knowing how to tell her that he could never let her go.
He allowed her to lead the way to sickbay. She was a strong woman and possessed a power he truly didn’t understand but deeply admired. Zalarain women had mystic powers, but none of them–not even Cosima–demonstrated the ability Hera had. She intrigued him, but now, for some reason, she didn’t want anything to do with him. Human women needed to come with a manual.
They quietly entered sickbay, and Tryker and Taog hadn’t heard them enter.
“Don’t you understand, Captain,” Tryker said. “I told you the thing won’t die. We’ve tried heat and radiation that would burn a Zalarian to a crisp. We’re all stumped.”
Damon walked past Hera. “You need to try light.”
Tryker and Taog jerked around.
“Damon.” Tryker flicked his gaze over him. “Your bruises–”
“Gone.”
Taog walked around him. “Burns?”
“Gone.” He smiled and tilted his head toward Hera. “Thanks to Hera, the creature is dead.”
Taog looked between them. “You mated?”
“Yes,” Hera blurted. “And no, I’m not sleeping with everyone on Zalara, Captain.”
Taog stiffened. “I wasn’t asking you to. Damon, what happened?”
“When we climaxed–” He glanced at Hera, and she was twelve shades of red. He wished there was another way to say this, but there wasn’t. “She illuminated a brilliant light that lit up my quarters. I swear it was as bright as Blostos.”
“You mentioned that before, Damon,” Tryker said. “We tried light. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, the blasted thing won’t die.”
“But perhaps a certain kind of light,” Damon said. “It was an aura that killed it.”
“Hera, can you reproduce this again?” Taog asked softly.
She glared.
He held up his hand. “I don’t mean by sex. Do you think you can conjure this up without sex?”
The tension in her pinched face lessened, and she shrugged. “I didn’t even know I had this power and would have no idea how to call upon it again.”
“Maybe you’ve always had it,” Damon said. “You say you can only remember three months ago, but what if you had it before and never knew it?”
“I guess that’s possible,” she said slowly. “But I’ve been wracking my brains out to try and remember, and every time I do, I get a Titanic of a headache. This won’t be any different. I’ll just get sicker than a dog.”
Damon went over to Hera and picked up her soft hands; luckily she didn’t jerk them free. “There is someone on board this ship that can help you remember.”
“Who?” she asked, squeezing his hands tight.
He liked hearing the excitement in her voice and seeing it in her eyes, but he knew it would turn to anger when he answered her.
“The queen–Cosima.”
Her brow wrinkled, and her lip trembled, but in a split second, she stood taller. “Of course. Who else would it be?”
She slowly untangled her fingers from his.
Tryker shook his head. “Impossible. She’s no good to us now, almost driven mad from the pain. I’ve been giving her sedatives to keep her from taking the ship.”
“We need Greum,” Damon said. “They can heal each other.”
“Exactly how do you propose we get Greum?” Taog asked. “He nearly burnt you to a crisp. He’s not going to come here willingly unless it’s to murder me and take over the Orion.”
“I believe the creatures were keeping them apart on purpose,” Damon said. “It’s too dangerous to bring Greum here, but perhaps we can bring them together on Zalara.”
Hera glared. “You’re fixing to go back down there, aren’t you?”
“It’s the only way,” he answered.
She gave him a deathly stare. “You’re going to be the Lone Ranger again?”
“No,” he hesitated. “I need you to go with me.”
“Me? What the devil for?”
“I forbid it,” Tryker said. “The queen’s far too weak for such a mission.”
“Why do you want to risk your mate’s life?” Taog asked.
“I’m not risking it,” Damon growled. “She has a power within her that will protect us. I’ve seen it.”
Hera’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re fixing for us to have sex on the planet or have sex in front of the king and queen?”
“No, of course not.” He put his hands on her stiff shoulders. “You’re powerful, Hera. I don’t think you need sex to release what’s inside you. You need to believe in yourself.”
“Why?” she asked bitterly.
“Because I believe in you,” he said softly. “Will you at least try? I swear I’ll not let any harm come to you.”
She bit her lip, then glanced at all their tight, drawn faces. She sighed heavily, then looked up into his face, as if searching for an answer.
He gently squeezed her shoul
ders.
“I reckon I can try, but I don’t know how the dickens I can do it again.”
“You’ll find a way. I know you will.” So far, the Fates had been right, so he had to believe this was no different.
“Captain,” Tryker said. “It’s your call.”
“We don’t have any other choice, Doctor. I fear it’s the only way.”
“You could get them all killed.”
“No, I won’t. I don’t think it’s just the queen that will draw Greum. You need a decoy.”
“No, Captain, you can’t be serious,” Damon said. “It’s not just Greum that will be after you. Those things will command all the inhabitants to come after you.”
“I know,” he said. “But according to you, your mate has the power to protect us.”
Hera’s mouth dropped open, and she looked up at Damon. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
He took her trembling hand. “Yes, you can.”
“But if I can’t, you’ll all die.”
“We won’t,” he said. He kissed her wrist. “You’re my mate, and I believe in you.”
“You’re sure as hell not going without me.” Anonghos scowled, standing in front of the lab. “You’ll need back-up, and I won’t take no for an answer, Captain.”
Taog grinned. “Wouldn’t be an expedition without you, Anonghos.”
Hera looked at each of them. “If Damon’s hair-brained scheme doesn’t work, I reckon you better have a back-up plan.”
“It won’t fail,” Damon said. “As long as you believe in yourself.”
“Then you’re all in real trouble,” she mumbled.
Damon wanted to shake her to get her to believe in herself, but it wouldn’t do any good. It had to come from within her. He couldn’t make it happen. When he was in the cabin, he’d glimpsed that something had been preventing her power from being released, and he bet it was intertwined with her memory. Sex released it, but he was gambling that fear would ignite it as well. He hoped he was right. All of their lives depended on his hunch.
“We need to be more than betting on a hope,” Taog said. “I need proof she can do this.”
Back in Damon’s quarters, Hera paced back and forth, her heart beating a million times a minute. “Why did you tell Taog I could do this? Now, he wants proof, which I don’t blame him, by the way.”