Malachi

by Ashley West

  There was no room for that here. Not right now. Not when her breath was damp and warm against his skin, and she was making soft noises of desperate enjoyment, her blunt fingernails digging into his shoulders as she held on and worked her hips in small circles.

  Her movements were small, but there was no restraint in them. Emma wasn't holding herself back, and Malachi didn't either. He held her close and whispered to her about how good she felt and how close he was, how he liked this.

  She barely had breath to respond, and she just kissed his skin instead, mouth moving over his collarbones and up to his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist as she pulled herself in closer.

  "Malachi," Emma gasped. "Oh god. Oh, I'm so close. It's so good."

  He had as much of an ego as any other hot blooded male of his kind, and he grinned at the praise. "Come on," he breathed back. "Come for me, gorgeous. Come on. Just for me."

  The possessiveness came out of nowhere, but it felt right, sating the heat that was curling in him, demanding he claim her, and she moaned and worked her hips faster, one hand slipping down between them to touch herself. So he was pretty sure she liked it, too.

  "For me," he said again, dark eyes watching as she threw her head back, teeth worrying at her lips. "All for me."

  "Yes," she panted. "For you, it's yours, please. Oh my god. Malachi!"

  And with that she was clenching around him, whimpering and moaning in choked off cries as she came hard. She was beautiful. A sight to behold with her hair around her shoulders and her eyes closed, face flushed with pleasure.

  Malachi kept moving through it, close to his own peak, pleasure building and building until he felt like he was going to burst with it.

  He pulled out of her for a moment, enjoying the little wince that showed she had felt what he'd done to her. Carefully he laid her on her back and then pushed into her again, moving faster now, chasing his climax.

  When it broke over him, he gasped her name, burying himself in her hard and letting the heat and sensation crash around them.

  It took long minutes before either of them were able to move, and Emma was heavy eyed and pliant as Malachi maneuvered her back under her covers.

  She reached out a hand, fingers wrapping around his wrist. "Please stay."

  Malachi hesitated, but then nodded. Standing up to shuck his clothes off before he pulled back the covers and got into bed with her. When she tucked herself against him like she belonged there, he smiled and kissed the top of her head.

  Chapter Eleven: Honesty

  Morning broke over the ship, though there wasn't much sun to speak of. In the distance, the roll of thunder was a loud rumble, and Emma opened her eyes slowly, blinking as she adjusted to being awake.

  She felt rested, which was something she had gotten used to in her time on the ship. The rooms were quiet and people generally left her alone, letting her catch up on much needed sleep. Slowly she regained her focus, yawning and stretching, events from the night before trickling in one after the other as she woke up more and more.

  It hit her at the same time as she realized that she wasn't alone in bed, and that she had slept with Malachi again.

  Emma remembered his hands on her and the way he had kissed her, the way he'd held her close to his body and moved inside of her, and she still had that lingering ache between her legs from what they had done as proof that it wasn't a dream.

  Still, she hadn't expected him to still be there in the morning. Aside from the fact that things had been weird for them for the past several days, she never woke up before he did, so seeing him there, next to her and still asleep was weird.

  His arm was draped over her, and he was lying on his stomach, face turned toward her while he slept peacefully. His face was smoother in sleep, younger almost, and she watched him for a long moment, tracking his breathing and wondering if aliens dreamed.

  As she stared, his eyes fluttered open, and he yawned, jaws open wide like some sort of lion or large predator. He blinked at her slowly and then smiled, rolling onto his side and lifting a hand to stroke a stray hair out of her face.

  "Hello," he said, and his voice was a pleasing, sleep rough rumble that did things to Emma's insides.

  "Good morning," she said softly. "Are you okay?"

  Malachi looked confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  "Because you're still in bed and it's morning?" Emma replied. "You never sleep this late."

  "Ah." He turned his head and looked out the window, taking in the rain that was streaking the glass. "It must be the weather. Rain always makes me tired. And I was tired enough to begin with."

  "Long day yesterday?" Emma asked.

  He nodded. "Yes."

  Neither of them seemed to know what to say from there, and so they lay there looking at each other. He was very close to her face, and Emma could see that there was a smattering of freckles sprinkled over Malachi's nose, and it made her smile. It was such a little thing, a giant warrior having freckles, but it made him seem more touchable somehow, and it gave her the courage to ask the question she wanted to ask.

  "How come you're still here?"

  He blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

  "I thought...you would have gone back to your own room.

  "You asked me to stay."

  She didn't remember that, but everything after her orgasm was sort of...hazy. Exhaustion had been tugging at her hard at that point, and she barely remembered falling asleep at all, let alone what she'd said before that.

  "Oh."

  "Did you not want me to?"

  Emma shook her head. "I mean. Of course I wanted you to. I just. You seemed to think it was a mistake the last time, so I didn't want...I don't know. I guess I didn't want you to feel like you were trapped."

  "I never felt like that," Malachi assured her. "I only wanted to do what was right, Emma. That's all. It wasn't about you not being good enough or me not wanting you. I just didn't want you to look back on it and think that I had forced you into it."

  "I never would have thought that," Emma said firmly. "You...you're so much nicer than I was expecting, Malachi. You're brave and strong, but you're also really good, and I know you wouldn't take advantage of me. You saved me."

  "I bought you," he pointed out.

  Emma rolled her eyes. "You. Saved. Me," she said. "I don't care how it happened, you got me out of there and you barely asked for anything in return. I knew you weren't trying to use me. I only wish you'd listened when I was explaining that."

  He seemed to take that in, and then he nodded, leaning in slowly, as was his way, to kiss her. Emma smiled against his mouth and kissed him back, caught up in the way it felt to be lying in bed with someone she liked while it rained outside and they kissed unhurriedly.

  "I care for you," Malachi whispered, arms going around her to pull her close. "I care for you much more than I expected to."

  "Why?" Emma asked, heart speeding up.

  "You're...not like anyone I know. And it's not just because you're human. You make me laugh, and when you talk about yourself or about Earth, I see these clear pictures of your life, and they make me want to be a part of it. I heard you sing once, and it was the most beautiful sound. You're more special than you know."

  She could feel her cheeks heating up with her embarrassment at his frank words, and she chewed on her lip, glancing away from him. "I'm not, really. I'm just a scared human girl."

  "Everyone has fears, Emma. If you weren't afraid because of what was happening here, I'd think something was wrong with you. Or that you were a liar. There's nothing wrong with fear."

  His words made her feel warm inside, and she licked her lips and buried her face against his throat, sleep warm skin pressed to his. "You're too charming for your own good," she muttered under her breath, and she could feel it when he laughed in response.

  "I just wanted you to know how I felt," he murmured. "In case I do or say something stupid again."

  She smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure that'll
happen. You're still learning, after all."

  "Yes."

  The silence returned, and it was peaceful, the way things had been for them before the first time they'd had sex. As strange as it was, Emma cared for Malachi, too. He was such a welcome change in her life, and she wanted to believe the things he said about her and believe that there was something special and good inside of her.

  "So," she said after a bit. "What made yesterday so long? I know you went out with the others."

  The shift in mood was immediate, and Emma watched as the contentedness drained from his face like water leaking out of something with a hole in it. He swallowed, and his eyes were shadowed.

  "What is it?" she asked, concerned.

  "Do you remember when we brought an Alva here?" Malachi asked, rolling over so he was on his back, looking at the ceiling.

  Emma nodded. It was hard to forget that sight. "Yes," she said softly.

  "We...well, we ended up killing it, but we brought it here in the first place because we needed information."

  "About what?"

  "About what the Alva are doing with the humans they take."

  Her forehead creased in a frown as she looked at him. "They just kept us in cages. Like you saw."

  Malachi shook his head. "No. Not all of you. Just the ones they deemed not worthy. We went out and we caught another of the Alva yesterday. It told us the entire plan, and it's...not good." He sucked in a breath and then glanced at her. "I need to ask you something, and it's probably going to upset you. But I have to ask it."

  "Okay." Emma had no idea what was going on, and she felt off balance and worried, like he was going to say something that would ruin this little bubble of happiness she had been in.

  "The Alva are taking humans who meet certain qualifications, and they're...well. There's no other way to say it. They're grooming them into an army."

  Her eyes widened as she took that in. "But why?"

  "Best guess? Because they think we won't fight back if it's just humans. Because they see your kind as disposable. I need to know that you didn't know about this."

  "What?" Emma jerked back like she'd been hit. "How would I have known?"

  "You were there with them for months."

  "Yeah, but...they kept me in the cage, Malachi. It's not like they were discussing their plans with me. And if I'd known, I would have told you. That was the deal, wasn't it? For me to stay."

  He watched her for a moment more and then nodded. "It was. And I believe you. I didn't think you would keep that from us, from me, but...I just needed to be sure. I'm sorry."

  Emma licked her lips and decided she wasn't upset about him thinking that. If she was under the pressure he was under, she'd probably have thought the same thing. Or at least have grabbed on to anything that felt like a lead.

  "It's okay," she said, giving him a little smile. "I understand."

  Malachi looked relieved, and he let out a sigh. "Well, that's one problem down, and it was the smaller one, so I'm not sure how much progress I've actually made."

  "So you don't have a plan, then?"

  "Not at all. You remember when I explained about our General?"

  Emma nodded. "Your leader."

  "Yes. He's sent us backup, more warriors to help us fight the Alva. But I can't turn them loose on humans. That's...worse than having no plan at all."

  "I don't think anyone would blame you," she murmured. "If it was the only way."

  Malachi shook his head firmly. "No. I won't sacrifice them for this. It isn't their fault. They're being manipulated and used, and it isn't right. And besides, I'd blame myself."

  Just when she didn't think she could care about him more than she already did. "You're so noble," Emma murmured. "I worry it's going to get you killed one day."

  "You're not the first person to say that to me," Malachi replied with a sigh. "I just. I became Champion to protect people. Not just my own people. The Randoran have been dedicated to helping anyone that Alva bring suffering to for a long time. Humans are no different than any of the other races we've helped. We'll figure out another way."

  She believed him. With that determined tone of voice, she knew he meant business, and this morning was going very different from how she'd expected it to, but she was happy. Emma was unsure of what to say in response to that declaration, so she kissed him instead, pleased that it seemed to be something she could do now, just kiss him.

  He sighed against her mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her back.

  "Don't you need to get up?" she asked when they broke to breath, nuzzling her nose against his.

  "In a minute," he replied, his eyes warm in the overcast light. "There's something else I want to do first." And he kissed her again.

  Chapter Twelve: Planning

  Things were better after that in a way, and worse in a different way. Being back with Malachi, inasmuch as they had ever been 'together', was a relief. As upset as she had been with him over him treating her like a child who didn't know what she wanted, she'd missed him. There wasn't a lot to do on this ship, and having no one to talk to had only made that worse.

  The atmosphere on the ship was tense, though, and Emma could feel it. Apparently the backup was due to land any day, and they still didn't have a plan of attack. How were they going to get past the humans without hurting them?

  As Malachi had explained it, they were there to protect the humans, and he didn't want to go back on that, but he was worried that the General would order him to prioritize the removal and destruction of the Alva over the lives of however many humans.

  "Sacrifice the few to save the many," Emma had murmured when Malachi told her that. "It's not just something aliens do. Humans do it, too."

  "I don't want to do it," Malachi had replied. "I won't."

  Emma believed him, but she wasn't sure what else there was to do for it. The stress seemed to be weighing on all of them, and they beefed up their training, seemingly to have something to do.

  When they found more human things in an abandoned building, Malachi ordered them be brought to her. There were books, a cellphone, a laptop, and some one's wallet.

  Emma didn't know who Jonathan Peters was, but she hoped he wasn't dead. Especially when she was lying in Malachi's bed reading the books and delighting in finally having something to do other than think. Thinking was the last thing she wanted to do because then she would have to make herself figure out what she was going to do when all of this was over.

  Eventually, Malachi and his kind would have to go back to their planet. That had always been the plan, and she knew that. They would figure out how to save the humans, or they would kill the Alva by any means necessary, and either way, they would go back to Dorn.

  It had been so long since Emma felt like she was a part of something, even though she didn't really have anything to do with this, but she didn't want them to leave. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to go back to being alone. Where would she go? It was stressful to think about, so she put it out of her head and focused her attention elsewhere.

  If Malachi noticed that she was worried about something, he didn't mention it, and that was fair. He had plenty to deal with on his own without her problems being added in.

  Nights were the best times, though. They had an unspoken agreement to leave their fretting at the door, and they spent time making each other feel other things, learning each other's body and what made them scream and shake and fall apart.

  Emma was happy, if she was honest. For the first time in a long time, she was happy.

  So of course, something had to come along and ruin that.

  She had been standing with Priya and Oro in the dining room, holding her empty plate and telling them about human pizza. Apparently the Randoran had some sort of flatbread that worked the same way, only without cheese, and Emma was trying to get them to understand that cheese was an integral part of the process.

  They weren't talking loud, but there was raucous
laughter from the table, and still they heard it when something hit the side of the ship. All that metal, of course, and the sound traveled, reverberating from the spot where it had originated.

  "What was that?" Emma asked, looking between Priya and Oro.

  They glanced at each other. "I don't know, but I'm going to look," Oro said.

  "Maybe you should go back to your room," Priya suggested, looking uncomfortable.

  "I'm not a prisoner, Priya," Emma replied, pouting a little.

  "I know you’re not, Emma. I only meant because it might not be safe. I don't want you to get hurt."

  Emma wanted to say that she was tired of hiding in her room, but there was another loud sound from outside, and it had caught the attention of everyone. They were getting to their feet, hands going towards their weapons.

  "Where is the Champion?" Oro asked as he came back. His freckled face was grave, and Emma knew it had to be bad news.

  "I think he was talking to the ship with the backup," someone said. "In the control room. What's happening?"

  "Someone go get him," Oro said. "We're under attack."

  Commotion followed. People swore in a multitude of languages, including English, and weapons were drawn. "The Alva," snapped one of the warriors. "Bringing the fight to us."

  "How kind of them," said another. "It's been so long. I wonder if they've missed us."

  Fighting the Alva seemed to put all of them in high spirits, but Oro didn't look happy or ready to fight. He just looked worried. When she met his eyes, he held her gaze for a moment, shaking his head minutely, and then Emma understood.

  "It's not the Alva," she said. "It's the humans."

  The room went silent. "How do you know about that?" Hapt asked, and Emma didn't miss his suspicious tone. After having to explain to Malachi that she wasn't a threat, having to tell the rest of them didn't seem so bad.

  "I told her."

  Before she could say anything in her defense, Malachi was stepping into the room, arms folded. He looked tired, but he was as commanding as ever, and Emma watched as every back straightened and every eye went to him. "She has nothing to do with this," he continued. "She was a victim of the Alva's cruelty, and we are protecting her. Do I make myself clear?"