by Bevan Greer
He kissed her with a hunger he needed to share and stiffened all over when she kissed him back. His body slid over hers, and he swallowed her gasps of delight and relished her nipples peaking against his chest.
His hard length nestled in the wet apex of her thighs, a visceral need for the woman undeniable.
But he wanted her writhing beneath him, so he took his time, laving attention on her golden skin as it were the finest Vembi wine he’d yet to sample.
He fastened his lips to hers and answered the hungry sweeping of her tongue, groaning at the feel of her questing flesh. He needed to join with her, yet stretching out the aching pleasure made it so much better.
His hands moved over her curves, and his lips trailed down her mouth to her ear.
“I want to join with you, Dare. I want to taste your sweet essence on my tongue. I want to feel your body tighten around mine as you take my seed into you,” he whispered and teased her ear with his tongue.
She groaned his name and pulled him closer to her, cradling his erection with her thighs and urging a hoarse groan from his throat.
“Oh, Dare.” He kissed his way down her neck to her breasts, teasing her into mindless need as he sucked the ripe nipples into hard points.
He tenderly cradled her flesh and continued his mouth’s path down her stomach, toward the heated mound that wept for his seed.
Feeling how she needed him pitched his arousal higher, and unwilling to wait another moment, he spread her thighs wide and placed his mouth over her womanly core.
Her cries of desire excited him unbearably.
“You taste so good,” he whispered and licked the sweet cream from her body. She writhed against him, begging for him to take her until Ren could no longer deny his own throbbing flesh.
He mounted her and watched her while he entered her. He thrust hard and deep, and as he did, she came violently around him.
“I can’t stop,” he groaned and thrust again and again as her body clenched his own until he lost himself in her. He shuddered inside of her, his orgasm all-consuming until all he could see was Dare’s face surrounded by blue light.
He remained inside her, more than content, more than satisfied. Ren felt as if he had truly joined another, his love for Dare overwhelming.
“I love you,” he said, humbled by her beauty and generosity of spirit. He kissed her again and felt her smile under his lips.
When he pulled back to look down, he saw tears in her eyes and gently wiped them dry.
She urged his lips to hers once more and whispered against them, “And I love you.”
The beauty of the moment deeply moved Ren, and he blinked as his own vision blurred. Then Dare wiped a tear from his eye and smiled. She brought it to her lips and drew the tear into her mouth, her eyes brighter than anything he’d ever seen.
He felt weightless, beyond happy, as if nothing existed except Dare and himself. The Horde, the Fenturi, Zedrax, all the unhappiness of his past faded as he found himself caught in a blue web of love with the woman meant for him.
He withdrew from her body and rolled to his side, keeping Dare in his arms. Closing his eyes to savor the moment, he didn’t notice when he and Dare drifted to sleep, nor did he feel the ship suddenly rocket through the water.
***
“I don’t care what you say, I will not separate my few remaining warriors under Bylaran command. While your words may ring true, the will of your people may not.” Mikhel stubbornly refused to bend to Zebram’s and Rorn’s attempts to explain their position.
Thela sighed. She looked at Zebram and didn’t know how he found the patience to deal with the irrational minds at the large table where they now sat. Mikhel remained unbending on his stance. Rorn, Master of the Legionnaires, shook his head. He at least didn’t seem to mirror the sentiments of many of the council and Legion Masters around him. Castor watched the ongoings with frustration, knowing as she did that they had little time to spare.
The Horde had one more day, according to Myla, before they descended upon Bylar like a swarm of angry jungle flies.
Yet Thela knew of nothing to convince Mikhel otherwise. In truth, since meeting and listening to the words of the Bylarans around her, she agreed that Mikhel was right to be so concerned. Though Rorn seemed open and eager to fight alongside the Fenturi, his Seconds Joran and Herm did not.
They stared at her brother with unease and anger.
“I will not fight next to the animal responsible for Ragnor’s death just a few weeks past,” Joran cried.
His words brought forth several nods and similar sentiment from three of the council members in attendance.
Jace said nothing, watching the proceedings with his fathomless eyes. She wondered what he thought of them. Having spent time with Shea and Roc, she felt comfortable around the two. Shea had an immense talent that would be much needed when confronting the Horde. And by the look of Roc, she’d be protected during the confrontation. The pair had a funny sense of humor and a comfort with each other that put her at ease as well.
Jace made her uneasy. She had overheard the women in the palace raving about the handsome man. They said his stare stirred them to mindless desire. Such nonsense.
The only man who did that to Thela sat to her right, annoyance pooling in his dark green gaze.
Zebram had yet to approach her in private after announcing he planned to marry her, though she knew he wanted to. She could feel his eyes on her all the time and knew if matters about the kingdom weren’t so pressing, he would have sought to claim her attention.
Just then two tall Bylarans entered the room led by Cyka. Twins, both rangy and powerful, they grinned at Castor and bowed to Zebram.
The room quieted as the newcomers approached.
“We apologize for the delay,” one of them started.
His twin continued, “But we cannot explain it. As if a void sucked the time—”
“—from us, we do not know why it took us a day longer to reach Bylar than normal,” the first finished.
“Nesham, Nedham.” Zebram nodded at the twins respectively. “You already know our councilmen and the Legionnaires. You have yet to meet Thela, my future bride. And her brother, Mikhel.” Zebram beamed with pride, which pleased Thela to no end.
The twins gaped at her, and she sensed something she shouldn’t have from the pair.
Mikhel stood as they approached, his eyes widening as he recognized what she’d just realized—Fenturi blood.
“They are Fenturi,” he said in shock. “Yet you fight for Bylar?”
They frowned as Castor answered for them. “Mikhel, many Bylarans have never even seen a Fenturi in the past twenty years since Zedrax systematically wiped your people out. The twins’ mother died at their birth. Their father, a Bylaran soldier, raised them. Garen, my captain whom you’ve not yet met, took them on regardless of their heritage. Their fighting skills were called for, not pure Bylaran blood.”
Zebram spoke up. “My brother, Garen, is both Bylaran and Fenturi as well.” The others in the room gasped at the bold confession. Thela thought their surprise overdone. Everyone knew or speculated about Garen’s mother. But during Zedrax’s time, no one ever spoke it aloud.
“Is this true?” Mikhel asked.
Thela nodded. “It is.”
The twins studied Mikhel with wariness and also respect. His exploits had not been popular with the Legion, but his prowess as a hunter could not be overlooked. As Fenturi, the twins obviously loved the hunt.
“That is your answer then.” Zebram nodded. “The three sections in which I want to place your warriors will be supervised not only by our officers, but by a Fenturi as well—you, Nesham and Nedham,” he said pointing to each of them.
“What of your brother?” Mikhel asked.
“We have yet to hear from him.” Zebram frowned. “Our last word was that he and the others had found Isus safely.”
Nesham nodded. “He ordered us to return here with the ship. We left them—”
&n
bsp; “—underwater searching for the Thrax, at Aranthe’s insistence,” Nedham answered.
Mikhel looked shocked. “You let the Mari go underwater? She will drown!”
“No, she and Ren had some kind of protection. Aranthe said they would not be harmed,” Nesham insisted.
“The Thrax wouldn’t let them be harmed,” Nedham agreed.
Zebram sighed. “Then we wait and pray to the Goddess for their speedy return.” He rose to his feet and stared at the group, his eyes flinty with a hardness Thela hadn’t seen before.
“I do not have to tell you all how important it is that we fight together. The Horde have conquered systems and now have a very large grudge against Bylar. If we—as Bylaran and Fenturi—cannot work together, we are doomed. You will put your differences aside, and we will defeat this threat.” He banged his fist on the table with a ferocity that made those near him jump in surprise.
“I will have no more talk of killing one another. The next Bylaran or Fenturi caught saying such will be considered treasonous and sentenced immediately. We cannot tolerate dissent, and I will not have it lead to our planet’s doom. Am I clear?” At that moment, silence reigned. Thela saw a man with Zedrax’s brutal strength, yet tempered with the compassion and wisdom of a man wanting peace.
Zebram scowled. “I will be in my chamber resting. I would have you all do the same. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will prove to be even longer.”
Thela and the others watched Zebram exit, followed by Koneru. She saw the astonishment of the council clearly.
Rorn chuckled. “Now that’s a king to be reckoned with.” He turned to his Seconds and cuffed them each on the back of the head. “I’d hate to lose you two, but as the king commands. One more word about the Fenturi out of either one of you and I’ll strike you down myself,” he promised. “Now go spread the word throughout the Legion.”
Thela watched them leave and turned to find Mikhel watching her speculatively. “What?”
“And you want to marry that man?”
“I do,” she said quietly and saw a faint smile on his lips before he nodded and turned to speak with the twins.
Thela moved purposefully through the palace. The sun had faded, and now the Bylaran moons shone down over the grounds with a fantastic glow.
She had a moment of indecision about her sudden temerity. Then she stiffened her spine and knocked on his chamber door. She was a Fenturi born and raised, and she could no longer ignore what her heart told her.
Koneru answered the door and gave her a rare grin. Then his face lost all expression, the man once again a stoic guard, and he announced her to his king.
Zebram rushed to the doorway. “Thela? Is something wrong?”
Of course he would think something was wrong rather than that she wanted to be with him. She’d been sending him so many hands-off signals that he must have thought she wanted to marry him solely to protect her people, and for no other reason.
“Koneru, you may go.”
The Rovi nodded and left, closing the door behind Thela and Zebram.
Zebram watched her, and she grew nervous.
“I,” she paused, not sure what to say. When she licked her dry lips, he followed the movement, his gaze darkening with lust, his breathing raspy.
Thela’s uncertainty dissipated under the heady power of her femininity. She let go of her self-imposed boundaries and dropped her cloak from her shoulders. Then she moved her fingers to the fastening at the back of her simple dress.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Zebram stammered and flushed at his clumsiness.
“I’m trying to make peace with the King of Bylar,” she said in a husky voice and dropped her dress to the floor. She stood proudly bared before him, pleased when he clenched his hands by his sides.
“Make peace?” he parroted her words, staring at her all over.
“How about make love?” she offered before she pulled him to her and showed him how things should be when real love flowed between their people.
***
Dare sighed and stretched, feeling better than she had in weeks. Something held her down though. That’s when she saw Ren’s large arm across her abdomen.
She stroked his soft hair, noting the shadows that lingered under his eyes. Poor Ren. He’d looked so confused when he’d shed a simple tear, and so moved by the love flowing between them. She gently removed his arm and saw him frown before she kissed it away.
A few minutes later, she left the lav fresh and clean and donned the uniform hung on the wall. It seemed the thing to do considering her other clothes had disappeared. She looked around and saw Ren’s clothes missing too.
She wondered how long they’d been sleeping. Had to be no more than an hour or two at the most. But when she looked at the now functioning clock on the front panel in the control room, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
They had lost over a day and a half. She looked out at nothing but water and the occasional passing sea creature. Before she could worry, the Thrax filled her with information. A song of knowledge she could listen to all day long.
She placed her hand once again on the rectangular pad before her. This time, instead of thinking about the need to make things right, she thought about love. She pictured Ren in her arms and remembered the incredible intimacy they’d shared. A bright blue nimbus flowed from her into the panel, and the ship left the oceans of Ocaia into space in an instant.
Dare laughed and joined the ship’s joy in flying through the air, delighting in the freedom of space around its glistening body. This the Thrax had forgotten—the feeling of soaring amidst the stars with love in its heart.
“What in the hell is going on?” Ren grumbled behind her, looking enticing without clothes.
“The good news is that I know how to get the Thrax to move now. The bad news is that we lost a day and a half.”
Ren’s eyes widened, but instead of speaking he crossed to kiss her long and deep. The ship’s walls shimmered again, and the ship sped up. Ren chuckled and drew Dare back with him toward the solar bath.
“I can see we’ll need to use the clothes the ship put out for us. But I was thinking, maybe we could make the ship move a little faster if you joined me in the lav?”
An hour later, Dare and Ren finished the surprisingly tasty rations in the small galley off the main control room. The food had been fresh and substantial, and Dare marveled at the power wrought so many years ago in this vessel.
“I think we need to call Bylar and see how things fare,” Ren said. “I don’t want to bring a close to our private time so soon, but we have to.”
They moved to the control panel, and Dare showed Ren how to use the ship’s complex communications device. “I can’t explain to you how to manually do it, but if you ask the Thrax, she will do it for you.”
Ren looked at Dare with surprise. “She? Since when is the Thrax a she?”
Dare smiled and patted the ship. “I don’t know. But the Thrax is definitely alive, and her interest in love and life makes me think she’s female. After all, she is vastly superior.”
Ren grinned and requested communication with Zebram. After some time, Castor picked up the comm link, and Dare could see Castor’s surprise.
“Castor?” he asked, confused.
“Ren!” Castor said before Jace joined him.
“Hi, Jace.” Dare waved.
“Where is my brother?” Ren asked.
Dare stood by his side for support.
“He’s, ah, occupied at the moment. Why?” Castor stared at Dare’s hand on Ren’s shoulder with a smugness that amused her.
“We’re hovering right near Deni, but we can’t see any sign of the Horde. Have you reports they’ve moved?” Ren asked.
“No, but here comes your brother now.” Castor stepped back and Zebram approached, looking tired but happy.
“Garen,” Zebram exclaimed. “Where are you? Do you have the Thrax? How is the Mari?”
“We’re calling you from the
Thrax. It’s a ship.”
“She,” Dare murmured.
He gave her warning glance she ignored. “And the Mari has a name. It’s Dare.”
“Hello, Dare.”
“King Zebram.” She nodded.
“Enough pleasantries,” Ren growled. “How are you and the kingdom faring?”
“Well enough, I suppose. But—” Zebram stopped as something drew his attention. “Oh no.” He turned back to the vid screen. “Ren, Dare, we’re under attack. The Horde has arrived. We’ve got to evacuate the palace.”
The screen went dead.
Dare and Ren stared at each other in shock before Dare mentally commanded the Thrax to find the Horde mothership. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves staring through the front of the ship at a large, seething monstrosity. Even at this distance, Dare could feel the raw chaos and hatred bleeding toward the Thrax’s golden-blue skin.
Without thought, Dare and Ren joined hands and urged the Thrax to unleash her mighty power upon the enemy.
Gasping at the energy that flowed through and out of them, they watched as the mothership appeared entirely encased in a bright blue light. From that light, streams bolted like chained lightning through space to envelop the three large ships surrounding the Horde mothership.
The Thrax sat steady while a horrendous explosion lit up the black of space all around them. The blue light over the ships turned to flame. But without an explosion or scattered debris, the ships burned—without oxygen no less—for a few moments until nothing more remained.
Dare and Ren stumbled, weakened by the exchange. The Thrax appeared unscathed by any of it, and Dare marveled at the sheer power of so small a vessel.
“Ren,” she said breathlessly. “We just destroyed the Horde.”
Ren paled. “Not all of them.”
And she remembered the palace’s cut communication.
-17-
The Year 4043, FenBy
“Are you sure about this?” Ren asked and ran a hand over Dare’s large belly. Their babe was due any day now, and he couldn’t help his nervous excitement at thoughts of his child coming into the world.