ARMOR [New World Book 2] (14 page)

“But she might live,” Dasks
said desperately.

Cobra looked at Amy. His
expression was tender. “I am heading to our home planet. Leah and the children
are coming home with me. She could use your help, Amy. You will be safer on
Bagron with no shield. Dargon is still in its infancy stages. The defenses are
too uncertain while Castian warriors remain prisoners on Ulsy. Only mated men
whose females are expecting and invincible may stay here. As long as you live,
I’ll make certain you are cared for.”

“Cobra…” Dasks said.

Cobra’s eyes hardened. “She
almost died today. You knew the shield had been breached. The moment the alarm
sounded, you just took off. You said nothing. I hold you solely responsible for
this incident. You cannot use your armor to shield her. You can’t mate with her
because you could die. I can keep the warriors away from her at my home. I am
responsible for her well-being now. You are leaving with the next ship to
Ulsy.”

Cobra spun on his heels and
left. Dasks looked devastated. Amy felt her heart break.

* * * *

“Dasks?”

When he entered their room,
he just stood there staring at her. Amy smiled at him. The water on Bagron had
finally been restored. Amy was in no danger of being poisoned. She was grateful
Cobra was giving her a home. She was fond of Leah and her children. It was
about to become a full house with the new baby. Leah insisted she felt
wonderful. In fact, she said she never felt better in her life. Amy was happy
for her.

Since Grace gave birth to her
daughter all the expecting women were feeling confident. It was no wonder they
had no need of doctors.

Amy had never witnessed such
an amazing and pain-free delivery.

Grace had declared there was
neither pain nor discomfort.

Cobra had told them it was
the shield. If the mother was distressed, the shield would go up and the baby
wouldn’t come. Without pain, the babe was gently eased from the womb. For a
full twenty-four hours afterwards, the shield did go up. No one was allowed
near mother and child while they slept and bonded and the babe nursed.

Afterwards, only Rask was
allowed close.

“This is for the best,” Amy
told Dasks. “I’ll be safe with Cobra on your home planet. You’ll be able to go
to Ulsy and help save other Castians and human females. You can find a real
mate. You deserve that. I want that for you; I want you to be happy and find
happiness.”

Dasks strode forward and
pulled her into his arms. “I love you, Amy.”

“And I love you.” She leaned
back and brushed back a lock of his hair. He was so handsome. Her heart ached
to have to leave him. It would hurt her more if she killed him.

“I want to make love to you,”
Dasks said.

“Once more, my love.
Something to remember you by,” Amy said in agreement.

Dasks tenderly scooped her up
into his arms then lay her on the bed. A fistful of her shirt was in his hand
and he ripped it off with painstaking slowness. As the fabric tore, his eyes
never left hers. He seemed so intense, so resolved. Amy knew it was for the
best. This was a good way to say…goodbye. She would be dead to him soon. The
thought made her eyes tear up.

Dasks was on top of her. His
weight was on one arm while his other crushed her to him. He inhaled her scent.
His tongue licked across her throat and over her jaw.

Amy buried her hands into his
hair. When their lips met she tasted his sweetness. Amy trailed her tongue
across his and was immediately awash with his pleasure-seeking secretions. She
nipped at his lower lip, pulling him closer.

Amy felt Dasks’ hands move
lower to part her legs. His broad bare chest was pressed to her, flattening her
breasts. Amy wrapped her arms around him, holding him as tightly as she was
able. Dasks’ hard cock pushed into her and he began moving swiftly. Amy wrapped
her legs around him and hung on. She groaned as he began pounding into her.
Dasks seemed to want to possess her as though his life depended on it. Her back
arched with his roughness. No other man would ever come close to Dasks and she
decided then and there this would be the last time she allowed any man to ever
get close to her. She would die with Dasks’ image in her mind.

Dasks spun her beneath him.
She wasn’t concerned. He had taken her this way often enough at the cave. He remained
buried deep and for just a few moments his hands caressed the swell of her
rump. One hand slid around to settle between her breasts. His frantic pumping
slowed and Amy could feel him as he filled. She held off as long as she could,
wanting the experience to last for her short lifetime. Finally it was too much.
Her insides couldn’t stretch any more unless she was completely relaxed. Amy
cried out. She felt Dasks’ fangs sink into her shoulder. Her body slumped, but
she could feel him moving. With a rolling action, his hips moved forward and
back, sometimes resting against the backs of her thighs.

Amy could feel his hot breath
on her shoulder as he continued to lick her. It was such a pleasant feeling.
Again she felt his bite. Amy began growing tired. Dasks’ movements were so
sweet and caring. As she slipped into rest, she heard Dasks tell her she would
be fine. He told her he loved her. She smiled; she already knew that. She could
feel
his love.

Epilogue

Amy could see the meteors
exploding around her. She was standing in the crevice of the cave on Earth
watching like she did some nights when she couldn’t sleep. When she looked back
into the cave it was dark, empty. She was alone. There was no one left here but
her. Dasks was only a sweet memory. After finding out she had cancer, she had
been left on Earth to die alone. It was all right. Dasks was safe, that’s all
that mattered. She had her fantasies to keep her company. The sweet way he made
love to her. The way his eyes would alight with love and tenderness. That was
something she could take to her grave.

“So this is what you dream,”
a voice said. “Do you think that little of me?”

Amy stepped out of the cave.
She smiled at Dasks wondering what he was doing here—and without his armor on.
“I think this much of you. You got away. I didn’t kill you, my love.”

Dasks sighed heavily. His
fingers rose to trace her cheek. “Is this what I normally wake you from?”

Amy looked around. Another
meteor crashed and exploded. The Earth was almost in complete darkness. If not
for the meteors’ light, there would be total darkness. She felt confused. Her
fingers captured his and she kissed his hand.

“What do you mean by wake me
from?”

“You’re dreaming, Amy.”

“No,” she stammered.

Dasks pulled her against his
chest. “Close your eyes.”

Amy complied. She felt an odd
sensation of moving yet her feet remained still. When Dasks demanded she open
her eyes, she gasped. They were high in a treetop on Dargon. The sun was
shining. Amy could see everything from her vantage point. It was beautiful. She
gripped Dasks harder, still a bit frightened of high places but growing more
accustomed when she knew for certain he would keep her safe.

“It’s just like I dreamed,”
she whispered.

“You didn’t dream Dargon. You
live here with me.”

“But how is that possible?
How is this possible? You’re so vivid. I can feel you.”

“Amy, wake up,” he commanded.

“I don’t want to. You’ll be
gone and I’ll be all alone in my cave,” she said, weeping. “Don’t go away yet.
Stay for a little while. Please.”

“Trust me, Amy.”

Amy could barely see him
through her tears. She loved him so much. Life was so unfair to give him to her
and then take him away. But she had to let him go, even in her dreams. It was
sweet torture having him so close, touching him. His skin was so warm and
welcoming. Gently his mouth lowered to claim a tender kiss. Again he whispered
for her to trust him.

“I will always love you,
Dasks.”

Amy closed her eyes. She
could feel arms tighten around her. Anxiously she waited for the dank smell of
the cave to invade her nostrils. Soon the burning stench of the meteors would
pollute her lungs. Her hand would lift to feel the lump in her breast to remind
her that she was dying. Like a sick sign that tormented her. Amy could feel
death under her hand. She cried harder when Dasks told her to open her eyes and
look at him.
He should be gone now. Why is he still in my dream?
When
Amy finally opened her eyes. They were in their bed on Dargon.

“No, no,” she wept with
realization.

“I’m sorry, Amy. I had to. I
couldn’t let you go. I can’t live without you,” Dasks said.

His thumb wiped at her tears.
Their secretions mixed.

“Why, Dasks?”

“I need you.”

It sounded so simple. Her
hand lifted and she felt the lump in her breast. Their mating hadn’t cured her
illness. She sobbed again and Dasks held her tight. She could feel his sorrow
for her. His entire being filled her. She understood now what Meg had said
about mating. Dasks had mated with Amy. They were one. They would live as one;
they would die as one.

“You had no right,” she
accused and tried to push him away.

He held her tighter. “I had
every right.”

“I’ve killed you.”

“I would have died anyway without
you.”

“But what if there’s a baby?
She’ll be all alone.”

Dasks inhaled her scent.
“There is no babe.”

“I’m still dying.”

“I know.”

“What do we do now?”

“We make love; we live while
we have every opportunity.”

Amy felt his hands caress
her. He gave up his life for her. She wouldn’t spend a second being angry with
him. When he pulled her under him and thrust into her, she wrapped her legs
around him. Her face buried into his neck. She felt his entire body close
around her. Her breasts were crushed to his chest. The sheets beneath her felt
strange. Dasks was no longer sweating. His thrusting had all but ceased. Amy
couldn’t move. She looked up at the ceiling. Her arms tried to pull away, but
she was frozen.

“Dasks?” she whispered.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s my
armor. The second I entered you it came up.”

“I’m in here with you?”

“Yes.”

“It’s like a cocoon.” She
could see everything around her but she couldn’t move a muscle. It was like
being glued to one another, fused.

Dasks chuckled then began
laughing. “It
is
a cocoon, Amy. My pretty little caterpillar is going to
be given wings so she can fly.”

Amy could do nothing but
wonder at his words. She remained pressed tight to his body. Suddenly Dasks
began pumping harder. Amy felt her hips settle onto the sheets. She could feel
Dasks growing inside of her.

“Please, Dasks, no baby.”

“Oh, we’re going to make a
baby. You owe me a daughter. Not only Talsk gets to be smitten. I want my turn
too,” he declared. “And in four years, you will give me a son. A Castian
warrior who will grow up to be as strong and healthy as his father.”

“What?” she said then gasped.
“Oh, Dasks, please. There’s too much.”

Dasks sank his fangs into her
neck. Euphoria claimed her and she settled under him, enjoying what he was
doing. He rocked against her. She could see his smile in the moonlight and
wondered at it. Wait, he had said she would give him a son—a healthy son like
his father.

“Dasks?”

“My armor sensed the danger,”
he said. His tone was filled with wonder and delight. “You’re fine, Amy. Your
cancer is gone. My armor attacked it and healed you.”

“What?” Stunned, Amy felt her
breast. There was no lump. “Are you certain? Really certain?”

“It’s true, Amy. My armor
senses no more threat. It healed you and you’re whole—we are whole and well and
will live for centuries. We can watch our children grow, and their children and
their children’s children.”

Dasks slumped to the side
when he finished. His hand rested on her belly. “It’s all right, Amy. My armor
cured you before we conceived.”

“Conceived?” she squeaked.

“Yes, conceived. Our baby
will have two parents to fuss over her—her entire life.”

Amy lay there shocked. Dasks
had sacrificed his life for her. In the end, he had saved them both. When his
hand reached for her, she could feel his happiness. His emotions surrounded her
from every direction, enveloping her. Amy knew what had happened. She had been
encased in love and nothing was more impenetrable than his armor.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C. L. Scholey lives in her Ontario home with her husband and
children. She is working on the next book in her series. She loves to connect
with readers and can be reached at
[email protected]
or check out her web page
www.clscholey.com

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