CALLEY (RIBUS 7 Book 3) (43 page)

Chelan shrank from him but then looked up into his eyes as his finger brushed her cheek. The hostility had faded from them, the rage replaced with concern. She dared to breathe again.

Dar reached for her ragged shirt and took it from her. Then he tossed it into the flames. Kneeling down in front of her, he reached for her jeans and undid them, pulling them and her panties to her ankles. Chelan closed her eyes as he leaned to her and kissed her slender belly. Then he rose and retrieved some soap and a soft white cloth. Taking her by the hand, he led her to the steaming pot. With the heated water, he slowly began cleansing her.

Chelan quivered before him, the massive man gently attending every inch of her. Rinsing her slowly, his fingers brushed tenderly over her flesh. Then he kissed her again, his lips feathering over her breasts and her abdomen, and finally coming to rest just above her soft folds, where he paused.

He looked up at her, his eyes moist. She watched as he removed his gloves, his chest taking in a badly needed breath. Then he looked down at the soft golden mound of hair that concealed her femininity. Tenderly, he touched her.

Chelan gasped but held still. Dar closed his eyes. “They wanted to violate what is so beautiful. They wanted to take what is mine.”

Chelan reached for his face and tilted him to her. Her eyes welled. “But they did not, my Lord. They did not.”

She saw partial relief on his face and watched as he leaned forward and kissed her womanhood with reverence, lingering and inhaling her soft alien scent. Then he stood, reaching for her moist body and crushing her to him. Finally she cried out, one quick, explosive sob, before calming herself. Her arms surrounded his hard waist. “I thought you would never come back,” she said. “Where did you go?”

Dar scooped her up in his arms and returned to the fire. There he sat with her on his lap. “I drove high up into the mountains, where I have supplies,” he whispered softly. He reached for his shroud and pulled it over her as she curled up against his chest.

“Is that where you kept the uniform?” she asked.

Dar rested his head on hers. “Yes.”

Chelan took a deep breath. “The men—you knew they were coming?”

“The hidden sensors alerted me. I detected them when they first arrived. I tried to get here as fast as I could, but I was far away.” He hugged into her neck.

Chelan felt his warm tears on her flesh. She looked at him, and her heart broke at the pain reflected in his eyes.

“I am sorry,” he whispered. “I was almost too late.”

Chelan shook her head and then pressed a finger to his lips. “You were not too late.”

Dar took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He glanced down at her soft, full breasts. His fingers gently traced over her. “Why do they always try to hurt what is so precious?”

Chelan reached for his hand and pressed it to her fullness. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “But you have never hurt me, Dar.”

“I hurt you when I left.”

“That was long ago, and now you have returned.”

Dar opened his mouth but no words formed. He continued to look at her, his bronze hand highlighted against her powder-white flesh. “I wish I could take you somewhere safe. Somewhere you would never have to endure any of this again.”

Chelan reached for his shimmering hair and kissed his neck. “No one will hurt me here,” she whispered. “Not again—not as long as you are with me.” And she kissed his lips.

Dar removed his hand from her and hugged her tightly. “We have to go up, my Lady, far into the mountains. It is not safe here anymore. More people will come.”

“And then what?”

Dar became still. “That will ultimately depend on you.”

Chelan traced his jaw and stared deep into his azure eyes. She touched a tear that ran down his cheek and tasted it lovingly. Then she sat up and straddled his waist, her fingers lacing through his hair. “I love you,” she whispered.

She did not wait for a reply. She simply reached down between them, her hands seeking out his male softness. As his hands flowed about her waist, she released him from his pants. Then she licked his lips seductively, her gaze never leaving his. As he hardened in her grasp, she rose up and then lowered herself down upon him, ever so slowly. She moaned, his thickness filling her completely, piercing her deep.

Her fingers returned to his hair, and she hugged his face into her breasts. As his mouth found her hard nipples, she began to stroke him, so exquisitely. “Do you still want me?” she asked in a diaphanous whisper.

Dar released her breast, his tongue running up her slender neck. His hands surrounded her buttocks and opened her wide. “With all my heart, all my body, and all my soul,” he rumbled.

Chelan eased down him again, his organ buried fully within her. “Then we go to the mountains,” she cooed. She grabbed his thick hair and pulled his head back sharply. She kissed his lips hard, her tongue exploring him thoroughly. Then she withdrew, the blue flame in his eyes, dancing with passion. She rose up until his steely tip just touched her swollen folds. “And there you will give me your heart, your body, and your soul, over and over.” She took a deep breath, her hands still grasping his hair. “I want you, my Lord. And I want to be yours, and yours alone.”

Dar sucked in a deep breath. He pushed on her hips forcefully, driving up into her, possessing her innermost sanctum.

Chelan threw her head back and gasped, her body heat igniting. Then he grabbed her waist, and instantly, she was on her back. He thrust into her again, his controlled power filling her with desire. He kissed her mouth hard once and then looked down into her deep brown eyes. “You will not be disappointed, my Lady.”

Chelan reached for his hips, spreading her legs wider for him. “I know, my Lord, I know.”

He hunched over her and responded to her pressure, his entry plunging deeper still. Chelan closed her eyes, his dominion of her rough and fast. She bit into his neck, drawing blood. She saw the glazed look in his eyes, and she smiled. He was as much hers as she was his. They were one.

Over the next few days, Dar lead her high into the Cascade Mountains. Upon reaching a small alpine meadow, the Warlord stopped at last and began setting up their final camp. Chelan sat down in a heap, her lungs burning. “I think this is about as isolated as it gets.”

Dar looked around at the surrounding forest, the boughs sheltering them and providing cover. He glanced at her. “Never underestimate your fellow man, Chelan. There are very few places upon which he has not intruded.”

Chelan twisted her hair and then piled it on top of her head. “I am sweating to death. I need to wash.”

Dar began to peel off his uniform. “You are?” he mused. “If I ever have to go through this again, my Lady, I will vie for your hand in your Antarctic. I have had enough of this heat.”

Chelan grinned as he shook out his long hair. It was now just below his shoulders, and was once again the beautiful silver blonde she remembered and loved so much. It shimmered in the sun like feathered tinsel, exotic by Iceanean standards and just as alien by Earth’s.

When he had shed all his clothes, he turned to her. “Come with me.”

Chelan rose on weary legs and followed him a short way through the trees. Dar led her uphill a bit and then clambered over some boulders. Chelan scrambled up beside him and looked down. “It’s a pool!” she exclaimed.

Dar nodded. “A little cool, I might add, but you could probably tolerate it for a bit.”

Chelan watched as he slid into the water, luxuriating in its glacial grip. “I will go back to camp and get some towels and soap,” she said.

Dar pointed to a crevice in one of the rocks. Chelan smiled. “Guess you have been here before.”

Dar watched her as she began to undress. Then, from her hiking boot, she withdrew her blade. “What is that for?” he asked with a glint in his eye.

Chelan sat down and began at her laces. “From now on I am taking it everywhere with me.”

“Why?”

Chelan stopped and looked at him. “You bloody know why. Because I want to be able to defend myself if need be.”

Dar smiled. “Could you have used it on those men?”

Chelan yanked off her boots. “If they had hurt me, yes.”

Dar raised his brows. “They were going to hurt you, Chelan.”

Chelan glanced down. “I could have handled what they intended to do. I had plans for them. But barring certainty of success, I was not going to struggle.”

Dar shook his head. “You would have had to be successful. If you had failed, your actions would have only inflamed them. And no matter what, you should not have had to endure them. They would have infected your mind and your body with their filth. And those types of animals thrive on fear and dominance. They would have pushed you to your limit until they obtained what they desired. They do not want you to participate as a docile corpse. They want to break down and terrorize their victim.”

“If it had gotten that far, I still would not have struggled. I would have taken it.”

Dar frowned at her. “You have been brutalized before, pretty lady, but on the whole you have fared well. You do not know the full extent to which a male can mutilate a female in order to extract the fear his lust feeds upon.”

Chelan faltered, a pit forming in her stomach. “And you know?” she asked softly.

Dar looked away. “Like Korba, I have fought more wars than your Earth has ever seen.” He looked back at her. “I have seen how the victors in some cultures mark out their new territory: they do not care if they leave their brand on the land or on the women. And I know it is no different in your world.”

Chelan rocked herself gently. “Is that why your culture holds such a strong stance on these things?

Dar stared down at the clear water. “That and so much more. It is a coward’s way of making his point. It is not enough to dominate the military of his enemy; he must dominate and humiliate the women. He strives to sow the seed of his victory in the bodies of the vanquished, just as a fly deposits its eggs in the festering wounds of its host.”

Chelan looked down at the knife. “I would have used it if I had had it,” she uttered.

Dar smiled. “Good, my Lady. But remember your training well. Any weapon you possess must be used quickly and effectively. If not, it can be used against you.”

Chelan thought about her next words carefully. “What would you have done if you had not made it back to me in time?”

Dar’s eyes narrowed. “I would have made it back one way or the other. On foot I cut it close, but had I known I was going to be too late…” He hesitated. “I would have used a fighter to get to you.”

Chelan was momentarily speechless. “A fighter,” she repeated almost in amazement.

Dar nodded. “I did not want to risk having it spotted by others in the day. It would have caused quite another calamity. But I would have used one if necessary.”

Chelan looked about her. “Where is it?”

Dar smiled. “There is one just over there in the trees. There are others accessible to me at all times.”

Chelan felt a familiar surge of adrenalin run through her, the same one she felt every time she thought about or witnessed the true scope of the Empire’s power. The technology, the warriors—all possessed an awe-inspiring aura infused with indisputable lethality. In her early days with the Empire, it had scared her, then, eventually, it had captivated her. But now that she was a part of it all, she felt a sense of pride so deep she got goosebumps every time she thought of any aspect of the military might that enveloped her.

Finally, she looked back at the pool, and then tentatively touched the cold water. Slowly, she slid in. “Arggg,” she groaned, her teeth chattering.

Dar reached for her and pulled her to him. Chelan faced him and straddled his lap. Then she hugged him close. “Have you communicated with Solis?”

Dar shook his head. “I dare not try.”

Chelan pulled back and stared into his azure eyes. “How do we find out about the status of RIBUS 7?”

Dar’s hands smoothed over her slender waist. “We don’t. If RIBUS 7 succumbs to battle, the distress signals will go out. Korba will order all ships in the vicinity to assist, and that includes RIBUS 8. If she is called to arms, Solis will get a message to us one way or another.”

“But the men on the dark side of the moon and beyond—will they not help Fremma?”

Dar hesitated, hoping she would not ask too many questions. “No. As long as you are here, their orders are to protect you. If I had sent any messages early on, they would have known I was here, and all would have been lost. But right now it appears there is an Imperial blackout, so no messages are being sent to or received from anywhere.”

Chelan nodded slowly knowing all too well what a blackout implied. She furrowed her brow. “But Fremma’s men, had they ended up knowing you were here, they would not have dared to harm you. You are not hurting me.”

Dar smiled at her naivety. “My Lady, I have defied Korba. I have left my ship and my Command. And I have challenged the Let and will soon consummate that union.” He raised his brows. “I do not think his Majesty will be amused, and neither would Fremma. At the very least, they would whisk you away from me. At worst, I could be executed.”