Reclaiming Mystique (SpaceStalker Saga Book 2) (31 page)

“No, Mikhel’s right,” Castor said, surprising them all. “If one of us should go with Jace in this mission, it should be him.”

Mikhel stood proudly, his muscled arms crossed as he stared at Jace, looking much like a contented cat.

“Have all of you forgotten that I’m the captain here?” Jace asked wryly while they argued Castor’s point. Then, throwing up his hands in frustration, he quickly gathered their attention with a mental blast that felled them to their knees, all but Mikhel, interestingly enough.

“You see, Jace?” Mikhel said pleasantly. “I’m the one for this mission.” Then he leaned closer and his eyes narrowed. “And you have only yourself and Naria to thank for that,” he said, his blue eyes aglow. Then he strolled out of the control room whistling.

“Damn, Jace,” Castor grumbled as he stood, grabbing at his head. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes,” Jace said, pondering Mikhel’s resistance. “For that’s only a taste of what the Cazeth will do to you once they find us in Mystique. Now I’m going to go through some mental exercises with you on our way to Mystique. And you are going to have to work very hard to make your minds stronger. Trust me,” Jace said. “You’re going to need it.”

The day passed by surprisingly quickly, spent instructing the men on how to shield their minds, as well as drawing a crude map to be fed into the ship’s database to create a three dimensional picture of what they should expect the kingdom to look like in Mystique.

Jace worked with his crew until his head felt ready to explode. He thought Koneru might be deliberately resisting his efforts to block his mind, as if to see how much pain the Rovi could endure from Jace.

“Damn it!” Jace cursed as Koneru finally erected his mental shields. “Koneru,” he paused, for Naria and Carinna entered.

“Jace?” Naria asked. “What are you doing?”

Naria could feel the mental energy buzzing through the control room. “Ah, shielding skills.”

“How’s it working?” Carinna asked in a pert voice. Nesham gave her an annoyed look and she smiled. “That good, eh?”

“Perhaps you might want me to layer then with a level of protection that the Cazeth won’t be expecting?” Naria offered.

Tense and frustrated at his crew’s slow progress, Jace snapped at her. “Oh, and you can do so much better than I can?”

Naria rolled her eyes, not at all hurt by his remark. “Jace, I am half demon. I know how darkness operates.”

“Stars, Jace,” Castor said with a grunt. “Let her do what she wants. It can’t be worse than what you’ve done.”

Jace’s eyes glowed as he glared at his men, and Castor flinched at the anger there. “Fine,” Jace said shortly. “Whatever. I’ll be in my cabin.”

Naria watched him stalk from the room and shook her head. “Has he been like this all day?” she asked.

Castor groaned and sat down. “All day,” he said wearily. “I swear, our even-tempered, humorous captain of yesteryear has vanished. And in his place is a man on par with your father.”

“Maybe not that bad,” Koneru said with a grimace.

“It’s just his fear showing itself,” Naria said gently. She gathered her will and spread it out to the men around her. “Now I’m going to plant a small seed of darkness in your minds. It won’t hurt you and it won’t make you evil. It’s there to soothe the hunger the Cazeth will feel once they sense you. The Cazeth are drawn to light, needing to destroy it almost as they need to feed. This darkness will help you avoid them, if but for a short time.”

Completing the easy spell, Naria left them and wandered to find Jace. Back in his cabin, he paced the room, moving to the windows to stare into space every so often.

“Jace, relax,” Naria said soothingly. “We’ve got time before we land there. At least, I think we do,” she half-joked. “You haven’t told us where Mystique actually is.”

Jace ignored her, frowning out at space.

“Jace.” Naria walked up behind him and placed her hands around his waist, hugging him closer to her. “Everything will be okay,” she said quietly. “Just believe.”

“You haven’t seen what they can do,” he said in a quiet voice. “You don’t know how they eat away at your thoughts until you long for death, anything to escape the madness they perpetrate.” He turned to look at her then. “Naria, what if nothing is left of my people? What if I’ve waited too long to act?” he said.

And Naria knew that his fears had substance. “The Cazeth are powerful and dark, Jace. But the Psi, they are legendary. If you could escape them at such a young age, mentally untried, surely others may have as well,” she said to reassure him. “And I can help you, Jace,” she said earnestly. “You just need to let me in.”

Naria stared at Jace, her love for him shining in her eyes. If only he would believe, take that first step towards her, she thought. She knew everything would work out, but only if they merged, fully.

Jace seemed so unsure and doubtful, so unlike himself that Naria felt a surge of compassion for the large man. His dark eyes seemed filled with remorse and his mind splintered with images of “what if.”

“Jace, look at me,” Naria said quietly. His focus shifted back to her but before he could speak Naria took charge.

She fitted her mouth to his and trailed her lips over him, tasting all of him. His lips softened under hers, the texture of them exciting and arousing her to boldness. She deepened the kiss, slanting her mouth over his, conscious of his grip tightening around her waist.

Naria felt his body harden perceptibly against her, pressing into her as she stimulated his need. She stroked his lips with her tongue, teasing him with promises of entry as she licked his masculine taste from his lips. He pressed closer and Naria thrust her tongue into his mouth, demanding equal passion.

But more than that, Naria sent her mind questing after his. Longing to love him so splendidly that he forgot everything but her, Naria sent him visions of their intimacy, the feelings of longing inside of her bursting forth into his mind.

She felt him gasp as her loving energies poured into him. Then she forcibly moved them both to the bed. She pushed him away from her and watched him land on his back in the middle of the large bed they shared. She quickly straddled his hips, staring down at his golden hair and shimmering eyes.

She could feel him hard and aroused beneath her as he shifted his body. But Naria would not give him quarter. She pulled his shirt from his body and bent her head to capture his nipple, biting it playfully as he groaned and writhed underneath her. She splayed her hands over his warm muscles, feeling invigorated as his need matched hers.

Joined mentally now, she felt every lick and touch that she soothed over his body, arousing her to a fevered pitch as she echoed her feelings back to him.

“Naria,” he groaned. “Let me inside you.”

She ignored him and continued to lick her way down his body, biting at erotically charged zones that he mentally telegraphed to her. Naria stared up at his flushed face as he watched her undo his trousers, peeling them back slowly to watch his jutting member fall out, needing her hands around him. She touched him as he fantasized and his head fell back, his eyes closed in rapture.

Naria continued to undress him until Jace was completely naked under her. Then she removed her own clothes, needing to feel him against her aroused flesh.

She settled again over his body, straddling him but not letting him enter her. Her wet heat made her slick as she rocked over him and made Jace mad with desire.

He leaned up suddenly and caught one full breast in his mouth, sucking with such intensity that Naria felt her womb clench in pleasure. And as he sat up, her body fell precariously open to his invasion. But Jace didn’t do more than caress her taut nipple with his mouth.

Naria felt his muscles straining for release, could feel the raw power he used to keep himself in check while his body screamed for fulfillment. He rubbed himself against her, her large erection pressing intimately against her wet curls.

“I need you,” he murmured against her other breast, giving it the same loving attention as the other. “You don’t know how much,” he said raggedly as he again suckled her hungrily.

His teeth pulled, his tongue soothed and his lips lavished her with erotic promises as he sent her image after image of what he would soon be doing to her. Her need began to overtake her control and soon Jace lost his as well.

Naria gasped in ecstasy as Jace shifted and thrust his entire length into her moist core. He stilled for a moment, his breathing uneven, his body close to climax. And then he began moving and his mouth returned to hers. Naria could only cry out in love and desire as he thrust into her, his body urging her to tighten around him. He captured her tongue and stroked it delicately until Naria felt sure she could take no more.

And as he heard her mind’s cry, he thrust heavily into her, causing her world to explode in wondrous colors of desire and love. Jace quickly followed her, his body shuddering as she milked him of his seed. And as their minds continued to surge together in loving communion, something opened up their hearts all the way.

Naria gasped as the heat that had consumed her from passion was replaced by a greater burning. She could barely see as her vision grew brighter and brighter until she felt as one with Jace. And then it exploded all around her and she heard Jace gasp as he too was sucked into blissful unawareness.

When next she woke, Naria found herself still entwined with Jace, his body buried deeply inside of her, hot, throbbing and strong. She could feel something different about her now, something that made her more than what she had been.

She watched as Jace’s eyes opened and he stared into her.

“I can see your soul,” he said softly, his eyes wondrous as he smiled at her. “And it’s more beautiful than I ever could have imagined,” he said.

He kissed her and began moving in her again, but gently, tenderly.

“I love you, Naria Arel,” he said, and Naria felt herself bound to him forever. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she had just been pledged to Jace for the rest of their lives, for however long they might last.

“And I you, Jace Arel,” Naria said softly. In that explosion of light that had encompassed her, Naria had seen all of Jace’s past and his present. She had seen his hopes for the future as well, astonished to have seen many blond and black haired babes surrounding them.

“And though the timing couldn’t be worse,” he said and grimaced, “I refuse to wait when I can share this love I have with you now.”

He moved slowly and then Naria felt his muscles tighten as he pushed himself deeper into her. With his mind he touched her in ways no human or demon ever could. She clenched him to him in wordless surrender as they shared a rapture more powerful because it had been created in love.

After some time, they disentangled themselves and lay together, both wondering about the future. No longer needing words, they shared their thoughts and fears in their joined mind.

Jace, you know that this can only strengthen us against our enemy
, Naria thought.

I hope so
.

It will.
The Cazeth don’t understand love.
They fear it and with good reason
.

I don’t care right now
. Naria heard her mate sigh.
I feel too good to fear the future.
But know this Naria.
Nothing is more important to me than your safety.
Nothing
, he emphasized. And Naria could clearly see that he would rather die than live without her.

She hugged him tight and reassured him with a band of love.
Don’t worry, Jace.
I’m not ready to give you up just yet.
We have too many babies to make
.

She watched him blush and laughed.

“You saw that, did you?” he asked aloud. “I couldn’t help it, Naria. Thoughts of creating a child with you make me feel warm and happy. You are my future, Naria, no matter what happens tomorrow,” he said and kissed her lovingly.

“So no more pestering your crew then,” Naria asked mockingly.

“No more,” he said with a sigh. Then he grinned, his eyes again mischievous. “Well, maybe a little, just to aggravate Castor. He needs it,” Jace defended himself as Naria laughed.

Just then Mikhel walked through the door and froze upon seeing both Jace and Naria naked and in one another’s arms. He didn’t, however, turn away from his curious study of Naria’s body.

Jace cursed him and covered Naria quickly.

“Sorry,” Mikhel said smiling, still staring at the sultry woman looking more than pleased at Jace’s side.

“Mikhel,” Jace said warningly.

“You should have locked the door,” Mikhel said. “I just wanted to let you know that we sent word to Lord Demise that we would be on the planet by tomorrow. Oh, and we picked up another ship on our radar. But it was moving too fast to track and it disappeared before we could get a read on it.”

Jace nodded and Mikhel turned to leave, but not before shooting Naria a quick wink and a broad smile. He left the captain’s room thinking how fate worked so mysteriously. Had they not been forced to land on Dark World, Jace might never have met Naria. And then not only would he have been unable to defeat the Cazeth, but he would have lost the love of his life.

Mikhel grinned. He knew in his heart that this campaign would be successful. And no matter what Jace or the others said, he planned to make sure they all lived to tell tales about it. No matter what the cost to himself.

-19-

Jace tried to contain his excitement at finally stepping foot on his planet after ten years. Mikhel stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“Why don’t we use a shuttle?” the large Fenturi asked, eyeing the transformitter uneasily.

“Because Orsan will be sure to spot us entering into Mystique’s atmosphere. Don’t worry Mikhel. Koneru has increased our trans range with these badges. They are the safest way to the planet,” Jace said softly, trying to reassure his companion.

“But there’s nothing out there,” Mikhel said shaking his head. The
SpaceStalker
hovered outside of planet Pith. To the east of Pith sat noting but dark space. The ship’s readings saw nothing, nor did the crew staring out of the portals into space.