Forged in Shadow Read online

  “Huh.”

  “Huh is right. I’ve gone as far as I can go electronically. The rest will have to be done on the ground. I should get my brother to look into it. He’s got his PI license, even though he never uses it.”

  Arin brushed a stray sprinkling of sand off her pant leg. Outside, the dust-storm raged, its full fury hitting the sturdy walls of the dwelling. “The Kordolians will want to send one of theirs to help out. This is personal for them too. They see revenge as their blood-right.”

  “Blood-right?” Riana sounded a little panicked. “You’re beginning to sound like one of them, Sarge. It’s because of that boyfriend of yours, isn’t it? You’ve been hanging out with them for too long.”

  “When they let me know who they want to send, I’ll get him to contact you.”

  “Me?” Riana’s voice rose an octave. “Y-you can’t let them contact me. I’m just the socially awkward IT girl. I’m not going to go traipsing across the planet searching for secret organizations with some stone-cold killer.”

  “But Riana,” Arin said, her voice taking on a teasing note, “you’re the best genius hacker I know, and besides, they’re guests on our planet. It’s our job to show them around, make them feel comfortable, make sure they don’t kill anybody-”

  “Arin,” Riana protested, “I am not going to help you with this mission anymore if you force me to work with one of them.”

  “There’s that small matter of all that illegal porn that was mysteriously downloaded on Fortuna Tau and sold for significant profit. I have witnesses.”

  “But Sergeant-”

  “Don’t worry, Riana. It’ll be fun, trust me. Kordolians aren’t as bad as they look. Well, they are, but they aren’t. You’ll see what I mean.”

  “Arin-” Terror flooded Riana’s voice.

  “I’ll let you know when he’s coming over. Thanks again, Riana.” Arin terminated the comm as the door flew open, revealing a vortex of wild red dust whipped up by the hot desert wind.

  Sand was streaming into the foyer.

  And on the threshold stood a familiar black figure.

  He was in full warrior-mode, his helm concealing his features, his body bristling with weapons. He was a terrifying sight against the murky, shadowy red backdrop of the dust storm.

  “Shut the damn door,” Arin yelled, struggling to be heard above the howling wind. “You’re letting sand into the house again.” The figure inclined his head and slammed the door shut, dropping all his weapons and stalking across the floor to where she sat.

  He loomed above her, a menacing figure in his obsidian exo-armor. He peered down at her through his impenetrable black visor, his features completely concealed.

  Of course, there was good reason for his appearance.

  He’d been fighting Xargek again.

  Arin glared at him, even though heat was pooling between her thighs. “You do that on purpose just because you know it irritates me, don’t you?”

  Little by little, the black armor started to melt away, fading into minuscule particles that were swallowed up by his skin until he stood before her in all his naked silver glory.

  “Don’t you, Rykal?”

  He didn’t say a word. His expression was deadly serious, his golden eyes glimmering with dangerous heat.

  “Rykal?” He was starting to make her nervous, and completely fucking aroused.

  Arin yelped as he scooped her up in his powerful arms and carried her to the bed.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  He still didn’t speak. He just lay her amongst the disheveled sheets and started to strip her, fumbling with the zipper of her pants until he became too impatient and just tore the damn thing.

  Arin would have grumbled, because that was the second set of trousers he’d ruined this week, but she was too fucking horny to be irritated by his enthusiasm.

  He tore off her white t-shirt, too, until she was just lying there in her bra and undies, her pussy throbbing with need.

  His eyes burned into her. He moved over her, poised like a big cat about to devour its prey. He brushed the sand from her forehead and cheeks and kissed her lips. At first he was gentle, but it didn’t take long for him to become savage with his kisses.

  He kissed her for a long fucking time, probing her mouth with his strong, naughty tongue.

  One of his hands dropped to her pussy. He trailed his fingers over the thin fabric covering her sex. It was soaked. He growled in approval and tore at her panties, unable to control himself any longer. With her bra, he did the same, not being one to bother with delicacy and fastenings and all that sort of nonsense.

  Arin lay on her back, staring up at him, unable to believe her good fortune. She’d been stressing over secret organizations and dishonorable discharges and covert government agencies when he’d come in with the storm, a dark, menacing, beautiful tempest.

  And all he wanted was her.

  She was naked now, and so was he. His erection hung before her, proud and massive and mouth-watering.

  Bending his head, he took one of her erect nipples into his mouth, rolling it slowly between his tongue and lips until she moaned with pleasure, closing her eyes. He did the same with the other, before trailing hot molten kisses down her belly. He kissed the outer lips of her pussy, kissed her inner thighs, and kissed the wet folds inside, finding her throbbing clit. He rolled her precious nub between his lips, sucking it back and forth, teasing out a kind of pleasure that was so delicious, so rare, so orgasmic, that Arin arced her back and thrust her hand through his hair, twisting it as she bucked and writhed, needing him more and more.

  Then he would flick his long tongue deep inside her and fuck her with it, before returning to caress her exquisitely sensitive clit with his mouth. He skillfully drew out her orgasm, and then cheekily held her at the precipice, denying her climax as he watched her.

  He stared at her from below, enjoying his moment of mastery over her body. He watched her with his searing gaze until she was forced to close her eyes and little by little, he teased her back towards the edge.

  She was in agony and ecstasy as he built up her pleasure, then relented.

  So close.

  “Please,” she cried, “please, Rykal.”

  He hit her in just the right spot and pushed her over the edge.

  She cried out as the wind howled outside, her body twisting and glistening with sweat as he moved to straddle her. He kneeled over her, looking proudly upon her as she pulled him forward, taking his cock into her mouth.

  She kissed the glistening tip of his erection then moved her lips down his hard length, taking in every inch of him, back and forth, back and forth, until he broke his silence for the very first time with a cry of pleasure.

  His voice cracked, and he moaned in delight, pushing his fingers through her short hair.

  She gave him what he needed until he was close to breaking point, then she slowly withdrew, running her tongue along the sensitive base of his cock, eliciting a great shudder from him.

  He rocked back on his haunches, grabbed her around her waist and pulled her up towards him.

  “Turn around,” he said, caressing the curves of her ass and her muscular thighs as she did just that. He grunted in satisfaction and slapped her ass hard before wrapping a strong hand around her neck and pushing her down, thrusting into her from behind.

  His thick length slid between her wet lips with ease, and it felt so damn good. He slid his hands up along her stomach, cupping her generous breasts and fondling her nipples as he settled into a fierce rhythm, and then proceeded to fuck her into oblivion.

  The storm howled outside, and they both sang their pleasure through grunts and moans, their voices combining in a primal harmony as they moved together, their bodies becoming one.

  He thrust inside her, going deeper and deeper, burying himself to the hilt, faster and faster until she began to release full-throated cries. The sound of her voice seemed to spur him on even more, and he went wild with her, pushing her to the
absolute limits of pleasure, gripping her breasts tightly, tasting the salty sweat against the delicate skin of her neck as he sank his fangs into her ever so slightly, marking her, claiming her.

  And then he fucked her over the edge as pain mingled with pleasure to create the single most wonderful sensation she’d ever experienced.

  She screamed her release and he overlapped her cry with his own deep roar as he climaxed inside her with all the pent-up fury of a savage storm.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Later, when they lay in each other’s arms, he kissed the top of her head and curled a lazy, possessive hand around one of her breasts. “I spent all day cooped up in those fucking catacombs, hunting Xargek that didn’t want to be found, and all I could think about was you. Everything was pissing me off. The heat, the larvae, the infernal sand. I couldn’t wait to get home to you. That’s why I hid at first. I wanted to try and cool down, but when I saw you, I lost it. I had to have you. I wasn’t trying to irritate you or anything like that.”

  Arin snuggled up against him, warm and safe in his arms. “You should never try and hide that from me,” she said. “Ever.”

  “I know.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her on the lips. “I’m just… impulsive sometimes.”

  “Not impulsive. Passionate.”

  “When it comes to you, always.”

  “We’re good together, aren’t we?”

  “The best. I will never know another.”

  His words infused through her like warm, delicious honey, and Arin curled her arm around his waist, holding him tight. “I don’t want anyone else but you,” she declared. “Not now, not ever. Whatever happens, whatever the Empire or the Federation or the Universe decide to throw at us, we’ll deal with it together.”

  “Always,” he agreed, holding her close.

  “Always,” she agreed, clutching him tightly as the storm finally died down outside and the dust settled upon the constantly shifting sands of the endless desert.

  And even though the Universe was constantly shifting around them, throwing into motion changes that were way beyond their control, Arin felt a sense of calm amidst the storm, because Rykal was by her side, and when she was with him, she felt truly invincible.

  Together, they were complete.

  Dear readers, thank you for taking the time to read my book. I do hope you enjoyed it.

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