Taming Chaos (Darkstar Mercenaries Book 1) Page 22

  Seph closed her eyes and threw her head back as waves of pleasure coursed through her lower body. “You’re impossible,” she groaned as he moved his tongue faster and faster. She brought her hands up against his forehead and gently circled the raised points of his horn-buds with her thumbs.

  The presence of these magical things was a revelation to her. She knew the Kordolian diplomat Xalikian (former prince and father to Kordolian-human twins) had horns, but she’d always thought them a mark of royalty, not something all males possessed. But Torin had explained that he’d had them cut and sealed, allowing his skin to grow over the stumps—for functional reasons.

  It turned out that having a pair of ultra-sensitive protrusions curving out of your skull could create significant problems in the midst of battle, not to mention the difficulties with donning armor.

  But Torin’s horns still had roots, and they were insanely sensitive, and Seph had learned how to stroke him to a frenzy just by rubbing her thumbs across the stumps. Several times, she had almost driven him to climax with just her fingertips, and that had made her feel strangely powerful.

  But now he had all the power.

  Torin groaned as he licked her, as Seph massaged him, as his tongue circled her clit. She whimpered.

  He sucked, flicked, sucked, flicked…

  Sending her all the way to the edge.

  And over.

  Seph’s climax was wild and fierce, crescendos of pleasure making her arch her back and writhe helplessly. Torin moved up, pinning her wrists, trapping her body beneath him as she rode the waves.

  As she screamed her pleasure to the skies above, as the waves peaked and started to die down, granting her much-craved release, he thrust inside her.

  He fucked her through her climax, holding her down, demanding her pleasure even as he took his own. At first his movements were rhythmic and controlled. He deliberately angled his cock so the ridges rubbed hard against her clit, giving her a climax on top of her existing climax.

  Impossible.

  This man did the impossible to her, and somehow, he got away with it each and every time.

  The intensity of her pleasure became almost unbearable as he pounded into her again and again. His control slipped, his movements becoming more and more savage.

  Seph lost her grip on his horn-buds. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly as he raked his fingers down his back and kissed her in the hollow of her neck.

  Then he gently bit her, and the exquisite pain pushed her into another dimension, where she was held in a never-ending loop of climax and release.

  At his mercy…

  Until he came, and then he held her close, pulling her against him, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace as he cried out in release.

  And finally, Seph spun out of that fine loop of pleasure, becoming boneless in his arms.

  “Persephone.” His voice was a rough, possessive whisper, turning the name she disliked so much into something sublime.

  Only he was allowed to say her name like that, taking ownership of her with just his voice.

  Seph ran her hands over his soft, beautiful hair as he relaxed, letting her eyes do all the talking. She let out a contented sigh as he collapsed beside her, still holding her tightly, his broad hands feeling like velvet as they caressed her sweat-slicked skin.

  Words were unnecessary. She lay in his arms, basking in his warmth until she heard his breathing deepen. Her eyelids grew heavy as the rhythmic rise and fall of Torin’s chest lulled her into sleep.

  Warm. Satisfied. Safe. How good it felt to lay in his arms, knowing that nothing in the Universe could touch her.

  As Seph drifted away on a blissful tide, it occurred to her that Torin had just given her the best ever cure for her insomnia.

  Sweet, impossible man.

  And when it finally stole her away, her sleep was as deep and serene and dreamless as the endless Universe itself.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Soft voices woke her from sleep, and for a moment, she lay with her eyes closed, feeling the deep rumble within Torin’s chest as he spoke.

  The one who replied was male, and he spoke perfect Kordolian.

  Wait… what? Seph’s eyes flew open. She saw a silhouette in the doorway; a man who looked similar to Torin, only more intimidating, if such a thing were even possible.

  The man’s face was cast in shadow, and as Seph sat up in alarm, clutching the sheet against her chest, he nodded sharply and disappeared.

  “Who the hell was that?” she gasped, as Torin chuckled.

  “Bastard snuck up on me. Only he could do that and get away with it.” He propped himself up on one elbow, the sheet falling away to reveal his smooth, broad chest.

  Seph’s gaze roamed for a bit before returning to his face. “But who is he?”

  “The boss.” Torin shrugged. “It is always good to surprise him. Even omnipotent beings can be kept on their toes. He wasn’t expecting you.” He smirked, looking awfully proud of himself as his dimples emerged. “Come, let’s get dressed and prepare. Our transport is waiting.”

  “Wait, that’s…” Thoughts whirled in Seph’s mind as she recalled everything she knew about the Kordolians on Earth. “General Akkadian himself?”

  The notorious traitor who had broken the Kordolian Empire and stolen half the military from under Empress Vionn’s nose was here?

  “He really isn’t as bad as his reputation might suggest. Well, he is, but only to his enemies. I’m not surprised he came personally.” Torin’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think he was actually worried.”

  “Huh.” Suddenly feeling a little nervous, Seph got up and started searching for her clothes. “I hope you aren’t in any trouble.”

  “I am in plenty of trouble, my dear Persephone, but that isn’t unusual. Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll deal with the Big Bad General, and once we’re onboard Silence, you will be treated like a queen.” He winked. “Remember, you’re with us now, my love.”

  And for the first time in her life, Seph felt free, because she didn’t have to tone down any of the things that made her who she was. Her hair, her curves, her outspokenness, her habit of asking a million and one questions…

  The things that intimidated others didn’t bother Torin. He embraced everything about her. He made her feel like herself, not some impostor who constantly needed to prove her worth.

  And in return, she embraced him, darkness and all.

  Chapter Thirty

  They found General Akkadian sitting in on a low stool in the dining compartment, surveying the small outpost as if it were his kingdom.

  Parrus scurried toward him on silent bare feet, a mug of steaming bitter tea in his hand. “Y-your tea, Master.” He bowed.

  He actually bowed. Parrus might have the deferent act down to a T, but even though he’d been shit scared of Torin when they’d first met, he’d never bowed before him.

  “Thank you, Parrus.” Akkadian nodded in acknowledgment, his lips curving slightly—although whether that was a smile or a frown, Seph couldn’t quite tell. His nod was also a dismissal, and Parrus disappeared in a flash, his eyes wide with fear and reverence and… excitement?

  Seph took a moment to study the infamous General, wondering what kind of man could possibly be qualified—and badass—enough to be Torin’s boss.

  Akkadian possessed the same silver skin and pale hair and unusually colored eyes as Torin, but that was where the similarities ended. His hair was a shade darker—more platinum than white, with sprinklings of grey at the temples—and unlike Torin’s messy, oh-so touchable mop, the General wore his in a severe high-and-tight military cut. His eyes were a shade darker too, more of a deep wine color as opposed to Torin’s bright crimson.

  And then there was his face; hard, enigmatic, probably capable of striking great fear into a soul in the right circumstances.

  Torin had a wildness about him that was barely suppressed beneath his polite, articulate
exterior. The General, on the other hand… he was intimidating, controlled, and completely unreadable. Scary. Authority radiated from him like heat off the sun, and Seph had to resist the weird urge to greet him with a Federation salute.

  “Sit,” he commanded, gesturing toward a low, curved bench that ran along the wall. Torin sat and put a reassuring hand on Seph’s thigh as she perched beside him.

  Why did it suddenly feel as if they’d been summoned?

  The General slowly sipped his tea, his eyes traveling over Seph and Torin, missing nothing. “I see you have finally found your human, Torin.”

  “I have,” Torin declared, and Seph was surprised to hear the note of pride his voice. “I haven’t yet formally introduced you. Boss, this is my mate, Persephone Winters.” He smiled, managing to look mightily pleased with himself.

  Seph returned Akkadian’s scrutiny with a curious look of her own. Deep down, she might feel intimidated, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to show it. After what she’d been through with Torin on the Skalreg Va, she’d earned that right.

  “Hm.” The corner of the General’s mouth quirked, and this time, it was definitely a smile. He nodded, as if she’d passed some sort of test. “I am pleased to meet you, Persephone.”

  “Seph,” she corrected. “Please, call me Seph.”

  “Seph.” Akkadian inclined his head. “So you and Torin are mated.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. “We are.”

  “And you understand who he is… what he is?”

  “I do.” Why did this suddenly feel like an interrogation? “We’ve been through a few… incidents together, Sir.”

  “And you understand what it means to be mated to one of us?”

  “I understand it very well, Sir, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “Tarak,” he corrected. “You may call me Tarak.”

  Oh. And just like that, Seph was on first-name terms with the most powerful warlord in the Nine Galaxies. These days, they called themselves mercenaries, but Seph knew what they really were. Torin had explained everything.

  Apparently satisfied with the outcome of his questioning, Tarak turned to Torin. “I will need a full report on everything that occurred on the Skalreg Va, but you can brief me later… in the training chamber.”

  “I fucked up.” Torin met his boss’s eyes without fear or hesitation. “Relahek Alerak was onboard. He’s the one who’s been selling Callidum. I had him in custody, but then we were attacked by Plutharan raiders. I think it was a retrieval raid. I scoured the cursed ship from top to bottom after they left, but there was no trace of him.” Torin shook his head, cursing softly in Kordolian.

  The General raised an eyebrow. “You may be interested to know that a damaged Plutharan pirate ship came limping into Zarhab Groht a half-revolution ago. Enki found the younger Alerak onboard.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath from Torin. “In that case, I almost feel sorry for Relahek, and I may have to owe Enki a favor.”

  “Perhaps it is for the best. Enki is a good interrogator.”

  “Interrogation’s never been my strong point.”

  “A good warrior knows his limitations. Your talents lie elsewhere.”

  “I apologize for the disruption. I never meant to go all the way to Bartharra.”

  The General inclined his head. “Have you been reading my mind, Torin? Your unexpected detour has led us back to an interesting place. Bartharra has been on my to-do list for some time now.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that, Sir.”

  “This little war we stuck our fingers into… don’t you think it’s time we put an end to it?”

  “But how?” Torin made a soft sound of exasperation. “The Bartharran tribes’ hate for one another runs deep, and they seem to believe that only some prophecy will save them.”

  “The tribal chiefs will meet to discuss my proposal.”

  “How in Kaiin’s hells will you get them to agree to that?”

  “They will agree,” the General said mildly. “I’ll let them know in no uncertain terms that if they refuse, I’ll be ending their war for them.” The way he said it, in that deceptively calm manner, sent a little chill down Seph’s spine. “But setting up the meeting, providing security, negotiations, enforcement… that will all take time, and I expect the process will be long and tiresome. I would need your support, Torin, because our Division is spread thin right now, and Bartharra is about as unstable as it gets. Arkan and the Third Division are with me, but the others have been assigned to missions. I need at least one other First Division warrior to join our team.” He gave them an appraising look. “And yet, I am sure you wish to escort your mate back to Earth as quickly as possible. Just once and only this once, Torin, I will leave the decision in your hands. We can depart for Earth now and return to Bartharra to complete this process at a more suitable time, or we can stay and finish what we started.”

  “Seph’s been through a lot,” Torin said without hesitation, giving her thigh a reassuring squeeze. “All my instincts scream at me to return to Earth, but that is not for me to decide alone.” He turned toward her expectantly, his gaze filled with warmth, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners.

  And somehow, Seph found the fate of an entire planet resting in her hands. She took a deep breath, already certain of her answer. Her gut told her this whole thing with the Bartharrans was important to Torin. “As long as I can be with you, I’m not in a hurry to go anywhere. Why don’t we stay and see this through?”

  I miss home like crazy, but how many more Bartharrans would die if we were to go back now?

  She left the obvious unspoken, because Torin was astute enough to read between the lines, and she sensed this was a kind-of delicate situation.

  He would always put her first, and she couldn’t abuse that. Earth could wait. It was’t as if she had some important job to go back to or anything like that.

  “Then we stay.” Torin gave her a long, smoldering look of appreciation.

  He turned to his boss. Some silent communication passed between them, and the General nodded, appearing completely unsurprised.

  He expected this?

  Now why did Seph have a sneaking suspicion they’d just been played like pawns on a goddamn chessboard?

  How scary.

  “Welcome to Darkstar, Seph of Earth. I am pleased to welcome you into our unruly tribe.” The General smiled, his fangs glinting in the dim light. “I have been waiting for Torin to find his mate for some time. Perhaps now he will stick to his missions without getting so infernally distracted all the time.”

  “Uh, distractions?” A look of alarm flickered across Torin’s face as he shot Seph a sideways glance. You are the ultimate distraction.

  “Believe me, the feeling never gets old,” Tarak al Akkadian said dryly. “It will drive you to near-madness time and time again, but you will figure out how to deal with it, because that is what we all do.”

  “She isn’t the distraction,” Torin agreed, sliding his powerful arm around Seph’s waist. “She is the nexus, and everything else is a distraction.”

  “Precisely.”

  As a silent look of understanding passed between the two most powerful, intimidating males she’d ever encountered in her life, Seph could only marvel at the twist of fate that had brought her here.

  Somehow, in the midst of betrayal and disaster, she had found her mate.

  Epilogue

  “That concludes our first module on Bartharran politics,” Seph said, her voice becoming sharp as her irritation grew. “Now, considering that some of you haven’t been paying attention, I want a two thousand word discussion paper in my inbox by the end of tomorrow. The topic?” She frowned, considering her options. “Intra-planetary tribalism in the post-imperial Universe.”

  An audible groan echoed throughout the cavernous lecture hall.

  Got your attention now, huh, brats? As Earth’s foremost expert on Bartharran culture, Seph could get away with such
things. Six months on the dusty red planet had given her a unique insight into the politics and culture of a world that had been long forgotten by the rest of the Universe.

  In the end, the General had achieved his peace treaty, although peace on Bartharra was still fragile. Sorting out water issues had helped immensely, with the Kordolians offering to construct an atmospheric water generating plant. It turned out that most of the time, the Bartharrans had just been fighting over water.

  How lucky humans were to live on Earth. It had made Seph appreciate the big old green-and-blue even more.

  When they’d finally returned, the job offers from academic institutions had come thick and fast. As the only human who had ever set foot on Bartharra, she’d become something of a celebrity in academic circles, and even the Federation—who she’d unceremoniously told to fuck off—had to acknowledge her expertise. After much deliberation, she’d finally accepted a post in Tasmania of all places, because Torin liked the weather here, and it was close enough to his workplace—a secret Kordolian base in the Antarctic Circle.

  At least the Federation had given her compensation for that clusterfuck on Zarhab Groht, and she’d had the satisfaction of seeing Markov and Davis get roasted before an internal investigation committee.

  She’d been one of the main witnesses, after all, and the two agents didn’t have a leg to stand on.

  Still, it galled her that in the Federation’s eyes, their worst crime was that they’d returned to Earth empty-handed, with not a single plasma weapon in sight. As a punishment, they’d been sentenced to work on a remote prison mining station at the edge of the Ninth Sector.

  Seph folded her holo-wand, and her final lecture slide flickered and disappeared. “That’s it for today. See you tomorrow, nine o’clock sharp. You know my policy on lateness. A hundred words will be added to your assignment for every minute that you’re late. If you don’t want extra work, don’t be late.” She stared up into the back corner, seeking out a familiar silver face. “I won’t be making any exceptions.”