Alien Warrior's Challenge (Brion Brides 8)(11)

"Anything.

"Alright, how about we begin by you not making promises you can't keep?" Paula said and once again, there was a small smile on her lips.

The captain noticed it and suppressed a victorious grin of his own with difficulty. It was the bond, working towards the end goal without taking heed of what was actually happening. Now that they had made their binding whole, Paula was feeling the pull of fate.

Even if she didn't understand or care for it, the fate was dragging them together with a force stronger than either of them.

His cock strained in his armor, pressing against the hard surface of it. Kerven had to bite back a hungry groan, his body aching to feel the heat of her body again. To see those lovely blues shining up at him in an unguarded moment, sparkling just for his pleasure.

"Very well," he replied. "Tell me what you wish and I will give you what you need."

This time, the spark of lust in Paula's eyes was unmistakable. For a second there, Kerven thought he could hear the word you float through the air to him. In reality, nothing of the sort left his gesha's soft, pink lips.#p#分页标题#e#

As a Brion, he didn't need to hear when he had eyes to see how she reacted to that.

It made staying away from her nearly unbearable. Her body was calling to him, too. Kerven could tell how her pussy ached for him, for his cock. The way she was standing, almost on the edge of her toes, ready to run to him... It was the single sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

It took all of Paula's impressive self-control not to throw herself at him and take what she so clearly needed, at least in Kerven’s unbiased opinion.

The captain steeled his own restraint. Best things came to those who waited and even the expectation could be delicious when he had something that good to wait for.

"You're not going to like it," Paula said.

"My gesha," he replied. "I think you still do not understand what our bond entails."

Her eyes were sharp and bright as he cocked her head sideways ever so slightly, looking utterly divine.

"I think I understand perfectly well," she went on. "The major and I had a conversation. It seems we share a mutual concern. Before, you promised to help us with attaining the Eden seeds. You are also here to provide support for the Terran troops, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then I need your word, upon your honor, Captain. Tell me you will make those things a priority over me."

The elation he'd felt dissipated. Seeing the severe look in his eyes, Paula continued.

"See, I warned you. Stop giving me that look. I'm not telling you to leave me for dead or to use me as a shield. I'm asking you to do your duty as though your gesha wasn't on the field. You know we can't do this without you. Trust me, we would have if we had the slightest of chances.

“Millions of lives depend on you, Captain. I will not forgive you if this goes badly."

"What you're asking is impossible."

The answer came without any hesitation.

Now it was Paula's turn to give him a long, hard look. Two fierce, stubborn creatures stood opposed and she wasn't going to give up.

"I bet it isn't. I'm sorry for doing this, Captain, I really am. It was foolish of me to lead you so far to begin with. However, if you don't give me your word, I will leave with the first ship after the mission and you'll never see me again. That's a promise."

It wasn't a promise. It was a knife to his heart.

Kerven felt his insides twisting up, bile wanting to rise in his throat. The thought of losing her was like experiencing a precursor to death.

"You strike a hard bargain," he told her bitterly. "How could I refuse that?"

For a second, he saw a hint of regret in her beautiful blue eyes.

Not regret for her choices. For how things had gone between them.

It gave him new strength, brought clarity into his mind.

"I swear," he said. "I will do everything in my power to ensure the mission is a success."

Paula's sigh of relief told him she really did care about their duty and it wasn't a way to hurt him or take revenge on him for his foolish words. It was a small bit of consolation. He would take what he could get in this case.

"I think it's only fair you give me something in return," he went on. "Now that I've promised, I want you to tell me you will not be taking any ship off this planet. That you will not run from me."

Paula's eyes were filled with warring emotions. He saw her glancing around at the soldiers, tired and hurting from the war that could end at her word.

"Yes," she said. "Help us get the cure and I will not leave."

Kerven nodded, accepting her oath. He didn't miss the bitterness of it, yet it was all he had to hold on to. For the upcoming battle, his battle spear was honed and ready. For the one that really mattered, his only weapon was hope that fate hadn't set them on splitting paths.





12





Paula





Paula's heart, body and soul had a hard time getting on the same page.

She was attending another "meeting", which wasn't one in even the broadest sense. It was still only the Brion captain talking and the others listening. For her part, Paula was barely paying attention.

In itself, it wasn't surprising in the slightest. She'd always had trouble deciding if she was doing the right thing, using the time she'd been given correctly. It was a very universal concern, or at least so far it had been.
#p#分页标题#e#
The times when women were expected to sit at home and do nothing were long past. Paula imagined that most of them struggled at one point or another with the choices between a career and a healthy love life. Any social life, even.

This time it was different. The problem was very specific and the answers were all from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Seeing Kerven again had been a mistake, a huge mistake, no doubt about that. Before, she'd been angry, both at herself and slightly at him, and her fury had carried her away from him on its wings. Now, seeing him again, hearing the words he spoke and the oaths he was prepared to give... it got complicated. Paula wanted none of that.

Of the three parts of her arguing, her body's wishes were the easiest to understand and the hardest to ignore.

Yes, so I want to eat him up and let him return the favor, that's not the point, she told herself firmly, pretending to look at the plans for the tunnel. I mean who the fuck wouldn't?

Really, who wouldn’t?

The rest of her – more practical and rational – had a hard time arguing with that. Kerven was a stunning example of manhood, there was no use in denying that. He was also incredibly self-assured, which was not a turn-on at this point, and amazingly honest, which kind of was.

I'm going around in circles, Paula thought. We just need to get through tomorrow. If he delivers what he promised, I'll have to tolerate his company for a while longer. No big deal. It will just prove to us how different we are, lust be damned.

That was good, wasn't it? Not a solution, exactly, but the closest she could get to it.

Someone else but the captain was talking for the first time in twenty minutes. Paula looked up, seeing the major eye them both with scarcely hidden animosity.

Don't say anything stupid, not on the eve of battle. He'll cut you in half, you have to know that.

"The tunnel will be done in time," Burton said, answering her thoughts. "It will begin here, behind this ridge.” He was pointing at locations on the holographic map. “It's out of sight of the Hoolas, looking like nothing more than a trench.

“If luck holds, they will not figure out its true purpose until it's too late. It's wide enough to allow two men to walk side by side, and comes out right under the grove. We'll have to trigger the last explosion very precisely."

"Good," Kerven replied. "Then we are in agreement. Right before dawn, we launch the decoy attack. You have to make it look like you mean it, Major. We'll do the rest."

Burton glared, as he was wont to.

"Don't you worry about us. Did our young doctor here have a chance to speak with you?"

With absolute calm, to Paula's astonishment, Kerven nodded.

"She did. We have come to an understanding. Are we finished? I will go and brief my men on their duties."

Without waiting for a response, the captain walked away from the headquarters, leaving Burton to grumble something to himself. Anticipating another poor attempt at humor, Paula made herself scarce as well, slipping out a moment after Kerven had.

Outside, the sky was slowly darkening.

It was a weird sensation to look upon Jumel on that evening. For long, endless weeks, Paula had wanted nothing else than to get away from there. To have the seeds in the union  's custody and for the men she couldn’t allow herself to care about more than what was necessary to stop dying. All that time, she'd loathed the planet with a passion.

Now, on the first day that there was some actual natural light seeping through the clouds, it was almost... She wasn't going to deem it beautiful. The landscape was destroyed, utterly in ruins, much like the people upon it. Several fires were still burning, and dust was ruling over the open ground.

Yet for the first time, Paula felt at peace on Jumel. There was a certain charm to the future now, their salvation on the horizon. Even the Terran soldiers seemed to realize that. There was hope, at last.

Thinking of that banished the happiness she'd felt for a moment. Even the rays of light disappeared from the sky that was once again cast over.