She motioned down the hall, and he scrutinized her. “Everything okay?”
“Fine. Why?”
“You seem edgy.”
“It’s been a long couple days.”
“Yeah,” he agreed quietly.
They walked in silence through the next several corridors.
“You know, I really didn’t think we’d make it here,” Jax said.
“Me neither.” She smiled at him. “Maybe I should try out your prayer thing.”
He chuckled. “There’s a bit more to it than that, but the guy upstairs was definitely helping us out today.”
“Is he real?”
“Who?”
“The guy upstairs?”
“Well, yeah,” Jax replied. “It’s a matter of faith. If I believe he’s real, he’s real.”
“Fascinating,” Talla said. “You god is different than the Sephian gods. They are believed to have evolved from the living, similar to the saints of this world, I suppose. The Draeken have no gods. We simply can’t find proof that they exist.”
Jax shrugged. “That’s the trick of faith. Proof isn’t mandatory.” His neck craned to the side as he scanned the larger vestibule they were now crossing. “Hell,” he muttered. “When I saw the Sephian base in Arkansas, I thought that was impressive. This ship blows it out of the water.”
Talla looked up. She’d been through the halls of this ship hundreds of times, but never gave it much thought. She looked around, imagining what it would be like for someone to see it for the first time. Doors spotted the wall at their height. But above that, the walls climbed for fifty feet before curving in to meet the other wall in the center. The night sky played across the panels, bringing a feeling of open space to the core ship’s inhabitants.
Smaller sections of the walls had various scenes taking place. Some were officers providing updates. Others were scenes of the troops surrounding the ship. Though the
Striga
had only one massive window by the command room, its inhabitants could visualize a status of the battle at a quick glance and receive more information than any person on the ground.
“I’ll give you a tour tomorrow, once you’re fully healed. How do you feel?”
“Fine. Better than fine, actually.” He shook his leg. “You’re right about the spasms, but they’re just annoying. It doesn’t feel any worse than a nasty bruise right now.”
“Good.” She grabbed his elbow. “This way.”
For some reason, she didn’t let go and he didn’t pull away. They walked, with her hand looped into his arm, to the bar. When they entered, all faces turned onto them briefly before returning to their own drinks. Out of habit, Talla avoided the Sephian section, which had the lights turned off, to be easier on their night-vision eyes. She weaved Jax through tables, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead to avoid being pulled into any conversation.
“Don’t mind the looks,” she whispered to Jax.
He leaned closer. “It’s not me they’re looking at.”
She nodded tightly. “There are not many Draeken women left,” she replied, her voice low.
He placed a protective hand over hers. A guardsman cursed at Jax before downing his drink.
“I’m not very popular around here,” he said, not sounding the least bit bothered.
“They don’t like competition.” Her eyes widened. “Not that you’re — we’re — ”
“I got it,” he said. Jax froze then, his hand dropping. He pulled away and headed toward one of the square bars in the huge bar room. “Ace?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The dark-skinned human sitting at the bar, bundled in a thick blanket, turned and a smile crept up his face. “Jax, you ugly bastard. I was wondering when you’d get here.”
Jax looked from Ace to Talla and back to Ace, his face full of wonder. “You’re fucking alive.”
“Alive, yes. Fucking, not yet.”
Talla pursed her lips, eyeing the orientation kit on the counter before him. “What are you doing here? You should still be in Med. You suffered a very serious injury.”
Ace spoke before taking another drink. “That’s what the docs said, too.”
“Man,” Jax said, dragging the word out over a sigh.
Ace nodded. “Yeah, these guys have some damn good medicine.”
“After he went into cardiac arrest, they lowered his body temperature to not risk brain damage while they repaired his chest,” Talla said.
“They froze you?” Jax asked.
“It’s a common practice,” Talla said, her voice matter-of-fact. “It minimizes risk of infection and gives the patches time to take hold.”
“Yeah, I think my fuckin’ balls froze off,” Ace said, reaching shakily for his beer. “Definitely
not
the best sick bay experience I’ve ever had.”
Jax nodded. “It’s damn good to see you, brother.”
Ace held up his beer. “Cheers to that.”
Talla smiled at Jax’s grin. It was the first sign of true happiness she’d seen in him for a long time. It lightened some of the tension that had been weighing her down. Jax pulled out a chair and she followed suit.
“So is the beer any good in this joint?” Jax asked.
“It’s cold and not too skunky.”
Jax held up a finger, and the bartender came over. “Beer.” Jax glanced her way. “You want one, too?”
Talla shook her head. “Beer is a poor substitute for
bolgt
.” She nodded at the bartender, and he smiled before heading off to get their drinks.
He was back in seconds with two mugs. Jax’s had foam on top, while Talla could only see the tasty dark liquid of
bolgt
. She took a drink and cringed. Not horrible for a
bolgt
substitute, but it still wasn’t the real thing.
Jax was eyeing her. “What’s that?”
“This, when made properly,” she said, “is what your gods would call ambrosia.”
“I don’t do sissy drinks,” Ace said.
Talla smirked and held out her mug. Ace took a drink. His eyes widened and he handed back her mug with an exhalation. “Fuck, that shit’s good.” He motioned to Jax. “Tastes a bit like spiced rum but without the syrupy taste.”
Suspicious, Jax tried
bolgt
. He turned to the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having.”
“Make it two,” Ace said.
When their fresh mugs came, Ace held his up. “To Echo Team Three.”
“To brothers lost,” Jax added.
“To brothers lost,” Talla echoed solemnly.
They drank.
Over the next few hours, Jax drank two for every one Talla drink, while Ace was somewhere in between. He’d discarded the blanket after the
bolgt
took the edge off. It was exactly what everyone needed. They stopped only when the bartender came over, typing something on his wrist-com. “Sorry, Captain Monsen, but it seems that you’ve reached your quota. It says you’ve been confined to bed rest.”
“I’m just dandy,” Ace said.
“Doctor’s orders,” the bartender said and walked away, taking Ace’s mug with him.
Ace came to his feet. “Well, I guess the fat lady has sung then.” He picked up the gray bag in front of him and turned, scanning the room. “Uh, either one of you happen to know where this ‘sanctuary’ of mine is?”
Talla stood, her
bolgt
buzz hitting her full force. “Yours is next door to Jax’s. I’ll show you both.”
They strolled through the hallways and up several more floors. Jax lifted his small kit. “What’s in here, anyway?”
Talla reached for it and pulled it open. “Everything a
Striga
passenger needs. Guides, a translator, and most importantly,” she pulled out the largest item. “Your wrist-coms.”
“Sick,” Ace muttered, sifting through his contents.
“I take it they’re counting on Ace and me staying for the duration?” Jax asked.
Talla shrugged. “I think the
Striga
is the only safe place for you both right now. But neither of you will be kept on the
Striga
against your will. If you choose to leave, that’s your call. Oh, here’s your hall,” Talla said, pointing out the hallway. “Right now, there are only humans in this hallway until everyone’s comfortable with more permanent integration.”
“Where’s your room?” Jax asked, his voice husky.
“It’s, ah,” she stammered. “Just one floor down. You can find anyone on the wall screens in every hall. Our wrist-coms are connected to the
Striga’s
main com, so you can track us, unless we set our coms to non-tracking, such as in meetings.” She took his wrist-com from his hands, entered in her code, and then fastened it around his forearm. “There. You can track my location anywhere from your wrist-com as well.”
She rushed forward, stopping at the third door in. Jax’s full name and rank was posted in both Draeken and English next to the door. She motioned to Jax. “Your wrist-com is your key. You must be wearing it for it to work. Then, just swipe your arm like so,” she moved her arm over his name plate to show him. The door remained closed. “It will open for you, but it won’t open for anyone else unless you grant them access.”
He mimicked her action and the door opened. He stepped inside, and she followed. “I’ll show you the basics.”
Ace whistled behind her. “Damn, this crib is sweet.”
“Yours will be identical,” she said, tugging Ace’s wrist-com out of his hands. “They’re all set up the same, but you can personalize them any way you’d like.” She strapped it onto his forearm.
“Over here is your food center,” Talla gestured to a section of the wall, bypassing the small lounge area. She pressed a button, and the wall lifted.
“That looks complicated,” Jax said, staring at the food processor.
“There are guides in your kit, and they’re also programmed into your wrist-com. But it’s quite simple to use. You enter what you want on this pad, and it is produced.” She moved past the two men and into the bathroom. “Everything here is pretty straight forward, except you’ll notice the shower doesn’t use water.”
She pointed out two buttons. “Enzyme cleanser and enzyme wash. Make sense?”
“Sounds boring,” Ace said. “There’s nothing like sex in a steamy shower.”
“This is good, too,” Talla blurted out. Her cheeks heated. “It was a
very
long ride here.”
Ace chuckled and he ran his hand down the edge of her wing.
She sucked in a breath with a shiver, the touch sending tingles through her body. “Stop that,” she said. “Wings are … sensitive.”
“I know,” Ace said. “Although the word I’d heard was
erotic.
”
She glanced up at Jax who was
way
too close. He was fixated on her, his pupils dark and wide. Her
bolgt
buzz and his proximity raised her pulse. Her breath came in pants. He took a step closer. Ace continued caressing her wing, and she bit back a moan as she watched Jax approach. He reached out, and his calloused fingers brushed across her cheek. She closed her eyes and a moan escaped. When she opened them, he cupped her face with both hands and held her as he brought his lips to hers.
He wasn’t slow or soft. His kiss was just like the rest of Jax. Hard, take-no-prisoners, intense. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling them tighter together. There was a warm pressure against her back, and she felt her hair brushed to the side. Ace nipped the back of her neck, sending chills across her body. His hands ran down her wings and then clasped her hips. He pulled her back against his hardened cock, and she sucked in a breath.
Jax pressed his tongue into her mouth at the same time he pressed his cock against her front. Leaving one hand in her hair, his other hand gripped her hip, holding her against him as he moved rhythmically against her.
Ace continued to kiss her from behind, his hands moving to her breasts. He teased and pinched, making her kiss Jax all the harder. He grabbed her hair, almost to the point of pain, and kissed her hard. Only then did he pull away, panting as hard as her.
“Not this time,” Jax said.
She frowned. “What?”
He looked over her shoulder “Not this time, Ace. Go get your own.”
The fingers on her breasts scraped down her stomach and to her hips. Ace held her against his hardness once and sighed into her ear. “Next time, perhaps,” he whispered, and she shivered. He kissed her neck one more time, and then cold air replaced the warm body behind her.
Ace then stepped behind Jax on his way out of the bathroom. “I’m off to check out my new crib. Hopefully you have a twin sister who’s waiting for me.”
He left, and Jax stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I want you all to myself,” he said hoarsely.
She nodded.
“Bed?” he asked, his voice like sandpaper.
“Bed. Yes,” she murmured.
Jax grabbed her thighs and lifted her so that she straddled him. She tightened her legs around his waist and held on, kissing him as he carried her to the bed. He paused, and then lowered her gently onto her back. Breaking the kiss, he pulled off his black shirt, and his dog tags clinked.
Talla stared as his hands moved lower to unfasten his pants. Her mouth opened when his cock sprang free. The rumors had been right. Humans were built different. It was hard and veined, different from the smooth, throbbing member of the Draeken male. She’d never looked at the humans who tried to take her at the Etzee. That experience was nothing like this now. That was about power. This was about need. And she needed it inside her
now.
She tore out of her shirt and unfastened her pants. Jax moved forward and pulled off each of her boots and then tugged her pants off. Tossing her clothing carelessly to the floor, he fell upon her, kissing her senseless while rubbing his cock against her already wet core. “Want you,” she whispered into his mouth.
He grunted in response. Propped on an elbow, he brought his other hand to her breast, then to her stomach, then lower still. His thumb brushed against her clitoris, and she jerked. “Want you,” she said louder. He rubbed her, the friction brought waves of heat through her body. She threw her head back as the first orgasm took her. Even without penetration, she whimpered in pleasure.
It’d been too long.
It’d
never
been as good as this.
Just as she was coming down from her climax, he thrust two fingers inside her and she gasped. He pushed in and pulled out and pushed in again. Biting his shoulder, she moved against him. He continued, teasing and torturing her, his fingers moved just against the right spot, and she couldn’t stop the next wave. “Want you!” she cried out.