Fate War: Alliance (31 page)

“Can she do it, Cole? Can she save us?” King Arnold asked, his voice tight with fatigue.

“Yes, Father. She can.”

****

It had been three days. Three days since Cole had even seen Sam. His heart skipped a little as he dragged down the hall. He was exhausted, but at least he slept in their bed last night. He was not even sure
if
Sam had slept in three days.

He squinted as he passed the tall slender windows that let sunlight stream into the castle corridor. There were no windows in the dungeon. Of course it wasn’t really a dungeon, however, the lab where he was overseeing Alliance scientists felt like a cell. He was stuck there coordinating a specific part of Sam’s plan, and hadn’t seen her much over the last two weeks. She was leading the meeting he was supposed to report to in a few moments, and the idea of seeing her had his insides feeling like the rowdy teenager he once was.

An eruption of manly laughter met him at the door to the meeting hall, and he saw Sam standing before at least a hundred officers, both from Perspicia and Arborea.

“Alright! Attention back here!” She commanded to the crowd. The room quieted, and the men focused on the map hanging behind her. They leaned forward absorbing every word, and some scratched notes on paper as she explained their roles. “Any questions?” she asked, and the room’s occupants simultaneously responded,

“No, Ma’am.”

“Dismissed.” She waved her hand to indicate the door where Cole stood, but she didn’t turn. A mob of soldiers prevented him from entering the room, each bowing respectfully as they passed. He wished he could do away with this polite acknowledgement to be with Sam.

Finally, the trickle of men lessened, and he slipped into the hall, stopping short. Sam stood at the front of the room, addressing a few soldiers. She looked so confident. He cleared his throat when he reached the group.

Sam spun toward him at the sound, and he was caught up in her embrace.

“I miss you,” she said. It was muffled against his chest. The soldiers disbursed.

“I miss you,” he said, and turned his mind to relishing her warmth against him.

High ranking officials began to filter into the room, and Cole reluctantly pulled away from Sam. He was shocked when he finally took a moment to really look at her.

“Have you been sleeping at all? Are you eating?” She looked back at him quizzically with sunken eyes punctuated by dark shadows underneath. In his arms she felt less substantial than he remembered.

“Probably,” was her cryptic answer. What he understood was, she didn’t know if she had or not because her mind was consumed with other things.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Crom grunted from the podium.

“Come have dinner with me after this,” Cole asked.

“I can’t. I –”

“Princess Samantha.” Crom motioned for her to join him, and she slipped from Cole’s embrace to join the General. Cole begrudgingly took a seat in the front, next to his father, nodding his acknowledgement. Things had been relatively non-hostile between them.

“Latest reports from our scouts put the Fate army at two days out. Numbers on mechmen, air ships, and foot soldiers remain the same. One scout reports supply line wagons are heavily guarded, and suspects surplus weaponry. As predicted they were heading straight to the capital. Evacuation will be complete as scheduled. Princess, you have a report.”

“Thank you, General,” she said, and gripped the edges of the podium. Maybe it was just the light streaming in through the doorway, but she seemed even paler than a few moments ago. “Plans continue to resurrect the damaged…” Sam closed her eyes, and shook her head. Cole sat up in his chair. The little hairs on the nape of his neck stood up too. “Excuse me, on the damaged…”

Sam faltered, but Cole was by her side before she could hit the ground or startled gasps could arise from onlookers.

“Sam. Sam, look at me,” He said as he scooped her up, one arm under her knees, and one behind her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered open, and she tried to focus on his face.

“I’m fine. Put me down,” she croaked. Cole begrudgingly set her feet on the floor, but she wasn’t steady.

“You been eating Sam? Sleeping?” Crom’s gravelly whisper didn’t carry past the podium. Cole readied his defense for Crom’s attack on Sam’s character or gender. Sam shrugged.

“We need you alert, Sam. You have to take care of yourself. Beginner’s mistake.” Crom addressed the gathered officials. “Meeting adjourned, and rescheduled for first thing in the morning. Consult your dossier for a time.” The General turned back to Sam. “You’re ordered to eat a hot meal and get a good night’s sleep.”

Cole couldn’t contain a bark of a laugh.

“And what’s so funny?” The General’s disdainful watery eyes settled on Cole, who straightened in response.

“Anyone ordering Sam, General. Just…good luck with that.”

The General’s features softened, and an actual grin cracked his face. “You’re in charge then. Go take care of your woman.”

And there it was, but instead of a rebuttal, Cole simply steered a partially lucid Sam to their quarters, where she fell asleep before he could even remove her boots.

****

“Sam. Sam wake up and eat.”

The voice sounded far away and when she tried to open her eyes to see who had the nerve to call her from such deep blessed sleep, Sam couldn’t. She tried again, but they wouldn’t respond, and neither would her arms. She felt as if her body had become one with the down stuffed mattress, and she would be happy to remain in such a symbiotic relationship for eternity.

“Hey, Beautiful. You need to eat, and then you can go back to sleep.”

Sleep. Eat. Her mind swirled in a hazy fog trying to remember those words. They were supposed to be important. No. Other things were important. Her thoughts expanded, reaching beyond the darkness of sleep to connect with the line of images that stood ready to tumble into action. Like jumping from a waterfall into the depths below only to be overcome by the cascade of water, the minutia of the plan drowned out all else.

“The meeting!” Sam gasped, and bolted up. “There’s too much – “

“It’s all right.” Strong hands kept her from scrambling out of the bed. She let them, and tried to dam up the flood of information, letting it trickle through in more manageable streams.

“Cole.” She recalled, putting a name to the voice as the onslaught of pictures and ideas subsided, and turned to find his unique blue and green eyes peering back at her. Darkness crept into the edges of her sight, and she closed her eyes as the room decided to ignore the laws of physics.

“Okay. Careful. Lie back.” His voice was distant again through the pounding in her ears, and she barely registered him helping her to sit up and lean against the head board.

“Drink this.” He pushed a cup into her hands, and she obeyed.

“Blech! This is terrible,” she groaned, but almost instantly had enough energy to open her eyes, and focus on the wonderful man sitting on the edge of the bed.

“All of it,” Cole ordered while giving his sternest look. If she had more energy she would laugh at him. Instead she frowned, and downed the overly sweet, pungent mixture. A few moments later her whole body felt a tingly rush of energy.

“What was in that stuff?”

“You really don’t want to know,” Cole said with a devious smirk.

“Thanks. I’ve got to go. I know I’m missing something.” Sam tried to pull off the blankets, and get out of the bed.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Cole pushed her shoulders back against the headboard. “You’re under orders to eat and sleep. Nothing more for the next twelve hours.”

“But – “

“No buts – “

“There’s so much – “

“It’s being taken care of.”

“How?”

Cole expelled an arrogant sigh. “Seems I have a gift. Some call it shirking responsibility. I call it delegating.”

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at his infectious good mood.

“Why are you so happy on the eve of possible destruction?” she asked.

He took her hand and kissed each fingertip. “Because I’m with you.” Sam’s stomach interrupted the moment, growling loudly. “Eat. Then sleep.” Cole hopped off the bed, retrieving a serving tray from the desk laden with silver domed dishes. He rejoined her, and she was reminded of the days he spent coaxing her out of insecurities and lies.

He made her start with broth when the last meal she recalled having eaten was three days ago with him. He caught her up on the progress of various projects for the coming battle when she continued to push. The next dish was a heavenly pot roast with mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans, but Cole would only allow her to eat the vegetables first, and slowly.

“What about you? How has your time back in the castle been?” Sam asked between spoonfuls of buttery creamy mashed potatoes.

“I said vegetables. Those are potatoes.”

“Potatoes are vegetables, and you’re skirting my question.”

“You know I mean the green stuff, and I’m not skirting. I just don’t know how to answer.”

“Here,” Sam said, stabbing a green bean with her fork. “I’ll eat this, and you answer the question.”

She made a show of eating the noxious vegetable even though it was quite tasty. He smiled up at her, laying on the edge of the bed, head propped up in his hand.

“It’s different.” He sighed. “It’s funny how a little self-loathing colors everything you see.” He reached over, and squeezed her leg.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She popped another green bean in her mouth.

“Yeah, me neither. You want to keep eating those or do you want this?” Cole removed the remaining lid on the tray to reveal a chocolate mousse, a huge grin plastering his face.

“Eat and sleep.” Sam took a huge spoon full of mousse, and savored the decadent dessert. “That’s it and
nothing
else, huh?”

“Those were the orders,” Cole’s voice was husky, and he quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Hmmm,” Sam pondered, and scooped another spoonful of mousse. “Too bad you’ve turned over a new leaf and all, not breaking rules and such.” Cole picked up the tray from the bed, and delivered it back to the desk. Removing something from a drawer, he turned and tossed a small leather pouch in Sam’s lap. She didn’t have to open it to know what was in it. She could smell the concoction of herbs for her tea from where it landed.

Sam felt the heat begin to rise and color her cheeks as Cole sauntered back across the room, stopping to kick off his boots. He smirked, and finished unbuttoning his shirt. “Old habits die hard.”

Cole tossed the blankets off of Sam, grabbing her ankles, and spinning her crosswise on the bed. She laughed at his playfulness, and the funny feeling in her stomach the movement caused. He pulled her towards him, her legs dangling from the bed, and unbuttoned her pants. Grabbing at the ankles, he yanked them off in a few quick jerks, making her laugh again.

Pushing the embarrassment of her nakedness away, she concentrated on the lust in his eyes, his playful smirk. She propped herself up on elbows, and focused on his bare chest as he chucked his shirt, then his hands on her hips. She centered her thoughts on the building, pulsing heat low in her womb.

She ran the fingers of one hand through his hair as he nipped a circle around her navel. When he began to make intricate swirls with his tongue over her stomach, she lay back, and took hold of his dark locks with her other hand as well. Holding him this way made her feel that she had some control, though she knew in truth she would deny him nothing, trust him explicitly.

His sucking, swirling kisses traveled lower and lower. She tensed, realizing the inevitable destination of his current path. She was torn as half of her screamed, “What the hell is he thinking?” The other urged trust and curiosity.

He waited for her consent, nipping and kissing her thighs lightly, nuzzling against them, and urging her to be vulnerable. Sam willed her shoulders to relax, then her hands in his hair, and finally her legs which he parted gently.

A stuttered sigh wracked her body as his warm lips and tongue parted her moistened folds. The sensations were so different, so soft, and she found herself pushing towards his swirling tongue searching for more, which he obliged. He slid his fingers inside her, and she arched her back, slamming the back of her head against the mattress against the pain; no it was pleasure. It took a moment for her body to sort it out, but then there was nothing but the rising ecstasy between her thighs. The rhythm of her pleasured sighs matched the stroking of his fingers, and the magic of his tongue, but still she needed more.

Sam couldn’t speak, couldn’t tell him she needed him inside her. So keeping her eyes shut tight, she tried to guide him, pulling him to her by the grip she had on his hair.

“Sam?” his strained whisper reached her through the sound of blood pounding in her ears. It was a question,
the
question, but she couldn’t answer with words. Instead she gripped his shoulders and pulled, urging him on top of her. “Sam.” He whispered again, wavering in concern. “We don’t have – “

She cut off his valiant protest by reaching down and grasped his manhood, guiding him to inside. He didn’t stop at her entrance. She was ready for him and he entered without resistance. Sam moaned in exquisite relief at having him fill her so completely. He began moving in agonizingly pleasurable slow thrusts.

With her eyes still closed she memorized the feel of him cradled between her thighs. The ripple of straining leg muscles against hers, the crinkle of his and her coarse hair where it met, his weight on her stomach. She realized her grip on his wrists that were planted to either side of her, and trailed her fingers up the taut muscle that bulged under the support of his weight.

He continued, building her desire with each thrust, and she slid her hands to his chest. Her thumbs grazed his hard nipples, and he gasped. The sudden sound caused her to open her eyes, and he gazed back with those tide pools of his, brow etched in concern.

Power. He held so much power over her, yet he wielded it so carefully, so gently she only wanted to be consumed by it. Sam wrapped her arms around him, pulling, urging him toward her; pressing her hips to meet each of his movements, begging for more, which he gave.