Helion (13 page)

Gwen expected him to climb on top of her and enter her as he
had last time. In truth that was what she wanted—her body felt so empty and
ready to be filled. But he didn’t. His hand came down on her chest instead,
feeling the rapid beat of her heart before slowly tracing down to her stomach,
then lower and lower still. He skipped her sex entirely to follow a steady path
down her legs until he reached the hem of her nightgown. Then his hand tracked
back upward, inching the gown up with it. The higher it got, the tenser Gwen
became. She half expected him to ignore her wishes and tear the gown off but
once it was bunched above her mound, he left it there.

There was no time to feel relief, however. A scarce second
later found Helion between her legs. Gwen braced herself, expecting the
penetration now, longing for it. But once again he surprised her. Instead of him
driving his hips between hers, she felt his huge hands push her thighs wide. And
instead of his hips, she felt his shoulders shove themselves between her spread
limbs, holding her open, vulnerable. And all of a sudden she knew what he
planned and instinctively tried to close her legs.

“Stop! Helion, stop. Please, not that. Please just…just take
me, I’m ready. Don’t do that.”

Helion paused for a moment, letting her feel his breath on
her bared pussy like a whisper, like a threat, while his shoulders easily
thwarted her desperate attempts to close her legs. He used his thumbs to part
her folds, stroking the wetness he found all over her quivering flesh.

“You already dictated your terms to me, little human. Lights
off, gown on, in bed. You will get no more concessions from me,” Helion replied
in a hard voice.

That was the only warning he gave before his tongue boldly
took the measure of her pussy in one long, fierce swipe. Helion groaned at the
taste even as Gwen’s back bowed off the bed, pleasure detonating inside her
body. And just like that she came, crying out in shock as just that slight
touch sent her body into spasms of pleasure.

Helion, of course, was nowhere near done with her. He took
his time tasting before homing in on her sensitive nub, sucking so hard Gwen’s
eyes crossed and her hands desperately fisted in his hair, desperate to pull
him off. But he was relentless. He tasted every inch of her pussy, over and
over, before plunging his long tongue inside and fucking her with it while his
thumb stroked her clit. Her body overloaded with pleasure, each lick and suck
and plunge setting off a chain reaction of orgasms that never seemed to end.

Gwen had no idea how long Helion lashed her. She’d long lost
track of her climaxes. They weren’t distinguishable from one to the next, her
body in a constant state of pure bliss for what felt like hours until finally,
wrung-out, her thighs flopped loosely to each side. Gwen was too exhausted now
to fight, too satiated to take more. Only now, when Gwen’s body was completely
limp, did Helion finally lift his head from his feast, gently dislodging the
hands Gwen had fisted in his hair as he rose over her limp body like a
conqueror. He licked his lips as if relishing her taste. Gwen felt he’d have
tortured her a lot longer but his own needs were pushing at his control.

Helion quickly settled himself in the cradle of her hips,
bringing their joined hands up to rest by her head. Gwen’s dazed eyes met his
and held as he shifted his hips and brought the head of his cock to pressure
her opening. He maintained eye contact with her as he pushed forward, forcing
her to feel every inch of him pulsing through her soaked walls, forging a place
deep inside her. God it felt so good and he was so big Gwen was full to
bursting, but she still wanted more. More heat, more movement, more
everything
.

Gwen’s deep, gasping breaths forced her nipples against his
chest, the abrasion ratcheting her lust even higher. She wanted to touch him
back,
needed
it. She couldn’t stop her hands from clenching in his, her
arms lifting in weak protest against being so restricted. He wouldn’t release
her, though. He made her feel his whole weight, letting her know he was in
charge.

Still looking deep into her eyes, Helion silently withdrew
his cock to the tip before slowly boring back inside until he was seated to the
hilt. He watched as Gwen’s gaze fractured in bliss, tinged with uncertainty. So
he did it again. And again. Sometimes he rolled his hips, other plunges he pistoned
in so deep he bumped into her sweet spot, drawing cries from her lips with
every thrust. Before long both their bodies were slick with sweat and Gwen’s
hips were lifting helplessly to meet each buffet, desperately seeking relief
even though her body was exhausted and sated.

Helion picked up the pace, releasing Gwen’s arms to grab her
ass instead. He held her steady as his hips pumped furiously into her, the
friction causing a sweet burn over every inch of her channel. Gwen’s arms wrapped
around him, one clutching his waist and the other his shoulders. She had a
frantic grip on his hair, her hold weak but desperate in its cling, barely able
to hang on as Helion frantically drove them both toward the finish.

And finally it came. Gwen screamed Helion’s name one final
time as her body arched up into his, her skin red and covered in dew, her
muscles clenching wildly as the orgasm hit every nerve ending in her body. All
her senses heightened unbearably, her heart racing so fast she could feel it
thumping against Helion’s. She heard the raggedness of their combined breathing
and smelled the sweet musk of their well-pleasured skin. It was primal and
beautiful and astounding.

Helion held Gwen tightly against him as his own deep pleasure
came, his seed erupting from his cock in a brutal rush to splash violently into
her body, filling her. His climax seemed to go on forever as his hips jerked
spasmodically against her until every drop of his release was hers. Gwen’s body
accepted everything Helion gave her and she gently caressed his skin as they
both drifted down from the high of their climaxes. She stroked his hair gently
too and relished the feeling of Helion’s breath caressing her shoulder. They
drifted off to sleep like that, Gwen more content than she’d ever been.

* * * * *

Light.

It was the first thing Gwen saw when she finally managed to
pry her eyes open the next morning. Sunlight filtered in through the edges of
the tent, beautiful sunlight. Some days when she’d been on the run with Evelyn,
the brightness of the sun had just seemed to mock her. It promised happiness
and a new start, when all they’d known for months had been terror. But this
sunlight… For some reason the promise of happiness seemed real now. And she
knew that reason was Helion.

He wasn’t in bed with her now but he’d held her close through
the night. She’d fallen asleep against him, waking only when Verdun had brought
Evelyn in to be fed. Helion had even held on to her in those moments, shifting
her into position and sharing the intimacy of the moment with her and her
daughter.

And when Verdun took Evelyn away, Helion had ravished her
again. He was always slow and unhurried at the start, building up to a
thundering finish. It made Gwen wonder if this was what lovemaking felt like.
It wasn’t just sex. She’d had plenty of boring, unfulfilling sex with Steven, a
selfish slaking of his needs without a care for her own.

But with Helion it was so different. He saw to her needs and
her desires before his own, multiple times, in fact, before he took his own
release. And afterward he held her, whispering sweet-sounding words in his own
language, lulling her to sleep with the beautiful sounds and the seductive heat
of his body. It made her feel…treasured.

Gwen sat up slowly, grimacing as all the nocturnal
activities she’d engaged in caught up with her. She’d never even known half
these muscles existed and now they were all hurting at once. It was tempting to
lie back down in bed but now was not the time to be lazy. There was sure to be
work that needed doing and Evelyn would need to be fed and changed.

As if on cue Verdun entered the tent, carrying her precious
girl. He was a natural with her, holding her with assurance. How such a brutal
fighter could be so content caring for an infant was beyond her understanding.
He just seemed genuinely happy to have Evie around.

“Good morning, my lady,” he said, bringing a cooing Evie to
her mother. “The young miss has been bathed and changed and is ready to break
her fast. And perhaps after you’ve eaten you’d like a bath as well?”

Gwen’s lips quirked wryly, gleaning from Verdun’s remark he
was diplomatically telling her she looked like she’d spent the night doing the
mattress tango with his boss.

“That would be wonderful, Verdun, thank you.”

After Verdun left to see about the bath, Gwen pulled down
the blankets and put her sweet girl to the breast. Evie latched on eagerly,
showing her approval for how much Gwen’s milk supply had increased now she was
getting regular healthy meals. Evelyn was enjoying the benefits of Gwen’s
improved health, her own cheeks rosy and plump and the shadows of fatigue gone
from under her eyes.

Evie had also started babbling and cooing more, perhaps
sensing she didn’t need to be quiet all the time now. She was even starting to
get a little bit of a belly on her, something Gwen observed with delight. Her
soft red hair had a healthy, clean sheen to it and she smelled sweet and fresh.
All these changes were happening because Helion had found them and taken them
under his wing, albeit by force at the outset.

Her protests now though seemed foolish, considering
everything the Keepers had done for them. The fears she’d had that the Keepers
would harm them had never even come close to being realized, just the opposite.
They’d been nothing but kind in their words and deeds, even if their manner was
a bit aloof. The Keepers had protected them, fed them and clothed them.

The pessimist in Gwen told her this wouldn’t last. Her mind
told her Helion wouldn’t be around forever and once his mission was done he’d
leave both her and Evie without a backward glance. A thirty-year-old librarian
with a needy infant by another man was hardly the stuff to hold a Keeper like
Helion by her side. Thanks to the invasion she also had no money, few
possessions and no job. Basically she was a bum. Who would want to tie
themselves to a bum?

It was especially ludicrous to imagine Helion tying himself
to her. Verdun had told her Helion was royalty, son of the king of Arloren, the
Keeper region he hailed from. If Keeper royalty was anything like royalty among
humans, there were certain stipulations for a mate Helion would be expected to
comply with. He probably needed to marry someone titled and wealthy and
beautiful and most important of all…Keeper.

So what was she doing here really? She was mooning over
Helion after a couple of rolls in the sack. If Helion had a last name, and Gwen
was slightly ashamed to admit she hadn’t given that any thought until now, then
she was practically writing it on her stationery after her name with little
hearts for the I’s. She was in full head-over-heels mode and didn’t know how to
turn it off.

Gwen knew how this was going to end. Well, maybe not the
gory details but she knew the gist. What she needed to keep in mind was the
needs of her daughter. She stroked Evie’s petal-soft cheek and smiled softly, a
little sadly. The only thing Gwen was one hundred percent sure of was Evelyn
needed her and no matter what it took, she had to meet those needs. If and when
the Keepers removed all traces of Scourge filth, that was really only the first
step. Governments around the world were in shambles, including in the United
States. Millions had died and lawlessness was rampant.

She sighed again. Helion had promised to ensure their safety
before sending them back out into the world. Gwen knew firsthand how much a
Keeper of his word Helion was. He’d kept his word to her every time. Perhaps
she just needed to have a little faith. He might not want her for a lifetime
but he wasn’t as cruel as she’d first thought. He really cared about their
safety. Maybe it was time to let go a little and stop trying to control
everything. She’d done it for so long it was just a habit now. But the idea of
letting someone else take over the reins for a while held a lot of appeal.

Humming softly to Evie, Gwen let her finish up before gently
laying her on the bed to doze. Verdun would arrive soon with her bath and she
wanted to grab a bite to eat before it arrived. As soon as she stood, though,
she knew something was wrong. Her stomach lurched, her head spun and she barely
had time to cry out before the floor was rushing up to her face. The last thing
she saw was Verdun ducking into the tent, his face shocked, before everything
went black.

Helion went out walking among his troops early that morning.
He checked on injuries, listened to field reports, even had a meal with some of
his officers. But through it all, it was Gwen on his mind. He’d indulged in his
passion for the girl all through the night and had to leave as soon as he woke
to avoid disturbing her rest again for another round. The idea of having Gwen
splayed beneath him, weak from pleasure, restrained and impaled on his cock,
brought to the fore his base desire to dominate. He’d taken complete control of
her last night, never releasing her until she bathed his cock with her climax
and accepted his seed into her womb.

After last night he knew, with certainty, he was never going
to let her go. This was no brief affair he was engaging in, to be enjoyed and
forgotten. He’d never take her back to her home and let her go, not even once
the city was made safe. He wanted to take this human as his mate. For almost a
thousand years he’d waited for this moment, this knowledge he’d found the one
he was meant to pledge himself to. And he’d finally found her on this backwater
planet, far from his homeland.

Gwen was nothing like the women he’d known his entire life.
She wasn’t tall and cool and graceful. But when her body had slumped beneath
his, exhaustion finally getting the best of her, Helion had known no matter
what the obstacles, he’d be keeping Gwen by his side forever. Her and Evelyn,
whom he would raise as his daughter. Helion drifted off to sleep, remaining locked
inside her, Gwen tucked securely against him. Being with her was quickly
becoming an uncomfortable obsession. When he wasn’t inside her, he thought
constantly about when he would be again. She was so responsive to him and her
body had been made for sin.

It wasn’t only the passion, though. He watched her with her
daughter, saw how loving she was, how devoted. He wanted her to commit to him
with that sort of passion. Evelyn would be his daughter now, an idea that gave
him so much pleasure. He’d wanted to be a father for so long. If he pledged
himself to Gwen, he was basically ending his chances of producing an heir of
his own. But he’d have Gwen and would be a father to Evelyn and knew deep in
his soul it would be more than enough. More even than he deserved.

There would be resistance, he knew that. His people were
notoriously exclusive in their matings. Though there were many different races
and species in the planets surrounding the Keeper home world, Helion couldn’t
think of a single Keeper male who had mated outside their race. At least, not
mating that produced offspring. Outside the boundaries of their country, yes.
Matches were often made across the different races of Keepers to promote good
bloodlines. But an entirely different species? No.

The reaction of his parents was the primary concern. Helion
was the crown prince, and though his father had many centuries of rule left
before he’d consider stepping down, there were no more heirs of the direct
line. When Helion failed to produce a child of his own, the crown would
eventually go to an indirect line. Helion felt a twinge of guilt over this but
he wouldn’t give Gwen up. He couldn’t. Gwen and Evelyn were his destiny—he
could feel it.

As he made the rounds, Helion considered how to broach this
issue with his father. It would require some delicacy and no little obstinacy.
Both his mother and father were bound to attempt to change his mind. It would
take a while to convince them he would not be swayed. As he checked on his men
and got a report from Healer Nathal on injuries, he debated and discarded ideas
for approaching the subject upon his return home.

“
Sire, come to the tent, quickly! Lady Gwen has just
collapsed!
”

Helion heard Verdun in his head, Verdun’s normally calm
voice tinged with fear. An uncomfortable sensation gripped Helion’s chest, a
feeling he wasn’t at all used to: fear. Gwen had collapsed? Why? How? A hundred
fearful thoughts scrambled his brain and he quickly ordered Healer Nathan to
follow him before rushing back to his tent.

Upon arrival he saw his mate in Verdun’s arms, being carried
to the bed. Clearly she’d fallen to the floor. Evelyn was on the bed as well,
her chubby little arms and legs flailing, having no idea her mother was not
well.

“Verdun, take the lady Evelyn. Nathal, hurry.” Helion stormed
over to the bed, alarmed at how pale his mate was. A bruise was forming on her
forehead—clearly she’d struck it when she fell. But why did she fall? Was he
too rough on her last night? Was she in pain?

Nathal was already by Gwen’s side, his hands hovering over
her body as he searched for injuries.

“I’m not very familiar with human physiology but at first
glance I can see nothing amiss. The lady is much healthier now she’s been
getting regular meals and plenty of rest.” Then his hands stopped over her
abdomen. Helion was watching Nathal closely and saw when his hands stopped and
his face blanched.

“Healer Nathal, what is it? What’s wrong with my mate?” he
demanded, his voice harsh.

“My lord, I don’t know how to say this…” Nathal hesitated,
amping up Helion’s anxiety to a nearly unbearable level.

“Just tell me, Healer. Is my lady ill? Injured? Dying?” The
last was said with hesitation. He couldn’t accept she might be dying. He’d only
just found his mate, he couldn’t lose her now.

“No, my lord, none of those. She…well…she’s with child, my
lord. Only just. The life in her womb is just fledged. But the seed is strong
and already it makes its presence known.”

Helion gaped at him. At first he was too shocked to even
comprehend what Nathal was saying. Verdun and Nathal appeared just as taken
aback as he. Humans were breeding-compatible with Keepers? And not only
compatible but Gwen had taken with child after just a few couplings with him?
Keeper matings could take decades, even centuries, to produce a single
offspring.

“Nathal…you’re certain? That there’s a Keeper child in
there? Not full human?”

Helion had to ask, though it left a bad feeling in his mouth
to imagine his mate with another male so soon before meeting him. But the idea
of her quickening with his child, after just a few intense couplings… He was
going to be a father! And the implications for his people were staggering.

“There’s no doubt, Commander. This has never happened
before, so I don’t know how this pregnancy will progress. But the soul of the
child is Keeper. And strong. I could feel his presence very clearly.”

“His…
A son.
My
son
is inside the lady?”

When Nathal solemnly nodded, Helion had to lean against the
bed. It was weakness but there was some excuse. So many years…so many centuries
he’d longed to create his son and watch him grow. Now, after chasing the Scourge
through many galaxies, he’d stumbled upon the woman who could give him
everything he’d been missing in his life. It was too good to be true.

Just then Helion saw Gwen’s lashes fluttering before she opened
them completely. She looked around, clearly confused at seeing the Keepers
surrounding her bed. A blush crept over her face when she saw Helion, clearly
remembering the evening with some embarrassment now it was daytime.

Knowing she carried his son made Helion even more savagely
possessive and hot for the girl than he’d been before. She was truly his now.
He had planted his seed and she had received it, making him the happiest of
Keepers. Now she would marry him and he’d take her home to Arloren, away from
all this death and destruction.

“Helion…what happened? Why is Nathal here?” Gwen looked
confused still. “Nathal, am I sick? I fainted, didn’t I? I’ve never fainted,
not once in my whole life.”

Helion hesitated, then gestured to Verdun. “Verdun, if you
would take the lady Evelyn for a walk. Nathal, you stay.”

Helion waited for the room to clear, deep in thought. So many
Keeper couples were childless. So many waited centuries upon centuries until
maybe being gifted with just one child. The lady Gwen had not only this
beautiful girl child, but a son was now quickening inside her. Clearly, human
females were fertile indeed. Once others heard of this, Helion wouldn’t be
surprised if the women on this planet didn’t find themselves completely
besieged.

Helion walked around the bed to face Gwen, who was staring
at Nathal anxiously. Helion commanded her attention immediately by moving into
her line of sight. Whenever he was near, her eyes were drawn to him and no
other, as if she couldn’t resist. He gently took one of her delicate hands in
his, lightly stroking the smooth skin, trying to sooth her.

“Little mother, you’re not sick. Well, not really. Nathal
has examined you and he has some exciting news. You’re to be a mother again,
Gwen. You and I…we’ve created a new life together.”

Gwen stared at Helion, clearly dumbfounded. “Be a mother
again? Me? I can’t be a mother again—Evelyn is only a few months old. And we’ve
only been intimate a few times, just in the last day! Commander, I’m sure you’re
very confident in your virility but I’m not pregnant. I don’t know about
Keepers but it takes weeks to know if a human woman is pregnant. You certainly
can’t tell after just one day of…relations.”

Gwen looked away from Helion’s penetrating emerald eyes to
look beseechingly at Nathal.

“You’re mistaken, Nathal. I promise you, humans don’t work
this way. Check again.”

Nathal looked at Gwen with a bit too much sympathy in his
remarkable lavender eyes.

“I can see this news distresses you, my lady, and I’m sorry
for it. But I am not mistaken. The Lord Commander has definitely gotten you
with child. Keeper senses are perhaps more…acute than are human doctors. When I
seek inside you, I can sense the presence of your son. He’s strong and curious.
You’ll have a very fine boy soon. May I ask, what’s the normal gestation for a
human female?”

Gwen just gaped at him, patently still in shock. Helion could
sympathize. He was deep in that state himself. He’d only just started accepting
now he would have a mate to love and a daughter to raise. Having a son as well
just staggered him.

“Little mother, answer Nathal.”

“I’m sorry, Nathal…human women are supposed to gestate for forty
weeks. Give or take a few weeks each way. Sometimes the baby comes early or
late. Evelyn was three weeks early. How…how long do Keeper women gestate?”

“Closer to twelve months, my lady. I will have to monitor
your pregnancy very closely. There has never been a mixed-race coupling that
produced a child between a Keeper and human. I will want to check on you every
day, perhaps even several times a day. You will need to eat plenty of good
foods. Keeper pregnancies are always taxing on the energy of the mother, so you’ll
also need lots of rest. And you will need intimacy with Helion several times a
day. I can’t speculate on the exact number, but I will monitor if the child is
getting enough essence to support his development. If he isn’t getting enough,
you’ll have to increase the lovemaking.”

Gwen was gaping at Nathal now.

“I’m sorry, Nathal but…what is essence? And why do I have to
have…intimacy…with Helion several times a day to get it? No offense, but I’m
not sure I’d survive having sex with the Commander several times a day, every
day! Jesus!”

Nathal’s eyebrows shot up and he exchanged a look with
Helion.

“My lady, your offspring here on Earth doesn’t require
infusions of essence? To grow strong and healthy? Keeper men carry essence in
their ejaculate. It energizes the body of their mate, infusing her with
strength and vitality, which she passes on to the growing child. The child
needs this to grow.”

“Um…no, human women don’t require that. We just take
vitamins and get lots of rest if we can, food as we can. Some women are luckier
than others. Really it’s a good thing we don’t need this essence you’re talking
about as many women find themselves abandoned once they become pregnant. A lot
of men just don’t want to be fathers. That happened with me. Evelyn’s father
dumped me like a hot potato when I told him I was pregnant.”

Silence reigned in the tent. Helion exchanged a loaded look
with Nathal. Human males left their pregnant mates? That’s why Gwen was raising
Evelyn alone? Helion had naively assumed the man had died during the invasions.
Why else would a man leave a woman like Gwen, especially when she carried his
offspring? It made no sense.

“My lady, I will monitor this situation. It’s odd your
offspring don’t need essence but I’m not sure if a mixed-race child will need
it or not. Right now I’m feeling your son is content but Helion informed me he
took you just a few hours ago. You should eat now and in a few hours I will
come back and see how your son is feeling.”

Verdun bowed and quickly left the tent, no doubt eager to
document his findings so far on this extraordinary situation. Helion wouldn’t
be surprised if it took a good long while for Nathal to reach his tent though.
Verdun had probably spread the word already to the men and all would be
understandably curious about this development. Helion was still having a hard
time grasping the implications. It would no doubt take a while for everyone to
adjust. But how exciting it was.