Page 7 of Desperate Measures

“My husband. My life and joy,” she answered, her lashes fluttering as thrills coursed the length of her spine.

She forgot how to speak as he rocked, moving in the age-old dance of intimacy that somehow never lost its special joining. The Nobek’s gaze roamed at will: now gazing in adoration at her face, now admiring how her breasts bounced as he drove in her, now fixated on watching himself disappear and reappear from her yielding flesh. He turned briefly to kiss her pale, dimpled thigh on one side, then the other.

He wasn’t rough, but he was strong, and he was thorough. She moved back and forth on the mattress as he thrust in growing excitement. The sparks flew, catching fire in her, growing hotter as they journeyed toward fulfilment together. Their gasps filled the air, louder at every exhale. She was approaching the nova of ecstasy when she saw the crease between his brows deepen and his jaw tense.

“I love you,” he cried and pinched her clit.

“I love you!” she screamed as rapture laid hold of her and tore her apart.

Somewhere in the midst of the cataclysm, she heard his shout and felt the pulse of his warm release flooding her.

Later, enclosed in his arms, Cheryl thought of the coming days and their uncertainty. It was a matter to worry over. There was no doubt of that. But in the moment, held by Besral, she couldn’t summon fear for the future.

Smiling, she let sleep take her.

* * * *

Kalquor

“I’m sure you’re looking forward to reaching Alpha Station,” Admiral Tranis told his Earth II-assigned counterpart as the men’s clans began their goodbyes in Clan Tranis’ greeting room.

“Eventually,” Admiral Piras chuckled. “Since we’re taking the scenic route, home is still a distant dream.”

“It’ll give Lokmi and me a chance to investigate the Darks’ space more thoroughly than if we were to go straight to our duty station.” Hope Nath’s dark upturned eyes sparkled in anticipation. Piras’ Matara was a brilliant engineer, as was his Imdiko, Lokmi.

“You’re continuing to work on extending the nanobots’ range? How is the assignment coming?” Tranis asked.

“Not bad. The trick is improving their energy efficiency rather than increasing solar generation.”

“Bigger solar collectors mean the nanos aren’t so micro,” Tranis guessed.

“Less is more,” handsome Lokmi sighed.

“See? I told you size matters.” Tranis’ irreverent Imdiko Degorsk smirked at their Nobek, the stoic Lidon. “Of course, this is the only occasion smaller is better, so—”

“How much longer do you wish to live?” Lidon asked mildly.

Even Piras, no fan of Degorsk’s jokes, quirked the slightest hint of a smile. Tranis suspected his former rival and present ally had loosened up since his ‘Terror of the Fleet’ days.

“At any rate,” their Matara, Dr. Cassidy Hamilton, interjected, “I’ll continue to test the Darks we captured in hopes of finding a way to destroy them before they finish the galaxy.”

Perhaps Hope noted the tense set of the platinum blond woman’s shoulders. “It’s hard to concentrate on this mission and ignore the calls to help where the pandemic is concerned, isn’t it?”

“It’s spreading like wildfire on the other continent. The first cases are showing up on ours. A quarter of a million hospitalizations and counting.” Cassidy rubbed her gently rounded stomach. Protectively, Tranis thought. In some cases, the virus dubbed RCN-16 was also affecting hybrid children of Kalquorians and humans. Fortunately, those cases tended to be mild, thanks to Earther genetics. The virus had no effect on Earthers.

It was having a huge impact on Kalquorians, however. Tens of thousands had died from its ravages before containment protocols had slowed its spread. It was unclear what factors had mutated a rather common flu-like virus to the deadly version.

“On that note, we’ll say goodbye for now.” Piras already looked tired, his combination of a strong jaw and otherwise delicate features drawn.

“Be careful,” Tranis said, echoing his formal bow.

Cassidy and Hope had become fast friends in the weeks they’d worked together to find a way to stop an enemy unseen by most and impervious to standard weaponry. They hugged and shed a few tears. The men exchanged more bows.

“I wish you the chance to fight and win against our enemies,” Lidon told Piras’ Nobek Kila.

The bearded spyship captain, who had the most terrifying grin Tranis had ever seen, flashed his trademark leer at his counterpart. Though there’d been a sense of challenge between the pair throughout Kila’s stay, he said, “I wholeheartedly wish the same to you. Glory, honor, and empire…and as much blood as you can shed.”

Tranis exchanged a glance with Piras, who shook his head and rolled his eyes. No doubt he’d been as concerned as Tranis the two warriors who barely tolerated each other would find a reason to come to blows…and Nobeks rarely needed an actual excuse to fight.

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