Page 58 of Warrior
I had to believe there was truth to the Chieftain truly mating with his human. No female in the reaches of space was as perfect for me as the one in my arms.
"I would say I'm sorry I woke you," I chuckled. "But I'm not."
Daisy laughed weakly, her head dropping to my shoulder.
Reluctantly, I separated our bodies and carried her the few feet to the cot. Damn, if I wasn't going to miss this rickety little bed. I lay down, situating Daisy atop me, the breath falling from my lips in a contented sigh.
It would be easy to shift her astride my tights and lift her just enough to impale her sweet body on my thickening cock. As long as I lived, I would never get enough of her.
With a groan, I rolled to my side, placing Daisy’s back against my chest, and curled her against me. She needed rest.
My focus centered on this one point in the universe. This treasure of a female in my arms and the sound of our breaths mingling.
"Tell me it's going to be okay."
The worry in her voice tugged at my heart. “It will be okay, sweetling. You and the younglings are precious to me. I will not allow you to be harmed.”
Daisy rolled to face me, pressing her soft breasts against my chest as her hands lifted to cradle my face. The gold in her eyes twinkled, and the depth of affection in how she regarded me stilled my heart.
“I love you.”
Her words shook me to the core of my being. I knew the wordlovefrom my earth studies, but I was unsure about the true meaning.
“I have heard this word in your Earth videos, but do not understand the meaning.”
Daisy's gaze softened, and she pressed her lips gently against mine before she spoke. “Some people think love is an emotion, but I believe love is a verb. You show love by how you treat others… by how devoted and caring and kind you are to each other.”
I pulled her closer, drinking in her scent as I buried my face in the hair at the curve of her neck. “I must love you a greatdeal.” At Daisy's gasp, I continued. “You are everything to me, and everything I am, everything I will ever be, is yours.”
As the words left my lips, my heart squeezed tightly. Not enough to be the valakana—legend held that sensation put even the strongest warrior on his knees. It wasn't an ache but a tightness, as though all I felt for her was too much to reside in such a small organ. It was all I would ever need.
A soft, pleased moan escaped Daisy’s lips before her kiss found me again. Our tongues tangling in a slow, sensual dance.
Valakana be damned… Daisy was mine.
Chapter 15
Daisy
I jerked awake, startled to find myself alone in bed—even more startled to realize I’d slept at all. The last thing I remembered was lying wrapped in Daicon’s arms as he told him about the Bardaga and everything we would do once we escaped this moon.
My fingertips traced over my heart, the beat steady despite worry for the day. The way the organ squeezed when Daicon said he loved me imparted a strange, faint soreness, as though my heart had to stretch to accept and accommodate his love.
And I did love him… more than I’d ever expected to feel for anyone again. I still loved Gavin—I always would—but the love of Daicon was so different, all abandon and wild passion too strong to deny. Gavin was my past… my memories and love for him remained tucked away in a part of my heart always treasured and cherished.
But life moves on. And my life and heart belonged with Daicon… if the good Lord allows us to survive the escape.
I slipped out of bed, fluffing the pillow and straightening the blanket before dressing. Normally, I wore some version of the gray shift dress the guards provided, but with running surely on the menu for today, I’d modified a pair of pants and tunicabsconded from the children’s laundry. The bag I’d packed last night sat beside the chair, holding a few loaves of bread and dried meat. Each child carried the same supplies, along with clothes and tools. By my calculation, we should have enough food to last until we rendezvous with the Bardaga. Daicon said travel rations would be on the ship we planned to steal. If those rations were anything like the brown goo, I’d had to eat on the trip to the moon—no thanks.
How crazy was it that I felt a pang of sadness leaving the small windowless room? An ache that only grew sharper as I walked past the kitchen. Images flashed in my brain… doing dishes with little Ewok laughing by my side. Nights spent in Daicon’s arms. Maybe missing this place wasn’t so crazy after all. I’d found moments of true happiness here. I’d found love again in this dingy, dreary mine, and in a way, I'd found myself… the me I’d always wanted to be.
The voices floating up from the common area sounded happy, not weighed by worry about what came next. I descended the stone steps, noticing the loose rocks and slanted concept. Overhead, the glass dome showed a gray sky with just a hint of orange sun hovering on the horizon.
A group of tiny alien children raced across the room so fast my eyes barely kept up with the movement. George chose ten little darlings as bait. My worry waited as I watched them act out the plan, racing across the common area and scrambling into the tunnel, only to appear on the upper level seconds later. George pantomimed tossing a small explosive into the tunnel. While Daicon felt sure the circumference of the passage was much too small for a guard to squeeze through, we weren’t taking any chances.
"Good job," Daicon yelled, as the kids scrambled back into the tunnel.
I felt the moment his golden eyes turned to me, my skin heating where his gaze touched. Daicon strode toward me, taking a slight detour to check on Ewok and another group of children. His large hand mussed the fur atop Ewok’s head, giving the child an indulgent smile. Ewok preened, although it did little to disguise the tired lines around his eyes.
