Andromedas guardian, p.18
Andromeda's Guardian, page 18
It wasn’t fair. The only human she had developed personal feelings for, and he didn’t want her as much as he did his fiancée, which was how it should be, but it still hurt her. How could she spend the rest of her mission without Tohva by her side?
She turned off the holo, more frustrated than ever before. Up until now, she had felt compassion for her missing sister, but anger was slowly taking over. If not for her, Io wouldn’t be in this situation. She never would have left her star, or flown the Hurricane, or fired missiles inside a slipstream, or experienced the powerful orgasms Tohva had given her.
How did humans deal with rage? Was this why they killed one another? There had to be a better way, because not even to rescue her sister would she kill a human. That simply wasn’t something Guardians did. Without an outlet for these wild human emotions, she was left with nothing on which to vent her ire...at least until the door to the cabin dissolved.
Tohva stood there, hesitant to enter, the light from the hallway outlining his silhouette, emphasizing his height, his strength…but it didn’t show her what she really wanted.
“Io...look...I wanted to apologize about what happened with Mayla. I know it’s hard to explain...”
Channeling her rage into power, Io nearly leaped off the bed and stomped over to where he stood. “Then don’t. Don’t explain it. Don’t deny it. Don’t change it. Your feelings for her are yours to do with as you see fit. You can’t change the way you feel, but right now you’re with me, and I’m going to show you that my love for you is stronger than Mayla’s, because I would never reject you for making tough decisions and doing what is right.”
Reaching out for his arm, Io yanked him toward her, then spun just far enough to hit the light node with her elbow. A second blow resolved the door. Not waiting for him to protest, she forced him to walk back until he fell onto the bed. Then, not caring about being gentle, she shoved him flat and crawled on top of him. Ignoring his yelp of shock, she absorbed her clothes to remind him of what he would be missing if he left her.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Angry sex with Io was not what Tohva had in mind when he dissolved the door to the left-side cabin. Yet here he was, lying on his back with only a weak squawk of protest. Her clothes had disappeared like magic, and the diamond fell from where her pocket used to be onto the bed while she made quick work of his own clothes.
“Io, this isn’t—”
“Tohva, I swear by my sister-Guardians, you talk too much.”
“But—”
With an aggravated huff, she stopped yanking off his pants. “If you don’t want to do this, say so now. Otherwise, I’m going to prove to you that I’m better at this than Mayla, or any other woman you might think of screwing.”
Hearing her say Mayla’s name should have flattened his growing erection, but it didn’t. In the split-second Io gave him to back out, he froze instead. Looking at her breasts framed by her long hair hardened him. Despite their lovemaking that morning, he still had no defense against her. She must have guessed that she was going too fast. Next thing he knew, she stopped her licking before he could disappoint her by coming too soon.
“Io...”
“Nope.” She raised her head and made a slashing motion with her right hand. “No talking. No distractions. It’s just you and me in this bed. Not Manitac, not the Shadows, not my sisters. I want this to be about us together for this moment in time.”
He kept his mouth closed while she crawled back up to suck on one of his nipples. He didn’t say no, obeying her rule. She laughed against his chest, pleased with his reaction, sliding her hand back down to make sure he was still interested.
Well, two could play that game. Just because he wasn’t allowed to talk didn’t mean he had to lie here and wait for permission to touch her. Cupping her firm buttocks, he hauled her higher up his body, deliberately increasing the pressure between his body and hers.
Face to face, they both breathed heavily as they stared at one another. Stars above, if Andromeda Galaxy had a scent, it would match the cool tingle from her skin mixed with the tangy taste of her lips. He couldn’t get enough of her, letting his tongue slip along her jaw until he could gently suck the skin at her pulse point. At least she had a pulse, which might not mean anything beyond that she’d mimicked the human body to perfection, even with a moon-shaped hickey.
Disengaging from her neck, he tickled his tongue further down her soft skin, reaching for her breasts. To teach her a little lesson with his teeth, he nipped at her hardened tips back and forth until she gasped.
“More?” he teased.
“Shush.”
He returned to her breasts but didn’t stay there. Securing her against him, he rolled her onto her side, giving him more leverage to continue his path downward until he was between her legs.
“Tohva.”
He stopped the friction he knew she craved and waited.
“Keep going. Oh, please, keep going.”
Ha. They might not have room to recreate the scenarios played in the holos she’d watch on board the Hurricane, but just lying with himself so far into her, he’d never felt hotter or more desperate for his own release as he rubbed against the sheets.
“Stop that.” She wrapped her ankles around his back. “Not until I tell you to.”
Who was he to ignore a direct command from his Guardian-lover? Fine. He’d hold on for now because what other choice did he have? If he came before she did, he’d still make sure she was satisfied, but after that? Would she allow him to talk to her at least?
Pressing against her thighs, he left her gasping one more time, grinding against him, but once again he had to hold off the ecstasy. Once more he rolled onto his back, taking her with him. Their legs tangled together, and he enjoyed the smooth, sleek strength of her thighs pressing against him, no doubt holding back so as not to crush him.
She pushed the heels of her hands into his shoulders, holding herself above him, letting her hair hang down, creating a veil of gold brushing against his cheeks. Looking up directly into her eyes, he saw past the façade of her body to the stars. For that brief moment he saw all of Andromeda as she did, and it was beautiful.
Just like Ioanna.
He reached up to run his thumb across her lower lip. “I see you.”
“Do you?”
“Yes and I can’t get enough of you, but I don’t know how to live in a star.”
She closed her eyes and broke the connection. What did it matter how many times they made love? He would grow old and die. She would stay the same eternally ever after.
Returning to the reality of a standard mattress and cramped quarters, Tohva arched up and brushed himself against her opening, teasing her just enough to keep her on edge. She took his cue to heart and slowly, too slowly, lowered herself down on him until he could feel her envelop every inch of him.
It amazed him every time that despite all of her body shifting, she could generate the warm silkiness that drove him into a frenzy of thrusting. He didn’t have to hold back with her because she was strong enough to take it and so much more.
At the moment when he thought he would reach the pinnacle of his pleasure, she lifted herself off him. Groaning, he tried to pull her back into place, but she was too swift for his hands. Twisting around, she presented him with her back, along with her backside. Once again she lowered herself onto him, but missed the first time. Goddess or not, she couldn’t see behind her, so he had to guide her until she glided into place.
With that, he sat up as far as he could with one arm tight around her middle, the other returning to the warm silk between her legs, rubbing her in just the right way. The more she squirmed against him, the more friction she created without him having to thrust into her.
A shudder rocked her body as her muscles clamped around him, forcing him to remove his hand from between her legs or they both would finish too soon. Gritting his teeth, he held onto his control. Her sweet-smelling hair swished each time his breath caressed her back. Stretching his neck as far as he could, he lay his forehead against the smooth skin.
“You’re going to be the death of me.”
“If you die, then I will soon follow, because I cannot return to my star and live alone anymore. You have ruined me as a goddess, a Guardian, an alien, and a person.”
Her words stopped him cold. “Io, you can’t die. You said you don’t know if you can.”
“I don’t know when I will die a natural death, but I believe that everything that lives eventually dies, even me.”
“Don’t you dare talk about shortening your lifespan.” Now his anger was starting to kill his desire.
“Then let’s not talk about it anymore.” Without waiting for him, she started to move, pulling herself up and shoving herself back down again. Their bodies molded together as his hand found his way back to her center and continued to follow her rhythm.
The first wave of pleasure built up slowly but steady, each stroke of his finger shattered her, creating even more pressure on him. Clamping his jaw as tight as he could didn’t stave off the first wave of pleasure that exploded out of both of them. Her voice, loud, sweet, longing, and lustful at the same time, pulled him tighter into her web. He continued to thrust until a second wave rocked over them.
Only after their noise reached a crescendo, then slowly lowered in tone and intent, did Io pull herself off him. Tohva reached out to pull her back into the bed with him, but she pulled away. With another shimmer along her body, her clothes returned.
“That’s it?” What the hell had just happened?
She ran her fingers through her hair. “You want more?”
“No. I mean. Not sex. Not right now. It’s just...I don’t want you to walk out the door until you tell me what you meant about following me if I die.”
She sat on the bed next to his legs, out of reach of his arms. ”I’m not sure what I meant.”
“Try to explain it to me, please. You said I ruined you.”
She sighed. “That wasn’t fair of me, and I’m sorry for that. You didn’t ruin me. I ruined myself when I pulled you onto my planet and forced you to take me off-world. If I had known that being with you would result in all of these emotions, I might not have...”
It didn’t take a genius to understand what stopped her. “It wouldn’t have changed anything. Your sister would still be missing and her star would still be dying. You wouldn’t let that happen, no matter the consequences to yourself.”
He reached out for her, but she didn’t lean into his touch, so he was left grasping at nothing.
“Seeing you kiss Mayla made me jealous. I’ve read about the emotion, but I was not prepared for the awfulness of it. I ran away without you because I had the opportunity, not because I want to hurt you in return. If I can feel this awful at seeing you with another woman, what will happen when you die? How horrible will I feel then? What will happen to me if I return home without you, because that is where our relationship is headed. You can’t live in my world.”
“But you can live in mine.” He fought against the cold lump of truth building in his chest.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. If we can’t find my sister, then it will be up to me to stabilize her star.”
“You mean you’ll launch yourself into the sun and stay in its core? Forever?”
“I’ll have to if I’m to keep it from dying earlier than it’s supposed to. I can hold off the supernova until after humanity has time to relocate.”
The sick sensation of a no-win situation sunk his stomach. “There has to be some other way.”
“If there isn’t, then I will have to stay there, looking down on you and your life as you grow old and die.”
Slamming back the blanket, Tohva headed toward the wet room, scooping up his clothes along the way. His thoughts swirled, trying to piece together plans to save the star and Io, but such questions were beyond his expertise. Scrubbing away his sweat in the shower didn’t change the situation one bit.
By the time he redressed, Io was gone. She’d left so fast, she’d forgotten about her diamond, which had fallen from the bed to the floor. Scooping up the gem, Tohva dropped it into his chest pocket for safekeeping.
This couldn’t happen to him. Not again. He’d lost everything, and he would not let himself fall into the abyss of losing everyone again. Losing Io because she wanted to go home was one thing. Having her alive and so close that her rays of sunlight could touch him, but not being allowed to touch her back...
Tragic stories were made of conundrums like this. But what could he do about it?
The answer was clear: They had to find her sister no matter what. He would turn over every rock, search every cranny and crack, every security system Manitac had, sacrifice the rest of his life, but he would find this missing Guardian and bring her back to where she belonged.
Then maybe, together, they could find a way for Io to stay with him, if not forever, then at least until he died.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Trying to toss and turn while lying supine on the levitation field of two grav-resistors made for a restless sleep period for Io. Who was she kidding? Forcing herself to sleep only made her wish she were back in bed with Tohva, but that was not going to happen tonight. She’d told herself she’d left him because he was a soft human and humans slept better with mattresses. As a Guardian, goddess, alien, or whatever she was, softness wasn’t necessary for her own comfort. If she could withstand all the forces of nature in the heart of her star for so long, she could survive a night on a levitation field.
Oh, this is nonsense. She didn’t need to sleep either, at least not like a human. Her body could emulate the state of rest, but it couldn’t touch the pure peacefulness of sleeping on the heart of her star. Shoving her body off the levitation field, she shut down the grav-resistors and dragged them back to the maintenance closet where she’d found them.
The main cargo bay spanned almost the entire ship, though there were smaller bays above and below. At the moment there was no cargo, at least nothing visible. Isn’t that what Ramsey had told her? That Tamarja and Daeven smuggled things around the galaxy? Along the bay, view panes lined the walls, giving her a view of the stars, her sisters.
Walking over to the nearest view pane, Io placed her hand on the invisible plasma field. It hummed with energy displacement. Soon the Starcatcher would reach a slipstream that would bring them to the Unity Homeport. Once inside, she wouldn’t be able to hear her sisters sing, and they wouldn’t be able to listen to her. This would be her last chance to talk to them, because once they arrived at the Unity system, who knew when she would have the time?
Except she didn’t know what to tell them. What was worse, singing to them about her confusion over Tohva, how torn she was between wanting to stay with him, choosing to save the star, and watching him from afar as he lived his life without her, or singing to them of her pain if he died trying to help her?
What to do?
Her sisters never held secrets from one another. There was never any reason to, so Io opened her mouth and sang of all that she knew. Her sisters listened as they always did, sad that she was in pain, but there was nothing they could do to help. The love between them couldn’t match the passion Io felt for Tohva. Io wanted to help them understand, so she continued to sing, ignoring the tears pouring out of her eyes and down her cheeks.
Every note rang true, and her sisters heard her despair. It didn’t matter if they understood or not. They waited in silence until the end of her song, and that was really all she wanted. Turning away from the view pane, she stopped short of bumping into Tohva standing right behind her.
“What are you doing here?” She wiped her tears away, not wanting him to see her distress.
“You were so loud, we could hear you in the cockpit. It sounded like you were in pain, so I came back to see if you were okay, or if you needed anything.”
Io shook her head. “I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
Tohva just stared at her as if he didn’t believe her.
“It’s true.” She desperately wanted him to believe her. “I told my sisters everything that has happened. I needed to speak to them before we got to the Unity Homeport. I might not have time to talk to them after that.”
“What did they say?”
Io swallowed. “It was a private conversation and not for your ears.”
“Okay. Keep your secrets.” He turned away but called back to her over his shoulder, “We’ll be entering the slipstream in a few minutes. While we’re in there, we’ll figure out a plan and pick out our weapons.”
“Your weapons.”
He hesitated, not looking at her. “Yes, my weapons.”
She waited until he was gone. There was nothing else for her to do except wait. Turning back to see the stars, she pressed her forehead against the view pane. Her sisters were so close and yet so far.
Sister?
Io jerked her head away from the window. She heard the voice, but it was a human language, not the language of her kind.
You have to help me.
It was her sister, her missing sister. Io started to sing again but stopped. Why was her sister talking like a human?
I’ve been trapped here for so long.
Of course. If she was held hostage, it was only natural that she would learn the language of her captors.
“I’m coming for you, sister. I will free you, I promise.”
I believe you.
“How do I find you?”
Where are you?
Io started to answer, then stopped. Why couldn’t she answer the sister she had sacrificed everything to find? Because she understood this plot. In one of the holos, a kidnapped woman was forced to call the one man who could rescue her and try to trick him into revealing his location so the kidnappers could find him first and kill him. What if her sister was a hostage and her captors were controlling her? Was the fact that her sister used human language a clue?
