Chapter Eleven – Jada
His kiss was sweet and gentle, and Jada gladly accepted it. The kidnapping had been a barrier between them from the start, but as Sildon gently wound his hands in her curls, Jada felt the last of her doubts slipping away. She moved closer to him her arms wrapping around his waist. Sparks of pleasure shot through her. Heat pooled in her core, and she teased Sildon's mouth open.
He moved his hands to her shoulders, encouraging her onto his back while he rolled over her. Their eyes locked as they continued swapping gentle kisses. Jada traced the firmness of his torso, her fingers skimming over barely visible scars, feeling his heart beating against his ribs. She moaned, wishing she could soothe the scars that weren't visible at all.
A tingle ran down her spine as Sildon's hands began roaming her body. He pulled back slightly and began removing her clothing slowly, as though making sure this was what she wanted. She sat and held her arms over her head so he could pull off her shirt. His black eyes heated as they traced down her nude torso. Her pants were next, joining her shirt on the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm cold."
Chuckling, Sildon pressed his body on hers again. Their kisses grew more heated, more intense. Jada closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations Sildon woke in her. His body was hot against her skin, his firmness pressing into her softness. She found his belt and undid it, tossing away his var'ki while he removed his sword. His hand pressed between her legs, and she found him with her own hand. A grin passed over her face when she started expertly moving, enjoying the sight of Sildon's body shuddering, his eyes sliding closed. His moan of pleasure burned her own fires hotter.
When his fingers began to move, Jada couldn't suppress a yelp followed by a moan of her own. Bolts shot down her legs. She rolled her hips up, maximizing contact. Sildon's mouth was set in a determined line, his eyes glittering as he did his work and she did hers. Soon both of them were panting and gasping for breath.
"Are you ready?" Sildon asked her, his voice low.
She nodded, aching for more than just his touch. Her heart hammered as he positioned herself. Every fiber of her body craved this, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, their eyes locked together.
He entered smoothly. Shockwaves ran to every end of her body. Jada's spine arched and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She held her breath to stop herself from crying out, wary of waking Isabel or bringing Pogi down to their room. Sildon brushed his lips across her cheek before focusing in on her neck while he started a steady pace. Jada clung to him, pleasure zinging from her core. Her whole body felt tight, her skin too small to contain her. Her fingernails dug into his back. Sweat sprung from every pore and she found herself rocking towards him, matching his rhythm with her own.
A thunderclap burst over her. Shocks ran down her legs and her heart beat so fast she thought it might burst. Black washed over her vision as her eyes rolled. Her hips jerked up. She kicked wildly. Her spine arched first up and then down, her fingernails leaving welts as they dragged down his back. Sildon jerked above her, sweat beading his forehead. His eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth, grunting as his rhythm picked up pace. Everything else faded away until his back bowed. She could feel him finishing and cried out in unison with him.
When he collapsed over her, she wondered how she could have survived another second of that intense pleasure. Her heart continued to pound and she sucked in greedy gasps of air. The spinning in her head slowed. Her muscles slowly relaxed, leaving behind a pleasant ache.
Sildon rolled off her and lay still, panting with his eyes closed.
Jada pressed her hand to his chest. His heart pounded wildly. "Hey, are you okay?"
The T'shav moaned in return. "I just need to catch my breath."
She twined her fingers through his and closed her eyes. A lazy smile crossed her face. She knew that sex wasn't the deciding factor in these things, but she couldn’t help but think – maybe she had finally found the man that would be her family. And maybe she and Isabel could be the family he had always craved.
***
It hailed for three days straight. By the time the sun cleared, there was a layer of slimy soot everywhere, and Jada felt grimy from being inside of Pogi's makeshift home for so long. She was desperate to get back to the ship and wash herself and Isabel up. The baby had developed a sneeze, and getting off the planet seemed like a very good idea.
She didn't say that to Sildon, though. Instead, she asked him if he wanted her to go with him to his mother's grave.
Sildon strapped his sword to his back, frowning. "I think I would rather go by myself. I don't like the idea of leaving you alone, though."
"I would like to go to the ship and clean up," she offered. "You can walk me there first."
The door slammed open and Pogi strolled in. The noise startled Isabel, and Jada hurried to pick her up before she started fussing. The alien had to sense of boundaries and no patience for anybody.
"I can walk the human back to your ship. Your mother's grave will take you half the day to get to, and you don't want to be out after dark." Pogi scratched her chin. "She'll be perfectly safe in your ship, believe me."
Sildon hesitated. Jada watched him anxiously. She wasn't fond of the idea of walking with Pogi, but she equally didn't want Sildon to delay going to his mother's grave if it would end up putting him at risk. She would have suggested that she and Isabel stay where they were despite the grime, but she had a feeling Pogi wouldn’t allow that.
Eventually, Sildon nodded. "That will work. But if she gets hurt, I'll—"
"You'll do nothing that hasn't been done before." Pogi waved her hand, an irritated expression on her face. "I didn't have to help you, you know. I don't owe you a damned thing."
Sildon grunted. He turned to Jada and kissed her gently. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
Jada nodded, smiling brightly so he wouldn't see how nervous she was about being left alone. After she put Matka's belongings in the diaper bag to take back to the ship, they all left the building together. Sildon headed for the naked mountains while Pogi gestured for Jada to follow her in the opposite direction. Very few people were in sight, and everything had a thick coating of muddy ash. Several buildings had had their roofs caved in from the hail. It made the already creepy town even creepier.
We can't leave this place fast enough.
"This isn't the way to the ship," Jada said as Pogi led her down a side alley. "When Sildon and I—"
"I'm taking a different route. Safer."
When they emerged from the alley, Jada was relieved to see a ship.
Her relief was quickly dashed. She stopped dead. There was a ship alright, but it wasn't the one she and Sildon had been using. This one was bigger, sleeker, and shinier. There wasn't a spot of dirt on it. And around the gangplank were half a dozen soldiers bearing the Planchet Corporation insignia. She tried to back away, but Pogi whipped a knife from the folds of her clothing and pressed it into her ribs.
"What are you doing?" Jada hissed.
"Trading you and the brat for a year's supply of Direata." Pogi prodded her forward. "The Corporation also promised to send me regular shipments of food. Do you know how long it's been since I had sugar?"
Jada clutched Isabel to her chest as the Planchets came forward, guns leveled at her. One of them roughly grabbed her arm, while another turned to Pogi. The tiny, traitorous alien grinned smugly, her two good eyes gleaming. Jada wished that they would develop blinding cataracts like her middle one had.
"Your Direata is being delivered to your home as we speak," he said. "You've done a great service for the Planchet Corporation."
Jada kicked a man that tried to take Isabel from her. "How could you do this?"
"Easily." Pogi stared at her emotionlessly. "I never said that I ever cared about Sildon, girl. I gave you plenty of warning not to trust me. And yet you did anyway. Is it my fault that you're an imbecile?"
The man tried to grab Isabel again and she twisted, putting her body between the two of them. "Don't you dare touch her! I won't let you take her, I won't!"
"Let her keep the baby," the soldier who paid Pogi said. "She won't risk its life. Will you, human?"
Jada glared at him, but when he prodded her in the back with his weapon, she had no chance but to let him push her forward. Her stomach coiled, feeling sick. What were they going to do with her now? It was illegal to perform experiments on humans like herself, citizens under the protection of the Zon Sanctuary. But the corporations weren't exactly known for their legality.
And Sildon? What would he do when he returned and found she was gone?
A voice spoke from behind them. "I would let that human go if I were you."
Jada turned, heart leaping to her throat. For one wild moment she thought the T'shav standing in the alley was Sildon – but then a second T'shav and an Aphrosian stepped out from behind him. Her heart plummeted again. The trio from the Sanctuary had found her again.