Chapter One
Dahlia arched her back and moaned in anticipation as the man beneath her pressed his hips up, stroking deep into her. Powerful, wild, like the tiger his wealth of tribal tattoos invoked. They curled around his arms, thighs, and neck. She’d already come once and was looking for another climax. She placed her hands on either side of his head. His shockingly cardinal red hair spilled between her fingers. Her sheer robe fell to cover their intertwined bodies. Her shift forward gave him a new angle to thrust even deeper and she could feel his cock straining as he pushed against her with every stroke. A deep rumble sounded in his chest as her breath caught and she felt him release and pump into her.
She chuckled as he shifted under her. “Why Lieutenant! I heard you just yesterday bragging to your second about your stamina. But if you need to, by all means take a break before we continue.”
The door to the room burst open and a young man rushed in. Seeing the scene on the bed he stopped cold, blushed, looked down, and stammered, “C-c-captain DeMorra, urgent message…”
Dahlia looked at the young member of her barrack and put on a mockingly serious face, “Nel, wait outside for me.”
Blushing and stumbling over his feet, the soldier frantically backed out of the room and closed the door.
Lieutenant Traedon grabbed her leg and rolled over so he was on top of her. He pressed his fingers into her, stroking her until he was rock hard again, then slid into her. Dahlia hooked her legs over his hips and rocked against him, feeling the tension in her body building as he moved inside her. She let out a moan of pleasure and raked her nails lightly down his chest.
She pushed her thighs hard against him, encouraging him to take her harder. He complied and she felt him sinking deep into her with every thrust.
She arched her back and dug her fingers into his shoulders as the ecstasy of an orgasm ran through her body. Her lips parted and he pressed his mouth to hers as she rode the waves of pleasure that washed over her. She felt it as Traedon came again and she played her fingers over his tattoos for a moment before playfully pushing him off her. He rolled out of bed and set about locating his clothes.
Dahlia pulled her simple linen wrap under her robe and around her willowy frame, tying the belt at the waist. She tied the front of her robe loosely closed and turned as Traedon placed his hands on her arms.
He drew her close, “You’ll come back?”
Dahlia smiled and pressed her lips against his as she ran a hand through his hair. “Mmmmm...I’ll come back. Not tomorrow though, don’t wait up.”
Satisfied, he let her go. She ran a hand appreciatively down his arm then turned and walked out to meet the young soldier standing outside the door.
Nel had managed to compose himself and mask his discomfort. Poor boy. However carefully he schooled his face she could feel the uncertainty coming off him in waves. Officers weren’t supposed to have relationships with other soldiers but it wasn’t uncommon and was almost always overlooked. She imagined he was trying to figure out whether he should apologize or pretend nothing had happened. Oh well, the sooner he got over all the rigidity and strict discipline of training the better off he’d be. Especially with her. She hadn’t exactly been promoted based on her discipline and strict adherence to norms.
She smiled warmly, “Ok Nel, you have my attention, what’s the message?”
Nel met her eyes uncomfortably. “Captain Mazaran has called for your immediate presence.”
She eyed him curiously, “That’s all? Nothing more?”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Alright then, our barrack is on the way, I’ll walk back with you.”
Dahlia set off down the dimly lit path. She’d walked this way so many times that she required nothing but starlight to go by. She heard Nel stumble behind her and slowed down to match his unsure steps.
They walked in silence, the noises of the summer night soft and soothing. She noticed Nel preferred to walk slightly behind her. Another habit he must have picked up in training. She hoped he’d drop it soon, it was like having a puppy dog. She tried to think of something to say to make him feel more comfortable but nothing came to her so she let the silence persist. She’d never been great at putting people at ease anyways, quite the opposite actually. Whatever she said he’d probably just feel more awkward. She decided to simply let it go.
They left the area assigned to Barrack Eleven when she heard another set of footsteps.
“Captain DeMorra, are you on your way to Captain Mazaran’s summons as well?”
Dahlia turned on the ball of her foot to face the voice. A tall, tanned man watched her. His pale silver eyes held a light even in the soft starlight. He gave off a subtle feel of confidence and dominance in the way he held himself.
“Good evening, Captain Horan. Yes, once I’ve seen my man back to his post.”
“Surely he can continue without you, I’ve heard the summons are rather urgent. Come, walk with me.”
Dahlia smiled pleasantly, “A new recruit, I’ll see him back.” She didn’t appreciate the implied order. She was the newest captain on the force but that didn’t give anyone but Mazaran authority over her.
Something flickered over the man’s face. Dahlia felt mental echos coming from him. Either he was sloppy or purposely letting his emotions spill out, trying to intimidate her. She fixed her smile firmly and didn’t react. This wasn’t a good situation.
Horan moved quickly, faster than any normal man, and entered her space. His face was only inches from hers. She held her ground and refused to be cowed by such a blatant display.
He brought his hand to her jawline and, in a low purr so only she could hear said, “You should be careful, Dahlia, walking in the moonlight half undressed makes you look so vulnerable. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
Still smiling, Dahlia brought her own arm up and struck his down with the blade of her forearm. She held his gaze. “Nakedness only makes you vulnerable if you have vulnerabilities. A captain should rip them out by their roots.”
Horan pulled back, sneering at her. “I know where you’ve been. You’re wasting your time.” Aggression radiated off of him.
“Is that so? I don’t see how it’s any business of yours.”
“I want you, Dahlia.” His breath rasped in his throat, she could feel his desire like a physical heat. Not for her. No, what he wanted was dominance over this new, female captain.
Dahlia made no outward movement but suddenly Horan took an involuntary step back and his face twisted.
Dahlia spun back to face Nel, taking advantage of Horan’s distraction as he fought against the emotions she’d pushed up and the natural revulsion she’d made him feel.
“Come, Nel,” she said calmly.
They walked off, leaving Horan to replace the smirk on his face and stride off. Jackass.
As she heard the sound of his footsteps fading, Dahlia closed her eyes and replaced the wall surrounding her mind. She’d been careless just now. A side effect of her abilities was an amplification of her emotions that resonated and increased the responses in people around her. Normally she kept it under tight control but she’d been riding a natural high and had let her guard slip just a little. Coming from her lover, she’d been feeling sensual, aroused, desirable. It wasn’t unusual for people to react to her amplified emotions, but she didn’t force them to react in an unnatural way. The most Horan should have done was made a subtle pass at her. That he’d reacted so aggressively meant he’d been predisposed to behave like that towards her. That was unsettling.
Worse, Horan was a senior captain with alliances and history with the other nineteen captains who would be more likely to believe whatever lie he told. If that had turned into a real confrontation it could have been very nasty for her whether she won or lost. She’d taken the only option she’d had. She’d fully released her ability to project--in this case disgust and anger--and forced him to respond to that. Since the extent of her abilities had been kept quiet she had been able to catch him off guard long enough to extract herself from the situation.
She glanced back at Nel. Interesting that he hadn’t reacted to her. Even if he didn’t harbor any amorous feelings towards her she would have expected him to respond as well and come to her defense reflexively. Instead he’d held his position and let her handle it. She wondered…
She reached out to touch the edge of his psyche. She felt the tinge of awkwardness still lingering from the earlier encounter and now enhanced after watching another captain behave like a lout towards her. She pushed as lightly as she could to see if she’d get a reaction.
Nothing. She didn’t feel any increase in the emotion. Fascinating. She made a note to start him training in mental defense and explore the area. He seemed to have a talent for resisting manipulation. That could serve him well.
They arrived at his post where the other members of his watch stood. Genji, her third ranked officer and Nel’s assigned mentor, was among the group. A smile slid onto his face as he sized her up along with Nel’s discomfort. Genji was used to her by now and had likely been the one to guess where she was. It would be like him to send the new member to deliver the message, anticipating Nel’s blunder in not knocking and the resulting episode. She mentally shook her head. That man had a bizarre sense of humor.
She looked at Nel. “You’re fine. You’ll find that our barrack is nothing like training and it’ll take a bit to adjust.”
She could feel Genji holding back a laugh. Satisfied she’d at least tried to make Nel feel better she ignored Genji and walked off to meet the summons. The night was fine and she enjoyed the feel of the cool summer air on her skin while she had the chance. Anything Mazaran had called an immediate meeting for was sure to disrupt the peace around the barracks that she’d been enjoying until tonight.