Hours later I’m sitting in front of a small, crackling fire, roasting the terelope that I caught while out covering our tracks. Margo lies sleeping only a few feet away. There was no sign that we were being pursued by her captors and now we’re far enough away it’s extremely unlikely there’s any way they’ll find us.

Now that everything is done and Margo is settled, I finally pull off my armor to inspect my wounds from the battle. Using melted snow and a spongy material found at the hot springs, I wash the blood and grime from my body. I spend a few minutes inspecting the stab wound in my side to make sure it’s clean and free of anything that could cause an infection while it heals. The deep cuts take longer to heal, though this one should be completely closed in another few hours.

“Are you hurt?” My head snaps up to find Margo sitting up on her elbow, looking at me with sleep in her eyes and concern on her face.

“It’s healing. No need to worry.” She sits up and moves next to me in front of the fire. Her fingers gently trace my skin close to the wound. Her touch is so electrifying it makes me pull away. I feel guilty when she looks embarrassed by my reaction, tucking her hands in her lap.

“The fire is wonderful. I didn’t think anyone had a use for it on this planet,” she says, sitting close and warming her hands. “This is the first time I’ve seen one since we arrived.”

“We use it to cook food. The poorer families that live on the outside of the city use fires more frequently. The technology of the heat cube costs more than a fire.”

“Well, I’m warm for the first time since all of this started. I didn’t think I’d ever be warm again.” She gives me a shy smile and my body reacts. It was hard enough trying to fight my feelings for her when it was just the four of us on the ship. Now that we have complete privacy in this warm, intimate cave, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep away from her.

I realize that I’m lost in my own thoughts when she continues, “So what happened at the ship after I was taken? Is everyone else okay?”

“Yes, it would take a lot to kill Kjallak or Branyx. Five more members of the guard arrived, sent by our leader Mallyk. I don’t know if you remember him from the day you crashed.”

“We never officially met, but I remember his backside as he carried my team captain away.”

It probably isn’t right, but her feistiness makes my cock twitch. I like the fire in her, it makes me want to throw her down and show her how fun intimacy can be when passion is involved.

“Still,” she continues, “even with the five other members, how did the eight of you defeat the entire tribe?”

It’s strange having to think about how to tell someone outside of the guard about the specifics behind the enhancements. Maybe I’m just scared that when I tell Margo about this strange power inside of me, she’ll be scared of me or scared of what I could do if I can’t control these powers. “Something happened inside of me, after I saw the Salthu had taken you. I was trapped and couldn’t get to you and it’s like something snapped. The small bursts of energy that I’ve had before became a huge explosion of power. It took out an entire field of warriors…the rest fled back into the mountains.”

She’s looking at me with wide eyes and says, “Holy shit.” She’s quiet then and I give her time to let it soak in. “So you’re not exactly sure how your body will react from the scientific changes they’re making? Does that freak you out at all?”

“I don’t know that it’s my place to question it. Once we decide to become part of the guard, our bodies more or less belong to the government.”

She opens her mouth to ask another question and then closes it again. I could sit and stare at the features of her face for hours. The way her eyebrows pull together when she’s concentrating on something or how the corner of her mouth turns up when she’s about to laugh at something. Everything about her feels so right. For not the first time since I’ve met her, I’m so conflicted about our situation.

“I don’t pretend to understand how things are done on your planet, but it seems to me that no matter who you work for or what job you sign on to do, your life still belongs to you. Even if it can only be what you choose to feel in your heart.” The small, sad smile on her face conveys how she feels. I don’t know if she’s sad about the prospects of my future or hers, but she’s insightful in a way that tempts me to follow the storm of emotions rampant inside of me. “Sorry, I should keep my mouth shut.” She seems nervous again, something I’ve come to realize happens quite often when she thinks she has said more than she should. Or maybe it’s just her reaction under my heated gaze.

“You look beautiful when your face turns this pink color,” I say, reaching over to touch her. “You were treated well?”

“What?” she asks, unable to follow the quick change in my thoughts.

“Did the Salthu treat you well while you were their captive?” My fingers trail down her neck, inspecting the skin looking for bruises or marks that would indicate they were less than honorable with her. She trembles under my touch.

“Oh,” she says, clearly flustered by my attentions. “It wasn’t pleasant by any sense of the word, but it could have been a lot worse.”

“You have a faint bruise here on the side of your face.” I trace the bruise with my fingers, careful not to touch too closely for fear that I’ll hurt her.

“It’s nothing.” She takes my fingers in hers and relaxes, a deep breath quietly escaping her beautiful lips. “Honestly, I was terrified that I was going to be sold and no one would ever be able to find me again.”

“That would never be your fate. Besides, if you hadn’t gotten out of there yourself, I would have come in after you.” Now that I have her back in my arms, I can’t stop touching her. It’s calming to be able to feel her and know she’s safe.

“It does seem that you’re my knight in shining armor.”

“What is that?”

“It means you were coming to rescue me.”

“Oh. Yes, that is true. I am your knight.”

“And now you’re feeding me and keeping me warm.”

Suddenly the air between us is charged with sexual tension. Her hand is still holding mine but her fingers are slowly rubbing seductive circles over my skin. Her touch moves through my body and awakens feelings that have been dormant since I joined the guard.

“You make me feel safe,” she continues. I can’t think straight. The boundaries that we set are becoming harder and harder to follow. Right now I can’t even remember why we decided to keep things professional between us.

In the next moment, I don’t know if she moves first or if I do but we close the distance between us. When my lips touch hers, everything disappears except for the softness of her mouth and the warm tingle that travels to my cock. I’m instantly hard, my cock straining against my pants.

Her warm tongue slides between my lips and teases me, bringing out the animal inside. Our tongues slide together, twisting and tasting each other’s heat. Without breaking the kiss I reach for her jacket, searching for the zipper. Her hands find it for me and she unzips her coat, slipping her arms out.

The image of her naked underneath me threatens to make me lose control too quickly. So I pull away and spread the blanket out next to the fire. Without hesitation she pulls her shirt over her head and unclasps her bra from behind her back.

“Now we’re even,” she says. It takes a second for me to realize that she’s talking about the fact that we’re both topless.

“I’m more than happy to lose if this is a contest.” I reach for the button on her pants and quickly undo them. She lays down on the blanket and lifts her hips so I can pull her pants down. I strip her bare and relish the sight of her beauty as she is spread before me. “Let me see your cunt again,” I say, my voice so full of want and desire that it sounds strange to my own ears.

She spreads her legs before me and the scent of her arousal encompasses me, making me wild with the need to mate her. Her pussy lips are swollen and wet, shining with her desire for me. It makes me want to puff out my chest with pride. Such a beautiful female and she wants me.

“You want me, don’t you?” I ask. Before she can answer I slowly slide my finger over her swollen folds, making her gasp and tense her fists into the blanket.

“Yes,” she says, her voice a mere breathy whisper. “I want you.”

I don’t make my mate beg. She will never beg for what she needs. I will give it freely and with pleasure.

Using my tongue, I flatten it and lick her from her core to her clit, savoring the taste of her arousal in my mouth. Her hips buck against my mouth and she moans again, searching for more friction where she needs it most.

“Don’t worry, my beauty. I will give you whatever you want.” I lick her slowly along her sensitive nub just how she likes it. “What else do you want?”

Her hands caress the back of my head while she holds me to her. “Take off your pants. Let me see all of you.”

It’s hard to pull myself away from her inviting cunt, but I want to do everything that will make her happy. I stand before her, looking down at her while I grab the waist of my pants and pull them down. My cock bobs freely before her.

She reaches down with the fingers on her hand and slowly rubs her pussy while she stares at my body with desire creating a haze in her eyes.

“Do you touch yourself, Lodyn? Show me how you like to be touched.”

She has no idea how close I am to spilling my seed all over her. She doesn’t know that I haven’t been with a woman for over a year and that there’s nothing I want more right now than to push my cock inside of her and form our mating bond.

I reach down and take my cock in my hands, squeezing it from the base to the tip. My eyes hold hers as she watches me touch myself. Her legs are spread wide below me with her fingers rubbing relentlessly on her clit. I take the pre-cum off of my tip and use it to lubricate my shaft, savoring the exiled pleasure so long forgotten by my body.

“Don’t make yourself come,” I tell her. “I want to be the one to make you come.” Her fingers slow and she nods her head subtly. I pump my cock a few more times with my fist before I release myself and crawl back on the ground next to Margo.

Her arms go around my neck and she pulls me close, crushing her lips to mine again and pressing her naked body against me. One arm wraps around her while the other hand explores every inch of her body. I cup her heavy breast in my hand, massaging the erect nipple with my fingers. I savor the smoothness of her skin, especially the skin on her inner thighs. She’s wet with her arousal and she’s soft and warm. I can’t stop myself from pushing my finger inside of her.

“Oh God, Lodyn. You feel so good. I need to feel all of you inside of me.”

Those words are the sweetest to my ears but I’m still conflicted and want to show constraint. “We should not. I will make you feel good in other ways.”

“It’s just us Lodyn. No one else ever needs to know.” She runs her hands over my body and takes my cock in her hand, squeezing its girth, reminding me of the pleasures that are within my grasp. “Please, Lodyn.” She sounds as if she’s begging me now and above wanting to stay true to my oath, I want to take care of my mate and give her what she needs.

I’ll never make her beg.