8. Atlas
ATLAS
The darkness in my head isn't just a void; it’s a living, breathing weight.
I’m back in the desert, the air tasting of sulfur and dry, choking heat.
The sound of a pinned-down soldier screaming for cover—a sound that has haunted every quiet moment of my life for years—tears through the silence, amplified a thousand times.
I’m running, but my boots are sinking into quicksand, pulling me down with every desperate stride.
Then, the explosion. A blinding, searing white light that wipes away the horizon, followed by the suffocating, heavy press of earth burying me alive.
I’m clawing at the dirt, my lungs burning as they fill with dust and grit.
I reach for a hand that isn't there, trying to pull someone out of the wreckage even though I know, with soul-crushing certainty, that I’m already too late.
The faces of the ones I lost are etched into the smoke, their eyes hollow, their voices repeating a single, agonizing accusation that I couldn't protect them. I’m drowning in the failure, the weight of their lives pressing down on my chest until my own heartbeat is the only thing I can hear, frantic and dying.
I bolt upright, gasping for air that refuses to fill my lungs.
My skin is slick, drenched in a cold, phantom sweat, and my heart is hammering a frantic, erratic beat against my ribs.
It takes me a second to realize where I am.
The room is dark, quiet, and Kienna is there, sitting up, her silhouette soft against the moonlight filtering through the blinds.
"Atlas," she murmurs, her voice a soothing balm against the jagged edges of the nightmare. She doesn't pull away. She leans in, pressing a hand to my chest, her touch grounding me until the remnants of imaginary mud washes away and I’m finally, fully back in my own skin.
I drag myself to the edge of the bed and drop my head into my hands, my body still trembling with the aftershocks of the vision. The familiar acidic feeling of of shame turns my gut. I’m a liability. A broken, useless machine.
Kienna moves closer, but I try to brush her away.
She doesn’t need to see me like this. I have to keep my distance to hide the wreckage, but Kienna doesn’t seem to agree.
She kneels on the floor directly in front of me, forcing me to look at her.
She captures both of my shaking hands in hers, her grip firm and unyielding.
The contact is electric, washing away the last of the demons. The quiet strength in her eyes is absolute.
"You’re here," she says, her voice low but steady, vibrating with a conviction that steals the breath from my lungs.
"You are safe, Atlas. And you aren't alone." She holds my gaze, repeating my own words back to me, but with a weight I never expected to hear. "You told me you’d be my anchor. But I’m here, too. I will be your anchor in this storm. I am the one person you can trust, and I’m not going anywhere.
You are not broken, and you are not in this alone. "
“Kienna, I… I failed so many people. No matter how many clients I protect as a bodyguard, it will never make up for the lives of the fellow soldiers I let slip through my hands.”
The angel of mercy in front of me lifts my hands and places the sweetest kisses over my knuckles.
“These hands held me through the most horrific night of my life. They comforted me when I discovered the horrible truth about my father.” She turns my hands over, kissing one palm and then the other.
“These hands are rough and calloused from the time spent serving your country, but with me, they are gentle and purposeful.”
“But, I–”
“I know you, Atlas. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I feel you. I don’t believe for a second that you failed anyone. You give one hundred percent to every mission, you are fierce, intelligent, and stubborn.”
A small, pathetic smile turns up the corners of my mouth. “Stubborn?”
“In the best way,” she confirms with a wink before turning serious again. “The point is, I know you would never leave a fellow soldier behind if it was in your power to save them. You didn’t take their lives, the cruelty of war did.”
She means every word. I can see it in the set of her jaw, the fierce loyalty in her eyes.
God, I don’t deserve her, but I’m keeping her anyway.
I still can’t quite accept her words of absolution, but for the first time since returning stateside, I want to heal.
I want to be a man worthy of Kienna’s pure heart and devotion.
With our hands still linked, she stands and pulls me toward the bathroom.
The silence between us is heavy, but it’s no longer the silence of shame—it’s the silence of understanding.
Kienna guides me into the shower, the water turning warm as she begins to wash away the sweat and lingering filth of the nightmare.
Kienna treats me with such tenderness, pouring soap into her hands and massaging my tense muscles.
I tilt my head back, letting her soft hands and healing touches sink into my being until I’m fully grounded, right here with my angel.
Taking the soap from her, I begin washing her delicate skin, mapping out every curve I’ve come to love in such a short amount of time. I love all of her, heart, soul, and body, and I can’t believe she’s mine.
“Kienna,” I whisper, cupping her cheeks in my hands. “Thank you.”
Her blue eyes lock onto mine, filled with pride that she could help. I want her to always be proud of who she is, but more importantly, I want her to know she’s worthy of love and praise for who she is, not what she does.
I lean in, brushing my nose against hers until our lips are an inch apart. I lick the water from her lips, then dive in, showing her how much she means to me with every stroke of my tongue. Kienna wraps her arms around me, pressing her body close to mine as we get lost in each other.
I groan into the side of her neck as I suck and nibble her skin, just the way she likes. She trembles as my mouth works up and down the slender column. I feel her hand slide down my abs and grip my cock, already hard for her.
“We don’t have to do anything,” I tell her, though my balls ache with the need for release.
“What if I want to touch you and feel you and remind you that you’re mine as much as I’m yours?” Those wide eyes blink up at me, and fuck, I can’t even think straight.
Kienna pumps her hand up and down my shaft, the movement agonizingly slow. I grunt as I buck my hips into her hand, trying and failing to keep my composure.
“Jesus, woman,” I rasp as she picks up speed, pausing to circle the sensitive head of my cock.
“Feel good?” the little temptress asks with a smirk on her face. She knows it does.
“Incredible,” I rumble out. “But nothing feels as good as being inside you.”
Her breath catches in her throat, and she nods, surrendering to my touch.
I kiss my way down to her perfect, heavy tits, nipping and licking every inch of her chest. Kienna gives me a soft moan, one that spurs me on as I suck on her nipples and scrape my teeth over the hard little peaks.
Sliding a finger up her soaking wet pussy, I circle her clit. Kienna’s knees shake and I hold her up, chuckling into her skin. “Love how responsive you are, angel. Are you ready for me?”
“Y-yes, pl-please…oh!” She cries out as I dip a finger into her entrance, still so tight for me.
“You’re not too sore?”
“No, ah…I’m ready, oh God, oh my God.” Her voice cracks as I continue to finger her slowly, building her up and then backing down when she’s close to the edge.
Her hand has stopped stroking my dick, she's so caught up in what I'm doing to her. It's probably for the best because I could come just from watching her writhe and melt in my hands, and I want this to last longer.
Kienna grips my biceps and rests her head on my chest, trembling and gasping for air. I love seeing her like this, so lost in lust, in pleasure.
I withdraw my hand and she whines in protest, giving me the cutest little angry face.
I can’t help but kiss her as I guide her back to the wall.
My hands slide down her luscious frame and grip her ass, lifting her up and pinning her to the wall.
Her legs automatically go around me, her arms loop around my neck.
Kienna moans so perfectly for me when she feels my cock rub up and down her slit, the head hitting her clit every time. “Please, Atlas, I can’t take any more, just please…”
“Please what, little love? Tell me what you want.” I thrust harder, faster, growling when I feel her pussy lips trying to suck me in. “Be a good girl and tell me what this greedy little cunt needs.”
She gets impossibly wetter, her pussy releasing more of her sweet juices as I talk dirty to her. I love that my angel gets off on my filthy words and praises.
“I need… Please… Oh God, fuck me, Atlas, fuck me so hard…”
I don’t waste another second; her words almost make me lose it. I find her entrance and shove my dick inside, hitting her deep and making us both cry out.
“So goddamn tight.” I still inside of her, relishing the way her pussy squeezes me and pulses around my hard shaft.
“You’re so big, God, you feel so good.” Kienna wriggles in my hands, her body letting me know what it needs.
Pulling almost all the way out, I slam back inside, my dick not wanting to be away from his new home any longer than necessary.
“Atlas! Yes…”
Her fingernails dig into the back of my neck as she pulls me down for a heated kiss. Kienna bites my bottom lip as I thrust into her, fucking her good and hard like she asked. I grind my cock deep inside of her sweet cunt before pulling out and thrusting back in.
She sucks my tongue inside of her mouth and moans around me, jerking her hips to meet me thrust for thrust. My hands grip her ass tightly, helping her slide up and down my cock.
“Atlas, you’re so deep like this. So good…”
I grunt in response, unable to say anything else. I’m so lost inside of her, words fail me. My spine tingles, my balls draw up tight, and I need her to get there with me.
As if sensing my impending orgasm, Kienna starts shaking, her pussy pulsing, throbbing, begging me to fuck her harder. Our bodies are in perfect sync as I piston in and out. She cries out, a desperate, aching sound escaping her throat. Or maybe that’s me, I can’t tell anymore.
We’re both grunting, fucking, kissing with wild abandon. My orgasm rips through me right as her pussy snaps. We’re coming together, screaming together, tensing and releasing together. It’s intense, primal, and so fucking perfect.
My legs give out as the last of my cum shoots inside of her.
Gently, I guide us to the floor of the shower, feeling our combined juices dribble out of Kienna’s pussy.
It makes me leak more cum inside of her, knowing I filled her up to the brim.
She’s going to have my babies, be my wife, and live right here with me forever.
I can see it all, hell, I can even taste the coffee as we sip it out on the back porch while our kids run around and tire themselves out.
Leaning up against the shower wall, I hug Kienna into my chest. She buries her head in my neck, her body completely limp and sated.
“You okay, love?”
She nods. “So good.” It comes out as a sigh, making me smile.
“Me, too, Kienna. Me, too.”
We sit like that until the water runs cold, and then I help her out of the shower and dry us off. As soon as I’m done, she takes my hand and leads me back into the bedroom, crawling under the covers.
Kienna curls up next to me, her head resting over my heart while I comb my fingers through her hair. It’s the most peaceful, beautiful, healing moment of my life, and it’s all because of Kienna.
Right as we're about to drift off to sleep, my damn phone goes off.
The harsh, mechanical vibration cuts through the room’s tranquility like a serrated blade, jarring Kienna against my chest. I move fast, snatching the device from the nightstand before the sound can fully shatter the moment.
A secure, encrypted notification flashes across the screen: Priority Alpha: Patch in.
I don't hesitate. I slide out of bed, the cool air of the room a stark contrast to the warmth I’m leaving behind, and tap into the Aegis secured network. Easton’s voice crackles into my earpiece immediately, sharp and devoid of any unnecessary preamble.
"Atlas. We just intercepted chatter from a Syndicate sleeper cell. They’ve finalized their tactical route. They’re planning an all-out, coordinated assault on your position. They’re moving fast, and they’re coming in heavy."
My stomach drops, not from fear, but from a cold, predatory focus.
I glance back at the bed; Kienna is sitting up, her eyes wide, watching the shift in my posture.
I don’t need to say a word for her to know the game has changed.
I start moving, my hands working on instinct to pull on my tactical pants, check the seals on my plate carrier, and clear the chamber of my sidearm.
"Understood," I reply, my voice low and lethal. I’m already checking the perimeter sensors and overriding the passive security protocols to prime the automated defenses. I’m not just going to defend this place; I’m going to turn the approach into a graveyard.
I don't care about the Syndicate’s assets, their hierarchy, or their endgame.
I only have one objective now. I am going to hunt them down and neutralize the threat before they even get close enough to catch a glimpse of the woman I’m sworn to protect.
Every piece of gear I strap on, every magazine I load, is a promise.
They can come for us, but they aren't getting anywhere near her.