Chapter Twenty-Four
Jax
D id Thanh realize that she could never go back to the Gex-Corps now? They’d see her and Lorac as nothing more than oddities to be examined and experimented with. Had I ruined her life twice? Once when I couldn’t fix her shuttle, and now because of this stupid mission?
I didn’t have those answers because the moment Thanh and I stepped from the umbilical onto Narrou, there was another shock waiting for us.
A tall Alien male with bronze skin, etched in golden markings and gold and black eyes, stood beside Mother. His pitch black hair was long and tied back into a tight que, revealing pointed ears. His uniform was black with gold trim, and it looked like it had been freshly pressed, which matched the stiff posture of the male and the way he looked his nose down at me.
“So,” his deep, clipped voice rumbled, “this is the Zorestran I’ve been chasing. Incredible that you managed to elude me for so long.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Yeah, I was wearing shorts that were basically very tight leather underwear. And yeah, I smelled like burnt hair and blood, and I was not in a good mood, but he was looking at me like I was some bug that had crawled onto his shoe and I didn’t deserve it.
“What the hell do you want with me?” I snarled.
“Jax,” Mother said, her tone filled with a warning, “I’ve had a parlay with Marshal Brahn, and we’ve come to an arrangement.”
“What kind of arrangement?” Thanh asked.
“The kind that will ensure you get the engine, but don’t use it,” Brahn said with a bored drawl.
“You know what?” Sherrod said brightly. “I think I’d like a shower and a glass of scotch. Oontash, would you care to join me?”
“Sure,” she shrugged, back to her real body, “I have a feeling I’m not really gonna care about this part of it anyway. Let me know when we’re ready to talk about the heist.”
Brahn watched them go, his lip curled in a look of judgment.
“Interesting crew you’ve assembled,” he passively critiqued.
“They’ll get the job done,” I replied. “Now, what’s this arrangement?”
“I’ll get right to it. We’ve been tracking your chrono signature.”
When I started to ask what the hell that was, he interrupted me with a tired tone as if he gets this a lot.
“It’s your impact on a particular part of any given timeline.”
“You just go around randomly tracking people’s future?” Thanh asked. “That’s pretty intrusive.”
“Not everyone’s, no. Just those that pose a significant threat to the well-being of certain time lines. And you, Prince Jax, pose a problem to this one, with regard to the engine. As a result, we’ve been attempting to capture and neutralize you. But, after you escaped us on Vector Seven, the timeline shifted and now, instead of stopping you, we must help you. That’s why I agreed to a parlay with Queen Teneras. You must succeed in acquiring the engine. And, once you do, you must give it to me.”
“No, I’m going to destroy it so no one can use it.”
His eyes narrowed and he took a menacing step toward us.
“You cannot destroy the engine. It belongs to the Thalanite Empire, and I intend to return it to the home world.”
“And how do I know that?” I asked, not flinching from the arrogant fucker. “You could be lying through your teeth just to get your hands on it.”
His grin was condescending and I was half tempted to punch it off his face.
“I have no reason to try and rebuild this relic, not when I have a more powerful device at my disposal. This particular engine you seek is from an older model that we have ceased to use, but it has…sentimental value to my people.”
“And it is a threat to mine. So I’m going to need some assurances that you’ll keep it out of the hands of anyone in this system if I give it to you.”
“I cannot give you those assurances, but I can tell you that letting me help you has the highest probability of keeping the engine out of the hands of the K’Tavi and the Pirate Federation.”
“Prove it. Show me this time line.”
Brahn chuckled and shook his head.
“I can’t do that, rules are rules. Though I’m sure to a pirate, that’s a rather hard concept to grasp.”
“Fuck off,” Thanh snarled at my side. “Do you have any idea what we’ve gone through to have a chance at getting this stupid thing? And now you’re just going to stroll in and take it while insulting us?”
Brahn’s gaze turned predatory as he took in Thanh. My hands clenched and a growl rattled my chest the longer he stared at her.
“You’ve bonded with a Celestial Dragon.” It was a statement, not a question from him. “That’s…interesting. The probability for success has increased now. But you will still need me.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “We’ve got a good enough crew.”
“Are you so certain?”
I wasn’t and I hated that this asshat obviously knew that.
“I’m not sure you’re the type to take orders,” I said, “and I’m not in the mood to fight with you for control.”
“Quite right. So I’ll give way to your leadership in exchange for the engine.”
“Oh, very nice of you, twat .”
His eyebrow quirked and it only pissed me off more that he seemed amused at the insult.
“What can you bring to the table?” Thanh asked. “Besides your sparkling personality.”
I snickered and gave her a high five. But Brahn didn’t seem ruffled at all, instead he chuckled and seemed to be thawing toward Thanh. It didn’t make me like him, if anything, I wanted to rip his arms from their sockets even more now.
“Excellent question, my dear. You’re obviously the brains of the operation.”
“And you’re growing on me,” Thanh said.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered, running a hand down my face.
“I know exactly where the engine is being held in the bank,” Brahn continued. “The structure is a maze, designed to confuse and draw invaders into traps. I know where they are and how to avoid them. As well as the quickest way to the vault. After that, you’ll need your shape shifting friend to neutralize the biometric locks to get the engine.”
I hated to admit that he hit on the one place we were weak in the plan, but it also felt far too convenient.
“How do you know this? The layout of the bank is a closely guarded secret,” Thanh said.
“I’m a time traveler, how do you think I know it?” he asked in a thickly patronizing voice.
“We need to discuss this,” I said.
“Fine. But just know that your chances of successfully stealing the engine drop to less than fifty percent without me.”
“That’s very convenient for you.”
“Not really. I tried very hard to avoid this eventuality. Working with you is not my idea of…professional. But it is the only way to make this successful. You will also have our ship as back up for Narrou in the event that others are there, vying for the engine. Which, is very likely.”
“Some of our other crew picked up chatter,” Mother added, handing me a tablet with a dozen different com transcripts. “The Justinians and Octavians are both planning on hitting the vault in three days’ time. They’re bringing some of their fleet and it looks like they’re not working together, but in opposition. We could have a skirmish on our hands, in addition to stealing from the bank.”
“Shit,” I muttered as I scrolled through the transcripts. “This is turning into a war.”
“And it’s going to be fought above Daedalus Five while all of us try to get our hands on the engine,” Thanh added.
“So you see,” Brahn said with a grin, “you need me.”
“Did anyone ever tell you that you have a very punchable face?” I asked.
“Many times, actually. But you are smarter than you look, and I know you’ll see it my way.”
I chose ignore Thanh’s coughing laugh at Brahn’s insult, and looked toward my mother. She gave me a slight nod, her way of indicating that she trusted what Brahn was saying. She’d been doing this long enough, worked with enough slick liars, thieves and con artists to know when someone was bullshitting her. If she thought this male was full of it, she would’ve told me.
Hell, she probably would’ve given him a one-way ticket out of an airlock. So the fact she didn’t, and that she allowed him to meet with me, means that she thinks he’s on the level. But she won’t subvert my decisions, I’m the one in charge of the job.
There was just one more person’s opinion I wanted.
“Give us a moment,” I said, and guided Thanh over to the entrance to the umbilical. “What do you think?”
She pressed her lips together and took a long breath.
“I think he’s an opinionated, arrogant ass that is not going to mix well with the group.”
“Yeah, obviously, but besides that?”
“If he does have the intel on the layout, we need that. And one more person on the team wouldn’t hurt. I do want to know why he’s so intent on getting the engine though.”
“It’s not like he needs it to time travel, right?”
Thanh and I glanced over at him. Mother was doing her best to distract him, but he kept his eyes on us, which made me uneasy. I turned my back to him and blocked his view of Thanh, just in case he could read lips.
“If the little bit we’ve seen from him indicates anything, the answer to that is ‘no’. I think we should take him up on this.”
“Agreed, unfortunately.”
We walked back to him but from the look on his face it was like he already knew what we’d say.
Of course he does, he’s a damn time traveler. This is going to be torture with this guy.
“Okay, you’re in. But, I’m in charge, you do as I say.”
“I wouldn’t dream of going against your orders.”
“Yeah, right,” I murmured. “There should be room for you to bunk on Narrou since Oontash is apparently bunking with Sherrod. We’ll meet tomorrow morning and discuss next steps.”
Brahn gave me a nod and actually did a little bow toward Thanh before following Mother to his quarters.
“This day is just full of surprises,” Thanh said with a little laugh.
And that brought me back to what happened before, the guilt and worry that she just threw away her life for me.
“Why don’t you two go change and get cleaned up,” Father suggested, coming from the infirmary. “I want to run some tests on the other Dragon, just a checkup, nothing invasive.”
“Um…I kinda —”
“Bonded with it?” he asked Thanh. “I figured. Teneras would like to discuss that with you at some point, just give you some advice.”
“I’d like that,” she said with a soft smile and then turned to me as my father went down the umbilical to Lorac. “I know you wanted to talk, but can I get out of these clothes first?”
I grinned and leaned down.
“Absolutely.”
“Not like that!” She smacked my bare chest but her eyes glittered with arousal.
Had she forgotten about our fight before we went down to the market, was that why she was flirting? Was her bonding to the ship a sign that she was going to stay here, with me?
It would be so much easier to just keep fucking her senseless and ignore all the questions, all the reasons why she was probably going to leave.
“Come on, there’s a hot shower with our name on it.”
I pressed my hand to the small of her back, even though I was sure that Thanh could find her way by now. I just wanted to keep touching her, for as long as she’d let me.
“How’s your head?” she asked when we got to our room.
“It hurts a bit, but I’m okay, really.”
Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth and she was staring at the cut by my hairline.
“I saw you go down and I…I thought about how we’d fought and that would be the last thing you remembered of me. It’s not what I wanted, any of it.”
“What do you want?” I whispered.
She took a deep breath, paced away from me and then back. Her cheeks were flushed, the pants of her silly outfit were pretty much reduced to shreds, and those shorts that made her ass so sexy were smeared with dirt on the back. There were also dirt smudges on her cheeks, and her hair was frizzy, but she’d never looked more beautiful to me. I ached to touch her, to hold her, to tell her that I needed her and would do anything to stay by her side. But I clamped down on all of that because I doubted Thanh was ready for it, if she even wanted it.
So I waited for her to finish pacing. Finally, she stopped in front of me and cleared her throat. There was a vulnerability about her that I had never seen before, and it gave me the stupidest thing: hope. I couldn’t help it, I cupped her cheek, ran my thumb along her cheekbone.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “Just say it.”
“Last time I did that we fought. We’re always fighting.”
“Yeah, but at least we don’t beat the shit out of each other like Althea and Zireth did.”
She laughed and nodded.
“Yeah, but only because I’m better at telling you off than hand to hand combat.”
“It cuts deeper, that’s for sure.”
My voice faded realizing what I’d said, and I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have —”
“No, it’s true. It’s why we both do it. Or why I did. I wanted to hurt you like I thought you’d hurt me.”
My heart stuttered in my chest and I started to really think that maybe I’d get to keep her. Maybe this wouldn’t end with my soul crushed.
“So you don’t think I did it?” I asked, barely able to get the words out.
Thanh shook her head, eyes wide and contrite.
“I don’t. I think…I think it was easier to believe what my father said than to find out if it was true. I was in so much pain and…I’m sorry, Jax. I should’ve looked into it.”
“I understand why you wouldn’t want to. It was a brutal experience. I just hope you know that I would never, ever hurt you like that.”
“I do, I…” she took a deep, shaky breath. “I trust you.”
My eyes flashed wide, breath caught in my throat. There had been little moments of trust. The hypo for her pain, touching her back. Those were treasures on their own. But this was bigger, rarer and precious. This was her whole trust, not just pieces of it.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. Those words were better than a thousand ‘I love yous, they were everything to me. I seized her mouth with mine, trying to imprint myself onto her so she could never get rid of me. Her fingers dug into the waistband of my shorts and yanked them down, but they didn’t quite clear my thighs.
“These are ridiculous,” she said, her lips against mine.
“So are these,” I said, having more success getting hers down her legs.
She was still tugging on my shorts as I easily untied her halter. I barked out a laugh at her grunt of frustration, and ripped my shorts down the center.
“Finally,” she breathed and fell to her knees.
Before I could think or move or do anything, her lips were wrapped around the head of my extruded cock. My eyes rolled back at the feel of her hot, wet mouth, the press of her tongue against my tip. But then her mouth disappeared and her hands slapped my thighs.
“Eyes on me like a good boy,” her grin was wicked, promising sweet torture. “Hands to your side. No touching unless I say.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Her dark eyes sparkled as she trained them on me, and I couldn’t have looked away if a bomb had gone off. She captivated me as she took me into her mouth, moaning around my shaft as if it was the best experience of her life. My hands clenched to keep from grabbing her hair and every muscle in my thighs and ass tensed as I tried to hold still.
Her small hand couldn’t even get around my dick, and she couldn’t take all of me into her mouth, but the first time I hit the back of her throat I thought I’d come undone instantly. She grinned around me, loving the fact that while I towered over her, she was the one in control. And then she worked me mercilessly. Fast and deep until I was panting, my balls starting to draw up and heat building at the base of my spine. But she backed off, and I grunted.
“Please…please, Mistress, let me come,” I begged after the second time she did this.
“Where do you want to come?” she asked, her lips brushing the head of my dick as she spoke.
For a moment my brain stalled. Where did I want to come? Fucking everywhere!
But I knew she would want something specific so I chose a particular fantasy of mine.
“May I come on your tits while I fuck them?”
Her eyes widened and she trailed a long lick up the entire underside of my shaft.
“Yes, you may.”
She didn’t say I could touch her so I restrained myself from picking her up and throwing her to the floor, but it was a near thing. Thanh rose in one elegant motion and swayed her hips as she made her way to the bed. It was rumpled from last night, the hint of our combine scent still in the sheets.
She laid down and crooked her finger.
“Lick between them,” she ordered, “then fuck them like you’ve imagined.”
“Is your back alright to take that?”
“It’s alright, not too sore.”
“Thanh, are you sure?”
She sat up and kissed me hard, forceful.
“I’m sure, now fuck my tits.”
“Yes, Mistress,” I followed her down to the bed and nipped a trail to her breasts. “You’ll tell me if it’s too much?”
“I promise.”
I cupped them in my large hands, relishing how full they were, how they filled my palms. My thumbs roughly brushed against her dark nipples, which were at diamond points. I couldn’t help it, I took one of them into my mouth and suckled hard. Her fingers tugged on my hair, pelvis pulsing up, searching for my cock.
“I dream of these,” I breathed against her nipple, “every time you’d walk around in civilian clothes that were tight, every time you were in the gym, I would be tormented with dreams of putting my cock between them and coming.”
I blazed a trail of biting kisses to the valley between them and licked and sucked until the skin was red and shining wet. Without stopping, I straddled her high up on her torso, careful to put no weight on her. At the same time, I slid my cock between her breasts, and Thanh held them tight together.
My mouth gaped in a silent moan as I started thrusting between them, but it wasn’t enough. I needed her to come undone too. I placed my hands where hers were and started thrusting harder, moving her up the bed a little each time. After that incredible build up, I was not going to last.
“Touch yourself,” I panted, “make yourself come.”
“This is…so fucking dirty.”
“And you love it.”
“I do…I love you fucking my tits.”
“It makes you so wet, doesn’t it?”
A groan rolled from her lips and she nodded.
It didn’t take long for either of us to get to the precipice of release. Her bow shaped lips opened on a silent cry, her eyes widened, hips writhing behind me. Seeing her close, knowing that she was getting off on being used by me, was addictive.
The words were on the tip of my tongue, to tell her what I felt, what she was to me, but I clenched my teeth as fire coursed up my spine and through my body. I roared, cum spilling, warm and copious, coating her breasts, and flowing over her collarbone, marking her as mine. A moment later she cried out, her hips bucking as she came on her fingers.
“Jax…Jax…” chanting my name, her free hand digging into my bicep.
I bent low and kissed her tenderly as she rode out the last of her release, shaking. I didn’t care that she was a mess, I gathered her in my arms and pressed her to me. Thanh covered my mouth with hungry kisses, her hands clutching me. It was frantic, desperate, like she was trying to make sure she didn’t get swept away.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
She sounded unsure, as if there was more she wanted to say, but was holding it back. I leaned away so I could look at her and what I saw made me feral. There were red marks from my teeth and hands on her skin, which was flushed and sweaty. But more than that, my come was on her chest and neck, some on her chin too. She was absolutely wrecked, made a mess of, and it was me that did it. I’d had some filthy, fun sex before, but none that stoked such a possessive fire in my soul.
Mine…mine…all fucking mine.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she whispered.
“Like what?” my voice was dark, rumbling in my throat.
“Like you want to eat me.”
“What a good idea.”
When I picked her up and started carrying her to the shower, Thanh squealed with laughter.