CodenameAutumn (2 page)

“To my quarters. It’s much closer than the infirmary.” His
expression was bland, but she hadn’t imagined the sexy deepening in his tone.

She hurt too badly to argue. If she had to give in
eventually, why not start at the top? The flippant thought didn’t soothe her
anxiety, but the throbbing in her back made it irrelevant.

He went down on one knee and motioned her forward. She
hesitantly straddled his bent leg and crept closer. When her nipples grazed his
chest plate, she wrapped her arms around his neck and carefully sat down. The
coolness of his armor soothed the enflamed skin on her breasts and bottom, and
a dark, spicy scent filled her nose. Was she smelling his shampoo or the man
himself? Unable to hold the distracting thought in her pain-muddled mind, she
took a deep breath and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Ready?” She gave a shaky nod and he stood. The position was
as close to tolerable as they’d found, and he moved immediately toward the
doorway. He gingerly cupped her ass, his hands lightly supporting. “What’s your
name?”

“Autumn. And yours?”

He chuckled, his stride lengthening. “General Ra’jen Noirte,
but you can call me ‘Sir’.”

Chapter Two

Ra’jen felt the girl tense against him. At least she
recognized his name. If she hadn’t been wounded, he would have released her and
sent her back to the embassy. But vicious welts crisscrossed her slender back,
the skin broken and oozing. He was relieved one of his men hadn’t done this to
her, though the fact didn’t diminish her obvious pain.

“So you run this base, or do you have several under your
command?”

Okay, maybe she hadn’t recognized his name. Silly fledgling.
He leaned in, allowing her hair to brush against his cheek. “I command them
all,” he whispered. He supported her with one hand while he scanned open the
door to his quarters. His movement triggered the lights and the door locked
behind him. Crossing the small living area, he went into the adjoining bedroom.
“Do you need to kneel or can you sit? The bed is relatively soft.”

“Just set me down and I’ll figure it out.” Her voice was
tight and unsteady, her delicate features revealing her discomfort. He
carefully eased her onto the bed and stepped back as she let go. As soon as her
entire weight rested on her ass she groaned. “I think I’ll stand.” She pushed
to her feet, but her legs wobbled beneath her.

“I’m going to touch you, so don’t panic. I won’t hurt you.”
Why was he explaining himself to an ambassador? He never explained himself to
anyone. People obeyed his directives without question or complaint. So what was
different about this girl? No, she wasn’t a girl. Vulnerable and helpless, yes,
but she was definitely a woman.

He grasped the back of her neck with one hand, ensuring she
didn’t jerk away. She pressed her calves against the side of the bed and locked
her knees. Her body still swayed, but it was the best they could do in her
present condition. He curved his fingers over her shoulder and slid his hand
slowly downward, pushing energy into her body as he went. He wasn’t familiar
enough with her physiology to actually mend the damage. Instead, he inundated
her cells with energy, accelerating their ability to recover. Her skin warmed
beneath his palm and she shifted restlessly.

“Don’t move.” He didn’t temper the command, couldn’t split
his focus.

She immediately stilled and he covered her right breast,
trying to ignore how perfectly the soft globe fit his palm. Her nipple hardened
and she shivered. Both reactions were common, and the longer he lingered the
more he wanted to squeeze. He moved his hand to her other breast, frustrated by
the distraction. They were breasts, for Creator’s sake. He’d seen breasts
before, touched them and sucked them. This should not be diverting his
attention.

The discoloration faded, leaving perfect milk-white skin,
crowned with tight red nipples. Nipples his thumb longed to stroke and his
tongue wanted to tease. He forced his gaze away from her breasts and swept his
hand lower. Her abdomen quivered as the heat intensified.

Carnal hunger joined the healing warmth and his cock
hardened, expanding painfully within the confines of his armor. Why was he reacting
this way? Healing fire had never turned him on before.

Perhaps it had nothing to do with his task. Maybe he just
wanted to bury himself inside her warm body and fuck until they both lost track
of reality.

He healed her abdomen then returned his gaze to her face.
She stared at him with an intriguing combination of fear and wonder.

“You look like a warrior elf. I should have realized you
could heal.”

“A warrior elf?” He smiled, charmed by her unexpected
candor.

“All you need is pointed ears.”

He turned his head, displaying the rounded shape of his ear.
“Sorry to disappoint you. Lie down.”

She crawled onto his bed, the only woman he’d ever allowed
there, and turned her face toward him, resting her cheek on her folded arms.
Her body was long-limbed and softly curved, her hair a riot of dark red curls.
Autumn indeed. Every color of a harvest sunset had been captured in those
silken strands.

Unlatching his armor as he crossed the room, he opened the
chest plate and pulled his arms out of the sleeves. Then he hung the top half
of his armor on the metal stand in the corner. He left his boots on and removed
the leg encasements, snapping them around the lower section of the stand.

He rolled his shoulders, enjoying the cool air as it wafted
across his overheated body. Formfitting yet flexible, the garments he wore
beneath his armor were designed to protect his skin without limiting his range
of motion. Would she notice his erection, or was she too distracted by her pain?

“Where have you been that you needed armor?”

He glanced at his guest and a long strand of his hair
swooshed across his face. He finger-combed it back, not taking time to rework
his queue. “I’m the military head of the Protectorate. I seldom leave this room
without armor.”

“That many people want you dead?” There was no malice in her
question or in her sky-blue eyes.

“Advancement within the Protectorate often involves
assassination.”

“If you’re head honcho, can’t you change that fact?”

He wasn’t sure why her question annoyed him, but he bristled
anyway. “Shall we talk politics, or would you like me to heal your back?”

“Sorry. The trainers warned me not to ask too many
questions.” She turned her head, resting her chin on her arms as she gazed
straight ahead.

Regretting his hasty words, he crossed to the bed and sat.
She inhaled sharply then blew out her breath in a slow, steady hiss.

“I must touch you again. It can’t be helped.”

She nodded but didn’t make a sound.

He started with the backs of her thighs and worked his way
up her body. Her ass cheeks healed quickly but his fingers lingered, savoring
the velvety texture of her skin. “Was this really your first assignment?” His
gaze focused on the black lace protecting her folds. He wanted to stroke her,
push his fingers inside her and feel her come. It had been years since… No, he
couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman this badly.

“I just completed training.”

Moving his hands to the small of her back, he ignored the
possessive hunger building within him. He shouldn’t care that her career as a
prostitute had not yet begun. It made no difference to him if she’d fucked half
the men on this planet. She flinched and whimpered as he paused over an
especially deep laceration. He lightened the pressure of his hand but increased
the flow of energy.

“What made you decide to join an embassy?” She needed a
distraction from the pain, and he needed to think about something other than
her soft, supple body.

She scoffed. “Like any of us has a choice. I was cycled out
of the training camp three months ago, so it was one of the Atlantic
refineries, a breeding lab or one of the embassies. Which would you have
chosen?”

“A refinery,” he muttered, using both hands on her back.

“Because ambassadors are whores?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. Men are so quick to criticize us, but
the embassies would go out of business if it weren’t for their customers. There
were more men in that room tonight than women. Are you going to try and
convince me you’ve never fucked an ambassador?”

He hadn’t, but he didn’t argue. The absence of pain would
either unleash a burst of energy or make her sleepy. Judging from her
stillness, he’d bet on sleepy. He swept his hands from her shoulders to her
waist over and over until the last mark faded from her skin.

She didn’t stir when he stood and walked into the bathroom
and only murmured when he wiped the smears of blood from her skin. She was
right. He had no reason to label her a whore when he was responsible for her
dire circumstances.

Tossing the soiled washcloth into the sink in the bathroom,
he washed his hands then scanned open the locked compartment containing his
supply of the compound. Each dispenser held seven doses and each person was
issued the appropriate number of dispensers to last for three months. The
dispensers were small enough to tuck into a pocket or purse, but most chose to
keep them safely locked away. The compound was ruthlessly controlled by the
Gathosians and no one wanted to endure the interrogation and examinations
necessary to have their supply replaced.

He swiped the top of the dispenser with his thumb and a thin
square of film rolled out of the tiny slot. Any liquid would dissolve the film,
so the compound could be added to a beverage. Most people simply placed it on
their tongues and let it dissolve in their mouths.

A slightly spicy flavor crept across Ra’jen’s tongue as the
film dissolved. The irony never failed to annoy him. The Gathosians had
disguised their chains and shackles as a tiny, pleasant-tasting square of film.

The energy he’d expended to heal Autumn had left him jittery
and her body was still working overtime to repair the damage. She might seem
relaxed, but without a supplemental dose, withdrawal would doubtlessly claim
her before morning. His rank allowed him to cut through most bureaucratic red
tape. Even so, he had to be extremely careful when it came to the compound.

With the dispenser clasped in the palm of his hand, he
returned to his bed. She’d rolled to her side and drawn one leg up. The
position offered him a glimpse of one soft breast and highlighted the sleek
line from waist to ankle. Her hair fanned out across his pillow in gleaming
auburn waves. He’d encountered so many species during his service to the
Gathosians that they had begun to blur. So why did he find this one human so
damn fascinating?

He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his knuckle across the
crest of her cheek. “Autumn.” She murmured beneath her breath but didn’t open
her eyes. He dispensed a square of the film, balancing it on his thumb as he
traced her lips with his other hand. “Open your mouth. This will make you feel
better.”

Her lips parted and he pressed his thumb against her tongue,
waiting until he felt the film dissolve. She made a distressed sound and he
quickly withdrew his thumb, not wanting her to wake up enough to bite him.

“What did you…? I taste the compound.” She pushed up with
one elbow, her expression tense and suspicious. “Why did you dose me?”

“We both needed a little extra. Healing is hard work.” He
reached down and pulled the sheet up over her delectable body. She was far too
tempting and right now she needed rest. “I can occasionally supplement my
supply without drawing too much attention. I’m pretty sure you can’t say the
same.”

She pressed the sheet to her chest and didn’t argue, but
suspicion still shadowed her gaze.

“Get some sleep. I’ll return in an hour or so.” He left
without further conversation and headed toward the cluster of offices across
from the briefing room. The entire building was unusually quiet which didn’t
surprise him. He’d returned two days early and caught his men with their pants
down, literally.

It was not that he begrudged them the pleasure, but
ambassadors were not allowed on base. The men were supposed to fulfill their
needs during their free time and at one of the embassies.

After a perfunctory knock, he pushed open the door to Ethan
Dorsey’s office. The guilt in his lieutenant’s dark gaze made it obvious he’d
participated in the fuck-fest. “Who made the arrangements and who footed the
bill?”

“Beta Team brought in their quota ahead of schedule and
under budget.”

“I didn’t ask why. I asked who.”

Ethan leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Ulrick Brant.”

“Bastard. He never misses an opportunity to undermine me.”
Without further discussion, Ra’jen left the office and headed for the civilian
side of the complex.

* * * * *

A faint beeping drew Autumn back to awareness. She rolled
onto her back and sighed. No hint of discomfort remained after her warrior elf
healed her. In fact she felt surprisingly rested. With a light tap, she
activated the tiny transceiver snuggled in her ear canal. “Autumn here, go
ahead.”

“Where are you? Are you all right?” Celinna’s worried tone
burned away the last of her lethargy.

“I’m fine, now. Rebecca modified the velvet whip then left
me there bound and gagged when everyone took off.”

“I sent the shuttle back for you as soon as the others
arrived. He’s still outside the gate. Get your ass out there.”

“I’m not sure I can.” She crawled off the bed and tried the
door. “No, it’s locked.”

“Where are you?” she asked again.

Celinna was the head trainer, second only to Madam Belietta.
Would they be angry or thrilled with her predicament? There was only one way to
find out. “I’m in General Noirte’s quarters.”

“Oh my God. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. He’s been frighteningly civil.”

“Did he fuck you?” Belietta’s sharp voice came across the
link. The madam was always direct and focused on the bottom line. Profits.

“Not yet.” She looked around the living area. Everything was
neat and organized, but there was no sign of the general.

“Is he with you now?” Celinna asked.

“Obviously not or she wouldn’t be talking to us,” Belietta
pointed out with characteristic impatience. “You give him whatever he wants for
as long as he wants it. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, but what if he won’t tell me what he wants?” She
closed her eyes and fought back the chilling dread that always accompanied
thoughts of her first customer. Even as attractive as she found Ra’jen, she
wasn’t sure she could fuck him for money. She had no choice. Pleasuring members
of the Protectorate ensured her safety and survival. “Who does he usually
request? Do you have any idea what he likes?”

“That’s just it,” Belietta muttered. “You’re the only girl
he’s ever shown any interest in. His men assure me he’s not gay, but he won’t
touch any of the ambassadors.”

“Until now.” Autumn could hear the smile in Celinna’s voice.
Celinna had taken a special interest in Autumn, had insisted she had that
unique quality that would attract their wealthiest customers. Belietta had
reluctantly allowed Autumn to participate in the fuck-fest, but she intended to
charge her first real customer an exorbitant fee.