Daegon: Alien Warlord's Conquest (Scifi Alien-Human Military Romance) (10 page)

That answer seemed to be enough for Daegon. The warlord's thrusts became harder, almost painful, if Zoey hadn't been long over the threshold of pain. She screamed in pleasure as he pounded into her, every nerve ending in her body tense in waiting. The orgasm approached with such force that Zoey felt herself drown in it, lose all sensation but the ability to experience the absolute ecstasy Daegon was giving her.

When his hand slipped back between her legs, rubbing her clit, Zoey was lost. She could only bear that for a few seconds before her climax hit with a force that made her entire body shake in the torrent. She cummed, calling his name, tearing at the sheets beneath her as she fought to not lose one second of the best thing she'd ever experienced.

She could hear Daegon pant behind her, the way his deep voice broke and his hands started to slip on her skin. There was a word there, somewhere, sounding like her name, but Zoey was too far gone to make sense of anything. She
did
feel Daegon cum inside her, his hot seed spilling into her pussy, filling her, but it had taken the last of her strength. The orgasm had torn through her, sending delicious aftershocks through her limbs until she fell to the bed, utterly spent.

After a long moment, Daegon pulled out and lay down beside her, the first real smile on his face as he looked at her. Unable to move a muscle, Zoey merely stared at the way he combed his fingers gently through her messed up hair.

"You are so beautiful," he said quietly.

His tone said everything even if his words did not, but Zoey didn't need him to spell out what she already knew. She saw it in his eyes, because the same reflected in hers – even if she had no idea how she could have fallen so fast, so hard and so hopelessly in love with him.

T
he night
with Zoey had been like a dream.

And like all dreams, it ended with the morning. Daegon opened his eyes to find her still sleeping, naked and curled up in his arms. He took a moment to slowly trace his fingers over her peaceful form, hating the fact that he had to wake her soon. In the distance, even through the doors to his quarters, he could hear alarms blaring.

No contact yet, or he would have been told. Then, the alert would have been deafening, reaching even his personal rooms.

Instead, they told him the
Wraith
was catching up with the Yemalan and the traitor.

Very soon, he would have to leave her side. It was a first for Daegon – to be reluctant to go to battle. He was a Corgan warrior, born and bred for this sort of thing. Now, with the coming of Zoey, he finally had someone to protect, something to lose.

There was no question in his heart, but it didn't make it any easier. He would go and do his duty, to the chieftain, and more importantly, to all Corgans. But the fact he had to leave Zoey to the
Wraith
, under the protection of his warriors, was ruining his mood.

The bed was still messy from their fucking. They'd both been too exhausted to begin making it, so the evidence of their passion was everywhere. He could still see where Zoey had grasped the sheets, tearing at them in her mindless desire.

Daegon wanted it to be like that forever.

"Zoey," he said gently, trying to at least give her one moment of peace before she realized what was happening.

And there, the sleepy smile she greeted him with was the single most gorgeous thing he'd ever witnessed. It was gone in the next moment when Zoey properly woke up, recalling that the day had come.

"It's happening?" she asked. "I can hear sounds from outside. Are we there?"

"Not yet," Daegon replied, slowly caressing her cheek, brushing her long black hair out of the way. "Those are proximity alarms. They mean the
Wraith
has the enemy in sight. Figuratively speaking."

Zoey nodded. In the days they'd spent together, Daegon had come to love her spunk, the way her fierce spirit refused to give up or admit defeat. The way she'd insisted on learning how to fight, how to defend herself, knowing it was more than likely to be hopeless... She was amazing to him.

And so very fragile.

"I should go," Daegon said, shaking his head clear.

It wouldn't do to dwell upon things that
might
happen. It wasn't the way Corgans worked. They had a goal in sight and they worked towards it until the end. He wouldn't lose Zoey before he actually did, and he wasn't willing to let that happen until he had any strength left in his body.

"I should take control of the bridge and see what the situation is."

"Can I come with you?" Zoey asked at once.

Before he could protest, she pressed on, "Please. I haven't left these rooms for days now. I know you'll be going away and I have to stay here. Just for now, don't keep me in the dark."

Daegon considered that. There was a nugget of truth to her words, even if he hated the idea of having Zoey really see what they were up against. During the pursuit, constant information had been forwarded to them. He had been wondering how Arboc and his clan intended to reach Poural, but the answer was simple.

They were already there.

Having an entire clan suddenly show up would have seemed a little odd to the guard that the chieftain must have left behind. But Arboc wasn't a fool by any account. Daegon didn't know what he planned, but he had to go by the worst-case scenario – that he'd be facing an entire clan as well as the Yemalan.

But the look in Zoey's eyes was too much for him to bear. He couldn't imagine what it had to feel like, to stay locked up like that. It was an imprisonment that was in her own best interests, but Daegon had quickly come to loathe making her sad.

There was no threat yet, no one on board who would want to harm her. So no real reason why he couldn't give in to this one wish.

"Very well," he agreed. "But you have to return to my rooms as soon as I leave. I'll lleave some of my best warriors here to protect you."

The bright smile that had dawned on Zoey's face when he said yes was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"Shouldn't you have your best with you?" she asked, getting up and dressing in the suit Daegon had brought to her.

It was a better fit for war than her robes – even if they did hide her body from his gaze – in that Zoey was able to carry basic supplies and the equipment of a Corgan warrior. It had a gun belt and other things she might find handy in combat, if by any chance she found herself in it.

Something Daegon was going to do his best to avoid.

"I will," he assured her, donning his dark armor. "I can spare a few."

She looked ready to argue, but he cut in before she could say a word.

"I need to focus down on the surface," he said. "Don't argue about this. I can't lose you."

Her deep green eyes shone as she looked up at him, nodding mutely. They were both dressed now, ready to face the war ahead. Zoey had put on the stolen glove and had her gun on her hip. Daegon finished his preparations by strapping the twin blades to his back.

She kept her silence until they reached the door. There he felt a small tug on his arm and turned to catch Zoey in his arms again, like the night before. She pressed herself against him and he tried not to notice how hard her body shook. When she raised her eyes to him, they were wet, but her expression was defiant.

"Don't die," she ordered firmly. "I can't lose you either. I... I think I'm in love with you."

The words were better than any shield he'd worn. They steeled his resolve to survive and win like nothing else. The beautiful creature in front of him that had flipped his life around had also given him the ultimate weapon. Nothing the enemy had could match that.

"I will come back for you," he swore. "I love you, and I won't let anything come in our way."

Her smile was exactly the answer he needed. Daegon kissed her, gentle and loving, unlike the passionate, lust-filled ones they'd exchanged before. He could feel Zoey pull herself up by the clasps of his armor. For a long moment, he held her in his firm embrace, unwilling to let go of her, ever.

Then they left his quarters and made for the bridge. Daegon tried to focus on the upcoming battle, but it was difficult. The enemy had wanted Zoey for execution. There was no way of knowing they wouldn't try again. But it wasn't like he could take her with him to the surface.

All the choices were bad. He had to trust that fate wouldn't bring Zoey to him for only a moment just to snatch her away in the next. That would have been crueler than any defeat.

T
he bridge was
in turmoil when they got there.

Most of the main screens showed Poural up ahead, already in viewing distance. The planet was gigantic and one of the most prosperous worlds under Corgan rule. Nadar Brenger had always taken good care of it, even after he became the chieftain and all the worlds technically belonged to him.

With Gaiya needing the most attention and his new bride loving it there, he had rarely been back. Daegon figured that was one of the reasons Arboc and the Yemalan had dared to attempt such a ridiculous campaign.

The monitors were beeping loudly, signaling incoming messages from the scout fighters and the readings of the
Wraith
itself. Next to him, Zoey was watching it all unfold with wide eyes, but he didn't see any fear.

"Report," Daegon ordered, turning to the bridge crew.

Captain Tuval appeared by his side immediately, a deep frown on his face. For a second, he seemed to hesitate, but then the Corgan blood in him took over.

"Which do you want first, lord?" he asked. "Bad news, worse news or the worst."

Daegon glared while Zoey's green eyes flashed with concern. She said nothing, but he could feel the terror suddenly emanating from her.

"Go from bad," he growled. "And if the worst is something I should have been told sooner, I will have your head."

Captain Tuval nodded, accepting the terms as was proper.

"The bad is that we have been unable to reach the guard units on the surface," he said. "They are either already dead or incapable of answering."

Daegon nodded grimly. Unsurprising, but inconvenient. It meant he couldn't rely on their support nor even on the guards' willingness to help until they met down on Poural's ground. The warlord considered it unlikely that the guards wouldn't want to aid him, since they were Nadar's and the world under attack was their home planet, but one couldn't make such assumptions in war and expect them to hold.

He would consider the guards out of the picture until he could decide otherwise.

"We always counted on being alone," he said out loud. "Continue."

"It is as you and the chieftain suspected," Tuval went on. "It's Lord Arboc and his clan. They're all here."

Again. Unsurprising, but not good.

Arboc's clan was one of the bigger ones. Under his rule, he'd constantly encouraged his warriors to be more ruthless and unforgiving. They were close to being fanatics, bent on keeping the old order and naturally opposed the chieftain.

Daegon didn't fear them, but they made for uncomfortable enemies. Brions, the bloodhounds of the Union, had a saying that your own kind was the worst enemy. Too familiar, too used to fighting your way.

Daegon agreed.

He would have added the reluctance to shed the blood of Corgans to it. Many of the warriors that Arboc led were young and impressionable. With time, they would see the error of their ways, but Daegon didn't know if they would get the opportunity to learn.

"And the worst?" he snarled, feeling as the day continually went downhill.

Now Captain Tuval glared, but not at him. The rage, the untamed hate burning in his eyes said much of what was to come.

"The Yemalan are hungry," he hissed. "They've never had a chance this good. A whole clan fighting with him. It's not just one war band, lord. We thought the other ships were meant to provide cover, but that wasn't it. They are here. They are
all
here."

He could hear Zoey's gasp, but Daegon didn't react. Captain Tuval had promised three bad things, and while he could handle the first two, the last one really was something. All of the Yemalan armies gathered in one place, that was an opponent even he wasn't sure he could take.

It didn't matter, but it changed the possible outcome considerably. That morning, Daegon's biggest concern had been Zoey. Now he wasn't sure if any of the people he'd brought with him on the
Wraith
would survive.

"Prepare to launch fighters and drop ships," he ordered.

Captain Tuval nodded, a grin on his lips. Daegon knew that look. It said the other warrior thought he was a dead man walking, but that he intended to take as many enemies with him as he could. Soon, Daegon would attempt to do the same.

He wondered if the traitor had the courage to face him. Nadar Brenger had been right – Arboc wasn't the type to die over pride, that was why he'd never challenged the chieftain himself. It was very likely that Daegon might die without ever meeting the man who'd orchestrated all of it.

The warlord refused to let that happen. If this was to be the end of his clan, he would take the traitor down with him. To save all the Corgans, and to save Zoey.

"
T
hey are
all
here
."

With no other reference to go by, Zoey merely stared at the two warriors. Captain Tuval's face was strained and furious, while Daegon's expression hadn't changed at all. He remained as stoic as he always was, except with Zoey.

She waited for him to respond, to say that it was ridiculous. How could one entire species gather around a single world? In the next second, the irony of that coming from a Terran hit her, but it didn't make anything better.

When Daegon ordered the clan to ready for descent to the surface, she truly panicked. They meant to go through with it. Even after it had turned out that the mission was nothing short of suicide.

"This is all the better for us," Daegon told the bridge crew. "If the Yemalan witness their defeat here, perhaps we will have less incidents in the future."

Zoey couldn't believe her ears. He was still talking like there was a way for them to win. The traitor Corgan clan alone was a lot to handle, but the Yemalan made the matter absurd. If the ground forces weren't able to help or had already died, they faced a crushing defeat.

Her mind was spinning with the implications. Daegon had told her about his conversation with the chieftain. She knew that everything balanced on the tip of a knife now. There were so many questions in her head, but on the other hand, she was aware the Corgans had none.

Daegon wouldn't back down, even if the entire galaxy were against him. And she didn't really want him to, because that would have meant that the enemy had won.

She wanted Daegon to succeed, and to agree with the chieftain about the Union. All of it seemed more impossible by the moment.

"Lord," Captain Tuval called from further away. "Union patrols."

The look on Daegon's face could almost have been called surprise. The warlord frowned, giving Zoey an odd look, but she was as taken aback as he was.

"How far?" Daegon asked, growling. "If we need to deal with them as well..."

As soon as he'd said that, a plan revealed itself to Zoey. A painful shot went through her heart and she felt her life shaking under her feet. There
was
a way for her to help, but Daegon would not agree. Nor approve.

She had to try, at the very least. How very Corgan of her – doing what needed to be done, even if she had no support.

"They must be looking for me," she said quickly, wondering if it was really true. "I'm high-ranked enough to warrant that. Palians have ships that could have caught up with us."

Daegon looked suspicious for a second, but then nodded slowly.

"I believe she is right," he said. "I'd thought it was odd that the Union took her absence so calmly."

Desperate to be able to help, Zoey went on, asking for the one thing she absolutely didn't want to do, "Let me go to them."

She saw something dark flash behind Daegon's eyes, but didn't address it. The bridge of his warship was not a place to start a relationship drama, even if Zoey ached to tell him she wasn't really leaving.

Instead, taking the second best option, she explained, "They are here for me, right? So surely they'd protect me. The traitor and the Yemalan want you, not the Union. The
Wraith
will be a target, but –"

"The patrol could keep its distance, yes," Daegon cut in, nodding.

His posture was still tense, but Zoey's lie had seemed to work. She felt her heart beat fast, hoping he wouldn’t see her true intentions until it was too late.

Then. Then he'll probably hate me.

The possibility was too horrible to consider, but Zoey said nothing, waiting. The alternative was so much worse, after all. If she did nothing, if she didn't even try to help, Daegon and his warriors would be slaughtered. There was no guarantee they wouldn't be even if she managed to convince the Union to help, but it would be proactive at least. Far better than sitting on Daegon's bed, caged and blind to his fate.

"Have transport prepared for her," the warlord finally ordered.

While Captain Tuval rushed to obey him, Zoey could see deep regret in his fierce blue eyes. She knew it hurt him to send her away, but he thought he was sending her to safety. Or at least whatever passed for that in the mess they were in.

Her pain over cheating him like that was much worse. Without a word, she walked by his side to one of the bays, where a small ship was waiting for her.

Daegon was almost like a different person, so utterly far from the man who had kissed her not so long ago. The promises of love they'd shared, the warmth, it seemed light-years away.

"I've sent a message to the patrol," Daegon said. "They know the shuttle is carrying you. I trust that they will let you board."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling her throat close up.

That was it. No way for her to know how he was doing until they met again. She reached out, and he closed his arms around her in an embrace. Zoey felt like it was a final goodbye, forcing herself not to say anything of the sort. If that really was the last time they ever saw each other, she wanted Daegon to remember her smiling and happy.

"I will come back," she promised, hearing the way her voice shook a bit. "I promise."

Daegon smiled, grinning like a true Corgan warlord.

"In this life or the next," he said. "We will be together again."

Zoey didn't think she could reply to that without her voice giving her away, so she smiled and stepped into the shuttle. The doors closed after her and the last she saw of Daegon was the warlord watching them take off.

H
er biggest fear
had been that the shuttle would be shot down, either by the enemy or the Union patrol. To her surprise, neither did, and Zoey landed safely on the deck of a large Union carrier.

Approaching, she'd seen the gathered ships. It wasn't an army, nothing close to it, but they
were
warships, all of them. She saw fighters and gunships and the main vessel, the
Defiant,
which was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

It could change the outcome of the war on Poural.

The Corgan ship left as soon as it had delivered her, reminding Zoey of the way the Union ship had dropped her off on the
Wraith
when she’d first met Daegon. Like that time, she was left standing alone on the deck until an officer approached her. The man saluted her – she outranked even the captain of the ship due to being a Union representative.

He had a weird expression on his face, however, and it took a moment for Zoey to realize that it was because of her clothes.

She had to suppress a guilty chuckle. Truly, she had to have been a sight to see. Donned in a Corgan uniform, equipped with alien guns and with a Yemalan glove as the cherry on top.

"Miss Swann," the man said. "It is good to see you alive and unharmed. We have been tracking you for days, but the
Wraith
has managed to shake us until now. Odd, for a Corgan ship. Come now, we must hurry."

He started to walk away and Zoey followed him. The markings on his uniform said that the man was a lieutenant. That was all fine and dandy for him, but she needed the ship's captain.

"We should leave at once," the lieutenant went on. "No Union vessel has been so far into Corgan territories. We are only here since the chieftain's wife somehow got the bastards not to shoot at us when we came after you."

Mara
, Zoey thought.
Saving the day again. She's a Terran too. I wonder if she sent help on purpose.

Thinking that made her instantly feel better. Mara James had been a Union pilot and knew that the ships were capable of waging war. More so, she probably had a hunch about how bad things were and how terrible the Corgans were at asking for help.

It was good then that Zoey had no intention of asking anyone.

"That is excellent," she said in her best ambassador voice, smooth but firm. "But I'm afraid we're not going anywhere. Take me to the captain."

The lieutenant's face showed his shock very plainly.

"Miss Swann," he began. "We are in enemy territory. This is not the time nor the place to stop. We were called to Gaiya soon after your abduction and given strict orders to retrieve you. That is our primary concern."

"Wonderful," Zoey said, marching on past him to where she knew the bridge to be. "Allow me to correct some things for you, if I may."

The lieutenant scrambled after her, a look of disapproval on his face, but Zoey didn't care. She would be seeing that expression a lot in the coming days and weeks, if she was lucky enough to survive the next hours.

"First of all, we are
not
in enemy territory," she said. "Corgans have declared no war against the Union and we haven't done so either. As the chief negotiator in this case,
I'm pretty sure of that
. Secondly, I thank you. You have successfully retrieved me, but I wasn't abducted. I was saved by Lord Daegon and now it's my turn to save him. Or help, at least."

Understanding dawned on the man's face at last.

"You want to get involved with whatever is going on there," he said, unable to hide his anger. "On that planet."

"Yes," Zoey said, "and I will."

"That is Corgan business," the lieutenant protested.

"It is ours too now," Zoey snapped back. "We are here. We see what's going on. I
know
what's about to happen. The chance to be ignorant has passed."

The man glared at her, but Zoey had stared death in the eyes, and a lieutenant's wrath was nothing compared to that.

"They are not Union members," the man emphasized. "We have no obligation to help."

Zoey stopped so suddenly that he nearly ran into her. Turning, she could see the man back away from her as she nearly shook with rage.

"
Yes
," she said. "And if everyone in the Union was like you, why would anyone ever join?"

She turned her back to him without waiting for a response and didn't stop until she reached the bridge. After a moment of explaining and realizing that she was the person they'd come after, the guards admitted her.

Moment of truth
.

Zoey knew that it wasn't the cowardly, annoyed lieutenant she needed to convince. Everything depended on who the captain of the patrol was.

The command throne towered before her and Zoey felt her heart soar when it turned and revealed a tall, thin man with large, lidless eyes and very pale skin. A Palian.

Before she could say anything, ask for any favors or play rank on him, the captain spoke, "I am Captain Eruit. I'm glad to see you in good health, Miss Swann. Now, brief me on the situation. This looks like a real headache from here."

Zoey felt hope for the first time in too many days.

"You will help?" she asked. "No questions asked?"

"I had plenty of questions," the captain replied calmly. "But you already answered all of them. I watched you on the monitors. And I agree. If we want someone to trust us enough to join the Union, we must prove ourselves worthy."

Zoey smiled, unable to put her gratitude into words. Luck, it seemed, was finally on her side – it had given her a Palian captain. Unlike other species in the Union, she thought, the nurturing, peaceful race was one of those that didn't actively ruin their collective reputation.

"Alright," she began. "So there are good Corgans and bad Corgans..."

A
few hours later
, fed and briefed and armored, Zoey sat in a rocking ship on her way to Poural. The conflict there had started even as she was talking to the
Defiant
's captain. It had pained her to delay, but Captain Eruit was right. If they really wanted to help, they needed to be prepared.

She told the captains of the patrol group everything she could think of, sparing no detail but her private time with Daegon. In the end, she was satisfied that they knew as much as she did.

Not all of them were thrilled about the prospect of dying for the Corgans, but most of them were Palians. Their unwillingness to let innocent people suffer reminded her of Corgans, with their reluctance to back away from a fight for what was right. So similar, and yet worlds apart.

Zoey still didn't know why she'd made them take her to the surface. Theoretically, she could have watched it all unfold with Captain Eruit on the
Defiant
. However, Zoey assumed that the Corgans wouldn't take the Union's interference well, even if they did come to help.

She needed to find Daegon and tell him, or one of his officers, at least. They'd messaged the
Wraith
immediately, of course, but it was practically impossible to relay it down to Poural.

Captain Tuval had tersely replied that the surface was already a battlefield. He didn't seem too happy when Zoey explained that the Union was there to provide support, but the Corgans didn't outright refuse them either.

That was a bad sign if there ever was any. If nothing else, it told Zoey how badly they needed aid.

And now she was about to go to the one place Daegon had told her to stay away from. Zoey waited for the landing, trying hard not to think of the warlord. It hurt too much, to know he would have been furious had he known what she was up to.

At least the messages broadcast over the drop ship were optimistic. It seemed that Daegon's clan had mostly figured out the Union wasn't attacking them but their now mutual enemy. Zoey hoped that the rest would go as smoothly. Ideally, the two would work together to bring Arboc and the Yemalan down, but in real life things were never that easy.

The landing happened with such a lurch she felt her hasty lunch coming up. Stumbling, Zoey stepped onto Poural's ground for the first time.

Her guards didn't even have the opportunity to warn her, not to mention save themselves. Like a storm, a single figure with gleaming blades cut them down where they stood. Zoey raised her gun and shot, but the enemy dodged faster than she could
see
,
and in the next moment, she found her legs kicked out from under her.

Looking up, she saw hateful eyes staring down at her. And a telltale scorched mark on the warrior's neck.