Page 22 of Champion (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #6)

The sun began to fade, the buttery yellow light turning to pale white, signaling the shift from morning to afternoon.

Just a little after noon, in my estimation, and from the low rumble my stomach gave, time for lunch.

Charick sat against the headboard, propped up by pillows while I sat curled across his thighs, my arms wrapped around his neck, our lips playing over each other’s in a lazy, passionate dance.

Charick’s hand traveled the path along my spine over the curve of my ass, halting with an aggravated growl as a sharp rap came against the door.

I didn’t move from my perch, sending up a silent thanks to heaven that I’d had the foresight to don my shift. Charick, of course, remained gloriously naked under the blankets.

Zahavi entered first, the concern on his expression morphing into satisfaction when he saw his patient awake and involved in activities that would suggest a quick healing.

Adtovar followed, a steaming pot of stew and a loaf of bread in hand.

The rich, meaty aroma filled the room and caused Charick’s stomach to growl hungrily.

I couldn’t help but smile at the sound, taking it as a good sign of his healing.

Of course, the morning hours we’d spent wrapped in passionate lovemaking had also been a clear indication of his improvement. .. a much more enjoyable one.

“I am glad to see you are feeling better, my friend.” Adtovar approached the bed, setting the bowl of stew on the small table, nostrils flaring as his pale blue eyes crinkled with amusement.

It was easy to see that he’d guessed what Charick and I had been up to all morning, especially with how he grinned and winked at me.

Damn him. I bristled but couldn't help the smile that curved my lips.

Charick didn’t seem at all perturbed as he nodded to Adtovar and Zahavi. “Willa tells me I have you two to thank for my life.”

“Willa would have kicked my ass if I let you die,” Adtovar snorted. He wasn’t wrong.

With an arm around my waist, Charick shifted me slightly so he could raise his other hand, closing it into a tight fist before thumping his chest.

“You have my thanks and vow to repay the honor should the time come.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t... at least not until I get better medical equipment,” Zahavi huffed, waving Adtovar away from the side of the bed so he could check the bandage on my mate’s arm.

My mate. I was beginning to like the sound of that.

“This is looking much better,” the medic mused, pulling back the wrapping to reveal skin that appeared to suffer a second-degree sunburn after a week of peeling.

Charick grunted as though being tended was too much of a bother. Yet he stayed still while Zahavi slathered the wound area with a mint-scented gel and re-wrapped it.

“Willa said you hid the bodies of Malakal and the Zarpazian?” Charick asked Adtovar to avoid the silence while Zahavi worked.

“Cristox, Xabat, and I put the bodies in one of the deeper caverns underneath the escarpment, then covered everything with rocks. Hopefully, no one will find them for a while.” The only indication that Adtovar found the chore revolting was the slight narrowing of his eyes as he spoke.

“Was it Vreses?” Charick asked, his voice hard.

“I think so,” Adtovar grunted.

The best assassin in the universe, and my mate survived him. It made me proud. It also made me curious.

“Won’t Nansar be expecting the Zarpazian to check in with him?”

“I would expect so,” Charick mumbled, frowning as Zahavi tied the ends of his bandage in a tight knot.

“And when he doesn’t?” I pressed.

“Zarpazians aren’t the most honorable of species,” Adtovar strode to the small window, looking out, his face a mask of thought. “Hopefully, when Nansar can’t find his assassin, he’ll think he absconded with the money without doing the job.”

But what if he didn’t? What if Nansar figured out something happened to Vreses and came looking? Worse yet, what if he hired another assassin to finish the job? Personally, I considered this something we couldn’t leave to luck and chance.

Zahavi gathered his medical paraphernalia and returned it to the small cabinet in the corner of the room.

The cabinet, battered and old, was made of stained, cracked glass framed by even rattier-looking wood framed doors.

Yet the glass held enough gloss to reflect my image.

I took in the lift of my chin and the squaring of my shoulders before I spoke.

“I have an idea.”

“What is it, my heart?” Charick’s fingertips trailed along my cheek. So gentle, so loving. I felt myself go all hot and gooey inside.

“Why don’t we let Nansar think the Zarpazian succeeded?”

“And how do we do that?” Adtovar crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing with interest.

I took a deep breath. “I go to see Nansar as the shapeshifter.”

“Absolutely not!” Charick’s voice was close enough to a yell that Zahavi jumped. Although, honestly, he took it better than I thought he would.

“Why not?” I challenged.

“It’s too dangerous.”

Charick’s hands slid over my shoulders as though the very idea might somehow cause me harm.

“More dangerous than Nansar finding out I killed his assassin?” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest and issuing my best glare. A posture made less effective by the fact I sat straddling Charick’s thighs.

“No, absolutely not.” Charick glared at me, golden eyes simmering.

I rolled my eyes, groaning. “You’re being too damn overprotective.”

“I am protecting my mate,” Charick insisted.

“A mate that was and still is a soldier,” I shot back. “A solider that killed the Zarpazian I might add.”

“Now, children,” Adtovar groaned, his voice dripping with parental frustration.

On the other side of the room, Zahavi puttered about the cabinet, trying to avoid being drawn into the melee.

“Will you tell her how risky this idea of hers is?” Charick demanded.

“I agree. It’s risky,” Adtovar conceded. I was just about to call him a turncoat when he added, “But I think it’s a good idea.”

“What?” Charick grated, his expression darkening at my smug grin.

“Having Nansar search for the Zarpazian won’t do anyone any good, and you know that,” Adtovar said pointedly to my mate, drawing a grunt of acquiescence from Charick.

“And if he thinks Vreses is gone, what’s stopping Nansar from bringing in another assassin?

” I added drawing another reluctant grunt from Charick.

“But if he thinks Vreses has succeeded, it might buy us time to escape. Or at least find out how Nansar plans to kill the Duke and figure out a way to stop it.”

“She’s right,” Adtovar agreed, drawing a scowl from Charick and a smile from me.

“And you think Nansar won’t know the difference between Willa and the shapeshifter?” Charick challenged, his arm slipping around my waist to draw me close.

“I met one once.”

Zahavi said the words so quietly that it took us all a minute to realize he’d spoken.

“And you lived to tell about it?” Adtovar asked with a quirk of his brow as Zahavi approached the bed.

“It was on Kerus Prime,” Zahavi said, and his yellow cheeks seemed to darken.

“Kerus Prime is a pleasure planet,” Charick murmured. His fingers gave my ass a delicious squeeze in punctuation.

“He was there celebrating a successful job, not paying much attention to anything other than his food and drink,” Zahavi explained with a shrug.

“What was he like?” I pushed the question off my tongue, although dreading the answer.

“Different.” A shiver traveled across Zahavi’s broad shoulders. “To pass yourself off as a Zarpazian, you must appear to be cold, emotionless, and bloodthirsty. Don’t touch anyone and don’t let anyone touch you. The warmth of your skin is a dead giveaway. Zarpazians are notoriously cold-blooded.”

“Piece of cake,” I said without mentioning that humans could be notoriously cold-blooded as well.

“Do you think Nansar knows Vreses killed Malakal?” Charick asked, a flash of regret crossing his golden eyes. The Aljani guard had only wanted to help us... and look where it got him. My heart gave a squeeze of regret.

“Probably, but if not, Willa should own the kill. It shows the pattern of how Vreses got to her. First Malakal, then you, then her.” Adtovar suggested.

I followed his pattern of logic, then froze. “Wait a minute. Are you suggesting I let Nansar think Charick is dead?”

“Yes.” Adtovar grinned at what felt like utter horror crossing my face. “You both were missing from training and the dining hall today. We can explain your absence, especially if Nansar thinks you’re the Zarpazian. Charick’s absence, not so much.”

I let my fingers trail over the bandage on Charick’s arm, forcing down a shiver as my mate took in the idea, pondering.

“Nansar thinking I’m dead, might give us an edge,” My mate said at last, then pressed his lips to my cheek in a feather kiss as he noticed my discomfort.

I drew in a deep breath, meeting his gaze. Nansar had taken his best shot, and we survived. Now it was time to take the offensive.

“So, I go see Nansar, convince him Charick’s dead, I’m the Zarpazian in disguise, and try to get the deets on his father’s assassination.” The laugh that bubbled from my lips was more one of relief than worry. “Believe it or not, my time as a soldier trained me for missions like this.”

“How so?” Zahavi propped by the end of the bed, his eyes alight with curiosity.

“I was a Naval intelligence officer. My duties were gathering intel and threat analysis.” Granted I did most of it from behind a desk, although I decided not to mention that part.

“Perfect!” Adtovar said on the heels of a laugh.

A deep, heavy sigh rumbled from Charick’s chest. “I still don’t like Willa putting herself in danger.”

“Now you know how I felt all those times you were sneaking around looking for escape routes,” I teased, drawing a reluctant grin from my mate.

I cupped his face between my hands. “I’ll be fine.

I’m a soldier, remember?” I gave him a soft kiss and then pulled back, replaying past missions in my mind. “I just wish....”

“Wish what?” Charick prodded.

“I wish we had a way to record Nansar. Get the proof that he’s behind everything, so he can’t squirm out of it later.”

“I may have something,” Zahavi said, returning to the cabinet and digging through a box on the bottom shelf. After about a minute, he pulled out a long cylindrical silver object, that to me looked like a tube of lipstick.

“That’s an older model comm unit.” Charick’s golden eyes took in the piece of tech, lips forming into a line.

“It is,” Zahavi agreed. “While it no longer works as a comm, I may be able to reconfigure it to record.”

“Great,” I beamed, and once again, the skin across his cheeks seemed to deepen in color. I’d love to get my hands on the OM System Olympus DS-9100CA recording device preferred by the Navy, but I’d take what I could get.

Zahavi popped off the cover, frowning at the innards. “I will need some tools, though.”

Adtovar stood, stretching and groaning as his bones gave a faint pop.

“Come, I know a way into the storage container. There may be tools there you can use.” He motioned Zahavi ahead of him, turning just as he breached the doorway to give us a broad grin and a wink.

“We should be back in an hour.” The grin widened as he emphasized. “An hour.”

“Smart ass,” I muttered to Charick’s chuckle.

The minute the door clicked shut, Charick’s arms were around me, pulling me close to his chest, his nose nuzzling my neck.

“I don’t like this.”

I ignored his meaning, snuggling closer and grinning up at him. “Oh, I don’t know. I like this a lot.” I leaned to kiss him, but Charick pulled back.

“You know what I mean, Willa.” His voice held a faintly scolding tone that I chose to ignore under the circumstances.

“I know,” I sighed, cuddling closer. “I’ll be fine.”

“You have to be. My heart cannot stand it otherwise.” Charick’s fingertips made forays up and down my spine. “Promise me you will take a blade and kill Nansar if needed.”

“You know it’s very romantic when you make me promise to kill people that try to hurt me.” I teased.

“I would be happy to kill them for you.”

“You’re so sweet.” I smiled up at him.

Charick’s deep, rumbling laughter filled the room as he effortlessly tore off my shift with a few flicks of his nimble fingers.

In a move that seemed too graceful for someone of his size, he rolled me onto my back and positioned himself between my thighs, his muscular arms braced on either side of me.

“Aren’t you tired?” I teased. The head of his cock pressed against my center, and my muscles clenched in anticipation of the intimate connection to come.

“I will never grow tired of this,” He growled, dropping his lips to mine.

He penetrated me slowly, each movement deliberate and careful, ensuring my pleasure and comfort. Granted, I felt a little sore, we’d had a lot of sex today. Although he possessed a similar shape to human males, Charick was much, much, much bigger.

As Charick’s muscular body pressed against mine, every nerve seemed to spark with pleasure.

He moved with a controlled pace, filling me deeply and steadily, each thrust bringing me closer to ecstasy.

I gave myself over, surrendering to the intense sensations as he took me again and again, the sound of our bodies moving together filled the room with a primal symphony.

At that moment, there was nothing else, no looming danger, no dead assassins, nothing but the two of us.

His cock moving inside me was the only thing that existed, connecting us, and driving me towards pure bliss.

My body trembled as I spiraled near my peak.

My moans grew louder and turned into screams of ecstasy, mixing with the echoes bouncing off the walls.

The sounds of our pleasure, the scent of our arousal, the feel of his hard muscles against my skin brought me to climax sooner than expected, but it was even more intense because of it.

Feeling my core flutter around him, Charick increased his rhythm, a moment later roaring out his own satisfaction. We collapsed on the mattress, spent, and simply content to hold each other and enjoy this perfect little cocoon of happiness.

We both knew it wouldn’t last.