Core of Confliction Page 13

  “No one won anything!”

  Waiting no longer, Halfar grabbed Chardon’s face and kissed him fervently, forcing Chardon to eventually submit. Chardon’s body went limp as he shifted into female form. Halfar held her up with his arms kissing her neck, her breasts, all while she tried to feebly push him away. He hoisted her higher, tossing her onto the bed and yanked her robes off in one move. The tunic underneath he ripped to shreds with a lone talon he had extended. Sitting above her he removed his over shirt and leggings.

  “You can’t.” Chardon pleaded softly.

  Wrapping his hand around one of her ankles he dragged her towards him raising her leg to his shoulder. His gaze never leaving hers, his tongue spilled out and hung down nearly to the bed. She watched as its pointed end flicked between her thighs then entered her. Gasping, her fingers took hold of the bed cover balling them in her fists. His tongue left her center and traveled up her body as he leaned forward to hover over her then back into his mouth. Their eyes stayed locked.

  “No more visions.” He hissed as a talon slid deep into her.

  Her fists tighten again on the bed cover, her back arched and eyes squeezed shut.

  “Look at me.” He commanded.

  With difficulty, she took deep breaths and opened her eyes.

  “I missed you.”

  He withdrew the talon replacing it with what she really wanted: him. One hand flew from the bed and slammed into his chest, her nails digging into his flesh as he entered crudely. Her mouth gaped open in shock and he sealed it with his. She knew he was going to have every bit of her until he was satisfied.

  The throne room maintained an eerie silence as all occupants dared not move. Rass had the entire perimeter surrounded with enforcers. One wrong movement would start an all-out battle Chardon’s team knew they would not win.

  “Why have they been gone so long?” Jaron was getting worried.

  “Delicate negotiations should not be rushed.” Rass explained.

  “It has been over an hour!” Talas almost reached for his long sword again.

  “Until they return, you will behave. Thirsty?” Rass turned to a human servant outside the main doors. “Bring some refreshments, please.”

  “Something is not right.” Kelin kept looking around for clues.

  “Whatever they wish to discuss is not of our concern.” Rass leaned against a wall, arms crossed.

  “This is unacceptable!” Jaron collected threads of energy.

  “You will wait!” Rass bellowed, silencing all. A cart arrived at that moment with drinks. “Now, let’s have a nice chat together.”

  He was also puzzled by the long wait until he realized what might be occurring in his lord’s bed chamber. It had been awhile since they were together. Knowing that, he sat down for the long haul. Halfar was not going to waste one moment, so Rass figured it would be at least another two hours before they emerged from that hallway. He grinned.

  No one could hear Chardon’s screams of pain and pleasure except Halfar. It fed his hunger for her and he touched every inch of her body with his own. They had never been able to experience mating of such magnitude because they had always needed to hold back in fear of being caught. With utter abandon, Chardon let Halfar do whatever he wanted to her, even acts of sexual depravity she never knew could be done. Their body fluids mingled, coating every inch of the bed.

  Exhaustion took them instantly as they reached the final throws of orgasm together for the third time during their mating. Their bodies shuddered from overexertion. Side by side they tried to breathe normally and not choke on their own spittle. Halfar laid his hand on her exposed thigh and caressed it. Chardon pushed it away not bothering to turn her head to see what he was thinking. Her chest hurt, it was on fire inside. She hiccupped and cried.

  “Shh.”

  Halfar rolled onto his side to wipe drenched hair from her face. Not being able to help himself, his left hand clutched her left breast and softly squeezed it but not enough to hurt her. He kissed her shoulder blade while his hand moved slowly down to rest between her thighs. She cried out in surprise and gasped sharply for air. Her hand instinctively went to stop him going further.

  “If I had the energy to devour you, I would.”

  “Let me go.”

  “I will, soon. First we need to calm you.”

  He reached into the cabinet on her side of the bed and produced a tiny vial. “No,” she breathed, “don’t do this.” She clasped his hand and the vial with hers.

  “Are you going to reunite with your group like this? You will need this to shift back.”

  “No.”

  “Why”

  “I can’t.” Chardon was scared. “My body won’t…”

  Halfar sat up and looked around the chamber. He had an idea. Taking the dropper out of the vial, he tipped it down to her mouth. She tried to turn away but he held her head steady until half of it was consumed. Her body immediately relax, her breathing slowed to normal. On the floor were the remnants of her tunic so he used them to wrap her breasts down tight until she appeared nearly flat chested. Luckily the fabric was unforgiving but it did cause discomfort.

  “It hurts.”

  “I know.”

  He helped her back into her robes noticing her eyes starting to glaze over. She was going to fall unconscious if he didn’t get her back home soon. Redressing and making sure Chardon could stand, he opened the doors and led her back to the throne room. He had not planned on their negotiations to turn out this way but once he had her alone, there was no turning back until he had fulfilled his ultimate agenda.

  The double doors opened. Rass stood and bowed while Chardon’s entourage retook their defensive positions with weapons drawn and energy spheres formed ready to strike. Seeing this, Rass motioned with just his head and his small army encircled them. Glancing over he could tell Chardon was not well.

  “What have you done to him?” Jaron demanded raising one hand with a spinning ball of energy.

  Halfar smirked. “Your leader is just fine.”

  Chardon moved away from him to his group. “We must leave.”

  “Chardon!” Kelin made ready to strike.

  “Now!” Chardon continued moving forward, his group surrounding him as he went, keeping an eye on Rass and his enforcers who also watched them retreat. “There’s no time to regroup.”

  Outside of the palace Jaron created a vortex as fast as she could and closed the opening right as the last man stepped into it. She would send a signal for Ganna to open vortexes to retrieve the others.

  Gears of Change

  Back on their planet's surface, Jaron tried to get Chardon to speak to her. She could tell something was not right and Chardon ignored her pleas to go to the medical chamber. Talas and Kelin were no help. Both of them just kept giving each other strange looks and they watched Chardon go directly to the housing commons.

  Chardon barely made it to her chamber and didn’t have the mind to secure the main door before getting into bed. Under the covers, she removed her robes and the constricting fabric, tossing them on the floor. The vibrations that started coursing through her body earlier intensified. She fought hard to stop it before falling into deep sleep, not hearing anything that transgressed outside before the darkness of night as the council scrambled to get their battle squads back. No one disturbed her.

  **~**

  “Did you get it?”

  Halfar sat upright on his throne as Rass entered. He was tense again. A few hours with Chardon was not nearly enough to satisfy him. Finding the planet was of great importance now.

  “Of course.” Rass bowed. “I will relay the coordinates to you.”

  “Good.” Halfar relaxed a bit. “Thank you for holding them at bay.”

  “I was certain you did not want to be intruded upon.” Rass leaned closer and whispered. “So?”

  “It’s done.”

  “Ahead of schedule don’t you think?”

  “It couldn’t be helped.”

&nbs
p; “Hmm? I didn't know you lacked such restraint.” Rass stood. “Now what?”

  “We wait. I will not have her life jeopardized.”

  “By the way, Kur is not happy that the festivities were so short lived.”

  “This is just the beginning. Earth is about to become a battle field.”

  “But we are only taking over this region, correct?”

  Halfar’s eyes turned into slits of hate. “It seems, Kur has made a plea to the council and MY advisors on our home world are sending MY armada to enslave Earth. We have not conquered a world in some time and this, apparently, is a better time than any.”

  Rass’ expression showed disagreement. He did not want to be assigned as warden to this awful rock. Halfar confirmed what had to be done just by looking at him.

  “Don’t worry, Kur can have it.” Halfar tilted his head. “If, we capture this planet.”

  “Are you thinking sabotage?”

  “I will not stand for my armada to be used without my consent.”

  “Your will is mine.” Rass beamed at the thought of deceiving Kur one last time.

  **~**

  The hallway was dark and quiet, made more so by the stealth of Modas moving down it towards Chardon’s chamber. He entered smoothly and immediately noticed the smell. It was the stench of mating with something foul. Sitting on the side of the bed listening to the ragged breathing, Modas knew what kind of sleep she was in and would not awaken for at least a few days.

  Keeping this secret was no longer an option. The medical workers, along with Ganna, would have to be informed. He stroked her sweat matted hair as if she were a little one and sighed with regret. This too should not have happened on his watch.

  So many people were crammed in Chardon’s chamber that Ganna demanded only those needed stay and the rest leave immediately. She did not want Chardon’s sleep to be disturbed. That would be harmful to her and the unborn child. At the end of the ruckus, Jaron, Modas, their elder children, Talas, Kelin and Ganna remained in the chamber. Still too many for her taste.

  “What’s wrong with Chardon?” Jaron chewed her lower lip as she stared at the bed. She showed signs of deep worry.

  “Well, how shall I put this?” Ganna paused.

  “Halfar did something to him. He didn’t look right when he came back.” Kelin interjected.

  Talas had crept over to the side of the bed to get a closer look and was leaning over Chardon. Ganna yanked him back away from the bed. “She’s incubating! You cannot touch her!”

  There was silence, then sharp intakes of air. Talas turned to Modas knowing what the secret was he held. Jaron, still speechless, sat down on a pillow chair near the window.

  Kelin had an epiphany about the so called negotiations before their world was destroyed.

  “Halfar is in love with Chardon.” He blurted out for all to hear.

  “More importantly,” Talas raised a finger and pointed at the bed, “Chardon is a shifter.”

  “A shifter!” Jaron finally cried out. “Chardon is a shifter?” Finally catching on to what Ganna meant by incubating. Her head snapped around towards Modas.

  “But, Sestis…” Jaron began.

  “Knew.” Was all Modas had to say.

  Jaron’s face had turned a few shades of dark pink. It was clear how furious she was to know her mate had kept this from her, let alone Chardon.

  “She seems to be in pain.” Talas had moved closer again.

  “She’s exhausted. Now, all of you, out! Jaron, help me get her into a more comfortable position.”

  The men left so the two women could tend to their leader. Jaron tried to lift Chardon’s legs to turn them and was shocked at how heavy they were. She met Ganna’s gaze.

  “She’s like dead weight. Ganna, is she really okay?”

  “I can’t know for sure until she wakes up. Until then we have to keep a constant watch.”

  They were able to get her on her back with her head propped up on pillows. Jaron found her covering robe to dress her in and was able to get it on with Ganna’s assistance.

  Outside, Kelin sat with his head in his hands shaking it back and forth while Talas walked around in a circle next to him. So many thoughts were going through both their minds as they processed all that had happened.

  “My theory was right.” Kelin spoke first.

  “Of course it was, beloved. But I know you could have never guessed this.”

  “Not in all of eternity.” He looked up from his reverie. “What does this mean?”

  “That there are more secrets.”

  “What else could there possibly be?”

  “Think, beloved, Sestis, Modas and Halfar knew that Chardon was a shifter. They also knew what kind of a monster Sestis was. The next part is easy.”

  A light bulb lit up in Kelin’s head. “Sestis had something to do with the negotiations going south and Halfar deciding to destroy us all.”

  “Bingo!” It was an Earth term he had picked up and thought appropriate for the occasion.

  “Yes, but what was it and how? How could we have been so blind as to not see her for what she was?”

  “That and more,” Talas replied. “You know what I think?” Talas bent down to him and their eyes met. “You look exhausted. You should go to bed.”

  “Ahh, and will you be joining me?”

  “Why, of course my beloved. Come, too much thinking is going on and not enough mating.”

  “I think Chardon and Halfar did enough of that for all of us.” Kelin muttered.

  Talas wagged his finger as he led Kelin back to their chamber. “No, no. We must all do our own fair share in our own way. Yes?” Kelin stopped talking the rest of the way.

  **~**

  “I want to fight too!”

  Trinon had both arms straight down on his sides, his little head tilted as far back as it could go in order to stare up into Mota’s face.

  Mota laughed loudly, throwing his head back. “Of course you do!” He leaned forward until he was at a ninety degree angle, his nose nearly touching Trinon’s. “You are not ready.” Trinon lunged at him, and an arm appeared grabbing him up so he dangled sideways.

  “Until you can land properly and climb, it is as he says,” their father bellowed.

  Modas brought his son’s body up until they were eye to eye. Trinon relented without struggle and his father put him down.

  “This battle will not rage long and you shall never see it, but there will be more and you must be ready.” He glanced back at Mota as he walked away and they nodded to each other.

  “Up you go,” Mota said and without warning, grabbed Trinon and tossed him into the air towards the wall.

  He may not be as small as he used to be but Mota was twice his size. Trinon hit the wall hard and, as he scrambled to grasp hold, caught sight of Und with his back against the wall holding on with the claws of his fingers and toes.

  Mota shook his head seeing the jealousy in Trinon’s expression. “Focus on yourself, little one.”

  “I am not little!” He caught a piece of wall and secured himself on it, his face red with anger.

  **~**

  The Americas, parts of Asia and Europe were in turmoil as enforcers took over territories with little effort. The human’s military might was nothing compared to Halfar's might. Government science divisions had detected the giant mother ship outside of Earth’s orbit and speculations flew. Only a select few in his fold knew what it was and who it belonged to.

  Halfar’s armada had arrived much to his disgust. It had been three months since Chardon had been on Earth and Halfar made sure the gate was blocked so no one from her planet could come through. But, he could open the gate from his end when he needed to check up on her. Kur was becoming unmanageable again and he had to make a decision soon. He couldn't let his general know about his plans just yet.

  **~**

  Ganna ran to the gate console filled with fear as the guards and she watched the vortex open, dark figures marching forward through th
e gate. It reminded her of when their planet had been destroyed before they knew what had really happened. She was confident in knowing who the first figure would be and she was right.

  Halfar emerged from the gate with an entourage of eight bodyguards following him. The smugness in his appearance made Ganna twitch with disgust. In human form he still managed to get that result from off-worlders. He smiled at her as a greeting and bypassed her, moving onward to the housing commons.

  "I don't need an escort to Chardon’s chamber," he stated. "I can smell her even from this distance."

  Workers who remembered him stared in confusion and fear as he strode into the building. In the hallway, Modas was guarding the doorway. Ganna smirked as he gauged the manbeast up close and saw the realization of just how formidable the manbeast was. The look on Modas’ face suggested they would not be on friendly terms. Halfar stepped back from him a bit.

  “I need to see her.”

  Modas sneered at him but opened the door and moved to the side allowing him access. From the doorway they could see the rise and fall of her ribcage as she breathed softly. Behind the sheer fabric surrounding her bed, she lay still in deep slumber with pain and exhaustion etched in her facial expression.

  “What’s wrong? Why is she still incubating?” He directed his question to the medical worker but Jaron answered. Upon further observation of the room, Chardon’s usual group was found spread around the chamber.

  “You tell us, you monster. This is your doing!”