"Come for me," I demanded. "Let me feel you come on my cock."
Her orgasm hit like a detonation, her entire body going rigid as she cried out my name, her inner walls clenching around me in rhythmic pulses. The sensation dragged me over the edge with her, and I buried myself as deep as I could go, spilling inside her with a roar that was probably heard across the lake.
We stayed like that for long moments, both trembling, both struggling to breathe. My wings were still mantled protectively around us, creating a private space within the shed.
Slowly, carefully, I lowered us both to the floor, settling on a ratty but thick rug, unwilling to pull out of her yet. She settled in my lap, her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you," I said, the words feeling inadequate for what I felt. "I love you so much it terrifies me."
"Don't be afraid. I love you too." She kissed me, soft and sweet this time.
We stayed there on the floor of that dusty fishing shed, wrapped in each other, until the sun dropped low in the sky, and the weight of duty pulled us back to reality.
Chapter 15
Ellie
Almost exactly twenty-four hours after Cullen sent the message, a deep rumble shook the cabin, rattling the windows and sending vibrations up through the floorboards beneath my feet. I exchanged a glance with Rickon, who was already moving toward the door.
"They're here." There was something in his voice that I couldn't quite place. Anticipation maybe, threaded through with an edge of wariness that made my pulse quicken.
Cullen shot me a glance, the look sharp and knowing, then rose to his feet, abandoning his freshly brewed cup of coffee to follow Rickon. I fell in behind them, my heart hammering against my ribs. I knew they were here to help us, but old wariness died hard.
Outside, the clearing behind the cabin looked empty at first. Just pines and snow and the late afternoon sun slanting through the frost-covered branches in pale golden bars. But then I noticed the air shimmering in spots, like heat waves rising off concrete, distorting the treeline. A faint, low thrumming filled the air, a sound I felt as much as heard, making my ears buzz and my teeth ache with the pressure of it.
For a long moment, nothing happened. The air continued to shimmer and pulse, that bone-deep thrumming building untilI could feel it resonating in my chest. Then, just as I was beginning to wonder if the trembling I'd felt might be a small earthquake, the air rippled like water disturbed by an invisible stone, and suddenly there were two spaceships sitting in Cullen's backyard.
"Fuck!" Cullen hissed from between his teeth, eyes wide.
I didn't blame him.
The ships were sleek, dark things that seemed to drink in the light rather than reflect it. The surfaces were so black they looked like tears in the fabric of reality itself. I couldn't make out any seams or rivets, just smooth obsidian curves, as if the ships had been molded from a single piece of solid metal. The hatches opened with a sharp release of pressurized air, revealing a shimmering darkness within that seemed to move and breathe.
The first figure that emerged was nearly seven feet tall, with long, dark hair that fell past his shoulders and broad shoulders that strained against what appeared to be tactical gear. He looked like a human man, just much, much bigger.
"Xabat," Rickon greeted him with a nod, his voice warm with genuine pleasure. "Good to see you." He stepped away from me to take the other man's arm, his hand grasping firmly near his elbow in what I recognized as some type of handshake.
Two more figures followed in Xabat's wake. One was shorter and slenderer than his comrades, moving with a fluid grace that reminded me of a dancer. The other was as big as Xabat, handsome, with honey-brown eyes and a long, flowing blonde mane that caught the sunlight.
"Cristox, Xytol," Rickon greeted each in turn, that same warmth threading through his voice.
Three more beings emerged from the second ship, each one as handsome as the last in their human disguises. I tried not to stare, but I couldn't help it. I knew what I was seeing was some kind of projection, but they were stunning. It was like watchinga parade of GQ's most beautiful men, if those men had been carved from marble by a sculptor who understood exactly what made the female heart race.
"Rickon," one of the taller, more handsome males with long blonde hair spoke. His deep blue gaze went skyward as he frowned. "We should get inside."
"Of course, Captain Adtovar," Rickon glanced at Cullen, who gave a nod of agreement, sweeping out a muscular arm to indicate the doorway.
Adtovar turned, and with a tap of a finger on what looked like an iWatch on steroids, the ships disappeared again.
We followed Cullen inside and down to the basement. There was perhaps less room than on the first floor, but it served as his tactical base.
The basement was a maze of computer equipment. Monitors casting blue-white light across surfaces cluttered with keyboards, hard drives, and cables that snaked across the floor like electronic vines. The only piece of furniture was a long table in the center of the room. A DIY war room that looked like it had been assembled with equal parts military precision and desperate improvisation. Each of us took a seat around the table. I settled next to Rickon, pulling my chair closer to him than was perhaps professional. The metal legs scraped against the concrete floor, and I felt the warmth of his body radiating toward me. I wasn't nervous exactly. I trusted Rickon, and he trusted these men. But it was more than a bit intimidating being the lone female in a sea of alien testosterone, even if I was the president.
Cullen settled himself at the head of the table, his posture ramrod straight, every inch the military commander. "My name is Admiral Cullen Blackwood, United States Navy."
The tall blonde alien nodded with respect, his movements fluid and graceful in a way that reminded me these weren't reallymen at all. "Captain Adtovar of the Alliance shipHistoria. We appreciate your assistance in this matter."
Cullen's gaze shifted to me, his eyes dark and proud. I felt the weight of his regard like a physical thing. "My loyalty is to my country and my president."
