The Warlord (Rise of the Warlords 1)

Roc moved to the balcony doors, leaned against the frame and crossed his arms, watching his wife. Strain emanated from her. Though her nightmares had ceased, she wasn’t sleeping. Of course, neither was he.

“Neeka,” she said, as if barely clinging to hope. The oracle had, apparently, hacked her way into the conversation from an “undisclosed” location. “Let’s say the worst happens and I kick it. Erebus resurrected after the Astra killed him with their superweapons or whatever. Why can’t I?”

“Because you can’t?” Neeka responded.

“You aren’t going to die again,” he shouted. Taliyah made his life worth living. When he fueled and stoked her desires, he experienced more satisfaction than he’d ever earned winning a war. Anytime he held her in his arms, he experienced contentment like never before. The too-fleeting moments he fed her his soul, blood or seed, sating her hunger and keeping her strong, his pride knew no bounds.

He’d chosen a warrior queen. A goddess. A fierce protector to those she loved. A stubborn enchantress Roc would destroy worlds to possess. He wouldn’t give her up.

She glanced up from the phone as her sisters called out, “Don’t hang up!”

“I have so much more to say!”

Taliyah said, “Guys, know that I love you more than life itself. Know that I regret nothing.” She hung up.

“Come to me,” he said. And she did.

* * *

Taliyah lay in bed with Roc, naked and tucked into his side, hysteria teasing the edges of her mind. How had she failed her mission so grandly?

She croaked, “If Neeka is right, if I die for good—”

“Taya—”

“Y-you and your guys will look after my people, right, if necessary?” A lump grew in her throat. “And don’t say you won’t kill me. I’ve been thinking about this, and I know you’re as torn as I am. One part of me wonders what kind of Goddess General can condemn the Astra to five hundred years of loss. They’re my people, too. But the other part of me screams to keep fighting, no matter what.”

“Taya,” he repeated, misery crackling in his voice.

“I...I don’t know if I’ll lie down, a willing sacrifice, or if I’ll fight till the end.” Tears welled, clouding her vision. One droplet escaped, sliding down her cheek to drip onto his chest.

He hissed upon contact, then braced a hand over his face, rubbing his eyes.

“If we do end up fighting,” she whispered, “I won’t hesitate to take my shot against you. Okay? But you don’t hesitate to take yours, either. Okay? If you can kill me, do it. Our fight will be fair.”

“Taya,” he repeated yet again, heartbreak in his tone.

“No, no more talking,” she pleaded. “I just... Help me forget, Roc. Love me all night, and help me forget.”

“I will love you forever.” With a hoarse cry, he slanted his mouth over hers. The kiss was as heartbreaking as everything else, their tongues making love slowly.

He kissed every inch of her body, branding her with more and more and more stardust. From the beginning, his strength and intensity had drawn her. His willingness to do anything to complete a job...his ferocity...his ambitions...his loyalty to his men...his Roc-ness. He’d been made for her, and she’d been made for him.

Could she bring herself to fight him? Taliyah had no idea what she’d do tomorrow or how she would react. But here and now, in this last stolen moment together, it didn’t matter. Roc mattered. Her guiding star. Her final star.

When he positioned himself above her, he slid inside her as slowly and carefully as if they were making love for the first time. Her thoughts fractured, shattering on the jagged edge of rapture. Taliyah felt him in every cell of her aching body.

With his next inward surge, he curled one muscular arm over the top of her head, caging her in the way she loved, holding her too tightly—perfectly. The way she needed.

They peered into each other’s eyes and rocked together. His irises were luminous, an endless night sky. She lost sight of the bedroom.

Roc reached between them and pressed his thumb against the heart of her need, ensuring pleasure lashed her with every move. As she erupted with a devastating climax, he twined his free hand with hers and lifted their arms over her head.

At this angle, she had better access to his throat.

Inhale... Her nipples grazed up his bare flesh. Exhale... The sensitive buds swept down. The friction was indescribable.

She knew he wanted her to feed, but she refused. She wouldn’t weaken him the day before the ceremony. Taliyah kissed him instead. For minutes...hours...an eternity, a blip, they continued rocking together, the sense of connection unparalleled.

Another climax hit, the force of it staggering. She scored Roc’s flesh. He must have liked the sting, because he followed her over, collapsing and rolling to the side.

Out of nowhere, Taliyah burst into tears, ugly-crying, overcome by the emotion of it all. Always before, she’d felt vulnerable after lovemaking. But this? This was full exposure, something she’d never really experienced. She had no defenses against this, no secrets, no hidden agenda.