The Theron Residency (Brides of Theron Book 4) (11 page)

She could feel the urgency of his need pressed solidly against her inner thigh. She wanted his pants off now. Her whole body was screaming for him to take her. It was as if an animal urge was taking possession of her, driving her actions. She wanted to feel what it felt like to have him inside her. It was as if she needed to have him fill this emptiness that she never knew existed before now. She pushed his pants down with her hands until she could push them away with her feet. She would have ample time to look at him later. He shifted his body to help her remove his pants completely, tossing them to edge of the blanket and out of the way. He reached for the lacy straps of her underwear and started to pull them off with her raising her hips off the ground to help him. He looked at her hungrily as he threw them to the side. She reached for him again pulling him to her.

“Are you sure?” he whispered one more time, breathlessly into her ear.

“Yes…yes. Please, Ceran, I’m ready.” Her words echoed in her own ears. At this moment, he was the only thing that tethered her to herself. They were two separate beings but held together in a crazy way. Still separate. Not yet one. She felt the need to close the distance immediately, “Please,” she begged.

She felt his hands between her thighs as he adjusted himself to enter her. As she shifted to give him better access, she could feel the slickness between the folds of her sex and prayed that it was an ordinary occurrence in these circumstances. She didn’t know how her body would react to her own sexual desire. If anything were amiss, he surely would have pointed it out by now. But then again, he didn’t know much about it either. He said nothing as he poked and prodded her without success.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered.

“For heaven’s sake, stop apologizing.” She said with a smirk. Her touch was light as she smoothed the creases of frustration from his brow.  “Relax,” she said as she reached down and grabbed his cock. Her hand explored the satiny soft skin for just a moment. She looked up to see his reaction, catching a glimpse of his eyes as they rolled back behind his lids. His body was now tense and rigid. She had heard stories about the male anatomy before. Once, Tina had told her that you could tell if a guy had a big cock by how big his feet and hands were. Based on what she held firmly in her hand and the size of his feet, Tina might have actually been right about that. Ceran was on the large end of that spectrum on all counts.

How in the world would he fit inside of her? Physiologically, she knew that he would. Many others before her had sex with no lingering bouts of difficulty. If the tissue in the vagina could stretch to accommodate the passage of a newborn baby, surely she should easily be able to accommodate him. She guided him to her opening and felt the pressure build as the tip of his cock found the slick entrance. He pushed carefully and slowly into her as if in fear. She had no idea before this moment that she would be overcome by an instinctive animal desire. The ache for him to fill the emptiness that she had just discovered was beginning to take her over. As he eased himself further inside of her, she cried out. It was a burning, tearing pain that wasn’t unbearable, but uncomfortable. His eyes were wide on hers now.

“Am I hurting you? I can stop if you want me to,” his blue eyes were round as saucers. She could tell that he was afraid. Was he afraid of hurting her? Was he was afraid that he would be swept up at the moment and wouldn’t be able to stop even if she asked him to?

“Don’t stop. Just do it,” she said as she nodded encouragement. He nodded back and she braced herself for his thrust. He slid easily inside of her once he pushed past the barrier of her virginity. The feeling of pressure, pain, and a kind of sweet euphoria started to dance wildly inside her body. She gasped and he looked alarmed, but she seemed to calm him with just a glance. The sensation, of so much going on at once, had her neurons firing wildly making her body feel out of sync.

However, at the same time she felt relief wash over her. The most painful part was over. Then unexpectedly she realized that this was the first time that she felt full and whole in her life. She felt her virgin blood, sticky against her thighs as he moved within her. The sex was painful, but it was bearable. Grace had told her when she asked about it that the first time would most likely be awkward and painful, but the next time would feel so much better. As she had said it, ‘sooooo much better!’

He thrusted into her several more times and just as her body was comfortable with the size of him, she felt his body tense as he pressed himself deep inside of her. She felt the pulse of something warm and wet inside of her as his body began to still. He took several deep breaths and collapsed on top of her shivering as if he were cold. His pulse was racing and a fine sheen of sweat covered his brow.

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” She asked as she pressed the back of her hand across his forehead. All of her doctor senses were going off. She started to go down her triage checklist. Pulse racing, eyes dilated, sweating, shivering. Does he have a temperature?

“Are you kidding me?” He kissed the top of her head. “That was…” he chuckled. “No words could describe it adequately.” He lay on top of her for a little while as she stroked his back. His pulse was gradually slowing down and his body was starting to relax. His breath in her ear softly asking, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” She said as he rolled off of her and stared at her in wonderment. That was when she saw it. The red blood of her innocence coated him and stained the skin between her thighs. She stared in horror. She was kind of embarrassed that she could make such a mess. He looked at what was causing her such alarm and shook his head smiling. It was a surprise to her that he didn’t even care. Instead, he got up to his feet and pulled her to standing.

“I told you that there is a hot spring, just over there,” he pointed out the direction with his chin. He scooped her up into his arms, not caring about the blood that was coming in contact with his skin. “It’s okay,” he kissed her and whispered in her ear. He carried her over to the edge of the water putting her down on her feet and stepping in without pause. He ducked his head under the water and came up fast, splashing water in all directions. He laughed at her as she dipped her toe in half expecting it to be as cold as the river she fell into. “It’s warm, just like I remembered it,” he smiled.

The sound of nature was all around them. The sound of the leaves rustling in the breeze, the birds chirping happily in the trees, and the sound of the water as it bubbled up from the spring. Amazing. This was such a beautiful place. Most girls lost their virginity in the back of a car or after the senior prom in some fleabag hotel. At least that was how most of the girls in the small town she grew up in did. She was glad that she waited until this moment. Today was perfect. This place was perfect. The two of them all alone in the woods as their souls united as one to sing to the universe.

She carefully stepped into the water. The bottom of the shallow pool was lined with smooth stones. It was about ten feet in diameter and at most four feet deep. Ceran squatted in the center and splashed water over his shoulders. Reaching out to her, he pulled her closer to him. He cupped some of the warm water in his hands and began to bathe her. When he started to wash the blood away, she recoiled at the sensitivity of the flesh under his hands. He didn’t say much, just busied himself with making the blood on her inner thighs disappear. When he was finished, they sat comfortably on a rock on the edge of the pool. The temperate water covered their hips as they sat looking at one another. He turned away after a moment as if he were embarrassed.

“I am sorry that I went so fast. I didn’t know that it would feel that…way.” He laughed, “I thought I was going to lose it when you grabbed me. It took everything I had to not let it go then.” He scooped a handful of water and spilled it over her breasts. When she didn’t say anything, just smiled at him he added shyly, “Did it…I mean, was it…Did it feel good to you?”

“To be completely honest, it hurt at first, but then it was different. The pressure and discomfort gave way to something that was bigger than myself. It made me feel like every cell in my body wanted to explode. The energy within each individual cell was heightened to a state that was almost overwhelming. It was almost like it made me feel…I don’t know if I can describe it...not empty, but full and whole. Maybe? I told you that I didn’t have high expectations for my very first time. But, that was certainly much more than I expected.”

“In a good way?” he asked.

“Yes, in a good way.” She giggled and looked shyly away from him. Should she ask this now, so soon after? “Do you think that…Maybe we could do it again? I mean, just to see if it’s like everybody says, better the second time around?” She could feel the heat in her skin as she asked.

Without a word, he took her in his arms and lifted her up onto his lap. She didn’t need his words to know his answer. He was ready. This time it was all fireworks, flowers, and beauty that was previously beyond her comprehension. They explored each other until the sun began to set in the pool and on their makeshift bed. After they had watched the sun go down in the warmth of the spring, he led her out of the water and they began to dress, fully aware of each other now. The understanding between them was a deeper one. She could swear that if she listened hard enough she would be able to hear his thoughts.



“Before we go, I want you to come with me into the woods,” he said as he picked up the blanket and other items he had brought to the summit. He pressed a button on the key for the hovercraft. Down below she could see the lights activate and the craft bound up to where they were and land just next to them. “I want to show you something before we go.”

“Alright,” she reached for his hand when he finished stowing the items in the craft. They walked along the tree line for a bit as he searched for an entry point into the wooded area. Tall grass and brush grew in the way of the path he sought. He pushed aside the branches and stepped over the grass bringing her to an area where a large tree grew. The trunk of this tree must have been twenty feet in diameter and the low branches were covered with large leaves that hung low over their heads. He touched the trunk and the same luminescent bugs flew from the tree in all directions glowing brighter and brighter as they beat their tiny wings. They flew into the canopy of leaves. As they flew, they showered them with a coating of the radiant dust.

Ceran smiled and put a hand tenderly to Laura’s face and said one word, “Beautiful!”              

The dust started to coat everything. “What is this?” she asked, examining her skin.

“When it is dark, these small insects feed on the pollen of this tree. That is why they glow. As they do, they spread the pollen to other trees. I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere but here. The energy in this forest causes everything to glow when it’s excited. He walked over to a shallow pond on the left side of the tree. “This is a fairy pool. The girls would make wishes to find their true loves over it and if the algae on the rocks began to glow the request would be granted and their true love would not be far away.”

She lowered her hand into the pool and the algae started to glow softly, “How is this possible.”

“The movement of the water excites the plants within. We have energy inside of us that the plants feed off of, too. The more energy you transfer into the water, the brighter the pond.” He knelt down beside her, placing both hands on the ground by his side.

She thought about what he had just said and closed her eyes focusing on that vibration that she constantly felt in the palms of her hand. It had to be the energy he was talking about. She heard him a moment later calling out her name. “Laura, you are making it so bright that I can’t see.” She could see the purple-red light from behind her eyelids intensify. When she opened her eyes, the brightness faded to a soft glow.

“I guess that means that you will find your true love. I have never seen it glow so bright before.” He laughed, “You must really love me.”

She playfully slapped her wet hands on his shirt. “What about you? Will you find your true love?”

He put his hand in and the pond glowed dimly. She pouted and he said, “I’ve already found my true love. I really think that the brightness of the light has something to do with the energy you transfer to it. You just transferred more.” He smiled, “It’s getting late. We need to start making our way home.” He wiped his wet hands on his pants to dry them.

She nodded wordlessly. This was the most beautiful place she could have ever imagined. They walked back to the hovercraft passing the lake that was fed by the waters of the spring they spent a good portion of their day in. The fish swimming seemed to be glowing as well as they swam in the water of the lake just as the sun set, eating the patches of algae that would give off light as they approached. This place was energy rich. It was no wonder why his grandfather chose this location to raise his family. She took a final look around, committing it all to memory.

Drylon work camp several days after the escape…

Jenaya was exhausted. Since she had been brought here a several days ago, she had organized a makeshift clinic in one of the nearby caves, assessed and triaged the injured and sick. She began treating patients with whatever she had on hand. None of it was enough though. The cold dark cave was not a sterile place to practice medicine. The floors were covered with dirt and the walls seeped water that made it soggy and damp inside. She did not have access to her medical scanner or any of the useful medicines and machinery that she had access to on the ship. She was starting to complain to the guards rather loudly about needing things. It had gotten to the point that she had been severely punished on two occasions when Carel was not there to intervene on her behalf. Now, she was trying to avoid the frequent visitations of that overzealous guard who was working hard to gain her affections. That man was really starting to annoy her.
 

Carel Fenwick would come to check on her at least once a day. He seemed to be trying to move up ranks using her as an excuse to inch his way up the ladder to that bastard Gatton. She wiped her hand on her filthy uniform. She had not had a bath since she got here and her clothes were looking worse for wear. She would make sure that she mentioned the need for more sanitary conditions in this hell hole. Already this morning she had three of the women from her ship come in with severe diarrhea and vomiting issues. She suspected that the latrines needed to be maintained better. The smell was horrible and she suspected that the drinking water was being contaminated. However, who was she to fix this problem? Her hands were tied because all of the necessary testing equipment was on the ship and she had no idea where that was. The lack of necessary equipment was becoming a nuisance to her.

She kneeled down next to the pallet on the floor where Brylon’s mother laid. Mattie had been moved here in this cave from the beginning of her work on this dreadful planet. Mattie had lumps that were hard as rocks and oddly whitish-grey in color on her skin along her shoulder and neck, and just on the side of her nose. Jenaya had never seen anything like this in all the years that she had practiced medicine. She took a scrap of cloth that she had earlier laundered the best she could, dunked it into a bowl of drinking water she had boiled herself. Gently she wiped Mattie to clean her face and neck. If only she had her equipment or even a small amount of healing salve on hand. For now, cleaning the affected areas seemed like the only logical thing to do. As if the hard lumps on her skin weren’t enough, Mattie’s lymph nodes in her neck were incredibly swollen making it hard for poor Mattie to swallow. Everyday Jenaya noticed that her patient was less and less active. Jenaya thought surely that death would soon claim her.

As Mattie opened her eyes, Jenaya said, “Hey. Are you hungry? I have a bit of bone broth and some bread for you to eat.” She turned to retrieve the food from the cot that she was using as a table.

“Jen, I’m not hungry. I just feel sick.” Mattie put her hand to her brow and closed her eyes.

“Mattie, you need to eat. What will I tell Brylon if you aren’t here when he comes to rescue you?” Jenaya stirred the contents of the metal bowl over the fire to warm it up.

“Brylon is not coming Jenaya. It sure was nice talking to you about my son. I am so glad that he turned out to be an exceptional engineer, but I am going to be realistic. I have been her ten long years without rescue. I am quite certain that I will die here. You might want to accept the fact that you might never leave this place either.”

Jenaya shook her head. She didn’t wish to believe that she would spend the rest of her days nursing the sick and frail in this small dirty cave. She sat next to Mattie’s pallet setting the bowl carefully beside her. She helped Mattie sit up, propping her up against the damp cave wall. “Please eat. I could not live with myself if I did not at least offer you some of this soup.” She spooned up some of the soup and put it to Mattie’s lips as she reluctantly opened her mouth. Jenaya smiled and spooned her some more. She dipped some of the stale, flat bread into the soup and handed it to Mattie to eat. “At a girl.”

When she finished half of what she was offered, she said, “Thank you Jen. I do feel a little better. But, now I am so very tired.” Mattie started to lie down and Jenaya helped her to the ground. “Your parents would be proud of you.” When Mattie was settled, she eyed the entrance of the cave and said, “I think you have a visitor.”

Jenaya rolled her eyes and turned her head to have a look. Walking in with the light on his back was Carel. He carried in a box and placed it on the cot she was using as a table. She immediately went to have a look at what was in the box. Several bundles of soft and clean white cloth squares tied up with string, a small ampule of healing salve, a couple of bowls and a pair of tweezers. “What is this?” she asked.

“I know that it’s not much, but I figured that you could make use of some of this,” he said.

“What I could really use is a scanner and more healing salve. I have been seeing a number of people coming in for gastrointestinal illnesses. Is there any chance that someone could check the latrines for leaks into the ground water? With that in mind, a water testing kit would be useful. I’m sure that it would probably be too much to ask for more fruit and vegetables in the diets of the prisoner population, and showering facility. Need I go on? Gods, a better place for me to have a clinic that is clean and not damp that has at least the minimal amount of equipment for me to keep these people well. I would give anything right now to have my sick bay on the ship here instead of this cave.” She turned away and scanned the empty pallets around Mattie. All the other patients had returned to work at one of the guard's orders. ‘If they were well enough to walk, they were well enough to work! Do you think I care if they shit all over themselves!’ he had said. “What do you want Carel?” she said sharply.

“I need a favor.”

“Excuse me. As you can probably see, I am in no position to offer anyone any favors.” What the hell could he want from her? If she agreed to do anything for him, she would make sure that she would get something in return.

He moved closer to her, making her very uncomfortable. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her ear as he whispered, “Zirlo said that I could trust you.”

Jenaya looked at him incredulously. Trying not to disturb Mattie, she spoke in a tone that was louder than she intended, “What the hell are you talking about? Zirlo has been dead for ten years.”

Mattie must have overheard their conversation and picked her head up and said, “Jen, Zirlo has been here with us the whole time. He did not die in battle as you may have been led to believe. He was captured like the rest of us.” She looked over to Carel, “Where is Zirlo now?”

Carel pulled Jenaya over to Mattie’s pallet and they both squatted down beside her. “I helped Zirlo and Lars escape. They were attempting to return to Theron to get some help. Nobody here knows that they are gone. I don’t know if they arrived or even made it past the atmosphere of Drylon because I am unable to communicate with them at this time. However, I should find out next week when I leave to visit my family on Pernmock.”

Mattie started to tear up, “You mean to tell me that we might actually go home?”

Carel looked into her eyes beyond the horror of her disfigured face and nodded. “But, we have to keep this secret. No one else can know about it.”

Jenaya looked at the two of them. “You mean to tell me that you are helping us?”

“Shhhh! If I am found out, I will be executed and then where will you be?” He got up and went to the door peeking his head out the cave opening to see if anyone was near enough to overhear them. “Which brings me to my favor? I dug up some body parts of a Theron man that died recently. I need you to identify the skull and hand bones as Zirlo and Lars.”

“Let me get this straight. You dug up the body of a Theron warrior? What kind of an animal are you?” She tried to whisper a response but in her agitated state she spoke a little louder than necessary and Carel pulled her closer to the back wall of the cave.

“Please keep your voice down.” He looked at her considering his answer, “What kind of an animal am I? I’m just the kind of animal that is going to get you out of here.”

“Let’s just say I agree to do this for you. What makes you think that the testimony of a prisoner would be sufficient to convince anyone that the two sets of bones once belonged to Zirlo and Lars?” She looked at Mattie, who was staring at the both of them with her mouth wide open.

“You probably would be surprised at my answer, but I think they would believe you. You are a doctor, right? They let you open a clinic, right? You could say that the bones based on descriptions you got from the men that knew them are consistent with the remains of both men. To strengthen your argument about Zirlo, we can send several of the men over from his quadrant over to identify his…I don’t know…Teeth. As for Lars, he had some really badly broken fingers which would help identify him. As I said, I would use the skull and a hand from the body I dug up. I know that what I have done is a bit barbaric. But, I am sure that the dead Theron prisoner wouldn’t mind making this sacrifice to help his fellow warriors. His participation will surely not go unappreciated.” His look was pleading. “Do you think you could help me Jenaya?”

“First of all, they let me open the clinic because I told them that it would keep the workers healthier so that they could work harder. And secondly, replicating the cracks in the severely broken fingers will be difficult. But, if done convincingly, could serve as a possible identifying factor for Lars. That is, only if enough people know about it. Other than that distinctive characteristic, it may be hard to convince them that the hand belongs to him.” She paused and looked up at him, “If I do this for you, you have to do something for me.”

“What do I have to do? I will do anything.” Carel pleaded.

“Well, let’s see. I will need some measuring implements in order to convince them that I know what I am talking about. I am also going to need what I asked for when you came in. I am in dire need of a medical scanner and some healing salve at the least. Can you give me something to write all this down?” Her thoughts were going a mile a minute now. She needed medicine that worked internally for those with these unusual growths and so much more. If she could just get her hands on the essential supplies, she might possibly be able to get these people healthy enough to survive until help arrives. He handed her a pen and small pad of paper. She quickly jotted down everything that she could think of and went over the list so that he could translate it into his language. Writing was always a bit tricky. Just about every civilization connected to the intergalactic trading co-op had chip implants in their ears so that they could understand what each other said. However, written language was unique to the planets from which the people originated from.

“I will get what I can. Remember, I can only bring what I can sneak in here. You know Jenaya, if you help me, I may be able to get close enough to Gatton to see what he is going to do next. But, I can only achieve this if we work together. Neither one of you can speak a word of this to anyone. No one can know that this nightmare might be almost over. Do you understand?” He looked to Mattie and then back to Jenaya as they both nodded. “Alright, I have to get back before they start looking for me. I will talk to the men in Zirlo’s quadrant today about identifying the body.”

“Can you at least have someone check the latrines?” Jenaya smiled sweetly.

“You are pushing it woman.” He said as he left the cave.

She went in a huff to the box to get the salve. She opened a small container and sniffed the contents. It was definitely some kind of healing balm. She guessed that it was worth a try as she was quickly running out of options for Mattie. She put a small amount on her finger and began to rub it into the hard skin near next to her nose and on her shoulder. Maybe, just maybe, this could help her. She still wasn’t sure about Carel though. “Mattie, you said that Zirlo is alive. How come we thought he died all those years ago?”

“He has been here with us from the beginning. He was always our leader like he was on Theron or his ship. We would go to him when we needed to settle disputes among ourselves or to have him mention the things that we needed from the guards. Sometimes, he would intervene when the guards took too many liberties. He took good care of us just like he did on Theron. At least, he tried his best. I had heard that he had fallen from a cliff the day you arrived. Deep down, I had hoped it wasn’t true. I hadn’t heard anything else since then because I have been in this cave with you. As for why the people at home thought he was dead, I don’t know. Sometimes it is easier to let someone go if you believe that they are gone for good. I am sure that my son thinks I am dead. To tell you the truth, I would certainly rather he move on with his life. It would break my heart to think of him continuing to worry about me when there was nothing he could do to change my circumstances.”

“Do you think that we can trust Carel?” Jenaya asked.

“Well Jen, what choice do we have?” Mattie said as she put her head back down and readied herself to go back to sleep. Once Jenaya heard the rhythmic breathing of her sleeping patient she returned to her thoughts. Mattie was right. What choice did they have?



Gatton made it clear that he was not convinced that Zirlo and Lars had died at the base of the pit. It was just too much of a coincidence that the once astute leader of the Theron race turns up missing. He wasn’t the only one to go missing that day. That traitorous half-breed who had extensive knowledge of ship systems was found missing at about the same time a conveniently placed Drylon craft disappears. How likely is it that the two prisoners, who happened to careen down a rocky cliff to their deaths, disappear without a trace? When the storm finally cleared, he had attempted to send several scouts using hover boards down but they failed miserably. The magnetic rocks in the cliff face wreaked havoc any equipment that tried to descend into the seemingly bottomless pit below. Even probes would come back with nothing but static images recorded in their databanks. Fortunately for Carel, it was impossible for anyone to get far enough down the side of the cliff to be able to see the wreckage of the cart much less the bodies. No one was able to confirm the death of the two missing men. It just added to the questions and insecurities that Gatton held. For Carel, however, it seemed as if a higher power was pouring out His blessing to keep his scheming under the radar.