As dusk descended on Atsa yet again the craters inflicted on the cityscape revealed that they had been dormant cauldrons waiting to be stirred back into life to spew blood, flames and screams. With each night the Alcazaar dared to come that much closer to the heart of Maria territory. Since Ala suspected it wouldn’t be long before they hit her headquarters, she asked the other clans to assist with ringing the area.
‘I hope the Desine bothers to show up tonight,’ Vom said as he loped past Sandsa. ‘The Alcazaar and Chippers get us good when we’re powerless.’
Sandsa’s throat tightened. Callista must have sensed his discomfort because her fingers quickly wove through his. Sandsa. He won’t turn up. He can’t.
The Desine could stop all this nonsense in a single heartbeat.
Are you only saying that because we haven’t managed to finish our titillating conversation? she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Sandsa decided not to answer that, because she already knew she was right, and his eyes instead found Josh Freeman who was part of a group that was about to head down Canat Road to the position Ala had ordered them to take. Josh was cracking jokes to anyone who would listen, but his own smile was weary and forced. Guilt threatened to choke Sandsa, but then Callista distracted him, her palms on his cheeks, her lips on his own. He allowed her gentle kiss to erase his memories briefly, so briefly, then pulled back to say, ‘What I did to him, Callista…’
‘No, what the desert god did to him,’ she cut in.
Sandsa grimaced. ‘It is not so easy for me to distance myself from my own past.’
‘Sometimes I want our first day together to be the first day of your life because it’d be a lot simpler,’ Callista told him, then stole another kiss. ‘And I feel like…I shouldn’t be suppressing who you are, just so I can have you at my side.’
‘I am the one who is suppressing myself.’
‘But for who, Sandsa? Please don’t make it my fault. Please.’
Sandsa curved his hand around the back of her neck. ‘I did it for me. I have never been freer. I have never been happier. I owe fealty to no one but my clan and the woman I intend to marry.’
‘For that comment, I’m sending your group to the opposite end of Canat Road,’ she said tartly, but she was grinning as she turned to go.
He kept hold of her hand and used it to tug her back to him. ‘Callista. What if…what if to save lives and end this war, I should be what I was, and allow people like Pagnus and Vom to use the powers I gave them?’
‘But you’d give yourself to them and never stop — I can feel it, I know you wouldn’t be able to stop once you started,’ she whispered. ‘They’d take you from me and you’d let them — and I…I don’t think that’s what you want.’
‘It’s not,’ he insisted. ‘Because I want you.’
Callista snatched her hand back from him and hurried away.
***
The battle raged on but oddly there were no Chippers to be found, not even Nerani’s folk. This caused a rash of rumours to spread amongst the Maria and the other clans, their discontent growing louder with each passing minute. Ala eventually took it upon herself to bellow into multiple communicators, ordering everyone to stop wasting their time on gossip so they could spend more of it raining fire on the Alcazaar. Curious, Sandsa stretched out his senses and felt all the Chippers clustered in one section of the city. Their energy was filled with indecision and turbulence.
No ’copters swooped in from above. But it was dangerous enough without them.
Sandsa felt a violent tug on his heart when he collided with Vom while sprinting towards a line of Maria who needed his help. Clutching his chest, winded, Sandsa willed himself to stay within his flesh, his powers curled up inside him like a serpent.
Vom grabbed his shoulders. ‘Sandsa! We need your help in raising the Desine!’
‘He has abandoned you — why do you continue to place faith in him?’ Sandsa asked, snapping any tendrils seeking him in half.
‘It’s the only weapon we’ve got left.’
Sandsa’s eyes found the Zatzat clanspeople gathered behind Vom. Most of them held lasguns that were warped beyond recognition by heat from repeated firing. Some had even been reduced to fighting with their bare hands.
Sandsa waved one of his clansmen over. ‘Subofficer Knives. Lasguns and shielding devices for our allies.’
‘What, don’t they got their own?’ asked Knives as he trotted up to Sandsa.
‘Direct my request to Bock,’ Sandsa instructed the man.
Knives raced off, but his disapproval trailed after him.
Vom was now staring at Sandsa in disbelief. ‘Sandsa, no lasgun can make me feel useful. Losing my powers…it’s like losing a limb. You don’t feel this — you still have your chipless powers to fall back on.’
‘You do not need some invisible deity to make your decisions,’ Sandsa said flatly. ‘And I wonder if perhaps the Desine wishes to pursue a life unbothered by people constantly demanding things of him and never giving anything in return!’
‘But you are thinking like a man — the Desine is not one of us,’ Vom reminded him.
Sandsa met his intense gaze without flinching. ‘I would not begrudge the Desine for thinking like one of us, wanting to be like one of us. He owes you nothing, Vom.’
‘I have a son, Sandsa. Should I ignore my responsibility as a parent because some days I am tired of looking after him?’
The road shook beneath his feet. Sandsa slumped sideways but Vom caught him before he hit the ground. Something pounded against Sandsa’s temples, something important, something demanding attention — Callista. He wrapped the cord of her presence around his wrist, tightening the knot so hard that if it had been a tangible connection it might have cut off the circulation in his hand. Sandsa staggered the first few paces towards where Callista’s plea originated, supported by his friend.
Friend? Sandsa considered the word as he straightened and shook off the man’s help. He was surprised that when he tore down the road Vom followed him. I was missing out on more than I realised. But to keep this friend, I must abandon him…
He listened for Callista’s voice, but her silence stretched on and on. His heart, trapped beneath his ribs, pounded unsteadily. Losing her would hurt more than being caught in another hovercar fire.
‘I have disobeyed Subofficer Ala,’ Sandsa realised, slowing as he remembered the clanspeople he had left behind, the ones he was supposed to lead.
Vom grabbed his arm. ‘I’ll take your place. It’s Dancer, isn’t it? She in trouble?’
Sandsa cursed and tapped a finger to the communicator sitting inside his ear. ‘Subofficer Dancer — Callista? Callista? Why did I not think to try this earlier?’ he asked his companion. ‘Am I that reliant on my powers?’
There was no answer from the device or from Vom who touched his shoulder briefly before hurtling over to those Sandsa had abandoned, bellowing orders in his stead. Sandsa ran in the opposite direction, trying not to trip on strewn and shattered bodies.
He was soon confronted with the sight of Alcazaar clanspeople pouring through the gaps between the smoking shells of overturned hovercars. Their charge was held at bay by a weak smattering of lasgun fire from a group of Maria led by Bock, whose face sported more cuts and grazes than Sandsa could count in one glance. The young man stood tall and proud and was barely covered by the faltering shields that two of his companions held up for him.
‘Where is she?’ Sandsa shouted. ‘She was meant to be directing her group from here!’
‘We’re a little overrun, Bolt!’ Bock roared back at him.
Sandsa stormed past Bock, clipping the clansman’s shoulder as he went, and exposed himself to the Alcazaar. He smiled, daring his opponents to take a shot at him, then struck. Metal debris slammed into the Alcazaar, pinning them against the road and shredding their flesh. He found Callista curled up nearby, her body lifeless and her mind unresponsive. Sandsa hurried over to her and arrived just in time to see her eyes flutter open.
She wasn’t hurt, just stunned, but she needed him. The battle was no longer important.
Something hot seared across his shoulder. Sandsa hissed. ‘I will be back in a moment, Callista.’
He rose and began marching towards the person who had fired the lasgun bolt. The Alcazaar clansman responsible swore, dropped his weapon, and bolted before Sandsa could retaliate.
‘Nice work,’ Ala piped up from his communicator.
‘The Alcazaar have fallen back already?’ Sandsa asked, a hand covering the earpiece.
‘Yeah, I know, way too easy. Probably ’cause the Chippers haven’t showed up.’
‘Why haven’t they?’ he asked, moving over to help Callista stand.
Ala’s voice was cool, but her thoughts were laced with concern. ‘Internal strife. A general from another system showed up and decided to punish both factions. Can’t blame ’em, really.’
Callista’s communicator must have also been receiving the subofficer because she frowned and joined the conversation. ‘We’ve lost the Chippers?’
‘Dunno yet, but it can’t be good if Nerani’s not answering me,’ Ala said dryly.
Callista adjusted her jacket but Sandsa could see that the tears and holes it had gained over the past few nights didn’t offer much protection against the chilly night air. ‘Don’t they care about saving lives?’
‘More lives have been lost in this past month than in many years, I feel,’ Sandsa murmured. ‘The Chippers cannot keep adding to the deaths. Their superiors would disapprove.’
‘What Bolt said.’ Ala offered no more.
Sandsa curled an arm around Callista’s waist and began leading her back to headquarters. But she wasn’t done. ‘This is ridiculous! We have been fighting for the good of Atsa.’
‘We fought to keep one man beside the woman he loves,’ Sandsa remarked.
‘That was just an excuse,’ Callista said, shaking her head. ‘This war has been brewing since your mother died, Sandsa. We deserve to live without fear of the Alcazaar.’
‘More people will be hurt if this continues.’
‘I know, I just…’ Callista closed her eyes. ‘I wish it was over.’
‘As do I.’
***
It was early still, far before dawn, but the Alcazaar tide had receded for the night. The unease of the Maria and their allies hung over Canat Road, causing arguments and even one person to brandish a lasgun. Subofficer Ala took to patrolling the street, a weapon tucked into each hand, snapping at anyone who spoke too loudly.
Inside the Maria headquarters, Sandsa guided Callista into her room, stripping the shredded jacket and the layers beneath it from her body before laying her down on top of her bed. He shed his own shirt and kicked it aside, then came to kneel beside her.
She reached for the burn on his shoulder. ‘You should let me deal with this.’
‘I will be fine, so long as I know that you are,’ he said softly.
‘You’ve fixed me up heaps of times, let me return the favour,’ she protested, but did not complain when he pulled her pants off, his eyes and fingers roving over her skin as he examined her. His touch drew a gasp from her lips and an insistent throb from between her legs.
‘Doesn’t seem fair for you to keep yours on,’ she told him.
He laughed. His pants soon joined hers on the floor and Callista stared unabashedly at the firm, lengthening organ that was now free of any restrictions. Sandsa arched his eyebrow at her. Grinning, Callista wriggled out of her grey underwear and squeezed her thighs together, enjoying the liquid heat that was pooling deep inside her. She shivered pleasantly as he rolled her onto her side and spooned her from behind, his chest warming her back.
The sheet glided gently over her breasts when Sandsa heaved more of it over them. She smiled as she felt him shift behind her, his hardness revealing the reason for his discomfort. A thrill shot through her, reawakening her fading adrenaline.
Outside, the city smouldered. It was hard to care about this as his fingers circled her bellybutton. She wanted his touch to dip much, much lower.
‘I had a dream that we were married,’ she said after several long moments.
Sandsa nuzzled the side of her neck. ‘So did I.’
‘And we had a son,’ Callista went on.
‘Blue eyes like mine, fiery spirit like yours…’
She hesitated. ‘Did you see what he was wearing?’
‘No, the dream wasn’t that detailed,’ Sandsa answered, a smile lingering in his voice.
She decided not to chase the issue. Instead, she asked, ‘Do you think it’s inevitable, then, that we will marry and all that?’
‘Do you not like the idea of being married to me, Callista?’ His breathing hitched.
Callista curled her hand around his. ‘Of course I do, my love.’
They lay there together for a time, silent and content. She muttered a protest when he suddenly slipped away, removing the support of his body and causing her to drop onto her back. But then he was straddling her, his eyes somehow darker than the night. Callista wet her lips as he pulled the sheet away, exposing her hardened nipples. He immediately gave them attention.
Callista moaned. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me?’
‘I am done waiting for an answer I know I will receive,’ he whispered against her heart, pressing his obvious desire against her hip.
Callista’s heart skipped a beat. ‘You should still ask. It’s only polite, Sandsa dear.’
‘And then I assume, once I have done so, once I have your answer…’ His voice dropped lower, into a growl. ‘…we will do exactly what your mind has been Webcasting for weeks?’
Callista writhed when his tongue swept around one nipple, not quite touching it, driving her mad. His fingers skimmed through the curls below her abdomen, sliding into the moist dip that welcomed him further and further —
‘Ah,’ she gasped.
He withdrew. ‘Did I hurt you?’
‘No, but…’ She found herself blushing. ‘Sandsa. I…I’m scared.’
‘Me too,’ he said, lying beside her, his hand on her abdomen.
Callista gripped his index finger and led it to her clitoris, preparing to guide him again, but his hand wriggled free. She tilted her head back as he began to show her what he had learned.
‘Wife,’ he murmured.
‘Not yet,’ she reproached and he continued his ministrations, bolder and firmer than before.
‘Callista…’ A deep, desperate note escaped him.
He was in her mind, feeling what she felt, which only made the sensations more intense. Sandsa’s touch left her swollen bud but she did not have time to protest. His finger entered her and Callista stilled, eyes wide as he dipped further inside, up to the first knuckle.
‘Oh, alright!’ she said, caving. ‘I’ll marry you.’
Sandsa paused. ‘Are you…’
‘Yes, I’m sure! Now stop stalling.’
Electricity shot through her when she faced him, her hand glancing over his hip before gliding south. His balls were soft to her touch, the hair dusting them as blond and gentle as it was on the top of his head. She clasped her fingers around his hardness then gently lifted them to the tip that leaked desire over her knuckles.
While she was distracted with exploring his body, Sandsa reached down between her legs, his finger taking up the circular motion she had taught him. Callista squirmed away from him. ‘That’s not fair. Why don’t…why can’t I feel how you like to be touched?’
‘I never tried,’ he admitted.
Callista smiled, her palm brushing his cheek, then darted down to tease him with her lips. Enjoying the desire in his eyes and the sharp gasps he made, she wrapped her mouth around his shaft and slipped down a little way, stopping when it became uncomfortable. She didn’t think she could swallow any more of him — how would she fit all of him inside her?
Callista dropped back down onto the bed, hands resting on her stomach. ‘Okay. I’m ready. Are you?’
‘Yes, wife,’ he said and knelt over her, his member proud and hard, a string of lazy precum wending its way onto the hairs below, knitting them together.
Callista mewled in surprise when he suddenly kissed her weeping entrance — it was a moist, open kiss that he seemed to enjoy, for his eyes were closed when she looked down at him. She did not get to admire this sight for long because soon she was clutching his scalp, digging through the knots in his hair. Slick and sure, his tongue followed his finger’s earlier path into her, evoking gasps —
‘Stop!’ she exclaimed.
When he looked up at her in concern, his mouth was soaked with her juices; an arousing sight that made it all the more difficult to restrain herself. He smiled. ‘You are close, aren’t you?’
Callista answered by thrusting her peaked nipples into the air.
Kissing her forehead, Sandsa nudged her legs further apart with his knee. With one hand resting on her hip to comfort her, he leaned heavily onto the other, fingers dipping into the sheets. She tensed when his hardness first grazed her. Carefully, he eased into her moist heat and slowed when he met resistance. He was gentle and cautious as he slid further inside her but she felt his mind beginning to unravel, his carefully manicured thoughts crumbling as he was overtaken by hot, demanding passion. She dug her nails into his backside as a warning when he jolted forward a little too fast.
Breathing raggedly, Sandsa began to work himself in and out of her. The feeling of being stretched was uncomfortable for several moments, but then Callista spasmed impatiently around around him and her nails carved more deeply into his flesh. Finally, with one long, seamless glide, he sheathed himself entirely within her and stopped, his chest heaving. Callista watched her own nipples rise and fall with each trembling breath she drew. Catching her gaze, Sandsa smiled and clasped his mouth over one of her breasts. Tingles that began there rapidly spread down to between her legs.
Sandsa… she sent to him, unable to articulate her wants, her needs.
She drove her knees into his sides, urging him on. Sandsa groaned and reared back, his stiff member retreating just enough for Callista to see her liquid desire coating him. And then he was thrusting slowly into her, sweat slipping along his brow. His arms shook with the effort of both holding himself up and keeping himself from ravishing her.
‘Please,’ she whispered. ‘Please.’
His pace quickened. Each time he borrowed within her, a stab of pleasure surged through her body, causing Callista to moan inarticulate sounds instead of his name. His chest, damp with sweat, slicked her breasts, moistening them, making it easier for their skin to slide together. Her mouth found purchase on his shoulder, suckling to anchor herself as much as to excite him. Then her folds clenched around him, stealing every last drop of thought, until Callista went rigid, her vision tunnelling.
Sandsa cried out into the pillow beside her head. A hot burst filled her but it wasn’t enough so Callista rocked up against him, forcing his pelvis to dance with hers, and then her mouth dropped open soundlessly as the pleasure hit a crescendo. This sweet release continued for several long thuds of her heart. When Callista finally came to herself, she found Sandsa collapsed on top of her, panting, his thoughts scattered and incomprehensible.
‘Wow,’ she breathed.
Sandsa heaved himself to the side then propped his head up with an arm, regarding her with half-closed eyes. A pleased smile tugged on his lips. ‘Oh, my love. That was wonderful.’
‘And messy,’ she said, cupping her trembling core and feeling the mingled fluids from their lovemaking dampen her hand. ‘What — Sandsa…!’
He took her hand in his and guided her fingers between his lips, one at a time, his tongue caressing each line and knuckle. Callista sighed and surrendered to him again, lapping up his attention as he moved his mouth over her body, evoking a warm cascade of shudders. When he dipped lower and cleaned her with his tongue, she enjoyed a smaller climax.
Callista loved the smug expression marking his features, one that made him even more handsome. Returning her smile, he moved her onto her stomach. A knot in the sheets pressed against her still damp mons, causing her to groan. She continued to lie there as his hands started working over her shoulders and lower back, removing the last of her tension.
Her pillow was so soft against her cheek and it smelled of both of them, of sweat and sex and belonging. Watched over by the man she was going to marry, she allowed herself to drift away.