Chapter 228

Chapter 228: Chapter 228

Dron felt the very second Tempest’s knees gave out.

He didn’t dare to turn around and look at Rynax. If he were gone, he didn’t want to know it. He couldn’t face that, not yet. More importantly, he didn’t think that Tempest would be able to face it.

Rynax had been an integral part of her world from the moment she stepped foot off Thraqe. He didn’t want to have to be the one to tell her that he was truly gone.

"Please! Please no!" Tempest tried to push by him again, but Dron just held her close. Minnie was already in the back. She was sobbing loudly.

Dron didn’t know if there was any more that could be done. Rynax could be on his final journey right then and there. All Dron could do was pray to the moon goddess that his journey was well met.

Dron reached down and picked up Tempest from the ground. Her entire body went limp in his arms. He walked back to the other side of the ship and then up the stairs until they came to the small bridge that was used for the people to move from one ship to the other.

Dron was careful. The last thing he wanted to do was misstep and drop Tempest. That would be the perfect end to the day. Not only would he be losing a friend to this bastard of an illness, but he’d lose his woman to the great depths of the sea below. That would be the perfect ending to this cruel trip.

Luckily, Dron was able to get across to the other side without much trouble. Tempest buried her face in his chest and continued to cry.

The pain in her body seemed to leach out into Dron’s. He felt physically weak at the feel of her tears against his skin. He wished there was more that he could do to comfort her. More that he could say. Part of him wished that he could have thought about the medicine that Aliq and Gerax whipped up sooner. All the while, he knew that no matter what, none of that was possible. The Usteans didn’t even have anything like the measles on their planet. No one was prepared for this.

Finally, Dron and Tempest made it to the last ship in the line of ships. On the deck were a few people scattered about. Some betas and a few alphas. Kraznok was there. He looked at Dron one good time and already knew what needed to be done.

"Everyone, off the ship. The mark chief needs some privacy," Kraznok shouted out.

Dron had never been more grateful for the soldier in his life.

There were very few spaces on the boats that anyone could go for any type of private time. Mostly, all that was offered was a sheet that could be hung between the cots below. That wouldn’t do right now. Dron needed to put Tempest at ease. He needed to get her away from everything that was happening with Rynax. They didn’t know what would happen for sure, but he knew that he had to prepare her for the worst.

"This can’t be happening. Not to Rynax. Not when he’s just found a piece of happiness." Tempest sniffled and wiped the back of her hand against her nose.

"It’s hard. No one expected this," Dron whispered as he placed her down on one of the crates and slowly pushed some of her hair behind her ear to clear her face.

"I should have expected it. I think I was just so used to the Usteans being able to cure everything that I never thought about something as small as measles. It’s really not that much of a big thing on Earth anymore."

Dron’s eyes perked up. "Anymore?"

"Yeah, one of the worst parts of my history consisted of an outbreak of measles and other diseases. The people from what I call Europe and the eastern world traveled west to an already populated land and nearly killed off the indigenous people because they had never been exposed to some of the diseases. Measles was one of them. Along with smallpox and pertussis."

Dron’s face froze. "There are other diseases that we can get from the humans?" Dron pulled back a little.

Tempest’s face went white for a second, but then she shook her head.

"Actually, I think you all might be immune to it now, or we can try to synthesize an immunization from the blood Gerax has already taken. Most humans were vaccinated against all that stuff along with the measles. Hopefully, it won’t hit you."

Dron didn’t want to think about the fact that there may be more health concerns in the future. Right now, all he could do was focus on what was going on right now. Rynax was dying. Another health scare could take even more from them. It could take Gerax, Mexyn, it could take all of them.

Tempest shook in Dron’s arms, and he knew in that moment that even being away from Rynax and what was going on wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to stop her from thinking about what was going on. She needed more.

Dron had very little to give.

He had nothing but himself.

Slowly, Dron pulled Tempest closer to him until she was looking up at him through wet eyelashes. The realization came without embarrassment or hesitation.

She needed to feel something other than fear. She needed Dron’s warmth and strength. She needed to know that she wasn’t the only one who was hurting. They could share in that together.

Dron lowered his mouth to hers and took her lips in a blistering kiss.

The kiss wasn’t frantic at first. It was soft. Cautious. Dron’s hands stayed against her waist as if he were waiting for her to decide that she didn’t want to do this.

Instead, Tempest pulled him in closer.

She pulled away only for a second and quickly looked around the area as if she were trying to see if anyone could see them.

Dron knew that Kraznok had already gotten everyone off the ship, but there was still a possibility of someone walking in on them. It wasn’t like they were hidden. There was only one real space on the ship that they could go where they would be on their own. It was a storage room. It was packed to the gills, but Dron was sure that he could make some space so that they could enjoy themselves in privacy.

Dron rose to his feet, gathering up Tempest in the process, and rushed in the direction of the storage room. Tempest didn’t stop kissing and touching him.

Her fingers curled harder into his chest through the fabric covering his body.

Dron pulled away just enough to look down at her. He wanted to make sure that he wasn’t taking advantage of her. She could be too upset to make these decisions.

"Tempest, we don’t..." he started, but Tempest cut him off with another kiss.

"Don’t, Dron. Don’t question my need right now. I don’t want to be doubted," Tempest whispered back at him.

Dron understood. He nodded his head and continued to the space.

He pushed the door open and, just like he suspected, the room was packed with boxes of medical equipment half pulled out of the crates and food packed in the other corner. There were bolts of fabric and other items that were supposed to get them through this journey.

Right now, all Dron needed was space. He put Tempest down on her feet for a second while he went about pushing and creating a space for them in the back of the room. He laid out a few scraps of fabric. It was a far cry from the bed, but at least he wouldn’t have to lay her on the dirty wood of the ship.

He stared at Tempest for a second. Her eyes were closed, and a silent tear streamed down her face.

He moved back over to her, and she let her eyes pop open. Before he could say a word, Tempest lifted up and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss melted into him. They became one in that moment yet again.

There was nothing gentle about the emotions tearing through the both of them, but Dron somehow managed to hold on to them both without letting her fall apart completely.

Tempest clung to him and let herself disappear into the familiarity of his body. The certainty that existed between them.

There were no High Royals in that room.

No war or disease.

There was no number hanging over Rynax’s life. There were only the two of them.

Dron understood how special something like that was.

For a moment, his thoughts switched back to Rynax. He deserved to have something like this. And Dron was worried he’d never get the chance.

Tempest didn’t let him dwell on that for too long.

They weren’t together in that room merely as a distraction or for pleasure. They were in that room to get stronger together.

They were safe together.

Dron lowered Tempest down on the sheets he’d placed on the ground, staying as close to her as possible. Tempest kept her arms around him. She didn’t want the distance either. Their clothes were pushed aside between kisses and trembling hands. But there was none of the wild urgency that had consumed them during her heat.

This was different. Dron moved with a tenderness. Tempest whimpered and moaned at every touch as if she were answering questions he refused to put into words.

Are you here?

Yes.

Do you need me?

Yes.

Are you still mine?

Always.

Dron dropped his hands between her legs and slowly caressed the folds between her thighs. She was already wet for him. She would take him nicely.

He had started to worry that he would only be able to lay with her during her heat, that she would only want him during those times.

If that was the case, and he would have to wait for the month to pass before he got to sleep with her, it wouldn’t be something he would complain about, but there was a part of him that was happy to know that she wanted him at other times as well.

"Please, Dron, now. I need to feel you inside me now," Tempest whispered as she pulled him down and kissed him deeper. She opened herself up to him, and he kicked the remainder of his clothes off.

Dron settled between her legs and slowly pushed his primary sex organ against her. He didn’t want to move too fast. He wanted to feel every single moment of this.

Especially since he knew that he wouldn’t be able to finish in the way he wanted. He couldn’t knot with her. Now wasn’t the time to be stuck together for hours. This had to be quick, but it didn’t mean that it couldn’t be intense.

Dron slid into her, and she gasped as he stretched her open. Slowly, they rocked against each other, using the motion of the ship to further them along. They moved slowly, inching the pleasure up and up until Tempest came apart in his arms. She cried out his name, and he held her as she shook against him.

Dron could feel his need building up inside of him, but he forced himself not to go down that path. This wasn’t about him. This was all about Tempest. This was what she needed from him. The connection.

He wrapped his body around her as if he could shield her from what was going on outside the doors. He would do anything to keep her happy and safe.

If this was what she needed at that moment, then he was more than happy to give it to her.

Finally, after Tempest had come a number of times, she laid her head against his neck and just held onto him. Dron was more than happy not to move an inch.

He didn’t want to move away.

He wanted to stay just like this forever.

Of course, time wouldn’t allow for that to happen.

Just as Dron was about to snuggle even closer to Tempest there was three quick raps against the door.

"Oh god... It’s Rynax. They’re here to tell us about Rynax." Tempest started to breathe fast again. This time it had nothing to do with how good he was making her body feel.

"Shh, it’s okay. I’ll go find out." Dron tried to leave her there, but of course, in the typical Tempest fashion, the moment Dron got up to put his clothes back on, so did she.

It took them a few seconds to get dressed. Dron rushed to the door.

He opened it to see Gushex standing there, a severe look on his face.

"We need to talk about Rynax."