Her Enemy's Embrace Ch. 00: Prologue

*This is my first story and I am kind of writing it in reverse. Please enjoy and know your comments help me become a better writer!

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Large black furls of smoke rose high in the sky as the fires that had been set to the city center smoldered. The white sandstone buildings were charred black where the blazes had been the most intense. Ian watched with grim satisfaction as he saw Callen, the ground commander, lead the defeated Calpari off in the direction of the awaiting military envoys to shuttle them to the capital. The light linen dress that seemed to be the style of the Calpari was in stark contrast to the Tehani military troops that were capturing the city.

Ian tried to keep his steely reserve as he saw the sullen and strangely subdued faces of the men, women and children who had been captured. He said nothing about the very eerie silence that seemed to hang in the air where the Calpari were concerned.

No crying,

No shrieking,

No resistance.

It was almost as if they were all waiting for something.

Twenty years of military training, much of which had been spent on the front lines fighting and invading, told him something was a bit...off, he just couldn't put his finger on it. He could tell Callen had the same thought as we quirked him a quick glance before returning to directing the captured Calpari to a massive line of military envoys. Tehani had a reputation for conquering supposedly weaker races. They simply put any captured peoples into forced labor. Abuse didn't exist in the way most other conquerors did it. Ian knew theTehani would rather have hale and hearty working sustainable labor to mine the salt and metals found in the harsh landscape of their home world, Tehaune. He was uncertain whether the fate of the Calpari people was to remain on Calparn or be sent to Tehaune. There were many resources on Calparn that could be mined and traded for.

Ian tried to continue to wonder about the fate of the Caplarn otherwise he would be distracted by his own frustration. He was hot, tired, and horny. And that was never a good thing. When he was horny and agitated, he was an even nastier bastard than usual. Ian's men knew that.

He was looking forward to going to Ryles, the pleasure city back on Tehaune, for some much needed rest and relaxation. Well, that is what he kept telling himself, 'rest and relaxation' but who was he kidding? He needed his dick drained and fast. He wanted to pay for the services of one of the talented whores and fuck her for a solid week. His stamina was legendary and he hid his anticipation well. The continual scowl that he wore made him look even more dark and foreboding than usual. It kept anyone from interacting with him unnecessarily. The thought of his massive bed also tempted him. After fucking his chosen whore for a week, he did actually plan on getting some rest. His house back on Tehaune sat outside the city and it's large rooms allowed him the space he needed to get away from all of the stress of his job. Close enough to easily report to the barracks but far enough away to afford him some peace and privacy.

His mind shifted to Callen, the ground commander. He was a wily leader who was Ian's peer on this mission. Callen led troops on the ground and Ian had a special segment of troops who did strike attacks on specific locations. Ian had to admit that he didn't really trust Callen and he did not like the look the dark haired man was giving some of the female captives that were boarding the military envoys. He would be sure that some of his own men were mixed in with the other ground troops when they got back to the capital. They would help with overseeing the assignments on the captured Calpari. It would definitely keep Callen from doing anything rash or overt with the women.

Ian gave a slight nod to signal it was time for his men to get in formation so they could take the temple. Gazing up at the last building to fall, Ian saw the outline of a woman. Standing in the shadows of one of the arched windows, he could see the slight shaking of her outline. From the silhouette he could see, the woman was someone he would not mind having in his bed for a bit of fun. A second later, she was gone. Ian grunted to clear his head then him and his men began to march toward the Temple.