by Ruby Dixon
It’s sushi. It is.
It’s…delicious. Fresh and flavorful and salty, and I let out a little exclamation of happiness as the taste hits my tongue. T’chai’s expression is so delighted you’d think he was responsible for the taste. I chuckle and offer him a bite.
He refuses, pushing it back toward me.
I shake my head, urging it back toward him. “We can share. You’re doing all the hunting, after all.”
He hesitates, but his stomach growls again. His jaw clenches, and I get the vague impression that his body’s embarrassing him with its needs. T’chai takes the food from me and takes the smallest, most reluctant bite ever, and then tries to hand it back to me.
I give him an exasperated look. “Really, cabrón?”
Startled at my response, T’chai stares, and then chuckles, shaking his head. He takes a larger bite, and then eats the remainder of it, practically devouring it in his hunger. I just give him a knowing stare as he cuts another piece, and offers it to me. In this way, we eat our fill, and when we’re done, there’s still plenty of fish-eel left to take back to the others. T’chai gestures at it and then back in the direction of his village, and looks at me, waiting.
Once again, I suspect he’s choosing me. He knows how important it was for me to come to this beach, to look for Lauren. The others won’t get to eat if I want to stay and dick around, though. I don’t know how long raw fish lasts in this humidity, but my guess is not long.
There’s really no choice to be made. I know they’re hungry and I suspect catches like this are few and far between. Plus, if Lauren was here, she’s not here now. I called for her for a long time, and nothing. Might as well feed the others at least. So I take T’chai’s hand in mine and gesture that we should return.
His smile of response is brilliant and warm and makes me feel so, so good. I guess I can choose him, too.
The others are thrilled with T’chai’s catch and don’t even complain that we ate our share before we brought it back to the group. They still watch me pretty intently, and it makes me a little unnerved. After all, I’m a lone naked woman in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by several large naked men who have obviously not been laid in a long, long time. It would make any girl nervous. So I hide behind T’chai and cling to his arm, because I know he’ll protect me. The surly one of the group gives me dismissive looks as if I’m the world’s largest coward, but I don’t care. I can be a coward in their eyes as long as I’m a safe coward.
Once the food is eaten down to the bones and someone snags the eel head to munch on (thankfully not T’chai), the little tribe separates again. T'chai takes me to the rocky cliffs that spiral upward over their little settlement, and there are supply caves here—or they were supply caves once upon a time. Most of the supplies left here have rotted from time or can't be eaten. There's lots of nets and dried leaves and very little else. From up here, though, you can see for miles and miles around, and I spend most of the afternoon scanning the area looking for signs of Lauren, or even the others we left behind on the snowy beaches. I see lots of waters, but no snow and no distant land.
I see that the water surrounding the island is lighter, as if we're built up on a shelf of some kind and the ocean's not as deep. I see the sides of the cliffs are steep here and curve around the water like the edges of a bowl.
It's a caldera, which means there was a volcano here…or still is.
And beyond the thick carpet of green trees, I see a jagged peak that looks like a broken tooth, and angry smoke pluming forth from it.
It concerns me. It concerns me a lot.
So do the myriad earthquakes that shake the ground about once an hour. They're never very big, but they're ever-present reminders that something bad is happening on this island and it just reinforces the feeling that we need to get far, far away from here.
But how? I think of the pod Lauren and I arrived here in, and how much seawater I ended up drinking. Something tells me that we can't fit four aliens and me in there and all expect to end up staying afloat. Plus, I have no idea where the heck we would go.
I also don't know how to make T'chai understand this. He knows there are earthquakes. He doesn't like them either, but maybe there's just nowhere to go.
The thought's a depressing one.
When the twin suns start to set, we head back down the cliffs and to the huts. My bare feet aren't equipped for walking around without shoes, and I cut my toes on a bit of rock and hiss with pain. T'chai immediately moves toward me and kneels, back to me, and gestures that I should put my arms around his neck. I do so, and then I'm getting a piggy-back ride down the side of the cliffs as his callused, nimble feet pick a path easily back down to the huts. He holds my legs around his hips, and I try to think of this as pure necessity. He's just being nice.
It's just a piggy-back ride.
Even so, my khui goes absolutely wild. It hums and sings in my chest so loud that I can feel it shivering through my entire body. His sings in response, and I'm acutely aware of the press of my naked breasts to his big, strong back. I'm even more acutely aware of how I'm straddling him from behind and I'm not wearing panties. My legs are wide open in a silent invitation, and all he would have to do is stop, pull me around to his front, and tug me down onto his cock.
And…I don't know that I'd say no.
I could blame resonance. I could blame the fact that this volcano might explode tomorrow and I'm feeling a bit hedonistic. That I need to get all my living in before it's taken from me. Maybe it's all those things…or maybe it's that T'chai is just utterly gorgeous and wild, and he's like no one I've seen before. I feel so beautiful when he touches me with that reverent look on his face. I feel cherished when he gets all huffy and protective and blocks his tribesmates from looking at me. And I can't stop thinking about his hands on me last night, the wonder and lust on his face as he touched me.
Plus, I really like sex and it's been a while. So…what's the harm? All signs are pointing to yes.
There will be a baby, but…given that we might not live beyond the week? If the volcano doesn't explode? If we don't all starve to death? A baby seems very low on the list of things to worry about.
I'm going to live for the moment tonight.
T'CHAI
M'tok and S'bren both catch small fish and share them with the clan. I eat only a few bites, because I gorged myself earlier this day, and M'rsl only nibbles. She seems distracted, holding tight to my arm and keeping me close to her. She cringes back when one of the others looks in her direction, which just sours M'tok's mood.
"Your mate is afraid of a breeze," he comments. "She is going to struggle here."
"Then I will take care of her," I retort. "It is not your concern."
"She is part of the tribe. Of course it is my concern—"
"Enough," R'jaal says, and he sounds tired. He gets to his feet and dusts sand off his legs. "It is clear she is not used to life here. She will adjust in time. Give her a chance."
M'tok just rolls his eyes.
I get to my feet and M'rsl jumps to hers. She immediately goes behind me again, casting a worried look at the others, and her face is flushed. She always seems fine with me…is it M'tok? Perhaps I should have a word with him that he is making my mate anxious. Perhaps I should just keep them apart entirely.
But then M'rsl grabs my hand and her thumb strokes over my skin, and I am suddenly not thinking of M'tok at all. I look over at her as we walk to my hut, and she gives me a heated look that has nothing to do with food or my tribe.
I think about how loud her khui was as I carried her down the cliffs, and my heart pounds. My khui sings out, eager for me to mate, and my cock fills, growing erect and making it difficult for me to walk. Perhaps I misunderstand her. I try to calm my eager body, thinking of things other than my mate and her hand in mine. I try to think of fishing. Of nets. Of kaari and Strong Arm and things that will make my cock deflate. She is just happy, I tell myself, because she has a full belly. If she wishes to
be touched, she will let me know.
Just like last night, when she rocked on my hand and made those incredible gasping noises as I pleasured her—
I groan, scrubbing my free hand down my face as we approach my hut. I cannot think about last night or my cock will never go down. I need to think of something else. I push aside the woven grass flap that covers the entrance to my hut and hold it for M'rsl. Think about coverings for my mate's soft feet, or—
The moment M'rsl is inside the hut, she reaches for me.
Her hands are on my arms and she yanks me into the hut, and I stumble into her. She laughs, the sound soft and breathless, and then her hands move to my face and she pulls me down toward her. I go eagerly, and when her lips close over mine, my pulse blazes through my body.
I did not misinterpret the looks she gave me.
The realization fills me with fierce joy, and I kiss her hard, my tongue licking against the soft well of her mouth. She moans, her hand sliding down my stomach, and then she brushes her fingers over my cock.
I hiss, breaking the kiss.
M'rsl looks up at me, her small teeth biting into her lip. "S'bad?" She whispers. "Unnotwantmi?"
What is she saying? I fight back frustration and press a quick kiss to her forehead, trying to stay under control. "If you touch me there, I will not be able to stop," I warn her. "I need to know if you understand what is happening between us."
Her brows furrow and she gazes up at me. "U hokay T'chai?"
My name sounds enticing in her mouth, and my cock twitches in response. I ignore the hunger that creeps up my spine and the way my sac fills. Instead, I touch her cheek gently with the backs of my fingers and then tap at my chest. "Do you know what resonance is? It means we are mates." I tap her chest, too, right between her fascinatingly jiggly teats. "It means we are together in all ways. It means we will make young."
M'rsl gives an enticing little wiggle, takes my hand, and puts it between her legs with an entreating smile on her face.
The moment I touch her hot, wet cunt, I am lost. She is already slippery with need, and I cannot stop touching her. My fingers move through her folds, learning her soft body once more. I murmur her name over and over again as her hands slide over my chest.
"T'chai," she whispers. "Wantchoo."
I slide a hand to the back of her neck even as I caress her cunt, drifting my fingertips through her slick heat. I find the entrance to her body and press into it, remembering how she rocked against my hand last night. I want that again. I want to sink my cock into her. I want so very many things with this female.
She moans, pushing her hips against my hand and encouraging my finger deeper, until it is seated to the hilt inside her. I watch her face as I pump it in and out slowly, letting instinct guide me. She feels so tight like this, my mate. My finger feels as if it barely fits, and yet my cock must sink deep into her if I am to fulfill resonance. Perhaps…two fingers? "Can I give you more?" I ask her. "Can you take more?"
M'rsl rocks against my hand, making whimpering little noises that threaten my control. I watch her, dumbfounded, as she rides on my palm.
“My mate,” I groan. “Look at how beautiful you are.”
She twists her fingers into my mane, holding onto me as her hot little mouth goes to my chest. She bites at my skin even as she bucks into my hand. I growl, fascinated at how wild she is. I push a second finger into her, pumping hard, and she’s so wet and tight that it nearly breaks me. How can anything be so good?
“T’chai,” she pants, gesturing at the nest of leaves that makes up my bed. Do I want to go there with her?
More than anything.
I lock my arm around her waist and lift her against me, claiming her mouth with mine even as I work her slick cunt with my fingers. I stagger over the few steps to my bed and ease her onto the ground, thrusting into her tight channel and relishing the feel of my fingers sinking so deep inside her. I love the way she clenches tight around me, and imagining her squeezing my cock and milking me nearly makes me spend.
Resonance is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
I maul M’rsl’s soft mouth with mine—I want to mate tongues with her gently, but my need will not allow soft, slow touches. I want to claim her. I want to own her, to possess every finger-span of her golden body and show the world that she is mine and mine alone.
And my mate is just as eager for it as I am. Her breath pants and she works her hips against my seeking fingers, my name breathless on her lips.
I push over her, settling my weight above her smaller form. I am suddenly acutely aware of just how fragile M’rsl is, how much smaller than me. I do not want to crush her…and I hesitate.
M’rsl moans, locking her legs around my hips. Her heels dig into my behind, urging me forward. I notch my cock at her entrance, watching her face for uncertainty, but all I see is hunger. Slowly, I push into her, the breath hissing from between my teeth at how good she feels. It seems to take an eternity before I am seated into her body, my sac pressing up against her skin, and she shivers and squirms under me.
I pump into her, moving slowly, and when her little gasps do nothing but encourage me to move faster, I keep going. Over and over, I rock into her, until our bodies are shoving across the leaves and she clings to me as if she will never let me go.
I come quickly, my seed boiling forth and spilling despite my efforts to make our mating last longer. It is too much, too quick, and I hear M’rsl’s little whimper of disappointment as I collapse on top of her.
“I am sorry,” I gasp, pressing my mouth to her soft skin. “Next time it will be better.”
7
MARI
So that…wasn't great.
Don't get me wrong. It was good…it just wasn't great. T'chai gets points for enthusiasm, but loses them for all the spots he missed out on, and not making me come. Still, it's his first time, and I'm feeling soft and lenient as he lies atop me and murmurs soft things. We have all night to make things better, and I intend on showing him what I need. It's not a problem. So I stroke his thick, fascinating hair and touch his blue skin and marvel at how he feels deep inside me. His spur brushes up against sensitive parts, teasing close to my clit, but it's not at quite the right angle to make me come.
When T'chai recovers from his orgasm, he props up on his arms and gives me a rueful look.
"It's okay," I tell him with a faint smile. "Everyone's first time sucks, just a little. Next time will be magic."
He touches my cheek, brushing his fingers over it in a captivated way, and I watch as his color ripples to the same shade as my skin. That's as fascinating as it is flattering, and I let out a little sigh of pleasure, squirming under him. I'm acutely aware of how big he is, because he's still seated deep inside me. I'm wet with his release, our mingling fluids trickling down my thighs, and I should probably get up and clean up. I just…don't want to. I like the way he feels over me, how big he is inside me, even now.
T'chai murmurs something, and I wish I understood him. I hate this language barrier. I hate that Lauren and I got separated from the others before we could get one of those translator chips that Farli and her mate were talking about. I want to know what he's saying. Does he like my body? Does he like the way I feel underneath him? Because I like it…a lot.
I run my fingers along the lines of his jaw, noting absently that I'm still resonating. My khui doesn't seem to have quieted any, and I wonder if it's because I have to come, too. I should have asked if there were specifics when it comes to resonance. I admit I tuned out once I heard it was about babies. Not that I don't like babies. I've just been too stressed to think about the future, much less children.
So I tap his chest, hoping that my question comes through. "We're still resonating, querido." I rub the spot where I can feel his khui vibrating through his skin. "Is that bad?"
He shrugs and leans down to nuzzle at my neck.
Okay, I'll take that. I smile, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. "I guess we'
re not done, then?"
T'chai says something under his breath, and his hand skims down my hip.
I close my eyes and enjoy his petting. It’s nice to be touched. After living in terror and feeling alone, being in his arms helps. I don’t feel so very…stranded and afraid. I feel like I have a friend now. A partner. Someone to face the world with me.
It’s unreal how incredible it feels.
His hand strokes over my breast, and then he begins to tease my nipple, working it with his fingers until it’s tight and aching, and a little moan escapes my throat.
He whispers filthy things—at least, I imagine they're filthy—as he rolls my nipple, tweaking it and teasing it and making me so needy that I'm wriggling underneath him. My pussy clenches in response, tightening around his cock, and then we both gasp. I'd forgotten he was still inside me because he hasn't moved, and my body's reaction makes me realize that he's grown hard once more. T'chai's khui hums loudly, sending vibrations dancing along my skin. I want his mouth on me. I want his hands on me. I want everything he can give me, and the thought makes me shiver.
T'chai rocks into me, and as he does, I arch up against him. The small adjustment makes his spur graze along the side of my clit, teasing my skin and sending a hot bolt of lightning through my body.
I make a choked cry. "Ay dios. I didn't think…" I'd heard some of the other women mention spurs, but I'd never realized just how good it'd feel. I know sex feels good, but this puts things in a whole new level. Like, the highest level.
He grits my name, driving into me, and angles my hips, trying for the same motion as before. It's clear he wants me to have the same reaction—and he succeeds. My body lights up, and I cry out again. It's like having him play with my clit even as he pumps into me with his enormous, ridged cock. Our bodies slap together, making wet noises as he claims me hard and fast, and this time, when he comes, I'm right there with him.
The sounds I make are embarrassing in their volume and lack of coherency, but it doesn't matter. No one matters except T'chai, and he's grinning down at me, a dopey look of pleasure on his face, as if he just scored a touchdown or something.
