by Ruby Dixon
“They are?” I am fascinated. “Should I not touch them?”
“No, it’s okay,” she says, and then squirms again. “Just…sensitive.”
I lean in and lick the tip of one and she moans, arching. “Better?”
“Oh god, yeah.” A whimper escapes her and she clings to me. “I love you, Vektal.”
I growl low in my throat, utterly pleased to have her coming apart in my arms so quickly. Her arousal perfumes the air around us, and I drink in her scent, thick and sweet. It calls to me, and I lick her other teat before sinking between her thighs.
“I love your cunt,” I say, parting her lips and revealing her mysterious third nipple tucked in the folds. “I love the dew it creates, just for my mouth. I love how soft you are. I love your scent.” I lean in and rub my nose along her folds, teasing her nipple with the tip of my nose. “You are the only taste I need every day.”
She moans, arching her hips in anticipation. “Vektal,” she pants, holding onto my horns. “Make me come.”
“Soon,” I promise, and then tease my tongue up her folds. She whimpers, and I enjoy how she squirms. “First…tell me what troubles you.”
Georgie pants, her fists tight on my horns. “W-what?”
“I must know,” I say, lifting my head to meet her gaze. “There is something you are not sharing with me, and I will hear it before I make you come.”
Her eyes go wide. “Can we talk about that some other time? Later?” She pushes at my head, trying to make me lick her again.
Normally I would never refuse such a request. But my Georgie is keeping secrets from me, and I do not like that. It worries me. I need to hear from her lips that she is happy here, that she will not become one of the humans that weeps endlessly at her fate. So I just watch her, waiting.
“Vektal,” she says again, frowning at me. “There’s nothing wrong—”
I lean in and let my breath fan over her cunt, my fingers still holding her open for my tongue.
She moans, a shudder rocking through her. I can see more of her sweet dew forming, and my mouth waters to taste her again…but I must know her secret first.
“Tell me and I will make you come so hard you will scream, my sweet resonance,” I murmur, lowering my mouth again. I do not taste her, not yet. I simply wait.
“Nothing’s wrong!” she cries, arching her hips. “I swear!”
“Georgie.”
She puts a fist to her smooth brow, her breathing raspy. “Ohmigod, I cannot believe you’re doing this.”
“I want to lick your cunt, my mate. You do not know how bad I want it,” I growl. My cock throbs with need, and I want to seat myself deep inside her…after I have tasted her sweetness on my lips. But this secret hangs in the air between us, and I do not like it. “I need you to trust me. To tell me whatever troubles you. You know you have all of my heart, my mate—”
“It’s…it’s not you, okay?” She presses her hands to her face. “It’s just me being silly.”
“I do not think you are silly,” I say, taking my hands from her cunt. I move over her and lie down next to her in the furs, cupping her face and pulling her close. “What troubles you so, my heart? Say it, and if it is in my power to grant it, I shall.”
She looks over at me, wariness in her eyes. “I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.”
“I would never think such a thing.”
She bites her lip. “I…want to leave.”
I blink. “Forever?” I rub my chin, considering. “If we leave, we must appoint a new chief. Tell me your thoughts on who would be best for the role. Salukh? Zolaya? Haeden is too hot-tempered and Bek even worse.”
Georgie sits up on her elbows, her jaw dropping. “No, I didn’t mean—wait, you’d leave with me? Just like that?”
I shrug. “I would be sad to leave my people behind, but you are my mate. You come first in all ways.”
Her eyes grow soft. “You big silly thing. God, I love you.” She leans forward and gives me a quick kiss, then brushes her fingers over my mouth. “That wasn’t what I meant, though. I meant just…leave temporarily. On a trip.”
“Like a hunting trip?” Georgie has not shown much interest in hunting thus far, and I am surprised. She has too much to deal with in regard to her humans and their needs to take on a hunting role, but I am happy to teach her.
“No, like a honeymoon.” Georgie smiles at me. “It’s a human tradition. Newly married people take a trip together, just the two of them. It’s bonding time.”
“I see.” A trip alone. “What do newly married humans do on such a trip?” She has told me before that “married” is the human word for “mated,” so this I understand.
“Well,” she says, and there is a playful note in her voice as she taps a finger on my chest. “They have lots and lots of sex.”
“Mmm. Do we not mate all the time already? I do not see why we have to travel to do so.” I grin at her. “We can mate right here. I can take you from behind just as you like, let my spur press into your bottom—”
Her fingers press to my lips, silencing me. “Vektal, babe. Please. I just…I want to go. I need to go, okay?”
I study her face. There is such worry in her gaze, as if I will refuse her request. This means a lot to her…and I suspect there is something she is still not telling me.
But I nod. “Very well, my sweet resonance. We will go on this honey-moons.”
“Really?”
“Really.” If this is all she wants, it is easy to give. “If a trip will make you smile, then we will go on dozens and dozens of trips.”
Relief shows on her face. She bites her lip again. “You’re too good to me, Vektal.”
Her heart does not seem as light as I want it to be, but it is a good start. We will do this human tradition and I will show her that her mate will give her anything her heart desires…she has but to ask.
“Does this make you happy?” I ask, letting my breath fan over her dew-slick cunt once more. When she moans and nods, I put my mouth on her sweetness once more, tasting her. Georgie gasps and clings to me as I mouth-mate her cunt, licking and sucking at her tender folds and the nipple there. She arches against me, her movements growing more insistent as I move lower, spearing my tongue into her heated core. She is wet here, and I want to be seated deep inside her. I sit up and move over her again, dragging her legs around my hips.
She locks them around me eagerly, her nails digging into my shoulders as I settle my weight over her. I sink into her heat, groaning at the delicious pleasure of it. She clasps my cock so tight and it feels so good, but even better are the little sounds she makes. Georgie whimpers and breathes my name, her expression full of rapture as I push deep.
I have mated with another, but it never came close to the pleasure I feel with my mate. Not once.
I caress my Georgie’s face, touch her mane, and then lean in and give her a kiss even as I surge into her. She moans, clinging to me as I begin a rhythm, rocking into her. My spur rubs against her third nipple with every stroke, and it does not take long before my mate is squirming under me, on edge.
“Make me come,” she pants, arching her hips to meet my thrusts. “Make me come, Vektal.”
There is nothing I want more. With a low growl, I redouble my efforts, taking her harder, faster, deeper. I can feel when she goes over the edge—her cunt tightens and ripples around me, as if she’s sucking me deeper. Her eyes close and she gives a low cry even as her folds flood with more dew and my thrusts into her are wetter. Slicker. She is clenched all around me, tight as a snare, a look of utter joy on her face.
I know I can make her come twice. So I keep driving into her, not stopping until she gives another shuddering cry. This time, when she clenches around me, I allow my own release to take flight. With her name on my lips, I pump into her roughly, letting my seed spill into her depths. I fill my mate, my strokes erratic and slowing until I am completely spent. Then, I press my mouth to hers in a hungry kiss before rolling onto my side and pulling her with
me, our bodies still joined.
She snuggles against me, a happy sigh escaping her throat, and I run my fingers through her mane. “If all you wished for was a trip, my Georgie, all you had to do was ask,” I tell her.
Georgie makes a little sound in her throat and holds onto me, content.
3
GEORGIE
“I can’t believe you’re leaving. Didn’t we just get here?” Claire gives me a worried look. “Liz just got back, too! I thought we were all settling down.”
“It’s just a honeymoon of sorts,” I say, keeping my tone light and cheery. “To celebrate our marriage. Or mating. Whatever you want to call it.” I put the finishing stitches on a new set of mittens as I smile at Claire. “We won’t be gone more than a handful of days. I promise. It’s just time to reconnect.”
“We hear you guys reconnecting every night,” Josie says, giggling. “You’re almost as loud as Nora and her mate.” She stabs her needle into her leather with enthusiasm. “I get it, though. A honeymoon is so romantic. I don’t see why we can’t carry on some of the Earth traditions here. You may not have the white dress and the veil, but I don’t see why you can’t have the honeymoon trip.” She gets a dreamy look on her face.
I wish my motives were as pure as Josie’s interpretation. I grin, tying off my stitch and then pulling a glove over my hand. It’s turned so that the fur is inside to keep my fingers warm, and the fit is just loose enough that I can grip things. “It’s just for a few days,” I say again. “We’re coming back.”
“I just wish you didn’t have to go,” Claire says uneasily. “I still feel really unsettled here, and now our leader’s leaving us behind.” Her mouth pulls down into a frown.
“It really will be all right.”
“Of course it will,” Josie chirps. Her expression brightens. “Maybe by the time you guys come back, some more of us will resonate. I’d love a soulmate.” She clutches her leathers to her chest and sighs. “I just love the way Vektal looks at you, Georgie. The way he touches your hair. The way he watches you all the time with this expression that says, ‘I’m the luckiest man alive.’ I want that.” She looks utterly wistful. “Hopefully it’s coming.”
I didn’t plan on getting a “soulmate” like Josie says, but now that I have Vektal, I can’t complain. He really is amazing. “The right person for you is here somewhere, Josie. I’m sure of it.”
“I hope so.” She begins to sew again. “So where are you guys going on your trip? To see something pretty? A sexy little cave somewhere remote?”
“Nowhere in particular,” I lie. We haven’t talked about where we’re headed tomorrow morning when we go out, but I do have one spot in particular I want to go back to.
Need to go back to.
If nothing else, for peace of mind. But I don’t want to tell the others because I worry it’ll become a big deal. Claire is fragile right now and Josie is a chatterbox. I’d talk to Liz, who has a good attitude about things (and a smart mouth), but she’s off with Raahosh, working on his “exile” penance for stealing her away.
It’s best if I just keep it to myself for now. So I put a cheery expression on my face and lean closer to Claire. “What are you working on? Is that fur trim?”
Claire nods and holds it out to me. “Do you think it’s too much?”
“We’re on an ice planet. I don’t think such a thing exists anymore,” I tease. “Show me how you’re handling the sleeves? I always have trouble with mine.”
She scoots closer to me to demonstrate her sewing and my trip is forgotten.
I check in with all the girls that day to make sure everyone knows we’re going on a quick “vacation” and we’ll come back very soon. No one is envious of our trip—they’re all quite content to stay in the warmth and safety of the home cave. The only one I don’t get to talk to is Liz, who’s out with her mate, but Kira reassures me that she’ll let Liz know the situation when they come back again.
We pack bags that evening, Vektal throwing in extra blankets and fur wraps and food into his pack because he wants to “take care of his mate.” I’ve seen how light he travels, so it feels a little silly to bring so much gear, but he’s also the expert. If he thinks I’m going to be freezing my butt off, I believe him. We go to bed early and Vektal wakes me up with a kiss before dawn so we can get started on our day.
It feels a bit like sneaking out as I dress in thick leathers and a cloak and we head toward the entrance of the cave. Hardly anyone is up except for a few of the hunters, who raise a hand in greeting but don’t stop us. I don’t see any human girls, and part of me wants to go cave to cave, waking them up and checking in on them one last time before I head out, but that’s just me being overly protective. They’re fine. They’re adults surrounded by other adults and no one will let them starve, or freeze, or have anything bad happen to them.
I don’t know why I feel utterly responsible for all the women, but I do. I can’t mother them since we’re the same age, but I do feel like a team leader who’s leaving her team completely behind.
Pretty sure that’s not what you do with a team.
Then again…isn’t that the heart of this? I’m doing what I need to do for my team, all of them. I bite back any worries I have and smile at Vektal when he puts his hand out for me.
“Time to go?” I ask, and he nods.
We head out into the snow and I can tell immediately it’s going to be another hard walk. I’m reminded of before, when we were in such a hurry that Vektal carried me on his back because the snow was so thick that it was an effort for me to walk through. He says he didn’t mind, but I always worry I’ll be too heavy, because toting another grown human being around on your back isn’t really done back where I come from. The occasional piggyback ride? Sure. Hours on end through the craggy hills and valleys of this new, snowy place? Not so much.
As we get away from the cave, Vektal turns to look at me. His hand still clasps mine, his tail flicking behind him as we walk. In his other hand, he carries a spear, and he’s wearing his vest o’ knives again today. My man is bound and determined to keep his lady safe, and it should probably look alarming. Instead, I just think he looks handsome. He watches me, waiting, and when I don’t speak, he finally says, “Where do you wish to do this honey-moons?”
“You’re letting me pick?” In truth, I’ve had an idea of where I want to go all along, but I thought I’d have more time to ease him into the idea, maybe after a little playful sex after we were already out on the road…
But he’s looking at me expectantly, waiting.
I guess now’s the best time to ask. I suck in a deep breath, steeling my nerves, and then tell him the truth. “I want to go back to the ship.”
His mouth firms as if he digests this. “The cave of the ancestors?”
“No,” I admit. “Though that’s a good guess. I want to go back to the ship we arrived in. The one where you guys rescued all of us.” Almost all of us.
Vektal frowns at that. “Up the mountain?”
I nod.
“I do not like that place. It is dangerous.”
“I know—”
“There are metlak burrows all over the mountain, and it is colder there. The snow is thicker. It will be difficult on you.”
“I know,” I say again. “But I need to go back.” I lick my dry lips. “Please. It’s important to me.”
He turns to me, stabs his spear in the snow, and then takes my other hand in his. Both of our packs are on his big, strong back, and I’m only in charge of myself, so my hands are free. “Georgie,” he says. “I do not hesitate because I feel your request is foolish. I only worry over my precious mate. I do not want to endanger her days after she has come into my world. Not when she carries my kit in her belly. Not when she is my reason to breathe.” He shakes his head at me. “I wish to understand why you want to go back. You have been hiding secrets from me for many days now, and I need to know the truth of it. All of it. You can trust me with everything. Do you think I
will judge you?”
I swallow hard. He’s right. I’m being far too secretive. “It’s just hard for me to rely on others. I’m used to doing things on my own. I’m used to being the one that tries to fix things.” I take my hand from his and gesture at the cave. “Even here, I’m trying to do the best I can for everyone.”
“I am your mate,” Vektal says, deep voice gentle. “If you cannot turn to me, who can you turn to?”
He’s right. Even though I feel my request is a strange one, I know he’s right. “I want to go back to the old ship because Krissy and Peg and Dominique died and we didn’t give them a proper burial. Everything was so crazy that we didn’t have time to give them a proper send-off and I feel like I failed them.” I swallow hard, trying to prevent the knot determined to form in my throat. “I need to give them a real farewell.”
He doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t say I’m crazy. He just watches me with those too-knowing eyes. “This is important to you?”
“Very.” They were my responsibility and I let them down. The least I can do is bury them.
“Then we will do this. We will have a good honey-moons. We will bury the dead, and then we will retreat to a cave and mate feverishly until you smile once more.”
I laugh. Strangely enough, I already feel a little bit lighter. Sharing this with him was good. He didn’t act like I was crazy for wanting to travel several days up a mountain into dangerous territory all to bury a few strangers who are long dead. “Thank you for understanding, Vektal.”
The look he gives me is intense. My big alien moves forward and cups my cheek. His fingers are warm despite the drifting snow and chilly wind. “You do not need to thank me, my sweet resonance. You are my mate. There is nothing I will not do for you.”
He’s such a good man. I’m really the luckiest of women. From the moment I met him, I’ve never felt so safe and protected. So understood—even when we had a language barrier. Our cultures are different, our planets are different, but somewhere out there, someone in the cosmos decided we should be together forever.
