A Kiss on Kaidava

by S. J. Sanders

  “Lerix, the door,” Cara protested around a moan.

  “Ignore it. Whoever it is will go away,” he grunted, his teeth lightly scoring over a nipple.

  A longer, less patient trill rang followed by an unfamiliar shout.

  “I am not going away. You might as well open the door.”

  Lerix stilled, his nostrils expanding. Cara was so close she could see the slight shift of his olfactory ridge as he took in the scent of the strange male outside their door. A low growl rumbled from his chest and, in a single graceful movement, he leaped from the bed, throwing the blanket over Cara’s naked body as he stalked naked to the door.

  Cara blinked in surprise, but rather than protest she allowed herself the moment to admire his naked form. Whoever was at the door was just going to have to deal with getting an eyeful, because she wasn’t going to miss this moment for anything.

  Though Lerix sported plenty of long, lean muscle, his chest was broad and his hips slim and sharply angled with the root of his tail starting just above his buttocks. And his cock—hoo baby. No wonder it felt so good.

  He was sporting a serious case of morning wood, meaning she could see him in all his glory. The ridges on his pelvis had rubbed her in all the right places drawing down to the curved knobbing protrusion at the base of his cock that seemed designed to stimulate her clit. Two firm purplish-red sacks curved from the side to the top of his phallus, and the rounded swollen head was a deep plum color with a hard knob near the tip of it.

  Without warning, Lerix slapped his palm on the panel by the door to permit their visitor entrance and stood with his hands on his hips, blocking any view inside with his body. A warning growl was all she heard before Lerix flung himself at their visitor.

  Cara scrambled off the bed, gripping the thin blanket around her as she rushed to the door, pulling a dark silk robe off a hook from him as she followed. The sound of vicious growls greeted before she stepped outside. Her eyes widened as she saw Lerix straddle a scarlet male, punching him for every curse his adversary threw at him. What the hell was going on?

  “Lerix! What are you doing to him? Both of you, stop!”

  The males froze and looked over at her. Lerix’s eyes widened.

  “Why are you outside in nothing but a blanket? Get back into bed while I take care of this intruder.”

  “I am not an intruder, you idiot,” the male said, shoving him hard enough that Lerix reluctantly took his weight off the other Kadesh as he eyed him with suspicion. “If you had greeted me at the door like a normal being, you would have known that my sister Mahuura sent me,” he complained.

  “We’re so sorry,” Cara hurried to apologize.

  “I’m not,” Lerix was quick to rebut.

  Cara narrowed her eyes at him, but he grinned at her like a naughty little boy caught getting into yet another scrape.

  “That male dared to stand outside our door and sniff when it opened. He is lucky that a few solid hits were all he got.”

  The male in question rubbed his jaw and laughed.

  “Fair enough. I cannot help that your mate has such an enticing smell,” he said, ignoring Lerix’s immediate snarl. “Please, call me Sovuul.”

  Sovuul hesitated, eyeing Lerix’s deflating but still massive cock. “And if you could put that thing away, I would greatly appreciate it.”

  “Nice to meet you, Sovuul,” Cara said, sliding between the males, shoving the beautifully embroidered blue robe at Lerix. His gaze remained fixed, unwavering, on the male as he pulled it on. “I’m Cara, and this is Lerix.”

  “It is a pleasure,” Sovuul all but purred.

  Cara tensed as the words rolled off the male’s tongue. A single word verbally caressed in such a way layered it with far too much meaning for her comfort. A strange gleam appeared in Sovuul’s eyes as he pulled her hand forward, rubbing it against his face as he inhaled deeply.

  Lerix snatched her hand out of the other male’s grip, pulling Cara bodily behind him.

  “Sovuul is about to be called dead meat if he refers to your scent or dares to touch or sniff you again,” Lerix threatened.

  Cara gaped at him, but Sovuul laughed as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. He waggled a claw at Lerix.

  “Your female is perhaps the most beautiful flower in all the gardens of Kaidava.”

  “Anyone who goes anywhere near my territory—much less strives to pluck anything at all from my garden—will find himself at the wrong end of my tail-blade,” Lerix snarled, his scales fully bristled.

  Cara felt massively confused. Now they were talking about gardens? Geez, Kadesh really were a territorial lot. They weren’t anywhere near Lerix’s lovely estate gardens—although his family gardens were gorgeous and quite worth protecting in her opinion.

  “Is there a reason for your presence?” Lerix demanded peevishly.

  Sovuul studiously dusted himself off, lingering over some imaginary speck or another every now and again, eliciting angry growls from Lerix. Cara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as the other male clearly baited him.

  “Well,” he drawled, “since you were so kind enough to offer to help in the mating ceremony, Mahuura wanted to have a formal dinner so everyone can sit together and meet. It will be my first opportunity to meet her mate, but I wanted to come and meet my honorary brother for the mating ceremony first,” he finished with a grin.

  Lerix snorted. “You aren’t missing much in waiting to meet Ben. He is a vile human. The only worthwhile thing he has done in my favor is providing me with the opportunity to meet Cara.”

  Sovuul pursed his lips and sighed as he cast a longing look at Cara.

  “I figured that must be the case. Unmated human men who come here are really among the most unscrupulous lot. I begged my sister many times to wait for her first hunt until I could arrange for a visit offworld. No offense, my dear Cara,” he said with an endearing smile. “Most human men I have met are nowhere near as charming or lovely as the few human females I have had the privilege to meet. Sadly, not an unmated one among them,” Sovuul declared with a wistful shake of his head. “Anyway,” he continued, snapping himself out of his reverie, “Mahuura expects you at the house in three hours for the family to meet you.”

  Cara breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t participating in the ceremony so she could stay at their little bungalow and maybe sojourn at the hot springs. She was already planning a quiet evening, with perhaps something sweet to indulge her sweet tooth, when Lerix frowned over at her.

  “Is it permissible for me to bring Cara?”

  No, no, no. She didn’t want to go. Being surrounded by virtual strangers was something out of her nightmares. Social anxiety was a thing for her. It was one of the reasons why she chose to work with children—and very small children at that. Not to mention that she was a complete klutz. Knowing her luck, she would dump something on a relative and humiliate herself.

  “Oooh, no. That’s perfectly okay,” Cara giggled nervously. “I’m more than happy to stay here.”

  Lerix sighed. “I would really be more comfortable if you were within my sights.”

  Drat. The assassin thing.

  “Sorry to say, Cara, but Mahuura really wanted you there as well,” Sovuul smiled apologetically as if sensing her discomfort.

  “Kadesh females are really competitive over the few offworlder males who arrive and have a difficult time trusting each other. Unfortunately, Mahuura is not only our youngest sibling but also our only sister. She doesn’t have any female relations or friends to stand with her, so she was requesting that you do her the honor.”

  Cara felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth as her refusal died in her throat. Well damn. That hit her right in the feels. She couldn’t let Mahuura, who’d been nothing but kind since their meeting, go through her ceremony without a single girlfriend to stand with her. That just wasn’t right.

  Every girl deserved to have the wedding of her dreams, and Mahuura already had the misfortune
of ending up with a whiny, cheating sack of shit for a mate.

  ***

  Hours later, Lerix fidgeted uncomfortably at Cara’s side. His female looked like a decadent flower in the beautiful wrap skirt and tunic that she’d only briefly worn the day before. Lerix resisted a grin at the memory of the day spent lounging in bed, his arms, legs, and tail wrapped around his female—kissing, touching, and fucking. After six revolutions with not even a twitch of interest from his cock, Lerix had luxuriated in the feel of his female beneath him. Not enough time for to become addicted to him, thank the gods. That typically took several weeks, and he had enough honor left to speak to her of mating before they reached that point.

  He would much rather be doing that than stuffed into his newly acquired formal kodulth and tunic. The material was soft as it shifted against his scales with every movement, but he felt rather conspicuous in the brilliant green shade that Cara identified as jade. He preferred dark colors that helped him disappear into the shadows and drew less attention his way.

  Worse, every unattached male in the household was coveting his Cara. Lerix was very much aware of how tempting a prize his female made for any hot-blooded male. He did not look forward to disciplining any more males today, but he had no trouble baring his teeth threateningly at any male who allowed their gaze to linger too long on her abundant cleavage.

  A small part of him knew he was perhaps being a shade paranoid, but Kadesh had little compunction against stealing would-be mates from each other if the bond hadn’t yet been established.

  A smart male—or female—mated quickly and sequestered themselves for at least a month in a wing of the familial home. Family members would stand guard and regularly bring food and drink to the couple until the bond was fully achieved and the mating pheromones were firmly attached.

  Sadly, his Cara lacked all of that. His pheromones were a light residue over her natural scent. All it told other males was that she was receptive to mating but had not yet mated. The situation was intolerable, and he felt like he was dwelling in one of the numerous abodes of the dead reserved for punishment and torture. He was going against every ingrained instinct, suffering to give her the choice she needed, but he’d be damned if he was going to let some upstart male try to slide in on his territory.

  By some miracle he held it together as he was introduced to extended family members. Mahuura was less than happy when she introduced a smoke-colored Tajii female from her mother’s side. Delicate needle-sharp fangs flashed as she accepted his hand and practically purred her interest as she glanced down at his crotch and licked her lips.

  The semi-aroused cockstand he’d been sporting around Cara all day withered and died under the gaze of this female. He wanted remove his person from her touch immediately. He managed to pull his hand free without being too rude, only to see Cara scowling as her eyes flicked between him and the Tajii cousin.

  Lerix groaned. He was elated that Cara was showing a territorial streak over him but didn’t relish the idea of fending off the advances of the other female if she persisted. Nor did he want to submit his mate to be antagonized in such a way. He had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 18

  Cara narrowed her eyes at the hairless smoke-gray female she’d just been introduced to. Instead of hair, the Tajii, had a sort of vaporous element that drifted around her head and shoulders that was secreted from her scalp, if she were to trust Mahuura’s hasty whispering in her ear. Cara wasn’t familiar with the species but found her appearance to be just shy of ethereal. She might have even considered the female beautiful if it weren’t for the hardness of her eyes and the superior smirk she’d worn from the moment they’d met.

  And her frequently grabby hands toward Lerix did little to endear her to Cara.

  Val’ee’na was apparently a maternal cousin given that her hostess’s mother, Val’na’kee, was of the same species and seemed thrilled to introduce her relative. Not everyone was quite so excited by the Tajii’s presence. The elder Kadesh male introduced as her friend’s father, Ordul, seemed to watch every move with suspicion. Judging by Mahuura’s expression, there was no love lost between the females either.

  Not that Cara could blame her. The way the female looked at Lerix like he was a piece of candy she wanted to pop into her mouth was getting on her damn nerves. And that was after she’d cooed all over Ben, who had seemed far too interested in her obvious offer.

  A disgusted feminine sound at her elbow pulled Cara out of her spiteful stewing. She turned to see a scowling Mahuura at her side, her arms crossed over her breasts.

  “She is shameful,” her friend hissed under her breath. “I can’t believe Mother insisted on inviting her.”

  Cara raised a polite eyebrow but didn’t trust herself to be able to gossip at a low enough volume to prevent being overheard by everyone else in the room. She likely wouldn’t have heard Mahuura at all if she hadn’t been less than a foot away from her ear.

  “Val’ee’na trying her wiles on every unrelated male in sight. It is disgusting. She is looking for a good time at the expense of any female in the room.”

  “She isn’t looking for a mate?” Cara managed to whisper, her breath barely pushing past her lips. Thankfully, Mahuura heard her just fine and shook her head.

  “Tajii like to flirt and toy with other species sexually—experiment they say—but they are obsessed with bloodlines. Despite the fact that most don’t breed more than one offspring in their lifetime, and many none at all, the Tajii will never mate and breed willingly with another species. There was a huge scandal when Father stole away Mother. Even more so when she refused to leave him when her family attempted to rescue her.”

  Mahuura huffed irritably, her tail whipping just hard enough behind her legs that Cara felt the tip graze her calf. “I do not know why she is even here. Her mother is a sister to our mother but will not even exchange a word with her. Yet, of all her family Val’ee’na is the only one who attends to Mother, but I haven’t been able to discern to what purpose as of yet.”

  A scowl firmly in place, Cara watched Val’ee’na flirt and cling to the man who not only hours before was warming her bed. Jealousy burned in the pit of her stomach and she felt like she was going to be sick. Lerix shifted his gaze to her as he politely shook the female off and made his way to her side.

  She reminded herself that they had not made any promises to each other, but that did nothing to help the sour feeling in her stomach or the rage curling in her gut. One thing was for sure: if he decided to enjoy this other female, he could forget about slipping back into her bed again once he was finished. Cara agreed to his terms, but she wouldn’t share bedmates with other women, regardless if they were human or not.

  Lerix brushed his nose against her jaw and Cara had to resist the urge to pull away. His breath fanned her throat as he whispered in her ear.

  “Do not be angry, my sweet vonri. My desire is only to share between you and I.” He tilted his pelvis forward, brushing his semi-hard cock against her ass. “That is inspired by you. She does nothing but make it cry and retreat.”

  Cara choked on a giggle and turned her face so that she was looking directly at him. His face was so close she could make out the yellow, golds, and flecks of amber shining in his eyes. She wanted to close her eyes as his rich scent surrounded her, but she was caught in his gaze as if mesmerized. His narrow pupil rounded out ever so slightly with a flare of interest when she swallowed back a moan.

  How was it that he smelled so good? He smelled like honeysuckle and oak. She just wanted to return to their little love nest and soak in that scent.

  To her shame, Cara didn’t even notice that Mahuura had left her side until she heard a sharp scream. Cara’s head snapped around and her eyes widened as she looked over and saw Mahuura tail-whip the other female in a show of dominance.

  “Do not embarrass me, cousin,” she hissed. “That is your only warning. And stay away from my male.”

  Off to the side, loo
king meek, Ben shuffled away from the commotion but didn’t get far. Sovuul struck out, his hand curling around Ben’s smaller arm to halt his retreat. Lerix pulled his lips back from his teeth and growled with just enough force at her ex that he practically shook in his fine clothing.

  “Mahuura, she is family!” Val’na’kee cried out. “Apologize at once.”

  Mahuura didn’t apologize. In fact, she didn’t even look again at the female as she curled her tail back against her leg as she turned away from her cousin. Her eyes, narrowed with disdain, focused only on Ben as she pushed by him.

  “What is going on in here?” a deep voice boomed.

  Whatever irritation Mahuura had been wearing immediately dropped away as she squealed and launched herself at a giant Kadesh male. Cara had thought Gordix was large, but this male was several inches taller and built like a prizefighter. She felt Lerix’s grip tighten around her and she poked at him so that he loosened his grasp to a comfortable pressure.

  “Kaval, it is about time you arrive,” Sovuul groused as he thrust Ben ahead of him. “Meet our sister’s intended mate.” The last word fell with a disgusted sneer from his lips.

  Ben positively wilted between the disapproval of the two brothers.

  “You know, I am almost thinking I was not needed after all,” Lerix chuckled.

  Sovuul overheard and spared him a broad grin.

  “Nonsense! More males to growl and threaten is never a bad thing.”

  “Indeed!” agreed Kaval with a laugh, hugging his sister in a tight embrace. “That is why I brought my friend Esha with me. He is an Ikoru from the Outer Rim.”

  A slightly smaller ink-black male stood just a foot to the side of Kaval, a small smirk playing on his lips. He was perhaps the most alien of all aliens Cara had ever seen. Although he had the sharp features of an angel, he had a pair of wickedly curving ebony horns and four arms, the upper pair of which were folded lightly across his chest while the lower set played idly with a set of carved beads.