by Ruby Dixon
14
U'DRON
R'ven looks distressed. "I appreciate you sharing your secret with me. And even if I don't understand it entirely, I respect it." She takes a deep breath and offers me a false smile. "Mine is worse."
Is there worse? I have told her of the shame I have lived with every day since the destruction of my clan, how I can never claim a mate unless resonance steps in, how I am doomed to be forever caught between true adulthood and youth. How I cannot claim the female in front of me, who is as lovely as she is fragile, who pressed her teat into my hand and mouth-mated with me and enticed me in ways I could scarcely imagine.
Perhaps this is the biggest cruelty of all—that R'ven is so lovely and willing and I must turn her away. She deserves better than the shame of a male like me.
"I'm…" She hesitates and then blows out another breath, crossing her arms over her chest as if to protect herself. "I'm just going to say it and get it over with. I'm not a nice person, U'dron."
This…seems an odd thing to state. "I think you are nice."
The laugh she chokes on sounds almost as if she is going to cry. "When I got here, I lied about who I am. I thought everyone would like me more if I was this flower child, nice hippie person without a care in the world. I've been pretending to be that person for months now. It's not who I am, though."
I try not to frown, because she listened so attentively to my own story. "Then who are you?"
She licks her lips, considers for a moment, and then sighs. "I'm a stripper. I take my clothes off for money."
I…
This is bad? I often wear very little clothing. "What…is mah-nee?"
"Shit. Right." She thinks for a moment and then adds, "Okay, I get in front of men—strangers—and they offer me tokens that I can use to buy things like food and a home." She tilts her head. "If I take my clothes off, that is."
"Why do they care if your clothes are off or on?" I am genuinely perplexed. "They are focused on your comfort?"
R'ven blinks at me. "Oh my god. No, U'dron…" she bites her lip. "They want me to take my clothes off so they can touch themselves to the sight of my naked body. I dance for them too, and if they give me extra money, I do a special dance just for them to entice them."
I am stunned. I try to imagine groups of men reaching for R'ven's teats, her soft skin, pawing at her as if she belongs to them. "But why would you do this?"
She rakes a hand through her mane, antsy at my question. "Because it pays well. My mom kicked me out when I was fourteen. I worked a lot of fast food jobs when I was a teenager, but it wasn't paying the bills. It was either do something bigger—like deal drugs—or strip. And stripping's not so bad. I like the music, and I like dancing. I just…didn't like the customers." She shrugs. "You think I'm a whore now, don't you?"
I am not sure what that word is, nor do I know how to understand what she is telling me. "Males paid you money to entice them…" I restate slowly. "Is this right?"
"A lot of money," she agrees.
"And you did it because…you want to entice them?"
"The guys at the strip clubs?" She makes a face. "Not at all. It was just a job, and one that paid a lot of money. I never dated clients. Most of them were scum."
I am still having a difficult time understanding. "Where was your tribe in all this? Why did they not feed you or give you a place to stay?"
"I told you, my mother kicked me out when I was a kid. She was the only tribe I had. No one else would feed me or take care of me. So I did what I had to in order to survive."
I nod slowly. "And males were willing to offer much to look at you, because you are so beautiful."
Her expression softens. "I don't think they much cared what I looked like, to be honest. It's that a woman's in their face, flashing her tits. It's a very different world where I come from. People hide their bodies a lot more, so when you see a little flesh, it comes across as very naughty. But I didn't tell anyone what I did as a job before because it's not something a lot of people understand. They hear that I take my clothes off for money and suddenly I'm a slut. It doesn't matter why I did it, or that I didn't fuck my clients, just that I did it. I used my body to entice men for money." She shrugs. "That's why I never said anything. It's not an honorable job. Flor was a nurse, and some of the girls were students. Hell, Sam made coffee for a living and that was considered a hell of a lot more respectful than what I did. So I lied…" She shifts in her seat, her arms tightly crossed under her teats as she glances over at me. "What do you…think?"
I shrug. "As you said, your world is different. I do not understand why males would get so excited to see you without clothing—"
"Because they didn't see a lot of boobies in their day-to-day," R'ven says with a chuckle. "Or it was the novelty of new boobies."
"But if you are asking if I dislike you because you enticed other hunters…" I gesture at her. "You are your own person. Why should it matter what I think?"
"Some guys think a girl is dirty if she strips." Her smile is brave, but I can see the worry in her eyes. "That she is not worthy of respect because of what she does with her body."
I grunt, considering this. "If you were my resonance mate and I saw you by the fire with your teats in I'rec's face, it would perhaps not make me happy…unless it made you happy. Then, that is different. It all depends on what makes a female happy in her relationship with her mate. My father sometimes shared furs with an old lover. There was never jealousy in my mother's eyes because she was his mate, but sometimes he missed his childhood friend, who had no mate of her own. Most do not leave a mate's furs when they resonate, but it is not such a terrible thing when all are not bothered by it."
She reaches out and takes my hand. "I had a boyfriend who got mad at me because I stripped, even though I stripped before we met. He wanted me to quit and be only with him. I told him that was his problem. What do you think of that?"
"I think you are free to do what you want, but he should not have mated you if he did not like what you chose to do with your body." And now I am jealous of some unknown male in her past because he had her in his furs and threw her away. What a fool.
She lifts my hand to her lips and presses a kiss to my fingertips. "Are you just saying this stuff to make me feel better? Because you're taking this rather well."
"I should be taking this badly?" I am fascinated by her lips against my hand. It is very…distracting.
"You don't think it makes me less of a person?"
"Because you like to get naked and dance? I like to get naked and dance. Do you think less of me?"
She giggles, nipping at one of my claws and sending heat coursing through my body. "Are you trying to entice anyone?"
"No. Are you?"
R'ven's smile is a little easier, and she nips on my next finger, then moves down the line. "All I wanted was their wallets. But…I'd dance for you if you wanted it. I like the idea of enticing you."
My cock surges to life, growing achingly hard in an instant. "I would like that, too."
"And if it makes you feel any better, I've never danced for anyone here. If I was in a relationship, that's different. If you and I were together, I'd only dance for you."
"I…all right?" I am too fascinated by her mouth to pay much attention. Her lips—and the mentions of naked, enticing dancing—have made my cock turn to stone in my loincloth. I should pull my hand away, but I cannot seem to stop staring as she licks my next finger, her pink tongue smooth and wet as it flicks against my skin.
"I, um, also went to prison for a while."
"All right."
Her smile widens and she chuckles. "You don't even know what I'm talking about right now, do you?"
My face heats. "I do not. I cannot think of anything when you touch my hand like that."
"It was a bad place. I was sent there because I was a naughty girl." She guides my hand toward the front of her tunic. "But I guess we can talk about that later…if you'd rather do something else?"
&nb
sp; And she puts my hand on her teat again, just as she did last night.
She still wants me, despite knowing the truth of who I am.
15
RAVEN
Okay, so that went a little better than expected.
I'm not entirely sure that U'dron understands exactly what I've told him, but he doesn't hate me. I can try and hammer home the finer points of just how bad I am later, but for now, I just feel a huge relief. He doesn't think stripping is dirty and wrong, or that I'm a big slut for doing so. I've dated so many guys that loved the thought of being with a stripper…until I had to go to work. Then, they had a problem with it. Somehow, though, I don't know if U'dron would? Granted, I don't want to shake my ass for seashells on the beach, but even if I did, something tells me that as long as I'm into it, U'dron would be, too.
That just makes my heart squeeze with all kinds of fuzzy warm feelings.
He doesn't pull away when I put his hand back on my breast again. Maybe I'm being ultra-forward, but I know that the best way to show a guy that you like him is to really, really show him. And I want U'dron to realize that I have all kinds of feelings for him, and that I want our friendship to go beyond just being star-watching buddies.
U'dron's gaze flicks between my breast that he's palming and my face, like he can't decide where to look first. I lean forward, closing the distance between us, and wrap my arms around his neck. "Can I kiss you? Or do we need to talk more?"
"I feel like we have talked quite a bit," U'dron says, voice hoarse. He studies my face as I move deliberately closer. "Are you sure…it will not bother you…who I am?"
I laugh, because it's so ridiculous to me that I'd hold something so small against him. "My rap sheet is much worse than yours, I assure you." Of course, that makes me feel uncertain all over again and I hesitate. "You…I should probably explain what prison is to you. I was an outcast, too, because my people didn't want me anymore." It's a simpler way of saying it, but I need him to understand before we have a make-out party. The last thing I want him to have is early morning regrets. "In a way, I was like Juth. And you said that outcasts weren't people—"
"And you reminded me that they were, and we should be fair to them, because the world we were in before is no longer the world we are in now. Is that correct?" He smiles at me, his expression both wry and knowing.
Well, he's got me there. "I just need you to be certain. It's important to me that you don't decide that I'm disgusting or something after we have sex." Because that would really, really kill me, and it's a small beach. There would be nowhere to hide, and I'd have to look at him every day. It'd be a little like Bridget and A'tam's uncomfortable situation, except A'tam doesn't think Bridget is disgusting…she just wants nothing to do with him.
U'dron's big hands settle at the small of my back. "We do not have to do anything if it makes you uncomfortable," he murmurs, and I feel so damn dainty in his arms. My knees are on the sands, but my front is pressed up against his, and I feel like a doll, fragile and breakable and so delicate. It's a new feeling for me, and I never thought of myself as one of those girls that likes to feel tiny against her man…but I do now.
Already, U'dron's ruining me for other guys, and we haven't even really had a good make-out session yet.
"You should know something about me," I whisper to him. "I don't have a lot of boundaries. Not a lot makes me uncomfortable. My mother was a hippie-commune-type—that much is true—and I grew up seeing a lot of naked people and free love…and drug use. Not much shocks me. If you told me you needed a crab up your ass to come, I'd probably be down with it."
He looks confused. "Why would I need a crab in my ass?"
Damn, but these alien guys are cute when they're virginal. "In case you wanted your prostate pinched?"
"My what?"
"Never mind. I'll show you some other time. For now, can we just kiss?" I lean in and rub my nose against his in a not-so-subtle hint.
U'dron leans forward and presses his lips to mine in response. I smile at this, closing my eyes and kissing him again. And again. It's a series of small, friendly kisses, lips meeting and exploring ever-so-lightly. I like the feel of his mouth against mine, how it's firm and warm and dry, and the softness of his beard scruff around it. His facial hair isn't coarse or rough, but silky smooth, which is fascinating to me. I nip at his lower lip, loving his groan of response.
His lips move under mine. "Can I touch you?"
I smile with pleasure, because when was the last time someone actually asked that? "I would love it if you touched me," I murmur, nipping at his upper lip. "Touch me wherever you like."
U'dron's mouth moves against mine once more, but this time, he gently nips at my lip, imitating my kisses, and it sends a delicious prickle all through my body. His hands stroke up and down my back, sliding the borrowed tunic over my skin, and I want him to reach under it and really touch me. I let him set the pace, though; I don't want to seem too greedy. So when his hands glide down to my ass, I push back against him, deepening the kiss and adding a hint of tongue.
He groans, his breath stuttering. "Did…did you just lick me?"
"Yes. Did you like it?" I pull back to study him.
He gives me a dazed expression, his focus on my mouth." That is…not like the kisses in the games."
Games? Then I remember Tia's kissing games, like spin the bottle. I participated once, but then pulled back because I didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression. The kisses in those particular games are sweet, innocent little smacks…nothing like what I want to do to U'dron. I like a deep, toe-curling, tonsil-reaching kiss that reminds me of sex. I like my mouth being conquered and invaded. I like being kissed so hard and so thoroughly that I forget where I am. "Would you rather we stuck to those kisses?"
"I like trying new things," he says quickly, pulling me close again. "I just did not know we could do that."
I smile when he kisses me, flicking his tongue against my parted lips. "We can do…anything…we…want," I tell him between teasing flicks of tongue. When his tongue teases at my lips, I catch it and suck on the tip of it, and his hands tighten on my ass. He groans deep, and then his lips are firmly on mine, his tongue surging into my mouth, and we're kissing as deep and hard as I've ever wanted. What he lacks in finesse he makes up for in sheer enthusiasm, and the feel of his ridge-covered tongue gliding against mine is a new sensation I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of. It feels incredible, as do the enormous hands squeezing my backside over and over again. I shift in the sands, wanting to straddle him instead of just kneeling between his spread thighs.
"R'ven," he rasps, lifting his head for air. He kneads my ass again, and my tunic is hitching up slowly.
I lick at his mouth, encouraging him to kiss me again, even as I slide my hands down to the front of his chest. I want to grab him everywhere—god, everywhere—because he's just so big and yummy. Slow, I remind myself. Go slow. You have all night.
When I think I can't stand it for much longer, U'dron's big, warm hands steal under the tunic and cup my ass, and I whimper encouragement. His mouth slants over mine, owning me with sweeps of his tongue against my own, and I'm breathless with need as his fingers skate toward the cleft of my bottom. Yes, I think silently. Oh yes. He touches me exactly the way I've always wanted.
His hands slide to my hips…and then he pinches my ass. Hard.
"Ow!" I jerk away from him, surprised. That came out of nowhere. I mean, I'm down with a little pain, but warn a girl first. "U'dron—"
The pinch happens again, sharper, and it's followed by another. The sand shifts under my legs, and I realize that U'dron's looking just as confused as I am. I rub a hand over my ass—only to encounter something that shouldn't be there.
A pincer.
16
RAVEN
With a squeal, I jump to my feet. The thing falls off my ass and falls to the sand in front of me. It looks like something out of a horror movie, a big, ugly lobster the size of a small cat covered in thick
fur like a caterpillar. The pincers flex and as it scuttles away, I see far too many legs and a spiny tail. It heads toward the distant water, and as it does, more of the sand ripples. Another one emerges nearby and starts to head to the beach, too.
I look over at U'dron in shock. "What the fuck is going on?"
He glances down, and when I do, too, I see that all of the sand seems to be moving. He jumps to his feet and there's one pinching his tail, another on his foot.
They're everywhere.
U'dron thinks fast, though; he grabs the blanket and slings me over his shoulder before I can say anything, carrying me caveman-style as he sprints away from the fire. I don't protest, because this seems like a good idea to me. I don't want to be anywhere near those awful creatures. "We will go to the rocks," U'dron says, jostling me as he runs. "It will be safer there."
"No complaints here," I call back, inwardly shuddering. My ass still hurts where it pinched me, and I'm just glad we weren't asleep. Would we have woken up to being bitten all over by those things? Or…worse?
A moment later, U'dron begins to climb, and the world heaves around me. He sets me down carefully, and I notice we're on one of the boulders at the base of the cliffs that shield the beach cove. He lets out a sigh of relief as he looks me over, and then carefully tucks the fur blanket around me again. "We might be sleeping up here tonight."
"I'm fine with that." I sit down atop the rock and wiggle, trying to get comfortable. My feet are cold, and my ass is cold thanks to the chill of the stone, but nothing bites me. That's something, at least. I look back over to the fire…and want to puke.
The beach seems to be alive with the lobster-caterpillar things. Over and over, they crawl from out of the sand, emerging onto the moonlit beach and heading for the water. It's like a swarm of ants, only bigger and far more terrifying. As I watch, one overtakes another and begins to eat it, and others swarm onto their fallen brother to eat their share.
