by Regine Abel
She shot up to her feet and dragged me by the hand out of the bathroom. Like when we entered, the door swished open without any input from either of us. It struck me as odd that the one room—besides the toilet—where you would expect people to at least need to knock before barging in, didn’t require a switch.
Three large bags sat in the hallway, propped next to the hidden door of the bedroom I had chosen for myself.
“I didn’t want to intrude too much by entering your bedroom in your absence,” Lydia explained.
It took me a second to find the switch to open my bedroom door, and then I helped her bring the bags in and empty them on the massive bed.
“These bags should have everything you need,” Lydia said. “There are a few changes of clothes from my wardrobe, but tomorrow the artisans will take your measurements and make you enough outfits to last you a lifetime. There are undies—no worries, they’ve never been worn—a couple pairs of sandals, toothpaste, and even antiperspirant.” She waved the little tube at me with a smug smile. “The valos no longer sweat since the change, but one of the artisans remembered the recipe they used in the ‘before time’ as they call it and whipped this up for me. Well, for us now. Such a life saver! Who wants to smell like armpits?”
The way she wrinkled her nose made me laugh. I couldn’t agree more; eau de sweat was the last type of perfume I wanted associated with me. Without hesitation, I lathered a generous amount under both my pits.
“Ooh, shaven!” Lydia said, taking a peek while I applied non-oily cream. “Regarding that, I don’t tolerate any under my pits either. I’m one of those lucky black women who don’t have any leg hair. So that’s one chore I don’t have to worry about. I brought you a razor and their version of shaving cream,” she said, pointing at them on the bed. “Regarding your bush...”
My jaw dropped and my eyes all but popped out of my head, which only made her giggle.
“...friendly advice here, wait until your man has seen it before you go attacking it. Kai all but threatened to keep me shackled for the rest of my life if I ever mentioned removing my curls south of the border again.”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” I muttered, torn between the urge to laugh and the need to simply gawp at her.
“Why? TMI? I’m just trying to help.”
The mischievous glint in her eyes gave away her deliberate effort to shock me. Two could play that game.
“Well, if you had been paying attention when I came out of the pool, you’d know this whole spiel was unnecessary.”
She gave me a blank look and I bit the inside of my cheeks to refrain from laughing. Pulling on the knot holding my towel around me, I untied it and flipped the towel wide open like an exhibitionist would his trench coat.
“Electrolysis from the neck down. The only hair on this baby is on my head and eyebrows.”
It was her turn to gape and mine to laugh.
“Right,” she said, clearing her throat.
I rummaged through the inventory of wonderful clothes she had brought. Most of them long tunics, some with sleeves but most without. I picked the shimmering white one, knowing Duke would like that and slipped on a pair of white undies.
“These clothes are so beautiful. Thank you for your generosity,” I said, genuinely grateful.
The fit was a little loose on both. It didn’t surprise me, being naturally rather skinny. But the last five months in the sweltering heat of Caldera had wreaked havoc on my appetite, and I’d melted even more. I fully intended to fatten myself up a little.
“My pleasure! You have no idea how happy I am to have another human here. Now, let’s go feed you before your man kicks my ass.”
My stomach rumbled in agreement but with more discretion this time.
“Duke isn’t my man,” I muttered, following in her wake.
She gave me an ‘oh please’ look over her shoulder as we headed to the kitchen.
“Keep telling yourself that. Duke is clearly laying claim, and I believe you are, too,” Lydia said, matter-of-fact.
A table laden with vegetables and thick slices of some kind of red meat greeted us upon entering the kitchen. Lydia gestured for me to sit, and she immediately went to work.
“Fair warning though, the valos are not human,” Lydia said, this time in a more serious tone. “They are almost too innocent in the way they see the world and relationships. They don’t understand the games humans play when it comes to courtship. To them, if you are attracted to someone, you just tell them. If the feeling is mutual, you explore that relationship. If it’s not, you move on.”
She rubbed some spices into the steaks before turning on the stove and heating a pan. My stomach grumbled again, and a vicious craving for Cheetos assaulted me out of nowhere. They were my biggest weakness. You could blackmail me into pretty much anything in exchange for a bag of those. I needed to figure out a recipe to recreate something similar.
“Here, sex isn’t the big deal that we humans make of it. As a single woman, you are allowed to sleep with any other consenting single man whenever you want. You can swap partners, have a threesome or orgy, knock yourself out, you won’t be judged for it. But that’s only for single people.”
She placed the steaks in the pan and within seconds, the most delectable aroma invaded the room. Another hunger pang stabbed at me.
“If you’re paired, that’s the equivalent of dating here, you are expected to remain faithful to your partner as long as it lasts. You can breakup whenever you want, but don’t cheat. It will get you treated like a pariah.”
I hated cheaters, so this was a non-issue for me, but the warning in her stern tone resonated loud and clear.
“And then there is mated, like Kai and me. The Northern Valos mate for life. There is no such thing as divorce here. So be sure before you make such a commitment with Duke or anyone else.”
“Whoa, I just got here. It’s a little early to be thinking marriage,” I said, feeling rather uncomfortable by her sudden intensity.
She sighed, looking almost apologetic.
“You’re right, but I see the chemistry between you and Duke. He’s become a big brother to me, and I don’t want him to get hurt, or you for that matter. The way he looks at you, Duke doesn’t want an affair. He will want you to be paired, which is why I want to make sure you understand how things work here, so you can make informed decisions.”
While the meat sizzled in the pan, Lydia deftly chopped the vegetables.
“There’s also no contraception here, unless you have an implant. The Northern Valos have no concept of that. To them, babies are always welcomed and a blessing for the tribe.”
Lydia turned out to be a wealth of information. As I listened to her telling me about life in E’Lek and with the Northern Valos, I realized how daunting it must have been for her when she made first contact. In both my interactions with the Fire and Northern Valos, another human had already paved the way, making my integration easier.
We spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening together, talking about everything, from our lives on Earth, aboard the Concord, and here on Sonhadra. We’d barely noticed the sun going down until strange lights shimmering outside drew my attention. As I went to the window, the front door of the house opened.
Duke’s tall silhouette in the doorway made me weak in the knees. Our eyes connected, and all coherent thoughts fled my mind. The familiar, pleasant warmth sparked in the pit of my stomach and spread outwards. My blood heated as he approached, his steps eerily silent for such a large man. He stopped two meters in front of me, somehow making me feel bereft. I ached to feel his cool skin against mine, wrapped around me.
Lydia’s hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my daze.
“Carpe diem,” she whispered in my ear.
She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, then nodded at Duke on her way out of the house.
Carpe diem... Seize the day.
She had explained to me how it had become her motto since her incarcer
ation, and even more so after our crash-landing here. Life was too short to squander a minute of it. We could die tomorrow from a rabid creature like I almost did during that blizzard. I understood and agreed with that philosophy. But could I shed my human inhibitions that easily?
I closed the distance between us, my chest brushing up against Duke’s. His heartstone flared, and his eyes glowed with increased intensity. My lips parted, begging for a kiss. The cool softness of his palm cupped my cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing my bottom lip. My breath hitched and a dull throbbing pulsed between my legs.
Instead of taking what I gladly offered, Duke’s hand fell away from my face before taking hold of mine.
“Come,” he whispered. “I want to show you something.”
Silencing my disappointment, I let him lure me to another hidden door I hadn’t noticed across from the guestroom. At first glance, it looked like a closet but it turned out to be an elevator, or rather a lifting platform. The lift took off as soon as the door closed behind us, and the ceiling parted to let us out. It stopped on the roof, and the view took my breath away.
The Northern Lights—or whatever they were called here—lit the sky in blues, greens and purples. The shimmering lights reflected over the thin ice covering the facades of the buildings, making them glitter as if covered in a sea of colorful gems. Even the ice sculptures decorating the plaza appeared to move and sway under the dancing lights.
“So beautiful,” I said in a breath.
I am home. I am truly home.
I turned towards Duke who was staring at me as if trying to memorize my features. With a will of their own, my arms wrapped around his neck, and I lifted my face towards his. Heat radiated from his heartstone as he closed his arms behind me, drawing me close.
“Kira,” he whispered before his lips claimed mine.
A ball of fire exploded inside me, and my nipples hardened as a fierce hunger took over my body. I responded with the energy of desperation, pressing my body hard against his, unable to get close enough. Duke’s hold tightened, a loud purr making his chest vibrate. His hand slid up my back and cupped the back of my head. His strong, yet gentle fingers massaged my scalp before carefully fisting my hair. With a soft tug on it, he forced my head back, breaking our kiss. His lips traced my jawline, parting to allow his sharp teeth to carefully graze my skin. My stomach clenched with excitement and fear, the throbbing in my core intensifying.
The floor seemed to fall out from under me. Clinging to Duke in momentary panic, I realized his arm under my bum had lifted me up. My legs wrapped around his waist. Arching me back, his mouth explored the tender flesh of my neck before dipping into the valley of my breasts. Modest but perky, they lay bare for his pleasure as Lydia’s bras had been too big for me. The cleavage of my tunic didn’t give him enough access. His arm holding me up tightened its hold—his hardened shaft pressing against my core—while he pulled up my tunic with the other. Without hesitation, I raised my arms up to let him rid me of the obnoxious obstacle.
An almost animalistic growl tore from his throat as his lips latched onto one of my nipples. Hips rocking, he rubbed his length against me, massaging my little nub just in the right way to send electric sparks flying. A strangled moan escaped me as I pushed my pelvis against his. The thin slip I still wore as my sole garment in no way dimmed the sensation of him, but his damn leather loincloth did. The throbbing gradually turned into an almost painful ache that only Duke could appease.
Straightening me, he reclaimed my mouth. The feel of his bare skin against mine almost sent me over the edge. His lips parted, his tongue demanding entrance. I yielded, the thought of his sharp teeth fleeting. Our tongues mingled. He tasted fresh and cold, like a winter breeze. Each time his canines grazed my tongue, a jolt of fear and lust speared through me.
Fisting his single braid, it was my turn to yank his head back. Eyes glowing a darker shade of ice blue, he bared his teeth at me with a hungry snarl. My inner walls contracted in response, my essence drenching my slip in anticipation.
“Take me to your room,” I whispered.
A feral grin stretched his lips. His glowing eyes hypnotized me, like a predator ensnaring his prey... a very willing prey. His intensity should have frightened me, sent me running for cover. Yet, as he turned around and marched us to the lift, only one word played in a loop in my head: hurry.
In the half second it took the lift to get us inside the house, Duke had ripped off my panties and discarded his loincloth. The painful throb between my thighs had me almost weeping with need. As we passed the guest room next to the lift, I opened my mouth to tell him to go there instead, but his tongue taking command of mine silenced me.
The feel of his naked shaft against me made me want to lift myself up and impale myself on him, but Duke held me too firmly against him. The hollowness would kill me. Even my skin felt hot and feverish despite my condition. I ground my pelvis against his, desperate for some friction, while devouring his mouth. With long, hurried strides, Duke took us to his room.
One moment, I was wrapped all around him, the next, a falling sensation met an abrupt end as my back landed on the divine softness of his mattress. Hurting with need, I spread my legs and arms, beckoning him. I barely had a chance to glimpse at his thick, erect shaft before he lunged at me. Duke didn’t lie on top of me. Moving at lightning speed, he buried his face between my legs. I screamed, my back arching off the bed with such violence it left me dizzy and disoriented.
Holding one of my legs over his shoulder, Duke’s cool lips sucked on my nub with savage voracity, his thick fingers probing my slit. One, then two fingers pushed in, exploring, taunting, and stretching.
But I needed more. I needed him. All of him.
And yet, the fire building inside me expanded, raged, and roared until it consumed me. Shouting his name, I came undone. My body shook, icy flames coursing through me, stabbing my nerve endings with searing jolts of pleasure. The room spun around me while Duke’s fingers relentlessly prolonged my sensual high.
No sooner had the room begun to settle down than Duke’s hand slipped out of me while his deliciously cold weight settled over my body. He was massive on top my tiny frame. I felt trapped, pinned under an unyielding beast, intent on claiming me. My core throbbed with eagerness.
“Please,” I whispered.
“My Kira,” he whispered back, his voice so thick with desire I could barely make out the words.
Hooking his arms behind my knees, he spread me wide open before pushing himself in. My eyes rolled into the back of my head, my mouth frozen in a silent O as, with slow, careful thrusts, he took possession of me, stretching me to the limit. He inserted himself until he was fully sheathed. I had never felt so full, so utterly possessed. His shallow movements steadily increased in strength and amplitude. As I adjusted to his girth, my own hips entered the fray, joining him in an endless dance, to the rhythm of my pounding heart, the song of flesh meeting flesh and of our moans mixed with my labored breathing.
The violence of my climax made my teeth chatter as my nails dug into Duke’s powerful back. He shouted as my inner walls clamped down all around him, but kept going, pounding in and out of me as I crested.
“Again,” he growled in my ear, pursuing his relentless assault.
I didn’t think I had another one in me. I felt raw, brittle, swallowed up in a maelstrom of sensations. And yet, as Duke changed his angle, grinding his pelvis against my swollen nub, distant lightning bolts went off in my groin, spreading electric tendrils outwards as another tide built up. My throat, raw from screaming his name, only allowed me to whisper a strangled moan as he once again made my body seize, and a blinding light flashed before my eyes.
Holding my hips in a bruising hold, Duke shouted my name and threw his head back with a roar of conquest. His cold seed exploded inside me, soothing my battered insides, still throbbing with the last spasms of ecstasy. After a few more strokes, with the last of his seed spent, Duke collapsed to the side, pulling me
over him.
Boneless, I remained sprawled over his chest, my body thrumming.
“My beautiful Kira,” Duke whispered, his arms tightening around me in a possessive hold that made me purr with contentment. “My female.”
Wrung out, I meant to answer, but I felt light, wrapped in cotton balls. My eyelids suddenly weighed a ton.
“My Duke,” I heard myself slur, then I knew no more.
Chapter 9
DUKE
I stared at our new dining table with a great deal of pride, eager for my Kira’s reaction when she would see it. Yesterday, after finishing the construction of the forge, I’d hunted down the necessary materials to make her a table more adapted to her needs. When night had fallen and the dancing lights had appeared, I’d raced home to share her first time seeing them.
What had followed still had me reeling.
The taste of her lingered on my tongue. She was so delicate and pliant in my arms. The mere thought of Kira had me painfully hard again. Once during the night, I had awakened her to sate my desires. Had she not been so worn out, I’d have claimed her again and again. But I needed to show more restraint in light of her frail constitution. It wouldn’t do for me to drive her away with my insatiable hunger for her.
Last night, I had staked my pairing claim over her. Before sleep overtook her, Kira had claimed me as well, but I couldn’t be certain it meant the same thing to humans that it did to us. Qaezul’s jealousy while he courted Lydia had baffled me. Now, I understood all too well, even though no other male had shown interest or caught her attention. Until they got to know her, the paleness of her skin would continue to distress them.
Despite Zaktaul warning them in advance, seeing Kira in the flesh had brought back the full extent of the trauma experienced at the hands of the Creator. It would take some time for them to see her merely as Kira and not get flashbacks of Tarakheen and the Strangers.
My keen hearing picked up the sounds of Kira stirring. My heartstone flared in both excitement and panic. I checked the wooden table one last time to make sure the ornate carvings were properly polished and illuminated. Qae had kindly created a simple pattern that symbolized the blizzard which had allowed Kira and me to meet. He had offered to embellish the table for me but I’d declined, wanting this to be my gift to her. Fortunately, the simple pattern proved fairly easy to reproduce. Working with wood rather than stone also greatly facilitated the task. The illumination work had given me the hardest time. Few valos had mastered control over the paexi bugs like Qae did. Based on the color of the seeds or plants we fed them, they secreted a glowing gel used to decorate and highlight carvings. The challenge had been finding the right food for the paexi to create a gel in the same grayish-green as her eyes.
