by Raven Dark
Thank fuck he could understand me even I couldn’t do the same with him.
“Ma tik cama mai.” He stood up, gesturing for me to follow.
“What?” I stood up, shaking my head.
“Daz. Uh…” He pressed his lips together, apparently thinking, then ran his hands over his chest and arms.
I felt like I was lost in a never ending game of charades here.
“A bath,” I said suddenly. “Oh, thank God,” I added when he nodded and held out his hand to me. But how would we accomplish that? That water I’d seen earlier was miles away. “That’s not what I meant by my question, though. I meant, what are you guys going to do now? What’s the plan?”
“Ma tik cama mai.” He repeated his words. I rolled my eyes and his teeth flashed.
“Let me guess,” I drawled, putting on my best macho voice. “It’s not a woman’s place to know the affairs of men.”
“Daz,” he said with a laugh, closing his hand around mine. “Kahn.”
Yes. Come.
It unsettled me to realize my brain was already translating some of their language with a certain amount of ease.
If I hadn’t needed a bath so badly, I would have resisted on principle. As it was, I needed to wash away the horrors of the day. My skin felt as if I’d rolled in sand and then dipped myself in tar.
There was no water in here, other than in the canteen, which had to be close to empty by now. We’d have to leave the cave. I bent, intending to grab the poncho and cover my nakedness.
Z’pheer stopped me, and I straightened, dropping my shoulders.
“What?”
He went to the large rock Raul had put on top of the end of my leash and moved it aside, clipping the end of the leash to his bracelet. Then he picked up one of his packs, slung it over his shoulder, and tugged me from the cave. Leaving me without a stitch on.
I tried to pry his hand loose, but he tightened his hold and picked his way down a path.
God, this was ridiculous. I had a horrible feeling it would be a while before I’d be allowed to wear clothes again.
Outside, the hepta grazed on a patch of grass under the light of two pearl white moons. The alien-ness of this world drove itself home all over again. The jungle lay black and quiet in the darkness, the occasional birdcall ringing out.
I was just starting to wonder where we were going when I saw it. A waterfall cascaded like a river of liquid gold from a high rock face, falling into a wide pool between a series of cliffs. Z’pheer carefully led the way down to the edge of the pool.
Z’pheer set his pack down on a rock and nodded for me to head into the water. He stripped shamelessly, not affected by my presence one bit.
My eyes widened at the sight of him, watching him take soap, a small bottle of what I assumed was shampoo, and a towel out of the pack, his muscles flexing with his movements.
He really was beautiful, mercilessly so. If not for the dusting of silver in his hair, I wouldn’t have guessed he was over twenty, with every inch of his body ripped and bulging, his skin smooth.
His eyes caught me watching him and they sparkled. “Cama mai,” he said, nodding to the water again.
I sighed and waded into the water, shivering at the sudden chill as it lapped at my skin. Z’pheer followed me in.
Up to my waist in the golden pond, I looked down. The effect of the water on my skin drove away all other thoughts, if only for a second. The golden drops left sparkles on my flesh, making my arms look as if they were dotted with glittering jewels.
“Holy shit. Look at this.”
Z’pheer nodded, running his fingers over my lower arm. This close, the scent of him sent a spear of heat through my blood. I chose to focus on my hand, lifting it and turning it this way and that under the moonlight. Watching the sparkles shine.
“Just call me Alice Cullen.” I grinned.
“Hmm?” His brow rose, clearly asking who that was.
A sudden irrational sadness hit me, realizing what it meant, that he couldn’t know what the hell I was referring to, and not just that he hadn’t seen Twilight. He would never know—he was an alien.
The million light-years between myself and Earth stretched before me like a chasm.
I was trapped on a fucking world filled with people who didn’t understand even the most basic pop culture, even those that had become world-wide on Earth. Z’pheer wouldn’t have known what ice cream was, or popcorn. Or a movie. He didn’t know who Harry Potter was, or who the first president was. He’d never read a Stephen King novel, and he wouldn’t have had a clue what Facebook was, or a hashtag, and that last one had zero to do with his age. Those were small things, things that shouldn’t have mattered, but right then, they served as a cruel reminder of where I was.
I might never see Earth’s sky again.
“Never mind,” I said softly, dropping my hand.
“Ta nes.” He soaped himself up and then handed the soap to me.
He was looking at me with interest, curious.
If he wanted more from me, honestly, I didn’t want him to know anything about my world, and not only because of what he might do with the information. I wanted to keep those things to myself with a sudden savage fury that made even telling him the simplest thing about Earth painful ground. It was my home, not this alien bastard’s.
I sighed, scrubbing myself furiously and answered only because, by his gaze, he wasn’t letting it go. “It’s a pop culture thing, okay? Drop it.”
“Daz.” He nodded, apparently realizing it wasn’t important. Or maybe he’d dropped the subject because he was focusing on something else.
Z’pheer’s eyes burned with silvery hunger, taking in my breasts and curves, now glittering with hints of gold. “Vahashatai,” he whispered, cupping one breast in his big hand.
I flinched, startled by the heat that ratcheted up my blood temperature with his touch. Between his legs, his monstrosity of a cock jumped in response. I pushed his hands away on a bolt of fear.
“Well, I knew this was coming,” I drawled. “Look, if you’re expecting—”
He shook his head, cupping my chin. His eyes looked reassuring, wordlessly telling me I was safe from him.
For now, my mind screamed darkly. He wouldn’t try anything with me at this time. The question was why not?
“Yeah, right. I’m not stupid, Z’pheer. Not enough to think that being your slave doesn’t include…other services.”
His lips quirked. “Atan Raul i’na ahet cas.”
My brow raised. What was he telling me about Raul?
He just smiled and repeated himself, as if it explained everything.
He gave me nothing more. There was nothing to do but finish washing and let things go where they would.
I washed my hair with the shampoo from the bottle and finished up while he did the same. The shampoo smelled wonderful, like an exotic flower, and left behind a pleasant tingling on my scalp.
When we were finished, he gently dried me off with a towel from his pack. He padded my skin down with an odd care that seemed almost ceremonial. I met his eyes. The look in them unsettled me. I had the feeling I was being prepared for something.
When we were dry, he applied more of that soothing balm to my ass, taking away some of the sting.
As we headed back to the cave, an inexplicable fear began to gnaw at me. I felt like a woman headed for the gallows, but I had no idea why. So much so, that when we reached the entrance, I pulled at his grip on my hand, trying once again to pry it free.
“Z’pheer.”
He looked back at me.
I shook my head, all the thoughts I’d had about cooperating for the sake of survival fleeing from me. “I’m not going in there.”
His lips turned up at the corners, his eyes gleaming. He cupped my chin. “Daz hak tan.” The tone had a chiding sound to it. Then, with his hand like a vice grip around mine, he walked me into the cave.
I shivered.
What I was so afraid of, I had no i
dea. I only knew something was coming. Something that scared the hell out of me.
8
Abyss
In the cool of the cavern, I looked around. Malek lay on his bed of leaves, apparently asleep. Tarku sat in a corner, contentedly chewing on bird bones. Raul wasn’t even there.
The unexplained tension that had been chewing at my insides drained out of me like water out of a leaky bucket. Why did I always feel a hell of a lot safer when Raul wasn’t around? It wasn’t as if Z’pheer or Malek weren’t dangerous.
Z’pheer helped me lie on one of the makeshift leaf beds, rolling me gently onto my stomach so that my ass didn’t come in contact with anything. It still smarted with the slight touch.
As soon as I was comfortable, he kissed my cheek and smoothed my hair back. Then without a word, he crossed to the other side of the fire, unclipped my leash from his bracelet, dropped the rock on it, undressed, and laid down on a third bed of leaves.
Guess he liked sleeping in the nude.
Ignoring that last thought, I started wondering where the hell Raul had gone, when he strode in. In the firelight, his blond hair gleamed wetly, and he was toweling it dry. He was also naked and had obviously bathed; his skin gleamed with the faintest hint of fading gold from the water on this strange planet, making him look even more alien. I consciously made it a point to not stare at his ridiculous hard-on that stuck straight up from between his legs, as thick as my wrist.
I hadn’t seen Raul at the pond. Perhaps he’d taken another way down there, or he’d used another bathing area.
His eyes settled on me and he dropped the towel on the floor, crossing the cave toward me.
As soon as he came within a few feet, alarm made my skin prickle. Maybe it was the dark emotions that seemed to cross his face, concern for his world mixing with the desire that burned in those golden eyes. Or maybe it was because I could already smell him.
That alien, spicy scent pounded off him like heat, so strong it made my blood hum. Or, maybe it was because he was closing in on me like a stalking tiger on his much smaller prey. Whatever the case, I sat up sharply, folding my legs against my chest like a protective wall.
I didn’t even realize what I’d done until the sting on my ass made me wince, the cheeks coming in contact with the leaves under me.
Raul halted a foot from me, and his eyes glinted with a hint of mocking. Was he amused at my fear of him or from knowing his hand had been responsible for the fact that I couldn’t sit properly?
Either way, he was a bastard.
A beautiful, golden, and very naked bastard.
Remaining where he was but planting his feet more firmly, he gave me a single command. “Kahn.”
Come, my brain translated.
He’d said the word in a low growl that left no room for doubt. He’d intended to come to me, but as soon as he saw me trying to close myself off, he’d changed his mind. He wanted me to put myself before him. I didn’t understand why, and I didn’t need to.
I shook my head, the awareness of his intentions forming a painful knot in my chest.
I supposed on some level I’d known the evening would come down to this. I was a naked slave. He liked what he saw. As a barbarian, he took what he wanted without regard for others’ feelings on the matter. Still, the shock of what he expected of me now wended its way through me, filling me with dread.
Hoping he’d back off once he saw his advances were unwelcome, I shook my head. “No way, no fucking how.”
His eyes narrowed, flashing with a hint of anger. “Kahn, nayna.”
He said more, and the tone had me guessing he’d said I’d come to him willingly or be dragged.
So much for backing off. He wouldn’t stop until he had what he wanted.
The choice laid before me was clear. I could go to him willingly, knowing I’d given myself to my alien captor and live with the shame—which I suspected was the point in his not simply grabbing me and hauling me off like a caveman. Or I could refuse and…
And what?
I licked my lips, standing up, yet I couldn’t bring myself to go to him. Panic kept my feet frozen in place. “Have another cold shower, spaceman.”
Jesus, Danika, what are you doing? Don’t you know better than to piss off a ragingly horny barbarian?
Over at the fire, Z’pheer lifted his head sharply, his brows raising in surprised interest. He hadn’t expected me to refuse.
Raul said nothing, stalking forward with a predatory slowness far more frightening than if he’d just put me over his shoulder.
With every pace he took, I took a step back. My heart rate sped faster with each inch he covered until I felt my pulse beating in my throat.
My back hit the wall. I’d flatted myself against it, not even realizing it was there until the rough stone scraped my skin. I felt as though I was being cornered by a large bear. There was that look again, as if I were the hottest thing he’d ever seen and he meant to eat me alive.
Raul stepped over the bed of leaves. No more than a few inches separated us, and there was nowhere left for me to go.
This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t fucking happening.
Common sense fled. I bolted toward the cave entrance, attempting to go around him, stupidly hoping I could move fast enough.
Not a chance. Raul’s hand caught my arm. The world was a blur, and I felt my back hit the stone wall hard enough to rattle me and cause the stone to scrape my skin. His hand seized my throat, pinning me to the wall with a devastating ease.
Oh, my fucking God. Was he going to choke me? His massive hand barely fit in the groove between my chin and my chest. I could feel it at the back of my neck; his fingers overlapped, with room to spare.
My chest heaved, my head going light, even though he wasn’t adding any pressure.
“You’re really going to do this then,” I said flatly.
“Daz,” he murmured.
Yes. Yes, he was. Fuck.
Raul leaned in and inhaled deeply, his hot breath fanning my face as he loosened his grip on my neck. The smelling thing again. His own scent hammered at my senses, making my core ache.
“And if I told you no?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.
He set his hand on the stone wall beside my head, the other still on my neck. His mouth quirked on a smile that dared me to refuse him.
I closed my eyes, fighting back a wave of fury and fear. “Way of the world, right, spaceman?” I snapped, latching onto Gwen’s words.
“Mm. Daz.” His tongue licked the shell of my ear, a single, fiery hot lick that made my nipples poke at his chest and caused my sex to clench.
“Yeah, well, there are laws against this sort of—”
He drew back. One of his fingers traced my lips, simultaneously silencing me and letting me know what he wanted.
I was running out of options and babbling now. He cared nothing for Earth’s laws or anything else that might have stopped a human man. I just knew I wasn’t ready for this.
He was too big, too strong, too demanding to be real.
Raul’s thumb swept over my lips again, smearing heat over them. Out of instinct, I turned my head. Raul jerked my face back to his.
His head swooped in, and his mouth bruised mine.
The exact same connection, the same burning rightness as I’d felt when he’d been smacking my ass, bolted through me. The man I had sang to, the stranger in the audience that had held me spellbound was kissing me. His lips were hot and strong and fucking perfect, scouring away any hope that my reaction to his punishments had been the reaction of a victim. His scent flooded me, setting my blood on fire as much as the almost painful pressure of his lips.
I whimpered and tried to turn my face away, to sever the link between us that called out to me like thunder.
Big mistake. Raul’s hand on my neck slid to the back, cupping my nape. His other hand seized my jaw, easily holding it in place while his lips pried mine apart. I cried out against his mouth.<
br />
His tongue speared in, silencing me, scorching everything it touched.
And pissing me off even more.
I’d never thought a man could take a woman’s mouth like this, as if it belonged to him. As if he didn’t give a fuck what she wanted.
He pressed himself against me until I felt the hard ridge of his cock jabbing at my stomach. I squirmed, fighting him. He shoved his knee between my legs, forcing them open. The pressure he put on my sex at once soothed the ache forming there and intensified it at the same time.
With his tongue still bullying mine, he lightened the pressure from his knee, grinding against me so that it rubbed just right against my core and let his cock rub against my stomach.
Oh, fuck me, I was grinding myself against him, humping his damned thigh! I even felt my tongue flick over his, tasting him as if it had a mind of its own.
I heard movement behind him, feet shuffling. Looking in that direction, I watched a very naked Z’pheer walk over to Malek, but before I could worry about what he might be up to, one of Raul’s hands squeezed my breast, yanking my focus back to him.
I froze, feeling myself falling deeper into this abyss of a shitstorm he was making of my life.
His thumb brushed one of my nipples and the traitorous bud hardened painfully in response. Raul’s other hand grabbed mine and covered his cock with it. The huge hardness of it filled my palm, long and thick and hard as steel.
Fuck, he meant to put that thing where? Even had I not been a virgin, that was bound to hurt like a bitch. Desperation wouldn’t allow me to just deflate and let this happen.
I scratched his face.
Well, I tried to, and it was my second big mistake.
Raul drew back, seizing my wrist. His grip made me wince. His eyes burned with something between fury and amusement.
I tensed, expecting a blow.
Raul spun around and tossed me on the bed of leaves.
Landing on my knees in a crouch, I grunted. Real panic, the kind that made what I’d felt up to now seem like a distant tingle, knocked the breath out of me and tore away the last bit of logic.
