by Tamsin Ley
A draft teased her nether regions, and she gulped air that suddenly felt thick with desire. “Thank you. But I’d like some real clothes before we go anywhere. I’m worried this might fall off at an inopportune moment.”
With a quick tug, he pulled the wrap free. “I see what you mean.”
She scrambled to grab it before it fell to the floor. “Arazhi!”
Both his hands engulfed hers, freezing her in place so she remained completely naked before him. He looked down at her breasts. “Many species wear no clothing at all, you know.”
Her skin felt electrified, and her pulse raced. His mouth was close enough to kiss. Do it, her heart urged. Or was that her pussy? He had her hormones in an uproar. And he obviously wanted her again, even if she couldn’t get pregnant. “But you’re the one wearing clothes.”
“Am I?” His deep voice made her want to melt.
She glanced down between them and sucked in a breath—his pants were gone, and his dick was thick and ready. Her insides fluttered. “Oh.”
His fingers still around hers, he pulled them to his heated cock. Guiding her touch, he pushed down until the head of his shaft nudged between her thighs.
Unable to resist, she tilted her hips and let him slide between her legs. Her juices were already flowing, and she shuddered at the sensation of his ridges bumping along her clit. An unintelligible moan escaped her lips.
Tugging her hands free of his, she grabbed his ass, pulling him forward until their hips met, his shaft clamped between her legs.
His length throbbed against her lower lips.
She let her head fall back. “How are you so freaking hot?”
Lightning quick, he flung her onto the bed and thrust one knee between her thighs as he climbed up her body, forcing her legs apart as he moved. Reaching her mouth, he dipped down and claimed a kiss, his tongue demanding and urgent.
She let herself sink into the pleasure of the moment as his muscular thigh ground against her heated center. One of his hands moved to her breast, massaging and tweaking the nipple to aching awareness. His tongue plundered her mouth, filling her again and again while she writhed against the pressure of his thigh.
He brought his other leg up, spreading her wide until the head of his cock probed her slit. Teasing her opening, he spread her slickness with his length, circling, throbbing, pulsing. Then, with a single, sharp thrust, he drove his long hot shaft inside her.
The motion brought her to the edge of an orgasm almost immediately. She cried out, clawing her fingernails against his ass.
With small thrusts, he continued kissing her until the aftershocks ended. Then he drew back and filled her again, beginning a pounding rhythm. Each time he pistoned forward, she gasped, the pleasure surging in growing waves as a second climax built inside her.
His hands cupped her face, and he kissed her until she was helpless under the onslaught. When her orgasm broke, it came like a storm, a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder that made every muscle in her body convulse.
She’d barely come down when Arazhi’s release triggered her third climax. His hot seed spilling between her thighs was pleasure itself as he ground his hips, ejaculating deeply inside her. He shuddered and slumped on top of her, breathing hard.
They remained locked together, his weight a comforting pressure, his fingers tangled in her hair as he supported himself on his elbows. When their breaths had slowed, he nuzzled her ear and feathered kisses down her throat, keeping his arms around her like a protective cage. “I am never going to let you go.”
14
The next morning, they sat on the veranda again, enjoying a small breakfast together before the sun crept over the horizon. The soft sounds of animals and insects among the trees created a song Arazhi realized he’d missed during his time away. Being here with Georgie felt more right than he could’ve imagined. He’d made love to her all night, struggling against his need to take the final step in their bond. She didn’t yet grasp what his commitment meant, and though he was under pressure to sire an heir, he intended to give her all the time she needed to recognize him as her mate.
He placed another kazhitu bun on her plate. “How do humans bond with a mate?”
Georgie shrugged. “A couple usually holds a wedding and invites all their friends and family to hear their vows of eternal love.” A wave of bitterness flooded his Iki’i. “But most humans don’t actually bond for life.”
He nodded slowly, getting the sense he was broaching a sore subject. “There are many species like that. But for a Kirenai and his mate, there is no breaking the bond once it is set.”
She made a non-committal sound and took a bite of her bun, looking out at the forest.
Reaching out, he took her hand, drawing her attention back to his face. “I sense you doubt me. But we exchange more than vows when we select a mate. To form a pair bond, a Kirenai passes along a small genetic marker that grants a mate an extended life—usually enough to match his own.”
Georgie’s brows drew together. “Extended life? Do Kirenai live a long time?”
He leaned back in his chair. “It’s not uncommon for us to live eight hundred to a thousand of your Earth years.”
The bun she was holding dropped back to her plate with a soft thud. “How old are you?”
“I’m still young, not yet two hundred. We’ll have a long and wonderful life together.”
Incredulity rendered her silent, and he gave her a few moments to mull everything over. Few species lived as long as Kirenai, and he understood the time span could be daunting.
Finally she whispered, “I definitely need to see the healers before we do anything you’ll regret.”
She still worries I’ll reject her. His heart ached. He’d hurt her by doubting her motives. And although he, too, worried about how he was going to produce an heir, he wasn’t willing to give up the woman who’d claimed his heart. “That has no bearing on our bond. We have plenty of time to see the healers.”
“Earlier, you said time was of the essence to produce an heir. I think it’s only fair you know what your options are going to be.” She pressed her fingers against some crumbs on the table and deposited them back on her plate. “Let’s tear off the bandage and get it over with.”
The universal translator still had trouble with her idioms, but he thought he understood her. “You need to put that worry behind us.”
She nodded.
“If that’s what you need, then we’ll see the healers immediately.”
She pushed away her plate. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
He rose. “Afterward, I want to take you to the popotan fields for a picnic. I think you’ll enjoy them.”
He led her through the palace to the clinic and let Georgie explain what the doctors on Earth had told her. “Spare no effort,” he instructed Elthos, his father’s personal healer. “And do it quickly. You understand what’s at stake.”
“Of course, Prince Arazhi.” The pink-scaled Qalqan nodded and asked Georgie to accompany him to the scanning chamber.
While Georgie was being scanned, Arazhi made arrangements to visit the popotan fields, hoping to give her something else to focus on while they waited for the results. Normally, he’d take his private transport, but he wanted Georgie to experience the raw charm of the rural district in the same way he had as a child. He arranged for an airlift to drop the public viewing area, and selected a handful of palace guards to go with them; normally, Arazhi travelled with only Zhiruto, but recent events had made him more cautious, and he wanted to enjoy the day with his mate without distraction. From the palace kitchens, he coordinated a picnic lunch that would be suitable for a human for when they arrived. He wanted everything to be perfect, yet still have enough spontaneity to allow Georgie to make her own choices.
By the time Georgie emerged from the healing wing looking flushed, he was satisfied their day would be perfect.
“They said they need a few days to analyze the data and come up with a treatment,” s
he said. He’d given her a selection of clothing, and she now wore a flowing white tunic and breezy, loose-legged pants that still managed to show off her delectable curves as she walked.
“There’s nothing you can do now, so let’s enjoy our day together.” Leading her to the airlift, he handed her a wide-brimmed hat to keep her cool under the fierce Kirenai sun. “Here, you’ll want this when we’re not in the shade.”
They climbed on board the small airlift, and two security guards slid discretely into jump seats behind the pilot. Four more followed in another airlift behind them.
He settled into the plush seat next to her, pointing out the window as the craft lifted into the air. “Keep an eye out for places you’d like to hold a wedding.”
“I haven’t said yes yet, Arazhi.” She frowned at him, yet warm affection bathed his Iki’i. Turning to look out the window, she added, “But planning an alien wedding could be fun.”
Thinking perhaps she was homesick, he said, “We can hold our wedding on Earth, if you like. Or if you prefer, I’ll have our fleet bring your friends and family here.”
“They can come here?” She gave him a doubtful look. “All of them? Because my Aunt Billie has at least a dozen cousins and their families she’ll want to invite.”
“Invite as many as you like, kikajiru. You can plan the entire event.”
The short flight to the mountainous region where the popotan grew was smooth, and he pointed out a few key landmarks poking up from the thick vegetation covering the planet.
They landed near the public tourist clearing with a grand view of the mountainside, and he escorted her toward a shaded area where people gathered to eat and enjoy the vista. The cool, spicy scent of ukimi ice drifted toward them from a nearby food cart.
She kept close to his side, clearly self-conscious under the open stares of the other visitors. “Are we going to eat here?”
“Not here. I’m going to take you to where we used to picnic when I was a child. But I wanted to give you the full experience.” Family picnics were one of his fondest memories of childhood, and he hoped Georgie would be willing to continue the tradition once they had a child of their own.
He pointed toward the rows of massive, lavender leaves lining the contours of the mountain like spiny dorsal fins. “The popotan plants always face the sun. I got lost among the rows once as a child because they’d rotated. I thought it was a great game, but my parents were terrified. They sent out half the palace guard to find me.”
Georgie smiled. “Sounds like me and my mom when she’d take me clothes shopping at K-Mart. I loved hiding among the clothes racks, and she’d get so mad.”
Taking her elbow, he led her toward the path that zig-zagged up the mountain to the fields. Along the trail, the clear domes of teozhisa—traditional bubble-shaped hover carts—trundled between the foliage. Normally, he’d take a private craft to the picnic, but he wanted Georgie to have the full experience. “Would you like to walk? Or we can take a teozhisa.” He gestured to a waiting cart, its driver nearly hidden in the small compartment below the passenger cab. The bubble-shaped cab itself allowed passengers a full view of their surroundings.
Arazhi planned to stop at an overlook off the beaten path. There was a lovely waterfall nearby, and the popotan were exceptionally vibrant in the area. Two guards had taken the airlift to get there ahead of them and set up a picnic lunch.
“I’d prefer to ride. I’m still not used to this heat.” Her pink cheeks glowed with perspiration, reminding him of how she looked after intense lovemaking. His human anatomy stiffened, and he had to reign in his desire. Time enough for that once they’d reached his private picnic area.
“Of course.” He signaled one of his guards to make arrangements.
Two of his men boarded the first teozhisa, starting out ahead. The guard bowed toward Arazhi and stepped away from the next driver, signifying the fare had been paid, and moved to the next driver in line to arrange transportation for himself and his partner.
One hand against the small of Georgie’s back, Arazhi guided her forward and opened the door, revealing a padded bench seat inside.
The slim Kirenai driver peeked up from his compartment, obviously nervous about driving his prince but hiding his emotions well.
Arazhi acknowledged him with a nod, then squeezed in next to Georgie, placing his arm around her shoulders as the teozhisa started forward with a small lurch. The forest to either side was verdant with deep violet vines and mahogany flowers with yellow throats, and they passed quickly by several groups hiking up on foot as they followed switchback after switchback.
The passenger compartment tilted precariously each time, and Georgie clutched his arm. “Does he have to go so fast?”
“He’s probably nervous about transporting royalty.” Arazhi spoke into the intercom, asking the driver to slow down.
Either the intercom was broken, or the driver was too nervous to comply. They broke from the forest into the lower edge of the fields, rounding another corner onto a rocky ledge. The view down the mountainside opened up, showing an ocean of blue forest with the occasional spire or cluster of rounded huts.
“It’s amazing that you can build spaceships out of these plants,” Georgie said.
“It has something to do with their sensitivity to light. I can arrange for you to speak with a scientist if you’re interested.”
She laughed. “I probably wouldn’t understand most of what he said.”
The teozhisa rocked again, and Arazhi scowled. It had been a long time since he’d been here, but he was fairly certain they’d taken a wrong turn. The guards must not have been clear in their directions.
I miss Zhiruto. He pounded harder against the floorboard. “Where are you taking us? We don’t need to leave the trail.”
The driver didn’t stop. In fact, he seemed to speed up.
“What’s happening? Where are we going?” Georgie clung to his arm. Her fear stabbed into his Iki’i and made his already racing heart pound faster.
He opened the door a crack and leaned down to look into the driver’s compartment. The compartment was empty, and the rocky ground was flying by at breakneck speed.
“Kuzara,” he swore, pulling himself back into the cab. “Something happened to the driver. I need to engage the brakes.”
But it was too late. The ground suddenly dropped out from beneath them, and they were no longer hovering—they were falling. The teozhisa tilted, flinging them both forward against the windshield. Below, jagged rocks loomed like teeth.
There was no time to think. He had to protect his mate. Relaxing into his resting state, he engulfed her.
He could only hope his own body was enough to save her.
15
Georgie opened her eyes to find a scaled pink muzzle filling her view. She gasped, and the Qalqan drew back, forcing her to squint against the bright lights overhead. Last she remembered, they’d been hurtling over a cliff, then she’d felt like she’d been encased in shrink wrap, the same sensation she’d had when Arazhi’d transported her to his ship. Now she was in the palace clinic, reclining on the same small bed she’d been on earlier for her scans.
The healer who’d woken her held a strange, multi-pronged device, and in a raspy voice like nails on a chalkboard said, “She’s conscious.”
A second Qalqan moved into view, his black skirt and suspenders the same as the first one wore. Were these the same healers who’d done her scans earlier? She wished they wore nametags or something. She was embarrassed to admit she couldn’t tell them apart.
“What happened?” Her eyes felt watery, and every muscle in her body was on fire.
“You were in an accident,” the first healer said. “You’ve been unconscious for two days.”
The other healer rasped, “I’ll let the security team know you’re awake. They want to speak with you.”
“Two days?” The last thing she remembered was the ground rising toward them at breakneck speed. It was a miracle she was alive.
Those bubble carts must have some seriously high-tech safety measures.
She wiggled her fingers and toes, lifting both hands to see if anything was broken. Although she ached, she appeared to be intact. Grimacing, she sat up. Two blue-skinned guards stood near the exit, and another pair stood at the opposite doorway. The rest of the room was empty.
“Where’s Arazhi?” she asked.
“He’s in a regen pod right now. He took an extraordinary amount of damage and will require time to recover.”
The pit of her stomach churned. How was he hurt so badly if she was fine? She pushed off the bed, pain lancing her knees as her feet took her weight. “Can I see him?”
The nearest healer nodded. “Of course. This way.”
She gritted her teeth and hobbled past a pair of guards to the next room where what looked like four concrete bathtubs full of green liquid lined a wall. The air smelled like strawberries, and a slight humming sound came from wall panels scrolling with unrecognizable text.
The healer pulled something that looked like a hovering surfboard over next to one of the tubs. “Here, sit. He’s sedated and may be slow to respond, but he can hear you. I’ll send the security team in here when they arrive.”
She moved closer to the tub and peered into the glossy green liquid. It reminded her of Jello before it had set, only instead of fruit and marshmallows floating in it, a blue sludge covered the bottom. She frowned. Where was Arazhi?
“I think this is the wrong one.” She glanced over her shoulder, but the healer had already gone.
Legs trembling, she leaned on the floating stool and limped to the next tub, peering into it. The green fluid in this one was completely clear. She moved to the next one. It appeared to be empty, too.
She turned to move back down the row to the tub at the other end when a short woman with alabaster skin and dark blue hair entered the room and hurried to the first tub Georgie’d been sitting by.
