by Lynnea Lee
Lettie surveyed their enemies, making sure none of the dragus had their attention on her before she made her move. Satisfied that none of their attackers looked her way, she scrambled down the ladder and ran for the spare tent.
Vore roared a warning at her, and while she could not understand his words, the meaning came through loud and clear. He wanted her to stay safe in the tree. But Lettie was not about to sit idly by and watch as the pack tore apart her first possible chance at love after her self-imposed hiatus from relationships. No way!
She ducked under the tent flap and took a giant breath of relief as she entered relative safety. Hidden from the dragus pack, at least from view, if not by scent, she tore through their bags looking for the blaster. Where the hell was it? She found it tucked away in the side pocket. Bingo!
They had given all the new colonists at Reka 5 a quick crash course on how to operate a blaster should the need arise. Once the safety was off, and the setting chosen, it was basically point-and-shoot. But they had stressed that the recoil was substantial, and considering she weighed all of a hundred pounds, she had taken mental note. She adjusted the setting to stun, just in case her aim was bad. She didn’t want to hurt Vore by accident.
Lettie poked her head out of the tent. Vore was still holding off the pack, but he was tiring. She ran back to the tree and made sure the ladder was well-positioned. Then, she switched off the safety, aimed the blaster at one of the beasts about to lunge at Vore and braced herself. The recoil almost knocked her back; she was glad she had paid attention during the class. Her shot was off, and the shot hit the dragus on the leg, but at least it had hit the right target.
She shot again, and this time it got the dragus in the chest. It fell to the ground. She aimed again and shot at another dragus about to attack Vore. But the first dragus had already shook itself off and got back up. It reoriented itself at Lettie.
Shit! Stun was definitely not strong enough. Heart thumping in her chest, she toggled the safety and tucked the blaster into her waistband. Then, she climbed the ladder as quickly as she could. She wrapped her arms around the first branch just as a dragus lunged for the ladder. She screamed as the ladder dropped out from under her, the movement knocking her glasses off her face. Channeling the tomboy, monkey bar days of her younger years she lifted her legs and wrapped them around the thick branch.
Below her, the dragus jumped, snapping its jaws. She screamed, unable to stop the terrified sound tearing from her throat. The shrill cry caught the attention of a few more dragus, and they turned their attention away from Vore. Half-blind, she pulled herself onto the top side of the branch. Glad that the blaster had stayed in her waistband, she raised the setting and took off the safety. Then, while straddling the branch, she hooked her ankles together and leaned against the trunk to brace for the recoil before pulling the trigger. Red splattered as a fist-size hole tore open the dragus below. Unable to see details without her glasses, Lettie kept shooting at anything that moved, until all there was below her was a mess of dragus limbs and guts.
From the corner of his eyes, Vore saw Lettie crawl down from the safety of the trees.
“Get your ass back up there!” he roared. Then he remembered that she was unable to understand him with the glitching translator. Luckily the Dragus was intent on him and did not notice her sneak towards the other couple’s abandoned tent.
A large paw swiped at him, and, having been distracted by Lettie, Vore did not move away in time. It scored across his chest and shoulder, leaving three parallel gashes. Another dragus pounced on him, but he was ready this time. He ducked, then reached up to grab its tail as it sailed past his head. Using the beast’s own momentum, he swung it in an arc directly into another charging beast. The two dragus came together with a clash and tumbled to the ground yelping, both furiously scratching at the other.
But now, several more beasts had slunk out of the woodwork. An entire pack of dragus was all fun and games when he had Arus and Holden backing him up, but Vore found he was overmatched alone. He should have had the blaster on him.
Several dragus lunged simultaneously. And while Vore was able to outmaneuver two of them, the third knocked him to the ground. The dragus lunged again, seeing his opponent on his back. Vore slashed with his feet, swiping the attacking dragus aside with his talons. But before he could right himself, another rushed in. There were too many of them.
The sound of a blaster discharging sounded a moment before the dragus to his side fell to the ground. Then another beast fell further away. Lettie! The brave, foolish female was putting herself in danger! But before he could think too much on it, teeth flashed in front of his face, and he had to focus on staying alive. He bellowed a roar at the beast and pounded a fist into the side of its head. Bone crunched in its skull.
Lettie’s scream rang in the air. She was back up on the branch now, but under it instead of on top where she should be. Her scream drew the attention of a few more dragus, taking the pressure off of him. Facing more manageable numbers and renewed with energy to protect his female, Vore slashed and punched at his remaining foes. Soon, he was down to his last one, which he tore apart with a final kick.
He turned to his female. Lettie sat, legs wrapped around the tree branch, clutching the blaster in her hands. Below her lay the mangled bodies of half a dozen dragus. Vore felt a flush of pride at her bravery. With a little quick thinking, she had turned the tide in their favor and saved the day.
“My beautiful warrior,” he whispered in awe. “My brave, little Lettie.”
He reached his arms up towards her, and she slid off the branch and into his arms.
“Vore, you are okay! I was so scared for you. I thought you were going to die.” She buried her face into his chest. Blood from his gashes smeared on her face, and she gasped. “You’re hurt! Shit, I’m making it worse.” She tried to push off of him, but Vore held on tight.
Holding her up with one arm, Vore took the blaster with the other, switched the safety on and tossed it towards their tent. Then he carried her towards the nearby river. Vore felt the instinctual need to take her, fuck her. He struggled to control himself. Vore was covered in gore and blood, and he needed to clean it off. He waded into the water with Lettie still wrapped around him. She gasped as Vore ducked them into the cold water. Vore wasn’t worried, he had ways of warming her up.
He let the flow of the river carry away the blood and gore as the full effect of his bloodlust bulldozed over him. Still holding Lettie to his body, he tore at her pants. Understanding his need, Lettie helped him remove them. He threw the wet garment over to the shore before opening the front of his own pants. Lettie nipped at his lips with her dull little teeth, and he captured her mouth with his, sucking her tongue into his mouth. She moaned into his mouth as she ground her pelvis against him.
Reaching down between her legs, Vore ran a finger along the seam of her pussy. It was slick with her own juices, adding more slip than the surrounding water. He pushed two fingers in and Lettie rocked against him. He pressed a thumb to her clit, rubbing in rhythm to his fingers.
“Yes!” she hissed and tossed her head back, mouth open and eyes closed.
Unable to wait any longer, Vore guided the head of his shaft to her opening and pushed in. A small cry escaped Lettie’s lips, and he froze.
“Don’t stop, please,” she begged. “I want this.” She rocked her hips, trying to slide further down his cock.
Vore snarled and thrust into her warm, welcoming pussy. Lettie was so tight that he had to fight to push his way inside. She whimpered, arms wrapped around his neck. He paused again, afraid to hurt her.
But Lettie clawed at his back with her dull little nails. “You better not fucking stop, Vore! Fuck me now.” She leaned in and bit down on his shoulder.
His demanding little Lettie! Vore growled and pushed her down hard onto his cock and rocked into her inch by inch. She made small breathy cries with each movement and dug her nails a little harder into h
is back. Her cunt gripped him like a fist. Finally, he was seated deep in her warmth.
“Ready, little Lettie?”
Lettie felt so full that she could hardly breathe. She was completely filled, stretched until it almost hurt, and it was the best feeling she had ever experienced. Every exhalation came out as a thin breathy scream, and she wasn’t sure she could handle it if Vore started moving. But she was more than willing to see if she could.
Vore grinned at her and murmured something. Lettie only recognized her name, but she didn’t care. She just wanted him to fuck her. Reaching up, she grazed her teeth against the side of his jaw, before whispering, “Fuck me, Vore. Fuck me hard.”
A snarl was Vore’s response before pulling out and thrusting back up into her. He dragged his fangs down the column of her throat. He set a brutal rhythm, simultaneously lifting her up and down his body with his arms and thrusting into her with his cock. Lettie wrapped her legs around his hips and rode him just as hard. She heard a voice screaming and realized it was her own.
Ecstasy raced through her body, tingling through to every finger and toe. Her body tensed, and she shook from the intensity of it. She gasped in air and her mouth open but this time, she froze in a silent scream, mouth open, eyes half-mast, as euphoria possessed her body. She climaxed hard, her muscles clamping down and jerking uncontrollably around Vore’s thick cock.
Not yet reached his climax, Vore continued to pound into her. Before she had the chance to settle down from the peak, she felt herself climbing again.
“Oh, God! Oh, God, I can’t. I can’t. I ca-” It ended in a shrill scream.
Sobbing, Lettie clung onto Vore as he wrung another orgasm out of her. She was mindless with pleasure, and she wasn’t sure if she even remembered her own name.
With one last thrust, Vore came, emptying his seed into her pulsing channel. Warmth spread through her as she gasped for air.
Vore tilted her chin so that Lettie looked into his eyes. They were such a beautiful green, and Lettie wanted to memorize them forever. He rumbled something to her in the growly Tallean tongue. It sounded like music to her ears.
Completely exhausted, Lettie laid her head down on his chest, amazed that the gashes were already starting to close up. She closed her eyes.
But he tilted her chin and forced her to look at him again. He looked serious as he repeated the same growly words as before. Again, she recognized her name but nothing more.
She didn’t care what he asked of her. At this moment, weak and powerless in his arms, Lettie was willing to agree to anything. Vore could do anything to her and Lettie would be happy. She smiled at him, still floating on cloud nine.
“I don’t know what you said, but yes? I honestly can not say no to you for anything right now. So yes.” She hoped it was a yes or no question.
He replied, his face splitting into a big grin.
She snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes. This time, Vore let her rest.
CHAPTER TEN
“You are my Stars, Lettie!” Vore confessed. With her lips swollen from his kisses and her hair mussed from their lovemaking, she looked every part of a well-loved mate. “You are my mate. You will stay with me on the Defiant.”
Lettie looked confused, and Vore remembered that her translator was broken. She laid her head down on his chest and closed her eyes. She looked ready to pass out. Vore had tired her out. He intended to tire her out often for the rest of their lives.
He tilted her face to look into her eyes again. Vore wanted to repeat the words to her, even if she couldn’t understand him. It made him happy to say it. Telling Lettie that she was his mate gave him contentment he had never felt before.
“You are my Stars,” he repeated. “You are my mate, Lettie. You will stay with me on the Defiant.”
“I don’t know what you said, but yes? I honestly can not say no to you for anything right now. So yes,” she said with a satisfied smile.
“I’m holding you to that,” he said. And when his mate closed her eyes this time, he let her rest.
Vore knew Lettie did not know what she’d agreed to, but he wasn’t going to let her stay on Reka 5. He planned on taking Lettie directly to the Defiant when they got back to the colony. And once Lettie set foot into his quarters on the Defiant, she would not leave until she agreed to be his mate, even if he had to tie her down as the Defiant took off. Lettie was his mate, and she was going to stay with him.
Vore carried her to their tent. He laid out a towel on her sleeping mat and deposited Lettie in the center. She stretched, reaching her arms and arching her back.
“Oh shoot, I forgot about my glasses. They fell off when the dragus attacked. They’re probably under a pile of dead dragus right now.” She wrinkled her nose cutely, and Vore leaned in to kiss it.
“Stay. Rest.” He pointed to the mat to make sure she understood him. She nodded.
Throwing on a pair of pants, Vore set about cleaning up the camp. As she had predicted, he found her glasses under the dragus pile. They were mangled beyond recognition. One lens had popped out, and the other one was cracked. Even if she got the lens back into the frame, he doubted the frames would stay on her face. No matter, he would have to be her eyes in the meantime. He tucked the mess of glass and plastic into his pocket.
Picking up two dragus bodies, he made his way out of the camp. He dumped the carcasses outside the perimeter and headed back. The rumble of the off-road vehicle alerted Vore of Angie and Holden’s return. He waved, before bending down to pick up another barely recognizable body; Lettie had done a number on the dragus with that blaster.
“Holy crap! What the hell happened here?” Angie asked with wide eyes. “Is Lettie alright?”
“Angie?” Lettie poked her head out of the tent and squinted at the new arrivals. She ran out, dressed only in her tank top and panties, and hugged her friend.
“Lettie! Are you okay? Wow, it seems like we missed a lot.” Angie surveyed the bodies of the dragus littered around the campground.
“You just missed all the action. We won!” Lettie said excitedly. “Vore was amazing! You should have seen him!”
“Don’t listen to her. She took out all the ones under the tree on her own. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Lettie frowned at him and then turned to Angie. “What did he say?”
“Oh, right, your translator!”
“I’m deaf and blind now. I lost my glasses.” She squinted at Angie.
Remembering the broken pieces of plastic and glass in his pocket, Vore handed her the mangled mess that was left of her glasses.
“Correction, I broke my glasses.”
“I will be your eyes, my mate,” Vore said solemnly. Once they got back to the Defiant, he planned on getting her vision corrected in the med-bed. It was a simple procedure.
Angie’s eyes widened before she broke into a smile. “He says he will be your eyes. I’m glad you two worked out your differences. And before that, he said you took out all the dragus under the tree.”
“I had a blaster, and they couldn’t reach me, it was cheating.”
Pride in his female’s bravery prompted him to tell Angie what happened. “She ran to the tent to retrieve the blaster. I was surrounded. She lured them away so I could fight. By the time I had dispatched my foes, she had already killed the rest.”
“Wow! I think I would have just frozen.” Then to Lettie, “I think you should tell me the whole story from the beginning.”
He left the two females as they did some catching up, and continued cleaning up the camp. Holden helped him lug the bodies away.
“Did I hear you call her your mate? Congratulations. May the stars look kindly on your mating.” Holden placed his fist on his chest, pinky side out.
Vore returned the motion. “But Lettie doesn’t know yet. Without her translator, she has no clue I have been calling her my mate. And Angie didn’t quite clarify it either. I don’t plan on telling her
until she is safe on the Defiant.”
Vore knew it was dishonest to lure her onto the Defiant and keep her there until they took off. But he knew he had little time left on Reka 5; the Defiant was leaving the planet the moment he got back. With such a short time, he doubted he could convince Lettie to stay with him. If Lettie was unhappy with him on the Defiant, he would return her. But not before he did everything in his power to convince her to stay.
“You are worried that she will not want to stay with you,” Holden said knowingly. “Arus was worried about the same thing with Mia. Life in space is difficult. Human females do not form a mate bond. Without it, she could decide to stay on Reka 5 or leave you for another. So you don’t plan on giving her a choice to stay in Reka 5. If I were you, I would do the same.”
“I know it should be her choice, but I want to show her I can give her a good life. She may be angry with me when the Defiant leaves Reka 5 with her on it, but it will give me time to convince her. If, by the time we return, I have not convinced her to stay with me, then I don’t deserve her.”
Vore lifted the last of the dragus bodies. This last dragus was relatively intact, having been killed by a headshot. It would make a lovely fur stole for Lettie. He grabbed a knife and started skinning it.
“When we played the drinking game, Lettie said she only had sex with males she cared about. This whole campsite reeks of sex, even through the stench of the dead dragus. She must care about you. She will forgive you.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
The rest of their berry-picking expedition went by without a hitch. With her glasses broken, Vore insisted on staying under Lettie’s tree while she picked the last of the amberberries in their area. He was always just a step away, and Lettie secretly enjoyed all the attention. Once they were back in the colony, Vore would have to leave with the Defiant, and Lettie wasn’t sure how she was supposed to deal with it.
