“Is something wrong?” I whispered.
She shook her head. “I’ve just never seen—you’re so big.”
I looked down at myself again, still feeling the powerful urges of lust but now also feeling the impediment of nerves, and asked, “Are humans smaller?”
“Usually,” she said. She crawled up my body, then, and pressed her lips delicately to mine in a kiss of sweetness rather than urgency. When she pulled back, she said, “I suppose you’ve never been with a human.”
“No,” I replied softly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She kissed me lightly again. “You won’t. I’ll show you.”
My lust took over again, and I enveloped her lips with my own. She kissed me back with equal vehemence, and I felt her hand drop to my erection. Her fingers cool to the touch as her skin always was, wrapped around my girth and started to stroke so slowly it was almost torture. I groaned into her mouth, and I felt her smile.
“Patience,” she whispered, lifting her face from mine, easing her way back down my body. When she was level with my groin, she exhaled softly, and I felt the breath caress me. I shivered with desire.
Her fingers continued to slide up and down my length, and I watched her. Despite the darkness, I had never seen her look so radiant. She was beautiful. Her dark curls hung down in imperfect perfection, framing her face in such a way that I couldn’t help but stare. I saw those eyes that had captivated me the moment I had seen her looking up at me at the crash site. They had penetrated me to my very core.
I was in love with this woman, this human, this Tabitha Bartel. That was the truth of the matter, and I was going to do everything in my power to protect her from the prejudices and fear-founded impulses of my peers.
She lowered her head down and took me between her lips, and I inhaled sharply. My hips lifted against my will, but she pressed down on my thighs lightly to keep me in place. I had never felt anything quite like it, and I knew it was because it was she who did this to me. Tabitha was my beginning, and she would be my end.
I felt her tongue caressing my hardness the way it had caressed my tongue when we’d kissed, and it sent me into such a frenzy of desire that I writhed beneath her. I wanted to take her, to be one with her not just emotionally and spiritually but physically as well. However, I let her take control. I wasn’t sure how to be with a human; I didn’t know if human intimacy was the same as with A’li-uud.
I reached down and stroked her curls. She moaned into me, so I tangled my fingers in her hair and felt the way she pleasured me through my palms. I watched my hands rise and fall repeatedly atop her head in tandem with the rise and fall of my chest as I breathed, and my head rolled back against the pillow. It was, perhaps, the most intense experience of my life, and any experience I had had prior to Tabitha didn’t compare. With each burst of sensation that crashed through me came an even more powerful burst of emotion as the love I felt for her dominated my entire being.
When she lifted her mouth from me and looked up at me, I returned her gaze. I was breathless, wanting, but I didn’t want to go alone. I wanted her to join me; I needed her to join me. I released her hair and held out my hand to her. She took it. Then, I pulled her back up until we were face-to-face again, and I claimed her mouth with my own.
She rolled to the side without separating her lips from mine, and I followed until I was on top of her. Her hand dipped down again and sought my manhood. I growled, and she mewled in return. I felt her guiding me, and then I felt myself being pressed up against her most intimate of areas.
“Go,” she whispered against my mouth. “Slowly.”
I did as she asked, easing forward so carefully that the movement was almost unnoticeable. Her hand remained in place at my base, and she pushed back against me after a second to indicate she wanted me to withdraw. I obeyed, and, when she gently guided me forward again, she moaned into me. It was the most intoxicating sound I had ever heard, and I engulfed her with a deep, soul-reaching kiss. This time, she didn’t push me back, and I entered her fully.
Tabitha’s back arched to the ceiling, pressing her breasts into my chest and breaking our kiss. I looked down at her, admiring the beauty of her face in ecstasy. Her mouth was parted very slightly to allow for the shallow breaths she panted to slip through her lips, and her eyes were closed, so her lashes kissed the shelves of her cheekbones. I grazed the tip of my tongue over her lower lip, and she opened her eyes again to meet my gaze.
“More,” she murmured headily.
Her voice alone was enough to spur me on, but the command was an order I was happy to obey. Our chest rose and fell together, our skin sliding back and forth over one another, and we kept our eyes locked. Her mouth opened a little wider as I took her and panting gave way to moaning. I couldn’t keep myself from dropping my lips to hers, tasting the guttural moans on her tongue. She reached up and clawed at my back, her nails pressing unrelentingly into my skin, and I grunted with the onset of pain. It hurt, but it was the most delicious kind of pain. It was the pain of lust and love and promise and protection and trust and safety and fear and worry and all other things. It brought me to the edge, but I held back.
“Rex!” she cried, throwing her head back, scratching up to the nape of my neck.
My name on her lips was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life, and I had to taste it. I lunged forward, plunging my tongue into her mouth, swallowing her passion into myself. Making love to her was an experience I could have never understood before her, something I could have never understood without her. It was not just a meeting of bodies as times past had been; it was the meeting of souls. Her lips, her nails, her skin, her eyes, her entire being held me captive in a never-ending circle of enchanted love. It was a circle that, in all its heresy, was the only thing greater in the universe than the Grand Circle.
“I love you,” I said. My voice was muffled against her, so I yelled it out. “I love you!”
“I love you too,” she panted breathlessly.
The words sent me spiraling into the throes of euphoria, and I felt her join me. We rocketed together through time and space, leaving behind everything that was, greeting all that would be. I knew of nothing but her. As I groaned her name and stared into her angelic face, I knew nothing would ever matter to me again. She was beauty personified, and our love was as visceral as our love-making.
I didn’t stop moving until she told me to, and, when she did, it was with a voice thick with satiation. Her eyes were dark and hooded, and her skin felt warmer than it ever had. I looked down at her without withdrawing myself and brought my fingertips to her cheek, which was crimson and flushed.
“I promise,” I whispered, “I will protect you. I will keep you safe.”
She gazed back at me and murmured, “But what about you?”
“You’re more important.” I brushed my fingertips along her jawline as I spoke.
“No,” she said, lifting her hand and pressing it against my own cheek. “It doesn’t matter if I’m safe if you’re not with me.”
I stared at her, drinking in the vision of the human I’d fallen in love with, and then I nodded. “Then I will do what I have to do to protect us both.”
She parted her lips and tilted her chin upward, and I leaned down to meet her mouth. I slid out of her as we kissed and eased myself down beside her, pulling her into my arms. When the kiss broke, I just continued to hold her, and she curled into my form in such a way it seemed my body had been meant for hers the whole time. We stayed like that in the darkness and silence and just listened to our breathing, letting our fears wash away in the undertow of our love.
I felt her chest slowing in its rise and falls, and I heard her breaths becoming deeper. I realized she was falling asleep, and I felt heaviness in my eyes myself. Just as she exhaled her last conscious sigh, I closed my eyes, buried my face in her hair, and allowed myself to drift.
Suddenly, I was wrenched awake by a sound. It wasn’t particularly loud, but, in the st
illness, it was very clear. I bolted upright and looked around the room in a panic. Tabitha didn’t move right away, but she stirred when she realized I was no longer holding her and sat up sleepily.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
“I heard something,” I whispered, putting a finger to my lips to indicate she needed to be quiet. Her eyes widened with obvious fright, but I climbed slowly off the bed and moved to one of the large windows, trying to remain in the shadows to prevent anyone outside from seeing me. There appeared to be nothing out of place or unusual at first glance, so I shuffled even nearer the window and looked out below.
I could hear Tabitha crawling out of bed behind me, and I extended a hand backward to silently tell her to stop moving. She obeyed, but I heard her voice waft almost imperceptibly to my ears. “What is it?”
My eyes drifted down, and I saw a figure standing outside the front double doors.
12
Tabitha
“There’s someone here.”
My heart was pounding so hard I was sure it was going to crack right through my chest and spill out onto the floor. I got out of the bed and scrambled for my clothes, which I threw on in a frenzy of disarray. Rex turned from the window and grabbed his pants. When he had them on, he looked at me, and he looked just as intensely serious as he had when we’d left his parents’ house.
“You will stay here,” he said. His tone left no room for argument, so I just nodded, frozen in place.
He left the room so quietly it was as if he was floating. I listened as carefully as I could for any sound of his movements, but I heard nothing. That was more terrifying than if I had heard a scuffle because I couldn’t be sure what was happening. After a minute of panicked terror, I disregarded his command and fled from the room.
I raced down the corridor of A’li-uud portraits at lightning speed. I didn’t even care if my footsteps made noise. By the time I reached the landing of the impressive staircase, I was gasping for breath and had actually broken a cold sweat. I could see Rex hovering by the door, carefully leaning to the side to try and make out the visitor through the window. He looked back as I started to descend the stairs.
“I told you to stay put,” he whispered furiously.
His voice was low, but, in the absence of other sounds, I heard him as if he was standing right beside me. I didn’t respond until I reached the foyer.
“I had to know what was happening,” I said. My voice sounded shaky and weak, both from physical exertion and fright.
He shook his head angrily, but he didn’t argue. I was grateful for that. He resumed peering through the window, and then I saw his form relax slightly. When he turned to look back at me again, there was an expression of relief on his handsome face.
“It’s Vi’den,” he said. Before I could ask anything, he opened the door.
Standing on the threshold, there was a very tall, very thin A’li-uud. He wore robes rather than skins, and they flowed from his shoulders to the ground in regal draping. The shimmer I had noticed in Rex’s skin the day he’d found me was very noticeable on this alien; even in the darkness, he seemed to shine. I glanced at him, expecting to see a bright moon casting its glow upon him to bring forth the shimmer, but there was none. He simply gleamed.
Rex stepped backward, and the A’li-uud entered at once. There was no time wasted in Rex closing the door behind him. Even as he stepped into the shadows of the unlit house, the tall creature continued to glimmer slightly, and I could see his eyes were even whiter than Rex’s. It was hard to make out his exact skin tone in the darkness, but it was evident he was paler than Rex, and I knew he was also older. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, as his face showed no signs of wrinkled or weather-worn age, but it seemed inherently obvious he was ancient compared to my prairie king. Somehow, despite the grandiose house we were in, Vi’den seemed very out of place.
“Vi’den,” Rex said. There was a level of respect in his voice I hadn’t heard before. He almost seemed awed in the presence of the old A’li-uud.
“Good evening, Rex,” Vi’den replied evenly. I was surprised to hear him speak English, but I was even more surprised by his pronunciation. He sounded like he’d spoken English his whole life, rather than learned it as a second language. “I dare say you know why I have come.”
Rex’s gaze turned to me, and Vi’den’s followed. I suddenly felt as though I’d been placed under a spotlight, and I grew self-conscious about my messy clothes and tangled hair.
“Tabitha, this is Vi’den,” Rex said to me. “He is also an Elder, and he is my mentor.”
I expected to be afraid, but something about Vi’den calmed me. Without him saying it, I knew he had no intention of hurting me.
“It is an honor to meet you, Tabitha.” Vi’den inclined his head as he spoke, a motion I mimicked involuntarily.
“Thank you,” I said nervously. “It’s good to meet you too.”
He studied me for a moment in silence before saying, “There is no need to be frightened, Tabitha. I have not come to harm you.”
I nodded, and Vi’den turned back to Rex.
“We must act urgently, however,” he went on. “You are in grave danger, both of you.”
“I know,” Rex said quickly. “That’s why we’re here.”
“This is not safe enough. Action must be taken.” Vi’den started to walk, and Rex fell into step with him. They both took long strides that forced me to almost jog to keep up with them. We crossed into a room filled with luxurious cushions and a smattering of intricately-etched pottery. Vi’den sank onto one of the poufs. Rex followed suit. When I didn’t sit, he shot me a look, and I dropped onto the nearest one.
“I happened across Pugna’ta. She told me you were keeping a human at the home of your mother and father.” Vi’den’s eyes swiveled back to me, and, again, I felt like the center of attention. “I was not inclined to believe her, but I see I was wrong.”
“Pugna’ta came to my parents’ house for personal reasons and saw Tabitha through the window,” Rex explained. “She became angry and aggressive—”
“With good reason, Rex,” Vi’den interrupted. I felt my stomach roll with anxiety at his words. “After everything that has been happening as of late, it would be unnatural for her to accept such a thing without question.”
Rex bristled slightly, and, though he still spoke with respect, he sounded mad. “I am her king. She has no authority to question me.”
“Every A’li-uud has the authority to protect our kind,” Vi’den responded swiftly and sternly. Rex seemed to deflate slightly, but Vi’den continued. “I did not come to address your disagreement with Pugna’ta, Rex, nor did I come to question your decision to keep Tabitha.”
“Why did you come, then?” I asked. Both of them turned to look at me, and I saw the surprise on Rex’s face.
Vi’den answered in a slow, clear voice. “I came to try to save your life.”
I just stared at him, waiting for him to go on, but he didn’t. He stared back at me. It wasn’t until Rex spoke that our eye contact broke.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Pugna’ta intends to go to the Council and reveal your secret. I would be surprised if she hasn’t done so already, or at least hasn’t made contact with several Elders.” Vi’den leaned forward a little toward Rex and looked him squarely in the eye. “You must take Tabitha to Forum at once.”
In clear contrast to the way Vi’den leaned forward, Rex dropped back slightly. There was an expression of horror on his face as he said, “You don’t really think that should be my course of action. Vi’den, that’s a death sentence—for Tabitha and me.”
“Going into hiding is your death sentence, Rex. Coming forward offers you a chance for redemption.”
“Redemption from what?” Rex spat the words like a bitter tonic from his tongue. “I am a Tribe Elder. It was at my discretion to keep her with me. I thought it best.”
“Your treason is not in your decision to isolate
her and maintain close contact,” Vi’den said quietly. “The betrayal is in hiding your decision from the Council. By doing so, you have effectively undermined the purpose of the Forum, of the Council, and of your Elderhood. We have not been aware of Tabitha’s existence, let alone her casual captivity, and, throughout the time of our ignorance, she has been learning much of our planet and our race. Tabitha knows more about A’li-uud life than any human ever has. The Council views this as treason. Do you not see why?”
“I do,” Rex said begrudgingly.
“Then you must take her to P’otes-tat Ulti immediately. If you go into hiding, an order will be placed on your heads.”
Rex shook his head, and I could tell he was very conflicted. “I can’t take her there, Vi’den. There are other Elders who will kill her as soon as they look at her because of their fear.”
“I will make sure that Tabitha stays safe,” Vi’den said. His voice was low, and he spoke in earnest. It was just words, but what he said was spoken with such calm confidence that I found myself relaxing. I believed him.
“How?” I asked.
“I will enact the Law of Witness,” he answered.
I saw understanding dawn on Rex’s face, but I felt no understanding of my own. “What is that?”
“It ensures your safety,” Vi’den explained. “The Law of Witness dictates that the guest in question cannot be harmed while at P’otes-tat Ulti. To do so would be punishable by death.”
“It means I can take you to the Forum and the others have no choice but to listen to what we have to say,” Rex said quietly. His eyes had a faraway look, and I knew he was deep in thought.
“Yes.” Vi’den nodded, and he looked back to Rex. “But you must bring her immediately. You cannot afford for her to be found by anyone before she has a chance to speak.”
“What am I supposed to say?” I asked, now feeling a slight rise of panic. “What am I supposed to tell them?”
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