by Anna Hackett
Now he did groan. “Drak…feels so good.”
Her grip tightened as she pumped him. Those beautiful aquamarine eyes were locked on his cock, her lips parted. He didn’t see horror or fear, only wonder and arousal.
“Does it feel good?”
“Yes.” Those slim, competent hands kept working him, exploring him. Drak. He wouldn’t last long, not with Mersi touching him.
Her gaze met his. “I’ve wanted so desperately to touch you.”
His hips jerked up against his will. Her hand moved faster, and her other hand drifted lower, stroking and massaging him.
He groaned again. “Mersi.”
It was a warning. The pleasure was swelling and his control was shredded.
“Let go, Bren. Show me.”
As his orgasm hit him, a groan tore from his throat. His body jerked and he started coming, spilling all over Mersi’s hand and his stomach.
Drak. It happened too fast. Sucking in air, he tried to find his control. Just the slightest touch from her, and he was like an untried youth again.
But then Mersi circled her fingers through the come on his gut. There was wonder still on her flushed face.
Then she looked up. “That was so sexy.”
She was on her knees in front of him and he watched her squeeze her thighs together. Her cheeks were pink and there was desire in her eyes.
For him.
With a growl, he surged forward, tumbling her onto her back on her sleeping mat. He covered her body with his, and her hands clamped on his biceps.
“Tell me what you need?” she murmured.
“You,” he growled. “It’s always been you. I’ve fantasized about you for so long. Touching you, tasting you, being lodged deep inside you.”
Her chest hitched. “You don’t have to fantasize anymore.”
He groaned and lowered his head to kiss her. Her lips were so soft, and her tongue eagerly tangled with his. Her hands moved up, clenching in his hair, and she undulated against him.
Then she jerked back. “Your injuries—”
“Are fine.” He didn’t feel them at all. All he could feel was her need, and his already-hard-again cock.
She licked her lips. “Tell me what you fantasized about?”
“What color your nipples are. How plump your breasts would feel in my hands.”
“So, find out,” she said huskily.
He wasted no time. He sat up, straddling her, and he tore her shirt open. He pulled the bindings off her breasts, loving the skin he uncovered.
Then he cupped her breasts, his gut clenching. Need pumped through him. “Drak, you’re so pretty, Mersi.”
She arched up into his touch with a husky cry. He thumbed her delicate, pink nipples.
Then he lowered his head. He needed to taste her. He sucked one nipple into his mouth. Her hands clamped in his hair, more cries coming from her. He knew his stubble was scraping over her skin, but the way she moved and the sounds she made told him that she liked it.
“What else…did you think about?” she gasped.
He moved his hands lower, opening her trousers. He leaned back, yanking them down her legs. She had a beautiful body—slender but strong.
“Putting my mouth on you.” He cupped her over her panties.
She moaned. “Do it. Please.”
Bren no longer had the control to pull her panties off. Instead, he twisted his fingers in the side of the silky fabric and tore them off her.
“Oh.” She bit her lip, watching him hungrily.
He dropped down between her legs, nudging her thighs apart with his shoulders. He breathed in the scent of her. She was so wet, soaked for him.
Struggling not to rush, he lowered his head and put his mouth on her.
She cried out. Drak. The taste of her filled him. He slid his hands beneath her, cupping her ass. He pulled her up, licking, his tongue stabbing into her.
“Bren.” A wild cry.
The look on her face made him shudder. His cock was so hard that it hurt.
“Don’t stop,” she begged.
“Nothing could make me stop.” He wanted to give her pleasure. He wanted to watch her when she came from his touch.
He lapped at her harder and slid one finger inside her warmth.
She cried out, her body clamping down on his finger. He gritted his teeth. She was so tight.
Bren kept his fingers plunging inside her, adding another, and another. He kissed his way up her body—over the curve of her belly, between her breasts, along her collarbone. Then he kissed her lips and felt her body start shaking.
“I’m going to—”
“Come,” he growled. “Give it to me.”
As she cried out, he swallowed her cries.
“Bren.” It was a sweet, pleasure-soaked cry against his lips.
Like her laugh, it was the best thing he’d ever heard.
Every muscle in Mersi’s body was loose and relaxed. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this good.
But despite her orgasm, she felt a deep, empty ache inside. She looked up at Bren, who loomed over her. His face was hard with desire.
“Come inside me,” she demanded. “Now.”
He rose above her, and her gaze fell on his broad chest and slabs of muscle. Oh. She pressed her hands to him. She’d always loved his strong body.
He shifted again, and this time, her belly spasmed. His big, thick cock was hard again, pressing up against his stomach.
“Come here,” she murmured.
He dropped down, covering her body, and his mouth returned to hers.
“Now I want what I’ve always dreamed about,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“You. Deep inside me.”
He groaned and kissed her again—long and deep. His hand worked between them for a moment. Then, the thick head of his cock brushed her and nudged inside her.
She moaned. He was barely inside her, but by the dunes, he stretched her.
Bren paused, his big body shaking.
“Don’t stop.” She reached up, her hands clenching on his arms.
“I’m hurting you.”
“No. It hurts so good.” She lifted her hips, winding her legs around him.
A rough sound tore from his throat and he sank in another inch.
“Bren.” When he shifted, like he was going to move off her, she dug her heels into his back pushing him forward. “Fuck me. Please. Don’t stop.”
“Mersi.’
“Be mine. I’m already yours.”
His eyes blazed. “Mine. My Mersi.” He pulled out, but then slammed back inside her.
Oh. She arched into him, biting her lip. She was so full.
Then he started thrusting—wild, hard, and deep.
“Drak, Mersi. You’re so tight.”
“Perfect. So good.” She met his hot gaze. “I always knew it would be.”
He kept plunging into her, and she held him tight. Another orgasm was rushing closer, but she wanted to savor every moment. She loved watching his face as he moved inside her.
His gaze locked on hers, and as he filled her up, she felt the link between them. Pleasure rushed over her and she cried out, then Bren groaned.
Her body shuddered, the sensation so intense. He thrust into her again and tossed his head back, roaring as his own release hit him.
His big body shuddered above her before he collapsed on her, both of them panting.
He was heavy and she struggled to draw a breath. Instantly, he rolled off her and she clamped onto him. “No.” She didn’t want to lose the feel of him.
“Too heavy for you.” He moved to the side, pulling her close against him.
She rested her face on his chest. “Let’s stay like this forever.” She knew they couldn’t. They’d rested long enough and there was still a child out there who needed help.
He grunted, his arm tightening on her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“You weren’t ready.” She brushed her fing
ers in a lazy circle on his chest. “We’ll talk more when we get back, after we find the child.”
“I’ll always be Tainted, Mersi.”
“I don’t care.”
“There’s…more. About how I became Tainted.”
“Later.” She pressed a palm to his chest, over the thud of his beating heart. “But remember one thing, Bren. You deserve a life. You deserve love.”
“Mersi—”
She shook her head, insidious fear working through her. She heard the shadows in his voice. Drak, what if they got back to the caravan, and he wanted to forget what they’d just shared? What if he went back to shutting her out?
She sat up. She wouldn’t let him. But right now, they had a child to find. She glanced at Fiend who was stirring from his sleep. He looked much brighter.
Mersi grabbed her clothes and dressed. Bren washed up and dressed. He handed Mersi some food—cured meats, nuts, and preserved fruits. She ate, then took a moment to feed Fiend and clean the blood off his fur as best she could.
As she was re-packing her bag, she saw Bren standing on the edge of the ledge, staring out across the rocky ground.
“A few more hours of daylight left,” he murmured. “Rocks will make it harder to track.”
“We won’t give up.” She leaned into his side and when he pulled her close, she felt warmth bloom in her chest.
Suddenly, Fiend started pacing, clearly agitated. He whined.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Mersi said.
The canine threw his head back and howled. Then he turned, bounding off the ledge, and ran off into the rocks.
“Drak.” Bren grabbed his pack and crossbow.
Mersi grabbed her boots, hopping on one foot to put them on. She snatched her pack, swinging it onto her back.
“We’re going to lose him,” Bren bit out. “Hurry!”
They ran after the canine, clambering over the rocks. Mersi could just see Fiend ahead of them.
They scrambled over huge boulders, and skidded over loose, gravel-like stones. She followed Bren up a huge rock and watched, as he jumped off and landed on the other side with a bend of his knees. When she leaped off after him, Bren caught her, lowering her to the ground.
“Careful, the ground’s really rough here,” he warned.
They climbed up another wall of rocks. Worry nipped at her. They’d lost sight of Fiend.
Drak, was the child close? Or had some danger set the animal off?
She wasn’t sure how far they’d gone, but as the second sun passed the horizon, the light waned.
Bren paused, scanning the growing darkness. “Where the drak did he go?”
Then, she heard barking.
It was coming from beneath them.
She spotted a crack in the rocks. There was a faint glow coming through it.
“Bren,” she called out. “Down there.” She pointed at the crack between the large boulders.
Bren pulled out a light wand and waved at the gap between the rocks. They still couldn’t see much. Without pause, Bren leaped down through the crack, slithering between the rocks. Mersi followed.
Then, she heard him curse.
As she took another step, her feet landed on scree and she slipped. What the—? She bumped into Bren, and suddenly both of them were sliding and bumping downward over loose rocks. It was like a large, not-very-fun slide.
Bren wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She buried her face in his neck.
Then they slid onto solid ground and skidded to a stop.
Mersi lifted her head, and her mouth dropped open. They sat at the bottom of a huge bowl of rock that had been cut into the ground. The space was rimmed by jagged rocks, and the night sky arched above them.
Wait. She realized what it was—a crater. Some long-ago rock had hurtled through space and hit the ground here. She’d seen other craters dotted throughout the desert, but this one was hidden by the rocky ground surrounding it.
Then she looked into the center of the crater and gasped. Bren muttered a curse.
The ruins of ancient buildings had been carved into the center of the depression. The structures were made of a rock that glowed with a blue-white light. Mersi had never seen rock like that before in the desert.
The structures were crumbling, little more than broken shells, abandoned long ago. She saw where a tower had crashed down, leaving a trail of glowing rubble that littered the ground.
Bren stood, dragging Mersi up with him. His big hand engulfed hers as he pulled her forward.
As they neared the first of the old buildings, Mersi spotted strange carvings etched into the rocks in a language she didn’t recognize. But some of the carvings were pictures, and one image stood out. A flower with three fluted petals.
An oria.
A highly-prized, rare flower that was the symbol of the Creators.
She gasped. “These are Creator ruins.”
Suddenly, a wild burst of Fiend’s yips echoed off the rocks around them.
Chapter Seven
Bren watched Mersi take off into the ruins, climbing up over the remnants of a glowing rock wall. He raced to follow her, helping her up onto what had probably once been the roof of the building.
He could hardly believe that these were Creator ruins. The ancient aliens hadn’t left much behind to signify their passing, except for some exceptionally rare ruins, and all the species they’d created and left throughout the galaxy.
Bren pulled himself up on the roof, eyeing Fiend. The canine stood there, barking, his shaggy body shaking.
Then Fiend shifted, and Bren spotted the small figure huddled in a ragged blanket.
“By the dunes.” Mersi hurried forward.
They crouched by the blanket. The little girl was shaking, her skin slicked with sweat. Her blonde hair was lank and stuck to her face.
For a horrible second, Bren was back on his family farm. For a second, it was Zari lying there, infected by the raiders.
“Hey there, sweetie.” Mersi shifted closer, moving slowly. She reached out and touched the girl’s forehead, brushing her hair back from her face.
The girl whimpered and leaned into Mersi’s touch. Her eyes opened, fatigue and pain in her blue eyes.
Then, the girl’s eyes flickered to black briefly, and then back to her normal blue.
Bren felt like he’d been kicked by a tarnid. Drak. Mersi hissed in a breath.
“She’s Tainted,” he said.
Fiend, who’d been hovering close by, dropped down beside the girl. He leaned in close, resting his muzzle on her belly.
“They both must be Tainted.”
“You think that’s why Fiend can change?” Mersi said.
Bren nodded.
She frowned. “But he doesn’t go entirely black and his eyes were red.”
“I guess the Taint reacts differently in his species.” But the reaction was similar enough that it made sense. Drak. Bren should have realized.
Mersi slipped off her pack and pulled out a blanket. She pulled the tattered, stained one off the girl and wrapped her in the clean one. “She’s sick, Bren. She’s burning up.”
“She’s not through her transition. She must have been Tainted recently.” He scowled. “She needs medical attention.” And to be monitored to see if she could control the Taint inside her.
Mersi looked up at him. “She deserves help.”
“Of course, she does.” She was a tiny, innocent girl.
“And she deserves love and care.”
“We’ll take care of her,” he said.
“You deserve all that too, big guy.”
He stilled, his gaze locking with hers.
“If you think you should shut yourself off from everyone because you’re Tainted, then you think we should do the same to her.”
“Mersi.” He cupped her cheek. “Not everyone can control the Taint. Most of the Tainted are monsters.”
“You’re not. You can control it and you can teach this little girl to do the sa
me.”
He rubbed his thumb along her cheekbone. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Probably not, but you’ve got me. And now that I’ve got you, I’m not giving you up.”
By the sands, she slayed him. Emotion rocketed through his body, and he stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. “We’ll help the girl.”
Mersi nodded. “Let’s get her out of here.”
Bren scooped the girl into his arms. She was such a small weight. “We’ll take care of you.”
Blue eyes looked at him before they fluttered closed.
He carefully climbed down from the ruins, and saw Mersi herding Fiend. They were heading back toward the crack they’d climbed through, when they heard voices.
They both froze, and Bren tightened his hold on the girl. He saw a group skid down into the rocky depression.
Bren quickly shoved the girl at Mersi and stood in front of them. He drew his crossbow off his back.
An older man in a rich, red tunic strode forward, surrounded by men who were clearly his guards. They were all armed, faces serious. Bren studied the man. His clothes were edged in gold, and he walked with a swagger that said he thought he was in charge.
Bren stared into the weathered, craggy face. The man had aged, but the smirk on his face and the evil in his eyes were still the same. Shock reverberated through him. No.
Behind him, he heard Mersi suck in a shocked breath. He glanced back and watched as fear flowed over her face.
“Bren…” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “That’s—” she shuddered “—the warlord who bought me as a teen.”
Breathing through his own emotions, he murmured, “Stay back.”
Before they could do anything, they were surrounded, weapons pointed at them.
“I see you have something that belongs to me,” Warlord Vark said.
The man barely looked at Mersi, instead his gaze lay on the small, shivering bundle in her arms.
“That girl is mine,” Vark continued.
Fiend growled.
Vark scowled at the dog. “And that’s the menace that leaped into the Taint and saved her. I’ll have its hide.”
“You Tainted a little girl,” Mersi spat, her voice vibrating with rage.
Bren stayed silent, assessing each of the guards. He needed to figure out a way to get Mersi and the girl out of here.
