by Mel Teshco
Bloody hell. The questions burning to be asked would have to wait. She might not have suffered a caltronian bite or the swipe of its claws, but she’d clearly sustained some kind of internal injury. He also didn’t need to look at the soles of her feet to know the burns she’d received from Carèche’s hot ground.
He pushed through the hanging shields, his jaw tightening right along with his heart as his protective instincts came to the fore.
In his bedroom he laid her on his fur. She squeezed her eyes closed, knuckles whitening at her side as her breath hissed between tightly clamped lips.
He frowned, quashing a feeling of helplessness rising within. The sensation wasn’t something he was used to dealing with. “I’ll be back shortly with some pain relief and stricmeh.” Her eyes flicked open, twin lines creasing her smooth brow. “An antidote,” he clarified, “for your injuries.”
She didn’t say a word as he spun on his heel and strode back through the nearest hanging shield, where he kept the panka lamoras.
He rapped on the patchy-red, corrugated surface of one, whose shell was already partly open to release cool air inside the donya. The shell yawned wide open and he retrieved the two ingredients needed to cure his intended of her injuries and burns.
First, the pain relief that was found in a small bowl of the dried leaves of a xenz, its blue and red leaves ground into a vibrant purple powder. It made a nice change from what was mostly an endless sea of red outside his donya.
Next, an Earth bottle filled with lleel. In its natural form, it was at best a flowering weed in the desert that was passable in a salad. When soaked in the natural alcohol of lakroda, it activated chemical healing properties that were incomparable as a cure all for bruises, scrapes and fractures.
Putting aside the xenz powder and the lleel,he cupped the impenetrable husk of a wayalask ball and pushed in opposite directions until it snapped in half. Inside was a compressed store of caltronian meat. He plucked out a morsel about half the size of his hand and threw it into the back of the panka lamora shell, where its tongue emerged from a fleshy mass and caught the meat.
He clapped the halved wayalask balls back together before returning it inside the cold panka lamora, which immediately began to close. He patted its outer shell until it quivered with pleasure—not unlike the lips of a bolishta when pleased—then he left it to its meal.
Grabbing the medicines and a cup from the table nearby, he returned to Eden. Her eyes met his, revealing pain and guilt and a whole lot of secrets. He kneeled beside her, pushing aside judgment as he sat back on his haunches and waited as she sat up cautiously.
He handed her the bowl with its ground powder. “Take a pinch of the powder and put it under your tongue.”
She did so without hesitation and he waited for what felt as if endless seconds before asking, “Has it dissolved?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. Her skin already had a healthier color, her eyes no longer dulled by pain. “Good.” He poured a good mouthful of lleel into the cup and passed it to her. “This will heal you.”
She drank it down, before smiling a little self-consciously, a wobbly smile that was also filled with uncertainty now that the pain had gone.
He cocked his head to the side and drawled, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Maybe she’d tell him the truth without him having to extract it from her as though he was pulling poisonous barbs from her ass.
She pressed her lips together, then opened her mouth and blurted, “I’m sorry I didn’t look after the women and children like you asked me too. I never meant them any harm. But the safest place for Katy, Madge and the children was in the donya.”
He let that one slide…for the moment. “Why did you go to the mountain, Eden?” he asked instead.
Her breath hissed, her vagueness all too obvious. “All that matters now is that the women and children are safe.” She managed a half smile, her eyes pleading. “And that I’m alive and you’re unharmed.”
He opened his mouth to refute her claim. What had happened most certainly did matter and she’d realize that soon enough when a suitable punishment was meted out.
She placed a hand on his bent knee and his cock jerked. His teeth clacked together and he withheld any challenge. She looked at him with emboldened eyes and his breath whistled. Whatever guilt had been troubling her had evidently been pushed aside.
Or she’s doing her best to distract me from asking any more questions.
“I want to thank you,” her hand skimmed up his thigh, “for saving me.”
He withheld a groan. Gods, his intended had learned seduction fast! Her touch went beyond distraction. Interrogating her was now the last thing on his mind.
Her fingers traced little circles on his inner thigh before she pulled away and leaned back, resting her weight on outspread hands and causing her dress to ride high.
His lashes swept to half-mast as he drank her in. Had he ever seen a more delicious sight?
She bit into her bottom lip, worrying the flesh. But when she next spoke there was no hesitation in her words. “I want you, Genesis,” she said huskily. “All of you.”
His cock thickened to bursting point, uncomfortably hard. “You’ve been hurt,” he reminded her hoarsely.
And right now you’ve got my balls in the palms of your hands and you’re about to squeeze. Goddess help me, I’m all too eager to let you.
“And you fixed me,” she said with a warm smile.
Oh hell. He was only fooling himself thinking he didn’t want her right there and then. Questions could wait a little longer yet. His chest tightened. As for her punishment…he’d deal with that later too.
He rocked onto his knees and leaned forward, giving into her, into the moment completely. His hands cupped her face and he drew her close. His lips pressed to hers, becoming as one. She moaned into his mouth, the sound muffled by his tongue thrusting past her lips. Then he was moaning too, his hands tightening and pulling her closer still.
She pulled back, eyes wide and bright with need. She pushed onto her knees the same as him, craning her neck just a little to look up at him. Something in his chest shifted even as his fangs tingled, itching to release pheromones into her throat.
His breath shuddered with restraint. Everything within him screamed not to mark her, not until she’d said the words he needed to hear. Not until he discovered what exactly had made her abandon his people in such a dangerous quest.
He lifted his hands to push her away. Except, she lifted her hands too. Her small, delicate fingers clasped his between their bodies. Her lips parted. Her beautiful green eyes welled with tears. Seriousness crossed her face, momentarily driving away the desire stamped into every crevice as she whispered, “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”
His gut lurched. What the fuck? She had nowhere to go, and yet it sounded as though she was saying goodbye.
There was no more time for second guesses. Her slender fingers curled between his, locking hold. She pushed onto her feet, their hands still interlinked as she looked down a little, holding his stare. And this time it was she who made the first move, pressing her mouth onto his, taking control, tasting and delving as her tongue slid along his lower lip.
Nerve endings came to life as though parched desert flowers kissed by rain, her innocent touch burning through his body like nothing before. But it wasn’t until she drew his lower lip into her mouth and gently nibbled that he almost lost control.
She was killing him slowly, killing him with needs so profound he wondered if he’d last long enough for his cock to plunge into her sweet pussy.
His strained smile was all on the inside when they broke apart, only their hands still locked together.
Eden knew the moment Genesis’ control slipped. His gaze was no longer arctic, a possessive light had turned the ice in his eyes to flame-blue, sharp and pronounced.
Relief thundered through her. He wouldn’t be asking for anything beyond her body, a
t least for the moment.
“Tell me you’re not going anywhere,” he demanded, looking up. “Tell me you’ll not leave me again.”
Pain lanced through her heart, poker hot. If only he knew that leaving him was the last thing she wanted. She nodded, the action jerky, uncoordinated. “I’ll stay…for as long as you want me, I’ll stay.”
On a heavy sigh his lashes fluttered closed. When his eyes reopened she read his deep satisfaction and joy.
Grief coursed through her. He’d not be feeling that way if he only knew her real identity.
Tell him! Tell him now who you really are!
But then he was tugging her down a little and kissing her again, his mouth taking ownership of hers and rekindling the burn deep in her core.
She’d make love to him one more time. She’d give herself this one last pleasure to hold onto before telling him the truth and watching the adoration and joy fade fast from his stare. She’d take all he had to give and then some. A memory to tide her over when grief for what could have been had her in its grip.
He pulled back with a half-moan, half-growl. The cords of his neck jutted, revealing his restraint. “Put a leg on my shoulder.” At her widening eyes he murmured, “Trust me, Sheehar. I’ll keep you balanced.”
Excitement and lust flared equally in Eden’s gut, erasing fear and a little shame. She couldn’t think on the fact this would likely be their last time together. Their last joining. Genesis dropped back onto his heels, his head level with her thighs.
Oh God.
Carnal need speared through her cunt as she did as he asked, her womb melting as his stare dropped between her open thighs, seemingly drinking in her bared pink flesh.
“Perfect,” he said hoarsely before he leaned forward. The first stroke of his tongue on her sensitized clit sent hot shivers all the way to her toes and back again. The next lick was rougher, harder, one that pushed her ever closer to the edge. A place that seemed so close yet too far away. Unreachable. Unattainable.
He suckled hard on the fleshy little nub and sank a finger deep into her channel.
She gasped, wide-eyed. Her head fell back and she closed her eyes as the most amazing, tingling warmth rushed from her clit and spread ever outward, stalling her breath and curling her toes.
Oh, Genesis. My love. Thank you.
He sampled her essence, his growl vibrating her sensitized flesh and making her gasp, sharper than before. When he finally reared back, he looked up at her with a slumberous, satisfied expression. “This is just the beginning, Princess.”
He came to his feet, mouth swooping down and his lips covering hers before his tongue slid into her mouth. The musky taste of her was strangely enticing. She wanted more. Wanted him wrapped in her essence until she was such a part of him he’d never let her go.
“Turn around,” he muttered against her mouth, his breath hot.
She took a step back then pivoted. “Like this?” she asked in a quavering, breathless voice.
“Yes.” He stepped close, his cock pressing into the small of her back and making her squirm. “Arms up,” he instructed hoarsely. And as she did as he asked, he pulled her dress up and over, baring her completely.
His breathing was ragged and harsh on her scalp, tingles of awareness pushing goose bumps across her arms as the rustle of fabric behind her indicated he’d removed his pants.
“Bend over,” he said next, “hands on the rug with your legs wide apart.”
Oh. My. God.
He was going to take her from behind! Moisture pooled in her cunt, undoubtedly glistening in the pink petals of her folds for his viewing pleasure. But it was with eager anticipation that she did everything he asked, the same eagerness that made her feel as if she could give a damn that he’d see every moist dip and fold of her exposed flesh.
She swiveled her head to watch him encircle his thick, vein-ribbed shaft with a hand and guide his cock between her legs.
She whimpered as his solid flesh brushed across hers, but it was a sound of desperate want and greed, not fear.
“You’re so wet for me,” he groaned, the head of his cock nudging her channel. “Thank the Gods, because I can’t hold back any longer,” he added hoarsely.
He thrust hard, right to the hilt this time and she bit her lip until she tasted the coppery tang of blood. He’d filled her to capacity, until pleasure was balanced precariously with pain.
Then he took hold of her hips and began to rock in and out, slowly at first while her inner muscles adjusted to his size and position. She mewled as his speed increased, his heavy balls slapping her clit and the musky aroma of sex permeating the air.
Desire burned through her body like a meteorite hitting the atmosphere. She gasped, teetering on the edge.
Genesis abruptly pulled free. Her outraged hiss caused him to chuckle hoarsely even as he turned her around and lowered her to the fur, her spine sinking into its thick warmth.
“What are you doing?” she gasped weakly, wanting to hit him and kiss him all at the same time.
His eyes roamed over her face, as if imprinting her features onto his brain. “I want to see your face when you come.”
Emotions rolled over her, thick and hard. She didn’t want to lose this man, not now, not ever. She didn’t want to lose the one thing in her life she truly loved. She sucked in a breath. She really did love him!
He surged over her, all virile, hard male heat. He kissed her with an opened mouth, tongue thrusting inside to taste her even as he pressed his shaft to her pussy and thrust deep.
Sensations skittered up and down her spine as the head of his cock hit her G-spot. She didn’t urge him on, didn’t scream out his name. Not yet. Her outspread hands claimed his hips and stilled him.
His head reared back, expression incredulous. “Eden, I can’t stop now—”
A tear leaked from the side of one of her eyes. “Genesis,” she whispered, emotions running hot through her body, “I love you.”
Chapter Eight
His eyes flared, bright and hot, then glazed over before his mouth dropped open and his canines were displayed in all their magnificence. He swooped down, his mouth targeting her throat.
She cried out, teetering on the edge at the stinging pleasure-pain of his fangs sinking deep, injecting her with the pheromones that marked her as his. Her heart sang. She. Was. His! Then he groaned and his hips surged back and forward, a merciless motion that pushed her into climaxing just as he ejaculated and shocked her simultaneously.
His head reared back. “You’re mine!” he growled. “All. Mine.”
She nodded, caught in the moment. No regrets. “Yes.”
What had happened to her suggestion that she’d be begging him to take her home? She wanted only to beg him to stay.
His chest heaving, he slowly withdrew from her heat. Rolling onto his side, he tugged her onto her side to face him. A lump formed in her throat at his adoring stare, at the gentle way he brushed the hair from her face. “I love you too, Sheehar.”
They shared another kiss, slow, lingering, and for Eden, bittersweet. In this moment at least, she’d soak up his adoration, blossom under his love. Because right then he was consumed by the mindset that he loved his intended, that it was their destiny to be together.
Soon enough his love for her would be ashes in his mouth.
She sighed a little, causing Genesis to pull back and ask, “I can only hope that’s a happy sigh?”
More than he could imagine.
“I was just…thinking.”
“Mm. What about?”
About how much longer I can bask in your warmth and affection.
“About…Sala.”
He frowned a little. “She won’t bother us any longer.”
“What do you mean? Her heart jerked. Sala might have wished her harmed but she wouldn’t stoop to her level and wish it on her in return. “Was she punished?”
He nodded, his stare considering her. “She has been permanently relocated, an outcast,
on her way to an eager band of unattached men of another province who will give her the attention she’s always wanted.”
She shivered. Was that the fate waiting for her too once Genesis learned of her deception?—servicing countless men hungry with lust.
He trailed a hand down the side of her suddenly hot face. “Her punishment is far more severe than yours.”
Her mouth dried. “Mine?”
He nodded. Then his eyelids swept downward, masking his emotions—but not before she’d read the flash of torment. The pad of his thumb tenderly brushed over the markings on her throat. “I’m sorry, my love, but I can’t allow your abandonment of my people to go unpunished, it would be seen as weak, discriminating.” He dropped his hand and stood, face resolute. “I have no choice.”
“And what exactly is my punishment?” she asked. For once the sight of his hard, fit body presented to her in all its nude glory failed to distract her.
He retrieved his pants and dressed, his face impassive. “You will be taken into the desert, where a donya and enough water to last your stay will be waiting.”
She sat up, frightened. Dismayed. Overwhelmed. “And food?”
“The gardens will sustain you.”
So she would be taken somewhere at the foot of the mountain.
“For how long?”
He stared at her, expression closed. “Half a mera.”
Two Earth weeks! How could she survive that long alone? Her heart hammered at the thought. Was he crazy? “What about the caltronians?”
His jaw clenched. He didn’t like this any more than she did, but he was a man who would honor his word, no matter the sacrifice. “The mallakwats will go with you as guards. And you will be given a weapon.”
She shook her head. “No. No guardians. I won’t leave your people without full protection, I won’t fail them again.”
His nostrils flared, eyes narrowed. “That’s—”
“Not even up to discussion.” She raised a hand. “Please, give me this one wish if I am to ever have hope of being forgiven by your people.”
