by Renee Rose
Yet, she couldn’t find her way back to him. The implications of her memory still rocked through her.
Because having a mother meant losing a mother. And that memory was there, too, jostling just behind this one. The explosion of grief had accompanied it all, the anguish of losing her as acute as if it had happened yesterday. She experienced the terror of a small child, hustled with her sister through a crumbling palace, separated by a wall of rubble from her mother and an infant sibling.
She’d screamed and screamed to go back, tugged on the guard’s arm to free herself, but he wouldn’t let go. Like Tomis, he’d had a duty to protect her, and her desire to stay close to the place she’d last seen her mother didn’t sway him.
“I lost her,” she croaked against Tomis’ bare skin.
He stroked the back of her head, massaged her scalp. “The Zandian star knows I understand.”
Realizing he’d experienced this terrible pain, too, only intensified her suffering. No one should feel this. And, yet, her entire species had.
It wasn’t fair. Wasn’t right. She’d been loved. She’d known love. And had it all wrenched from her to serve a lifeless existence on Stornig.
Not anymore. She was alive, now. She was back on Zandia with an incredible male, capable of pleasuring, protecting, and comforting her. She was free. Or at least as free as she could be with Tomis around. And if she believed his promise, that meant he’d let her go eventually.
Why did that thought not make her any happier?
~.~
Tomis held Talia’s trembling form, the salty scent of her tears slaying him. He wanted to grab a sword and slice off the head of anyone and everyone who ever hurt her.
And he would, eventually. He’d make the Finn pay for their evil terror. He’d do it for her mother and his own.
“Let’s keep moving,” he urged gently. “I have something to show you, and it’s not far from here.”
“You still know where we are?” She pushed away from him, her beautiful violet eyes red-rimmed. He stroked a lock of red-brown hair back from her tear-streaked face.
“Yes. I saw this settlement on the maps.”
She turned and looked once more into the hovercraft’s remains. “How do the Zandians care for their dead?” she whispered.
His throat closed. “We burn them. Their crystals with them. Then we scatter their ashes in water—a lake or river. Return them to the keeping of the planet.”
“Do you still have her crystals?” Talia’s voice broke, but her gaze was steady and brave.
He dug in his pocket for the little gems he’d tucked away when Talia had fallen to the ground. They sparkled when he presented them to her in his flat palm.
“Keep them,” she said, a note of determination in her voice. “We’ll scatter them next time we’re close to water.”
He managed a sad smile and pocketed the crystals. “Good. We’re headed to water now.” He laced his fingers with hers and led her in the direction he’d memorized, toward the twin waterfalls that served as the main attraction to this area of the planet. The bombed enclave had once been a quaint tourist town, providing lodging to visitors who came to see the planet’s gift.
They walked in silence. He didn’t want to disturb what appeared to be her deep contemplation of what they’d seen and what she’d remembered, although it took great resistance not to attempt to kiss away the furrow between her brows.
The sound of rushing water signaled he’d navigated correctly.
Talia lifted her head, peering toward the horizon. “What is it? A river?”
He smiled. “You’ll see. Come on.” He lengthened his strides, tugging her toward the sound. They pushed through dense jungle growth—sweet smelling flowering vines and thick tree leaves. The sound of the crashing water grew louder. At last they came to a clearing.
Talia’s mouth dropped open.
Two hundred meter waterfalls crashed down crystal-embedded rock and crossed one another like streams on a perfectly engineered fountain.
A deep, round pool below collected the twin falls like a basin before the water spilled into the same river he’d washed Talia in before.
He kicked his boots off and unbuckled the belt at his waist.
Talia, seeing his intention, tore his shirt over her head, slipped his socks off her feet, and ran for the pool. “First one in wins!”
He let out a short bark of laughter, hopping as one pant leg tangled in his hurry to join her. “Wins what?”
But Talia had already discovered the secret gift of the basin. Her pouty lips formed a perfect O as she turned back to him. “It’s warm!”
He grinned, her delight more pleasing to him than any satisfaction he’d ever received personally. He dove in after her, but not before he saw her eyes darken when she took in his naked form.
Feeling’s mutual, starshine.
So mutual. The urge to breed her was growing by the minute.
In fact, the sight of her nude body sluicing through the clear water might be the most erotic thing he’d ever seen. She’d dipped down to wet her body to the neck and now stood in water to her waist, beadlets gliding down her throat, dripping from her perky nipples. Between her breasts. Not even the magnificence of one of his planet’s greatest gifts to her people could drag his attention away from her beauty.
She waited for him to join her—a big mistake because all he wanted to do was drag her back to firm ground and veck her senseless.
Choosing restraint, instead, he dived past her, swimming toward the center of the cascades. “First one to the falls wins!” he called over his shoulder when he resurfaced.
She gave a shriek of laughing indignation and he heard her splashes behind him as she fought to catch up.
“Come here, starshine.” He caught her wrist and pulled her through the water when he reached the entry point of one of the cataracts. “What do you think? Is it hot or cold?”
She bit her lower lip, the plump flesh trapped there begging for his kiss. “My bet is cold. The heat comes from underground.”
He pulled them both under the spray.
Talia squealed as cold water beat down on their heads.
He grinned and drew a deep breath, pulling her underwater and away from the pelting drops. He opened his eyes, delighted to find she had, too. She swam looking at him, bubbles of laughter escaping her mouth.
He pointed in the direction of the other waterfall and she nodded. They both swam underwater, and he noticed a change in water temperature as they drew nearer. They came up under it and Talia gasped, shaking wet locks of hair from her face. “It’s hot! One is cold. One is hot! I can’t believe it!”
Seeing a ledge set into the rock wall behind the cascading water, he caught her hand and pulled her to it, lifting her from the water to sit on the slick black stone, worn smooth as the petrified hardwood Prince Zander used in many of the furnishings of his palatial pod.
Talia laughed and kicked some water in his face. “This is incredible!”
Warmth curled in his chest, satisfaction at winning her smile running deeper than he’d imagined it could.
“Any more surprises?”
He held up a finger. “One more, unless things have changed. I’ll be back in a moment.” He took a deep breath and dove down, swimming to the bottom of the deep stone hole. When his fingers touched rock, he moved horizontally, open eyes scanning for his prize.
There.
A huge wand of Zandian crystal. He wrapped his fingers around it and kicked until he broke the surface then swam to the ledge and handed it up to Talia. He didn’t dare pull himself out of the water to sit beside her or she’d see the giant boner he’d sported for her since the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
And if she saw it, he might use it on her. Five hundred and twenty different ways.
So, no. He needed to stay in the water and keep her out of it. Or vice versa. Anything to keep their naked bodies apart.
She held the naturally formed wand up to the light. “
What is this? A giant crystal?”
“Yes. The fall of the water shapes them. It creates a tumbling effect. They are only found here at Twin Falls, and they’re considered sacred. They are never broken into smaller pieces. Wealthy Zandians often keep one over the door of their home, to bless it and amplify the light from the one true star.”
A shaft of sunlight fell through the falls and across Talia’s face, lighting her beauty. Her nipples puckered, seeming to point directly toward his mouth, as if begging for his teeth, his lips. “What is this one true star thing?”
He pointed to the glowing ball of light in the sky. “Our sun. That’s what we call it.”
“You make it sound like it’s the Zandians’ sun, alone.”
Stars, those pouty lips.
“I think the original Zandians believed that. Before we knew there was life on other planets.”
Blah blah blah. Why are we talking when we could be vecking?
He wasn’t going to survive much longer without beating off to alleviate the pressure in his balls. His urge to breed must be amplified by the extensive crystal deposits beneath the falls. He cleared his throat. “I’m going for a swim. Enjoy yourself.”
He ducked his head under the water, not even capable of hearing her musical voice one more time without closing his fingers around her knees and shoving them wide. Applying his tongue to that sweet little pussy of hers.
He swam under the falls and out to the expanse of the pool.
Away from temptation.
Chapter Four
The smooth crystal wand tortured her every moment she gripped it.
For one thing, the crystal activated the urge to breed so strongly, a fever crept across her skin, turning it hot and flushed. For another, the phallic shape of the crystal had her imagining an entirely un-sacred use for it.
Was it the same size as Tomis’ glorious dick? Not quite. A bit smaller in both girth and length. Which made it quite perfect for self-pleasuring, didn’t it?
Because the ache between her legs had grown too insistent to ignore.
Where had Tomis gone? He would help her with this ache, wouldn’t he? He’d shown himself to be amenable to satisfying her needs, even though he mostly refused to satisfy his own.
She stood up, scanning for him but couldn’t see much through the fall of the water. Well, she’d go and find him. A swim would do her good.
She attempted to leave the crystal on the ledge, but it seemed to beg her to take it along.
That was ridiculous. Crystals didn’t beg. They certainly didn’t have an opinion about being taken for a swim.
She forced herself to set it on the ledge and dropped down into the deliciously warm water.
She stretched her body and preened, adoring the luxury of this sacred site, then kicked off and swam under the falls, but immediately realized swimming was also a mistake.
Every kick of her legs activated her throbbing core. Her inner thighs brushed together, teasing but not satisfying her overwhelming need. She stopped, treading water, with the fingers of one hand curled between her legs.
Not going to work.
She would sink and drown before she ever satisfied the itch.
Where in the hell was Tomis when she needed him?
Oh, stars, the crystals would be the death of her.
She spun in a circle. She didn’t see her savior anywhere. Desperation seized her.
Veck this, as Tomis would say. She simply couldn’t wait any longer. She would die if she didn’t get relief immediately. She dove underwater and swam hard, back toward the waterfalls, toward the ledge.
When she reached it, she pulled herself out, her wanton moans echoing off the cliff wall behind her.
Wand, wand. Where is the wand? Stars, she needed it. Right there. She frantically rubbed her clit with the wand, slid it against her flesh.
Not. Enough.
Changing the angle, she pushed the wand inside her tight entrance. It was too much, too fast, and it hurt, but she couldn’t stop herself, either. She shoved it deeper, seeking relief.
Her moans grew louder, the answering echo making it sound like a chorus of females having sex along with her. Her eyelids drooped as she shoved the crystal ever deeper.
Come on, you vecking crystal. It’s your fault I have this urge. Can’t you slake it?
But it seemed it wouldn’t. The crystal wasn’t what she needed or wanted. Her body needed flesh. Male flesh, hard and unyielding. Pounding her into oblivion.
Out of nowhere, Tomis appeared, standing above her. Huge, dripping wet, and furious. Why was he wearing his pants again? They were soaked, as if he’d swum in them.
“What in the veck are you doing?”
She panted, hardly able to focus on him. “Defiling your sacred stone.”
Tomis’ eyes glittered violet as he unbuckled his belt. “You are not to pleasure yourself. I am your master. I determine when and if you receive pleasure. You know that. Now, you will be punished.”
“Yes,” she gasped. Punishment. Pleasure. Anything. Please, just touch me now.
He pulled the belt from its loops with a whoosh, the wet leather curling through like an angry sea serpent. “You want my punishment.” It sounded more like a statement than a question.
“Yes,” she admitted in a whisper. Or was it a moan? She didn’t just want his punishment. She vecking needed it.
“I’m going to whip you, baby. Then I’m going to use that crystal on you in ways you never thought of. And, after that, I think I’ll probably whip you again. Because, starshine, if I don’t give that sweet little ass and pussy some attention, if I don’t punish them until you scream, I’m not sure I’ll survive the night.” He wound the buckle end around his fist, shortening the animal hide strap to the length of her forearm. “On your knees, Talia. Forehead on your hands.”
She assumed the position, her ass pointed in the air for his wicked wet belt. Yet, she wasn’t afraid in the slightest. Tomis would make it good. Even if he caused her pain, he’d give her pleasure, too. He had, even when she’d hurt him and given him good reason to punish her. He was as needy as she was, and that meant she’d have satisfaction soon.
Stars, she hoped it would be enough to ease the mounting frenzy inside her.
Tomis didn’t make her wait long. The first lash of his belt fell with a light slap. Just enough to leave a sting but no pain.
“Mmmm.” Bliss.
He continued with the gentle kiss of animal hide, spanking her ass and the backs of her legs with his belt. And then he swung it harder.
She yelped at the line of pain, and her hips listed to one side.
He corrected her, bringing her hips back. “Hold still, little female.” His voice was pure sex, the command soft and loving in contrast to how hard he’d whipped her.
Her thighs trembled. “That hurt,” she warbled.
“I know. I’ve finished warming you up. Now comes your punishment.”
“No,” she said, but remained perfectly still in the position he’d placed her.
“You don’t tell me no, starshine,” he said, but he didn’t move, either.
“Do it,” she mumbled.
Tomis must have heard her because she heard the whoosh of air displaced by the arc of the belt, and it struck across her buttocks again, as hard as the last one.
“Ow,” she whimpered, but didn’t move to get away this time. No, she wanted the pain, craved the sensation of sharp torment blooming into warmth.
This was how Tomis acted on his attraction to her, and she loved it.
He whipped her, striking harder and harder, the wet belt turned into a fearsome instrument of castigation as it crisscrossed over her buttocks, the backs of her thighs. He spanked her until they both panted and moaned.
“Spread your knees, baby.” His voice was so deep and thick, it was almost unrecognizable.
She widened the stance of her knees.
Tomis swung the belt between her legs, striking her pussy lightly.
“Tomis!”
“This naughty pussy deserves to be punished most of all, don’t you think, starshine?” Another slap.
Tears sprang to her eyes, but, like the spanking on her buttocks, the sensation sparked even more desire. She wanted it harder, faster, higher, so it fell right on her clit.
“Tomis, I’m sorry.”
“Oh, I don’t imagine you are, starshine. But it doesn’t matter, does it? You were caught trying to satisfy this greedy little pussy, and now, you’re going to be thoroughly punished.”
“Please.” Please meant more, not stop. She didn’t want him to stop. Not ever. She wanted him to fulfill the promises he’d just made of whipping her twice and using the crystal on her.
“Naughty, naughty pussy.” Slap slap.
Heat flushed through her in waves. Her brain floated off while she surrendered to the vertigo that made her unsure of where her body even was in space.
“Tomis.” A whisper. A plea.
Three more swats against her feminine folds.
“Now, do you know what happens to naughty females, Talia?”
“W-what?”
“We had to talk about it this morning. They get vecked in the ass. But, this time, we’ll start with the crystal. You wanted to veck this crystal, starshine?” He ran the cool, hard gemstone over her stinging pleats, soothed the swelling and heat. He pushed the rounded end of the wand into her eager channel.
“Yes—yes.”
“No, no. I’m just getting it lubed up, baby. This crystal is going in your ass.”
To her great disappointment, he withdrew the wand and lined it up with the pucker of her anus. She squeezed, clenching against the foreign object.
“Open for it, my disobedient little female. I’m going to help you remember who controls your pleasure.”
She didn’t mean to open for it, but her body responded to his words, relaxing and opening of its own accord. The wand slid in, filling her. Not as much as Tomis’ cock had earlier, but stretching her, nonetheless.
She let out a long, low, guttural moan. Stars, yes. Almost there.
