by Calista Skye
But the water was good news anyway. The berries would quench thirst to start with, but getting clean water to drink could sometimes be a challenge on Bosh.
They walked over to the little lake.
Harper was happy to see it. “That's so clear! I can see the bottom, even. It has to be many feet deep, too.”
“A glassy stream,” Vrax'ton agreed, and looked around. Open water like this would attract more than just lost wanderers. “And clean. Good to drink.”
Harper got down on her knees, bent down and got some water into her cupped hands. “It's pretty warm.” She sipped a mouthful. “No taste. Like, at all. Just fresh.”
She slurped more of it while Vrax'ton stood guard. He remembered the joy he had experienced when he had found water that first night on Bosh during his Trials, how wonderfully clean it had tasted. It was clean, too. It was a very clean planet. The fire cleansed it once every four hundred days. That was one reason it was considered sacred. Its sins were burned off regularly.
The white sun set fast, and now the sky in the distance was plainly dancing with flames.
“Oh my god,” Harper said, looking up with water running down her chin. “It's getting much closer!”
Vrax'ton discreetly loosened the axe from his belt. “Still some days before it's here. It looks more urgent than is true.”
The herg was almost invisible in the tall grass, and it kept adjusting its glass mirror skin to its surroundings. It looked more like distorted air than a predator that was stalking its prey. Vrax'ton looked around fast. If there was one, there could be more.
And there were. Three in total, approaching the little pond from three sides. Hergs were smart, and this was a coordinated attack. Vrax'ton knew he would have trouble handling all three of them if they attacked at the same time. Because they were smart enough to not attack the man with the axe when there was a woman without any weapon right beside him.
He drew closer to Harper, standing right behind her and trying to keep an eye on all three predators without staring at them. They were good at interpreting movements, and if they thought they were taking Vrax'ton by surprise, they might be sure of success and wouldn't use their full force.
Their ghostly shapes snaked through the grass, and despite their mirrored skin, not one flash of reflection gave them away. These were old, wily hergs that had been outrunning the Fire for years, feeding on the extremely rich and vital wildlife in front of the blaze. They may even have seen Vrax'ton before, when he was there years ago for the ultimate warrior's test.
Harper was still squatting and slurping water, with no clue about what was happening. Vrax'ton slowly placed his heel right under her delectable butt. She was the problem here, not him.
The hergs stood still, just a few feet away in a perfect triangular pattern.
Then they all pounced at exactly the same time.
“Haaaaargh!” Vrax'ton gently tipped Harper into the pond with his heel, then gave off a mighty war cry as he pirouetted as fast as he could and swung his axe full circle around him twice. The rain of glassy shards and the spray of blood in his eyes told him that he had hit at least two of the predators. He crouched down, wiped his eyes and caught his bearings.
Harper was in the water, spluttering and coughing, and the third herg was standing indecisively by the edge of the pond. It was clearly trying to decide whether to attack Harper or to go for Vrax'ton. Or to slink off.
That was a choice Vrax'ton would gladly make for it. He laid his axe back and tossed it rotating at the mirrored animal. It sidestepped the approaching blade, then decided to fight another day and stalked off into the grass.
“What the hell are you doing?!” Harper seethed from the pond. “Did you think that was funny?”
She hadn't seen what had happened, of course. The hergs were close to invisible, and she'd had other things to think about.
He had to chuckle. She looked very cute with her hair all wet, and she had opened the front of her shapeless jumpsuit. At least she knew how to tread water.
“Yes,” Vrax'ton said truthfully. “Harper need wash. Dirty with dust and soot.”
He retrieved the axe and placed it right at the edge of the water. He wasn't worried about the herg that he escaped. But there were more predators here. “Vrax'ton also dirty.”
He pulled off his pants and jumped into the pond, making sure to make a big splash that would wash over her.
8
- Harper -
He just jumped in naked and seemed to make an unnecessarily big splash. She couldn't avoid noticing that he was plainly aroused. With him, that wasn't exactly something you could miss. Yep, his cock had ridges and knots and a kind of barbs at the end that prevented him from slipping out of her once inside.
He surfaced right by her, and the mischievous grin on his face was enough to cool her anger. He was sensationally attractive.
“You know, I was thinking of taking a bath anyway. You didn't need to kick me in.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed. “But Harper make big wave.”
“Vrax'ton too,” she said and wiped wet hair out of her face.
“Yes. With Vrax'ton, everything big. It is way of the warrior. Harper now take off garment. Wash naked body like Vrax'ton.” He gently took hold of her zipper and pulled it all the way down.
It didn't seem like such a bad idea, but she was miffed that he had pushed her into the water and then laughed at her. She slapped his hand away and tried to pull the jumpsuit off under the water. But it was awkward, so Vrax'ton dived down and gently helped her slide the boots and jumpsuit off her feet.
He tossed them onto the shore. It was all space-age materials and would dry completely in just a couple of minutes. The pockets were watertight and their contents were safe. Not that she had anything of value there.
“Now Harper naked,” Vrax'ton observed and nodded in approval. “Good Harper. Fantastic. Now wash.”
He swam to the other side of the pond, grabbed something from the shore and swam back. He opened his fist and showed her a little heap of ashes. “Burned berana tree. Makes clean.”
He took some into his other hand and rubbed it on his shoulder. To Harper's astonishment, it produced a gray foam that looked like dirty soap.
Vrax'ton gave some to her, and she gingerly put some on her arm. It foamed up and gave off a clean, wholesome smell. It took all the soot off her skin, too.
“That's pretty effective. If it wasn't so gray, you might be able to sell it as some kind of alien wonder-soap.”
“Vrax'ton help clean Harper.”
He gently pushed her back to the little beach and sat her down on the sand where the water only went up to her waist. Then he lifted her leg and rubbed her lower leg with the soapy ashes. It felt wonderful, and Harper felt a hopeful tingle play in her girly parts.
“You know,” she said mildly and cleaned her other arm, “you can say 'I' instead of Vrax'ton and 'you' instead of 'Harper'. I mean, that's what most people do. It's a little unusual to refer to yourself in the third person. Your English is great, though. Astonishingly great. Sensational.” She said the words slowly to make sure he got them.
He let go of her leg and lifted the other one. “'Vrax'ton' is good name. Feels good in ears. Vrax'ton likes saying 'Harper'. Feels good in mouth. And eyes. Sensational.”
He was so sincere that her heart melted right there and then and she forgave him for pushing her into the water. And she started thinking ahead, something she had tried to avoid. If they got off this planet, somehow, what would it be like if there was something more between them? Something more than just sex and two people brought together by circumstances beyond their control?
He rinsed off her lower leg and moved higher. Harper's mouth was suddenly dry with expectation, and Vrax'ton cock stood up out from the surface of the water, thick and hard and alien.
She unashamedly reached out and gripped it. It twitched in her hand. “So this is pretty alien to me. Interesting shape.”
He ke
pt scrubbing her with the soapy ashes. “Acerex warriors astonishingly glorious males,” he informed her. “All females of discontent made glorious summer when with Acerex.”
She rubbed the largest knot with her thumb. “Did I feel this vibrate?”
“Vibe-ray?”
“Vibrate, as in move very fast.” She held out her hand and made it tremble. “Like this. Bzzzzzz.”
He nodded. “Not many females on Acerex. Males must be astonishingly sensational to form unions. Train to make bzzzzz.”
Harper pursed her lips and nodded in approval. If there was competition among the males to secure mates on his home planet, then they would probably develop skills like that to satisfy women as much as possible. Evolution would make that happen and turn the men into sex toys. “Right. Something like that is definitely needed where I come from- oooh, yeah, okay, that's fine, I can wash that part myself.”
Vrax'ton had reached the top of her thigh and was moving inwards to her bare girly bits. It felt great, and the tingles flashed from her sensitive thighs to the rest of her, but she didn't want any alien ashes soap right there.
She quickly cleaned the rest of her, noticing that she was so wet and slick down there that he'd probably slide right in. And why not? The old feverish arousal was starting to take over again. She grabbed his hardness once more and felt it twitch again. She looked into his eyes again, not saying anything, then easily turned around on the soft sand and got up on her knees. She wanted this too.
Yep, she was presenting herself to this guy she's known for only a few hours. But he had seen all that before. And damn it, they both wanted this. The future was so uncertain that it gave her a freedom she had never felt before. Even if this was the end for them, and there was no escape, why not make the most of it and enjoy themselves as much they could? And if they were rescued, well, then there might be something more between them. If he wanted that.
She felt his hand on her hip and chased the hope away. This was a great chance to just be in the moment and not worry. The planet helped her with that, at least. It just felt pretty great to shamelessly offer herself up to a spectacular man without having to worry about what others would think. Chances were she would never meet anyone else ever again.
“Harper is fantastic and astonishing,” Vrax'ton said in a voice that was thick from arousal, and she made a mental note to teach him some more adjectives. Later. Now she just wanted to enjoy.
His hot cock slid in between her lips and she moaned in expectation. When that sensationally shaped cock pushed into her, it would feel-
“Yeeeaaaaahhhhhh!” she groaned loudly as all his perfectly shaped ridges and knots and barbs pushed into her in one firm stroke. Her pussy sent confused and delighted signals to the rest of her. Could it really be this good? Again her mind and body was a chaotic bliss of fireworks and horniness, but this time she knew what to expect. She knew he would fit perfectly and that her body would react enthusiastically to it, and she was determined to enjoy it fully.
She rested her head on her arms and pushed her hips further up to welcome him inside her and relax in the parts of her that weren't being pounded. She felt his hands on her ass and his cock filling her up, and she knew that she could come at any moment she chose, just riding the wave he was setting up for her. At some point she would have no choice, of course – he could easily force the orgasm from her with that vibrating cock of his.
It was as if he knew what she was thinking. He fucked her slowly, letting her feel every detail of his cock with each stroke, just a never ending pleasuring of all her most intimate, most private and most sensitive parts. She was distantly aware that she was whimpering with each breath, and the sound of her own primal sounds turned her on even more and she was ready to come.
As if he read her thoughts, he increased the rhythm and fucked her harder and faster, deep groans coming from his throat with every instroke. He was obviously enjoying this as much as she was.
The thought of her satisfying that awesome male put her right on the brink, and then of course he started vibrating right at her clit, with just the right pressure and the right buzzing.
The climax hit her like an avalanche. She drew breath and screamed out her joy as he pounded her fast and somehow vibrated continuously right at her most responsive spot.
He kept it up, and then his moves became jerky and less controlled, his groans got deeper and more urgent, and then the alien warrior came deep inside her and she could feel the hard spray of his juices at her center. She relished the feeling and moaned louder as her womanly center gripped around his hard rod in pulsating twitches that made her pelvis melt to a liquid heat.
He collapsed on top of her and she felt his hot breath at her neck. Shit, she loved this.
“Harper is astonishing woman,” he growled. “Together, Harper and Vrax'ton sensational.”
She nodded. And she was starting to love him. “Tell me about it.”
- - -
Harper sat up. The sun had set, but on one horizon the clouds were bright and undulating with the reflection of the fire beneath. “Should we keep walking?”
Vrax'ton sat up beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders. “Too dangerous. This close to the fire, there are many predators. Run faster than Harper. Much faster. Invisible in darkness. And more aggressive.”
She nodded. He knew the planet, she didn't. And she had no reason to believe that he was any more keen on being burned up than she was. If he thought it was too risky, then she believed it.
“So we spend the night here?”
“Is good place. Back to water, only need watch front. Create fire for cooking herg meat. Keep animals away.”
The thought of more of the tender meat was pretty appealing. “So you have to go hunting?”
He smirked. “No need. While Harper enjoy pleasant swim, Vrax'ton kill herg.”
He pointed, and Harper got up and saw the heap of glassy shards. “Oh my goodness! Was there one right here? I had no idea!”
Vrax'ton held up three fingers. “Many herg here. Kill two while Harper diving elegantly into water.”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “So that's what the yell was about! I thought you were just pulling some kind of alien prank.”
He shrugged. “Prank and kill herg. Both possible at same time.”
“Uh-huh. So you think there are some of those boozeberries here? I feel that I'd like to get a little buzz on. I mean, if we're camping here anyway.”
Vrax'ton made a fire, and this time Harper cooked the meat while he meditated and she babbled on in English. Now that she knew what his meditation was good for, she made sure to say smarter things and to use as many different words as she could. And more useful stuff than ancient legalese or stilted Shakespeare. She kept her grammar flawless, too.
When he opened his eyes again, the meat was cooked and Harper was already nibbling on a piece of it. “Vrax'ton is glad that Harper seems to like alien food. Important to stay nourished.”
She chewed on. “I like it fine. It might get a little old in a week or so if we can't find anything else.”
It was at least as delicious as the first time. They found a different kind of berries that were probably even higher in alcohol content than the first ones. It was a pretty good meal, and the berries helped make Harper sleepy. She must have been awake for a good twenty-four hours, but so many things had happened in that time that the sleepiness was probably just exhaustion.
Vrax'ton reluctantly pulled his pants back on. “Best to be dressed if attacked. Harper should also put on silly garment. Huge shame to hide fantastic body. But necessary for the common welfare.”
Harper lay down on the grass, right by the little beach so they would be safe from at least one side. Vrax'ton arranged the fruit fire in an ingenious way using little ramps made from twigs so that it would keep feeding itself without them having to watch it too closely. Then he lay down behind her and placed one strong arm around her, spooning her tightly. “Harper
get away from Bosh,” he said into her ear. “Spirits will provide welfare.”
And she believed him. He was so sure of it that she might as well be, too. She held on to his hand and squeezed it.
Alien sounds from animals and birds filled the night. An enormous fire was closing in. She had probably never been in more danger than she was right now.
But for some reason she had never felt this safe, either.
She closed her eyes.
9
- Harper -
“Sunrise,” a deep voice said into her ear. “Harper escape from pleasant dream. Now continue.”
She reluctantly opened her eyes. She's been dreaming of a hot, alien hunk who was holding around her while his erection poked her butt.
Well, something was poking her. She turned her head and there he was, so powerful and alien and manly that she almost lost her breath. He still had his arm around her, and it probably was his arousal that she felt at her butt.
It all came back to her. The abduction and the Gulg aliens and the fire planet and Vrax'ton. And the incredible climaxes she'd had. He was crazy-good.
A spear of coldness shot through her. Oh gods. She couldn't get pregnant with him, could she?
That hadn't even crossed her mind the day before. She'd spent the day in some kind of sexual haze or trance.
Well, she probably had bigger problems anyway. “How long until the fire catches up with us?”
Vrax'ton got up and attached his axe to his belt. “Will stay ahead of Fire.”
She looked towards the horizon. It seemed like the sky was dancing over there. “For how long, do you think?”
He turned his back and busied himself with the fire, digging up some pieces of perfectly cooked meat he had buried. Harper didn't push for a reply. She suspected she wouldn't like the answer.
