Taming Ryock

by Sara Page

  Ryock’s eyes darken and he nods his head slowly. His pulse quickens and mine quickens in response.

  Bending his head down, his voice is all rumbly when he says, “Tell me about these good places.”

  Oh, jeeze. If I were wearing panties, and I’m not because there just wasn’t enough of them in my pack, I’d have to change them.

  I shift uncomfortably on his lap and have to look away from his smoldering gaze. “You know…”

  His voice deepens even more and he leans closer. “Tell me.”

  Did it just get hot out here? I know we’re in a tropical paradise, but damn. I swear it just went up ten degrees.

  I shift some more on his lap and my face flushes with heat. I sneak a little peak up at him, catch the intense look in his eyes, and look away.

  What is it about this guy that makes me feel like a blushing virgin again?

  “You know—” I start again but stop when he makes a displeased sound.

  Yeah, I guess I’ve been saying that too much. The whole point is that he doesn’t know. This is literally new, uncharted territory for the both of us. Even though sex is certainly not new to me, it does feel a little like I’m starting from scratch again with him.

  Racking my brain, I try to come up with a ‘good place’ I wouldn’t mind him licking that’s still rather innocent.

  “The neck,” I finally offer up.

  He leans even closer and his breath is hot against my ear as he asks, “If I lick your neck, it would pleasure you?”

  I shiver and try to calm my racing heart as I nod my head.

  Ryock makes a pleased rumbling sound and then he pushes his nose against my neck. He nuzzles me at first, just rubbing his nose back and forth, and I can’t stop my breath from quickening.

  My neck has always been a weak spot for me, it’s extremely sensitive. When a guy kisses or nibbles on my neck, my insides get all gooey and my limbs turn to mush.

  Maybe it wasn’t the best of places to start this whole licking experiment on now that I think about it.

  Ryock takes a deep breath, breathing me in, and then I feel the first stroke of his tongue.

  I was totally expecting it to be all wet and sloppy, but it’s the complete opposite. There’s a rough, grainy texture to his tongue, and as it drags across my skin it seems to stimulate every little nerve-ending.

  I feel myself melting into his arms.

  “Does this pleasure you?” he asks, and if I couldn’t feel him through the bond, I might assume it was a rhetorical question.

  But I can sense his curiosity so I answer, my voice sounding all breathy, “Yes.”

  He makes a pleased sound deep in his throat. “Good.” And starts licking my neck in earnest.

  “Oh god, Ryock,” I moan and cling to him.

  With each stroke of his tongue, I feel something inside me start to unravel, and the bond between us blooms open. His emotions start to pour into me. His pleasure, his deep satisfaction that his instinct is being fulfilled, and it only seems to amplify everything I’m experiencing.

  “Don’t be afraid to use some teeth,” I encourage him and instantly regret it when he suddenly stops.

  “Teeth?” he repeats as if I’m the weird one now.

  “Yes, teeth,” I chuckle. “Like you did back at the pool. Don’t like really bite me, just nibble a little…”

  “Like this?” he asks and then he lightly nips my neck.

  I immediately feel this amazing little zap and my core clenches.

  “Yes,” I exhale. “Just like that.”

  He continues to make rumbly, pleased sounds in his throat as his mouth works its way down my neck.

  I arch my neck to the side to give him better access and have to grip his arms tightly to keep from sliding off his lap.

  There’s a hum growing in my chest. It’s faint at first, then grows and grows until it feels like my ribs are vibrating.

  “So sweet,” Ryock purr-growls, then he grips my arms as his mouth works its way around to the hollow of my throat.

  I arch my back, thrusting my chest out as he begins to nip-lick his way down to my breasts.

  Why did I fight this? I have to wonder as I turn to mush in his arms.

  Not only does it feel amazing, but I feel like I’m giving him something he needs, something only I can provide.

  He pauses when he meets my cleavage and then gives my shirt a dirty look for keeping him from my breasts.

  I sense his intention a second before he’s able to carry out the action.

  “Ryock, no!”

  His dark, smoldering eyes lift to mine and I see a flash of fang as he growls, “You do not need clothes. They only keep you from me.”

  “I do,” I insist. “I only have so many and we don’t know how long we’ll be here.”

  His eyes narrow and he gives my shirt another dirty look.

  “Please,” I plead, sensing his desire to rip the shirt off of me. “I don’t have hair like you do to protect my body from all the stuff around here.”

  With a grumble, he nods his head, agreeing with me. His grip on my arms relaxes and then he tells me to, “Take your shirt off.”

  My bones feeling like jelly, I straighten and reach down to grab the bottom of my shirt. Just as I start to pull it up I hear a faint beeping coming from our left.

  Ryock stiffens beneath me and I get a flash of apprehension before he shuts it down.

  “What is that?” I ask and look to where the beeping is coming from.

  The backpack is there, leaning up against the trunk of a tree, right where I left it.

  “Lexi?” I gasp and scramble off Ryock’s lap before he can stop me.

  “Isla…” he says but I’m so excited, I barely hear it.

  I rush over to the backpack, squat down, and dig the little communication device out of it. The device is beeping a steady beep and I’m so nervous and excited my fingers fumble with the thing and I almost drop it.

  It takes me two seconds to find the little flashing button and click it.

  Straightening, I watch as a picture is projected out of the device and displayed on the trunk of the tree the backpack was leaning against.

  What appears to be some kind of hospital room comes into focus, then a bed with a woman reclining in it.

  My eyes drink in the woman on the bed, drink in the familiarity of her face. It feels like forever since I last laid eyes on her but she still looks the same.

  “Lexi?” I ask softly.

  “Isla?” she squeaks.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Isla

  Lexi and I burst into tears at the same time.

  “Oh my god, Isla. Where are you? Are you alright? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Lexi sobs.

  I sense Ryock coming up behind me. His big hands come down on my shoulders and Isla’s eyes widen as she takes him in.

  I wipe at my tears with the back of my hand and take several deep breaths, drawing on Ryock’s reassuring presence to calm myself.

  Though I’ve been waiting for this day ever since we crash landed on this planet, I couldn’t be sure I’d ever my sister again. So many things could have gone wrong. Yarrel could have been lying to us, or he could have gotten killed before he ever made it to her.

  When my throat finally loosens up enough for me to speak, I answer her. “We’re on a tropical planet. I’m sorry, I can’t remember what it’s called.”

  “Galierre,” a helpful voice pipes in.

  I blink and take a better look at the projection. Now that the shock of being reunited with my sister is wearing off, I can finally take in the entire picture. There are several medical machines surrounding Lexi, a floating silvery orb, and a tall, stern-looking silver lizard guy with green glowing eyes standing beside her bed.

  There’s also a little silver baby cradled in her arms that looks a lot like him.

  Wait a minute. “Is that your baby?”

  Lexi beams a proud smile and looks down lovingly at the baby. “Yes
, his name is Thorn.”

  The baby coos and snuggles closer to her.

  So many realizations hit me at once, if Ryock wasn’t standing behind me I’d probably fall on my ass.

  His hands squeeze around my shoulders, steadying me.

  Lexi looks up and asks tentatively, “Is that your… mate?”

  Still reeling from all the shit dawning on me, all I can do is dumbly nod my head.

  Lexi smiles and her eyes glisten. It looks like she’s about to burst into more tears. “I’m so glad you have someone to protect you. I’ve been so worried about you.”

  There’s something about seeing my big sister brought to tears that makes me feel like crying again.

  Between the two of us, she’s the strong one. The reliable one. The only other time I’ve ever seen her cry like this is when our parents passed away.

  “His name is Ryock,” I push out and smile in an effort to keep my shit together.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ryock,” Lexi chokes out.

  “It is… nice to meet you, too,” Ryock answers back.

  Lexi nods and I hear her suck in a breath before she looks to the silver guy hovering over her bed. “This is Maul, my bonded.”

  Maul’s glowing green eyes meet mine. At first they’re almost too sharp, too strange and intense. Then something softens inside them and he looks at me with a fondness I don’t deserve yet.

  “It is nice to finally meet you, Isla,” he says in a deep, gravelly voice.

  I force my lips to curve up into another smile and he returns it. But if I’m being completely honest, the guy is pretty weird looking. His features are too pointed and too reptilian to be mistaken for human.

  After my fun little experience with Gararl, I think I’ve developed an aversion to lizard-like men.

  Maul’s eyes slide away from mine and I watch his face harden as he looks up to Ryock. I glance up at Ryock to see his features just as hard as Maul’s.

  The way the two of them glare at each other makes me thankful that there’s miles and miles of space between us.

  “I’m Marketh, by the way. In case anyone was wondering,” someone says sarcastically, but for the life of me I can’t see anyone else in the projection.

  Noting my confused expression, Lexi gives a small, embarrassed smile and points to the floating orb. “Marketh is Maul’s symbiote,” she explains as if that’s supposed to make sense to me.

  She looks to the orb. “I’m sorry, Marketh.

  The orb moves, floating closer to her bed. “It’s okay, Lexi. I forgive you. This time.”

  Lexi rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “He’s also an annoying smartass. I apologize in advance.”

  The orb seems to buzz with agitation and then it says, “I resemble that remark.”

  Lexi and I both laugh, and our laughter draws Maul and Ryock’s attention. Maul breaks his death glare to look towards the orb. “Behave, Marketh.”

  The orb buzzes and flares. “Oh, I am. While I’ve been floating here, politely waiting to be introduced, I’ve been running all the calculations.”

  Maul scowls. “What calculations?”

  “Oh, just the calculations we need to get to Galierre from here. From my estimations, it will take us approximately five days, fourteen hours, twenty-five minutes and seventeen seconds. If we don’t stop along the way.”

  Maul shakes his head and my heart drops when he says, “We’re not going to Galierre.”

  From Ryock I sense a burst of relief.

  Lexi gasps and she looks to Maul with disbelief. “What do you mean we’re not going to Galierre?”

  Maul stiffens and his expression becomes resigned. “My heart, you just had a baby…” he explains.

  Lexi sits up straighter and narrows her eyes at Maul. “And?”

  Maul glances towards the orb as if he’s looking for help there, but Marketh remains silent. With a sigh, he looks back to Lexi and says, “And neither you, nor our newly born son, should be traveling yet.”

  “I’m not some delicate flower,” my sister protests. “I don’t know about you Rathturians, but we humans are designed to be able to have our babies and get right back up and keep moving.”

  “Rathturians lay eggs. They—” Marketh starts and stops as soon as he gets his very own glare from Lexi.

  “Shut it, Marketh,” Lexi and Maul both say in unison.

  Marketh grumbles something unintelligible and zips away from the bed.

  “Maul,” Lexi says, looking back to him.

  Her eyes narrow again but she doesn’t say anything.

  No, it seems like she’s just letting her eyes do all the talking. I watch the two of them closely. Though neither one of them speaks, I could swear from the small changes in their expressions that they’re somehow communicating.

  The two of them just seem to stare at each other for a long time and it becomes extremely uncomfortable watching them.

  I shift, waiting for someone to speak, to break the silence.

  After another couple of minutes, Lexi eyes become pleading and finally Maul seems to give in.

  “Very well, my heart. We shall depart immediately,” he says with a sigh.

  Lexi sags against her bed and smiles with relief. Knowing that she just had a baby and she’s obviously still recovering, fills me with guilt. She definitely shouldn’t be coming after me.

  “Lexi…” I start and she shoots me a look.

  “No. Don’t even give me that look. I’ve been looking for you for over a year and a half now. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop me from coming for you,” she says with a determined glint in her eye.

  “A year and a half?!” I repeat and feel faint.

  I mean, after seeing that she had a baby, I kind of figured I’ve been missing longer than I remembered. But a year and half… where the hell was I? What happened to me?

  Seriously, what the fuck?!

  Lexi frowns and all eyes turn to me.

  “Yes, I’ve been searching for you for over a year and a half now. Since the night you disappeared.”

  My ears buzz and I have to shake my head to keep my vision from clouding.

  “I…” I don’t even know what the hell to say to that.

  My heart starts to race and I desperately think back, willing my brain to pull up the memories of what happened, but all I get is one big blank.

  “Do you remember what happened? Do you remember Jack?” she asks.

  I shake my head some more. “I don’t remember anything. And what does Jack have to do with this?”

  Lexi and Maul share a knowing look.

  I have no clue what it means, but it’s starting to piss me off a little bit. Or maybe just knowing that I lost so much of my life is pissing me off period.

  How does that even happen? How? Is it some kind of amnesia?

  “Maybe we should wait to discuss this in person,” Maul suggests.

  Lexi nods her head in agreement. “We’ve got a lot of packing to do.” She looks back to me and her face softens. “Isla, I love you. I’m coming for you. Just hold tight.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ryock

  It feels as if we have a noose above our heads and it’s slowly lowering down to wrap itself around our necks. We’ve been waiting five days for Isla’s sister and her husband to get here, and we can do nothing but wait.

  Fishing for food, hunting for meat, and swimming are the only things we can do to fill the void of our depression.

  Isla is hurting now inside of herself, I can feel it through the bond so fiercely that it causes me to ache. She is devastated to know she has been missing for so long. A year and a half with absolutely no memory of what or how it happened. I want to tell her it’s fine, but it isn’t. Not for her. She knows she was abducted and then she was tossed into the cage with the Gararl. Nothing else, no memories or faint recollections.

  It’s one giant void.

  I’ve tried searching with her through the bond we share, hoping perhaps she had
put up some mental wall around the memories. But there is simply nothing there. It’s as if she simply did not exist for all that time. It’s terrifying for Isla to think about.

  While she has been worried about that, I’ve been racking my brains in a way to stop the inevitable arrival of her sister.

  It’s when, not if, she gets here that she will be trying to take Isla to somewhere safe.

  Meaning there is no guarantee that she will understand that Isla and I have bonded. Have merged our souls so closely together that they have become one whole.

  I know she feels my fears as much as I feel hers. She tries to reassure me that everything will be fine, that nothing will come between us, but I question whether she truly believes that. A lot of things can happen once we’re ‘rescued’ and I highly doubt her sister means to give her much choice in the matter.

  My life now, so complete with Isla’s love, could easily be shattered if she were to be taken from me. I will fight to the death to prevent it, but would it destroy her as well because of the bond between us?

  It’s beyond my knowledge.

  We’ve tested the bond a little while we’ve been waiting. Using emotions and trickery to play with each other, and found that it is quite wondrous. We can soothe and comfort, arouse and enflame. But there is also a worrisome side to the bond we found rather unkindly. If we are separated by too far of a distance, it becomes quite painful in a physical way. The further we are apart, the harder it is to move, to keep our composure.

  I pray to the stars this won’t have to be tested. I pray it will be accepted that we are a package deal.

  At times, over the past five days, our lovemaking has been frantic as we try to fill each other with our very beings. And at other times, it is slow as we savor every second we are joined in our shared pleasure.

  I can feel each time she wants to say she loves me now, her heart nearly bursting with the emotion. But something has been holding her back. Holding her from giving that final part of her heart to me.

  I’ve tried not to show the pain it causes, to bury the emotion deep inside of my mind and body. But it’s no use, it comes out in what I fear might be desperation. We’ve tried talking about it, but it hasn’t worked, and I don’t think either of us know why. She has a wall there in her mind, one she isn’t ready to let down just yet.