by Zoey Draven
It made her sad that this strange alien male was giving her more support than her own family had. Sad yet thankful. Relieved. Grateful.
“I do this gladly, luxiva,” he said. “I will do anything I can to help you heal. It is not ‘inconvenient,’” he repeated, frowning a bit, as if her words stung him.
Slowly, Cecelia reached out to touch his thick forearm, which held her snugly against his body. His muscles shifted and pulled under her touch. She left her hand there as he approached a corner of the mountain, which revealed a small, tucked away entrance.
When they stepped through, the air was even quieter, like a serene hush had fallen. Cecelia hardly dared to breathe.
It was pitch black inside but Rixavox seemed to know his way, even blind. Or maybe Luxirians could see in the dark. Regardless, his steps were strong, purposeful, and confident, just like the alien himself. Deeper and deeper into the mountain, they went.
Cecelia guessed they’d been walking for five minutes when she began to hear the soft trickling sound of water. It grew louder and louder until finally, at the end of the mountain path, she could see a slight illumination of light in the distance.
“We are here now,” Rixavox said quietly down to her. “The Rillirax.”
When they reached the end of the corridor and Rixavox stepped through the curtain of light, Cecelia gave a soft gasp.
They were standing at the entrance of a small cavern, still deep inside the mountain. The walls were mostly dark stone, but they were covered in tendrils of thin, winding silver vines that took on the soft appearance of moss. The air inside the cavern was warm, almost humid, and she breathed it in deeply, letting it soothe her scratchy throat.
Just above and to the left, there was a large hole in the stone. And through it, she could see the silvery Luxirian moon, bright and half-full. That was where the light was coming from.
The moon illuminated a large, sunken pool of water in the middle of the cavern, that appeared metallic from the light. It rippled slightly, even though Cecelia felt no wind. A bubble formed on the surface and she realized the water must be coming from below, perhaps even heated like a hot spring, given the temperature of the cavern and the mossy growth covering the walls.
“It’s beautiful, Rixavox,” she whispered, staring wide-eyed at her surroundings before turning her gaze on her Luxirian companion. “And we get to come here every day?”
Rixavox gently set her down on her feet. The stone was warm and it felt soothing beneath her.
“Every night,” he corrected. He unwrapped her from her bundle of fur blankets and let them fall to the floor. “When the moon is at its peak.”
Cecelia looked down at the heap of furs at their feet and for the first time she wondered if she would need to bathe naked. It had just never occurred to her before.
She licked her lips and stole a quick glance up at Rixavox. Would he be joining her? Given what she’d seen of the Luxirian female earlier, perhaps they weren’t as modest about nudity as humans were. Rixavox, for example, had been shirtless when they’d met. She knew his nipples were pierced and that his cock was the size of a small arm…
Cecelia coughed, trying not to think about their first meeting. She’d been embarrassed but turned on, torn between jumping his bones or running for the hills.
Warmth pooled between her thighs and she just so happened to look at Rixavox while it was happening.
His brow furrowed and he purred. “Why do you look at me this way? What are you thinking?”
Cecelia almost choked on her own spit. “Nothing. I wasn’t think about anything. Uh, so how should I do this?”
Rixavox studied her, clearly knowing she was lying by the way his nostrils flared, scenting her, but then the corner of his mouth quirked up in a really sexy half-smile that made her arousal even worse.
“Step into the Rillirax and soak, Sessela. You will know when you are ready to come back out,” he said, his eyes glowing that mesmerizing blue.
“Okay,” she murmured, stepping towards the pool of rippling water. Her voice was a little too bright when she said, “Sounds simple enough.”
“Unclothe yourself first, female,” he purred from behind her.
“What?” she squeaked.
“You must enter unclothed,” he said. She perceived him approaching her from behind until she felt his warmth at her back. His voice sounded like velvety sin as he said, “Vulnerable, as the Fates intended. This is…absolute.”
Well…damn.
TWELVE
Rixavox began taking breaths only when he needed to, relying on old training. Or else, he feared, he might break his vow to Privanax, his promise to leave Sessela untouched, his mate untouched. He feared he might rut her on the floor of the Rillirax the way he desired…wild, untamed, thoroughly.
The scent of her arousal was overpowering. It made his head thick with smoky fog, like he’d drunk too much Luxirian brew at a lunar celebration.
Mating in the Rillirax was not an uncommon practice. It was a sacred place, but it was also a primal place, a place touched by their ancestors, their creators. Already, he could feel their power seeping into him, relaxing his muscles, while also making him stronger. That strength easily fed his lust, as it did all Luxirians.
His cock pulsed in time with his luxiva’s breath and he awaited her response when he told her to unclothe. Humans seemed more shy than Luxirians about such things and he was intrigued and waiting on how she might react.
Sessela’s back was to him. She was facing the sacred pool and was as still as the facev they were inside. Then she turned slightly so he could see her profile. Their eyes connected and Rixavox couldn’t help the purring growl that reverberated from his chest.
“Turn around then,” was what she said.
His brow furrowed. “Rebax?”
“If I have to take this shirt off, you’ll need to look away.”
Rixavox cocked his head to the side slightly. “Why?”
She made a sound in the back of her throat and he didn’t know what it meant. Embarrassment? Annoyance? Nervousness? It frustrated him because he wanted to learn all of her sounds.
“Because you—you can’t see me naked,” she said, voice rising slightly.
“Why not?” he asked again, lifting his shoulders. “It is natural, is it not? If you wished to see me unclothed, I would show you.”
She made that same choking sound in her throat and he caught a hint of pink in her cheeks. He wanted to grin, but he kept his features neutral. He’d been right. It seemed humans were definitely more shy about these matters than Luxirians.
“What is it about nudity that bothers humans?” he questioned, his voice nothing more than a rasp.
“I—it’s…” she took a deep breath and turned around to face him, backing up a couple steps when she realized how close he was. He frowned, but stayed where he was. “It’s intimate. And like you said, vulnerable.”
“Ah,” he said. “These things are good to feel, nix? They remind you of your mortality. They are…” his lips quirked a little, thinking back to their journey to the Rillirax, of her little shriek as they shot up into the Luxirian sky. “Freeing.”
“Now you’re just teasing me.”
“Nix,” he purred. “Flirting.”
Sessela tried to hide the smile that started to spread over her lush lips, but she began to laugh and couldn’t. She shook her head. “You’re impossible, has anyone ever told you that?”
“Many in my life span, tev. Now unclothe yourself, female.”
“Only after you turn around,” she insisted, crossing her arms under her breasts. Rixavox eyed her hardened nipples beneath her borrowed tunic and his mouth watered. When he got his tongue on those breasts, he might never leave them.
He liked her stubbornness. It only served to turn him on even more.
“As you wish, female,” he purred, slightly disappointed and yet exhilarated. Perhaps by the end of her cleansing sessions at the Rillirax, he would win their newfo
und game. He could try to convince her every span. The odds were in his favor.
He showed her his back, staring straight in front of him, his gaze tracing the silvery lines of the pevilla growing across the wall. He couldn’t help but think that the plant would be soft enough on his female’s back if he ever mated her against the cavern wall. His fists clenched at his sides, picturing her limbs twined around his hips, her fingers clawing at the pevilla, as he thrust into her aching cunt.
A rough growl tore from his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“Rixavox?” Sessela murmured behind him quietly. “Are you okay?”
He wanted to laugh bitterly at her question. Nix, he wanted to say. Madness was beginning to descend. He wondered how long it would be before his Instinct took control. It had been known to happen and it was something he feared. If his Instinct was in control, he wouldn’t be gentle with her. Luxirians enjoyed rough, primal matings, but did humans? His luxiva seemed so small, so delicate. He worried his darker lusts might hurt her if he allowed his Instinct free reign.
“Tev,” he said instead, not recognizing his voice. “You may unclothe now.”
“You promise you won’t look?” she questioned.
“I promise, luxiva,” he murmured softly. “On my honor as a Luxirian warrior, I will not look upon your nudity until you wish it.”
“Until? Not if?” she repeated slowly, voice slightly breathless. “You think it’s a sure thing?”
Even now she teased him with her words, when he was hovering between sanity and madness.
“Tev,” he growled out. “I know it is a ‘sure thing.’”
He listened intently once he said the words. He’d just as well as stated his intentions. What she didn’t know was that he could not act on those intentions until she was healed, but he might as well be honest about it regardless.
His female was quiet, but when he drew in a small, rationed breath, he sensed her arousal. Fates, he pleaded silently, have mercy. Finally, he heard the slight whisper of her tunic as she began to unclothe. It didn’t take her long, considering the thin material was all she wore. He would purchase more coverings for her, he told himself, so she would be warm in his lands. As soon as the twin suns rose, he would journey to the bazaar.
But there, in that sacred place, when it was only the two of them…he wanted her as naked as nature intended.
The tunic fell to the floor of the cavern with a small hush and Rixavox sucked in a breath, gritting his teeth together. It was physically painful to know his mate was nude and only a few strides away…and he was looking at a facev wall.
He released a short breath when he heard the faint, glass-like sound of the water as she stepped inside. Rixavox never thought he’d be jealous of water, but he envied the way it touched her body, how it wrapped around every inch of her soft skin. He heard a gasp and knew she began to feel the effects of the Rillirax.
After a few moments more, he heard her voice.
“You can turn around now.”
Rixavox didn’t need anymore convincing. He spun, his gaze immediately seeking her out. Lust sizzled deep in his belly and he felt his muscles begin to expand, his shoulders bunching until he thought they might snap.
He’d never known lust until that moment. Every female that had come before his luxiva, every meaningless mating geared to drive him to distraction, to a restless kind of fulfillment, fled his mind, erased into nothingness. For in that moment, he knew true desire, true need.
Sessela was watching him from inside the pool, her gray eyes luminous with the silver light of the moon. The water lapped at her bare shoulders, leaving behind a delicate sheen when it retreated, only to return. The ends of her dark hair floated around her, moving in time with the soft ripples that broke the surface.
His eyes almost mistook her for a Rissatorax, an ancient, beautiful creature that could lure him to the edge of madness with a single look, who could pull him down into the blackworld and feast on his soul. He would go with her willingly, he realized. He felt her. He felt the Fates’ power between them, tying them together in a way that very few could understand.
It was…humbling. It was beautiful. She was the only thing in all the universe that he wanted to see. The only thing.
Sessela’s lips were parted. And Rixavox swore that they were a deeper pink than they’d been just a few moments ago. The Rillirax was working. The Fates would help her.
Relief loosened his muscles and he knew then that she would be fully healed once Privanax gave her the final treatment.
“What do you feel?” he murmured, his throat rough like sand. The words echoed in the cavern, sounding strange and yet familiar to his own ears.
“I…” she trailed off, a shuddering sigh escaping her. Her eyes were wide, as if she was finally realizing the power of the Fates. She could feel them there, as tangible as a touch. “I feel…”
Rixavox couldn’t help but edge closer. His legs ate up the distance between them and he felt the hot rush of his blood with every step he took. Sessela didn’t move an inch. She didn’t hunch further into the water, as he half-expected of his shy human. Instead, she stared up at him, his Rissatorax, beautiful and defiant.
His lips curled at the sight of her. There was her strength. He sensed that at one time she’d lost it, but he wanted her to discover it once more. He saw a hint of it now and when it was fully restored…it would be glorious. His female warrior.
“It is hard to describe, tev?” Rixavox asked, crouching down near the edge of the pool before sitting back, settling into a comfortable position, his leg coverings creaking against the sharp stone.
“It doesn’t feel real,” she finally said. The water trailed from her hand as she raised it to trace her lips.
Rixavox swallowed, greedily devouring the sight of her. His female was sensual, devastatingly so. She might not realize the effect she had on him, and, not for the first time, he was beginning to doubt his vow to Privanax. Their time in the Rillirax would test him greatly, even more than his warrior training had.
“The water feels heavy,” she continued. “And yet it feels as light as air. And I feel…my body feels whole. Complete.”
“The Rillirax helps heal many things,” he told her. “Illness, a broken soul…grief or sadness, even.” He swallowed thickly, remembering the many nights he’d spend in its waters.
She glided closer to him until her body was pressed against the rocky edge of the pool. Her small, pale fingers grasped the edge and Rixavox traced the ripples that extended from her body.
“And what if you don’t have any of those things?” she questioned, her features relaxed, eyes reflecting the Luxirian moonlight that filled the cavern.
He huffed in slight amusement, not ever having thought about it before. “I suppose it would just feel like a comfort then. Nothing more than a soak in warm water.”
Sessela’s smile made his heart throb in his chest. He moved his knees slightly so she would not see how his body ached for her. After his own fumbling misunderstanding when they’d first met, when he’d asked her if she wished to mate after he smelled her arousal, he didn’t want to frighten her again. She certainly hadn’t seemed to appreciate when he’d reached down to undo his leg coverings to free his cock. And given what he now knew about human shyness when it came to nudity, to intimacy she’d called it, he now knew he’d made a grave mistake when they’d been at the command center.
His actions in regard to her that span shamed him now. He shouldn’t have acted so carelessly, so impulsively. With a newly awakened Instinct, however, his thoughts had been muddled.
Rixavox could only thank the Fates that she didn’t shy away from his gaze now.
“Will you be coming in?” her melodious voice asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
Without thinking, he purred in response and he heard her breath hitch. The water around her moved slightly. Then, he realized what her question implied…that they would be unclothed, together, in the Rillirax.
<
br /> It seemed bold, coming from his skittish, shy female, especially since she’d asked him to turn around as she’d undressed. It was unexpected, maddening, and forbidden to him.
His Instinct raged within him, urging him to wade inside, to pull his naked female against his body so he could feel every inch of her against him, to explore her with his touch, dip into the lush spot between her thighs and make her pleasure echo around the cavern.
Vrax, he cursed, gritting his jaw. He’d never wanted anything more in his entire life span, even his position as Ambassador. If given the option, he realized he’d probably relinquish his post if it meant he could have his female. Right then and there. If she would have him.
“Not this night,” he growled softly, his gaze glued to her.
Sessela gave a short nod, her gaze sliding away from him. For a moment, he thought he’d stung her. Did she believe that he’d rejected her just now? Had her question meant what he’d hoped it had after all?
“Female,” he rasped. He decided to be as honest and transparent as he dared. It was the only way he could get her to understand. “I do not trust myself with you. You…tempt me in a way you cannot fathom,” he tried to explain and even then his words couldn’t convey the need he felt for her. “It is better for us both if I remain right where I am.”
Her cheeks pinkened but her words surprised him. “You are a charmer, aren’t you? Kate warned me about you, you know.”
Rixavox stilled, remembering Vaxa’an’s female’s jest that he was ‘a total ladies’ man,’ whatever that meant. But had Kat said more, once he’d left them to talk? Vrax, he could only imagine what had been said.
“What did she say?” he forced himself to ask, unsure if he wanted to know. Of course, he had a reputation. Privanax had basically sneered down at him for it when he’d confronted him.
