Taken by the Alien Savage: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Warriors of the Oasis Book 1)
Page 6
“I’m not angry with you.” I sat at the foot of her bed, turning to face her. “You did what you thought was right, with the limited information I gave you. I should have explained the dangers in greater detail.”
She blinked at me, her mouth opening and closing again as she discovered she had no words to say. Had she really expected me to give her a lecture? Or worse, to react aggressively?
Claire shook her head, as if returning to reality. “Why are you naked and in a bathrobe?” She looked at me from head to toe, her eyes pausing on my bare chest. “Actually, I don’t want to know. I just want to say that I’m sorry for being such a—”
I put a finger to her lips and let out a low, “Shhh.”
She blinked widely at me, but her lips remained sealed. “Good,” I replied. “Silence is okay sometimes. Not everything needs to be spoken. Just be.”
She stared at me silently.
“I need to check your wound and apply the salve again.” I slowly lifted the sheets from her legs. She immediately closed her legs in modesty, concealing both the wound and her bare nether regions. Her cheeks turned red almost immediately as she glanced down, realizing, perhaps for the first time, that she was only wearing a slip.
I kept quiet and tried to touch as little of her as I could even though I was longing to feel her skin against mine. With my hand wrapping around her thigh, I slowly pulled her legs apart, revealing the bandaged wound… and much more.
Opening her legs made the scent of her attraction unmistakable. She wanted it. The poor little thing was desperate despite herself.
As much as her scent made my cock twitch and pulse, I tried to focus on the task at hand.
I unwrapped the bandage, and she gasped when she saw her own injury. I let out another, “Shhh,” while I spread her legs further apart. It wasn’t entirely necessarily for her to splay her legs this much to get a good angle at the injury, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to bury my face against her pussy, but this would have to do.
I turned away from her to reach for the small medical table I had set near her bed. With the salve and new bandages in hand, I faced her again. Her breathing quickened like a sand hare caught in the grasp of a skilled hunter.
I would know.
“Don’t forget to breathe,” I whispered with a smirk.
At this point, I could even hear her heart pounding against her little rib cage.
I put my hand to her cheek and said, “Human, I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you.”
“Why not?” she asked in a choked voice.
I couldn’t help but wonder if she had been hurt in the past. I had to win her trust, make sure she knew that I was a man of honor.
I kept my voice low, as if soothing an animal. “We Xekis always get what we want, but never by force. We earn what we desire. What we value.”
“And what do you value?”
“Being strong. Protecting what is good. Defeating what is bad.”
Tears sprung to Claire’s eyes. “Then why pay those pirates and enable them to keep on selling slaves?”
She had a point, and it was only fair that I explained myself to her. I took a moment to decide how best to put it. Usually a Xeki of my station never had to explain his actions; only to his superiors, and to his mate. “Some values get in the way of others. That time, we had to choose protecting what is good over defeating what is bad. One day, we’ll have the numbers needed to fight against criminals like those pirates. For now, we need to bide our time. It’s senseless to fight when defeat is guaranteed. We’ll fight once we’re stronger. We play the long game.”
With that, I stood to make her a fresh pot of carnia tea. I had made her several before, but had never been able to rouse her from her sleep until now.
I waited for her to make a counter argument as my back was turned to her, but she kept quiet. Did she understand my reasoning that easily?
After handing her a cup of carnia tea, I headed back to the bathroom.
“Where are you going?” she asked suddenly.
I paused. “I’m putting on clothes.” I was starting to worry that the bathrobe wouldn’t be enough to conceal my very obvious arousal, and I didn’t want to terrify her.
“Aren’t you mad at me for trying to escape?” she demanded yet again.
I turned back to her. “Of course I am. But it isn’t because you disobeyed me. You’re not my mate—not yet, anyhow—so you needn’t pay heed to my suggestions. I’m only mad because it was a stupid risk to take.”
Her brows furrowed as she processed what I said. “Mates have to… obey?”
“Paid heed, yes. But it would always be in a mate’s best interests to do so. Commands aren’t given lightly, and the power is never to be abused. Not by a good mate.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, I guess. Anyway, I thought I needed to act immediately, while the weather was good. I thought the clear skies meant that you had lied to me, which brought into question everything else. I thought I had to seek help, and not just for my sake, but for Sophie and Nora.”
“It was reasonable for you to assume that. I realize my mistake in not fully explaining how the horizon of this planet lies.”
She locked her eyes with mine as she spoke her next words, “Seeing how wrong I’ve been about you all along… I think I want to get to know you now. You risked your life to save mine, despite how ungrateful I’ve been. I owe you that much.”
Now it was my turn to steady my breath. This was the first crack in all the walls she had built up around herself.
I steadied myself. “It was the least I could do.” For my mate, I thought.
I wasn’t acting like myself—the wary warrior. How could I know she was my mate from just a glance?
I knew I had to have her first, as I had taken many women, before I could know for sure. In my youth, when I was so excited by the thought of a fated mate, I was dealt one disappointment after another as I laid with various women. My heart had gone colder each time I felt nothing when I was inside them.
I couldn’t bear the thought of experiencing that same disappointment with Claire. And yet, I knew I would take that chance. I knew I would risk the biggest disappointment of my life, if only to get a shot at being her fated mate, and her being mine.
Something deep down told me this time things would be different.
Turning my gaze to her once more, I felt like my breath was taken away. Rays of sunlight shined through the window onto her vibrant auburn hair, her blue eyes glinting in the light, and all I could do was stare in awe. I could think of only one thing: if she really was my mate, I’d be one lucky man.
Chapter Twelve
Claire
Something changed in Ryker after the conversation we had that morning. He no longer looked at me with only lust, but now with adoration. Never had a man gazed upon me like that, as if I were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Jeez. Putting a lot of pressure on an injured, ratty girl like myself. All the same, I wanted him to continue looking at me like that.
I’d never grow tired of that look.
He had become withdrawn shortly after that, telling me to remain in his room while he left for a while. He assured me that guards would be posted right outside the door to keep me safe, and that a servant would check on my injuries later in the day.
“Where are you going?” I asked, laying back down, the exertion of sitting up for only ten minutes getting to me.
Ryker’s expression was dark, moody, but not necessarily moody at me. Something else was on his mind. “I’ve got things to attend to,” he explained, “now that I know you’re doing better. I haven’t been more than one room away from you in the past few days.”
I let out a laugh, then quickly realized how sweet that was. “Aren’t you Lord Kali’s right-hand man? He let you stay away from your duties for that long?”
Ryker smirked. “He had no choice. Now please, stay here and rest.”
That was several hours ago.
A servant came by to check on me, as Ryker had said, but after she left, I was alone again with nothing but my thoughts.
And fantasies.
I knew he could smell my arousal. This tiny revealing slip didn’t leave much to the imagination. My curvy thighs were in full display, and my cleavage too, for that matter. I had a lot more of a booty than any of the Xeki women I had seen so far, and to my surprise, Ryker couldn’t keep his eyes off my… thicker portions. Did he like my body? Was it really a turn on for him?
All the empirical evidence pointed to a resounding “Yes!” but I still had trouble believing it. All the men in my past seemed to always have eyes for skinny girls who’d prefer taking pictures of their food than eating it.
But Ryker really, truly seemed to want my body. Want me. Was I possibly his mate? How did a Xeki know?
I wished he would take more initiative, hold me down with his powerful yet gentle hands. Obviously my flightiness had him holding back. If he judged me only by my actions, he had all the reason in the world to think I wanted to leave here.
I really hadn’t. When I saw that the skies looked clear, a great disappointment had fallen over me. I half wanted to be trapped here. And, well, I guess I got my wish.
As I lay on the bed in this reverie, blurry images of him flashed through my mind. I realized then that I had seen him over the past few days, in hazy glimpses while I was still too weak to fully wake up. I beheld the glorious sight of him through the doorway of the bathroom, fully naked. I observed him changing into armor and practicing his spear throwing in the training area off to the side of the room.
God, he was a badass. He had torn those two sand beasts limb by limb and killed them with their own stupid scythe arms!
He did that all for me.
How much of a savage would he be in the bedroom? Would he make me scream on the top of my lungs in ecstasy? Would he pound me harder and longer than any man I’d ever laid with before?
I had no doubts he could.
Fuck, I wanted him to put a baby inside me already.
Wait, what?
I sat up, realizing my slit was pulsing, throbbing with desire. It was alarming, the things he made me think. The things he made me feel.
Leaning back, I found my hands reaching down between my legs. A little flick of my clit almost sent me over the edge right then and there.
Then the door opened and my hands retreated up to my chest as I saw who had barged in.
It was Ryker, covered in blood.
I jumped off the bed, letting out a yelp when my leg reminded me I wasn’t exactly in working condition. I hobbled my way over to Ryker, horrified that the blood was his. His eyes had a faraway look, like a lion lording over its dead prey.
“You’re hurt!” I said, taking the spear from his hand and putting it on the bed.
He looked down at me, and as his eyes focused on mine, he smiled. “This isn’t my blood. I was clearing out all the sand beast nests in the desert path toward the star port. I had to stop halfway. The storms make the rest of the land impassable, as we both know.”
“Why were you doing that?” I asked, my voice coming out shakily.
He looked down at his bloodied hands, as if only now realizing what a mess he was. “I killed them in case you decide to take off again, once your leg heals. I want the path to be as safe as possible.”
I had no words for a long moment, until I finally said, “You idiot. I’m not leaving.”
He looked at me with hope. “Ever?”
Shit.
“I mean, not… not until the storms end, at the very least.” I looked away.
A part of me wanted to take away any doubt he had about me ever leaving. I’d be a fool to want to return to Earth. But I had promised Nora I’d help her get back to her family. That, and who was I kidding? He was a hot hunky alien, and I was just some drab girl from Earth, who apparently didn’t even sell for much on the black market. Why else would the pirates have tried to pawn us off on such a desolate tribe of little means?
He couldn’t really want only me.
“I should take a bath, wash off,” Ryker said, standing up. “Sand beast blood is mildly acidic, so…” He kept his eyes on mine, as if there was something I ought to be picking up.
Okay, so he needed a bath. Some private time, I assumed. “Of course,” I said, adding, “I’ll go in another room then.”
Before I made it even a few feet, he asked, “Would you help me?”
I turned around. “Help you? Like with taking off your armor?”
Ryker, for the briefest of moments, looked like a helpless puppy. “I think I’ll need help with more than that.”
“Oh. Okay…” I began, remaining still.
He made a big show of how he couldn’t possibly reach his back, even though it was pretty obvious he could wash over his shoulders just fine.
“Good Lord,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Fine, I’ll help you clean up if it makes you stop this act.” Not to mention I wouldn’t mind seeing his naked body again.
He smiled, his yellow eyes twinkling. He looked almost like a child who had gotten away with a devious scheme.
I helped him take off his spear sheath and turned around to place it on the bed when I heard him say, “You should disrobe and bathe too, just to be sure you don’t get any blood on you.”
I spun around to see if he was kidding, but he had already sauntered off to the bathroom, more than confident that I wouldn’t protest.
And he wasn’t wrong.
Chapter Thirteen
Claire
I followed Ryker into the bathroom, shocked to see that his ‘bath’ was actually a huge natural hot tub. Water, presumably from the nearby hot spring, poured in through a little aqueduct from the back wall.
The massive tub itself was carved out of a large slab of stone. He stood right before the tub, stripping off his pants before stepping into the water. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse at what he was packing—and boy, was it huge. The sight of it turned me into a blushing schoolgirl.
He looked at me and waved. “Join me, Claire.”
He spoke my name as if it were a dirty sexual word. It sent chills down my spine, and beckoned me to come to him, yet I still hesitated. I was doing some rudimentary geometry in my head after seeing his cock in its full glory, trying to figure out how he’d ever get inside of me without tearing me a new one. Good God.
“Can you, uh…” I paused, my cheeks heating up. “Could you look away until I’m in the water?”
“Whatever you say. But I’ve already seen all of you before, and your body is exceedingly beautiful. You shouldn’t be so shy about it.” Having said that, Ryker turned around and leaned back against the tub walls.
He couldn’t have been serious. But then again, he had invited me to his bathtub. He really wanted me, didn’t he?
Would things finally go beyond sly touches tonight?
I had a feeling it could go so much further. The only person among the two of us holding back was me. I wanted this, so why not just push forward already?
Oh, yeah. There was the question of his massive cock. I had my suspicions about it, just from what I could see beneath his fabric, but now I knew for a fact how big it was. And I suspected it could get a whole lot bigger.
And the thought of that was making me wet. Better to get in the tub now before the scent was entirely too obvious. I dropped my robe and pushed it away with my foot. Before I took one step forward, I saw Ryker peaking over his shoulder at me. “Ryker!” I said, covering myself with my hands.
He laughed. “Nothing I haven’t seen before, Maestra. I was only looking to see what was taking you so long.”
I raised my brow. “Maestra? That’s another word my translator’s not putting into English.”
He thought about it, still making no effort to look away. “It’s a term of endearment. The translator device is careful to preserve culturally important words.”
“Then it must not be a mere term of end
earment, because it would have just had you saying ‘darling’ or something, right?”
His brows shot up, and he lifted both hands up like a caught criminal. “All right. The word is a bit more than a term of endearment. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
“I think you’re the one getting ahead of things, buddy,” I quipped, trying to recover some face.
He lifted his head slightly as his nostrils flared, sniffing the air. “No. Judging by the scent of your arousal, I don’t think I’m moving fast enough.”
Cocky little bastard. But he was right.
“Hey.” He looked at me. I could see sincerity in his eyes. “Come here.”
Something took over, and I obeyed his command immediately, making my way toward him. Carefully stepping down into the tub, I took his offered hand. It was like grabbing onto a metal pole, it was so sturdy.
I sunk into the water, finally concealing my naked body. The warm water made my limbs relax. In that moment, Ryker stood, towering over me. I could see the desire in his eyes. He reached over, moved the hair off my shoulder, then ran a finger down my arm, making my whole body shiver. Leaning in, he whispered, his breath hot against my neck, “Don’t be shy with your body. Not around me.”
He kissed my ear. Without any warning he started sucking my ear lobe before moving his lips down my neck. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered again, pulling away just as I wanted him to go much further.
I tried to memorize everything about his face; his striking yellow eyes, the scars from the wars he fought, and in that moment, I knew I wanted to hold him forever.
He kissed the corner of my lips and said, “You smell so good. I’ve been dying to taste you ever since I ripped your undergarments off at the hot spring.” His voice was just above a whisper, and his body was now pressed gently against mine. His chest and abs were so chiseled against my soft flesh, and his throbbing cock pressed against my clit, sending shocks of pleasure throughout my body.
Finally he leaned in for a kiss. His kiss was slow at first, but soon became demanding. I felt small beneath him. The fact that he could get anything he wanted from me made my knees weak. One of his hands traveled down my stomach as he nibbled on my lower lip.