“He won’t. He’s bonded to you as his new mother.” He stalked closer. “Put him down, my mate.”
Her mouth went dry, and she carefully placed the little creature on the ground. He trotted off happily to investigate the remains of their lunch.
“That food won’t hurt him, will it?”
“Nothing ever bothers the stomach of a war beast,” Aidon said as he stepped closer still, pressing the hard warmth of his body against hers. The heavy weight of his cock pushed against her stomach, and she felt a corresponding pulse of desire low in her stomach.
“You disobeyed me,” he growled.
“I didn’t go into the jungle,” she argued half-heartedly, her thoughts distracted by the increasing ache in her pussy.
“I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger. No matter what I have to do to get it through your pretty little head.”
“Um—”
“But we’ll come back to that. You said that you love me. Is that true?”
His face was hard, his eyes fierce, but she could see the pulse in his throat beating.
“Of course it’s true. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it. I’m even more sorry that I didn’t have the courage to tell you until now. But I do love you.”
“Thank the gods. I love you too, my mate.”
His head descended again, and this time he didn’t stop kissing her. He didn’t stop as he carried her down to the ground. He didn’t stop as he lifted her body to his. He didn’t stop as he buried himself so far inside her she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. And he didn’t stop as she climaxed in an endless shuddering wave. It wasn’t until his own climax overtook him that he left her mouth, roaring out her name as he exploded inside her in long, pulsing waves of heat.
He collapsed down over her, enclosing her in the warmth of his body, and she clung to him with her arms and legs, pressing soft kisses to his chest and neck and anywhere else she could reach. She had barely caught her breath when he lifted his head, his eyes still fierce and hungry.
“I need to claim you again. The traditional way.”
She didn’t argue as he flipped her over onto her hands and knees. Despite his urgent lovemaking, his still-hard cock stretched her open as he slid into her, and she gasped.
“You look so beautiful like this, saachi.” He traced a finger down her spine, and she could feel the faint edge of his claws, sending a pleasurable shiver over her body. “How do your people discipline disobedient females?”
“They don’t,” she said defiantly. Or at least she tried to. His fingers were now dancing around her swollen clit, and that was all she could focus on.
His hand moved, circling the place where they were joined, gathering their combined wetness, before he reached the puckered star of her anus. Her breath caught. His touch was both arousing and slightly threatening. No one had ever touched her there before. He teased the sensitive flesh, awakening nerve endings she had never known existed. By the time he pressed inside her, she was writhing beneath him. His entrance into her body caused a burning stretch that only added to her arousal. The additional fullness from his finger increased the already overwhelming stretch of his cock. Her whole body shuddered, perched on the edge of climax.
“Come for me, saachi,” he ordered as his other hand firmly pinched her distended clit.
Helpless to do anything but obey, she convulsed in his arms as he lowered his body over hers. He filled her, surrounded her, until she was lost in him. His hips thrust forward, slowly at first but rapidly increasing in speed as his mouth went unerringly to the bite mark on her neck. His finger was still buried in her dark channel, adding to the shocking fullness every time he entered her, and she was already balanced on the edge of another climax.
His frantic thrusting increased until he was pounding into her, and she tried to meet every stroke. His arm came up under her, grabbing her shoulder and holding her in place as he drove even harder into her helplessly overwhelmed body until he roared. Then his mouth clamped down on her neck, sending a shock wave of pain and pleasure through her body. Her vision sheeted white, and she was lost in helpless pleasure.
His body collapsed over hers, and she welcomed his heavy weight enclosing her in the warmth of his protection. Every part of her was raw and vulnerable and happy. She didn’t realize she was crying until a wet tongue licked away the tears. It took a moment for her to realize that Aidon’s head was still buried in her neck, and she opened her eyes to find her little war beast watching her anxiously.
She laughed, sending a delicious shudder through their still-joined bodies. “I don’t think he knows what to make of this.”
“Then he needs to learn. I intend to repeat it as often as possible.”
Aidon slowly withdrew from her body, sending another shiver of pleasure through her. His eyes heated, but he shook his head.
“I suspect you need a chance to recover. Would you like to swim?”
Now that they were separated, she was conscious of just how damp and sticky she was. Her hair hung in tangled tendrils around her face, and she could smell their combined essence. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to lose that, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of being clean was very appealing.
“A swim sounds wonderful.” She smiled up at him.
He picked her up and carried her to the pool, and if he didn’t quite give her a chance to recover, at least she was clean again the third time he took her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“You called Trouble a war beast?” Hanna asked doubtfully as she watched the little creature sniffing around the edges of the room. Aidon had bestowed the name on him after an unfortunate earlier incident. After cleaning up the mess, he’d provided a box filled with leaf mold, and Trouble seemed to understand exactly how it was to be used.
“That’s what the offworlders called them. We used to call them artan. Many generations ago they would often accompany us on our hunts.”
They were sitting on the floor of his living room, and she was leaning back against the solid warmth of his body. She could feel the tension in his muscles.
“What happened to the war beasts?” she asked softly.
“They were one of the first victims when the planet was discovered. They were hunted or taken away to fight wars. We rarely see them anymore.”
Trouble came scampering back over to her and climbed up in her lap.
“But war beast? He’s so friendly.”
At that moment, Trouble yawned. His mouth opened almost as wide as his head, and she could see the serrated rows of teeth filling his mouth. She gulped.
“Oh. Why do so many Pardorian animals have so many teeth?”
“Survival, of course.”
Trying not to disturb Trouble, she twisted around to look up at Aidon. “But you don’t have them.”
“I could.” He opened his mouth, and she watched in horror as a second row of teeth appeared behind the first.
“No! If you ever want to come near my pussy again, you’d better keep those hidden. Forever.”
“A very powerful threat.” He laughed, and the teeth disappeared before he bent down to kiss her. Would she ever get used to this strange world? But the question reminded her of something she had been thinking about all afternoon.
“I want to eat some fruit,” she said softly.
“Why would you want to do that? You know it would chain you to Pardor.”
“Don’t you understand? I’m already tied to it because I’m tied to you. I love you, Aidon, and where you go, I go. You’ll have to return, and I will return with you. I don’t want to have to worry about what I can eat.”
He stirred restlessly, and she could tell he wanted to get up and pace, but she snuggled firmly against his chest.
“I don’t want to tie you to this place,” he said at last.
“Aren’t I tied to you?”
He growled, and his arms tightened around her. “Of course you are.”
“You see? Tie
s aren’t necessarily bad. I love you, and I’m learning to love Pardor. I think you already love it.”
He shook his head, but he didn’t argue any longer. The next morning when she sat down to breakfast, there was a bowl of fruit at her place.
“You know that you don’t have to do this,” he told her. “I love you no matter what.”
“I want to do it.” She picked up a piece of jinsar and popped it in her mouth. The sweet taste exploded across her tongue, and she sighed happily as she quickly consumed the rest of the bowl. After she was finished, she stared at her hand, willing the skin to change colors.
“What are you doing, saachi?”
“I was trying to see if I could change my form.”
“It’s a little soon,” he laughed. “And there is no guarantee that it will ever happen. It makes no difference to me.”
“I suppose it doesn’t really matter to me either. I just thought maybe I wouldn’t feel so helpless.”
“I have been considering that as well. I don’t think knowledge is enough—you need to be trained to defend yourself.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “I don’t think I’m much of a fighter.”
“You don’t need to be. But you should at least know enough to have a chance of escaping.” She must not have looked convinced because he added, “And I intend to teach you how to use weapons as well.”
“That might be kind of interesting,” she admitted.
“Then we will begin this morning.”
Trouble made a funny little bleating noise and pawed at her leg. She laughed as she picked him up. “It looks like Trouble agrees with you.”
A week later, Hanna gave a triumphant cry as one of her darts embedded in a target she had been aiming at. Aidon’s attempt to teach her to use weapons had not been entirely successful, but she had displayed a surprising aptitude for the small, heavy darts he had created from the thorns of a vicious-looking bush. The darts might not be fatal on their own, but their ends were dipped in a poisonous fluid that she had extracted from pitchat plants. So far the only victim of her darts had been one of the little red mice, but it had been horrifyingly effective. The little body had given a single spasm before collapsing. Even knowing that they were predatory scavengers, she had felt sick to her stomach. Aidon had gathered her close.
“I don’t want to kill anything,” she had whispered.
“I know, saachi. If the gods are willing, you will never need to do so. But if you are called upon to defend yourself, I want you to be ready.”
So the lessons had continued, although she confined herself to stationary targets.
“You did very well, my mate,” Aidon said.
Trouble made a soft bleat of agreement. He had been sitting at her feet, seeming to watch as she practiced, and now he gave her a pleading look. She laughed and picked him up, snuggling his warm little body against her as he licked her cheek enthusiastically.
“Sometimes I think he gets more of your kisses than I do,” Aidon complained.
“Since you won’t let him on the bed with us, I’m sure that’s not true. Didn’t I kiss you enough last night?”
“It’s never enough.” His eyes heated, and he leaned toward her, then froze.
“What—” Hanna started to speak, but Aidon put his hand over her mouth and pulled her close as he listened.
Her eyes were wide and startled, but she remained still as he extended his senses, scenting the air. A harsh odor, not part of the jungle, drifted past. Offworlders. And although he hoped he was wrong, the fact that they were so close to his home made him suspect that he was the target.
“There’s someone here,” he whispered in her ear. “Strangers.”
She gave a quick nod, but he felt her trembling. Trouble started to squirm in her arms, but she pulled him closer, scratching beneath his almost nonexistent ears, and he settled down.
Aidon listened for a moment longer, tracking the scents and sounds of the jungle, and decided that there were two males present. They were heading toward the river, below where his home was located, but much too close for comfort.
“I’m going to draw them away from here,” he said softly. “As soon as I’m out of sight, head back to the house. Lock the doors the way I showed you and hide until I return.”
“But what about you?”
“I only detect two of them.” The blood rushed through his veins, and he felt his lips curl into a fighting smile. “I can handle them.”
“But what if something goes wrong?”
“Saachi, I’ve spent the last fifteen years fighting in one way or another. I don’t lose.”
“Maybe they’re not here to cause trouble,” she said hopefully.
“The only time strangers come into the jungle is when they intend to cause harm.” He gave her a quick, hard hug, then transformed into his public form. “Now remember what I said. As soon as I’m out of sight, head straight back to the house as quietly as you can. Can you find your way?”
She bit her lip but nodded.
“Good girl. Don’t worry—everything is going to be fine.”
Despite the fear he could see on her face, she nodded again, and when he turned away, she didn’t attempt to call him back. He took one last look over her shoulder just before the jungle closed around him. She was standing where he left her, her face pale but determined as she raised a hand in salute. He lifted his hand in return and started his search.
The jungle was thick around him, vines hanging heavily, but he had been slipping through these vines since he was a child, and he moved silently. The two strangers were up ahead, carrying on a loud-voiced conversation, and he shook his head in disgust. If they were trying to camouflage their presence, they weren’t doing a very good job.
As he got closer, he could tell that they were arguing about the right way back to the river. Fools. They deserved what he was about to deliver.
He thought he heard a faint sound behind him, but when he whirled around, there was no one there. Fuck. He hadn’t hunted in far too long if he was no longer capable of separating prey and predator. Beneath the normal sounds of jungle life, he caught the distant rush of the river. Good. He would take them on the riverbank.
As the water drew closer, he closed the distance between them. Trees were beginning to thin, and he could see the rocky bank that made up this portion of the river shore. Intent on catching up with his prey, he slipped more quickly through the trees. It wasn’t until the ground beneath him disappeared that he realized what a fool he’d been. His last thought as he tumbled into the pit trap was of Hanna.
Hanna stared after Aidon as he disappeared into the jungle. He didn’t seem concerned—he had even looked excited at the prospect of facing whoever was in the jungle with them—but her heart beat a scared pulse. What if there were more than two of them?
Should she go after him? Her fighting skills might have improved under his tutelage, but she suspected they would be completely inadequate against a trained fighter. As she stood there, trying to decide what to do, she caught the sound of another body moving through the jungle. Something big and heavy was following in Aidon’s path. Was it another spirin? But even as she wondered, she knew that no native Pardorian animal would ever make so much noise. She had to go after him. She couldn’t let him be ambushed from behind.
As soon as the sounds faded, she slipped into the jungle. Trouble peered over her arm, his whole body quivering, but he remained unusually silent. He seemed to understand that they were on the hunt. She tried to step the way that Aidon had shown her, looking for harder surfaces that wouldn’t rustle beneath her feet, sliding between vines rather than pushing through them. Each time her foot disturbed a leaf or she heard the vines scrape together, she quivered, sure that she was telegraphing her presence to anyone else in the jungle. Her hands were damp with sweat, and her knees shook, but she kept going. When she heard the sounds of the river up ahead, she slowed down, stopping to listen between each step.
A loud cry echoe
d through the jungle, and her heart skipped a beat. That didn’t sound like Aidon. She wanted to race forward, but she forced herself to maintain a slow approach.
When she heard voices in front of her, she ducked down behind the nearest bush. Trouble gave a low growl, almost too quiet for her to hear, but she could feel his body vibrating. He knew there was something wrong.
As cautiously as possible, she peered through the branches. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she saw four huge males standing around a pit in the ground. She had a sinking feeling she knew who was in the pit. What was more, she had the uneasy feeling that she had seen these males before. Their coloring and weaponry reminded her of the occupants of Chotgor’s mansion back on Hothrest.
Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Chotgor came stalking up from the riverbank. He was almost unrecognizable—one side of his head and one arm were heavily scarred, the flesh looking almost melted, and she remembered the terrible fire at the mansion.
A Pardorian in the public form walked behind him, and her heart sank even further. If Aidon’s own people had turned against him, how could she help him?
Chotgor and the Pardorian stopped at the edge of the trap and looked down. Chotgor laughed triumphantly, but she thought a flash of dismay crossed the Pardorian’s face.
“You said you wished to hunt for arslan,” he said quietly.
“You didn’t really think I went to all the trouble of kidnapping your female just for a stupid animal, did you?”
The Pardorian didn’t answer, and Chotgor turned his attention back to the trap.
“Is he conscious?”
“I don’t think so, sir. He hit his head on the way down.”
A lightning streak of fear made her shiver, her arms tightening instinctively on Trouble. He gave a muffled whimper, and she could have sworn the Pardorian looked in their direction, but his expression never changed.
“He better not be dead yet,” Chotgor snarled. “I intend to take my time with him before I kill him.”
“No, sir. His chest is still moving.”
Hanna and the Hitman: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 8) Page 15
