by Eve Langlais
Her hips rocked in time to the motion. He slid a third finger into her, pumping them in and out as his mouth worked her swollen nub.
Her climax hit hard and fast. Darius grunted when her pelvic muscles clamped his fingers tight.
And still he kept licking, drawing out that orgasm and then stoking it so that she was panting.
“I want you inside me. Please. Darius.”
As if he could resist that please. He stripped before he moved, his body covering hers. One arm tugged up her leg to spread her for him. He settled himself between her thighs, and the tip of his dick rubbed against her cleft. Dipped against that hot honey.
Which, of course, was when some asshole decided to interrupt.
Chapter 11
“We’d better be under attack!” Darius yelled in frustration, pulling away just as he was about to enter her.
She regarded him through heavy-lidded eyes.
“We’re about ta enter a tight spot,” was Jorah’s muffled reply from the other side of the door.
“How tight?” Darius asked as his gaze flicked to her. The hunger in it made her squirm.
“Tighter dan a vir—um. Er—” Jorah stammered, and she couldn’t help but grin.
Darius groaned. “I have to go.” The words emerged so reluctantly she couldn’t help but feel flattered.
“Pity,” she replied before daring to run her fingers down her ribcage, noting how his eyes followed their descent. She stopped at the top of her pubes.
He swallowed. “I’ll be back soon as I can.”
“I’d like that,” was her honest reply, which only seemed to make him smolder even hotter.
He dressed quickly, obviously in a rush, and yet he took a moment to lean over and kiss her. Deeply. Thoroughly.
She was tingling all over by the time he left.
The soft sigh that emerged from her held disappointment mixed with some frustration. It helped to know he didn’t want to leave.
After the orgasm he’d given her, she should have been satisfied. But she wanted more. She didn’t care if it was greedy or wanton. She wanted to feel him inside her. Her cleft fluttered at the thought of him stretching her, pounding deep. Flesh to flesh. She’d dig her fingers into the muscles of his back as he rode her into an epic climax.
And yes, she knew it would be epic. She had only to recall what he’d done with his mouth.
Shudder.
She was no virgin, but her experience was limited to only a few men. Okay two to be exact. Neither made her feel the way Darius did.
On fire. Drugged, but in a good way. Soooo good. It was an addiction she didn’t want to fight.
Her body ached. Why did he have to go? She needed him. Her fingers trailed from her thigh over to her mound, her lips sensitive and wet.
She wanted to play with herself. To ease some of the aching. Instead, she groaned and rolled out of the bed. It didn’t seem fair to enjoy herself without him, especially since he was doing his job. A captain had a duty to his crew and ship to keep them safe.
He might style himself a pirate, but he was also a good captain. His crew adored him. Every single one of them had stories of how he’d saved them or some other poor unfortunate. Wild tales of the treasures they’d found and the battles they’d been in where Darius retained the distinctive title of hero.
She was beginning to think those tales might not be too exaggerated. The man had a wicked side, that was for sure. Dangerous, too. But he was also a decent person. Kind to people. Hard working. Intelligent. Wily.
Sexy.
She rubbed her thighs together. She needed to get out.
Since her selection of clothing remained limited, she chose one of his shirts belted over short pants—given to her by Aquata—that ended just past her knees. No shoes. She noticed the discomfort and nausea lessened when her feet made actual contact with the deck of the ship. It disappeared almost entirely now when she was in the fresh air.
About to leave, she happened to glance in a mirror bolted to the wall. Not a large one and a bit high, the right height for a pirate to perhaps look in while he shaved.
A strange woman peered back at her from it. She gasped. The woman in the mirror did, too.
She lifted her fingers to lips full and rosy—from kisses. Her cheeks blooming, eyes bright, and her hair a tousled mess. A woman who’d been seduced.
She couldn’t go out on deck looking like she’d just rolled out of a bed after being pleasured. Tanzie would tease her for sure. She’d been making sly remarks about Shereen and Darius getting together for a while.
Jorah kept pointing out Darius’s good points. “Da captn’ bathes regularly.” Unlike some of the crew. “He doesna drink too much.”
To which Tanzie retorted, “Not since he woke up with that tattoo.”
Shereen blushed now knowing what tattoo they spoke of. On his left buttock, he had a radioactive symbol in a circle with a bite out of it. She wondered what it meant.
With a few tugs of a brush, she pinned part of her hair back and plaited it. She also took an extra moment to wash her face and other parts before exiting onto the deck.
A brilliant sun shone, glistening off water that had finally gone from red to blue. The shores along this part of the river teemed with life, especially bugs, some of the flying insects as big as her fist.
Thick trees marched to the very edge, their roots dipping into the river like straws. Branches swayed with the weight of birds, their plumage bright, their flight beautiful to watch. She even caught sight of other animals such as a large and slow-moving hairy thing that almost seemed to smile as it passed by. Less cute were the big slitted orange eyes peeking from the water.
“Would you believe the monster that’s watching us makes the most expensive footwear and bags?” Darius joined her.
“I think I had a pair of boots made of that skin,” she replied, half turning to toss him a smile.
“A princess with expensive tastes.”
“Says the man who owns a pair of boots in scaled leather.”
He grinned, completely unabashed. “I have pricey habits, too.”
“What are you doing out here? I thought you were needed.”
“I was, but not for long apparently. The bottleneck around the river wasn’t a very lengthy one.”
She frowned. “Will we run into more?”
“If my information remains true, then the biggest one is still to come.”
The remark had her gnawing her lip. “Maybe we should turn around. I don’t want us to get stuck.”
That caused him to laugh. “The river is wide enough for my vessel. The Lazuli used it for shipping quite a bit before the waters were poisoned. Now they tend to rely on their rail system.”
“Implying the river isn’t safe.”
His teeth gleamed as he smiled. “Nowhere is safe. You’re not in Port City anymore, princess. Not protected behind guards and walls. Out in the wild, everything wants to kill you. Always assume that, always be on your guard.”
“Always?” she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
“Yes, if you want to stay unmaimed and alive.”
She shivered. “Sounds exhausting.”
“But invigorating.”
That brought a snort to her lips. “Invigorating is a hot bath with stimulating oils. Or a hearty meal that energizes.”
“I can think of other things that stimulate.”
She hoped he didn’t notice the heat in her cheeks. She turned away only to feel his fingers lace with hers. He stepped closer.
“I am surprised to see you on deck,” he murmured. “I kept imagining you in that bed, touching yourself. Thinking of me.”
The brazen words flushed her, head to toe and especially between the thighs. “Darius!”
“Yes, princess?”
She glared at him, only to see him grinning widely, his gaze dancing with mirth. “You’re bad.”
“The baddest,” he said with a wink.
“Don’t be so sure,”
she muttered. “I finished what you couldn’t.” She lied and got the satisfaction of seeing his jaw drop.
“Now that’s just plain evil, princess.” He shook his head.
Her turn to smile. “I know.”
He reeled her close, their fingers still laced, his free hand planting itself on her waist. He looked down at her. “What is it about you that is so damned irresistible?”
As compliments went, that gruff query was probably the hottest thing she’d ever heard. “You’re not bad yourself.”
“Get a fuckin’ room before I lose my lunch,” yelled Ralf from the top of the mast.
Darius replied with a rude gesture, and she laughed.
That ended the interlude of flirtation, but not their time spent together. She got to see him being captain. Moving around his ship constantly, and when he wasn’t watching, he was in the bridge, studying and tweaking things in there. Except for the strange table with needles attached to a device with a jumble of wires hanging out of it.
When she inquired about it, Tanzie explained. The machine was a cartographer of sorts. Through some probes dropped over the hull, it measured depth, width, and current of the river then recreated it on paper and kept a stored copy.
As Tanzie remarked, “A map of this river will sell for big money given I don’t know of any usable ones out there.”
Which made Shereen wonder again at their decision to sail the Crocanile. What was she thinking asking them to do this? It sounded as if this river had never been sailed by an outsider before.
“You’re looking a little tense,” Darius murmured by her ear, his hands sliding around her. “Do you want to go back to our room and I’ll help you relax?”
He’d called the room ours. As if they were a couple.
She wanted nothing more than to do exactly as he suggested. “Are you sure you can leave?”
“I’m the captain. I can do whatever I want.” His lips brushed the rim of her ear. “I’ve been wanting to get you alone for hours.”
Magical words. She was about to ask what they were waiting for when a shout from above distracted.
“Captain, I see a pier up ahead.” From his spot atop the mast, Ralf pointed in the distance.
Immediately Darius went from lover to leader. “Any boats? People?”
“Nada, captain. Looks like the jungle is taking over the village.”
“Jorah,” Darius hollered, stepping away from Shereen.
So much for getting away for a bit.
The first mate stuck his head out of the bridge. “I heard him. Already altering our course ta ensure we give da dock a wide berth.”
“Tanzie—”
“Heading below to make sure the cannons are locked and loaded,” she stated, jogging past.
Their efficiency proved inspiring, but Darius scowled. “Ever feel like you’re not needed?”
Since she couldn’t quite reach his mouth without his help, Shereen settled for a pat on his butt and a murmured, “I need you.”
“Evil,” was his chuckled reply. The laughter on his face eased into grimness as they sailed into view of the village.
The pier Ralf had mentioned jutted from the shore, one of three originally. The other two showed only jagged remains, the rest of them torn free. Not a single boat bobbed on the intact dock. Nor did anyone run out to see them as they sailed past.
The houses that remained were hard to discern with the jungle taking back its land. Vines wound in and out of the windows and around the blocky shapes. The paths that once existed were now overgrown with weeds and even budding trees.
“What happened here?” she asked.
“Given how stripped it looks? I’d say abandoned,” Darius said.
“Because of the red waters?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Darius squeezed her fingers. “Could be something else, though, which means be careful. Don’t go far. Stay in sight.”
“You think we’re going to run into danger,” she stated rather than asked.
He lifted a shoulder. “Probably. Remember what I told you.”
The nonchalance of it didn’t ease her guilt at the danger. This was foolish. And all her fault. “Turn it around.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said turn the ship around. You were right. Going to find the Lazuli is a dumb idea.” Not to mention selfish. How dare she place risk their lives like this? “Let’s go find a nice island instead.”
“Now she changes her mind,” he said to the sky. Darius glanced at her. “What happened to needing your genes activated?”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Are you sure?” he asked very seriously. “Because I will take you if you want to go.”
He would. She could see it in his earnest expression. He’d risk everything for her. Shouldn’t she be as willing to do something for him?
“I’m sure. Take us somewhere I can walk without fear of getting eaten and indulge in a long, hot shower.”
He grinned. “Shower, yes, but I make no promises about being eaten. A man does get hungry.” Wink.
He left her blushing to give orders to Jorah to get them out of here.
As she glanced forward, she noticed the river appeared to widen and she heard a panicked yell from overhead. “Whirlpool!”
A what?
Darius ran from the bridge. “What heading?” He climbed to stand atop the metal housing of the bridge. He was already snapping open his binoculars. He held them up and cursed. “Is it me, or is it getting bigger, Ralf?”
“It started out of nowhere, Captain, and is increasing in size.”
“Jorah, full reverse and flip. Don’t let us anywhere near that thing. Batten the hatches, things might get wet,” Darius bellowed.
Ralf clambered down from his perch and raced to do his part.
Shereen heard the change in the engines as they revved them down so that it could flip into a different mode. There was a jolt as the motors kicked back in and reversed direction.
Things slowed as the boat fought the momentum and began shifting them backwards. They chugged, but not before long before they stopped. The ship resumed its course, heading for the whirlpool.
“Fuck! Fuck!” Darius cursed as he practically leaped for the roof. “Get in the bridge,” he yelled at her.
She raced for it and entered, Darius right behind. He locked the door shut then went and stood by the wheel. It sat beside what Tanzie called a sonar.
Right now, it looked like a swirling toilet. There ship was a smudge being drawn into a circling, expanding mass.
“It’s sucking us in, Capn’,” Jorah exclaimed.
“I see that. We’ll need to ride it to the other side.”
“Ride it?” Shereen repeated dumbly.
Even Jorah seemed taken aback. “At the rate it’s growing, it will swallow us.”
“Not if we get past it before it’s too big. Full speed ahead.”
“You’re insane,” the big man muttered, but he obeyed.
The engines groaned as they were shifted quickly then hummed as the ship shot forward. She teetered on her feet before sitting down. Darius didn’t seem to notice the sway and remained sure-footed, staring out the viewing slit, not speaking but his hands on the controls of the ship.
The noise of the engines began to disappear amidst the roar of what she assumed was the whirlpool.
“Hold on tight,” Darius muttered before yanking his levers to one side.
The ship heaved. If she hadn’t been seated, she would have fallen. Darius and Jorah leaned with the vessel, and she could barely follow as the pair of them stared out a window and spouted words she didn’t grasp. Things like hull pressure and vortex pull and timing their exit.
Next thing she knew, the engines were screaming with exertion and Darius had once more yanked on his levers. There was much groaning and rattling, but she knew they’d succeeded in something when Darius hissed, “Yes.”
She knew they were completely out of danger when he turned to her a
nd said, “I don’t know about you, but I could use a stroll on deck.”
He retained his tenseness as they emerged. She could guess the reason why. “That whirlpool is blocking the way back.”
He glanced at her. “Only temporarily is my guess. Given it appeared out of nowhere, I’d say it is something that goes off periodically. We’ll just have to watch and time it on our way out. Once we can turn around, which won’t be for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember I mentioned that narrow pass we’d have to go through?” He pointed ahead. “We’re about to enter it.”
She glanced past the prow to see them rapidly approaching a crevice in the rock. “Can’t we stop and turn before we reach it?”
“The river here is already too narrow. We’ll need to wait for a wider spot.”
There was no accusation in his tone, and yet she hung her head. “I’m sorry. I should have never insisted we come here.”
“I might think you’re crazy for doing it, but I won’t fault the logic. It can’t have been easy growing up normal among those with a Deviant gift.”
She snorted. “Understatement. Living amongst the Aunimaa, the gifted ones, was a daily reminder I wasn’t like them. I was the abnormal one. The one without any power, which must have embarrassed my father, and yet he never said a word to me about it.”
“Because he loved you, no matter what.”
“He did,” she replied softly, feeling a pang as she thought of his final sacrifice. “And I am dishonoring him by going against his wishes. He never wanted me to accept the Lazuli deal.”
“It’s not too late.” He tugged her into his arms. “We’ll turn around as soon as we find a spot wide enough to do so.”
To Shereen’s anxiety, that seemed less and less likely the longer they travelled within the crevice. It wasn’t so narrow that they could touch the walls but close enough they kept a tight line down the middle of it.
Darius, his jaw clenched as he stood atop the bridge’s metal roof, peered constantly through his binoculars, shouting out commands as they navigated the sinuous turns. There was an interesting system on board of crewmembers hearing the orders and, if it didn’t apply to them, yelling it out to the next person until they found the person it referred to. Apparently electronic communication systems on board had a tendency of failing, so they kept to simpler methods.
