by Kate Rudolph
A beautiful, talented, brilliant woman who he could never see himself tiring of, and his Match on top of that? It was the stuff of legends come to life.
He kissed Emily, capturing her lips with his own, groaning as her tongue slid against his. Her kisses were unpracticed, but seductive, and he could lay her all night, his body pressed against hers while their lips tangled until the sun rose.
He might go mad. He might come in his own pants. But it would be worth it.
But if the way she was grinding against him meant anything, she’d take the reins from him and have her way with him, virgin or not, if he didn’t give her more.
There was fire in her and he wanted to see it blaze.
Emily groaned when he tugged her pants down, exposing her to the night. He’d never seen a human fully naked before, but he knew that the females were almost identical to Zulir women, with some minor differences in stature and musculature. Oz couldn’t tell. He didn’t care. If Emily was the only person he ever saw naked again he’d be happy.
She was far gone enough with lust that she didn’t seem too self-conscious of her nakedness, though she shifted her legs, as if she could keep him from getting to the core of her. One word from her and he’d stop. If she backed away he’d pause. But after a moment Emily relaxed, letting her legs shift back into place and giving him the access he craved.
She was a wonder, his little flyer, and one he would never doubt.
He wanted to send her soaring.
At the first touch of his lips to the heat of her sex she jerked, surprised, but as he let his tongue get to work, savoring her unique flavor, she surrendered to it, moaning and tightening around him.
Oz could stay here for days, feasting on her and never sated. But he wanted her in his bed at home.
No, that bed wasn’t good enough. He wanted to find some monstrosity of a bed, overly decorated and covered in silks and furs where she’d never want for comfort or warmth, especially when he was there beside her.
Inside her.
His cock throbbed, and he had to reach down to adjust himself to keep from going insane.
Then his fingers teased her entrance while his tongue worked the hard nub of her sex. She begged for more; at least that was what he could make out of the panting words she managed to form.
Tongue followed fingers, opening her up. It would be so easy to join with her, to slip inside and fill her up, but he was determined to wait, determined to make it perfect. Everything had to be perfect for Emily.
She rippled around him, crying out as her muscles clenched and released in orgasm. Oz looked up at her, watching as ecstasy overtook her, the way her face relaxed and her eyes slipped close and her mouth opened, letting out little gasps of air.
He’d given her this, brought her to this point of pleasure.
Never had he felt more powerful, more complete.
He let his wings out once more, brushing them against her and watching as her body rippled with an aftershock. The sensation was strange for him, something between a touch and a breath against his skin. But she rolled into the feeling and he’d leave his wings out forever if she wanted to revel in them.
He wanted to give her wings of her own.
But that was for another time.
Emily’s sex-drunk eyes opened and she looked down at him. “Wow,” she finally said.
“Wow,” Oz repeated. He adjusted himself again, trying to find a comfortable position for his throbbing cock, but there would be nothing but discomfort until he came or it finally calmed down. And with a picture of Emily looking like that firmly imprinted in his mind, there was no way he was calming down any time soon.
Her eyes were drawn down and she licked her lips.
Punt. She wouldn’t have to do much for him to explode.
“Can I see you?” she asked, eyes glued to his bulge.
He might have felt objectified if he hadn’t had the opportunity to look his fill at her laid out before him. Oz made quick work of his pants and knelt before her, cock hard and standing at attention.
Emily’s brows scrunched up in confusion. “That’s... not what I expected.”
He looked down and saw what he always saw, his cock thickened with pleasure, ridges running along the head down to where his secondary stimulator was twitching, waiting to tease Emily’s clit. The head narrowed, all for easier penetration, with the rest of him thick enough to fill her completely.
“I said I’ve never done this before, not that I don’t know anatomy,” she added before he could ask any questions. And then she was sitting up and wrapping her hand around him.
Any concern that she might be put off by the differences in their species evaporated with the first stroke.
“Tighter,” he growled.
She tightened her grip, dragging her fist over him so tortuously slowly that he thought he’d go mad. She gathered some of the fluid leaking out of his stimulator and used it to help the glide, and Oz couldn’t stop himself from pumping into her fist, hips jerking madly as his body tightened to the breaking point, release tearing through him as he came.
He leaned against her, his head resting against her shoulder, nuzzling against her and breathing deep. The combined scents of their sex were enough to sooth something deep inside of him, something that wanted to reach out and claim her and never let her go.
No matter what, he had to find a way to keep her.
He didn’t think he could survive being parted.
Chapter Twelve
A HEAVY ARM DRAPED over Emily’s middle told her things weren’t like normal. Then the smell of fresh air tickled her nose and a cool wind burst over her, jolting her fully to wakefulness.
She could feel Oz’s beard tickling her naked shoulder.
Naked.
Oz.
Last night.
Wow.
She curled tighter into him, mostly for warmth, and a bit because she liked the way his hard body felt against hers.
If someone had told her a few months ago that she’d have her first sexual experience on an alien planet with an alien warrior she would wonder what on Earth they were smoking. But she wasn’t on Earth anymore, and she could still remember how it felt to have Oz feasting on her like there was no tomorrow.
Her sex tightened and she knew if she stuck her fingers down there they would come back wet with need. Could they do all that again? Soon? She’d gone twenty-four years just fine without having sex, but now that she knew the things that Oz could do to her she didn’t know that she could go another twenty-four hours.
Something buzzed overhead, and Emily looked up. The sky was just as blue as usual, so much like Earth that she could pretend she was back home for a minute. But when she saw something fly directly over them and pause, something that definitely wasn’t a bird, she knew their night was over.
Oz sprang up before she could wake him, head tilted up. He saw what she had and cursed.
“We need to move,” he said. All traces of the lover from the night before were gone, and in his place was the warrior determined to keep her safe.
Emily found clothes and put them on as quickly as she could, then scooped up the bits and pieces that made up her camp. She only remembered her wounded leg when she was running to the vehicle. It didn’t even twinge. That healing cream must have done the trick.
She slid into the passenger seat as Oz fired up the engine. “What was that thing?” she asked. Part of her mind was still stuck on what she and Oz had done the night before, but she was trying to ignore that in favor of survival.
It should have been easier.
He sped out of their hiding place and down a path that might have been considered a road if they were being generous. “Looked like a surveillance drone. Standard procedure is to call in a patrol unit to check it out. We might only have a few minutes, depending on how close the nearest one is. Hold on.”
Emily did. The ride was bumpier than the night before. With the sun up it was so much easier to see, and that meant
he could go faster. Emily caught glimpses of a deep canyon through the trees. What other secrets did this area hold? Had they been in danger of going off a cliff the night before when they could barely see?
She trusted Oz, but he’d said himself that this wasn’t his home planet She had no idea how familiar he was with the terrain.
She almost wished she’d gone to safety with Solan and the other humans.
Almost. Because even if safety had been an option, she wouldn’t have given up last night with Oz.
Something flashed in front of them and Oz cursed again. The vehicle stuttered and coughed until it powered down, rolling to a gentle stop in the middle of the road.
“What’s happening?” Emily looked around but she didn’t see anyone out the window and there was nothing in the sky.
“EMP.” Oz punched at the controls. “Kills all the electronics.”
“Can you use your powers to jump start it?” He had electric wings, weren’t those like a battery?
“Good idea, but no. I’m more likely to fry the engine. Come on. We need to keep moving before they find the car.” He got out before Emily could argue.
“Are they close?” Once outside she looked around, but they might as well have been the only two beings on the planet.
“Close enough, but an EMP has a wide range. And, lucky for us, they had to keep their vehicles back while they used it. We have a head start. And our best shot is to find cover and hope I can pick them off.” He didn’t sound confident, and Emily couldn’t blame him.
They walked quickly and the trees thinned until they disappeared altogether. No cover, just the edge of the canyon, and she didn’t want to get too close. She wasn’t afraid of heights, she couldn’t be, but that didn’t mean she was stupid. She didn’t know how sturdy the ground was around the ledge and she wasn’t going to find out.
“Let’s go—” the sound of an engine cut Oz off, but she could see his lips forming another curse. “We’re out of time. Stay with me.” He gripped her shoulders tight and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth before pulling back, face utterly serious. “If I fall, don’t fight them. They’ll want to return you to the lab. My people will get you out. Trust Grace.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “You better not die. I’m not letting them take me alive.” The memory of what they’d done to her was enough to make bile rise in her throat. She wasn’t going back, not while she breathed.
She saw the reluctant pride bloom in his gaze and he kissed her once more. “Then I guess I’m surviving.”
He let his wings shoot out. Emily gave him room, even knowing they wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t want him distracted. She wished she had a gun or something, even if she didn’t know how to shoot. She didn’t want to be some damsel in need of protection. Her foot kicked against a large rock and she picked it up. It was better than nothing, not that she had much of a throwing arm.
She expected an army, but maybe she’d seen one too many movies back on Earth.
A single vehicle pulled through the trees and stopped at the edge. Six armed soldiers stepped out, covered head to toe in body armor. The armor made them look identical. It was scary, and Emily’s fingers tightened around her rock. She wanted to chuck it straight at them, but she doubted it would do much good.
Two soldiers remained by the vehicle, taking cover behind doors and holding up nasty-looking guns. The other four let their wings out. Two were bigger than the rest, twice the size of Oz’s wings, and she heard her warrior curse again.
He really liked to curse. She didn’t know if she should try and stop him.
“Why are their wings so big?” she asked.
“That’s a Matched unit. Those two have more power than the other four combined. I don’t...” he trailed off, unwilling to admit what Emily sensed must be true.
Six on two were terrible odds. The Matched unit made it all that much worse.
She knew what she had to do.
Emily didn’t ask. She didn’t offer. She didn’t want Oz making some noble sacrifice. Instead she closed her eyes and reached deep inside of herself for that well of power that wasn’t hers. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do, but from what Oz said it wasn’t too complicated. She let her hands scoop it up and pulled it toward herself.
Oz gasped and his wings flickered.
“What are you doing?” he demanded. She could see in his eyes that he knew, he just didn’t believe.
Emily grit her teeth and grabbed even more of his lightning. “Saving our asses. Now take my damn power and save us both.”
He looked at her, eyes wide and flashing with lightning. Then he grinned. “You’re amazing, Emily Saint.”
She felt something tug deep inside of her and then she stumbled back as Oz’s wings doubled in size. That wall between his power and hers dissolved and she felt wildfire in her veins, sizzling through her. Energy sparked on her fingertips and she could almost feel wings against her back, but when she looked there was nothing there.
She’d figure out the wings later.
Right now their bond gave them a fighting chance.
She wanted to see what Oz could do.
THERE WAS NO TIME TO celebrate, and the joy flowing along with energy through his veins was out of place with the four guards coming towards them. Even Matched he didn’t think they stood a chance against another Matched unit and four other soldiers. But he would fight to the last to get Emily out of this. He didn’t doubt her when she said she wouldn’t be taken alive. So he would do everything within his power to make sure they didn’t get her.
She’d already given him the greatest gift he could be given. He had to make it worth it.
He knew the range of his wings under normal circumstances, but with the power of the Match it had to be greater. And he was testing it live.
Yesterday the soldiers would have been out of range. Today he didn’t know. Time to find out.
He didn’t wait to see if the soldiers would let them surrender. He called on the spark within him, his own mixed with Emily’s until it became something greater than both of them. And he struck.
The closest soldier went down and lay still.
Not only did he have range, his strength had grown exponentially.
The soldiers behind the car opened fire, but Oz expected it, pulling his wings in to shield himself and his Match. Nothing would touch her as long as he breathed.
They had no cover, no place to run, and the shots kept coming until suddenly they stopped.
Oz didn’t take a second to be grateful. The only reason they would stop was if the other soldiers were in the way.
Lightning crackled around them, and this time it wasn’t his own. It wasn’t Emily’s either, not that she’d figured out how to summon hers yet. No, this was something foreign, something bent on his destruction.
It was hard to see through the shield he’d made of his wings, but he managed, and saw just how close the soldiers had gotten. Too close. Far, far too close.
Oz pulled his power inward, letting it build. It was a risky move, one that left him and his Match exposed in the seconds it took to ready the trick, but when he sent it outward in a blast the soldiers went flying back, only one managing to catch his fall with his wings.
Oz latched onto Emily’s hand and started running. They had nowhere to go, not really, but moving was better than staying still. Electricity sparked where their hands met, the first hints of the power Emily had within her manifesting. He wanted to see her use it. She’d be a magnificent sight.
But there was no time to instruct her.
He threw his power behind him, blindly lashing out at the soldiers he couldn’t see. There was no way to know if he struck true, but their run was cut short. They had nowhere to go. The soldiers were between them and any road out of there, and he might be able to glide by himself down to safety in the canyon below, but he couldn’t carry Emily.
The soldiers were advancing slowly and Oz felt like an animal caught in a trap. “See if you ca
n climb down,” he commanded. “I’ll cover you.”
Emily glared and opened her mouth to argue before snapping it shut. She shuffled closer to the edge before scrambling back. “It’s not a sheer drop, but it’s at least thirty feet before the first ledge. And it’s tiny.”
Brazon’s bowels. That wouldn’t do at all.
His power surged, but it wasn’t anything he did, and Emily let out a triumphant yell. “Yes!”
He spared her a glance and grinned madly when he saw electricity arcing between her fingers. “Beautiful,” he said. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to revel in her newly learned power, but one of the soldiers took that moment of distraction to lash out, and Oz barely got his wing up in time to shield them.
When he dropped it, Emily sent out her own bolts beside him, but they weren’t strong enough to connect. She was raw power and instinct right now, and it needed to be honed into something stronger if she was going to use it in a fight. But it was enough to confuse the soldiers for a moment. They knew she was human, and though they’d seen his wings grow when she bonded herself to him, Apsyns weren’t used to human Matches calling on their powers.
Oz pressed the advantage, gaining a little ground as they fell back. He took out the other unmatched soldier and dared to feel a lick of hope.
And in that moment he lost everything.
Between one breath and the next, the Matched soldier closest to him lashed out. Oz threw up his shield a moment too late and braced for impact. He knew what it felt like to have another’s spark rip through him and he could stand strong. He had to. For Emily.
But it wasn’t him the lightning found. And his wings didn’t reach far enough.
He hadn’t noticed Emily step a little too far away. And when her scream ripped through the air his heart cracked in half. He turned, throwing up his wing to make sure they couldn’t strike him, and saw her stumble back. She waved her arms wildly and her eyes widened as the ground below gave way.
He rushed towards her, reaching out, pulling with his power and his wings, with everything inside of her to get there in time. It all happened in a second, but it was an eternity in his mind.
