Taming Two Warriors

by Evangeline Anderson

“Unfortunately not,” Melli sent. “But Liosh is being very slow and patient. See, Blood Kindred make this stuff called essence with their fangs that can help when their mate is hurt. I don’t want to get into details because it’s kind of embarrassing, but he thinks he can, uh, heal me. And if not, there’s this other stuff called ‘bonding fruit’ on the Mother Ship that we can use. So I’m hopeful we’ll be able to bond soon—and then we’ll never be apart.”

  “I’m so glad you finally found your Mr. Right, Melli,” Jodi sent warmly. “I’ll be sending good thoughts your way that the healing works, whatever it is.” Another mental sigh. “I just wish things were so straight-forward on my end.”

  “Vorn is making his Mating Scent for you—how much more straight-forward can it be?” Melli asked. “The fact that his body has the, uh, hots for you means you’re the one woman in the universe he’s meant to be with.”

  “I’m not sure it’s that simple,” Jodi sent pensively. “See, I think he’s only making it because I remind him of women from his original tribe back on his home world. In which case, it’s just a case of mistaken-identity. His body has mistaken mine for a hometown girl he can mate with—that’s all.”

  “I don’t think that’s all there is to it,” Melli objected. “From what Liosh says, the Kindred Goddess picks just the right woman for every Kindred warrior and they don’t start making the Mating Scent until they meet her.”

  “Maybe…” But Jodi still didn’t sound convinced. “But I can’t help thinking that what Vorn and I have is just, you know, completely physical. If we didn’t have the hots for each other so bad, we’d have nothing in common.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Melli sent firmly. “You two are a lot alike, Jodi. You’re both stubborn and hard-headed and fiercely determined to get whatever you set your sights on. He might be an alien from another planet but it seems to me like he was tailor-made for you—the same way Liosh was for me.”

  “Well, even if that’s true—and I’m not convinced it is—Vorn knows that what we have is strictly temporary. It’s only until James gets back into town and can, uh, help me out,” Jodi sent. “I mean, we even agreed on rules so what we’re doing won’t really be cheating. And we both know that after the Kindred patch the hole in their security system, I’ll be getting married to James and he’ll be going back to the Mother Ship.”

  “But why does it have to be that way?” Melli demanded. “Look, I’ve never said anything about it before, but I don’t like James, Jodi. I don’t like him and I don’t think Mom likes him either. He doesn’t treat you right—doesn’t respect you like he should. And he doesn’t seem to put your happiness first.”

  “James is a good man,” Jodi argued and Melli wondered if her big sister was trying to convince her…or herself. “Besides,” she went on, “We’ve been together for years now. We have a life together and the wedding is all planned and paid for. I can’t just back out of such a long, stable relationship because of some fleeting physical attraction for another guy who’s clearly wrong for me!”

  Melli wanted to say that it was James who was clearly wrong for her big sister. But she knew Jodi well enough to realize that if she started arguing for Vorn, her big sister would dig her heels in even harder and completely refuse to see reason.

  So instead, she sent a mental shrug.

  “Well, if that’s how you feel then you’d better stop ‘almost’ cheating.”

  “That’s the thing—I’m trying to.” Jodi’s mental voice sounded almost desperate. “But I can’t seem to stop. It’s almost like…almost like I’m addicted to him. Addicted to Vorn, I mean—not James.”

  Yeah, nobody could get addicted to James, Melli thought.

  “Hey, I heard that, you know!” Jodi sent with a sense of mental indignation.

  “Sorry, I thought I was thinking that to myself. Look—you have to do what you’re always telling me to do—stand up and face your problems, big Sis,” Melli told her. “If you feel like you can’t do whatever it is you’re doing with Vorn anymore, then tell him so. Didn’t you say James was coming back home soon?”

  “Tomorrow.” Jodi didn’t sound very happy about it. “He’s been at a conference in New York but it ends tomorrow and he’s coming home.”

  “So you at least have tonight to try and get things straightened out,” Melli sent her. Then, hearing a soft call from Liosh in the bathroom, she sent, “Look, I’d like to dissect this with you some more but Liosh is calling me.”

  “Okay.” Jodi sighed. “You’re right—I need to just man-up and tell Vorn it’s over and we can’t do this anymore.”

  “Well, if that’s your choice,” Melli sent, letting the doubt in her mental voice sound loud and clear. “I mean, if you’d really rather be with James than with a big, strong, handsome Kindred…”

  “There are good things about James too!” Jodi protested. “He has lots of good qualities. He’s smart and stable and dependable and reliable—”

  And full of himself and way too impressed with his own intelligence and kind of a jerk, Melli thought to herself.

  “Hey—I heard that!” Jodi exclaimed.

  “Oops, sorry! Didn’t mean to send that,” Melli sent quickly. “Look, I’m not going to stay on the line and fight with you right now, Jodi. Because I’m not the one you need to be fighting with—or rather, talking to. I’m going to spend some quality time with my Kindred—you ought to do the same with yours.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Jodi sent but there was no real anger in her mental tone. “All right—have fun with Liosh. I hope everything works out for you two.”

  “I hope so too,” Melli sent and then broke the connection. Liosh was calling her and she wanted to go see what he wanted.

  Twenty-Seven

  Liosh was waiting in the bathroom for her next to the tub, which was filled with steaming, fragrant water. There were even rose petals floating in it—a very sweet, romantic touch, Melli thought.

  “Hello, Talli,” he murmured, smiling at her when she came in. “Are you ready for your bath?”

  “Yes, that sounds wonderful.” Melli smiled at him. “But I thought you said I was finally ready and you were going to try to…to heal me tonight?”

  He nodded. “This is part of the healing. I want you to feel completely relaxed the first time I taste you. So I’m going to bathe you and massage you, just like a warrior does for his bride during their Claiming period.”

  Melli felt her heart squeeze in her chest. She was so lucky to have such a sweet, considerate guy like Liosh! Impulsively, she went to him and threw her arms around him. Since he was kneeling by the tub, she was—for once—taller than him, which resulted in his face being pressed against her breasts. And since Melli wasn’t wearing a bra, this turned out to be a very interesting position.

  “Mmm, Talli,” he murmured, rubbing his cheeks against the inner slopes of her breasts as he looked up at her. “I love to be close to you.”

  “I love to be close to you, too,” Melli told him, smiling down at him. “You make me feel so safe, Liosh. Even though you’re so big and strong, I never feel afraid of you. Well…” she bit her lip. “Except maybe just a teeny bit afraid of your fangs.”

  His blue eyes softened.

  “I want you to feel safe with me, sweetheart. And I promise I won’t bite you unless you ask me to—though it would be a quick way to deliver a big dose of my essence to your system.”

  Melli nibbled her lip some more.

  “Can I think about it? I think I like the idea of you, uh, spreading your essence with your tongue while you’re, um, licking me, more than getting bitten.”

  Liosh’s eyes went half-lidded.

  “Oh, I’m definitely going to taste you tonight, Talli—don’t worry about that. I can’t wait to spread your thighs and lap your sweet little pussy—I’d want to do that even if I wasn’t trying to heal you.”

  “Really?” Melli asked, a little surprised. “You like to, uh, go down that much?”

 
“All Kindred do,” he assured her. “It’s a biological need for us, tasting our female’s pussy. It brings a warrior closer to his mate and helps her open for him more easily, which is why he craves the taste of her honey right from the source.”

  Melli felt her breath getting a little short and she pressed her thighs together, feeling the heat rising there. After so many years of having no sexual feelings at all, getting turned on still felt like a new experience. And a very nice one, too, she had to admit.

  “The way you talk about it makes me feel kind of hot,” she admitted to Liosh, who was gently kissing her tight nipples through the thin t-shirt she wore.

  “Me too,” he growled softly. “But that’s going to be at the end of our evening—we’re still at the beginning right now. May I bathe you, my Lady, and help you relax?”

  “I’d like that,” Melli admitted, giving him a trusting smile. “Just let me get undressed.”

  “Let me,” Liosh put his hands on hers, to stop her from pulling her blouse off herself. Smoothly he rose to his full height, looking down at her with desire and love in his eyes. “Let me do everything for you tonight, sweetheart—including undressing you.”

  “Oh…okay.” Melli felt her cheeks getting hot with a blush.

  “Thank you for your trust in me,” Liosh murmured and bent down to take her mouth in a gentle kiss.

  Melli sighed and leaned into the kiss, giving as good as she was taking. God, she loved the taste of her Kindred’s mouth—she could totally understand what Jodi meant when she said she felt “addicted” to the warrior she was with—Melli felt the same way.

  She was sure that Liosh was going to undress her now but to her surprise, he kept kissing her as he ran his hands all over her body, over the clothes she was wearing. Feeling his big hands cup her breasts through the t-shirt and then slip down to rub her pussy mound through the soft little pajama shorts she wore made her even hotter.

  “Mmm, Talli, is your sweet little pussy getting wet for me?” Liosh murmured in her ear as he rubbed her. “Do you like the feel of my hands on you?”

  “Yes,” Melli whispered. “Yes, Liosh—I love the feel of your hands on me! But…I’m not sure about the other thing,” she added, biting her lip.

  “You’re not sure if your little pussy is wet or not?” He raised an eyebrow at her and Melli blushed and nodded. “All right then,” he murmured, “What if I check for you and find out?”

  Melli nibbled her lip some more. Despite all his gentle touching, Liosh had yet to touch her there. But she wanted him to, she realized—she felt ready now.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Liosh, you can…you can touch me there.”

  “Touch your pussy, you mean?” he murmured, still rubbing her mound through outside of her shorts.

  “Yes.” Melli nodded.

  “Then what about if I do this?” Liosh asked. Slowly, he slid down her shorts and the little panties beneath them. Then he took off her t-shirt, slowly and gently, and tossed it to one side.

  Finally Melli stood completely naked before him. She had the sudden urge to cover herself, but the way Liosh was looking at her stopped her. His worshipful gaze made her feel like a work of art—like someone who ought to be admired.

  “This…this is all right,” she whispered to him.

  “And what about this?” Liosh asked. He was standing behind her now and he let one long arm reach down the front of her body to cup her bare little pussy. “Do you like this, Talli?” he asked gently.

  “Yes,” she said, with no hesitation this time. “Your hand is so big and warm, Liosh. It gives me tingles when you touch me there.”

  “Mmm, well why don’t we see if we can increase those tingles some?” he murmured in her ear. “Watch me, Talli—watch me touch you.”

  Melli looked down as he instructed and watched as two long fingers—his index and ring finger—slowly parted her pussy lips to show her slippery pink inner folds.

  “Gods, sweetheart,” Liosh groaned. “Look how wet and slippery you already are. Can I touch inside you? Can I slip my finger into your soft pussy and stroke your sweet little clit?”

  Melli felt mesmerized by the sexy sight between her thighs. She loved how slowly Liosh was going—and the way he checked with her first, not just assuming she would be all right with anything he wanted to do.

  “Yes,” she whispered, wiggling against him. “Yes, Liosh, please—touch me.”

  “With pleasure, sweetheart,” he murmured and then his middle finger was sliding into her wet pussy and circling the throbbing button of her clit, slowly and gently.

  “Oh!” Melli gasped, throwing her head back to rest against his broad chest. She felt weak in the knees—so much that she nearly collapsed. Only Liosh dropping to his own knees to support her saved her from falling over onto the floor.

  “Gently, Talli,” he murmured, his fingertip still lightly caressing her heated bud. “Does it feel that good?”

  “Feels amazing,” Melli admitted. “Way different than when I touch myself.” She leaned back against him, opening her legs a little more for his touch. “Oh, Liosh…”

  He stroked her a little while longer, but just as she was feeling her pleasure build, he turned her gently to face him.

  “It’s almost time to get into the tub, Talli,’ he murmured. “But first I want to kiss you.”

  “Kiss me?” Melli felt almost drugged with pleasure. “Kiss me where, exactly?”

  “Here.” He nodded down to her pussy, where her puffy outer lips were spreading on their own to show her silky wet interior.

  “I…I thought you were going to bathe and massage me first,” Melli asked. “Before…before you tasted me.”

  “I won’t be tasting you just yet,” Liosh told her. “I just want to kiss you—once—to get you used to the idea. Then I’ll put you in the bath.”

  “All right.” Melli nodded. “How…how do you want me? Should I just stand here?”

  “Lean back a bit against the side of the tub,” Liosh suggested. “That way your pussy will be more open and I can give you a nice, long kiss.”

  The heat in his deep voice and the desire in his eyes made butterflies flutter in her belly. Doing as he said, she leaned back against the high side of the tub and spread her thighs, just a little.

  “Gods, such a gorgeous little pussy,” Liosh growled softly. “I can’t wait to spread you open and take my time tasting you, sweetheart. But for now, just a single kiss.”

  Then he leaned forward and placed a soft, hot, open-mouthed kiss on her spread pussy. He held the kiss for a long time and Melli felt him press just the flat of his tongue against her heated depths and throbbing clit.

  “Liosh!” she moaned and her hips jerked forward before she could stop herself, feeding more of her pussy into his mouth.

  For a moment, Liosh’s grip on her hips intensified and he pressed forward, seeking an even deeper kiss. Then, very reluctantly, he finally pulled back.

  His mouth and lips were shiny with her juices and the hungry look in his eyes as he licked his lips, said he wanted more.

  But for now, he appeared to be able to restrain himself.

  “We need to get you into the tub, my Lady,” he told Melli. “Before I want more than just a kiss.”

  “All…all right,” Melli whispered and let him help her into the steaming, rose-petal water.

  Liosh let her soak for a while and then he took a soft sponge and washed her—every body part from head to toe. As he caressed and stroked her, Melli experienced a languorous mixture of relaxation and desire. She had never felt so safe and so soothed and yet so turned on at the same time.

  Though she tried not to, she couldn’t help remembering the jumpy, unhappy state of nerves she’d felt on the night of the Junior Prom with Jason Sykes. It had been her body trying to tell her something was wrong—something was off, she thought. She should have listened to her instincts and tried to get away instead of listening to Jason reminding her how she had promised him her v
irginity.

  Then she pushed that thought and the ugly memory that went with it away. She didn’t want anything to spoil this night with Liosh. He was so completely different—so gentle and kind and considerate—and his big, warm hands felt so good and soothing on her body.

  After he finished scrubbing her, the big Kindred helped her out of the tub and patted her down gently with a towel. Then he led her into the bedroom, where more towels had been laid out on the larger bed.

  By this time, Melli was over any shyness she might have felt about letting him see her naked. Liosh made her feel beautiful—not only with the compliments he paid her, but with the gentle way he touched and caressed her –as though she was precious and must be handled with care. She felt like a princess when he laid her face down on the bed and told her to relax.

  “Mmm…what’s next?” she asked sleepily as he knelt over her.

  “A massage,” Liosh told her. “I don’t have access to all the different kinds of massage oils I would have on the Mother Ship, but I managed to find a few nice ones here. Just relax, my Lady, and let me serve you.”

  Melli was happy to let him do just that and when his big warm hands, slick with oil, began working their way down her back and buttocks, she felt like she’d died and gone to heaven.

  Liosh took his time massaging every inch of her from her shoulders all the way down to the tips of her fingers and toes. But Melli thought that her favorite part was when he reached between her legs and stroked and caressed her inner thighs. The motions of his big hands spread her pussy open, making her moan softly as he worked on her.

  “Gods, Talli, I can smell your sweet scent,” he growled softly as he continued to massage her there. “You smell so good. Can’t wait to taste you.”

  “When…when will you? Taste me, I mean?”

  “Soon, though not soon enough, apparently.” There was amusement in Liosh’s deep voice. “Are you eager for it, Talli? Eager to have my tongue between your legs?”

  “Maybe…” Melli admitted breathlessly as he had her flip over.

  “Soon,” Liosh promised again. “I must massage your front half first.”