Miners of Djaromir: Matrix

by Leora Gonzales

  Rue chuckled at Lucy when she began to wiggle her eyebrows and beatbox a porn beat while smacking the air.

  “Stop that,” she ordered, unable to control her laughter when she saw the men’s reactions.

  They were horrified.

  “What?” Lucy asked, continuing the weird air hump motion she was now fully committed to. “Isn’t this exactly what you did to me when this happened to me and Sparx?”

  “Did you really do—” Matrix looked at her with worry. “That?”

  She crossed her fingers under the table. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”

  Lucy batted at Sparx when he tried to stop her continued weird bump-and-grind at the table. “Liar! You did this several times if I remember right, and each one was worse than the last.”

  “How can it possibly be worse than that?”

  Rue snorted at the genuine fear she could hear in Colby’s voice.

  “Wanna see?” Lucy asked, preparing to stand up.

  “No!” The resounding yells came from everyone nearby, even the Djaromir who had simply been eavesdropping on their conversation at the other end of the table.

  “Well—fine,” Lucy frowned, folding her arms.

  “We should get moving, Veruca,” Matrix growled into her ear, his use of her full name making her panties wet in a matter of seconds.

  “I agree.” Rue leaned close to him as she moved to stand, her lips close to his ear. “Unless you think it’s time to bring back some old traditions…” Letting her voice trail off teasingly, she almost choked when she looked into his eyes.

  The fire she could see behind his sensuous blue gaze was hot enough to give her shivers. If looks could melt the clothes off a body, hers would have been buck naked in the middle of the dining hall.

  “Let’s go,” she said on a rush, realizing that maybe it hadn’t been the smartest idea to tease the beast she knew her mate kept under wraps. Over the last few days, he’d used her body well. Hickeys and bite marks were scattered all over her body where he’d marked her during their fierce mating.

  His body showed signs of the same sensual abuse, Rue’s own teeth and nails leaving testament to the arousal he was able to drive her to. Even now it made her spine tingle. She’d never been one to mark the few lovers she’d had in the past, yet Matrix was covered in battle scars from their bedroom antics.

  “Veruca?”

  Rue startled when Matrix’s voice called her out of the memories she’d begun to replay in her head.

  “Oh.” She jumped a bit when she noticed that he was not only waiting on her to move, but the others had stopped eating and talking to stare at her. “Sorry.”

  “Nothing to apologize for,” Sparx said with a gentle nod of dismissal.

  “Get outta here,” Lucy added, blowing a kiss at Rue as she leaned into her mate who was back into his conversation with Colby.

  “Come, my obsession.”

  Rue nodded and allowed him to pull her behind him as they wound around tables and groups of miners congregating. There were a few times that they were almost stopped by men hoping to speak to Matrix, but, other than muttering a quick excuse, he didn’t slow down.

  “There you are!”

  “Uuuggghhh,” Rue groaned in recognition of the voice that called out, looking up at the cave ceiling above them in exasperation. “What have I done to deserve this? I’m a good person. I donate to the ASPCA. I recycle.”

  “I’m not here for you, fatty,” Tabitha sneered before she pointed at Matrix.

  Oh hell no she didn’t.

  “I’m here for him.”

  Rue stepped forward, her fist clenched.

  Matrix blocked her gently, as if protecting her instead of holding her back. “Do not ever speak to my mate that way. Ever.”

  Rue blinked at the growl behind his words. He didn’t threaten Tabitha in any way, shape, or form, but it was there for everyone to hear in his voice. Tabitha, stupidly, didn’t have the sense to look reprimanded.

  “What do you need?” he demanded flatly.

  “I didn’t find anyone worth my time here, so I’m going to the next tunnel city,” Tabitha explained, her nose in the air. “How soon are we leaving?”

  “First thing in the morning,” Matrix snapped. “Anything else?”

  “No—”

  “Good. Now get out of our way.”

  Rue snorted, unable to stop the laughter that bubbled out at the look on Tabitha’s little ratty face.

  “’Trix,” Rue whispered huskily the minute they were out of earshot of the others, the dining hall doors closing behind them.

  “Yes, Veruca?”

  “I was already a sure thing before witnessing that epicness, but now—” She fanned herself with the hand he wasn’t using to pull her along behind him. “You best prepare yourself for the ride of your fucking life.”

  “I don’t want to wait,” he said, pulling her through a door not far from the dining hall.

  Rue grinned when she realized he’d tugged her into an empty storage room. The moment the door was closed, she was falling to her knees in front of him.

  “I thought you were going to ride me?” he asked in a tone rough with both amusement and arousal.

  “I want a taste first,” she said, her mouth watering at the thought of sucking him down. She wanted nothing more than to show her appreciation to the gorgeous monster that had given her so much pleasure earlier. Pulling it out, she couldn’t stop swiping the tip with her tongue. “Mmmmm,” she hummed.

  “Take as much as you need, my obsession,” Matrix encouraged, cupping the back of her head as he fed her his length.

  Rue moaned as he pushed in and out of her mouth, her lips stretching wide as he fucked her mouth. She swallowed on every thrust, letting him into her throat as much as she could before he pulled out to let her breathe. The rhythm was both brutal and decadent.

  “Drink me up, Veruca,” he instructed, his eyes hot as he looked down at her. “Don’t let one drop spill from your lips.”

  With his hands cupped on either side of her face, Matrix held her steady as he fucked her mouth. The dominance he showed had her squirming at his feet, begging for more as she looked up at him with wide eyes. It wasn’t long before the load he’d promised her was jetting into her mouth and down her throat.

  Then she licked and sucked the excess seed from him as he pulled out of her mouth, small grunts of pleasure leaving his mouth at her attention.

  “I love you,” Rue whispered, pressing soft kisses up his tight abdomen as she climbed to her feet. “I never expected to find this—to find you—but I love you.”

  “I love you too,” he answered, holding her close. “Let me show you how much.”

  “Yes, please,” Rue let out on a sigh as he dropped to his knees in front of her this time, switching their previous positions. Being mated was definitely something she could get used to.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Are we there yet?” Tabitha asked, annoying everyone within earshot.

  “No,” Rue growled, barely holding onto the small bit of sanity she had left after being trapped in the phaetrain for hours with the repugnant woman across from her. “We are not there yet…for the millionth fucking time.”

  “You don’t have to sound so bitchy,” Tabitha sneered, crossing her arms.

  “And you obviously aren’t using the eyes in your head,” Jessie, the other unclaimed bride, pointed out. “Can’t you look out the damn window and see we aren’t there yet? Are you trying to drive the rest of us crazy?”

  “Well, geez,” Tabitha grumbled.

  Rue put a restraining hand on Jessie’s knee. She sensed the other woman was about to cross the center aisle and set Tabitha straight.

  “We are approaching the gate,” Colby announced loudly over his shoulder without turning away from the screen in front of him. “Only a few more minutes, and we will be safely past the first gate of Gunninng.”

  “Just ignore her,” she whispered, wonder
ing how in the hell she’d become the calm one in this situation.

  “I’m struggling,” Jessie hissed back. Her eyes still shot daggers across bus. “Every time she opens her stupid mouth, I want to smack it.”

  “Damn, girl,” Rue said, pulling back with a surprised smile on her face. “That sounds like the old me.”

  “I know.” Jessie smirked. “I saw how she treated you when we first landed.” Her expression turned puzzled. “How are you keeping it together? As far as I can tell, she’s only getting worse.”

  “No clue,” Rue answered honestly with a shrug. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand her. She annoys the hell out of me by just breathing, but I don’t want to rip her face off anymore. It’s weird.” She shrugged, looking up to the front of the vehicle where Matrix and Colby were operating the controls. Even though he hadn’t turn around or acknowledge her in any way, shape, or form, Rue could feel her mate’s attention. “Plus, I figured it would make Matrix look bad if I blacked her eye.”

  A tingle of amusement drifted through the link she shared with her mate, making her grin.

  “I want that. I want it so bad, I can almost taste it,” Jessie said, pointing at the stupid smile on Rue’s face.

  “You want to black her eye? I can help,” Rue joked.

  “No, something like the two of you,” Jessie answered with a sigh. “It will happen to me, right? I mean, I’m not hideous or anything am I?”

  Rue chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re gorgeous, and don’t worry. I was in the same boat a few days ago.”

  “Then you met Matrix, and what? Boom?”

  “Big-bada-boom,” Rue said with a nod.

  “Any regrets?” Jessie asked.

  Rue pretended to mull the question over, as if she really needed to think about it. Her mind drifted to the deliciousness of the previous evening. Her insides heated, remembering Matrix’s promise to take her to see the erotic art in the older tunnels of Gunninng. The memory of his whispered pledge to act out all of the delicious scenes had her panties flooding then and there.

  “Rue?”

  Jessie’s voice brought her out of her daydream.

  “No regrets,” she answered, breathing evenly to try to tamp down the heat she could feel rising. “Not a damn one.”

  “You okay, Rue?” Jessie bit her lip, studying her.

  “Sure.” Rue nodded, pushing the ache in her belly as far from her mind as possible. The mating heat had been sneaking up on her for the last half-hour. So far, she’d been doing a fairly adequate job of ignoring it. The odd tingling that had taken residence in her stomach not long after they’d begun the journey to the new tunnel city that she would soon call home had turned into a gnawing ache.

  She’d debated letting Matrix know she wasn’t feeling well, but, considering they were literally in the middle of byorin hunting ground, it wasn’t like they could pull over and find a Motel 6.

  Mind over matter, she told herself even as a sharp stab of sensation skewered her gut. Gritting her teeth, Rue let out a slow breath. “What did you do before all this?”

  “I was a lawyer for a practice in Missouri.”

  Rue blinked at the surprising answer. “Really?””

  “Really.” Jessie nodded.

  “Wow. But…why…I don’t—” Rue sputtered. “You gave up being a lawyer to come to space and marry an alien?”

  Jessie laughed, her face lighting up. “I don’t think anyone has ever said it out loud like that before, but yes, I gave up being a lawyer to come to space and marry an alien.”

  “I just…” Rue shook her head. “Why?” Before Jessie could answer, she continued. “I just figured most of us signing up would have shit jobs or something that we needed to get away from. I can’t imagine being a lawyer…I mean, how long did you have to go to school for to be a lawyer? A long time, right?”

  “Yes,” Jessie answered with an amused snort. “Law school was a pain in the ass, but you know what?”

  “What?”

  Jessie leaned forward like she was going to tell Rue a secret.

  “I hated my job.”

  “Really?” Rue asked with a grimace.

  “Really.” Jessie sat back. “It paid well, don’t get me wrong. I had a nice apartment, health insurance, and a 401K.”

  “You get an A-plus for adulting, that’s for sure.” Rue tilted her head as she watched Jessie nod.

  “Yup.” Jessie sighed. “On paper it looked great. I paid my bills, went from point A to B, and was an exemplary employee.”

  “What happened?” Rue asked, unable to stop from being her normal nosy self. “Did your boss get handsy? Did you have a life or death experience? What?”

  “No,” Jessie warded off with a laugh as she waved her hand. “None of those. I guess I was just tired of working for a bunch of rich white guys who were more concerned about making money than the people that worked for them.”

  “Yikes,” Rue commiserated. “I guess that would suck.”

  “It did,” she agreed. “But it also gave me the excuse I needed to figure out what I really wanted…which is something I realized I had never actually ever done before. I went to law school because my parents pushed me that way. I got a job at the firm I did because my dad went to school with two of the partners. The car I bought, the apartment I rented…even the way I cut my hair was decided without any input from me.”

  “Jesus,” Rue breathed under her breath. “I can’t imagine living a life like that. I mean…what if they’d wanted you to have bangs?”

  Jessie laughed out loud, the frown on her face that had been there just moments before gone in a flash.

  “That would definitely have sucked.” Turning her head, she looked around the cab full of women. “The only one I really miss is my sister.”

  “You have a sister?” Rue probed, hoping to continue their conversation for her stomach’s sake. Either it had calmed down a few moments before or she was successful in her effort to ignore it.

  “Yeah, she’s five years younger and literally following in my footsteps,” she answered with a frown. “I worry about—”

  “Brace!” Colby shouted, his voice booming only a second before the phaetrain shook violently.

  “What the fuck was that?” Rue asked, her breath coming in gasps as her seatbelt dug into her middle.

  “Ice drift!” Matrix yelled from his place behind the wheel. “We can’t slow down. There’s a pack of byorin chasing us. The gate is just ahead.”

  The women jerked in their seats as the vehicle rammed through another ridge of packed ice pellets.

  “Don’t worry, ladies,” Rue said, trying to keep her voice light and calm despite the nausea and dread filling it. She wasn’t ready to die yet and refused to do so just when things were getting good. Plus, her mate had promised to show her the cave drawings as soon as they got to her new home.

  “Everything is going to be fine.”

  Epilogue

  The colors winding through the detailed murals lining the older tunnels were vibrant despite their age. In the last month, Matrix had guided her on his own personal tour of the erotic paintings from generations ago. The explicit art seemed endless as they explored the drawings, often giving in to private explorations of their own.

  “My obsession is perfect,” Matrix growled, his hand smacking the fleshy cheek of her ass as he pumped into her. He couldn’t help but relish the fall of his hand against her ass, or the handprints it was leaving.

  “Perfect mate.” Smack. “Perfect lady.” Smack. “Perfect fuck.” Smack.

  Rue groaned, her breath leaving a trace in the cold air around them. “Don’t stop,” she begged on a whimper.

  “Never.” He rasped the answer against the damp skin on the back of her neck, arching over her with every thrust. He couldn’t get enough. The pleasure was almost too much, regardless of how many times he’d taken her in the last few weeks. The mating heat that had been upon them at their arrival into Gunninng had seemed to calm somewh
at, giving them the ability to control the desire instead of the other way around—except for the instances when Matrix showed her the older tunnels.

  Deep within Gunninng they acted out the fantasies painted upon the walls, the Djaromir from a lifetime ago voyeurs to their passion. He had lost count of the exact number of times he’d whisked his little obsession away from her duties of Lady of Gunninng since they’d come home, but it had been often.

  Although not nearly enough in his opinion, considering the need he still felt for her.

  Currently, he had his gorgeous mate bent over spare ore containers, her ass bared to him as he fucked it hard. The rough mounting taking place between them was a mirror image of the mural painted in front of them in vivid detail.

  “Rub your clit.” The words were whispered between bites on her shoulder as she trembled underneath him. He had already been able to coax three climaxes from her so far, each one stronger than the last. Matrix reared back to see her hand sneak under her belly and between her legs. He watched her fingers swirl around the shiny pearl there, his mouth watering for a taste of the nectar her body was weeping.

  “Finger yourself.” The command came out gruff, his hips grinding forward. He wanted her to be mindless in pleasure before he allowed himself to finally let go. “Make yourself come, mate.”

  Veruca’s hand quickly moved to obey, her middle finger sliding into the empty slit of her pussy.

  “Just like that, mate,” he groaned, working his cock deeper into her ass with the assistance of the oil he’d tucked into his pocket when he’d made his wicked plans earlier. The oil combined with her body’s passionate response were making for more than a smooth ride as he fucked his mate. His little mate bucked under him with every inch he fed her. “Just like that,” he repeated, punctuating each word with a small thrust. He didn’t want to give her too much at once but also wasn’t keen on teasing either of them more than necessary.

  “Oh God,” she cried, her greedy ass pumping back, trying to take all that he had to offer. “Fuck, ‘Trix. I need more.”