Cara found those features oddly beautiful but not strange. Strange was more for the subset of arms that stretched over his shoulder like a spider’s legs and the long tail that split halfway down into three barbed lengths. Even his eyes were extraordinary. They glowed a luminous blue, so bright that Cara couldn’t even make out a pupil. Thankfully that unsettling gaze did not linger on her; it just briefly touched on her as his attention scanned the room. Instead, it focused on Mahuura, though Cara couldn’t determine any sort of purpose behind his eerie regard.
Mahuura, however, flushed blue and fidget under that direct stare. An attraction? Cara leaned forward ever so slightly in her fascination in the interplay. Lerix’s arms immediately tightened around her. He did not growl this time. His tail merely snaked around her tightly, securing them hip to hip, her bottom nestled against his pelvis.
Kaval’s eyes turned to her at the singular possessive action, his brows quirking up at the display. Sovuul nudged his brother with a small grin. The males seemed amused by Lerix, but Cara couldn’t figure out why. It was hard being the only human in a crowd of aliens.
Well, aside from Ben. But she wasn’t sure she could entirely count Ben since he spent more time trying to slip away or otherwise disappear among the gathered Kadesh.
Unlike the proud, graceful males in the room, Ben seemed like nothing more than a sniveling mama’ s boy in his finest Earthen dress. She would have almost felt sorry for him if it weren’t for the way he kept glancing at the Tajii female when he thought no one was looking. She couldn’t believe she ever thought he was a good man. He certainly wasn’t good enough for a sweet girl like Mahuura, even if she could hold her own in a fight.
She apparently wasn’t the only one who thought so. Both brothers and the Ikoru were scowling at her ex with suspicion. Cara wondered if they were seeing the same thing she was, or what they may or may not have heard about the human Mahuura was taking as her mate. Whatever the case, none of them seemed to approve. Truth be told, the only one who seemed genuinely thrilled with Ben was Val’na’kee.
Cara couldn’t imagine exactly why, but the female absolutely doted on Ben. It may have been because he was faultlessly charming when speaking to her. Cara knew he was quite skilled at laying on the flattery, which didn’t earn him any points from Ordul, who seemed to narrow his eyes every time her fellow human opened his mouth.
“Well,” said Val’na’kee calmly, forcing a bright smile amid all the snarling and glaring males, “now that everyone is here, shall we enjoy dinner?”
They all followed the Tajii mother into an opulent dining room. Cara found herself seated with Lerix to her left and Sovuul at her right.
Lerix didn’t seem thrilled with the seating arrangement and slipped his tail around Cara’s waist and bare his teeth at the other male as soon as they were seated. Sovuul grinned cheerfully in response. Cara was about to open her mouth to hiss at Lerix to behave when, to her horror, Val’ee’na sat down on Lerix’s other side and coyly stole his attention minutes later as she shamelessly begged for his assistance to cut her meat.
Cara’s jaw dropped as the female simpered.
“Oh, I would be ever so thankful for your assistance, Lerix. You are such a big strong male, a good protector and provider I am certain. I am sure such a male as yourself understands how a female ought to be properly cared for. Why, in Tajii culture, males take care of all physically demanding tasks, and servants make sure all food is served in small bites sized cuts. If you could do me this favor, I would be pleased to show my appreciation later… in private,” she said as she smiled flirtatiously at him, her hand sliding onto Lerix’s lap.
“Like hell you will!” Cara shouted. The tail tightening around her waist was the only thing that kept her from leaping to her feet. Thankfully, Lerix had wasted no time in removing the offending hand from his lap. So instead, Cara had to settle for leaning forward and hissing at the female at the other side of him.
“You’d better develop muscles really quick and cut your own freakin’ meat because he sure as hell isn’t doing it for you. I know children who are better behaved, and since I spent my days with very young children, that’s saying something. Leave Lerix alone.”
Lerix looked at her with surprise before his eyes filled with a certain pride flashing in their yellow depths, as his tail hugged her closer to him and he affectionately ran his nose and olfactory ridge down her cheek before dropping a kiss on her jaw. Any concern that Lerix might genuinely be interested in pursuing the female’s offer dissipated under the warmth of his affection.
Cara watched in satisfaction as the female stood with as much dignity as she could muster and picked up her plate to retreat and sit by the only other Tajii female in the room. Cara barely restrained a triumphant snicker as she leaned against Lerix’s warm embrace.
A snort sounded out across the table, and Cara shifted to look over at Mahuura, who had her face buried in a cloth napkin. Dread pooled in her stomach that she might have overstepped social niceties as Val’na’kee dropped her fork-like utensil, but she noticed that rather than burying her face in embarrassment, her friend’s shoulders were shaking with mirth.
Her muffled laughter gradually increased in volume, and she was soon joined by her brothers. Esha merely smiled from his place at the other side of Mahuura, but Ordul grinned broadly and laughed the loudest of them all. The only ones who were not amused were the Tajii females.
Too damn bad. Cara was tired of being walked over as if she didn’t matter. She’d be damned if she let this spoiled female do that too. This thing between her and Lerix may only be temporary, but she was still going to be treated with respect.
Dinner passed blessedly uneventful for the rest of the evening. Esha often leaned forward to whisper something in Mahuura’s ear that either had her blushing or giggling, and sometimes both as the other males discussed the goings-on offworld. In many ways, it really opened Cara’s eyes to how vast the universe was as she listened to them exchange stories and news.
It turned out that Kaval and Lerix had much in common despite their different occupations. Kaval was a retired fighter who’d befriended Esha, who was also retired, in the fighting pits of the Outer Rim planet Vami. Apparently, Lerix had seen one of those fights when he’d accompanied an employer to the planet and the males spent a good twenty minutes discussing famous fights.
Kaval was eager to return to Kadesh with his savings but hadn’t yet found a female he wanted to keep as a mate, although his admiration of the human female form had Lerix bristling once again, making all the males present laugh yet again. After a moment even Lerix, realizing that he was being teased, relaxed and chuckled.
“Just be careful, my friend. Human females are stubborn creatures with a foul temper and a sharp tongue,” he said as he winked at her.
Cara choked on her drink. “Are you kidding me?” she asked in bewilderment. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black if I’ve ever heard it.”
Roars of laughter immediately followed.
Cara found that the longer she stayed and experienced more of the culture and its people, the fonder she felt for Kaidava and the Kadesh.
Chapter 19
Cara’s skin prickled with anticipation as they approached the door to their bungalow, but even still she wasn’t prepared for the onslaught from the male walking in step close behind her. Close enough that she could swear she almost felt the brush of him against her. An awareness seemed to pulse between them, and Lerix seemed aggressively territorial, egged on no little by Mahuura’s flirtatious brothers.
Cara nearly shivered, desire thrumming through her blood as her foot crossed through the entrance. The air around her seemed to hum—or was that Lerix? A sort of resonance seemed to be coming from him. Her breath began to pick up and her heart pounded. Suddenly, her pussy clenched with interest and her thighs became slick with want.
As soon as they stepped through the door, Lerix yanked her up into his arms and flattened her against the wall. His ha
nd gently cupped her between the legs as he ground his pelvis against her ass. His hot breath tickled her neck as he ran his nose up and down from jaw to collar, and back again.
“Mine,” he growled low. “All of those males wanted you and would seek to take you away from me if given the opportunity, but you are mine.”
Cara felt a flutter of pleasure in her belly like the wings of a hummingbird.
He was claiming possession in the rawest, most primal way. And in that moment, she surrendered some part of her that she wasn’t sure she would ever get back.
His mouth latched onto her throat in a greedy kiss, his teeth scraping her skin gently as his fingers ran up her legs, pushing aside her wrap skirt. They brushed against her sex and Cara felt a shudder run through her. She whimpered, needing more. He deftly parted her folds.
“So wet,” he purred into her ear. “Hot, wet, and ready.”
He brought his fingers up beside her face to show her essence coating them before obscenely licking each digit off with a rumble of pleasure. Desire shot through her and Cara felt her pussy clench, flooding with new warmth. Lerix inhaled deeply and growled.
Hard, unyielding fingers yanked her hips back as she felt him shift behind her, his cock brushing against her pussy as he aligned himself against her entrance. On the next breath, he surged into her, and Cara gasped at the slight burning pain mixing with hot pleasure. Her fingers clenched against the smooth wall as she moaned.
The hard sacks of his sex rubbed her in a completely different way in this position, and she instinctively squeezed around him. The air bloomed with honeysuckle and oak as the scent of his pheromones perfumed the air around her. Lerix moaned into her skin, the sound shaking from him as his deep thrusts elicited sharp cries from Cara.
She felt the light brush of his claws against her skin and pushed back against him as he thrust forward, making him nip lightly at her neck as he vigorously increased his tempo. Thrust for thrust she tilted her hips back and met him, the soft skin of his curved knob stimulating the delicate skin of her ass. She cried out helplessly as her climax rushed over her, her pussy clenching around him in ecstasy.
Lerix gasped and then snarled as he rammed himself deep and ground within her. Over and over, he did so as her body sucked greedily on him. It was only after it passed that he sped into an impossible tempo. She couldn’t even attempt to move against him. All she could do was helplessly tilt her hips back and enjoy the way he rode her. Enjoy his complete dominance over her. She yielded to the rolling tide of orgasms as they crested over her. She could barely breathe and couldn’t speak, not even to voice a word of encouragement. All she could do was cry out her pleasure.
She felt the soft glide of Lerix’s scales as his tail slid up around her. The tip had a lethal point protruding but tilted safely away from her skin as he pulled her tight against him. He ground against her ass, his tail constricting around her hips, and then snarled as jets of cum flooded her channel. His hips twitched with every pulse of seed, and she noticed through pleasure-hazed eyes that the length of his tail seemed to shudder, the sharp tip of it practically vibrating with some kind of pent up urgency before it stopped moments later and went lax in a gentle loop around her.
Lerix placed a kiss between her shoulder blades and eased himself off her, pulling her away from the wall and up into his arms as he stepped away. He walked over to the bed and set her in it as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Cara felt her heart melt at the tender way he settled her on the mattress and carefully stripped her clothes. Only then did he undress and curl around her. She almost seemed to disappear as his arm, leg, and tail encircled her protectively.
After a time, Cara turned and curled into Lerix fully, her fingers playing along his deceptively soft scales. Despite their texture, the scales were strong, and the edges had a peculiar hardness to them. Her teeth worried at her bottom lip.
“About this evening—”
“There is nothing that needs discussing. Mahuura’s brothers and their guest will respectively keep their distance,” he said.
Cara felt her lips twitch as she struggled to hold back her laughter.
“I was going to say—do you think Mahuura’s family is in any danger with us being here?”
He fell silent for a moment. “Oh. No, I don’t think so. Maybe if we were staying at her family household, but we are not. It should keep them safe. The Koroviks are more likely to try to attack us here.”
She thought about that for a moment and decided she could buy the logic of that.
“Lerix, about the necklace you stole… can I see it?”
His warm hand that had been stroking the flat of her back stilled.
“What brought this on?”
Cara shrugged. “I can’t help but worry about just how good everything is right at this moment, and just how easily it can be taken away. I just was curious about what it looks like since it can potentially endanger us at any minute. I guess you could say that I want to see what all the fuss is about, as humans would put it.”
Lerix hesitated but then nodded.
“That is a fair reason to want to see it. Believe me that I never meant to involve you.”
Cara stroked a hand down his side.
“I know,” she murmured.
His scales shuddered under her touch before he pushed away from the bed and leaned over to pick up his exceptionally wide, thick belt. She watched intently as he ran his finger along the side of it. As if parting on an invisible seam, a ten-inch gap slowly opened to reveal its hidden cargo. The jewels inside sparkled with a rainbow of color as they caught the low light of their room. With great care, Lerix poured the necklace out into her hand and her breath hitched in her throat.
The metal of the necklace looked something like gold, although it had a deeper luster. Set in the necklace were no less than ten teardrop-shaped gemstones, the sizes ranging from the largest in the center that was the size of a hen’s egg to clusters of stones at the edges about the size of a sparrow’s egg. They sparkled with hues that seemed to shift and change under the light, from lemon yellow and pale greens to the most vibrant hues of reds and purples. Every now and then, sparks of light appeared within the depths. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
“This is… magnificent,” she breathed in awe.
“They would have brought in a fortune,” Lerix agreed, a note of longing in his voice. “If only I had been able to sell them before the assassins made themselves known.”
“Uh, yeah, don’t you think it’s a good thing you didn’t sell them? I mean, what if they caught you and you didn’t have them? I can’t imagine that would go well. Honestly, I’m nervous even touching them.”
Lerix grunted before plucking the necklace from her fingers and returning it to the invisible pouch in his belt. Although the necklace had been exquisite, Cara was incredibly grateful to longer have the necklace in her hands. It had a kind of weight to it—more in the metaphorical sense than the physical—that she really didn’t want contact with any longer than absolutely necessary.
That necklace was absolutely worth killing for.
Cara imagined that the experience was not unlike holding the Hope Diamond if one ever got the opportunity, with the weight of blood and death clinging to it. She shuddered as if it were cursed and then silently laughed at herself for her overactive imagination.
Lerix raised a brow at her. “What is it?”
She shook her head. “On Earth, there’s a very rare and magnificent gem called the Hope Diamond that people have killed for. For a minute, my imagination ran away with me, imagining curses and ghosts surrounding such treasures,” she said with a laugh.
Instead of laughing, Lerix nodded slowly. “Kadesh would never own something like this,” he said as he patted his belt where he’d secured the necklace. “It would have been sold to a wealthy tourist, likely a visiting noble or royalty, who’d want to give it to a lover or bride. Kadesh believe too strongly in the spirits of the dead. The
ir anger can attach to things they desired in life. Kadesh only keep prizes that have happy histories, usually tokens of blessed and long-lived matings that are handed down through families.
Both of Cara’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t believe in romance, but you’re perfectly willing to accept the existence of ghosts and spirits?”
Lerix snorted. “One is an act based off an emotional condition that beings often deceive themselves about in hopes that it will trigger love. The other is a being that exists between worlds. Totally different types of belief.”
Cara giggled. “Okay, point to you.”
“Enough about the gems, necklace, and spirits,” Lerix growled, his eyes lighting up once more as they hungrily ran down the exposed length of her naked body.
She sucked in a breath as renewed desire slammed through her.
“Oh? Do you have something better in mind?”
“As a matter of fact—” Lerix began but then leaped upon her, making Cara squeal with laughter as she fell back onto the soft mattress.
The bulk of Lerix’s long body caged her in as he leaned over her, the length of his cock prodding at her belly. She looked down it, marveling at the dark ruby and plum hues of the delicate skin there. She licked her lips.
“So are you going to do something with that, or just have it out to be admired?” she asked playfully.
A naughty smile spread on Lerix’s face, and Cara knew he was indeed going to do something with that gorgeous cock.
Chapter 20
Cara sat sandwiched between Mahuura and her cousin Val’ee’na. Just ahead of them, Val’na’kee was speaking with a seamstress. Technology fabricated the clothes in the correct size, but the seamstress made last minute adjustments. She was also the one who designed the styles and entered them into the system, which Mahuura informed her took a huge amount of time because it required detailed three-dimensional measurements.
Despite her fascination with the artistry involved, Cara was literally the walking wall between the cousins as she endured hours of shopping. She was in wedding—uh, mating ceremony—hell.
A Kiss on Kaidava Page 14