by Dixon, Ruby
“You look tired, my mate,” Vektal says.
“Do I?” I look over at him in surprise. I don’t feel tired. It was a long trip, sure, but I…oh. He’s giving me a slow, wicked grin that I recognize. “You did say you were leaving me tomorrow, didn’t you?”
He nods, pulling me so close that my boobs brush against his chest. “I must go out on the hunt like all the others. It is my duty. But it will make my return twice as sweet to know you and our kit are waiting for me.”
It’s an aspect of life I’m going to have to get used to. I nod, smiling. “Until then, you did mention you have time for one more honeymoon night?”
“I do,” he murmurs, gaze intent on me and a promise in his eyes.
“Maybe we should play Gollum and his precious, then,” I say, fluttering my lashes at him as I take him by the hand and lead him back toward the nook of our cave.
“As long as you tell me what it is, I am game.”
I chuckle. “It involves lots of rubbing.”
“All the best games do.”
Part II
Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh & Liz
Newly-mated (and grudge-holding) Liz wants nothing more than to be away from the tribe that’s exiled her man. Raahosh wants to prove to Liz that he can be a good mate, even if he’s ugly.
On a honeymoon, they can get to know each other better. Perfect, right?
This story is an extended epilogue for book 2 of Ice Planet Barbarians -- Barbarian Alien -- and is for readers who want a little more of their favorite couple. Don’t start here! Start with book one, Ice Planet Barbarians.
5
LIZ
“We’re totally going to do a honeymoon, too,” I tell Georgie as I add a fresh pouch of herbal tea to my carrying pack. “I love that idea.”
“You are?” Georgie seems surprised at my declaration.
“Sure, why not?” I consider the bag of tea in my hands. I’m raiding the storage room before Raahosh and I go out for our second round of “exile.” We came back to drop off some meat we’d hunted and some extra furs, and Raahosh is talking with Vektal while I rummage through the storage room. I told my guy I was just going to get some soap, but since I’m here, I’m helping myself to a little bit of everything.
I mean, if they bitch about the tea, I’ll pick some leaves and replace them. But I’m part of this tribe, too, and if the tea’s for anyone, that means it’s for me as well as everyone sitting on their asses by the fire.
If Georgie has a problem with my grabbiness, she doesn’t say anything. She just gives me a curious look. “I’m surprised you’re in such a good mood about having to leave again.”
“Why?” I take the soap she hands me and sniff it, then wrinkle my nose. “We got anything that doesn’t smell like a salad? My pregnancy nose doesn’t like leafy smells.”
She picks through another bundle and holds a pink-colored bar out to me and it smells like the soap-berry pulp that’s been used to make it. Better. “I don’t know, I just thought you’d be more upset…about everything. And at me.”
“I admit I might have said a few choice words about everyone in the tribe once or twice.” Or twenty. “But then I woke up and realized that I’m with my guy, I’m doing what I love, and I don’t have to listen to Josie natter on by the fire about how many kids she wants to have if she ever resonates.”
“She’s excited,” Georgie says gently. “And lonely.”
“And talky.” I lift a hand and mime a chattering puppet. “But no, I’m over the anger. I don’t want to spend the next three years—or however long it takes for this baby to bake in my belly—full of anger. Which is why a honeymoon should be awesome. We’ll get some bonding time in, some sexy time, and we’ll connect so deep as a couple that bitches won’t be able to pry us apart ever. It’ll be great…even if you guys are wrong for exiling us.”
She chuckles at my jab. “There it is.”
I beam at her. “You knew I had to try. So, tell me what fun shit you two did on your honeymoon. Did you see anything cool? Do anything cool? Try anything kinky?”
Her face tenses, and I’m surprised at her expression. She looks…guilty? Which is weird. “Just your usual honeymoon stuff.”
“That’s a boring answer. Give me ideas,” I prompt. “I want to steal them to use on Raahosh.”
“We were boring.” She shrugs, putting back the soap I rejected and then straightening the stack. “I wish I could tell you we did a million crazy things but we didn’t. It was just the two of us, alone, and…it was nice.” Her smile turns sweet. “It was nice to just be Vektal and Georgie and not chief and chief’s mate.”
“Mmmhmm. That’s fine, keep your secrets. Your kinks will eventually be common knowledge.”
“Bullshit they will.”
I arch my brows at her. “Were we or were we not discussing how much Nora likes to be spanked not ten minutes ago? I mean, hello.”
Her face flushes red even as I slide another pouch of something into my pack. “It’s because they’re so loud. We’re quiet.”
“But you are kinky,” I tease, and her face goes even redder. “It’s cool, I won’t tell anyone but Raahosh.” I close my bag and drum my hands on it. “Sooo, give me ideas. Honeymoon stuff. Come on.”
“You could go somewhere pretty?” Georgie spreads her hands helplessly. “Enjoy the scenery?”
Enjoy the fucking scenery? It’s a honeymoon, not a sightseeing tour. “You suck at this, you know that?”
She sticks her tongue out at me. “Okay then, how about giving each other sexy baths? Do a strip tease for him? Give him some tail play?”
Ooo, perhaps Georgie’s not as vanilla as I thought. I tap the side of my head. “I like the way you think.”
“Steal away.” She glances around at the storage cave. “Do you need anything else?”
“Nah.” I pat my bag, which is now bulging with supplies. I can’t take too much, since we’re supposed to be helping re-stock the caves and not cleaning them out, but I also want to send a bit of a “fuck you” to everyone that exiled my man. So I’ve taken more than I should, and I don’t even care.
Georgie gets to her feet, brushing off her leathers. “I think I hear the men anyhow.”
I heft my pack onto my shoulder and head out of the supply cave with her, a calm smile on my face. It’s all for show. Raahosh knows that even though I say I’m fine with exile, I’m also ridiculously protective of him in my own way, and that means letting everyone in the tribe know what dicks they are for exiling him when all he wanted was to be with me.
I mean, I was the one he kidnapped. If I’m fine with it, shouldn’t they be? But whatever. It just means me and Raahosh get a lot of quality alone time together.
There are two big alien men standing at the large, triangular mouth of the cave, and my Raahosh is easy to recognize. It’s not just the one busted horn and the scars that cover one side of his face that give him a permanent scowl. It’s the way he carries himself, like he’s got a stick up his ass. His back is ramrod straight and his shoulders tight and set like he wants to fight anyone and everyone.
It’s so fucking hot. I love that irritated little swish of his tail, the stiff way he holds himself, all of it.
He turns as we approach and his gaze locks onto me with that possessive, overbearing way he has. Like he wants to snatch me up and shield me from anyone who dares look in my direction. Like he wants to devour me whole just so no one else can have me. Like he wants to throw me down on the cave floor and nut all over me just so everyone knows I’m claimed.
Maybe it shouldn’t be so thrilling, but I fucking love that look in his eyes. Like I’m his everything. Like he’d become unhinged if anyone tried to separate us ever again.
Even now, I approach and he holds his hand out to take my satchel. I offer it to him and he glances at it, noting how heavy it is, and then tosses it over his shoulder as if it weighs nothing. His tail goes around my thigh, curling possessively, and his mouth flattens even as h
e pulls me closer to him. He’s not good at showing affection, my Raahosh, but I don’t mind. I know how to read him. He’s frowning because he’s worried someone made me upset, or that I’m wanting to stay here without him.
I just ignore his surliness and put my arm around his waist. “I’m ready to go whenever you are, babe.”
He grunts and looks at Vektal, who stands nearby. He nods and lifts a hand in farewell, then heads back inside the cave. I kinda want to slap Vektal around for being so stubborn. I want to shake him and scream in his ear about how he’s hurting his best friend, but I know it’s all because he has to be the unbiased chief. Raahosh doesn’t hold it against him.
It’s me that’s the grudgy bitch. I’ll be angry for him.
But not today. Today, it’s sunny-ish and we’re heading out for our honeymoon. I stand obediently while Raahosh checks my leathers over like I’m a child that doesn’t know how to dress herself. He tightens straps on my boots, tucks my leathers closer to my body, and then tugs my cape down over my face. “You get red in the wind,” is all he says, voice gruff.
So protective. If he knew how horny it made me he’d get all shy and weird, so I try not to let him know just how much it cranks me up when he’s fussy like this. “Are you ready for our honeymoon?”
He straightens and offers his hand to me, his spear gripped in his other. I put my gloved fingers against his and squeeze, even as we head out of the cave and out to the muddy trail that winds away from the main dwelling of the sa-khui. When we’re far enough away that no one will overhear us, my grumpy mate says, “I do not see how this is different from any other hunting trip we will take together.”
“The difference is that this one is our honeymoon,” I say, emphasizing the word as if that explains everything. “It’s about romance and sex and learning about each other and more sex and bonding.”
“And this is what you talked to Shorshie about.”
“Some girl stuff,” I agree. “I wanted romance ideas.” I’m admittedly not the most romantic woman in the world, so I figured Georgie might be better at this sort of thing than me. I like her suggestions, too. Sexy bathing? Sexy stripping? Sexy tail play? All of that sounds fun.
Raahosh just grunts, stepping ahead of me and then lifting me over a muddy iced-over puddle in the middle of the trail. “It should not be all mating.”
“Have you suddenly decided you’re not a fan of mating, then?” I tease. “Because I seem to remember some things you were yelling out when my mouth was on your cock—”
“If we want to bond we should learn about each other through talking and sharing.” He won’t look at me, and the stick is back in his ass.
“I would think you can learn a lot about a person by putting your tongue on their cock but maybe that’s just me.”
He says nothing. I peek at his face while trying not to be obvious about it and he’s definitely flushed at the base of his horns. My Raahosh is shy, and it makes me want to fucking pounce on him.
Actually, pretty much everything makes me want to pounce on him.
“I could learn to use your weapon,” Raahosh says, distracting me from my dirty thoughts. “The bow. You are very skilled and I would like to learn it. You can teach me if this is our honeymoon.”
Oh. A hot rush of pleasure moves through me. He admires my archery? He wants to learn from me? This man knows just what to say to make me happy. I squeeze his bigger hand. “I would love to show you. And you can teach me some hunting stuff too.”
He thinks for a moment. “You already know how to do more than most of the humans. You know how to make a fire, how to lay a trap, how to track…” Raahosh continues to think. “You could learn to be quiet.”
I blink. The fuck did he just say?
It’s like he knows he messed up. He looks over at me and sees my expression, and his changes. “Not like that,” he amends with a scowl. “Though you could learn that, too. I meant I could teach you how to be quieter when you are on the trail. Your feet are noisy.”
I pat his arm. “It’s our honeymoon and I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just insult me because I love you and I know you love me. I’m sure you’ll think of something awesome to teach me and we’ll learn from each other.” I grin up at him. “And also have lots of incredibly filthy sex because it’s our honeymoon and that’s what you do.”
His horns flush again.
6
RAAHOSH
I do not know how I came to be so lucky in my khui’s choice of mates. When I first saw the humans, I thought they were skinny and pale, and Liz was the loudest and stubbornest of all of them. I knew she was mine the moment I resonated, but I did not realize what that meant until I was exiled and Liz stood up for me. She tried to take on the entire tribe and make them miserable so they knew they were wrong in exiling me. Even now, she fills her pack with things we do not need just so she can silently protest.
Liz is loud, yes. And pale. And skinny.
But she is strong, and graceful, and lovely. She is free with her kisses, looks at me with lust in her gaze, and is utterly loyal to me and me alone.
I never thought I would experience the joy of a mate in my life. I am ugly and scarred and quiet. But every day with Liz is a gift, and every time I look at her, I am filled with such a deep ache of pleasure and longing both. She has captured my withered heart into her slim hands and I want to spend the rest of my days making her realize how precious she is to me. How much I “love” her, even though the human word is strange on my tongue, it means a lot to Liz.
I knew she wished this “honey moon.” She spoke of it yesterday after we arrived in the cave, and spoke of it again last night in our furs.
A trip, but one for love and bonding between a newly mated pair.
I am good at hunting. I am good at tracking. Good with a spear and with making weapons. I am passable with nets and fast on my feet…but I do not know how to give a mate “romance.” I do not know how to do “more” for her to show her my pleasure.
I do not even know where to begin.
Liz holds my hand as we walk, chatting about Georgie and the healer and the chief’s kit which Georgie will not be having for many, many moons yet. I should be listening to her, but instead, I think of the conversation I had with Zennek this morning, while my mate was asleep.
I sat by the fire, stitching thicker soles onto Liz’s boots so the snows would not make her feet so cold. It was very early, but it was hard for me to sleep. We bedded down with the rest of the hunters, and while Liz is unbothered by this, I cannot sleep next to all of them and just hold her. Not when she presses her body to mine and makes delicious little sighs as she moves closer.
It is too distracting.
So I worked on her boots instead, and Zennek came to the fire and crouched by me. He seemed…happy. Content. His neck is covered in deep blue welts, though, and I cannot help but point that out. “Did something bite you?”
He is confused, and when I gesture at his neck, his smile changes to a slow one of satisfaction. “My mate.”
Ah yes. The fierce Mar-lenn. Of all the females, I have heard she is the boldest, and she seems quite eager to lead Zennek around by his cock. He would know what to do on a honey moon, I realize. Zennek is quiet like me, but where I am quiet because I am awkward and ugly and a loner, Zennek is just silent in nature. That has not changed since he took a mate, I noticed. Mar-lenn is just as content as he is to stand apart from the group. They need no one but each other.
I envy that serenity.
Even so, Zennek is a good one to ask. “My mate wants me to give her romance on our next hunting trip,” I say, feeling foolish. I shove my awl through the leather of Liz’s boot, hoping Zennek does not see how awkward I feel. “I am open to ideas.”
His mouth curls with amusement. “You are asking me how you should woo your mate?”
“I know how to woo her,” I snap. “I am asking for new ideas. Things to surprise her. Things that humans like that I have not thought of.
”
Zennek looks thoughtful even as I stab the boot in my hands. “I see. You ask me because Mar-lenn is not shy about such things.” When I nod, he rubs his jaw, thinking hard. “The easiest thing to do is pleasure a female, but you know that.”
“I do.” I take a calmer stitch. “I had no mate before Liz. I…want her to be happy.” And I am ugly and an outcast and I do not know if I can keep her satisfied. I keep those terrible thoughts to myself.
He considers this. “Mar-lenn likes words,” he says after a time.
“Words?”
Zennek nods. “Strong words. Bold words. I tell her what I am going to do to her and how, and I say these as I touch her. It makes her excited.”
Interesting. Do I speak to my Liz when we mate? I try to picture myself telling her “I am going to put my cock inside you now” and cannot imagine how that will arouse a female. But Zennek’s mate looks well pleased. I eye him, curious because of all our tribe, Zennek is the quietest.
Yet if his mate wants words, she must be happy to give those welts to him.
I think about those welts on his neck as I walk with Liz’s hand in mine. Words. Bold words as I touch her. I might need to practice this.
So as we walk, I think about what words I will say to Liz and how.
This is harder than it sounds.
* * *
We walk for most of the afternoon. Liz is stronger than a lot of the females, but her legs are shorter than mine and I clip my strides to keep pace with her. We do not get as far as I would on my own, but when we near a hunter cave, I steer her toward it. “We will stop here for the night.”
“Finally,” she says dramatically. “I’m exhausted.”
I cup her face in my hands, noticing that her eyelids are heavy. She smiles up at me, leaning into my touch. “You did not tell me you were tired,” I say, my voice accusing.