Nadine's Champion: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Icehome Book 8)

by Dixon, Ruby

  I quickly pull her next to me, keeping the bit of shell on my back like a shield. My heart is pounding as I look over the shell to the other egg, but it shows no cracks. I hold Nadine against me, trying to comfort her with my touch as Old Grandfather lowers his head and scans the nest. After a long, tense moment, he nudges the egg we hide behind, and then returns to his roosting.

  Nadine buries her face against my chest.

  "You're alive," she whispers.

  I cup her beautiful face in my hands, still not quite daring to believe this is real. My cock is on high alert, though, stiff and annoying in my loincloth. It truly does have the worst timing. "What are you doing here? It isn't safe!"

  "I came here to rescue you—"

  "Rescue me?" My astonishment makes my voice rise, and I force myself to calm down, lest I bring Old Grandfather back down on us again. "Nadine, you cannot rescue me from that thing."

  She nods, her gaze moving over me. "I know, but I wasn't going to let you die alone. I had to see for myself…" She shakes her head as if chasing the thought away, and her fingers move over my bare arm. "You've got blood on you. Where are you hurt?"

  I am shocked at her bravery—and her foolishness. She risked her precious life for that of a mere clone? I want to cover her face with kisses, but now is not the time. "Nadine, you should not have come here. Now we are both trapped."

  "We can get away," she tells me. "Crawl back down to the bottom—"

  "And then what? Die at the bottom?" I tilt my head at the graveyard of animal corpses below. "We cannot fight something that big from the air."

  She nods, clutching at my forearm, and then lets out a steadying breath. "Right. Okay. Back to plan A, then."

  "What is plan A?"

  "I sent Penny back to the village for help," she tells me. "And I came after you. We just have to stay alive until Ashtar can get here and kill Old Grandfather. Now, where are you hurt?"

  This impossible female. I want to shake her for risking her life…and I want to kiss her for caring enough about me to come to my rescue. "I am scratched but nothing I have not survived before." I don't even want to think about the gouges on my arms and legs. If I do, they'll start to hurt. Better to focus on Nadine.

  I love the way her worried gaze moves over me, her fingers sliding up and down my bare chest. "I don't understand. Why didn't it try to eat you? Not that I'm upset, of course. I'm so glad. I thought…" She swallows hard. "I thought I'd find you in pieces."

  "I had the same thought," I admit. "It is saving me as a meal for its chick." I gesture at the egg that's currently our only shield between us and the much larger parent. "We can only hope Ashtar will get here long before it wakes up."

  She stares at the egg in horror, and then puts a hand on it, testing. A moment later, she presses her ear to the shell, listening. I should have thought of doing such a thing, but I can only blame the ache of my head for my lack of cleverness. She listens for a long moment, and then looks at me. "It's silent. Are you…sure it's alive?" She touches it in a different spot, and then another. "It's ice cold, too. Could it be frozen?"

  "I hope so. That would be a bright bit of luck on this day."

  She snorts, and then winces, ducking her head as Old Grandfather rustles his wings above us.

  I pull her against me once more, tucking her back to my chest and putting my hand over her mouth as the monster stirs above us. I know it is watching. I can feel its predatory eye on us, and we must be absolutely, utterly still so it will calm and return to its sleep.

  After a while, the monster above us calms, and my body relaxes. I keep her tucked against me, because I can bury my face in her hair and breathe in her scent. Just having Nadine here makes everything better.

  She came after me. The thought repeats in my head and fills my heart with sheer joy.

  She came for me. She would not leave me behind, no matter how dangerous. I smile into her hair.

  Nadine sniffs, the sound quiet but noticeable.

  It takes me a moment to realize that the hand I have over her mouth is wet with her tears. My heart squeezes painfully in my chest, and I nuzzle at her ear. "Why are you crying, Nadine?" I deliberately let my lips brush against her skin, my cock aching with my need for her.

  "Because I should have let you kiss me more," she whispers. "This stupid secret kept us from spending every minute together and now we might die."

  "We will not die this day," I promise her. I cannot resist the temptation of her and nip at the shell of her ear. "This means if we live, we will hide our pleasure in each other no longer? You will stay in my furs all night?"

  "All night and all day," she agrees with a sigh. "I don't want to live with regrets, you know? And I love you."

  Hearing her say such a thing fills me with fierce, fierce joy. "I bet I can love you better than anyone has ever before."

  Her chuckle is soft and has a catch in it, as if she is still weeping. "I bet you can, too."

  I kiss her sweet ear again, her scent driving me crazy. She is intoxicating, this human female. Have I not always been drawn to her, though? Even when I thought I must focus on Angie? I was still drawn to Nadine and her bright smile, Nadine and her beautiful hair, her lovely body, and her brave, bold spirit. She is everything to me.

  Everything.

  As if in agreement, my khui begins to slowly thrum in my chest.

  It does not surprise me that I am resonating to her, only that it has taken so long for it to happen. Nadine has always been mine. This is good, I decide. This is right. This is perfect.

  This is also terrible timing.

  She gasps, and I cover her mouth with my hand again, looking up at the monster overhead. One eye is open, gazing down at us, but it does not move. Perhaps we are not yet loud enough.

  A moment later, though, Nadine's khui begins to hum its song in time with mine, and then suddenly we are much, much louder. The twined songs of our resonance thrums in the air and fills the world with a low, throbbing buzz. That buzz echoes in my ears, sends my pulse racing through my cock, and makes my hunger for her ten times stronger.

  "Nadine," I groan, pushing aside her thick hair so I can kiss her neck. "My Nadine."

  "Oh fuck," she breathes, her words muffled against my hand. "I can't believe it—"

  "I believe," I tell her. I have always believed this. As if my hips have a mind of their own, they jerk against her backside, thrusting my cock against her softer body. "Have you not known that you are mine?"

  Her breath shudders.

  Our resonance grows even louder, and I keep an eye on Old Grandfather, who is staring in our direction with a narrowed gaze, as if he cannot quite figure out where the noise is coming from. Good. Let him wonder. We will stay still and quiet.

  Well…mostly still.

  And mostly quiet.

  Because I don't think I can stop speaking to Nadine. Even as I bend over to press my mouth to her neck, I slide my other hand underneath her tunic, into the waist of her leggings. "When we get out of here, I am going to claim you so hard that you will see stars," I whisper. "I'm going to kef that sweet cunt of yours, fill you with my seed, make you mine in every way, Nadine." I nip at her earlobe even as I part her folds and find the nub of her clit. I rub it hard, and she jerks against me, her breathing hard and swift. I love the way the khui makes her practically vibrate against me. I want to grind my cock to her backside, but I need to make her come, first.

  It has always been about making Nadine come.

  I rub her hard and swift. "I'm going to take you in my furs and kef you for days," I murmur, pleasuring my mate even as I keep a watchful eye on the creature overhead. "You're going to take all of my cock in these honeyed folds and get it so wet, and then I'm going to sink deep."

  "Can’t…wait…to…get…home," she manages, her hips moving in time with my hand, rubbing against my caresses and adding to the friction. She's as desperate as I am.

  "We won't even make it that far," I tell her with a growl. "I'm going to
roll you out of this nest and kef you right in the snow. Take you so hard and make you mine."

  A little cry threatens to escape her throat, and I press my hand harder over her mouth, muffling it even as she comes against my hand, bathing it in her sweetness. I want to lick it up, to cover my face in her taste, but Old Grandfather's wings flick, and his colors are shifting slightly.

  He is aware of us. He knows the humming is not from the egg.

  Slowly, the creature sits up, his wings extending. His fearsome head swivels toward us.

  I press a kiss to Nadine's cheek. Our lives are in danger, but it somehow seems secondary to the pleasure coursing through my veins. "If this is our last moment," I tell her, "I am glad to have spent it pleasuring you."

  The sound of resonance is all around us, strong and joyous even as the creature raises his head, his mouth opening to reveal jagged, dangerous teeth. I stare up at it, holding my mate protectively to my chest as if I can somehow save her, and wait for the end.

  Old Grandfather’s eye is on us, and hot drool slides out of his mouth and splatters onto the nest. He rears back, ready to attack—

  And flames bloom around his head.

  The monster jerks in surprise, his body shuddering. He ducks low and screams his displeasure, the sound loud and echoing in the canyon. A moment later, a roar answers him.

  “Ashtar,” my mate cries. “He’s here! They’ve come for you!”

  They have come for us.

  20

  THRAND

  I push my mate toward the edge of the nest. "We must leave now, while we have a chance."

  Nadine nods and races for the edge, moving down as quickly as she can. I am a brief step behind her. The rocks tear at my hands as we clamber down, moving as swiftly as possible. I slide on ice several times, but I do not care. My only thought is to get away from Old Grandfather and his nest.

  Below me, Nadine stumbles, tumbling down the rest of the slope on her ass and landing with a splat on the ground. She groans, getting up, and then I am down the cliff a few moments later.

  She immediately turns to me, her gaze searching. "Thrand—"

  I grab her and pull her against me, kissing her hard. The resonance swells between us, so fierce and hot I know I cannot wait. I kiss her again, ignoring her protests, and pull at my loincloth.

  "What are you doing?" she asks between kisses, breathless. "We need to go!"

  A shadow flies overhead and I automatically move in front of Nadine, protecting her with my body as I look up. Ashtar fights the winged monster, but it is clear to me that it is no true fight. Ashtar is a gladiator, a drakoni who has fought many battles. It is easy to see he is toying with his prey. The skyclaw is bleeding, his wing listing as his camouflage shifts rapidly, trying to hide him from the even-larger predator, but it is no use. The drakoni will make short work of him soon enough.

  And then the others will be here.

  I must be swift to claim my mate.

  I kiss Nadine again, silencing her protest. "I love you," I tell her, and then grab her by the waist and turn her around. She clings to the rocks, a whimpering protest dying on her lips as I grab her leggings and jerk them down, revealing the delicious brown swells of her ass. Perfect. So perfect. I grip them and rub my cock against her, aching with need. "I cannot wait," I tell her. "If you do not want me, speak now, Nadine."

  She whimpers again, then spreads her legs wider, pushing her ass out in invitation. I catch the barest glimpse of her folds, wet and ready, and her song of resonance greets mine like the sweetest thing I have ever heard.

  "Nadine." My voice is harsh in my throat as I push the rest of my loincloth aside and free my shaft. My entire body throbs with resonance, the song thrumming in my ears so loud it drowns out almost everything. I grab her hips and drag my cock against the heat of her cunt, sliding along her folds and wetting my length. She gasps my name, but I cannot stop. I am too far gone. With a groan, I push the head of my cock against the entrance to her core and surge deep.

  The sensation is…overwhelming. Nadine's cunt is hot and tight, a velvet fist clenching around my cock, and it feels so good I nearly come. She moves, her body twitching, and I can feel those twitches in her, just as I feel the resonance vibrating between the two of us. I thrust. Once. Twice. Then I am pounding into her, unable to stop, unable to make sure that she comes, that her pleasure is greater than mine. I cannot stop moving. Resonance has me in its grip.

  Release surges through me and I let out a primal growl as I feel my seed flood into her the clasp of her cunt, her body trembling and quaking around mine. She breathes my name, and even as I shudder with release, the last of my breath leaving my lungs, I lean over her and press my hand between her thighs, touching her clit even as I grind into her with every pulse of my release. Nadine shudders , too, and then both of us are still.

  Somewhere behind us, something heavy crashes into the ground. Cold snow sprays against my back.

  I roll away from her, gasping for breath, and try to pull my loincloth over my wet member. I'm dazed as I stare at the dead carcass of Old Grandfather, collapsed in the snow in the valley. His throat is torn out, and overhead, I smell smoke and fire as Ashtar circles, trumpeting his glory.

  I laugh and look over at Nadine. Two Nadines, I think. "This is the best day of my life," I tell her.

  She looks at me, concerned, tugging her tunic down, and her gaze flicks to my brow. "Thrand? Your head…"

  "S'fine," I reassure her as she doubles again. Four—then eight Nadines. This strikes me as the greatest gift ever before everything goes black and I collapse in the arms of a million Nadines.

  * * *

  NADINE

  I brush Thrand’s silky black hair off his brow, eyeing the nearly healed cut at his hairline. It looks much better now that Veronica’s had her hands on him—literally—but it’s still worrisome. “You sure he’ll be okay?”

  Veronica hugs her knees, her face exhausted. Behind her, Ashtar kneels and rubs her shoulders, hovering over his mate. “He’s fine,” Veronica says. “It’s a bit of a concussion but I’ve helped it heal up. It’s just a scratch now. He needs to sleep a little to rest up and let his cootie take care of the rest.”

  “I thought you weren’t supposed to sleep with a concussion?” I ask worriedly, taking his hand in mine as he sleeps. I’ve been tense ever since the big guy passed out at my feet. “Should I wake him up?”

  “The cootie works best unimpeded,” Veronica says, closing her eyes. “Oh man, that feels good, Ashtar. You’re the best.”

  “I am,” he agrees, smoothing a big hand over his female’s shoulder. “And the a’ani will recover just fine,” the golden dragon-man says to me. “He has impressive stamina.”

  And he smirks in my direction.

  I just run my fingers over the back of Thrand’s hand. If that’s supposed to make me blush, it’s not gonna work. I know Ashtar saw us fucking against the canyon wall. I’m pretty sure Thrand’s red ass was impossible to miss. I know he saw it…and I don’t care. I’m just so relieved that Thrand is alive, uneaten by Old Grandfather, and he’s going to be mine.

  From now until forever, Thrand is truly mine. We resonated. Sure, the timing was fucking dreadful, but now that everything has ended well, I don’t care. I like the purring hum in my chest, and like that it’s matched to his. “I’m just so relieved.” I run my fingers up his arm, where there was a large, deep gash that’s now sealed over and light pink with scar tissue. “Thank you, Veronica.”

  “Just doin’ my job,” she says, a sleepy grin on her face. “Keep rubbing, Ashtar.”

  “Always.” There’s no mistaking the possessive look on the dragon-man’s face. It’s clear he adores doting on Veronica, and it’s sweet to see.

  “So what are you going to do now?” Veronica asks me.

  What am I going to do now? I think for a moment, then realize she’s probably asking about me and Thrand. If I’m objecting to the resonance. As if. Did I think I was lusting over the
man before? It’s nothing compared to the inferno in my blood now. I squeeze my thighs tightly because I can still feel his seed coating the insides of my thighs, and I’m sore deep inside. It’s such a good sore, though. God, the best kind of sore.

  And I can’t wait to get that sore again. And again. And a hundred times more. Thrand felt so good inside me—big and demanding, but so, so good. “I guess I get my things and move into his hut. He made it for me originally, you know. I thought he was full of hot air, but it seems he’s better at predicting this sort of thing than I am.” I give Veronica a crooked smile. “So I guess move in and take care of him until he’s all better. I don’t want him to strain himself.”

  Ashtar snorts.

  I caress Thrand’s fingers. I’m eager for him to wake up, but I’m also anxious because I want him to rest. If Veronica says he needs sleep, then he needs sleep. My khui—the cootie, as Veronica and a lot of the girls call it—hums and throbs in my chest, insistent in its need, and I wonder if there’s a way to get it to simmer down for a few days, just long enough for Thrand to feel better.

  Then I think of Mari and T’chai, and how Veronica “turned off” their resonance and how lost Mari has seemed ever since. Yeah, better not. Best to just ride it out and masturbate a lot. I can get more lotion and I’d be happy to work my man over, too, I think, smiling to myself at my dirty thoughts. I know just how he likes it.

  “Shall I carry him back to his hut?” Ashtar asks.

  “Like kef you will,” Thrand croaks out, startling me.

  He’s awake. I look over at him, touching his cheek gently as his eyes blink slowly and he focuses on me. A thin smile curves his mouth.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Sad,” he murmurs. “There’s only one of you now.”

  I snort. “You can’t handle more than the one.”

  “True. You are the fiercest of females.” The look he gives me is achingly sweet. “Are you all right?”

  “Me? What about you?” My hand flutters over his brow. I want to touch him there, but I also don’t want to hurt him. “How’s your head?”