Broken

by Presley Hall

  “Terra—Earth—is made up of a lot of different countries,” I tell Brele. “It’s divided into seven continents, six of which are really habitable, and then divided further into countries. America—the country I’m from—is divided even further into states and cities. Some of those cities are small and some are massive. You could spend your whole life on Earth and not see all of it. Most people don’t. In fact, lots of them don’t even get to travel much outside of their own country.” I shoot him a glance. The tunnels are even darker than the cave, making his striking features shadowy and vague. “Have you seen all of Kalix?”

  “Most of it.” He nods. “And other planets too.”

  My eyebrows shoot up.

  He must have been someone important once, before he ended up all the way out here. Or very wealthy, or…

  “Were you in this military force you’ve mentioned?” I ask cautiously, wondering if he’ll answer. He doesn’t seem to want to tell me very much about his life before this, but I can’t stop myself from trying to find out. For some reason, I suddenly want very much to know more about him—to know him better, this man who thinks he’s my mate, my perfect match.

  I want to know if he could be right.

  “In a manner of speaking,” he says, his voice still tight. He looks away from me and doesn’t say anything else.

  For the next several hours we spend wandering the tunnels, we do so in silence.

  17

  Jade

  The next two days pass in a kind of strange limbo that makes me feel as if we’re frozen in time, although I know we’re not. The world outside is carrying on without us, and with every day that passes, we get closer and closer to our inevitable end if we can’t get out of this cave.

  Thankfully, there are fish-like creatures in the lake. Brele has been able to use his dagger to catch a few of them, keeping us from starving to death. He also managed to light a fire with some dried lake weed, striking a flame with his sword and knife. I never thought I’d enjoy eating plain, unseasoned fish cooked over an open flame—I’ve never been the most outdoorsy person—and the first night I only picked at it. But by the second afternoon, I was ravenous enough that it tasted better than any fish I’d ever had properly cooked.

  Still, fish and fire notwithstanding, I know we can’t stay here for long. The lake water seems fresh enough, so we won’t die of thirst either, but we can’t subsist down here eating fish and drinking the dubious water forever.

  And ever since our conversation in the tunnels, Brele has kept his distance from me, limiting our discussions to practical things like food and possible means of escape from the cave, and refraining from touching me—except at night.

  At night, it gets freezing cold down here, and we don’t have anything in the way of blankets or bedding. For the last two nights, he’s curled himself around me to help keep us both warm, his arm carefully wrapped around my waist, not too near my breasts or anything lower down.

  The first time it happened, I lay there for a long time, pretending to be asleep but instead viscerally aware of the feeling of the contours of his body molded against mine. How well I fit into the curve of him, and how safe I felt lying beside him, wrapped in the circle of his arm.

  I felt him get hard against the small of my back, the long, obvious thickness of him pressed against my ass, and it took everything in me not to wriggle back against him, wanting to feel more of it. It was obvious he couldn’t help himself, which made me feel strangely pleased, and even more obvious that he didn’t intend to do anything about it, or try to convince me to.

  I kind of hated it.

  Not only because the feeling of his rigid erection pressed tightly against me made my body hum with the kind of desire that kept me awake and aching for hours, but because his actions are exactly what he said he would do, and I don’t know how to deal with that.

  I know how to deal with men who are liars, cheaters, or abusers. I know how to kick a man to the curb or fight him off. What I don’t know is how to deal with an honorable man, one who says something and follows through on it, a man who keeps his word.

  Brele is doing just what he said he would—he’s proving that he would be a good mate.

  He’s shown that he respects me and my intelligence, working with me to try to find a way out for us and listening to my suggestions. He’s not intimidated by my strength or my ability to fight. Instead, he seems impressed by it, appreciating it as a quality he would want in a partner. And true to his word about not pushing the consummation of our supposed bond on me, he hasn’t tried to touch me again sexually, not even so much as a kiss since I ran out the front door of his house.

  I think he knows that I want him to. The last two nights, I’ve wished he would try to take things further so much that I think he must’ve been able to feel it vibrating through me—the tension and need in my body.

  If he could make me come the way he did with just his tongue and fingers… I can only imagine what sex with him would be like.

  That’s entirely what occupies my thoughts the next afternoon as we’re exploring what remains of the cave in the hope of finding some way out. I’m so lost in my imagination that I hardly notice we’ve come back out into the main part of the cave until Brele’s voice cuts through the air, interrupting my thoughts and startling me.

  “What? Sorry, I was… distracted.” I look up at him, trying to collect myself and hoping he can’t see any hint of what I was thinking about on my face.

  “I have an idea,” he repeats patiently with a small smile. “I didn’t want to broach it until we’d covered every possible easier way of getting out, but it doesn’t seem that there’s any way out of here other than up.”

  “What idea?” I perk up, grasping at any hope left to us. The failure of the last tunnel to lead to anything other than a blank wall veined with that now-familiar shimmering white stone has made me feel a bit hopeless.

  “While I was fishing this morning, I saw a cluster of underwater vines in the lake. They’re thinner than the ones above-ground, but thicker and sturdier than the weeds we’ve been using to make fires. I tested one of them—they’re strong and not easily broken. If we gathered enough of them, I think it’s possible that we could twist or braid them together to fashion some kind of rope and possibly get out of here that way. There are a few tree stumps near where we fell through, and large boulders. I might be able to wrap it around one of those.”

  “All right.”

  I nod, agreeing so readily that he looks at me with surprise. I think he expected me to argue, but I can’t think of any reason to. There’s no harm in trying, and we desperately need to get out of here.

  More than that, I’m realizing I trust Brele. The seeds of that feeling were planted when he saved me from the bear-like creature, and they’ve only grown since then. I truly am starting to trust him. Everything he’s done since he saved me from the ship’s wreckage has shown me that he’s strong, capable, kind, thoughtful, and smart.

  All things I never believed a man could truly be.

  “Let’s go,” I tell him with an encouraging smile and follow him into the lake.

  The water is cold, but without the shock of falling unexpectedly into it, it’s not too bad. I worked up a bit of a sweat exploring the last several tunnels, so it actually feels pleasant to cool off a bit. Parts of the lake look eerily black due to the darkness, but the sections that the light from the opening in the ceiling shines down on are clear. I can see a lakebed of rocks, the weeds we’ve used for fuel, and patches of the vines that Brele mentioned, with fish darting in and out of them.

  It’s actually… pretty.

  “Kalix can be quite beautiful,” Brele says with that tiny smirk that I’m getting to know so well, and I realize I must have spoken my thoughts aloud. Either that or he’s getting so good at reading my expressions that he didn’t even need me to. I’m honestly not sure which it was.

  But he’s not wrong. Shooting him a grin, I wade toward a spot in the shallows
where the patches of vines are thicker, enjoying the cool splash of the water on my legs.

  We gather the vines up in companionable silence. Brele gives me his long knife to cut them while he uses his sword to saw through several at a time. As I cut the plants loose, the small flicker of hope in my chest grows—the vines are long and supple, very rope-like, and I can see how braiding them together could make something strong enough to get us out of this cave.

  The work of cutting them free is hard, but at last, we both have an armful of the slippery vines. Satisfied with our haul, we carry them up toward the shore. As we both emerge from the lake and dump our bounty onto the gravelly sand, I glance over at Brele—and the sight nearly takes my breath away.

  He’s soaking wet, having gone much deeper into the water than I did, and every inch of his bronzed, muscled body is glistening. The strip of leather he uses as a loincloth is plastered against him, hiding absolutely nothing. I can see the outline of his cock, soft but still thick and noticeable, against the wet leather that molds itself to his body.

  A shudder of pure want ripples through me, and I tear my gaze away with some effort, looking back at the pile of vines as I swallow hard.

  Brele hasn’t noticed my change in demeanor—he’s too busy surveying the vines we’ve gathered, looking pleased.

  “This truly might work, Jade. I think we can make a rope out of these,” he says, his face breaking into a broad grin as he looks over at me, the tension of the last few days gone.

  I can’t help but smile back. His grin and hopefulness is infectious, making him look years younger in a matter of seconds.

  “I think you’re right,” I agree. “Maybe we’re going to get out of here after all.”

  The hope in Brele’s eyes shifts to something else. I know what he’s thinking. What happens after we get out of here, if we do? I don’t know the answer to that. But as his gaze locks on mine, I feel the tension in the air between us thicken again—this time not out of worry, but arousal.

  “Come on. Let’s get some more.”

  Pulling myself away from the cocoon of attraction that seems to wrap around us, I turn back toward the shoreline. Excitement fills me as I plunge back into the lake, wading through the shallows, the cold water splashing up over my thighs and sending a shiver through me. I look for new patches of vines, going farther around the curve of the shoreline.

  There’s a waterfall around one side of the lake, the smooth black stone behind it creating shadows on the water, and I can’t help but be drawn toward it. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on this planet so far—except for Brele, maybe. The cool, clear water tumbles and splashes down, sending ripples through the rest of the lake.

  “There are no vines over there,” Brele calls out, but he follows me anyway.

  I can hear the sounds of him wading through the water behind me, and as I run one hand through the waterfall, watching it spill over my fingers, I turn to face him. He’s stopped only a foot away from me, half in shadow and half in the light streaming down from the space above us where we fell through.

  The sunlight glints off his wet skin, making his rippling muscles gleam, and my heart stutters in my chest as if it’s forgotten how to beat normally.

  Shit. I thought getting back in the water would cool me down, but it obviously backfired.

  He’s so close that I could reach out and touch him. And I do, reaching up to tangle my hands in his damp hair before pulling his mouth down to mine.

  That’s all it takes—the tension between us snaps as his hand goes to my lower back, and suddenly I’m against him, every inch of me pressed to his body as his tongue slides over my lower lip, begging me to allow him entrance to my mouth.

  My lips part and my back arches, my hips pressed against his. His cock hardens, lengthening as it presses against my thigh, instantly rigid with need. I can feel the desire pulsing through him. I can feel the strength of it, and how hard he’s struggling to hold it back, to not take me here and now.

  It’s impossible not to lose myself in this moment—kissing the most handsome man I’ve ever seen on any planet, calf-deep in an alien lake beneath the earth, with the waterfall splashing down next to us. It’s like being in a fantasy, something I could never have dreamed up on my own, and in this moment, I can’t imagine why I would ever want to leave.

  My hands rove over his body, trailing from his hair down the sides of his neck, over the broad curve of his shoulders, and down the muscular upper arms that I can’t even wrap my hands around. He inhales sharply when I touch his chest, my fingers skimming over the damp skin, and a deeper gasp falls from his lips when I touch the ridged muscles of his stomach.

  I feel the tension ripple through him, how much he wants me to keep going, and his cock throbs against my hip.

  I reach up with one hand, wrapping it around the back of his head to kiss him harder, more deeply. He tastes smoky, earthy, and my tongue tangles with his, a moan coming from my lips as I arch myself against him.

  Suddenly, I wish I were naked too. I want to feel his skin against mine, my nipples against his chest, my thighs pressed to his. A flood of arousal washes over me as wetness gathers between my legs.

  Brele shudders as he breathes in, and I know he can smell my desire. But it doesn’t shock me this time. It only increases how much I want him. The way he reacts to me makes me think he hasn’t been touched in a very long time, but it isn’t only that.

  He wants me—this beautiful, alien man wants me so badly that I can feel it in every line of his body.

  I remember the sweet, intensely pleasurable slide of his tongue between my legs, the way his fingers so skillfully manipulated me to a dizzying climax only a few nights ago in his bed, and I suddenly want very badly to give him the same pleasure. He’s been nothing but giving, unselfishly pleasing me without demanding anything in return. And now I want to know what sounds he will make when I touch him, the way his body will move and shudder with pleasure if I return the favor.

  Our kiss softens, my lips brushing over his as I let my hand slide down farther. My fingertips brush the top of the leather that clings to his skin. He shudders again, his hips twitching as he tries not to arch into my touch, but I want him to. I want to feel his body react.

  I let my fingers drift lower, to the crease of his thigh, and he moans. His cock pulses, jerking upward with the need to be touched, and I stroke the inside of his thigh teasingly for just a second longer, enjoying having this fierce alien under my power.

  When I finally reach beneath his loincloth and touch his hard length, he groans with a sound that seems almost pained in its ferocity. I skim my fingers down the top of his shaft, feeling the pulsing vein there, and realize with some relief that he feels much like any human male.

  Just… a lot bigger.

  His cock jerks upward again, the shaft pressing against my palm, and I wrap my hand around him, squeezing lightly.

  He moans against my mouth as his hips thrust helplessly into my hand, like he’s unable to keep himself from moving any longer.

  “Jade,” he mumbles against my lips. He tangles one hand in my hair, his hips moving as I begin to stroke him, switching between stroking my fingers along the length of him and wrapping my hand around his shaft, moving it up and down until his moans come faster.

  I feel the slick wetness gathered at his tip, and a thought flashes into my head—I wonder what he tastes like? My curiosity suddenly overcomes everything else, and I let go of him suddenly.

  He makes a gasping sound that’s almost a plea, but I look up at him, letting him see the desire in my expression. His gray eye lightens, gleaming silver as he realizes what I want to do. Feeling nearly drunk with arousal, I slide my hands down his chest, not letting my gaze drift away from his. Then I reach lower to take his hand, leading him beneath the waterfall.

  The water is shallower behind it, the falls themselves giving us a curtain between this small hollow and the rest of the cave, a sense of privacy, of being hidden aw
ay, even though there’s no one else here to see. Brele seems lost in a haze of desire, and I feel a fresh wave of it wash over me too.

  Why would you want to go back to Earth? a little voice in my head asks as Brele looks down at me. His hands run through my hair as he bends to kiss me again, the firm press of his lips making me forget everything else but him. Do you really want to leave this behind? Is what’s waiting for you back there so much better?

  I linger in the kiss for a long moment, breathing him in, trying to commit all of this to memory.

  It’s a fantasy, I remind myself, one that won’t survive once we’re out of this cave.

  But I’ve spent my whole life fighting. Don’t I deserve something beautiful, something good, just this once? Don’t I deserve to give in, to stop bracing myself against everything and just feel? Brele won’t hurt me. In fact, everything in me tells me that he would do the exact opposite of that.

  So I break the kiss, smiling up at him as I scratch my nails gently down his chest. Then I sink to my knees in the water as I shift his loincloth out of the way. My hands come to rest on his hips, my mouth a mere inch from his thick cock.

  “Jade, you don’t have to…” Brele’s voice is a choked murmur, raspy and low.

  “I know.” I pull my bottom lip between my teeth as I look up at him, loving the way he towers over me. “But I want to.”

  The silver in his good eye brightens, his face going taut with need as my hand tightens on his hip. My other hand moves to wrap around his length again as I draw him to my lips. I want to go slowly, to savor this, and I press the tip of him against my pursed mouth, flicking out my tongue ever so slightly to taste him.

  Brele groans aloud at the touch of my warm tongue, his hand reaching down to stroke my hair. The sound of his moan and the salty taste of him on my tongue only spurs me on, and I slide further down, struggling a little to take more of him into my mouth.

  “Easy,” Brele whispers, although I can tell he wants desperately for me to manage all of it. I can feel that his muscles are flexed hard beneath my hand on his hip, that it’s taking everything in him not to thrust forward, to keep himself still. “Jade, you don’t have to… oh, gods.”