by Lynnea Lee
Stars! What was happening to him? The infamous Captain Zeylum of the Defiant didn’t get attached to any female. Ashe was human. Was it possible for a mating bond to form cross species? He clenched his fists to his side, gritted his teeth, and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep.
Chapter 5
They left just as the sun was setting. Zey hired a transport to bring them to the edge of town, and from there, they trekked into the forest on foot. They were at the mercy of the Vosthean wilderness now. Before entering the forest, Zey sprayed them both down thoroughly with the insect repellent. Carrying the gear, he led the way, clearing a path through the underbrush with the large curved blade.
They made their way through the woods, stopping as needed to take care of natural functions. The insect repellent held up well, and they were not bothered by any of Vosthea’s oversized monstrosities. The insects were still hidden everywhere around them, though.
Every time a chirping and buzzing got too close, Ashe would jump and look around nervously, inching closer to the safety of his body. Zey found the prey-like reaction adorable and a complete departure from the female who just last night called him an asshole and told him to sleep on a mat as if she ruled the roost.
Further, into the bush, the trees got larger, the denser canopy emitted less light to fuel the thicket at ground level, and Zey put away his blade. Travel was easier here beneath the arboreal giants, but they were also more exposed to the predators that called the old-growth forest their home. Here, the light from the moon was so wan it might as well not be there at all. It was too dark for Ashe to see, and she clung onto his arm desperately. In the darkness, Ashe tripped a few times on the gnarled, outstretched roots.
Distracted by the distant sound of running water, Zey failed to catch her this last time she tripped, and she landed sprawled on the leaf litter of the forest floor. She let out a frustrated string of curses worthy of a male on his crew. By the way she talked and the way she fought when cornered, you’d think she didn’t know she was a tiny slip of a thing. Zey offered her a hand but realized that she couldn’t see it as she pushed herself back to her feet.
What the hell was he thinking, leading a defenseless, practically blind alien through the Vosthean forest? Any outlaw worth the large Dominion bounty on his head would have left her back at the port, his promise to bring her to Reka 5 be damned. Or, maybe he would have sold her to the innkeeper to make some quick credits while ridding himself the liability of a helpless companion.
Zeylum and the rest of his crew were known throughout Dominion space to be cold and mercenary. And while that might be true when he dealt with his foes, much of his reputation was fabricated, his exploits exaggerated through overzealous retellings. Zey also had a gentler side, one he reserved for his friends, his crew, and his female.
His female. And there it was. Somewhere between watching her fight off the Dominion guard and their midnight trek into the forest, Ashe had become his female. Soon he would need to drop her off at Reka 5, ending their time together. Zey was not looking forward to it, but until that day, she was his. She was his whether she liked it or not, his to cherish and to care for, his to keep safe. But not his to keep. He brushed away the feeling of wrongness at the thought of leaving her.
Right now, Ashe was far from safe. There were predators in this forest, stalkers. The large carnivores evolved from their reptilian ancestors to become something not quite reptilian but not quite mammalian either as evolution on this planet did not follow that particular path. They were warm-blooded, able to regulate their temperature so as to hunt without the sun. They bore live young but did not suckle them. Their offspring emerge ready to hunt and eat live prey.
The stalkers wouldn’t hesitate to make a quick meal out of his delectable female. His presence kept them at bay as they usually only attacked lone travelers. But Ashe was such a sweet-smelling morsel that a stalker might decide she was worth the fight with a fully grown Tallean male. Stalkers were crepuscular, preferring to hunt during twilight hours. Although some did hunt on cloudy days or bright moonlit nights, it was still safer to travel then and find shelter during dawn and dusk. They had traveled most of the night, and dawn was soon approaching.
“I hear a stream nearby. We’ll set up camp when we hit it. We’ve traveled enough tonight.”
She reached out towards the sound of his voice and latched on once again to his arm. Zey felt a sense of satisfaction at the gesture. He felt needed. They followed the sound of the water until they reached a small stream.
Looking to the trees around them, Zey chose a mature specimen on which to set up the shelter. It was within sight of the stream and well-positioned. The lowest branch of the tree was thick and strong, high enough to keep their hanging shelter above the reach of the stalkers but low enough for Zey to carry his female to.
Zey turned on the small lantern they picked up at the store and handed it over to Ashe. He didn’t like using it as it drew attention to their location. But although he could see well enough to travel with the light of the moon that shone through the foliage, it was much easier to set up the shelter with the extra light. He wanted to make sure Ashe was safely inside the hanging tent before the stalkers made their rounds.
Ashe was tired, and her feet hurt. Her flats were sufficient footwear for a walk at the mall or even the inside of an alien spacecraft, but it had more than met its match in this forest. She felt the small rocks and twigs right through the soles, and the damp forest floor soaked through to her feet. It was chilly, and she shivered.
She had to scramble to stay latched onto Zey’s arm throughout the trek, lest she be separated and alone. She gritted her teeth and soldiered on until she tripped over that piece of shit root and took a tumble. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Every nasty word she ever knew shot out in one long angry breath.
“I hear a stream nearby. We’ll set up camp when we hit it. We’ve traveled enough tonight.”
Thank goodness! She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
She reattached herself to her lifeline, his warmth and strength a source of comfort. Ashe hated feeling so completely dependent on anyone but had no choice. She was sitting duck out here. As they arrived at their destination, he turned to look at her, and she caught the brief flash of his eyes reflecting the moonlight. Night vision must come in handy!
Ashe watched with fascination as Zey built their shelter. It didn’t look like any tent she had ever seen. It didn’t even stand up properly. A cackling sound came from somewhere in the forest, and Ashe jumped, looking around warily. The lantern cast eerie shadows of the trees, adding fuel to her hyperactive imagination.
Zey continued to work, seeming none too concerned. She forced herself to calm, telling herself that it was probably something cute and fuzzy and completely harmless. They were probably just warning their neighbors of the two bipedal intruders setting up camp on their little patch.
When Zey proceeded to climb a large tree with one of the straps of the shelter tied to his belt, understanding dawned on Ashe. She was suddenly very glad that she had no fear of heights. The shelter was designed to be hung from a tree. Considering the prevalence of mature forests and jungles on the planet, it made sense. It kept the occupants off the damp forest floor and away from creepy crawlies, which was sure to be abundant and possibly venomous. The thought made Ashe shiver.
While heights didn’t send her screaming, insects and bugs did. She brought out the canister of repellent and gave herself another quick spray just in case. This stuff was potent; it not only dissuaded insects from biting but kept them away completely. She was sure the chemicals in it weren’t great for her either but decided that it was still the better choice compared to giant alien bugs. From the sounds they made, she could tell that the owners of the noises were probably huge.
Zey took the pack and the lantern up next, leaving Ashe temporarily in the dark. After a moment that felt much too long to Ashe, she heard him sc
ramble back down the large tree. How was it that he was able to scale the wide vertical trunk? His voice came from directly in front of her.
“I’m kneeling right in front of you, climb on my back and hold on tight. I can’t use my hands to lift you up with these crampons on.”
Crampons? Or at least that was the word the translator used. Weren’t those the spiky things climbers put on their shoes to get through icy patches? He had put sharp spiky things on his hands. That, combined with the claws on his feet, explained how he managed to scale the vertical trunk so effortlessly.
Ashe wrapped around him. Her legs tightened around his torso, and her arms clung around his neck. He felt so warm. His muscles were firm and strong as they moved under her body. She pressed her face into his neck and inhaled as he had done to her so many times before. His smell of sensual masculinity mixed with the primal earthiness of the forest was like an assault on her senses.
With nothing to see but darkness, her sense of smell and touch became all-encompassing. Without thinking, she licked his neck, tasting him. She wanted more. She wanted him over her, surrounding her, in her. She nibbled on his neck, happy to have something to distract her from the sounds of the forest.
“Stars!” he growled. “You better stop that now if you want to make it up to the shelter.”
Distracted by his body, Ashe hadn’t noticed that they were a good twenty feet up from the ground. Maybe now was not the best time, but she was feeling naughty and playful now, so she gave him one last teasing bite, this one a little harder.
He swore again. “You’re really hankering for some punishment, aren’t you?”
Ashe hummed into his ear. She was playing with fire, she knew, playing with fire twenty feet in the air. But she knew Zey wouldn’t drop her.
He got them to the branch and deposited her into their temporary abode. The electric lantern was lit inside, and she took a curious look around. The hanging tent was rigged to the massive branch above at two points. The top entrance had a flap that zipped shut to protect them from the elements.
She paused to reflect on the fact that a civilization originating many light-years away managed to invent something that looked and worked basically the same as a zipper. Effective was effective the universe over. There was a small window, again with a zip closure, at one of the ends. Hanging just outside of this window and easily accessible was their pack. The other end had a reinforced hole, again zippered, on the floor for their refuse.
The total floor space of the shelter was maybe a bit larger than a double bed, longer, just barely big enough for the Tallean male. She would need to sleep snuggled right up against him, and she looked forward to the prospect. She had missed the warmth and comfort of his body, sleeping alone at the inn.
Zey dropped into the shelter beside her and zipped them in. He spared no time removing his crampons and boots, and Ashe followed his lead peeling off her soaked flats. Ashe rubbed at her feet, trying to get the damp, achy feeling out. He took their shoes to the window at the end and placed them into a mesh pocket outside the tent. He also grabbed their flask of water and two nutrition bars.
They ate in silence, sitting crossed legged with their thighs touching. Heat from Zey’s warm body seeped into Ashe’s leg where they touched, and she fought the urge to cuddle in closer for warmth.
What the hell am I doing? Here she was, sitting in a tent hanging from a tree in an alien forest and completely reliant on an alien she’d met only days ago. A freaking sexy alien, mind you. She was hanging from a tree. A tree! Forget about the tree; she wasn’t just reliant on Zey, she lusted after him. She needed him more than just for her safety. Oh goodness, I’m falling for him. Bad Ashe! Bad! This could only end in heartbreak.
As if sensing her vulnerable thoughts, Zey reached over and pulled her into his lap. The feel of his hands drove away any warning her mind tried to issue. His face was close to hers, and Ashe wondered if his lips tasted as good as his neck. Only one way to find out. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she leaned towards him and captured his mouth with her own. Zey froze.
“What’s wrong? Don’t Talleans kiss?”
“I kiss you plenty, all over.” He demonstrated by trailing a line of little kisses across her jawline.
“I mean mouth to mouth, with tongue and lips.”
“We kiss and bite the body. But I like what you did. Do it again.”
“That sounded an awful lot like an order.”
“It is, little one. Do it again. Now.”
And Ashe did. And Zey soon kissed back. My, he was a fast learner.
Playfully, Ashe bit his bottom lip, just hard enough to solicit a sharp hiss.
Zeylum moved quickly, and within mere moments, Ashe found herself draped across his thighs. One hand landed on her back to hold her down as the other grabbed the stretchy waistband of her yoga pants and yanked it down her legs along with her underwear. She was hyper-aware of the vulnerability of her position. She tested his hold, but the hand on her back was firm, and he draped his other arm across the back of her thighs to further immobilize her. She was suddenly filled with a sense of anticipation.
The round cheeks of her ass were exposed, and Zey rubbed it with his palms. He tested the waters with an experimental tap, enough to make a delightful sound but not enough to sting. He didn’t know what he would do if she reacted badly. Her soft hiss and subconscious wiggle of her ass was invitation enough. He peppered both cheeks with heavier strikes, turning each cheek a delightful pink. He rubbed a palm in soothing circles first over one cheek then the other.
Then he landed a loud crack of his palm on her ass, making her squeal and kick. The movement of her kicking legs made their shelter swing, and she froze. But Zey had chosen the smaller shelter knowing that while it tended to swing easily, it was also the most secure of the hanging tents.
He raised his palm to strike down again. “That’s for teasing me on the way up here.”
He landed another blow. “And that was for questioning me at the inn.”
Crack. “And for not trusting me to win that knife game.”
And another. “And that one just because I want to.”
She was kicking her legs and trying to crawl off his lap now, but the overwhelming scent of her arousal told him she was not truly distressed. After a few more slaps across her reddened cheeks, Zey moved a hand between her legs. He delved two fingers into her hot tight core, and they came out glistening with her juices. He put them into his mouth and licked them clean.
“Please,” she whispered.
He wasn’t quite sure if she was begging for him to stop or to continue. He rolled her off his lap onto her back. As much as he wanted to mount her and pound into her from behind, he knew that position would make the shelter swing wildly. It would have to wait for another time. He pulled her shirt over her head and tackled that confounded covering that held her beautiful breast.
“Tell me what you need,” he urged.
“Why am I naked when you’re still dressed? How’s that fair? I’ll tell you what I need. I need your clothes off.”
Zey laughed. He worked fast to strip his clothes off and moved to cover her body. He nudged her legs apart with his knees and positioned himself so that the length of his cock rubbed up against her wet slit. He nuzzled her cheek, then pushed it aside so he could bury his face into the crook of her neck. He licked and nibbled, savoring her addictive flavor.
He wanted to memorize her scent, to keep her close to his heart forever. It was suddenly imperative that she needed him as much as he needed her. He tore himself away from her neck and forced their eyes to meet.
“What else do you need? Tell me.”
Chapter 6
I need you! She bit at her bottom lip. It was already obvious that she needed him to survive. But admitting she needed him in this way as well was too much. Ashe hesitated. Was it really that bad to admit that she needed him?
She reached up to trace her fing
ers along the crease in his cheek. The line created by the fold of skin accented his masculine jaw. She lifted her head to place kisses all along that handsome jawline, marveling at the smooth stubble-free skin, so unlike the men she had been with before.
“Tell me what you need,” he whispered hoarsely. “Tell me you need me.”
He ground the steel-hard length of his large cock against the lips of her pussy.
“Oh, god, yes.” To hell with it. “Yes, Zey,” she sobbed, “I need you. Please.”
Zey grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head, shackling her wrists with one giant hand. Holding himself up with the other arm, he positioned himself at her entrance and pushed in slowly. Ashe wrapped her legs around his hips and lifted her hips, trying to force him in harder. He groaned but continued his devastatingly slow penetration until he hit the back of her tight channel.
“Look at me,” he demanded.
Ashe gazed into his gorgeous green eyes; the light of the lantern made them seem to glow.
“Say it again. Tell me who you need,” he continued.
“You, Zey. I need you!”
He started to fuck her hard. Ashe screamed, and her eyes rolled back as she closed them. A palm covered her mouth to stifle her scream. Her breathy squeals when Zey had spanked her did not travel, but her piercing scream rang loud in the forest. It would give away their position.
“Keep your eyes open,” he growled. “Look at me! Know who is fucking you, know who makes you feel so good.”
Her eyes flickered open, and she peered at him through her lashes, her lids heavy with lust. He continued to fuck her, pistoning into her hard and deep, bringing their pleasure higher. Her muscles clenched in rhythm around his thick shaft. She screamed again into his palm. Her body was shaking uncontrollably from her climax, but she kept her eyes open, looking into his now-familiar face. Before she could come down from her orgasmic high, Zey swelled even larger inside her as he came, forcing another climax from her body as he spurted his hot seed into her.