The Game Warden's Mate

by A. M. Griffin

  The necklace now felt heavy in her palm. She stared at it. Whoever it belonged to wouldn’t have left this behind, just as she wouldn’t leave her purse. This would’ve been important to them. “The people who run this game are animals.” Her eyes were hot with tears. She wrapped her hand around the necklace. “How can they do this?”

  She tried to blink back her tears, but they came fast and hard. Her breath hitched. Through her tears, Xrez was just a blur as he plucked the necklace from her grasp and slipped it over her head. She cried more as the gems settled on her chest.

  “Esme, I’m sorry.”

  She wiped her tears on her arms and sniffled. “You didn’t do this to me.”

  She was on a planet, far from Earth and so alone. Everything she’d worked so hard for, all the years she’d spent in college, was for nothing. All those years she’d spent in America, not going out with the other students, too afraid to be caught in the wrong situation, just so she could make something of herself and make her family proud seemed like a waste. She hadn’t gotten involved with any of the boys because she’d been so afraid that they would’ve deterred her from her school work. She’d given up everything to get her dream job, and now she no longer had that.

  She’d known that she would never be rich. She wouldn’t come to the marriage table with wealth. But she did have one thing that she could’ve given her husband. She’d thought saving herself would be the ultimate gift she could give. Now, here she was alone, without any real personal life, love life or career that she could look back on and say, “At least I lived, loved or made a difference.”

  Xrez brought his hand to the side of her face. It was soft and comforting. She let her head rest against it and tried to control the flow of tears. The rough pad of his thumb rubbed against her cheek, wiping them away.

  The tears flowed faster at the thought she could end up with the same fate as the person who’d owned the necklace. And without having known love at all.

  She couldn’t control where she was, but there was one thing she did have control over.

  Esme leaned over and kissed Xrez. She didn’t start soft and slow like they’d done the day before. No, she kissed him like she might never get a chance to kiss him again. Her lips crushed against his. Her tongue was aggressive and seeking. Her hands gripped the sides of his face. Her heart slammed against her chest.

  Xrez was hesitant at first, but she didn’t care. She wanted him. She wouldn’t let him deny her this. If she were going to die or be taken at least she would know this one thing.

  Esme pushed his chest. Xrez went backward and took her with him. His arms were around her waist and claws on her back. She moved to straddle him. Her hips ground against his bulge, needing him in the worst way.

  He broke away from the kiss. “Esme, are you sure this is what you want?”

  She pushed up and undid the buttons of her shirt. Xrez dropped his gaze to her chest. He was silent as she took off her shirt, then bra, throwing them both in a pile.

  He let out a feral growl, and his hands went to her breasts. “I’ve thought about these all night and day.”

  She held his hands to her breasts, helping to massage and play with her nipples. She let her head fall back. Her loose hairs tickled her as she continued to grind her hips on him. His cock was thick and hard, making her feel good in the right spot. That very spot. At first, she moved slow, then her grinding became feverish. The sensation against her clit was pleasurable, but she needed more.

  “Tell me this is what you want, Esme.”

  She looked at him. He was so perfect, dark eyes pleading, erotic and tentative at the same time. “This is what I want.”

  The next second she was under him. He kissed and sucked her nipples, teasing and licking them. She had her hand through his hair and lifted her breasts into his mouth. His hands pushed her pants down. She helped by pulling her legs out and pushing the last bit of material away.

  After she was undressed, he sat up then stood. She should’ve been embarrassed, lying there naked, legs spread wide, waiting for someone she barely knew to make love to her on a dirt covered ground.

  But she didn’t. She wanted him to hurry.

  He pushed his skinsuit down. She wasn’t surprised to find the same hair on his face was also splashed across the rest of his body. The suit he’d worn hadn’t left anything to the imagination but actually seeing every muscle, and every fine line took her breath away.

  He was big and muscular, that she knew already, but his body was perfection. Broad shoulders leading down to strong arms. His pectoral muscles were like hard rocks. His chest tapered down to a flat stomach. His waist was smaller, but only by two or three inches. Every muscle in his stomach was well defined. He pushed his suit past his hips, and his penis sprung free and proud.

  She gasped at the size. “Oh, my.”

  He pushed his suit down his thighs and stepped out of it. “Will my size be a problem? From what I read, the human female’s vagina will stretch to accommodate?”

  She stared at it. Her mouth watered. She’d read the same thing. She’d also known this to be a fact. But looking at something as large as he was, standing over her in all of his glorious perfection, a hint of doubt wormed its way through.

  “Yes…well…technically…”

  He reached down and grabbed his clothes. “We shouldn’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “No, no. Let’s do this. Er, I mean. Yes, I would very much like to continue.”

  “But will it…” He winced, seemingly not able to finish his sentence.

  “Hurt?” She nodded. “But it’s okay.”

  He shook his suit out and moved to put it back on. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t.”

  “Wait! Um. I…” She chewed on her lip, unsure of how to say what needed to be said without sounding like a naïve virgin. Well, she was, but still. “It’s going to hurt whether I do this with you or with someone else.”

  He looked down at her. His eyes were soft and loving. “Esme, it’s not supposed to hurt.”

  She felt uncomfortable and embarrassed now. “I-I’m a virgin. I’ve never done this before.”

  His hands clenched around his clothes. The strain of his muscles were evident. “Are you sure that you want to give this gift to me? Do you want to reserve this for your mate?”

  Her mind roared. She sat up. “For a mate? You mean for one of those hunters out there?”

  He opened his mouth, but she stopped him with a hand.

  “No, Xrez. If I get caught, I won’t have any say on who I give this to. I mean, I don’t want to get caught. I would love to make it to Level Three and win, then go home. And when I get home find a husband, marry and have five kids. But just in case.” She hitched her breath and looked away, unable to continue.

  He dropped his clothes and knelt in front of her. His kisses started at her feet. “Your mate should worship the ground you walk on.” He kissed up her leg and licked her knee. “He should be grateful every time you chose to walk in his direction.” He kissed up her thigh and spread her legs.

  His eyes were focused on what he found there and were filled with pure sexual heat. She felt they would burn through her. “He should thank your creator for gifting you with this.” He leaned down and licked her clit, taking his time to taste and tease her.

  She laid back on a moan. He took his time exploring her. His tongue caressed her walls. His finger rubbed and massaged her clit. The storm built inside her, calm then raging until it burst forth and spilled where he lapped it up.

  He wasn’t done. Xrez trailed kisses up her stomach. “Your mate should worship your belly. He should keep you fed because this is where you’ll gift him with children.” He looked up with a sparkle in his eyes. “Five.”

  “Five,” she repeated softly.

  He smirked. Then he kissed her again, moving up to her chest. “He should thank the Ancients every day and every night.”

  “For my breasts?” she whispered.

  “For givin
g your heart to him.”

  She was undone. She grabbed him by the face and brought him up to claim his mouth. Xrez settled his hips between her thighs. She opened wide to accommodate him. She knew it would hurt and expected it, but when he entered her, she wasn’t prepared for the shock. She stopped breathing. Searing heat burned her. The pain radiated around to her back.

  “Esme, Esme. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

  Had she been crying? The shock had been too much. He began to pull out. All the way out. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pinning him in place. “Don’t. It’s supposed to get better.”

  He lifted on his hands and looked down at her. “I don’t want to cause you pain.”

  “Xrez, for humans it does the first time. Give me this. Please.” She raised her head to kiss him again and locked her feet around her ankles, pulling him down.

  Xrez sunk into her again. Her breath caught in her throat. He lifted and plunged again. He chased the pain away with each thrust until the minute of inconvenience was forgotten. He moved slowly. He was holding back, she could feel his tense muscles under her hands. She knew he wasn’t going as deep as he could.

  “Xrez,” she breathed out. “More.”

  He went deeper.

  She scratched along his back, and he plunged again. His thrusts became faster, his moans louder, his caresses feral. His lips were on her jawline and her neck. She grabbed his butt, feeling the powerful muscle there and pulled him into her. He sunk in all the way, his hips meeting hers. Her back arched and she yelled out in pleasure.

  He growled and pushed up to his hands, towering over her. She held onto his butt helping him pump into her.

  The look he gave her was one of possessiveness and danger, and she reveled in it. Her stomach tightened with the familiar storm.

  His thrusts went faster and faster, and Esme held on for the ride. The sounds of their moans and lovemaking reverberated off the cave walls. The storm raged on with each stroke. Each thrust threatened to send her over the edge. He sunk into her two more times before the dam broke and the waves crashed over her. With a roar, he shuddered and fell on top of her in spasms.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Esme laid, half splayed across Xrez’s chest. She used her fingers to play with the hairs there and enjoyed the rise and fall of his breathing. “Why does your heart sound like that?”

  He was twirling a curl from her hair around one of his claws. “Like what?”

  “It’s beating really fast. Boom! Boom! Boom!”

  Xrez chuckled lightly. A warm vibe pulsed through Esme making her smile. “It’s not fast. That’s two hearts you’re listening to, not one.”

  “Two?”

  She pulled her brows together wondering where his hearts were. When she listened, the beats of one did sound like it was right under her ear while the other beat sounded a little softer. She’d only concentrated on his outward appearance. He didn’t look human and couldn’t pass for one even on a dark night, but he was humanoid; two arms, two legs, ten fingers and toes. His face was flatter, ears pointier and of course the mouth full of sharp teeth were different. But what about his inside?

  “What are the other differences between us?”

  “From what I know about the human anatomy, the hearts are the biggest difference. Other than the most obvious differences like the hair covering my body and my size, I have a fast metabolism, stronger teeth, and hyper-hearing and vision.”

  “Hyper-hearing and vision? Is that how you were able to keep tracking me?”

  He used another claw to pick up more of her hair to play with. “Yes. Humans don’t see, hear or smell very well.”

  She sniffed at the air; old food and burnt firesticks. “Hey, my smelling is pretty good.”

  “For a human,” he teased.

  She pinched his nipple.

  “Was that supposed to hurt or turn me on? Because I have to be honest. It did both.”

  She raised her head and glared at him. He smiled and laughed, and she found that she liked the sound. He pushed his lips out comically then with a hand on her head, pressed her ear back against his chest. It was as though she belonged laying against him, snuggled in the crook of his arm while he cradled her close to his body.

  “I swear to Oprah, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” she muttered. She inhaled again, closing her eyes as she took in his scent.

  “Oprah. Hm. My translator isn’t picking up that definition. Is it one of your gods?”

  She spurted and snorted. “Well, I do kinda worship her.”

  “We gave up worshiping gods a long time ago.”

  She settled into his arm and wrapped her arm around his chest. “Tell me about your planet. Is it far from here?”

  “Pi Vesna is in this solar system. Turolois and its sister planet, Sorol, are the fourth and fifth planets from the sun. Pi Vesna is the eleventh.”

  “Eleventh?” She didn’t know much about astronomy, but being the eleventh planet seemed far. Back when Pluto had been considered a planet, it was described as an uninhabitable cold rock where life couldn’t exist. “Is it a terrible place?”

  “What? No. Pi Vesna is wonderful.”

  “But how? Isn’t it too far away from the sun?”

  “Our sun is much bigger and older than the Earths. It burns brighter. The reason the sun isn’t scorching us right now is because of the protective force field that covers this planet. It keeps the sun’s rays from penetrating the atmosphere and turning everything to molten lava. It’s also the reason why the atmosphere is controllable by the game attendants and why there are major temperature differences throughout the arenas.”

  “So is it warm on Pi Vesna?”

  “No, we’re so far away that we’re able to enjoy the scorch-free life, but also too far to enjoy the warmth. It’s cold, much like it is in this arena.”

  “So it’s horrible.” She couldn’t think why anyone would want to live in such a harsh environment.

  “You find this weather horrible? I read there are places on Earth just as cold as this arena and Pi Vesna.”

  “Yeah, Antarctica. Never been and never wanted to go. I think only scientists have some research bases there, and they study polar bears and penguins, but none of us actually live there. It’s too extreme and barren.”

  “Maybe humans can’t handle a little bit of snow because your skin is so exposed. You hardly have any muscles to help generate heat and keep your metabolism up, and there’s no hair except for on your head and between your legs.”

  She raised her arm and pointed at the dark hairs dotting her arms. “We have hair.”

  He plucked at a strand.

  “Ow!”

  He studied it. “This little thing? It’s so soft. It wouldn’t keep you warm at all.”

  “I always thought I was hairy. My sister and I inherited the hairiness from our dad.” She lifted her leg. If she were at a beach back home, she would’ve been embarrassed by her unshaven legs. “What about this?”

  He ran his hand down her leg. “Smooth like a newborn babe.”

  A laugh burst from her mouth. “You would really like my legs in another week.”

  “They get hairier?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  She got quiet. All playfulness left her. Would she really be trapped on Turolois for another week?

  “How many siblings do you have?”

  “Four. All sisters.”

  “Is that why you want five children?”

  She nodded. “It’s a nice number. There was always someone to talk to or play with. I wanted what my parents had. A loving marriage and a happy home.”

  She remembered how much love there was in her house. Her and her sisters fought, like all siblings do. But they had always made up before they went to bed.

  “Times were hard, but we never felt it. We always had enough to eat. My mom had her garden in the backyard, and we raised chickens and goats. We loved each other, and we enjoyed each other’s company
. Now…” She let out a deep breath. “Now, I wonder how they’re taking my disappearance. I know it’s killing my parents.”

  She balled her hand in a tight fist. “I will get through this, Xrez, and I will go home. I have to. I can’t let my parents live the rest of their lives not knowing what happened to me and thinking the worst.”

  “I know you will.”

  “Do you really think that I can get back home if I win?”

  He was silent at first, then he said, softly, “Yes.”

  “I hate the people who did this to us. Hopefully, one day, I’ll get to spit in their faces.”

  He hugged her tighter.

  * * *

  “Sir, I was just informed the bureaucrats are meeting on Ceriun to discuss the future of The Hunt this morning,” Bradliix’s voice came over Xrez’s comlink.

  Xrez adjusted his new coat over his frame and re-checked his appearance in the full-length mirror. When had he ever given this much thought to his appearance before? Well, before he’d been in mining gear from head to toe and impressing a female hadn’t been on his mind. Making sure no one from his crew accidentally blew them all to Panteras and back, that had always been an issue.

  “Re-schedule it.”

  He’d planned to meet with the bureaucrats to smile and assure them the arrangement they’d had with his father would be honored and their cut of The Hunt’s credits would be transferred into their accounts. But the meeting could wait until after this round of the games.

  The bureaucrats, of course, would take issue with a hunt comprised of only humans, but after this round, Xrez could go to them with evidence of The Hunt’s success in hand and the solid bookings for the next rounds. That would make them all happy, and they would forget about the humans and collect their credits turning blind eyes once again to what happened on Turolois.

  “I don’t think that would be wise, Sir. You canceled the meeting that was scheduled right after you took control of the business.”