“I think the snard effect must’ve worn off. I’m not having the constant—” Her breath went in with a hiss as another climax gripped her. “Well, I guess I am.”
“That’s actually the cock syrup effect. If I keep going long enough, you’ll get to where it won’t trigger orgasms anymore.” He smiled. “Then I can fuck you into oblivion without any chemical interference.”
“You like doing that?”
“Oh, yeah.” He altered the angle slightly and was rewarded with a soft moan. “I want to see the joy in your eyes when I make you come all on my own. I missed it last time.” It was difficult to see a woman’s eyes with his face buried in her pussy—much easier when his dick did the work. “Of course, the snard effect is pretty awesome to watch, too.”
He leaned closer, nuzzling her neck. No other woman’s fragrance had ever intoxicated him the way Sara’s did. He felt warm, languid, unhurried. He had control now, but he was drowning in her scent.
He simply allowed it to flow through him and guide his movements, exploring her inner surfaces with his cock, finding the places that made her sigh and moan, searching for the ones that made her cry out with pleasure.
The rising moon cast shadows on the planes and curves of her face. Jerden had never seen anything more beautiful. His own night vision was excellent—he could’ve seen her even in total darkness—but the moon added a romantic, ethereal touch to the scene that no other form of illumination could provide.
Unlike his clients, she didn’t demand fireworks at every turn, seeming content to let him rock her gently while he savored every moment, loving her with a depth of feeling he’d never known before.
And he did love her. There was no point in denying it now. Just as her scent washed through him, so did the power of love. “I love you, Sara.” The words were out before he even realized he’d spoken.
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I never thought I’d hear that—from anyone.”
“You’re hearing it from me now, and I’ll tell you every day until you believe it.” Until you tell me you love me. It wouldn’t stop there, of course—he’d still tell her every day, and if words weren’t enough, he’d prove it with actions. He never wanted her to doubt it, not even for an instant.
“I suppose I should tell you I love you now, shouldn’t I?”
“You’ll tell me when you’re ready. Not before.”
She nodded slowly, but anything else she might have said was swallowed up by another orgasm. Her body contracted around him, squeezing even more fluid from his cock, prolonging the effect.
“See what I mean?” he said with a chuckle. “They tend to hit at the most inopportune times.”
“Whoa, momma, that was a good one!” Sara gasped. “Seems like they’re getting stronger, rather than going away.”
“Like I said, it takes a while. And we’ve got all night long.”
“No sleep?”
“Later. It’s not as late as you think—though we can stop if you like.” Quitting now was the last thing Jerden wanted to do, but he figured he should at least make the offer.
“No, keep going. I like the way you look—the way your hair sparkles in the moonlight. Love your eyes, too.”
He grinned wickedly. “What else do you love about me?”
“Well… let’s see now… I love your sense of humor, the way you look on a horse, you make a great hunela, and—I never thought I’d say this—but if anyone on the planet has a more awesome dick, he probably walks on four hooves.”
Jerden shouted with laughter. “Meaning I’m hung like a horse?”
“Oh, yeah…”
The tender moment had passed, but Jerden had come out of it better than he’d hoped. There would be others. Right now, he focused on doing what he did best, but had actually only done once before: giving joy to the woman he loved.
Easing his hips forward, he penetrated her fully, feeling his nuts brush against the roundness of her luscious bottom—muscular, and yet soft, with skin that rivaled silk. She was such an interesting mix of traits. Strong, but yielding, firm, yet kind. How did a man explain why he loved a woman? What was it that drew him to her? Jerden didn’t know, but if a woman had ever gazed up at him with more adoration, he’d already forgotten her. Sara loved him. She just couldn’t say it yet.
Raining kisses on her upturned face, he felt her body give in to the pressure, relaxing enough to allow the freedom of movement he needed. Dancing, circling, vibrating, his cock fell back into old patterns and then found new ones. She gripped him with one orgasm and then another until they ceased altogether. Concentrating his efforts on her sweet spot, he raked it with his cockhead, feeling his way as he watched her face. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, a light sheen of sweat highlighting her skin.
“Look at me, Sara.”
Any moment now, he would see what he’d worked so hard for. Tears sparkled on her lashes and trailed into her hair from the corners of her eyes. Her breath came in short panting gasps.
“Don’t close your eyes. Please.” If she closed her eyes, he’d live to love her another day, but this was the ultimate fulfillment for him. The absolute knowing that he’d given her something no one else could match.
Her brows arched and a soft oh escaped her lips. Tingles raced over his skin as her body contracted around him and his cock erupted at last, pouring his seed into her.
And then it happened. Fringed by glittering lashes, her eyes grew round with wonder, the pupils constricting for the briefest moment before dilating until the iris was nothing more than a faint green rim encircling the darker pupil. For an instant, he seemed to catch a glimpse of her soul.
Joy.
Her joy was his reward and the source of his own contentment. He would die rather than leave her now. She was his mate. For now, and for all time.
***
To have lived as long as she had without knowing such ecstasy was even possible had Sara questioning whether she’d ever truly been alive before. Her entire being was infused with an inner peace so profound that her past might never have been, her future as yet unseen. Only the present moment existed.
Already, the moon seemed brighter, as though a filter had been removed from her perception of the world. The wind had died. The song of night birds and insects drifted in through the open window along with the scent of roses. She could hear Danuban quietly grazing just beyond the rose beds. She knew precisely where he was—each sound, each scent as sharp and clear as writing on a wall.
She lay on her back, relaxed and sated, gazing up into the glowing eyes of a man whose existence she’d been unaware of only a few months ago. How could she have known that something like this awaited her, just beyond the hill at the foot of the mountains on the shore of a crystal lake? She’d had no warning, no premonition. Nothing could have prepared her for this moment. She was afraid to speak or even move for fear of breaking the spell.
A loud purr interrupted the quiet sounds of the night. Cria yawned and stretched beside the bed. Sara didn’t have to look to know she was there. Her presence was as much a part of Jerden as one of his limbs. Still, she was thankful to know that even this disturbance didn’t alter the way she felt. Perhaps words wouldn’t ruin it after all.
“Can you feel that?” she whispered.
He didn’t even have to ask what she meant. “All the way to my heart.”
She gazed up at him, still unable to believe he was real. She’d known there were decent men in the universe—she’d even met a few of them—but to believe that one such as he could ever be hers and she his? Never. Not in her wildest and most hopeful dreams.
“Do you remember what you said about us being together would make us want to stay together?”
“Or words to that effect, yes.”
“You were right. I’ve been alone most of my life—had convinced myself that I preferred to be alone
—and yet now I can’t imagine ever letting you go. Do I love you, or am I already addicted to you?”
She thought he winced. “A little of both, I hope,” he said.
“I’m sorry. Shouldn’t I have asked that?”
“I’d like to think you loved me. But Zetithians are addicting, and the longer you’re with me, the stronger the bond will become. You won’t go into physical withdrawal if we’re ever apart, but you will crave me, just as I can barely stand to be away from you.”
“You say that like it’s already happened.”
He nodded. “Didn’t you wonder why I came back so early today? It was all I could do to ride home and leave you here.” He smiled, his fangs gleaming in the moonlight. “You’re stuck with me now, Sara. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind.” She smiled back at him. “In fact, there’s nothing I’d like better than to spend eternity with you.”
“Sounds like love to me.” His kiss was whisper soft, his breath warm on her cheek. “I can’t ask for more than that.”
His careful withdrawal reminded her that they were still joined. When had that become something that felt so right she was bereft without it? She only missed him for a moment, however, for he pulled the sheet up over them both as he lay down at her side. The contact was every bit as sweet when he gathered her up in his arms. Once again, she was amazed that someone so strong could be so gentle. Safe and warm in his embrace, she drifted off, noting yet another difference between him and other men. He didn’t snore in his sleep; he purred.
***
Jerden purred softly as Sara’s breathing deepened and her body relaxed, waiting patiently until the glow of laetralance faded and was replaced by the scattered emotions of ordinary dreams.
Ordinary dreams. Not terrifying nightmares or sinister illusions, merely untroubled images that carried with them no hint of fear or despair. He sensed nothing but joy, contentment, and peace emanating from her.
Only then did he allow himself to sleep.
Chapter 19
Reutal let out a triumphant whoop following the announcement of Sara and Jerden’s engagement, and then snickered all the way through breakfast, eliciting the occasional glare from Zatlen and an almost continuous blush from Drania. Finally, Sara couldn’t stand it any longer and held out her hand. “Okay, Reutal. Check my essence. You know you want to.”
“Oh, no need for that,” Reutal said with a flap of his fingers. “I can see the bulge in the cat’s loincloth.”
Which, thankfully, Jerden was wearing—ostensibly to keep from nailing her while she made the pancakes. Or so he’d said. Sara had thought that one round of early morning nookie and a hand job in the shower would make that boner go away, but so far, it hadn’t. He’d even asked for her help in getting it tucked into the loincloth—though she suspected that had been simply a ruse to get her to touch him again.
Not that she minded. She was having a tough time keeping her hands off him as it was. No further encouragement was necessary.
Sara had never been intimate with anyone and hadn’t wanted to be—at least, not in a very long time. But that was changing. Already she looked forward to spending another night with him—a night without troubling dreams to disturb her rest, a night with Jerden there to soothe away even her worst nightmare. She’d always enjoyed having a purring cat lying on her bed, but a purring man was infinitely better. His solid warmth was like a shield against anything that might harm her, and though the rainy season was over for another year, she knew that stormy nights would never be as frighteningly lonely again.
She could admit that now, if to no one but herself. She had put on a brave front in coming to Terra Minor alone, but there had been times when the strangeness and isolation made the long, dark nights almost unbearable. She’d improved with time, but the feeling of disquiet never truly went away—almost as though she sensed her past following her, even across the expanse of space between Earth and her new home.
Having Bonnie as a neighbor had helped enormously. A fellow human wasn’t easy to find on this world, but Bonnie’s pioneering spirit was an inspiration. Bonnie had begun raising vegetables and enocks with a man as her partner, but had been deserted, only to hire Lynx and find love and happiness in his arms. The same thing seemed to be happening to Sara. She was having a hard time believing it was real, though.
She gazed at Jerden, his large presence far more comforting now than it had been only a few days before. Being able to not only tolerate his presence with her in the shower, but to enjoy it was proof of how far she’d come. He’d been grateful for the care she had taken of him when he was ill, but she’d really done very little. What Jerden had done for her couldn’t be measured and could certainly never be repaid.
Even now, he took Reutal’s remarks in stride. “Obviously I need a better loincloth—or maybe I should just give up and wear some of those pants I bought the other day. They aren’t as comfortable, though.” With a wink at Sara, he added, “Or anywhere near as practical.”
Sara shot him a quelling glance, which would’ve been far more effective without the accompanying chuckle. “Speaking of which, Jerden and I are going into Nimbaza for dinner this evening, and we might do a little shopping while we’re there. Do any of you need anything?”
Zatlen snorted. “A Norludian muzzle?”
“We can look,” Jerden replied, silencing Reutal’s sputter of outrage with a reassuring grin. “But I doubt we’ll find one.”
Drania dissolved into helpless giggles. “Probably sold out.”
“Don’t worry, Reutal,” Sara said. “No one is going to muzzle you here.” Norludians had often been persecuted on other worlds, and Sara wasn’t about to have Terra Minor become one of them. Besides, she liked Reutal. Aside from being very useful, he made her laugh.
And so did Jerden. Sara could see herself getting used to that.
***
Sara and Jerden were still tidying up the kitchen when Reutal came flying through the back door.
“The stallion’s sick,” he gasped. “Acting really weird. Stumbling around, drooling. He walked right into the fence and didn’t even seem to notice it. Then he went nuts when Zatlen touched his nose.”
“Holy shit.” The dishcloth she held fell from Sara’s nerveless fingers. Following a moment of near panic, her logical mind regained control. “Sounds like something neurological—maybe a type of poisoning.”
“Poisoning?” Jerden echoed. “You mean it was intentional?”
“Probably not.” Sara dried her hands on the seat of her pants. “Horses get into plenty of trouble without help from anyone. Better call Lowinski.”
Sara ran into the living room and flipped on the comlink. With fumbling fingers, she put in a call to the regional veterinarian, who, fortunately, was at the dairy down the road.
“I’m only a few minutes away, Sara,” he said. “Just try to keep him from injuring himself until I get there.”
Sara pulled on her boots and ran out to the barn. Jerden and the others were already there and had somehow gotten Danuban into his paddock. “Oh, God. He looks awful!”
Caked with sweat and filthy from head to tail, the stallion looked like a ghost of his former self. His eyes were hazy and unfocused and his normally fluid and effortless movements were now uncoordinated and weak. The tremors in his hindquarters suggested that he wouldn’t be on his feet much longer. Sara felt like throwing up.
The whine of a speeder heralded the vet’s arrival. Flying right into the barn, the speeder came to a halt by Danuban’s stall door and the little Rutaran man hopped out of the cockpit. Loping through the stall and into the paddock using his long arms to propel himself forward, he gave Sara a brief greeting and then whipped a scanner out of the pocket of his coveralls. “Let’s see what we have here.”
“Zatlen and I found him out in the yard,” Reutal said. “He was fine last
night, but this morning…”
“He looks like crap,” Zatlen finished for him.
Sara held her breath while the vet ran the scan. Danuban seemed to be worsening right before her eyes. Drania rested her head against Sara’s hip, sobbing. Even the dogs were whining.
“Ah, hah!” Lowinski said triumphantly as he checked the reading on the scanner. “Got just the thing.” Without another word, he scurried back to his speeder and delved into the medication box in the rear compartment.
Moments later, he returned with an injector and a small vial of purple fluid. Loading the vial into the chamber, he then pressed it to the underside of Danuban’s sweaty neck. With a quick hiss, the dose was delivered into the stallion’s thick jugular vein.
“I’ve given him the antidote for juluva weed ingestion,” Lowinski said. “He should improve shortly.”
Sara gaped at him with disbelief. “Juluva weed? How the hell would he have gotten any of that? Even if he found it growing, there’s plenty of good grazing around here. I can’t imagine why he would’ve touched it.”
“Well… he does run loose,” Zatlen said. “No telling where he might have picked it up.”
“Juluva weed?” Jerden looked slightly bewildered. “Never heard of it.”
“It’s a great natural insect repellent,” Sara replied. “But it’s toxic to horses—I made a point of eradicating it from my pastures and hay fields before I imported any horses. I still find a sprig of it now and then, but it’s never caused any problems.”
Lowinski nodded. “Fortunately, it takes quite a lot to poison a horse.”
“It could be growing on my place,” Jerden suggested. “He’s spent a lot of time over there.”
Sara was unconvinced. “Maybe. But you’ve been living here for several days now. Danuban wouldn’t leave you to go back there just to nibble on some juluva.”
Lowinski tried to hide a smile, but Sara saw it anyway. “He and Jerden have some sort of bond,” she explained. “He kept running away from my farm to go back to him.”
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