by V. K. Ludwig
“They seem to be getting along. Think she’ll invite him to her estate?”
As if I care. “How would I know?”
“Because you see her every day?” Not every day. When I say nothing else, he adds, “Well, Zorvik is a great male.”
Uh-huh. Great male.
Actually, I wouldn’t go so far as calling him great but… “Yeah, he’s alright.”
The yerku turns bitter on my tongue. What am I saying? I like Zorvik. He is a great guy. Top scholar. Good job. Very respectful.
“I think he still owes me credits.” Not sure where that came from, but I said it. “Didn’t I let him borrow ten credits so he could bet on Merez during the last tournament?”
How long ago was that?
Five moon cycles? Six?
Odrin slumps deeper into his barstool, his brows furrowing. “That was seven moon cycles ago, brother. And you still remember that shit?”
Seven moon cycles?
What kind of male with respect for others won’t pay someone back for such a long time? And a fellow scholar? The thought alone sends another glance over my shoulder. Of course he’s laughing, pretending to be upstanding in front of Izzy when, clearly, he isn’t.
My low growl echoes into the bottleneck. “He isn’t good enough for her.”
“Because he owes you ten credits? By the gods, Adrin, that buys you a box of hydration spheres. Can you—” Slap. “Quit hovering your tail beside you. Someone’s gonna stumble over it and break his neck.”
“I should tell her.”
He runs a palm over his chin, his golden eyes somehow narrowing on me. “Are you veking her?”
I scoff. “No.”
“Well, you should. Clearly, you’ve got too much energy pent up with the upcoming tournament. If she let it go this far, she’ll probably let you wet your cock—”
“Don’t talk about her like that!”
He mumbles something underneath his breath before he says, “You’re in a weird mood today.”
“She’s my friend.” I lean closer to him, thumb flicking over my shoulder. “And that guy? I don’t trust him. Didn’t he cause a fire at the Domestics Wing?”
“That was someone else… whoa… where are you going?” The moment I slip off the stool, he grabs my arm. “Brother, remember how we said we’d chill tonight? You don’t look chill. I swear I see the fibers on your shirt shrinking. Sit down. Relax. Don’t mingle in their shit.”
I ease back against the stool.
He’s right. Why would I care?
Izzy came to Vandalheim all by herself, alone. That creature might be tiny, but she can handle herself. She doesn’t need me. Actually, yes, she does. I promised myself I would take care of her, and now I better stand by it. It was wrong to introduce her to Zorvik because that guy owes me credits, and I’m pretty positive he started that fire.
“Order me another drink,” I say, and shake Odrin’s hand off. “Be right back.”
Whatever he grumbles behind me, I ignore. Izzy is my friend. I like her. A lot. And there’s no way I’m going to let her settle for someone like Zorvik, unless she’s okay with the fact that he borrows credits without ever paying them back and lighting shit on fire.
“What’s up, Zorvik,” I say when I reach their table, then offer Izzy a smile. “Hey, alien beauty.”
Her smile radiates straight back at me. “Hey, stranger. How was training?”
“I didn’t spar tonight. Only went to the gym.” I narrow my eyes at Zorvik. “Know what I just remembered? I let you borrow ten credits from me during the last tournament.”
Of course he blinks up at me as if he forgot. “I owe you credits?”
“Uh-huh. You wanted to bet on Merez.”
“Huh.” His gaze drifts over the crowd, then returns to me just as he activates his com. “Dude, you’re right. Let me just…” His finger swipes over his com. “There. I just transferred the credits. With interest.”
My stomach convulses.
With interest. Asshole.
Makes me look like an idiot.
Problem resolved, both of them stare at me, and my feet turn awfully hot inside my shoes. But how was I supposed to know that he agrees within a second, and transfers the credits the very next? And… with interest.
The silence turns awkward.
Neither of them invites me to sit down, and one set of eyes after another rips from the crowd, turning to me. I could solve that issue by grabbing a chair and joining them. I mean, why not? He isn’t her saikh. Yet…
“Adrin?”
“Hmm?”
Izzy blinks up at me. “Would you… like to join us?”
I shouldn’t. “Just for a moment.”
I grab a chair and plant myself between them. “Hey, um, weren’t you the one who caused that fire a few lunar cycles ago? Over at Domestics?”
“What?” Zorvik jerks back. “No, that was Joshia. Remember I stood beside you when we contained it together, using the foam throwers?”
Dammit. He might be right.
My throat closes up, tightening with every second I fail to find another accusation. I feel stupid for coming over here. Should have listened to Odrin. Why would I mingle in their shit?
I tap the table and rise. “I better get back to Odrin.”
Shoulders slouching, tail hanging rather low, I walk back to the bar, not daring another glance over my shoulder. Way to act a fool in front of another male. And Izzy… ugh.
“So?” Odrin asks. “How’d it go?”
“I’m ten credits richer.” Plus interest, minus however much of my pride just died over there at that table.
He hands me another bottle. “If you’re so concerned with what kind of saikhs she’ll end up with, why not ask her if you can join her estate?”
Should his question tingle like this? “Our parents will disown me if I tell them I’m in contract with an Earth woman.”
He gives me an as-if-you-care kind of snort. “Go ahead then. One sibling less to share the inheritance with once the time comes.”
“Shut up.”
“How about a thank you, Odrin?” His grin turns sly. “Considering how you’re always finding new ways to disappoint them, I did you a favor by suggesting it.”
I stood my ground when I went after what I’m truly good at: fighting. They only tolerate it, and the fact that I’m barely graduating isn’t help the strained relationship. Mother would freak out if I showed up with a human. One more reason to consider it…
“As far as I understand, she’s obligated to take in three males. No more,” I say.
“That’s manageable.”
“Uh-huh.” And what better way to make sure she’s taken care of than doing it myself? “Should I bring it up now?”
“And embarrass yourself again? Go ahead. This time, approach the table from the other side, so I can take a video and let it go viral.”
“Vek you.”
Of course he laughs his ass off, taking full advantage of the fact that I’m trying to look out for her. That’s all. “Relax. They’re gone anyway.”
I jerk on my stool, spine popping a vertebra with the way I twist and glance back at… an empty table. My jaw clenches so hard the roots of my molars ache. Where did they go?
I shift left. Not at the bar.
I shift right. Not at the other end either.
“Did you see them leave?” I ask.
“Nope.”
“You think they left together?”
“I just told you I didn’t see them, so how would I know?” Odrin throws me a weird look. The one where his face can’t decide between raising brows or furrowing them. “Maybe he pulled my trick on her and convinced her she’s got odd breasts.”
Her breasts are glorious. “She’s not that insecure.”
“Who cares, Adrin? Maybe she needs an itch scratched.”
The air sucks out of my lungs, and the entire shack spins around me. What if she does? What if her curiosity got the best of her, all becau
se I shut her down?
I’m nauseous.
Why didn’t I finger her to orgasm a second time this morning? She isn’t fully satisfied, and that’s my fault. My responsibility. Not Zorvik’s. For all I know, he might be on his way to her estate, and do it all wrong. Does he know she needs a lot of foreplay to get wet? No. I do. Does he know she needs closeness after she comes? No. I do.
I slip off my stool. “I gotta go.”
“Go where?” Odrin asks, but I’m already heading for the door.
I’m not the aggressive type, but I shove a male aside and climb into the drone he requested, paying extra so it’ll take the fastest course. It still takes long enough for a movie to play in my mind. The horror type. No mist, but instead, Zorvik torturing her clit, squeezing it, and—
I have to stop, otherwise I’ll punch him straight in the face the moment I get there, and I’ll get suspended from fighting for a solar cycle.
The drone is still in descent-mode when I manually open the door, overriding the fact that I have no permission to land, and jump out. My knees scream on impact, and I combat-roll through the shallow part of her pond.
I head toward the door and knock. Knock again. Knock harder. “Izzy?”
Inside, lights turn on. Izzy opens the door, confusion written all over her face. She tugs her bathrobe shut in the front and eyes me up and down, and I sense drops of water running down my spine. Behind her, the estate lies empty, quiet.
“Why are you here?”
My posture snaps straight again.
Well… shit. Why am I here?
Eight
Izzy
Adrin stares at me open-mouthed, the green algae hanging from his horns standing in stark contrast to the yellow leaves stuck to his braid. With the way dirt clings to his lower lip, he looks like he plowed his horns through my pond. Given the mud trail along the edge, he probably did.
“Are you drunk?”
Unlikely. Adrin isn’t much of a drinker since he trains almost every day. But still… he did act a little weird earlier when he came to our table.
“No, of course not,” he blurts, and his sneakers squish and bubble when he shifts his balance. “Sorry for just showing up here but, um, the thing is… I…”
This is weird. “You?”
His pupils dart from door, to shrub, and back to me as he tortures his lower lip, until he finally says, “Someone just told me there will be an Earth Women 101 assessment tomorrow.”
Odd. Zorvik didn’t mention anything, and he rejoined the course the day after Adrin introduced us. “Okay, so… do you need my help?”
“Yes! That’s um… that’s why I’m here.” He tilts his head, scanning the foyer behind me. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Other than another lonely night with a never-ending echo as my only company? “Not really. I just got out of the tub but seems to me you could do with some water and soap, too.”
I gesture him inside and lock the door behind him. “What the hell happened? You’re soaked.”
He steps out of his shoes, and water slowly pools at his naked feet. “I might have slipped into your pond by accident. Sorry about that.”
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Hooking my arm into his, I lead him upstairs, and into the spa. “The tub is still filled.”
The tub being a small pool at the center of the vaulted room, the edges tiled with colorful glass mosaics. Lit from the bottom, cones of light break on the water, weaving streaks of purple and blue through the steam rising from the surface.
“I feel terrible for making such a mess.” He grabs the hem of his sweater, but the soaked fabric clings to his skin.
I shouldn’t run my palms over his torso to help him out of this thing, being just-friends and all. But I do it anyway, touching him for the first time. Splayed fingers glide over his abs, and up across his muscular chest before they help to pull the sweater over his head.
It hits the ground with a wet slap, and I fumble strings of algae from his horns, wiping them on my bathrobe. “Bet you scared the shit out of my poor jellyfish.”
A laugh vibrates from his chest as his hands go to the waistband of his pants, but he stalls the moment the first delicious ridge of his shaft appears. Probably because I’m staring at his cock like a sexual predator about to pounce.
Warmth creeps into my cheeks, and I feel bad for it. Do I want to cross a line and risk losing the male who truly is a friend? No, but friends aren’t supposed to be this hot. When I agreed to this, I hadn’t considered how I might end up wanting more than he offered.
“Would you like me to wait downstairs?” I ask. “The towels are right over there.”
He stares at me for half an eternity, and his golden eyes slip to my lips more than once, stoking that warmth on my face. “I’m not shy. Besides, I’ve seen you naked many times. It’s only fair you see me too. Don’t you agree?”
Boy, do I agree. “Uh-huh.”
With a nod, he slowly works the fabric down, watching me as I shamelessly stare at his half-erect cock. That’s an average massive right there, his ridges prominent, his shaft thick. That’s not what’s turning me slick between my legs, though.
What arouses me is the confidence in his air. For a male who got spooked by my approaching orgasm three weeks ago, his posture is bold, hunger glistening in his eyes. He even has the balls to stroke over his shaft, saying, “Satisfying curiosity once more?”
Merely scratching the surface. “Uh-huh.”
He turns around, and my stomach clenches.
Hot damn. You could crack nuts between those ass cheeks.
He approaches the pool and lowers himself into the water, immediately submerging. When he comes back up, water sloshes around him, and droplets run down his massive chest, where he carries most of his strength. He opens his braid, loosening up strands the color of two-day-old snow. Such a beautiful male.
Pulling my bathrobe up, I sit down at the edge of the pool, and let my feet dangle in the water. “So, what’s Jessica gonna assess you on?”
He soaps his hair, head tilting. “Huh?”
“The assessment.”
“Oh, right.” Water bubbles as he disappears underneath the surface once more, rinsing off the soap before he stands and wades over to me. “Probably this.”
Damp palms run up my calves, one hand prodding my thighs to open while the other loosens up my bathrobe. Hooking his arms underneath my knees, Adrin pulls me closer to the edge, and I gasp.
He buries his face between my legs, his hot lips trailing kisses down my pubic bone, strands streaking my thighs with water. His tongue presses against my pussy, tip circling my entrance once, twice, before it moves up my slit in a wide lick.
I hold my breath, but he forces the exhale when he sucks my clit into his mouth. He claps the bud between his lips, squeezing it, tongue flicking over the compressed bundle of nerves with its torturous tip.
“Fuck,” I groan and lean back, bracing my hands against the mosaic floor behind me.
A palm drifts over the side of my ass, following the curve of my hip, exploring the inside of my thigh as it slides to the entrance of my pussy. His finger circles there, teasing me before he plunges in, and my womb spasms at the invasion.
“I’m the one in the water, but you’re wetter than me.” His tongue licks around the knuckle of his finger, and he groans at the taste of my arousal before he adds another digit. “Does this feel good? Am I pleasing you?”
Pleasing?
He’s mastering a skill he worked so hard on, and masters me right along with it. My body trembles with pleasure, vibrates with lust as he taunts me to the edge of release. He fingers me until my mind spins, his mouth working my clit so perfectly.
A scream pushes past my lips as my head lolls back, and all I can do is stare at the ceiling. Between the surge of his hot pants against the hard bud, and the warm water stroking my calves, I could swear my body is catching fire. Then it does in a sudden wave of heat as his lips
squeeze my clit hard, and he curls his fingers inside me, turning left somehow, the way they pulsate dragging out my orgasm until I can’t breathe. I swear I see stars.
And I can feel his smile as tight lips kiss my labia, the inside of my thighs, and up along the sway of my hip. “The way you yanked my hair was feedback enough.”
I glance down and flinch.
Sure enough, I’ve got a bunch of white strands woven around my fingers, and I run my nails over his scalp until he moans. “How many Vandalar have this kind of hair color?”
“It’s rare, as is the color of my horns.” He lifts himself out of the water beside me and rises, droplets running down his sculpted body before he bends over and picks me up. “A lack of pigments in my DNA, though it doesn’t affect my eyes or skin.”
“Where are we going?”
Draped over his arms and pressed against his chest, he carries me into my bedroom while my bathrobe turns damp. “To get you under the covers before you get cold.”
He lowers me onto the bed, helping me out of my bathrobe before he drapes one of the many throws around me. Then he pats himself dry with a fur which he tosses onto the ground, and slips in with me, pulling me to rest on his chest. He always does, allowing my pulse to calm from post-orgasmic bliss wrapped in his arms.
But today is different.
Rolling onto his side, he drapes one leg over mine, hooking his calf behind my knees. We lie face to face, staring at each other. It’s the first time he’s naked, unable to hide how his erection presses against my belly, jerking, throbbing, and my pelvis starts pressing against him all on its own. I want us to be friends, but can’t we be lovers too?
He gently strokes his finger from my forehead down to the tip of my nose, repeating the motion over and over. “What’s on your mind?”
That I want him as my saikh. “You’ll graduate soon.”
“Or so I hope.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you’ll kick ass during the assessment tomorrow, and whatever else Jessica throws at you,” I say with a giggle. “You’ll graduate as top of class. A master of pleasuring Earth females.”
“I have a great teacher.”
That pinches a rib somewhere. “And friend.”