by S. A. Price
“It’s not our decision to make, Bax,” Khalid told him. “That’s up to the queen. Luckily for all of us, Queen Verity will take Alyx’s views into consideration.” He looked at her and nodded. “Feels right. As soon as we’re all up and moving, we get going.”
Smiling, she leaned back on Scur. “Well who gets to cuddle with me first?”
Scur’s arms went around her. “I’ve already got you, decision is made.”
Chuckling softly, she nodded. “Then let’s have a sleep, love. It’s not everything we both want but...”
“I’ll take what I can get and keep tabs on what you owe me.” He nuzzled her neck. “Everyone sleep. I’ll take first watch. Well, I’ll watch from right here, but I’ll keep my ears open.”
“You know I’m always happy to pay, baby,” she said softly and then yawned. “And I think our four-legged protector is probably keeping watch, too.”
Bax bedded down near the camel, sitting up. “Sleep, Scur. You’re needed if shit goes south and need the rest. I got watch...”
“I ain’t gonna argue. Wake me when you need me to take over.” Scur lay back and turned her over until she was spread out on top of him, his hand on her ass. “You, lucky female, get to be my blanket tonight.”
She leaned her head up and kissed his chin, or what could have been his chin considering his beard was in the way, and closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her before her brain could start whirling with worry.
10
Abaxley smiled at his princess as she stretched. Gods, the woman could make anything look sexy. She was sleep mussed but not in the normal way. Her face had sleep lines from lying on the berserker, her lavender hair had sand in it, but she looked no less perfect.
She had slept hard. He was happy this was almost over. Once it was, he was going to talk to Khalid about giving her a few days of just rest and relaxation. Maybe on the boat that the queen and Quinn had given her. Some time in the sunshine off the coast of an island with turquoise water sounded like the best fucking possible vacation ever, especially her dewy with sweat and in need of a thorough fucking.
Jesus, he needed to stop this or he wasn’t going to be able to walk, and who knew what they would be stumbling into. Fighting with a hard-on was not optimal.
“You ready, buddy?” he said as the camel groaned and came to his full height. Damn thing was steadfast. Lord knew what the hell they would do with it when this was over. He didn’t think giving it back to Anders was even possible. Damn thing had seen action in ways no animal should.
He nodded to the coyote as it trotted over and sat next to Alyx. He was pretty sure the thing was just a coyote but sometimes... Sometimes it looked at all of them with such clarity in its eyes. It did give him pause.
The sun was about twenty minutes from rising, and they were just about packed up. He had slept a little, trading off with Eli when the need became too great. He was tired, but alert, and would be able to handle whatever came at them in this next, and what he hoped was final leg of this journey.
“Ready?” Alyx said as she came up and kissed him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” he said and pulled her close for another kiss. “You slept well.”
She gave a small smile. “Scur is a good pillow. Though some parts of him aren’t pillowy enough so...” She pointed to the sleep marks on her face.
The berserker came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Minx, there is nothing pillowy about me. You like that I’m all hard and unyielding.”
“I like parts of you hard and unyielding,” she said and leaned back, nuzzling his throat.
“Don’t you two start or we’ll never get out of here,” Khalid said as he and Eli walked over. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Time to head out. We’re all packed up and ready to go. I popped by the hob camp about twenty minutes ago and they’re all still sleeping. We go now, we’ll keep our lead.”
“Then let’s be off,” she said and nipped his lip and then went to Eli and grabbed her hand, pulling her into a kiss as well.
Bax grinned. She was equal opportunity with all of them, even the goddamn coyote got a scratch behind the ear as they started out. They were quiet, walking single file through the hard-packed sands, quiet, as not to draw any attention to themselves. It was about ten minutes after leaving the camp that they all got a call on their headsets. Alyx answered.
“Morning, eye in the sky, what can we do ya for?”
“Hey. So, going to the oasis, I figured out something that might help,” Hendrix said. “Called ahead. Had the oasis closed for a royal visit. Alyx, you are Princess Alyxandra Worthmere from Andorra, seventh in line for the throne. You, your female lover, and your security detail have paid for six uninterrupted hours at the oasis.”
Alyx smirked. “My female lover and security detail?”
“Yes, I told them to be discreet, you and your lover aren’t out yet.”
“Hendrix, you are insane.”
“Yes, but it got the job done. Well, that and a generous donation to the Mauritanian government for their world heritage sites.” They heard typing. “They are expecting you a little after sunrise.”
“Royalty or not, if you didn’t give them that generous donation we probably would have been stoned,” Eli said. “I’m very familiar with humans and their strange religious beliefs.”
“Good thing you two have security then,” Scur said with a grin. “I’m taking this as my chance to act out the royal falling for her bodyguard and getting it on behind some bushes, or a bunch of rocks.”
“You’re twelve, you know that?” Khalid said and Scur’s grin just got bigger.
“So, we have a six-hour window?” Alyx said, ignoring her berserker.
“Well, six hours alone there. After that you are on your own.”
“And are you going to eye in the sky?”
“Of course, Alyx. Gotta keep an eye out. Nihar said he will be on standby.”
“Great,” she said. “Okay, well...”
“Good luck, I mean that,” Hendrix said. “And try not to kill anyone who isn’t a hob, yeah?”
“We’ll try,” Khalid said as Hendrix disconnected. “We’re not too far out. I say we get there, regroup, and decide what to do next.” He looked back at Alyx. “We go with your gut, so just tell us what you feel we should do.”
“Let’s play the part, the more we do that the more they will give us privacy, right? That will allow us to just figure it out.”
Abaxley had to agree. She hadn’t steered them wrong yet. Being guard, lover, whatever he was in truth to this strong, amazing woman was a wonder to him. She didn’t need them, not like all the other princesses needed their guard. Alyx had spent her formative years alone, cutting a bloody swath through the world and she was better for it. She didn’t need saving, the woman saved herself. And he was damn lucky that he could call her his.
Twenty minutes later they found themselves on the road into Terjit, signs posted leading the way in. They were stopped another ten minutes later by a guard gate.
“The oasis is closed for a private party,” the man said in heavily accented English.
Khalid stepped forward. “This is Princess Alyxandra Worthmere, seventh in line for the throne of Andorra. I believe you’ve been expecting us, and I am also assuming you have cleared the area from any potential danger against my princess,” he added, looking between Alyx and Eliora, then giving the guard a pointed look.
“I...” He looked over. “Why are you not driving?”
The look Khalid gave the man was enough to have him taking a step back. “We decided to take a morning stroll.”
“Of course. I meant there are marauders in the wastes,” the man said. “Your transport, it is fine, yes?”
“Has the area been cleared? I believe our princess is ready to enjoy the beauty of your land.”
Scur cleared his throat and tilted his head to look around Khalid. “Yeah, I’m not a big fan of standing around and making small talk,
so...”
“Really, Alyxandra,” Eli said with the fakest British accent he’d ever heard, “you should think about muzzling that one.”
“Indeed...” Alyx said and leaned in, cuddling with Eli, which clearly made the guard uncomfortable.
He looked over them all once more, eyes on Abaxley finally, and then nodded. Thankfully he had remembered to pull the dust guard over his face. One look at his actual skin, and the guard would grow suspicious, considering the color.
“Once you hit the tree line, the oasis is yours for the next six hours,” the guard said, stepping aside.
They walked past, camel in tow with their supplies. The guard yelped as the coyote walked past, then trotted along next to Alyx. The completely insane picture they all cut would have been comical if the ruse wasn’t as close to the truth as possible.
Making the tree line, they walked in, the air getting cooler under the fronds of the palm trees, the shade growing as they made it deeper into the trees. He watched as Alyx stopped several times and changed direction, walking them through the dense foliage, to a small pool of water, and a sandy beach, with a rock outcropping about face height. The water looked to be about waist high, possibly slightly deeper. Alyx stopped.
“We are here.”
“And here is a godsend,” he said.
“I say we take advantage of the relaxation while we can get it,” Scur said, dropping his pack on the ground and rolling his shoulders.
“Agreed,” Khalid said. “There is no way the hobs will be heading in this way. Most likely they’ll be taking a longer route, and one that will probably slow them down. Call it a gut feeling. Might as well enjoy this while we can.”
“I don’t know about you guys but I need a dip,” Alyx said and walked over to a downed palm tree to sit and started taking off her boots.
“We talking skinny dipping?” Scur asked, damn grin on his face. “’Cause I’m not gonna stop you.”
“No. Well, you can. Eli, baby, I bought two suits with me. What do you think? Super sexy, stringy, and barely covers anything on me, so on you...” She grinned.
Eli laughed. “I probably might as well go naked, but since you have it...” She walked over to Alyx and sat down next to her. “Might try and get some sun while we’re here. That’s what I should have told you when you asked me what I liked about the human realm. The sun. I’d worship the damn thing if I could.”
“I like to lay out, too,” she confided.
Abaxley’s thoughts went immediately to her on the deck of the boat, covered in sweat wearing basically nothing, and had to adjust himself. Shit.
“Get ready. I’ll keep watch ‘til I know it’s safe,” he said.
Alyx went to him and palmed him. “Love, we are safe. And if you’re worried about your skin...”
“I am. If they...”
“Fuck them. They don’t know us and if anyone says anything, I’ll kill them.” She smiled and then gave him a meaningful Look. “Strip down. I want us all in the water.”
Ten minutes later she was stepping into the water in an extremely barely there bikini in the house colors, Eli in the same, though she was clearly busting out of the thing. Alyx didn’t seem to mind at all, though, on either account. Khalid and Scur were already in, enjoying the water, and Bax, after making sure the camel was content to doze in the shade, ambled in as well.
“Someone is going to have to find out how deep this thing goes,” Eli said, staying mostly toward the shore. “’Cause waist deep is pushing it.”
“We need to teach you to swim,” Khalid said. “Especially considering that Alyx got a boat for Christmas.”
Scur disappeared under the water and resurfaced almost a minute later. “Don’t go past where Alyx is. A couple feet past her there’s a deep dip.”
“A boat we need to utilize once this is over,” Abaxley said and went to her, wrapping himself around her.
“Ooh, I like how you think, Prince,” she said and smiled. “But that feels lovely. Too much sand, I miss the feel of skin on skin.”
He walked around her and then lifted her up, kissing her softly. She purred into his mouth. “Mmm. This is what I need...”
“What, a kiss from your prince?” he whispered.
“Yes.”
He kissed her again and then looked over and smiled. “Our friend wants to make sure you are okay.” He turned her to see the coyote standing on the rock side watching them. He let go of her and she waded over to the rock.
“Hello. You’re not coming in?” she asked him and leaned into him.
The coyote scoffed and laid down, eyeing the water warily.
“Apparently Scruffy doesn’t swim either,” Scur said right before he moved his hand along the top of the water, sending a wave heading straight toward Eli, drenching her.
“Oh, you little shit. I will get you back. You won’t know where, you won’t know when, but it will happen.”
Alyx grinned and leaned into the coyote, touching her nose to his.
Khalid moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her back to the middle of the pool. “I think the animal has taken up enough of your attention. I believe it’s our turn.”
“Oh yeah?” she said and looked around as they all moved in.
Abaxley had to give it to the captain. Man was smooth.
“Oh, definitely,” Khalid said and leaned down to kiss the side of her neck. “I mean we have you back in the water and you know how much I love it when you’re in water. Always brings back my favorite memory.”
“What memory’s that?” Eli asked.
“The day Alyx tracked me down and wouldn’t let me leave until I admitted I wanted her.”
She grinned. “He was all sexy and naked in the spring at the Front. If you were going to find your captain, that was the way of it,” she said and ran her hand down his side, and then under the water. “Then I jumped him.”
“Damn straight you did.” Khalid turned her around and then claimed her lips.
Watching her with any of them, seeing her in her passion, always got him going. She was so responsive, sexy, needful. Alyx Mayhem’s desire was a living, breathing thing to him.
He watched as she wiggled in the captain’s grasp, no doubt rolling her hips into his hard-on. Woman loved to tease.
He’d expected Scur to jump in, the guy never giving up the opportunity to touch Alyx, not that he blamed him in the least. From everything he’d heard, the berserker had a lot of time to make up for. This time Scur stood back and watched. Eli, however, didn’t. She moved up behind Alyx, brushing her hair to the side and moved her lips along her neck. Hands moved around her, in between her and Khalid until he lost sight of where Eli’s hands stopped.
Alyx broke the kiss with a gasp and then a soft moan, and Abaxley shook his head. His princess was evenly matched in the lust department with her female guard, and it was a revelation to see her respond so perfectly to the other woman.
“I really like this suit, Alyx,” Eli said, her lips now moving along Alyx’s shoulder. “Makes it so much easier to get where I want to be.” As the words left her mouth, Eli’s hands slipped under the small piece of fabric covering her breasts.
“I know this makes me sound as bad as Scur,” Khalid said, his eyes fixed on Alyx’s breasts, “but fuck, there is something incredibly hot about the two of you together.” He groaned. “I’m turning into that guy.”
"Welcome to the dark side, my friend," Scur said.
Closing her eyes, Alyx bit her bottom lip as her hand slid behind her and wrapped around Eli, sliding the palm under the other woman’s bottoms, gripping her ass. “It’s so perfect. Your soft, sweet fingers on me, and the guys, with their callused hands and fingers...” She shivered between them.
“I think that’s Alyx’s way of saying she wants more hands on her,” Khalid said.
“Not so fast.” Scur finally moved from where he was standing and Khalid actually stepped aside for him. “I still haven’t gotten a kiss from y
ou yet, minx, and since you do owe me, I think I’ll take part of my payment now.” He cupped her face and kissed her. But unlike him or Khalid, Scur was not gentle or sweet. The man practically devoured her.
He felt her groan in the core of his being, like a dirty caress that pinged all good things to wake up and take notice. He was pretty sure the others did, too, because they all got the same look on their faces. Need.
Alyx lifted her leg, like she needed to climb the berserker, and he obliged, lifting her up just far enough so his cock was snuggled against her core, which was what she intended. She rolled her hips, and it was clear that she was wanting, and wanting bad. Would they all ultimately take her there, in this paradise? He didn’t know all he knew was he was hard, his cock pulsing, begging for her. But not yet. No, he would wait.
***
Scur was ramping her up on purpose. She was all but vibrating for contact, her body caught tight between need and satisfaction. It was a beautiful place to be, a space all its own where she never knew where the sensation would come from. And Scur... Fuck, Scur was so good at getting her there. She rolled her hips once more, feeling that steel rod that was his cock jumping at the contact.
“My little vixen is needy,” Scur said, biting down on her lower lip. “Eli, what do you think? Give her what she wants or...”
“Oh, I think she’s getting what she wants,” Eli said from behind her. Her hands moved down her back, then gripped her hips to help her move against Scur.
Alyx moaned. “What I want is a stiff fucking...”
Abaxley laughed from behind her. “You could just tell him to do it.”
“Yeah, Alyx, just tell me to do it.” Scur kissed her again, all passion and seduction. “It would be so easy to just slip theses bottoms aside, slide into you...”
Eli’s hand slipped between her and Scur. Her berserker must have known she was going to do it because he moved his hips back, giving her room. Eli’s hand cupped her right before Scur pressed against her again, trapping Eli’s hand between them, the tips of her girlfriend’s fingers drumming against her pussy.