by Ruby Dixon
Her mouth goes back to mine, her kisses hungry and eager. I move my hand along the band and find a knot at the back. It is easily undone, and then her teats are bare and lovely. My fingers skim her skin and she is so soft here, softer than the backs of her knees, or the sweet dip of her neck.
Li-lah moans at my touch and her hips rock against my thigh. I pull her tighter against me, fitting her hips against my cock until I can feel my length pressing against her. She still wears her leggings, but they will be gone soon, and then we will be skin to skin.
Her small teats brush against my chest and her arms wrap around my neck, rubbing her body against mine. Another harsh groan escapes me, and I cannot take any more; I must have her under me.
I hold Li-lah pressed against me and stand, moving to our furs. Cradling her close, I lower our bodies until she is underneath me in the furs. Her legs wrap around my waist and it takes everything I have not to rip the last of her leathers from her body and plunge deep into her.
I must be calm. Controlled. I must give my mate pleasure first. And I know what she likes - I know what makes her cry out and writhe as if she is being pulled apart. She likes kisses on her teats, but she likes kisses on her cunt even more.
She makes a soft, mewing sound when I tear my mouth from hers, but I am determined. I want my mate’s sweet flavor on my tongue, and I want it now. I kiss her lovely skin, moving downward over chest and belly, even as my fingers work at the knot at her leggings. I pull them down her thighs and as I do, the hot, needy scent of her arousal fills my senses.
My mate. She is soaking wet for me.
A growl rises in my throat and I jerk her pants off her legs, then push her thighs wide.
“Rokan,” she breathes, and I can hear the anticipation in her voice. Her hands go to my horns and she holds them tight.
I remain still, waiting to see if she is going to steer me away from her cunt, but she pushes me down toward her thighs, a silent encouragement even as she arches up off the furs. Already, she is wriggling with anticipation, her breathing coming sharp and rapid.
“You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to,” she tells me, just as my tongue is about to drag through the soft, slick folds of her cunt and lap up her taste.
Not want to?
Licking her is my favorite. Not want to? It is what I want more than anything. I could stay with my tongue buried between her legs for hours and never get my fill.
I want to protest that yes, I do want this, but it is better to just show her. I slide one finger up and down her folds, dragging through her juices. At her whimper, I lean in and put my mouth over her third nipple. Her gasp of excitement and the way her fingers tighten around my horns? Those are delicious, but not as delicious as her taste. I explore her at my leisure, now, dragging my tongue over her folds in slow, methodical motions. I know what she likes best, but I am going to tease her first. I deliberately avoid her third nipple, because it is the part that makes her crazy when it is licked. Instead, I nudge a knuckle against the entrance to her cunt even as I brush kisses over her wet folds.
One hand smacks my horn, and then the breath hisses from her lungs. “Oh God,” I hear her murmur, and then one leg jerks as I let the tip of my tongue graze her flesh. Her knee moves, and she’s wiggling again, so I grab her leg and fit my shoulder under it, pinning her movements and allowing myself free reign to her slick, delicious honey.
This? This is much better.
My tongue dips deep, seeking the center of her heat, and she cries out my name again when I taste her. I can feel her cunt tighten around my tongue as I push it into her again. Her little cries grow stronger, and her juices sweeter with every thrust of my tongue. I can feel her thighs quivering on my shoulders, her fingers tight on my horns.
I grind my cock against the furs as I lick her, over and over again, her hips rocking against my face. I want to do this forever, but my body aches to claim hers, to fulfill resonance. I lift my head and she immediately presses a hand down on the top of my mane, trying to push me back into place.
“So close,” she breathes. “Please, Rokan—“
I will not fail my mate. I push a finger into her wet warmth and immediately her cunt tightens and quivers around it. I stroke it in and out, her moans fueling my need, and my mouth descends on her third nipple, the aching little bud that has been waiting for my attentions. Her cries become heated, her hand pulling on my hair as she rocks against my mouth. I lick her nipple over and over again, her desperation becoming my own. I need her release, need to feel her milking my finger with her cunt, need to fill my mouth with the taste of her.
She is everything.
A small cry, and then I feel a burst of fresh wetness on my tongue. Her thighs clamp on my shoulders and her cunt ripples tightly around my finger, clenching over and over again as she comes. I lick her with renewed urgency, not stopping even as she quakes with release. My own need for her is overtaking my senses; even if I wanted to stop, I could not. Over and over, I hungrily lap up her juices, burying my mouth and tongue in her sweet folds. My finger thrusts into her again and again, until she’s quivering with a new release and crying my name out.
It is still not enough. I need more.
I tear my face away from her sweetness, gently nipping her thigh before I sit up. My cock aches to be buried inside her, and I am desperately close to losing control. I press a hand to my brow, trying to recover. Patience. Calm. Let your mate catch her breath and then you can claim her—
Li-lah makes a satisfied little moan, still sprawled in the blankets. She rubs her foot on my thigh. “Where did you go, Rokan?”
Already she misses me. I miss her warm, soft body, too. My body shivers with the need to retain control, and I give myself a hard shake before lying back down on the furs next to her. I touch her cheek and then begin to caress her once more, peppering her neck and shoulder with kisses.
She hooks a leg at my hips and pulls me against her in silent encouragement.
More? I ask, signing to her.
Li-lah nods and her hand steals to my cock, her fingers grazing over my spur.
A splash of liquid erupts from my cock and I jerk her hand away, pinning it to the furs. I give her a small shake of my head. More touches, more exploring from her fingers, and I will paint her belly with my seed. Tonight, I want to be inside her.
“Close to losing control?” she whispers, curious. She wriggles under me, deliberately dragging the tips of her teats against my chest. “Poor baby.”
I groan silently, closing my eyes for strength.
Her little heel digs into my backside and I feel her shift against me, opening her thighs. “Claim your mate, Rokan,” she whispers. “I’m ready for you.”
My beautiful, perfect mate.
I can maintain control no longer. I slide between her legs, settling my weight against her. I fit my cock at her entrance, ready to thrust deep. She is tight, though, and I rub the head with her slick juices to ease the fit. As I do, she digs her little fingernails into my arms, encouraging me with breathless little pants.
My mate. My resonance.
Mine.
With a hiss, I push forward. My cock sinks deep, my body claiming hers. Her cunt is like a fist, clenching me tighter than my own hand, and the feeling is like nothing I have ever experienced. I close my eyes, savoring this moment. Mine. Mine now.
Li-lah’s gasp makes me freeze. It penetrates the pleasurable haze clouding my thoughts, and I force myself to go still. Have I hurt her? Agony lances through me at the thought — she is my mate and the reason I breathe. To hurt her is unthinkable. I brush a finger over her cheek in a silent question, and when she opens her eyes, I sign, okay?
“Oh my God, what was that?” Her hand slides to where our bodies are joined, and I feel her fingers moving, tracing my spur. “I think the earth just moved.”
I frown, looking around. An earth-shake? Now? I did not feel it, but I was too lost in the wet clench of Li-lah’s body.
�
�Figure of speech,” she says, breathless, and her fingers move against my spur again. “With this, you rub up against me really nice.” She gives a little sigh that sounds like pleasure, and then drags her fingers through her folds and rubs my spur and her little hard bud. “Do it again?”
She wants more? Nothing would give me greater pleasure. With one hand on her hip, I thrust again.
Li-lah throws her head back, crying out. Her hand moves to her cunt again and she rubs my spur as I rock into her again. “Feels so good,” she tells me. “Incredible. I didn’t dream—“ Her words die in her throat and her mouth forms an O as another wave of pleasure overtakes her.
Fascinated by her response, I press my fingers to her folds and stroke forward again. This time, I feel it as she does - when I move, my spur drags along the sensitive side of her third nipple. She cries out as I touch her, and I feel her cunt clamp around my cock, sucking me deeper.
My control is gone.
I pump into her, thrusting my cock into her tight, sweet warmth. She clings to me, moaning as our bodies rock together. I can feel her cunt rippling in response each time I push into her, until my name rips out of her throat and she stiffens, lost in another release.
The sight of her, the feel of her body clasping mine? The loud, triumphant song of our khuis? My own release explodes out of me with enough force that stars swim before my eyes, and my entire body shudders. Dimly, I can hear Li-lah breathing my name, her thighs quivering as they clasp me against her. My seed empties into her, and it feels as if I am coming forever, and I press my forehead to hers as pleasure overtakes us.
We are one, Li-lah and I. Forever.
21
LILA
I’m pretty sure Rokan has ground me so hard into the blankets with our lovemaking that I have tufts of fur up my butt. I’m also pretty sure I’m deliriously happy.
My toes curling, I wrap my arms and legs around him, pinning his big body against mine. I never want him to let go.
Sweaty and sticky with lovemaking, he nuzzles my face and holds me tight against him. It seems we’re on the same wavelength with that. With his arms around me, he can’t sign to me, but talking is unimportant at the moment. I don’t need it. I don’t need anything but his skin pressed to mine, his cock deep inside me, and his spur sending jolts through my body every time he so much as shifts.
I shiver. That spur, man. Someone should have warned me. That thing can turn a girl’s brains to mush.
He presses a kiss to my neck and I yawn, sleepy and pleased.
My ears pop, and for a moment, it almost sounds hollow in the cave. Almost. It might be my imagination, though. I put a finger in my ear and rub it, frowning.
Rokan sits up, gazing down at me with concern. Are your ears bothering you? Do you need the healer?
I sigh with disappointment as his skin leaves mine. So much for skipping signing and just snuggling. No, I’m fine. My ears just popped.
Is your hearing coming back?
I don’t think so. Why would it?
The female with the flame-colored hair - Har-loh. She says she has a growth in her brain and her khui fixed it.
Oh. Did she? I make a mental note to ask about it but not right now. In the morning. Or the day after. Whenever. I’m more interested in getting my mate to press his big, yummy chest against mine again. Does it matter to you if I can hear?
Of course not. You are perfect as you are. He looks indignant that I would suggest otherwise.
I smile up at him and trace my fingers along one rock-hard pectoral, feeling the ridges that cover his breastbone and how they graduate to smooth, suede-like skin. “I’m okay if it never comes back,” I tell him. “As long as I have you, you’ll keep me safe.”
I will be at your side, always, he signs, a solemn look on his face.
“Promise?”
He taps his chest. My feeling tells me it is so. You will not come to harm as long as I am here.
Somehow, I knew he’d say that. And somehow, I believe him. Who better to keep me safe than the guy with the sixth sense? I rub my fingers over one of his rock-hard nipples. “Then come over here and protect me with that big, sweaty body of yours.”
Rokan’s eyes gleam as he moves to cover me again.
Time to resonate, again.
MADDIE
I stare out at the celebrating tribe, not paying attention to the people that dance past with a skin of sah-sah or the woman that pulls her top down to breastfeed not one but two blue babies. I ignore the exclamations over the fruit that they’ve managed to savor all damn night, and I sure as shit ignore when they start singing again.
Everyone’s so damn happy. Everyone but me.
Me? I’m lost.
In the space of the last month or so, I’ve gone from confident, independent bartender to lost, lonely captive torn from my sister. I’ve gone back to my old role as Lila’s protector only to be ousted from that role the moment she returned, freaking hand-in-hand and lovey-dovey with an alien. She’s mated. She’s happy. She wants to stay.
And me?
I’m just kind of here.
Alone.
I’ve got no one anymore. It’s clear that Lila doesn’t need me. Everyone in the tribe already adores her and they can barely tolerate me. Not that I blame them - I haven’t exactly been Miss Pleasant to live around while my sister was gone. I was worried about her, and I took it out on everyone else, even the women who have gone out of their way to be nice to me.
They don’t understand what it’s like to be so alone, even in a sea of people. Everyone here’s part of a family. There are happy women with babies, and men utterly devoted to their ladies. As I look over, the chief - Vektal - is tossing his baby daughter into the air and giving her exaggerated kisses just to make Talie laugh. And boy, does that baby laugh. It’d be adorable if it didn’t make me feel so sour inside. He’s got a wife and a baby. All of the humans here have someone. Even my sister - scared, timid little Lila - has returned utterly confident in herself and in love with Rokan.
I’ve been forgotten. I sigh and stare out at the entrance of the cave. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just up and left. Would they hunt me down like they hunted for Lila? Or would they be all ‘good riddance’ and not care because I’ve been a bitch?
Glowing eyes stare back at me, and a big, bulky form emerges from the shadows of the cave entrance, spear in hand, a dead animal in the other.
It’s Hassen. The one that stole my sister. The one that decided he wanted a mate so much he’d just up and fucking steal her.
Him? He can kiss my fat ass.
Though the look he’s giving me right now? That tells me he’d enjoy that far too much. That he’d do more than just kiss it if I bared it for his inspection.
And for some reason, I find myself prickling with arousal at the thought of Hassen folding his big body down to give my plump ass a kiss. Which is all kinds of wrong. He’s exiled. He’s a dick. He wanted my sister. None of these put him on the ‘Ice Planet’s Most Desirable Bachelors’ List.
I jerk my gaze back around to the fire, scowling.
Totally not gonna keep picturing him with his mouth on my ass. Biting one of my rounded cheeks. Dragging his fingers over my body and exploring the fact that I have no tail.
I give my face a hard slap to bring me back to earth. Like a hate-fuck will make everything better? It’d just make things a whole hell of a lot messier.
Nearby, Farli gives me a startled look. “Are you all right?”
“Just distracted,” I tell her. Farli’s a good kid, and the closest thing I have to a buddy here, for all that she’s like fifteen years old. Right now? She’s my ride or die, because, well, I don’t have anyone else. Even my sister Lila is off in a corner somewhere, making out with her new hubby. I can’t even be mad about that - she’s so happy and she is such a wonderful person that she deserves every bit of joy. I’m thrilled for her.
I’m a little jealous of her radiant happiness, sure, but still thri
lled for her.
Even though I shouldn’t, I peek over my shoulder back at the cave entrance again. Just in case Hassen is still there. But he’s not, and I ignore the little stab of disappointment I feel.
The last thing I need is to get involved with the bad boy of the ice planet.
Author’s Note
Whew! Every book in this series is an adventure for me to write. I ended the last book thinking that I’d write one story for the two sisters, entwining their tales and rotating the point of view between sisters and lovers. Except readers spoke out - they wanted each sister to have her own book. You guys love your barbarians!
And so I started to pull the story apart to see where I could separate the two. Maybe I could write two short books instead of one long one. However, this story took off on its own! I knew Lila was stolen by Hassen. I knew Rokan would save her. Did I think it would grow to be the longest book in the series? Nope! Did I know that they weren’t going to fulfill resonance until the very end? Gosh, no! (Don’t kill me -- it just worked out that way!)
Did I know that Lila was going to show up on page one, deaf? No! But once I had the idea, it wouldn’t let go of me and I had to write it. There were reasons, of course. Naturally she’s scared of everything - she can’t hear. And Maddie’s protective nature took on its own angle; naturally she’s protective of her little sister, given that she’s been her protector in the past.
I loved exploring how a deaf/hearing-disabled character would cope with life on a savage planet. If you have any sort of hearing loss, even minor, you know how isolating it can be to be part of a crowd and not able to participate in the conversation. I wanted to delve into that, because in a survival situation, everything takes on a new, more profound significance. I also wanted Lila to grow in strength as the story continued. I wanted her to realize how strong she was, and how she wasn’t a victim, no matter the circumstances. The Lila of chapter one is not the same Lila of the last chapter.