by Olivia Black
"Once a year, it rains, and the land above is flooded. Drainage basins collect the water, and then it flows into a huge filtration system. After that, the water is stored." Khaun reached back and pressed a button. The water churned around them, moving around the bathing pool. "When I turn the jets on, the water is pulled out and cleaned, and filtered water replaces it. Our system is constantly cleaning and replacing water."
"Wow," Eric said, sounding impressed.
"Earth doesn't have a filtration system?"
Eric shook his head. "There isn't a lot of usable water on Earth. Hell, I never was able to take a bath. I used to bathe in a cold pond near my house."
"Is that why you like taking baths so much?"
Eric's brows furrowed.
"You seem to enjoy the hot water."
The human sighed. He leaned back, relaxing against Khaun.
"I could stay in this bath all day."
Khaun smiled. It sounded amazing. He would enjoy keeping Eric inside the bathing chamber all day. Khaun growled just thinking of all the possibilities.
"Why did you make that sound?"
"I was just thinking about what I would do to you if we spent the entire day in here."
"Oh, yeah?" Eric tilted his head back and looked up at him. "What were you thinking?"
Khaun's smile widened. "I was thinking about flipping you over and leaning you over the edge of the tub to fuck you from behind, riding you hard and fast. Then, I was thinking that I would really like to suck your cock and swallow you down my throat until you come. I'd love to taste you." He moaned just thinking about how sweet his pet would taste. "And then, I figured it would be easy to just remove my loincloth and have you ride my dick."
"We could do all three."
Khaun chuckled. "I like the way you think."
"I'm sorry to interrupt all the fun," Gru said from the doorway. Khaun glanced over at his brother. The male was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "I thought you two would be done by now."
Eric winked at him. "Next time."
"You can count on it."
Gru walked into the chamber. He grabbed a towel, shook it out, and opened it. "I'll dry you."
Khaun didn't want to let Eric go, but he dropped his arms. The human climbed off his lap and walked up the stairs, heading toward Gru. As soon as he stepped out of the whirlpool, Gru wrapped the towel around the young man and started drying him off.
Khaun stood up. He took off the wet loincloth wrapped around his hips and tossed it aside. Grabbing a towel from the shelf, Khaun removed the moisture from his scales.
He had to admit that he was looking forward to watching a kokboru match. The Noglion males that played were vicious, and the game was always entertaining. It would be interesting to see Eric's reaction since the young man didn't seem too fond of violence. Khaun could see the look of shock on Eric's face while he sat in the stands, watching the competition.
Chapter Fifteen
Eric walked between Gru and Khaun. The males moved slowly so that Eric could keep pace with their long strides. They were going to a sporting event. The language implant that was put inside Eric's brain on Glecerus didn't decipher the word, kokboru. But whatever sport it was, kokboru seemed to be popular among the people. A crowd of Noglion males along with a few other alien races were all walking in the same direction.
They walked up a ramp and ended up inside a large stadium. Eric paused and looked around. The stadium was huge, long and wide, with tiered seating and goal posts on either end. People poured in from different entrances around the stadium.
"Let's go to our seats and relax."
Eric glanced up at Gru and nodded. He followed the male, walking up the stairs. Eric noticed that the stone benches were covered with thick pads and pillows. Khaun took a seat. He lounged back, relaxing among pillows. A low table sat beside the male with three goblets, a pitcher filled with mead, and a tray of food piled with meats, different types of produce, and bread.
The male held out his hand in invitation, and Eric took it. Khaun jerked Eric forward. Eric let out a shriek, afraid he was going to fall, but Khaun caught him before lying back down.
"What is kokboru?" he asked, looking up at Gru.
"It is a team sport," Gru said, taking a seat. "There are two teams with ten players each. The objective is to score goals against the opposing team. Players score points by driving a metal disk into the opposing team's goal."
Gru picked up a small piece of colorful fruit from the tray. Leaning over, he held it up to Eric's mouth. Eric spread his lips apart, and Gru placed the food in his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. It was sweet and juicy although the texture was a little tough. While he chewed, Gru filled the goblets with mead.
He handed one off to Khaun, and the male took a gulp of the beverage. Khaun brought the goblet to Eric's lips, and he took a sip, rolling the chilled mead across his tongue. Eric moaned. It tasted delicious. Almost as good as the beverage William had offered when Eric had first arrived on Noglion.
"Is there an aphrodisiac in this?"
Gru grinned. "No." He shook his head. "It's just mead."
"I don't think we need to spike your drink." Khaun leaned down and pressed his lips against Eric's. "Do we, pet?" he asked, humor in his voice.
Eric chuckled lightly. No. He didn't need the aphrodisiac to make him want his mates or to help him relax. Just being around Gru and Khaun was enough.
Khaun rolled Eric over and took possession of his lips. His arms surrounded Eric, holding him against his wide chest. Eric brought his hands up and clutched Khaun's biceps. When Khaun's tongue slid across Eric's lips, he opened his mouth. Their tongues slid together, rolling. Eric's body responded immediately. All of his blood rushed south, filling his semi-erect cock until it felt full enough to burst.
Eric moved his hips, pushing his hard cock against Khaun's body. Khaun's hands moved down Eric's back to his ass. The male squeezed and kneaded Eric's cheeks. Eric shuddered and let out a long moan. If they kept this up, Eric knew he would come.
Khaun pulled back. "If you keep making all those sexy little sounds, I'm going to fuck you right here, pet."
Eric panted, trying to catch his breath. He was tempted to take Khaun up on his offer. Eric's cock was hard and aching. The only thing on his mind at this moment was coming.
As if sensing his thoughts, Khaun said, "I'll take care of you."
Khaun moved a hand between them and wrapped his palm around Eric's shaft. Eric sucked in a sharp breath. He groaned in pleasure and closed his eyes.
"Turn him over, Khaun," Gru said. "I want to watch."
Khaun removed his hand and flipped Eric over. With Eric's back pressed against his chest, the male wrapped his palm around Eric's cock. The male moved his hand, up and down, stroking Eric's dick. Eric glanced up at Gru. The male was lounging back, staring at Eric with hungry eyes while sipping his goblet of mead.
"Faster," Gru ordered. "Make him come."
Eric moaned. "Ah...ah...ah..."
"I love how responsive you are, pet," Khaun said.
The male picked up the pace, moving his slick hand over Eric's cock. Eric looked down at Khaun's hand, watching as the male's hand twisted, moving up and down. His fingers moved faster along Eric's shaft, squeezing and stroking in a quick rhythm.
Khaun growled. "Come for me."
Eric's muscled tensed, and his toes curled as his entire body went rigid. He arched his back, tossed his head back, and cried out Khaun's name as he came. Thick, white spunk shot out of the head of his cock, splattering across Eric's chest. Panting heavily, Eric fell limp against Khaun. When he felt a tongue licking up and down his chest, Eric lifted his head. He watched as Gru's mouth moved over his chest and stomach, cleaning off the spunk. Watching Gru's mouth move was erotic. After cleaning Eric, Gru pulled back and licked his lips.
"How does he taste?" Khaun asked.
Gru moaned. "Delicious."
Gru moved back. The male
picked up his goblet and took a drink before grabbing a few pieces of food and started eating.
Khaun rose to a sitting position, taking Eric with him. "Let's eat."
Eric nodded. He had to admit that he was starved. There weren't any utensils so, using his fingers, Eric started eating. Between bites, he drank the mead. The sounds around the stadium grew louder as time passed and the seats filled. The people around them were eating and drinking, talking and laughing. This seemed like a social event, which was nice. Noglion really did seem like a nice place to live.
"Commander Gru," a familiar male said, stopping beside their seats.
"Doctor Kryq'yx," he acknowledged, rising to his feet.
The males bowed to one another in greeting.
"I heard that you won't be returning to the starship." Kryq'yx sounded a bit disappointed.
"I put in a request to remain here on Noglion. My days of traveling off planet are over. I don't want to leave my pet for long periods of time."
"I would feel the same in your position. But you should know that you'll be missed."
"Thank you for saying that. I'm sure the commander taking my place will do an excellent job leading the crew."
Kryq'yx smiled. "I heard that on our next mission we will be going to Glecerus to pick up a group of humans."
"I wish you luck, and I hope you find a human strong enough to handle your brothers."
Kryq'yx chuckled lightly. The males bowed once more. Kryq'yx continued his way up the stairs, and Gru sat down.
Eric sat up. He grabbed a pillow, crossed his legs, and dropped the cushion in his lap. The nudity still made him feel a bit uncomfortable, but he was slowly becoming accustomed to it.
"What kind of job are you going to do now?" he asked Gru.
Eric didn't want Gru giving up his position because of him. From the conversation Gru just had with Kryq'yx, it sounded as though the male was leaving his post and sacrificing his career on the starship so that he could stay home with Eric. Gru was a good male. He deserved more. The last thing Eric wanted Gru to do was take a job unworthy of his talents.
"Flight bay commander."
"Is that a good job? I mean...compared to being a commander on a starship."
Gru stared at Eric for a moment before saying, "Come here."
He tossed the pillow aside and inched his way closer to Gru. When he was within touching distance, Gru picked him up and put Eric on his lap, as if he weighed no more than a small child. Gru wrapped his arms around Eric, holding him close.
"I know what you are thinking, pet." Gru kissed his forehead. "Flight bay commander is a good position, and I will keep my rank. But, in truth, it doesn't matter what I do here on Noglion, as long as we are together."
"I don't want you to give up your career," Eric told him. "You belong on a starship."
"No, you are wrong," he said firmly. "I belong with you."
Eric sighed. He knew it would be pointless to argue with Gru. The male wouldn't change his mind, but at least, Eric was able to voice his concern. And if Gru didn't feel as though he were making a sacrifice by changing jobs, then Eric would accept it.
Loud cheers rang out, and Eric turned and looked toward the center of the stadium. All of the Noglions in attendance stood up and stomped their feet against the ground. It sounded like a stampede. A series of loud growls and hisses filled the arena as two groups of Noglion males marched out onto the sand and gravel field. They were wearing loincloths. The only difference was that each team had a thick piece of cloth wrapped around their wrists to designate each team, white and black. The males strode to opposite sides of the arena and faced off.
Another male walked down the middle of the field. He stopped in the center and placed an oval-shaped metal disk down on the ground. When he walked off the field, the players let out a series of growls and stomped their bare feet on the ground.
A horn blared, rising above the sound of the crowd, and the game was on. Both teams rushed toward each other, meeting center field. Their bodies came together in the center of the arena, and violence ensued, each male trying to grab hold of the disk. They fought each other in a brutal battle of hand-to-hand combat. When the disk was picked up off the ground, the male holding it threw it to another member of his team.
Eric tried to follow the action of the game, but the lively crowd was a lot more entertaining. He smiled as he watched the other spectators. They sang boisterously. Stomped and cheered and chanted. Eric couldn't help but get involved. He shouted along with the audience.
* * * *
The game didn't matter to Khaun. He couldn't take his eyes off Eric. The young man's joy was obvious. His eyes were shining brightly, and he laughed happily. In this state, Eric was truly beautiful. He looked so alive and carefree. Khaun knew without a doubt that the human would have no trouble acclimating to their society. He seemed to fit in already.
Khaun heard that a few humans had a hard time adapting. Noglion could be a difficult place for aliens if they refused to follow the traditions. There was even a rumor that a human had tried to run away from his mate, but he wouldn't have gotten far in the desert heat.
He glanced over at Gru. His brother was just as happy with Eric sitting on his lap.
Khaun grinned and joined in the revelry. He rose to his feet and started singing along to the anthem that rang out around the stadium. Soon, Eric joined him. The human stood beside Khaun waving his arms in the air.
They stayed at the stadium past the end of the sporting event, eating and drinking and talking with the Noglions sitting near them. When they were done, the three of them walked home, hand-in-hand. It was the end of a perfect day.
Chapter Sixteen
Days quickly turned into weeks, and before Eric knew it, he had fallen into a comfortable routine with his mates, Gru and Khaun. He was happy and adjusting to his new life on Noglion. Eric still didn't like being led around by a leash or having to stay naked, but as time went on, Eric found it a little easier to bear. Even though he was content, in the back of Eric's mind, he thought about Finn. He had yet to meet the male. And he was curious.
Today, Gru and Khaun had gone to work. This was the first time Eric was left alone, although he wasn't really by himself. Finn was in his quarters at the end of the hallway.
Eric sat in the shared living space, bored. Kicking up his legs, Eric closed his eyes and relaxed back against the couch. He dozed off and on throughout the afternoon.
A loud thump followed by a grunt and a series of curse words roused Eric. Rising to his feet, Eric strolled through the house. When he reached the closed door at the end of the hallway, he paused. Without being told, Eric knew the room belonged to Finn. And he knew, without being told, that he wasn't allowed to enter.
Placing both hands on the door, Eric leaned forward and put his ear against the cool metal. He heard some movement but didn't dare enter without permission. Taking a deep breath to build up his courage, Eric knocked on the door. Finn didn't answer. After a few minutes, Eric started to worry about the male.
What if Finn was badly injured? What if he needed help? Gru and Khaun weren't home yet. Both of the males had gone to work.
Decision made, Eric pressed the button on the wall, and the door slid open. He stepped over the threshold, entering Finn's quarters. Eric took slow, measured steps as he looked around the dimly lit room waiting for his eyes to adjust.
"Get out!" Finn snapped.
Eric jerked to a halt and stared down at the male, sprawled out on the floor. Finn's leg was a mangled mess of lumpy scales. The scars tracked over Finn's chest, across his hip and stomach. There were lines of varying widths and lengths. Whatever the male had been through, it must have been traumatic. Eric's heart lurched in sympathy.
"Look at me."
Eric obeyed immediately. He jerked his head up and met Finn's eyes. He gasped. The male was powerful. Even in his current state, Finn radiated strength. The power of Finn's commanding voice made Eric's heart speed up, and his cock resp
onded, hardening.
"Please," Finn said, his voice strained, as if he hated to say the word. "I want you to leave."
"I knocked, but you didn't answer," Eric told him. "I thought you might need some help."
He growled. "I don't want or need your help."
Eric sighed. He should leave. He should turn on his heel and march out of Finn's quarters, but he didn't want to leave the male lying on the floor. Eric knelt, dropping down beside Finn. He held out his hand in offering, waiting for the male to accept his help. It took a minute, but eventually, Finn relented.
Finn took Eric's hand, and Eric helped the male to his feet. Balancing awkwardly, the male kept his weight on his left leg. Eric wrapped his arm around Finn's waist and helped the male back to his bed. Finn climbed onto his bed. Using his upper body strength, the male moved across the mattress and leaned back against the headboard, avoiding eye contact.
Even though he had been terribly injured, Finn still had a lot of pride. It almost seemed as though he was ashamed. Ashamed and humiliated that he would need help from Eric. This was his first interaction with Finn, and although he didn't know much about Noglion males, Eric knew a thing or two about alpha-type men. Their relationship could be fractured if every time Finn looked at Eric he didn't feel like a man.
It didn't take long for Eric to come to a decision. Climbing onto the bed, Eric crawled toward Finn.
Finn's eyes widened. It was obvious the male was surprised by Eric's actions. But since Finn didn't say anything or try to push him away, Eric continued on with his plan.
He straddled the male's thighs. Eric ran his hands up Finn's chest and wrapped his arms around the male's neck. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss on Finn's lips. Eric moaned into Finn's mouth as strong hands cupped his ass and kneaded the flesh. The male pulled him closer. Eric's cock rubbed against Finn's erection.
"Eric," the male groaned, breaking the kiss. His mouth traveled down, kissing and licking a trail to Eric's nipples. "I don't have a toy in here, pet."