by Eve Langlais
“If you don’t stop,” he groaned, “I’m going to make a mess of the damned blanket.”
The knowledge only served to make her more wicked. She lifted herself and reached to pull away the blanket. There was only scant light from the smoldering fire, enough to see he was built like a human male, if thicker and longer.
Would it even fit?
“Don’t fear, Belle.” His hand found its way past the waist of her pants until he pressed his fingers against her.
She moaned.
“Do you want me to take your pants off?”
“Yesss,” she hissed. She had to help him by lying down so she could slide them off her hips.
Before she could straddle him again, he was leaning by her side, and his hand returned to cup her. She uttered a mewling sound and rolled her hips, pushing against it. He dipped a finger, and she whimpered. Another finger and he began to stroke her, and then his lips found her.
She had a mini climax as his mouth began to play, hot breath on her clit, then his tongue, a bit raspy but very wet. She came hard for him, her entire pussy clamping down on his fingers.
He uttered a satisfied grunt when he said, “You are perfection.”
And he wasn’t done.
He continued to stroke her ebbing orgasm, penetrating her with his fingers while his tongue lightly lapped. She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he soon had her moaning and rocking again. But he didn’t let her come on his fingers.
He shifted until he lay under her, and she was astride again. The hard, heated length of him throbbed against her ass.
“You’re in control,” he reminded, his eyes a golden glow.
She was in control. She could make him cry out like he’d done for her. She lifted and moved back to sit on his thighs. She gripped his jutting length. His hips didn’t buck, but he did tremble.
She rubbed a thumb over his tip and felt moisture. She slicked it over the head, and he uttered a strangled noise.
“Do you want me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And if I stopped right now?”
“I’ll probably die.”
She laughed. “We can’t have that.” She leaned down and blew.
His hips finally jerked.
When she licked his tip, he groaned so long and loud she thought he might be dying.
She really thought about getting him off with her mouth. But…he’d started that fire between her legs.
She straddled him, her hand around the thickness of him as she guided him to her pussy. She threw her head back as she slid down his length, gasping as he stretched her, groaning in satisfaction when he sheathed himself fully and rubbed somewhere really, really nice.
She leaned back to get better penetration, and his hands kept her from falling off as she ground herself against him. When a third hand suddenly appeared, or at least a wet finger did, she opened her eyes to see the tail she’d forgotten playing with her clit.
Perhaps that morning, before she got to know him, she might have screamed in disgust, but now, she screamed because she came. Hard.
And he came with her. They were locked together in a moment of pure bliss that she could have basked in forever.
Eventually, she collapsed atop him, and he held her, her cheek against his chest and the familiar thumping of a heart.
It felt good. And right. Maybe a place she could stay forever?
Was she going to let good sex sway her from her course?
“This doesn’t mean anything,” she reiterated.
“You keep telling yourself that,” was his amused murmur. “We’ll see what your answer is in eight days.”
She went to sleep worried he was right and woke to something slobbering on her face!
Thirteen
Thyos woke before Belle, which meant the delicious torture of having her splayed over him. He couldn’t believe she’d seduced him.
He’d hoped he wasn’t misreading the attraction, but after her initial reaction to his tail, he’d worried. Then, like an idiot, he’d reminded her of it while in the throes of passion.
Things could have gone badly at that point. Instead, she’d orgasmed. Hard. He’d never experienced anything so glorious. But despite the glory of it, they weren’t sykyrah. The bond hadn’t snapped into place. However, he had no doubt it would happen. Soon Belle would recognize they were meant for each other.
Or would she?
That worry kept him awake, so he eased out from under her rather than waking her with caresses to reassure himself. He went hunting, only to find tracks that led right back to his camp.
Belle!
Knowing she was a warrior didn’t dispel the panic as he raced into the clearing they’d claimed by the lake’s shore. A big beast sat while Belle rubbed its ears and made the most ridiculous noises.
“Who-is-da-big-cute-puppy?” she cooed.
“What are you doing?” Thyos muttered cautiously, doing his best to watch the animal and not startle it as he eased closer.
She didn’t reply as she continued to scratch the ears of the wolmoth, a shaggy canine that had a tendency of eating people if it couldn’t find its regular prey.
“I-want-to-take-you-with-me-yes-I-do.” She rubbed her nose against the beast, and he waited for her to get eaten.
To his surprise, the thing licked her then wagged its massive tail, left, right, boom, boom.
“Belle, you might want to step away,” he said, slowly edging closer, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t dare draw it yet, not with her head so close to those massive jaws.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” She turned to smile at him. “He makes me think of this Muppet dog that used to be on a show my mom loved. His name was Ralph.” She turned back to the beast and murmured, “I am gonna call you Ralph. Because you’re so cute. Wanna come with me to space?”
“You can’t take a wolmoth on your ship,” he said, unable to hide his incredulity.
“I guess he might be a tad large, and he probably wouldn’t like all that metal.”
“I’d be more worried about him eating you when he got hungry.”
“He won’t eat me, will you, Ralph?” She grabbed its cheeks and rubbed her nose again.
This was it. She’d die for sure.
Nope. The beast licked her. Then rolled on its back for her to rub its tummy.
Jealousy had him stomping around, getting their breakfast ready. He was somewhat appeased when she joined him and smiled.
“Yay for food. I find myself very hungry this morning.” She grinned, and like a fool, he grinned back.
He also had an appetite but not for food. Any plans he might have had were thwarted by her new pet. Ralph made sure Thyos couldn’t get near Belle the rest of that morning. If he got too close, it lifted a lip and snarled.
Cock blocked by the wildlife. Was the goddess playing a joke on him?
As the day went on, he thought himself doomed to that single night with Belle when she suddenly said, “I think I need more swimming lessons. Will you teach me?” She stripped until she stood naked, and then she winked.
He’d never undressed so fast in his life.
Ralph steered clear of the water, meaning when she kissed Thyos, he could kiss her back. His tail provided the cushion against the rock when he slid into her, the water making her tight. She clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders, her breath panting in his ear. When she came, she bit his lobe, and he climaxed with her.
And still the bond didn’t snap into place. She’d accepted him as coital partner, but nothing else yet.
They came together again at twilight when her pet went off to hunt. They were snuggled when it returned, rumbling its discontent.
Thyos held her all night and got to feel her hands on him, greedy and demanding, in the morning.
They spent three glorious days of exploration together. Harmonious days. Perfect nights. She showed off her prowess not only as a hunter but a fighter, too, sparring with him, and when he knock
ed her on her posterior, rather than be angry, she smiled and demanded they go again.
Less impressed was Ralph, who, at one point, getting tired of being left out, pounced Thyos and sat on his chest growling and slobbering. He could have tossed the animal or done it damage, but she laughed. Laughed deeply and richly, which meant Ralph got its own puegla for dinner—raw of course.
They talked, her of her life on Earth and how hard it became when her father died. “My mom tried, she really did, but she had to work two jobs, and I wasn’t the easiest kid,” Belle admitted. “Sometimes I wonder if she was better off with me gone.”
“Doubtful,” was his reply.
“What about you?” she asked, which led to him divulging some of his past.
He’d been lucky to have his father for most of his life, losing him only a few seasons ago to some raiders. She’d met his mother and sister, so he told her about the other two. All of them younger than him but acting as if they could boss him around.
He’d never felt more at ease with or intrigued by a person. She had a sharp wit, dry sense of humor, and a laugh that made him want to smile. The more they conversed and spent time together, the less sense it made that the bond hadn’t snapped into place. He didn’t recall it usually taking this long. Something must be missing, but what?
It became obvious she liked him, and he most certainly liked her. Surely she wasn’t still thinking of leaving? Then again, she’d not once said she planned to stay.
Should he ask her? He glanced at her rubbing Ralph behind his ears and held his tongue. Not yet.
Later that day, he realized just how precarious his situation with Belle was.
It happened when her pet monster wandered off and Thyos was prepping a spit for dinner. Belle had gone to the forest to gather some wood. It took her longer than it should have, and he worried when she failed to appear. She could take care of herself, but at the same time, she didn’t know these woods like he did.
Concerned, he followed her tracks and came across her facing off against a wolmoth, but not the one she’d befriended. This one acted as expected, snarling and snapping, its giant paws tipped with claws swiping.
“This is not a nice doggy!” she griped as she ducked under a paw and rolled before popping to her feet.
“I tried to tell you.”
“Maybe if we tossed it a treat?”
“Like what? We’re its treat of choice.”
The beast went after her again, and she dodged, only to trip and hit the ground. She rolled but couldn’t get to her feet, and the monster coiled to pounce.
Thyos didn’t think; he acted. He roared and unleashed his warrior side. His muscles thickened, his skin hardened, and claws shot out of his fingers. He raced for the wolmoth and slammed it with blows. Thud. Thud. Their roars filled the air, as did the grunts and heavy breathing of exertion.
The battle proved tough and messy, slippery with blood from the many scratches he scored. Thyos didn’t suffer as much injury due to his tougher battle skin.
In the end, he won. The beast died with a screech of rage that rattled into silence.
But in that silence, something screamed.
Repulsion.
Belle’s wide eyes said it all. She looked upon his shifted warrior form in all its serpentine glory and recoiled. In that moment, she forgot the man she’d lain with. She saw the alien.
It hurt.
He could have argued once he shifted back. He certainly came up with speeches in his head about the fact he was the same person still. As they returned to camp, him once more as the male she knew, he remained silent.
He shouldn’t have to apologize for what he was. Either she accepted him, or she didn’t.
To his surprise, she did return to his bed that night, and the sex was good, but something was missing. She’d withdrawn into herself, and he noticed her eyeing him differently, which was why the next morning he had them packing up their camp.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Home.” Because he had less than three days for her to come to the realization that, despite their differences, they did belong together. He just didn’t know how to make her see it and, given he had only a little time left to figure it out, wasn’t too proud to admit he needed help. The kind only a meddling family could provide.
Upon arriving, they separated. She went for a hot shower—that she told Ralph, “Will make your fur smell like flowers.”—and Thyos to hunt down his mother rather than indulge in the jealousy that the beast got to be wet with her.
He found his mother in the kitchen with the yellow-eyed Zonian, baking pastries of all things.
“You’ve returned already?” His mother opened the massive oven and released a wave of heat.
“There was an incident.”
“Does this incident explain why a wolmoth is currently inside our home?”
“No. That’s Ralph. She’s decided to have him as a pet.”
“One does not decide to take a wolmoth as a pet.”
He shrugged. “It likes her.”
“It might like her, but who says it won’t eat the rest of us?” his mother asked with an arch of her brow.
“I couldn’t exactly tell her to leave it behind,” he grumbled.
“A pet? A waste of a creature. Either you eat it or you use it,” Ishtara declared. “She better not think she’s bringing it on the ship. I don’t need it pissing on something important.”
He eyed Ishtara. “What makes you think she’s leaving?”
The Zonian snorted. “If things were going well between you two, then you wouldn’t be here yapping with us.”
“Things were progressing decently, I thought, until the incident.” He’d have to admit to the problem if he expected help.
“Did you pass gas in her vicinity? The little humans can be delicate about smells.” Ishtara clacked her beak.
“No!” The very idea.
His mother had her own theory. “Do you require some instruction on pleasuring her? Perhaps some documentation on human mating rituals?”
For the first time in a long time, he felt heat rising in his cheeks. “I do not need help in that respect. We were fine until she saw me in warrior mode.”
“And?” his mother asked, genuinely puzzled.
Ishtara understood though. “She couldn’t accept you’re different.”
“I guess.” He shrugged. “She hasn’t said anything, but something’s changed.”
“You don’t think she’s going to stay?” his mother asked.
He shook his head.
“A good thing the ship is almost ready then,” Ishtara crowed, waddling off.
His mother eyed him. “Would you really let her go?”
“I gave her my word.” And he would respect it, even if it meant losing everything.
“A warrior fights for what he wants.”
Something he’d been told since he’d learned to walk. “I shouldn’t have to prove my worth. I am who I am.”
Why couldn’t that be enough?
Fourteen
Enough already. They’d been back at Thyos’s castle less than a day, and Clarabelle was ready to scream. Actually, what she really wanted was to return to that lake and the enjoyable memories she had of it.
Minus the lizard episode.
She was still processing the fact that her lover with the handy tail could shapeshift into Godzilla. A shorter version at least.
She’d just about peed her pants when he dove at that rabid giant dog. It was a blatant reminder of his alien nature. Worse, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. On the one hand, she knew he was still the same man who’d taught her to swim, who made her body sing, who accepted her for who she was.
Why couldn’t she do the same? Why did his tail and differences even matter?
Needing to clear her head, she took her dog for a walk, letting it bound ahead of her as she tried to sort her feelings and come to a decision. She had only a few days left. Stay or go? She’d yet t
o decide. On the one hand, she liked this planet and could see herself living here. She had a dog, her first-ever pet, and a boyfriend who wanted something more.
On the other hand, she’d set out to find a new home for all of her friends. What happened to wanting to find humans to settle down with? To returning to a familiar way of life?
Then again, how familiar would it be? It had been years since she’d lived on Earth. She’d changed. Could she really go back to a world that didn’t have cool gadgets? To a life that involved getting a job, working to pay bills, living in polluted cities?
Her musing was interrupted as a hover bike suddenly arrived, sending Ralph into a barking fit.
“Call him off!” Thyos yelled.
“Down, Ralph. There’s a good boy,” she crooned, rubbing behind his ears as Thyos joined her. Dressed in very little, she noticed. “What’s up?”
“I’ve received word that a berserker Kulin warrior is slaughtering a neighboring tribe in the landing field.”
“So you’re going to save them?”
He snorted. “And embarrass them? No. But I am curious as to who the Kulin warrior is and why he’s come to our world with a human female.”
The words rocked her. “Hold on a second. He’s got a woman with him?”
“Yes.”
Immediately, she wondered if it was one of her adopted sisters. Had something happened back home and they’d come looking for her?
Was it a stranger? A clue?
She had to find out. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
He had only the one hover bike. She straddled the seat behind him, which made her dog complain.
“Be a good boy,” she advised her pet. “I’ll be back soon.”
Clarabelle held on as they zoomed off.
“What are you going to do when we get there?” she yelled into his ear, because he’d not brought much in the way of defense.
“Discern the warrior’s intentions.”
“Murder from what you’ve told me.”
“It’s only murder if it’s random. Could be he has cause.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll handle it.”