by Viola Grace
When her lips were numb, her body was humming and her senses had completely shorted out, he slowly lowered her to the floor.
Yekesh cackled. “Pay up!”
Blushing, Dot pressed her fingers to her lips and looked up at Loxin. “Apologies.”
He chuckled. “And apologies from me. Your lips must be numb.”
They were but she didn’t tell him that.
“I believe I said I would show you that portrait. Would you come with me while I get cleaned up?”
She looked at everyone else, and they were all staring at her expectantly. “Better with you than facing the gathering of gazes here in the living room while they relive the glory of your successful day.”
Loxin grinned and took her hand with his, hauling her down the hall and through the door next to hers. She should have been surprised but it seemed appropriate.
He had a stand for the armour and settled his helmet before reaching for the armoured ridge across the top of his wings. “This is annoying but it has definitely come in handy. With the right swipe, I can slice through stone.”
“I am guessing that is a good thing. From what I have seen, you don’t use standard weapons.”
He grinned and hung the ridge up on the stand. “Correct. If we used weapons, we would be standard law enforcement and we are not.”
He pulled off his gauntlets and flexed his fingers. “As nice as it was to have you in my arms, I missed the feel of you.”
She chuckled and wrapped her arms around her torso. “Oddly enough, your armour made me feel safe.”
He backed into the stand and it gripped the armour, triggering the release.
The suit hissed and parted along unlikely lines, pulling back to let him out. The shoulders folded open like a flower petal, freeing his wings and upper portion of his chest. The segment around his waist unclasped and swung loose.
The plates over his legs lifted and let him step free. He was wearing a thin black bodysuit and nothing else.
“Wow. That looked uncomfortable.”
“You get used to it.” He bent and flared his wings out to their full extent.
When he straightened, he shivered slightly before his head came up. The scarlet iris was glowing. “I think I should take a cooling shower, but in the meantime, here is the image I received from Yacaro.”
He leaned over his desk and pulled up a file that projected an image onto the wall.
He left her to stare at it while he went to cool down.
She swallowed hard at what she was seeing. It was obvious that they were both naked, but thankfully, she had something obscuring the view of her body. His wings.
Dot saw herself leaning back against his chest, her head to his shoulder and she was looking up at him. He was looking down at her and his lips were only a breath away from hers. There was no doubt as to the intimacy of the pose; they were both smiling.
She stepped closer and noticed the backdrop of a mountain and tiny ships flying in the distance. If she looked closely, she could make out a ship and three men standing together with their battle armour gleaming in the sunlight.
The Nixos Guardians were part of Loxin’s destiny, not that there was any doubt. With a slight quirking of her lips, she wondered what the image would look like if it was painted for her and not for Loxin. She was betting that more clothing would be involved.
The sound of running water started up and she looked around, using his preoccupation to rifle through his personal effects. He had an image of a family taken with them in casual poses. Loxin was on the ground with two siblings next to him, both girls. His parents were standing together in the background, close enough to make it certain that they were still affectionate.
She moved past the image and found a few more of his sisters’ graduations from whatever secondary learning agencies they had attended.
He had a modest selection of clothing, not a lot of clutter and a notebook was tucked in the corner of his desk. Few species used anything similar to paper so the notebook got her curiosity up and running.
She finished her exploring and wondered if she needed to leave or if she should stay. When the water cut off, she had to make her decision quickly. With her stomach flipping, she took a seat on the edge of his bed and she waited for him to emerge.
He came out with a few damp spots on his shoulders and a towel around his hips. Loxin gave her a slow smile. “I didn’t expect you to still be here.”
Dot grinned. “It was an act of will.”
He headed for his wardrobe and started to rummage through it while his wings dried. “Well, I would be honoured if you would go for a walk with me tonight. After dinner.”
“I will. Today has been silent so far. I hope that trend will continue through the night.” She tried to keep her voice even, but when he dropped his towel and turned, the tone ended up a little strangled.
“So, I am guessing that you have not had a lot of exposure to the opposite sex.”
His cock was semi-erect and it shifted from side to side as he stepped into a charcoal bodysuit and tugged it upward.
She started breathing again when it covered his hips. “I have not. I was given the most basic of introductions to sex in a clinical and calm manner. Up until this point, it had all seemed dreadfully mechanical.”
He slid his arms into the sleeves and pulled them upward. “And what do you think now?”
She shifted slightly. “The word hot suddenly springs to mind.”
The grin on his face was predatory as he finished setting the suit into position. “Shall we go and see what Jekross has concocted for dinner?”
Dot cleared her throat and got to her feet. “That does seem like the wisest option.”
He took her hand and brought it to his lips again. “But not the most interesting one.”
It may have been her imagination but she could swear that his wing brushed her backside rather frequently on their way back to the living area, which left her wondering, how sensitive are his feathers?
Chapter Eight
She ate dinner and ignored the jokes at her expense about being the good woman leaping into the arms of the hero at the end of the day.
Ralos, Yekesh and Jekross had an entire repertoire of them.
Loxin extended his wing to cover her back and it curled around her slightly during the entire meal.
Finally, she sighed. “No secrets. Right?”
They all nodded.
She picked up her glass, got to her feet, shoved Loxin back in his chair and dropped herself into his lap. He was startled, but then, he wrapped one arm around her waist and kept eating.
Jekross was amused, but the other two looked perturbed that she spoiled their game.
“And later, I am going to let him take me for a walk under the stars.”
Loxin was grinning as he tried to finish his third helping.
There was one thing to be said for the Guardians, they knew how to eat and they cleaned up after themselves. While she hadn’t had the opportunity to learn the arts of cooking when she was at Farrow Home, she might want to use them to fill the empty hours when the Guardians were on assignment. When she needed to learn, Jekross would know.
She got up with the rest of them and took care of her dishes, placing them in the processor where they would be scraped, washed and replaced in the cupboard. Once her hands were clean and the others had taken up spots in front of the vid screen to critique their moves during the afternoon’s mission, Loxin took her by the hand and tugged her outside.
It was a relief to stop looking at and listening to something that had echoed in her mind all day.
They walked to the edge of the stones, and he took her into the woods on a barely visible path. “Do you watch the screens when we are gone?”
“I do. I still don’t trust my talent completely, despite the training. Oh. Do you think I could send messages back to Moon Base Terra? I have friends there.”
He st
iffened. “Should I be jealous?”
“No. We have already had this conversation. All seven people in that room were trying to make me suitable for duty on a Guardian base. They want to know how I am doing. They put a lot of effort into me.”
Loxin tugged her out into a moonlit clearing. “Ah, they were indeed speaking on your behalf, but I ceased to see them the minute you walked into the room. I recall that one was a Selna though.”
“Yes, Ikvaro. He fell in love with one of the first recruits to the moon base and she was reported missing. His heart is broken. He was a good friend.”
He turned her to face him and caressed her arms. “I have heard that Selna are irresistible.”
“I wasn’t trying to resist. I was trying to learn. Sex never entered the picture.”
He cocked his head. “I can’t see how any man could resist you; he must have had will of iron. Do you trust me?”
The sudden switch made her head whirl. “Yes.” The answer came out without hesitation.
“That was the answer I hoped for.” He wrapped his arms around her, bent his knees and his wings shoved upward with a heavy stroke.
Dot squealed; there was no other word for it. She pressed her face against his chest as he flew up and away from the safety of the ground.
He continued to climb until the air changed density. She could feel the difference as he tilted and flew in a slow circle. He was laughing. “Look around, Dot.”
She peeked out and gasped as the ground seemed miles away.
“I have you. You won’t fall.”
She carefully looked around and then up over his shoulder. It was beautiful. The stars were so bright; they were just as she had first seen them all those years ago. She would never get tired of the view.
“It is beautiful.” She looked at his face and smiled.
“It truly is.” He kissed her and began a slow descent back to the base.
She was enjoying the kiss, enjoying the contact, when the screaming started. She gasped and held tight as she heard shouts, people running, a crack of lightning and the rumble of stone on stone.
Dot was shaking against him.
“What is it?”
She looked up at him through eyes that didn’t really see him. “You are going to work tomorrow night.”
Their descent became more rapid and he landed next to her quarters. With a touch of his hand, the glass that made up her balcony window slid aside and he carried her in.
When he placed her carefully on the bed, she laughed. “I am not ill. It is just surprising, like someone sneaking up and shouting in your mind.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and the window slid shut again.
“I didn’t know it did that.”
“It was for my convenience. What is happening tomorrow?”
She pressed the node at her neck and explained what she had heard. When she was done, he nodded and headed into the living room to tell the others that they were going to have to deal with a landslide on the far side of the planet.
She sat in silence and tried to pull more information from her thoughts. Finally, she had a clue that would help with the identification.
Dot got up and walked into the living area. “I heard something else and it isn’t good.”
She stood and explained to the Guardians that there were going to be thirty-two children involved. She had heard the headcount. They were small, seven or eight based on voices compared to those around them and the number of attendants fanatically counting. They were going to see a glacier.
Everyone was planning for battle, but it was time for bed. Dot excused herself with the slight bob of a curtsy and she headed back to her room.
Sleep was impossible. She just kept going over it, looking for new sounds. Dot wrapped herself in her robe and went for a walk through the living area. On her way back to her room, she paused outside Loxin’s door, and unable to stop herself, she pressed his door open and looked in on him. All was quiet, but suddenly, two red lights snapped toward her and she heard the whisper, “Come in.”
Dot slid into his room and she followed the glow of his eyes until she was next to the bed. To her surprise, he was sleeping on his back, or his wings to be more precise.
“I am sorry. I couldn’t sleep and I saw your door and…” She let it trail off.
He sat up, moved his wings and eased to the other side of the bed, folding the sheets back. “Come in.”
She opened the robe and let it slip from her shoulders before climbing in next to him and pulling the sheets over her.
Dot rested on her side and looked at the glowing eyes for a moment before she made up her mind and leaned up, meeting their lips, her breasts to his chest and her belly to his.
He shivered and pulled away for a moment. “Are you sure?”
“I am sending you into danger on a daily basis. I am sure of that.” She smiled up at him, sure that he could see her.
“It is my job.”
“And my burden, so don’t let me avoid this opportunity. I might never get my nerve up again.”
“Should I go slow?”
“This can move at whatever speed you like. I won’t know the difference.”
He brushed his lips across hers and the speaking was over.
Loxin stroked her neck and trailed his fingers down her spine, which made her press to him out of reflex. He cupped her buttocks in each hand and squeezed gently.
She felt the thick bar of his erection and the slick trail it was leaving on her inner thigh. Her own moisture was apparent, but she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be doing. She touched his ribs, moved her hands up the bands of muscle across his chest and slid her exploration around to his back where she stroked the underside of his wing. A spurt of hot liquid dampened her thigh as his cock jerked in response to that light touch.
Loxin rolled her to her back and moved down her body, licking and sucking at her skin as if each inch tasted differently. She shook and twisted under him until her legs parted and invited him in.
It seemed he had been waiting for the invitation. His fingers caressed her sex, and she arched when he slipped one into her opening. It slid in easily and she felt embarrassment mingle with the intense heat.
He worked at her for a while, slipping another finger in and stretching her and then another. The three fingers moved with a controlled motion within her while his burning red gaze watched her reactions.
Dot shuddered as her release approached with all the subtlety of a freight train. She ached, she burned and when he stroked over her clit with his thumb, she screamed.
He removed his fingers and thrust inside her, easing in bit by bit. There were a lot of bits.
He groaned as he managed to work his way into her completely. Once he covered her, his wings flared out around them both, encapsulating them in a dome of musk and sex. Loxin stroked slowly into her with undulating rocks of his hips.
Dot let her hands do what they wanted to, and she stroked his arms, shoulders, neck and jaw. As he thrust into her, she nipped his jaw and ran her hands over his body until she was caressing the base of his wings again.
He shouted and thrust hard into her, holding himself in place as he shuddered in release.
He lowered himself until he was kissing her again.
“This time, we do it together.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant until he withdrew until the wide head of his cock was the only thing inside her and then he surged into her in a slick motion. He repeated the move and she moaned.
Dot bit her lip to stop the noises and he kissed her.
“Don’t hold back. No secrets here, remember?”
She gave him what he wanted, every moan, whimper and grunt. She gasped when her second orgasm struck, waves of warm sensation running through her nerves and clasping the invader to her body tightly.
His shudder followed along with the slow clasp of her channel. His groan echoed against her ear and h
is weight pinned her to the bed.
Loxin murmured, “Stay here.”
He slid out of her and left the bed. When he returned, he had something in his hand that he pressed between her thighs.
Embarrassment didn’t cover it. She closed her eyes and tried not to concentrate on the hand that was cleaning her most intimate region.
When he was done, he lifted her against his chest. “We will adjourn to your room until the bots can clean up. I don’t think you would sleep well in my bed tonight.”
He carried her back to her room, and to her tired amusement, he tucked her into bed and crawled in next to her, covering her with one of his wings.
She rubbed her face against the soft feathers and smiled. They kept her warm and made her feel loved. Her mind froze as that word came into her thoughts.
Love was not something she had expected to feel, nor did she expect it to be directed at her. She was content to be wanted and she definitely was.
Chapter Nine
No one commented when Dot and Loxin arrived for breakfast together.
They had a day to prepare for the event, but they were going to be preparing while en route. It was a three-hour flight under normal circumstances and there was no reason to rush with the amount of warning she had given them.
Jekross got a cooking lesson in, and with his help and some very patient diners, Dot made her first meal.
It wasn’t horrible, but there wasn’t the same enthusiasm for the consumption that the Guardians normally expressed.
She grinned. “It is fine, guys. My first meal is edible but not very tasty. I can deal with that.”
Ralos gave her a sympathetic smile. “The first time is always awkward.”
Yekesh nodded. “You will gain proficiency with practice and there is always the dispenser if we get desperate.”
Loxin was having a hard time stifling his laughter.
Dot groaned and covered her face with her hands. She mumbled. “Thank you for your words of encouragement.”
Jekross pitched in. “You are very loud. Nice healthy lungs. We may want to work on soundproofing if you are going to do that often. We need our sleep.”