Unleashed

by Tiffany Roberts

  “Move,” Aduun growled, shifting forward.

  Vortok extended an arm, pressing his hand to Aduun’s chest to halt him. “You move.”

  Aduun turned on Vortok and snarled. His quills rose in aggression.

  “Aduun, no,” Nina said. She pushed gently against Balir’s shoulders. She felt him hesitate, felt him tense as though to resist, but he withdrew after only a few moments. Her sex clenched at the sudden emptiness. She turned onto her side and pushed herself up onto her knees, and his seed ran down her thighs as she moved.

  The valos shifted back, granting her some space. Vortok and Aduun kept their eyes on her, their gazes intense and unwavering. Though Aduun didn’t lower his quills, didn’t relax his muscles, he made no move toward Vortok.

  Nina rose and walked toward Aduun. When he reached for her, Nina stopped him by catching his wrists. It wasn’t her strength that stopped him — he could overpower her without effort — but rather his surprise. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

  “Vortok first, then you can do as you please,” she said before she released him and stepped back.

  His quills lowered, and his lips fell into a frown. Desire pulsed from him in waves, accompanied by a confused sort of frustration and, deeper down, his beast’s possessiveness.

  “There are three of you, and only one of me. You’ll have to get used to sharing eventually and learn to wait your turn.” She smiled and lightly ran a finger down the center of his chest, her mind flashing back to the morning she’d been awoken by Vortok and Balir’s mutual attentions. She nearly shivered at the pleasure of the memory. “Unless you don’t mind touching me…together.”

  Aduun narrowed his eyes as he looked at Vortok, but his features softened after a moment. “This time…he may have you to himself first.”

  Nina pecked a kiss on his lips before she turned toward Vortok. He grinned and opened his arms to her.

  “I’m going to have more than just a taste this time,” he said as he settled his hands on her hips, drawing her down to straddle his lap. His cock, long and hard, pressed against her stomach to throb between their bodies.

  Nina blushed, though she wasn’t sure why. She’d already shared deeply intimate moments with Vortok; there was no need for shyness. She was learning, experiencing new things, sharing so much with these men she’d chosen as her mates.

  Vortok looked down at her and lightly brushed the backs of his fingers over her brow, her cheeks, along her jaw, and down her neck before continuing to her breast. He teased her nipple, coaxing it to bud. Nina sighed and closed her eyes as the delightful sensation spiraled to her core.

  Cupping her breast, Vortok dipped his head and licked her nipple, lapping at it with his long, rough tongue. She moaned and delved her hands into his mane, tangling her fingers in the thick fur. He continued to lavish attention on her breasts, licking, nipping, and sucking at each hardened nub until she was whimpering and squirming in need upon his lap.

  When he took hold of her hips to move her to the ground, she placed a hand on his shoulder to still him.

  “Let me stay here. Like this,” she said, eyes locked with his.

  Vortok frowned, a crease forming between his brows. “You do not wish me to mount you?”

  “I want to…mount you.”

  His brows shot up before smoothing, and his lips spread in a wide grin.

  “But I need you to help me, and… and go slow,” she said, cupping his cheek. “Can you do that?”

  “For you, anything.” He kept his hands on her hips, fingers moving over her skin slowly, soothingly; their deliberate motions heightened her anticipation.

  “Okay.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted her pelvis. Angling herself just above his shaft, she lowered herself upon it and held his gaze as the broad head of his cock breached her opening. Vortok’s grip tightened, and his jaw muscles ticked. Nina raised herself and moved down again in shallow pumps, attempting to take more of him, but he was too thick, and she was too tight.

  “Vortok, I don’t—”

  He moved his thumb across her pelvis, brushing over her pubic hair, and slid it to the top of her slit. Despite it being so large and rough, his touch was gentle; he applied just the right amount of pressure as he stroked her clit.

  Nina bit her lip and moaned, rocking her hips to complement the motions of his finger. Liquid heat flooded her, and she felt him ease a little deeper, but it wasn’t enough. She clutched at his shoulders in frustration.

  “Shh,” he soothed, returning his hand to her hip. He lifted her slightly, leaving only the smallest portion of himself inside her, and slammed her back down.

  Nina released a choked gasp and dug her nails into his skin. There was a slight burning as his cock stretched her, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving her only with a feeling of overwhelming fullness. Panting, she held herself still.

  Vortok massaged her hips with slow, circular motions. His lips and tusks brushed over her neck to skim the sensitive flesh behind her ear. She shuddered, and he groaned.

  She felt his pulse deep inside her, throbbing in time with their pounding hearts.

  —tight, so tight, going to burst before she even moves again, so much need more—

  His thoughts, his need, his craving for her body, were as provocative as his touch.

  Leaning back, she tentatively pulled herself up, shuddering at the delicious slide of his cock along her inner walls. When she lowered herself again, she took as much of him as she could. She continued the slow, deliberate movements, and each downward stroke sent him a little deeper.

  His chest vibrated with his growls, and his hands flexed upon her hips.

  She felt — sensed — his need to take control, to conquer, to drive his cock into her as fast and hard as he could. To mindlessly rut. But she also sensed him resisting that bestial need, because his desire to protect and please her was even stronger.

  Nina set the pace, and he matched it. Before long, his hands were lifting and lowering her, using her body, giving her as much pleasure as he took. Head tilted back, she clutched at his mane. He kissed and licked her breasts and neck, heightening her desire beyond its already impossible levels.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  “Faster,” she rasped. “Don’t hold back. Let him loose.”

  He obeyed without question, without hesitation, and grunting as he relented to his primal urges. Despite his overwhelming strength, he didn’t hurt her when he flipped their positions, shoving her shoulders to the blanket and lifting her hips without withdrawing from her. He pumped forward with his pelvis and pulled her onto him with his big, powerful hands, plunging deeper than she’d thought possible.

  There were no more thoughts between them; he left no room for thought, only sensation, only the joining of their bodies and the pairing of their hearts.

  Her peak came swiftly, her sex clamping tight around his cock as immense shudders wracked her body. She moaned repeatedly, each one escalating in volume only to be overpowered by his deafening bellow as he thrust once more and spilled his seed.

  Vortok groaned when they finally came down from the heights of their passion. He sagged over her, holding himself up on his elbows, and swiveled his hips to grind his cock inside her. Still panting, Nina smiled and tilted her face up to kiss his furred chest.

  Aduun growled impatiently. Nina turned her head to see him stalking back and forth nearby. His amber eyes glowed with reflected light from outside, and his teeth were bared. He looked utterly savage.

  Nina ran her hand up over Vortok’s shoulder and neck to caress his cheek. “I think we’d better allow Aduun his turn.”

  Vortok snorted and nuzzled his face into her palm. “Learning some patience would do him well.”

  “Vortok,” Aduun snarled.

  Groaning, Vortok leaned back and withdrew. Nina winced at the twinge of pain as his cock slipped out of her. His seed dripped down the crease of her backside.

  As so
on as Vortok moved away, Aduun was there, bracing himself over her. Without a word, he thrust into her. Nina gasped, eyes widening, and raised her hands to grasp his arms.

  “Need you…too much,” he growled, and Nina knew his beast had taken over. His hips slammed against her over and over again, aggressively pounding his shaft into her body. She wrapped her legs around him and held on, closing her eyes. The angle had his cock stroking her just right, sliding over her sensitive clit, sending her straight into another swift release. She screamed her pleasure, and as soon as she came down from her climax, another struck her.

  Aduun’s claws raked the blanket as she dragged her nails down his back. Their mating was frantic, ruthless, desperate. He snarled, his hips quickening before they faltered. His cock thickened, lodging itself in place, and pumped streams of his heat inside her.

  He breathed raggedly above her, his pelvis twitching; its shallow thrusts seemed to ensure none of his seed would escape, that it would be planted deep in her womb.

  Nina lay there catching her breath, eyes closed, limbs limp. Her body ached delightfully. She felt well used, well loved, and utterly drained.

  The rough pads of Aduun’s fingers caressed her cheek. Opening her eyes half-lidded, she looked up at him.

  “You only just woke up,” he said, voice a low rumble, “we did not mean to wear you out so quickly.”

  Nina chuckled and turned her face to kiss his palm. “Worth it.”

  He smiled, but the expression faded quickly. “I will try to be better. Gentler. It…is not easy. I—”

  Nina reached up and cupped his cheeks, pulling him down to kiss his lips. “I understand, Aduun. I know. I think if you make peace with your inner beast,” she brushed her fingers lightly over the bone ridges above his brow, “you will find harmony. You are one in the same, and yet you fight your nature.” She kissed him again. “This is you, the you I chose.”

  He stared at her silently, his parted lips giving her a tiny glimpse of his sharp teeth. He inhaled deeply, paused, and released the breath in a long stream.

  When his shaft finally eased, he slowly withdrew from her body. Nina moaned at the pleasure and discomfort, legs falling to the floor, her body as heavy and useless as it had felt after the worm poisoned her.

  Aduun returned with her fur cloak and draped it over her. “Rest,” he said, once more stroking her cheek.

  Vortok and Balir entered her vision as well, encircling her like a living wall — her stalwart protectors.

  My males. My mates.

  They were the last things she saw before her eyes drifted shut

  “Sleep, our heart,” Balir murmured as sleep claimed her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A gentle stroke on her back woke Nina. She opened her eyes, and for a moment, she feared she was trapped in that black dream space. But there were no desperate, demanding voices assailing her. As her vision adjusted, she realized there was light — the soft, faint glow of the little fire they’d laid near the cave wall behind her.

  It seemed she dreamed less and less the farther along they journeyed; the echoing voices entrapped her while she slept, imploring her to help, offering her little true rest. Even now, she sensed them reaching to her, faint and far-off but difficult to ignore.

  She shifted, turning onto her back, and groaned softly. Her entire body ached, no part more so than between her legs. But it was a good ache. It was a pleasant reminder of what she’d shared with her mates.

  “Finally awake?” Vortok, who was sitting beside her, offered a waterskin.

  Nina accepted it gratefully. With his help, she drew herself into a sitting position and drank deeply. She handed the container back to him when she was done. “Thank you.”

  “How do you feel?” Aduun asked. She glanced toward him; he sat near the little fire with their skull bowls set around him, each filled with melting snow.

  “Good.” Nina’s answer was a bit of a surprise even to herself; despite the slight discomfort between her legs and her weary muscles, she felt good. So good that she’d had the strength to mate all three of her valos, one after another. Reaching across her chest, she bent her arm and touched the place on her shoulder where the worm’s dart had hit her.

  “Does it pain you?” Vortok asked.

  “No.” She frowned as she brushed her fingers over the wound; only a slight bump and a bit of tenderness remained. It felt like little more than a bruise. “I don’t understand it. I could have sworn that I was dying, and then…I was fine when I woke up. Like it never happened.”

  “Your wounds from the first day are gone as well,” Balir said, lifting a hand and making a clawing motion in the air near his shoulder. He was seated on the opposite side of the fire from Aduun. “I felt no scabs, no scars. Nothing but smooth, unbroken skin.”

  She moved her hands to her shoulders, feeling no trace of the puncture wounds Aduun had made with his claws. Throwing the fur cloak aside, she inspected her legs, her arms, the palm of her hand, only to find nothing — no sign of the numerous bumps, cuts, and bruises she’d accumulated since falling through the hole in the ground and into Vortok’s cell.

  Some of those wounds had been more than a week old, but it seemed too soon for all evidence of them to have vanished.

  It reminded her of her mother. After what had been done to her on the Concord, Quinn healed so rapidly that she often didn’t notice smaller cuts and scrapes until all that remained of them was a bit of dried blood on her skin, which would wash away to reveal no wound beneath.

  But Nina wasn’t like Quinn; her wounds had been healing at a normal, human during their travel. She’d had to make a conscious effort not to scratch her scabs only days ago. This was closer to what some of Quinn’s friends had described experiencing after mating with their valos — accelerated healing and slower aging, similar to Quinn’s abilities but on a lesser scale. Lydia and Lucie, both of whom had medical backgrounds before their time on the Concord, had said it was the result of some sort of technology the Creators had used in the valos, but the explanation had been beyond Nina’s understanding.

  All she knew for sure was that the women’s newfound abilities had occurred after an exchange of…fluids…

  Nina was still frowning when Balir rose and walked to her. He crouched beside her and held up a hand, a thick strip of dried meat resting on his palm. “Eat. You are healing quickly, and that is good no matter what the source may be. We have another difficult journey ahead of us.”

  “We’ll set out as soon as you are ready,” Aduun said as Nina took the meat from Balir. “We have the cover of night in our favor. It would be best to make the most of it.”

  She took a tentative bite of the meat, unsure of how it would treat her uneasy stomach. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since her last meal, but she was hungry enough that she was almost nauseous.

  Her uncertainty shattered once the flavor hit her tongue. She devoured the rest of the meat with a ravenousness she’d rarely experienced, tearing it apart much like she’d seen her valos do. She sucked the little flakes of leftover meat off her fingers and looked up to Balir.

  He had another piece waiting, and she ate it just as quickly.

  Only as she finished that second helping did she consider what Aduun had said. They needed to move forward; she knew that much without being told. The need had grown inside her with each step they’d taken, driven by the urgency of those voices. But what did he mean by the rest?

  “Why does the cover of night matter?” she asked. “Isn’t it usually safer to travel by daylight?”

  “Usually, yes. But what awaits us through that opening is…” Aduun frowned, brow furrowing. “There was a word, an old word from the tales, but I never really used it myself…”

  “She’ll know when she sees it,” Vortok said.

  “The word is desert,” Balir said gently. “Beyond this cave is a desert.”

  “Yes. That is the word.” Aduun lifted a bowl in one hand and a waterskin in the other, carefull
y pouring the melted snow into the spout.

  Nina knew the word; for Orishok, deserts were little more than mythical places in old stories, but Quinn had confirmed their existence and provided more detail. Regardless, Nina had no experience with deserts. That they were dry and hot comprised the entirety of her knowledge.

  “We’ll leave shortly then,” she said, taking another drink from the waterskin Vortok offered before rising to her feet. Only then did she realize how filthy and…sticky she was. Her cheeks heated. Stepping toward the fire, Nina picked up one of the skull bowls. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

  “Do not go far,” Aduun warned.

  “I could go with you,” Balir offered.

  “No. It’s fine. I won’t be long, really,” she said.

  They both frowned at her, concern and conflict in their expressions; she understood it was difficult for them to let her out of their sight after several near-death scares.

  “Let her do what she needs to do,” Vortok grumbled. “She can survive a few moments away from us.”

  Nina smiled gratefully at Vortok, grabbed her clothing, and moved deeper into the cave. She found a secluded spot away from them which still received a bit of the firelight. After relieving herself, she used the water in the bowl to splash herself clean and scrub her thighs and lower abdomen.

  Once she was satisfied, she dressed herself and returned to the valos. She handed the skull bowl back to Aduun. “Is there still enough to refill the skins? I can go and—”

  “There’s enough, Nina,” he replied. “We have no more reason to go back.”

  She nodded and stepped away to gather her belongings, lifting the blanket off the cave floor after everything else was packed. She frowned at the musky smell that wafted from it; the thing was well overdue for a cleaning, but there wasn’t likely to be any opportunity to do so if they were about to enter a desert. When she noticed light shining through the blanket, she pulled the fabric taught, slipping her fingers through the small tears that had been clawed in it. She cast a smirking glance at Aduun and Balir before wadding the blanket and stuffing it into her bag.