by Zaide Bishop
“Then we defend ourselves however we can.”
* * *
The tension was making India sick. They’d been searching the islands all day, looking for any trace of Whiskey or Fox, but they all knew finding Whiskey when she didn’t want to be found was an impossible task. If that wasn’t bad enough, suddenly India found herself a pariah. Word had spread that she had been meeting Tare, and now her sisters seemed very busy talking about her, though not to her.
She had expected them to have questions, to want to know what it was like, and she had been ready to paint it in a positive light. Being with Tare was better than any lovemaking she’d experienced with her sisters, and the euphoria of just being with her was overwhelming, like a drug. Better than licking toads or the paste they smeared themselves with to get high during the moon ceremony. But no one was asking. Everyone was looking at her like she’d been caught coupling with one of the dogs.
She was sitting alone, tending a stew of crabmeat, egg and green mango, when Charlie came to sit beside her. She could not remember a time she had ever been so relieved for the company.
“Sorry I didn’t believe you,” Charlie said. “It sounded so insane. It still sounds insane. Though maybe less insane the more I think about it.”
India sighed. The apology was clearly less apologetic than Charlie thought it was.
She continued. “But, I’m curious. About Tare. About how it works.”
“Their, ah, their wattle. They call that a cock. It gets hard and swells up, then it fits quite neatly in our shell. They ejaculate a kind of seed when they climax. It’s white. Not much, just about a spit’s worth. It’s gooey, tastes salty. Anyway, that’s about it.”
“You like sex with the Elikai,” Charlie said. It didn’t seem to be a question.
India nodded anyway. “Yes. It feels natural. Easy. Euphoric.”
“Tare likes it?”
“As much as I do.”
“And she doesn’t mind? That you might have baby Varekai? That she’s giving away the Elikai seed?”
India shook her head. “She’s worried about the birth. What might happen to me. But she’s not jealous. She cares about me.”
Charlie was silent for a long moment, watching India stir the broth. “You’re overcooking that.”
“A little.”
There was another long silence. “So, if we only need one rooster to tend all the hens, maybe we only need one Elikai.”
India stopped stirring. “What?”
“What if you bring Tare here? What if she was rooster to everyone? If we try and breed with the Elikai, they’re going to want trade. Or they’re going to demand half the babies. But if we had a willing Elikai...”
India tried to imagine Tare lying with all her sisters, mounting them, kissing them, climaxing with them as if what they had wasn’t special. Her gut twisted. She felt like she was full of liquid-hot vomit and the only way to ease the nausea was to club someone to death with her soup ladle.
“If you touch Tare,” she said, voice soft, “if you even look at her, or think about lying with her as I do, I’ll come into your tent while you’re sleeping and I’ll cut off your ears.”
Charlie blinked. “What?”
“I. Will. Cut. Off. Your. Ears,” India repeated.
“So that’s a no?”
“It’s a no.” India’s teeth were gritted tightly.
Charlie sighed, silent a moment, then she grinned. “Well, that’s okay.”
India stared at her. “It is?”
“Sure.” Charlie grinned. “Have you forgotten? Whiskey is bringing us a spare.”
* * *
“You have to forbid Tare from seeing India,” Love pleaded. “We don’t know what the consequences will be!”
“I know what the consequences will be if you don’t shut up about it,” Sugar muttered.
“I’m serious!”
“So am I, Love. They’re both willing, they like being with one another. I’d have to fight to keep them apart, but while they’re together they’re testing India’s theories. I don’t see the downside.”
He clenched his fists, tears in his eyes. “We’re losing him. That’s the downside. India is bewitching him. He’s sick. The witchdoctor is all he thinks about. He’s the only one Tare wants to be with. We’ve never lived like that before. It’s unnatural. It’s the bloodlust. You have to keep them away from one another.”
Sugar sighed. The bloodlust. He’d been trying not to think about that. The illness that for so long they believed caused an Elikai to become obsessed with a Varekai, or vice versa. They had thought the obsession was a need to kill. A kind of overwhelming hatred, borne from mental illness caused by proximity to the other tribe. Now Sugar had to wonder if it wasn’t something else. Maybe all the brothers who had died for their bloodlust, and the Varekai killed at the hands of the Elikai, had been like Tare and India. Not hostile, but infatuated. If they had not been so hasty to turn on one another, perhaps they would have found out the truth sooner. Perhaps they would have new brothers in the tribe already.
“No, Love. I know you miss having Tare as your lover, but he’s made his choice. He wants India, and we need to save our tribes. Both of them. I won’t ask him to stop. You need to let it go. There are other brothers for you to be with.”
“I don’t want other brothers,” Love said miserably.
Sugar sighed again. Before this Tare-and-India stuff, life had been so uncomplicated. Brothers had slept with who they liked, there was no jealousy, no confusing feelings about Varekai.
They were drawing close to the Vanishing Beaches. The day had passed with no sign of Fox, bar his canoe, which had been tied to a palm tree, bouncing back and forth in the high tide. Now Dog wanted the two tribes to coordinate their efforts. He had a map he’d drawn of the isles and he wanted to organize a methodical search. Grid-like, with small groups assigned to search each square of the map.
Sugar couldn’t help thinking it would take months, and that Whiskey and Fox would show up again long before they’d made it even partway through Dog’s plan. There was always the possibility they’d run into trouble and maybe they wouldn’t be coming back. The islands were a hostile place, and Sugar would rather find corpses and be sure, than always wonder what had happened to them.
Charlie had a lot of the Varekai with him on the sandbank. Twice as many as Sugar, and he wondered if it was bad news. The Varekai looked relaxed, though, and when the canoes were pulled up on the sand, out of the reach of the waves, Sugar padded over to greet them.
“Charlie, any word?”
“None. We have checked everywhere we could think of. There is no sign of them. Some of Whiskey’s things are gone. Water bottles. Twine. Pelts. She may be planning an extended trip.”
Sugar motioned for Dog to join him. It was then he noticed how fiercely Love was glaring at India and was glad Tare was not there. The last thing he needed was for a fight to break out in front of the Varekai.
“Dog has a plan,” Sugar said. “So we can search more effectively. He’s drawn a map, see? Do you want to explain, Dog?”
Dog spread out the white hide tattooed with squid ink. “Search parties working together to cover specific areas, one island at a time, could cover all the habitable ground until we find them. We wouldn’t be wasting time searching the same places twice, and we wouldn’t be missing areas that no one thought to look. If we started here—”
Charlie cut him off. “No.”
“What?” Sugar blinked. “Why not?”
“Well, the thing is, Sugar, if the Varekai are hens and the Elikai are roosters...well, we all know you only need one rooster. They taught us that in Eden. I’m not going to condone anyone hurting Fox, but maybe —” He hesitated. “Maybe it’s best if Fox stays with us for now.”
Hi
s words were like a punch to the gut. He’d thought the Varekai and Elikai were building something, he’d thought he and Charlie were building something, but here he was being betrayed again. His chest and throat clenched with a horrible tightness. It made no sense to feel so sad and confused just because of a Varekai. The sudden overwhelming desire to throw up and cry at the same time was alien to him. He wondered if this was what the bloodlust sickness was like and this horrible feeling was what it meant to be infected, and obsessed, with the Varekai.
“You don’t mean that.” He stumbled over his words.
“It’s not personal,” Charlie said. “I have to do what is best for my tribe. We need new sisters. You have a Varekai. You have Romeo. Let us keep Fox for a while. When Whiskey shows up with her, I’ll make sure she’s fed and well protected. She’ll come back to you in better shape than she left.”
“You can’t do this.” Sugar was lost, sinking in mud, and couldn’t struggle free.
“It will be okay,” Charlie promised. He took a step closer, concern crossing his features. “You’re getting very pale. Maybe you need to sit down.”
“I don’t need any advice from you!” he snapped, heat rushing to his face. Like kindling flaring to life, his pain turned suddenly into a roaring anger. “This is a hostile act, Charlie! Catching and trading my brothers is one thing, but this is cruel. Keeping a brother away from his tribe, forcing him to do things against his will! There’s nothing innocent about this and it doesn’t matter how you justify it, it’s monstrous!”
His fists were clenched so tight his palms were bleeding. “We will come and take our brother back. We’ll be armed, Charlie, and we’ll use whatever weapons we have to.”
“Sugar.” He looked faintly alarmed.
“I trusted you,” he said coldly. “I should have known better. I should have remembered what monsters you really are.”
He turned his back on the Varekai, stalking across the sand toward the canoes.
“Sugar!” Charlie called, but he refused to look back. He’d been stupid—stupid to think he could trust the Varekai, stupid to think he and Charlie were becoming friends, stupid to think there could ever be peace between the tribes.
The Varekai were different. The Varekai would always choose their best interests over harmony. This was all his fault; he shouldn’t have let the kidnappings go on so long. He should have realized that one day it would come to something like this.
“So,” Love said, as they paddled for home. “About Tare...”
Chapter Nine
Whiskey woke and dodged just in time to avoid Fox’s first attack. She rolled onto all fours and Fox kicked her in the ribs, sending her sprawling across the sandy ground. She scrambled for her spear, but her net came down around her and Fox pounced on her back, grappling with her through the nylon.
Whiskey thrashed, bit, kicked and bucked. Fox hit the dirt and she shimmied forward, only to be brought up short by a hard yank. Fox scrambled across her, pouncing on her hands and binding them, and despite a few more violent jerks, the fight was going to the Elikai. Fox sat on her, panting, looking down at her through the netting. She glared back up at her.
“You’re not as good at knots as you think,” she said.
“Are you?” Whiskey challenged.
“Let’s find out.”
Fox picked her up with ease, hoisting her over her shoulder, and she kneed the Elikai hard in the back. Fox cursed and rolled Whiskey down, planting her belly down over a log.
“You snake!” he snapped.
Whiskey grunted in annoyance, pulling her wrists back and forth behind her back, trying to break the twine. She didn’t care about the pain, or even escaping. She just wanted to be on her feet and paying Fox back for the foot to the ribs. The binding started to slip and Fox crashed down on top of her, fumbling with her arms, her hips pressed into Whiskey’s buttocks as they fought for control.
The twine tightened again, then Fox reinforced it with leather. She gave in and the Elikai sagged across her back, both of them panting for breath. Whiskey looked around; she could feel Fox’s breath on her shoulder, her weight on Whiskey’s back, like a dog mounting a bitch. She needed a weapon. Of course, her hands were crushed between Fox’s belly and her back. Maybe she could throw her off, roll off the log and grab something. If she could reach a knife she could cut herself loose; then she was going to hang the Elikai upside down and spin her until she vomited herself unconscious.
Between them, pressed between her butt cheeks, the Elikai’s cock was fattening, turning hard against her skin. She jerked in surprise, and Fox planted a hand on Whiskey’s back to push herself upright, so her weight was resting on her knees.
“You like this?” Whiskey taunted.
“Shut up,” Fox muttered. Whiskey could still feel it, caressing the bare skin of her thigh.
She looked back over her shoulder to smirk at Fox. “Go on. Stick it in. I was going to fuck you again anyway. Then we all get what we want, don’t we?”
“Because it was such a pleasure last time,” Fox muttered. “With your dry, abrasive hole and you wincing in pain the whole time.”
Only that wasn’t how it had been the entire time. The memory was a little humiliating, grinding herself to climax on the Elikai’s cock. She would deny that had ever happened to her last breath. She hadn’t wanted Fox, not at first. But then she had, and when she had peaked, she had peaked hard—enough to leave her shaky for an hour afterwards. “There are things more important than pleasure.”
“Yes. Right now that’s going home and getting as far from you as I can.”
“I’m going to find you again,” Whiskey warned. “I’m going to drag you to some other little secret cave and I’m going to tie you down until you can’t even turn your head. Then I’m going to mount you again and again until it takes seed.”
The idea made her tingle a little. Apparently Fox felt the same, because her cock twitched along Whiskey’s leg and her eyes flashed in anger. She grabbed Whiskey’s buttocks, fingers digging into her skin. Whiskey gasped, breath coming out in sharp little pants. Fox watched her, eyes cold, then her grip softened. She didn’t pull away, though, her hand resting on Whiskey’s skin, hot and sandpapery.
“Why are you doing this?” Fox asked, sounding tired.
“To get sisters. To save my tribe.”
“Not that. Why are you trying to goad me into hurting you?”
“Because I think you want to. And I think you’ll give me what I want. I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”
“The Elikai have rules. We don’t hurt each other. We don’t force each other. Don’t the Varekai have the same?”
She pondered a moment, and while she was silent Fox put her other hand on Whiskey’s other butt cheek. The Elikai’s palms were warm.
“The Elikai thrust into one another to get their pleasure,” Whiskey said. “But Varekai don’t. We give pleasure; we can’t take it the way you can. We don’t have any need for rules like that. If you hurt a partner, you apologize and trim your nails.”
Fox huffed, though Whiskey couldn’t tell if it was disgust or amusement. “Well, I could hurt you. A lot, I think. Tare told us about November. Your ‘sister’ in Eden. A teacher forced himself on him, right? And he bled inside. Then he killed himself.”
“She was young. I’m stronger than she was.”
She wiggled back so Fox’s erection passed between her legs and rubbed against her thighs. She heard Fox make a little sound. Uncertain and airy.
The Elikai’s fingers slid down across her skin, across her thigh to the softness of her lower lips. Despite her teasing and urging, Whiskey flinched. She needed the seed. She wanted to be the first mother. She just had to be brave. And that was all. Yesterday’s climax had nothing to do with it.
Fox’s fingers brushed through her pubic
curls, tickling and caressing. She pulled back the folds carefully, one at a time. Whiskey glanced back and saw Fox was leaning down, examining her. She felt her breath across her shell when she exhaled.
Fox touched the shell opening with a fingertip, pushed, and when she did not slide in easily, she moved her hand away.
“Just do it,” Whiskey said through gritted teeth.
“Shh.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“Not quite the same when you’re the one tied down, is it?” Fox asked, amused. “Now I’ve got you, I’m going to take as long as I like. I’ve never seen a Varekai up close before. Tare’s descriptions have been somewhat lacking.”
Whiskey fell silent, feeling a rising flush of humiliation as the Elikai scrutinized her secret places. The Elikai moved in close, so her hair was brushing Whiskey’s ass, and took a deep breath.
“You smell nothing like us.”
“I am nothing like you!” she snapped back.
Fox’s tongue flicked across her lips.
“Stop it!” she protested.
“Shh. I’ll gag you.”
She fell silent, trembling, as Fox licked her again. The Elikai was tentative at first, tasting, questing, pausing between each caress to consider. Then she buried her tongue as deep as it could go.
Her saliva was making Whiskey slick. Whatever they did would be less painful, at least. She tried to relax, to think about other things, but the Elikai’s tongue quested down and found her pearl, the tight nub from which all pleasure radiated, and she gasped.
Fox paused, as if considering this, then licked her again, her tongue circling Whiskey’s clit with a slow, measured stroke. Whiskey shuddered, hips trembling involuntarily, and Fox sucked the bead slowly into her mouth.
Whiskey gave a little cry. “Stop.”
She did. “Don’t you want this?”
“I don’t want to enjoy a filthy creature like you.”
Fox sucked her own finger, then circled Whiskey’s opening. She could feel the building heat inside her, working outwards, knew that soon it would not just be saliva making her flesh slick.