Mouth breathing through my teeth, I dug my nails into his back. He twitched as if my puny fingernails pierced him and a liquid spurt flooded me, thrusts coming faster and more fluid as he glided through his own cum.
My toes curled, knees straining wider so he could dig deeper. ‘Yes,’ I breathed.
His second glut came quickly, splashing hot against my clutching channel.
Bhyr slowed during the final sprint to his climax and plowed harder. He’d risen on arms roped with twitching muscle, watching me through fever bright eyes as he claimed dominion over every inch of my quivering sex.
His head swooped down, and his mouth laid claim to mine, desperate, bruising.
My world bled into shades of blue. The squelch of his cock hammering a path home filled my ears. Our scents mingled. With each kiss of our hips, I climbed, I coiled. The knot in my middle grew denser and heavier until each penetration caused a corresponding explosion behind my eyes.
Breaking off from ravishing my mouth, Bhyr flattened, pinning me against the stone to fuck into me like it was his final act in life. He slammed against the mouth of my womb, and my pussy rippled over his shaft from root to tip. He made a strangled noise, body turning rigid except for the frenzy of his driving hips. I creamed on his gushing cock, hollering his name and those of gods as the knot in my middle snapped.
Ecstasy surged through every cell, a shockwave that ripped nerves and liquified bone until I was a jittery mess, clinging to my fierce warrior for succour.
Bhyr’s hand encircled my throat. The other pressed on my hip to keep me under him. His jerky thrusts turned to liquid glides as he lowered his head to kiss me. It was gentle and sweet, his tongue cooled to warm instead of burning.
He pulled out and lay sprawled next to me.
I curled up on my side and dropped a hand on his middle.
Semen leaked down my thighs. I rubbed my legs together, revelling in the slippery sensation. ‘Missed you.’
On a quick intake of breath, he flung an arm over his face. ‘I could tell you it was wrong to defy me.’ His tone was contemplative, as if speaking to himself. ‘Foolish to eschew the safety I secured for you.’ His arm dropped, and he exhaled heavily. ‘But you are here, and I am whole. I can take a full breath.’ He opened his eyes and stared at me. ‘I missed you, my heart. I missed you as no being has ever missed another.’
I gathered the energy to heave myself on top of him and shove myself into his arms. ‘I should be yelling at you.’
‘Do it.’ He sat us up, his back against the wall, me cradled in his lap. ‘Let me hear you speak.’ When I hooked my chin over his shoulder and hummed, he chuckled. ‘I bid her to be quiet, she screams at me. I beg her to speak, she offers silence.’ He grabbed my shoulders and thrust me back. ‘Why did you stay? Tell me.’
I searched his eyes. ‘What?’
‘I did as you wished.’ He inhaled, a shuddering heave that flared the slits of his nostrils. ‘I freed you. You could even return to your beloved Earth. Why stay?’
I blinked. ‘You never asked if I wanted to leave.’
‘You wanted to go home.’
‘I told you that changed.’ When he stared, I threw my hands up in surrender. ‘Okay, I wanted to go back. Of course I did. Part of me will always miss Earth. I won’t apologise or pretend otherwise. It was home.’ I held his gaze. ‘Was. Past tense. I chose to stay when I chose you. I reaffirmed that choice when I got off the ship. The question isn’t why I stayed, Bhyr, but why you tried to force me to leave against my wishes.’
‘I needed you to be safe and happy. Sending you to Vayhalun achieved both goals. You would be protected and have the freedom to return to Earth if you wished it.’
I believed him, but it was a half truth. ‘This isn’t all about me being safe. You didn’t trust in me enough to talk to me. You figured I wouldn’t do what you wanted and decided to lie to get your way.’ My withering glare slid right off him. It made me angrier. ‘Damnit, Bhyr. I’m not a thing you pick up and put down when it suits you.’
He sighed and glanced around as if seeking the strength to deal with me. His eyes finally settled on mine. ‘I know what it is that you want.’
I scoffed. ‘I doubt it.’ I barely knew myself.
‘You want me to feel regret and show remorse. I do not. I would do it again if it meant you were safe.’
‘Of course, I want to be safe, too, but that’s beside the point. It’s the same issue with you. This is about you not respecting my choices.’
‘This mess I have made.’ He pressed his forehead to mine, rocked it as he sighed. ‘You should be far from it.’
My fingers traced the clean cut of his jaw. ‘Against all the odds, I fought to make a life here. You took it away. Again.’ I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. ‘Do you have any idea what I’ve been through to get back to you? Can’t you say you’re sorry? Just this once.’
He met my imploring gaze with a flat stare.
Tears of frustration welled.
‘Doesn’t what I think matter to you at all?’ I asked.
‘Am I to lie?’
‘Yes,’ I shouted jerking back to shove at his shoulders.
‘I would die for you.’ My body locked in place. ‘Conquer worlds for you. Destroy at your whim and obliterate at the merest flick of your finger.’ He released a quiet breath. ‘I would die for you, but I cannot change this need to protect you.’
‘You’ve changed before.’
‘Evolving my belief system is different to behaving counter to who I am.’ His eyes held mine as he shook his head. ‘Do not ask me to be something I am not, Indira. I will fail. You will be disappointed.’
‘So you’ll never treat me the way I want you to treat me?’
He gripped my chin. ‘I am saying, I will never behave the way you want me to behave. Have I asked you to change?’
I nodded emphatically.
‘No,’ he said, calm. ‘I commanded you to obey. You did not.’ His gaze drilled mine. ‘Each time, I had a choice to either break you or let you be. Which did I choose?’
I couldn’t speak.
‘I want you the way you are.’ His head tilted. ‘Accept me the way I am. Please.’
My mouth opened then snapped closed.
Was I being myopic?
Maybe him tricking me into leaving wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it wasn’t an indication he didn’t respect me, but instead a symptom of his overprotectiveness.
I opened my mouth to say so, but he’d run out of patience.
‘Stop berating me for a decision I made because you would not have been strong enough to make it.’ Bhyr stood. ‘Your people are safe off Vøtkyr. They will be sent to Earth if they wish it, or they will spend their lives pampered by numerous suitors. The Verak are a generous species. Those who do not return could do no better.’
‘Fine.’ I opened my hands and let it go.
Compromise was the bedrock of a healthy relationship. Right? As for sending us away, personally, I believed the Horde were in for a sharp shock. Cristina would beg, borrow and steal to hitch a ride back here as soon as humanly possible. Ashleigh, Mayumi and countless others would follow.
Those women would bring a reign of terror with them.
The Horde would be fortunate to survive with its masculinity in tact.
Bhyr glanced around. ‘A scout will collect your things and bring them to my encampment. Come.’ He held out his calloused palm. ‘I want you safe amongst my Trusted.’
I twisted around and grabbed my bone knife. ‘You need to teach me how to take care of this thing.’
‘Our metallurgist will craft you a stronger, better blade.’
‘No. I want to know how to use this one. Keep it sharp. Take care of it the way it took care of me.’ I put my brown hand in his blue one and let him lead me from my sanctuary.
Our fingers laced, and I struggled to not feel jubilant I was with him again. I wanted to hold onto my righteous ange
r over his high-handed treatment. He was the leader of this planet and was autocratic by nature, but I wanted to be more than a bed warmer. I wanted to be his partner.
The full potential of our relationship would never be reached unless he realised I was good for something other than having babies and tending his nest. Short of winning the war single-handedly, I had no idea of how to prove that to him.
We mounted his goodbeast and rode until the next sun.
‘How did you find me?’ I asked stunned at the distance.
‘Long range scouts picked up your trail by the river.’ He nuzzled the crook of my shoulder. ‘You were gone for rotations and your trail went cold. I worried.’ His voice was tight with remembered fear. ‘Where have you been?’
‘I have a lot to tell you.’
‘As do I.’ Bhyr rode with ease, seat languid, his hands resting on the hard curve of his thighs with the reins held slack across his palms, content to guide the goodbeast with his knees and clicking commands.
It was mastery at its finest, a kind of proficiency I’d never learn but our children would.
Children?
The unexpected dash of my thoughts left me reeling.
Unconsciously sensing my distress, Bhyr cradled me closer and rubbed his cheek on the top of my head. ‘Okay?’ he asked.
The human word made me smile. ‘Okay.’
Part V
War
43
Indira
Nestled against the leeward crease of two hills, a cluster of lavvu style structures pitched from animal skins blended into the glacial backdrop. If I listened, in the distance, I could hear the breaking of waves against the cliffs. The ocean. Silver clouds hung low, and a glint from just beyond the horizon was sunlight caught by the water. I sniffed, and my nose smelt salt, fish, and seaweed.
We dismounted.
Bhyr jerked his chin towards a lavvu towering over the rest. ‘Go. Rest.’
Not ready to let him out of my sight, I leaned against the smelly goodbeast as he cared for it. ‘Are you going to feed me?’
Pausing, his head canted. ‘You hate it.’
‘Turns out, not so much.’
‘First, is it true a human was found?’ Jolting to a halt when he spotted me, Bihter stared, aghast. ‘Is my Cristina–’
‘Your Cristina going to tear you into pieces when she gets back.’ I spared him a look of pity. ‘Don’t think for a second she’s not planning your painful demise as we speak.’
‘She would never. I am her sweetheart.’
‘Not literally tear you apart. Figuratively. She’ll probably yell then refuse to talk to you. You know? The silent treatment.’ I glanced at Ohx, who’d hurried over at Bihter’s exclamation. ‘You too. Ashleigh will not be pleased. She’s mean when she’s angry.’
Ohx and Bihter eyed each other in puzzlement. ‘Silent treatment,’ they mouthed.
Drayg walked past and did a double take. ‘How are you here?’ He looked at the others, eyes wide. ‘How is she here?’
Bhyr threw up his hands.
I shook my head, exasperated. They acted as if I’d done the impossible by leaving the ship of my own volition.
Handing off his mount, Bhyr cupped my face. His thumbs stroked my cheeks. ‘Why will you not rest?’
‘I’m not ready to be away from you.’
‘You, my mate, distract me. I must advise my chiefs of our upcoming war council.’
A war council was the perfect opportunity to disclose the intelligence I’d gathered on my travels. ‘When is the meeting?’ I asked.
‘Tomorrow. First sun.’
Ugh. Early. ‘I’ll be there.’
‘Very well. You may attend but stay silent and unobtrusive. I want them focused.’
I kept my face composed. ‘Sure. I’ll sit and be quiet, because I often run around naked and screeching to draw attention to myself.’
His eyes narrowed, mouth widening. ‘I missed you.’
I leaned into him, palms splayed on his lower abdomen. ‘I missed you.’ I shadowed Bhyr as he made the rounds to his ranked warriors, gathering news and giving council.
I felt clingy until I found myself absorbing the exchanges and developing a nuanced understanding of how Bhyr handled his Horde. He treated them with a level of care and respect I hadn’t expected and they admired.
Sunset came and went before we were free to relax.
Bhyr took me to an informal dinner, the Horde warriors gathered in a loose circle as they ate and drank. The atmosphere was tense. A sadness the laughter and conversation didn’t cover lingered. For all their bluster and ego, there was an apathy the Horde carried as a shroud. The severe faces surrounding me smiled, but those smiles were tinged with sorrow at the departure of their chosen mates. Listening to them speak of their hopes for the future, I sent my own heartfelt prayer to whatever gods were present. I prayed enough of the Trusted would be spared to keep them from falling into extinction, so they might rebuild their civilisation stronger than the one preceding it. I prayed Bhyr would prevail. I prayed I’d wake up a year from then with him at my side, instead of watching him turn to ash on a funeral pyre.
A warrior stretched across me to hand Bhyr a gourd. It was the size of a hip flask.
I held out my hand.
Bhyr was amused. ‘You want to try neknek?’ He held out the small gourd. ‘Sip.’
I glared when he refused to let go of the gourd and tipped a trickle of the alcohol past my lips. The top of my head, throat and nose burst into flames.
Eyelids fluttering, I managed a hitch of the shoulder. ‘Not bad,’ I told the males watching me with the same intensity vultures eyed fresh meat. I stood and swaggered off.
As soon as I rounded the first skin shelter, I whirled around to check I was alone.
I uncorked my waterskin and poured it over my head, mouth gaping to catch the ambrosial liquid. ‘Gak... ack....’ I gulped it. I could breathe, but my sense of smell and sight remained compromised.
I’d swallowed a sun.
Unfortunately, my hearing was fine.
Dragging my arm across my wet chin, I backtracked. The stoic Horde warriors were collapsed on the ground, shaking or hunched over, trying not to blow an aneurism holding back laughter.
‘What?’ I demanded.
Bhyr’s eyes were bright.
He stepped around me and strode off the way I’d come. A gargantuan shadow appeared on the backlit lavvu.
He waved.
The Horde howled.
I thought I’d been safe from prying eyes, but they’d witnessed everything.
Bhyr returned, tipped his head back to mime the whole thing, then exploded into thigh-slapping laughter.
Mortified, I stomped past him with my head held high.
I ducked into my mate’s shelter and used the water, a rag and a vigorous scrubbing to wash for bed.
Chuckling, Bhyr entered.
It was rare to see him carefree. It made the whole thing bearable. ‘It was funny.’ I made an embarrassed face.
He studied my burning cheeks and snorted. He laced the lavvu flap closed behind us, then prowled over to me. He started pulling his fingers through my hair, working from the bottom upwards.
‘Your skin is… colourful.’
I glanced down at the mottled bruising covering me from head to toe. I ached in the darker spots, but honestly, it didn’t hurt. ‘It’s ugly.’
He kissed my shoulder. ‘No.’ The hands in my hair slowed their sensual drag. ‘You once told me you could take care of yourself.’
‘I can.’ I turned, wet rag forgotten in my hand. I hadn’t sounded confident. I straightened my spine. ‘I have.’
He clasped my face in his calloused palms. ‘I once thought you fragile. You still are.’ He wrapped his hands around my throat, then down to encircle my waist. He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Yet you defeated a Horde warrior. You survived alone in the wilderness of Vøtkyr, a planet that does–’
‘Does not suffer the
weak to live.’
He inclined his head, face gentling. He ran a thumb down the bridge of my nose, then across my lips, parting them slightly. I licked it. His gaze heated. ‘You impress me.’
I met his eyes, naked, proud. ‘Good. Because I can survive this planet. I can hold my own with alien monsters. I can attend war councils without making a fool of myself.’ I gave him a pointed look then chucked the rag aside and corked the water.
‘I still believe you should not be here.’
‘I know.’ I wriggled from his hold and burrowed into the bed. The pallet was soft, and the hides toasty warm. The aroma of spiced oranges and pepper lingered. Independance was great, but I’d learnt being cosseted was the freaking best.
Bhyr lay beside me once the camp bedded down for the moonless hours of the night. I couldn’t sleep. I stared the the shelter wall, stiff and unhappy.
There was too much fear in me to let the oblivion of sleep seem like a safe haven. I’d been forced into a primitive state of alertness and had no idea how to switch it off.
A rough hand smoothed over my hip. ‘Indira?’
‘Hm?’
‘You must rest.’
I nodded.
‘Tell me why are you awake.’
‘I want to….’
‘But?’
‘I’m afraid you’ll use what I say against me.’
‘If I gave a vow to hold secret anything you say while we rest in our furs?’
‘You promise?’
‘I swear not to use what you say here against you. You are never safer then when I hold you my arms.’
‘I was scared, Bhyr.’
‘This is understandable.’
Bhyr Page 38