Picking up my bound legs, he insinuates his head and shoulders into the space between, my feet falling to land on his upper back.
His eyes meet mine as he settles onto his elbows in front of me then he says a word.
I frown and he smiles at me, his green eyes bright and a little wicked.
He lowers his head and licks my clitoris, the eye contact searing.
Oh. Yes, please.
He raises his head and repeats the word.
I repeat it, nodding my head enthusiastically to show I have it as I grab his head with both hands and urge him back down.
His chuckle is knowing and all male as he obliges, licking right where I want him to as he pushes his fingers back in.
With a sigh, I relax back into the soft fur of his cloak, losing myself in the moment.
The internal and external stimulation together have me climbing to a different kind of orgasm.
I swallow as I feel it building, little tingles coalescing between my legs.
I let go of his head to grab fistfuls of the fur on either side of me, my hips thrusting up as the orgasm washes over me in an intense, hot sweep. I can feel myself clenching down on his fingers and wish it was something else I was clenching down on.
Again, he wrings every last bit of my climax out, working me until I push his head away, completely spent.
He raises his head, licking his lips as he levers my legs over his shoulders, freeing himself so he can stretch out beside me.
Propping his head up on his elbow, he stares down, his heated eyes scanning my body.
Even now he's still sporting that major league hard on.
Maybe he'll let me help him out with that.
I trail a finger up the length, on top of his trousers.
He bites his lip as he watches for a few seconds, clearly enjoying it.
But then he takes my wrist and moves my hand away.
I frown, at a loss.
Guys don't usual hold back at this point.
"Sex?" I ask.
I make the universal sign, feeling like a complete idiot as I make a circle with one hand and insert the forefinger of the other into it.
All right, I really really need to work on my vocabulary.
He watches me make the gesture, his mouth twitching as his eyes light with humor.
He says a word which I figure means the same thing and immediately commit it to memory.
That's an important one.
But he doesn't make a move that would make me think he wants to do it.
All right.
I push that aside for now, shoving away the feeling of rejection. It isn't helpful.
And I should at least make use of his mood to learn something.
Like body parts. Learning more body parts would be useful.
I point at different parts, first on me and then on him. He patiently supplies me with the words, smiling in encouragement when I get them right.
When I've exhausted all those, I rack my brain for another important one.
"Love?" I ask, feeling tentative, pressing my hand against my heart, not knowing how else to get my point across, but hoping that's a universal one.
His face softens, so maybe he understands what I'm trying to get across.
He murmurs a word and pulls me in against him, wrapping his arms around me.
I lock that word away in a special place.
I guess no more for now.
Though I can't say I feel too bad about that as I snuggle into Elorshin's warmth.
Chapter Thirteen
Elorshin
I wish we could remain in the protected nook for longer, but I know in the back of my mind we need to leave, find a way home.
It is not safe here.
And I already failed to protect Margot once.
I need to get her back to Do'ana where my people can ensure her safety.
I help her fix her clothing and get back to her feet. Both of us put our gloves back on, the cold biting.
Her cheeks are still rosy from the climax.
My balls ache from my unspent seed, but I do not trust myself enough to even attempt to relieve myself with her splayed in front of me once again.
Shaking my head at my weakness, I force my attention back to the problem at hand.
With the tunnel blocked by the fallen rubble, we must make our way back to the House using the smaller, less used natural caverns, not created by Alvan hands. They are far more dangerous, with rough and uneven floors, more difficult to travel.
And because they are natural, there is no direct route anywhere.
I know which direction to travel in, but finding which turns to take will be a challenge.
However, first I must go retrieve my sword and knife if I can. I feel naked without them to help protect Margot.
"Stay here," I say, making a gesture to stay. "I will be right back," I add, meeting her eyes.
She nods, staying where I leave her as I walk back to the pile of rock burying the mooli. Lucky for me, its neck is clear and I can see my sword sticking out.
Climbing on top, I wrap my hands around my sword's grip, bracing my feet so I can use my full strength to free my blade from the beast.
I strain as I hear the spine crack under the pressure.
Changing the angle of the force I am using, I pull again.
It comes free with a nauseating squelch.
Grimacing in distaste, I wipe the worst of the gore off on one of the bristled patches on the creature's hide before sheathing the sword.
It will need a good cleaning upon my return.
I assess the amount of rock piled on the dead brute's back. It's not clear like its neck was.
Climbing down to about where I know I stabbed it, I throw the more manageable pieces out of the way.
Hoping the knife isn't buried too deep.
I clear enough of the area until I see light glint off something.
I can just see the handle of my familiar blade.
Going down on my knees, I reach inside, feeling with my fingers and pull it free.
Fortunately, it is much more amenable to the force I use than the sword, buried in skin and muscle rather than bone.
I wipe this off on a patch of hair as well before returning to where I left Margot.
"Come. We must not waste more time," I say, speaking slow so she can learn then repeat myself. "Come."
She studies what I say carefully, so I try to say my words clearer and slower. When she attempts to walk by my side, I shake my head at her and place her behind me.
"Behind," I say, gesturing to the space at my back. She repeats the word and I nod.
If we come across anything, she will be safer at my back.
Then we walk.
I lead us off the smooth, beaten path and down a tunnel with strange outcroppings and dips in the ground. The going is rough, but there is no help for it. The natural terrain is difficult.
We walk for hours as I decide on which way to turn as forks appear, going in the direction of home. We have to back track multiple times because the tunnel I chose ends with a wall and nowhere to go but back the way we came.
In those instance, we take another path, hoping there will be a connecting one that will turn in the direction we need.
It is difficult, but there is no alternative.
The farther we travel, the colder it becomes. Our breaths are clear in front of our faces, even the fur lining in our clothing not enough to keep out the bone-chilling cold.
Movement helps keep us warm, but when I look back at Margot, I can see the cold is affecting her more than it is me, her body not adapted to this world.
It's easy to see she's growing tired. Her face drawn, and she focuses on watching her feet as she trudges forward. She voices no complaints even though I know she does not feel well.
She is in need of food, water, rest, and warmth.
I have been a terrible protector, letting her be in mortal danger, and now she's cold and tired with
an empty belly. I cannot help but feel as if I am failing in my duty to care for her. She is my responsibility.
She trips and catch herself once again, her eyes often miss small obstacles. Her eyesight is not as sharp as an Alvan's in the dark.
She needs to sit, to rest.
I come to a halt and she continues until my body stops her forward momentum.
She looks up, her eyes startled.
I pick her up and sit against the wall with her in my lap, trying to allow her some rest before we continue.
"Rest," I murmur.
I do not think we must go much farther, but I do not know with any kind of surety. And I cannot carry her, not when I need be able to fight at a moment's notice.
She leans against my chest after a moment and I wrap my cloak around both of us, trapping the heat.
But we dare not sit for too long.
After less time than she needs, I stand up and place her upon her feet once more. She appears somewhat more alert and there is more color to her face.
Good.
I cup her cheek for a moment and she smiles at me, attempting to appear fine. I nod, appreciating her fortitude and also wishing she did not need it so soon.
We continue once more.
We walk for another hour when I hear a familiar, yet ominous crack, though it somehow sounds even deeper.
"Move back!" I bark, taking her by the waist and propelling us both back down the way we came.
Another crack, an almost tearing squeal.
And then the ground in front of us gives way, collapsing with a roaring noise. Dust rises in a billowing cloud. Grabbing Margot, I wrap myself protectively around her, waiting for the sound to fade and the dust to pass.
As the air clears and the rumbles fade I turn around.
We must continue down this tunnel if possible. The last fork we passed went in the opposite direction. It would take us hours more to go that way.
I gesture for Margot to stay and creep towards the edge of the collapsed floor, leaning forward and looking down. The tunnel continues on the other side but the hole is deep, too deep. If one of us falls, it would be disastrous. Studying the sides along the hole I look for a way forward.
The left side is bare of any semblance of horizontal rock.
However, there is a narrow path on the right still intact, but how sturdy is it?
I look back to meet Margot's worried eyes.
"Stay," I say again, gesturing for good measure.
She nods.
Taking care with each step, I walk over to the narrow path and put my boot on it. I do not put my full weight on the foot right away. Gradually, I shift my weight forward and wait to see if the rock can bear it.
It does.
I take another step in the same manner.
I am successful again.
A third of the way down the path, I shift so my back is to the wall, needing the stability to brace against for the narrower portion of the path.
I walk through that section and out into a slightly thicker portion.
And then I am on the other side of the hole.
I let out a sigh of relief, sweat trickling down my back.
I make my way back to the center of the path where one would be most likely to fall, and look to Margot.
If she needs help, I need to be close, though I dare not walk the entire length of the narrow ledge with her for fear it will not hold our combined weight.
I compromise and wait where I think she may need me.
"Come," I call, waving her over.
She looks at the path with obvious distrust and trepidation, but squares her shoulders and takes a deep breath.
She sets her foot on it.
I feel a rush of pride.
It is a small sign of trust, but it is a sign.
And I greatly admire her continued fortitude in the face of far from ideal circumstances.
I watch as she steps forward, looking focused, testing each step before committing her weight. Tension radiates off of her but she pushes forward.
She reaches a quarter of the way and then looks up and smiles.
I smile back, trying to encourage her.
She takes another step.
And then the unthinkable occurs.
As her foot presses down, a small section crumbles underneath it and she slips.
I watch in horror, her panicked eyes meet mine, her body lurches to the side, out into the open air.
My heart stops.
No.
I lunge forward.
"Margot!" I scream, my hands closing on air as I attempt to catch her.
Between one instant and the next, she disappears.
Her scream echoes down the tunnel.
Chapter Fourteen
Margot
I know the moment it happens, I've put my foot in the wrong place.
Time slows as my boot slips and my body loses its balance, my heart jumps into my chest as I realize I'm going to fall.
My eyes meet Elorshin's horrified ones as he tries to reach me in time, but I know he's too far.
And then my feet leave the path and time clicks back into place.
Bracing myself the best I can, I also try to keep my knees soft so I don't hurt myself even more. Falling onto the pile of rock at an angle, my breath escapes in a whoosh as my side hits, my layers of clothing only partially softening the blow.
I slide to a stop, the rocks under me slipping and rolling under my weight. I blink at the wall, the same gray looking rock I feel like I've been staring at forever on this hellish journey.
Am I still alive?
My entire body aches and I feel like one giant bruise.
I take in an experimental breath.
"Margot!" Elorshin's frantic voice calls from above.
I cough a little, the dust particles in the air thick.
"I'm okay. I think," I call back, sitting up with a wince.
He says something else and I look up.
He gestures, miming a climbing motion against the wall at his back.
I think he wants to know if I can climb.
No time like the present to find out.
Bracing my hands against the clear wall on this side, I try to get to my feet.
"Oh!" I cry out involuntarily as a sharp pain pierces through my ankle before turning into a dull, heavy throb.
I get the rest of the way to my feet, putting most of the pressure on my good ankle.
There is no way I'm climbing anywhere.
I look up at Elorshin and shake my head, trying to apologize without words.
He nods and scans the area.
I don't realize what he's going to do until he crouches down and turns to take a grip on the rough ledge of the path I was just on, uncurling his body so he's hanging from that precarious grip.
"Oh, shit," I murmur, my heart in my throat as he maneuvers.
He's hanging too far above the slope to drop. My stomach ties into a knot. I've put him in danger because I can't seem to keep myself out of it for any significant span of time.
And he seems to be excessively competent at everything.
It's a little unfair.
Though it gives me a warm feeling inside when I think about the fact he actually cares enough to want to help me.
Maybe, or maybe it's stupid to think it means anything.
He drops, landing in a crouch with an easy grace as soon as he hits the pile of rocks higher up.
He slides down, but his slide is more controlled, coming to a stop a few feet away.
All right, that was impressive.
I'm really feeling like a bumbling Jane next to his graceful Tarzan.
Complete with our inability to communicate.
He crouches down, looking at me with obvious concern.
"This one," I say, raising the ankle that hurts.
He watches my face as he gently probes.
I grimace at the pain as he feels along it then turns it.
He nods and looks
away, his eyes scanning the pile of rocks that leads up almost to the top of this tunnel on one side.
I look at it too, seeing what he sees.
If we can just get to the top, the wall above that pile of rock is rough enough for hand and footholds. We might reach high enough on the ledge to hook our hands and pull ourselves back up to the tunnel.
Of course, that plan assumes I can use my ankle.
Maybe it isn't so bad.
I try to put my weight on the ankle again.
"Fuck. Shit, shit, shit!" I gasp as my eyes water.
He says something in a sharp tone that I'm sure means he's calling me an idiot.
I can't even get mad.
Damn truth.
He says something else slowly, his eyes meeting mine.
Then he turns around, looking back at me over his shoulder and patting his other shoulder.
"Piggyback?" I say dubiously. I look over at the way we have to go, shaking my head. "You'll be off balance. And I'm no delicate flower either. Maybe you should go home and bring help back," I say.
I pantomime what I'm trying to say and he watches, frowning.
He shakes his head and points at his back again, saying something and sounding impatient.
"Come," he says, patting his back again.
At least that's a word I understand now.
"Look, I don't want to stay here on my own. But climbing out with me on your back is too-"
I grunt as he backs into me, grabs my arms and wraps them around his shoulders. As he rises I'm forced to wrap my legs around his waist so I don't fall.
"You know, when I can tell you off in Alvan, you're going to get an earful," I warn, tightening my grip.
He sighs.
Maybe he gets the gist of what I'm trying to say.
He lets go when he sees I'm holding onto him myself now.
And then he climbs the unstable pile of rubble.
My grip tightens in reaction as we slide back a couple of times, trying not to make too much distracting noise.
He waits for the slide to stop each time and then doggedly continues.
Determined is most definitely a word I'd use to describe Elorshin. A trait I appreciate in our current situation.
At last we reach the top of the pile.
He stops there and surveys the way up.
From the bottom, it looked doable.
A Baby for the Alien Prince: Celestial Mates (The Alva) Page 7