by Ramona Gray
“She isn’t wrong,” Quinn said. She stood and stretched tentatively before smiling at Kila. “I’m fine, sandora. I promise.”
“We should leave now,” Silas repeated.
“It’s too dangerous to travel at night,” Quinn replied.
“But sleeping out here in the open isn’t?”
“I will keep watch while the two of you sleep.”
“Quinn, you’ll need rest as well,” Kila protested.
“I have slept all day,” Quinn said. “If I grow tired I will wake you. All right?”
Kila nodded before returning to the small smokeless fire burning near the water’s edge. A crude spit had been built over it and the body of an animal was cooking. “I gathered some plants and killed a rappini. You need to eat.”
“Thank you, sandora,” Quinn replied.
The three of them sat around the fire and Kila sliced up the rappini, laying the pieces of meat to cool on the clean grass before collecting water from the lake in her waterskin. Silas frowned when she held out the leather bag to him.
“Shouldn’t we boil it first?”
Kila stared at him curiously. “Why would we boil it?”
“Because it might make us sick. There are bugs and other bacteria in it,” Silas replied.
“The water here is not like the water on your world, danen,” Quinn said before taking the waterskin from Kila. She drank deeply before handing it to Silas. He stared at her for a moment as if she might just start vomiting before taking a few tentative sips. He handed it back to Kila and she drank as well before dividing up the rappini.
Silas sniffed suspiciously at his portion. “What exactly is a rappini?”
“It’s an animal that lives in the forest. It eats insects and frogs,” Kila replied. “Eat, danen. It’s only a rodent but it will sustain you.”
“Mmm, rat,” Silas muttered before closing his eyes and taking a bite of the meat. He chewed slowly before swallowing. “Not bad. It tastes like rabbit.”
“Rabbit?” Kila asked.
“Furry creature with long ears and it hops,” Quinn said absently as she ate her rappini.
“How do you know that?” Silas asked.
Quinn stared blankly at him for a moment. “You are not the first from your world to fall from the orb, danen.”
“Exactly how many prisoners do you have back at your place?” Silas asked.
Kila scowled at him. “The breeders are not prisoners. They are treated very well, given the best of our food and protected always. They are vital to our existence and we treat them with respect. It is considered a great honour to be a breeder.”
“Oh yeah? So, if a breeder decides he doesn’t want to be a breeder anymore you just – what – let him go?”
“Of course not,” Kila replied.
“Then he’s a prisoner.”
Kila sighed loudly. “To be a breeder is a great honour.”
“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself of that,” Silas said.
Kila cleared her throat. “It is the way of our clan – of all the clans. If you are chosen as one - ”
“If I’m chosen?” Silas said. “So now there’s a selection process? I thought men were automatically breeders.”
“Not necessarily. First they must be physically examined and a sample of their seed is taken to - ”
“A sample of my seed?” Silas said. “What the hell does that mean?”
Kila glanced at Quinn. “Do you think he’s simple, massina? He didn’t appear so at first but - ”
“I’m not simple,” Silas replied. “I just want to know how you’re planning on taking a sample of my seed.”
Kila laughed. “Do I really need to explain?”
Silas glared at her. “What if I don’t want to provide a sample?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Kila asked. “If you don’t you will not be given the chance to be a breeder. As a breeder, you will be given the best food, a comfortable bed and a warm woman to – “
“Yeah, yeah, I get the picture,” Silas said. “What happens to the women who are with us?”
“Are you matched to one of them?” Kila asked.
“If you mean am I married to one of them, no,” Silas replied. “But that doesn’t mean I want to see them being tortured or - ”
Kila burst into soft laughter. “Tortured? We are not the cruel animals you think us to be, danen. Like we said before, the women will be treated well and will be given the opportunity to join our clan. They can become nannies for our young ones or clean quarters. They could even become warriors for the queen if they prove to be worthy.”
She suddenly smiled proudly at Quinn. “Quinn once worked in the kitchens and now she’s the massina.”
“What exactly is the massina?” Silas asked.
“She is the queen’s protector and she commands the queen’s guard,” Kila said. “Quinn has sworn an oath to protect the queen. There is no one stronger or smarter in our clan than Quinn.”
Quinn smiled at Kila. “You speak in exaggeration, sandora.”
“I do not,” Kila said indignantly. She turned to Silas. “Our clan has done very well under the rule of our queen. We have more breeders than any other and our children grow healthy and strong. We have over a dozen male children – that is nearly unheard of. We have the best land for crops and traders always trade their best wares with us. Many have attempted to take over our clan. Quinn has stopped all of them.”
“Not me,” Quinn said. “There are many in the queen’s guard who are strong and brave. It is because of them that we hold our own against the others, Kila. You know that.”
“But it is you who leads them, massina,” Kila insisted. “It is you who taught them to be strong and brave. They would die for you, Quinn.”
“Don’t say that,” Quinn said sharply. “No one is dying for me, Kila.”
Kila shrank back before giving Quinn a timid smile. “I am sorry, massina.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Quinn said. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
She handed the rest of her portion of meat to Silas. “Eat, danen. You will need your strength.”
“Yeah,” Silas muttered as he took the meat from her. “Can’t let the breeders be too weak from hunger to fuck, am I right?”
Quinn didn’t reply and Silas sighed heavily before eating the rest of the meat.
Chapter 9
Silas stared at the two moons. They were a dark yellow and shone twin beams of light across the dark lake. He shifted onto his side and cushioned his head with his arm before searching the edge of the forest. Kila was a sleeping lump across the dying fire and he could just make out the dark shape of Quinn standing next to a large stump. He had bathed in the lake after dinner, using a hunk of soap that Kila had in a pouch around her waist. Even though the water was cold it felt good to be clean of the marks the goran women had painted onto his chest and back.
The wind gusted and goosebumps broke out across his naked back. He kept his back turned while Kila and Quinn were bathing but was a little alarmed at how difficult it was. The urge to turn and see Quinn naked with her pale skin shining in the moonlight was almost too strong to ignore.
He sighed and turned to his back again. His brother was in some weird coma, he had almost been raped by a gang of green women and he was about to become some kind of baby-making machine. He was on a different fucking world for God’s sake and all he could really think about was finishing what he had started with Quinn. He was losing his mind. Trying to get pussy was the last fucking thing he should be thinking about.
Apparently you’re about to have all the pussy you could ever want.
Yeah, well, that might be a wet dream for some men but he’d always been a one-woman kind of guy. Fucking as many women as possible was never something he was into. The only reason he wasn’t in a relationship was because he had put his life on hold to raise Gage.
Oh yeah? Gage is in university now and hasn’t needed you for a while. You could have found someone by now so
why are you still single?
He stared at the moons again. He was single because Gage did still need him. Maybe Gage thought he didn’t but his brother was young and impulsive. Look at the way he was acting around Kila, a woman he barely knew.
That’s rich coming from a guy who was fucking a woman he barely knew less than forty-eight hours ago.
His inner voice had a point but, Jesus, Quinn was smoking hot and he hadn’t been laid in over a year. No warm-blooded man could have resisted her – not when he woke up to find her humping his leg in her sleep. He couldn’t be blamed for taking what she wanted to give him.
Are you sure about that? She didn’t glow, remember?
Unease spread throughout his stomach. She hadn’t glowed but she wanted him. He could tell.
Or you took advantage of a woman having a really great dream and you just happened to be right there.
His unease grew. Had his need for control and his desire to dominate a woman – especially one like Quinn who was obviously strong and capable and powerful in her own right – made him just think she wanted him?
Only one way to find out.
He sat up and squinted into the darkness. He would ask her. Simple as that.
* * *
Quinn stared silently into the darkness. Kila and the danen had fallen asleep nearly two hours ago and she scanned the trees, listening intently for any sounds. There was nothing but the rustling of animals and she relaxed a little.
She ignored her temptation to turn and stare at Silas. What good would that do? Just because she was ridiculously horny didn’t mean she should wake him and lead him into the trees for a damn quickie. She tried to stop the image of Silas half-naked and bathing in the lake but it was impossible. God, the man had an amazing body. He politely kept his back turned while she and Kila were bathing but she couldn’t resist peeking at him more than once while he bathed.
Kila hadn’t failed to notice and she had flushed at the grin that widened on Kila’s face every time Quinn turned to peek. She berated the others for acting like tarnans but she was no better. Just remembering him standing in the lake under the moonlight with the water dripping down his naked skin made her pussy ache and throb with need. She was wet and she was sorely tempted to venture a little further into the trees and take care of the problem. Maybe then she could concentrate.
They weren’t out of danger yet. Naveen and the others would be in the city by now and the queen would know that she and Kila had risked their lives to save a breeder. Not that the queen cared if she lived or died but if something were to happen to Kila…
She shoved that thought out of her head. She would keep Kila safe and accept her queen’s punishment. She rubbed wearily at her forehead. She was lucky the queen considered her valuable. Although even that might not be enough. She would probably lose her head tomorrow evening. While the thought of dying didn’t bother her, not getting the revenge she sought made her stomach roll with anxiety. She had risked everything for the danen and his brother.
That’s right, you have. So why not take your reward for it? If the queen doesn’t kill you tomorrow she will still take the danen first. You know as well as I do that you won’t want him after that. Not once he’s been with her. So take him for yourself now. Take him while Kila sleeps and no one will ever know. The danen will keep his mouth shut about it. If you’re going to die tomorrow it would be nice to have that itch scratched first. The danen would be more than happy to fuck you.
Her pussy throbbed with need and she shifted slightly and pressed her thighs together. Yes, she had no doubt that he would but it was too dangerous.
It isn’t. Garna, Quinn, we’re probably going to die tomorrow! At least let’s have a little fun tonight.
She was tempted. God, was she tempted. The way Silas took control in bed made little shivers of delight run up and down her back. Kevin was well aware of what she liked in bed and had tried to be dominant with her but there was this feeling of something missing. It wasn’t natural for him and his dominance had never felt truly real to her. He was playing a game of pretend and as hard as he tried he could never really give her what she needed. Back then she hadn’t been nearly as strong as she was now, but she was always on the bigger side for a woman and Kevin was the same height as her. If she had really tried she probably could have overpowered him. The danen, on the other hand, was much bigger than her.
She shivered again as she remembered the way he held her down, the way he pushed apart her thighs and took her pussy with that thick, hard cock. She was helpless to stop him and goddammit, why did that have to turn her on so much? Why couldn’t she be normal and not turn into a pile of submissive mush when the danen fucked her?
Speaking of the danen…
Without turning around, she said, “You should be sleeping, danen. We have a long walk tomorrow.”
“How the hell did you hear me?” He grumbled. “I didn’t make a sound.”
“You make more noise than a graffin.”
“What’s a graffin?”
He was standing behind her now. She could smell his good clean scent and feel the heat of his naked upper body. It made her want to turn around and rest her face against his skin. He would be warm and hard and have exactly what she needed.
She clenched her hands into fists and stared into the darkness. “A very large, clumsy animal.”
He snorted and she grinned a little. A graffin was very similar to a buffalo but she couldn’t tell Silas that. She slipped up with the rabbit thing and the danen was smart. Only Naveen knew who she really was and she intended to keep it that way.
“Go to sleep, danen,” she said again.
“I’m not tired.”
She took a deep breath as her mind and her pussy screamed at her to take the danen. She couldn’t. It was madness. “If you slow us down tomorrow I’ll cut off one of your fingers. Go back to bed.”
“It’s not a bed. It’s the ground,” he said. He sounded remarkably unfazed by her threat to remove one of his fingers. “I can’t sleep on the ground.”
“Bala,” she snorted.
“It’s freezing,” he said. “In case you didn’t notice, the gorans took my shirt.”
She had noticed. She had been noticing all damn night in fact, and his tanned skin and rock-hard abs were driving her batshit crazy. She took another calming breath. “You’re lucky it was my clan who found you, danen. You will be given warm clothing and a bed. The gorans would have kept you naked and chained to the wall.”
“Oh yes, lucky me,” he said.
“If you do not wish to be a part of our clan just say the word,” Quinn said. “I will deliver you to another clan. If not the gorans, perhaps the wathina clan? When you’re not being fucked by multiple women you work in their mines. They lose a lot of men to cave-ins and are always on the hunt for others. I could trade you for some of their gold.”
“Empty threat,” he announced cheekily. “I’ve already figured out that my kickass body is winning me plenty of points with your people. You’d never trade me – there would be anarchy in the streets.”
She tamped down her urge to laugh. It wouldn’t do to let the danen know she was enjoying his company. “I could always tell the others that the gorans killed you.”
“Kila would tell them the truth.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Are there any clans in this world who don’t treat men like pieces of meat?” Silas asked.
She thought for a second before shaking her head. “No. There is not.”
“Lovely,” he muttered.
“It could be worse,” she said.
“So you keep saying but I’m not sure I believe you.”
“It matters not whether you believe me. You’re just another breeder.”
“Ouch,” he said. “Are you always this mean to the guys you want to have sex with?”
She turned and checked to see that Kila was sleeping before glaring at him. “I do not want to have sex with you, danen.”
/> “Bullshit,” he said. “You think I didn’t see the way you kept checking me out when I was in the lake? I thought you were going to wade in and offer to clean my dick for me.”
She flushed bright red before hissing, “Keep your voice down or I’ll chain you again and gag you with your own sock.”
He grinned at her. “You know what I think, Quinn? I think you’re the one who wants to be tied up.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“I know you liked it when I fucked you. I know you begged for my cock. I know your sweet little pussy was absolutely drenched when I was pinning you down and fucking you. You like being told what to do in bed. Admit it.”
She licked her dry lips and shook her head. “I don’t like it.”
“You do,” he said in a low voice before taking a step closer. Her breasts were almost brushing his chest now and she stared at his tanned skin as her pussy pulsed with need. “You want me to have control in bed. I want that too, Quinn.”
He traced the line of her throat with one rough finger. “I want to pin you down and fuck you until you’re screaming my name.”
His hand dipped until he was tracing the swell of her breasts. “I want to watch these fucking amazing tits bounce while you ride my dick. I want you on your knees in front of me and my cock filling up your mouth.”
“Stop it,” she whispered as his fingers traced the fluttering pulse in her neck.
“Stop what? This?” He murmured before pushing one finger into her leather bustier and stroking the soft skin between her breasts.
She ignored her desire and yanked her dagger from her belt before holding it to his throat.
“Jesus, you’re fast,” he breathed.
“Don’t touch me again, danen,” she warned.
“You want me, Quinn.”
“I do not.”
“Liar.”
She pressed the dagger a little deeper. “Call me a liar again and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
“That would be a damn shame. I’m dying to taste your pussy,” he said with a wicked grin.
Her lips twitched upwards and his grin widened. “I’d be happy to eat your pussy right now if you’d like.”