by M. J. Haag
His lips curved.
“We will finish the net, feed you, and kiss some more.”
His hands flew through the weaving pattern he’d attempted to show me. Once he had a completed net, he stood, handed it to me, then pulled the string to his pants.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing?”
“We will be going into the water. It will take a long time for our clothes to dry if we do not remove them.” He punctuated that statement by dropping his pants and tugging his shirt over his head.
Drav held out his hand for the net, but I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
“Come, Mya. We must fish.”
“Right.” I tore my gaze from his impressive length and handed over the net.
Drav walked to the edge of the water and waded in. He stopped once the water reached his waist and looked back at me expectantly.
Flushing, I pulled off my shirt and unbuttoned my jeans. Drav watched with rapt interest as I slid them down my legs. When I reached behind my back, he turned in the water so he fully faced me. The tender way his gaze swept over me from head to foot eased some of my nerves. I unclasped my bra and shrugged it off my shoulders.
“You are beautiful, Mya,” he said with awe.
“Thank you. You are too.” With my underwear still on, I stepped toward the edge.
“You should take that off or it will get wet.”
“I’ll risk it.”
His lips twitched.
“Don’t laugh. I don’t trust what’s in that water.”
“Nothing will harm you. Come.” He held his hand out, waiting for me to join him.
The water was warmer than the river, but it still wasn’t like climbing into a relaxing hot tub. I took Drav’s hand when I reached him, and I was glad I did because I slipped on a rock and stumbled forward, right into his chest. Without his hold, I would have landed face first in the water.
“Oof, sorry,” I said, balancing myself against him. He held my hand steadily and allowed me to use his chest to right myself.
“Are you okay, my Mya?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I saw some strands of Drav’s hair had come out of his braids and brushed away the ones that had dropped over his forehead.
“We must stay very still. We will scare the fish.”
“I sincerely hope these are not the same fish I encountered when we first arrived.”
“No, you are safe.”
I began to ease backwards but Drav tightened his arm around my waist and kept me close.
“We cannot move.”
Water lapped at my bellybutton.
“How will we catch fish then?” I whispered.
“Don’t worry, I will catch us dinner.”
“I don’t like raw fish.”
“You need to eat.”
“There was fruit in the trees.”
“Shh…” he said softly, his gaze shifting to the right.
I stiffened as I glanced over. A small school of fish swam closer to us. More specifically, our toes. Drav released his hold around my waist and moved in a blink of an eye.
The water splashed around us, spraying me. When I opened my eyes, I found Drav holding the net out proudly. Inside thrashed several dripping wet see-through fish.
“That’s amazing, Drav!”
I leaned forward, in awe of their translucent bodies, and slipped slightly again. I caught myself on his chest, but in the process, my breast brushed his arm. My nipple pebbled at the contact, and I shivered. He growled, dropped the fish net, and held me to his chest.
His intense gaze captured mine as he reached up and stroked a finger over my hard nipple. A small gasp escaped me. Warm heat spread from his fingertip down to my belly. His focus shifted to my parted lips as he continued to tease my breast.
“So soft,” he said a moment before he dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine.
Another shiver ripped through me, spreading the heat further south. He inhaled against my skin and deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance. I opened and dissolved into his embrace. His mouth and fingers made everything disappear except for the growing need burning inside me.
Something jumped in the water beside us, a reminder of our location. I pulled away to breathe, and Drav pressed his forehead against mine.
“You dropped the fish,” I said.
“It was worth it.”
“We don’t have dinner now.”
“There is fruit in the trees.”
I laughed and pressed another quick kiss on his firm lips.
When we finished the fruit he’d quickly collected, Drav made us a bed from the large fronds. He lay down naked and stretched out on his back, his erection proudly exposed. Moisture still glistened on his skin. Between the dip in the lake and the humidity in the air, he’d been right. It would have taken a long time for my clothes to dry. As it was, my wet underwear still clung to me uncomfortably.
“Are we really safe in here?”
“Yes. The blue and green crystals both exist here so there is never darkness. No hounds will enter here.”
Taking a steadying breath, I hooked my fingers in my underwear and pulled them off to hang them over a nearby frond. When I turned around, Drav observed me with an intensity that made me nervous.
Neither of us moved for several long minutes.
“I won’t touch you if you’ve changed your mind,” he said, softly.
“I haven’t changed my mind. I’m just crazy nervous.”
He sat up and held out his hand.
“If I do something you don’t like, let me know, and I’ll stop.”
An ache grew in my chest at hearing those words. Taking his hands, I stepped closer. His gaze dropped to the patch of hair that had so fascinated him at the cabin then back up to my face.
“Will you snuggle with me, Mya?”
I nodded and lay down beside him.
His fingers skimmed over my skin from belly to breast as he leaned over to kiss me. His tongue teased mine until I forgot to be nervous and panted for air. When his mouth left mine and his kisses trailed down the column of my throat, I turned my head to give him better access. The entire time, his fingers never stopped moving. They drifted over my navel, then lower. I grinned slightly, knowing his curiosity was killing him.
His lips closed over my nipple, obliterating humor with a burning need between my legs. I curled my fingers in his hair. His lips moved to my other breast, and his teeth gently nipped me as his fingers slid over my folds.
Panting, I opened for him. Conscious thought fled as his lips trailed lower. His breath fanned against my bellybutton before going further south. My gasp echoed in the cave when he kissed the sweet spot between my legs. I involuntarily bucked under him.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, pulling back.
“Please don’t,” I panted.
He kept going, his tongue teasing and stroking every inch of me until I pulsed and cried out in a long, low wail.
Limp and relaxed, I twitched under Drav’s lips as he kissed his way back up to my breast, where he set his head.
“That is how my heart raced after you touched me,” he said softly. “Sleep, Mya. When you wake, we will snuggle some more.”
With him half draped over me, I closed my eyes and reveled in the feel of his light touch as I drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, Drav lay beside me, a piece of fruit in his hand.
“Thank you,” I said, sitting up with a wince. The headache from the day before had only grown worse. Not wanting it to wreck our remaining time, I brushed away his concern and let him show me how to peel and eat the fruit. As I nibbled, so did he. But not on the fruit. It was, by far, the best meal I’d ever had and helped distract me from the thumping behind my eyes.
The relief didn’t last beyond the final fading tremor, though.
“I’m not feeling really good. I wish I would have brought my bag,” I said, thinking of the pain reliever I had in the first aid kit.
“Dress. We can go back.”
“You don’t want to snuggle more?”
“Not when you don’t feel well,” he said with a kiss to my temple.
I was mildly disappointed then reminded myself the sooner we returned, the sooner we could head back to the surface for some privacy with a real bed.
He packed up the tools he had brought with him but left the fish net. Without needing to ask, he lifted me and took off toward the city.
The motion didn’t help. Not only did the pain in my head grow worse, but my stomach started to roll. When he stopped for the resting period I didn’t sleep as soundly. My stomach cramped continually, and I moved restlessly. Drav worried the whole time. Obviously, the fruit we had eaten wasn’t sitting well. As soon as the cave’s crystals dimmed, we started toward the city, and I tried to ignore the increasing pain in my stomach.
Hours later, the wall appeared, and the door opened well before we reached it. Drav went right through.
“Do you want to walk for a bit?” Drav asked, concern in his tone.
“Yeah. Maybe it’ll help my stomach.”
It didn’t. I changed my mind about the illness stemming from weird fruit to possible period cramps. I couldn’t remember how many days it had been. Too much had happened.
Drav laced his fingers between mine, and we walked to the city. It definitely buzzed with more activity and men who stared at me with curiosity.
Drav picked me up when we arrived at our tree, and he ran up the steps to our burl. The relief I felt at the welcome sight of our home died when Drav entered.
Molev sat on the bed. The white cords of the iPod’s earbuds stood out starkly against his black shirt. He stared down in rapt interest at the glowing iPod cradled in his large hand.
“Put me down,” I said to Drav, pissed.
Molev noticed us and stood, tugging the earbuds out of his ears. He nodded in greeting.
“Thank you, Mya. Your language is very interesting to learn.”
Fourteen
In full blown bitch mode, I marched up to Molev and grabbed the iPod out of his hands. The battery icon blinked in the corner. How long had he been listening? I flipped through the list of previous books and cringed. All romance novels. I wanted to swear.
“You didn’t have permission,” I said.
“I apologize. I was returning the clothes that Grio and Limar washed and was curious about you and your world and looked at your things. I meant no harm. When I accidently turned this on, my curiosity only grew stronger. I’m glad I found it and learned your language, though. I have many questions for you, Mya.”
His calm sincerity and lack of any perverseness defused my anger. However, the pulse of my headache grew more pronounced.
“I’ll answer what I can,” I said, placing the iPod back in the bag and digging out the first aid kit. The sight of two foil pain reliever packets comforted me. Both men watched as I ripped one of the packets open and downed the pills. Setting the bottle of water aside, I got cozy on the blankets and looked up at Molev.
“What’s your first question?”
Drav sat beside me and began to soothingly rub my back and shoulders. I loved him touching me. It was both a reassurance and a comfort. I couldn’t seem to get enough of him.
Molev resumed his relaxed position by the entrance and studied us for a moment.
“When you went to the source, it didn’t give you a life crystal, but something else. Tell me, what did you see?”
I repeated the story of the history I’d been shown, and how the deer coming back to life started it all. When I finished, Molev nodded slowly.
“We are connected with the magic here. Phusty’s death proved that.”
“Connected, but should you be? I think the magic here changed you. Your skin. Your eyes. I’m not saying it’s bad, just that you’ve had to adapt to live in a place you maybe weren’t meant to live.”
“From what Kerr has told me while you were away, the surface does not sound like a better place to be.”
“That’s because you didn’t know it before the earthquakes and the hellhounds and the infected.”
“Tell me what it was like before.”
I thought of the woods by the cabin and the peaceful sound of the birds and the wind. Before I could open my mouth to tell him about all the quiet beauty, other thoughts intruded. Pollution. Prejudices. War. Our world did have beauty, but it had a lot of ugly, too. Well, it had beauty. How much remained now?
With my sorrow, the ache in my head consumed my thoughts.
“Can we talk some more later? My head is really hurting.”
“Of course. Rest.” He stood and moved toward the entrance.
“Can you take some of these lanterns with you? I think the light’s making it worse.”
Molev nodded, took several, and walked out.
“Can I get you anything, Mya?” Drav asked.
“No. Can you just keep rubbing me until I fall asleep?”
I closed my eyes and let the gentle swipe of his hand lull me into a slumber where I dreamed I lived with Drav in his underground world forever and eventually forgot about my brother and parents.
When I opened my eyes, the complete darkness puzzled me as did the brush of fingers over my bare breast. When the fingers reached the peak, they gently pinched my nipple, explaining the growing ache between my legs.
“Drav?”
“Yes. I am here. Does your head still hurt?” His fingers continued their slow assault.
“No, not really. Why is it so dark in here?”
“The light seemed to bother you, even in your sleep, so I removed the lanterns and used some of the material to block the rest of the light.”
His hand covered my whole breast and gave it a kneading squeeze before moving to the other side. I licked my lips and struggled to focus on my next question.
“Okay. Do I want to know why I’m naked?”
“You undressed.”
“I did?” I said, breathlessly. I was brilliant even in my sleep.
“Yes. You threw the clothes across the room, but I don’t think you really woke up. I wasn’t going to touch you, but you put my hand here.”
His fingers circled the circumference of my breast, then skimmed over my pebbled nipple. Unable to help myself, I arched into the touch.
“You’ve slept a long time.”
“And you’ve been touching me the whole while?”
His fingers stilled.
“Was that wrong?”
“No,” I said quickly, not wanting him to stop. “It’s okay. I’m just thinking your arm must be tired. I’m sorry I—”
His mouth crashed down on mine, searing me with his unrestrained kiss. My head swam and the tingle of need burned hotter, igniting the aching flesh between my legs. With a groan, I tore my mouth from his. The intention to demand he ditch his clothes, too, died when he kissed his way down to my breast. The heat of his lips and the brush of his tongue tore a gasp from me.
He lifted his head.
“Mya?”
“Don’t stop,” I panted, grabbing his head and guiding him back. My fingers brushed the long tips of his ears. He groaned and kissed his way to my other breast.
“Drav,” a voice called just before dim light flooded the room.
“Shit.” I grabbed the nearest bit of cloth, which turned out to be Drav’s shirt. Not caring, I yanked him over me for cover.
“Are you fucking?” Molev asked in a calm, curious tone.
“Oh, come on!” I buried my face in Drav’s shoulder, appreciating the irony of my current wish to disappear in a deep, dark hole.
“That is not what this is.” My words were muffled.
“Then what were you doing? Were those your breasts? What do they taste like, Drav?”
“Kill me now,” I mumbled.
Drav growled fiercely and tensed over me.
“No one will kill you.”
“Not literally,” I said.
H
e relaxed slightly.
“What do you need, Molev?”
“Solin has just returned. More are on their way from the old orchard hole. Fyllo came back while you slept and said the rest of his group has passed through the gap near the black lake. I would like you both to be there when everyone arrives.”
“We will,” Drav said.
The light left the room. Neither Drav nor I moved.
“No one will kill you,” he repeated with quiet ferocity.
“That’s not what I meant. I was just embarrassed he’d seen us making out.”
Drav shifted slightly, his weight settling a bit more firmly between my legs. His lips skimmed mine.
“I would like to do more.”
“I bet you would, but one interruption is enough. I’d like to get dressed and go figure out when we get to leave.”
With a sigh, he rolled off me. Before I could find a replacement cover, light flared in the room. I turned my head and saw Drav standing just inside the entrance, holding a lantern. His wistful gaze swept over me, and I could feel myself start to blush. I sat up and crossed an arm over my breasts.
“Can you turn around? I can’t get dress with you watching.”
“I don’t understand why that makes you uncomfortable. I watched you at the lake.”
The lake where we’d been the only two people. Not a tree crawling with men who didn’t know how to knock.
“The way you move and the pretty paleness of your skin is so pleasing to me. I would watch you for hours if you let me.”
Drav studied me with such intensity that it reminded me of when we first met. Before I was terrified of his reptilian eyes but now I felt pretty, wanted. The raw desire in his expression had me throwing aside my caution, dropping the blanket, and standing. He didn’t move from his position near the door as I picked up my underwear. He did, however, make a slight noise when I stepped into them.
His focus never wavered as I dressed piece by piece, in a slow show that would have felt embarrassing with anyone else. The complete fascination in his gaze had me doing things I didn’t normally do to get dressed…like smoothing my hands over my breasts and down my sides.
By the time I finished, he looked pained, probably due to the massive erection tenting his pants. He crossed the room and pulled me close.