by Calista Skye
I take my arm off his shoulder. “I went to her tribe. I carried her in my sack. I risked the wrath of her tribe. None of you did.”
“That’s true. We remained here, carrying out necessary work to benefit all of us, not just one. Now Rax’tar, how about this: The goal is for each of us to have a female. We can take some from her tribe, I’m sure. But before that, there already is one here. Must she belong to just one of us? Must she be only yours? Can’t the joys of Mating be also shared with the rest of us?”
It takes me a moment for his meaning to sink in.
Then I calmly draw my dagger and put it to his throat.
“Phoebe is mine only,” I hiss between clenched teeth, longing to slit his throat. “She. Is. Mine.”
For a moment we’re locked like that. The dagger trembles. Curt’on’s eyes are wide from surprise at the violence of my reaction.
And so am I. This I would never have chosen to do. But the sudden fury came out of nowhere and overwhelmed me. And now I can never trust Curt’on again.
“Of course,” he says tightly. “Of course. I never meant... “
I try to bring the rage under control. This is exactly what happened back then. This feeling of murder. One part of me wants him dead. And the other part remembers that he is as close to a brother as I’ve ever had.
I slowly take the dagger off his throat, noting to my regret that the dried irox blood on it has now mixed with another few drops of red fluid at the edge of the blade. Thank the Ancestors I stopped in time. “Good. We are agreed, then. And I apologize for my reaction.”
Curt’on lets out his breath. “It was just a question, Rax’tar.”
I give him a hard look as I replace the dagger in its sheath. “It was not a question that should ever be asked. Phoebe is mine only.”
His hand leaves the hilt of his sword and goes to his throat, coming back with red streaks on it. “Our life here is based on sharing. And nothing like Phoebe arriving has ever happened before.”
“It was a… reasonable question,” I concede, fighting the urge to punch him. “And now we know. It will not happen.”
“Then we will start planning our raid to acquire females for each one of us.”
I look over at Phoebe, now taking the bark off the part of the log she has marked. Yes, she should have the company of other alien females. “Perhaps.”
“No, not perhaps. Definitely. Shall we say ten days from now? I will expect you to tell us everything you know about her tribe.”
I look into his eyes. “Curt’on. You are all my brothers. I want you all as happy as me. Yes, we will raid her tribe and bring the females here. Just never ask to share Phoebe. Now I will ask her to give you some furs ade.”
17
- Phoebe -
“How did this happen?” I lean closer to study the wound.
It’s a clean, shallow cut, but it’s right at his throat and could have been fatal if it had been deeper. Curt’on has no protective stripes there.
“A carving blade slipped as I was sharpening it,” he explains. “Hit me right there.”
“Curt’on can be clumsy,” Rax’tar says, watching us with his arms crossed over his chest. “And that was a bad slip. Could have killed him.”
I apply some of the paste to the cut. “Better be more careful, warriors. This planet is bad enough if you’re not going to harm yourselves, too.”
“Curt’on is good at carving,” Rax’tar says. “He carved out the halls in the tree. Perhaps he can help us carve the canoe.”
“Great,” I agree, applying the final touch to the paste at Curt’on’s throat. “It’s a big log. The more, the merrier. Okay, that should do it.”
Curt’on stands up and gives me a shy smile. “Thank you.”
Rax’tar gives him a friendly slap on the back, and the other man saunters off. There are only us three on The Island right now. The others took the rafts and paddled off, going to hunt or gather things we need.
“I should probably pick more of this,” I say as I stand up, indicating the sore-healing herb. “With seven of you, we better have some ready at all times.”
“Probably,” Rax’tar says and comes in to kiss me. “We are very clumsy sometimes.”
I run one hand down his arm. “It’s weird, though. Curt’on seems so confident with his tools.”
“Doesn’t he?”
“I’ll get back to the canoe. Oh, I thought of a way to carve it faster. The wood is really hard. Which is good for the end result. But could you please bring me some tinder and glowing coal from the fire?”
He gives me a final kiss and walks off.
I follow his strong back with my eyes. He’s my boyfriend now. He sure acts like he is.
And that’s fine with me. We had an awkward first day, what with the kidnapping and all, but he did it for a good reason. He had just the cure for my funk.
I walk back to the huge log. It worked, too. I’m not unhappy anymore.
I’ve marked how the canoe should look. There actually should be room for three huge cavemen in it. That’s how thick the log is. We’ll just carve it out until it looks like a canoe, then fasten outriggers on each side to keep it from rolling. It should work fine. It will certainly be easier to paddle along than that raft. Faster, too.
Rax’tar brings me embers and tinder, and I arrange it on the part of the log that I have scraped free from bark and tried to carve flat with this freaking machete the guys have given me.
I blow on the embers to make flames, then let it burn a half inch down into the wood.
I scrape the ashes away and then carve off the burned wood. “See? Much easier to remove when it’s been burned. It’s just charcoal now. Totally brittle.”
Rax’tar nods in approval. “That way will work much faster.”
“We’ll have that done in no time,” I enthuse. “Then we’ll shape the outside of it very smooth, so it will move fast in the water. We’ll leave a block of solid wood in the bottom, so we can put a mast there. And a sail. We’ll need a rudder, too.”
Rax’tar chuckles and hugs me tight. “You seem to have found just the thing for you.”
“I just like it,” I say into his bulging chest. “It’s fun to feel useful.”
“You are very useful,” he assures me. “More so than in your own village.”
There’s a little sting in my heart when he reminds me. I haven’t thought of the girls in a while. “Maybe. But I still want to go back. When the canoe is finished.”
Rax’tar squeezes me. “Perhaps we can all go. All eight of us. We might be useful to your tribe.”
“Exactly,” I happily agree. “I mean, it’s not like you guys have to live there. But there can be friendship anyway, right?”
He squeezes me again, then lets go. “I’ll help you carve.”
We work at it until the sun sets, and I’m optimistic about the result. Using fire and some sharp blades that Rax’tan brings, we’ve carved a couple of inches down when we lay down the tools.
I go up on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. “Thank you. I needed this.”
- - -
The others have returned, and during the evening meal, the mood is downright jubilant, as if they’ve all had some good news. Or maybe they’re always like this and they’ve been keeping it down for my sake.
“...then Arit’zan bent down to retrieve his spear, and at the same time a rekh came jumping. It missed him and passed over his head, but he didn’t even hear it. So when he straightened, he looked up and said ‘I think I heard an irox’.” Tret’zor roars with laughter, and they all join in.
I smile and take a sip of the fermented juice with the alcohol in it. Yep, it’s been a good day. Hot sex first thing in the morning, survived a dactyl attack, got started making a canoe, and I think I got Rax’tar to agree to take me home pretty soon.
Then what? Will I stay in the village with the girls, even if he goes home again?
I glance up at him. He’s always sitting right next to me at thi
s table. He laughs and jokes with the other guys, and although they clearly think of him as their leader, he seems oblivious to it.
Before I knew better, I thought I didn’t like the cavemen for their alienness. But that is almost entirely on the outside. Inside, they’re more human than any Earthling I’ve met.
God, that simplicity and that charm… how could any woman resist? If recently I didn’t get why all the married girls got married to their cavemen in the first place, I totally get it now. Totally.
I’m not sure I could handle living apart from Rax’tar. He’s opened parts of my soul that I didn’t even know I had, just by being himself. And he’s opened me physically, too. I’m not sure if those two things go together, but when I think of my future, I can’t really imagine him not being there.
So, no. If he won’t live in the village, I probably won’t, either.
I lean back in the chair and dangle my legs, happy to have made that decision. My hand finds its way to Rax’tar’s thigh and rests there, on his bare skin right above the knees.
He glances down at me. “Everything good?”
“Uh-huh. Everything.”
At the end of the meal he accompanies me down to the shore and we take a quick evening dip, just getting clean after the day’s events. I inspect the herbal paste on his wound and apply a little more, and then he takes me upstairs.
As soon as the door closes behind us, I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him passionately. “I want to try something with you.”
He looks me up and down, and his bulge comes to life. “I can’t imagine what.”
I listen for a moment. The guys downstairs are making just as much noise as before, and that’s fine with me.
I drop my clothes and stand naked in front of Rax’tar in the torchlight.
I’ve gotten used to his sharp intake of breath every time I do that, but it still makes me feel attractive.
I grab his cock outside the pants and release his drawstring with the other hand. His shaft shoots free from the fabric and slaps against his hard abdomen with the checkered pattern of muscles.
I smile up at him. “See if you can do anything with this. But be careful, please.”
I arrange the furs and skins then go down on all fours in front of him, looking back at his astonished face and his twitching cock. I’m showing him a lot of woman right now.
“Take me like this,” I urge, my voice hoarse from horniness.
I dip my back and put my head down to offer myself to him completely. And that in turn makes me heat up even more. I’ve never done this for anyone. It’s so sexy, I think I could come from the slightest touch.
But of course, nothing about Rax’tar is slight, and that’s one of the things I like about him.
He gets behind me and runs his large, warm hands over my butt and my hips and my lower back, making me feel even more sexy and wanted.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” he whispers as he leans over me and kisses me between my shoulder blades, making me shiver in lust.
I moan in response, eager to be taken doggy style for the first time in my life.
His cock stands up straight all by itself and tickles my slit before Rax’tar takes control and slides it up and down to lubricate it with my juices. And there must be a lot of it, because the liquid noises from back there would have created a deep blush on the face of a more decent girl than me.
But I’m not ashamed. I’m horny.
“Fuck me,” I plead, raising my hips more for him.
I needn’t have worried. Rax’tar pushes into me, just an inch as usual, just checking if I’m fine with everything. This time it’s probably not necessary, but I greatly appreciate the care he takes, that he’s not so eager he’ll just plunge in with no concern for my welfare.
“Yeaaahhh,” I cry to egg him on.
It works – he slides all the way into me in one slow thrust.
And my body responds, sending a little shower of hot sparks whirling through my whole pelvic region.
Again, he stays deep inside me, making me feel taken and owned and also stretched. When he pulls out again, the shower of sparks is even more intense.
He fucks me slowly, rocking me forwards with each thrust into me, grunting and growling and creating a primitive atmosphere that I’m all to happy to enjoy and even strengthen with my own whimpers and moans.
His large hands hold onto my hips, spreading me further and making me feel deliciously exposed and feminine.
Fucked by an alien. A freaking caveman. So strong and protective and kind and tough, yet so sensitive to my needs. Even before he knew me. Just seeing me unhappy made him take a crazy risk and bring me here. So that I would be happy. Because that worked for him and the other guys. Caring for me so well.
Shit, I might start to weep if I keep this going.
But it’s okay. I’m giving myself to the best man I’ve ever met, and he’s taking me by torchlight, an act so primal that it connects with the most ancient parts in me.
I moan louder, in tune with the growing heat deep inside me, wanting him to know that I really want this. And that I need it. I need him to fuck me.
“You’re mine,” Rax’tar grunts. “All mine.”
“Yes!” I eagerly agree. “I’m yours.”
“Mine,” he repeats and fucks me faster.
My eyes widen. Oh shit, this could be really good. “Yours!”
“All mine.”
“All yours, my love. Always!”
“Always mine. All mine!”
He fucks me hard and fast, his hips slapping into my voluminous hips with each thrust.
“Aaalll youuuurs,” I keen as the orgasm starts to explode from deep in my sex.
Only then do I feel his second cock teasing my clit and making me convulse, hard, giving my climax a new level that opens another world of pleasure altogether.
He comes inside me, still fucking me hard, coating my insides with his hard spurts.
The he keeps his cock inside me as he collapses on my back, breathing into my hair.
“All mine,” he reminds me.
The words release another aftershock. “Youuuurs.”
“Always.”
Another tremble of delight goes through me. “Yeaaah.”
“Mine.”
“Uh-huuuuh.” I guess I just like his possessiveness. I didn’t know he felt that way until now.
We lie down together and he holds me in his arms.
“Do you have to go downstairs?” I ask, feeling sleepiness overtake me and not wanting him to leave.
“I’ll be back.” He gently disengages and walks quietly out the door, closing it after him.
The hall downstairs goes quiet at about the same time when he must be down there. Then, a little while later, there’s a loud cheer that makes the tree tremble.
Something is making them very happy.
- - -
Several days pass while Rax’tan and I hollow out the canoe and Curt’on helps. The other guys take the raft on their hunting and gathering expeditions, and when they return the rafts are alwasy overloaded and barely above water. The guys are so happy and boisterous just going about their daily business that I start to wonder if they aren’t on to something. Certainly the guys at my own tribe only act like this if there’s something they’re looking forward to.
The evening meal is always a noisy and happy event in the hollow tree.
While these guys aren’t actually that much like the seven dwarfs, in the same way that I’m nothing like the slender princess Snow White, they do have separate personalities. Curt’on is diligent and careful, Juri’ex is young and impulsive and clearly in awe of Rax’tar, Arit’zan is moody and funny, Tret’zor is quiet and thoughtful, Erek’ox is the oldest and probably the brightest of them, Gir’ex is slightly lazy and then suddenly enters a phase of extreme activity where he seems to accomplish a lot. So in all, they’re like any other group of men. And they’re close. Really tight-knit. Probably because Rax�
��tar is so clearly the unspoken leader, and nobody sees a reason to compete for that mantle.
In the afternoons, when the guys are back from their errands, Rax’tar and I take the raft and continue mapping Seatree Ocean. We usually end up at Love Beach, by some strange mystery that I think has something to do with the oarsman, and then it would be a pity to not make love, since we are so alone there and the Actual Ocean is there and everything.
Then we go home to the evening meal and deep sleep. Rax’tar sleeps with me, and sometimes we start the day with sex, just to wake us up.
The other guys don’t seem to resent the fact that only Rax’tar is getting sex. They even seem to approve pretty wholeheartedly. They’re really good guys.
In short, it’s the best time I’ve had in my whole life, and I don’t want it to end.
- - -
We finish the canoe in record time, probably. The heap of burned wood chips that have been carved from that huge trunk would fill a house. It takes a day to put it to sea and attach the outriggers to it. The mast and sail will wait.
“You want to take the first voyage, Curt’on?” Rax’tar asks. “You must have carved nine-tenths of it.”
Curt’on smiles tightly. “Eight-tens, anyway. No thanks, I’ll let you and Phoebe do it. It’s almost time for your usual daily... trip.” He says it in a way that’s so suggestive I almost blush. But not quite.
Rax’tar and I grab an oar each, and then we get aboard the canoe, so much more stable than the raft that I kind of want to call it a ship.
I get comfortable on a till, happy that we made them so wide. “Do we have a name for this thing?”
18
- Phoebe -
“A name?” Rax’tan frowns.
“Yeah. It’s common for boats to have names. Suggestions?”
“I’ve never named anything in my life.”
“Whereas I have named two puppies, a kitty, and a couple of oceans. Fine. Welcome aboard the Magic Mirror.”
“The Magic Mirror,” Rax’tar repeats. “This is an alien name?”
“Totally alien,” I confirm as we paddle away from The Island. “From an old story. An evil woman would always ask her mirror who was the most beautiful in all the land. The mirror usually said it was her. Until one day it said it was someone else and all hell broke loose. It has no deeper meaning. I just like magic things and I thought of this.”