She was simply a fertile female. He should be able to avoid getting so enthusiastic.
Avalon’s breathing had deepened and he noted the lift of her shoulders as she strived not to react. Her pussy lips were very swollen. Was this merely the biology of reproductive hormones, or was there more to it?
The torm could drive any mauleon into a tizzy over sex. Was it that? Maybe. He’d never been subjected to the torm, never found a true mate.
He cupped water in his hand and poured it over her. Making watery music, the water dribbled from her nipples back into the stream.
Listening to one’s intuition was important.
Takk had reacted to her, as had Kondio and Timin. Timin had been sunken into a morose depression for weeks. Was this girl a key to something?
He made her duck her head underwater, and she came up spluttering and dripping. Her red hair had fanned across the surface while she was under.
Getting off all the dirt and sticks and blood had made her into something new. A sexy huleon. He gripped the top of her head, turned her this way and that. She came to mid-chest height and was easy to handle. Her red locks stuck in squiggly curls to her neck, shoulders, the tops of her breasts.
“You are something else,” he murmured.
Taken aback, she stared at him, shook her head. Zo played his fingertips down her face, traced the seam of her mouth, pressed in the side of one finger.
“Lick me.”
He wondered what she would do. A moment later her tongue pushed at his finger. Warm and wet. Their eyes locked. If she dared bite him, his control would disintegrate. He’d bend her over right now and fuck her.
When he withdrew his hand, her lips remained parted and he glimpsed her tongue between her teeth.
He was in a little in awe of what he had before him. A mere girl?
His intuition was banging at the door.
Swiftly Zo soaped himself and rinsed off. He shucked off his pants and washed all over. His freed cock was well above the surface and creating a minor wake in the already rippled surface. Ignoring it, though aware Avalon was staring, he turned his arm and his hand. Clean, for the first time in ages. His claws slid out, slid back, then he stretched and heard his back crackle as joints popped.
She remained near him, knee-deep at the edge of the stream, watching him as if he were the strange one. Even that mouse of hers was odd. Scythefoxes were keen predators. Gia usually pounced on everything that scampered and gobbled it down.
“You know, Takk would turn you over his knee or even whip you for running. A contract is a contract. He’s done the same to soldiers under his command. You’re a thief but even you must know not to renege on an agreement with mauleon warriors?”
Avalon closed her eyes, shivering as if he’d awakened her from some reverie. “I’m sorry?”
“Are you?”
“Umm, what?”
“Really sorry.”
“No, I’m not.”
Ahhh. Truth. His laugh was soft.
Feeling with his feet for the smooth boulders beneath him, Zo moved closer to her. If he missed his footing, she might try to drown him. He poked his tongue at the back of his left upper fang.
She’d lose. Be fun to let her try? Then again, she was tied, so she’d probably not try it due to being the one more likely to drown. A pity—he almost felt duty bound to lead her into temptation just so he could do things to her. Nasty things.
The way she’d licked his finger. He let out a sigh then wrenched himself back to reality, only to drift again at the sight of her wet, shiny tits.
“You fucking tempt me, girl.”
“No, I do not.”
Was she genuine? He tilted his head. All he saw was annoyance, anger.
“You have no idea, do you? The others will catch up, but it’ll be close to nightfall. Between now and then we are going to talk.”
“About?” She frowned, that little innocent frown that made a tiny crease between her brows.
“Everything that matters.”
Then, because he sometimes did what he shouldn’t, Zo towed her to the nearest embankment and ran his hands over her. Everywhere.
After one whimpered, wriggling protest, she let him, following where his hands went with her eyes. This wasn’t him soaping her up, it was seduction, and they both knew it.
He didn’t use his claws, not yet.
When he coaxed her to move to let him feel somewhere he could not reach, she obeyed, wordlessly, shivering, even sighing. Her little sounds were beautiful clues.
She loved this.
It made him take that leap of judgement. He would fuck her because... because everything. His head was crammed with possibilities. And because he wanted to see what she looked like when she came.
He moved to the rocky edge and heaved himself onto it. His legs dangled in the water where the stream undercut the rock. With his encouragement, Avalon stepped between his legs and he put his hands to her shoulders. Going slow still. Sticking his cock in her, as far as possible anyway, would be all the sweeter if he had her begging.
“Tell me the truth about you.” He stayed focused on her eyes, those sky-cloud eyes with a blue that reflected and changed from moment to moment. “Why you are here. What you think of us, everything. Be truthful and I...” He made a snap decision, one he thought Takk would agree with. “And I promise we won’t sell you. We’ll free you when we reach Omage Temple.”
“You swear that?”
“Yes.”
He ran a finger beneath her jaw, extended one claw so it dug in, pricked her. Her pupils dilated, she shuddered, and her already erect nipples seemed to tighten.
Well, now. Interesting. Touch was such a sensual pleasure.
She seemed to like the threat of his claw.
He narrowed his eyes. “Some females love being tied up. They see it as a form of freedom. They can say no, but think yes, give in to whatever I wish to do to them and not feel guilty.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, whispering, “And I, I love tying up my females.”
Her swallow was small.
“The truth, Avalon.”
He took her around the waist and hoisted her so she must straddle his legs. Between them, obvious and standing proud, his cock wobbled, eager to be inside her. He’d let her decide. Let her see what she wanted and make her beg.
“Tell me. With words.” He smiled.
Water dripped from her, from this shivering, softly panting girl with the parted lips and parted legs. Then, because maybe she needed to feel coerced, he took each of her nipples between finger and thumb. Avoiding the metal rings, he slowly crushed them.
“I’ll wait for your answer a little, not forever. You will say. Or you will hurt.”
This time she did moan. She leaned into his hold and fucking moaned.
Zo blinked. Oh, yes.
The slippery substance dripping from between her legs was not water.
Chapter Eleven
Avalon knew she was giving in when she shoved herself forward into those hands, hands that were hurting her. Zo held her nipples as if he’d decided they were his and not hers. Wasn’t her fault, was it? It felt good to have someone seem to want her.
Maybe he was right. He’d taken away her options and she liked it—tied up, with him making her yearn for whatever he might do to her next.
This was insanely hot.
The size of his cock? Yes, scary. All the mauleons were. Yet he made her lust after seeing that shove into her, parting her flesh, to feel and watch it go in.
But, nipples. She winced as he twisted them.
“Fuck, fuck, f—” Gasping, she managed to cut off the last fuck.
Her pussy squeezed in, wanting.
A little desperate, she dared to meet his eyes. Menacing, dominant. Zo had her wanting this and it was crazy to do so.
“Talk?” she said, choking as his fingers and thumbs squeezed again. She looked down and hissed as she saw how he had her. He wasn’t letting go, was he? “I gu
ess I can. Please...”
“Please what?”
“Let go?” Oh, the questioning tone was wrong. She should be snarling at him.
His chuckle annoyed her.
Big, sneaky, gorgeous Zo. She let her gaze drift, absorbing him. The muscles on even this lean mauleon were perfection. His clothes might be worn, his boot and belt leather scuffed, the colors faded, but the body was something else.
Avalon gulped. She wanted to bite him, but if given the chance she’d fear to do so.
He’d said he liked torturing girls.
Evil had its allure. She wriggled where she sat, spread across his legs. “Please?”
After a long second, he released her nipples then cupped her jaw. “Keep going.” His dark smile grew.
The fucker knew. He’d made her hurt but paradoxically she’d liked it. Make that loved it.
Her nipples ached, reminding her with pulses of diminishing pain of where his hands had been. Of sex, of the potential for sex.
She glanced at his cock. Massive thing. Make that the certainty of sex. Between her legs ached too. That, inside her.
“Don’t worry. I might make you scream, but you’ll like it too, spill your cunt juices all over me.”
Her heart closed in. The world did. She shook her head. “Fuck. Stop. I can’t concentrate if you say crap like that.”
She glared as he laughed and felt his claws unsheathe at her chin.
“Behave. Go on.”
Behave. As in, don’t glare. She closed her eyes. Okay, okay, obey for now.
“I’m huleon.” She opened her eyes. “I was born to a lesser noble’s family. Mother died having me.” Spill it all. What would it matter? “People have always hated me for being huleon. My father was a nobody and is dead. My aunt and uncle hated me so I was sent away to a school where nobody close to my family would realize what I was.”
Zo growled. “You’re not a what. You’re a person, a female huleon, part mauleon and part human.”
“Oh.” She gathered her wits. It made no difference. Once she was back in Montague, they’d still find her disgusting. “Yes. I... finished school, make that I left early. I did well in class, but no one cared.” Avalon shrugged, glanced up, almost expecting him to disagree.
A stiff smile was plastered on his face.
“So, um. I found out I was good at stealing. I knew the ways in, the locks, how people liked to guard their wealth. I’d lived a rich life even if I wasn’t allowed h—allowed to live with Uncle.”
“You rebelled. Not unexpected. Go on.”
Rebelled? She hadn’t really sensed any future for herself after school. Nothing had lain ahead.
“I stole and one day I was caught. Uncle found out. He had me trained in fighting, weapons, map reading, how to enter and exit cleanly to get a target.” She sucked in a breath through her nose, recalling the harsh training. How she’d been hurt to make her go faster, learn faster, achieve better results.
She’d let them train her, figuring she had no choice, same as she had none with these mauleons. The tree canopy above swayed against the sky. Here she sat and probably he mocked her inside, despite all his—
She gasped, looked down.
Zo touched her below. His finger stroked between her legs, bumping over and around her clit, massaging her, then his other hand gripped her arm, keeping her still, balanced. Heat prickled, tingled, rose up her body. She could feel every part of her flesh livening and wishing him to keep doing what he did.
Her clit plumped as he toyed with it.
“They taught you to steal better. Keep talking.”
“I...” She stared at his finger, felt the dig of his claws in her bicep then one sneaked out and stirred her clit, slid along to her pussy lips. His claws were huge, long, and sharp. The nasty versions of what she possessed.
He stroked her there with his claw. Avalon shuddered, her mouth opening.
“Talk or I’ll fuck you with my claws out.”
Oh. Oh, shit.
She made herself concentrate. “Uh. Okay. I...” Though she couldn’t help wriggling, she spoke. “One day, they came to me, said I’d been sentenced in absentia at court to fifteen years in prison for my thieving. They gave me this mission. Do it or else.”
“More.” His claws locked onto her pussy lips, pinning them together, inserting pain, heat, and the knowledge that this mauleon could rip her there if he so chose to.
He wouldn’t but he could, and she so wanted, needed to be fucked. A whine broke from her as another claw toggled her clit. She held her breath, found her body jerking, thighs closing onto his.
“Ohhh. F—”
A minor climax had ravaged her and she stalled, head lowered, huffing. It was over all too soon and left her unsatisfied.
“Closer.” Zo beckoned and this time he had hold of one nipple ring. Not enough force to make her but enough to satisfy that part of her that said no but yes, but no. He held the base of his cock. “You can tell me about that flare on the roof and that mouse, once you’re seated.”
His eyes twinkled with what she imagined to be both threat and laughter.
Bastard mauleon.
She swallowed, knowing she was going to obey. Troubled by her crumbling willpower, yet craving impalement on that monstrosity of a cock, she inched forward along his thighs with her legs. When she was close enough, he dragged her nipple ring downward until she bent at the waist and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock.
Hands still fastened at her back, she swirled her tongue over him. To her surprise he tasted... good.
After the rankness of the mauleon scent before, this made her wonder. Was she changing? Was he? She sucked as much of his cock into her mouth as possible and Zo growled. So she bit, lightly. Or had the stream washed away enough that... She sucked, licked, bit harder.
Another growl erupted from Zo. Startled, she sat up and found him lifting her by the waist.
“Did I say bite? Punishment,” he said, smirking, as he shoved her down onto his cock.
She sank in... oh, gods, her mouth gaped wide as he opened her, split her below.
“Your cunt likes me.” He bit her neck, as if in revenge, and jerked himself upward, penetrating, sliding. “Going in more than Kon. Mmm.”
He jerked again, pulled her down onto him.
So fucking rigid. Her pussy tried to crush inward onto him and failed, pulsing. There was pain also, sharp twinges, for the stretching couldn’t help but cause some. She ducked her head, groaning as the pain was swamped by lust.
As he squeezed and thrust the head of his cock into her, it made her feel owned, and definitely, incredibly fucked.
“Once that part gets in, I get all of you, it’ll slide sooo far up inside.” He undid the belt around her wrists.
Grabbing blindly, Avalon found his chest, an arm, wasn’t sure who did what but if only he’d move instead of talking. Again her cunt squeezed below and she gasped, held her breath for what seemed forever, relaxing, squeezing, feeling that push and slippery glide, that massive presence.
Her knees tried to climb him and get a grip on his thighs and slipped. The jolt and gravity forced her down. Screaming silently, with Zo having a painful hold on one breast, she spluttered. “I... can’t.”
“Shh. Shh. I know.” He toyed with her clit, put his hand on his shaft and stopped her going further downward. “It’s okay.”
Then he bent and mouthed her breast, sucked at her, licked, drawing her into yet another climax. She dug her small claws into his neck, scratched down his arm, swearing incoherently, found herself squealing as his mouth mauled her and his clawed finger played with her cunt.
More.
Her head fell backward.
His hold on her breast and where he entered her blitzed, becoming blinding centers of ecstasy. Still shuddering through the climax, she felt him shift her and place her beneath him on the rock. He thrust at her shallowly, only bursting deep on the very final stroke. Arching, spread wide, she clutched at him. H
e came into her, groaning, pinning her down hard by neck and by thigh as he spurted the last drops into her.
The spillage wet the rock beneath her ass.
Struggling for air, she flopped into limpness.
Zo hauled himself up beside her, cradled her head with his arm, and rolled her into his body. Somehow the scent of him and their recent sex was calming. A smile curved her lips, until he sniffed her hair then brought a sticky hand to her mouth.
“Lick.”
Scowling, she drew back her head. “Eww.”
“Or else.” The threat brought a shiver to her, made her nipples harden. Fear, or not fear. Whatever it was, she liked it. Avalon extended her tongue and tasted the residue of his cum.
It tasted of him and was strangely good. She commenced licking and soon found she’d licked his hand clean.
They lay for a while, not saying anything and her mind drifted. What Zo hadn’t thought to ask her before was if she still planned to escape. If he had, she’d have surprised him. Or lied. Likely she’d lie. Because she did intend to.
No hurry. She would choose her time.
Avalon closed her eyes and wormed closer, snuggling into his large heated body. Like humans, mauleons had less hair than animals, though it varied. She played with the sparse fur over his belly. Thick scars whorled and clumped on one side where he’d been wounded. The skin there was bright red and purple. Small raised spots showed where sutures had tacked him together.
“Laser blast,” he murmured. “Through and through. I’m healed. It’s the others I worry about.”
The others? She didn’t care about them and she nuzzled him, feeling conflicted. Zo didn’t seem bad, not when compared with... well, most people she knew.
“Why do you talk to me?”
“Huh. There are not many people I don’t talk to. You need to remember you’re a real person, Avalon. My zendokai philosophy might benefit you, help you understand our place in the world. You are as important as any other.” He rolled her until they spooned and tucked her into the crook of his arm, wrapped the other arm over her at breast level. “Special even.” A heavy purr rumbled through his chest and came to her ear.
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