by Ivy Barrett
His smile was unrepentant. “I narrowed the scope of our link so it would be harder to access. I’ve been at this a little longer than you have, sweetheart. The effort for me is keeping other people’s thoughts out of my mind.”
“Can you absorb anyone’s memories, or was our exchange an extension of our link?”
“It’s called blending and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. As you saw, it’s a true exchange. My mind is open and vulnerable for as long as I’m scanning the other person.”
She accepted the explanation with a nod and returned to her exploration. His entire body was corded with tight, highly defined muscles. She worked her way up one arm, across his shoulders and down the other. His biceps flexed beneath her fingers, his hands tightly fisted. One glance at his groin explained the cause of his tension. His cock arched away from his body, fully erect and flushed.
Ignoring his obvious need, she circled behind him. Pressing her body against his back, she stroked up and down his torso, her hands moving ever closer to the proof of his desire. He shifted against her. His ass clenched then released. Easing back, she traced his spine, dipping her fingers into the cleft between his cheeks before squeezing the tight mounds with both hands.
His tattoo skimmed the lower curve of his ass before resting its head on his belly, below his right hipbone. Moving to his side, she traced the forked tongue protruding from its mouth. “How long have you had this?” She’d never thought to ask before, having no idea how long he’d lived.
“I received it during the ceremony establishing me as a Faundi defender, a sort of shaman.”
“Does it have specific meaning or does it simply mark your rank among your people?”
“Enduring the pain was a rite of passage, but the design itself is also important. Why don’t I explain all about it after we’ve taken care of this?” He tightened his abdominal muscles and his cock bobbed, drawing her attention away from his tattoo.
“All right, but I won’t forget to ask you. I really want to know.”
“And I really want to fuck you.” His eyes grew dark and stormy. “Are you finished touching me?”
“Not even close.” She knelt in the sand in front of him and returned to the tattoo. Following its undulating body, she caressed her way up his right leg. She paused at his groin to lick a drop of pre-cum off the tip of his cock then wound her way down his other leg.
“Are you trying to kill me?” He produced a sound half laugh and half moan.
“Anticipation makes the pleasure stronger.” She grinned up at him and finally curved her fingers around his shaft. “Haven’t you demonstrated that fact often enough with me?”
“This is revenge?”
“Revenge would be if I didn’t let you come.” She formed a firm circle with her fingers and pumped his cock. “I want you to come. In fact, I won’t stop until you do.”
Not giving him time to reply, she sucked his cock head into her mouth, swirling over the velvety flesh as her lips drew upon him. His head dropped back and he shuddered, emitting another throaty moan. His heat infused her mouth and his unique taste coated her tongue. She cradled his heavy sac in her free hand while she stroked him with the other.
So often he’d demanded her surrender with the consuming skill of his mouth. She craved his taste and the power of knowing he’d lost control. His legs tensed and his hips rocked, driving his shaft deeper into her mouth. He reached for her head then fisted his hands, allowing her complete control.
She licked and sucked, reveling in his surrender. He twitched against her tongue and his balls grew tight and lifted. Moving her hand to his hip, she used only her mouth now. Hot and hard, this was the seat of his virility yet also his most notable vulnerability. His trust thrilled her. She sucked harder and took him deeper.
His hips moved faster as she let him fuck her mouth. Take me, my love. Don’t hold back. I am yours.
She hadn’t intentionally sent her thoughts, but they were so much a part of what she was feeling, she didn’t regret the sentiment. He growled and framed her face with his hands, sliding the full length of her tongue with each quick stroke.
“Good,” he gasped. “So damn good.”
With one final lunge, he pushed to the back of her mouth and pumped his seed down her throat. Cassie swallowed and licked, eagerly accepting his essence as his pleasure blasted across their psychic link. Her pussy pulsed, echoing the spasms of his cock.
* * *
Fane stayed in her mouth, savoring the heat and her selflessness. She looked up at him, eyes bright and warm while her tongue lazily swirled against his cock head. “Keep that up and I’ll make you do it all over again.” With an audible groan he dragged himself out of her mouth.
She licked her lips and smiled. “I thought I ‘made’ you do it the first time.”
He returned her smile and swept his gaze along her naked body. “There are advantages to not restraining you.”
“Glad you approve.”
“Just don’t get used to it.” He swept her off her feet and placed her on her back in the sand. “I like to be on top.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with our position. You like to be in control.”
“Damn right I do.” He grasped the back of her knees and spread her legs wide. Lowering his head between her thighs, he traced her slit with his tongue. “Mmm. So hot and slippery. I think you enjoyed tormenting me.”
“I think you’re right.”
He stretched out on his stomach and slipped his arms under her legs. Cupping her breasts with both hands, he leisurely licked her pussy. Her scent enticed him, urged him to fuck her with his tongue. He ignored the instinct and explored her delicate folds, savoring her taste and the silky softness of her flesh.
She finger-combed his hair and canted her hips, her breasts quivering beneath his fingers. Her nipples beaded against his palms, begging for direct stimulation. Sweeping up to her clit, he lashed the puffy nub as his fingers fastened onto her nipples. He circled her clit and rolled her nipples, his touch growing stronger with each cycle. She squirmed and moaned, her fingers tightening in his hair.
Her taste inflamed him and her restlessness demanded he take control. He maneuvered her hands above her head with a mental command and held them there with a second compulsion. She gasped, wiggling as his mouth became more demanding.
He tweaked her nipples in farewell then moved his hands between her thighs, holding her open and fully accessible. Her head tossed against the sand and her breasts jiggled with each frantic breath. He admired the sight for a moment then returned to the treasure awaiting his kiss.
Dragging his tongue from her anus to her clit, he claimed her sex with slow, sustained caresses. “Mine,” he murmured, and she didn’t object. He thrust his tongue deep into her cunt, savoring the heat and the firm grasp of her inner muscles.
“Yours,” she whispered.
The unexpected offer astounded him. She’d surrendered her body without reservation, but this was a new level of submission. His lips moved against her folds as his tongue darted in and out. He wanted all of her, every opening, all she had to give. But he wouldn’t rush her, would never push her toward something she didn’t want.
“I want it.”
He gasped and lifted his face from between her legs. Without the distraction of her silky flesh, he could clearly sense her in his mind. Are you sure? There’s no hurry. We have the rest of our lives to explore. It seemed more intimate to speak mind to mind.
Fuck my ass. I trust you to make it good.
The statement punched into his gut and made his heart forget a beat. She trusted him! At least surrounded by metaphysical unreality. It was a start, an important step toward the sort of bond he wanted more than anything.
You won’t regret it. He paused to kiss her mouth before returning to her pussy. With tender licks and careful sucks, he took her to the edge of orgasm again and again.
“And you wond
er why I made you wait!” she cried as he pulled her back for the third time.
Conjuring a lubricant more dependable than her essence, he pushed his middle finger past the tight muscular collar guarding her virgin opening. “How does that feel?”
“Strange but good. We’ve done this much before.”
He smiled and added a second finger. “Are you in a hurry to feel my cock stretching you?”
“Yes.” She pushed up, driving her body onto his fingers.
Her enthusiasm pushed him over the edge. He rolled her hips to the side and bent her knees. “Look at me, love. Look into my eyes as I fill you.” Their gazes locked and he positioned himself against her. “Thank you.”
He drove into her with slow, firm pressure. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. Her tight sphincter clamped around him for a moment, driving the breath from his lungs. She pushed out and he slid deeper and then deeper still. They exhaled together, their hearts beating in time.
Slipping his hand between her thighs, he teased her clit and her vaginal opening. She gradually relaxed, taking more of him into her hot rear passage. He conjured more lube before he attempted to move, refusing to cause her so much as a sting. She moaned as he pulled back and sighed when he pushed back in.
“How’s that?” He slid smoothly in and out, circling her clit with the same slow rhythm.
“Nice but…” She tucked her knees tight against her chest and rolled over.
He could either move with her or pull out, so he carefully followed her lead. She settled on her hands and knees then thrust back against him, forcing his entire length into her ass.
“Oh, yes.” She shivered. “Much better.”
Understanding her not-so-subtle hint, he grasped her hips and fucked her as he had longed to for so long. She felt incredibly tight and unbelievably hot and he was famished. All attempts at tenderness melted away beneath the blaze of their consuming desire. She thrust out against him, taking him as aggressively as he took her.
Her shoulder dipped and she turned her head to one side as she reached between her legs and rubbed her clit. She was wild and unabashedly sexual, his match in every way. He threw back his head and roared, releasing his savage nature.
Faster and harder he thrust, taking her more fiercely than he had intended. She squeezed him and cried out sharply, her radiant pleasure surging into his mind. He drove his entire length into her eager body and came with a feral roar. Her ass contracted in rhythmic spasms, greedily milking his seed.
He stroked her back and hips, waiting for her to recover her senses. She pushed her arms beneath her again and looked back at him. “Are you all right?” she asked with a saucy wink, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Oh, I think I’ll survive. How about you?”
“I have no idea why we never did that before.”
“Because in reality it’s a little more complicated. It can be just as amazing, but we’ll have to take it slow.”
She looked around, her gaze somewhat muddled. “This is so real. I’d forgotten it isn’t… well, real.”
“It’s just a different sort of real.” He carefully drew out of her body and turned her around. He kissed her gently then held her, savoring the simple pleasure of having her in his arms.
“You promised to tell me about your tattoo,” she reminded.
“Why are you so curious?”
“I know it’s important to you and I suspect it will give me an insight into what makes you tick.”
He ran his hand from her shoulder to her breast and lightly brushed her nipple. “I’d think what makes me tick would be obvious by now.”
“You’re dodging the question, which only makes me more curious.”
She was right and it annoyed him. The design was sacred, the meaning intensely personal. Not even Mal Ton understood the significance of his tattoo. “In preparation for the ceremony each defender went on a vision walk with the tribe’s seer. She was ancient and powerful, living more often in the spirit world than in our own. The creature appeared to me there, in the world beyond. It is my guardian, my pantauk, the keeper of my soul. The lower wings represent the past, events that influence me but cannot be changed. The upper wings represent balance. One is the present and the other the future. Actions taken in the present affect what unfolds in the future, so each decision is important, each action relevant.”
“It’s beautiful. I’ve always liked the design. Are the tattoos always created on the right leg or is there a meaning to its location as well?”
He’d hoped his basic explanation would satisfy her curiosity. He should have realized she’d sense his omission. His mate was very perceptive. “The location is as unique as the design. My pantauk continually struggles to keep me grounded. That’s why it’s drawn on my leg. The position of its head is also intentional. The seer warned me that sex would play an unusually important role in my life. She told me great sorrow and great joy would spring from my loins.” He shuddered and turned his face away. “She was half right.”
“You found no joy in what we just shared?”
The hurt in her voice tore at his heart. Turning back to her, he brushed her cheek with his knuckles and managed to smile. “Joining my body with yours will always bring me joy, but the seer was referring to something more far-reaching, something prophetic.”
“Then the great joy just hasn’t happened yet.”
“I can’t imagine anything I could do that would balance the loss spread through…”
“Your body allowed the Stilox scientists to develop the counteragent. Countless lives were saved because of you.”
“As the pantauk’s wings remind me, the past cannot be changed.” Fane shook away the gloom and stared out over the cresting waves. “Our surreal break is just about over. We’re starting our descent toward Protaria. I better go.”
“What do you mean you better go? Aren’t I coming with you?”
“I’ll guide you back to the waking world once we’ve reached the Underground.” He kissed her brow and nodded toward the ocean. “Relax and enjoy the scenery.”
Chapter Seven
Smoke tickled Cassie’s nostrils, making her nose twitch. The scent was pleasant, inviting, until her mind registered the potential threat. Fire! Something was on fire. She shook away the lassitude and sat up with a gasp. Blinking repeatedly, she focused through the gloom.
Flames crackled and danced in a stone fireplace beside the sofa on which she’d been laid. Relief rushed through her and she released her pent-up breath. Firelight illuminated the room surrounding her, drawing her gaze to the rustic beams supporting the upper level, or levels. Where was she?
The room was massive. She was unable to see details beyond the circle of firelight, but a staircase nestled against one wall and hallways branched off in several directions.
“Welcome back.”
She whipped her head around as Mal Ton stepped out of the shadows. Had he been there all along? “Where’s Fane? What is this place?”
“Fane went to check on Sarah. He’ll be back in a few minutes. And this is the Mutant Underground.”
“How long was I out? What time is it?”
“About four hours and I’m not sure. Late afternoon-ish.”
She’d been kidnapped two days before or was it three? Everything had run together in her mind. Stilox, the rebel headquarters, and the metaphysical plane. How was she supposed to keep it all straight?
The details were less important than her current situation. She looked around again. This was Fane’s domain, his refuge from the rest of the world. The building looked ancient, long abandoned, or was that a trick of the firelight? “What did this place use to be?”
Mal Ton folded his arms across his brawny chest and strolled toward the fireplace. His movements were smooth and rolling, defined by casual power and confidence. “Once upon a time this was a fashionable hotel. Dignitaries and royalty from all over the star system vied for the privile
ge of staying in these rooms.”
She admired his rugged profile as he stared into the flames. Though his posture appeared relaxed, his sharp gaze and the tension in his shoulders revealed his wariness. “You don’t ever let your guard down, do you?”
“I’ve watched too many of my friends die when they relaxed for just a moment.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at her, his teal gaze penetrating and intense. “Why would you care? Most of them died before you were born.”
“That doesn’t make their deaths any less tragic.” She swung her feet to the floor and scooted to the edge of the sofa. “Despite the fact I’m Protarian elite, I am capable of feeling compassion.”
The flash of emotion receded and he inclined his head. “You’re right. You didn’t deserve the criticism. You’ve been remarkably civil.”
“For a member of the elite?” The hint of a smile was his only reply. “Are you and Lorelle linked? Can you sense her thoughts and emotions?”
“When mutants mate, it’s almost inevitable.”
“Do you consider yourself a mutant or Stilox?”
“My loyalty is to the Stilox resistance, but I am not ashamed to be called a mutant.”
The elite often used the word mutant disparagingly. It was odd to hear people claim it as a badge of honor. “Can you sense Lorelle now? How is she doing?”
“She’s in stasis, so I can’t sense her, but I spoke with Roark a short time ago. She’s stable, for now. I know you’ll do everything in your power to help her.”
She smiled at the unexpected praise. “How can you be so sure?”
“Fane trusts you. That’s good enough for me. Besides if you do anything to harm her in any way, I’ll hunt you down.”
Now that was more like Mal Ton! “Who is Sarah and why did Fane feel the need to check on her?”
His watchful stillness remained, the heat in his gaze smoldering. “Do you remember Sean, the specter who assisted in your rescue?”
“The blond man who teleported into the office?”