by R. R. Banks
"No. The only way to enter is that tunnel and the hatches in the forest."
"How often do you go above ground?"
The change in voice made me turn to Bannack, who was still standing close beside me. There was a faintly desperate look in his eyes and I could feel the sense that he was trying to understand of the emotions rolling through him, as if knowing how often I walked on the same ground as he did.
"Never," I told him, keeping my voice as even and calm as I could in an effort to assure him.
"How do you survive down here without ever going up?"
"The cavern provides everything that I need. There are plants throughout the cavern and a stream in the middle chamber. I was born down here and have always been here."
"Will you come up with us now?"
My eyes widened and I saw Pyra look sharply at Bannack, but he didn't say anything. My warrior, for that is how I was beginning to think of him, was staring at me intently and I saw him lift his hand toward me.
I hesitated only a moment before placing my fingers against the warmth of his palm and seeing the hint of a smile touch his lips.
Chapter Eight
Bannack wrapped his hand around Loralia's fingers as soon as he felt their cool touch on his palm and turned to Pyra.
"We said that we wanted to learn more about the other species that are on this planet. Why don't we let her tell us?"
Pyra agreed and they started back toward the front of the cavern, allowing Loralia to use her compact to change the glimmering night sky spread across the floor into the hardened stone of the wall so that they could walk across it. Just like he had since the first time he had walked toward her, Bannack believed completely in the safety of the ground beneath his feet and crossed without hesitation, his hand cradling Loralia's beside him. The others paused briefly at the edge and Bannack saw them take a few breaths as if preparing themselves and convincing themselves that the ground would be solid when they stepped forward.
"Where are the others of your kind?"
Loralia looked up at Creia where he sat on his massive throne without flinching. Bannack found himself watching her in awe, admiring how she could go from an underground realm she had always known to facing the king of an above ground species without showing any sign of intimidation or fear.
"There are no others," Loralia told him calmly, "I am the last of my kind."
"What happened to them?"
"There was a plague several years ago. I am the only one to survive."
Whispers rippled through the meeting hall and Bannack turned to glare at the others, suddenly protective and defensive. He knew that no matter how Loralia was handling herself in that moment as she faced down the king, confronting a strange species that was far larger and more powerful than her, and that she had always heard were the ones who had taken over the land her kind had once inhabited after war and illness drove them underground, had to be frightening to her. He didn't want the reaction of the rest of the Denynso to upset her further.
Bannack turned his attention back to Creia, who looked at his wife in a way that told Bannack that the mates were communicating silently. Theia turned to Loralia and he saw the gentle, nurturing look in her eyes that made her the mother figure of all of the Denynso.
"You are welcome here, Loralia," she said warmly, "You may stay with us for as long as you would like."
Bannack wasn't sure how Loralia was going to react, but he saw her take the few steps up toward the platform where the thrones sat and reach her pale, lovely hands toward the queen. Theia stood from her throne and approached Loralia as if she were as drawn to her as Bannack felt, and took the beautiful woman's hands in hers.
"Thank you."
Loralia's voice was so gentle Bannack could barely hear it, but he felt a little jump in his heart when he realized that she had accepted the queen's invitation to stay. The conflict he felt when he looked at her was so intense it made his stomach twist painfully. As much as he wanted to be near her, and the intense way his body responded whenever he looked at her, he was still extremely aware that she was a completely different, unknown species. He knew nothing about her or her kind, and part of him was still extremely wary about getting close to her.
Bannack jumped when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ero standing beside him.
"What are you thinking about so hard over here?" the other warrior asked.
"Her," Bannack said, nodding toward Loralia, "How is it possible that she has been living right underneath us her entire life and not only did we not know she was there, we didn't even know that there was a place for anything to live down there? From what she said, her species has been down there since long before the Denynso even existed. We have lived right over top of her kind for generations, but there was never any interaction."
"So?"
"So? Doesn't that make you suspicious? If they have been down there that whole time, they would know when the Denynso settled. Why did they just stay down there and not come up and try to make contact?"
"Maybe they didn't feel like they had any reason to. There was never any conflict, so why shake things up? Isn't existing peacefully what matters?"
Bannack looked back at Loralia.
"I don't know. It just seems weird to me. I don't know how I feel about her staying around here."
"You are the one that quite literally took her by the hand and brought her here. Why did you do that if you didn't want her here?"
Bannack sighed.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, "I just felt like it was what I should do in that moment."
Ero looked at him and Bannack saw his mouth twitch like he was fighting a smile. The other warrior nodded and his eyes traveled briefly down Bannack's body.
"Yep," Ero said, patting Bannack on the back, "I'm sure you did."
Ero walked away, heading back across the meeting hall toward Zuri. Confused, Bannack glanced down and saw exactly what had called Ero's amused attention to the lower half of his body. Muttering expletives under his breath, Bannack tried to adjust himself as quickly and subtly as he could to make his raging erection less obvious. Just as he was finishing, he saw Creia look up at him and gesture for him to come to the platform. By now both the king and queen were standing at the edge of the platform and as Bannack approached he saw them grin happily at him.
"I hear you have met our new friend," Creia said, reaching out to touch his hand to Bannack's shoulder.
"Yes," Bannack replied.
"She has accepted our invitation to stay with us and she requested that you be her guide and protector while she is here."
Bannack looked over at Loralia and found her gazing back at him, the lavender of her eyes so intoxicating he felt like he was falling into them. He felt her hand intertwine with his again and his erection twitched. The frustration and confusion built inside him and he felt painfully torn. He knew that he couldn't deny the king and queen his service as her protector, but the way his heart and body were responding to him made him feel both excited and repelled. She was at once the most beautiful and intriguing creature that he had ever seen, and something that made him uncomfortable.
"I will," he answered.
"Good. Bring her to the house where Samira was going to live," Creia turned back to Loralia, "I hope that you will be comfortable there."
"I'm sure I will," Loralia responded, "Thank you for your kindness."
Bannack gave a nod toward the king and queen and led Loralia out of the meeting hall, forcing himself to keep his eyes trained forward rather than letting them wander over to her or to acknowledge the group of warriors sitting at one long table, watching him and muttering comments as they passed. He knew what they were saying, but he didn't want to acknowledge it.
Loralia took a deep breath as they stepped out of the building and into the quiet center of the compound.
"I love the way the air smells up here," she said, "It's so different from the cavern."
"I'm glad you like it," Bann
ack replied gruffly, not turning his eyes toward her.
Finally they arrived at the simple house on the same row as the other homes the Denynso reserved for the scientists and students who had been invited to visit Uoria as part of the exchange program. He opened the door for her and stepped back to allow her to enter in front of him.
"Will you come in with me?" she asked gently. Bannack hesitated. "It's the first night that I've spent away from the cavern in my entire life. I don't want to be alone just yet. Please just spend a few minutes with me."
No matter what he tried to tell himself, Bannack couldn't resist her request. He stepped forward into the house and let Loralia close the door behind him.
"The solar panels collect energy throughout the day so you can use the lights and heat water for a shower."
Bannack turned back to Loralia and saw her staring at him.
"Why are you fighting it?" she asked, taking a step toward him.
Chapter Nine
I could see the confusion flicker across his eyes, but the intense feelings were still radiating toward me as I walked slowly toward Bannack. His gaze traveled along me, exploring the curves and planes of my face and the dips of my body, but I could still sense the internal struggle that was keeping him from admitting what was coursing through his mind and his veins.
"Fighting what?" he finally asked me, his voice strained slightly.
"What you are feeling right now."
I was only two steps away from him now, close enough that I could feel intense, powerful heat pulsing off of his body and see the swell in the front of his loose-fitting pants.
"Can you read my thoughts?" he asked defensively, obviously uncomfortable with not only the concept that I would be able to get into his mind and read what was there, but what the implications of that ability would be if I was to be able to do it.
Still staring at the front of his pants, I bit my bottom lip and shook my head slowly, finally lifting my eyes to his.
"No," I said, "but I can sense what you're feeling. I can look into you and see and feel what is inside you. I know what you're thinking about right now, and I want to know why you are fighting it."
He didn't respond and I lifted my hands to the ties at the front of my dress. I released them slowly and carefully, deliberately looking into his eyes as I did. The ties stretched from my neckline down to the center of my stomach and I loosened them all the way down. Once the ties had fallen loose, the bodice of my dress slipped down, revealing my breasts. Bannack cleared his throat and looked away, but I didn't stop. I could feel my hair sweep across my bare back as I carefully pushed the dress down over my hips and let it pool at my feet. I was barefoot as I always was, so when I stepped out of the soft white fabric and gently kicked it aside, I was standing in front of Bannack in only a pair of thin, finely woven panties that tied at either hip.
"Why do you keep fighting?" I asked again, taking another step toward him so that only one more step separated us.
Bannack shifted where he stood, looking around as if he couldn't find something to rest his eyes on so that he didn't look at me.
"I can't feel this way about you," he finally said and I felt a little flicker in my belly.
"Feel what way about me?" I asked.
He looked at me and the confusion in his eyes had turned dark and mixed with the desire coursing through his body.
"You know exactly what way," he nearly snarled.
"Of course you can feel that way," I said.
"And why is it so easy for you to just say that?" he asked.
The tension in his voice said that he was being sarcastic, but at the same time he was truly asking me.
"Because," I said, taking hold of the strings on either side of my panties, "you already do."
I pulled the strings, releasing the ties and letting my panties fall free away from my body. I could feel what was inside him more intensely in that moment than I had in any other except for the very first moment when I saw him in the cavern. I had known immediately and the feeling building inside me was something that I had never experienced. The longer I looked at him, the more I realized that what I was feeling was not a matter of a simple reflection. I had fallen completely under his spell and I was helpless to resist him, even if he was trying to resist what he was feeling himself.
Bannack's eyes shifted briefly into a dark orange and I saw his hands clench, tightening into fists as if he was fighting to control his body as much as his mind. I closed the space between us with a final step, bringing us close enough that my breasts brushed against him and I could feel his erection straining toward me. I reached up and touched his cheek, guiding his face so that he looked down into my eyes. The pad of my thumb stroked over his lips and Bannack's eyes drifted closed. I could feel the breath stream from his lungs and ripple from the inside of my wrist down my arm. The warm feeling made my nipples tighten and I felt a tingle slip down between my thighs.
I walked around Bannack further into the house, making my way toward the furniture arranged in the middle of the main room. After a few steps, Bannack followed me. We didn't speak, but our hands expressed more than words could have in that moment. He approached me and I took the end of the tie that closed his pants in one hand. As I loosened it, my warrior cupped one of his hands around my breast and ran his thumb across my nipple, making it ache. His pants slipped down his hips to his feet and he stepped out of them and his soft boots at the same time. As he pulled his shirt off over his head, I rested my palm against his long, hard shaft and wrapped my fingers around it. I stroked him carefully but insistently, watching my hand in awe as it moved across his erection.
I felt his finger tuck under my chin and lift my face up to his. There was a still, quiet moment, and then he leaned forward to touch his lips to mine. The kiss filled me as if it gave me breath, satisfying something deep within me that I hadn't even known needed fulfillment until I saw him for the first time. Our mouths moved across each other languidly, tenderly and carefully discovering the feeling and taste of each other's lips and welcoming each other's tongues to slip between, tangling and exploring.
Bannack stepped forward, pushing me back so that he could turn and sit down in the large chair I had been standing beside. Our mouths parted and I could hear our heavy breaths filling the space around us, accentuating the silence we had maintained. Bannack's strong hands turned me and eased me back so that I sat on his lap, moving my hair aside so that it cascaded down his thing and along the front of the chair. His body cradled me, surrounding me in his warmth and the strength of his presence. He wrapped his arms around me and I let my head rest back against his shoulder.
We remained still for several long seconds, our breaths synchronizing as his heartbeat created an enticing yet comforting rhythm against my back. His hand flattened in the middle of my chest and smoothed its way down my body, pausing in the dip between my hipbones. I could feel myself trembling and my breath caught in my throat as he applied gentle pressure. No one's hands had ever touched me and I found myself overwhelmed with the sensation of his body so close to mine and his hand easing down between my thighs.
Bannack's other hand carefully parted my legs to give himself better access, keeping his grip on my thigh as if providing stability. The first touch of his fingers in the warmth of my body sent shockwaves through me and I cried out, arching off of him so that he took his hand way from my thigh and rested it on my belly, easing me back down into his lap. I let the strength of his hand on stomach relax and reassure me, and my body rested down against him. Releasing the tension in my thighs, I allowed my knees to fall open further and welcomed his touch. Bannack's fingers explored my hot, wet folds, building dizzying sensations and tension throughout my hips, thighs, and lower belly.
Suddenly the feelings shattered within me and a cascade of intense tremors rippled through my body. My hips lifted up out of his lap and I felt his strong, powerful erection slip from behind my back to in front of me. I tucked my hand around it, pressing i
t against my body so that he could feel the warm wetness that he created. Acting purely on instinct, I rolled my hips, letting my core run along his length until I could hear him groaning behind me. I wanted him inside me in a way that I had never wanted anything. I lifted my hips, readying myself to guide him to my entrance, when I felt Bannack's hands suddenly tighten on my hips.
"Stop."
Chapter Ten
Bannack held his shirt under his arm as he rushed out of Loralia's house, tying the strings on the front of his pants and trying to block her voice out of his ears. He could hear her behind him, shouting for him, calling for him to come back, but he forced the sound away and kept forging ahead, dropping his shirt down over his body and setting out at a run. The thoughts and emotions rushing through his mind had reached a fevered pitch when he felt the intoxicating, entrancing warmth of her body against him and he just couldn't let himself keep going. As much as he wanted her, and it was far more than he could ever have imagined wanting anyone or anything in his entire life, he hadn't been able to silence the conflicts and questions raging in his head.
"Bannack!"
A different voice forced itself into his consciousness and he paused to turn toward it. Ero was running toward him across the compound. Ero was always running. It was something that he had done since he was young to combat his own feelings and escape whatever was bothering him at the moment. He used to run out of fear and anger, but since he had found Zuri he ran only to amuse himself and when he was needed.
"What is it Ero?" he asked, the question coming out sharper and angrier than he had intended.
"Pyra told me to get all of the warriors in the meeting hall."
"For what?"
"I don't know. He seemed really serious about it, though."
"Does he know that Creia assigned me as Loralia's protector?"
"Why would that have anything to do with him wanting you at the meeting hall? Besides, if you are her protector, why aren't you with her?"