Mutual Trust

by Lea Linnett

  “I enjoy this freedom,” Marek murmured as he broke away, resting his rough brow against her own. “I like being able to hold you as I please, without fear.”

  “I like it, too.” Bree closed her eyes, enjoying the simple closeness that they had been so starved of. Even after arriving in her village, it had been hard to find moments to be alone. With Marek’s recovery, the parade of elders and villagers that came to gawk at him, and Bree’s half-brothers and -sisters running around, their days had been strangely active and public.

  But now, Bree had Marek all to herself, and she pulled the shutters on the window closed, bathing them fully in the blue-violet glow of the firestones as he moved to inspect the bath. “This is quite interesting,” he said, and Bree grinned.

  “It’s a luxury. Not every home is big enough for one. It makes things easier for Dad and Sinead, though, with all the kids to look after.”

  The bath was a modestly sized metal tub that sat atop a stone platform. Beneath it was an alcove where the fire burned low, the flames licking up towards the tub through a hole in the stone. Marek inspected the setup for a moment, before placing his hand experimentally against the metal.

  He turned back to her. “It is pleasant.”

  “Uh-huh. As long as you don’t add too much wood, the firestones keep the temperature constant.” She stepped forward, bristling with excitement. “Want to try it?”

  “Hmm.” Marek pretended to think, cocking his head in that alien way of his as he considered the tub. “You think this can hold both of us?”

  “I know it can,” Bree said with a roll of her eyes.

  Her heart skipped as Marek allowed her to pull down the fastening on his suit. He had grown more and more comfortable with showing himself to her when they were alone, and Bree felt equal parts excitement and deep affection as his scales sparked in the soft light.

  She still hadn’t gotten over how stunning he looked, his muscular body appearing to be crafted from molten gold no matter when she saw it. And when his own hands slipped her comfortable leathers from her body, he made Bree feel just as wanted. After so many years pushing away all intimacy, the way Marek looked at her made her skin tingle and her core tremble.

  “Come on,” she said eagerly. “I need to try this bath.”

  A shiver of appreciation ran up Bree’s body as she stepped into the water, quickly submerging as much of herself as she could beneath the surface. Marek was more cautious, testing the water with his fingers, but Bree didn’t mind. It gave her a perfect view of his half-hard cock as he climbed in, and she felt a pull of desire deep in her gut at the knowledge that she caused that.

  His blue-violet eyes widened as the water enveloped him. “This…”

  “It’s nice, right?”

  “It is,” he said quietly, his eyes slipping closed. Their legs tangled in the small tub, the water rising dangerously close to the edge with them both inside, but as Marek rested his arms on the warm lip of the tub and basked, it felt almost as if they’d been bathing together like this for years. It seemed strange to Bree, that her life could be so different from how it had been a little over a month ago, and yet feel so right.

  Bree nudged him, and the levekk’s pupils were fat and dark as he focused them on her. “How’s your lab coming along?”

  “It is already too cluttered,” he said, chuckling. “And our new neighbor still glares at me from her window.”

  “Gilda? I’m sorry, she shouldn’t—”

  “It is all right, Bree.” He ran his leg along hers, the action sending a thrill through her. “I do not expect your people to accept me all at once.”

  Bree snorted. “Gilda’s an old hag, anyway. She calls herself an elder, but truth is, they don’t let her into their meetings.”

  “Then there is no need to worry,” Marek said calmly, an amused expression on his face. “I have dealed with worse.”

  “It’s dealt.”

  Marek’s lips parted in surprise, and he looked away bashfully. “It has been a while since you last corrected me.”

  “Because your English is great now.”

  “Only because I have an excellent teacher.”

  Even now, the compliment made her face redden. “You’re easy to teach. Easy to talk to. You always have been.” She sat up, reaching over the side of the tub to snatch up a cloth and a bar of soap. “Come on, let’s get clean.”

  Marek watched with interest as she lathered up the cloth. “You clean yourself with this substance?”

  “Yeah, it’s soap,” she said, hiding her smile. “No stinging, no itching. It’s way better than those chemicals the levekk use. Here, I’ll show you.”

  The water splashed as she carefully shifted forward to straddle Marek’s lap, and a shiver ran through her at the appreciative look he settled on her. Strong hands immediately steadied her hips over his, and she felt his cock nudge against her as he leaned forward. “Already, I like this ‘bath’ better,” he murmured, kissing her collarbone, and Bree shuddered.

  “Told you that you would.” For a moment, she was tempted to let his wandering lips continue on their journey down her torso, but she still held the slippery soap in her hand. “You’ll like this, too.”

  Marek sat back, looking positively indulgent as his fattened pupils roved over her. But she could see he was interested, his thirst for knowledge competing with his desire to pull her closer. “How do you make this ‘soap?’”

  “Lye from the fire and animal fat.” At Marek’s horrified expression, Bree laughed. “It’s time-consuming to make, so in the summer, we tend to use soap plants instead. But it works, I swear.”

  He frowned, his lips forming a thin, dubious line. “This is not some trick?”

  “Nope.” Bree dipped the cloth beneath the water, lathering the soap and wiping it slowly over her chest, her gaze glued to Marek’s face. “See? Perfectly safe.”

  His pupils throbbed at the sight of the small bubbles clinging to her breasts, his cock answering in kind where it pressed against her clit. Bree’s breath hitched at the undisguised desire, and she grabbed his hand, bringing it up to glide over her slippery skin.

  She bit her lip, pressing the cloth into his hands. “Want to do the honors?”

  The steam around them only seemed to thicken as they washed each other, skin sliding and breaths mingling. But there was no urgency to their movements. There was no danger of someone walking in on them, of them being found out, and Bree found her mind wandering pleasantly as she took the soapy cloth from Marek and ran it over his scales.

  “I almost never get to enjoy a bath like this,” she whispered.

  Marek licked his lips, his eyes half-lidded. “No? But you enjoy it so much.”

  “It’s a luxury. Out in the wilderness, There’s little to bathe in but freezing streams and rivers, and in the Barracks, the baths are cold. Luis doesn’t see the point in wasting firestones when we could be using them for defense. And it’s a hassle to fill the tub. Even here at home, we would usually clean ourselves outside the bath and only use the water for soaking so it stays clean.”

  “So, we will not be sharing this water, I understand?” Marek asked slyly, and Bree’s pulse quickened.

  “No. Sinead already bathed all the kids yesterday.”

  “Good,” he murmured, taking the soap and washcloth from her hands, and dropping them over the side of the tub. Then, he took Bree’s face in his hands, pulling her into a deep kiss.

  She arched into him, her nipples tingling as they brushed against his hard chest. Water sloshed against the sides, but she didn’t care if they made a mess. All she cared about was the tangle of their tongues and the grasp of Marek’s hands as they slid down her back, cupping her ass and lifting her hips in the water.

  Bree gasped as she sank down onto his cock, taking him easily to the hilt. They stayed connected like that for a moment, focused more on caressing each other’s skin and scales with the soapy water, until Bree rolled her hips, drawing a groan from Marek’s th
roat.

  “You are still so eager to finish,” he murmured, dropping down to press his lips against her neck. “You are always looking forward.”

  “Looking forward to more orgasms, maybe.” Since Marek had been bound to their room more often than not while he healed, Bree had done some experiments of her own, and it turned out hybrids were rather quick to bounce back after a round of love-making. Bree reached up, tickling the sensitive spot behind his ear that made him ripple with awareness. “Why wait?”

  Marek’s gaze turned even darker, but he still moved achingly slow as he laved his tongue over her pulse. “Today, we take our time. We must enjoy our bath, after all.”

  Bree couldn’t exactly argue with that, and she wanted to even less when Marek’s hands found her breasts, tweaking her nipples until they puckered.

  He leaned in, whispering into her ear, “Go slow, mi’ik toshaan.”

  She shuddered, but didn’t need telling twice. With a shaking breath, she lifted her hips, a wave of pleasure washing through her as she seated herself again on his cock. She rode him slowly, as he’d asked, and was rewarded by his mouth on hers again, devouring her with languid strokes of his tongue that matched their leisurely rhythm.

  Time warped like the steam wafting gently around them, and Bree barely noticed as the thunder roared across the sky outside and sleet began to pummel the window shutters. Her world consisted only of Marek and the bath and the scorching friction of their bodies sliding against one another as Marek pleasured her.

  Then, he increased their pace, thrusting into her with such power that water splashed down onto the stones below. It reached the fire with a loud hiss, sending up a cloud of steam just as Bree climaxed, her orgasm rolling through her like the storm. She clenched around him, making Marek groan against her parted lips, and then his cock throbbed inside her as he came.

  Bree collapsed against him, her head resting on his chest, and they must have dozed, for the water was starting to cool when she woke to the sound of voices elsewhere in the house. “What’s going on?” she mumbled sleepily, and Marek’s answer rumbled through his chest.

  “I do not know. It started only seconds ago.”

  Before Bree could think of a reply, a panicked knock sounded at the door, and her oldest half-sister’s voice cut through the wood. “Bree? You in there? There’s something you and the alien should see.”

  Bree shot up in the water, her gut twisting at the words. She wanted to yell back that ‘the alien’ had a name, but Marek’s hand caught her shoulder. “It is all right, toshaan.”

  “Ugh. We’ll be right out, Rowan!” she called, before turning to scowl at Marek. “You should let me defend you. Rowan, of all people, should know better.”

  He silenced her with another soft kiss. “You cannot force their acceptance.”

  “I know.”

  They dried off and dressed quickly, and Bree felt a pang of loss already as they left the cooling bath behind.

  Outside, the house was buzzing with activity, and Rowan hopped from foot to foot, her wild mane of red hair looking wet and windswept. “Finally, jeez,” she said, grabbing Bree by the arm. “Come on, come on. You need to see this.”

  “See what?” Bree asked, sending Marek a helpless look as she was dragged down the hallway towards the kitchen, where most of the noise seemed to be coming from. “Hey, quit grabbing at me.”

  Rowan stopped short, blocking the hallway, and turned her wide green eyes on Bree. She was the spitting image of Sinead, and about the same age as Bree’s own mom had been when she went missing, but for a moment, she looked younger. Fear and confusion knitted her brow, which was unusual for her, and she chewed on her lip as she glanced between Bree and Marek.

  “Maybe I should tell you first, before Luis. I…” Rowan exhaled sharply, looking away, and Bree felt a lance of guilt for snapping at her. She had seldom been a good older sister to Sinead’s children, but since making it back from the mine, she’d found herself wanting to try.

  As if he sensed her nervousness, Marek’s hand found her elbow, his skin still warm from the bath. The touch gave Bree the strength to speak as she murmured, “Rowan, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

  “I-I was out dropping off firewood for Elder Rajesh with Ciaran,” her sister said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t have taken him, but he insisted, and I didn’t want Elder Rajesh to get forgotten because of the storm—”

  “Did something happen to Ciaran?” Bree asked, panic chilling her until Rowan shook her head.

  “No, shit, I didn’t mean it to sound like that.” She breathed in, steeling her nerves, and when she continued, her tone was steadier. “Ciaran and I were passing by the southern entrance to get to Elder Rajesh’s when Ciaran spotted something in the snow by the gate. It was… huge, and I tried to keep him away, but… what if it had been someone collapsed in the snow?”

  “And was it?”

  Rowan hesitated. “Well… sort of.”

  Bree and Marek exchanged a look of confusion. “What do you mean, ‘sort of?’”

  “It was an alien,” Rowan said in a rush. “Big and gray, with long hair. Luis has got him locked up in the jailhouse for now, but…” She met Bree’s eye. “I feel like I can still see him looking at me in the dark with those yellow eyes.”

  Bree’s heart raced, and when she turned to Marek, he looked similarly shocked. “A solayan?” she whispered, and Marek nodded. “Did the alien say anything, Rowan? Do you know if he was followed?”

  Rowan shook her head. “No, Luis sent me to get you straight away. It looked injured. I’ll take you to the jailhouse once I grab some supplies to heal it with.”

  “Then, let’s go.”

  But as Bree turned for the kitchen, Rowan grabbed her hand. “Wait! There was something else,” she squeaked.

  “What?”

  Her sister’s pink lips thinned, her red brows drawing together. “The alien. It said its name was… Silas.”

  THE END

  Author’s Note

  Thank you so much for reading Mutual Trust. If you have time, I’d really appreciate it if you left a review on Amazon, Goodreads or your preferred social media. I love hearing your feedback!

  Silas’ story is coming in 2020, so if you’d like to be notified when it goes live, please consider signing up for my sci-fi romance newsletter. You’ll also receive regular updates on my books, exclusive content, and a look behind-the-scenes. Click here to sign up!

  And if you’re hankering for more of our golden-scaled levekk invaders, be sure to check out this excerpt from Her Cold-Blooded Protector, the first in my Levekk Invaders series!

  Her Cold-Blooded Protector

  He has cold blood and a frozen heart. Can she relight his fire?

  Earth is no longer a good place to be human, and Lena knows that better than anyone. She’s been imprisoned on her own planet, and her only chance of escape is to tag along with Kormak—one of the same cold-blooded, alien invaders that enslaved her kind.

  Kormak hates humans: they burn hot, but are snuffed out too easily. The last thing he wants is a human slowing him down. But she needs a protector, and he's drawn to her flame. When an accident derails their escape and strands them in the wintry wilderness, just who will end up saving whom?

  Read on for an excerpt!

  An Excerpt from Her Cold-Blooded Protector

  Lena blinked the sweat from her eyes as she ran a hand along the machine, the unsteady vibrations jarring through her. It was hot in the laundry. The thick blue material of her prison jumpsuit made her sweat, but that was normal for her at this point. The old machines she worked with ran hot, and the directors at Kharon Penitentiary had neither the credits nor inclination to upgrade any of them. Spot-fixes were the norm, which is where Lena came in.

  Beside her, Libby tossed her hair as if she wanted to speak. “Take your time fixing it, by the way,” she said as Lena switched the machine off. Her dark hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her jumpsuit was left half-button
ed. She gestured to the male cicarian standing in the doorway, his purple skin glowing oddly under the fluorescents and his translucent wings fidgeting nervously behind him. “Me and this guy are gonna… spend some quality time. Behind the dryers. So no rush.”

  Lena rolled her eyes as the girl took her alien’s hand and led him to the back of the room. She placed one hand on the washing machine again, hit the on switch, and the whole thing rattled unhappily at her. She left it running, trying to find out where the problem might be coming from. This tech was old—it’d probably been sitting here for over half a century, by her guess. And while transports made her crackle with interest, old washing machines didn’t really get her motor running.

  Eventually, she switched it off again, her tongue stuck between her teeth in thought.

  That was when she heard a breathy moan coming from the dryers at the other end of the room.

  Lena closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Just great…

  She focused on pulling the side panel off the huge machine, trying to ignore the soft sighs and whimpers as they increased in frequency. Exasperated, she turned the machine back on, the gravelly grating an easier sound to bear than Libby’s groaning.

  But her mind strayed as she looked over the knobs and exposed wires. How long had it been since she’d had someone to pull into a dark corner? Too long. She didn’t have time for it on the outside. And getting caught in here would be disastrous. Misdemeanors equaled extended sentences, and she couldn’t risk jeopardizing her chances of getting back to her sister. She only had three more months left.

  She was just debating which was worse, electrocution or listening to Libby moan, when she felt something cold and wet slide across her shoulder.

  She spun on her heel, a chill shuddering through her, and came face to face with the last person she wanted to see.

  Before her stood Warden Garross, pressed far too close to be professional. She’d successfully avoided him for the past week, but as he pulled one slimy hand from where it had sat on her shoulder, she had no choice but to take in the entire, unfortunate sight of him.