But he was fighting a losing battle.
To J’are, it seemed as though he was buried up to his neck in sand and the tide was rushing in. Soon he—or his thinking mind anyway, would be buried—would be drowned in the wild waters. There was no holding back the tide—no matter how he struggled against it, it was going to come in and sweep away all rational thought. Already it was eroding his thinking mind, little by little, like waves sweeping over a structure made of sand.
Please, he thought as he felt the bars of the mental cage he had built bending, felt his feral side beginning to slide free. Please, I can’t—I can’t!
And then the cage broke and the tide rushed in.
All thought was gone and only instinct remained.
J’are’s eyes glowed a brighter green and the last vestige of rational thought left him. Lifting his nose to the night sky, he inhaled deeply and smelled her sweet scent. Her—the female—his female. The one he was supposed to bond to him—the one he was supposed to breed.
His k’dra markings glowing under the light of the three converging moons, he set off into the jungle, intent on hunting her down and making her his forever.
Thirty-Five
Imani didn’t know when she’d been this frightened. The breath was sobbing in her throat and she was panting with terror. She thought she must be running in circles because no matter how far she went, she couldn’t find the exit—or even a wall. And the crashing sounds in the underbrush behind her kept getting closer.
At last she gave up on finding the way out. She wasn’t going to be able to escape from the simulated jungle of J’are’s home planet. So the next best thing was to hide.
Panting, she came to a halt in front of a tree that looked like it might be climbable. It had low, sweeping branches that were thick and sturdy enough to support her weight. And best of all, it had lots of leaves—big, broad ones, as large as her head—which would hopefully hide her from sight.
She hadn’t done much tree climbing since she was little and her brother had led her on wild adventures through the woods in the park near their house. But Imani found you didn’t forget the basic skills—find a low branch, grip the rough bark, pull yourself up, find another branch, repeat.
She went up as high as she could, until the ground was far below her, and settled herself on a branch which was sheltered by a large overhanging bunch of the wide, flat leaves. Putting her eye to an opening between the rustling greenery, Imani looked out into the jungle landscape.
At first she didn’t see anything. But then a pair of glowing green eyes appeared down in the darkness below. Those were followed by the pale, silvery markings of J’are’s k’dra. They glowed like pale fire all along his big, muscular body, an unmistakable harbinger or what was to come.
Imani didn’t dare to move—she barely dared to breathe. Holding tightly to the branch she was straddling, she squeezed herself tight, praying that the big Nightwalker would pass her by…would just go away.
And for a moment, it seemed like he would. The pale green eyes turned aside and the silvery k’dra markings melted into the darkness.
Somewhere else, Imani thought, her heart thumping. He’s hunting somewhere else! I’m safe!
But her elation lasted only for a moment. There was a rustle in the leaves behind her and when she turned, the pale green eyes were looking directly into her own.
J’are was right on the branch beside her.
Imani screamed and lost her tenuous grip on the rough bark. With a shriek, she plunged towards the ground in a fall that would certainly have broken several bones—or maybe even her neck.
But before she could land, J’are dove out of the tree and padded neatly to the ground. Holding out his arms, he caught her as easily as though he’d been standing there waiting the entire time.
Imani had never seen anyone move so quickly. She stared at the big Nightwalker in surprise and fear as he cradled her close to his broad, bare chest.
“J’are?” she whispered, her heart pounding in her throat. “J’are, please if you’re in there…if you can hear me, talk to me. Tell me you’re still aware of what’s going on!”
The big Nightwalker opened his mouth and a single word came out. Looking Imani right in her eyes he growled,
“Mine.”
Thirty-Six
“J’are, please—we went over this. You know why I can’t be yours,” Imani begged, knowing it was no good. She could tell from looking into his eyes that the thinking part of him was gone—off on vacation, at least until the lights came back on and the jungle and its three moons disappeared.
Still, she had to try.
“God knows part of me wants you—yearns for you the way you yearn for me,” she started. “But J’are listen, please. We can’t—”
But it was clear the big Nightwalker wasn’t hearing her. Or at least, he wasn’t processing anything she had said.
Carefully, he laid her down on the soft grass under the tree. Imani started to get up, but she found that his long arms were on either side of her head, effectively caging her in. Before she could try again to move, he buried his face in her neck.
Imani’s breath caught in her throat—was he going to bite her now? Going to rip out her throat in some savage display of passion turned lethal?
But no—though she felt his teeth—especially his fangs—along the sensitive flesh of her throat, he didn’t bite or tear. Instead, he lapped her gently, as though he simply wanted to taste her skin.
And then he started to move lower.
Imani bit her lip as she felt his hot breath through the thin lace that barely covered her breasts. Her nipples were instantly erect and though she knew she shouldn’t be aroused, a bolt of sudden desire shot through her, making her moan and shift her hips restlessly.
J’are seemed to take this as an invitation because he took the edge of the lace in his teeth and began to pull.
Oh my God, he’ll rip it! And then how am I going to be able to get out of here without anyone knowing what happened?
There was only one thing to do if she didn’t want her dress to be ruined and her secret exposed. With trembling hands, she reached up and pushed the lace band down, baring her breasts for him.
J’are growled approvingly, deep in his throat and leaned down to lap one of her nipples. Imani gasped as a bolt of pure pleasure shot through her when his warm tongue bathed her tender bud. God, she shouldn’t be getting off on this desperate situation, but somehow she couldn’t help it!
Part of it was that her nerves were still so tense—keyed up to the breaking point. It kept the adrenaline coursing through her, making her pant with fear and desire. But another part—a very large part—was his scent.
She’d always loved the way the big Kindred smelled—the dark, spicy, animalistic musk that he carried with him everywhere he went. But now the scent had been doubled—no—trebled in intensity. Imani felt as though it was getting inside her—making her doubt her own will, making her want the male on top of her no matter what the consequences might be.
Stop this-have to fight it! Have to fight! she told herself fiercely.
“No!” she tried to shout, but it came out as a whisper as J’are sucked one of her nipples into his hot mouth and played with the other, tugging lightly in a way that made her moan.
Sparks of pleasure shot down Imani’s spine and straight to the throbbing spot between her thighs. She could feel her pussy getting hot and wet and she was desperately afraid that was where the big Nightwalker would head next.
As it turned out, she was absolutely correct.
After sucking and stroking her breasts for a good long time, J’are at last began to lick his way down her trembling belly.
“No,” Imani said again but again it came out as a whisper. “J’are,” she begged. “Please…”
But he was already tugging at her panties with his teeth.
For a moment, Imani tried desperately to hold them up. Gripping the thin lace sides, she hung on grimly a
s he tugged. Even though they barely covered her—in fact, didn’t quite cover her mound, since they allowed the top of her slit to be seen—she didn’t want to lose them. They were her last barrier—without them, she feared J’are could do whatever he wanted with her.
And she knew what he wanted.
Then, abruptly, J’are stopped tugging. He released his grip on the top of her panties and began kissing the top of her mound—hot, open-mouthed kisses that made Imani feel like she was melting from the inside out.
“Oh,” she whispered, running her hands over his short, spiky hair. “Oh, J’are…that’s not right, you’re not playing fair. Oh!”
This last exclamation was because she felt his hot tongue slip deftly into her slit. He parted her inner folds easily and lapped lower, teasing her aching clit and sending fire through her veins.
“Oh!” Imani cried again and now she found that, rather than fighting to keep her panties up, she was pushing them down. Pushing them down and spreading her thighs to give him greater access to her pussy.
J’are seemed to approve of this. He growled hungrily and intensified his lapping, spreading her open to lick from the entrance of her well all the way up over her button and to the top of her slit before diving down to repeat the process again.
“Oh, J’are…” Her hips worked as she rode his tongue, rubbing against him wantonly as he tasted her honey. She shouldn’t be doing this but it felt so good, felt so right…
And then, to her horror, Imani found that she was suddenly right on the brink of orgasm.
God, she shouldn’t be going along with J’are this way! She ought to be fighting to get free—wiggling and kicking and biting. Not lying here with her thighs spread and her hands on his head, guiding him lower, tilting her hips to get more of his hot, wet tongue inside her…
And yet she felt helpless to stop. Again, she thought maybe it was his scent. It was so strong—so wild and enticing. It seemed to act on her like a drug, making her do things she wouldn’t normally do—like slide her panties all the way off and spread her legs as wide as she could while the big Nightwalker lapped her throbbing pussy until she started coming…coming so hard she could barely breathe as her hips bucked up to meet his hot tongue lashing her swollen folds…
The orgasm seemed to clear her head a little, but Imani had no illusions about running now. There was no way she could get away from J’are—no way he wouldn’t catch her and bring her down to the ground.
So when he nudged her to turn over, she didn’t try to fight him. Instead, she got on her hands and knees, complying with his mute demands and directions.
In this position, she could feel the remote to his pain collar swinging between her breasts. Looking down for a moment, she contemplated the big red pain button at its center. But she couldn’t use it on J’are—she wouldn’t. It would be a betrayal of his trust.
And it would also stop the action, wouldn’t it? a little voice sneered in her head. So you’re not touching that remote, no matter what, are you, Imani?
Imani did her best to push the little voice away. Instead, she concentrated on J’are—on what was about to happen.
“You…you want me like this?” she whispered, looking back at him. “Is this the way you need to take me?”
In answer, he put his hands on her hips and spread her legs wider, pushing them apart with his knee until Imani could feel her pussy opening like a flower for him. Then something hot and blunt and thick was sliding over her inner folds. With a gasp, she realized it was his shaft.
“J’are!” she exclaimed, trying for a moment to wiggle free. The big Kindred held her effortlessly, not even tightening his grip much. At last Imani had to admit to herself that she wasn’t strong enough to get away. With a little moan, she stopped fighting and tilted her pelvis up, mutely accepting the thick invader waiting at her entrance.
“All right,” she whispered, her voice soft and broken in her own ears. “All right, J’are, you can…can take me. I can’t stop you, so go ahead.”
With a low growl, she felt his thickness breach her entrance and then he was pushing inside her in short, hard thrusts, working his way into her tight, slippery pussy with his massive shaft.
“Oh!” Imani moaned and hung her head, just trying to be open enough to take him. She felt powerless to resist the big Kindred—powerless to stop him. All she could do, she realized, was try to let him in—try to let him fuck her and breed her—until he was done.
To her surprise, it didn’t hurt.
The first time she’d seen his shaft, she had wondered who could possibly accommodate such a thick monster. But though she felt her inner walls stretching to take him, there was no pain—only a deep pleasure she had never known before with any other lover.
At last, she felt the blunt head of his cock press against the end of her channel and knew he was all the way inside her, no doubt leaking dangerous amounts of precum against the mouth of her womb.
“J’are,” she whispered brokenly as she felt him fill her completely. “In me…in me so deep.”
His only reply was a low growl of pleasure and then he was pressing forward even harder and she felt something hot and wet inside her. Her eyes widened as she gripped the long, cool grass beneath her. What was happening? Was he coming in her already? Or was it some kind of biological compound—a kind of precum—he was pumping into her, to get her ready for him?
Before she could find an answer to her question, she felt the thick shaft pull almost all the way out of her and then thrust in again.
“Ahhh!” Imani gasped, as a bolt of pleasure so deep it was almost painful shot through her. “Oh God…oh, J’are!”
And then he pulled back and did it again…and again and again.
She lost track of time, lost track of the thrusts inside her. For a time, she simply gripped that grass, trying frantically to hold steady against his savage fucking.
But she couldn’t hold steady—she was driven from hands and knees to her elbows. From there, she simply buried her face in her arms and moaned with her cheek against the ground as he thrust inside her again and again, over and over.
J’are’s feral side seemed to be insatiable—either that or it was determined to breed her as thoroughly as possible. Imani didn’t even try to stop him—nor could she stop the pleasure from rolling through her. With each thrust of his thick shaft into her pussy, his heavy sac slapped against her already sensitive clit, sending bolts of sensation through her that made her gasp and moan his name as she tried desperately to be open enough for his fucking.
“J’are,” she heard herself moaning brokenly. “Oh, J’are, please…please…”
Then, just as she was certain she was going to come again, the big Nightwalker thrust as deeply as he could inside her and she felt him begin to swell.
Oh my God, no! Imani thought wildly. How can he be getting even bigger? How can I take anymore? He’s already so huge!
But there was nothing she could do to stop it or get free. She could only hold still as his shaft filled her to the limit and beyond. Then, just as she thought she couldn’t take any more, Imani felt a flood of heat pouring into her.
Breeding me, she thought wildly. Oh God, this is it—he’s breeding me! Making me pregnant!
And at that moment, she began to come again—an orgasm so hard and fierce that for a moment she felt like she was drowning in pleasure.
“Oh!” she cried as the sensation overwhelmed her. “J’are, too much! Can’t…can’t take any more!”
But still he kept pumping his seed deep in her pussy. And as he did, Imani felt as though something had opened inside her—some inner mouth that was thirsty for what he was providing. Her body drank it in eagerly, taking everything he had and asking for more.
The pleasure became too great and she began to see patches of blackness eating into the fabric of her vision.
“J’are…” she moaned unsteadily. “Too much…too much.”
In answer, she felt his teeth in the b
ack of her neck, biting her, marking her as an animal would its mate. The sharp little pain brought her back to herself for a moment and she cried out in protest.
The big Nightwalker let go of her and then she heard his voice rasping in her ear.
“Mine,” he growled in her ear. “MINE.”
“Yours,” she whispered. “I’ll always be yours, forever now.”
Slow tears slipped down her cheeks and a sob escaped her lips.
Then darkness ate the world and Imani knew no more.
Thirty-Seven
J’are woke with a strange feeling of connection the next day—a feeling that for the first time in his life, he wasn’t alone in the universe.
Ever since he had been orphaned at the age of five cycles, he’d had the feeling that it was him against the world—that he had no one to get his back, to watch over and protect him. Even after old Mother Hownow had adopted him and brought him to live with her in her luxurious mansion, he’d still had the feeling that he was, essentially, alone.
He didn’t feel that way anymore.
He felt…connected. Like there was someone with him—holding his hand. Someone who would never—could never—leave him.
It was the feeling of being Claimed—connected—owned. It felt right.
“Oh good, you’re up. We have to get to court soon.”
Opening his eyes, he saw Imani looking down at him. She looked lovely in a deep red dress that showed her full breasts and panties—the usual Yonnie Six attire.
What wasn’t usual was the look on her face—it was deeply unhappy.
“Imani?” He frowned up at her, realizing that he was lying in bed—a hotel bed. The hotel they’d checked into yesterday after being kicked out of the Luxx.
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