Blooming Desire: An Extraordinary Spring Romance Collection

by S. J. Sanders

  4

  Olan

  The fact that his bride was already vehemently denying that she belonged with him within moments of being told about the blessing was not at all lost on Olan. With time, and perhaps some coaxing from him, she would learn that this was just the way things were done here. No one had a right to argue with the All Mother, not even an alien from the stars. Every time Zuran’s eyes fell on Samantha Olan wanted to wrap his tail around his throat and choke the life from him. There had been no agreement to take the hunter on as a pleasurer, and Olan wasn’t too keen on doing anything that would allow the other male access to his mate.

  His attention snapped back to the conversation going on at the table. Samantha was having a disagreement with Ama, something he wasn’t sure he had ever witnessed before, when the sound of a star rock colliding with Seytonna ricocheted loudly through the village.

  “What ever was that?” Ama looked curiously in the direction the noise had come from.

  “That was my ship falling from the sky. It was filled with my people.” Samantha breathed, her eyes cast worriedly toward where the star rock had landed.

  “Why have they come here?” Ama’s eyes narrowed on his bride, and he felt himself puff up some in her defense, his tail wrapping protectively around her waist.

  “Most likely because I didn’t come back when I was supposed to.” Her hands ran nervously through her violet hair. “Our home planet is in a stage of rebirth after being nearly destroyed. The S.S. Constellation, the ship you saw just now, was carrying humans who were sent to look for a new home for the rest of our species so that we are no longer in the debt of the Venium.”

  “Your people killed your planet, and now you wish to settle on Seytonna?” Ama’s laugh was anything but amused.

  Samantha adjusted her grip on the knife she held, and he gently placed his hand over hers, shaking his head slowly. Threatening the chieftess would win her no favors and could cost her her very life. The last thing he wanted was to lose his new bride before he had even had the opportunity to claim her.

  Gritting her teeth, his bride tucked the weapon into a small pocket inside the dirty rags that covered her body and spoke in a controlled voice. “I’d like to go make sure they are okay. There are women and children aboard.”

  “Of course.” Ama inclined her head. “I would ask that you allow Olan and Zuran to accompany you on the journey.” Samantha opened her mouth like she meant to protest, but Ama raised her hand to silence her. “The forest is dangerous, and you lack the natural defenses of our kind.”

  Small hands shoved at his tail where it was curled around her waist. “Why can’t I just take Zuran? He protected me well enough the first time.” He felt himself bristle at her words, his electricity snapping around him.

  “He did, but Zuran is a hunter, and I would like to send Olan as a voice for our people. My presence is required at the Festival of Light.”

  “What’s that?” his bride’s head tilted as she looked at the other woman curiously.

  “It is a celebration where Seyton breeder males and females gather in the hopes of finding their partners,” Olan spoke, his tail holding her just a little tighter. “I was meant to join this solar, but the All Mother saw fit to gift me with you,” his words seemed to spark a fire through Samantha. She glared at him as she pulled her knife back out and dug the tip of her blade into his tail, making him hiss.

  “I have yet to agree to be gifted to you or anyone else here.”

  The streak of violence his mate displayed only excited him and had him wishing she would hurry and accept her fate. He had worried about her ability to protect their future young with her blunt teeth and nails, along with her distinct lack of lightning, wings, and horns, but her spirit was ferocious, and he no longer doubted her. He wasn’t normally one to question the All Mother, and he smiled when he realized that she had brought him a perfect bride.

  “Will you allow the males to accompany you?” Ama’s voice pulled him from his appreciative perusal of his female.

  “I guess,” Samantha huffed, pinching at the skin on Olan’s tail. Fiery little thing. “Would it be possible for me to clean up a little before we leave? I haven’t showered in weeks.”

  “Of course.” Ama looked aghast at the thought of going unbathed for so long.

  “I can show her to the bathing pools and stand guard so she is not bothered.” Electricity ran along Zuran’s tail as he looked at where Olan held his bride.

  “You will not go anywhere with my mate.” A growl tore through Olan as he moved Samantha behind him, sparks flying between his horns at the thought of the two of them alone together.

  The hunter seemed to think that he was worthy of being allowed to set eyes on his mate’s naked body? He thought that he had the right to attend to her needs? It was his right to make sure his mate was taken care of, and he would watch the other male eat fire before he let Zuran take that honor from him.

  “Wow. This little show the two of you are putting on is fascinating, but I’m perfectly capable of washing myself. Just point me in the direction of the water.” Samantha pushed at his tail as she attempted to wiggle free.

  “You do need a guard. Zuran,” Ama spoke as she looked pointedly at the hunter. “A guard and nothing more.”

  “Of course, Ama.” Zuran bowed his head, his jaw clenched so tightly that Olan could see the tick in the muscle.

  “But Ama-” Olan began to protest.

  “I require your assistance here, Olan. Samantha will be fine for a moment.”

  He bowed his head and uncurled his tail, hating how empty he already felt without her against him. “Yes, Ama.” His eyes followed his mate as she disappeared with the hunter between the trees.

  “Olan.”

  “Yes, Ama?” His eyes trailed back to the Chieftess.

  “I want you to determine if these people are safe for Seytonna. I do not wish to have our world crumble under their presence as theirs has.”

  The idea that he was being asked to spy on his new bride’s people didn’t sit very well with him. He couldn’t ignore the possibility that they might need to wage a war to keep their planet safe from outsiders. The Seyton had killed many of the other alien males that had come before Samantha, and he knew they wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. If his bride spoke truthfully, there were going to be females and young involved.

  “You are asking me to spy on the aliens. These are my bride’s people. She is one of them.”

  “Do not look at it in that light, Olan.” Ama sighed, looking wearier than he had ever seen her. “Doing this will help ensure we can protect our people and the family, All Mother willing, that you and Samantha will create. If Seytonna falls to these Star Born, we all fall.”

  “And the women and young Samantha spoke of?”

  “We can offer them protection should the males prove to be a threat.” His eyes followed Ama’s gaze as she turned to look over the trees toward the plume of smoke that was slowly rising high above them. “If Samantha breeds well with you, then their females would be a welcome gift to our people.”

  Having an abundance of new females would certainly put them at an advantage over the other tribes. The fact that the younger males of the village wouldn’t have to fight so hard just to win a bride was something he knew they would find appealing. It was something they would be willing to fight for. The truth had been looking them in the face for a very long time, but they had staunchly carried on ignoring it. More females were ending up infertile, becoming hunters when they blossomed from the agmari bloom at maturity. They were losing more than they gained.

  Olan stepped up beside the chieftess, drawing a deep breath into his lungs as he looked around. He could not imagine this world dying in the same way his bride’s had. If her people had been the cause of that destruction, how could he knowingly give them the opportunity to repeat their mistakes? His young would be born into this world, and he was going to make sure it was as safe as possible for them. “If it does not
put Samantha at risk, I will do my best to gather any information that might help us.”

  Ama’s black wings rustled near his shoulder, and he heard the soft sigh that left her lips. “It is all I ask.”

  5

  Zuran

  She was the embodiment of everything he had ever desired. That she would never be his made it that much harder to look at her. Zuran’s tail twitched in agitation as they neared the bathing pools. You are only to guard her. The pools were naturally heated and contained at least ten different levels of rocked off bathing pods. It was a natural formation that his people took full advantage of.

  Samantha looked up at him, her head tilting a little. “Do you guys have soap?”

  “What is soap?”

  Her face scrunched up, brows furrowing above her eyes. “What’s soap? The stuff you use to clean your skin,” She looked horrified. “Do you guys not clean your bodies?”

  “We do!” If he hadn’t found it so funny that this dirty, smelly little alien was accusing him of being unclean, he might have been offended. “We use our electrical currents.”

  “That sounds a bit deadly. Like throwing a toaster into a tub.”

  “What is a toaster?”

  A sweet melodic giggle echoed through the pools. “I just meant that normally, electricity and water don’t make a great combination. Not for humans, at least.” The smile that lifted her lips was infectious and warmed his entire body.

  “It is not a very strong charge, only enough to kill off anything clinging to our skin,” he fought back the smile that threatened to blossom over his face.

  “Sort of like those little fish that pick off all of the dead skin and eat it.”

  “Your kind allows water dwellers to eat dead skin from your bodies?” The thought was so foreign that he had a hard time imagining what that would be like. She balked at the idea of his electricity being used for cleaning and then spoke of how they let creatures within the water pick at them? The water dwellers on Seytonna were equipped with multiple sets of sharp teeth, and he couldn’t imagine letting any of them nibble on him.

  The face he made must have been amusing because she started laughing even harder. “Some people really do!”

  “I suppose it’s not dissimilar.” His blood ran cold, and he shivered as he looked down at her exposed skin trying not to imagine it being torn open by the fangs of some alien water creature all for the sake of being clean.

  “Well, I’m not so sure how I feel about you zapping me, weak current or not,” she chewed her lip. “I very much like staying alive.”

  Rubbing his hand nervously across the back of his neck, Zuran glanced over at Samantha. “If you would like, I could show you?” she looked like she was about to refuse, so he rushed to continue. “It will not harm you, I swear it.” Her blunt teeth pressed into her bottom lip, and she sighed.

  The heat that crawled along his skin when she nodded made him grateful for possibly the first time ever that he was so dark. Unlike Samantha, who seemed to change color with her emotions, Zuran’s rush of pleasure was hidden. The slight twitch of his ears was the only indication of how he felt, and he preferred to keep it that way.

  A puff of air left her mouth, causing a few strands of her violet hair to fly away from her face. “Okay, but turn away.” She twirled a finger at him.

  “Of course!” He turned his back on her quickly, his tail twitching with anxiety.

  Zuran could hear her moving around behind him, most likely shedding the filthy garments. A splash of water had his ears twitching with interest and his tail whipping back and forth as he tried to dispel the images his mind wanted to conjure of her without her coverings.

  “Oh my gods, this feels so good!” A soft moan fell from her lips, the erotic sound causing sparks to jump over his skin. “Alright, I’m ready to be electrocuted.”

  The words had him shaking his head, the humor of them dispelling some of the tension from his muscles. His tail moved slowly into the water, and she yelped softly when the tip brushed against her body. A spark, the smallest he could muster, zig zagged down his appendage, flowing and spreading through the water at his feet. He kept his eyes trained on the treeline in front of him, ignoring the overwhelming need to turn around and check on her. Sweet All Mother, what if I was wrong?

  When the water rippled around his skin, he let out a sigh of relief. “That was…” her voice was relaxed and airy, “so strange. I’m pleasantly surprised to still be alive.”

  Zuran’s sensitive ears tracked her movements as she began to tread through the warm waters of the pool. He closed his eyes, enjoying the close proximity to the female as she soaked. She may not have wanted him, but he wanted her with an urgency that surprised him. He’d been trying to deny the tug of attraction since the moment he found her wandering through the misted forest alone. She had been brave, courageous, a little naive. Most importantly, she had known nothing about their society. Perhaps it was unfair of him to have considered taking her without her having any knowledge of the differences between hunters and breeders, but was it really so bad to want something for himself?

  Traditionally, the All Mother, through the chieftess of a tribe, paired off fertile couples or approved pairings requested by individuals who sought a union. His people weren’t known to instantly fall in love, but he had. He was lost to her no matter what happened in the future.

  “Ooo, so, so soft.” He heard her mutter in quiet fascination as water splashed up onto the stone he stood on. What was it about the soft little alien that called to him? It could have been the allure of her abundant curves or the feisty way she had fought off Asa. Watching her stab Olan had been the highlight of his life thus far. Or maybe it was that she hadn’t immediately turned her back and shut him out just because he was a hunter. She hadn’t seen him as unfit to marry; she had merely seen him in a way no other female ever had.

  He was ignorant about the mating customs of her species, but surely they had to be different than his own. Perhaps he could show her his worth, prove to her and her people that hunters were more than just their profession. Her very existence could open up a world of possibilities for him and his fellow hunters.

  Zuran turned his head to the side, keeping his eyes averted. “Could I ask you something?”

  “Mmmhmm. Ask away.”

  “When a male of your kind wishes to mate with a female does he first seek approval of the All Mother?”

  “Nope.”

  “Your chieftess, then?”

  “Nuh-uh.”

  Zuran frowned down at his feet. “Then what must he do in order to mate?”

  “He needs the approval of the woman, the female, that he wants to be with.”

  He nearly turned around to make sure she wasn’t joking, that this was the honest truth. “And if this male is a hunter?”

  “I don’t follow.” He heard her draw closer to the edge of the pool. “Why would that matter?”

  “On Seytonna, being a hunter means you are not permitted to mate.”

  “Huh? Why not?”

  “Our profession is dangerous.” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake the mounting tension from them. “We are gone for long stretches of time. Who would care for our families while we were away or if we were killed while on a hunt? At least that is why they say the All Mother made us infertile.”

  “Zuran, I mean this in the nicest way possible. That is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard in my life, and I’ve worked with people who thought the Earth was flat, so that’s saying something.” There was a moment of silence as Samantha seemed to think. “Humans don’t dictate who is allowed to marry and who isn’t. We’re allowed to be with whoever we wish to be with for however long we choose.”

  “That sounds like a dream.”

  “Zuran?” Her voice was barely a whisper, and it sent a chill throughout his body.

  “Yes, Samantha?” The alien name felt foreign on his tongue.

  “You’re a hunter, right?”
/>   “I am.” He nodded.

  “Have you ever been with a woman?”

  “I have pleasured a female once,” he answered truthfully.

  “Only pleasured her?” She sounded surprised. “You’ve never actually had sex with one?”

  “I have not,” he didn’t want to have to explain to her why he hadn’t.

  “Hunter?” Hearing the derogatory term from her lips stung. He didn’t want her to think of him as his profession but as Zuran.

  “Yes?” His tone was sharp.

  A warm, wet hand touched his back, water dripping down his skin from her palm. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even heard her leave the pool. “Turn around,” she whispered. “Please.”

  His heart hammered against the inside of his chest, a bottomless pit opening up beneath his stomach as it dropped. Turning around slowly, Zuran fixed his gaze on a spot just above her head, clenching his fists to keep himself in control. Her small hands curled around his braids as she yanked him down to her level. He went willingly, knowing that his punishment for being harsh with her would be severe. Surprise stirred inside of him as she pressed her lips to his in a hard kiss, holding him close to her like she could keep him from escaping. The pleasure that surged through him tore a rumbling moan from his throat.

  “You can look at me,” she panted, her voice husky with arousal as she retreated just enough to speak against his mouth.

  Taking a step back, Zuran let his gaze wander across her body, over the dusky pink nipples that tipped her heavy breasts and the soft curve of her hip. Everything about her intrigued him, especially the hidden area at the juncture of her thighs that was covered by a dark patch of short hair. If she was anything like a Seyton female, this was where her sex would be. He wanted to find out how similar their species were, to explore any of the differences and find out what drove her crazy.