Page 21

21

Riding Bitch

*Jalen*

I fought not to chuckle as it dawned on Ren that we’d be pressed together. It was clear she hadn’t noticed until now exactly how little space there was on the rider’s seat.

Me? I’d realized it almost immediately. Perhaps I should’ve mentioned it earlier, but it was kind of fun watching her horrified expression shift to one of reluctant acceptance.

It was odd seeing that reaction after what happened this morning. Once again, I’d barely slept a wink—despite the lie I’d fed her earlier. She’d crawled into my blankets in the dead of night and snuggled against me with the cutest sigh of contentment that made my heart ache. It was like her gruff exterior had washed away, leaving behind a warm, snuggly female who just wanted to be held through the night. After hearing that sigh, there was no way I could wake her and force her to leave.

I’d finally managed to drift off sometime before dawn, only to wake with a start when she rolled atop me and started grinding that perfect ass of hers like her life depended on it. I bit my tongue through all of it—until she did this swirling move with her hips that forced a moan out of my throat.

I’d never wished I’d been mute in my entire life—but in that moment I would’ve happily torn out my tongue to keep her going.

Instead, she hopped off me like my cocks were afire. And now this. She had to be sweating under that rumpled skinsuit of hers.

A muscle in her jaw ticked. “It’s fine. We’ll make it work.”

“You’re certain? I could run alongside you.” That wouldn’t be much fun, but I’d do it to wipe the frown off her face.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Open the door. Let’s get out of here.”

“All right. As you wish.” I pushed the door open and picked up my bag, but paused before slinging it on my back. “Do you want me to drive?” I’d never operated anything like that before, but it couldn’t be too hard to figure out.

She scoffed. “Nope. You’re riding bitch.”

“I’m what?”

A tiny smirk painted her lips. “Just a Terran expression. Means you’re in the back.”

“I’ll have to remember that.” I grinned and strapped my pack on.

For some reason, that comment earned me a snicker. But once I approached the rider, the mirth faded from Ren’s eyes.

“Don’t worry. Promise I won’t crush you.” I carefully climbed on, making certain not to jostle her too much, though I couldn’t avoid touching her completely. It simply wasn’t possible with the space we were working with. The best I could do was to keep my chest lightly pressed against her back.

But then my ass hit the seat, and I choked down a yelp. “That’s an interesting sensation.”

Ren groaned. “Don’t remind me.” She squirmed, jostling me in a way that immediately brought memories of that morning to mind.

Calm down, I warned myself, though it was pretty clear that my body wasn’t inclined to listen.

I tilted my pelvis back as best as I could, but there was only so far I could move. I nearly hopped off and told her I would be okay with running, until she took off like a shot.

The momentum slammed me into her back, and my hands shot out, grabbing her hips. But after barely a moment, she stopped.

“You need to close that, don’t you?”

I wrenched open eyes that had slammed closed in fear. “Yes.” I jumped down and locked the cave. Then I turned back, seriously reconsidering my decision.

“What are you waiting for, bitch?”

There was that smirk again. I couldn’t help lighting up at the sight of it. “Coming.”

*Jalen*

A few hours later, I grinned as the wind blew through my long blue hair. I’d been apprehensive at the start—who wouldn’t while straddling a vehicle that moved about twice as fast as they could run—but it hadn’t taken me long to get used to the speed.

Ren was an expert driver, dodging trees easily and hovering perfectly in line with the jungle footpaths. And since the rider didn’t have wheels, there was no need to chop any underbrush. We flew atop it, making such good time we passed the campsite I’d planned to stop at that night around midday.

Of course, having Ren pressed against me hadn’t exactly been ideal. I kept a running commentary in my head, replaying boring moments from my life, and even some disgusting ones, to keep myself from getting too excited by her proximity. Even so, it was a struggle I hadn’t conquered completely. Between the constant vibration and her curvy behind rubbing against me, I’d spent most of the day half-hard.

So far, Ren hadn’t noticed. Or if she had, she hadn’t said anything. In fact, she hadn’t said much of anything at all. The whole ride, she’d been remarkably… distant.

What happened to the ease I’d fought to develop over the last few days? Would she ever be ready to give me a chance?

No. She would. She had to. It was fate.

The self-assurance calmed me slightly. Enough that I began absentmindedly humming as we drove, a small smile on my lips.

Ren peeked at me in the side mirror. “What’s got you so happy?”

My grin widened. “What’s not to like? We’re making great time. I have a pretty female with me. This has been a fantastic day so far.”

I glanced at the mirror and spotted her cheeks pinking. But Ren didn’t bother replying. Her gaze stayed locked on the road, like the scenery was so thrilling she couldn’t bear to look away.

Don’t be stupid. It’s all the same trees, over and over.

Or she was just back to being distant again.

I sighed. Perhaps Rhelt was right. I shouldn’t be touching her.

It was clear there was something stopping Ren from connecting with me. Would she ever feel comfortable enough to share?

If what Asani said was true, she should be drawn to me the same way I was drawn to her. But—at least while she was awake—she wanted nothing to do with me. Even now, each time I adjusted my grip on her waist, she stiffened.

How am I supposed to show her we’re meant to be together if she won’t let me touch her?

Even if we did somehow make things work, would that be wise? My stomach churned. What would Rhelt say when he discovered Ren and I were mates? Would he understand, or follow through with his threats to lock me back up—for good this time…

The rider slowed. I shoved aside my perplexing thoughts and asked, “What is it?”

Ren peered into the forest. “I just spotted something… unusual.” She reversed the rider unexpectedly, which made the rider’s hum change slightly as her ass rubbed against me. And my dicks responded, thickening in my shorts.

I gritted my teeth and chanted in my head, Garbage. Hot steaming piles of garbage left out in the sun.

By the time I’d calmed enough to return my attention to the scenery, Ren had stopped the rider and hopped off. “What is that?”

I followed her gaze into the trees. “Those are some of the rarest plants you’ll find on Dionus. We call them ellbright.”

“They’re gorgeous.” Ren’s eyes lit with wonder as she strode closer to the vibrant blooms. The petals were two-toned, either yellow and pink or purple and blue, and lit with an inner glow that almost made them appear neon, even in the shade.

I hopped off the rider and followed her, paying more attention to her face than the flowers. “There’s a legend about ellbright.”

She lifted a brow. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you planning to tell me?”

Leaning against a tree, I explained, “You may have heard me mention Harlx a time or two.”

“That the name you’re always using like a curse?” She leaned forward, her hand outstretched, but before she brushed a blossom, she asked, “Wait… I’m not gonna hallucinate if I touch these, will I?”

I chuckled. “No, you won’t. And yes, Harlx’s name is often called on as an oath by Dionions, or sometimes a prayer. He’s our god of the cosmos.”

“Okay…” She tentatively stroked one of the pink-and-yellow petals. “What does good old Harlx have to do with these?”

“The story says that one day, Aarus, the god of ellios—our underworld—stole Harlx’s true love, the fair maiden Umera.”

“Oh boy. Bet he wasn’t too happy about that.”

I grinned. “Of course not. But Harlx wasn’t a fool. He knew if he retaliated with violence, it would start a war to end all wars. And that if the heavens and the underworld fought, it would cause chaos to fall over all of Dionus.”

Ren moved on to one of the purple-and-blue buds, lightly tracing the bright petals with her fingertips. “So what did he do?”

“He used what he knew about Aarus to his advantage. After living in the underworld for so long, Aarus craved beauty. That’s why he took Umera.”

“Since she was so fair… I get it.”

I pushed off the tree and strolled closer. “Harlx created ellbright that day. He brought them to the underworld and promised Aarus that they would always bloom in the dark.”

Ren frowned. “Do they?”

I nodded. “The ellbright only bloom during a night when it’s full dark. Once the sun rises, they’ll continue to flower if they’re in the shade. But the moment the sun touches them, the petals wither away.”

“That’s pretty cool.” Ren straightened. “So did it work? Did Harlx get Umera back?”

“What do you think?” I asked.

“He went searching for her in hell…” She wiggled her brows. “I bet she didn’t stay a maiden for much longer after that grand gesture.”

I barked out a laugh. “And you would be right. At least, according to legend.”

She smiled at me softly before reaching out again to caress a petal. “I like that story. Explains a lot about you, actually.”

“Oh? How so?”

Ren’s hand fell to her side. “Just that with a legend like that, I can see why you’re not the barbarians the rest of the universe thinks you are. If you value intelligence over violence, that’s pretty damn civilized in my book.”

I puffed up my chest. “We’re extremely intelligent, I’ll give you that.”

Ren rolled her eyes. “And so modest, too.” She turned, likely intending to head back to the rider, but as she did, I spotted something behind her that made my skin prickle. She must’ve noticed some sign of distress on my face. “What is it?”

I stalked forward, brushing aside the ellbright Ren had been touching and ducking behind it. “Harlx’s bones!” Normally, ellbright sprung up like weeds to fill entire clearings. But not here. A dozen holes marred the ground, and as a planter, I could tell whoever tore the plants out did so carelessly.

Ren appeared at my elbow with a gasp. “Who did this?” With widened eyes, she stared at the disturbed dirt littered with broken roots. “I thought it was against the law to destroy anything in the jungle.”

An awful churning tore at my gut. “It is. I highly doubt this was done by a Dionion.”

“What does that mean?” She blinked, meeting my gaze.

I drew in a deep breath. “We might have some dangerous company to worry about.”