Page 24

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The morning started with a bang. Or rather a thud as Maria finally managed to roll out of the hammock. Even half-asleep, Zepharos had nearly caught her, but her arm slipped from his hand as she fell, resulting in her tumbling the remaining distance to the ground.

Fortunately, the forest floor was soft and loamy. Also, his efforts had slowed her fall considerably. As a result, Maria merely got the wind knocked out of her, and only for a moment at that. Zepharos, however, leapt from the hammock to the ground, ready to administer whatever aid was needed.

“I’m okay,” she croaked, painfully sucking in a breath. “Just give me a minute.”

“I should have put up more lines along the sides. Stupid, Zepharos. Stupid, stupid, stu?—”

“Stop beating yourself up. Accidents happen, and we were both far too tired after we finished to be bothered running safety ropes.”

“Still, you are my responsibility.”

“And I’m not a child,” she said, climbing to her feet and brushing herself off .

The two Llamalians pushed their way through the bushes where they’d been grazing and came trotting over to see what the commotion was, sniffing and licking the fallen woman. It seemed even the animals were making sure she was okay.

“Thanks, guys, but I’m fine,’ she said, scratching their heads. “They really do like people, don’t they?”

“They do. The beast of burden aspect is only part of their purpose. Most of the time they are more like pets than anything else. We rarely need them for anything more than a little help in the fields. This is an adventure for them as well.”

She chuckled, rolling her neck and making sure she hadn’t hurt anything now that the adrenaline was wearing off and she could better feel her body.

Nope. All good , she was glad to find. And with her new runes waking up, even the little aches she would have normally felt from the impact seemed to be diminished.

I could get used to this , she mused, her mind flashing back to the mind-blowing orgasms of the night before. I could definitely get used to this .

They had a relaxing breakfast then packed up their gear and led the animals on a path that kept them in the trees for a long time.

“Better to help us avoid visual trackers,” Zepharos noted.

“We’ll be hitting some open areas soon, but when we do, we’ll stick to the tall grass areas.

It’ll help us avoid being seen in daylight when our body heat won’t give us away.

We’re still in the periphery of the mineral-rich terrain, so that will help as well, and to most scans we should look like any of the other larger animals and predators, but we’ll need to be in the trees at night for proper cover. ”

“Wait a minute. Predators? ”

“Don’t worry. They mostly come at night.”

“ Mostly ?”

“There are few in this region to worry about, and besides, life is not without risk. And you, my dear, have already braved far worse. And from here on I will protect you with my life.”

“You’re too much.”

“I mean it. Whatever it takes, I will do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe.”

She wrapped her arms around him, savoring his mass and warmth, her heart pounding just a little harder at his touch. “I know you will.”

That tingling in her chest was back, and more pronounced than before.

As if when her emotions flared the pigments in her skin somehow noticed and reacted.

She supposed that made sense. After all, Darla and Shalia had told her the pigment was a symbiotic organism living in her flesh now, so it seemed to fit with what they’d said.

Still, it was an odd sensation, though not exactly unpleasant.

In any case, they had a long day ahead of them and this was not the time to stop and dwell on her new tattoos.

“We ready?” she asked, looking up at her lover’s warm smile.

“We are.”

They headed out, following the trees as long as they could, as he’d said.

She didn’t see or hear any ships above, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

This was alien tech, after all. No noisy jet engines like back home.

Say what you might about the negatives of her abduction, but the positives of this fascinating world were myriad as well.

“Now we cross the grassland,” Zepharos announced when the trees finally thinned to nothing.

It was a stunning landscape, the tall, violet grass easily head-high in many places.

It waved and rippled in the breeze, creating an optical illusion akin to watching the ocean.

But she knew that wasn’t the case, just as she was well aware they would have to be more careful out here in the open.

If Zepharos said drop, she’d drop. If he said run, well, her reaction was a given .

Fortunately, they made it across without incident, the lack of craft flying above a good omen in her mind. But it was nearly nightfall when they reached the far treeline, the journey having taken most of the day, and both were a bit worn from the extended time in the sun.

“We will make camp just ahead where the trees are a bit denser,” he announced, pointing to a copse of lush trees with broad maroon leaves. “Perfect to hang our hammock, and the canopy will shelter us from being seen from above.”

They made their way to their destination and unloaded the animals, setting them loose to roam and graze once again, the two unburdened critters thundering off cheerfully like happy puppies, but a hell of a lot bigger. Zepharos opened one of the packs and pulled out a series of cords and wires.

“What’s all that?”

“Watch and learn,” he replied, hurrying off to begin setting triplines, alarms, and snares. And not all of them were for animals.

They were being hunted, and he was not about to let his guard down no matter how idyllic their surroundings. If hunters came for them, they’d have ample warning.

“How do you know how to do all of this?” Maria asked as he set yet another trap.

He shrugged. “You saw my village.”

“Yeah. And?”

“And we are raised to be comfortable in nature. As children we all learn to survive outside the safety of our village. I happened to be particularly good at it, but when it came time to join the hunters, well, I decided I wanted a different sort of life. I wanted to experience more .”

“Ah, so that’s why you and Adzus had that exchange.”

“He was the hunter who trained me. And I walked out on him. Not my proudest moment. ”

“So you left all that behind?”

“Yes.”

“But you came back.”

“I did. But never for long. I traveled far, Maria. I saw so many things. Learned more about technology and other races than anyone in my village could imagine. And yes, I had my share of fun as well. It was how I first discovered the Husken Games many cycles ago.”

“And if not for that, you would never have seen me. And I would be the chancellor’s slave.”

He grinned bright, pure adoration and happiness in his gaze. “Fortune and fate seem to have smiled upon us both, I would say.”

“That it did,” she replied, pulling him close. “And if you’re done with setting those up, let me show you just how grateful I am.”

“I—” was all he managed to say before he found his trousers around his ankles and his cock in her mouth, his body shuddering involuntarily from the unexpected, but very welcome, sensations shooting through him.

She knew what he liked by now, how to suck him just right, but more than that, she was beginning to intuit his every reaction, as if she could sense his wants and what he felt on a more visceral, instinctive level. Whatever it was, it was incredible.

Maria slid her hand into her bottoms to stroke her clit while her mouth worked his shaft, her other hand cupping his balls, pulling slightly, drawing him deeper into her mouth until he pressed the back of her throat.

It was overwhelming but amazing the way he filled her so completely.

It would have been a little scary with anyone else, but she trusted him completely, and with that trust she found she could push her limits even farther .

She felt his balls tighten, his arousal peaking with every swirl of her tongue. Zepharos reached down and lifted her up, dropping her bottoms in a flash and spinning her around, bending her over against a tree and driving his cock deep into her with a primal growl.

“Mine,” he said, his voice thick with desire, his hands clutching her hips as he pulled hard, slamming her ass back into him, every thrust driving them both into fits of ecstasy.

“Yes, take me,” she gasped, her body reacting again like the night before, every inch of her tingling with the mounting pressure of her impending climax.

This was unusual. Fast. But they’d both gone from kind of sweaty and tired to utterly aroused beyond control in a flash.

Whatever was brewing between them, the sexual chemistry was off the charts, and both of them came in a body-shaking explosion of sensation, the heat and jolts of almost painful pleasure rocking them both until they nearly fell over from the intensity.

Gradually, they came to their senses, Zepharos pulling out slowly, his rigid cock glistening in the fading light. Maria dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth one more time, savoring the taste of their sex before standing up to meet his waiting lips.

They felt like a pair of horny teenagers that couldn’t get enough of each other, and it was wonderful.

“This is nuts,” she murmured, breaking their kiss and resting her cheek against his chest to hear his heartbeat. “You make me crazy.”

“And you, me,” he replied. “You’re insatiable, and I love it and don’t want it to ever stop.”

She looked up at him, one brow cocked. “Oh?” she said, her hand sliding to his still-hard shaft. “Prove it.”