Page 17 of Survivor (A Space Pearl’s Treat #2)

Lucy

Everything changed.

At the hospital, when anyone spoke of change, it always meant more needles and invariably feeling like hammered shit.

Here, with Vraxxan, change was wonderful.

Change meant long walks and stolen kisses, moments by the creek where the sound of rushing water camouflaged the screams of my pleasure, and nights of falling asleep in Vraxxan’s arms and being awoken by kisses.

Change hadn’t meant actual fucking yet, something I was a little impatient for, but Vraxxan didn’t want to take that ultimate step until our future was more solid.

We’d been on Eden for almost three weeks now and until we knew the outcome of the queen’s machinations, Vraxxan wanted to wait to, as he called it, claim me .

Personally, I was quite ready to be claimed.

I’d been falling for him since the moment he walked into the restaurant.

I’d never been in love before. The only thing I knew of romance was from reading the dozens of dog-eared novels left in the hospital waiting room.

Being with Vraxxan was better than any romance novel I’d ever read.

The queen could swoop in here and kill us all tomorrow, but for the life I had left, I wanted to be by Vraxxan’s side.

Every moment, every kiss, every little touch was an explosion of pleasure.

I never knew what it felt like to be desired, but I liked it. I liked it a lot!

I nearly laughed aloud at his expression when I took him into my mouth.

Like pretty much everything else, my only experience with blowjobs came from reading about them, but from Vraxxan’s reaction, I nailed it.

His low, deep moans of pleasure seemed to throb in the air, and his fingers threaded through my hair, holding my head in a grip that was both firm and gentle.

Even now, as we meandered back toward the treehouse, the large, goofy grin he wore spoke volumes.

Of course, that meant Vysar would know what we’d been up to.

.. again. I’d been mortified the first few times I found myself on the receiving end of the elder Zarpazians’ knowing smiles and waggling eyebrows.

Now, I just laughed, especially since Vysar had taken to calling me qizim , which Vraxxan told me meant daughter .

To me, it solidified that Vysar liked the idea of me and his son together. I liked it too.

We strolled leisurely, absorbing the vibrant jungle around us.

The dense canopy overhead filtered the sunlight into dappled patterns resembling cobblestones on the forest floor while the air was alive with a chorus of exotic birds and the distant calls of unseen creatures.

The earthy aroma of the rich, damp soil mixed with the faint scent of blooming flowers and the fragrance of our arousal was an intoxicating perfume.

Vraxxan kept me snug against his side, his arm draped warmly over my shoulders.

My years at the hospital fighting for my life had shown me the worst that life had to offer. .. now I knew the best.

“Happy?” Vraxxan asked as a deep, contented sigh escaped my lips.

“Very!” I slipped my arms around his waist and snuggled closer. “I could stay here forever.”

A snort escaped his lips, part laugh but part something else that made my skin prickle with curiosity.

“I’m glad you think that,” Vraxxan murmured, and I felt the brush of his lips atop my head. “We might be here a while.”

“Would that be so bad?” I pulled away just enough to gaze at him. His smile had faded to a grin, and his jawline ticked in the way it did when something troubled him.

Vraxxan glanced down at me, and his smile returned. “Being here with you, no.” He gave me a quick kiss. When he pulled away, while he still wore a smile, but his teal eyes held worry.

“What is it?” I pressed.

He blew out a deep breath slowly, his eyes clouding. “I just wonder what is going on with my mother.”

I knew it worried him. Hell, to be honest, it worried me, too. From everything Vraxxan and Vysar told me, this woman made the Wicked Witch of the West look like Mother Theresa. I hoped I never had to meet her.

“Is there any way to find out?” I suggested.

The ship we arrived on was still in good working order.

Vraxxan and I visited just the other day to do a systems check.

Of course, we’d spent most of the time wrapped up in each other, taking advantage of the bed in one of the larger cabins.

Vraxxan’s fingers and tongue were otherworldly, but if he didn’t fuck me soon, really fuck me, I worried I might explode.

Vraxxan pondered my suggestion for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “Not without giving away our location or putting others in danger.”

I knew the others meant his cousin Diarvet, who’d put my rescue plan into motion. I wanted to meet him to say thanks not only for my rescue but also for bringing Vraxxan into my life.

“You got a message to the Alliance,” I reminded him, attempting to fluff away the worry. “I’m sure they are dealing with the queen.”

Vraxxan drew in a deep breath, his eyes glinting with a mixture of guilt and hesitation. “I haven’t been completely honest with you about my attempts to contact the Alliance,” he admitted, his voice tinged with regret.

“What do you mean?” I inquired, my curiosity piqued. “Did you not send a message?”

“I did,” Vraxxan assured me, his tone firm yet holding a tenor of uncertainty. “Right before I came to the restaurant. But later, I discovered there was a possibility my mother has an accomplice within the Alliance. I’m not sure if my message reached the right hands.”

Well, shit. Now I was worried.

“So, nobody is dealing with your mother? We might be stuck here?” The realization the Zarpazian queen might still wield power sent an icy shiver trailing up my spine, but the thought of being stranded here with Vraxxan brought a warm flicker of glee to my heart.

“I sent messages to Chieftain Khaion of the Bardaga and Duke Ako as well. Both are trustworthy males. But without knowing their location, I had to send the messages through encoded channels. It might take a while to reach them.”

I knew Chieftain Khaion. The Bardaga was the ship that rescued me and took me to Tau Ceti. Though I’d never met Duke Ako, everyone always spoke of him with the utmost respect.

“No big deal.” I slipped my hands around his middle and gave him a hug, determined not to let Vraxxan beat himself up about it. But I wondered. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

He laid his cheek against the top of my head. His warm breath, which always smelled of some exotic spice, tickled the hair on my forehead. “I didn’t want you to worry. I promise, no more secrets.”

Secrets.

The word made my stomach hurt. Vraxxan was haranguing himself over a simple omission while I had so many skeletons in my closet the damn door wouldn’t shut.

Granted, my secrets didn’t have the power to alter our future, but it was the story of my past. A past woven with experiences of pain and illness that shaped me into the person I was today.

One thing all romance novels had in common was the need to be honest with one’s partner, especially if you wanted to build a future together.

Vraxxan had a right to know my past if he was going to be a part of my future.

And I was determined not to face a future without him.

“Speaking of secrets,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper, cutting through the chatter of the jungle.

“I hold no more from you,” Vraxxan assured me, his arms encircling my waist with a gentle yet firm embrace that sent tingles coursing through me.

“Not you... me,” I admitted, feeling the weight of my confession hanging in the air between us.

“I don’t understand,” Vraxxan said. His intense teal gaze swept over me as though trying to decipher the mystery I knew etched my face.

“It’s nothing big,” I promised, trying to ease the tension. “Just something about my past that I haven’t told you.”

He tensed slightly, the muscles in his arms becoming taut. “Are you mated to another?”

The absurdity of his worry brought unrestrained laughter bubbling up from my throat. “No. You’re my one and only,” I promised once gaining control of myself.

“I like that,” he sighed, the softness of his breath brushing against my hairline as his lips pressed a tender kiss there.

“It’s just that…” I hesitated, grappling for the right words. “I didn’t have a good life on Earth.”

“Were you mistreated?” His voice took on a growly quality, a protective edge that both comforted and pained me.

I drew in a deep, steadying breath. “I was sick.”

“Sick?” Vraxxan repeated, the idea seemingly foreign to him. Little wonder, given that alien medical technology had all but eradicated disease.

“I had something called cancer. Acute Myeloid Leukemia, to be exact.”

“I do not know this cancer ?” Vraxxan admitted, his brow furrowing in confusion, though his grasp on me tightened, revealing his understanding of the seriousness of the concept.

“Of course, you don’t,” I laughed, though the sound was brittle. “Earth’s medical technology isn’t nearly as advanced as yours.”

“And this cancer made your life bad,” Vraxxan pressed.

“It stole my life,” I murmured, allowing the memories to wash over me like a dark tide.

“I was ten when I got diagnosed and everything in my life after became about fighting the disease… about keeping me alive. I spent more time in hospitals than I ever did in my own home. I had to have constant treatment. Chemotherapy, radiation, anything and everything the doctors felt might help.” I gave a slight shrug, knowing all the suffering I endured was for naught.

Hindsight truly was twenty-twenty. “In the end, I died anyway.”

“You died?” Vraxxan jerked, his teal eyes, deep and worried, fixed intently on my face.