GalacticFlame (9 page)

First, the pain relief that was found in a small bowl of the
dried leaves of a
xenz
, its blue and red leaves ground into a vibrant
purple powder. It made a nice change from what was mostly an endless sea of red
outside his
donya
.

Next, an Earth bottle filled with
lleel
. In its
natural form, it was at best a flowering weed in the desert that was passable
in a salad. When soaked in the natural alcohol of
lakroda,
it activated
chemical healing properties that were incomparable as a cure all for bruises,
scrapes and fractures.

Putting aside the
xenz
powder and the
lleel
,he cupped the impenetrable husk of a
wayalask
ball and pushed in opposite
directions until it snapped in half. Inside was a compressed store of
caltronian
meat. He plucked out a morsel about half the size of his hand and threw it into
the back of the
panka lamora
shell, where its tongue emerged from a
fleshy mass and caught the meat.

He clapped the halved
wayalask
balls back together
before returning it inside the cold
panka lamora
, which immediately
began to close. He patted its outer shell until it quivered with pleasure—not
unlike the lips of a
bolishta
when pleased—then he left it to its meal.

Grabbing the medicines and a cup from the table nearby, he
returned to Eden. Her eyes met his, revealing pain and guilt and a whole lot of
secrets. He kneeled beside her, pushing aside judgment as he sat back on his
haunches and waited as she sat up cautiously.

He handed her the bowl with its ground powder. “Take a pinch
of the powder and put it under your tongue.”

She did so without hesitation and he waited for what felt as
if endless seconds before asking, “Has it dissolved?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. Her skin already had a healthier color, her eyes
no longer dulled by pain. “Good.” He poured a good mouthful of
lleel
into the cup and passed it to her. “This will heal you.”

She drank it down, before smiling a little self-consciously,
a wobbly smile that was also filled with uncertainty now that the pain had
gone.

He cocked his head to the side and drawled, “Is there
something you want to tell me?”

Maybe she’d tell him the truth without him having to extract
it from her as though he was pulling poisonous barbs from her ass.

She pressed her lips together, then opened her mouth and
blurted, “I’m sorry I didn’t look after the women and children like you asked
me too. I never meant them any harm. But the safest place for Katy, Madge and
the children was in the
donya
.”

He let that one slide…for the moment. “Why did you go to the
mountain, Eden?” he asked instead.

Her breath hissed, her vagueness all too obvious. “All that
matters now is that the women and children are safe.” She managed a half smile,
her eyes pleading. “And that I’m alive and you’re unharmed.”

He opened his mouth to refute her claim. What had happened
most certainly did matter and she’d realize that soon enough when a suitable
punishment was meted out.

She placed a hand on his bent knee and his cock jerked. His
teeth clacked together and he withheld any challenge. She looked at him with
emboldened eyes and his breath whistled. Whatever guilt had been troubling her
had evidently been pushed aside.

Or she’s doing her best to distract me from asking any
more questions.

“I want to thank you,” her hand skimmed up his thigh, “for
saving me.”

He withheld a groan. Gods, his intended had learned
seduction fast! Her touch went beyond distraction. Interrogating her was now
the last thing on his mind.

Her fingers traced little circles on his inner thigh before
she pulled away and leaned back, resting her weight on outspread hands and
causing her dress to ride high.

His lashes swept to half-mast as he drank her in. Had he
ever seen a more delicious sight?

She bit into her bottom lip, worrying the flesh. But when
she next spoke there was no hesitation in her words. “I want you, Genesis,” she
said huskily. “All of you.”

His cock thickened to bursting point, uncomfortably hard.
“You’ve been hurt,” he reminded her hoarsely.

And right now you’ve got my balls in the palms of your
hands and you’re about to squeeze. Goddess help me, I’m all too eager to let
you
.

“And you fixed me,” she said with a warm smile.

Oh hell.
He was only fooling himself thinking he
didn’t want her right there and then. Questions could wait a little longer yet.
His chest tightened. As for her punishment…he’d deal with that later too.

He rocked onto his knees and leaned forward, giving into
her, into the moment completely. His hands cupped her face and he drew her
close. His lips pressed to hers, becoming as one. She moaned into his mouth,
the sound muffled by his tongue thrusting past her lips. Then he was moaning
too, his hands tightening and pulling her closer still.

She pulled back, eyes wide and bright with need. She pushed
onto her knees the same as him, craning her neck just a little to look up at
him. Something in his chest shifted even as his fangs tingled, itching to
release pheromones into her throat.

His breath shuddered with restraint. Everything within him
screamed not to mark her, not until she’d said the words he needed to hear. Not
until he discovered what exactly had made her abandon his people in such a
dangerous quest.

He lifted his hands to push her away. Except, she lifted her
hands too. Her small, delicate fingers clasped his between their bodies. Her
lips parted. Her beautiful green eyes welled with tears. Seriousness crossed
her face, momentarily driving away the desire stamped into every crevice as she
whispered, “You’ll never know how much this means to me.”

His gut lurched.
What the fuck?
She had nowhere to
go, and yet it sounded as though she was saying goodbye.

There was no more time for second guesses. Her slender
fingers curled between his, locking hold. She pushed onto her feet, their hands
still interlinked as she looked down a little, holding his stare. And this time
it was she who made the first move, pressing her mouth onto his, taking
control, tasting and delving as her tongue slid along his lower lip.

Nerve endings came to life as though parched desert flowers
kissed by rain, her innocent touch burning through his body like nothing
before. But it wasn’t until she drew his lower lip into her mouth and gently
nibbled that he almost lost control.

She was killing him slowly, killing him with needs so
profound he wondered if he’d last long enough for his cock to plunge into her
sweet pussy.

His strained smile was all on the inside when they broke
apart, only their hands still locked together.

Eden knew the moment Genesis’ control slipped. His gaze was
no longer arctic, a possessive light had turned the ice in his eyes to
flame-blue, sharp and pronounced.

Relief thundered through her. He wouldn’t be asking for
anything beyond her body, at least for the moment.

“Tell me you’re not going anywhere,” he demanded, looking
up. “Tell me you’ll not leave me again.”

Pain lanced through her heart, poker hot. If only he knew
that leaving him was the last thing she wanted. She nodded, the action jerky,
uncoordinated. “I’ll stay…for as long as you want me, I’ll stay.”

On a heavy sigh his lashes fluttered closed. When his eyes
reopened she read his deep satisfaction and joy.

Grief coursed through her. He’d not be feeling that way if
he only knew her real identity.

Tell him! Tell him now who you really are!

But then he was tugging her down a little and kissing her
again, his mouth taking ownership of hers and rekindling the burn deep in her
core.

She’d make love to him one more time. She’d give herself
this one last pleasure to hold onto before telling him the truth and watching
the adoration and joy fade fast from his stare. She’d take all he had to give
and then some. A memory to tide her over when grief for what could have been
had her in its grip.

He pulled back with a half-moan, half-growl. The cords of
his neck jutted, revealing his restraint. “Put a leg on my shoulder.” At her
widening eyes he murmured, “Trust me,
Sheehar
. I’ll keep you balanced.”

Excitement and lust flared equally in Eden’s gut, erasing
fear and a little shame. She couldn’t think on the fact this would likely be
their last time together. Their last joining. Genesis dropped back onto his
heels, his head level with her thighs.

Oh God.

Carnal need speared through her cunt as she did as he asked,
her womb melting as his stare dropped between her open thighs, seemingly
drinking in her bared pink flesh.

“Perfect,” he said hoarsely before he leaned forward. The
first stroke of his tongue on her sensitized clit sent hot shivers all the way
to her toes and back again. The next lick was rougher, harder, one that pushed
her ever closer to the edge. A place that seemed so close yet too far away.
Unreachable. Unattainable.

He suckled hard on the fleshy little nub and sank a finger
deep into her channel.

She gasped, wide-eyed. Her head fell back and she closed her
eyes as the most amazing, tingling warmth rushed from her clit and spread ever
outward, stalling her breath and curling her toes.

Oh, Genesis. My love. Thank you.

He sampled her essence, his growl vibrating her sensitized
flesh and making her gasp, sharper than before. When he finally reared back, he
looked up at her with a slumberous, satisfied expression. “This is just the
beginning, Princess.”

He came to his feet, mouth swooping down and his lips
covering hers before his tongue slid into her mouth. The musky taste of her was
strangely enticing. She wanted more. Wanted him wrapped in her essence until
she was such a part of him he’d never let her go.

“Turn around,” he muttered against her mouth, his breath
hot.

She took a step back then pivoted. “Like this?” she asked in
a quavering, breathless voice.

“Yes.” He stepped close, his cock pressing into the small of
her back and making her squirm. “Arms up,” he instructed hoarsely. And as she
did as he asked, he pulled her dress up and over, baring her completely.

His breathing was ragged and harsh on her scalp, tingles of
awareness pushing goose bumps across her arms as the rustle of fabric behind
her indicated he’d removed his pants.

“Bend over,” he said next, “hands on the rug with your legs
wide apart.”

Oh. My. God.

He was going to take her from behind! Moisture pooled in her
cunt, undoubtedly glistening in the pink petals of her folds for his viewing
pleasure. But it was with eager anticipation that she did everything he asked,
the same eagerness that made her feel as if she could give a damn that he’d see
every moist dip and fold of her exposed flesh.

She swiveled her head to watch him encircle his thick,
vein-ribbed shaft with a hand and guide his cock between her legs.

She whimpered as his solid flesh brushed across hers, but it
was a sound of desperate want and greed, not fear.

“You’re so wet for me,” he groaned, the head of his cock
nudging her channel. “Thank the Gods, because I can’t hold back any longer,” he
added hoarsely.

He thrust hard, right to the hilt this time and she bit her
lip until she tasted the coppery tang of blood. He’d filled her to capacity,
until pleasure was balanced precariously with pain.

Then he took hold of her hips and began to rock in and out,
slowly at first while her inner muscles adjusted to his size and position. She
mewled as his speed increased, his heavy balls slapping her clit and the musky
aroma of sex permeating the air.

Desire burned through her body like a meteorite hitting the
atmosphere. She gasped, teetering on the edge.

Genesis abruptly pulled free. Her outraged hiss caused him
to chuckle hoarsely even as he turned her around and lowered her to the fur,
her spine sinking into its thick warmth.

“What are you doing?” she gasped weakly, wanting to hit him
and kiss him all at the same time.

His eyes roamed over her face, as if imprinting her features
onto his brain. “I want to see your face when you come.”

Emotions rolled over her, thick and hard. She didn’t want to
lose this man, not now, not ever. She didn’t want to lose the one thing in her
life she truly loved. She sucked in a breath. She really
did
love him!

He surged over her, all virile, hard male heat. He kissed
her with an opened mouth, tongue thrusting inside to taste her even as he
pressed his shaft to her pussy and thrust deep.

Sensations skittered up and down her spine as the head of
his cock hit her G-spot. She didn’t urge him on, didn’t scream out his name.
Not yet. Her outspread hands claimed his hips and stilled him.

His head reared back, expression incredulous. “Eden, I can’t
stop now—”

A tear leaked from the side of one of her eyes. “Genesis,”
she whispered, emotions running hot through her body, “I love you.”

Chapter Eight

His eyes flared, bright and hot, then glazed over before his
mouth dropped open and his canines were displayed in all their magnificence. He
swooped down, his mouth targeting her throat.

She cried out, teetering on the edge at the stinging
pleasure-pain of his fangs sinking deep, injecting her with the pheromones that
marked her as his. Her heart sang. She. Was. His! Then he groaned and his hips
surged back and forward, a merciless motion that pushed her into climaxing just
as he ejaculated and shocked her simultaneously.

His head reared back. “You’re mine!” he growled. “All.
Mine.”

She nodded, caught in the moment. No regrets. “Yes.”

What had happened to her suggestion that she’d be begging
him to take her home? She wanted only to beg him to stay.

His chest heaving, he slowly withdrew from her heat. Rolling
onto his side, he tugged her onto her side to face him. A lump formed in her
throat at his adoring stare, at the gentle way he brushed the hair from her
face. “I love you too,
Sheehar
.”

They shared another kiss, slow, lingering, and for Eden,
bittersweet. In this moment at least, she’d soak up his adoration, blossom
under his love. Because right then he was consumed by the mindset that he loved
his intended, that it was their destiny to be together.

Soon enough his love for her would be ashes in his mouth.

She sighed a little, causing Genesis to pull back and ask,
“I can only hope that’s a happy sigh?”

More than he could imagine.

“I was just…thinking.”

“Mm. What about?”

About how much longer I can bask in your warmth and
affection.

“About…Sala.”

He frowned a little. “She won’t bother us any longer.”

“What do you mean? Her heart jerked. Sala might have wished
her harmed but she wouldn’t stoop to her level and wish it on her in return.
“Was she punished?”

He nodded, his stare considering her. “She has been
permanently relocated, an outcast, on her way to an eager band of unattached
men of another province who will give her the attention she’s always wanted.”

She shivered. Was that the fate waiting for her too once
Genesis learned of her deception?—servicing countless men hungry with lust.

He trailed a hand down the side of her suddenly hot face.
“Her punishment is far more severe than yours.”

Her mouth dried. “Mine?”

He nodded. Then his eyelids swept downward, masking his
emotions—but not before she’d read the flash of torment. The pad of his thumb
tenderly brushed over the markings on her throat. “I’m sorry, my love, but I
can’t allow your abandonment of my people to go unpunished, it would be seen as
weak, discriminating.” He dropped his hand and stood, face resolute. “I have no
choice.”

“And what exactly
is
my punishment?” she asked. For
once the sight of his hard, fit body presented to her in all its nude glory
failed to distract her.

He retrieved his pants and dressed, his face impassive. “You
will be taken into the desert, where a
donya
and enough water to last
your stay will be waiting.”

She sat up, frightened. Dismayed. Overwhelmed. “And food?”

“The gardens will sustain you.”

So she would be taken somewhere at the foot of the mountain.

“For how long?”

He stared at her, expression closed. “Half a
mera
.”

Two Earth weeks! How could she survive that long alone? Her
heart hammered at the thought. Was he crazy? “What about the
caltronians
?”

His jaw clenched. He didn’t like this any more than she did,
but he was a man who would honor his word, no matter the sacrifice. “The
mallakwats
will go with you as guards. And you will be given a weapon.”

She shook her head. “No. No guardians. I won’t leave your
people without full protection, I won’t fail them again.”

His nostrils flared, eyes narrowed. “That’s—”

“Not even up to discussion.” She raised a hand. “Please,
give me this one wish if I am to ever have hope of being forgiven by your
people.”

He nodded once, a stiff motion of assent. “Very well.” He
swung away, but not before she’d glimpsed his tight face. “I have fit-outs and
other preparations to oversee for my craft before Trasean and Auron return.” At
the hanging shields he twisted back to face her, eyes bleak. “Then I’ll be
back…to escort you to your relocation.”

The distant muffled thud of a
bolishta’s
hooves at
full gallop grew loud. Genesis raised a brow. “Someone’s in a hurry.”

She bit into her bottom lip even as something inside her
shriveled.

Yeah, I won’t be at all surprised if it’s either Trasean
or Auron with news of my deception.

Suddenly she had no doubt it was one of the men, why else
would he enter camp at full gallop? As Genesis stepped outside to meet the
rider, fear clutched at her belly, robbed her for a moment of voice. She was
about to lose the man she loved in more ways than one. But she needed to be the
one to tell him, not his men. She pushed to her feet and yelled, “Genesis,
wait.”

But it was too late. Much too late. She could hear the
murmur of male voices in their
Carèchian
language. This once she didn’t
want to know what was being said. Though flushed with anxiety, ice wrapped
itself around her heart. She pulled the red pelt around her and braced herself.

She wasn’t prepared for a smiling Genesis to enter the
donya
,
along with one of the unattached men she’d met on arrival. She dropped her
eyes, her relief so stark she all but swayed with giddiness.

“Sheehar
,” the male greeted, bowing with his arms
crossed at his shoulders. “I have arrived with gifts as requested by my
prince.”

She lifted her dazed stare, but Genesis had apparently
already taken the offerings. After he dismissed the male, he commanded softly,
“Turn around.”

She did as he asked, her relief still so palpable she was
unable to suppress a sharp arrow of lust thinking about the last time he asked
her to turn around.

“Drop the pelt,” he ordered huskily. Her breath hitched as
she released the heavy fur. She barely heard it thud to the ground. All her
awareness centered on her intended.

He stepped close then shifted her hair aside. The smooth,
cold weight of a necklace and pendant settled around her neck as he clasped it
into place. He kissed her nape, his lips soft, sure, before he murmured, “I
wanted to replace something that you valued on Earth. My wedding present to you,
Sheehar
.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. The necklace she’d secured
around Bonnie’s neck hadn’t had any real value, but she’d grown to love it all
the same. Fires had decimated much of Sydney’s houses and shops, when her
father had spied the lotus pendant nestled amongst the charred remains of a
building. She’d been only five or six at the time when he’d passed it to her,
saying that it was meant to be hers.

At the time she’d been more interested in the half-charred
doll sticking up from under a fallen roof beam, but then he’d said those words
and the necklace had taken on a whole new meaning.

Her eyes fluttered open as Genesis dropped her hair back
down. She lifted the pendant to better see it. Her breath caught at its
magnificence. A red jewel with gold-orange flecks, exquisitely crafted into the
woody, jagged lines of a
gratzi
.

“To always remind us how important our worlds are, how
important we are to each other.” She heard the raw emotion in his voice as he
finished with the Earth endearment, “How important you are to me…my wife. And
even though I can’t share the next half a
mera
with you, I’ll be
thinking of you…waiting for you.”

She swallowed hard, wanting to be his true wife in every way
but feeling every bit a failure. She forced back tears. She wouldn’t cry. Not
again. She’d treasure this moment and not let thoughts of the future tarnish
her joy. She focused on the jewel at her throat, tracing its surface with
tentative fingers. The gift was beyond exquisite, the meaning behind it beyond
import.

She couldn’t possibly accept it. “I can’t—”

“You can and you will,” he interjected. His breath feathered
her ear, but there was no give in his request, his demand. “You’re marked.
You’re mine,
Sheehar
. You will wear it with pride.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll have the pleasure of thinking up more personal
punishment.”

Her toes curled. Was that a threat or a promise?

Before she could decipher his meaning exactly, his hands
glided to her breasts, his fingers skimming over her hardening nipples, before
continuing downward.

Nerves danced into life as anticipation quickened her pulse
and liquid heat rushed to her pussy.

Genesis’ hands dropped lower, fingertips brushing enticingly
across her hairless cunt before he dropped to his knees and repeated hoarsely,
“Turn around.”

Despite her fears, her lips twisted into a fleeting grin.
This was getting to be a bit of a habit—not that she was complaining.

She pivoted and saw the fabric in Genesis’ hands that would
protect her feet from
Carèche’s
too hot ground.

“Lift your foot,” he said huskily, his eyes glinting
knowingly.

He knew exactly where her mind had gone!

She was past caring. She withheld a groan, her memory filled
with the image of her leg draped over his shoulder and his mouth suckling the
inner flesh of her cunt.

When he smoothed the fabric around the length of her foot,
the silky material shrank to fit. She dropped her foot and lifted the other,
watching as her “husband” repeated the fitting.

He looked up, eyes shadowed. “How does that feel?”

Not as good as your mouth on my pussy.

She flexed her toes, pushing away all sexual thoughts to
concentrate on the gift of her footwear. She peered down at them, scarcely able
to believe they were so tough to be heat resistant. “They’re like the stockings
I once found in a clothes store on Earth, so comfy.”

In one fluid motion he got to his feet, towering over her.
He brushed a hand under her chin. “I’m pleased you like them,
Sheehar
.
But now I really do have to go—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “It’s okay. Go. Do what you
have to do. I’ve already accepted my punishment.”

He nodded once, his hand dropping. She saw a flash of
remorse in his eyes, then he swung away and, a moment later, disappeared
through the hanging shield.

She sighed. The two weeks by herself she could handle, even
with the danger of
caltronians
, the time alone would be a drop in the
ocean compared to the future she could share with Genesis, if only she could
spare him from the truth.

She headed toward the bathing pool. She might as well enjoy
a bath while she still could, because for two weeks at least, such a luxury
would be nonexistent. She was only glad her dress was self-cleaning.

A good time later she was dressed and had put her footwear
back on. In the process of twirling her still-damp hair into a practical knot,
the hanging shields abruptly parted and Genesis strode inside, a rifle-like
weapon in his hands.

His eyes took her in, travelling over her face and lingering
on the twin puncture marks at her neck. “You’re ready?” he asked brusquely.

She nodded. “I guess so. But I thought you were overseeing
the craft?”

“I was and I will again.” He frowned distractedly. “I had
one of my men prepare your camp while the others work on the craft.” At her
evidently puzzled look, he explained, “We’re meant to be together…always. I’d
prefer to get your sentence over with as soon as possible.”

Funny, that’d been her thoughts exactly. If he only knew a
thing or two about her deception he might well change his ideals.

She nodded. “Then I’m ready…unless I need to bring anything
with me?”

“No. You have to survive on what you’re given and what you
can find yourself.”

Of course she did.

He gestured for her to step toward him and then held up the
weapon in his clasp. “Do you know how to use a gun?”

She nodded. “Yes. Dad taught us.”

“Us?”

She looked into his eyes, feeling something shrivel inside.
“Yes,” she said unsteadily, “Mum and me.”

If he was suspicious, he didn’t show it, instead his focus
shifted back to the weapon. “You hold the
erfos
in just the same way,
only there is no trigger as such.” He placed the gun
—erfos—
in her hands.
“It’s more a close-range weapon, in that it doesn’t have a sight mechanism like
your Earth guns apparently do, and its ray is much less effective the farther
away you shoot.”

Her breath hitched as he stepped behind her, his big body
braced against her spine and his arms around her. “Hold the handle of the
erfos
close to your eye to allow its internal composition to see what you
see.”

She did as he asked and in just the same way the handlebars
of his
cercanne
lit up green before takeoff, so did the
erfos
the
moment she lifted it to eye level. “How do I fire it?”

He pushed the barrel of the
erfos
down and the light
immediately faded. “Swipe the pad of your thumb anywhere along the lighted
area.” His face was all serious. “But only your thumb. Your fingers won’t
trigger its burn ray.”

“Burn ray,” she repeated weakly, thinking what a horrible a
death that would be.

“Yes. It relies on the suns to recharge, which gives you
around thirty seconds between each shot.” His face was dead serious. “A
caltronian
has no real weak spot, but if shooting from a distance, use the ray on his
face to temporarily blind him and you’ll have half a chance of escape.”