48. Rin

48

Rin

Electricity ripples across my stomach and down to my core, making me swallow thickly when my eyes move from his eyes to his lips and back again.

"Thank you for doing this with me. I know you could have just thrown me over your shoulder and dragged me back to Ree, but you decided to help me and I appreciate it."

His marks flutter, the glowing patterns shifting with the unspoken emotion. He seems pleased, then snorts, the sudden breath of air making his braids clack together. "I don't know, Nasrin. We haven't talked about it, but haven't you noticed how much stronger you are now?"

"I thought I had imagined it."

"Try to lift me."

Now it's my turn to snort. "Are you insane? I'd break my back."

"Just try it."

I roll my eyes, deciding to humor him so we can move past this conversation. I stand up, take a step forward, crouch down so I can grab him right above his knees, and after a moment of thinking about how it will just make him fall over if I do that, I chide myself for even thinking it's possible and lift.

To my surprise, I manage to lift him off the ground. The shock is evident on my face, but he's already preparing to lean over my shoulder as I easily move him upward. "What?"

"Stand up all the way now," he orders and I follow his directions, my jaw drops open in disbelief.

Then I start giggling. "I'm the one that can carry you thrown over my shoulder."

I can't stop laughing and have to tip him back onto his legs before I drop him. A growl from him and his hands all over my body is all it takes to stop me, though.

"That was beyond attractive, Nasrin," he purrs into my ear. "I need inside of you. Right now."

Then he's spinning me around as my suit recedes and pressing my front into the side of the cave wall, thankfully free of mushrooms and dry from the light that must hit it during the evening. As soon as he pushes a thick finger inside of me, I stop thinking about it.

"Already wet," he hisses out, then makes a deep click of satisfaction before I hear a rustling sound. A moment later, he's lifting me higher, pressing into me, filling me up.

After making sure I've adjusted to him, he starts stroking into me, the new angle opening my eyes to all the possibilities we haven't even explored yet. Each thrust is far more intense like this. I'm already whimpering out my pleasure by the fourth stroke.

I place my hands on the wall so I can push myself back against him, increasing the pleasure as he slaps into me.

"Harder," I urge him.

He surrenders, no longer holding back, as our bodies collide, a slapping sound echoing out of the cave. Over and over, as I crest higher and his breathing becomes more erratic. I'm not prepared when the pleasure hits and I have to quickly clamp down on the scream that starts to rise.

Once he hears it, he increases his pace, pounding into a spot inside of me that takes my breath away, harder and harder until I come again, this time losing track of what's happening around me for a long moment and coming back to awareness as he spins me, then pushes back in as he uses the cave wall to keep me upright and uses his large hands on each thigh to spread me as wide as he can, pushing my knees up toward my chest.

Then he pounds into me, his mouth open and showing all of his teeth and it's so intense it's right on the edge of pain. But I stare into his bright green eyes and take it, urging him on with my gaze until he comes with a roar.

Both of us are panting when he pulls me back from the cave wall, his hands checking my skin to make sure he didn't hurt me. He's twitching inside of me as he rubs his hands all down my back, and cups me to him, grinding into me to keep chasing the pleasure.

After a moment, he moves us back to our bed of grass and I look around our little cave. It is spartan but serviceable. Soon after I'm falling asleep again on it.

***

I wake to the feel of his hands in my hair again. His hands reach around my neck and he pushes all my hair to the back and starts to run his hand through the braids gently, his fingers massaging my scalp.

My eyes flutter shut and I lean against him, gasping softly when a deep rumbling in his chest sends vibrations across my entire body.

"Your hair," he starts speaking, his chin rubbing against the sensitive tips of my ears. "It's changed."

My first instinct is to panic and pull my hair to my face and see what he is talking about, but he beats me to both actions.

He pushes my hair forward so that the braids are spilling over my shoulders and I see that the stark white has been pleasantly interrupted by stripes of black. "It looks so beautiful. I only wish you could be imprinted on me the way I am on you."

I turn to hide my blush.

There is a wistfulness in his voice that lets me know it is something he truly has been thinking about.

I turn around, wrapping my hands around his neck.

He is so much taller than me that my feet are nearly off the ground, but his hands go to cup my rear and he lifts me up.

I feel tingling in my cheeks just as the bioluminescent patterns on his start moving and I lower my face to his.

His mouth meets mine halfway and sparks travel through my body and straight between my legs.

When I roll my hips against his hands, he moans softly into my mouth and lowers me so we are pressed against each other. I feel his hardness against me and smile into the kiss.

He pulls away and looks at me tenderly, his mouth with a slight smile of its own.

I can feel myself melting into him, both of our essences mixing and becoming one singular being. Hearing myself think that almost makes me recoil, but it feels real to me, almost magical.

Each time we touch each other we discover more about each other's bodies. I thought it would be tricky, but when I am with him, our bodies just know what to do. It's something primal about our connection that I have been having a hard time understanding, but I have decided to not care and instead just lose myself inside of whatever this is.

I kiss him again, a little more fiercely this time. By the time he lets me down from his arms, my black suit has nearly receded from my body and the corner of the cave we are in is illuminated beautifully with green light.

I hadn't even consciously done it, but my body seems to have taken control from my brain and I'm not opposed to that in the least.

He is still fully clothed and staring at me with a glazed look, like he has seen something different.

I clasp my hands over my chest self-consciously and the light from them makes me look down in shock. " Ya Allah ," I gasp as I look at my hands and notice that they are glowing a beautiful shade of green, a little lighter than Kuret's because of the silver sheen all over me. "Is it everywhere?" I ask him, unable to contain the giddiness in my voice.

Kuret's voice breaks when he replies to me. "It is."

I can't tell if it's from seeing me naked or from the glow on my skin, but a wave of self-consciousness hits me like a train. My body must look so alien to him, so different from what he's used to. This is an individual that isn't even used to the females on his own planet even talking with him, and here I am before him, some sort of genetic amalgamation.

A storm of what-ifs floods my mind and I start panicking; what if I have unintentionally rushed things? What if he doesn't like what he sees? What if, what if… The what-ifs run through my head like wild animals across a field, but I push them out of my mind and move my hands from my body.

Whatever it is he sees, it's me now. And I won't hide from that.

If he didn't want to be here, he wouldn't be.

I decide I don't want to listen to the voices of self-doubt in my head anymore.

A fortnight ago, I would have screamed bloody murder and tried to separate my skin from my body but being here and having Kuret stare at my naked body with all the adoration in the world makes me realize that maybe I don't need to change the entire world at one time.

I can begin focusing on the world around me, gradually working my way up to the place I want to be.

He's become the center of it, but not in a way that confines me. He's a partner, and a protector.

I've been resisting all of this for so long, even though my body has been ahead of me, trying to get my brain and heart to catch up. Well, it finally has, and I find my usual boldness again to let him know about it.

"I love you, Kuret. I know you don't have marriage in your culture, but you have a bond brother. Surely we can be our own version of that."

His marks flair, and my new ones flair in return. "Yes, Nasrin. You are my bond… female. And I am your bond male. Forever."

He moves toward me now, pulling me tight against him, making me feel cherished. I squeeze him back, for once happy with my newfound strength.

We can protect each other, and the argila. We'll find Olivia, then we will help find the others.

Together.

I reach a hand up and rub it against the side of his face, watching his eyes flutter close as he leans into it lovingly, then opens his eyes again, his stare intense. "You are the most beautiful thing I will ever lay my eyes on, Nasrin."

The pleasant shock of his words makes me pull my hands away, but he holds them in place and his eyes open.

"And you get more beautiful each day."

He pulls me to him and seals his declarations with a soft kiss that I deepen as I start to tug on his shirt. In record time, he unfastens it from his body and starts to undo his trousers when we are interrupted by a soft braying sound that is unmistakably the baby argila.

I gasp and cover my chest with my hands and imagine my jumpsuit covering me up while Kuret distracts him by making clicking sounds and lifting him into his arms.

"Well, hello there, little one," I say with a smile after I am fully clothed, my face hot from the shame of being interrupted. I almost feel like a parent who got interrupted by their child and the thought of it makes me grin wider.

I scratch at his head and he nips playfully at my hand, making Kuret gasp dramatically and place him back on the ground.

He crouches as if to scold the baby, but the furry ball races out before he can get a word in, standing at the mouth of the cave to give us a naughty bleat before making his way out.

Kuret stands with his hands beside him, a cross of amusement and annoyance on his face. "That one is going to be trouble, don't you think?"

I nod my head. "He is, and I think I have the perfect name for him."

Kuret looks at me with a wide, toothy grin. "What is it?"

"Azar," I say, feeling very intelligent. "It means fire ."

He moves back to me and his lips come down on mine once more before turning back to watch the baby's antics. "Azar is the perfect name for him."

He walks to the mouth of the cave, and stares out of it, looking picturesque in the faded light of the sun before he speaks again. "We should head out to continue our search for Olivia." He turns to look at me with a mischievous smile. "We can pick up where we left off when we return."

I tuck my hair behind my ears and nod, silently thanking him for grounding me and refocusing me on our mission.

Rising to my feet, I brush the dust off.

"We'll find her soon," he promises, extending his hand for me to take.

I pull one of his braids. "We better, or we're going to grow old together in this cave."

"Well, I like part of that plan, but how about we find somewhere better than a cave long before our bones give out from lying on a pile of grass?"

I snort out a breath. "I like your thinking, Kuret."

He smiles, but then turns more serious. "The wind isn't violent now. I think we can look for her."

"I agree. Where first?"