Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A s they set out into the desert, Sabrost was so busy reproaching himself for his audacity in daring to touch the Chosen of the Goddess that he almost missed the fact that she was wincing as she walked.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.

She gave him a rueful smile and held up a reddened foot. "The sand isstillhot."

Of course, the heat of the sun had not yet left the sand. Shame filled him that he had been too lost in his own guilt to have noticed earlier.

"I'm sorry. I should have been more aware of the conditions."

He reached for her, intending to carry her, but she backed away. His heart skipped a beat. Had he shamed himself so badly in her eyes?

"Youdontneedtocarryme."

She mimed him holding her, then shook her head.

"It would be an honor," he assured her, but she stepped back.

Looking around for inspiration, he noticed the tattered hem of the blanket. If she would permit him to take more of it…

He did his best to indicate his intentions, and she finally sighed and waved her hand. " Go ahead ."

This was different from the last time he had taken some of the material. He had to kneel down beside her, close to the warmth of her body, close enough to taste the lingering scent of her arousal. An unworthy sense of pride filled him. She had stepped away so quickly that he hadn't been sure, but it was obvious now.

She had been aroused by his touch.

A touch he should not have made, he reminded himself.

But she was so perfect, so tempting. Even now he longed to brush his fingers across the smooth skin of her calf, to wrap his hand around her leg, to slide it higher and find out what was hidden beneath that tempting patch of gold…

No .

He forced himself to concentrate on his task as he cut off more of the cloth, then fashioned coverings for her small feet. When he indicated that she should raise one foot so he could tie the covering in place, she obeyed, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep her balance.

Her soft little fingers clutched at him, and he had a sudden vision of her holding on to him in just such a way as he worshipped her body. His kalu jerked.

Goddess, what was wrong with him?

Was this Her test? To see how he responded to almost unbearable temptation?

"Sabrost? Issomethingwrong?'

Janet's voice recalled him to his senses, and with a muttered apology, he completed his task.

She smiled up at him as she placed her now covered feet back on the sand.

"Thatsmuchbetter."

"Better," he repeated.

"Yes. Thank you."

They set out again, and he did his best to temper his pace to her much smaller steps. The sand was soft and warm beneath his feet, the air dry and pleasant as it brushed across his scales, and his spines flared with pleasure. How much he had missed this.

He had often wondered why the Goddess had chosen to establish Her Temple on Lisko when there were so many more pleasant worlds She could have chosen. But then again, many of his fellow monks had enjoyed the cool, green serenity. What would they think when they came to collect him for the ceremony? He hoped they would understand that it was one of the Tetlana's miracles, not a failure on his part.

A short time later, the sun sank in a blaze of glory along the horizon, setting the sky alight with shades of rose and gold. They both paused to watch as it finally sank below the horizon.

"Beautiful," Janet breathed.

"Beautiful," he agreed, but he was no longer looking at the sunset.

Her cheeks turned a shade of pink that matched the sky before she looked away and started walking once more.

The wind picked up soon after the sun went down, and the temperature dropped rapidly. He saw her shiver and realized that the way she had arranged the cloth, while undoubtedly becoming, left most of her arms and shoulders bare.

He stopped again.

"You are cold, valitta."

She frowned up at him and, greatly daring, he ran a finger along the cool skin of her upper arm. Her soft flesh quivered at his touch.

"You should cover yourself."

He tried to tug the cloth over her arms, and only succeeded in causing it to part between her breasts.

"Stop." Her small hand came up to cover his. "Turn around."

This time he understood her command and obeyed immediately. When she gave him permission to turn back, more of her was covered but she was holding the cloth together with one hand. He could see the ends flutter in the breeze. She was not sufficiently protected, and that was unacceptable.

Without giving her a chance to protest, he wrapped the cloth more tightly around her and lifted her into his arms. The feel of her hard little nipples pressing against his chest sent a jolt of pleasure through his body, but he did his best to ignore it.

"Sabrost! Youcant carry me," she protested, but at least she wasn't fighting him this time.

" Yes. Carry you ," he said firmly, and set off into the gathering darkness.

With a sigh, she settled into his arms without further argument. Thank the Goddess.

The last remnants of the sun had faded, but he had excellent night vision and had taken his bearing before the sun disappeared. If he had interpreted the map correctly, they would be leaving the sand behind and heading into a rockier area. Hopefully, it would be more capable of supporting life.

"Whydoyouthinkweendeduphere?" Janet asked suddenly, tapping his chest, then her own, and pointing out at the desert.

"I do not know, valitta," he admitted.

Was it a test? Or could it be an answer to his prayer? He had asked Tetlana to help him find peace and, despite the strange circumstances, he did feel at peace. Walking through the desert beneath the wide, starry sky, his female soft and fragrant and protected in his arms, filled him with a satisfaction far deeper than translating a musty scroll into a new language.

Wait. His female?

His spines flared at his presumption. He was quite sure that Janet was a Chosen of Tetlana. And yet, if She had sent them both here, did She intend Janet for him?

If She had, he vowed he would prove himself worthy.

"MaybeIdiedinthatcrash," she murmured. "Althoughyoudontlooklikeanangel."

He couldn't understand any part of what she said, but when he looked down at her, he could see her smiling up at him. His arms tightened for the briefest of instants.

He must prove worthy.

She continued to talk to him as they walked. Much of what she said was unintelligible, but he began to pick up the structure of her language, as well as certain words. If he understood correctly, on her planet she was responsible for gifting people with drinks – no doubt an important job. She had encountered something called snow – which sounded most unpleasant – and ended up on this planet.

"And you?" she asked.

" I sleep ."

"Hmm." Her small fingers tapped rhythmically against his chest. "So we were both unconscious."

She continued to speculate about how they might have arrived here, but he had a hard time following her theories. He wished he had enough knowledge of her language to tell her that the Goddess had brought them.

Eventually her words stopped. He could tell that she wasn't asleep, but she seemed content to rest silently in his arms as he walked through the night.

The landscape gradually began to change – the soft, open sand replaced by harder, rockier ground. They began to climb as well, into what he thought were the low hills indicated on the map. Large boulders surrounded them, and his pace slowed as he threaded his way through them.

He stumbled once, and then again.

"Maybe we should stop for the night. Get an early start in the morning," Janet suggested. "You must be tired."

Offended at her lack of confidence, he was about to reject the suggestion when he realized that perhaps she was the one who was weary.

" Safe sleep ," he agreed, and slowed even further as he began looking for the best place to rest.

There wasn't much to choose from, but he eventually settled on a narrow opening in one of the larger rocks. The small entrance would be easy to defend.

She made him put her down and he reluctantly turned away while she attended to her bodily needs. When she returned to his side, she was shivering.

He wished he could make a fire but although he might be able to strike a spark from the surrounding rocks, there was absolutely no tinder for a fire. At least the crevice he had spotted would provide some protection.

He wedged himself into the small area, then patted his chest.

" Sleep here ."

"You want me to sleep on you?"

" Sleep here. Warm ," he added when she hesitated.

"I suppose it does make sense to share heat. All right, but no funny business."

" No funny business ," he repeated. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it was obviously a warning of some kind.

That enchanting smile crossed her face again as she somewhat cautiously lowered herself onto his thigh. He tugged her firmly against his chest, making sure that the cloth covered her completely. For a moment she stiffened, then she sighed and nestled against him. Her soft little bottom settled between his legs, the warmth and pressure sending an almost painful streak of pleasure to his kalu.

"Sleep, valitta. You are safe," he whispered.