Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

D espite his explanation, Janet couldn't help but feel guilty as Sabrost climbed out of their bed. On the other hand, he'd been a very willing participant in their encounters. Very willing, she thought reminiscently. And she suspected she needed him much more than that monastery of his needed him.

He glanced at the door opening, then returned to her side, his face solemn.

"I need to finish my investigation of the cavern."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Stay here and rest."

"You know I really don't need as much rest as you seem to think," she said tartly.

"I'm sorry. I did not know if our… encounter would tax your strength."

The obvious concern on his face made her ashamed that she'd snapped at him, but then his words penetrated.

"What do you mean, you didn't know? Sabrost, have you had sex before?"

"No." He studied her earnestly. "Did I please you?"

"Very much so. Apparently you're a natural."

He smiled and she saw his spines straighten.

"I'm glad that I pleased you, valitta. You must tell me if I don't behave appropriately."

He looked so sincere that her chest ached, but she managed to smile.

"I promise. Now go investigate."

"You do not wish to come?"

"No, it's fine." She suddenly felt the need to spend some time alone to sort out her confused emotions.

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and left.

She stared after him. A virgin priest. An alien virgin priest. When she had told Alice that she would make better choices, this wasn't quite what she had in mind.

"Maybe he was my type all along," she sighed.

Tinkerbell let out a long trill, then fluttered over to the bed, and pushed his small head under Janet's finger. She laughed and stroked his crest.

"You're my type too. Shall we go have another look around this complex while Sabrost is away?"

The two of them explored more of the buildings, but the unchanging light and the rush of the water felt oppressive this morning. They were back in the sleeping room when Sabrost returned with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I have found what I believe to be another exit."

"Isn't that good?"

He hesitated, pacing to the other side of the room and back, and she could see his spines quivering.

"It looks as if it was deliberately blocked," he said finally.

"Recently?"

"No. Its age looks commensurate with the rest of these buildings."

"Then if there was a threat, it would be long gone."

"Perhaps." His scales shimmered. "But the healing pools are still working."

He had a point, but…

"Is there any other way to leave? What about following the river?"

He shook his head. "The current is too fast and the water is barely above freezing. Even so, I might be tempted to try it if I knew there were pockets of oxygen along the way."

She shuddered. The thought of being swept along in the dark, icy river with no air terrified her.

"I vote for oxygen," she said firmly. "You said the exit was blocked. Can you find a way through?"

"I think so. The rock is loose. It will take time, but I think I can shift enough of it to reach the doorway."

"And I can help you. That will make it go faster."

He immediately protested, but when he left to begin the work, she followed him.

The exit he had found was a massive door, mostly concealed beneath a pile of rocks in the far corner of the cavern. Fortunately, most of them were small and relatively easy to move. Despite his objections, she began removing the ones she could carry.

It was a long, hard day and by the time he finally called a halt, they had only uncovered the top of the huge door. It was obvious that it would take several more days before they would be able to clear away the rest of the rock.

"I'm sorry that I was unable to make more progress," Sabrost said as they dragged their tired bodies towards the healing pools.

"It's fine. It's not as if we are in a hurry." The thought stopped her in her tracks.

"Janet?" Sabrost turned back for her.

"It's nothing."

But it was something, she thought. She really wasn't in a hurry to return to Earth, to her familiar life. Oh, there were a number of things that she missed, but being here with Sabrost was somehow much more satisfying.

"And there are worse places to be stuck," she added with a smile. "We have food and water and hot baths."

"And each other," he added, dark eyes fixed on her face.

A lump appeared in her throat, and she had the sudden urge to blurt out the fact that she loved him. But he hadn't said anything, and maybe it was too soon. She had been wrong about men before.

Even though she knew she was being a coward, she didn't respond verbally. Instead, she kissed him and led him to the pool and proceeded to show him with her body what she could not say with her mouth.

Two work periods later, Sabrost stared up at the ceiling of the cavern far above him. It gleamed pink and gold, appearing eternal and unchanging. And yet, he knew that it was changing constantly, that the stalactites continued to grow, while around him these buildings – whatever their purpose – would eventually disappear beneath the slow accumulation of sediment.

He tried to sleep, but his thoughts would not let him. The constant soft pink light was disorienting, one day bleeding into the next without change. They would wake and he would hunt for more fish, then they would tackle the door. When the effort became too much, they would seek the respite of the healing pools, and then they would sleep.

There was an eerie similarity to the constant routine at the Temple, but at least here, he had Janet. She worked by his side, seemingly undaunted by their task. She talked to him and tried to make him laugh, and most importantly, she touched him. The soft press of her fingers against his arm could eliminate his fatigue, and the sight of her body never failed to arouse his kalu.

He could no longer imagine his life without her at his side. But what did that mean? What would they do once they left the cavern? The thought of reaching the destination on the map no longer appealed to him, but how could he keep her from her home?

He closed his eyes against the pink glow and tried to center his thoughts but failed to find the serenity of mind he had practiced for so long.

"Why are you awake?" Janet asked sleepily. "Is it morning?"

"Are there mornings here?" The bitter question escaped before he could prevent it. She rose up on one elbow to look at his face.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't have the courage to tell her what he had been thinking. "I think we may be able to open the door today."

"Isn't that good news?" She didn't give him a chance to respond before she slid a teasing hand down across his stomach, hovering just above his slit. "You know, there are reasons to appreciate mornings."

Her touch immediately distracted him from his dark thoughts. His kalu flexed inside his body.

"Such as?"

She bent her head and kissed her way down the sensitive edge of his slit. He heard his claws scrape across the rock as his fists clenched. She had convinced him that he did not need to wait for her permission to release his kalu, and he made no attempt to control it as it sprang free.

She lapped at him delicately, teasingly, then to his disappointment, sat back on her heels.

"You do not wish to continue?"

"I was just thinking…" Her eyes gleamed with mischief, and his kalu jerked. Whenever she had that expression on her face, the results were always pleasurable.

"What were you thinking?"

"Now that I know you were a virgin, I think it's my responsibility to introduce you to other… possibilities."

"I cannot believe that any other possibilities could be more pleasurable," he protested, but he was intrigued nonetheless.

"Let's try something." She turned over on her hands and knees, then smiled at him over her shoulder. "What do you think of this position?"

His kalu liked it very much. Her delightful sitti was framed between her thighs, while the smooth curve of her ass begged for his hands.

"It is permitted?"

"Oh yes."

She wiggled her hips enticingly, and he abandoned his questions. He surged forward, his hands gripping her hips just as he had imagined. Her entrance was perfectly positioned for his kalu and he slid into her in one long stroke. Her channel fluttered wildly around him, as her body tried to adjust to his size.

He heard her gasp, and he froze.

"Are you all right?"

"You feel even bigger in this position." Her voice sounded dazed and he regretfully started to withdraw. "That wasn't a complaint," she added, and he felt her deliberately tighten around him.

He hissed with pleasure, his hips jerking forward involuntarily, and she gasped again. In this position, it was an easy matter to reach beneath her and run his finger across her pleasure spot. A rush of liquid heat escaped as she quivered beneath his touch.

He rocked into her, slowly at first, but she didn't want slow. Her hips pushed back against him impatiently, demanding more, and he obeyed. He tightened his grasp on her hips and gave into temptation. He thrust harder, faster, lost to everything but the tight clasp of her body, her whispered cries, her scent filling his head.

She cried out again, louder this time, and he felt her convulse around him but his need was too great. He couldn't stop, plunging into her faster and harder, until he finally exploded in a seemingly endless rush of seed.

He collapsed down next to her, weak with pleasure, but uneasily aware that he had lost control.

"That was acceptable?"

"That was wonderful," she said dreamily, and he breathed a relieved sigh.

"You were right. There are many reasons to appreciate mornings."

She chuckled sleepily, sending a spike of pleasure through his embedded kalu. He tightened his arms around her, smiling as he finally drifted off to sleep.