Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A 'rien smiled as A'reka nestled closer to him in her sleep. They had both been too exhausted to do more than seek the shelter of a boulder far above the waterline. She had cried over his wounds, told him she loved him, and finally drifted off to sleep, Peri curled in her lap.

His arm ached and his head throbbed, but he couldn't sleep.

Despite his relief that his female was at his side and that she loved him, he wondered if anything had really changed. Could he keep her safe on this primitive planet?

At least he'd managed to save her from the monster in the sea. He had never been more terrified than when it had dragged her under the water. He had attacked it without any hope of killing it, only of diverting it enough to prevent it from going after A'reka. But for once his luck held and he'd managed to sink his blade deep into its eye. He didn't think it was a killing blow, but when he pulled the blade free, it released him and sank back into the depths.

But now what? He looked out across the deceptively tranquil water, searching for the island far in the distance. He could never risk returning there, but he had felt more at home there than he ever had anywhere else.

"I miss the island," A'reka said sleepily, echoing his thoughts. "I'm sorry we left."

"So am I, but it was the right decision." He hesitated, the words sticking in his throat. "Do you still want to find the location on the map?"

"What?" She sat up and glared at him. "Weren't you paying attention earlier? I love you, you big dope, and I have no intention of leaving you."

Relief flooded him as he pulled her back down in his arms. "I was just checking."

She snorted but settled against him. "Although maybe we should still head in that direction."

Dammit, there went his pulse again. "Why?"

"If it's a place with enough technology to send people between planets, maybe it has something we can scavenge."

"My little thief."

She shrugged. "Now that we've decided to stay, we might as well be as comfortable as possible. Do you still know how to find it?"

"It should be easy enough. We'll head down the coast until we reach a river, then turn inland."

"Sounds like a plan."

Her hand trailed across his chest, and he caught the familiar scent of her arousal.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" she whispered.

"Yes," he said solemnly, hiding his smile.

Her hand stilled, but he urged it back into motion. "But not there."

"No?" He heard the laughter in her voice as she caught on to the game. "What about here?"

Soft lips closed around his earlobe and tugged gently. He felt the pull all the way to his cock.

"Not there."

"Hmm." She carefully straddled his lap, watching his face as she did. "What about this? Is this okay?"

"It would be better if you were closer."

She wiggled closer, close enough that he could feel her hot little cunt against the base of his cock. He automatically reached for her, forgetting his wounded arm, and hissed.

The laughter on her face died away, and she started to climb off of him. He grabbed her with his good arm and pulled her back down.

"That part doesn't hurt," he assured her.

"Are you sure? You don't want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"Humans have healing saliva as well?" Why had she never mentioned that before?

"No, it's just an expression." She bent down and kissed the tip of his cock, then grinned at him. "Doesn't that feel better?"

"Definitely. But it could feel even better."

As she started to lean over again, he stopped her, urging her up on her knees instead. Her body hovered just above the head of his cock, then descended with excruciating slowness. If both arms had been working, he would have taken control, but this time he waited as patiently as possible as she slowly worked her way down his shaft until her tight, silky channel surrounded him.

"Tell me if this hurts," she whispered.

"It only hurts when you stop moving."

Despite his encouragement, she moved with excruciatingly pleasurable slowness, raising and lowering her body in long, rolling waves. Her face flushed, and her nipples tightened into hard little peaks as she hovered on the edge of climax, her movements growing increasingly frantic.

"Help me," she gasped, once more poised over the head of his cock.

To hell with his wounded arm. His female needed him.

Ignoring the spike of pain, he seized her hips and slammed her down over him in one hard thrust. She cried out, her body impossibly tight around his as her convulsing channel sent his own climax roaring through him.

She sagged forward against his chest. His wounded arm ached but he had no regrets. He put his good arm around her and finally fell asleep, smiling.

It took them a week to travel up the coast and find the river, but Erica didn't care. The mainland wasn't as lush as their island, but A'rien proved as capable at providing for her as he had been on the island. Peri seemed equally happy to explore the new territory—and just as capable at finding food. They walked until they were tired, the distance increasing as A'rien's strength returned, then stopped to rest and eat. And they spent each night wrapped in each other's arms.

They arrived at the mouth of the river just after noon, but A'rien decided to make camp for the night and she didn't protest. She knew the thought of approaching the mysterious location on the map made him nervous, and she couldn't claim she was entirely comfortable with the idea, but it would be so much easier on him if they could scavenge a few tools.

He made love to her that night with an almost desperate intensity, until she was limp with exhaustion and happiness. The faint pleasant ache between her legs the next day kept her in a low state of arousal all day. She could hardly wait until they made camp that night.

The landscape had changed from the rather rocky shore to a wide stretch of grassy plain, but A'rien didn't stop until they reached the edge of the jungle that flanked one side of the grasslands.

"It's too exposed along there," he told her. "I feel more comfortable amongst the trees."

"This looks like a good spot," she agreed.

He kissed her and went to collect water from the river while she foraged for food. As always, Peri found it first and she laughed as she followed him to a bush ripe with clusters of pink fruit.

"You're an excellent food detective, Peri."

He chittered agreeably, then suddenly froze. His small body stiffened, and he actually bared his teeth.

"What on earth's the matter?"

Her mouth went dry as she followed his glare. An alien male stood there, staring at her. A big green almost naked alien.

"Who are you?" he demanded, and it took her shocked brain much longer than it should have to process the fact that he was speaking English.

"I… I'm Erica," she stuttered as she started to back away. Was he the one who had brought them here?

He certainly didn't look as if he possessed any advanced technology, although there was a long, sharp knife thrust through the belt that was his only clothing.

She jerked her eyes away and took another step back.

"Where did you come from?"

"Earth?" she squeaked.

Peri snarled again as the stranger frowned, but then A'rien was there, crouched in front of her with his hand on his own knife. An almost identical knife…

The two males growled at each other, but her brain was finally starting to work.

"Wait a minute." She grabbed A'rien's arm before he got any closer to the other male. To her immense relief, the other male also paused. "He speaks English."

"I don't care."

"You should. What if he was sent here just like we were?"

That got his attention. He still glared at the green alien, but he was no longer poised to attack.

"Do you have a human female?" A'rien barked.

"That is none of your business, stranger."

The arrogance in his voice made A'rien bristle, but before he could respond, a pretty, plump, obviously human woman with long dark hair came flying into the clearing.

"What's going on? I thought I heard voices. Oh."

Startled blue eyes met Erica's before the green alien pushed her gently behind him. "Not now, Jane."

"Jane? I'm Erica," she called around A'rien, who had also moved in front of her.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad to meet you." The small dark head kept trying to peer around the alien's big green chest, and he kept blocking her.

Erica started to laugh. Both males looked shocked, but some of the tension leached out of the clearing.

"A'rien, it's fine," she said soothingly. "I would really like to talk to Jane."

"And I want to talk to you too," the other woman yelled. "Cut it out, Tarax."

"Cut what out?" he asked, his hand dropping to his knife.

It shouldn't have been funny, but she couldn't help laughing again, and A'rien finally relaxed.

"She is human also?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," Jane answered, as Tarax finally stopped blocking her.

She immediately rushed over and hugged Erica. Startled, but not displeased, she returned the hug, only to realize that the other woman wasn't simply plump. She was pregnant.

Someone had taken a pregnant woman? Hundreds of questions rushed through her mind, but after a quick glance at the stern green alien, she decided they would wait until she had a chance to be alone with the other woman.

"I'm so happy to see you." Jane beamed up at her, tears sparkling on her lashes. "We thought there might be others, but we weren't sure."

"We had maps indicating a location close to here," A'rien interjected.

The other couple exchanged a quick glance.

"Are you intending to return to your planets?" Tarax asked, his voice carefully neutral.

"No!" They both spoke at once as A'rien grabbed her hand.

"But we thought maybe there was some technology there we could use," Erica added.

"I see." He actually sounded faintly approving.

"It's too late to go there tonight. Why don't you come spend the night with us?" Jane asked eagerly. "Then we can take you there tomorrow."

A'rien opened his mouth, but she spoke first. "That sounds lovely."