Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

A manda stood, locked in place, as Va'rik tossed the flying creature aside without a second glance, then turned to her, running his hands frantically over her body. Her pulse thundered so loudly in her veins that she barely heard his anxious questions.

"Are you injured? Did it damage you?"

"I'm fine." Her voice shook, and her knees trembled, but she tried to give him a reassuring smile.

"Thank the gods." He drew her into his arms, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe, but she returned the embrace just as desperately. She could feel his body shaking. "My brave, foolish mate. How could you put yourself in danger like that?"

"There were two of them." She recovered enough to give him an indignant look. "I wasn't going to let it attack you from behind."

"It would have been less painful than seeing the rentava diving at you," he said firmly. "Where is Hammy?"

"Under the… No, he's right here," she amended as tiny paws seized her ankle. She reached down and picked him up, cuddling him close as he squeaked anxiously.

Va'rik reached over and stroked his head. "I am grateful that he warned us."

"Me too. Such a brave boy."

As she cooed over Hammy, Va'rik reluctantly let her go and began gathering their few supplies. "We need to leave this place."

"But why?" She hated the idea of traveling in the dark where they would be unable to see another attack.

"The bodies may attract more of their kind—or other predators. I would take them away, but I would have to leave you alone in order to do so." His eyes focused on her face, burning with sparks of purple fire. "And I will not do that."

Her heart gave an unwilling jump. He will leave , she reminded herself. Everyone does.

"All right." She cuddled Hammy closer to her chest as Va'rik kicked sand over their small fire and the darkness rushed in. "But I don't see very well in the dark."

"You will not need to see."

A hint of spice and a rush of warmth were the only warning before he lifted her into his arms.

"That doesn't mean I can't walk," she protested half-heartedly. After their encounter with those horrible flying things, being snuggled against a big muscular chest was undeniably appealing.

"You can't walk if you can't see." He sounded amused, even as he hurried into the darkness.

"I suppose not. I'm not too heavy?"

"A small female and an even smaller levet? I could carry a much larger female without taxing my strength."

An unexpected pang of jealousy hit her. She didn't like the idea of him carrying anyone else. But he would have to after she left, her inner voice pointed out. That is, if there were any others…

"Are there other females—I mean, people on this planet?"

"I do not know."

She felt him tense, and quickly changed the subject.

"Why are we going downhill?"

Despite the darkness, her eyes had adjusted enough to realize that he was carrying her down the heavily wooded side of the ridge.

"The rentava hunt along the ridgeline."

There was no censure in his voice, but she still winced guiltily. "You tried to tell me you didn't think we should go that way."

"But I had no logic to support my argument." She felt his chest move as he sighed. "Unfortunately, my memory only seems to be activated by actual encounters."

"I certainly hope we don't activate any more like that."

His arms tightened in a quick hug. "That would be my preference as well."

They continued to descend, and although she tried to keep an eye on the sky for danger, the darkness and the dense growth allowed for only limited visibility. On the positive side, hopefully that meant the flying creatures could not see them either.

The vegetation began to thin out as the terrain turned rocky again, and she could see stars twinkling overhead. Va'rik's pace slowed.

"I will find another place where we can rest. But I think perhaps no fire."

"Fine with me."

He slowed even more, obviously searching their surroundings, and finally gave a satisfied grunt. "I believe this will do."

He carried her into a narrow crevice in the rocks. It wasn't exactly a cave, since she could see a thin line of night sky above, but the overhead gap was too small to permit the creatures to enter. The passage widened at the bottom, so there was room for them to sit in relative comfort. Va'rik collapsed with a grateful sigh, still holding her on his lap.

"I told you I was too heavy," she scolded.

"And I told you that you were not. But my shoulder is somewhat uncomfortable."

Her stomach twisted as she remembered the gash she had seen earlier. "Oh no. I forgot that you were injured. I should never have let you carry me."

"Having you in my arms made the wound far less painful. It is only a scratch."

"It didn't look like a scratch to me. Let me see."

Despite his protest, she scrambled off his lap, sitting Hammy down next to him. The levet curled into a sleepy ball, and Va'rik stroked him as she retrieved the water bottle.

"Now bend forward."

There was just enough light that she could see the dark streak of the wound. Although it didn't seem to be bleeding, it was caked with dried blood. After a moment's thought, she removed the back panel of her loincloth, wet it, and used it to clean the long gash. Fortunately, it didn't appear to be too deep. When she was finished, she used his knife to tear the damp cloth into strips and tied the crude bandage in place.

"There. As long as it doesn't get infected, you should be fine."

"I do not think this body is easily infected."

His tone was suspiciously casual, and she frowned at him. "Is that an actual memory?"

He gave a half-shrug and pulled her back onto his lap. "I'm not sure, but the wound is not bothering me."

His fingers gently stroked her hip, and she realized that without the back of her loincloth, her naked butt was perched directly on the smooth skin of his muscular thighs.

The adrenaline lingering in her system made her skin feel shivery and urgent. His body was warm and hard beneath hers, his ever erect cock an intriguing thickness against her thigh. A reckless impulse swept over her. There was no one here to see, no one to report her wanton behavior. There was only the night sky and the whispering breeze and her big, sweet alien.

"Va'rik?" she whispered.

"Yes, my mate?"

"Do you remember that you asked if thank you kisses could be given in other places?"

"Yes." His body tensed.

"I'm going to give you a little demonstration. Just hold still, okay?"

"Hold still?"

She swung around until she was straddling his lap. "Don't move."

"Why would I— oh ," he groaned as she began pressing a line of small, sucking kisses down his neck.

His body turned rigid and she could hear him panting, but he obeyed her as she moved lower. She found the small, dark nubs of his nipples and suckled them gently. He groaned again, the sound almost pained. Startled, she drew back.

"Am I hurting you?"

"Only in the most delightful of ways," he assured her, but she could hear the strain in his voice.

"Are you sure?"

"I have never experienced such pleasure—but I want to thank you in return."

The thought sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine, but she wasn't quite ready to give up control.

"Not yet," she whispered, moving lower until she hovered over the head of his cock. So different, and yet so tantalizing. She swiped her tongue across the tip, and he shuddered, but no drops of precum appeared. Perhaps his race didn't respond the same way? But as she traced her tongue along one of the petaled edges of his shaft, delicious little pearls of fluid rewarded her explorations. He tasted like cinnamon candy, and she felt a corresponding rush of heat in her own body.

"Amanda," he gasped, his hips jerking up.

"Does this feel good?"

Without waiting for his response, she continued working her way slowly down his shaft, thoroughly exploring each petal as more of his sweetness teased her tongue. His body was so rigid that it was trembling, but he still didn't move. Determined to reward his obedience, she reversed her path until she was hovering over the head once more. His size almost gave her second thoughts, but she wanted to please him. Stretching her mouth around his head, she slowly eased her way down until she reached the first ring of petals, then sucked.

His hoarse cry echoed through the narrow canyon as a rush of sweet, spicy liquid filled her mouth. She did her best to swallow it all as he shuddered beneath her. Her own body throbbed, her nipples tight and her clit aching, but pleasing him was remarkably satisfying.

Raising her head, she looked up at him. His eyes were fixed on her face, sparks of purple fire glowing in the depths, and his tattoo seemed to flicker with the same light.

"Was that another type of thank you kiss?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Hopefully he couldn't see her blushing in the darkness. "I suppose you could call it that."

"You are changing color again," he said, dashing her hopes.

"So are you." She traced the lines of his tattoo, then frowned. The hint of light had disappeared. "Or at least I thought you were. Does your tattoo glow?"

"I do not know." He shrugged, his eyes still focused on her face. "May I move now?"

"Yes," she said, a little cautiously.

He immediately pulled her up against his chest, his arms tightening around her as he buried his face against her neck.

"I would kill a thousand rentavas to be thanked in such a manner."

An unexpected feeling of guilt made her wince.

"I wasn't thinking about that," she said truthfully. "I just wanted to make you happy."

"As long as we are together, I am happy."

He didn't seem to expect her to say anything, but as she nestled closer, she realized that she felt surprisingly content. It had been an exhausting, confusing, and sometimes terrifying day, but together they had made it through. Together …

As much as she would love to think she could have managed by herself, Va'rik's presence had been undeniably helpful. Despite his uncertain memory, he seemed to be at home on this strange planet. She thought a little ruefully of the two beds of branches she had so carefully gathered, but she suspected that he had been right all along. This was much more comfortable.

He was such a mystery, she thought, as she snuggled into the warmth of his big body. An intriguing combination of innocence and knowledge, sweetness and ferocity. Under other circumstances, she wouldn't have minded slowing the pace of the journey so they could spend the time getting to know each other. Jeanine's suggestion of a fun spring break sprang to mind, and she choked back a laugh. Somehow, she doubted this was what the other woman had in mind.

But the thought also reawakened her concerns about Billy. No matter how much she was enjoying her time with Va'rik, she had to get back to Earth as soon as possible.

But they couldn't travel in the dark and the events of the day were catching up with her. They would just have to get an early start in the morning, she decided, as exhaustion swept over her and she succumbed to sleep.