Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

V a'rik stayed awake long after his female had fallen asleep, her delightful body curled trustingly in his arms. His body still hummed with pleasure. Had he ever experienced such a sensation before? He couldn't believe that he would have forgotten, but perhaps it was only because Amanda had been the one thanking him that it had been so overwhelming.

His sweet mate. Except… She still did not accept that they were mates. There had to be an answer hidden somewhere in his memories.

He spent the rest of the night trying to unlock the secrets buried in his brain, but by the time the sun rose, all he had achieved was an aching head. Then Amanda opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile and his headache was forgotten. Her eyes were heavy, her cheeks flushed, and her soft body unbearably tempting. He wanted to… thank her.

Before she could sit up, he flipped their positions so that she was lying in the soft sand and he was leaning over her. Her eyes widened.

"Va'rik? What are you doing?"

"It is my turn to thank you," he said, and dropped his head to her neck.

She mumbled something that might have been a protest, but when he pressed his mouth to the tempting hollow just beneath her ear, he felt her nipples harden against his chest.

Mmm, she tasted delicious. Her sweet fragrance filled his senses as he kissed his way down her neck, then hovered uncertainly over her breasts. Would she enjoy his mouth there as he had enjoyed her mouth on him?

He curled his tongue around a small, tempting peak and gave it a gentle tug. He heard her gasp and started to pull away, but then her hands came to his head, pulling him closer. It appeared she approved.

Encouraged by her reaction, he licked and sucked and teased the small bud until it was dark and swollen, then happily repeated his actions on her other breast. Her small, encouraging cries drove him on as he discovered exactly how to please her.

Greatly daring, he slipped a hand down across her silky stomach to the small patch of curls between her thighs. Her legs parted for him, and her intoxicating fragrance increased as he discovered the slick heat between her legs. Unable to resist, he abandoned her luscious breasts and dipped between her thighs.

Her delicate folds were already flushed pink and glistening as he studied her eagerly, not quite sure how to proceed. But he had enjoyed it when she licked him. Perhaps…

He gently parted her lips and swiped his tongue along the glistening flesh in one long stroke. She cried out and her hips arched up, even as her taste exploded in his mouth, making him dizzy with desire. His cock throbbed, heavy and demanding, but he ignored it, lost in this new delight. He explored every inch, discovering the tight little entrance to her body and the small pearl of flesh that made her quiver and clutch his shoulders. He concentrated his efforts there, swirling his tongue around the hard little nub until her body tightened and her climax took her.

A fresh rush of liquid heat met his tongue, and he lapped at it eagerly, enjoying the way her body fluttered against his tongue until it finally stilled.

He raised his head as her eyes opened, dazed with pleasure.

"Thank you," he said solemnly.

Her lips curved. "I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."

"You did that last night," he pointed out. "I was thanking you for that experience."

She started to laugh, and he tilted his head.

"I am happy that you are amused, but I do not understand."

"It just occurred to me that this could continue indefinitely. I thank you and you thank me and on and on."

What a delightful prospect. "I have no objection to that plan."

A shadow crossed her face, then she gently pushed him away and sat up. "We won't be together forever. Just until we reach the location on the map—assuming that it actually is the way to return to Earth."

He could feel the sorrow washing over him as well, but he resolutely pushed it aside. He had promised to accompany her to her destination.

"Speaking of which," she continued. "Do you know where we are?"

"I think so." He pulled out the map and studied it as they ate leftover tubers to break their fast. "We can retrace our steps up to the ridgeline, then go down the other side to continue our journey."

She sighed. "In other words, we're back to the long way."

"I am afraid so." As much as he welcomed the additional time with her, he hated the look of disappointment on her face. As he tried to think of an alternative, he looked up to see Hammy hopping away from them down the narrow canyon. "Where is he going?"

"I don't know." She scrambled to her feet, heading after the levet. "Come back here, Hammy."

He briefly admired the lush curve of her ass, no longer covered by the unnecessary cloth, then quickly gathered their belongings and went after her.

Hammy led them the length of the canyon, always just out of reach, until it ended abruptly on a shelf of rock overlooking a sheltered valley. The hills curved around it on three sides, but opposite them, a narrow pass sloped down towards the sea.

Amanda picked up Hammy, scolding him gently, then turned to him. "What is this place?"

"I do not know." There was an odd, hushed stillness to the place, and something about the rock formations sprawled across the valley floor tugged at his memories. "It is not indicated on the map."

He pulled it out again to check, but the map only showed more hills. But if he had calculated their location correctly…

"If we cross the valley and then travel up the coast, it might be an easier journey," he said somewhat reluctantly.

"And shorter too," Amanda agreed. "Unless—do you think those bird things will be there?"

He searched his memory, then shook his head. "I think they inhabit the heights."

"Even better. Let's go."

His heart ached at her enthusiasm, but then she reached out and took his hand. At least she was with him now.

They worked their way down the hill to the floor of the valley, then started across it in the direction of the ocean. The pink stone beneath their feet was cracked and uneven, with a variety of small plants growing up between the rocks, but despite that, the relative smoothness made for easier walking.

The odd silence seemed to press down on him and his shoulders prickled as if he was being watched. He knew that it wasn't a logical reaction, but he was learning to pay more attention to his instincts. He pulled Amanda closer and she didn't object, their hands still locked together, their arms brushing.

He was so busy scanning for danger that he almost stumbled when Amanda came to an abrupt halt, staring at the ground.

"Look," she whispered.

He followed her gaze and at first the only thing he noticed was that the rock was curved—but then he realized that the curve continued across multiple stones, forming the edge of a vast circular plaza. This was not a natural feature.

"This has to be manmade," she added. "I mean, made by whoever lives on this planet—or maybe, lived on this planet. It all looks very, very old."

The eerie feeling shivered over his skin again as he studied the outline of the plaza, clearer now that he knew what he was looking for. The way the hills seemed to follow the curve triggered another recollection.

"I know this place," he said slowly.

"Maybe you came through here on your way to where we met?"

"I do not think so. I knew this place when it was different." He pointed at the surrounding hills, certainty growing deep inside. "Those were the laboratories. They stretched back under the hills for miles." He spun around. "And this was the town. Small houses of pink stone leading down to the sea. There was a port there once—before everything ended."

"I think you're right. I can see traces of what you're describing." She gave him a puzzled look. "Maybe you read about it, or saw it in a painting."

"No." The memories flooding over him were far too vivid to have been experienced secondhand. "I was here. I remember the last day—this place filled with what was left of our people before they entered the labs." The sorrow of that day pressed against him with a smothering weight.

"You can't," Amanda protested. "Look at this place—it's a ruin. It must be thousands of years old."

"Come with me." He led her to one side of the plaza, then up a short distance to a smaller terrace that overlooked it. They had stood here while the people gathered. Even though the surface was cracked and worn, the remnants of the great symbol were still visible. "Look. Do you see that? It's the same as this mark." He put his hand over the markings on his chest.

"You're right." Her hand came up to trace the dark lines. "Do you remember what it means now?"

"The four elements—earth and fire, water and air—working together in harmony." He traced the petals of his own symbol as he spoke. "We call it the Elaman. It represents our hope for the future."

Grief swamped him as more of his memories came flooding back. He could see his people walking across the huge space, thin and frail. There had been so few left, so pitifully few, and the responsibility for their continuation rested with him and La'tok'at'bron.

La'tok'at'bron! The name triggered an odd feeling of warmth, but he couldn't associate a face or body with it, only the faintest memory of a voice.

"It must be something you've heard about," Amanda repeated, but her small face was worried.

"No, I was here." He pointed at the hill behind them. "One of the entrances to the labs is right there."

"Do you want to go and see?"

"No!" He shuddered. "There's nothing left but darkness and… danger."

"You know this is impossible, right? People just don't live that long. Unless… maybe you were in some kind of suspended animation?"

He tilted his head, considering. Her suggestion held a certain degree of logic, but somehow it didn't feel quite right. Pain stabbed at his temple, and he winced.

"Stop trying to remember," she said quickly. "You don't need to know, do you?"

"I always need to know."

The words emerged with the certainty of absolute truth, but then she put her arms around him and knowledge seemed less important than the comfort of her presence. She grounded him in the present and not the sorrows of the past.

"But I suppose it is not necessary to discover all of the answers once," he admitted.

She smiled up at him, and warmth flooded him. He bent his head and kissed her, her soft lips welcoming him. Remembering the way she had responded to his tongue earlier, he ran his along her plump lower lip. Her breath caught, and then her lips parted, welcoming him inside. He groaned, and delved deeper into her tempting mouth as pleasure washed over him. She returned his kiss just as enthusiastically, her hands clutching his shoulders. By the gods, he would never tire of this delight.

He finally, reluctantly, raised his head, noting with satisfaction that her eyes were heavy with pleasure and her mouth pink and swollen.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"To thank you, of course. For being here with me." That curious flicker of knowledge—of certainty —that she had been chosen for him reappeared, but he kept it inside.

More of the delightful color washed across her cheeks. "I'm glad that you're here too. I'm sure I would have made it on my own—eventually—but… it's better with you here."

Something nudged their ankles, and they both looked down to see Hammy looking up at them expectantly. She laughed and picked him up. "I'm glad you're here too, Hammy. You're part of our little travel family."

Family. The word crashed into him like a boulder, and he almost fell to his knees as a second wave of sorrow rushed over him.

"Va'rik, what's wrong?"

"I have no family." A memory surfaced. An old man, frail and stubborn, turning his back, refusing to take part in the great experiment. "He would not join us."

"Who?"

The memory was already fading, leaving only a vast well of grief behind. "I think he was my father."

Her arms encircled him again, and he clung to her, warm and alive and at his side.