37. Ree

37

Ree

I can't hear which way he goes and my heart is in my throat for many long minutes. I keep my breathing shallow to hear as much as possible.

I startle when I hear a scream. He must have envenomated the hunter.

It seems like it's at least a mile off and behind me, possibly on the back side of this rock face on the other end of a plateau. Then it sounds like the scream is rapidly moving farther away.

My brow is furrowed, trying to work it out and then it occurs to me.

The hunter must have fallen off a cliff.

I have a sudden image of Thivoll tumbling over the edge with them and then I shut down that line of thought. I know I can't get any farther away from the ledge, but I try anyway.

Long moments pass with me trying to think of anything else but cliffs and falling.

I'm still actively pressing my body against the rock behind me when a dark shape is suddenly flying at me.

I let out a screech and barely dodge to the side as a clawed pincher scrapes along the rock beside me. Then I can smell the caustic scent of the creature that bit Thivoll.

Was it just waiting for me to be left alone? It must have been stalking us.

I kick out at it, catching it square on its powerful chest and causing it to slide backwards off the ledge.

As it scrabbles to regain its footing I have just enough time to pull out the gun. There is a long, thin band across its face that expands and contracts. I assume it's a nose and I aim straight for it and squeeze the trigger.

There's no missing at this distance and a hole blooms on one side of its face, propelling it backwards.

I hear a thud and its horrifying scream that rattles around in my skull.

I can't believe it's still alive.

Thivoll's roar from below is a relief, as is the sound of his tail singing through the air and the long, keening cry of the creature as his venom takes effect.

A moment later another dark form is in front of me, and even though I know it's Thivoll I can't contain a scream.

He gathers me to him, crushing me against him as he moves his hands over me, checking for injuries.

"I'm alright. It didn't get me."

I go limp in his arms, relieved he's safe and very glad to have him holding onto me again.

"Did you . . ." I trail off, completely losing my train of thought when he pulls me close to him, and takes a long lick up the side of my neck.

Thankfully, his tongue doesn't have hooks like a feline, but it's far rougher than a human tongue.

It's an exhilarating combination of smooth glide and scraping sensation that leaves a path of fired up neurons in its wake.

The lust that had died down in his absence—pushed back by my fear—comes rushing back and I moan.

I tilt my head back, ensuring he has better access, and thread my hands into his mane at the sides of his neck.

Each time he starts a new lick at the base of my throat I feel a zing race from the spot down to my core. On the third repetition I'm clenching my legs, trying to gain some relief.

On the fifth I get lightheaded from the overstimulation and my ragged breathing.

He moves one hand down, sweeping it across my hip, then around to my ass, pulling me up and into him.

When I feel his teeth scrape against my neck, this time I don't freeze or panic and instead focus on the sensation of them gliding against me.

He squeezes one of my ass cheeks, then pulls his head back. "Is this where I should hit you with my tail?"

I let out a long groan. "Get us off this ledge and somewhere with more room."

He starts his growly purr, squeezing one cheek, then the other, moving farther down.

"You are wet again, my Ree. I want to taste you, then see how we fit together."

He might kill me. "Now, Fluff Brain! More moving, less talking!"

He growls, pulling me close to his chest and speaks in a rough voice. "Hold on tight."

I do what he says, expecting him to drop us back down to the base of the rocks, but he instead starts climbing the cliff face.

It's too dark to see much of anything, but I still squeeze my eyes shut as hard as I can and press my face into his fur. It's a few long minutes of terror before I feel the change in gravity.

He crouches down and my back presses against the cool, smooth stone. "Where are we?"

I can't see anything at all, not a trace of moonlight left.

He settles down onto his lower elbows and haunches, the feel of him pressing against me making me forget my question altogether and I wriggle underneath him.

He rocks his weight onto one arm and then starts rearranging my hair. "In a cave."

I tense, not liking the idea of being in a place something else might live in without being able to see. "Nothing else is in here with us, right?"

He pulls a long fall of my hair over my chest and then strokes it from my collarbone down to where our bodies are pressed together. I gasp when he moves over my breast.

"Do you like being touched there?"

He moves his hand back up, cupping me, the thin nanothread warming between us. The reaction of my body is answer enough, but I remember I had another pressing question.

"Thivoll. Are there creatures in the dark?"

"Of course there are. This is a biodiverse planet."

I freeze, then realize I might need to be more specific.

"Are there any creatures likely to attack, bite, crawl over, be—"

He breaks in. "There is nothing of concern here and if that changes I will take care of it. Relax."

He purrs, then he squeezes my breast. "Tell your nanothread to recede."

His usual easygoing tone is gone, and in its place is an authoritative growl that sends a thrill through me.

I imagine my suit baring my breasts and from the sudden chill that makes my nipples instantly pebble, I can tell it receded.

His purr deepens as he shifts his body down.

I spread my legs, hoping he makes enough contact when he settles back down to give me some relief from the throbbing between them.

He doesn't disappoint, pushing his upper chest down against my core right before he licks the breast he had just been squeezing.

The rough nubs of his tongue send a zap of pleasure each time one makes contact.

I let out a long, low moan and push myself harder against him. "Purr harder," I demand in a clipped tone.

He obliges, the vibrations making my back arch. "Like that?"

I make an inarticulate sound and grind myself against him.

He changes breasts, pushing down even harder with his long tongue. One stroke of it seems to last a small, blissful eternity. On the third I feel my orgasm building.

When I feel him shift again, I move my hands from their limp sprawl next to us and grab onto his mane on each side.

"Don't you dare move."

His purr is interrupted by a few chuffs, but then he is back pressed against me, this time alternating between breasts.

I'm cresting higher in undulating waves with each transition. When he scrapes his teeth against a nipple, my orgasm explodes through me, my body rigid with the force of it, a cry making it through my lips before I cut it off.

He abruptly stops purring. "Did I hurt you?"

It's a struggle to get my scattered mind together to respond.

"Oh, no. You made me feel very, very good."