Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Over the next several days Rylinn visited whenever he had free time. He'd been out in the field pretty much from morning until night, driven by Gromm's seemingly bottomless reserves of rage, nearly all of which was directed at the monstrous beast that had cost him far too many men.

Losing any of their underlings would be a problem for any normal people, but Gromm was actually rather okay with reducing the number of men he had to pay when the mission was complete, leaving more for him. They'd already caught the majority of the bounties they'd been deployed to recover before their unfortunate demise, but now the deaths were becoming excessive. Worse, they had begun to take their toll on the remaining crew's efficiency. They were hesitant now. Overly tentative and working with additional caution that slowed their work. And that was not acceptable.

More traps were deployed, and teams set to stand guard to protect the recovery efforts, further disrupting his regular mission parameters. It was simply not efficient this way. Too many resources were being spent keeping his hunters from being hunted. That was where the real expert among them came in, hard pressed to earn his keep.

Rylinn was arguably the best on the planet and likely the entire system when it came to tracking, but even he was coming up empty day after day. It was more than a mere financial thing for him, as it had been since he'd first encountered the creature, though the bonus on the table was substantial. But the beast was somehow remaining stubbornly out of his grasp.

When he was back at the basecamp, however, the tracker somehow let it all go, refocusing his attentions on his other favorite pastime. Namely, spending his hours with Margot, teaching her all she wished to know about this alien life.

"I don't see why I can't just ask Floxxia," she griped one evening after a pleasant meal with him in her quarters. "She's a Skrizzit, after all, so she's the best one to explain what's happening to me."

Rylinn sipped his Livian wine and shook his head with an apologetic sigh. "You know she's a prisoner. A political one at that and held with the others."

"Yeah, but?—"

"But the other prisoners are more dangerous than she is, and Gromm won't allow anyone not assigned to their oversight and care routine anywhere near them."

"But they're locked up, though I still don't know where."

"You've got no reason to see them. That area is off-limits for you."

"But it doesn't make any sense. What harm can there be? I mean, I'm stuck here, tattooed with this weird ink?—"

"And I'm happy to explain what I can." He paused, a warm smile in his eyes. "Look, I'll tell you what. Gromm is really, really on the warpath right now and in no mood to even think about anything else. But I'll see what I can do about maybe getting him to approve you talking with her. But for now, please, let me do what I can to help. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Rylinn. It's been rough, you know? But you've really been a bright spot in this place. I can't tell you how much it means to me, your taking the time out of your schedule like this."

"It's my pleasure, believe me."

The look in his eyes and the twitching bulge in his trousers made his point crystal clear. And the warm heat she felt in her belly was very much of the same mind.

Margot downed the last mouthful of wine and leaned over, planting a wet kiss on his lips. Rylinn only hesitated a moment, his mouth moving with hers, their tongues dancing against one another, sharing the last taste of wine as their passions flared.

She felt her pulse pounding in her ears as her body turned abruptly hot, her limbs tingling strangely, but not in a bad way. Margot pulled back, taking in his face, his full lips, those beautiful eyes, pupils dilated wide with desire.

"Come here," he said in a lusty growl, pulling her from her chair over to the bunk.

Margot hesitated only a second. They hit the mattress hard, the rather utilitarian padding not really designed for this sort of thing, but neither of them minded in the heat of the moment. She reveled in the feeling of a strong, safe man pressed up against her, his hands all over her body holding her tight, his lips pressed to hers, to her neck, to her?—

He slid her top up without warning and latched onto her left nipple, suckling firmly. She hadn't expected that, not so soon. But even sans lengthy foreplay the sensations elicited were fantastic, and she wasn't about to complain. Rylinn pulled free, moving back to her lips, the pair making out like horny teenagers a while longer while his dexterous fingers continued the stimulation his mouth had started.

Margot ran her hands over his back, enjoying the feel of firm muscles beneath his crisp clothing. It was a marvel how he maintained his appearance when around her, always changing out of his soiled uniform for a fresh one when he returned from his outings in the field.

He was the most desirable man in the camp, and he was here with her.

Not bad, Margot. Not bad at all .

Rylinn latched his lips to her neck, his tongue lapping up the salt on her skin making her nipples even harder in his hands, jolts of pleasure shooting to her clit, causing her hips to grind of their own accord. He took note, sliding one hand lower, dipping it inside her waistband, not stopping until it was between her folds, wet with want, finally coming to rest firmly on her clit.

"Nnngh," she groaned as he rubbed side-to-side, her juices lubricating his fingers as they made her body twitch with joy. "Yessss."

Rylinn grinned as he slid his mouth lower, teasing her nipple as his fingers did their magical work, pushing her over the edge in a delightful climax, the warm ball of pleasure spreading through her entire torso.

Margot's hands yanked at his trousers, pulling them open and slipping inside, firmly grasping his hot manhood, stroking it firmly as she pulled it from stem to tip, reveling in the heat pulsing in her palm as she rode her orgasm as it slowly subsided.

Rylinn's cock swelled in her hand, his pulse thundering harder in his chest as she worked him quicker and quicker, pulling with a firm and steady grip. He was getting close, she could tell, and she wanted to make him come. To feel his hot, sticky jizz on her hand, coating it as she slid it up and down his shaft.

A fist pounded on the metal door, snapping them from their revelry. "Rylinn! Gromm wants you immediately!" a voice outside Margot's quarters shouted.

"It's night, and I'm busy!" he shouted back. "Piss off!"

"The beast. It's been spotted. It attacked Nivonx but was chased off. Come on, grab your gear and get to the ship. We're launching in three minutes!"

Rylinn held still a moment, tense with annoyance, then, with the greatest of reluctance, pulled Margot's hand from his cock and tucked it back into his trousers, rising and heading to the door as he shook off his close and painfully interrupted climax as best he could.

"To be continued," he said with a sigh, then stepped out into the hall and took off at a run to join the others.

Margot flopped back and laughed, running her hands over her body, enjoying the lingering sensations tingling all over.

"Poor guy. That's all kinds of messed up. They could at least have let him finish."

Margot didn't know when he finally returned. All she did know was she'd slept through the night without interruptions and woke with a really nice post-orgasmic buzz still brightening her spirits.

She headed out of the ship and into the camp, strolling around the areas she was allowed to visit. She noted that there were indeed less men than before, and if what she'd heard was accurate, it wasn't because all of them were out on missions.

"There you are," she said with a grin as a familiar, handsome face rounded a tent. "How did it go?"

"No luck, I'm afraid," he replied. "But at least Nivonx was the only one harmed last night." He looked around, as if making a decision. "Hey. Come with me, I want to show you something."

"Oh, you do?" she replied with a sly grin.

She saw his cock twitch in his trousers, but he shook his head. "Later. Come on."

He didn't take her hand, not out here with so many eyes around, but he simply walked through the camp, leading their human guest. They continued out of the area she'd been confined to, passing the front of the ship and walking out into the woods. A few minutes later they were alone and out of sight.

"I thought this wasn't safe."

"The contact was far in the other direction last night. No chance that thing is in this area, no matter how fast it might move."

She moved closer, resting her hand on his chest. "So, about last night. We left something unfinished."

He chuckled. "Yes, we did. Most uncomfortable, riding into battle with an erection."

"I can only imagine. We should rectify that."

Rylinn grinned happily. "You're an impressive female, did you know that?"

She grinned brightly. "I have my moments."

"You do. And I was thinking. When this job is over, I'm going to get a pretty hefty sum from all this work."

"So, it really is all about the money."

"Money is always king. But that's the thing. I was thinking, I'll be flush after this wraps up. Much more than from my usual work. And seeing as I'll have both time and resources at my disposal, what do you think about coming with me?"

"With you?"

"Yes. Why not? I'll be going to visit the kingdom of Gimballa. It's not terribly far, and I think you'd like it a lot. A magnificent place, really. One of the few robust monarchies still thriving in this system. And their realm is vast and quite beautiful, full of regal estates, castles, and sprawling farmland and forests. Honestly, it's one of my favorite places on this world. And it certainly beats living aboard a ship or out in some tent in the wilderness."

Margot felt her heart flutter a little. Shacking up with a sexy alien dude in some mystical kingdom on a far-away world? It actually didn't sound half bad.

"Let me think on it, okay?"

"Of course."

"There's time, right? You still have to finish your job."

"Yes. And speaking of which, I actually need to get back, tempted as I may be to stay out here with you. But first I wanted to make sure you would be safe when I'm away."

"You're saying I'm not safe in the camp?"

"You can never be too careful." He took her hand and led her to a bush sprouting small fruit that looked kind of like tangerines, but purple. It was one of the fruits that Braxxos's emphatic gestures on their wilderness walk had made it very clear she should never, ever eat.

"Uh, I don't think we're supposed to eat those," she said, a bit surprised he didn't know that already.

Rylinn chuckled. "Oh, you definitely don't want to eat them. That, my dear, is Zillin. A very, very poisonous fruit. We actually tried it in a bait trap a few times, but, unfortunately, the beast seems to know better than to eat it. As one would expect of a wild animal, I suppose. Their instincts are quite honed from generations of survival, after all. But that's not why I'm showing this to you."

"Then why?"

"Because, these grow all around this region and could one day save your life. If, for whatever reason, things go horribly wrong and you should be forced to flee the beast, dip a blade in this fruit and pierce its hide. Given its size, it will likely not be fatal, though it would undoubtedly kill just about anything else. But even if it doesn't kill it, that will slow it down enough for you to escape. And I find that your survival has become my priority."

The way he said it, so caring yet possessive, it made Margot want him then and there. She cupped his crotch and squeezed, his cock rousing in an instant. But Rylinn took a deep breath and stepped back.

"Not right now. I have to go out with the next ship, and while I would love nothing more than to blow off that task, I do not want to get on Gromm's bad side right now. But later. Oh, yes, you and I have much to do together."

The smoldering smile he flashed made her want him even more. This big, protective man, ready to show her the wonders of the world once this job was done. Could she really be considering this? Running off with him though she only barely only knew him?

Stranger things have happened , she reasoned. Compared to alien abduction, I think willingly exploring a new world with a sexy hung alien isn't so bad at all.

Rylinn took her hand and led her back toward camp, letting it fall to her side as they approached, naturally. So far as anyone knew, they were just taking a walk and talking, nothing more. But Margot had something to look forward to now, and she would be counting the hours.