Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Margot lay on the shore in Braxxos's arms, the pair comfortably sprawled on a soft, hand-woven blanket he kept stored in their hidden refuge. They'd done all manner of things with one another, paused to eat or drink, then done it all again and again.

Finally, they dozed off, the human woman so tiny in the massive beast's embrace.

When she woke, Margot found herself covered in tufts of thick hair. It was all over the place, she realized, just as she noted that as they slept Braxxos had returned to his regular form. The only hair on his body was what was normally there atop his head, the beast's shaggy locks present no more.

He sensed her wake and roused himself, turning his loving gaze upon her.

"Hey," he said, leaning over and kissing her forehead.

She picked up a handful of hair with a questioning look. "Is this normal?"

He chuckled. "Yes. What comes with the transformation leaves with it."

"So, you shed every time?"

"Yes. Annoying, perhaps, but when it happened more frequently in times of particular duress, I collected the hair, washed it, and used it to stuff cushions. I did not wish to leave it for a hunter to discover. It would lead to far too many curious eyes near my home."

"So, you used it for arts and crafts?" she asked with a chuckle.

"I suppose you could say that."

"Wild. The whole thing is. I mean, you actually Hulk out and change. I don't know how it's even possible."

"Many strange things are possible given the right circumstances. My condition is merely one of them."

She ran her hand over the almost fully healed scar where the arrow had gone right through him. It looked like something he maybe did to himself as a kid, that was how faint the scar was.

"That's amazing, you know. The healing thing."

"Ah, that. Yes, I heal fast, but when I am changed, the effect is far greater, as you have seen firsthand."

"Lucky."

An odd look flashed across his face. "Not lucky, no," he said softly. "But now you and I share blood." He glanced at the bandage that had fallen from her during all of their energetic love making.

She looked at the wound and realized that, while it was not totally healed like his, her injury was essentially where it would be a month or two out, not a mere day. It was impossible. But then everything about this world seemed to fit that description to her human eyes.

"I'm healing."

"Yes." He reached out and lazily traced the faintly glowing lines of her Infala rune, his touch making her body heat up involuntarily despite being utterly tapped out. His own brightened in response.

She rested her hand on his chest, the heat of his Infala warm to the touch. "What does it mean?"

"It means that we are heading down a path I never thought I could walk."

"I don't understand."

"We are not quite there yet, but there is no denying what is happening between us. Our Infalas will soon match. And when they do, we will be bonded forever. Truly united, our runes linked as one."

Margot felt her cheeks go flush at the thought. Braxxos, on the other hand, had a very odd look on his face. Not exactly upset, just very, very confused.

"Are you okay? You look upset."

"Upset? Far from it. I am merely very, very perplexed."

"This is a good thing, right? You and me? I want this, and I'm pretty sure you do too?"

"Margot, I want you more than anything in the galaxy and I would gladly give my life for you without hesitation."

"Let's not do that, okay? You've already tried once and survived, thank God. I'd rather you don't do that again."

He chuckled, a warm, happy sound that was music to her ears.

"I will do my best. But what is confusing me is that this was not supposed to be possible for me. Not ever."

"But I thought it was the way things worked in the Dotharian Conglomerate."

"And you would be correct. But it was not an option for me." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "You know I was sent out into the wild on my own as a boy. I did not tell you why."

He looked pained as he replayed the memory, and it was breaking her heart. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Perhaps not all of it. But this is important for it affects you too now. You see, my pigment used to be pure. Strong. But it was poisoned when I was young. That is why I change. It's why I live this life, far from anyone, destined to live alone, never able to bond."

"But it's happening. You just said so."

"Indeed, it is. And it is all because of you. Look at your runes, then mine. We mingled not only our blood, but also our pigments. And while none from the Dotharian realms could ever become my mate, you, Margot, are unique. Special. And it was your blood that forced this change in me. The poison has been muted because of you. For the first time in my life, I can control the beast."

She slid her hand to his cock and gave a little squeeze. "Believe me, I noticed."

He blushed, a little chuckle escaping his lips. "Yes, there was that. But what I mean is to say that the beast is a mindless thing. A raging expression of anger and raw emotion. It is dangerous to all, even those I care about, and it is unpredictable. Or, it was . But now, with your blood and pigment mixed with mine, somehow you have given me the ability to control it. At least, mostly."

Margot felt a powerful wave of love flood through her. They weren't just partners. They were blood bonded. She could feel it now that she understood what was going on. What the myriad novel sensations bombarding her senses actually meant. And it was her doing that made him whole again.

Her Infala flared as did the warmth between her legs despite her exhaustion. The hand that had been squeezing him shifted to stroking, coaxing his cock back to attention in an instant. She didn't hesitate, rolling on top of him and lowering herself onto his length, taking him easily after all the vigorous pounding she'd already taken.

He was still a sizable man despite being in his regular form and he felt wonderful, his cock churning inside her as she ground her hips, pressing her clit into him as she savored him growing even harder still.

Braxxos's eyes flashed, the silver-ringed copper briefly glowing orange as the beast tried to come out, but this time for a quite different reason. He was not enraged. He was aroused.

His cock was the first thing to transform, swelling up inside her, pressing hard in all the best ways. Margot groaned, gasping at the sensation, digging her fingers into his bulging chest, riding him harder and harder, knowing he could take it with ease.

Braxxos and the beast struggled for control, the two sides of the man settling for a compromise, it seemed, when the transformation ceased and only his cock remained truly transformed. Margot wasn't about to complain. The man was the most amazing lover she'd ever had in either of his forms, and she was more than happy to take advantage of whichever of them was present.

"Ohhh," she groaned, pressing hard, her body trembling at the sheer intensity of pressure of his enormity filling her to her limit, stretching her like she'd never thought she could handle but leaving her still wanting more. More of this amazing man. Her man.

He was the biggest, baddest beast in the forest, and he was all hers.

Braxxos sat up, Margot not missing a beat, maintaining her grinding as they now sat face to face, the human woman thoroughly impaled on the alien's glorious cock. Margot gasped as their Infalas touched, their chests pressing together, sending new shocks of indescribable pleasure coursing through them both.

Her mind was blown. She could feel it. Feel him. Feel what he was feeling. What it was like to be inside her, the way her heat and folds clenched his cock as she slid up and down on its length. The texture of herself and the glorious friction of them both. It was amazing, and every time she moved she now knew exactly what to do to make it feel even better.

Braxxos was beside himself in awe, experiencing the same thing, his mind blown by the complexity and intensity of sensations pouring through his mate's body. How a woman could sense so much more. Maintain and build with such intensity. The multiple types of pleasure she felt, be it her clit, her pussy, her nipples, her skin, all so sensitive and working in conjunction that it made his cock pulse and vibrate even harder.

The two of them locked eyes, then lips, faces pressed together firmly as they breathed each other in, their love threatening to overwhelm them with its intensity.

The climax was unlike any they'd ever felt before, a glorious circuit of energy looping between them, the both of them coming in absolute unison, feeling the other's orgasm blend with their own until there was no telling where one ended and the other began. They came together in the truest meaning of the word, their limbs intertwined as one, a single entity in two bodies riding the most wonderful swell of sensation.

Braxxos's cock twitched and vibrated non-stop as he came and came inside her, emptying himself fully until, had he retained his senses, he might even worry he'd start ejaculating dust, so drained were his balls.

Margot took it all, feeling it for both of them in their shared union, her pussy clenching and pulsing, swelling full and squirting all over his cock as both their bodies locked up, trembling hard until they nearly passed out from the intensity.

They flopped over, breathing hard, pulses racing and sweat dripping from their bodies. Margot caressed his chest, savoring his heat and smell, and the feel of his taut muscles.

Braxxos stroked her cheek gently, his eyes bright with power and emotion.

"My love," he said with such a happy look on his face it threatened to make her heart explode with joy.

"My man," she replied, gladly accepting his kiss and returning it in kind.

They lay there a while then, finally, rinsed off yet again, forcing themselves to get dressed and head back before they wound up having to spend the night there. As amazing as she felt, Margot actually wouldn't have minded that one bit.