13. Splish Splash, It’s an Alien Bath

I needto get to the capital, Great Proving or not. I don't know if I can let Leeenuh go after what happened between us last night. Even if I'm not her mate, my venom flows through her…it must mean something. This can't just be a coincidence that this perfect goddess fell into my lap. There's no way the Great Mother didn't have a hand in the situation.

It's not Leeenuh's fault that she's unsure of me. I haven't proven myself yet. She might not know the Andjin traditions, but what have I shown her except my own debauchery?

What kind of male accidentally stings an unwitting female?

If we get back to the capital, I'll have the chance to prove myself to her and my people.

I can show Leeenuh that there is no one on the Korlyan Moon that will treasure her more than I will.

I push my hurt aside, focusing on the task at hand—caring for the female bearing my mating mark.

"If you still want that bath, I can make preparations," I say nonchalantly, glancing at Leeenuh.

She smiles a slow smile before nodding.

"Excellent, we'll eat, and I'll show you the hot springs."

Leeenuh gnaws at the dried dredlin with her blunt little teeth. I wish I had more variety for her and kick myself for not thinking that my future mate might like something else. I should have thought to acquire sustenance beyond the most hardy of stored food.

She struggles as she chews but doesn't complain. I wonder what her life might have been like before she literally sank into mine. That's one thing I can't wait to talk to her about when my translator chip is restored. Right now, I'm enjoying spending time with the strange little alien who is my mate.

She seems to have perked up at my mention of a bath, though. I think getting out to the nest and to the hot springs would do us both good. As much as I don't mind this newfound closeness the two of us have fostered, I don't want to smother her with my attentions.

If Leeenuh had her way, she would never let me fuss over her. There's something so bizarre about a mate wanting to do things for herself. I guess the Andjin culture expects males to dote, but I can't imagine a human not wanting to do the same for the vision sitting in front of me.

"Yur stairing et mi," she says with a raised brow.

I just tilt my head and appraise her more intently, unsure of what she said.

"Whenever you're full, we can head out—the cave's entrance isn't too far from the surface, and the hot springs aren't much farther than that."

With a finger pointed at the cave ceiling, Leeenuh holds her breath and directs her gaze toward me. She flaps her hands as if she's swimming and then places them at her throat in a mock drowning.

"Oh, how long you'd need to hold your breath? I can breathe for you, don't worry," I reassure her.

"Eef eets naught far, maybi eye shuud prakteetce? Eye allwaze won et olding meye breauth et da layke." She frowns.

The more comfortable Leeenuh has gotten here, the more I see her stubborn side. She doesn't like anyone to do something for her that she thinks she can do herself.

It's so incredibly endearing that I want to wrap her up in my limbs and never let her go, my headstrong human.

"Why don't I check how long it takes, then?" I ask, pointing to the nest's door.

Leeenuh nods, looking relieved to have gotten her message across.

"I'll be right back. Never fear, my Leeenuh!"

Rushing to the opening, I dive through and start counting.

One, two, three, four…

I kick my legs as my ascent starts.

Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…

Dredlin scales flick past me like starlight, and I push my arms up and out.

Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven…

I weave through some flotsam being pushed down to the sea floor by the currents.

Forty, forty-one, forty-two…

I can see the light refracting from the surface of the water now, not much farther.

Fifty-five!

I break through the surface and scan the horizon for danger. Once I'm satisfied that everything appears normal, I dive much more quickly back into the nest. As I pop through the opening, Leeenuh gawks at me.

"Dat seams furthur dan ewe tink it iz…" she mutters under her breath.

"You'll only need to hold your breath for a count of about sixty," I grin.

"Sixty?" She winces.

"Can humans not hold their breath for sixty counts comfortably?" I understand not having gills, but having barely any breath control seems like overall poor design for humans as a species.

She holds out a hand and rocks it from side to side, in what I can only assume is an uncertain answer.

"I could swim faster?"

Her face is cautiously optimistic.

"I could still breathe for you, I promise it's not?—"

Leeenuh holds her hand up to silence me, no words are needed to know that she'd like to try it on her own.

She doesn't seem too frightened of the prospect, though, as she makes a diving motion out of the cave's entrance.

"Oh no, you hold on to me and we'll go in together." I give sweet Leeenuh little warning before sweeping her off her feet, my arms wrapping around her torso. "Are you ready?"

When she nods, I take it as my cue to jump through the opening feetfirst, not wanting to risk hitting her head with a dive.

The initial rush of water is shocking, but I'm reassured when my Leeenuh is still clinging to me. Her cheeks are puffed large as I make my initial kicks toward the surface.

I work the muscles in my legs harder and harder, trying to cut down the fifty-five counts. I'm worried her human lungs might not handle that comfortably.

I push down the thought of this journey causing her harm as she tightens her hold. I can't pretend that I don't savor the feeling of her blunt little nails digging into the skin of my back.

I take a glance down at her face and notice her eyes are tightly shut.

We pass the dredlin, their scales shimmering with their rainbow of colors.

I feel Leeenuh shift on me slightly and when I look at her face, I'm nervous at how red it's become. Seeing her in distress must trigger some biological response in me because as I accelerate toward the surface, I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, barely missing a dredlin's body in my haste.

Leeenuh emerges from beneath the water, gasping for breath. She clasps her hands at my back as she pants, dropping her forehead against my chest.

"Tat ha two hive bin longur dan a minit," Leeenuh chokes out.

"It's alright, you did great!" I say as one brother strokes her back.

She's so exhausted from the effort to simply get to the surface. Her breathing seems to slow a bit, and her body relaxes. She shifts her legs, hooking them more securely around my back, and settles her head into the crook of my neck.

My cock hardens against my will. What's wrong with me? A simple snuggle of her body and my cock is ready to burst.

Focus, Kitaico.

I tread water toward the rocky shoreline, trying to gauge which spot might have the best footholds to get Leeenuh ashore comfortably. I spy a smoother portion, likely refined by the waves over the eons. It will surely be a slippery ascent, but I think I'm less likely to hurt her on that specific portion of rock.

There's a steep section, about two of me tall, that we'll have to scale before cresting over the edge and onto dry land. Kitaico of the past would have just jumped up and hoped for the best.

But the days when I would scale the shore's overhang recklessly, letting my tentacles do most of the work, are gone. I can't be careless with my mate in my arms. I swim over, making sure her ankles are notched tightly behind my back, and use my arms and my foretentacles to grip and hoist our bodies into the spray crashing against the rocks.

"Hold on tightly, Leeenuh!" I yell.

My foot slips, and I stumble forward, nearly hitting the back of Leeenuh's head against the rock before one brother snakes around her skull protectively. She doesn't seem to notice the near miss and I thank the Great Mother I didn't drop her.

Once I'm steadier, the brothers snake upward, higher than my arms can reach. With a grunt, and no small amount of effort, I pull us both up over the jagged ledge.

When we arrive on solid ground, she moves her legs as though she might get down. I place a hand over her ass, stopping her attempt to dismount.

"Not yet, we've got longer to walk, and I would feel better if you let me carry you the rest of the way," I say nobly.

Her human skin always seems fragile to me, and I don't want to set her down on the lava rocks. I fear they might tear into her soft little feet.

She rolls her eyes but doesn't resist.

As I walk closer to the dense jungle forest, vines and leaves in all shades of pink, red, and orange wrap around us as we enter the brush. Leeenuh squints as she tries to take in her surroundings. The light dims as we enter the tree line.

Although revered by our Fi'len cousins, the Andjin have no ceremonial use for the hot springs. But that doesn't mean we don't enjoy the warm waters or their supposed healing properties.

I turn left at an ancient stone marker.

"We're almost there Leeenuh," I tell the top of her head.

When she looks up, her eyes go wide, and I wonder if she spots she the flying bukkau that reside here. Their muscular bodies and huge maws can be quite the intimidating sight. It sails though the trees, attempting to gather some of the nuite fruit. They're large and intimidating as they flap their leathery wings overhead.

"Don't worry Leeenuh, the bukkau don't find you nearly as tasty as I do." The words fall from my lips before I can stop myself.

As tasty as I do?

I have always known that I lack subtlety, but this is a new low.

The comment must not bother Leeenuh too much, though, because she chuckles.

Maybe she's not as put out at the thought of my tongue on her as I thought. My chest burns with the thought of dipping my tongue into her perfect cunt. She could get what she needs from me, and I would love nothing more than to taste her.

My cock swells beneath my wrap, and I flex my ass muscles, trying to get comfortable. I hate wearing anything outside of the capital, especially something as restrictive and itchy as a woven wrap.

I try to focus on something that isn't Leeenuh, her cunt, the delicious way she smells, or really anything about her at all. Since we're out of the safety of the nest, I would prefer to keep all the blood near my brain.

The hot springs, although not a popular Andjin destination, aren't a secret spot. Any Andjin could be there today, and maybe, if our luck is bad, we could run into an exiled male.

But given that the Great Proving is in full swing, they normally stick to the ocean.

I know I am more than capable of protecting Leeenuh from an exile; I am strong, in my prime, and will protect her with my life.

Maybe we're not so far off from true mates…I wouldn't die for a stranger, would I?

Leeenuh wrinkles her nose as we approach the water's edge. They smell interesting compared to the ocean, but nothing I find too offensive.

"I think they smell that way because they're medicinal. They do have an acquired aroma, though," I laugh as I set her down on the lip of the pool.

"Ould't bee urse dan an algae covurd layke, ight?" She chuckles her nonsense words.

"Leeenuh, you are delightful even if I don't understand what you're saying," I say as I slide into the warm waters.

I must be more on edge than I thought, because at the first touch of the heated liquid, my muscles relax. I didn't know I'd been holding my body so tightly. Has caring for her made me hold on to some unconscious stress?

I lean back, letting my head rest on the rocky edge, relaxing my body for, I suppose, the first time since Leeenuh's arrival.

I can't stop myself as I let my gaze trail up Leeenuh's curves when she removes her wrap skirt and damaged body suit. She's completely naked as she slowly slips into the pool.

I've seen her nude before, touched her naked body. I shouldn't be shy about the vision of perfection in front of me. But every time I see her little human form, warmth fills me, and I can't help it when a giddy smile cracks across my face.

She is truly stunning, in a way so alien I never thought it possible. I love every dip and curve of her soft body, especially her breasts. They are much more swollen than an Andjin female's.

My mouth salivates as I think of what it might be like to take her nipple between my lips. There is no hope of talking my erection down, so I do nothing to hide it. She shimmies over to me, the water making her breasts bob deliciously as she moves.

She settles against my side. Our thighs touch and I twitch, using all my willpower to stop myself from reaching out for her.

"I love the way you feel against me," I tell her sincerely.

I'm surprised though when she grabs my hand and pulls my arm over her shoulder.

I'm holding my breath as she mutters some of her human words into my skin. The brothers respond to her closeness and slide over her arms.

I ramble, unsure of where this is leading. "Does the water feel good, Leeenuh? I hope it feels better than the shower. That was the whole point of coming?—"

My voice sticks in my throat as her hand touches my cock. I don't move a muscle as she glides her arched fingers down my hard length.

"Leeenuh," I moan, "what are you doing?"