Chapter 13

13

Vengeance had only found this place by chance, and he didn't get to visit often. It was too far away from his favored hunting grounds, but he liked it enough to come back now and then.

"Another waterfall? Aren't you tired of them after today?" Loris asked.

"This is only a tiny one," he said. "Please note the complete lack of boomers, black fangs, and anything else that might want to kill us."

"That is an improvement." Loris sighed tiredly. "And I could use a rest."

"So could I. In fact, I think we should plan to stay the night here. I've done it before. I even built a platform up in that tree."

She pretended to scowl. "Does this mean you're going to carry me again?

He managed not to grin as they fell into the now familiar pattern of teasing banter. "No need. It's got a ladder."

"This sounds better all the time. Show me?"

He shook his head. "First, we're going to get cleaned up."

She groaned. "More water?"

"Yes. But this water is warm. There's a hot spring nearby. I haven't found it yet, but enough of the hot water feeds into the stream to keep it a comfortable temperature."

"Warm water is a definite improvement. Tell me more."

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "I have soap in my bag."

She laughed in delight. "I'm sold on this idea. Bring on bath time!"

He led her to the water's edge and watched as she stripped off her clothes. The pants were in tatters, and blood stained her shirt. He'd have to ask Bysshe to make some new clothes for her. He had no idea what she'd want, but she'd only need them for the times they left his house. The rest of the time, he hoped she'd stay naked.

The soap was something they'd learned to make early in their time here. In the beginning they stayed inside the hull of their crashed ship. Sensitive noses and close quarters made cleanliness a requirement, especially for a group of males who could barely tolerate each other's company for more than a few hours at a time.

He handed Loris a small cake of soap. "I'll join you in a minute."

She nodded and stepped into the warm, welcoming waters. "Ooh, this is nice. I might float here for the next hour or so."

"I've done that before. It's so restful here I almost dozed off while I drifted around."

He set his sword near the water's edge and then took off everything he'd been wearing for the last few days. All of it went into the water. The leather was already wet, so another soaking wouldn't hurt. He used small handfuls of sand along with the soap to clean away the blood and dirt, and set it on some rocks to dry.

Then he sank into the heated water, letting it lap around his shoulders as he watched his mate scrub herself clean.

When she reached up to wash her hair, he moved to join her. "Let me."

She handed him the soap with a flourish. "Yes please."

They drifted together as he worked, his fingers massaging her scalp as he worked the suds into her hair. They didn't talk much. He sensed she didn't want that. She needed time to process everything they'd been through. So did he but not for the same reasons.

Facing death was nothing new for him. But today, he'd had someone else to fight for. And someone to live for.

He coaxed her to lie back so he could rinse the soap from her curls. She'd said she loved him. He knew what the word meant, but no one had ever said it to him before.

"I love you, little warrior." The words were strange on his tongue, but they felt right.

She turned and lifted her head to smile at him. "I know. I figured out your secret, Venge."

He looked at her in confusion. "What secret?"

She reached out and placed a hand on his chest, her palm centered over his heart. "When you say ‘mine,' what you're really saying is that you love me."

He stared, too surprised to speak for several seconds. Then he laughed and drew her in for a long, heated kiss. "I didn't know that. But you're right." He nipped her lip between kisses. "Mine. Mine. Mine."

Her answering kiss was full of passion. "I love you, too."

They kept kissing as they drifted in the soothing water. He knew where he wanted to go, and she seemed content to let him take control. It wouldn't always be this way. Some days she'd fight him fang and claw. Other days she'd be as soft and gentle as a summer rain. Both were beautiful to him. However, he'd always love her best when she was at her fiercest. She was his little warrior, and she deserved the best life he could give her. Starting now.

They were almost to the waterfall by the time she raised her head to look at him. Her green eyes sparkled as she eyed the cascade of water. "We need to talk about this obsession of yours."

"Which one?" he asked.

"I was referring to your thing for waterfalls."

"So you're fine with my obsession with you?"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him until he'd nearly forgotten he'd asked her a question. Her tongue tangled with his, their breaths mingling as her soft curves pressed against his hard body and even harder cock.

Finally, she broke the kiss to answer him. "Your obsession with me is the most wonderful thing in all the worlds."

He drew her under the falling water, letting it pour over their heads like a massage from a hundred hands at once. He kissed her again, craving the taste of her mouth.

He couldn't hear her moan, but he felt it buzz against his tongue as he slid a hand between them. His fingers continued questing until they found the seam of her pussy. She responded by wrapping soft fingers around his cock. They teased each other until she was shaking, and he could hear his heart pounding even over the roar of the water.

He took her then, a simple matter of guiding her weightless body to the right spot. The warmth of the water gave way to the deeper heat of her pussy as he claimed her.

He moved them further under the overhang, turning so his back was to the falling water. When he found the rocky wall, he pinned her to it using the rocky floor to push himself even deeper.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and held on as he made love to her, every thrust stroking her inner walls and bringing her closer to release. The water stopped him from moving quickly, but the slower pace made everything more intense. The water swirled around them, adding new sensations to the moment.

The erotic dance continued with every step more intense than the one before. He felt her moans against his lips as his cock began to thicken and twitch.

Her body tensed around him, milking his cock until he thought he'd die from the pleasure of it all. He tore his mouth from hers as an instinct he didn't understand forced him to drop his head to the crook of her neck. He bit her and felt her control snap a second later.

She came around him, her hands pulling on his hair as she drummed her heels into the small of his back.

Then it was his turn.

He emptied himself inside her, every jerk of his hips making her shudder and gasp. When his cock swelled up to lock them together, he raised his head and kissed her again.

He carried her back into the sunlight then. They floated like that for a long time. It was the most peaceful moment of his entire life, and Vengeance knew he'd never forget it. All his life, he'd wanted one thing that belonged to him and him alone.

He'd always wondered what it would be, and now he knew. It was the love of his little warrior.