Chapter Eight

"Interesting. Arousing as hell but quite interesting."

I blink, awareness flooding back to me as Nygohl's voice penetrates my mind. Jugong grunts softly but doesn't seem particularly inclined to release me at that moment. His cocks are still deeply imbedded within me, and I can still feel the occasion pulse of them as they release. I can't imagine how he can still be providing anything after we have been latched together all of this time but as exciting as it was moments ago, now that we have an audience, I'm not sure whether to end it or to start things up again.

"And such a pretty scene you make," the wraith observes, a smoldering note in his voice. "Like a feast for the eyes at a banquet for the gods of desire."

Okay, that is a bit of an odd turn of phrase. My eyes slowly open and I squint over at where the wraith is sitting on top of what appears to be some enormous storage container painted with more of the same graphic scenes that fill this chamber. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees so that his cloak drapes in a manner that reminds me of a crow at rest, and grins down at me. I immediately try to cover my private bits with my hands, suddenly disconcerted with the way he is staring, but I just as quickly realize after a failed attempt to shift my arms upward that I can't even move them.

Alarm racing through, I jerk my arms harder as my eyes snap down. Vines. Everywhere blooming vines of roses have somehow wound over us. My eyes follow their path down further and my stomach drops out as I see the mess of roots entwined around Jugong's genitals and disappearing deepside. My head jerks up and I immediately choke as a vine cuts against my throat, flower petals brushing fragrantly against my nose. There is a taste of dirt in my mouth, and I feel the fibrous vines twitch against my tongue and the roof of my mouth with the taste of the flower buds forming in there while the roots invading my sex awaken and crawl deeper into me. I gag and wrench my head from side to side in an attempt to dislodge them. When that fails, I gnash my teeth together to bite through the vines as another tries to slip between my lips. A panicked scream rises up my throat as I am helpless against the movement of the vines, but I'm strangling on fear and the vines looping around my throat so that nothing emerges but a quiet, hoarse wail.

A tremor races through my mate in response to the sound. Jugong's wing lifts from his side and his body shifts as his muscles stretch, snapping several of the thinner vines twined over his wings and back, sending petals scattering down over us. Despite that, he is just as anchored in place as I am and quickly realizes our predicament as he becomes fully alert. I know the moment he realizes this because his entire body grows tense, and his vocalization shifts to a snarl as he fights against the vines that are rapidly tightening their grip. Panic begins to rise through me. Those roses, while not trying to consume us do seem intent on keeping us locked intimately together so that they can enjoy our mingling sexual fluids.

The wraith's eyes flare brighter with his unabashed interest, and he shakes his head with an expression of wonder. "Truly exquisite. I have never seen them react in such way. Truly your joining must have been utterly delicious."

"Nygohl!" he snaps and the wraith sighs heavily as he drops lightly from his perch. "Cease speculating and release us!"

The male sighs but he gives Jugong a sympathetic smile and nods. "Of course. My apologies. I was a little caught in the moment. Here, allow me to help," he replies as he gracefully drops to the ground. His footsteps don't make a sound as he walks toward us, yet the movement of the roses stills and a tremor vibrates through the vines when his shadow finally falls over us.

"Enough of pleasure, little lovelies," he purrs. "Be gone."

He waves his hand, his shadow extending like thick coils over them, and, to my surprise, the vines immediately uncoil from around us. I cough reflexively as the vines leave my mouth and throat and my cunt squeezes around Jugong's cocks, stimulated by the numerous small roots sliding out of us and one particularly large tape root that makes me orgasm hard around my mate as it pulls free. Jugong growls deeply, his cock releasing another thick spurt that makes his pelvis immediately tip to trap it within me. I wiggle impatiently as he slowly stands, his arms and wings tightly around me to keep me pinned upon his cock as he suspiciously eyes Nygohl.

The wraith just smiles in response though his eyes roam over us and fasten upon our genitals locked together with lascivious interest. His dark tongue brushes over his lips thoughtfully and his eyes slide shut as he draws a deep breath of the fragrant air.

"Ah, such an exquisite bouquet. I would devour you both if we had the time." He sighs regretfully but adopts a feline look of pleasure as he patiently watches us. "Come on Jugong, release your mate for a time so we can keep moving. I know that cunt is perhaps a tight little trove of pleasure fitting so snuggly over your cock, but this matter really shouldn't be delayed any longer. There is more to come."

I don't even have to see Jugong's face to know that he is studying the wraith intently, I can feel it with every tense muscle behind me. I smile inwardly. Nygohl doesn't realize this, but he has little hope of getting my mate to obey. Giwungs are notorious for listening to no one else but their bonded. As I am not only his bonded but also his mate, Jugong is going to be even less inclined to trust anyone, much less another male, with my safety in such a way. I consider explaining this to the wraith but my mate suddenly grunts in agreement and lifts me off his cocks so abruptly that the sensation of them pulling free has me climaxing in mid-air with a sharp cry as the semen that has been gathering inside of me splashes out with one hard contraction of my belly.

The splatter of it on the floor is humiliating but the following sound of the vines and roots rolling with wet slaps through it is disturbing enough to distract me from the fact as Jugong gently sets me on my feet. I stand there, eyeing the roses with disbelief as I numbly accept the clothes that Nygohl thrusts at me. My hands close around them blindly but then I blink and look down at them, the rich dark fabric surprisingly luxurious beneath my fingers.

"Wait… these aren't my clothes."

"Of course not," Nygohl agrees. "After dealing with my bit of business I fetched you something that you could wear since I didn't imagine you would want to put those back on."

He nods to my discarded clothes, and I look down and blanche at the clothing. It had not only been covered in sexual fluids at one point but is also clearly in tatters from the roses twining around them.

"And you said this chamber is safe," I mock as I slowly inspect the clothing that he handed me. "Clearly you knew exactly what these roses were capable of."

"Is it not safe?" Nygohl smiles at me guilelessly and I can't decide if he is genuine or just fucking with me. He plucks a rose from its vine and twirls it lazily between his fingers. "These roses aren't interested in harming you. Quite the opposite, the nutrition you offer through your coupling is more to their taste. Usually, they just take the offerings that are left in the wake of those passing through this room, so their behavior in this instance is a bit abnormal to what I've observed in the past, so your mating must have offered them something quite uniquely delightful that they hungered for it so." His eyes drift down lazily to the puddle on the ground. "Your offering is quite abundant that is for certain."

I choose to ignore that and refrain from making a face when I realize what he has handed me is a dress. It is going to be a pain in the ass to move in. I hate dresses—all of that fabric just gets in the way. On the other hand, it is easy access if Jugong is feeling up to another round later. I shrug and draw it over my head, allowing the black fabric to spill over my naked body luxuriously. I shiver at its contact over my nipples and belly but make a show out of straightening the material with the hope that no one notices.

I can't say that it goes completely unnoticed because neither male in my company is unobservant in the least but there is some sort of silent agreement apparently to not comment on it. A little recovery time is more than welcome but I'm a little surprised, however, that my mate is not making a fuss in his usual show of possessiveness. Usually, he would be growling fitfully over anyone directly giving me anything. Instead, he appears to be silently accepting this as his gaze roves over me with approval.

"Lovely," Nygohl croons, the echo of his voice as he says the word giving it a haunted sound.

Jugong head turns toward the male and he gives him an affronted look. "Not lovely," he objects with a snarl. "Our female is beautiful."

Our? When did this become "our" when moments ago he was decisively "mine, mine, mine?" Apparently, something had shifted between the males that was beyond my understanding however because Nygohl just smiles in turn and nods.

"Indeed. Shall we?" he inquires, extending a hand to me.

I give it a suspicious look, unsettled by the sudden shifts in their demeanors. I am still glaring slightly at it as I stomp over to my clothes and rescue my blaster. I belt it securely to my side and give it a reassuring pat just to make sure that it is there before I make my way back to the wraith's side. I don't take his hand because I don't shift gears quite that rapidly and this is still our prey after all and my chin tips defiantly as I meet his eyes.

"Lead the way."

I pretend that his airy chuckle doesn't evoke a tight, tingling sensation inside of me as I watch him assume his place ahead of us. Ultimately, I'm glad to leave the chamber of desire behind us as we step into the next corridor and move deeper again into this strange temple.