Chapter 13

Rhys didn"t know how long he slept. The hours blurred together in a hazy mess of sensations, some good, some bad. The chill in his bones warred against the steady, secure heat of Taryn"s body, leaving him lost in a feverish sleep.

Finally, he woke up. In that moment, with the deep, untamed forest surrounding them, the warmth of Taryn"s embrace, the crackling of the fire and the deep, steady beat of Taryn"s heart against his back...

In that moment, there was no trouble in the world that Rhys cared to think about.

And there was no other place that he wished to be.

Rhys rolled over, experimentally snuggling deeper into Taryn"s embrace. The Borraq"s muscular arms tightened reflexively around him, and Rhys felt the steady thrum of Taryn"s heart against his cheek.

"How do you feel?" Taryn"s deep voice rumbled, achingly close.

Rhys wriggled his fingers and toes, assessing. The chill had faded, replaced by a pleasant, encompassing warmth. "Better," he murmured, half-expecting Taryn to release him now that the crisis had passed.

But Taryn didn"t let go. If anything, he held Rhys closer, their bodies flush against each other in the makeshift camp. Rhys didn"t protest, surprising himself with how content he felt cocooned in Taryn"s arms.

He gazed at the dance of the flames on Taryn"s skin, the firelight casting flickering shadows in the velvet darkness of the night around them. In the stillness of the forest, with only the crackle of the fire and the occasional call of alien wildlife, Rhys allowed himself to simply exist in this moment.

Did Taryn feel this connection too? Or was Rhys deluding himself, projecting his desires onto someone who was just trying to keep him alive? Did he just hit his head on the way down?

But then Taryn"s gaze met his, vivid and intense.

Rhys held his breath, acutely aware of every point where his body met Taryn"s. The firm muscles beneath sleek golden skin. The scorching heat radiating from the Borraq. The heady, earthy scent that seemed to envelop Rhys completely.

He swallowed hard, trying to steady his racing pulse. But it was no use. With each second that he drank in Taryn"s embrace, it stoked an undeniable want. It simmered low in his belly, undeniable.

Rhys shifted, embarrassment and longing warring within him as his body reacted shamelessly to their intimate proximity. Damn. He knew his clothes must still be wet from his dunk in the river, but at times like this, a guy wanted some cover.

He tried to subtly put some space between them, rolling over to hide his arousal — but it was too late. Taryn tightened his embrace, letting out a deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Indestructible, aren"t you?" Taryn"s words were a low purr against Rhys"s ear. He held Rhys against him, pressing Rhys"s back against his chest. "Plunged into a ravine one moment, and in the next..." He trailed off meaningfully.

Heat flooded Rhys"s cheeks. He was rock hard, and Taryn knew. He couldn"t meet Taryn"s gaze, didn"t dare witness the knowing glint that he was sure burned there. "I-it"s not like that," he stammered unconvincingly.

Taryn made a skeptical noise. "Oh? My mistake." His tone betrayed open amusement. "I suppose you humans must require far more than a leisurely swan dive into a ravine to work up an appetite."

The teasing lilt in Taryn"s voice sent a shiver racing down Rhys"s spine. He bit back a whimper, pulse thundering in his ears.

"You"re one to talk," he said, aiming for nonchalance but landing closer to breathlessness. Summing up his courage, he turned his head, eyeing Taryn"s body.

Allof it. Rhys wasn"t the only one who had got wet, after all.

Rhys"s gaze raked over the sculptured planes and hard lines of Taryn"s form. His chest, his stomach, the proud muscles of his hips, where he was pressed against Rhys"s ass…

He swallowed. "You"re the one that"s acting like a strumpet," he insisted, trying to act haughty and above it all. He looked back at Taryn. "Jumping into bed with someone you hardly know? Wow, Taryn."

His attempt at a joke hung heavily between them, the air crackling with unspoken promise. Rhys"s heart hammered against his ribs as he watched Taryn"s pupils dilate, felt the sharp intake of breath against his own skin.

"Strumpet?" Taryn asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Rhys said. His tongue darted out to wet his lip, a nervous tic he"d never been able to fight. "Utterly shameless."

In that suspended moment, the cosmos seemed to hold its breath, awaiting their next move.

Taryn wrapped his arms around Rhys again.

But this time, it wasn"t to fight off hypothermia.

Rhys didn"t dare breathe as Taryn"s hands roamed his bare skin with agonizing slowness. The heat of the Borraq"s touch scorched a blazing trail down Rhys"s chest, his stomach, until Rhys was trembling with unbridled need.

"You are infuriating," Taryn growled, but there was no heat to his words.

No heat there. Everywhere else, though…

Taryn"s muscular frame molded perfectly against Rhys"s, the solid wall of his body against Rhys"s back radiating a delicious warmth that seeped into his very bones. Each brush of Taryn"s calloused fingertips sent sparks dancing across Rhys"s sensitized nerves.

Rhys arched into the caresses, a strangled whimper escaping his parted lips. He could feel the rumbling purr vibrating through Taryn"s chest, the sound utterly primal and intoxicating.

Rhys"s breath caught as Taryn"s hands roamed lower, fingertips blazing a scorching trail down his abdomen. His pulse thundered in his ears, every nerve ending alive and tingling with anticipation.

When Taryn"s questing touch dipped beneath Rhys"s navel, a tremor of mingled trepidation and desire rippled through him. He couldn"t suppress the instinctive arch of his back.

Taryn let out a deep, rumbling purr of approval at Rhys"s responsiveness. The sound, so utterly primal and intoxicating, sent a fresh wave of heat pooling in Rhys"s belly.

Rhys shivered under Taryn"s touch, his body responding to the Borraq"s teasing with an intensity he"d never felt before. He could feel Taryn"s own arousal pressing against his ass—

Wait. He rolled his hips back, pressing back for more sensation, and found a little more than he was expecting.

Human soldiers loved to pass around rumors about Borraq, the worse the better. Right then, Rhys rifled through his memories of those drunken stories, desperate to answer a very specific question about Borraq anatomy. "Taryn…?" he murmured.

Taryn"s lips brushed against Rhys"s ear, sending a shiver down his spine. "Shh. I"m exploring, little human. Learning what makes you tick."

Rhys took in a shaking breath as Taryn"s fingers continued their teasing, dipping ever lower. "And what have you learned?" he managed to ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

Taryn"s lips curved against the back of Rhys"s nape. "That you"re incredibly responsive. And that I want to explore every inch of you."

Rhys let out a shaky breath, his body trembling under Taryn"s touch. The Borraq"s fingers tightened around his cock, stroking him in a way that made his hips buck and his breath catch in his throat.

"Taryn," he gasped out, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please... don"t stop."

Taryn let out a low growl, his fingers tightening around Rhys"s cock as he continued his teasing. "I have no intention of that."

Rhys"s breath hitched as Taryn slid his two cocks between his thighs. "Jesus!" Rhys looked down, and let out a moan at the sight: Taryn"s hand splayed out across Rhys"s chest, holding Rhys tight against him; his other hand, wrapped hot and strong around Rhys"s cock; and, thrillingly, two cocks, ridged and huge, hard and flushed as they rutted between Rhys"s thighs.

The sensation was unlike anything he"d ever felt before. The strange, erotic feeling of Taryn"s cocks, of that heat and heft… It sent shivers racing down his spine. "Fuck," Rhys gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "That feels... incredible."

Taryn let out a low growl, his grip tightening around Rhys"s cock as he began to slowly thrust between his thighs. "You like that?" Taryn murmured, his voice low and husky. "Does this feel good?"

Rhys let out a shaky breath, his body trembling under Taryn"s touch. "Yeah," he managed to gasp out. "God, yes."

Taryn"s fingers tightened around Rhys"s cock, stroking him in time with his slow, steady thrusts. "Tell me what you want," Taryn murmured, his voice low and husky. "Tell me what you need."

Rhys let out a low gasp, his body trembling under Taryn"s touch. "I... I don"t know," he managed to grit out. "I"ve never... I"m not exactly a xenobiologist. Just keep showing me yours, big guy, and I"ll keep showing you mine."

Taryn let out a low chuckle, his fingers tightening around Rhys"s cock as he continued his teasing. "I never know what you"re talking about."

Rhys let out a shaky breath, his body trembling under Taryn"s touch. He could feel the Borraq"s fingers tightening around his cock, stroking him in a way that made his head spin. "You don"t need to. Just keep going."

Rhys"s breath hitched as Taryn"s lips found his neck, the Borraq"s teeth grazing his sensitive skin. He let out a low moan as Taryn nipped and kissed his way down his throat, the sensation sending shivers racing down his spine.

"You taste so good," Taryn murmured, his voice low and husky. "So delicious."

With the rumors of what Borraq did to human prisoners, with the memories of the ways that the young warriors had stared at Rhys, slowly losing their control… The mention of him being delicious should have made Rhys want to run for the hills.

He didn"t. He rocked back, squeezing his thighs together to press around Taryn"s cocks. "Y-yeah? What are you gonna do about it?"

It didn"t make sense. His brain was turning to hot, needy jelly.

But Taryn didn"t seem to mind that he was speaking nonsense — or maybe he was used to Rhys being inexplicable. Taryn"s lips found his ear, the Borraq"s hot breath sending a shiver down his spine. "Mate you," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "But you"re so small and delicate... I don"t want to hurt you."

Fuck. Rhys"s mind was a whirl of desire. He drank in the sensation of Taryn"s cocks sliding between his thighs, the friction sending sparks of pleasure shooting through his body. He could feel Taryn"s precome already streaking his skin, slick and hot, leaving him slippery.

What would he feel like inside of him…?

"Come on, then," Rhys gasped, his voice hoarse with need. "Fuck me. Mate me."

Taryn"s movements faltered for a moment. Rhys could feel his hesitation. He knew that Taryn was barely holding back — the proof of that was leaking slick between his thighs.

The knowledge only made Rhys"s desire burn hotter.

"Rhys…" Taryn growled, his voice low and rough. "I don"t want to hurt you."

Rhys rolled over onto his back, pulling Taryn on top of him — or trying to, at least. It was like trying to move a mountain. Taryn went along with it.

He looked up into Taryn"s piercing green eyes, his own gaze filled with determination. "If I can survive jumping off a cliff, I can survive you," he said, his voice firm. "But… um, just one. One is all that this little human can handle."

Taryn chuckled, the sound low and rumbling in his chest. He looked down at Rhys"s body, his gaze lingering on the human"s hard cock.

"I"ll be gentle," he promised, his voice soft.

Rhys let out a shaky breath as Taryn positioned himself above him. He could feel the heat of the Borraq"s body, the weight of him pressing Rhys into the soft earth. He looked down at Taryn"s two hard alien cocks, ready and beading with precome for him, and felt a thrill of anticipation.

Taryn reached down, guiding one of his cocks to Rhys"s entrance. Rhys tensed for a moment, his body bracing itself for the intrusion. But Taryn was true to his word, moving slowly and carefully as he pressed the head of his cock against Rhys.

Whenever Rhys had done this before, hooking up quick and dirty in station corridors, there"d always been a moment for logistics: lube, or spit? But this, though… As Taryn"s cock rubbed against Rhys"s entrance, all that alien precome slicked the way, smooth and slippery.

Damn. Score one point for Borraq anatomy.

For a moment the pressure was delicious, making Rhys"s toes curl with need and anticipation — and then, slick with his own need, Taryn slid inside Rhys.

Rhys let out a low moan, the sensation unlike anything he"d ever felt before. He could feel the Borraq"s cock stretching him, filling him completely. No quick space station hook-up could measure up to this.

Taryn growled, a needy, primal sound. He began to move, his thrusts slow and steady at first. Rhys could feel every inch of the Borraq"s cock as it slid in and out of his body, the sensation sending waves of pleasure crashing over him.

Rhys wrapped his legs around Taryn"s waist, pulling him closer. Taryn"s muscles tensing beneath his fingers, the heat of his skin searing Rhys"s palms. He moaned as Taryn"s thrusts grew more urgent, his body moving in a primal rhythm that sent sparks of pleasure shooting through Rhys"s body.

Rhys"s breath hitched as Taryn"s first cock drove into him, the sensation unlike anything he"d ever felt before. Taryn"s second cock rubbed against his own hard length, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through his body.

Without thinking, Rhys reached down and wrapped his hand around Taryn"s second cock. "Rhys!" The Borraq let out a feral growl, his hips bucking as Rhys began to stroke him in time with Taryn"s thrusts.

The sensation was overwhelming, the feeling of Taryn"s cock inside him while he stroked the other… It sent Rhys"s arousal soaring. He could feel Taryn"s muscles tensing beneath his fingers, the Borraq"s breath coming in short, sharp gasps as Rhys teased and stroked his second cock.

Taryn"s thrusts grew more urgent, his hips slamming into Rhys as he drove his first cock deeper. Rhys could feel the Borraq"s second cock throbbing in his hand, the heat and hardness of it making his own arousal spike.

Rhys let out a low moan as Taryn"s first cock pounded into that perfect spot inside him, sending waves of pleasure crashing over him. He could feel his own orgasm building, the sensation of Taryn"s cock inside him and the feel of the Borraq"s second cock in his hand driving him closer and closer to the edge. "T-Taryn…!"

Taryn let out a low growl, his hips bucking as he drove his cock deeper.

God! With a final, desperate thrust, Rhys felt himself tumbling over the edge. He let out a low cry as his orgasm washed over him, his body shaking as he came. Taryn"s second cock pulsed furiously in his hand, and then Taryn"s own orgasm followed closely behind.

Taryn let out a low growl as he came, his hips bucking as he filled Rhys with his seed. Rhys could feel the warmth of it inside him, the sensation sending aftershocks of pleasure through his body.

As their orgasms subsided, Taryn collapsed against Rhys, his breath coming in short, sharp huffs. Rhys could feel the Borraq"s heart pounding against his chest, the heat of his body searing Rhys"s skin.

For a moment, they lay there in silence, their breathing slowly returning to normal. The weight of Taryn"s body on top of him, the warmth and solidity of it… It was comforting in a way he couldn"t quite put into words.

Taryn rolled off of Rhys, his body sprawled out beside him. His chest rose and fell with each breath, the muscles of his abdomen rippling with every movement.

Rhys couldn"t help but let out a chuckle as he snuggled down next to Taryn, the Borraq"s body radiating warmth like a furnace. "I don"t think that"s how they treat hypothermia."

Taryn let out a low rumble, his chest vibrating against Rhys"s. "It worked, didn"t it?"

Rhys couldn"t argue with that. He could feel the warmth of Taryn"s come inside of him, the sensation strange but not unpleasant. He found himself pressing in against Taryn, seeking out the Borraq"s warmth and strength.

Taryn"s arms wrapped around Rhys, pulling him closer. Rhys let out a contented sigh, feeling safer and more secure than he had in a long time.

As he drifted off to sleep, Rhys found himself wondering what this meant for him — and for Taryn, too.

On this planet, Rhys was marked for death.

But Taryn might have marked him for something else entirely.

For a moment, Rhys simply lay there, enjoying the feeling of Taryn"s arms around him. He knew that they would have to get up soon, that they had a long day of travel ahead of them.

For now, he just wanted to savor this moment of peace.