‘You don’t like it?’ Lumen sounded bewildered. ‘I think you look amazing, but we can find you something else.’
‘Aye. No.’ I made a feeble attempt to convince her with a smile. It wobbled. I clamped my lips together. Alarm scudded across her face, and I decided to be honest. ‘I do like it. I just don’t look like…my body is no,’ I made the shape of an hourglass, ‘curvy.’
I couldn’t say why but in my mind curvy was what the Verak lusted after.
I stared at the woman before me.
That was a lie.
I knew why I thought that way. ‘You spent time alone with Beowyn on Paniki.’ He’d had a lover there.
She gave me a funny look. ‘For a few minutes. Then the babies, my mates and your cousins were with us.’
‘Oh.’ I averted my gaze. ‘Right.’
‘Would it be a problem for you if I were alone with Wyn?’
I swallowed. ‘No.’
‘We’re friends.’ Her voice was small.
‘I know. Ugh. Christ, just ignore me.’ Hadn’t I already dealt with my jealousy issues when it came to Lumen and Beowyn’s relationship? Was I becoming the kind of woman who was suspicious of any other female?
I couldn’t think of anything worse.
Squinting, she shifted her hold to my shoulders. ‘Look at me, Sìne. Really look at me. I’m flattered you think I’m something special, but what you’re seeing isn’t on the outside. All this,’ she swooped a hand around her head, ‘is health and happiness. Goodness my Rä’Veks give me, and the joy Bravest brings into my life. It’s overflowing to show on the outside. That’s what you’re tripping over. That’s why you are a thousand times more attractive to Wyn and Ori. I look how you look when you let the little they’ve filled you shine through.’ Her eyes softened. ‘Let them shower you with the love they’re desperate to give, and your beautiful insides will overflow to your outsides as well.’
Clutching at her pretty tunic, I was stricken. Had she been born with such credence? ‘How do you know these things?’ My voice quavered.
‘Life experiences.’
I fumbled to hug her, eyes blinded by admiration. ‘You’re older than me by a few years.’ I was going on twenty-two, and she was nearing twenty-six. ‘Does so little time lend so much wisdom?’
I couldn’t wait.
Having all the answers would be sublime.
‘You know about child rearing, and I don’t.’ She kissed my cheek. ‘We’ll help each other. You’ll soon understand.’
Before I could drop to my knees and beg her to teach me the ways of the wise woman, she grabbed my hand to yank me around. ‘What?’
‘I saw a picture of Wyn on the holoscreens.’ Her pulse raced under my fingertips. ‘Something’s happening.’
We paid the clothier for our garments and to have our old outfits couriered to the palace.
Weaving through the crowd, we reached a depression in the plaza. It was an amphitheatre carved from the stygian rock. The stands heaved. Scores of alien species were crammed into the space–slimy membranes, tentacles, prehensile vibrissae and all. The eye-watering smell was memorable in the way of a back alley behind a row of fusion restaurants, a sweet and sour pungency. Trilling, clicking, croaking languages hammered against my eardrums. I swiped the back of my hand over my face, the body heat generated in the sandy bowl greater than in the open areas of the market, and shifted aside to allow a stout alien with grey skin and gigantic ears to lumber past. Tusks projecting from its stubby snout were bejewelled and glistened with odoriferous unguent that made my eyes sting. It’s saggy flesh smelt like burnt milk, and I gagged a little.
Neck craning side to side, Lumen stood on her tip toes to see over the crowd filling the nose bleed seats. She spotted her mates but struggled to manoeuvre through the press of bodies. ‘There they are. How are we supposed to get down there in one piece?’ She threw up a hand in irritation. ‘Fiercely?’
‘You expect him to hear you over this racket?’ We shouted to be heard, and we stood next to each other.
Not a minute had passed before I glimpsed emerald scales through a break within the surging throng.
Fiercely appeared at Lumen’s side and curled a gold banded arm around her waist. He gently clasped my wrist with his lower left arm then guided us down a floating escalator. Individual treads appeared from and disappeared into a dividing wall as we walked, a line of spectators travelling the opposite direction on the other side of the glass partition. Fiercely’s upper arms batted back drunken revellers who drew too close behind us, something I was grateful for. Sharing the steep, hovering steps wasn’t a safe option, and overtaking was a dangerous business.
Venomous and Cobra waited in a quieter corner sectioned off from the standing-room-only ticket-holders. The aliens surrounding us smelled fresher, cooled by the sleek air conditioning units dotted over the padded benches.
Mouth curving, Lumen’s eyes sparkled when her males converged on her with nuzzles and hisses.
I leant to speak into her ear so she could hear me over the hubbub. ‘Can we go back before the market closes? I want to buy a toy for Fergie.’ I’d spotted a stall with interactive holographic orreries for sale. It might be an engaging method to teach her of the solar system.
Anything to help me better explain the changes in her day-to-day reality would be welcome. She was curious and eager to explore. I wanted her to be aware things were different than on Earth but that if she was unsure of afraid, she could simply ask. It was for me to install this confidence in her.
Lumen gnawed on her forefinger. She used it to point, her hand near her cheek. ‘Uh, Sìne?’ She jerked her head to the dusty bowl at the base of the declining spectators stand.
Exasperated–how could she watch something as barbaric as pit fighting?–I glanced over. I slow-blinked. I ran into the balustrade with an oof. It jammed into my middle and saved me from pitching onto the switchback below.
Stripped to the waist, wearing fur kilts around their hips, barefoot, the Verak King and his High Commander stood on opposite sides of a chalk line.
Éorik stretched his thick neck. His mane had been braided into a plait then wound into a bun at the back of his head, his dark-skinned thew like polished marble dusted with a sheen of white hair. He shook out his hands and flexed his claws, the deliberate stretch making them seem sharper.
Slapping his naked chest, Beowyn bared his teeth and crouched, rocking forward, readying to charge. He’d removed the silver caps from his cranial horns to expose the razored tips. Huskier than his opponent, his musculature was thick and smooth under tawny flesh. His shadowy mane had been left to flow over his wide shoulders and broad back.
A disembodied voice echoed through the stadium to announce the contenders, inciting the rabble to a frenzy.
I threw a wild look towards the podium as a gong reverberated.
Unleashed, the Verak went at each other with thunderous roars, horns colliding and locking as they grappled to get a hold and unbalance the other.
My legs jellied at their savagery. ‘Oh, sweet Mother Mary.’
‘Venom.’
‘Yesss, my Lumen?’
‘Do you know what’s going on?’
Blood and spittle flew as the behemoths wrestled.
‘Oh, my God,’ I cried.
‘Yesss.’
Fists met flesh. Talons gouged skin. Sharp horns split the air with their violent cracks.
‘Jesus,’ I choked.
Lumen huffed. ‘Enlighten us?’
‘Please do.’ Moving on from calling to saints and deities uninterested in answering, I clutched my head. ‘We were only gone a few minutes.’
Lumen barked a laugh. ‘Males.’ She made the peace sign then pointed at her eyes and then accusingly at the rest of the world. ‘Take your eyes off them for a second and something will be bleeding to death or burning down.’
Venomous cuddled her to his front, all four arms caressing. He petted the ranting woman until I suspected sh
e no longer remembered her own damn name let alone my predicament.
Watching me watch him handle her fit of pique, Venomous flashed me a smug smile that had my eyes narrowing.
‘I’m telling,’ I mouthed.
Smile morphed into a fang-filled grin.
‘Éorik partook in clutch with Beowyn’s female.’ Cobra watched the fight with a grim set to his mouth. His black quills were pulled into a fat topknot, slanted brille obsidian pools in the sapphire crags and hollows of his face. ‘Honour demanded he offers challenge. Éorik accepted else he forfeit the right to breed her–you.’
Head tipped back to peer at him as he told me what I needed to know, my jaw dropped and my eyes rounded. I’d shopped, and the Verak engaged in a dominance display that escalated to an alien version of a gladiator match? ‘So what?’ My back stiffened. ‘You came to watch them tear each other apart?’
‘My nest-mates wished to see a round of Volant, a fighting sport originating here on Vayhalun. Its defensive players wear hover boots and carry maces while its offensive line race along the ground to score in the laser field above.’ He flicked a hand out. Silver piercings in his brow glinted. ‘They take advantage of the cleared space during the half-span entertainment break.’
Lumen sent her gaze heavenward. ‘Why didn’t you stop them, my loves?’
‘Thsst!’ Cobra’s chin lowered.
Fiercely clicked his teeth. ‘You say the strangest things.’
‘My dearest hearts.’ Venomous sounded embarrassed for her.
Lumen looked at me, hand fluttering to her head and tugging on her hair. ‘See what I’m dealing with here?’
‘That’s nothing compared to what I’m dealing with right now,’ I said.
‘It’s not a competition.’
We recoiled as Beowyn lifted Éorik off the ground by an ankle.
In a manoeuvre showcasing his raw strength, he hauled the male up and overhead then down on the other side to land with a meaty thud.
I flinched. ‘Oh, God.’ Great, I was back to helpless prayer.
Arms flung wide, hands balled into fists, Beowyn flung his head back and howled, tendons and sinew pulling taut from the violence of his cry.
The audience screamed back.
Face and chest smeared with the blood dripping from his nose, Éorik lurched onto his feet. He skipped back, took a running sprint then leapt into the air to deliver a flying kick to Beowyn at mid back. I never knew such a large mass could hurtle through the air such a distance, buy fly Beowyn did until he met the arena wall.
‘This is exciting.’ Lumen’s eyes were huge. ‘When Venomous fought for me, I was too scared to appreciate it. This is hot. You are so getting a little something-something when they’re done.’
I made an angry noise then went back to slapping at the railing. I imagined it was their fool heads. ‘I can no believe this. Why do something so immature?’
Fiercely’s brawny lower arms landed on my shoulders. A leathery hand cupped my chin to lift my face. ‘They fight for what they believe. Inaction allows ignoble deeds to sprout in the unsuspecting.’ His final palm stroked the back of my head. ‘It is good and right to fight for what is yours. Do not be afraid to fight for what is owed to you, friend of my Rä’Na. Whether that fight is for respect. Peace for your kindred. Safety for your hatchling.’ His lips quirked. ‘The right to bed your mate.’ He shook his head, and gold-pierced quills tumbled over his broad shoulders. Armoured scales caught the sunlight and lit with an inner glow, ripples of silver. ‘I like you. We are friends now. My friends are fierce as I am named. Do not let me down.’
I stared into the bottomless voids of his eyes. With his hands all over me, I realised with a tingly flush what Lumen saw in the outlandish Ra.
He, Fiercely Comes the Night patted the top of my head. All four hands let go. He returned to scowling at the masses, baring dripping fangs at those who drew too close to the space occupied by his female and nest-mates.
Feeling released from a scion of power, I swayed and staggered as I slumped against the rail.
Lumen sniggered. ‘Understand why I’m lucky they love me?’
I managed a bob of the head then turned to watch the Veraks thunder around the arena. I used the railing as a prop. My hand covered my eyes, but my fingers slid open of their own accord when the crowd went ballistic.
Beowyn had won. He captured victory by staying on his feet when Éorik fell to a knee, fist to the ground, his blood soaking into the sooty sand.
Pride warred with disappointment.
What had I been expecting?
How could one outcome ever be preferable to the other?
My SonCom bleeped.
Patrick wanted to do a handover as the babies were asleep.
I fired a message back asking him to meet us outside the arena. I relayed this to Lumen but shrieked in her startled face as I was grabbed from behind. A pincered grip bit into my stiffened sides.
I was upended over a sweaty, muscular shoulder that heaved from exertion. Clamping an arm over my thighs, Beowyn bounded up the stairs, jarring me with the powerful lunges.
Éorik was on the chase, wild eyes fixed on me, but he was lost to my sight when the spectators converged to touch and speak to one of the combatants.
‘Don’t worry.’ Lumen yelled. ‘I’ve got Fergie. I’ll message you where we’re staying.’ Her cackles merged with the ambient brouhaha. ‘Have fun.’
He took me to a quiet place.
The sides of the alley were freshly painted. Whitewashed buildings hung over our heads, letting only dim shafts of light spear the humid gloom. It smelt like cinnamon and cloves. Sensual music drifted from the passing carnival acts.
The low thrum of excitement running through my body bloomed into a ferocious ache deep in my bones as Beowyn hiked me up the wall and attacked my mouth. This rampant desire was for me. It felt as if all the cells in my chest spontaneously combusted and splattered over my ribcage.
I’d never be a pretty woman, but I could be beautiful inside–be someone this male desperately wanted.
Imagining him taking me was nothing like the reality. I’d expected finesse and expert handling. I’d expected sweet talk and gentle coaxing.
Beowyn ripped open my leathers and wrenched them down. My ass and pussy were kissed by cold air. I made a wild, hungry sound. His hand forged between my legs, sliding through my folds and pressing hard on the swollen nub throbbing for attention.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head. The rough pad of his thumb stroked in punishing flicks.
My knees knocked and buckled.
He pressed a thigh between them to keep me open, never ceasing his focused assault. His mouth fed on mine, stealing my breath and leaving me boneless. I flung an arm around his neck, grabbed my wrist to hang on and used the leverage to shove my hips into his.
It was awkward and rushed, but so very honest, wildly sexy because of it.
He tore his mouth free and growled.
We spun so quickly my eyes shut.
He flipped me around then pulled my ass into his groin, grinding his hips, hand delving into my leathers and playing with the sticky wet there.
Heavy and grasping, his hand cupped my tit over the fabric of my top.
I nodded and panted into the bend of my arm. ‘Touch me.’
He pushed the covering aside. The slight mound popped free of its confines, and his fingers returned to their torture.
I whimpered when his calloused palm squeezed and palpated my whole breast. My nipple stabbed his palm, the friction arrowing heat to my pussy.
My molten core clenched and ached demanding fulfilment.
‘This is mine.’ Malted breath blew a chill over my nape and raised goose pimples wherever it swept.
‘Aye.’ I arched my back and swivelled my hips. ‘Yours.’
‘Always mine.’
I rocked to chase the sparks fizzing through my folds. I touched his wrist. Velvet skin moved over rolling bone as he worked his
hand. ‘Want you inside.’
Dry, firm lips brushed my ear. ‘You want this?’
‘Please.’ I bit my bottom lip with a grunt when his finger curled just so to send the flutters deeper.
‘She begs for my touch.’
My head swerved on my neck, brows pulling together until a gravelly bass rumbled, ‘As do I,’ and my face whitened as my lashes whipped open.
Dim light was too bright, but still, my gaze collided with Éorik’s burning one.
Choking on an inrush of air, the fingers I’d clamped over the wrist controlling the hand buried between my legs stopped petting. They turned restraining. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked neither and both. ‘Oh, God.’
Éorik strode across the narrow space until his torso crushed mine against Beowyn’s and pinned us to the wall. His chest heaved, bruised and scratched and damp with musky sweat. ‘I smell your need.’ His arms came up to bracket Beowyn’s head, caging me between them, his muscles bunched with strain.
Beowyn mouthed my neck. ‘We are needing, are we not, sweet puss?’
My body was wooden, eyes round.
Hands gripped my body, and mouths sucked flushed skin. I was submerged in sensation until my rigidity melted into a boneless clinging.
Beowyn’s cock worked itself between the snug channel of my legs. He set a quick pace as he grunted in my ear and squeezed my breasts. Éorik gripped his horn and yanked him close for a kiss.
I watched their lips meld, their strong throats flex as they snarled and panted into the mouth of the other.
Moaning at the erotic sight, I squirmed seeking friction.
Beowyn nipped at his mouth. ‘Switch.’ He gripped Éorik around the neck and hooked me around the waist.
I was flipped. The Verak twisted with me at the centre.
Back hitting the wall where Beowyn had stood, Éorik was deadlifted onto the roof slant by the hold on his throat.
Swollen cock slapped my mouth.
The upper slit on his pronounced cock-head was wider than the furled dot beneath it, the fluid beading along its edges pearlescent. I dabbed the droplet with my tongue. Bittersweetness pinched the taste buds either side of my jaw.