Oh. My. God. Yes. So much yes.
Slowly, he peels off my pants. Zunix cradles me against his strong chest, one large hand splayed over my belly, the other wrapped around me, resting between my breasts, hand at my neck. I swallow hard, my heart about to beat out of my chest, as Liorax’s dark head bows between my legs.
“I am going to kiss you now,” he whispers, barely waiting for my whimper of assent before he lays his hot mouth on my sex. My head rolls back against Zunix, who props me up as Liorax’s strong tongue strokes between my labia.
“Oh, oh,” I pant, all thought lost. Gripping my buttocks, Liorax presses deeper, finding my most sensitive spots and licking lightly, then with more intent. Pleasure stabs through me. I sag against Zunix, unable to stand, as Liorax pushes two fingers into my pussy. Heat radiates through my body at his touch. His tongue circles my clitoris—Draekon physiology must be really similar to human because he knows exactly where to touch me, exactly where to press his tongue—and my thighs quiver as I strain to keep them open. Shivers run through my body as my orgasm builds up inside me, tight and hot and powerful.
“So lovely,” Zunix croons in my ear, caressing my aching breasts, tugging on my taut, throbbing nipples with his fingers. “Beautiful Olivia.”
I lean back against him, my moans coming faster and louder. Liorax hitches my leg over his shoulder, lapping hungrily. My fingers fist in his thick, dark hair.
Then it’s too much to bear, and I can’t hold back anymore. I explode, legs shaking, chest heaving, Zunix alternately nipping my ear, and murmuring encouragement. He holds me close until the world stops spinning.
At my feet, Liorax gives me a final, gentle lick, and lays his head against my thigh. His eyes are so blue, framed by black lashes. “No, Olivia,” he says, answering my question from earlier. “You are our first.”
Swoon.
My legs are still rubber as Zunix sets me down. He turns me carefully, and cups my face with both hands, kissing me thoroughly. “Want to get that swim now?” His eyes are hot with desire as he looks down at my naked body.
“Or you could take your clothes off,” I reply, still a little breathless. “And we could fool around some more.”
Liorax props himself up on an elbow but doesn’t make any move to get naked. “There’s something you should know,” he says. “Draekons mate for life. It is not a thing to be hasty about.”
If I sleep with them, I lose every piece of leverage I have.
He’s not stupid, neither of them are. Both Zunix and Liorax note the slight stiffness in my body.
Zunix’s eyes soften. He lifts my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of each finger. “I want you to be sure,” he says. “There is no hurry.” He grins roguishly. “I think we should make you come again. To help you decide.”
I laugh out loud. “I like the sound of that,” I admit. A sudden high-pitched blare of noise cuts off my next words. “What’s that?” I ask when it subsides, sitting up in alarm.
“Dariux.” Zunix is already untying the boat. “He’s back. Let’s go see what he discovered.”
13
Zunix:
Dariux is alone. I fear the worst and lace my fingers in Olivia’s. “What happened?” one of the human women ask. “Are they dead?”
“No.”
Everyone starts talking at the same time. For a few minutes, there’s a tumult of voices in the camp, and then Liorax claps his hands loudly for silence. “Maybe we should hear what Dariux found,” he says pointedly.
Dariux gives him an ironic bow of thanks. “The rains hadn’t yet started to fall in the Lowlands,” he says. “And I found the Fehrat 1 easily enough. But,” he pauses and looks around at all of us, “it was empty.”
“The scientists were gone? Were they dragged away by predators?”
He shakes his head. “No. The tracks were made by people. Four sets of Draekon tracks led away from the ship. Someone took the scientists.”
“What about Harper? Viola? Ryanna and Sofia? Did you see any sign of them?” Olivia cuts in.
“I’m getting to that,” Dariux says impatiently. “As I was saying, the Fehrat 1 was empty. The dead human and the dead technician had been buried by three people. Two Draekons and one human.”
“How could you tell?” Paige Watkins calls out.
“Humans have smaller feet,” he replies. “As best as I can tell from following the trail they made, they walked toward the mountain range to the east and met up with either three or four Draekons. Those Draekons had come from the direction of the river. Anyway. I followed a lot of trails and eventually found a waterfall. A fight had taken place there, between the predators that litter in the Lowlands and three human women.”
“And?” I roll my eyes at the way Dariux is drawing out the story. He loves the fact that everyone’s hanging onto every single word.
“The predators had been killed. One with a gun, two others with bone knives.” He looks around and smiles widely. “The four women are with Draekons. They are safe.”
Olivia breathes a shuddering breath of relief, and her grip on my hand tightens. Dariux notices and raises his eyebrow in my direction. I shrug blandly in response. If Herrix and Belfox want her, they’re not doing a very good job of showing it.
Speaking of which, where are Herrix and Belfox? I realize I haven’t seen either of them all day. That’s odd. Neither man likes to explore, and they never are too far away from camp.
Belfox had left for an hour yesterday. I’d thought it strange, but I’d been more preoccupied with the thought of Olivia being alone with Herrix. Now, the threads appear connected, and my intuition warns that the two men are up to something.
“We know where they are, right?” Olivia asks. “Let’s go get them.”
Dariux shakes his head immediately. “Even if I wanted to set out again on my skimmer, it’s not possible. It rains in the Lowlands unrelentingly for three months. If you are caught out in the open during the rainy season, it is a death sentence. Your skin will be flayed from the force of the deluge, and your lungs will struggle to find air to breathe.”
“So we wait?” May asks.
“There is no other choice,” Dariux replies firmly. “Your friends are with Draekons. They will be safe and protected. When the rains subside in three months, we will look for them.”
The gathering breaks up, and Dariux comes up to me. “I couldn’t get the luggage hold opened,” he says, his voice heavy with frustration. “The door was jammed. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Olivia is happy that the other women are safe, and that’s all that really matters. “Come over tomorrow if you want to use the ThoughtVault.”
If he’s surprised that I’m not holding him to the terms of our deal, he doesn’t show it. He nods. “Thank you.” He gestures to the half-completed building. “This is going well. I admit I wasn’t thrilled with the idea at first, but maybe it’ll be good for us.”
Olivia:
A week after Dariux returns, the Draekons finish building the new treehouse, and we move into the larger space. For the first time since I landed on the prison planet, I sleep in a room by myself, and it feels pretty damn good.
Even with bedrooms of their own, it doesn’t take long for the women to mate with the Draekons.
Paige is the first. “Gotta be honest,” she grins, a few weeks after we arrive at camp. “Once I saw their cocks…” Her voice trails off, and she fans herself. “Ladies, I’m not going to kiss and tell, but let me assure you, they have the equipment, and they know how to use it.”
Bryce turns to me, her eyes dancing with glee. “Three weeks,” she says under her breath. “I called it.”
After they do the deed, Rezzix and Magnux build a new treehouse for the three of them to live in. Felicity goes green with envy at the prospect of having her own house, and I swear that’s what prompts her to shack up with Luddux and Xanthox. It takes May longer, but two and a half months after we arrive, Yasix and Thesix finally win her over.
Things change around camp too. We start eating meals together in the new dining room. The only Draekons that consistently boycott the space are Belfox and Herrix. Herrix can’t stand the idea of giving Liorax credit for anything, and Belfox always follows his lead.
Bryce is passionately interested in everything about this new planet. She adopts an injured baby karvil when its pack abandons it, feeding it by hand patiently until it’s strong enough to hunt on its own. It’s an adorable little thing, shaggy and orange and cat-like, with large yellow eyes and three tails.
“You should name it,” Felicity says, stroking it and cooing to it.
So baby-karvil becomes Fluffy McCutie. Fluffy grows quickly and is soon as big as an adult, but she doesn’t leave our camp. She becomes Bryce’s loyal shadow.
Bryce is also the only one of us who’s interested in the native plants. “Daniel and I used to do a lot of farm-to-table stuff,” she says.
May snorts. “Bryce, sweetie, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s all farm-to-table here.”
“I know. Isn’t it awesome?”