Chapter Eight #2
I didn’t miss his huff of amusement as he pulled me onto my back.
He was lying beside me, the hair between his ridges falling wild to one side as he propped his chin on his free hand.
I barely had a moment to register that he was topless and I should probably protest the way he still held me before I was distracted by his next words.
“We did. We’re here.”
My eyes went wide as the realization clicked that I’d lost more than the few hours I’d assumed. The trip to Morrakan took several days, and we were already descending to the surface.
I pressed a hand to my forehead, and for the first time since the injection, it didn’t feel hot or covered in sweat.
“What happened?”
Drazien’s lips lifted on one side along with his brow, and he tipped his head to the side.
“You were ill.”
I couldn’t keep from rolling my eyes as I dropped my arm and stared at him.
“I think I noticed.”
His wide grin showed off the tips of his teeth and my core clenched, making me gasp as I jerked my gaze away.
“It is good you awoke now. You can see Morrakan from above before we land.”
Forgetting my confusing reaction, the prospect stole my attention, and I tried to push myself up, but once again Drazien held me in place.
“Patience, rethari.”
Leaning back, Drazien finally released my waist to reach beside the bed, although his tail still held my legs in place.
The dark expanse of his chest stretched, and I couldn’t help the way my eyes traced the valleys between the muscles before following his violet markings.
Both disappeared beneath the sheet covering his waist, and for a moment, all I could think about was whether there was anything beneath the thin material besides his flesh.
I didn’t notice until then that I still wore the shirt I’d put on the morning I’d left Earth, but my pants were missing.
My lips parted, but before I could question where they’d gone, Drazien rolled back with something in his hand. The press of a few buttons had the wall behind him dissolving, and my gasp echoed through the room as the image of red sand and burgundy cliffs appeared.
If the wall had truly been gone at the speed we were moving the wind would have been a loud and violent thing that would have ripped everything from the room, but the sight truly made it seem as if there was nothing between me and the desert but Drazien’s body.
I leaned closer to him without thought, one hand settling on his hip so I could lift myself higher to watch the landscape zoom by.
From above, Morrakan appeared unoccupied, the utter lack of water making it seem as if were uninhabitable, but the information I’d received before the gala had explained that the Morrak lived primarily underground where a vast network of rivers provided the water essential to most living things.
Bright flashes of color began to appear, and I knew from the same briefing that they were plants.
Similar enough to flowers, thick, leathery petals opened during daylight, revealing bright centers meant to attract insects, then closed tight once more at dusk.
And while Morrakan’s day was longer than Earth’s, it was due to it being larger, because its rotation was also faster, giving rise to buffeting winds that grew worse after sunset when the plants closed and offered less resistance.
A scent that reminded me of summer, rain on hot pavement with an undertone of charcoal, filled my lungs as I drew in a deep breath, making me realize I was practically pressing myself against Drazien’s naked chest. My heart stumbled as I heard him draw in a deep breath as well, a low rumble vibrating from him so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.
For some reason, the tension bled out of my muscles, my mind going fuzzy as I felt Drazien close even more of the space between us. His nose was so close to my neck I could feel his breath ghosting over my skin, and goosebumps erupted along my arms as my nipples tightened.
My core clenched again, the dampness between my thighs becoming obvious, and that was enough to shake me out of whatever had come over me.
Jerking back, I stared into dark eyes that were close enough I could actually make out his slit pupils amidst the navy blue of his irises. They seemed narrower than usual, and for once he wasn’t smiling, the expression on his face making him look…
Hungry.
My heart stuttered again, lungs catching as I wiggled further away. I struggled against the hold his tail still had around my legs, but it was only a blink before it disappeared like the wall.
“I… uh… Need to get dressed before we land.”
The excuse that popped into my mind for why I pulled away reminded me I still didn’t know where my pants were, or why I wasn’t wearing them.
Backing off the bed, I faced Drazien as I stood, thankful my shirt was long enough to reach the tops of my thighs and keep me from exposing my damp underwear.
I looked around for a moment before spotting my pants on the floor at the foot of the bed.
I never would have left clothing on the floor, even when sick, so I had a feeling Drazien had taken them off me.
Had he been trying to help because I was feverish, or had it been something less noble?
I kept my eyes on him as I stooped and grabbed them, almost tipping over as I tried to get my foot in the leg.
I had to lean against the bed since my balance was still off, but I managed to get them on as Drazien laid in the bed and watched, making my cheeks flush from something other than temperature.
“If you wish to bathe and dress in fresh clothing, I can take you to the River Caverns once we land. There isn’t enough time to do it on the ship. We have to be below the surface before Vorrashan’s light retreats.”
My skin crawled with the need to wash away the dried sweat, but the River Caverns were something else that had been mentioned in the information packet.
The Morrak weren’t body shy the way Humans tended to be, and they bathed in public pools the way the Roman’s had in Earth’s past. I didn’t like the idea of exposing myself to anyone, much less Drazien, but I wasn’t going to have a choice.
I tried to remind myself of what Serenya had said about Human opinions not mattering on Morrakan.
Drazien rolled from the bed and rose in one smooth motion, and a hint of jealousy stabbed through my center at how easy he made it look. A quick check revealed that he had indeed been wearing pants beneath the sheet, and I ignored the part of me that was disappointed.
I didn’t want him to realize I wasn’t planning to stay, so I had to play along with what he expected.
If I was too reluctant it would make him suspicious.
I was excited by the prospect of seeing his planet and leaning more about the Morrak, so I decided to channel that to pretend as if everything was fine.
“That would be nice.”
I wanted to see the River Caverns, I just didn’t want to be seen, and the look in Drazien’s eyes when he flashed a smirk at me while shrugging into his uniform made it seem as if he knew exactly what my hesitance was about.
Ducking my head, I found my boots and put my back to him.
I was no stranger to lust, I’d had my share of lovers over the years, but the way my body responded to Drazien was beyond anything I’d experienced before.
One of the side effects of the injection that had been mentioned had been an increase in desire, but I was going to have to tell that doctor that their little side note about it wasn’t enough.
This was drastic.
A slight shiver went through the ship, and I looked at the view of outside, but a massive black wall blocked most of the image. I could tell we’d stopped moving, but only a thin strip of desert was visible past whatever we’d landed beside.
“Is that part of Korvashan?”
I hadn’t seen any mention of the city being walled, but it was something that might have been left out.
Drazien didn’t bother to look over his shoulder as he buckled his belt in place.
“It is Veyrdrahl’tharvek. Korvashan is below.”
My jaw hung open as I tried to parse through the tangle of sounds he had uttered. I had a good ear, but he rattled the name off so fast I only caught the first three syllables.
“Veyr… drawl…”
I knew veyr was their word for blood, but I hadn’t understood enough to guess the rest.
“Veyrdrahl. Blood-stone.”
I waited a breath to see if he’d continue, but it seemed whatever he’d said was separate words. With their warrior culture, I wasn’t surprised something was called Bloodstone, but he didn’t give me a chance to ask about the rest.
“Let’s go, rethari.”
Trying not to narrow my eyes at him as he walked across the room, I reminded myself to play nice. Still, it bothered me that I didn’t know what he was calling me.
“Are you going to tell me what rethari means?”
That dangerous grin returned to his lips when I stopped beside him and waited for him to open the door.
“If I do, you’ll glare at me again. Then what will people think?”
My eyes narrowed despite my best effort.
“Ah, yes. Just like that.”
I had to bite my lip, but I wasn’t trying to hold back words I shouldn’t say.
I was trying to hide my smile, because regardless of whether I was willing to give up my career and life for him, I did find his teasing amusing.
“When you learn what rethari means, I’ll remind you that you earned it. Until then, maybe pretend you don’t wish to skin me alive?”