23. Chapter 23
Mazorium
“Are you sure?” Mika asked for the fourth time.
I sounded a soothing rumble. “You’ve left Nadia with Iris before. She’s good with the baby, and Mia has taken the role of big sister and protector very seriously.”
“That’s true,” Mika said. “I think there are going to be some big tears from Mia when they leave tomorrow.”
“Half her emotions will be because she didn’t get to explore the rocky area again. The one I took her to yesterday. Once was never going to be enough,” I said.
My words had the desired effect and Mika chuckled.
“That girl is definitely going to be a geologist when she grows up,” Mika said. “I’ve never met anyone more obsessed with rocks than her.”
“I’m sure Iris and Damascus will make it so that she can pursue any interest,” I said. That made me think about our child’s future. “So can Nadia. I could teach her geology, and if she surpasses my knowledge, I’ll find someone else to instruct her.”
Mika chuckled. “She’s not even talking yet. Let’s wait until she’s at least using full sentences before we plan her entire future.”
She was correct, but I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things Nadia might like to do. I knew our baby was exceptional and would excel in anything she chose. I couldn’t wait to teach her everything I knew and explore her interests.
“It’s nice of Iris to lend us their shuttle,” Mika said. “It’s so much more comfortable than the flier.”
“Don’t worry, I’m already planning to buy a bigger flier,” I said.
Mika made a little surprised sound. “I’m sorry if I sounded like I was complaining. You don't need to buy anything new. Our flier is tight, but we make it work.”
“You’re not complaining,” I assured her. “When Nadia gets older we won’t all fit. We’ll need a bigger flier because I’m looking forward to taking her out on many adventures.”
“Speaking of adventures, where are we going?” Mika asked.
“I was talking to Damascus yesterday,” I said. “He had a lot of insights on humans.”
“What kind of insights?” she asked.
“He said that humans crave novelty. Iris likes to visit museums or institutions of learning that give independent lectures for guests.”
“I'm happy for her,” Mika said. “But I don’t think I’d be interested in that.”
“I didn’t think so either,” I said with an amused rumble. “I promise I’m not taking you to a museum. I’m taking you to a hot spring.”
“You know me so well,” she said.
“You’ve repeatedly lamented about the inability to soak in hot water,” I reminded her.
She nudged me, laughing. “I only said it twice.”
“But I always listen and take note.” I maneuvered the shuttle to the plateau nestled between some trees and a river. “We’re here.”
She jumped up before I’d even finished the shutdown procedure. I wasn’t worried; the door wouldn’t open until all the checks were finished.
By the time I joined her at the shuttle hatch, she was making impatient sounds and jabbing at the hatch display. It finally opened and the short ramp deployed. I followed her down and to the nearby pools of water.
Most of them were small, like where the water was just bubbling up from under the ground, but several were large enough to accommodate both of us at the same time. None of them were big enough to allow two Talins to soak together.
Not that we are a species that gravitates to hot water like humans do.
“All the pools are within human tolerances, but different temperatures," I explained, setting down the bundle of blankets, pillows, and towels I’d packed.
She leaned over to test the nearest body of water with her hand.
“That’s only tepid,” she said with a disappointed frown.
I nodded in the direction of the bubbling water. “They become warmer as they get closer to the source.”
She was quick to move all the way to the largest pool closest to the source. When she put her hand in, she sighed with happiness.
“This one is perfect!”
“Are you sure?” I asked, mildly concerned. “That one is at the upper limit of human tolerance."
She was already stripping out of her clothing and setting it in a neat pile on a rock near the pool.
She didn’t answer as she stepped into the water and lowered herself onto a natural rock ledge.
The pools were narrow but deep. She could easily step to the center and be deep enough for the water to cover her head.
She moaned as the water lapped at her neck. “Perfect.”
I rushed to follow, worried she might slip and breathe water into her lungs. I read that could happen to humans. I stripped out of my belt and pants and joined her.
It was hot enough that I found it mildly uncomfortable. Our sides had to press tightly together to fit, so I picked her up and settled her in my lap. That allowed her a nicer seat and more room to let her limbs float out into the water.
“Maz, you’ll never know how good this feels,” she murmured. She closed her eyes and let her head rest on my shoulder.
“We can come back,” I said, happy to know I’d found a treat for my beautiful human.
“When we leave this planet, I’m going to miss this the most,” she said.
“Along with a bigger flier, I’m also looking into retrofitting the cleansing unit with a Doringo bathing bowl. They are an avian species and like to sit in water to preen their feathers. One of their bathing bowls would be big enough to fit you.”
“But would it fit both of us?” she asked. “I like having you in here with me.”
“I will look for a bigger one,” I said quickly.
We sat in silence, listening to the soft sounds of the wilderness around us. The water in our pool rose and spilled over into the next one at regular intervals with a quiet burbling. I had to acknowledge this was a relaxing and peaceful way to spend a morning.
I think Mika might’ve drifted into a light sleep, trusting me to keep her safe from discomfort or drowning. As time passed, I began to worry about her spending too much time in the water. It couldn’t be good for delicate human skin.
“Mika, we should get out of the pool,” I murmured into her ear, kissing the delicate shell. “I have lunch packed in the shuttle. We could have a picnic here before leaving.”
She came awake with a stretch and a loud exhalation of breath. “That sounds nice, but there’s something I’d like to do first.”
Before I could ask what that was, she turned to face me, straddling my lap. She moved her face close and pressed her lips to mine.
I parted my lips and our tongues met. Lip presses were one of my favorite things Mika had taught me about being intimate.
She rubbed her sex against me and moaned into my mouth. My little human wanted pleasure, and I was happy to give it to her.
While we kissed, I moved my hands to cup her backside. She’d put on weight under my care, and I reveled in the soft parts of her. They were proof she was healthy and happy.
I squeezed her butt, making her moan. As much as I wanted to toss her onto the smooth rocks behind us and dive my face between her legs, I’d learned the more I drew this time out, the more powerful her orgasm would be.
It was hard to hold off when she begged to climax, but I’d become better at refusing.
She ended the kiss and pulled back. “I want to see you emerge.”
My brain was moving sluggishly so I sounded a questioning rumble. “What?”
She giggled and moved off my lap. “Stand up and sit on the edge of the pool. I want to see your dick get hard and come out of your protective pouch.”
“You’re obsessed with my reproductive organs,” I teased as I did what she asked. The air felt blessedly cool and steam curled up from my skin. I separated all my back plates to help disseminate the heat my body had been absorbing while in the water.
“I might be a little obsessed,” she agreed with a laugh, moving closer to me. I gripped the edge of the pool to keep myself from reaching for her. She liked exploring my body, and it took enormous effort to remain still for her.
She put a hand on the pouch, pressing her palm flat. Unlike the overlapping keratin plates covering the rest of my body, the plates outside the mating pouch were small and bead-like. She ran her hand over it, feeling the outline of my hardening shaft inside.
“I know this is an evolutionary adaptation and not specifically designed for me,” she said. “But still, I love the feel of both the inside and outside of your pouch. The outside is tough but smooth.”
She moved her hand up and ran her fingers over the seam. “But I know the inside is unbelievably soft.”
My hands tightened on the rock ledge as she slipped a finger inside. It felt like an invasion, as if my body should be rejecting the intrusion. But it was also intensely pleasurable. No one had ever done that to me before Mika, and I thanked the ancestors that she was obsessed with my body.
“Is this okay?” she asked, slipping in another finger. That was new, normally she only used one digit.
“Y-y-yes,” I stuttered. The intrusion stung a little but also felt so very good. I forgot I should be focused on her pleasure and let my head drop back with a moan. “More, please!”
She pressed a third finger into my sheath and sank them deep enough to stroke the head of my shaft. I shuddered and almost lost my footing.
“What are you doing to me?” I groaned.
“Finding your G-spot,” she said, her voice heavy with arousal. If she stood up from the water, I was sure I’d be able to smell it on her. Even the thought of it made my mouth water.
I didn’t know what a G-spot was, but I assumed it was the human term for a place that was arousing when touched.
“Please continue to explore,” I said, my sensual rumble loud in the quiet area. “I’m your most willing test subject.”
When she pulled her fingers out, I thought I must’ve said something wrong, but then she pressed her whole hand inside.
I cried out as the pressure inside my pouch became almost unbearable. There was a moment of pleasure that bordered on pain, and then my pouch snapped back, freeing Mika’s hand, my shaft, and my seed sack.
“I wonder if I could fit both hands in there?” she asked, taking my shaft in both hands and holding it in a firm grip.
Her words didn’t register right away in my dazed brain, especially with her soft palms squeezing my cock.
“You might kill me,” I said, finally understanding what she’d said. “But I’d die a very happy male and would brag to all the ancestors about how it happened.”
That made her laugh while she stroked me. I was able to remain still for three full up-and-down movements of her hand, but no more.
“It’s my turn to explore,” I declared, standing up and grabbing her under her arms. I turned and sat her on the edge of the pool where I’d been and pressed her back.
“I guess that’s only fair,” she agreed with a naughty grin.
I leaned over and put my mouth to her ear. “It’s not only fair, it’s necessary.”
Then I nipped the skin under her ear. With a moan, she turned her head to give me better access. I kissed, licked, and nipped my way from her neck down to her breasts. By now I had learned exactly how she liked to be touched.
With great pleasure, I sucked a nipple into my mouth, tasting the milk she fed Nadia. I didn’t do it long before moving to cup her entire breast with my hand.
“Your body amazes me,” I said, kneading her flesh with gentle but firm pressure. “Not only did you create Nadia, but you’re able to provide her sustenance. You claim to be obsessed with my biology, but I’m in awe of yours.”
“I…oh!”
She was going to say something, but I’d returned to worshiping every part of her body with my mouth, giving her a sharp little nip on the underside of her breast. She moaned and arched her back, inviting me to do it again.
“This body is so perfect it should be the standard by which all other humans are measured,” I continued, nipping and licking as I moved from her breast to her belly. “You’re a work of art, my Mika. My human.”
I got to the curly hair protecting her sex and moved one of my hands from her breast to gently part her folds. The scent of arousal filled my nose as I gazed at the glistening flesh.
Giving into what I’d wanted to do all along, I covered that little nub of nerves with my mouth. I sucked on her, similar to the way Nadia suckled at her breasts. My sustenance wasn’t milk, it was the moans, groans, and cries coming from her mouth.
When her body started to tense, telling me she was close, I slipped a single finger into her feminine channel. She screamed, and her body convulsed. I continued my motions until she pressed her fingers to my head, telling me she needed a break.
“Well done, my beautiful Mika,” I murmured, pulling my mouth and hand away from her sex. She collapsed on the rock she was lying on, and I worried it was too hard a bed for her.
Picking her up, I sat on the pool’s edge and cradled her in my lap.
“Not done,” she insisted, clumsily turning so she was facing me, straddling my legs again.
The tip of my shaft was resting at her entrance. Before I could do anything, she shoved herself down, making both of us cry out. My cock was buried deep in her slick heat, and I wanted to pound into her but also pull away and make sure she hadn’t hurt herself.
“Mika!” I meant the word to be a reprimand, but it came out as needy instead.
“Move, Maz,” she begged. “Please move!”
I couldn’t have refused her even if I wanted to. Grabbing her hips, I eased her up then lowered her back down onto my shaft.
“God, you’ve got the best cock,” she said, her eyes fluttering closed and her hands resting on my shoulders. “You hit all the right places. Do that purr thing. I need it.”
We’d found that if I sounded a rumble that was halfway between a purr and a sexual rumble, it vibrated my shaft in a way Mika found stimulating.
It took me a moment to find the rumble, but the moment I did, her body tightened around me and she moaned.
“Fast!” she demanded, tapping her hand on my shoulder.
I kept the rumble going and increased our speed. Tension built in my groin and spine. I growled as my climax loomed.
No, I refused to come before Mika!
Suddenly she screamed, her back bowing and her hands gripping my shoulders tightly. Her body squeezed down on me like a fist. I roared and emptied my seed sack into her heat.
Panting, we remained motionless for a moment, the pleasure depriving both of us of speech.
When Mika shivered slightly and lowered her head to my shoulder, I slid us back into the water.
“That was perfect,” Mika mumbled into my neck. “Let’s do it again soon.”
I blinked, concerned by her words. “My refractory rate will require at least two marks before I’m prepared to engage in intercourse again.”
She snorted. “I meant tomorrow.”
Then her body went boneless, and she was asleep. I held her securely against my body and contemplated how very perfect my life had become.