28. A Sudden Request
TWENTY-EIGHT
A SUDDEN REQUEST
Lukys
Running my hand over my mouth, I stare at the tousled hides of my nest.
The aroma of her essence, her delectable arousal, permeates the space. So sweet. So… All I can smell is her scent, and it is a wonder I have not claimed her yet. I have been brought to my limit and have still shown restraint.
I am losing my patience. Elena tests my boundaries, surprising and frustrating me at the same time.
I told her I will wait but it will be difficult.
Painfully so. My body will be strained, and I will be constantly distracted with lust. Regardless, when I finally claim her, it will be worth everything.
It will be bliss. I tasted heaven on my tongue, supplied by her sex, and I crave more.
If my patience gets me more, I will wait. As hard as it will be.
I have had her form under mine, her legs spread out, her soft pink sex revealed… The mystery of her slit is over, and I am pleased with my discovery. Her hole may be small but it is puffy, dewy, and soft. With the heavy probe of my thumb, and the rest of my fingers, it can be stretched.
She says she is sick with me, from my smell, my pheromones… Shelby, on her ship’s machine, told her this.
If anyone is sick, it is me.
Pulling out my stem, I groan with pleasure. Picturing Elena’s form, barren of all of her clothes, I squeeze my tip and run my hand down my length. Cupping my knot, it feels good to have it out of my tail. With its newfound freedom, I can milk it to relieve some of my tension.
Doing so now, I yank on my prick fast until seed sprays from my tip. Grabbing hold of my knot again, I knead it until it is empty. With seed spread across my top-most fur, I yank the hide off my nest and, using a clean portion of it to wipe myself clean.
I do not return to her ship. I fear if I do, I will be there all day. Unfortunately, I have not eaten in several and I need to hunt.
After I take care of my body’s needs, I return to the meadow.
Hearing a noise in the direction of Levy and Greg’s ship, I pause to search for them.
Greg walks out from the trees with an armload of twigs and branches.
He carries them to the firepit and drops them onto the pile that has already formed beside it.
Levy is kneeling at the firepit’s edge, fiddling with the kindling.
As I move closer, he flicks open his lighter to burn some gathered brush.
For a time, I watch him try and grow the flames. Eventually, Greg rises and goes into his ship. He comes out with a canteen of water and hands Levy a small rectangular item that the male rips open and bites into.
They have a hard time keeping the fire lit. I return to my cave and grab my firestarter—another boon from pilfering the soldiers’ encampment.
Finding the males where I left them, with Levy still kneeling next to the flames, adding more kindling. I find Greg beside him holding a handful of spongy moss.
“Let me help,” I announce myself, crossing the meadow.
Both of their heads lift, their gazes shooting to me. Greg straightens from where he is bent over and Levy sits back.
They are silent as I approach the fire and shift the branches around, breaking several of them until they are smaller.
I light them with the firestarter and am able to keep the flames going, snatching more kindling from the pile with my tail and adding it to the growing fire.
As the flames spread steadily, I look at the males.
Levy glares at me while he eats his strange rectangular meal. Meanwhile, Greg adds another branch to the pit. The silence between us is tense as we study each other, and I decide whether I am going to speak.
“Elena is mine,” I warn, my voice darker than I mean it to be. I do not fear these males, even if Greg killed Deiys. I do not fear he will turn his weapon on me unless he absolutely has to.
“Is that why she was up the mountain and in your… cave this morning?” Greg asks without looking up, busy with his wood pile.
“It does not matter why she was in my cave. She is mine, and I will do what I must to protect her and keep her safe.”
“Oh, is that what you two were doing?” Levy drawls, shaking his head.
“At least there’s that,” Greg says at the same time.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble and if there’s something between you and the girl, that’s between you two.
She disappeared again this morning and left her ship open.
Levy and I went searching for her, thinking she might have been taken again.
Neither of us knew she left willingly and was all right. ”
Levy’s gaze drifts over me and his expression morphs into disgust. “She can do whatever the hell she wants.”
I narrow my eyes. “Within reason.”
He laughs dryly. “She picked a real winner with you. I guess you are her best bet at surviving out here, but still… disgusting.”
“Levy, enough. It’s none of our business,” Greg snaps, finally moving away from his pile to sit on his stool.
“He threatened to kill us!”
“I will protect what is mine in any manner I see fit.” I arch a brow.
Greg sighs and rubs his eyes with his hands. “Levy shut up. Or he might just do what he threatened.”
Levy turns on him. “How can you be so calm?”
“Because nothing is going to come from any of this unless we move on to what’s really important. Also, he’s not going to kill me, I’m not the one antagonizing him. Lukys has made no act against either of us yet and I don’t believe he will. Why else would he have helped us keep the fire lit?”
“And what’s more important than our lives?”
“What we do next,” Greg says, lifting his eyes to mine.
Levy goes silent but then curses. He walks to his stool and sits down.
I regard the two males, taking in their increasingly gaunt forms and the shadows under their eyes.
They are tired, unkempt, and for the first time I wonder if they are…
managing. I rarely see either of them eat but then again I do not watch them while they are inside their ship.
I have not encountered them hunting though I have heard Greg’s gun being fired.
“I do not intend to hurt or kill either one of you—”
“Oh, thank god,” Levy mutters.
“—unless you hurt or try anything against Elena. I have decided I do not mind you two living within my territory as long as you heed my warning and understand that Elena is mine. This is my warning and invitation. You may stay here and keep your ship nest, but you are never to return to my cave again.”
Levy dryly laughs. “That’s the thing, naga, we don’t plan to stay. Thanks for your ‘invitation’ but our ship is almost out of supplies. It isn’t nearly as equipped or as advanced as Elena’s. It’s a fucking maintenance vessel, not a home.”
Greg glowers at him. “Levy.”
Levy stops laughing and grabs another branch to throw into the fire. “Whatever.”
“You are planning on leaving?” I coil my tail tighter under me. “Where?”
Greg shifts and glances at Levy before looking at me.
“While scouting we’ve seen smoke trails in the distance, coming from every direction but mainly in the north and east. We think one of the encampments is out there.
One of the bigger ones that is often on the broadcasts.
There’s supposedly an encampment east and, another, far in the north.
Our ship won’t be able to take off again, and with our supplies nearly depleted and without the skills to survive someplace like…
here—at least not alone and for however long it may be—we’ve been thinking about leaving.
The encampment, if that’s what we’re seeing, doesn’t look too far away. ”
I know of the smoke trails Greg is speaking of. I have seen them myself.
I have not gone east yet in my search for Elena’s sister, instead exploring the territories to the west of my mountain where I have allies.
Elena’s ship’s hatch opens, revealing her standing on the other side of the door. I stiffen as her eyes roam over us before landing on me.
Levy stands, pulling my attention from her. He pivots in the opposite direction and disappears on the other side of his ship.
“Elena.” Greg stands as well. “Come and join us. The fire is nice.”
Her gaze wanders from where Levy vanished to Greg then back to me. She takes a step outside.
I rise higher on my tail as she walks toward us. She stops between Greg and me.
“I saw you guys and thought I would join you. The fire is nice,” she agrees, nodding at Greg as she crosses her arms.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I’m okay.”
And to my surprise, she smiles. It lightens her face in a way I have never seen, lifting my scales along my arms. With the sudden urge to approach her and pull her into my arms, I clench my fists.
A possessiveness floods me as I glance at Greg, wishing he had left when Levy did so I could be alone with her.
I have not seen her smile before.
I want it to be mine, and only mine.
“Sorry for… interrupting the two of you earlier. I was just telling Lukys here we mean no trouble and we’re probably going to be leaving.”
Her smile fades and a small frown forms. She faces him. “Leaving? Where will you go?”
He points past her ship. “To the eastern encampment. Or what I think is the eastern encampment. Levy and I think the smoke rising from over there has to be where it is. They’ve been broadcasting that they’re accepting refugees.”
“Oh… Yeah. I heard some of those.” Elena’s frown deepens. “When are you leaving?”
“The path is treacherous,” I interject, “if you are heading for the smoke trails that way. More so than many other paths. You might want to seek out one of the smaller camps in another direction. I have recently been to several—”
“You have?” Greg asks as Elena faces me.
I nod.
“Are they okay? Those people? Do they look like they have the ability to accept refugees?”
“I… do not know. The largest camp I came across had eight ships and not all of the people are always outside. They are quiet. People are frightened when they see me.”
Greg rubs his chin. “Hmm. I can’t imagine something like that will be able to help Levy, Elena, and I.”
“Me?” Elena looks back at Greg.
Greg glances between her and I. “I assumed you would want to make your way to the encampment with us.”
Her lips part. “I… I need to think about it.”
Her gaze flicks my way before quickly looking elsewhere. “Elena has everything she needs right here.”
Greg walks to the wood pile, grabs a couple more branches then places them on top. “You say the way east is treacherous. Besides the obvious river we’re going to have to cross, what else are we to expect?”
I ease lower on my tail, glad the subject has changed.
“It dependssss on your route. If you cross the river near here instead of following it north and crossing it later, you will need to venture through Blue Coral lands, and Azsote, the Boomslang’s old woods.
Sticking to the river to his woods, the path is uneven and rocky, and you will have to be watchful of predators along the water, including scouting machines and soldiers, if you are trying to avoid them. ”
“We’re… not.”
“If you follow the river, it will take you longer, but it will be safer than taking a more direct path.”
Greg sits on his stool. “And if we cross here and go a more direct route, what then?”
“You will be going through the wetlands. The water can get very deep and the grass tall. The bugs are relentless. You will risk drowning and exhaustion. It is something even a naga must worry about before venturing into there.”
“Well… the less direct route it is,” Greg grumbles. “Thanks for the info.”
I tilt my head. “You are welcome.”
“When are you guys planning on leaving?” Elena asks.
“Soon.” Greg rubs his hands together. “We’re almost out of food, and I can’t hunt wild animals worth a damn. I keep scaring them off.”
I watch as Elena peers down at the ground, her eyes narrowed in thought.
“You should come with us,” Greg adds, looking at her. “Jenna might be there.”
“Like I said, I’ll have to think about it. I do want to look for my sister…”
“Maybe Lukys can come along too.” Greg laughs quietly and shrugs.
I grit my teeth but hold in my hiss, already aware my next hunt for Elena’s sister will no longer be alone, but with her as well, and two human males that are becoming more of a nuisance by the second. Now that they are going to this encampment, Elena will want to search for her sister there.
“Fine,” I growl. “But Elena doessss not leave my side.”
Her eyes widen and she slowly jerks her chin in agreement. “Okay.”
“It is settled then! We’ll leave in the morning,” Levy announces, walking out from behind his ship to approach us. “What a band we’ll make.”
Elena smiles once again and my chest swells with pressure and excitement. Two smiles in one day. I must be doing something right.
“Tomorrow,” I still mumble, ready to have this trip behind me, wishing more than anything to be alone with her once again.
But I made a vow, and if her sister is at this encampment, she will have no reason to ever look at me with fear again.
I will see more of her smiles.
More than anything, I want them.