Chapter 17
Daisy woke from her sleep unexpectedly, her eyes flying open.
Her glow rod sat on the small table beside the bed a short distance away, right where she’d left it, its light illuminating the regal planes of Zil’s beautiful face.
She turned slowly in bed, her eyes drifting through the small room.
It was clear that the miners were not provided with much space to live, but after sleeping out in the open on hard rocks, she felt remarkably cozy.
More than that, she felt a deep contentment at that moment that startled her.
The Valthaan had arrived and were actively hunting them, and yet she felt not only contentment snuggled in Zil’s embrace with his big body curled around her in sleep, but genuinely happy.
She hadn’t experienced real happiness since Jaren died, and for a moment the feeling was so foreign that she felt a sense of awe.
Tipping her head back so that it rested comfortably against Zil’s bicep, she stared at the big alien.
In the days she’d spent with him on the planet, she’d never seen him sleep before.
He was always the last to sleep and the first to wake, and yet, in this moment, she was able to share with him his vulnerability as she lay there with him in his arms.
Lifting her hand, she brushed it over the feather-soft strands that made up the crest of white hair on his head.
The texture was just as soft as she had imagined.
Her fingers dropped from his hair to his cheek, and she marveled at the texture of his skin that felt almost like hot glass beneath her hands.
She trailed her fingers down along his cheekbone to his jaw as she traced the sharply defined angles of his face.
Even his lips were full and perfectly shaped. Kissable lips.
She leaned in a little closer, entranced and seduced by the sweet smell that reminded her of vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom wafting from him.
Was it coming from his breath or the pores of his skin?
She couldn’t tell... but it was intoxicating.
She looked up from his lips and froze, her breath catching at the sight of his red eyes focused on her.
He was awake and watching her! She didn’t move but remained in place, her eyes fastened on his.
Her tongue swiped over her bottom lip, and she watched as his gaze tracked the motion, his pupils expanding with unmistakable interest. Moving in slowly, she paused with just the tiniest distance between their lips, just close enough for their breath to freely mingle.
Very gently she closed the distance briefly, her lips brushing softly against his mouth.
A ragged moan tore through him, and before she could pull away, Zil’s big hand cupped her head, his other arm winding around her waist as he flattened her to him and claimed her mouth with a sweep of his tongue.
Daisy’s eyes widened in surprise, but then closed with pleasure as his tongue tangled with hers in drugging kisses.
This was so unlike the times he had fed her that she didn’t know how she might ever have assumed that they would be similar or anywhere near the same.
His mouth did tantalizing things to her senses as he nibbled her lips and licked inside them, and a trace of his honey clung to her lips with the passage of his tongue.
The flavor had a headiness that she hadn’t tasted on him before, one so indescribable and addictive that she plundered his mouth, sucking and licking at his tongue with erotic little teases to work out more of its addictive flavor.
Zil growled in reaction, his pleasure announced not only by that rough sound but by his fervent hold on her.
Their bodies rolled and arched against each other, and she gasped against his mouth at the pleasure that quickly ignited and rose to a fever pitch in a matter of moments.
It didn’t seem possible to want or need someone so much, but her craving for him seemed to have no end as she clung to him and writhed, her body rubbing shamelessly against him as he pressed tightly to her.
He held her against him, his mouth wildly plundering hers so that she had to sip tiny gasps of air whenever his lips briefly parted from hers.
His massive Daranthiki body shifted, and then he rolled her beneath him, lifting his head and breaking their kiss so that he could stare down at her with glowing red eyes.
She stared up at him, searching his eyes as his heat bore down on her with all his hunger and something more desperate, an overwhelming need that she understood—loneliness.
She brushed her fingers lightly through his hair and watched as his eyes slitted with obvious pleasure.
He was a cybernetic legionnaire, created to fight and die for Daranthaknar.
Although she had known many stolen moments and empty touches, how long had it been since he had known the simple pleasure of touch at all?
Although he was a mercenary now, he was still a symbol of power and terror for many.
“Is Zil your full name?”
He hesitated, the fierce glow of his eyes dimming slightly. “A legionnaire is not permitted access to their civilian name. It is no longer legally mine, but... for you,” he leaned his, his breath caressed her ear as he whispered, “Zilshuwandu Kazheea.”
He lifted his head again to meet her eyes, and she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Zil studied her for a moment, and his lashes fluttered as they lowered partially over his eyes as the fire within them burned through her.
His tail slid along her leg, the tip curling around her ankle as he lowered his head once more, the heat of his lips capturing hers.
His flavor flooded her mouth anew, his scent filling her with every breath.
She moaned hungrily against his mouth as his tongue teased, tangled, and danced with hers before sliding deeper into her mouth as it did when feeding her.
Without thought, she latched onto it immediately and sucked deeply on it, drawing a moan from the male covering her body with his.
His honey rushed into her mouth, but the flavor was richer and more intense this time.
Whatever chemicals had changed within it, it had an immediate reaction on her as it sent heat dropping quickly into her belly, her arousal blooming so intensely that she trembled, and her cunt gushed hot and wet between her thighs.
Zil’s growl vibrated between them, and his tail began to rub along her leg.
His big body shifted, and his hands moved between them so that he quickly shucked his armored uniform before unsealing the connectors that ran down her flight suit and the TRS beneath it.
His mouth broke from hers, and she protested as his tongue withdrew, but he hushed her with a soft hiss.
“Patience,” he whispered. “I do not wish to accidentally harm you.” His gaze found hers, and he hesitated, removing his hands from her clothing. “Are you certain of this, Daisy?”
There was so much vulnerable uncertainty in his voice that her heart ached for him. The cold and indifferent droid-like alien was a thing of the past as he had slowly thawed around her, and now she only saw the caring male whom she had come to know and adore.
She nodded. “I’m certain. For once in my life, I want to have something for myself.”
His mouth curled, and he nodded, his claws returning to the seal on her flight suit.
“I cannot bare you completely, little flower,” he whispered with an odd catch in his voice.
“It is too cold for your human flesh. My body will warm you, however, so that you will not suffer from the minimal exposure.”
She eagerly nodded again and arched as his knuckles brushed her breasts as they worked their way down, opening the front of her flight suit.
Her need grew heavier within her, and she gasped at the brush of his hands when they descended again to open her TRS so that she was unfastened from top to her crotch, her entire cunt exposed by the unique design of the suits to handle her bodily needs.
Zil hissed as his eyes lingered on her wet sex and his body shuddered with his desire.
Her nipples tightened painfully with the cold, and she whimpered even as the bite of pain made her need deepen further.
He was right—it was very cold within the cave.
Zil’s gaze flew to hers and he covered her body with his, bringing back its blessed warmth as he grimaced apologetically. His hands brushed the side of her face as he pecked a kiss on her lips.
“Apologies. I became distracted.” He groaned softly and shifted so that she felt the intense heat of his cock rubbing between her thighs.
It was large and full and seemed to have spiny protrusions not unlike the natural armor on his arms, but different in that they were softer and more flexible.
They rubbed against the mouth of her sex and clit with startling pleasure.
“I wish to drink deeply of that sweetness between your legs,” he admitted in a hushed voice, and his hand drifted between them, his fingers parting and petting her sex so that his fingers and cock both rubbed against her.
“When the time comes for me to taste it, I shall indulge fully.”
A tiny moan slipped from her when she meant to whisper her agreement, but it seemed that it was all he wanted and needed because his mouth was on hers again, his tongue tangling in a brief dance with hers before driving deeper so she could latch onto it again.