Chapter 20
Riley
Lara was my only true friend.
But, somehow on this alien planet, I’ve found more. The women—my tribe sisters—have no idea how much they mean to me. They’re truly helping me keep myself mostly together.
Sage squeezes my hand. “Have faith in both your mate and Deeka. They’ll find Stella and bring her back safely.”
I nod because I have to believe it’s true. “Thank you all for being here. It means so much to me.”
“Of course. You’re our tribe sister. We all have to stick together,” London says.
“You won’t find a better group of sisters anywhere, even if they sometimes get a little handsy and start trying to hug shit out.” Zara shudders.
“Whatever. You know you love it.” Remi lunges forward and tackle hugs her.
Zara squeals. “Ew, get off me.”
Instead, Eloise, Maeve, Astrid, and Piper join in to crush Zara inside a big group hug. She makes gagging sounds and we all laugh. For a second, it takes my mind off Zalik and Stella, but the second they release her and everyone returns to their seats, the frantic worry starts back up.
A soft hum reverberates through the air and dust kicks up around us. When a shadow passes over, we all glance up. A massive ship floats over us and moves across the sky. It’s a shimmery black with sleek lines and sharp edges. It slowly descends on the far side of the village.
“That’s Alik’s ship,” London notes and stands from the bench she’d been sitting on next to me.
“Who’s Alik?”
“He’s the Bohnari leader,” Sage replies.
All of us, including a number of warriors who remained behind to guard the village, head across the length of the village and into the field.
There’s a pneumatic hissing sound and the ramp beneath the ship lowers.
The group of us stand at a safe distance as bare lavender feet appear.
The rest of the body becomes visible as the owner strides down the sloped surface.
My heart races as I recognize the towering warrior carrying a small bundle in his arms.
Our eyes meet and before I know what I’m doing, I’m sprinting full-speed ahead toward my mate. Zalik meets me more than halfway and I throw myself at him, taking care not to crush our daughter. He wraps his free arm and tail around me and I gently squeeze him and Stella.
“You found her.” That’s all I can repeat over and over again.
Around us, the rest of the women greet their mates who depart from the ship but I don’t pay more attention to that. All I care about are the two people I’m holding. I may never let go again.
Sadly, I have to return to the real world and the people around us.
To my relief, Zalik shifts a sleeping Stella into my arms and he tucks me against his side.
Finally, my attention lands on the other alien who stands nearby.
There’s no one else for me besides Zalik, but my breath does a short hiccup at the sight of him.
His skin gleams a shiny copper-bronze, and his short, tousled hair is a vibrant teal that looks as if someone recently ran their fingers through it. The horns that spiral up from the top of his head cause me to blink.
“Alik has that affect on every woman who meets him, even the mated ones,” Zara whispers beside me.
I blink again. My cheeks heat, especially when he smiles at me.
“Greetings. You must be Riley. It has been an honor escorting your mate and daughter back to you.” He bows at the waist, but doesn’t attempt to shake my hand or touch me in any other way.
“Thank you so much for bringing them back to me.”
“My heart’s fire sends her regards,” he announces. “As well as apologies that she didn’t come.”
London steps forward. “Please let her know we hope to see her soon.”
“Of course.”
“Let us return to the village and celebrate not only the safe return of our tribe brother and his kit, but the arrival of our guests,” Zander announces.
All the tribespeople disperse and make their way to the village. Alik and Zander converse before the former touches a button on the band around his wrist. He speaks into it and a second voice replies back, but he’s moved far enough away I can’t make out the words.
I look up at Zalik. “Would anyone be offended if the three of us went to our tent instead of joining the celebration? I just want to spend the rest of the day with you two. I need the reassurance.”
Zalik kisses the top of my head. “I am certain they will all understand.”
Our tent is warm when we step inside. Because I can’t let go of her yet, I sit in our furs with Stella still wrapped in my arms. I touch her face and count her fingers and can’t look away.
Zalik sits at my back and pulls us into the vee of his legs.
I lean against his chest and he wraps us in his embrace.
“Will you tell me how you found her?”
“I almost lost her. No.” He shakes his head. “I did lose her.”
There’s so much pain in Zalik’s voice my heart nearly breaks for him.
“Dane had his ship leave without him. They flew to Bohna to refuel and remained in their port until Dane contacted them to retrieve him,” he tells me.
“By the grace of Deeka, a female working in one of their taverns overheard their plans and notified Alik. He followed the ship here and waited until they attempted to leave. It is only because of the Bohnari that Dane is not on his way back to Earth.”
I shudder to hear how close we were to losing our daughter. “Where’s Dane, now?”
When Zalik doesn’t answer for several seconds, I glance over my shoulder at him. There’s a look on his face I can’t decipher.
“Dane is dead,” he finally admits.
I jerk slightly at the news. “How?”
Although I hated him and how he treated Lara, I’m not sure I ever wished him dead. Once more Zalik hesitates, almost as though he doesn’t want me to know.
“Tell me. Please.”
He sighs, but begins to speak. “Once Dane got onto the ship and the Bohnari appeared, he threatened to kill Stella rather than give her up to us. The other humans had to restrain him.”
I gasp in horror. How could someone be willing to harm an an innocent baby? Especially his own? I know Dane kept saying she wasn’t his, but there had to be apart of him that questioned that and wondered if maybe he was wrong.
“Once one of the human males brought her out to me, Dane somehow got free. He attacked, and in defense of me and our kit, he was shot and killed.”
“Who shot him?”
“Does it truly matter?”
“No, I guess it doesn’t.” Dane is gone, and knowing who pulled the trigger won’t change the fact.
I face forward again and sink further into my husband’s heat.
We lie together like this until Stella finally awakens with a harsh cry.
It takes me far longer to settle her than it ever has before, but it’s understandable after the trauma she’s suffered.
Hopefully, once she starts to feel safe again she’ll regain her confidence.
Zalik goes to get us food, which spikes my anxiety until he finally returns, safe and sound. We spend the rest of the night cuddling and making sure Stella knows we’re not going anywhere. I suspect it’s going to be a long night.
It suddenly occurs to me as well that I finished my period finally. Maybe one of these days soon Zalik and I will make love. That’s exactly what we’ll be doing too. When I thought I lost him, I realized how much I loved him and how terrified I was at the thought of not being able to tell him.
By the time both moons are in the sky, Stella has finally fallen asleep. Zalik washes up with the water from the basin and I lie in our furs watching him. He’s so beautiful in the firelight, despite the dark smudges under his eyes and the fatigue that’s evident in his every move.
I get to my feet and take the cloth. “Let me.”
Gently, I continue washing him. First his chest, then each shoulder and down both arms.
“Turn.”
He does so, and I wring out the excess water from the cloth and start on his back. I make broad strokes with the damp material, admiring the way his muscles move beneath my hand. I lean forward and kiss along the length of his spine. Zalik sucks in a sharp breath and every ridge and slope twitches.
I kiss his shoulder blades and then move around toward the front of him.
All while dragging my lips along the flesh of his shoulders and upper arms. I trace a path from one side of his chest to the other and finally move down his sternum and between his ribs.
I tease the skin at his waist exposed just above the edge of his pants. His abs jerk at my touch.
Slowly, I lower myself to my knees and without breaking eye contact, I untie the rope that holds his pants up.
They loosen and dip, catching briefly on his hips and giving me the most glorious look at the cut vee of his lower abs.
Zalik’s cock is so obviously hard. I drag the hide material over his length and it bobs when it’s released before standing proudly at attention.
He steps out of the pants without any instruction from me and I toss them to the side.
Then, I look my fill. Zalik’s only resembles a human cock in length and girth.
But thats where the similarities end. Oval shaped nodes run along its length on all sides and they glisten with some type of fluid that spills from them.
The head is shaped like an upside-down umbrella and it too glistens with wetness and pre-come.
“If you continue looking at me like that keeshla, I will release far too soon,” Zalik warns me.
I’m not the least bit concerned. We have not only tonight, but the rest of our lives.
“Then you’ll really be in trouble when I do this.” Before he can guess my intent, I take him in my mouth.
Zalik’s hand goes to my head and he spears his fingers through my hair with a guttural moan. For a second, I worry he’s going to jerk my head forward and thrust deeper in my mouth than I can take, but he just holds me.
I work the length of his cock and am pleasantly surprised by not only his flavor but also the way it makes my tongue tingle in a very good way.
I also could swear my clit tingles as well—like its being bathed in his essence.
My whole body throbs and I want to devour him. That’s how good Zalik tastes.
The pleasure builds, and I can’t resist sliding my hand inside my panties and stroking my clit. I suck and lick around his entire length. I dip my tongue inside one of the nodes and lap up his seed.
With my free hand, I grip the base of his cock and use both it and my mouth to increase his pleasure and mine. Zalik grips my head tighter and soon he controls the rhythm. He doesn’t shove himself down my throat, but keeps a nice even pace.
The pleasure between my legs builds. My fingers speed up as I chase my release and work my clit the way I like. I suck Zalik harder, and just before my release hits, he spends inside my mouth. I swallow down as much of him as I can.
The taste of him triggers my orgasm right on the heels of his.
Tremors ripple through me and wetness spills from my center, soaking my hand and panties in the process.
I slowly open my mouth and his cock slips out with a barely audible pop.
I sit back on my heels, completely satisfied, and wipe the corners of my mouth.
I stick my finger inside it and lick off every drop.
Zalik stares down at me with heavy-lidded eyes.
“Let me love you properly, keeshla.” He helps me to my feet and guides me over to our furs.
Before this night is over, we’ll be mated in every way.