DarykHunter (19 page)

With his palms he glided over her flesh, testing the firm roundness of her buttocks, tracing the crack between her ass cheeks. She gasped and gazed into his eyes, now a soft red glow.

He kissed her forehead. “There are many sex acts Dragonians love.”

“Will we do them all tonight?”

“No.” He smiled as he teased her back entrance with one finger. His cock trapped between their bellies a reminder of his continued arousal. “But soon I’ll take you here.”

She shivered at the thought. “There? But I couldn’t. I mean, I read something about Dragonians liking anal sex but it’s just not done on Magonia.”

“How do you know? My guess is that a lot of Magonians indulge in so-called forbidden acts behind closed doors where the Truth and Order Police can’t see them.” His fingers continued to tease her. “Like anal sex. Oral sex. Sex in caves.”

She laughed, the joyful sound muffled as his lips took hers. She moaned as his tongue took possession for one hot stroke. He drew back just as quickly. “There’s one sex act I want to try now. Are you sore?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

He released her and took her hand. He led her toward a cave wall. “Turn away from me and place your hands on the wall. Lean forward a bit and spread your legs.”

She did as he asked, excitement rising. He came up behind her, cupped her hips and his cock touched her pussy lips. She sucked in a breath.

He drew back. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, no. It feels so good. I want you.”

He circled her waist with his arms, kissing her back as he drew her into a small hug before taking a hold on her hips. He inserted his cock just inside her pussy lips, and the heat made her ache to know more, to feel more. With excruciating slowness he thrust. His cock pushed into her softness, gliding in…in…until he spread her wide and came up against her womb. She wriggled, her heartbeat banging against her chest as she shivered around his cock.

“So soft. So wet.” His voice lowered, more guttural and demanding.

This time it was his turn to suck in a breath. His cock moved in slow, tentative thrusts and learned her core with a gentleness she didn’t expect. She knew he’d never hurt her intentionally, yet his sheer animal presence and power touched the feminine inside her. She didn’t think after the number of orgasms she’d had that she could feel such overwhelming pleasure again. She was wrong. His length stroked her, and what he did next fired her senses higher.

His fingers tightened on her hips, his voice powerful in its demand. “Open to me. Push back.”

She caught his rhythm, learning what he wanted, how fast he wanted her to move. Their hips moved, coming together again and again as he took her with a growing fierceness. Her breath caught in her throat as her excitement rose higher. With a powerful lunge, he speared her deeply and her body unraveled in a wild, shivering spasm of pleasure. She whimpered, shuddering as the ecstasy tore her apart.

Dane gritted his teeth as her flesh pulsed and throbbed around his cock. His balls drew up tight, signaling an imminent explosion. Under his hands, she quaked, her body gripping and releasing his flesh. She shook with it. The orgasm lasting so long it seemed an earthquake. Primal desire drove him to pump faster. He fucked her harder, wanting to spill within her and create life. She’d come so hard and was so wet he moved easily within her channel, and the way she caressed him felt more amazing than anything he could have imagined. The pleasure of her silken, wet skin enclosing him, caressing him about drove him straight from his mind. He gasped and moaned, the intensity of his need overwhelming. His eyes closed, his teeth clenching tight as he tried to hold on. He wanted her to come again, but his body had other ideas. He fucked faster, and within seconds her sweet pussy clenched and tightened over him as she quivered and moaned in ecstasy.

His mind screamed in male satisfaction as he recognized another orgasm shaking her to the core. By the god, yes.

He gripped her hips and rammed inside her. Hot semen escaped, spilling from him with pulse after pulse of unbelievable bliss. He shook as he stayed tucked inside her body. For a time that seemed immemorial he maintained his grip on her hips and allowed her to cushion him. His breath rasped in his throat, his heartbeat slowing from thunderous to a steady beat. What seemed forever passed and then she spoke.

“Dane.”

Realizing that he still leaned against her, he left her body and brought her around to face him. Her skin was warm, but he knew the damp, cool cave would soon chill them both.

He cupped her face, kissed her lips. “You all right?”

Ketera’s smile was mischievous, filled with a variety of emotions including amazement. Her hands slid up his chest and the excitement of having her hands on him made his breath catch.

He caught her fingers in his and brought them to his lips. “Let’s get dressed. It’s too cold to do this for long.”

They redressed in a hurry, and as they did so, he saw her shivering.

“I can’t believe we just did…
that
in a cave,” she said. “And just a short while ago you were…” She sat on the ground to pull on her boots.

“Dying.” He gave her the right word, sensing she didn’t want to speak the truth. “Daryk Ones are not immune to Magonian poison and many of the poachers know that.”

“But couldn’t they also poison themselves using it?” She stood slowly.

“They take the risk and apply it to their swords shortly before a fight.” Emotions swamped him and he gritted his teeth. As much as he cared for Ketera, he couldn’t allow his affection to distract him from what they must do now. “We need to get back to the castle. Minilos is probably worried and he wanted to get us in touch with Finius Dow.”

She scrubbed one hand over the back of her neck. “That’s the man who promised to take me back to Magonia.”

“Yes. But now I think it’s my job to take you to Magonia.”

Her mouth opened in surprise. “You would.”

“Absolutely. But we’d have to do this in a clandestine fashion. It’s obvious I’d have to play the part of a dominant Magonian husband once we reached Magonia.”

“Don’t think that just because we’ve had sex that I’m going to become submissive.”

He laughed in earnest. “You think so?”

She glared at him, perhaps only half amused. “Yes.”

He nodded. “Nothing can stop me from wanting to keep you safe.”

She reached for him and snuggled into his arms. His heart melted as her soft weight nestled near. A rush of emotions exploded inside Dane. He’d never felt this way about any woman, not even the few bed partners over the years who he always respected.

Dane decided overthinking the situation at the moment wouldn’t help their quest to return to Grimnald Castle safely. He could do something else for her, however, that might solve his concern for her and still help her discover what was happening to her father.

“If it will ease your mind, I’ll ask Armen if I may send a Daryk One to check on your father. A lone Daryk One could make it to Magonia far easier and quicker than you could and report back what he finds.”

After a short surprised silence, she said, “Thank you. But a Daryk One wouldn’t be able to save my father, would he?”

Dane nodded. “Yes. Remember how strong we are. The things we can do that no ordinary man can do?

More silence enveloped them until he continued. “Do you know how long it will take for your father’s trial to be completed?”

She shook her head. “It is hard to say. In his case though, it probably isn’t much longer.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll send someone as soon as we get back to the castle. Perhaps you won’t think me so evil hearted now?”

“No. Do you think I could have…made love with you if I thought that?”

He reached out and cupped her face then allowed his fingers to caress her neck. “I think you feel the same pull I do. What we think of each other is not as strong as our desire to mate.”

He saw disappointment fill her face though he didn’t know why she would feel dissatisfaction about what he’d said.

“Perhaps not,” she said. “I’m grateful you’re sending someone.”

“We need sleep. Dawn comes soon enough, and we’ll need all our strength.”

She looked up at him, her eyes once more strong and certain. “Thank you for saving my life. For taking care of me.”

He made a soft, self-deprecating laugh that sounded more like a snort. “By the hells, Ketera. Don’t you know? It’s you who has saved me.”

Chapter Twelve

Ketera awakened to a horrifying scream. A beast or human in the most horrible pain. She jolted upright and found Dane gone. They’d slept against the cold wall all night, his arms cradling her. How had he left her without her knowing? Frantically she glanced around, but saw no sign of him. The fire still burned brightly, keeping the cave from being quite as cold as it would have been. Dawn lightened the cave and sounds of animals coming awake chirped, growled and called. Her heartbeat slammed against her chest as apprehension took hold.

She stood and headed for the cave opening just as Dane appeared at the cave lip. Relief swamped her. “What was that horrible sound? Where were you?”

A smile touched his mouth as he held up a lizard. About three feet in length and two feet thick around, the mottled green creature had an elongated ugly snout filled with razor teeth. Its tail was almost as long as the body.

He strode into the cave. “Breakfast. Sorry it woke you. Makes a terrible sound when killed by a sword.”

“Oh.” What else could she say? “We’re eating that?”

He started to work, staying at the edge of the cave as he drew his dagger and slit the creature from end to end. “Tastes like…well, there are those feathered creatures you saw at the castle that run amok making a clucking sound. We call them chilikins. You know what I’m talking about.”

“We have something similar on Magonia. They’re called chaikins there.”

He shrugged. “Same difference. Anyway. This lizard tastes a lot like a chilikin.”

She wrinkled her nose and rubbed her arms. “Honestly?”

“Yes. You’ll like it.”

Doubt lingered but she assisted with dressing the animal and setting up a sturdy spit over the fire. In no time, pieces of the white meat roasted as they took turns rotating the lizard. Outside the cave, beasts continued to call, their various sounds both fascinating and frightening her.

“How much farther to the castle?” she asked.

“About an hour’s walk.”

“We couldn’t have walked there last night?”

“Even a Daryk One knows when not to travel in this jungle. Pitch-black night is one of those times. Especially not with an innocent.”

That rankled. “I’m not innocent.”

He unhooked the lizard from the spit and placed it on leaves he’d gathered. “In some things you must be. You just came to our country. Even your texts don’t tell you everything to expect here. Did they tell you about all the harmful animals and plants and insects?”

She couldn’t’ avoid admitting the truth. “Some. Please just do not call me innocent. I’ve had to play innocent in Magonia for so long I thought it would kill me.”

He didn’t look up as he used a stick to spear some meat. “Eat up. We need our strength.”

“Not until you vow not to call me innocent.”

He returned her gaze. “As you wish. I’m not certain why it matters so much. Why don’t you explain?”

She took a stick and used it to stab the steaming-hot cooked meat. “Like I said before. I was very good at talking and working with people from all walks of life. Even the very rich and poor ones. Everyone seemed to like me, but I soon didn’t know who I was. Everyone saw Ketera Aldrancos as I wanted them to and to some that meant innocent. I couldn’t tell anyone about the texts. No one. As it is, you and my father are the only ones who know about the texts.”

“And you lost them in the shipwreck.”

Shame and anger rose inside her. “Yes.”

“Then you must go on without them and save your father.”

His practical statement, his sheer hard-nosed response had two effects on her. She agreed and yet she also wanted to slap him. Slapping him sounded more biddable right now. “Agree not to call me innocent.”

Dane’s serious expression was even more unsentimental. “All right. If you wish.”

His voice had that placating tone she’d heard husbands use on wives before, though more often she’d heard wives use it with husbands. It worried her. Though she’d encountered plenty of conflict on Dragonia, she wanted to find some peace soon. Her father back at home with her, her life as it was before. At the same time, she understood the chances of that happening were slim. Now that she’d met Dane, it appeared everything had changed. From the time he’d first kissed her, touched her body in ways she never thought a man would, to their night of wonderful lovemaking, Dane had shown her a new way of seeing life.

Lovemaking had been more than she’d imagined, and she could imagine a considerable amount. Life had turned on its head and brought her adventure, danger, and yes the one thing she thought to never find. Romance. She never would have understood romance if it hadn’t been for the texts. If she hadn’t seen hints that true love existed outside of the rigorous religious views in Magonian society, she wouldn’t have believed it. Surely some things in the texts couldn’t be true. Dane’s lovemaking proved to her that every inch could be true, down to the last detail. A truly odd thing in cultural and anthropological terms. People who wrote great books always embellished the truth, made their mythology far more grandiose. The scribes altered the facts to suit their own needs, which usually translated to power over a people.

Confusion went along with her happiness. She’d given herself to this man and didn’t know what it meant. They had no future when she returned to Magonia, and the knowledge burned inside her like a brand. Resolved not to think about it for the present, she ate her meal and tried to forget what that meal had looked like before Dane killed it.

Soon after, they left the cave. Ketera’s blood ran skittish, her mind spun in a whirl as she tried to keep calm. It took some doing, but she reminded herself what she’d accomplished so far. She’d killed two men to save herself and saved Dane’s life. None of it felt real, but it gave her some satisfaction to know she could still take care of herself. She dared not dwell on Dane’s near death.