Chapter 8
Colin was so concerned about getting the Traveler safely out of reach of anyone who might be curious about her that he initially didn't pay much attention to the way it felt to hold her pressed against his sea dragon body. And for most of the swim to Mallochbirn isle, he was so intrigued by the mental communication that had spontaneously sprung up between them that he could think of nothing else.
It was like magic. He knew the twins could do it with each other, and Ross had said he could do it with Kate. But it's hard to imagine something you've never experienced.
The language barrier had vanished as soon as they were mind to mind. He had no idea why. One thought in language, surely? But now he realized that thought was more than words.
Meeting Ariane's mind was a revelation to him, not only because he now understood something he had long wondered about—how Travelers communicated with their animal companions. But also because of what he now knew about her.
She had a bright, lively mind and a tender heart. She was mourning the loss of her sea dragon and resentful about having to swim with a substitute. Yet at the same time, she was as intrigued as he was by the ease of communication between them. Even Travelers, he realized, did not experience this joining of two intelligent minds. Their animal companions' brains were too different from the brains of humans.
It wasn't that a sea dragon was not intelligent. Colin knew from his own dealings with sea dragons in the waters of Dunya that they were. But it was a different kind of intelligence, meant for living a different kind of life.
He enjoyed "talking" with her. He tried to be a comfort to her, because he knew she was confused, scared, grief-stricken and guilty. He could tell that she was trying to be strong. She blamed herself for whatever had happened to her companion. He had no clue what she had done—she was protecting her thoughts and memories, although now and then he had a flash—but she believed her own actions had led to this debacle.
Colin was so drunk with the delight of meeting another person mind to mind that it was some time before he noticed how good she felt physically. But when he did realize it, he was horrified at the way his monster body reacted. Pleasure spiked deep in his vitals and the sea dragon cock, large in its ordinary state, began to swell and lengthen just like a man's.
It wasn't as if this had never happened to him before. Zrakons were horny creatures. During his explorations of the seas of her world, he had encountered female sea dragons. He had even considered indulging himself with one of the females who seemed to find him attractive there. He'd noticed, while observing other pairings, that they not only joined at the genital region, but also used their tentacles to caress and entangle themselves. His own tentacles were sensitive and, when he was aroused, erogenous.
He hadn't actually played around with any female sea dragons. His sea dragon self would grow quite excited while watching them. But his human side acted as an inhibitor. He wasn't really one of them, after all.
But now, he felt like a teenager again. Dancing in a pub with a girl who would notice that he had an erection. Such a thing never bothered him now, but this was different. What would Ariane think of him? Surely a Traveler didn't have to contend with erotically threatening predators? Anyway, a sea dragon couldn't mate with a human, except, well, there was that annual Midsummer's festival in the village at Mallochbirn. Ross had laughingly told him, "Good, you can take my place this year, Col. I'm not leaving my Kate for a summer solstice frolic, not this year. Or ever."
Ross had never shared exactly what happened during the "frolics," although he knew all the stories; everyone in the village knew them. "Exaggerated," was all Ross would tell him. "Don't believe everything you hear, young one."
The more he tried not to focus on his uncomfortable situation, the worse it got. He tried to shift Ariane, in hopes of lifting her away from his throbbing cock, but he couldn't move her much without jeopardizing her mouth's grip on the breathing bud. Besides, with his pectoral tentacles laced around her, he could feel every curve of her body.
He longed to caress her intimately. Slide inside her. Fuck her until they both screamed aloud. How would her mouth feel against his lips? His cock? His balls? How would it feel to stroke her with his tentacles? A sea dragon cock was too damn large to fit inside a human woman, but his tentacles would work, no problem. Would she enjoy a wild ride on one of those? He could penetrate her in all her holes at once. It would be a one-man gangbang.
Damn, he was deviant. He hoped she wasn't reading every one of these thoughts and fantasies via their telepathic bond.
His obsession grew until he could think of nothing else. Her mouth was already around that bud on his chest—the one she needed so she could breathe underwater— and now it began to feel unbearably delicious and erotic, which made his monster cock filled even more.
"Don't be embarrassed," Ariane told him, after he'd suffered this discomfiture for several minutes. "I'm used to it."
Humiliation warred with curiosity. As usual with him, curiosity won. Sorry. Reflex. My sea dragon is quite the juvenile.
"Our companions are usually young males. Because they are away from their kind for a time, they have less opportunity to mate. So such reflexes are common."
He began to feel better. No less aroused, but not as awkward about it. She sounded cool and matter of fact. Does it ever cause a problem?
"If you're asking if Travelers are ever raped by their companions, the answer is no. We control the bond, you see." She paused, suddenly vulnerable. "Usually."
Don't worry about me, he said quickly. I'm not really a sea dragon, I just take the shape of one sometimes. But not for that. For that I, well, I keep my human form. He had a flash of the evening's shag with Evie. Evie was a fine lass, and he liked her, but, this woman, this Traveler—she was really something.
As soon as he had the thought, he felt surprised by it. Poor Traveler! It was not just his sea dragon who wanted to fuck her. Damn, his erection got even harder as he thought about shagging her in human form.
She must have been curious too, though. "Do people in your world mate the same way we do in ours?"
Oh aye, I reckon so. I mean, you look just like a human woman to me. And feel like one.
She laughed softly. If you could laugh telepathically. Was it a flirty laugh? Dear Christ, he hoped so. "And you look like one of our men." She'd had plenty of time to evaluate him. He'd been completely starkers when they'd met. "Except for the shape shifting part."
I suppose we must have evolved along similar lines.
"Evolved?"
You know—slowly developed into complex creatures out of the primal ooze.
"What's the primal ooze? Is that one of your creation myths?"
He snorted. I guess you could say so. Theory of evolution. Darwin. Mid-19th century. From what he'd seen of the great cities of Dunya, the development of culture, civilization and learning paralleled early Renaissance Europe. 15th century or so would be his best guess. Jeez. What did Travelers know about the solar system? The atom? Microbes?
Compared to those things, sex was a simple matter.