Dex

 

 

 

ON THE ZENITHIAN training field, Magnar wielded his whip against Xyib*eepthxnin, our king. I didn’t know why he bothered. X just roared with laughter as he sidestepped the lash before rolling the strip of leather around his forearm, drawing Magnar in.

Ducking, Magnar barely missed the broad side of X’s sword, but I didn’t get a chance to see how their contest ended because Jedrek swung into my range. The dark-haired warrior grinned wickedly before swiping one of his razor-edged daggers at my midsection.

I jumped back, swinging my battle-ax loosely in my hands. “You’ll have to do better than that, Jed.”

His silver-hued eyes flashed when I used Prairie’s nickname for him, and he redoubled his attack. A blade in each hand, he twirled them like they were extensions of his body, crouching as we circled one another.

He thrust again, but I parried his slick knife work, chuckling.

Jedrek grunted every time he made a well-aimed jab at me, the handle of my hefty ax taking the brunt of his cuts and nicks.

I wouldn’t let the battle-roughened warrior best me, regardless of the fact he and I had been comrades for longer than a human’s normal lifespan.

Training had stepped up since the double threats against Astrid and Prairie, and the three of us—Jedrek, Magnar, and I—were on around-the-clock guard duty of the two human females. No inroads had been made in the ongoing search for the leader of the anti-Earthling campaign, even though rumors abounded of a black market for the sale of humans.

The Commander—X, Zaneeviex, and Kerta’s uncle—had been ordered to return to his outpost, where he was to investigate the possibility of the attacks originating from his compound. As of yet he’d offered no new intelligence on the situation.

Another Valkrane joined our elite ranks to beef up protection. Khalon wasn’t exactly new to us. The massive warrior had proved himself during the battle with the dog people of Canius. X and Zane had chosen him above all other potential guards, and Jedrek, Magnar, and I approved.

Just his bad luck he was stuck with Zane and Astrid today. With tonight being their mating ceremony, Zane had taken what Astrid called a mental health day. Meaning they’d be fucking until the very minute they were separated to prepare for the ritual. I knew from past experience on guard duty that Astrid, the gorgeous scientist, was a damn screamer.

Meanwhile it appeared X was trying to ignore his mate’s running commentary.

Hands folded serenely over her belly, burgeoning with the twins she and X were expecting any day now, Prairie let loose from the sidelines. “Yeah, X! Give Magnar the prairie dawg move!”

“I am not doing the prairie dog, meehri.”

Yet X rumbled toward Magnar with lightning speed, tossing the male—and his whip—to the ground.

“Whoops,” Prairie called out. “Sorry for the beatdown, Magnar. X isn’t allowed to bed me right now so he’s taking out his sexual frustration on you. Good news though,” she hollered. “The babies are due soon, then X can have me as much as he wants.”

I swallowed a laugh at the king’s expense. Then the curvy redhead aimed her attention at Jedrek and me.

“C’mon, Jed. Jack up Sexy Dex the way I know you wanna!”

My gaze landed on the advancing man, and I sized him up. He made an impressive sight, glistening beneath Zenithia’s four suns, chest pumping, big thighs flexing, the skin markings denoting his prowess in battle running up his arms to his shoulders shimmering in the heat.

With a roar, he rushed me. Our blades locked—his two daggers crossed against my double-headed ax. Pushing and straining, we dug in face-to-face with the gleaming weapons between us.

Jedrek was my opposite in many ways. Dark where I was blond, he wore his hair tightly cropped, his chin and cheeks free of whiskers. I preferred to keep my hair long, my shaggy beard corralled in tight braids.

We shared quarters, we’d shared women together, and we’d shredded scores of opponents in training and in war.

He stared at me with a steady regard, and his lips caught my attention when they firmed into a straight line.

The blades of his knives scored along the edge of my ax with a grating metallic sound, his thick shoulder muscles standing up in sweaty cords of bronzed skin.

I nearly blushed, flustered that I’d been captivated by his sculpted mouth and finely honed sinews, until I remembered I was here for one reason only.

To win this battle.

With a mighty roar, I braced the ax in both hands, pushing him back to break the deadlock. Jedrek fell into defensive mode as I hefted my weapon, eyes narrowed on my target. That time I advanced. I took a giant swing, batting a dagger from his grip.

One knife flung aside, he stabbed out, nearly slicing my bicep.

I rolled low then rose behind him with enough time to goad, “Distracted?”

He pivoted, irises glinting dangerously. “Not likely.”

My smirk grew when he sprinted at me. Neatly spinning aside, I laughed from my belly, thoroughly amused.

Blade flashing, he growled out a curse. A bellow left my lips when I swung the ax again, that time clattering his last dagger to the ground before he could saw at me with it.

He jumped toward me, unarmed. I leaped back, the big battle-ax whistling through the air as I weaved it in a loose grip.

“Give up?” I provoked.

“Never.” He charged.

I stood my ground, enjoying this workout.

He bowled straight into me, knocking me flat on my back, the ax flying from my fist.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Jed!” Prairie yelled.

I bucked up against the man straddling me. “How is she still such a smartass when she’s so heavily pregnant?”

“How are you such a smartass when I’ve got you pinned to the ground?” His weight focused on my loins, and his hard hands manacled my wrists beside my head.

A bead of sweat dripped from his temple to my chin then slid to the corner of my mouth. The salty taste sizzled on my tongue when I reached out to lick the droplet.

Something unfathomable is happening here.

Something I couldn’t let myself think about.

“Pinned, huh?” Gathering all the strength at my command, I heaved up and rolled Jedrek over.

Our groins connected in the thin leather loincloths we’d worn to combat the heat of training.

“What are you going to do to me now?” His purring tone seemed a deliberate invitation.

Jedrek had been looking at me strangely recently. Similar to the way he’d watched females he later fucked. But that couldn’t be, could it? I knew he’d never been inclined to have a male before.

I’d heard whispers though. More like loud comments, lewd comments, mostly from Prairie. She was about as subtle as that mace she’d taken to when she’d been challenged by Dylka.

Even savvy smart Astrid paid close attention to what was going on between Jedrek and me.

But nothing was going on, right?

For once I had no fucking clue what was going on.

Strongly aware of my position on top of Jedrek while Magnar, X, and Prairie looked on, I rolled my hips just once to test his reaction.

The muscles in his chest expanded with a breath he didn’t exhale. His barely concealed cock was a thick hard shaft beneath mine. His knees rose up, thighs riding against my ass.

I leaned down to his ear, close enough to smell the hot exertion of his body and the musk of a virile male. “Not going to do anything now except go get a hot shower and maybe a hot female.”

“Perhaps a hot male would make a welcome change.”

I blinked at him in momentary disbelief, his low-voiced words zinging through me.

Leaping up before something even stranger happened to my body or my mind, I pasted an easy smile on my lips and gave a hand to Jedrek.

His rough palm met mine, and I hauled him to his feet.

“Woo hoo!” Prairie leaned against X while his hand rested on her high-mounded belly. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Get you some, boys.”

A dimple rarely seen drove deep into Jedrek’s cheek. “Boys?”

“Men. Males. Aliens. Whatever,” she quipped when we joined them.

Jedrek walked closely behind me as we exited the arena, Magnar in the lead with Prairie and X guarded in the middle.

A sudden sizzling smack hit my ass, jolting me.

I whipped my head around to Jedrek, a hot bolt of lust careening to my balls. “You’re slapping my ass now?”

“Not the only thing I’m going to do to your ass,” he muttered.

His deep gravelly voice confused me even more.

Inside the showers attached to the arena, I stripped off what little I wore. Across from me, Jedrek did the same.

The crystal white walls glowed warmly, and steam bathed the vast room in humid heat and soft mist.

I averted my eyes from him while he craned his head back beneath the hot water trekking down his built body. A Zenithian like me, he was close to seven feet tall and bigger than any male Earthling. Muscles pulsed, meaty and big . . . big like his cock, which rolled half hard against the nest of his heavy balls.

Undressed, I stepped under a spray of water across from him. Liquid flowed down my face over my cheeks, beaded in my beard, and dripped from my chest to my shaft. I slaked water from my face and soaped my arms first.

When I cleared my eyes, Jedrek filled my vision. And he stared back blatantly.

Forbidden thoughts clashed inside me.

My best friend? My mate? Not my mate.

The rumors I’d heard, his supposed interest in me . . . it couldn’t be. Yet I couldn’t look away while he spread sudsy palms over his thighs. Then he bunched his balls, soaping the big sac in foam.

My dick started getting interested.

His shiny gray eyes speared mine when he widened his thighs and leaned his shoulders against the slick white shower walls such a contrast to his tawny skin.

His cock lifted, that solid suckable staff growing hard.

Just before I swung around under the sluice of water, my friend’s dark eyebrows rose, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

Jedrek rarely smirked or even outright smiled. He wasn’t exactly the playful type. I could usually get a chuckle from him, but this was different.

Almost like a challenge. A sexual dare that was starting to affect my body.

Anxious to be away from him for the first time I could remember, I hurried through the rest of my washing, keeping my back turned to Jedrek. Anxious to get away from this strange tension building between us. Tension that was beginning to feel like restless, reckless, wild lust.

The water stopped raining down from above me, and I stood still as warm air caressed the length and breadth of my body, drying me.

There was a low groan behind me, and I tightened my stance. I closed my eyes in order not to turn around and stare at Jedrek.

As soon as my skin was merely damp instead of soaking wet, I pulled on a fresh loincloth and grabbed my ax. I crossed the shower room, gaze skimming over the male one last time before I sought escape.

He watched me through slit eyes, water pouring over his large frame. Soap lathered his big hard cock, and his hand roamed down the glistening muscles of his torso.

I hit the door, wondering if he’d jerk off. If he was going to stroke that thick shaft of pulsing flesh until he came.

And if so, what he’d think about.

Who he’d think about.