TWENTY
Their span was busier than Lihvan expected.
It frustrated him slightly, considering all he wanted to do was get his female back to his dwelling, where he could have her all to himself.
The span had other plans for them, however.
They spent all of the morning and early afternoon at Vaxa’an’s dwelling, giving Beks and Kate time to reconnect, and giving him and the Prime Leader an opportunity to discuss what had happened after the infiltration of the Pit.
Lihvan learned that all the females safely reached Luxiria and that one even wanted to stay on their planet, which surprised him. They currently only possessed a single Luxirian crystal that could power a vessel to the Fourth Quadrant—to Earth—and it would be used the next span. They didn’t know when they’d be able to mine another that equaled its strength.
“Why?” Lihvan couldn’t help but question. “She does not wish to return home?”
“Privanax says that she is sick,” Vaxa’an said. “Earth medicine cannot cure her, but ours can. They have already begun her treatments, but it will take some time.”
Quietly, Lihvan asked, “Then why not delay the vessel until she is fully recovered?”
His mind started racing. It would give him time…time to convince Beks to stay with him. He could show her Kroratax, show her all the places he loved best about Luxiria. The possibility of it prepared him to beg his friend.
Vaxa’an studied him and then slowly said, “You would wish this?”
Lihvan’s breath hitched and then he admitted, “Beks is…she has not told me she will stay.”
“Cruxan told me you called her your luxiva.”
“She is,” Lihvan said, his chest puffing with pride. “If the vessel was delayed, I could perhaps convince her that I am hers as well. But while selfishly motivated, it would at least give the other female a chance to decide her own fate once she is cured, even if it meant the others would need to wait longer.”
Vaxa’an blew out a sharp breath. “I will bring it up to the council later this span. I will see if I can motion for it to be delayed.”
Suddenly, hope burned even brighter and he inclined his head, “Thank you, my brother.”
“You deserve her, Lihvan,” Vaxa’an told him. “I always wished this for you. I will do what I can.”
Relief made his hands shake and he clenched them into fists. There was no doubt in his mind that if Vaxa’an wished for something to be done, it would be, council vote aside.
To distract himself, he murmured, “Where are the females now?”
“In a private room at the command center. We want to keep them sequestered and hidden, in case any males decide to do anything rash.”
“Who is watching over them?”
“Vikan and a few other warriors whose Instincts have, luckily, not reacted.”
Lihvan looked down at his hands, wondering if he should tell Vaxa’an his suspicions.
Quietly, he said, “I believe that Vikan’s Instinct has chosen a female for him.”
Vaxa’an’s voice sharpened. “When?”
“On the vessel. My Instinct had reacted with Beks and he knew. In passing, he made mention that perhaps his Instinct had chosen for him as well. I do not know if it was just as a Breeding partner…or more.”
“Vrax,” Vaxa’an cursed. “He is unpredictable. Ever since Nitav’s death…he has not been the same. I need to take him off that duty, as a precaution.”
Lihvan sobered and then said, “He told me he was still loyal to Nitav, that he wouldn’t act on his Instinct’s will even if it had chosen a female for him. Perhaps we do not need to worry.”
Vaxa’an leveled him with a knowing gaze. “Could you have stayed away from Beks, even if you wanted to?”
Lihvan clenched his jaw. “No.”
“Then we will find another to take his place,” Vaxa’an said, to prove his point. “We must. For the female’s safety.”
Just then, Beks and Kate emerged from their seclusion, beaming, effectively ending their conversation. Lihvan’s heart thundered in his chest at the sight of her and he rose, needing to be near her.
“Hi,” she whispered up at him, giving him a soft smile. He brushed her hair back from her face, his muscles not as tense, since there was a possibility that she wouldn’t be leaving tomorrow. He would grab onto that hope with both hands and not let go until he had to.
Her stomach growled just then and he started, brows furrowing. “I am sorry, luxiva. You are hungry.”
Beks smiled. “Just a little.”
He was just about to suggest that they have a meal delivered to his dwelling when Vaxa’an’s Com chimed with an incoming message from the command center.
Immediately, Vaxa’an read it and turned to Lihvan. “I am sorry, my friend, but we are needed. Our vessel just made initial contact with the Jetutians in their territory. A battle has begun. Rixavox is head commander.”
Lihvan hid his frustration and jerked his head in a nod. As much as he wanted to spend time with his female, she probably wanted to be with Kate for a little while longer. They would have time later that afternoon and night.
“I will take her to the meal hall,” Kate said, eyeing Lihvan with a smile. His disappointment probably showed on his features. “I will get some food in her and then I will show her your dwelling, okay?”
Lihvan inclined his head in agreement. He hadn’t left yet and he already wanted to return to her.
Vaxa’an nodded and said to Kate, “But take Bidan with you.”
Bidan had worked for Vaxa’an’s family since before he was birthed. The older Luxirian had become quite close to Kate, from what Vaxa’an had told Lihvan. Plus, after the unrest on Luxiria from some factions once Vaxa’an announced his human mate, they needed to be alert. Just in case.
Bidan wouldn’t let anything happen to them, so Lihvan agreed.
“I will see you soon, female,” he purred.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
It took longer than they expected, but after hours and hours of tense transmissions and updates from Rixavox on the nature of the battle, Lihvan was finally released from his duty for the night.
The battle was small, but drawn out. By the end of it, Rixavox had commandeered a smaller Jetutian vessel, not Gribrak’s unfortunately. It was a message, nothing more. It was a message to the Jetutians that Luxiria would not tolerate their advances any longer. Since the Uranian Federation would not help them, Luxiria would advance their position on their own in this war.
All Lihvan could think about, as he flew his hovercraft to his dwelling from the command center, was getting back to his female. Kate had already taken her there, last he’d heard, and he was anxious to see her.
Night had fallen. He was a lot later than he’d wanted to be, but sometimes it could not be helped, like tonight. When he landed his hovercraft on the terrace in front of his dwelling, a burst of energy lit him up when he saw lights on inside, casting an orange, warm glow.
He hadn’t seen that sight since he was younger, since before military training, when he’d still had a family. Whenever he returned home, it was to a dark dwelling and even darker quarters. He could finally admit to himself that he’d been lonely, which made the thought of his female leaving all the more unbearable.
Beks was waiting for him in the central hub of his dwelling, a small circular, sunken area that surrounded a fire pit. They were common in all Luxirian dwellings and families usually gathered there before resting for the night. His had not had much use, so it warmed him to see her sitting there.
In her hands was a book, one of the heavy tomes she’d no doubt taken from his work room, which he kept pristine and in order if he ever had use of it.
The book was in Luxirian, so she wouldn’t be able to make sense of it, but it didn’t stop her from running her fingers over the pages.
She looked up at him when he stepped inside and smiled, setting it aside.
“I was beginning to think you’d made a run for it,” she said.
Lihvan’s brow furrowed. “I do not run for sport,” he told her.
She bit back a laugh and stood, stepping up from the central hub. “No, I guess—I guess that’s a human expression. I meant, I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back.”
“You are here,” he said. “Why would I not come back?”
Her smile died slowly, but Lihvan didn’t think it was because she was upset. Rather, the opposite.
“Why are you always so wonderful?” she murmured. She didn’t seem to expect a reply because she then asked, “How did everything go? With the Jetutians?”
“It was successful,” he replied. “It took longer than anticipated. I am sorry if I kept you waiting.”
“I didn’t mind,” she said. “It was nice to see Kate. More than nice. I needed the time with her.”
Lihvan scanned his dwelling. It had a similar layout as Vaxa’an’s, but the Prime Leader’s mate was no where in sight. “Is she still here?”
“No, she left before you got here,” she murmured, reaching up to twine her arms around his neck. “I missed you.”
Hope filled him. A part of him wanted to believe that he could change her mind, that nothing would get in his way. The more cautious part didn’t want to pin everything he had on something that could lead to his end.
It didn’t matter, he realized. When it came to his Beks, nothing was more important than her.
“Come, female,” he rasped. “Let me show you a Luxirian bath.”
Beks eyebrows lifted and her arousal scented the air, making it heavy. They hadn’t been intimate since the morning after his injury on Jalun and he missed his mate. Even if he couldn’t be with her as he longed to be, he would take what he could get.
Lihvan led her into the wash room, which she’d no doubt already poked her head into. The bath was large, almost as large as the fire falls pool he’d taken her to on Jalun. It pulled hot water from below the mountain and the steam relaxed his muscles as he shed off the worries of the span.
Beks’ fingers traced the line of his flesh just above his leg coverings and he growled, his cock throbbing in response. He watched with a heavy lidded gaze as she leaned forward and gave one of his nipples a little lick.
His abdomen clenched, pleasure sizzling down his spine. “Luxiva…”
“Yes?” she whispered against his skin. Her fingers pushed past the waistband of his leg coverings and pulled them down until he stood nude in front of her. When she immediately grasped his cock, he groaned, hips bucking.
“You…” he started, his breaths coming fast. “You know what you tempt.”
“I do,” she said, letting go of his cock briefly to shed another of his borrowed tunics from her body. He purred at the sight of her form, his lush little female. The Fates had blessed him indeed.
She waded into the bath and he helplessly followed, eyes glued to the enticing sway of her hips, the perfect roundness of her backside. Beks stopped when the water reached her shoulders and the tips of her hair floated around her like a halo. Below the water line, he could see her stiffened nipples and he immediately grabbed her around the waist, hitching her up his thigh, so he could get his mouth on one of them.
Her head tilted back and she let out a breathy, fluttery moan that echoed around the wash room. He laved her nipple with his ridged tongue, only stopping when she began to squirm in his arms.
They had all night, he reminded himself. For now, he would enjoy the simple pleasure of bathing his mate, while he had the chance.
Every inch of her body, he explored at his leisure. It was possibly the longest bath he’d ever taken but he had never had such beautiful company. He savored it. Every hitched breath she took, every time she murmured his name, growing more and more urgent with every passing moment, every time her back arched.
They were clean, their muscles relaxed, yet a buzzing energy filled the space around them, putting them on edge.
“No more,” Beks pleaded finally when he brushed the nub of flesh between her legs. “I need you—ohhh,” he placed the pad of his thumb over her clit and rotated it in a slow, languid circle. “Lihvan!”
Deciding that his female had been tormented enough, he finally led them from the bath and dried them off while she clung to his shoulders.
He carried her into their quarters and placed her at the foot of their sleeping platform. She caught him by surprise, however, when she pushed him back onto it, straddling his waist.
It was dark in their quarters. There were two sets of windows that faced the quietness of their terrace, the golden glow from the central hub filtering inside. Outside, a cool, calming breeze blew in from the direction of Kroratax and he imagined taking her there, longing for his home.
He saw every inch of his luxiva’s body, heard every quickened breath, and scented the arousal that was dripping from her aching cunt. She was ready, needing. And he was her male, needing to give everything to her, needing to pleasure her and spend his seed in her body, over and over again until she grew big with their offspring.
“Lihvan,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss him, her hair curtaining around them, encasing them in their own little world where nothing could disturb them, where she could never leave him. When his Beks pulled back, she whispered, “You told me once that if you mated me, you would never let me go.”
“Tev. I will not,” he rasped. “So tread carefully, female.”
Beks smiled down at him. “Is that a warning?”
“Tev,” he grated, looking down between them. His cock was thick and long and the crown was just inches away from her wet cunt. He could feel her heat and it was a temptation that could make him lose all reason. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus, trying to control his treacherous body.
“You don’t scare me,” she whispered.
“You scare me,” he admitted, the words falling from his throat. “You own more of me than I do.”
Her fingertips traced the scar on his face. “Lihvan?”
His eyes flashed open and saw only her, everything else falling away. “Tev, luxiva?”
“You said you’d never let me go. Well, I’m not going to let you go.”
That was when she grasped his cock at the root and lined up their bodies. Lihvan watched in disbelief as she slowly sank down.
He felt her heat first as a strange rushing filled his head. Then, he felt her tightness, the pleasure. He felt her gasps reverberate down his length and her moans filled his mind, stuffing his ears.
When he finally realized what had happened, she was wiggling down on his cock, rocking her hips from side-to-side, taking more and more of him, inch by inch.
With a desperate cry and one final thrust, she sank all the way down on him, her head tossing back, breasts swaying, back arching.
As for Lihvan? He roared so loudly that he was certain all of Luxiria could hear.
* * *
Beks’ eyelids fluttered, unbelievable pleasure racking her body. With every breath she took, she felt like she would orgasm the mother of all orgasms.
Big, big, big, she thought, biting her lip.
He was so big that he hit every single centimeter inside her. She’d never been so filled to the brim. Even the tiniest of twitches could set her off…which was especially difficult when she could literally feel his cock pulsing inside of her, like there was a heartbeat in her pussy.
“Luxiva,” he gasped. “What are you—” he groaned again, her ears still ringing from his roar.
“I think it’s quite obvious,” she panted, testing the fit. She took him as deep as she could and then let up, letting his length slide out of her…before slamming back down.
“Ahhhh,” Lihvan yelled hoarsely. “Luxiva, I do not think I will last. This is…vrax!”
Beks found her rhythm. Planting her hands on his wide chest as leverage, she rolled her hips over his cock, her breasts bobbing as she fucked her alien mate very, very thoroughly.
Growls emanated from his throat, animalistic sounds that spurred her on, driving her crazy. Her first orgasm hit her by surprise, bowing her back, a wordless scream straining her throat. Underneath her, Lihvan purred, grasping her hips, lifting her slightly, before pumping his hips up to meet her, controlling their pace and the depth of his thrusts.
He learned very quickly. Before her orgasm finished, he rolled her over so that he was on top, spreading her legs as wide as they would go. His eyes were completely focused on the task at hand and Beks smiled in delirious pleasure, her arms falling at her sides.
Then her alien lover went to work between her legs.
Their flesh slapped together and the scent of sex, of arousal, filled their room. All she could think about was how right this felt, being with him this way.
Lihvan’s cock vibrated in her as his continuous purrs and growls echoed. Pleasure choked her until she was gasping, unable to do anything but lie there and take his thrusts. That glorious cock, with those glorious ridges, rubbed all the right places inside her, stimulating her G-spot, hitting her cervix. Intense pleasure that bordered on exquisite pain.
She cursed, screamed, cried, moaned. Emotions rained down on her: lust, grief, worry, relief, fear, excitement. Lihvan brought out everything in her, right to the surface, and then he fucked it right out her until she was only left with love, happiness, acceptance.
Beks looked up at him, hovering over her, and felt the wonderful heaviness of him between her thighs, felt their bodies joining together in the most primal, natural way possible.
“Lihvan,” she gasped out, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. Her second orgasm was so powerful that her vision blacked out for a moment, nerve endings firing, and she clenched so tightly around his cock that he let out a hoarse, surprised groan.
His hips picked up speed, each one punctuated by a rough breath. And then, he roared again, throwing his head back to their domed ceiling. Beks felt his hot seed shoot deep inside her, bathing her walls with his essence until she felt more whole than she’d ever felt.
He’d deconstructed her, torn down her walls, her feelings, her emotions…only to build her back up into someone stronger.
Lihvan’s cock gave one last pulse, his body jerking, and then he stilled inside her, rolling them over so that he wouldn’t crush her with his weight.
He stayed inside her heat, his chest rumbling. He nuzzled her face, rubbing his cheek over her hair, brushing his lips over forehead. Beks gave an exhausted smile and then laughed when her best friend’s words came to mind.
Game changer, she thought. Kate had been right, as usual.
“Luxiva,” her alien murmured in her hair. “That was…”
“Indescribable?” she suggested because it certainly felt like it. Holy shit, if this was what sex was going to be for the rest of her life…she would die a very, very, very happy girl.
She turned her head to the side, seeking his lips. He gave them to her freely and she lost herself all over again.
When they finally broke away, Lihvan cupped her waist, pulling her even closer. He shifted inside her and Beks bit back a moan, sensation sizzling deep in her belly.
“What does this mean, luxiva?” he murmured, smoothing back her hair.
“I know you’ve been worrying about it,” she said. “About me leaving tomorrow. This is me, asking to stay. I want to stay here, on Luxiria, with you. Always. I want to see Kroratax. I want to explore this crazy, beautiful planet with you. I want to make babies with you and have a big family.” She took a deep breath, tracing his scar. “Because I’ve somehow managed to fall in love with you. Perhaps from the very first moment I saw you, or when you embraced me right before the Jetutians took us, or when you made me those shoes on Jalun. I can’t quite pinpoint when. All I know is that what I feel for you is literally out of this world and I can’t even imagine leaving you. Not for anything.”
Lihvan’s voice was gruff when he murmured, “The honorable male in me would tell you that I asked Vaxa’an to delay the vessel tomorrow. To give me more time with you, to convince you to stay. The honorable male in me would tell you that, if for some reason you wish to change your mind, you could still decide to go home.” He pulled her even closer and she held her breath, waiting for his next words. “But you once told me that if I were yours, you would want me to be selfish. And seeing as how I am now yours, only yours for the rest of our spans, I intend to be when it involves keeping you.”
He brushed back her hair and a thick laugh bubbled up in her throat, remembering that particularly memorable moment back on Jalun, of them kissing for the first time.
“I am a male of my word and I will never let you go, female…honor be damned.”
“You did warn me,” she murmured, nibbling on his bottom lip, pure happiness filling her.
“I did,” he said in agreement. He sobered and said quietly, his gaze locking with hers, “I feel only the strongest of love for you, luxiva. The frightening part is that love will only grow, when it is already so vast.”
More tears…goddamn these tears. Beks sniffed and smiled.
“I’m sure we will figure it out when we get there.” Against his lips, she whispered, “Together.”
“Tev. Together.”