ELEVEN

True to his word, when Cecelia saw the silver moon begin to form in the dark, inky sky of the northern lands, Rixavox made her bundle up in two layers of furs and then led her out to the hovercraft they’d spent most of the day in.

His touch lingered on her waist after he guided her up and when he gestured for her to stand in front of him, at the controls, just like they’d done on the journey over, she did.  She felt his strong, solid chest at her back and even through the warm layers of furs, she felt her nipples peak under her tunic.

“Do you need more warmth?” he asked softly, his breath caressing the outer shell of her ear.  She swallowed when goosebumps spread over her arms and down the back of her neck.

I’ll take all the warmth you want to give me, her dirty mind whispered.

“Yes,” she replied immediately, slightly breathless, but then realized she’d said it out loud.  Her cheeks flushed and she said, “I mean, no.  No, I’m warm enough.  Thank you.”

Now I feel a little too warm, she couldn’t help but think.

Rixavox was so close to her.  She could feel the long, muscled length of his body behind her and it made her feel…feminine, protected.  She’d never truly felt that way before.  She’d had a few boyfriends, most of them before her diagnosis.  But even then, she hadn’t felt anything more for them than friendly affection.  They’d been nice boys, shy and kind.  None had ever made her feel out of control or the aching kind of madness she’d read about in her romance novels late at night.  Was a slightly bad boy all that much to ask?  One that knew what he wanted and didn’t feel shy asking for it?  Or taking it even?  One that was as attracted to her as she was to him?

She let out a small sigh.  The man of her fantasies probably didn’t exist.  Regardless, Cecelia had never loved any of her boyfriends.  In fact, she’d never experienced romantic love.  Even familial love she’d struggled with.

“How far away do we have to travel?” Cecelia questioned, to avoid going down that path in her mind.  She thought of her parents often, but right now, she didn’t wish to.

The hum of the hovercraft met her ears with familiarity as they hovered off the wide patio in front of Rixavox’s home.  Or dwelling, as he’d called it.  It was even darker outside now and she couldn’t make out much detail beyond the low stone wall that ran along the patio.  She thought that she saw a looming, jagged mountain range in the distance.  Unlike the Golden City, which had been terraced and layered into the mountain, Rixavox’s outpost seemed to be sprawled across the land, protected by the mountains behind the small city.

“Not far,” he replied, lifting an arm to point at the mountain she’d been eyeing.  His bare bicep brushed her cheek and she resisted the urge to press her face into it like a horny weirdo.  “We are going there.  Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she whispered, trying to get her body under control.

His arms tightened around her as they suddenly vaulted up in the sky and Cecelia held her breath to avoid shrieking as wind whipped her hair in a million different directions.  Up and up they went with Rixavox braced behind her, pressing her body into place.  When he leveled the hovercraft out, she released her breath in a rush, feeling her heart thundering in her chest.  She swore her knees shook a little.

She said, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“That is because you have not done it enough,” Rixavox said.  She swore she heard a teasing note in there too.  “You will like it soon.  It is freeing, is it not?”

“Freeing,” she repeated softly, shaking her head.  “You’re an adrenaline junkie, aren’t you?”

“I do not know what that is, but I like how you say the words,” he purred.

Cecelia’s mouth parted and she felt her clit throb a bit.  She nibbled on her bottom lip, abusing it as a distraction.  Whenever he purred like that, she got aroused.  And if she was aroused, that meant he would know.  She could only hope that the wind and the layers of fur blankets would keep him from scenting her.

“You’re just a big flirt, aren’t you?” she asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

“A big flirt?” he grunted out, his fingers moving over a lever on the far side of the control panel.  “What is a flirt?”

“Never mind,” she murmured, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

He paused and craned his neck down slightly.  One of his horns brushed her temple when he said, “Now you must tell me.  I will warn you…I am relentless when I want something.”

Cecelia squeezed her thighs together.  Oh yes, she could easily picture him being relentless, indeed.

It felt good to smile.  “A flirt is someone who teases others,” she tried to explain.  She added, “Usually the opposite sex.”

He huffed next to her ear and she felt his chest vibrate with his purr.  “For what purpose?”

“Um,” she started and then blushed.  “Well, because you like them, I suppose.”

Cecelia felt his arms flex around her and he leaned even closer, until she could smell his tantalizing rain-on-concrete scent even flying however fast they were going.  Cecelia couldn’t help but tilt her head back to see his reaction and she saw his blue eyes were on her, roaming her features.

“Tev, then,” he growled softly.  “I am your flirt.”

Cecelia couldn’t help but smile at the way he said the words, even as her stomach erupted into butterflies.  This was fun, she realized.  It was fun just…flirting with him.  It lightened her mood and took her mind off her nerves.

They didn’t speak much after that because shortly, Rixavox guided his hovercraft back down when they began to approach the mountain range.  Even with the moon hanging overhead, it was difficult to make out specific details of this part of Luxiria.  She supposed she’d have to wait until the morning.  However, she could see that the mountains were silver.  The moonlight glinted off the sheen, making her wonder if it was just a trick of the light.

“Is there something on the mountain?” she voiced out loud, squinting into the darkness.

“The frosts,” he replied, his palm coming to rest on her hip.  “It covers most of the land, not just the facev.  It is difficult to see now.”

No wonder it was so cold there, she thought.

It got quieter the lower they descended until Cecelia could only hear the gentle hum of whatever powered the hovercraft.  The mountain range got nearer and nearer and she could only gape up at it when she saw how massive it truly was.  They descended into the valley it made until they were all around them, completely surrounded.  And she had never felt so tiny and so in awe in her life.

The moon illuminated a pathway between the range and Rixavox followed it, winding around for seemingly miles, until he finally pulled the hovercraft down at the base of a smaller mountain.  He powered it off and the silence was deafening.  There wasn’t even the slightest trace of wind, which seemed odd to her.

Cecelia’s throat felt scratchy from the ride over and she swallowed thickly as Rixavox helped her off the hovercraft.  She hissed in surprise when her feet touched the frozen floor of the land and her Luxirian snatched her up in arms quickly, reaching down to stroke his fingers over her sensitive soles, making sure she was alright.

“I apologize, luxiva,” he whispered to her softly, brushing his lips over her ear.  “Forgive me.  Forgive me.  I did not think.”

“It’s okay,” she replied, wiggling her toes.  “It just surprised me.  I forgot I wasn’t wearing shoes.”

“I will order coverings for you when we return to Velraxa,” he promised.  His arms were warm though and a part of Cecelia found she might prefer not having shoes, if it meant he carried her around like this.

Then she felt slightly guilty.  Of course, he’d probably prefer not having to haul her all around his planet and watching out for her.  He probably had more important things to do if he oversaw an outpost.  Not to mention having to take her to these pools.  Unlike her, he hadn’t slept that day and she wondered if he was tired.

“Thank you for doing this…for bringing me here,” she said softly, looking up at him.  “I know it’s probably inconvenient for you and you have a million other things that you need to do.  But I wanted to let you know that I do appreciate it.”

When she’d gone through chemo, she’d mostly dealt with it alone.  Her mother had been long gone and her dad had been busy with his new pregnant wife.  He’d contributed financially, but he hadn’t contributed in the way she’d wished him too…just being there.  It had been a lot for anyone to deal with alone.  She’d understood his absence in her own way.  Cancer was…breaking.  Most people just wanted to forget, her father included.  Part of her couldn’t blame him for reacting the way he had.  The other part would never be able to forgive him.

It made her sad that this strange alien male was giving her more support than her own family had.  Sad yet thankful.  Relieved.  Grateful.

“I do this gladly, luxiva,” he said.  “I will do anything I can to help you heal.  It is not ‘inconvenient,’” he repeated, frowning a bit, as if her words stung him.

Slowly, Cecelia reached out to touch his thick forearm, which held her snugly against his body.  His muscles shifted and pulled under her touch.  She left her hand there as he approached a corner of the mountain, which revealed a small, tucked away entrance.

When they stepped through, the air was even quieter, like a serene hush had fallen.  Cecelia hardly dared to breathe.

It was pitch black inside but Rixavox seemed to know his way, even blind.  Or maybe Luxirians could see in the dark.  Regardless, his steps were strong, purposeful, and confident, just like the alien himself.  Deeper and deeper into the mountain, they went.

Cecelia guessed they’d been walking for five minutes when she began to hear the soft trickling sound of water.  It grew louder and louder until finally, at the end of the mountain path, she could see a slight illumination of light in the distance.

“We are here now,” Rixavox said quietly down to her.  “The Rillirax.”

When they reached the end of the corridor and Rixavox stepped through the curtain of light, Cecelia gave a soft gasp.

They were standing at the entrance of a small cavern, still deep inside the mountain.  The walls were mostly dark stone, but they were covered in tendrils of thin, winding silver vines that took on the soft appearance of moss.  The air inside the cavern was warm, almost humid, and she breathed it in deeply, letting it soothe her scratchy throat.

Just above and to the left, there was a large hole in the stone.  And through it, she could see the silvery Luxirian moon, bright and half-full.  That was where the light was coming from.

The moon illuminated a large, sunken pool of water in the middle of the cavern, that appeared metallic from the light.  It rippled slightly, even though Cecelia felt no wind.  A bubble formed on the surface and she realized the water must be coming from below, perhaps even heated like a hot spring, given the temperature of the cavern and the mossy growth covering the walls.

“It’s beautiful, Rixavox,” she whispered, staring wide-eyed at her surroundings before turning her gaze on her Luxirian companion.  “And we get to come here every day?”

Rixavox gently set her down on her feet.  The stone was warm and it felt soothing beneath her.

“Every night,” he corrected.  He unwrapped her from her bundle of fur blankets and let them fall to the floor.  “When the moon is at its peak.”

Cecelia looked down at the heap of furs at their feet and for the first time she wondered if she would need to bathe naked.  It had just never occurred to her before.

She licked her lips and stole a quick glance up at Rixavox.  Would he be joining her?  Given what she’d seen of the Luxirian female earlier, perhaps they weren’t as modest about nudity as humans were.  Rixavox, for example, had been shirtless when they’d met.  She knew his nipples were pierced and that his cock was the size of a small arm…

Cecelia coughed, trying not to think about their first meeting.  She’d been embarrassed but turned on, torn between jumping his bones or running for the hills.

Warmth pooled between her thighs and she just so happened to look at Rixavox while it was happening.

His brow furrowed and he purred.  “Why do you look at me this way?  What are you thinking?”

Cecelia almost choked on her own spit.  “Nothing.  I wasn’t think about anything.  Uh, so how should I do this?”

Rixavox studied her, clearly knowing she was lying by the way his nostrils flared, scenting her, but then the corner of his mouth quirked up in a really sexy half-smile that made her arousal even worse.

“Step into the Rillirax and soak, Sessela.  You will know when you are ready to come back out,” he said, his eyes glowing that mesmerizing blue.

“Okay,” she murmured, stepping towards the pool of rippling water.  Her voice was a little too bright when she said, “Sounds simple enough.”

“Unclothe yourself first, female,” he purred from behind her.

“What?” she squeaked.

“You must enter unclothed,” he said.  She perceived him approaching her from behind until she felt his warmth at her back.  His voice sounded like velvety sin as he said, “Vulnerable, as the Fates intended.  This is…absolute.”

Well…damn.