CHAPTER SEVEN

 

Madison was on the verge of jerking back, but something stopped her. She’d never been kissed like this, like she was the most precious, sexiest thing in the world. She didn’t want it to end yet.

She didn’t want it to end ever.

She could feel Xar smiling under her lips. He clasped her tightly to him, all four of his arms wrapping around her. Before she could think better of it, she was kissing him back. She parted her mouth slightly, inviting him in.

Xar tasted delicious. The tip of his tongue bumped against hers. Madison sucked on it greedily, opening her mouth further. Xar’s tongue invaded her mouth, making her senses go wild. She ran her hands down his back, feeling his flexing muscles.

Her whole body was throbbing with need. She’d never been this turned on this fast. Madison thrust her hips up and encountered Xar’s cock. Either her judgment was thrown off by the way the world was spinning, or it was the biggest cock she’d ever felt. She pushed a hand between them, feeling the bulge.

Xar growled in the back of his throat and broke the kiss. For a moment she was confused, but Xar soon made his intentions quite clear. He untied the cord holding Madison’s top closed and carefully set it aside. In one quick movement, he lifted her and pulled the top off. She was left breathless in just her bikini.

The top of that was gone a moment later, revealing her breasts. Xar loomed over her, staring down at her exposed skin. His heated gaze trailed over her breasts as if trying to memorize every curve. Under the searing power of his gaze, she felt herself growing wet and ready, responding to his need.

Then Xar slid his powerful arms around her and leaned down slowly. The closer he came, the faster her heart beat. God, she wanted his lips on her so badly it was like a fever that left her dizzy.

He descended on her breasts, taking them into his mouth like a starving man. Madison cried out and arched her back. What was he doing with his tongue? Whatever it was, it was sending waves of pleasure through her nipples all the way to her toes. But most of that incredible pleasure gathered in her core. Her muscles there fluttered in arousal, aching with need for her pussy to be filled.

She let him have his way, reveling in his passionate touches. The warmth of his skin against hers felt like heaven. Every touch, every stroke and flick of his tongue against her achingly hard nipples sent waves of bliss through her until her knees were weak.

“Xar…” Madison broke off as she was taken by a gasp. She was panting and desperately needed more. He seemed to understand, because he moved away from her breasts, licking his way down her stomach. Two of his four hands seized her nipples again, rolling them gently while his mouth descended toward her pussy.

With one hand, he lifted her hips up enough to pull the bikini bottom off. She was completely naked now, and he still had all his clothes on. Madison reached up to correct this, but she abruptly went limp when Xar’s mouth brushed lightly over her clit.

It was barely a touch, and it drove her wild. His tongue explored slowly, languidly, and it was driving her mad. He lapped at her pussy, drinking her in and groaning at the taste. Madison longed for him to thrust his cock inside her, but he didn’t move to take her that way. Instead, he returned to her clit. His talented tongue flicked over it, then traced its way in teasing circles around her clit. He kept her guessing, on edge, not knowing what his tongue would do next.

She didn’t scream. She didn’t. It was more of a breathy cry… One that reverberated around the room and surely went past the vines that were all that separated them from the rest of the home tree.

Xar experimented with different movements until he found several that made her gasp, shudder, and go rigid underneath him as her pleasure kept increasing. If he kept doing this, Madison wasn’t going to last long. His fingers were still on her nipples, and just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, he slipped a finger into her aching pussy.

He thrust once, twice, three times, and that was it. Madison exploded. Her thighs clamped around his face, and she clutched at his hair, her whole body tightening as her release swept through her. She cried out in absolute mindless pleasure.

He licked, sucked, and thrust, riding her through it until she finally went limp. Every muscle inside her was exhausted. She felt sated beyond belief, her thoughts floating on a cloud of ecstasy.

Xar came level with her and lay down on his side, looking extremely pleased with himself. His eyes still held that same heat, the same hunger.

Madison saw that his cock was still bulging. She reached for it, but he took her wrist gently, tucking it against his chest.

“You don’t want…?”

“Oh, I do, my mate, very much. But not now. You wish to take things slow, yes?”

Now that she was coming down, Madison remembered that yes, she did want to take things slow. Up until about half an hour ago, she wasn’t even sure she wanted a sexual relationship with an alien. After what he’d just done to her…oh yes, she wanted. Her doubts were by no means banished, though, and she was glad Xar remembered her hesitation when she was too high with pleasure to do the same.

Not for the first time, she realized how amazing he was. Even with the most optimistic expectations, she could never have expected to find a guy with half his caring, understanding, and devotion back on Earth.

Xar was looking at her with a strange expression, as though he was torn about something.

“You really wish to join the party rescuing your friends?”

Madison knew it was irrational, knew she couldn’t possibly be any help and would probably only slow them down, but she felt a responsibility to at least be there to introduce the humans to the aliens they’d be living with for the foreseeable future. Maybe forever. The thought didn’t bother her as much as it should.

“I do. How would you feel if it was your people, stranded and alone? Wouldn’t you want to be the one to go to them?”

Xar hesitated, weighing up the determination in her eyes. “Tomorrow, if they are not back, I will take you to meet them on their way to the home trees.”

“Thanks, Xar!” She knew she was squealing in delight, but she didn’t care.

“I am lucky to have a patient mate. Not many would be so gracious as their male attempted to learn to control his mating instincts.”

“You’re doing very well.”

Madison spontaneously kissed him. It was just a quick peck, but it felt right. She snuggled down in Xar’s arms. Despite the heat, she loved cuddling with him. She kicked the thin blanket down and rested her head on his shoulder.

For the first time since they’d landed on Xenshar, Madison felt hopeful, even excited, about tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Waking up with his mate in his arms was bliss. The sun was just rising. Xar listened intently, expecting to hear the sounds of the other human females. The rest of the clan should be back with them by now. Instead, he heard only the few footsteps of those left behind.

Madison was sleeping peacefully. Her face was relaxed, all the lines of worry smoothed out. He hated to wake her. He could let her sleep for a few more minutes.

After a few minutes had passed, and then a few more minutes, Xar finally, regretfully, shook her awake.

“Madison. It’s morning.”

She moaned something sleepy and incoherent.

“I can let you sleep in, if you wish.”

She shook her head and pushed herself up, yawning. “No, I’m OK. Are the others back yet?”

“No, but they should be close, a couple of hours’ travel from here at most.”

“Do we have time to wash before we go?”

Xar had learned that humans were very particular about washing. It would be an adjustment for them, not being able to walk into the water boxes they had on Earth whenever they wanted.

He knew he should probably wait for the others to get back, to have a bigger group going bathing. Looking into his mate’s eyes, though, he knew he could deny her nothing.

“Only if we’re quick. Zazora won’t want to leave when the injured humans could be arriving at any moment. The others left behind are all old and can’t react fast if something comes for us. All the younger, stronger males have gone on the rescue mission.”

“I’ll be fast, I promise. I just want to wash the worst of the sweat and dirt off.”

Zazora frowned at him when he told her where they were going.

“Just the two of you?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. I would never risk Madison’s safety.”

“I know that. Just hurry.”

Madison climbed willingly into his arms, and Xar took off through the trees. It felt good to swing between the branches again. He wasn’t accustomed to spending a whole day at the home trees unless he was injured.

When they got to the warm water, he carefully placed Madison down, looking around. He couldn’t sense any vriax, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t come upon them at any moment.

Madison paused, her foot in the water. “Aren’t you coming?”

As he looked on her naked form, Xar was sorely tempted. “I must watch for predators.”

Her look of disappointment was almost comical, and he swore to make it up to her that night. He’d have her coming so hard the entire forest would hear her screams.

Madison was true to her word. She washed quickly, scrubbing herself with the dense bar of roots, fats, and nuts, looking surprised at how well it took the dirt off her. She rushed through washing her hair, leaving it in a tangled mess, but she could fix that later.

Xar handed her a blanket to dry herself on.

“Don’t you want to wash? I could stand watch for you.”

“My mate, I love you dearly, but your senses are terrible. You wouldn’t hear a vriax coming until it was too—”

The moment Xar heard the sound, he reacted. From when they were young, Xenshi were taught to recognize the sound of a vriax’s footstep, the way the ground trembled when they were close. He snatched Madison up into his arms and leaped for the nearest branch.

She squawked in alarm, reaching for the shirt she’d been wearing. Xar left it without a second thought. He climbed quickly, glancing behind him as he went. Madison followed his gaze and shrieked, clutching so tightly to him she was sure to cause marks on his skin. He didn’t care, as long as she was safe.

The vriax were a terrifying sight, especially to one who hadn’t seen them before.

“You have dinosaurs here? That thing’s like the nastier, uglier cousin of a Tyrannosaurus rex!”

Xar didn’t understand her words and didn’t have time to pause for explanations. The vriax snapped viciously as it got closer. They were so tall that they could reach high into the trees with their long necks. He redoubled his efforts.

The jaws snapped barely three branches below him. Xar breathed a short sigh of relief as he pulled them higher, until they were in the highest branches they could go, above which they became too thin to climb.

“We’re OK, now? It can’t reach us?”

“It can’t reach us yet,” he told her grimly. “Vriax don’t like to lose a meal. These trees are not thick and strong like the home trees. It can pull this one down.”

Right on cue, the tree shuddered as the vriax bashed its substantial bulk into the trunk. Xar held Madison tightly as he swung from branch to branch, making his way back to the home trees. As they got closer to the location chosen specifically because the trees were too thick for a vriax to bash down, the beast gave up, knowing when its prey was beyond its reach.

Madison was shaking as he carried her back to their room. He placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead before rummaging for another shirt, glad he’d taken the cord she used to tie the old one for safekeeping.

“Are you all right?”

“Vriax,” he told Zazora grimly. “It must have sensed there were only two of us and attacked.”

Zazora shook her head disapprovingly, and Xar had to agree with her. Madison was still shaking. It had been foolish to allow her to bathe so unprotected.

“Do you wish to stay here?”

She shook her head. “No way! Not while the others are out there with those monsters.”

“They will be perfectly safe. I made sure to put them in a tree too thick and sturdy for a vriax to disturb. The men of the clan know the vriax as well as I do. They will keep the humans safe on the journey back, and I can promise you, they will not be stopping to bathe.”

This got a laugh out of her—a high, slightly hysterical laugh.

“You will feel better after something to eat.”

Xar resolved to get Zazora to make a calming draught for Madison before they left. He well remembered the first time he’d seen a vriax as a boy. He’d cried inconsolably for hours, and had been terrified at any trembling of the boards, even if it was just another pup running across.

He sat her down and went to their food stores, taking every jooma fruit they had. He didn’t know how long they’d be traveling for, and he wanted her to be well-fed with something she liked.

The others were no doubt traveling slowly to accommodate the humans. He remembered the one with the broken leg. The clan wouldn’t cause her any unnecessary pain by going faster than they needed to.

“Xar, what are you doing?”

“I’m taking my mate to meet her friends on their way back.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Zazora folded all four of her arms. “That’s all the jooma fruits we have. Your mate has already had more than her fair share.”

He fired up at once. “My mate is from a strange land and is not used to the food here. I will give her the food she likes.”

“Torox won’t be pleased about this.”

Before Xar could tell her that Torox would just have to deal with it, Madison appeared at the door. “What’s going on?”

Zazora might be annoyed, but she was not fool enough to get in the middle of it. She gave one last disapproving look before shoving a reed into Xar’s hand and stalking off. He recognized the smell of a calming draught. Zazora was a good healer. She could tell when someone needed help, often before they knew it themselves.

“Here, drink this.” He hoped Zazora had thought to sweeten it.

By Madison’s wince when she drank, he thought not. “What were you arguing about?”

“Nothing of importance.”

“If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have been arguing about it.”

Xar smiled at her stubbornness. “She does not wish me to take the last of our jooma fruits for you.”

“Why not?”

“They are a rare delicacy, very hard to find.”

Madison went red. “I can eat something else, then. I don’t want to take all the best food.”

On this, Xar wouldn’t back down. “Until we find something else pleasing to you, you will eat the jooma fruits. You are my mate, and I will care for your needs. This is no exception.”