Chapter Seven
For the third time in less than a month, I climbed out of my pod and stretched. I didn't feel as stiff as I had the first two times and I couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not that my body seemed to be getting used to compressing into the pod and going through five days of space travel.
I wanted to get out of the ship as quickly as I could. Ero had had to return in a separate ship because of the short notice of our travel and I found myself missing him intensely during the five days of the voyage. It was a strange feeling. I still didn't trust him completely, and there was doubt in the back of my mind of whether I was going to stay on Uoria for more than a few days, but when I was away from him, I wanted to be near him. It was like I was connected to him in a way that I had never been to anyone else. Sometimes I found myself thinking about him and it was almost as though I could hear his voice in my head.
Samira followed me timidly out of the ship, looking around as if she was waiting for something to happen. Unlike my first time arriving at Uoria, no warrior stood at the base of the platform.
"I guess they figured that you didn't need an escort."
I heard Ero's voice from the other side of the platform and my heart lit up. I turned to him and he came toward me slowly, reaching out to intertwine my fingers with his.
"I think I have my own," I said softly.
"I hope so," he replied, "Leave your bags here. I'll have Pyra take care of them."
"Did you let anybody know that I brought Samira along with me?"
Ero nodded.
"I told them when I arranged my transport back home. They have everything arranged."
"Will we be sharing a house?"
He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher and shook his head.
"No, Samira will have her own quarters while she's here."
Before I could ask anything else, I saw the three women coming toward me with their mates and a man I didn't recognize. They were all smiling and I felt a surge of happiness to see them again. Leia looked at Samira strangely for a moment, then seemed to realize that she recognized her.
"Samira?" she said, "Do you remember me? I helped you with a research project about a year ago."
Samira leaned closer and her face lit up.
"Leia? I heard that you signed up for the exchange program," she climbed down off of the platform and stepped into Leia's open arms, "It's good to see you."
The sentiment sounded so genuine I felt a twinge of emotion in my throat. These were women who had been through so much. Seeing them coming together for a moment of empathy and strength was truly beautiful. On the other side of the two women I noticed a man who I didn't recognize. He was tremendous, nearly as big as Pyra, but there was something soft about him that made me question if he was a warrior. His eyes were focused on Samira and I thought I saw a flicker of fire in his eyes.
"Eden," Ero said, looking at Eden.
I glanced over and saw the pretty redhead holding her mate's arm and leaning her head lovingly against him.
"Everything's ready, Ero. This is Ty," she looked over her shoulder at the man and I noticed he was wearing an apron slung low over his hips, "He's going to keep an eye on Samira."
I watched Ty meet Samira's eyes and it was obvious that he thought she was as gorgeous as everyone else did. With long dark hair, eyes to match, and olive skin, she stood out anywhere she went.
"Keep an eye on me?" Samira said, but didn't take her eyes away from Ty.
"It's kind of an Uoria thing," I told her, "Human visitors get babysitters."
"Guards," Ero corrected.
"He'll bring you to your quarters and I'll go find mine and we'll meet up later with the other women, ok?"
"Actually," Ero said, giving me a gentle pull on my hand, "you have other plans this evening."
"I do?" I asked.
Ero nodded and I saw Eden introduce herself to Samira and then hand her gently off to Ty. Pyra scooped up all of my luggage in one arm and Samira's in the other and followed them. She turned around just before they disappeared into the darkness away from the lights of the ship.
"Ero, when you get to the chocolate, thank Ty. He made it."
They walked away and I felt Ero turn me so that I faced him.
"Chocolate?" I asked.
I was confused, but the sparkle in Ero's eyes intrigued me. He guided me down the steps of the platform and we walked slowly away from the ship. There was a brief moment after we stepped away from the lights of the ship where the darkness around us was almost impenetrable, then my eyes adjusted and I felt the moonlight washing over me. The light pooled at our feet as Ero continued to guide me away from the compound toward an area of the planet I hadn't had the opportunity to see during my short first visit.
"Are you going to tell me where you're taking me?" I asked, something about the situation causing me to nearly whisper rather than using my full voice.
"No," he said.
"Why?"
"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise."
I fell silent and allowed him to guide me along until we reached what looked like a small, still lake of purple water. The surface glittered with tiny candles tucked into large blue flowers that floated on top of the water. It created an almost mesmerizing effect and I barely noticed him leading me toward a blanket stretched across the ground.
"A picnic?" I asked.
"You don't like it?"
I turned to him, feeling the beginnings of tears in my eyes.
"It's perfect."
We settled onto the blanket and Ero opened the square basket positioned on the edge. He started pulling out containers containing a variety of foods that I didn't recognize.
"Do you know what any of that is?" I laughed.
"Most of it," Ero said, tilting one of the containers to look through the bottom at whatever was inside.
He pulled another container out and I immediately knew what it was. I took it from his hand and opened it, pulling out a piece of brownie.
"Do you know what this is?" I asked, not knowing how familiar the Denynso were with Earth foods.
"Chocolate?" he said, sounding like he was making a complete guess.
I nodded and pulled onto my knees so I could lean toward him.
"Have you ever tasted chocolate?"
He shook his head and I crawled slightly forward so I was close enough to him to hold the piece of brownie to his lips. Without taking his gaze from mine, he opened his mouth and let me place the brownie on his tongue. I watched as his eyes widened and then darkened slightly as the taste flooded through his mouth. His lips closed over my fingers and I withdrew them slowly.
"Thank you, Ty," he muttered and I laughed softly.
Ero reached into the container and took out another small piece of brownie. I parted my lips so he could feed me, letting my tongue slip across his finger as I closed my mouth. He drew in a breath and his face came close to mine. His lips brushed mine softly and he paused, keeping them hovering close enough that I could feel his breath on my face. He waited until I leaned closer to him, offering my mouth to him, to kiss me again. This kiss was deep, passionate, and tasted rich like chocolate. When he pulled back, we were both breathless.
"Are you hungry?" he asked quietly and I shook my head.
"No."
"Come with me."
He helped me to my feet and led me around the edge of the lake. I watched the candles floating on the surface of the water as we walked, and it seemed like their glow was guiding me away from everything in the past and toward something incredible that I hadn't even begun to imagine. When we reached the opposite side of the lake, he paused and gestured toward a steep path cut into a rock face.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"Trust me."
"Is this your way of trying to get me to lose weight?"
I was joking, but I felt his hand come to my lower back and apply pressure to my hip until I turned around to face him. He stepped toward me so that I stepped back and pressed to the rock wall. My breath caught as I felt his body brush against mine.
"I never want to hear you say that again, do you understand?" I nodded breathlessly, overwhelmed by his sudden exertion of power. "Because I love you," he dipped his head down to kiss the curve of my neck and shoulder, his hands coming to my hips, "Every inch of you," his touch traveled to my waist and up to my ribs, "Every single beautiful inch," his thumbs brushed across my nipples and I gasped, "I haven't seen enough of you. I want to see more."
I nudged forward with my hips, needing more of his touch. He turned me around again and patted me on my butt.
"Go on," he encouraged.
I complied, climbing my way up the steep path with the motivation of him directly behind me, his hands occasionally reaching up to stroke my back or touch my hip. When I reached the top of the path, I stopped and felt my mouth fall slightly open. I had stepped out onto a wide plateau strewn thickly with flower petals and dotted with candles. The effect was dizzying in the most wonderful way imaginable.
"This is…" I started, but couldn't find the words to finish.
"I wanted to give you the most romantic human date I could," he said, coming up beside me, "The women said flowers and candles were always romantic."
"You came up with this?" I asked.
Ero nodded and took my hand again, drawing me further onto the plateau until we reached another blanket stretched out across the ground. This one was so perfectly matched to the colors of the flower petals that I hadn't even noticed it was there until he brought me to the edge of it and pulled me into his arms.
"I am so sorry," he whispered, and I felt my heart constrict.
"Ero, stop." He looked at me with pain in his eyes and I brought one hand up to brush the hair away from his face, "Don't tell me how sorry you are." I ran my hand down the front of his shirt, "Show me."
Without another word, Ero ducked his head and caught my mouth with his. He kissed me with greater meaning than any words could have ever expressed, and I felt myself melting under his touch. I remembered what he said in my bedroom, that I was his mate, and suddenly I could feel it with such clarity and depth it was as though I had always carried him with me, but I had to discover him.
Ero's hands moved slowly and gently over me, removing each article of clothing and caressing the newly exposed skin with his mouth, kissing and licking his way across my shoulders, down my chest, and onto my belly. He knelt down in front of me and unbuttoned my pants, then eased the zipper down. The movements were careful, reverent, and I could feel myself getting hotter and wetter with each touch. I was shaking with need for him by the time he eased my panties down off my hips and guided me to step out of them, leaving me finally bare in front of him.
He hadn't removed any of his clothing, but standing naked as he knelt at my feet and ran his lips across my belly made me feel worshipped and beautiful. My hand came to the back of his head, tangling in his long white hair, as he moved his mouth further down my body until it teased at the valley between my hipbones. He paused there, nipping his teeth at the soft swell of my belly before easing down and drawing his tongue through the wet heat between my thighs.
I cried out, reaching for something to grab onto but finding nothing so I settled for digging my nails into his back. This seemed to only fuel him further and he used one hand to ease my thighs apart so he had better access to my core. His tongue continued its skilled movements until I felt the pressure building through me and I pushed him back.
"Get undressed," I said, my voice smoky with desire.
As Ero complied with my request, I eased myself onto my knees so that when he was completely bare I could touch my body to his and finally feel all of his skin against mine. We both drew in breaths as our skin touched and our bodies became still, both trying to preserve the moment for what it was. Finally he rested his forehead against mine and his eyes drifted closed. He kissed me gently and rested his hands on my hips.
"Please let me make love to you," he whispered.
My body clench and any reservations I had crumbled around me as I wrapped my hands around his neck and carefully lowered myself onto my back and let him part my thighs so he could settle in between them. The tip of his erection settled at my opening and he moaned when he felt how ready I was for him. I bent my knees so my legs drew up beside his waist, causing him to slip inside me slightly. I gasped. He had been inside me before, but I hadn't had the opportunity to really cherish feeling him enter me, and now I was welcoming him, allowing him to gradually move deeper into me until finally I enveloped all of his hard, thick length.
Ero withdrew slowly and then sank in again, eliciting a deep groan from his chest that made a new wave of desire roll through me. I lifted my hips slightly and he plunged into me harder. He maintained his control for several minutes, rolling his hips so that he thrust in long, slow strokes that seemed to massage me and nurture me toward the edge. I reached up and touched his face, and Ero turned to kiss the inside of my wrist.
I could feel the tension building through my body and I ached for release. I gripped his head and pulled his down so that he kissed me, catching himself with his hands on either side of him. Lifting my hips higher in the air, I nudged him and bit his bottom lip.
"Please, Ero," I whimpered.
He understood my plea and started pounding into me with such intensity that I cried out with each thrust and within seconds, my body was contracting around him in a series of hard, blissful tremors. He gave a deep grunt and I felt him pulse inside me as his streams met each of my spasms.
Ero fell forward onto me and we were suddenly back in the same position we had been in the forest. He kissed my neck softly and I ran my hand down his sweaty back. This time I had no compulsion to get up and run away from him. I wanted to lie there with him forever.
"I don't want to go to my house tonight," I whispered to him.
He nuzzled closer to me.
"I'll be there," he whispered back.
"You will?"
"Samira took the house that had been set aside for you."
"She did?"
Ero pulled himself up so that he could look at me and I smiled at him, fulfilled and enthralled by the orange of his eyes and the rise and fall of his chest.
"I thought it only appropriate considering you don't need it anymore."
"I don't?"
"No. We're bonded for life now and if I can help it, you won't be out of arms reach except when I'm on patrol, which means you will be coming home with me."
I smiled and lifted my head to kiss him. I knew that I was never going to live on Earth again. I would keep my house there, just in case Ero and I wanted to go on an interplanetary honeymoon. Maybe I would take my Denynso students, whoever they turned out to be, on field trips now that my mate had proven that their kind could successfully travel through space. I was his now, completely and fully his, and wherever he was, I knew that that’s was where I would be.
(To be Continued in Part IX… )