“Let’s make camp here,” I say, pointing to the small opening of a cave, which sits on top of a hill. It’ll make for a great vantage point to keep a lookout.

I wipe the sweat away from my face. I’m getting real tired of this jungle shit. The foliage here is even thicker than before, making it painstakingly slow to walk through.

Emily only slows our sluggish pace. She constantly needs to rest. Her body has suffered the worst, even after all I did to heal her.

But the travel has been rough on all of us. I’m still trying to recover. I rub my forearm. A dull pain rocks through to my shoulder, and I grit my teeth. My tendons and muscles are still stiff. It’ll take a day or two before I am completely back to normal, even if my outward appearance is completely fine.

“What was that?” Mor bellows. A heavy vine falls to the ground before him.

He’s insisting on bludgeoning through the jungle. His arms slice through the foliage with speed, dashing away the branches, but he finally stops to listen to me.

“I said, we should make camp by that cave!” Emily’s arms tighten around my neck. She’s on my back again, nodding off.

“We still have some daylight.”

“Uh—I don’t think we should give up a potentially safe spot. Emily needs the rest.”

“I’m fine,” she grumbles.

Mor folds his arms. “I can carry her.”

“You want to hold her and swing a blade around wildly?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“No, Mor.” My voice is forced. I don’t want to continue discussing the subject any further.

He gets my underlying message. “Alright, then. We can make camp.”

We make our way to the cave entrance. It's a deep hole carved out of stone and rock, smoothed away by the action of water over thousands of years. The floor is earthy and wet. It's not ideal, but it will hide both us and our scent from any intruders.

Mor approaches first. He uses his watch to inspect the area and deems it safe for the moment. I set Emily onto the ground, where it looks flattest. She nearly collapses.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

“I feel fine.”

Her voice is strained and dried. She rubs her hands over her eyes and yawns.

She’s lying. I have to make sure she’s all right. “Do you want some water?”

“Sure.”

I reach into my bag and hand over the small canteen we’ve kept full when we can. Finding water on leaves or from the stream hasn’t been hard here.

She takes the canteen and has a few sips. She stretches her legs and then her arms, leaning her back against the cold cave wall. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asks.

“I’m a nice guy.”

Mor’s stifled chuckle echoes around the cave.

“What, you want me to be mean?” I snap.

She shrugs. “No. I didn’t say that.”

I yank the canteen out of her hands and finish it off. Then I light a fire with a few sticks Mor has collected.

The orange flicker sends high shadows across the walls. The heat makes the cave more inviting. It’s so cold and damp inside the hollowed-out stone.

I reach into Mor’s leather sack and pull some food out, handing Emily a fruit. She examines it for a long while. Her lips press together, and she sticks it under her nose, taking a deep breath.

“It’s safe to eat. I promise.”

She smiles. “I would do anything for a cheeseburger.”

“What’s that?”

“Something really delicious. It’s got meat, cheese, and vegetables on bread. I know it doesn’t sound amazing or special, but it is.”

“Emily,” I start to ask. “Have you had the food ‘chaps’?”

“Chaps?”

“Little golden crispy things.”

She lets out a chuckle. “You mean chips! Yes, those are good too, but they aren’t very good for you.”

“That’s a shame. They’re fucking tasty.”

Our eyes linger on one another’s for a drawn-out moment.

Fuck. If I only I could have her right now.

Her cheeks turn a shade pinker, and she focuses on the food in her hand, plucking off a small chunk of the strange fruit.

“You bite it first.” She shoves it into my hands.

I grimace, pushing it between my fingers. It oozes out a thick liquid. “Mor, this is okay to eat, right?”

He looks up from his own meal with a wild look. Yellow juice runs from between his lips. He’s resorted to eating some type of egg he stumbled upon earlier that day. The Omicronians can eat almost anything. Their tastes are not quite as refined. and their stomachs are damn near indestructible.

He wipes his mouth with a large hand and nods. “Yeah!”

“See?” I take a nibble. It’s incredibly bitter, and my nose scrunches up. I force myself to swallow it and then hand it back to Emily.

She frowns. “You don’t even want to eat it.”

“Just pretend it’s a chess burger.”

“Cheeseburger.” She giggles, correcting my pronunciation.

The light, airy sound makes my heart soar. I want to hear her laugh over and over again.

She stares at the food. “It could be worse. You could be eating whatever Mor is.”

Another laugh erupts between her lips. This time, it’s a bit harder. She takes a few bites, and her reaction as the same as mine. “Oh—that’s horrible!”

“Want some egg?” Mor shouts, swinging his large hand. Sitting in a wooden bowl he’d carved out himself, the egg looks unappetizing. It sloshes around, a nauseating green in the dish.

We both shake our heads.

“No, thank you.”

“It’ll be nice to get out of this hell hole.” I sigh.

“We need to start heading west,” Mor announces. He takes the last gulp of the egg, slurps the rest, and throws his makeshift bowl onto the hard cave floor. It bounces, and the sound echoes around, sending droplets of the egg through the air.

When a giant droplet lands on my forehead, I fold my arms and glare at him. “What do you mean? I thought we agreed to continue the path that we’re on.”

“It’s clearly not getting us anywhere.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. We’ll run into something eventually. We can’t just veer off.”

“What if we’re walking in the opposite direction of the civilization?”

“What if we there’s no one here?” My voice is strained, and I stand up. My chest rises and falls. Mor and I glare at one another for a moment, and then I sit back down.

“We’ve been walking for a whole day, and there has been no sign of a civilization,” Mor rumbles.

“We keep heading north, as agreed. End of discussion.”

Nothing else is said. Emily holds her head in her hand.

I keep my eyes off her. I can’t risk staring at her body.

I clench my jaw. I need to get some sleep tonight before we begin our journey again. Thoughts of taking her are dominating my body and making sleep even more impossible. If I’m not awake and watching the area around us, then I’m dreaming of being inside her. I’m obsessed with her—her laughter, her soft skin, her curves, protecting her.

“King Ursen isn’t going to wait much longer.” Mor stands, shaking his head. “I’m going for a walk.”

I bite my tongue and watch him disappear out of the mouth of the cave.

He’s so quick to anger. I don’t know why he can’t just trust me on this. I’m far better at tracking. Part of me knows there’s a chance I could be wrong, and I am wasting time by leading us through the wilderness, but I can’t start second-guessing myself.

“What will this King Ursen do?” Emily asks.

I was so lost in thought that her voice startles me. I bite my tongue and stumble back down into my seat by the fire. Fuck, it hurts. “He could kill us, find a new wife, and not pay me.” I keep my eyes on the ground. Talking about Emily’s new husband is not something I enjoy.

“Have you met him?”

“Once.”

“What’s he like?”

“Mor.” I could tell her the truth about him—about how ruthless he is, but what good would that do?

“So—you’re still set on taking me there?”

I nod slowly, waiting for her reaction.

She doesn’t look sad or disappointed. No, she looks determined. She stands, creeping toward me. With a flip of her long hair, her scent hits me again.

My body shudders.

The tears in her clothes reveal spots of her skin. I push myself back as her scent continues to drive me wild.

“I need money.” I speak with my teeth clenched, trying to sound nasty. I hope she’ll withdraw.

She chews on her bottom lip, pressing on it ever so slightly. “Are you sure there isn't any way I can change your mind?”

My stomach rolls, and my cock stiffens. I can think of a million different ways she could try to change my mind. My fists dig into the ground on either side of me. Every fiber of my being is telling me to fuck her. It's all been building—my need for her.

“Yes.” The word is difficult for me to say. I thought she hated me.

“Well, then.” She breathes out of her nose slowly. I can feel the air leaving her and drifting over my skin. It’s gentle and warm. My dick begins to tighten and swell.

“How about I repay you for saving my life? I just need you to take my handcuffs off.”

Now, my blood is rushing to my center, and my mouth waters. My dick is fully engorged, and precum oozes out from the tip like honey. I’m shaking. Fuck! Why am I so turned on right now?

“You don’t need to take the handcuffs off to thank me,” I growl.

Now, I fully succumb to the beast inside of me. I reach for her body. I don’t know how much time we have, or what I plan to do, but I all I know is that I need her—now. The logical part of my brain is completely gone, and the blind need to feel her controls me.

“Ori,” she gasps, but I don’t let her finish speaking.

My mouth is on hers. Our lips meet, and my tongue finds its way into her mouth.

Fuck. She tastes amazing, like a sweet dessert. More. I need more!

Her lush form curves against mine. I can’t stop now.

With one heave, I pull her on top of me. Her hips rock against my cock. Each motion sends pulses down my spine. I yank her down onto my chest. Another slight moan escapes her throat. Feeling her against me is everything.

There is no moment for gentle touches. I am far too famished.

I feed her neck with kisses. Each slight taste of her gives me a high stronger than any substance. She murmurs and sighs. I long to hear more of her noises.

I grab her tight ass in my hands, pushing her groin against my throbbing member. I sense the change in her body—the overwhelming arousal. Her pheromones wash over me. My senses are igniting, one by one. Her mouth travels from my mouth down my neck, slowly. It’s too much of a tease.

Damn. I try and pull her mouth back to mine, but she resists. My hands reach between her legs to pet her, but she jerks her hips away quickly before my fingers are satisfied with the touch of skin.

“What?” I manage to gasp. I don’t like being denied.

“Hold still.” Her eyes find mine. The sheer look of determination fills them. Holy fuck, she’s so sexy, and then her lips find their way to my jaw and trace down slowly. It takes every ounce of my control not to tear into her.

I dig my fingers into the hard ground. She hovers over my chest. My breathing has increased dramatically. My dick can hardly stand being clothed much longer, and her hands fumble with the buckle. I rip the pants open and jerk them down, exposing my hard, throbbing cock.

Emily’s eyes open wide. She completely freezes.

“Everything okay?” I ask through deep breaths.

“I—mean...you’re just so—” Her voice trails off.

“Do human cocks look different?”

“No—I just...I’ve never seen one this large.”

“Is it a problem?”

“You tell me.” She gives me a devilishly wide grin, and her head bobs down to meet my piece. Her bound hands grip the base.

Just the sensation of her groping me there is enough to make my body shudder. She begins the movement gradually, running her soft hands to the top, then back, the handcuffs brushing against my sac and the underside of my cock.

I clench my teeth in delicious agony. Her tongue trails along my length, flooding my body with ecstasy. She finds a rhythm, then, sucking around my throbbing piece. Her warm, wet mouth makes me swell, pushing me to the edge. Her neck bobs up and down, and she slowly slides all of me deep into her. She gags slightly but continues pushing me deeper into her.

I grunt. I need to fuck her. It’s almost too much. I burrow my hands deeper into the earth below me. My eyes squeeze tight, and my body stiffens as the climax grows nearer. Every flick of her tongue pushes me further and further as it rocks against the underside of my cock. More pre-cum releases.

Several gasps escape my throat. Her pacing picks up, and my cock slides deeper into her damp cavity. I am going to come and fill her mouth.

I grab her hair, but she jerks back. Her mouth releases its heavenly grip, and she sits up.

My dick throbs violently. The feeling of being ripped from her mouth overwhelms me with discomfort.

“What the fuck?” I pant.

She wipes her mouth. “Take me back to Earth.”

“What?!”

“Take me back, and then I’ll finish.”

“Fucking three suns. What’s wrong with you, woman?” My dick aches and pulses. It needs release now, but Emily stands up.

“Take me home!”

“No!”

“If you can’t help me, then I can’t help you.”

I tilt my head back and groan. I pull my pants back on and heave forward. The pressure in my cock transforms into a dull pain. “Dammit.” I grind my teeth together and sit down. “This is torture!”

“Now you know exactly how I feel.”

“Oh, is your dick going to explode?”

“No, the torture part!”

I close my eyes and begin to pace around the cave, bending forward and letting out short breaths. I guess I deserve it for giving in. I chew on the inside of my cheek as anger begins to replace the pain.

Fuck—I feel so frustrated. Why did I let it go that far? I can’t help it. I can’t control myself around her. She’s the only thing I want.

“This is cruel,” I snap.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I care about you, and you’re jerking me around.”

She rolls her eyes. “I doubt it.”

I walk over and throw her arms over her head, pushing her hard up against the wall. Her body hits the cave wall with a thud, and she grimaces. I lift her up by the handcuffs so we are at eye level.

A flicker of fear passes through her eyes. Her breathing is fast. I stare at her for a long time.

“I would never hurt you. But I have a job to do, and billions of people depend on the stability of Omicron. I’m sorry, but that’s more important than your—annoyance.” I release my grip around her wrists.

Mor walks into the cave just then, holding some more firewood. He eyes us both suspiciously but doesn’t say a word. I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s thinking.