“What are you going to do with me?” she asked thickly, her throat closed.
Something along the lines of tying her up and making her feel like a woman didn’t seem all that bad now. In fact it might even be a godsend. Her cousin had stripped her half naked for years now, the means to fulfill his wretched plans. She’d been paraded around before one too many Fohers, and stared at for hours at a time. But no one had looked at her the way he did. It felt…well, quite frankly, it felt awesome!
For a long moment all he did was stare before slowly setting the pitcher down. “I will keep you for a time.”
“For how long?”
He stared thoughtfully, and she curled her fingers against the urge to smooth them along the crease on his forehead. “Forgive me.” He lifted the pelt beneath her and gently draped it around her shoulders. “You won’t be touched again.”
Thinking he was referring to Ugly, she found herself reassuring him. “Oh, he hardly touched me.” Thank God.
“I didn’t mean him.” His gaze was direct. Lord, what beautiful eyes he had. She’d never seen that particular color, not in silver, not in iron, not in steel. “I meant me.”
If this was good news, Liana wasn’t too thrilled.
But he didn’t seem to realize the expression on her face meant disappointment, because he added, “You will not bear the brunt of my anger again.”
So he’d been angry. At her. For touching his cock. For sucking it into her mouth. And they said women were complicated.
He was making her furious, and she was shocked that she could actually feel the rage inside her. She hadn’t felt anything for so long it was difficult to contain inside her.
“Then you will let me go now,” she said quickly, expecting no less. She was of little use to him now.
He straightened, clasping his hands behind his back. “I will fetch clothes for you. The camp is leaving soon—the humans are approaching.” He paused, eyeing her in uncertainty. “What is the value of you to them?”
“Nothing. I am worth nothing to them.” And it was true. Nobody cared about Liana, whether she was sick, had a nightmare or even whether she ate or not.
“If you are worth nothing, why are they coming after you? I know that they have sent their Earth dogs to track us.”
Liana faintly wondered what would happen if she told him, and quickly decided she’d rather not find out. “Maybe they’re coming after you,” she countered, then at his thoughtful silence, adding, “my cousin is a strange man, and I don’t presume to know the way his filthy mind works…Kavi.”
He seemed surprised when she said his name, then smiled as if it pleased him. “Tell me your identity.”
“My name is Liana.”
When he repeated it in his rich, warm voice, she felt like he’d just stroked her flesh. She was sure even her soles had turned red. “Do you plan to let me go soon?” she insisted.
“No.”
She spent a full minute in thought.
He would not let her go. She would have to do her part and escape. Which wasn’t what frightened her.
What frightened her was the knowledge that if she even dared try to escape, she had nowhere to go.
Chapter Three
She was tired. Kavi could see it in the way she dragged her legs with every step, her arms dangling by her sides. She was a small woman, with little muscle in her body. He should have known she wouldn’t be able to keep up with them.
They’d been walking for hours. The sun blazed high above them and there was little shade from the trees in this particularly wide, rocky dirt path. Her cheeks were bright pink already and she was breathing so shallowly he began to fear she would collapse. He watched her from the corner of his eye. Discreetly. Because it was something he shouldn’t even be doing.
He should stay focused on the task ahead. Finding a new camp, getting headway on the humans. Finding Amatista. But all Kavi could think of was the way she looked now, and the way she’d looked when he’d touched her. He could’ve drowned in those lilac-purple eyes—they’d pulled him in so deep. Her taste still haunted his lips and the feel of her tight, slick muscles as they’d gripped his finger had him flexing his hands repeatedly.
He’d been quivering in his breeches at the first taste of her silky juices, a breath away from pulling down the fabric and sinking himself into her very depths. But women were revered by the Fohers, regarded as something holy, the vessels of life. To take one completely and spill his seed inside her warmth was to bind her to him forever, to love, serve, protect.
He’d wanted to claim her.
Holy Amaya, he’d wanted to fuck her so good that when she came to her senses, she would be his. Forever.
But she was weak.
She couldn’t last a winter in the harsh landscape of Oriana, the drastic temperature changes, the barren Foher lifestyle. Kavi couldn’t claim her. He had nothing to offer her. No way of keeping her.
Unless—
His thoughts scattered when she stumbled beside him, and he quickly caught her by the waist. She stiffened then looked up at him with deep lilac eyes that glowed like gemstones. “I can walk by myself.”
“You are falling asleep while doing so,” he retorted.
She glared and pushed at his hands, taking a step to get away from him. Kavi watched her sway before sweeping her easily into his arms.
“Hands off, Foher!” she protested, but her hands quickly linked behind his neck and she squirmed in his embrace more to get comfortable than to get away.
“We will find a place to eat and sleep,” he said in a strange, gruff tone he didn’t recognize.
But she was already asleep, and when he heard her quiet snores, he gave himself the liberty of studying her now that those eerie eyes were closed.
He’d never seen a sight so lovely.
Nor met anyone as stubborn as she.
* * * * *
Two hours later, the woman had him grinding his teeth. Again. Moving a mountain from the middle of the road had to be easier than getting the human to move.
Fohers were lying on their furs around a blazing fire, the air so cold there were billows of smoke every time each of them exhaled. Kavi was lying on the ground, propped up on his elbows, while Liana was resting on a tree stump, her knees drawn up to her chest. Her lips were purple and her teeth chattered.
Kavi scowled, saying in the calmest way possible, “Come here,” and patting a spot beside him.
“I am perfectly content where I am.”
“You are freezing to your death!”
“It’s just a little chill.” She shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
“You need to get warm. Come here I said! I am more than sure that I am speaking to you in English!”
“And believe me, I understood you the first time, but I’d rather stay here and quake to death than—hey!” He’d already stomped toward her, lifted her and carried her back to the luxuriant pelts. He shoved her under the top one, settling himself behind her and using an arm to lock her against him.
“There. You will sleep now.”
“I’m not sleepy,” she said, yawning.
He smiled at her stubbornness, sure that a tree would be more cooperative. Then he groaned when she clutched the edge of the pelt to her chin and snuggled back against him. Her rump rubbed against his cock, and for that alone now he was the one who wanted to go sit by the tree and freeze to death. His loins were hotter than the fire. “Stop squirming,” he commanded.
“I’m just…getting comfy. There!” she declared, his cock nestled perfectly between her ass cheeks.
“I don’t find this position comfortable,” he protested.
“What a pity. I’m dozing off already.”
Kavi focused on steadying his breathing. With the tranquil air around them and the eerie silence of the forest, it seemed as though every Foher could hear how hard and fast Kavi was panting.
He could almost feel over a dozen pairs of puzzled Fohers eyeing him with
pity. For certain they understood his plight. Already many of them were moaning under their pelts, taking their partners, quenching their thirst for flesh and union. Others had stolen into the woods, where Kavi knew for certain what they were doing. Swapping couples or sharing their mates with another Foher. While Kavi lay there with a rock for a cock and aching for the slim little human. He almost stormed into the woods, following the mischievous couples to demand someone—anyone with a mouth—suck his cock for relief. Instead he remained rigid, feeling drunk with her scent and nearness, and closed his eyes.
Amatista, he thought desperately. Help us find our way home.
* * * * *
More than two weeks with the Fohers and Liana was starting to pity the similar nomads who had long ago roamed the Earth. Having nowhere to go.
They’d been wandering aimlessly for days, through lakes turned a deep, simmering orange by the sea life underneath, past rocky terrain and humid forests. Whether anyone knew were they were headed was a mystery to her.
Parties of six and eight were sent to scout the areas beforehand, while other Fohers trailed behind, sprinting to join the group when anything noteworthy came up. Such as news from dear ol’ Lyle.
Kavi didn’t seem to like whatever these Fohers said to him when they returned, for every time the scouts left, more and more Fohers went with them.
First they’d headed east, then a scout had pointed north and they changed direction. Liana had seen the mountains in the distance with their lovely peaks topped with snow, and wondered if that was their destination, how damn long it would take to get there.
She’d never exercised so much in her life!
Every second of the day she counted the hours until night, when she would get to lay down next to Kavi and sleep until sunrise.
As they traveled each day under a blazing sun, Liana quickly noticed the Fohers were surprisingly agile for such big, muscled clumps. She had trouble keeping up, with many scuffs on her knees to prove it.
She’d learned many things about the Fohers by now.
There was not enough food on the whole planet Earth to fill their bellies. There was no mountain they couldn’t climb. And not enough hours in a day for walking.
They were fierce hunters. And after getting her palate accustomed, she discovered they weren’t all that bad cooks.
They were surprisingly respectful. Of the animals they hunted, of nature. Liana had been startled by the strange, prayer-like mumbles they uttered before eating. Now she almost recited them herself.
More than anything else, Fohers were warriors—and the women were their equals. Some women trained beside them, while those with children hunted for food while the others trained.
By day, when the sun warmed the soil and there were no clouds to filter it, the Fohers wore very little clothing. Liana had caught herself staring several times, almost drooling as she watched all those muscles at work—particularly Kavi’s hefty ones.
The tight animal-skin breeches the men wore left very little to the imagination. And hers had already actively been putting a picture to the prominent bulge in Kavi’s front. She’d seen what lay under it—and she was certain not even amnesia would rid her memory of the image.
After Liana had proudly wore what little remained of her own clothes for several days in a row, Kavi had handed her new ones along with a tight, “Put it on unless you want all of Oriana to keep staring at your breasts.”
He could certainly use some lessons in subtlety. He could’ve just stared at her breasts himself and she would have eventually looked down, only to realize they’d been peeking out from under her torn shirt. Of course, if he’d stared, she wasn’t entirely certain she would have wanted to cover herself…
She’d scowled and grabbed the folded garment. It was a taupe-colored thick animal-skin dress, similar to the ones the Foher women wore, that gave her legs freedom to move. It wasn’t high-fashion, but just the look on Kavi’s face when he saw her in it had been worth the time it had taken to discover how the hell to put it on—being she first slid it on backward.
It was a look he’d given her before, and it did funny things to her insides. In fact, ever since Kavi had touched her in the tent, Liana felt as if a new person had been born inside her. Someone bolder, stronger. Happier.
She’d been happy on Earth—or so she’d thought—but had left so long ago that sometimes it seemed her time there had just been a dream. Now living with the Fohers for mere weeks, she realized what little interest she’d had in anything for the past nine years. Little more than a captive on Oriana, she’d had no interest in learning anymore. No interest in living. It was as if she’d been asleep for years.
Now a new thirst had bloomed inside her, and she was looking forward to life. Her life. Watching Fohers with their families, the rowdy way they slapped each other and laughed, Liana felt some tightly locked doors open inside her, and she’d begun to feel a deep caring and respect for these people. The way they’d welcomed her into the group as if she were one of them had made her long to reach out and search for her own happiness. She’d found herself laughing with them, bantering with them. Wanting to belong there—with them.
She lived for the nighttime, when the temperature dropped and they would sleep after a long, tiring day. And she would be with him.
Kavi’s distant, somewhat harsh treatment of her by day would change into a warm closeness by night. His voice would drop, sound tender almost, and it would fill her with longing as he whispered things in her ear.
He wouldn’t say anything naughty. He wouldn’t speak of what he’d done to her in the tent, much less what she’d done to him.
But he’d talk to her, ask if she’d liked the fish or beast they’d had for dinner and if she was warm enough. Whatever he spoke, just listening to the soothing rumble of his voice made her tingly and…aware.
This particular night, as she lay under a plush, delicious fur, she was only aware that she missed him, needed him to get warm, and she was trying very hard not to be obvious about it.
Before her, bright flames danced high, reaching out toward the quarter moons. The Fohers had set their weapons aside and settled down on their pelts with their mates and children.
Kavi stood guard and Liana marveled at the regal sight of his muscled back, the warm, golden color of his skin. She was exhausted down to her bones, but still couldn’t find a comfortable position. Even this luxurious pelt seemed a pitiful second to the strong, living warmth of Kavi’s body.
Hours passed. She spent them tossing and turning and looking at Kavi’s muscled back under her lashes. There was tension in his posture, and Liana could imagine his eyes scanning the darkness, ears alert to the slightest sounds. Twice she caught him looking at her, and pierced by his fierce, steady stare, she quivered under the fur, immensely grateful that it covered her.
It seemed like an eternity later when she finally watched one of the younger Fohers, Ajay, leave his mate Galina and rise for his turn to stand watch. Ajay was as tall as Kavi, his muscles not as large but equally hard and chiseled. His hair was blacker, falling past his waist, and his nose was as sleek as the narrowed slits of his eyes, giving him the appearance of a predator.
Watching him relieve Kavi from his duty, Liana exhaled a shaky breath and forced her eyes closed as she waited for him to come to her. Her heart began to pound in her ears.
Eternal minutes later she felt him slipping behind her under the warm pelt, his muscled front pressing to her back. He wrapped a heavy arm around her. “You’re shivering,” he whispered in her ear.
No more from the cold, though. A slow, steady heat was spreading out to her every extremity. “Yes.” She couldn’t even speak without sounding horny. She could only pray he was too. And that he had some bindings somewhere to tie her down and have his way with her. Or that she could borrow some to use on him.
“A few more days and we’ll set up the tents,” he murmured against her hair.
For all Liana’s hopes, Kavi didn’t sou
nd like a man overcome with lust, about to fuck her under the fur—while she was very, extremely, inhumanly aware of every breath he exhaled. The exact location of his hands on her hips. Of his smell—musky, natural, male. She wanted to turn around in his arms and press her lips to his. Lips she’d felt in other places, but not on her own.
He dipped his head until his nose touched her hair. His fingers opened, spreading over her belly and gently pressing her back against his massiveness.
Liana had never been held like this. Nor had she ever been held for so long. She’d never known her real parents, and her adoptive parents had been busy, methodical people—her father a lawyer, her mother a doctor. They’d had little to no time for coddling.
The day of her eighteenth birthday, along with a brand-new car from her parents, she’d found Lyle on her doorstep. Her dear “cousin”, whose speech was filled with promises of fulfilling her dreams. Dreams of finding herself, her origins, her past.
He’d carried a strange gleam in his eyes, one which had made Liana uneasy. And though Liana would later come to discover he was a year younger than her, the already-hulking man had carried an air of authority about him—authority and menace. But the young man knew things. When he’d mentioned the mark on her back she’d wondered if she was being too quick to judge. How would he know about the mark if his words weren’t true, if he were not really a long-lost relative—possibly one with answers?
Liana had spent her whole life wondering about her birth parents and about the mark she bore. What the mark meant. What her parents looked like, what they did for a living—if they even lived!—and why they hadn’t been able to keep her.
She’d wanted to believe Lyle.
But she should’ve known better.
Alone in the house, she’d unwisely invited him in to talk further—and woken up much later on this strange planet with two moons, lakes the color of oranges and landscapes and wildlife as varied or more so than those on Earth.
Whether she’d fought her cousin during her first months here, she hardly remembered. All she vividly recalled was that the focus of her existence became the mark on her back, which her cousin was intent in deciphering.