She rubbed it onto his smooth skin, marveling at the layers of hard muscle underneath. After checking to make sure he was still unconscious, she gave in to curiosity and took his manhood in her hand. She ran her fingers along the length of it, from the tip down to where it jutted out from his body. His wasn’t short and squat, as Eli’s had been.
She cupped it, rubbed a slick mass of leaves on it. His skin was so warm there. So smooth.
To her amazement, the shaft grew longer in her hand. Thicker. Harder. Lexi stared at it, both horrified and fascinated that something so huge could fit into a vagina. His finger had been as big around as her holographic lover’s probe, filling her. But his penis was much larger.Maybe the women of his Tryb have wider vaginal canals than women on Earth, allowing them to take in something that size.
Her rear passage tingled, reminding Lexi of what he’d done. She heard his voice in her head, explaining that to derive the full effect, the leaves must be introduced inside the body as well as out. Steeling herself, she rubbed a mass of the leaves together, liberally coating one finger with the slick substance. Then she slid her hand between his legs, feeling for the tight pucker of his anus. Tentatively, she mimicked what he’d done to her, working bits of the salisis into his rear passage with the tip of her finger.
He shuddered and let out a harsh groan. His eyes didn’t open. but his arm shot out, grabbed her wrist and took her hand to his shaft. His fingers clamped around hers, drove them up and down its length.
Embarrassed at being caught, Lexi tried to pull away. It was no use. His fingers trapped hers in place. Eyes still closed, he muttered something and made her stroke faster. His erection grew stiffer as her hand slid up and down, aided by the slick leaves. He tensed, then his body jerked. A thick white stream shot out of the tip, spraying her stomach and breasts.
Lexi had learned about semen. But she’d never seen a man produce it. She’d had a surge of arousal when he wrapped her fingers around his erection and it swelled. She ran a palm over her breast, intrigued by the slick fluid on her skin.
It was all so new. He’d kissed her, invaded her mouth with his tongue. Then he slid his finger in and out of her bottom, made her heart race and her pussy clench. Somehow, he’d brought her to gratification, taken her higher than she’d ever been using only his bare hands. No probes. No holograms. No mechanical devices. These ancient practices of physical stimulation that led to sexual arousal and then gratification — they were intoxicating. Why had her people ever given them up?
His breathing slowed. The iron grip on her hand loosened. Once she knew he was asleep, Lexi waded deeper into the water, massaged the last of the leaves into her hair, and ducked her head under. Then she rubbed the salisis off her body. Her fingers lingered on her nipples, still tingling from his touch.
The metallic taste at the back of her throat was growing stronger. Lexi waded back to shore, searching for the flask of water. Ayron had shoved the lit torch into the sand and dropped the spares he carried alongside it. She found the water flask she’d been toting nearby.
Lexi took a few gulps then retched. Drinking only made the taste worse. Then she remembered the smaller bundle of herbs. Nadina had crushed them, mixed them with water, and made her down a whole flask of the nasty-tasting stuff. Apparently it was part of the treatment to leach the sun’s poison out of the body.
She scanned the area. Shreds of the empty salisis packets lay scattered on the sand. But the bundle of herbs he’d entrusted her with were nowhere to be found. She must have dropped them somewhere along their route.
She knelt beside Ayron. He was still out cold. He’d neglected his own body to slather salisis on hers. Surely he needed the herbs as badly as she did, maybe more. She picked up one of the spare torches and touched it to the lit one. Holding the flame high above her head, she gave the area another once-over. The packet of herbs wasn’t there.
Heart sinking, Lexi realized she’d have to retrace their steps through the labyrinth of passages. Ayron had been bleeding, despite the makeshift bandages he’d made out of strips of cloth from her breast covering. She’d try to follow the trail of blood and the smudge of footprints they may have left in patches of soft soil on the cave floor.
Lexi got on all fours and gathered every scrap from the torn packets. She’d drop a piece when she entered a new tunnel, use them as markers to find her way back.
She took one last look at the unconscious man, then got to her feet. Raising the torch high, she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and headed into the dark passageway.
* * *
Eyes still closed, Ayron rolled over on his side, stretched out one arm to pull her close. Naia had been a brazen little wench. She’d taken advantage of his exhaustion, creeping into bed next to him and running her soft hands all over him while he slept. Then she’d been especially naughty. She’d done what she always vowed she’d do some day. She slid a finger up his ass, the way he did to her when he wanted to drive her wild.
He’d already been hard from her hands roaming over his body. He remembered grabbing her wrist. He’d wrapped those teasing fingers around his stiff rod, made her finish what she’d started, then fell asleep again. Now he and his cock were both awakening.
Ayron gave a low growl and reached for her. Ready to pull her facedown over his thighs and administer the spanking he’d sworn to deliver if she ever followed through on her wicked threat. He’d follow up with the lovemaking she’d missed last night.
His hand came up empty. No doubt she’d gone to Judah, cradling him in her arms and suckling him at his first whimper. Keeping the baby quiet so he could sleep undisturbed. But something wasn’t right. There was no lingering scent of her, no soft nest of furs underneath him. Only hard ground.
Ayron’s eyes popped open. He squinted in the torchlight, made out a glowing ceiling high above. The sound of falling water became a roar as he snapped back into consciousness. With it came a wave of nausea. His stomach churned, and he rolled over, retching.
Painfully, he got to his knees and scanned his surroundings. A waterfall splashed noisily into a deep-blue pool that filled nearly half of the huge cavern. A tangled riot of purple and blue vines fell along the edges. Trees ringing the pool grew nearly to a ceiling studded with glowing multicolored stones.
Grief hit him, worse than a blow to the gut. It had all been a dream. Naia was gone. And so was their son. He’d brought her here to the grotto for their first mating. It was one of the most beautiful natural wonders on Iridia, seldom visited because the journey was long and treacherous. But they were young and in love, seeking the privacy only a place so remote could offer. They’d come twice more over the years. Naia had been certain Judah was conceived here during their last visit.
He hadn’t set foot in the place since.
Ayron stood up and made a full circle. The female was nowhere to be seen. She must have wandered off while he slept. He cursed Eva and her contest. Cursed Eli for being the one to find her. Cursed his overdeveloped sense of responsibility.
He’d been the one who found the female and brought her into the Tryb. He’d felt obligated to see that she wasn’t claimed by a cruel master. If she’d been tracked down by anyone else, he could have sipped silently out of the cave after he found them together, leaving her to her fate without a qualm.
Ayron wasn’t sorry he’d killed Eli. If he hadn’t, he’d be the one lying on the floor of the cave. The man would have shoved the knife into his neck without flinching. In a battle to the death, there was no room for remorse. Besides, Eli was a troublemaker. Always had been. He had a nasty streak in him that had gotten worse over the years. In his heart, Ayron knew if he hadn’t killed Eli, it was only a matter of time before the man wreaked havoc in the Tryb.
Now the female was his problem — at least until he dragged her back home and foisted her off on his grandmother. Controlling the outsider wouldn’t be easy for Eva.Serves her right, the meddlesome old biddy.
He looked down at himself, covered with dried flakes of salisis. His body tingled, inside as well as outside. Slowly he came to the realization that his dream had not been a dream after all. The female he’d thought was so innocent had been insolently running her hands all over him. Based on the lingering aftereffects, she must have gone so far as to coat her finger with salisis and stick it up his ass while he lay helpless on the ground.
