“So this is freedom,” Valin said, gently kissing the top of her head. “I think I could getveryused to it.”
“You and me both,” she replied, her heart beating hard. “You and me both.”
31
Shalia and Valin decided it was safe to slow their pace the following day. The prior night had been a delightful time, the two keeping one another quite cozy and warm in all manner of wonderful ways before finally curling up and sleeping in each other’s arms. Come morning, the former commander headed out for a quick recon, returning with a selection of berries and vegetables.
Shalia knew what many of them were by now. Dotharian plants seeded on worlds within their domain. And, as was intended, those nutritious crops were now revitalizing the escapees, giving them more than ample sustenance for the trek ahead of them.
Valin seemed an almost changed man now that they were out in nature, far removed from the constraints of Dohrag society. The way he carried himself had shifted. He moved more relaxed, fluid, not always holding onto that angry edge common to all Dohrag males. Here he could justbe, and free of the societal rules imposed on him his whole life, he was suddenly able to let go of those artifices and become who he truly wanted to be.
A lover. A partner. A mate. A free man able to live a lifewithout constant pressure demanding aggression, violence, and posturing. From just the little she’d seen so far, Shalia felt quite confident her man would thrive under this new paradigm, and watching him embrace his role as protector made her warm and happy inside.
“How do you know all this stuff?” she asked.
Valin pulled the odd alien fish out of the pond where he’d set up a little automatic fishing line, the rig hooked to a counterweight that set the hook and pulled the fish close to shore when it took the bait. She’d never seen anything quite like it, and that was coming from a woman who had dated more than a few alleged outdoorsmen. As it turned out, their survival skills pretty much relied on a pack full of store-bought items and freeze-dried foods, not to mention an expensive tent, ground pad, sleeping bag, and more.
The muscular alien, on the other hand, had built fire from nothing. He’d purified water using nothing more than some sand, charcoal, and a fireproof container. And when it came time to bed down, he’d constructed a simple but cozy little platform for them to sleep on like none she’d ever seen before.
The way he dug a trench, lined it with rocks, then carefully laid larger ones on top before covering it all with dirt was new to her, as was the odd chimney-looking thing he made of stacked rocks sealed with mud. When he dug a pit and built a fire at one end, she realized what he’d done. The hot air and smoke would pass under them, heating the very ground beneath them while keeping them free of smoke or dangerous flames.
There was more, naturally. He was a bookworm and as such had an encyclopedic knowledge of plants and animals. Which were safe to eat, which were not. The ones with medicinal properties as well as poisonous varieties. It was a side of him she doubted any under his command had ever seen.
He quickly killed the fish, ending its thrashing fast and painlessly with a precise blow to the head. They needed to eat, buttheir food did not need to suffer. Valin added it to the three others he’d already caught, their day’s meals gathered before it was even noon.
“I’ve always been something of a student,” he replied. “When I was younger, I was not treated well by the others. I spent a lot of time alone.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. Yes, it was difficult at the time, but it made me who I am today. And I learned a lot of interesting things along the way.”
“Useful ones at that.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“You’re keeping us fed and sheltered. You’ve kept me safe, even before we ran away.”
“There is no other choice,” he said, a smolder in his eyes, his Infala faintly glowing within his shirt.
Shalia thought back to the prior evening. How he’d fucked her so well bent over that rock in the stream. How he’d filled her up in both holes, and her body greedily loved it. But he’d hesitated. Despite his calm dominance, he checked in with her, making sure that she was okay, even when caught up deep in the throes of passion. It was wonderful he was so considerate, but also illustrated a need she hadn’t known they had.
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something. About when we’re, you know, doing it.”
The sexiest of grins creased his lips, his eyes positively devouring her with a look so feral and hot Shalia’s nipples strained hard against her shirt in an instant. “Oh? What about?”
She felt the tingles spread and her belly warm at the thought of all the delightful things he’d already done to her, and the lifetime of what would come next. But first, one thing needed to be addressed.
“Right now, not in the heat of the moment, I want to explicitly say something. I want you. Oh God do I want you. And every way possible.”
“As I want you.”
“Oh, I know. But when I said you can have me any way you want, I meant it. You can doanything.”
“You said. And I will.”
“I know. But for a minute there you were worried about me and stopped. And I really, really appreciate your concern. That level of care, even in the heat of the moment, well, it’s uncommon. And it’s because of that I feel absolutely safe with you.”
“This pleases me more than you know.”
