They did just that, Dorrin plating them both a considerable feast to replenish their energy. The dishes in the auto-wash unit, they then turned in, tucking themselves into their beds with relish.
“Good night, Ziana.”
“Good night, Dorrin,” she replied, drifting off almost immediately, her body still abuzz with odd, new sensations and her appetite pleasantly sated.
It was some time later she woke in the dark, her clit positively thrumming with excitement.
What the hell?she briefly wondered as she shifted from dream to waking. Whatever had been running through her unconscious mind, her body had really liked it. So much, in fact, that her arousal had stuck with her in her waking state.
She glanced over at Dorrin’s sleeping form, his chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm. Her hand slid down between her legs, a finger parting her lips as she pushed firmly on her swollen clit before feeling just how wet she was.
“Fffuuuck,” she groaned as quietly as she could, stealing a quick glance at Dorrin.
He was, just as before, sound asleep.
Ziana rubbed her clit, little circles of bliss coaxing herself close to the edge almost immediately. She yanked the pillow out from under her head and buried her face in it, biting hard as she tried to stifle a scream as her orgasm blasted through her far faster and with much more intensity than she expected. Her legs locked up, twitching as she convulsed, her pussy absolutely throbbing with pleasure.
She didn’t stop there. She wanted more.
Ziana’s fingers dipped down again, curving and sliding inside, parting her folds as she penetrated herself, applying pressure forward in the most delightful way. She’d always been sensitive to penetration, but this? Whatever that healing gel had done to her nerves, it had not stopped with the surface ones.
“Oh, shit!” she gasped into the pillow as a ball of white static heat exploded in her belly, the tingling buzz radiating through her limbs in a wonderful wave of orgasmic joy. She rode it, forhow long she had no idea, breathing hard as her senses slowly returned. It took a minute for her to realize why her breath was impeded.
The pillow, of course,she realized with a little chuckle.
She slipped it from her face and tucked it back behind her head, her respirations finally slowing to normal. Sex-sated and relaxed she stretched long, then turned her head.
Dorrin’s calm expression as he watched her took her by surprise, but she didn’t panic or look away. His brow cocked upward ever so slightly.
“Get some sleep,” he said quietly, then rolled over. “You’ll need it.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Did you sleep well?” Dorrin asked, his face unreadable but for the slightest hint of an amused crease at the corner of his mouth.
“Shut up.”
“What did I say?”
Ziana stared, long and unblinking. He matched her gaze, and yes, there it was, that tiny glimmer of mirth in his eyes.
“Just plate me some food,” she said with a resigned sigh. “What’ve you made this morning?”
“A restorative smoothie, a nutrient-dense porridge, and a shot of healing elixir, though from what I can see your burns are healing quite well.”
“They itch like hell.”
“That’s a good sign. Your kind is apparently very sensitive to the gel. Not all would be at this stage of healing so fast.”
“Lucky me.”
“Compared to many, yes. Yes, you are,” he noted, placing her breakfast in front of her then serving himself a considerable helping.
Several items were scattered about the table, as they had been for days now. Mental games, puzzles, and obstaclemockups he’d managed to cobble together to give her a more technical view of what they’d possibly be dealing with in the games but from the comfort of a safe location where they could sit and game plan how to handle them best. Of course, not all games were presented, and there would always be surprises, but these, at least, gave a little help in preparing for them.
Still, running the gauntlet on the fly, even if you’d practiced parts of it before, was always a challenge. It required reactions. Reflexes. And most of all, rapid assessment skills. Every little thing he could do to keep her from hesitating in the face of difficulty he would do. Whatever it took to progress to the next round.
And progressing was something he now realized he and his partner were attempting with a stealthily applied handicap.
