Chapter Three
LORE HADN’T FELT so good in a long time. Sex with Zehn always satisfied. They’d pair-bonded long ago, back before the clan had been open in allowing males to bond with other males. In many tribes, male-to-male pairing—simple sex—was still frowned upon.
But Talzec, their clan leader, looked out for his people. With so few females available for bonding, the men had pressing needs they couldn’t fulfill. The instinct inside all of them, the need to tie themselves to the land and each other—phelthar—could overwhelm even the strongest of them.
That their alpha understood this and condoned same gender bonding spoke highly of his regard for their people. He himself had bonded with his beta, as well as the human female, Skye. The triad continued to grow stronger, tied to each other, the land, and the clan. Because of them, Lore and Zehn had considered finding a human female for bonding.
As he and Zehn sought their prescribed quarters, he wondered if Zehn had felt the power from their female, or if only Lore was sensitive to it. He’d always been different than his peers. His eye coloring a clear indicator that one of his ancestors had dallied with an offworlder.
Barbarians had black hair, tan skin, and golden eyes. Not green. And they couldn’t communicate with their minds, the way he did. Yet Lore had always been closer to Zehn than any other. Throughout their childhood, their entry into warrior training, and beyond, he’d felt a kinship with the male. A deep and abiding love.
Nothing could keep him from Zehn. Not even Zehn’s caution about clan forgiveness. In the beginning, Lore and his bond-mate had been private. But he thought his leaders had known, though they’d never said anything. It helped that Lore and Zehn were two of the best fighters in the clan.
“Strong enough to take care of one hot little human,” Zehn murmured, and Lore realized he’d left himself wide open.
He often did that with Zehn, knowing his partner would never betray him. “She has power,” he admitted. “Such heat. Had I not syphoned her energy, she would have burned the jungle around us.”
Because of course they’d known where she went for privacy. Though Lore hadn’t planned to engage with Zehn in front of her. Not until they’d known if the sexy Earther had the same hang-ups many of her brethren did.
“You took a risk” he said to Zehn.
They entered their quarters, a small hut complete with two comfortable beds, an overhead fan, and artificial light. The accompanied sanitary unit was nice, he had to admit, but he and Zehn continued to sleep on the ground, not used to such soft, small, mattresses.
“We had to know if she’d accept us as a pair. She does.” Zehn grinned. “And you gave me much tonight.” He drew closer and kissed Lore, his tongue a distraction all its own. “But not enough. Do you save your second seed for the female?”
Lore nodded, breathless. “You spent yours, I noticed.”
“I could not hold on, not with the feel of her gaze upon me. She is connected to us, you’re right. I don’t know how much longer I can wait.” He groaned and placed Lore’s hand over his cock.
Lore cupped a massive erection, not surprised talk of their future mate had aroused Zehn anew. He was hard as well and trying to control himself. A male’s first seed expelled a build up of energy, allowing the barbarian to control his instinct. But the second seed, that which would join with a female for purposes of procreation, could also be used to mark territory. Zehn had spattered Lore’s back with his second seed, the fluid absorbed into Lore’s skin, the scent unmistakable to fellow barbarians but odorless to anyone else.
As if anyone could ever mistake Zehn and Lore for anything but bond-mates.
“You need another release?” he asked and leaned forward to take Zehn’s nipple in his mouth.
“Yes,” Zehn hissed and let Lore masturbate him to completion. Then he returned the favor, and both men knew they’d need to wash themselves before presenting in public again.
“So sad that a small female can destroy a warrior’s composure,” Lore said.
Zehn nodded. “Embarrassing. We tell no one.”
“Agreed.”
The next day passed like many others, with the men watching over the visitor transport dock. A larger than usual number of humans arrived, but unlike the previous day, these didn’t do more than exclaim over the sights and scents, while giving Lore and Zehn a careful distance.
Then Lore caught a strange vibe from a small group of humans. “I’m going to follow them.”
Zehn’s rhythmic tattoos flashed. “I’ll wait here.” Where he could keep the administration building in view. “Let me know if you need me.”
Lore followed the males, keeping watch until they entered the resort proper. He saw the boss, Franklin, frowning at finding him away from the transport dock, so he nodded with a deference of respect to please the fool.
Franklin puffed up and left him alone, likely in favor of telling some other proficient employee how to do his or her job. A barbarian would have gutted the worm by now, but the offworlders seemed to prize Franklin’s officiousness. Yet another reason he and Zehn needed to lure their female to them and leave. The offworlders felt alien, not a part of Ussed. Except for a few. Like Mandy. Like Skye and Lisa. Those who had a special feel for their environment.
Skye had called it a psychic sense when he’d asked her about it. He knew Mandy had this same sense, because he’d absorbed it yesterday. It felt like her, and Ussed acknowledged her. Phelthar, the tie to all life, especially one between mates. He tugged on the band connecting him and Zehn and felt the anchor of his mate.
With Zehn close by, he waited out of the way for the humans to do…something. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the half dozen males seemed off. Like most Earthers, these stood a good head shorter than himself. But they had muscle and a dangerous way of moving. Like warriors, but not clean. The one in charge, from the manner in which he carried himself and the way others deferred to him, held himself like an alpha. But not a respectable one. If Lore had to place him in a clan, he’d choose the Nasuhl, an enemy of the Vyctore.
Though powerful, the Nasuhl fought with trickery, brutality, and held no core of honor. Lore couldn’t have said why he sensed such ugliness from the human, but it was there all the same.
