“Aloryk!”
He’s crouching behind the boulder with me now, looking both amused and confused. “You are covered in clay.”
“Maybe I’ll let you wash me off after,” I tell him, raising one brow suggestively, feeling flirty now that he’s back.
Aloryk leans closer, nuzzling below my ear, sending shooting stars of pleasure cascading down my spine. “Well, in that case, we should make you even more dirty.” Heat blooms inside me from his words, from the mental images he implants into my mind, and from the feeling of his hot breath coasting over my skin. He hums into my throat, his chest at my back kicking up into a purr. “My female smells like she needs my cock,” he whispers for only me to hear.
“Can you two stop canoodling for just a moment?” Dove says, catching us both off guard by handing me and Aloryk lumps of clay to throw. “Wars are not won by getting all horny in the trenches.”
I huff out a laugh. Out of all the girls I’ve met here, Dove is by far the most new-age, spiritual, hippy, peace-and-love kind of girl. And now she’s taking this mud-slinging contest with the kids all too seriously. She turns to Aloryk as her hands mold a glob of gloopy clay into a shape that is roughly spherical. “Where’s my man? Is the meeting over now?”
“The meeting was interrupted with good news,” he answers, pausing to press a swift peck of a kiss to my shoulder. “The search party are returning with the rescued females.” That gets the attention of everyone nearby. Aloryk pauses again to swallow thickly. “The High Spear and the others have gone to meet them in the skies overhead.”
There was a slight waver to his voice when he mentioned the others flying to help with the rescued women. But I mentally tuck that away to maybe bring up later when we are alone. I know he doesn’t want to talk about the state of his wings and whether or not they will heal, but it clearly affects him. It makes no difference to me, I only care because he clearly does, even when he pretends otherwise.
“They’re back?” Dove asks excitedly. She doesn’t even wait for Aloryk’s confirming nod before she’s shouting over to Alana. “They’re back!”
As if on cue, we hear the thunderous flapping of giant wings. Squinting, I shield my eyes from the brightness of the double-suns just in time to witness a large group of Trixikka males land gracefully, the hot gusts of wind from their wingbeats stirring up the dry, red earth and making us all forget about the clay battle entirely.
There is a collective eager murmur uttered all around us by the Trixikka.
“Females!”
“New females!”
“Praise the Goddesses for their gifts!”
Alana is the first to break into a run, clutching little Nova to her chest. “Mavyx! Mavyx!” I’d thought that Zyntarr was perhaps the biggest Trixikka of the tribe, but I’d been wrong. Alana’s Mavyx is a tank of a man. He scowls as he scans the crowd but that scowl morphs into a huge grin when he spots his girl weaving her way through to meet him. He’s got one of the other rescued women in his arms that he must have carried here. He hands her over to another male without hesitation and scoops up Alana and Nova in the biggest bear-hug I’ve ever seen - truly, all I can see is the folded arms of twinkling muscle as he embraces his mate, with a bit of Alana’s black hair peeking out from the center of the hug.
“Hey, now, don’t squash the baby,” I hear Alana say, and when Mavyx finally releases her to take the child and lift her into the air, I can’t help but find them; his heart-stars, glowing big, and bold, and bright.
“Have you been a good daughter for your mother while I have been away, little one?” Mavyx asks, a wide smile on his face before he tucks the tiny baby into the crook of his massive arms.
I’m so enraptured by the scene of affection, I almost don’t notice that Aloryk has stood and is tugging me to my feet now that the ‘clay war’ is over. “I will go to help the new arrivals where I can,” he says, pressing a peck to my cheek. “Do not wash yourself before I return.Thatwill be my honor.”
I can’t help but blush at the thought of his hands all over me, washing away the sticky mud.
Chastity and her Trixikka steed land right beside me, taking Aloryk’s place. They’re both absolutely covered in clay now, apparently having survived an air battle with the kids. “I must help with the new females,” the male says, swiftly depositing Chastity on her feet and then jogging over to where there are four shiny, new women to meet.
“Those poor girls,” Chastity shakes her head as she tries to get a clump of clay out of her hair. “Look at them all swarming like flies to shit.”
“Charming.” I know what she means, though. The Trixikka seem to be treating this like Christmas morning while the poor, bewildered women had been just like me; blissfully unaware of their abduction until they woke up in their pods. Remembering the fear and confusion sends a pang of anxiety to my gut.
“Give them a moment to fawn over the newbies and then we’ll go rescue them,” Chastity comments. Though, looking at the state of both of us, I’m not sure some mud-covered women are going to be of any comfort to them. We look like swamp-monsters. I say as much to her and we both share a laugh, watching as even the little Trixikka boys seem intrigued to meet the newcomers.
“Here,” I hear a gruff male say as he hands over a female to Aloryk. He looks exhausted and his chest is littered with fresh, bleeding wounds, no doubt from those awful chimp-monsters. “The female’s ankle is injured.”
The first thing that rises is an odd, prickly sensation at seeing another woman in my man’s arms. But I bat that away pretty quickly. He’s only helping and even I can see from over here that one of her slender legs ends with a bruised and swollen ankle. It looks nasty and I can’t help but wince in sympathy for her.
Chastity gasps beside me. “Is that- Urgh! What’s her name? It is, isn’t it?”
Her hand is lightly tapping my arm like that would help her remember the name she’s so desperately trying to conjure.
My eyes scan everyone in the group, only to come back to the face of the girl Aloryk is holding.
“It is! Oh, my God, whatisher name? That sports masseuse or whatever… She married Chad Becker, the Quarterback for the Rooks? And then they were on that reality TV show? You know, Rooks Wives?Shit,” she curses to herself. “My brain ain’t workin’ today. Whatisher name?! Did you watch it? That isdefinitelyher. I can’t believe we’ve got a celebrity!”
I stare at Aloryk holding the beautiful, raven-haired woman bridal style. She says something to him about her ankle, raising it and smiling softly when he answers. She looks like she belongs there - nestled in his arms.
