“Found these in the shed at the back of the warehouse behind us.”
“Warehouse?” She hadn’t seen anything like that on her way in.
“It’s open air. Just a big floor with a roof. The ore is all gone, probably taken by the pirates. But they left the stuff in the supply shed. It’s not quite the hunting I planned to do, but the food bars should still be edible at least for Commander Chaos.”
He unwrapped one and tossed it to the dragus, who was instantly alert at hearing his name. Commander Chaos wolfed it down greedily and immediately started begging for another.
“I can go back out and hunt for something fresh if you want meat,” Ranek said.
“No, it's fine,” Maya said, not wanting him to leave again. “I’d rather you stay. I’m so tired, and you must be too. And I don’t want to be alone.”
Those last words seemed to do the trick because Ranek relaxed, and they settled in for the night.
Chapter 18
Ranek
Ranek lay with his mate in his arms. She was exhausted, and while she’d fallen asleep quickly after their meal, she didn’t stay asleep, especially when the strange whooping sounds started outside. From her and Commander Chaos's reaction, they hadn’t heard this when they’d stayed at the mining station.
The mining station had been built much better. The walls to their temporary abode were thin, and the nocturnal creatures of this planet sounded like they were right in the room with them. The door wasn’t well constructed either; he’d gotten up more than once to make sure the door was secure.
Back on the bed, he gathered Maya into his arms. He wished he had the forethought to pick one of the Euphora flowers and keep it on hand to use as a distraction. He hated that his mate was so terrified that fear wafted off her in waves. He also hated the headache that made it hard for him to think.
Ranek bent to nuzzle Maya’s cheek. She nuzzled him back, then surprised him by nipping at the corner of his lips with hers, making him growl. He followed with a few nibbles of his own,glad that he was able to distract her. It distracted him too from the pressure in his head.
The memory of the human mouth-to-mouth mating returned, and he devoured her lips with his, thrusting his tongue into her mouth like he wanted to do to her pussy. His cock ached, growing impossibly hard.
He moved to cover her form with his, and her lust spiked, especially when his hands roamed her lush curves possessively. His fingers wiggled under the waistband of her pants and found her cunt already slick with arousal, but her body language remained stiff and awkward.
“Wait,” she whispered. “We can’t. I’m loud. They’ll hear us.”
So that was what worried her. He’d have to wait until they were truly safe to fuck her, but he couldn’t leave her wanting either. It was his responsibility as her mate to meet her every need, and he wanted to distract her from the dangers outside. He stripped her of her top and wadded it up.
“Muffle your sounds,” he said, offering it to her.
Then he ducked under the covers even as he shoved her pants down to her ankles. Her fingers tangled in his hair as he nudged her thighs open with his jaw.
Fuck! He wanted her.
He groaned and licked a line up her slit to her clit. She gasped and bucked. Keeping one hand on her belly to hold her still, he reached down with the other to stroke his cock. His tongue followed the movement, up and down, up and down. Then he was thrusting his tongue into her welcoming heat, and drowning in everything that was her.
The predators outside were quickly forgotten.
***
Morning came none too soon. They finished more of the emergency rations and water he’d found as they started their day. With the sun up, the pirates would be looking for them soon. Once they realized they hadn’t gone back to the mining station, they would check here first. They had to get going.
But his female was tired despite the night’s rest, and Ranek was in no better shape. Even the strange furry creature had lost the pep in his step that he’d had yesterday. Traveling on foot was not ideal, especially with the long distances they had to traverse.
He remembered the small warehouse vehicles he’d seen yesterday. They weren’t as comfortable as a transport, but they made good time and were reliable. They had to be with the way they were used and treated.
He scanned the trailer, his eyes landing on the bank of key cards hanging on the wall. He marched over and picked several up.
“Come on, my love. Let’s check if these are still operational.”
Grabbing her hand, he led her out of the trailer and into the large open-air warehouse at the back. All the ore that had once been stored here was gone, and someone had even broken down the large shelving and removed them. Whatever was left behind was scattered throughout the large space, including dozens of small vehicles meant to carry the large crates around the warehouse.
“One of these is our ride back to the station,” he said.
