Stud (31 page)

Tarq nodded toward Vertigan. “What about blowing them down? Could you do that if the tree were weakened at the root?”

“Possibly,” Vertigan replied. “But what do we need to fell trees for?”

Tarq glanced at Traldeck. “I take it you haven’t told everyone what you… suspect.”

Traldeck shook his head. “No, I thought it best if you told them.”

Tarq took a deep breath. “I know the way through the mountains to Noklar.”

Despite Traldeck’s assurance that they would follow wherever he led them, Tarq didn’t expect everyone to be thrilled, and they weren’t. Bratol didn’t seem at all surprised, merely smiling as his red eyes swept over their companions, most of whom seemed somewhat unsettled by this pronouncement. Vertigan’s eyes flashed as the two Vetlas began muttering to one another, and Kotcamp actually changed color. Tarq couldn’t blame them. Even with a clear path to follow, it would still be a long, dangerous trip over rough terrain. Of course, none of them had to come with him if they didn’t want to. “I know of a pass through the mountains, and beyond that there’s a broad valley with a river running through it that leads east to Noklar. I was thinking about building a log raft to float down it, which would shorten the journey by several days.”

“And make it a lot easier,” Terufen said with a vigorous nod. “I
like
this idea.”

“It will depend on what kind of trees we find growing there,” Tarq said. “Something lightweight and buoyant would be best.”

Lucy raised her head. “What would we tie them together with?”

“Don’t know,” said Tarq. “That also depends on what we find. Just something to think about.”

Nat shuddered. “I’m more worried about the vrelnots. They
are
the main reason we’re stuck here. Otherwise, we could’ve gone on to Reltan and bypassed Yalka altogether.”

“How long have you been here?” Lucy asked.

“About three months,” Nat replied. “But there was trouble even before that. We probably aren’t the only ones hiding out in these mountains.”

“Though we may be among the few survivors,” Vertigan said. “Without this cave, we would have been picked off one by one.”

“But things are different now,” Traldeck said with a firm nod.

Kotcamp made an odd buzzing sound. “Nothing is different except that there are two more of us. The vrelnots won’t be impressed with our numbers.”

Bratol let out a wheezy chuckle and waved a hand, his translucent skin glowing in the firelight. “But we have Tarq among us now. I have a feeling that the vrelnots are about to meet their match.”

Tarq laughed nervously. “I wouldn’t count on that if I were you. My vision only showed me the route to Noklar, not how to kill vrelnots.”

Bratol’s eyes grew sly as his eyelids swept inward. His nasal slit dilated briefly and he nodded. “This is true, but not entirely. A safe path to Noklar includes dealing with any dangers along the way. There is more to you than you know.”

“Oh, here we go again,” Terufen grumbled. “He says shit like that every time anyone opens their mouth.”

“But he is usually correct,” Walkuta said quietly.

Everyone else turned to stare at the Zebtan woman as though she’d shouted. Tarq hadn’t heard her say much of anything before. Apparently no one else had, either.

“That’s because he always says something really vague,” Terufen argued. “It could end up meaning anything.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Walkuta said. “I believe him.” Flames reflected in her slightly protuberant orange eyes as she fixed her gaze on Tarq. “In your strength we place our faith, in your hands we place our lives, and our feet will follow the path of your making.”

Tarq gaped at her, openmouthed. Though he’d seen a few of them on Rhylos, he’d never spoken with a Zebtan before and had no idea whether this sort of thing was typical of her kind or not.

“Wow,” Nat whispered. “That’s more than you’ve ever said in all the time you’ve been with us.”

“One is silent while one waits for deliverance.” Walkuta closed her eyes and raised her arms. Pressing her palms together, she slowly lowered her hands to her chest. The tangled strands of her hair then began to move, rising up from her shoulders to twist into a neat knot at the nape of her neck, and she bowed her head as though in prayer.

“Well, now,” Terufen said with a smirk. “
That
was different.”

Tarq didn’t think so. It was very similar to what Traldeck and Bratol had said, which was more than a little disturbing. He wasn’t used to having people depending on him for much of anything. He enjoyed that relationship with Lucy—though as independent as she was, she didn’t lean on him nearly as much as she could have, or as much as he would’ve liked—but to have so many looking to him for guidance was a new experience for Tarq. Waroun would have laughed his head off if he’d been there. Dax probably wouldn’t have derided him, but then Dax had been the one he’d rescued on Zetith. That journey had been uneventful for the most part. He didn’t think he’d be as lucky this time.

Having witnessed what appeared to be a religious experience—at least for Walkuta—Lucy was starting to freak out a little. She was beginning to understand how Moses’s wife must have felt when he undertook the task of delivering the Hebrews to the Promised Land. Not that she could have put a label on the feeling. It was… odd.

Traldeck grinned at Tarq. “Told you so.”

Tarq shifted uncomfortably. This may have only meant that his butt was getting numb from sitting on the stone floor, but Lucy suspected there was more to it than that. He was probably feeling as peculiar as she was. As she snuggled closer to him, he relaxed almost immediately and Lucy sighed with contentment. Moses’s wife had probably done the same thing when the burden weighed heavy on her man. Lucy would support Tarq in any way she could, even though helping him through this particular endeavor would ultimately shorten her time with him.

I’m not going to think about that. He told them I was his mate, and I’m going to play the part the best I can.
Which wouldn’t be difficult, and if he didn’t like her acting like a wife, well, that was his problem—one he’d brought upon himself.

The day had been long and eventful, and with the warmth of the fire, a full stomach, and Tarq’s comforting presence, Lucy’s eyelids were soon drooping. More plans were being discussed, but she wasn’t listening. Her mind focused instead on the rhythmic beating of his heart, the steady in and out of his breathing, the vibrations in his chest as he spoke the occasional word.

She was already dreaming when Tarq gathered her up in his arms and carried her to bed. As her body sank into the softest thing she’d slept on in several days, she opened her eyes, her gaze falling upon Tarq. Backlit by the fire, his hair shone like a cloud with the sun hiding behind it. He settled in beside her, purring softly as he cradled her against his chest. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, pushing it up to bare his chest.

“You’re not too tired?” he whispered.

“No. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. Just needed a little nap.”

Tarq purred his reply, pushing the clothing from her body. “Not
all
day,” he chided. “As I recall, we were doing something like this when Vertigan found us.”

“Yes, but this is different. Warm, cozy, safe… Almost like when we were in your tent—maybe better.”

“I can’t argue with that. Too bad we aren’t somewhere more… private.”

“Mmm… don’t care…”

Tarq pulled away for a moment to rid himself of his shirt and jeans. When he returned, Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist. His skin was warm and smooth beneath her hands, and she stroked every part of him she could reach. Easing onto her back, she took him with her, pulling his hair to bring his face down for a kiss.

His purr roughened into a growl as his head descended. “Mmm… Lucy. Love that.”

Her core released its moisture, and one nudge of his knee between her thighs had her welcoming him inside. The rustling of the dried grasses beneath the blanket filled her ears as it cocooned her head and body, and she sank deeper into the pile as Tarq filled her with his cock, gliding in the full length and then out again, gently, rhythmically.

Her body contracted in orgasm as he worked to give her joy far beyond any she could have imagined before he came into her life. Hard but smooth, he moved like a wave inside her, reaching and caressing, seeming to know exactly what she craved. She’d already gone past caring about where he’d honed his technique and the countless women he’d been with. His experience made him what he was—uniquely wonderful and completely unforgettable. He’d claimed her as his mate before witnesses—in many cultures, that was as binding as any document or ceremony—but whether he kept that promise to her didn’t matter. He was hers for the moment, and for now that was enough.

She slid her hands up his arms to rest on his shoulders, thankful that she could hold him one more time. Had anyone ever touched him like that before? She thought not. Relishing his heat and strength, she held him, caressing his body and delving into his hair. She looked up at his face to find his glowing cat eyes watching her. Not caring what he might see in her eyes, her own gaze never wavered. She cupped his cheek in her palm and he leaned into it, purring like a cat seeking a caress.

I
love
you.

She couldn’t say the words aloud, but she could feel them, express them in so many other ways. Her heart ached and tears slid from the corners of her eyes.
I
love
you, Tarq. Can you hear what I’m thinking? I love you so much. Don’t leave me. Don’t forget me. You’re mine. I’m yours. Always.

Tarq leaned down and kissed her. If only he could read minds like a Mordrial, he would know what she was thinking and she would have no secrets from him. But then he would know too much, know the power he had over her and perhaps take advantage of it.

No, not Tarq. He wasn’t the sort of man to use a woman, and yet that was exactly what she’d let him think he was doing—using her body to assuage the need that her scent created in him. Did it bother him to think that? He’d been used by women as a breeding stallion for years, only seeing himself as good for the pleasure he could give them and the children he could sire.

But Bratol was right: There was so much more to Tarq than he knew. Walkuta and Traldeck had made him uncomfortable, putting their faith and trust in his ability to lead them out of the wilderness, but Lucy also had faith in him. Tarq would give them all a second chance just by being there to show them the way.

Lucy had reached a point where she simply couldn’t stand it anymore. Choking back a sob, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, hugging him close as another orgasm ripped through her body.

Tarq buried his face in her hair, drowning in her scent as she pulled him down. He let himself believe it was emotion and not simply her climax that was responsible for her hungry embrace, and he held on to that belief with both hands. She could have offered him a thousand ways out of their predicament and he wouldn’t have taken a single one of them, regardless of the reward.
She
was what he wanted. Nothing more, nothing less. He was taking no chances that Vertigan or anyone else might claim her—not the way he claimed her now with his body. Lucy was his mate. At some point she would accept the fact that they belonged together. Forever.

Tarq knew countless ways to please a woman, but expressing love was something he’d never done. He rocked into her with slow, deliberate thrusts, letting his body speak for him.
This
is
how
much
I
love
you, Lucy. Can you feel it? Do you understand what I’m trying to say?
Kissing her neck, he tasted her skin, savoring her warm, salty essence while his purring grew softer and his hands lost themselves in her hair. Every part of her beckoned to him, urging him onward, and he kissed her deeply, his tongue penetrating her sweet warmth.

The rush of blood through his ears blocked out everything but her soft sighs of pleasure as his passion went spiraling out of control. He drove himself in, sweeping her succulent core with his cock, exploring every surface, plumbing every depth. When Lucy’s teeth sank into his shoulder, a searing heat engulfed him, triggering an eruption that ripped away part of his soul and sent it hurtling into her along with his
snard.

Tarq opened his eyes. The fire had died down until the darkness within the cave was nearly complete, but he could see the glow from his own eyes reflected in hers—could see teardrops glittering on dark lashes rimming eyes grown round with wonder. Dropping his head, he rained kisses on her face, sipping her salty tears and whispering words of love in a language she couldn’t possibly understand.

For now, he only wanted to say the words and see the joy in her eyes. Time was on his side. He would have her beside him as his mate for the length of this journey. During that time, he would do everything in his power to ensure that when they reached Noklar, he wouldn’t need to translate the words for her. She would already know.