Survivor Planet Series 2-Book Box Set (8 page)

The sight of him up close assured me the majority of the blood he wore wasn't his own. He had a few minor scratches, but nothing more serious. I followed him as he went to the small trickling stream and cleaned himself up. Sitting back on the mossy bank, a slight movement caught my eye. A bubble floated close by, no larger than my fist. It bobbed just over my head, and when I reached out to poke it, it bounced off my finger.

“What is that?” As I spoke I saw another bubble glide gracefully by.

Sitting back on his haunches, his face and chest gleaming with drops of moisture, Ayres noted the strange anomaly. He ran a hand over the top of his dark, brush cut hair and grinned at me. “Have you not noticed them before now?”

“Them? The bubbles?”

“They are Seers; the eyes and ears of Calixtus. For all who watch the tournament.”

“Oh, like little viewer cameras. How clever.” I poked at a third bubble drifting by my nose. “And tough little buggers.”

“The battle must have drawn their attention. They will move off soon.”

“So are they watching us...all the time?” Those several trips I'd taken into the bushes rose up in my mind.

“Not always. They are mostly around to capture combat moments.”

I wondered if they had gathered around, floating intently by as that warrior's partner had been killed? Ayres shifted to sit down beside me, so close that our thighs were touching. When our eyes met I could see his were shining with intention.

“What?” I stirred uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

“The other warrior most likely did not consummate his partnership before his woman was killed.”

“So...” I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but a slight tremor went through me when he put his arm around me to pull me closer.

“I will not make the same mistake.”

Did he mean to take me then? Here, by the side of the creek after what had just occurred? What if the Varlings or that other warrior came back? And besides all that, I couldn't just
do it
. Not outside. My first time should be special...romantic...and in a bed.

It was plain Ayres had no such qualms. He lowered his head and kissed me. His hand on my back came up to hold my head in place. When I opened my mouth to protest, his tongue shot inside. Gradually, I relaxed. My first real kiss. Nice. I could do this. The kissing part at least. I leaned into him, my body turning so my arms could come up around his neck. The pressure of his lips and the thrust of his tongue became fiercer. This was no sweet young man charming his lover with the promise of delight. No, this man would bend me to his will. Or break me. I gasped when his other hand squeezed my tit and pinched my nipple.

“Whoa there, big fella.” I lowered my arms and squirmed away. Before I could go further his hand darted out and grabbed hold of mine.

“We will join tonight,” he informed me.

“I'm really not in the mood. Besides, aren't you tired?” He was pulling me closer, the moss allowing my backside to slide along freely. I tried to pull my hand free, but his hold was tight. Once he got me close enough he lowered me onto my back. Then he rolled on top of me and pushed my legs apart with one of his. Bracing himself on an elbow, he held most of his weight off of me. His other hand lingered down my body to squeeze my tit again. “Get off!”

Instead of speaking he kissed me again, yet, not so aggressively as the first time. The feel and the scent of him began to battle away at my defenses. His caress was gentle and as his hand slipped beneath the fabric of my shirt I was pleasantly surprised when I felt his skin hot against mine. He sat up suddenly, between my thighs. His chest was a mass of rippling muscles and faint scars. A warrior's body. My eyes drank in the sight of him, mesmerized. I barely noticed when he lifted my shirt and pulled it off over my head. I remembered I wasn't wearing a bra. Or panties. He snatched my hands as I tried to cover my boobs. He lowered his body and kissed me again, while his rock hard erection pressed against my leg.

A thought dawned on me. “Aren't I supposed to be a virgin for the game?” I mumbled against his lips.

“At the beginning of the tournament you must be free of a man's touch.” His lips moved on to my neck and then began to trail lower.

“So, why's it okay to do it now?”

He paused just over my nipple, the warmth of his breath making it pebble. “There is a legend. I believe it goes back to the days of old, when the tournaments just began. The women chosen by their warriors could be anyone. Some warriors chose strong, fierce warrior women to fight by their side, while others brought their mates. The story goes that one of the women who entered the game was with child. She was killed by another competitor. Her mate demanded blood rites from the warrior who had killed her. It is law on Calixtus that anyone who kills a child shall be executed. The warrior, who had killed the pregnant woman, ultimately won the game with his mate. He was granted a boon—his life. But after discovering his crime—for he had not known the other woman was with child—the warrior, overcome with remorse, asked that his boon instead be granted that any woman who shall enter the game must be untouched, so that his crime would never be repeated.”

“What happened to him?” I asked.

“The warrior was granted his boon. He was brought back down to Earth—where the game was said to be first played—and the pregnant woman's mate, who had been left behind, killed him.

“Wow. He had the rules of the game changed at the cost of his life.”

“Yes,” Ayres said. “Does that answer your question?”

“I guess. But what if me or one of the other women are impregnated here, during the game?” It was a possibility.

“We have come a long way since those early days,” he informed me. “One Earth month before the tournament begins, the warriors are given an injection to prevent the chance of conception. It will be effective for several Earth months. The women are checked just before the game to ensure that they are untouched.”

“Well, that's clever.”

He grinned at me wolfishly. “So you see? There is nothing to worry about.” Lowering his head, he fastened onto my nipple. My back arched as I felt the nip of his teeth. I held his head in my hands, watching him in the darkness. He sat up and then rose to his feet to remove his boots and pants. Then he knelt at my feet and took off my boots. With a firm grip on the bottom of my pants, he whisked them off and tossed them aside.

Now we were both completely naked.

Before I could cross my legs or try to wiggle into a modest pose he was on the ground between my legs again. As he lowered I'd caught sight of his cock. It was erect and enormous. And now it was seeking entry into my body.

“Ayres, don't...I'm not ready.”

Despite his hot kisses, my body felt more anxiety than anticipation. This would be the first time we'd really made love. I'd longed for him to take me on the ship—back when I'd foolishly believed this was all an Episode. Now I wasn't so brave.

Ayres began kissing a trail down my body. Starting at my collarbone and working his way to my belly. His hands held my breasts and gently massaged, pinching my nipples into tight little buds. As his head dipped lower, his hands moved to hold my hips. Soon I felt his warm breath against my pussy. His tongue flicked out and licked my other little bud, which had grown taut. He stroked me with his tongue until I felt myself begin to relax and become warm again. My legs opened wider to accommodate him. As his tongue dipped deep inside of me I could feel the rough whiskers of his cheeks chafe at my thighs. Sensual, it aroused me. His tongue retuned to lick at my clit and I felt one large finger slip into my passage. Then another. Gently, he pushed deep inside me, only to pull back out and then push inside again.

My head sashayed from side to side while I reached down to grab hold of his ears, urging him deeper...deeper. “Please!” I cried, unashamed of the force of my need. Every sex Episode I'd had with him hadn't even come close to this.

Taking mercy on me, Ayres began kissing his way back up my body. I reached down and took hold of his cock. Soon, this would be inside me. A shiver of fear tore through me again. He was so strong, so large. Would it hurt?

I guided his cock to my opening and let go of him to brace my hands on his chest. As he surged forward in one powerful thrust, I grabbed hold of his shoulders and hung on for dear life. His lips crushed against mine, capturing my cry. He paused for a moment, letting me adjust to his size, and then he began to move. Slowly at first, plunging deep and withdrawing, as he'd done with his fingers. Faster he began to stroke, until I became a mindless frenzy of want and desire. My hips arched up to meet his thrusts. I was no longer mindful of the ground beneath my ass, or the chill of the night air as a sheen of sweat covered our bodies. All I saw was the stars overhead twinkling brightly. They seemed to dance more frantically as my world suddenly burst. I cried out and buried my face against Ayres' chest. He drove into me a couple more times, and one last time, before he stilled. He didn't throw back his head, or cry out as I had. Instead, he stared me straight in the eyes. They gleamed in the moonlight, fierce and primitive.

“Mine,” he said.

“Yes.” What else could I do in that moment when I had been so utterly claimed, but agree?

I woke up alone. Sometime during the night I'd shoved my clothing beneath me, trying to ward off the dampness of the spongy moss. It'd made a soft bed, but as the cool night air mixed with the heat of the ground, it'd become dewy. Ayres had slumbered beside me, the warmth of his body cozy against my exposed skin. His breath had been deep and even, but I'd known he'd awaken at even the slightest noise. Always the warrior.

The babbling creek refreshed me. I crept in slowly, adjusting to the coolness, and bathed as best I could in the two-foot depth. Wet, I emerged, and saw Ayres coming up alongside the water's edge, carrying a large fish—I think—in his hands.

As I huddled into my clothes, he knelt and built a small fire. “Hungry?” he asked.

“Yes.” The fish was weird looking, but at least we wouldn't be dining on fruit again.

While he cooked, Ayres peered at me, his gaze seeming to ask a question.
Are you all right?
Now, in the light of day, recalling how I'd brazenly succumbed to his desire last night, I felt suddenly shy. He'd been rough, yet tender as well, and I'd caught a glimpse of the man he was when he let his guard slip. Perhaps he was not so cool and uncaring toward me after all?

Sitting side by side we ate. When he finished, he brushed his hands off on his pants and rose to his feet. “We need to get moving,” he said. I finished off the last of the pinkish meat he'd given me and got to my feet.

We journeyed on, keeping to the path through the jungle, the cries and chirps of the birds echoing around us. A slight rain began. The winding branches of the tall, thick trees formed a canopy overhead shielding us effectively. Ayres kept silent, his ever-roving gaze busy keeping watch on our surroundings.

I felt changed. No longer an innocent woman. The ache between my legs and the shiver that shot through me whenever I recalled Ayres' touch reminded me of this fact. Watching his back as I trailed him I wondered if he was thinking about last night? Probably not. If anything, he most likely itched for another battle. When all of this was over I questioned if I'd ever see him again. If we lost and had to remain here, he might be so pissed off that he would take his anger out on me. Perhaps he'd chase me off and let me fend for myself? But if we won, and he was granted his boon, and Jack and Danny were released as he'd promised, would he return me to Earth as well? That is what I hoped for. If he did return me, I'd have to make sure he dropped me far away from Graneden or I'd wind up back in Lindove. Ayres had revealed there was a tracker in my head—now turned off—so what if he turned it on and I went all batty again? What if he sold me to some other warrior to compete in a different tournament that didn't require me being a virgin? Instead of all this wondering, I should just ask the man and put myself out of my misery. But judging by his rigid back, with the deadly scythe angled across it, he didn't appear to be in a sharing mood.

He stopped suddenly and raised his arm in the air. This signal, I'd learned, meant for me to stop and keep quiet. I eased up beside him and looked around trying in vain to hear what he did. I swore the man had the hearing and instincts of a wild animal. When he swept off his scythe and gestured for me to high tail it into the bushes, I hurried to comply. Watching him from behind the prickly branches I finally saw what he'd heard. A woman was approaching. She was limping and her hair and clothes were a mess. Upon closer inspection, I recognized her as one of the contestants. The only females left now were Lissa, this woman, and I.

The woman froze when she saw Ayres. “Oh, thank God!” she gasped a moment later. Ayres remained cautious as she limped forward. She held her hands in front of her showing she was unarmed. “Foron, my partner, was killed. Please, I have no one. I am no threat.” I wanted to come out of hiding, being afraid of what Ayres might do to the poor woman, but I waited. Part of me reasoned this very well might be a trap.

“Stop,” Ayres warned. His grip was tight on his weapon and his stance was battle ready. He suspected an attack, which made me scan the area warily for an enemy.

The woman halted and remained where she was. “These things...creatures...attacked us. Hundreds of them. We didn't stand a chance. Foron...saved me. He fought them, letting me escape. I ran. God, forgive me! I ran...and didn't look back. She dropped to her knees and sobbed.

Still, I remained in hiding. I would not move until Ayres gave me the signal. He circled the woman and I gasped when he gave her a shove with his boot, forcing her face down onto the ground. He knelt, laying his weapon beside him, and frisked her. When he found she bore no armaments he got to his feet and backed away, his scythe once again in hands. “You may rise,” he told her.