Cautious Surrender Read online

  A few water creatures ventured closer, curiously studying the pair. A being with a huge mouth approached. Blu saw rows of teeth from a foot-wide mouth; its inside organs were situated on the outside of its body, making it appear vulnerable. The intestines floated behind the being, trialing it; the green heart thumped erratically on the chest. Each organ lit up as it approached, waving in a tempting fashion. Blu knew what the creature was, the entrails and organs were deceptive and deadly when eaten. The real organs were tucked away and surprisingly small. As it closed in on them the bowel touched the back of Blu’s hand. It burned for a brief moment. Annoyed, Blu’s eyes settled onto the creature and he fried the little bastard and the two trailing behind. Its counterparts scurried away.

  Check and mate.

  Long green vines reached to touch Blu. Cautious at first, the slimy tendrils danced over his arms in a teasing, nonthreatening fashion. Then, bolder, the vines closed tightly over a wrist. The numbing agent in the secretions was too small to affect Blu, but the toxins would knock Adan out.

  Do not fuck with my, this, female.

  Pissed, Blu yanked the vine clutching him from the bottom, the roots ripped from the pond bottom releasing a small amount of green liquid rolling under water, mixing to drift, diluting. Blu immediately associated the color with blood, he’d killed it, the long length shuddered and Blu heard a small squeal. When he released the slimy strand, the vine sank to the bottom of the pond. The other vines parted immediately stretching as far away from him as possible. Blu had established he was predator, not prey. All other creatures gave him a wide berth. The water was warming and Blu groaned. His eyes could alight, but they also heated when burning to cut through the ebony darkness. He would boil them both in the confined space if he didn’t do something.

  A ripple caught his attention, a lapping sound, the swoosh of water against rock. Blu swam to a shelf in the pond. He broke the surface and pulled Adan up out of the water with him and in a swift motion he broke the seal on her mouth, spun her behind him and fried the small creature cowering in a corner. Its little teeth had bared to protect itself, making it a threat to Adan. No doubt it had taken refuge in the underwater cavern. Behind him Adan was gasping in air; she sounded panicked but Blu knew it would pass.

  “Holy fuck, Blu. I thought I’d drown; a little warning next time,” Adan bellowed, she punched his arm as she dragged her soggy locks from her eyes.

  Yep, she’s fine.

  “There most definitely will be a next time on this planet. You are going to have to trust what I do, when I do it.”

  She glared at him. “Tell your damned hair to quit dancing around like that; it’s creepier when wet and the water keeps splashing me.” Adan scrunched her nose. “Gross. It smells like barbeque in here.”

  “Um, yeah, about that.”

  “Holy shit, Blu. What is that?” Adan screamed as she peered behind him.

  Blu shrugged sheepishly. “Dinner. I think it was an aragno.”

  The charbroiled creature was edible, if disgusting to look at. Blu hadn’t needed to burn it so bad but when it came to Adan he had to be positive when he killed something it stayed dead. When Blu ripped it in half Adan gagged as he scooped out entrails. The outside was black but the insides were still pink and a bit raw. Taking chunks he roasted smaller pieces and handed them to Adan. She stared at the sizzling meat hesitantly.

  “You’ve eaten things I’ve provided before,” Blu reminded her.

  “On my planet.”

  “You trusted me to provide for you on the Zargonnii vessel.”

  Adan took a piece of meat and held it up before her eyes, inches from her lips. Blu shrugged, he could give her food, but he wouldn’t make her eat. The decision was hers. Blu watched her as her lips touched the food. Her small pink tongue flicked out for a taste. Her tiny white teeth latched onto a little bite. She chewed with her mouth open making chomping sounds.

  “What are you doing?” Blu asked.

  “If I just chew it and don’t taste it, it may stay down.”

  “It tastes fine.”

  “You haven’t eaten any yet,” she pointed out.

  Blu took a small taste. It was definitely different but he had eaten worse.

  “It sure doesn’t taste like chicken.” Adan swallowed with exaggerated slowness. She took a larger bite. “I ate rattlesnake once. I was desperate. Guess I’m more desperate than that time.”

  “It’s food and it’s edible.” The aragno was however sticking to and between his large teeth.

  Adan opened her mouth, made a face and showed him the glob of food she was chewing. Whether it was on purpose or not he wasn’t sure.

  “Ith like a mouf full a peanut budder,” she said, chewed, then used a finger to loosen the wad of meat stuck to the roof of her mouth. The food shot out in his direction. “Oops, sorry.”

  “Take smaller bites.”

  “What kind of animal chews up like peanut butter?”

  “A peanut butter animal.”

  “Huh? Did you just say a peanut butter animal?” She was staring at him like he was dumb and he was growing embarrassed.

  She always has this effect on me.

  “You know those furry little rodents that climb trees on your planet Earth, or used to? These creatures are a little like them only larger.”

  She sat silent for a moment and sounding a touch condescending, she said: “Blu, those are squirrels. Peanut butter is made from nuts, not squirrel meat. You really need to pay attention to detail when researching humans.”

  “I know humans.”

  “Not everything.”

  She sounded sad. The food he gave her was set to the side. Adan sighed and squeezed out her vest. It was the only Earth garment she refused to part with. She took her long pretty locks in both hands and wrung the moisture onto the ground. He hated when she spurred so many emotions; she was harder to resist.

  “You talk even more now that you speak my language,” Blu grouched.

  “Fine. I’ll stop talking. I’m not trying to be juvenile; it just seems to be what you want. So respecting your wishes, I’ll zip it.”

  Blu stared at her. She wouldn’t last; his Adan could talk a massive cyron to death. She could make a tree pull up roots and run. Blu settled back to wait. A smile played within his mind. She was too cute for her own good. Her sweet, full, red lips as fiery as her gorgeous hair pouted in a way he adored. Little hands sat in her lap unmoving. Rarely was she still, his little bundle of energy. Her wet clothing clung to each curve, making his lips twitch as he noted her breast buds press against the material. He knew he should stop fantasying about her unless he was willing to mate her.

  I can look damn it, why do I feel guilty about looking?

  A few moments passed. Then a number more. Blu’s mind stopped smiling. Adan simply sat with her head lowered, not talking. Not—saying—a fucking—word. Blu sat with a mouth full of mushy meat. Whatever peanut butter was, he was certain it would taste disgusting. The glob sat stuck to the roof of his mouth. Blu spit it out into the water and then dumped the rest of the meat in after it. Adan squealed and shot backwards, pressing tight to the cavern wall. The pond was a swirl of activity. The water churned and bubbled, coming to life. Something was eating the meat.

  “I changed my mind, I’m talking now, talking loud too,” Adan yelled.

  She launched herself into his lap. Dozens of water creatures battled over the corpse’s remains until nothing was left. Blu wanted to bury his face into Adan’s hair. Her bottom wiggled as she tried to get as close to him as possible. It was torture. Blu couldn’t care less about the creatures in the pond, Adan was more dangerous. The feelings she stirred drove him beyond the brink. When she smelled of fear it was easier to control his emotions. When her attraction was thick with want of him he thought he’d go insane.

  Fear is good, I can handle fear.

  “Will the water rise?” Adan asked.

  Her small hands gripped his chest fur; she shuddered and held st
ill, taking a deep calming breath, always trying to maintain a sense of strength. She breathed deeply a few times, calming her outer features he knew for his benefit, always trying to convey she was tough as hell. The pounding of her erratic heartbeat against his chest gave away her worry.

  Blu knew she was tough, but this act to prove it was still cute to watch. “No, you can see from the water marks below the edge how high it gets. Besides, with their mouths full of goop they won’t be eating anything for a while.”

  “How will we get out of here?”

  “Same way we came in. I’ll get us out of here in the morning.”

  “Then what?”

  “Back to your thousand and one questions?”

  “They are legitimate questions.”

  “Perhaps, not unlike the question about how long is my cock. That was right before the battle.” He wanted to unsettle her to change her emotions. Frazzled was a feeling he could deal with.

  Adan went the cute red color he liked. It meant he’d embarrassed her and achieved his goal.

  “I didn’t actually ask you that.” She squirmed while she said this making him groan before gaining control.

  “It sounded something like, is your cock always that big when in or out of battle mode or does it shrink.”

  “But everything about you grows in battle mode. You get taller, broader, your teeth expand. Your hair freaks out.”

  “My hair doesn’t freak out.”

  “You look like Medusa on crack.”

  Blu shifted her soft bottom sideways. Talking about his cock and erections always led to him wanting sex. It was hard enough controlling his urges when she was around but this close she was killing him. Worse, there was nowhere to go to escape for a while and no limp dick fuel, as Adan called the strong beverage he liked to drink to keep his urges under control. He was stuck with her and a hard on.

  Damn Zargonnii male urges.

  “Are you sure those creatures won’t come up here?” Adan asked and peered over the edge.

  “No, I’m not sure.”

  Fuck why did I say that?

  “Fine.”

  Blu felt her tug on him. “What are you doing?”

  “You’re just going to have to sleep over top of me. You can protect me better this way, Mr. Honor Bound.”

  Blu ran a quick hand over his face. There would be trouble if he slept on her. A male Zargonnii who dominated a female was on top. Two weeks of avoiding sex with her had driven him to drink until he spent more time flaccid than he cared to remember. It was no use. Adan wiggled her way under him and coaxed him to wrap his arms around her. He could smell her arousal. Her acceptance of him oozed from her being, she wanted him to take her. She would feel safer if they had sex. The idea was insane, yet true.

  “You’re killing me,” he grouched.

  “Suck it up, buttercup.”

  She was soft and warm as she cuddled closer. Adan had no fear of him; her emotions were high with need. Blu knew if he ripped her clothes off she would be delighted. He tensed when her fingers smoothed his chest fur; it was a habit of hers. Her pale little digits looked so small and pink next to his bold white fur. He growled when she spread her legs seeking a more comfortable position when his cock pressed against her. His hard on felt her warmth.

  Fuck.

  “Goodnight,” Adan said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, her lips were softer than any material Blu could name. Her movement made his cock press harder to her heat.

  She had no clue her innocent movements were striking every nerve in his body. It was the same every night; she wanted him, he knew it, but she contented herself with his closeness, nothing more. Zargonnii males and females stayed apart except to Holiday for a reason. A male Zargonnii had an insatiable sexual appetite when around females. Both Zargonnii sexes enjoyed the battle of the Holiday. The growling and grunting, the wrestling, the sheer strength it took to subdue their partner.

  Here was Adan, free for the taking, willing. Adorable in the most exasperating way. She would have to submit, he was the dominant. A rare dominant that pushed his pheromones to crazy lengths. Why the hell did he want a son so badly anyway? Why was a Zargonnii male wired to want a son so desperately? Because a female child staying with a father was unheard of until now. Was it a son he desired or an offspring he could keep? For two entire weeks confusion ruled his life. Blu groaned and banged his head against the hard ground repeatedly.

  “Fuck me,” he growled. “Fuck me.”

  “I’d love to. If you keep hitting your head you’ll scramble your brains. Something tells me being witless out here—not a good thing.”

  “You’re enjoying this.”

  “I could be,” it was her turn to grouch.

  “Adan, it’s not you…”

  “Don’t fucking finish that sentence if you want your package to survive the night.”

  “I’m afraid your idea of hitting me would be considered foreplay in my world.”

  “Really? Is that a challenge or an invitation?”

  Shit.

  “Adan, don’t.”

  She bit his arm with her perfect, blunt white teeth. A baby Zargonnii could bite harder. Her long fingernails dug into his chest separating the fur in rows for seconds as she concentrated on how rough she should be. Her actions were cute, she was trying so hard, and he was aroused in an amused way. No doubt she saw his smirk and her lips made a fine line as she decided a new course. One little hand reached down into his pants and Blu knew he was doomed; no Zargonnii female had ever done that.

  Blu’s muscles tightened as each finger seared where she touched. Her hand roamed his length from tip to base. He knew he should stop her but he couldn’t, didn’t want to, wouldn’t. When she squeezed his cock he grabbed her shirt, the one she had made with the material he had given her, the shirt he considered to be annoyingly long and unrevealing. He leveled a dark look on her, making her gasp as she slowly released his cock and withdrew her hand. He yanked the shirt off over her head taking the vest with it. Pinning her wrists above her head Blu gazed at her female breasts. Two small round perfect objects of desire. Zargonnii females only had breasts when they nursed, never when they Holidayed. Blu wanted to taste those breasts. Her back arched in such a way as to offer an invitation. All he had to do was accept.

  “You will tease me out of having a son,” his words were torn from his lips.

  Adan looked crushed, her back settled to rest on the ground. “You don’t have to mate me or keep me. You have made yourself perfectly clear and you know I still want you, no matter what. Why does it always come down to that? Why can’t you just want me?”

  “If you carry my seed that makes my child we will be mated. You will need me on my planet. You’re not like a Zargonnii female. I respect that. We would be bound until the end.”

  “Why is it so different? You say you want a male child, which means you must have sex with a Zargonnii female. Why aren’t you mated to that female if she conceives? It’s too controversial and conflicting. I know you’re not lying, but why are human females different from female Zargonnii to you?”

  “A Zargonnii female wants only the child, not the warrior. It’s understood the feeling is reciprocated. They, we, have no intention of a relationship. To our females it’s ludicrous. Both male and female Holiday and part. It’s been that way for thousands of years. Each partner hopes for a child they can have in their separate homes. A female Zargonnii doesn’t need the protection of a male; if one tried, she’d kill him herself. You need protection; you would be too vulnerable left to raise a female child alone on my planet.

  “I scent your feelings for me. I’m both flattered and confused and I’m not uninterested. I won’t give you false information. I won’t ever lie to you. Yes you are that important.

  “You would give me a female child, Finn has discovered only female offspring will result between human and Zargonnii. There is something a male Zargonnii is lacking or produces too much of for a human female to conceive a male
Zargonnii. My child needs my protection as do you. I must mate you if you carry, you would both be under my protection forever. I can’t simply walk away from you. I wouldn’t. I can’t begin to explain how desperately I want you and a female child of my own, yes it’s true, but please understand our custom is to have a male child to form a family. It’s been that way for centuries. Males with males, females with females. It’s all I’ve ever known. Being with you is so confusing.”

  Adan was quiet. Blu knew how it sounded. He wanted her to wait for him to have a male child, then he would mate her. He sounded like an ass even to him. Blu felt like a bug. He wouldn’t want to impregnate her regardless on this planet, then he would be protecting an additional life, a female life that would be as innocent as Adan.

  “I’m sorry, Adan. I sound cruel. I don’t mean to be. You’ve been truthful with me and deserve the same. I’ve had a certain dream for so long. Please don’t hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you for wanting a son.” Her tone was quiet, and he knew she spoke the truth and from her heart. “You have never been cruel. I can’t help how I feel for you. Our customs are different and the same, some men only want a son and some a daughter. On Earth if a man gets a woman pregnant he doesn’t always stay with her, even if they get married. Some aren’t as honor bound as the Zargonnii. I find it admirable you’re being honest, and I love the fact you want children and would be so honor bound to them, male or female. Sometimes a man on Earth doesn’t even want the child he helps create, be it boy or girl.”

  Blu was appalled. “How can that be? A male must know when he comes inside a female he might create a child. When Zargonnii Holiday it’s for one reason, conception. Don’t Earth males understand the concept? I’m confused.”

  “Wait. Is that what’s bothering you? You mean if you come inside me you think we’re suddenly mated because there might be a child and you need to protect us?”

  “Yes. Zargonnii mate to have offspring. We only mate to have offspring. A Zargonnii female won’t want to be with me, but you and our baby would need me forever. It’s our male seed a female covets.”