The Barbarian's Captive (20 page)

Her friend caught her in a sideways hug while she gushed a mile a minute about the gorgeous gardens. Her mood instantly more buoyant, Eva looked to Trask to thank him for the visit, but halted when she saw Kerr alongside the general, amusement flickering in his eyes as he took in the scene.

“You were in need of cheering up, sprite,” Kerr said, pulling her out of Lana’s embrace and nudged her chin up for a kiss. Though he didn’t dive in with lips and tongue right away. His eyes glinted with humor as they scanned her upturned face, catching it between his hands as he wiped her cheek and nose with his thumbs. “You had dirt smudges.” He then planted a potent kiss on her mouth. “Enjoy your visit. We’ll be back before it’s time for supper.”

Once the men left, the two friends stared at each other in silent commiseration. Eva held it together for no more than ten seconds, then she crumpled, tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Oh, honey,” Lana crooned as she encircled her shoulders, rocking her gently in a soothing, motherly embrace.

“I keep hearing Eryn’s words, repeating in my head. Then guilt swamps me, making me sick to my stomach. While we’re here in the lap of luxury, what is happening back on earth? The
Odyssey
? They’re at least eight men down, which is a loss of seven scientists. We were the best of the bunch. That’s got to be a hit too.”

“What would you have us do, Eva? I don’t see a way out.”

Grim faced, she agreed with her assessment. “And Eryn. Have you seen her since that night?”

“No. Trask says Ram has taken her into isolation.”

“Like solitary confinement?” Eva pushed out of her arms.

“She’s not in prison. He says it’s like we were on the ship. Just her and Ram, no one else, in hopes that the transformation will finally take hold.”

Eva shifted uneasily. “Eryn and I are the only ones who haven’t changed.”

“I noticed. You’re the biologist. Why do you think that is?”

“I know plant chemistry, not people. Especially not the people of a strange alien race.”

“What does Kerr say?”

“I mentioned it the night of the welcome dinner. He shrugged it off, saying every couple is different and hasn’t mentioned it since. I’ve been afraid to bring it up again, but Lana, I think there’s been a terrible mistake.”

“No… honey.” Despite her denial, her friend’s face clouded with uneasiness.

“What other explanation can there be? We’re unknowns to them and their tests. Maybe Ram is right and Eryn and I are anomalies of some kind.”

“Yet Kerr seems so pleased. He is, isn’t he?”

“Of course, the sex is great and frequent.”

“Is it for you too? Great, I mean.”

She flushed. “This subject has come up more in the past two weeks than in my entire lifetime.”

“They are very sexual creatures.”

“Three times a day is more than very. I’m surprised I can walk.”

“Tell me about it.”

Her eyes met Lana’s and they both shook their heads.

“Going from a three-year dry spell to almost too much of a good thing is a bizarre new reality. What happens when the novelty wears off and he’s stuck with an unbonded mate? I’m so confused, Lana. One moment I want to leave out of duty and overwhelming guilt, not to mention the whole captive thing and scary, alien discipline like vocal restraints.” She grimaced at the thought. “Then he touches me, and I’m like Eryn said — a mindless sheep.”

“Don’t forget subservient to his feet and bowing at his cock.”

Her friend’s tone was so deadpan, Eva looked up. At her waggling brows, she couldn’t keep from laughing, not realizing until then how much she had missed her.

“I think you got that backwards. But yes”—she raised her hand—”slutty Eva is alive and well on Primaria.”

“So is slutty Lana. How can we not be? They’re gorgeous, strong, skilled lovers, and last but not least, big all over.” She fanned herself with her hand.

“I did mention I’m surprised I can walk, right?” She looked away with a sigh. “I’m a mess. Thankfully, I have a place to retreat to when it gets overwhelming. I come up here, dig in the dirt, commune with nature, and drink tea.”

Lana’s brows lifted. “Tea? What kind? I haven’t had a good cup since we left on the mission.”

“Look here.” Eva held up a blue multi-petaled flower.

“Blue daisy tea?” she grimaced.

“Close, but no cigar,” she grinned. “The colors probably threw you off. This is chamomile, though they call it something else that’s too much of a mouthful to say.”

“What else do they have that I would know? The odd colors make them hard to identify.”

“Fresh fruit. Although it takes some getting used to. The strawberries here are peach and their peaches are red like berries. Both are sweeter than any I’ve ever tasted and huge, like everything else around here.” She held out an unusually large strawberry, nearly the size of her palm. “Try one.”

After the first tentative bite, Lana’s eyes lit up. She proceeded to gobble up the rest of the large berry and reached for another.

“I found these, too.” Eva said as she bent to lift a basket off the floor.

“Please say pineapple,” she mumbled, her mouth full,

“Sorry, I haven’t come across any citrus yet, but check this out — white tomatoes, purple carrots and pink lettuce.”

Leaning in, she picked up a tomato and brought it to her face for a sniff. “Mm, why haven’t they been serving this? Meat, bread and potatoes. Weird looking blue potatoes, at that.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’d kill for a salad.”

“You can come over and I’ll make us one anytime. I’m sure they serve what the men like. You
have
noticed the size of them, right?”

“Yeah.” She held her hands a foot apart. “I’ve noticed.” Then she burst into a fit of giggles while Eva rolled her eyes.

“And we’ve circled back to sex talk again,” she said, groaning. Eva was unable to hide her grin, the infectious nature of Lana’s bubbly personality impossible to resist.

“Oh. My. God!”

Eva started and turned her head, searching for a huge bug or a snake creeping up on her. She saw nothing to be alarmed over.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“What?” She followed the direction of Lana’s gaze to one of the only three green plants in the entire place. She wasn’t surprised that she’d noticed the fan-shaped leaves with notched edges and the long, thin stem which was almost identical to earth’s version of the plant.

“That looks exactly like cannabis.”

“That’s because it is.”

“Get out. How do you know?” Lana glanced at her slyly. “Have you tried it?”

“No, though I’ve been tempted.” Feeling more lighthearted than she had in days, she grinned. “Maybe we should — for scientific purposes, of course.”

“Kerr would have a fit.”

“As would Trask, but how would they know?” She began searching under the work bench until she found the metal box she’d stumbled upon a few days back. “I have something we can use.” Opening the lid, she held up a pipe. “I think this is Aylan’s stash.”

“Kerr’s uncle? The elder?”

“What do you say? I’m dying to know what Primarian pot is like.”

It didn’t take much more convincing for Lana to join her.

An hour later, they were reclining in the thick grass of the garden, staring up at the sky and making up stories about the clouds that lazily floated by. And, of course, they were giggling.

“Look at that one, Eva,” she tittered. “It’s rather phallic shaped.”

“It looks more like a wiener dog with that oval one over there as the head, and the smaller two his floppy ears.” She pointed to the sky as she described what she saw as plainly as the nose on her face.

“No,” Lana argued. She rolled over and with both hands craned Eva’s head in the opposite direction. “Look at it this way and the floppy things won’t look like ears anymore.”

From a different perspective the phallus took shape. “Ah,” she said, giggling. “Now I see it. But that’s not Kerr’s. It’s way too small.”

“Or Trask’s. There isn’t enough sky to do him justice.” Then Lana laughed, wrapping her arms around her waist as she pulled up her knees to her chest to form a laughing ball.

“They’re blazed,” a familiar rumbling male voice stated.

“What do you think they got into?”

“My guess? Aylan’s medicinal box.”

Eva spun around. Kerr and Trask stood side by side, both with arms crossed and matching dour expressions. She elbowed her friend in warning.

“Aylan’s menicidal box,” Lana repeated, too high to care and giggling when it came out all wrong. Then she frowned and tried again. “Mecidinal.”

Despite being caught red-handed and high as kites, that cracked Eva up. Half laughing, half crying, she wagged a finger at her friend. “You are so stoned.”

“Am not!” Lana fired back.

“Are too! Totally baked!” Throwing her head back, she let out a great peal of laughter.

“Trask,” she whined. “Tell Eva I’m not stoned.”

“Are too!” Eva taunted, with a low, throaty chuckle.

Lana’s mate easily scooped her up. “Let’s get you home,
paulova
.”

“Okay,” she sighed as she slid her arms around his neck. “Are you going to carry me the whole way?”

“I’m not sure you could make it otherwise.” To Kerr, he said, “I think we’ll miss dinner.”

“Understood,” amusement evident in his voice. “We’ll likely be absent too.”

When they left, Kerr took Lana’s spot and stretched out beside her in the grass.

“My uncle isn’t going to be happy about this.”

“He won’t notice a little bit gone.”

“Doubtful. He guards it well.”

“A box under the workbench isn’t much of a hiding place. I could teach him a few tricks.”

“But you won’t.” He rolled half on top of her, her breath catching as his hair fell forward in a silky curtain on one side.

“You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.” He stared down at her for a moment, then his face broke into an arresting smile. She couldn’t resist touching him to make sure he was real, her fingertips tracing along the full bottom lip and out to the ends that curved up softly. “Especially when you smile.”

“And you are beautiful, even while giddy on
volanta
, which has also made you adorable and sweet. I like this uninhibited side of you, mate. Too bad what you smoked is illegal without a healer’s express order.”

She made a face. “Primaria is so old-fashioned,” she complained. “My evolved planet legalized it eons ago.”

“We found our societal productivity was negatively impacted.”

She giggled at that. “Scavenging for munchies keeps you busy. Wait,” she said, sobering for a moment to make a point. “You have alcohol. Doesn’t that impact productivity?”

He tilted his head, an eyebrow arched.

“That drink you gave me the night you captured me.”

“Ah, the
vilo
. That fermented fruit juice is very mild in comparison to what you two were smoking, and highly regulated. And you’re right, it can also have similar adverse effects, but it is favored by the elder council who like to imbibe periodically, unlike the
volanta
plant. The former is allowed in moderation, while the other will cost you.” Her skin tingled where he stroked his knuckles along her cheek. “You’ve broken the law, little one. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I say I’m hungry. Got any Doritos?” Then she collapsed into another fit of giggles. Again, he looked puzzled which only made her laugh harder, until he lowered his head and stopped her silliness with his lips. Without thought, she put her arms around his neck and pressed against him, molding her soft curves to his solid contours.

Rolling again, he brought her over him, his hands sliding down to her ass where his fingers got busy slowly bunching up her dress. “A fitting punishment for your crime is a bare bottom spanking.”

“No, Kerr. That’s not fair. I didn’t know.”

He quirked his brow in challenge as his hands curved around her ass cheeks. “I surmise you strongly suspected it was forbidden well before you inhaled the first illicit puff.” His fingers slid into her cleft, separating and squeezing as one tip circled the sensitive skin of her puckered hole, gently testing its tightness. She groaned, wiggling atop him. “Admit it.” He watched her closely, his gaze dropping to where she caught her lower lip between her teeth as he eased his finger inside. “You knew I wouldn’t approve, and were testing me.”

“I admit nothing, other than the hope that you’ll take me right here in the garden.”

“I always want to take you, and the way you come apart for me when I do, tells me you greatly enjoy when I do. Which makes it a reward, not a penalty for your crime.”

A delicious shiver of need ran through her as his broad finger sank in to the first knuckle. She’d never been taken there before, although the idea had intrigued her. As the allure of the forbidden aroused her, she found herself pushing back against his finger. He obliged by sinking deeper, the rumbling response in his chest as he did half groan, half chuckle.

“My insatiable sprite, I’d thought some anal discipline might make you toe the line, yet at every turn you challenge me to find an incentive to make you more compliant.”

“I respond well to positive reinforcement, Kerr. Keep going.” She tossed her head back, angling her hips more as he pushed in past the second knuckle, then slid in up to the third. He shifted beneath her, freeing his cock and guiding the head to her drenched channel, pausing to slide in a second finger before he drove up inside her. The added fullness of the invading digits as he thrust home was incredible, and she cried out, the sound reverberating throughout the garden.

She buried her face against the corded muscles of his neck and hung on as he moved inside her, his fingers and cock finding a stunning tempo that sent her soaring. She rode the wave of pure pleasure as he stroked tirelessly into her until long moments later, he found his own release, groaning roughly against her ear.

Eva couldn’t move, nor did she want to, preferring to lay languidly over him like a limp blanket, enjoying the slow, intimate caress of his hands over her bottom, hips and thighs, basking in both the warmth of his arms and the glowing pink suns as they dipped lower in the sky.