Wray (15 page)

“What?” Kim’s words shocked Wray into looking
at her. “You became frightened…”

“I did,” she agreed, “but there are other
ways
,
Wray.” Her eyes moved to his still
engorged shaft.

“What do you mean
,
Kim?” He asked
,
frowning. What other way,
besides Joining, was there for a female to help a male receive his
release?

“Let me show you.” She said and slowly
reached out, barely grazing the engorged dark head as she drew her
fingers down his shaft before gliding around the underside to make
the return trip. She was shocked to discover how soft he
was
. S
he’d expected his skin to be as
rough and hard as his shaft appeared, instead it was like touching
hot velvet.

“Is this alright
,
Wray?” She asked, her voice growing husky as her thumb slowly
circled the wide head of his shaft, capturing several large drops
of pre-cum that had seeped from it. She watched his eyes widen as
she lifted her thumb to her mouth, tasting his essence for the
first time.

Kim closed her eyes and found herself
groaning as his flavor settled on her tongue. He tasted like the
dark chocolate honey truffles her mother always made at the
holidays, slightly strong, slightly sweet, a little bitter but
silky on her tongue. “Will you help me?”

With her initial tentative touch, Wray’s
entire being had stilled. Was she really going to touch him the way
a male did to relieve himself? Tornian females never touched a male
this way. Thank the Goddess, she wasn’t Tornian

Her hands were so soft, they felt so
wonderful, they felt so different
to
his
own as they glided over his hard throbbing shaft that they made it
weep with pleasure. As she slowly explored him, he found he had to
call upon his warrior’s training not to take control of her hand
and show her how to pleasure him. But when she took his seed into
her mouth, savored it and asked him to help her pleasure him, he
knew it would not be possible.

Sucking in a ragged breath, he carefully
closed his large callused hand around her much smaller, softer one
and squeezed, showing her how to pleasure him as he moved it up and
down his shaft. He showed her where he was sensitive, where he
liked it rougher. He knew he wasn’t going to last long. Her touch
already had the pressure in his balls building to a nearly
unbearable level. Increasing the speed of her strokes, his hips
thrust desperately into her hand. “Kim!” he cried out as the
pressure finally broke his control and he exploded.

Kim’s eyes traveled over Wray as he returned
from checking on the storm enjoying the way his impressive abs
flexed with every confident step he took. Damn
,
the male was built.

The last few days had been amazing as far as
Kim was concerned. Sure, the taste of the nutrient bars was getting
old, but they actually filled her up, something she knew they
weren't doing for Wray. One bar was meant to sustain a Warrior for
a day, not half a bar, yet he still tried to get her to eat the
whole bar every day.

During the day they would talk, well Kim
talked. Wray would sit there listening intently as if every word
she said was precious. She’d never meet a male that had actually
listened
to her before, not even her own father. Wray wanted
to know her thoughts and feelings. He seemed to soak them up as if
he was starved for
her
attention.

When she'd told him how Warrior would soak
her father, he’d laughed, a deep belly laugh that made her smile.
It was something she didn’t think he did often and decided she
would do her best to make sure he did it more often.

During the nights, Wray would hold her close,
surrounding her with his warmth and protection. When the nightmares
came, he would kiss away her tears, tell her he loved her and vow
that she was safe.

She couldn’t believe how protective he was of
her, especially here where there were no threats. Unless she had to
relieve herself, he was always near her, either holding her in his
lap or touching her in some way, especially her hair. He liked to
play with her curls while they talked. It was something that in the
past would have irritated her. Now it made her feel cherished.

“It’s finally starting to end.” Wray said,
moving to her. “Have you eaten?”

“I was waiting for you.” She said and opened
their last bar handing him half.

Wray waved her off. “You eat it.” he
ordered.

Kim gave him an exasperated look and dropped
both halves back into the bag.

“What are you doing?” Wray demanded angrily,
reaching into the bag to pull the bars back out. “You need to
eat!”

“And so do you!” Kim fired back.

“It won’t be much longer.” He told her,
holding both halves out to her.

“Then there’s no reason you can’t eat
too!”

“Goddess
,
Kim!” Wray
closed his eyes growling his frustration. “Don’t you understand? I
need
you to eat. I need to at least
try
to care for
you.” It was killing him that she was doing without, that he wasn’t
providing enough for her. Not that she’d complained, but he knew
she had to be hungry. No matter how many times he tried, no matter
how many valid arguments he made, she refused to eat unless he did.
Yesterday she’d even refused to take a bite until he did. His Kim
was stubborn.

“You
are
taking care of me.” Kim told
him gently squeezing a tense bicep. "I’m smaller than you Wray. I
don't need as much food. Half a bar is more than enough for me."
She knew he was struggling with what he saw as his failure to
provide for her but he was wrong. “And I need to care for you too.
You're just as important as I am
,
Wray.”

“Have I ever told you that you are a most
stubborn female
,
my Kim?” He asked as he
covered her hand with his and felt the warmth of her words spread
through his chest.

“Ummm… let me think…” she tapped a finger to
her chin. “About a dozen times a day.”

“I will need to increase that number.” He
told her only half teasing keeping his share of the bar before
handing the remainder to her.

“I’m sorry I’ve made this harder for
you
,
Wray.” Kim told him softly, lowering
the bar without taking a bite. She found she had to fight back the
tears that suddenly filled her eyes.
Was
she just being
stubborn? Like she used to be, for no good reason? All she knew was
it hurt to think of him going without when she could prevent
it.

Wray frowned at Kim’s words and it grew when
she lower
ed
the bar without taking a bite.
“You have not done that
,
little one.” He
told her sliding closer. Running a gentle hand down her cheek, he
raised her eyes to his. “If anything, you have made it too easy on
me
,
little one.” At her surprised look he
continued. “You haven’t complained
,
Kim.
Not once. You haven’t demanded things I couldn’t give you.”

“What good would that have done?” She
asked.

“It is what a Tornian female would have
done.” He gestured to the bar just lying in her hand.
“Eat
,
Kim. Please.” He begged. “It will
make me feel better to see you eat.”

Kim sighed, she knew he was using her
feelings to get her to do what he wanted, but still she took a
bite.

Wray watched Kim as she ate, making sure she
finished the bar. He was struggling with more than not being able
to provide for her properly. He was struggling with the fact that
she seemed to care so much for him that she would put herself at
risk, for him. She’d done the same for her sister and it still
enraged him. It should never have been allowed.

She didn’t seem to understand that she
mattered more than he did and not because she was a female but
because she was
his
female. He wanted her to be safe,
protected and provided for at all times. He wanted her to see her
smile, wanted to hear her laugh and see her eyes filled with
happiness, not with the fear her nightmares brought. He wanted all
these things for his Kim. Could he provide it for her?

Their time together here was quickly coming
to an end and there were still so many things he needed to tell
her. Kim had been completely open and honest with him, answering
every question he asked. He hadn’t. He would distract her or not
tell the full truth when she asked a question. She still didn’t
even know he was the Emperor.

How would she react once she learned he’d
kept it from her? She had been angry when he hadn’t told her he’d
cleansed her. Would this upset her too?

Then there was the matter of how his people
would react if she were unable to present offspring. A male that
Joined with a female who was either unable to present offspring or
presented unfit offspring was forced to forfeit his position since
there would be no male to replace him. Wray had never understood
why a male would willingly do this, for it ended his line, but
since finding Kim, he understood because even if he didn’t have
Tora, Wray would still have chosen Kim.

There was also
the
matter
of where she came from. Why had the Ganglians deleted
all the navigational history of her planet? It was a question the
Assembly of Lords would
want answered
.

He needed to start preparing Kim for all of
this and he needed to start with admitting to her who he really
was.

“Kim…” he began only to be cut off when the
locator started to beep, moving to it, he pressed several buttons
and was rewarded with static.

"Why is it doing that?" Kim asked, moving to
look at the locator.

“It is Veron trying to communicate with
me.”

"You can talk on that thing? I thought it
just sent out a signal."

"It does both." Wray told her frowning at the
device. "The storm made it impossible for us to communicate with
the Searcher, but now that it is clearing we should be able to hear
them." Moving towards the cave's entrance Wray realized the storm
had completely dissipated and pressed several buttons.

“Veron. Where in the name of the Goddess are
you!” He demanded.

“Maj…ar…” Hearing Veron’s voice Wray realized
that the storm wasn't the only thing interfering with the locator's
reception. The jagged cliffs surrounding the cave and the remaining
energy crystals were also. He needed to move away from them,
turning around, he found that Kim had followed him outside
and
was now staring wide eyed at the
barren landscape before her.

"Wow." she said carefully moving forward as
her eyes traveled over the alien landscape that wasn't really so
alien looking. The cave Wray had carried her to was situated inside
a narrow canyon with steep sides and a sharp V at its opening.
Beyond it lay a brown valley. Not the rich brown you see after a
farmer had tilled a fertile field, but the brown of a land that's
gone dormant in the late fall as all life it contains hopes to
survive until spring.

"As I said
,
there is
no longer life on Pontus."

Kim stepped carefully over the rocky ground,
worried she might cut her bare feet, but instead found the storm
had smoothed their edges. At the mouth of the canyon, she was
shocked to see the steep descent to the valley floor.

"How did you manage to carry me up that?" She
asked, turning back to Wray.

"It was not that difficult, Kim. You are not
heavy."

"Not heavy?" Kim couldn't believe he'd said
that. Sure, she wasn't overly large, but at 5' 5" and 140 pounds,
she wasn't exactly light either, especially not on that steep of an
incline.

"No
,
you are not."
Wray's eyes scanned the valley below them. Veron should have landed
by now, but he saw no evidence of it. "I need to get to higher
ground, Kim
. T
hese walls and the crystals
are interfering with me being able to communicate with Veron." He
moved to a wall and gripped a rock testing that it would hold his
weight.

Kim looked from the wall to him in disbelief.
"You're going to climb the wall?!!"

"It is the quickest way." He said still
looking up.

"If you want to break your neck."

Walking over he wrapped his arms around her.
"I will be fine, Kim." He told her. "I want you to go back into the
cave and wait for me."

"Like that's going to happen." She told
him.

"Kim..."

"I am not going back into that cave while you
climb that cliff. I'll go crazy wondering if you fell."

"I will not fall." He told her insulted she
would think such a thing. "Now I order..."

"
Order
... who do you think you are?
The damn Emperor? I might love you, but that doesn't mean you get
to order me around Wray."

"I..." static stopped him again from telling
her that, yes, he
was
the Emperor. "I need to get to where I
can communicate with Veron
,
Kim." he told
her frustrated. "I vow to you that nothing will happen to me, now
please go back into the cave."

"No," she told him and held up a finger to
stop him from speaking, "but I will once you reach the top."

"Kim..."

"I need to know you made it
,
Wray. It will serious
ly
drive me nuts to not know."

Sighing heavily Wray walked over to frame her
face in his hands. “You will wait in the cave for me to return?” He
asked, his eyes searching hers.

“If you want me to.”

“I do. I need to know you are safe
also
,
my Kim.”

“Alright, as soon as you reach the top I’ll
go inside and wait.”