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  “It ended badly.”

  “I don’t think I formally ended it and that could be the problem.”

  Lili slapped her palm to her forehead. “That would explain it. So, if you always try to keep lovers leaving the planet…why me?”

  “There is something in you that calls to me. You don’t worship me, you stand up to me no matter what dignity or decorum would dictate. That is very enticing.”

  She looked into his eyes and she sighed as she saw the flicker of loneliness that came through on the side of Arengar. There was eagerness on the side of Yavoy and a longing in the presence of the planet.

  “You both need me in your own way, don’t you?”

  He chuckled, the black and red even in his eyes. “We really do. Will you allow us to join with you completely?”

  She eyed the plate being brought to her and she smiled. “Can it wait until after dessert?”

  The laughter of the Avatar of Geko 7 rippled through the restaurant and the air over the mountains cleared, letting the starlight dance through to areas who hadn’t seen the stars in centuries.

  Chapter Five

  “So, do you just live in those quarters we were in last night?” They were making their way slowly back to the tower that she had escaped from during the dawn.

  “I stay there when I am in the city. During the year, I live in a home that Arengar crafted for me. We can go there tonight if you like.”

  “Really?”

  “Why not, the harvest is under way and we have no where we have to be.”

  “What about the clothing?”

  “It won’t go bad. We will just improvise something for you and have the rest flown out when it is ready.”

  She shrugged. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  He winked at her after he lifted her in his arms. He bent his knees and jumped, soaring into the sky with her in his arms.

  Her breath left her lungs and then she shrieked, “What the hell?”

  He whispered in her ear. “Each planet can gift its Avatar with skills if it wishes to.”

  “Apparently Arengar is generous.”

  The surface was flowing past them at a dramatic pace. They swooped into a house built into the foothills of the mountains and he set her on her feet.

  “How do you do that?”

  “Magnetic-field manipulation. It is a lost art.” He smiled as she took a few cautious steps.

  “Well, it looks like you found it again.”

  He chortled in response to her amazement.

  “It is a skill set that took months of practice to master. It was more of a calling than a hobby.”

  She took a seat on the couch in the nearby living space and casually shifted so that the robes slid to one side and exposed the transparent excuse for a dress underneath. The shadow at the top of her thighs was glaringly obvious to anyone looking at her and Yavoy was definitely looking.

  “Yavoy, I seem to recall someone saying something about putting energy into me. I was wondering exactly how you were going to go about it?”

  He didn’t waste a moment.

  With a smooth movement, she was crushed into the couch cushions and Yavoy’s mouth was on hers. His hands unclasped her cloak and left her clothed in silk shadows and nothing more.

  His hands stroked her neck, across her shoulders and around her breasts. She shivered with every palming of her nipple and the gentle kneading of her skin. She looked down and shuddered at the contrast between his midnight hands and her lighter skin.

  “It does seem that I need to get the power inside you somehow, what would you suggest?” He whispered the words against her neck, licking and sucking to punctuate every phrase.

  The delicate fabric of her wrapped top came off in his hands with a few well-placed tugs.

  He warmed her skin with his breath and moved down to her breasts, nibbling and licking as he went. Yavoy latched onto one nipple and sucked it until it was a pebble-hard peak and then he moved to the other, each round of suction sent an answering quiver through her clit.

  He used his teeth, the sharp points abrading her skin lightly, and each minute puncture filled her with warmth.

  Yavoy ceased to nip at her breasts and made his way down her rib cage. She yelped in surprise as her navel sent a burst of lust through her that heated her feet and arched her back.

  He raised his head. “I must have missed that one last night.”

  She groaned at the light of discovery in his eyes. He wasn’t getting a little enjoyment out of this. He was getting a lot.

  Lili’s skirt was tugged free with the same dexterity as her top had been. Naked and wearing only the transparent robe she still had on, she blinked in shock as he spread her legs and tugged her to the edge of the couch.

  His hands went under her thighs, around her hips and flattened on her belly. When he delved between her thighs, each touch of his lips had her hips fighting his touch as she tried to alternately get close and back away as her sensitive skin heated with the contact.

  She knew something was coming when his hands locked to hold her down. The stream of energy cascaded from his mouth and into her on the stroke of his tongue.

  “Cheating.” Her word came out in a gasp, because no other words were accessible.

  Power pooled in her belly and crept outward in a glow that was visible in the dark room.

  She writhed in a combination of pleasure and energy. The power built and built inside her and when Yavoy moved away from her for seconds, she ached in every pore of her body.

  She twisted in place on the couch and when he lay across her again, the hot bar of flesh pressing against her belly before he shifted and moved it into position for insertion into her channel.

  He waited, the burning red shared space with swirling black in his gaze. When she looked into his eyes, she surrendered into the burning heat inside them.

  He surged forward and she could feel every inch and twist of his skin within hers. The slick moisture of her channel welcomed him and the pistoning of his cock rocked her with every thrust. Her skin tingled and her body felt as if it would fly apart and in seconds, it did. Her scream was swallowed by his kiss as he took the accolade that was his alone.

  As he pushed and pulled the flared head of his cock within her, she noted the glowing light of her skin. It grew brighter with her arousal as it climbed and flew skyward until she broke apart again. This time, her scream brought an audience into the room.

  “Lord Avatar, do you have one of those tarts here again?” asked a woman of advancing years and weathered blue skin.

  He turned and snarled at the poor woman. “Tomorrow, Gatih.”

  She raised her hands in the air and turned her back.

  “Ignore her, Lili Ann. The only thing I want you watching right now is me.” He pressed a kiss to her jaw and she threaded her fingers through his ivory hair.

  She raised her hips to his and undulated against him, trying to bring his orgasm about. It took a bit of doing, but she managed to twist her hips in slow circles until he clutched at her shoulders and shouted his release.

  Lili could feel the swelling inside her as he jetted his cum deep in the base of her belly.

  He slumped against her for a few minutes before raising his head and smiling. “I believe we should adjourn to the bedroom. Far less chance of waking the housekeeper. Again.”

  Chapter Six

  When he withdrew from her, she flinched and shakily tried to close her thighs so she could stand.

  The glow of her skin lit the interior of the room. The soft, ambient light was completely overshadowed by the bright flare of her skin. “What is this?”

  Yavoy lifted her and held her tightly against him. “Arengar is altering your body before he shifts into your mind. It is a courtesy.”

  He carried her through a wide doorway and up one grand staircase and then another. A single door was on this floor and it swung open as they approached.

  The non-stop electric tingle that was rippling through her body wa
s distracting, but she caught an impression of a huge bed, an open archway to what she assumed was the bathing room and a balcony door that displayed the night through the glass.

  She didn’t have the chance to look at anything else, she was slowly lowered to her feet and her attention was firmly on Yavoy and the shadows that her light was casting against his skin.

  “Remind me to thank him for his courtesy.” She put one hand around his neck and pulled him down to her while her other hand sought and found the throbbing bar of heat that had so recently been inside her.

  He growled and his sharp canines were highly visible. At least three of the races he had listed involved biting during mating and she had to admit that being bitten was a bit of a turn on. Her instincts had always leaned to the rougher aspects of sex, but she assumed it was due to her slightly masculine job.

  The feel of teeth against her skin caused every nerve in her body to come alive. It was a guaranteed arousal spike, but it wasn’t something she was comfortable asking for. She teased his lips with her tongue and she licked and stroked him in equal measure.

  He groaned into her mouth and took control of the kiss with a deepening pressure. He wrapped an arm around her and tilted her to her back, following her down.

  He rubbed his body against hers in a slow slide. “Welcome home, Lili Ann Baker.”

  She lifted her hips against him, pleading without words. He used what his Wyoran ancestors had given him in the form of his prehensile member and worked it against her until her liquid honey allowed him to slip inward.

  Her breath escaped on a low moan as he increased his motions and rubbed against her g-spot. It was a mystery as to how that evolutionary trick came to pass, but the Wyorans were able to move their penis in any direction or pattern that they chose. Bless them.

  The blend of red and black in his eyes burned into her own pale blue gaze as he moved inside her. She planted her feet flat against the bed and arched against him, her nails raking down his back and digging into his buttocks.

  He arched his back, thrusting deep, triggering a shivering, electric orgasm that caused every nerve to light up as power ran through her and into him. As he arched and howled against her, he gave the power back to her stronger than it had been. The energy did circuits and when she looked up, it was the black gaze of Arengar controlling the body of Yavoy, thrusting and retreating once again.

  He withdrew for a moment, rolling her to her stomach and then, he drew her up on her knees. He thrust into her from behind, pressing deep until she could swear that he was thickening even more.

  She groaned and rocked against him, whimpering when he didn’t move. Lili Ann rocked back and forward on him, moving her hips gently until he was almost out before swivelling her buttocks against him.

  She kept her rhythm until her arms threatened to buckle under her. She was so close to the edge that one more impalement would see her over the edge, but she couldn’t make herself do it.

  His hands caressed her back and reached under her to lift her up against him. With a few adjustments, she was sitting on his cock astride his lap, her feet tucked next to his and his hands cupping her breasts, pulling her back to his chest.

  Arengar held her tight as he started to move inside her without shifting his hips. He churned against her, within her and her breath came hard and fast as his mouth trailed down the side of her neck.

  He muttered something dark in a dialect she couldn’t translate and bit down, marking her skin with his teeth while he locked her in place. A low quivering started in his entire body and when his cock jerked inside her, she opened her eyes wide as Arengar poured into her, lighting her humanity on fire.

  She stretched and winced before she realise that there was no pain, no aches, nothing but a complete sense of well-being.

  “Good morning, tart.” The grouchy woman from the night before came in with a breakfast tray set for one.

  She blinked in surprise and sat up, Yavoy still in bed next to her, looking like a study in contrasts. There was a slight smile on his chiselled lips and she liked to think that she had played a part in putting it there.

  “Good morning, crab.”

  The woman jerked back in shock. “How dare you speak to me in such a way, with you and him carrying on like that last night.”

  She looked the woman in the eye and Arengar surged forward. “She is deserving of respect, Gatih.”

  Lili Ann fought the urge to rub her eyes as the change became visible. It was the oddest feeling, like when she looked into a bright light and her irises contracted, only less chance of tears.

  “Have you left him so soon then, Arengar? Why? He was a good Avatar for you.”

  Yavoy stirred. “I am in both of them, Gatih. My prime Avatar has a partner. He will no longer be alone.”

  “Of course, Arengar. Miss, please pardon my calling you a tart.”

  “I will have you make up for it later, Gatih. For now, what is on that tray?”

  “Breakfast for the Ava…for sir.”

  “Hand it over, Gatih. He can find his own food.” She chuckled at the woman’s scandalized expression as she reached out for the tray.

  Yavoy chuckled and sat up, pulling his white silken hair over one shoulder. “We will share.”

  Gatih bobbed a quick curtsey and left the room shaking her head.

  Yavoy leaned over and examined the contents of the tray. “Oh, my favourites.”

  He tried to take a bite, but Lili Ann slapped his hand. “I wasn’t kidding about me going first.”

  He looked at the tray and it lifted to hover above Lili’s legs. He tackled her and she was bound with the same bands of energy that held the tray.

  With delicate deliberation, he took pieces of fruit off the tray and placed them on her body. A line of small berries marched from her collarbone to her navel, circled it and then continued between her thighs.

  He placed a larger berry against her lips and freed her right arm so she could feed herself. “There, now you eat breakfast your way and I will eat it in mine.”

  She was slowly chewing the berry, her head propped up on the pillow when he reached for a small jar from the tray. She let out a garbled, “Hey!” but he simply poured the substance over her breasts in a thin line and then trailed it over all the berries.

  Chuckling, he put the jar aside and started his breakfast.

  She whimpered as he ate each of the tidbits he had place on her and when he realised that her mouth was empty, he placed another piece of fruit against her lips.

  It was by far the most interesting use of a fruit plate that Lili Ann had ever experienced.

  Chapter Seven

  After breakfast was over and she had recovered use of her limbs, she joined him in the shower and cleaned up after his meal. She had to admit, he had consumed almost all of the syrup and every berry that he had place on and in her body.

  “I hope you don’t expect to wake up like that every morning.” She smiled as he soaped her spine.

  “Once a week will be fine. And during full moons and holidays.”

  His low tone sent a shiver through her.

  He pressed kisses on the bite marks he had left during the night and the contact spurred a memory that left her weak-kneed.

  “What am I going to wear? Or are there clothes left behind by one of your previous tarts?” She twitched her lips.

  It was unrealistic to hope that he had been pining for a true match. She certainly hadn’t let any opportunities pass in her own love life, so there was no excuse for enacting a double standard.

  “You can wear something of mine. I have a few Haldis-style robes that will swamp you, but they should cover what you wish.”

  He was working on her hair. The thick lather had the rich scent of those niabbru flowers.

  “Do you use those flowers in everything?” Her nipples tingled as the foam sluiced over her breasts.

  “This bottle was saved for a special occasion. Gatih must have brought it out of my private supplies.”<
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  She laughed. “She doesn’t like me.”

  “She will. But many of the women here have sought my bed in the hopes of gaining some sort of political or fiscal advantage.”

  “Sex for money or power. Got it.” She groaned as the water pounded on the muscles that had had a little more exercise than usual that morning.

  “It is a rough summation but fairly valid. Does it bother you?”

  She turned in his arms and they slipped as the soap and shampoo coated them. “I am yours from this day forward.”

  “I am yours from this day forward.”

  “Then let’s leave the past in the past. You are not the only one to have taken advantage of entertainment opportunities when they were offered.” She laughed at his surprised and jealous expression.

  “I had not thought of that. How many lovers do you have flying around the stars?”

  She laughed. “I haven’t counted and I don’t think you really want to know.”

  He shuddered. “No, I don’t think I do.”

  She went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his frown. “Come along, Yavoy. You have to tell me what our day consists of on a regular basis.”

  “I would rather spend the day in bed.”

  “I think it would be fun as well, but I am still getting used to having the feel of Arengar in my system. How long did it take you to adjust to him?”

  Yavoy’s smile was rueful. “About a month.”

  “Then give me at least a day. We can revisit the idea of an entire day of electric sex at a later time.”

  “I will hold you to that.” He chuckled and parted her lips with his, sliding his tongue into her mouth and toying with hers.

  She returned the kiss, enjoying the hard muscular wall of his chest against her breasts and his strong arms around her.

  Her blood started to pound in her veins and she was up on her toes, rubbing her belly against the hard column of his rampant erection. Lili was just raising her thigh to wrap her leg around his hips when there was a knock on the door.

  “Avatars, there is a matter of urgency in the city that you need to attend to. You are both requested.”