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  He sighed and closed his eyes. “You will need leather clothing in a dark green. It is time that you seen another aspect of the Hirn.”

  Shrugging, she dialled up the requested items, and when they arrived, she took the box into the bedroom and slipped into the leathers before tugging on the soft, fitted boots and strapping on her knife.

  Head to toe in deep green leather, she walked up to him and smiled. “Let’s go.”

  He paused and loosened her hair from the ponytail she had it tied in. “It will blend better and hide your features from casual observation.”

  She smiled as his hands ran through her hair with far more than casual interest. “You like long hair.”

  “I do. It makes you easier to catch.”

  With that peculiar statement hanging in the air between them, they stepped into the world where the Orb of Time summoned them.

  “Let me carry you, this next part will take a few minutes.”

  They were standing on the edge of a road. A green meadow spread to either side. Xeric lifted her in his arms, and he began to grow.

  His antlers became branches, his body rounded and thickened into that of a tree.

  Green leaves bloomed and his arms lifted her high into the basket of branches, concealing her from casual observation. From the height, she could see an approaching dust cloud and her instincts told her that this is what they were waiting for.

  “So, I simply wait up here in the canopy, and you will do whatever is necessary?”

  I will. As a tree, I will draw their attention, and they will have a moment to rest in their flight.

  Orphia sat up in shock. “How can I hear you?”

  All Hirn can hear all other Hirn, no matter how far the bloodlines have come. You can speak this way as well. You merely have to try.

  “I am supposed to just try telepathy?”

  Do you have anything better to do right now?

  He had a point.

  She sat in the small woven nest that supported her and took a meditative pose. “So how do I do this?”

  Cease talking and try thinking, Orphia. They are getting closer, and you should not be heard.

  She bit her lip and tried to send her thoughts to him.

  Stop trying so hard and simply think your words, Orphia.

  She grinned, Fine. I will just relax and think to you. So how long have you had wood?

  Very funny. I am aware of the Terran euphemism. Since the moment I saw you at the funeral. Fire rushed through my veins, and I was ready to fight or fuck. Unfortunately, fighting won out when your attacker made his move.

  She shivered at the image in his mind. Her body pierced and crimson flowing down the centre of her white gown. That is quite the image.

  It is burned into my thoughts. I was not sure that I could bring you back enough to accept the healing.

  She was draped over his arms and her eyes were open and lifeless. As he lifted her, she started to glow, and then, they were at Home with medical personnel running toward them.

  He tried to change the subject. What did you think when you first saw me?

  Clearing her throat wouldn’t have done any good, so she simply thought to him, I smelled you first.

  She showed him the view of him that she had.

  His mental chuckle made her smile.

  I suppose that the view could have been worse.

  I suppose. Now, technically, I heard you first. At the funeral. Then scent, hearing and finally sight. It was a gradual progression of introduction, and it definitely had an impact on my senses.

  What do you see for our future?

  What do you mean?

  I mean, it is traditional for pairs who will have a bond to see their futures together at the moment that the Orb takes over. What did you see?

  She blinked, lost in thought. She hadn’t seen anything. She had heard a voice say, “I have waited for you,” then nothing, just the inner light that the Orb imparted.

  She thought she might have replied, but she wasn’t sure. If she concentrated, she could see a life with Xeric, laughter and bedroom scenes that made her cheeks crimson.

  As she blinked at the images that she was presented with, she came to a peculiar conclusion. The chain costume she had been wearing was downright dowdy compared to some of the ones in her future. Xeric liked her dressed in bits of leather and little else.

  I have seen bits of our future, but it is only recent.

  I have seen bits of you, but I do want to see more.

  She winced. How much more could there be? You have already seen me naked, shaved and up close.

  Oh, my dearest, there is so much more. I will simply have to show you…later.

  I thought Ravikka said I had to make the first move.

  You already did, when you asked me to help wrap you in chain. It is a slippery slope, but one moment does lead to another, and you did not object.

  Hindsight is always 20/20.

  The leaves shook as he expressed his amusement.

  How is it that you are a tree, Xeric?

  The Hirn have been shapeshifters for generations. Any form found in nature is ours to call.

  Good to know. So, you can be anyone, any shape?

  I can. Do you have a shape you would like to see me in?

  She flashed him an image of him on top of her between her thighs. I would like to see you in me.

  The leaves trembled again, and she could see heated images of his mouth on her breasts and neck and his hands on her thighs, digging in to the flesh.

  She lay back, panting as her body translated the images into arousal. Her thighs shivered, and when she felt a distinct stroke across her clit, she ran a hand over her leathers. A small tendril of vine had made its way into her trousers and was rubbing rhythmically against the heated bit of sensitized flesh.

  When she tried to tug at the vine, her hands were pulled to the side, and her neck was pinned in place with more twisting vegetation.

  A mask of sorts came over her mouth, and her moans were muffled and swallowed by tiny, soft leaves.

  More tendrils coursed over her breasts, abrading her nipples and surrounding the mounds with a massaging motion.

  A thicker, twisting vine worked between the lips of her sex and preformed a corkscrew motion that stroked every internal inch of her. The coil widened and spread her channel open while plunging and twisting within her.

  She gasped, shuddered and bit her lip as she was taken to the edge or orgasm, held there for what seemed like hours and then tipped over. Sparks ran along her skin in a rippling wave, and she felt wonderfully, desperately alive.

  When her body stopped twisting, the vines slowly released her back to the woven nest that she had been sitting in.

  A peek through the leaves and she saw the back end of the caravan as it walked up the hill and beyond.

  I missed the whole thing?

  You were busy. It is understandable. The satisfaction in his mental voice was unmistakable.

  Why are we still here?

  They may look back, and they need to know that the tree that gave them shelter exists.

  Why did you do that?

  To prove a point.

  Orphia knew she would regret asking, What point?

  If I can make you cum while fully clothed and in complete silence, imagine what we will be able to engage in with unlimited privacy and no clothing between us.

  That thought was going to keep her up nights.

  Chapter Eight

  Xeric returned to his Hirn form under her, and she ended up in his arms once again. Exposed to the bright light of the afternoon on the strange world with nine moons, she noted that she didn’t have a hair out of place. It was a good trick considering that the interior of her leathers was slick and damp.

  The flash of light didn’t startle her this time. Orphia remained in his arms as he returned them to their quarters. His hooves clicked on the floor as he carried her to the kitchen and set her on the counter.

  He parte
d her knees and stepped in the gap, leaning down to kiss her with a deliberate and arousing use of his lips.

  He didn’t touch her except for his lips on hers, his tongue tangling with hers in a slow dance, and his body surrounded her on every angle that was exposed to him.

  She could not define his taste, but she would know it for the rest of her life and crave it whenever he was away from her. With her thighs spread, she leaned back on her hands for balance and let him do whatever he pleased, knowing that her pleasure was going to come first.

  His hands pulled her hips forward, and he rocked against the joint of her thighs while his tongue mimicked the thrusting that she wanted inside her.

  Orphia moaned and lifted herself against him, the frustration of two layers of leather was unbearable, but she didn’t want to break the contact of his mouth to hers.

  His finger trailed down the front of her tunic, and to her shock, the leather parted down the centre. That same finger repeated his action between her thighs, and she was suddenly wearing crotchless leggings.

  Xeric wrapped an arm around her and forced her crotch to his. He moved his hips in a slow circle against hers until the pressure mounted and she whimpered.

  Part of her was humiliated to be caught begging in every non-verbal and some base verbal methods. The rest of her was keen to do whatever it took to get him inside her.

  He moved his free hand between them, and a shock of heat struck her as the velvety head of his cock pressed against her, parted the lips of her sex and nudged at the opening.

  He wove his hand through her hair and pulled her head back. “Look at me.”

  Her lips throbbed, and she met his gaze, her dark eyes were wide as she stared at him. He thrust against her, rocking her on the counter. Xeric adjusted his angle and thrust again. This time, he slid inside her, widening her channel to accept him as he shifted, twisted and pressed into her completely.

  When he made it into her all the way, she grunted, and when he withdrew and slid inside again, he altered his angle to make the transition easier.

  She reached out and draped one arm around his neck, the other around his ribs. Her ankles met as she wrapped her thighs around him. His horns flashed in the light, his sharp teeth exposed with his grimace, and he moved endlessly into her.

  A bright light within his eyes began to swirl, and he moved faster, thrusting harder and circling his hips with every motion.

  Her cries became plaintive, begging and insistent at the same time. Her nails scored his back, tearing at his shirt.

  His cry was bestial as he shoved into her and darted forward to bite.

  Orphia’s scream was part panic, part pain and half pleasure. Her orgasm rode the edge of adrenaline, and she clutched at Xeric with all her might.

  Inside her, she felt the swell and spasm of his cock as his cum splashed inside her. He jerked against her and kept her tight to his chest as a groan came out of him with every twitch.

  When he pulled out of her, his expression was fierce and satisfied. “It is a good start, but I really want to taste you again.”

  She quivered. She was satiated, tired and hungry, but there was always time for a meal later.

  He carried her to the bed, which was a good thing as she was sure that her legs would not hold her. Xeric sat her on the edge of the bed and used the razor-sharp claw in his fingertip to cut away the remains of her clothing.

  She shivered when he laid her on her back and yelped when the bed shot tendrils out that pulled her arms out and away from her sides. “That is cheating.”

  He grinned and pulled his shirt off, examining the claw marks that she had left in the back. “It isn’t cheating unless there is a winner.”

  She tugged at the vines, grimacing when they stretched but took up the slack with every motion. Another vine wrapped lovingly around her neck, pulling her chin up so she could not meet Xeric’s gaze or watch what he was doing.

  Orphia heard clattering and an off-key humming, but she didn’t see what was happening.

  A band snapped around each ankle, and they began to creep upward. The feeling of the band was of a thousand tiny tongues licking upward, and as the creeping continued, she started to squirm.

  “They are creeper bands. Each one is keyed to my pattern, so they go only as far as I wish them to.”

  She shuddered as they found the spot behind her knees that always drove her nuts. Her body twisted, but her legs stopped moving when more vines caught them and held them fast.

  “Very responsive. Your skin is really quite sensitive.” He seemed fascinated by her response to the light, licking touches on her legs, but he wrapped lighter-weight bands on her breasts and sat back.

  While the bands licking her legs were distracting, the feel of a ring of tongues working their way up her breasts to the nipple and back down again had her clenching her thighs together as best she could manage.

  “Ah, ah. None of that.” The vines widened her legs by wrapping around her legs just above the knees.

  “Why won’t you let me see what is going on?”

  “I noticed during the assignment, that your imagination was enough to get you hot and bothered. I intend to see how much bother you can withstand.” He chuckled.

  Orphia felt the shift in weight on the bed as he moved between her thighs. His tongue joined the moving bands and trailed up first one inner thigh, then the other. Xeric’s hair rubbed the inside of her thighs and added to her stimulation.

  She twisted in place, held by the vines, her breath came in pants as she waited for his tongue to lick a little harder, trail the wet heat a little higher.

  A finger stroked her lower lips and parted her smoothly. Her mouth curved as she hoped it was not the razor-sharp finger when it slid into her.

  Xeric’s tongue was lapping at her clit while his finger worked into her, mimicking the coupling that was still sharp in her memory.

  When his hand lifted her slightly, she winced as a vine tapped at her rosebud, seeking entrance. It worked into her slowly and thickened when it gained entrance.

  Her senses rioted when it started to thrust in the same beat as Xeric’s finger and his tongue.

  Her orgasm was fast, hard and left her breathless.

  He paused to let her catch her breath, and then, he began all over again.

  Chapter Nine

  Sore didn’t begin to cover it. Groaning would have woken the sleeping giant in the bed, so she bit her lip and waddled to the bathroom.

  Bites, scratches, hickeys marked most visible skin. Her hair was tumbled wildly from his fingers, and her inner thighs were bright pink from friction. It had been quite an evening.

  She drew a bath and sighed as quietly as she could. The heat was helping the abrasions, and the water removed the bits of stickiness that his tongue hadn’t lapped up.

  Her hair floated around her in a puddle of dark inkiness. She leaned against one of the backrests in the tub built for four. The heat gave her muscles relief, and if she soaked for fourteen more hours, her thighs might touch again.

  “You left without waking me.”

  She didn’t open her eyes. “I was feeling a little tender. I didn’t want to take a chance.”

  The water rose dramatically, but she kept her eyes shut and her arms extended to either side.

  “How can you stand this heat?” His tone was amused.

  She opened one eye and then the other when she saw his limbs mimicking hers. “It is an acquired practice. It relaxes the muscles like nothing else.”

  He snorted. “Come here.”

  “Xeric, seriously, I am too sore for more.”

  He sighed. “Trust me. Come here.”

  She floated through the water and took his hands. He positioned her straddling his lap, but he didn’t make any move to impale her on the thick cock pinned between them. His hands caressed her neck, her shoulders and her breasts, taking the aches and pains and leaving warmth in their wake.

  She jerked when he cupped her buttocks, but he me
rely stroked away the bruises left by his fingers.

  Sighing, Orphia leaned her head on his chest and tried to ignore his gentle caresses between her thighs. His healing seemed to have a penetration depth of about four inches, so he had to insert a finger to heal her ass completely. The vine had been insistent, and when he had replaced it with his fingers, she hadn’t known which was worse, or better depending on her point of view.

  Her channel was far less irritated, but when he tried to fit a finger inside, it was a struggle. He patiently healed, inched, healed, inched, and finally, her aches and pains were taken care of.

  “Why were you talking with Orpheus?” She murmured it against his neck.

  He shifted her to sit across his thighs. “I had to confirm that Inga was worth the trouble. And to be honest, it was nice to see another Hirn.”

  Orphia chuckled, “I can definitely empathize with that. We may not be extinct, but there are few Terrans running loose up here. It is rare for two of us to run into each other. I miss my own kind.”

  “They are all around us. I will see what we can rig for communication between levels.”

  She blinked and laughed. “Right. I forgot about that. I was rather distracted, I suppose.”

  “It happens in the first days as a Nameless.”

  She yawned and nestled close to him, the warm water and warmer body under her made her sleepy. “What were you doing as the tree?”

  “I gave them a resting place. It slowed them down enough to miss the raiding party that was ravaging the village. A few minutes early and they would have all been killed.”

  “So, it actually was a hurry up and wait scenario.”

  “Yes, it was. But at least there were ways to entertain ourselves that would not interfere with the destiny of those below.”

  She blushed, “You really know how to throw a bomb into a conversation.”

  He stroked her hair. “Did you not enjoy yourself?”

  “You know I did. I merely feel self-conscious about my reactions.”

  “Why? Your passion was lovely to behold.”

  “Because no one has been watching for quite some time. I am usually my only audience.”