Authors: Shelley Munro
“Do you see any flowers?” Eva asked,
fascinated by the tiny snippets he revealed. They were so far outside what she
knew.
“No. We’ll go closer. If the water isn’t
too hot, we might be able to swim.”
“Wash?”
Saber gave her a quick smile and her heart
beat a little faster. Looking at him when he smiled—the flash of white teeth
and the tiny fan of lines around the outside of his eyes—did something to her.
His smile softened his harshly carved face and made her want to grin in return.
A foreign feeling. She’d seldom felt the need to laugh or smile—only for a
brief period when she’d had Pryce. And almost never since Pryce had died.
The valley went quiet, and Saber froze.
“What is it?”
A piercing shriek from above answered her
question.
Saber scooped her off her feet and thrust
her beneath the drooping foliage of a tree. The skinny green and pink leaves
blocked her vision, but she could hear the screeches of the bird flying
overhead.
Saber squeezed under the low branches and
hauled her trembling body into his arms. “It didn’t see us,” he said against
her ear.
“God, I hope not. It can land in the
valley.”
“It could, but I think it’s hunting
different prey today. Listen.”
Eva swallowed and listened. In the distance
she could hear panicked squawks, the thunder of running feet. She recognized
the high-pitched shriek of the big-ass bird, heard the
whop-whop
of its
wings.
“Whatever the bird is hunting is running
this way,” Saber said. “Curl up. Make sure your limbs are well off the path.”
Eva didn’t need to be told twice. She
curled against Saber’s warm, strong body and concentrated on breathing.
Hellfire
and Finnian bats
. After this adventure, nothing in the city would ever
scare her again. Even the Dearbhorgaills were manageable—their reactions
predictable compared to the creatures inhabiting this island.
The panicked sounds came closer and closer.
Squawks. Screams. Fast-running feet. Dust rose as terrified birds thundered
past their hiding place. The birds were big and all she could see were strong
legs that ran past as they headed for the safety of the forest.
Eva pressed her face against Saber’s chest,
breathed in his masculine scent. His strong arms wrapped around her trembling
body, and she was fiercely glad of his presence.
The
whop-whop
of wings sounded
closer now, and the number of birds sprinting past their hiding place had
thinned. The old and the young bringing up the rear, Eva thought. The infirm.
A bird limped past, trying to go fast but
unable. A smaller bird raced at its heels, frantic squawks filling the air. The
whop-whop
sound was almost on top of them now, and Eva trembled
violently.
“It’s all right,” Saber said. “The bird
can’t get us while we remain under here. He’s after easier prey.”
Eva opened her eyes again and watched as a
bird was plucked off the ground right in front of their hiding place.
A small blue missile shot under the tree
and hit Eva’s side. She screamed, her cry of terror cutting off abruptly as she
heard the
whop-whop
of wings.
“It’s another bird,” Saber said. “It’s as
scared as you are.”
Eva swallowed, felt the bird quivering
against her side. She shifted her position in a measured way so as not to cause
fear and glanced down. The bird was bright blue with stout legs. Without haste,
she reached out and stroked her hand over its blue feathers. The bird moaned,
or at least the sound came close to one, and tried to squeeze closer.
“I think it’s a baby,” Saber said.
Eva croaked in dismay. “Is everything big
on this planet?”
“So it would seem.” Amusement colored Saber’s
voice and she became aware of something poking into her hip.
“Is that you?”
“Afraid so,” he said without apology.
“That’s disgusting.”
“You didn’t think so this morning.”
Eva changed the subject. “Do you think the
big-ass bird is gone? I can’t hear anything now.”
“Wait until we start to hear the other
birds singing,” Saber said. “That way we’ll know it’s safe.”
“I’d love to have a wash.”
“We will, as long as it’s safe.”
Eva relaxed and stroked her hand over the
quivering bird that cuddled against her so trustingly.
“Have you seen one of these birds before?”
“No, there aren’t any on the resort side of
the island. Not big like this. We have the smaller variety.”
“Maybe you should start running adventure
tours,” Eva said. “
I
can do without this type of adventure, but there
are lots of males in Dalcon who’d thrive on this stuff.”
“We don’t own this land,” Saber said.
“Although there’s no reason why we can’t look into purchasing it at a later
date.”
“What is your favorite color?”
“Why?” Saber asked.
“I need to distract myself. I’m conjuring
all sorts of horrid scenarios and most of them contain big-ass birds eating
me.”
“If it weren’t so cramped under here I
could distract you in other ways.”
“I have a baby bird sitting right next to
me.”
Saber’s low chuckle sent warmth burrowing
through her veins. The heat converged in one achy spot between her legs.
“My favorite color is blue. Cornflower
blue,” he added.
“What color is that? I’m not familiar with
that shade.”
“It’s the same shade as your eyes.”
“Oh.” The warmth spread upward and clawed
dangerously close to her heart. Saber was a tricky man, and she’d do well to
remember that.
“The birds have started singing again,”
Saber said.
Eva listened and realized he was right.
“You think it’s safe to crawl out of here?”
“I can’t hear the wing-beat of the bird any
longer. Stay here while I check.”
Saber wriggled from beneath the tree, and
Eva watched him walk along the trail until she could no longer see him. Her
hand smoothed over the feathers of the bird cuddled against her, and she
waited.
Saber scented the air and scanned his
surroundings. He knew the danger was gone, since he saw the big pale-blue birds
exit the trees and return to the grasslands of the valley. Overhead, birds of
smaller species flitted through the air and in the distance, he saw several
bovine-type animals lazing in the sun of an open meadow.
He made his way down to the water and
dipped in a finger. It was pleasantly warm, steam drifting up in lazy tendrils.
After no adverse effects, he stripped off and waded into the water. It smelled
of lavender and felt silky against his skin. Beneath the surface, tiny pink
fish appeared. They approached him warily and when he didn’t move, they swam
closer.
One darted to his arm and nibbled at a dry
scab. Another headed for his feet. They weren’t biting. They were feeding on
his dead skin. Interesting.
Saber let them nibble until one or two swam
too close to his groin.
“That’s close enough,” he muttered and
waded from the water. He pulled on his trousers and boots and strode back to
where he’d left Eva. “It’s okay. You can come out.”
“Where have you been?”
“I checked the water. It’s safe to swim.”
Eva slid from beneath the tree and groaned
as she straightened. “
Ow
.” She shook her arms and legs and checked her
elbow, frowned at a red scratch. “Swimming? Really?”
“You should be able to wash your clothes
too.”
“Let’s go.”
A distinctive honk came from the
bright-blue bird. It waddled over to where Eva stood and waited.
“You’ve made a friend.”
“As long as it doesn’t want to eat me.” Eva
cast the bird a doubtful look and Saber wanted to laugh. The bird had long,
stout legs and a plump body. Its beak reminded him of a goose’s but the
pale-violet color was distinctly alien. The blue feathers acted like a homing
beacon, standing out against the mainly green grasses, and at the base they
bore the same violet hue as the creature’s beak.
“It reminds me of a goose on stilts.
They’re Earth grazing birds,” he added.
“Oh.” Eva’s doubtful expression didn’t
shift. “I guess it will find its family soon. Where is this water? Lead the
way.”
The path leading to the swimming hole was
wide enough for them to walk side by side. Saber placed his hand at the small
of Eva’s back and guided her in the right direction. Although she jolted when
his fingers touched her skin, she didn’t protest.
Maybe he was playing things too safe. Maybe
he should give in to the impulses riding him to touch her—and touch her often.
“Why is the water steaming?”
“It’s warm.”
The bird honked and trotted after them. Eva
glanced over her shoulder and frowned, but Saber urged her to continue walking.
At the water’s edge, he bent to pull off
his boots then waded into the water.
Eva hesitated.
“Take off your clothes if you want. I don’t
mind.” Hell no. He didn’t mind looking at her one bit. While some people might
call her body boyish, she still had plump breasts. He suspected she didn’t eat
much and once he fed her properly, she’d become pleasingly curvy. Either way,
he didn’t care. She amused him, made him laugh.
The blue bird wandered off and started to
graze, letting out intermittent honks. Eva had decided to strip and Saber waded
a little deeper into the water so his shoulders were submerged. The tiny pink
fish were already nibbling his upper body, and he kept his gaze on Eva. Maybe
he should warn her.
“
Flying Finnian bats
,” she said.
“This feels so good.”
It was good from his side too. Her breasts,
with their pale-pink nipples, bobbed in the water. She scrubbed her hands over
her body, under her arms, and groaned.
“Ooh, look,” she said. “There are fish. I
wonder if they’re edible.”
Saber bit back his amusement as he moved
closer to her. She was about to discover
she
was dinner.
“They’re a pretty color.” She reached out a
hand then let out a startled shriek. She lurched about in the water, her arms
flapping and breasts bouncing. “I thought you said this was
safe
?”
She threw herself at him, arms clutching
his shoulders, legs curled around his waist.
“Careful,” he gasped while attempting to
stem his urge to laugh long and loud. “You’re cutting off my circulation.”
“The fish are biting me!”
“They’re nibbling at dead skin cells,” he
corrected. “Hold still and watch.”
Eva stilled but remained wrapped around
him. He watched her face, her blue eyes going round as the fish approached and
started gently nibbling on her arm.
“It tickles.”
“But they’re not going to hurt you.” Saber
lifted an arm and stroked his fingers over her damp hair. “Want me to wash your
hair for you?”
“You’d do that?”
“Lean your head back so I can wet your
hair.” He helped her float and supported her with one hand while he ran the
fingers of the other through her locks. He massaged her head and saw her
eyelids lower. After a few minutes, he’d washed it as best he could without
soap. “All done. I’m going to take off my trousers and lay them on the bank to
dry. I’ll be back soon.”
Her eyes flew open. A furrow etched between
her brows.
“Don’t worry, kitten. You’ll be fine. I
won’t be far away.”
Saber waded to the bank and the blue bird
came scurrying over, honking and rubbing against Saber’s wet legs. “Hey,
fella.” He knelt and ran his hand over the bird’s plumage. The honking turned
to soft sighs, and when Saber stopped petting the bird, he pecked his leg,
making a different sound yet again, almost demanding. “Funny blue bird.”
Saber peeled off his trousers and draped
them on a bush. The bird shuffled over to Saber’s boots and sat between them.
His head dropped to his chest and his eyes closed. Saber shook his head and
waded back into the water. He had the feeling that they might have found a
third member to add to their party of two.
He headed straight for Eva. She was
floating on the surface, her blonde hair fanned around her head. He noticed her
legs were firmly together and only a few tiny fish were feasting on her arms.
He waded closer, slicing through the water with nary a splash until he reached
her side.
Enticed by her breasts, he ducked his head
and closed his mouth around one pert nipple.
“Oh!” She started floundering.
“Steady. I have you.”
More than you
realize
. Saber shoved the thought aside in favor of seduction. He took her
mouth—hard and hungry. A play of teeth and lips until she responded, opening to
him, letting him explore as she explored in return.
When he lifted his head, her lips were pink
and swollen, her eyes large, dark pools of arousal and emotion.
Mine.
Mine!
he thought, his cat flexing powerfully beneath his skin. He hauled her into his
arms, let her feel the steely length of his dick. His mouth closed around one
nipple and he sucked strongly, drawing small noises of enjoyment from Eva. She
wrapped wet limbs around him, clutching his head in a powerful grip.
Saber lifted his head and laughed. The joy
of the unfamiliar sound wrapped around him, made him smile wider. He waded to
the shore, the tiny fish swimming away, alarmed by the movement. Saber scanned
the vicinity for signs of danger and saw nothing to alarm him.
He set Eva gently on a grassy bank and
stood again, looming over her. “Spread your legs. I want to see you.”
She stared at him for a long moment,
hesitating.
“Do it,” he ordered.
She frowned then parted her legs to reveal
sexy pink flesh. A delicate tinge of pink flooded her cheeks, charming him.
“Don’t be embarrassed. You’re gorgeous.” He
squatted beside her and ran a light finger down her cleft until his fingertip
came to a halt on her clit. It was swollen and stood out from its protective
hood. “Beautiful.”