Taken: Blue Barbarian Series (Blue Barbarians Book 3) Read online

  I notice Jezebel walking with Maca in the distance. Talk about putting out. Yeah, they’re so not quiet. She’s a screamer. We’re all perfectly aware of when they started doing it.

  “Meeranda?” Aschero asks, his face hopeful.

  Poor guy. “Yeah, Ashy, baby. I’m going with you.”

  His face looks blank, so I step in and lift my head for a kiss. Between us, I reach up inside his loincloth. He looks startled for a minute, and then his mouth descends, ravaging me.

  “Get a room,” Tessa hollers, but she’s walking between two guys. I’m not brave enough to take on two of them.

  Now we’re in the back of the traveling line, but it doesn’t matter. Valencia knows we’re going off on our own. Or Aschero has mentioned it to someone.

  He takes me by the hand, and we veer slightly to the right.

  He’s going to take me off somewhere and have sex. My belly quivers at the idea.

  ASCHERO:

  Miranda moans delicately. Even as I watch, her nipples stiffly poke out, a sure sign of arousal. I wonder if she thinks of me as she dreams. She must, she is my mate. I take my palm and rub it along her taut nipple. She makes the softest, delicate sound of pleasure. Very carefully, I draw the furs back.

  She is a work of beauty, my Miranda. Her skin glows a delicate white in the light from the flickering flames. Her nipples are rosy, the round disks sitting in the middle of her globes are larger than most of the other women. I find it sexy.

  Her waist is much smaller, and then her hips flare out again, round and lush. Her bottom is full.

  Between her curvy thighs is a small thatch of hair as dark as that on her head. It is smaller than before, but it grows in day by day.

  I trace down her hip bone, and then spread her knees apart. Her thighs fall to the side, and it spreads open the lips of her cunt.

  My cock grows so hard it aches for release. “Soon,” I tell it, and give it one stroke. I shudder, imagining it is her hand. I stare into her pussy. It is darker inside, where all sorts of hidden delights lay within the delicate lips. There is a tiny nub on top that makes her shudder and come when it is stroked lightly. There is the opening of her body, where my cock fits perfectly when she grows wet. I once watched Miranda stroke herself, rubbing the tiny button she calls a clit as her pussy swallowed my cock whole. It was the sexiest sight I ever saw.

  Miranda stirs, and her lips part. I wonder if she dreams of sucking my cock.

  For now, though, I will bring her body release. I promised her this as she was awake. A wet dream.

  So I cup the round cheeks of her ass with my hands, and raise her hips. Her pussy glistens with her own lust, as she is in the throes of her dream. I am dying to taste my mate, for the first time as a couple.

  I dip my head and lick her slit entirely, from her puckered bottom up to her clit. Her breathing deepens. I lick again, running my tongue down one side of her spread lips and up the other.

  Her essence is flavorful, sweet and delicate, just like Miranda. I wish I could keep the taste of her on my tongue forever.

  I spear it into her entrance, and then rub it inside her. She makes a small gasp of delight. She loves the feeling of my tongue inside her, and says that humans cannot rub theirs like this.

  Suddenly, I am jealous that she had a human tongue here, tasting her like I do. She is mine, no one else’s.

  I refuse to acknowledge that she has slept with other humans, and other Blaedonians. She is mine now, and that is all that matters.

  I move up to peer down at the spread cunt before me. She looks so delicate here. I move closer and press my tongue against her clit, learning the feel of the tender flesh. It is so soft against me. I groan against her as her flavor erupts on my tongue.

  My dick throbs. I give her a long, delicious lick and I’m amazed at how much the pink nub stiffens as I play with it. I continue to suck and lick at every inch of her. I pull back a little and looked down. Her slit is soaked, the smell of her arousal stronger and more appealing. I groan, and grind myself into the furs. My cock aches for release.

  I lap at her sweet honey, spreading her lips apart with my fingers. I know when she is about to reach her peak, her muscles tense. I cover her entire cunt with my mouth and suck it into my heat. She’s wet, and I’m wet, and she explodes.

  I feel her twitch against my tongue as she climaxes and she gives a shudder. The nub I licked to completion softens. I rise to my knees and touch the opening at the tip of my cock to one of her gorgeous pink nipples. Two such pleasurable points together brings me unimaginable pleasure, and I caress myself mercilessly. My stroke is hard and sure from years of practice and I imagine Miranda and me making love in the future when she is awake. The mental image is erotic as I imagine her choosing to sit upon my face, raising herself higher on her knees when the pleasure from my mouth grows too intense, and then grinding down as she wants it harder and is about to come.

  The orgasm rips its way from me and my cock spits seed all over her magnificent, round breasts. My blue release looks sexy as it covers her pink nipples and I shudder, which wrings even more from me in another climax.

  I wait for my heart to calm before I wipe my release off her sexy breasts. I play with them, until the tips harden again. How I wish to take her, but Miranda needs to be awake for our lovemaking.

  But seeing my beautiful mate spread in my nest, naked and all mine—suddenly, I’m hard again. Soon, I tell myself. Soon Miranda and I will make love together, as a mated couple. For now, I will masturbate again and perhaps give her another orgasm while she sleeps.

  Chapter Five

  MIRANDA:

  I wake up to a dark cave, with an exhausted sleeping man cuddled up with me. We’re both naked and he’s so warm.

  But he’s snoring, and I don’t have the heart to wake him. He hasn’t been sleeping well, taking care of me the way he has.

  I can reach the waterskin next to the furs, though, so I take a deep gulp. I’m so thirsty. By the time I finish it off, intense blue eyes are watching me.

  “Sorry,” I say. “I tried to let you sleep.”

  “You’ve awakened on your own,” he says, yawning. His hair is mussed, and he looks so much younger.

  “Appears the tea is wearing off.”

  He bounds up from the furs. “I’ll take you to bathe.”

  “It does smell like sex in here.”

  He smiles ruefully. “I could not resist my sweet mate in the throes of her wet dream.”

  “I can’t ever resist you. In fact, the thought of you doing me while I slept is a turn-on. Did you do me naughty?”

  “Very,” he whispers. “I made sure it was good for both of us.”

  “Did you come deep in my pussy?”

  “No, I licked your pussy until you came all over my tongue. Then I shot like a schoolboy on your breasts.”

  “I swear I could almost feel my pussy being ravaged. It was the best dream.”

  “I shall do it when you are awake next time.”

  “I wonder when my memories will come back? Who knows what I’m missing out on?” Thanks to the dreaming, I’m reliving what I’d like to forget. But I wish to explore more of my current life with Ash.

  A shutter drops over his eyes. “I do not know. We’ve never had a human overdose on the medicinal tea.”

  He scoops me up with a blanket. It’s chilly in the hallways. To my surprise, it’s morning, though it’s still dark. But I can tell by the smell the breakfast foods cooking. Several others are in the pool and make room for us.

  Aschero drops the blanket and behind us, Cammie comes by and moves it out of the way. She reaches into the basket of soapcakes and grabs a leather hair tie for me, handing it off. I smile gratefully, and use it to knot my hair on the top of my head.

  “Hi, Miranda. Aschero,” Lucie calls out. She and Rayhaan are relaxing. There’s also Niki and Drakar, Jezebel and Maca, and Valencia with Atareek.

  I stare at her, and a tendril of a memory hits me, while awake. L
ucie…and we’re dressing her for her wedding.

  “Oh,” I say, excited.

  They’re all staring, and then I’m aware I was frozen, locked in thought for a few moments.

  “For a brief second, I remembered the wedding! It’s gone now, but for a second it was right there, a memory close enough for me to reach.”

  Aschero picks me up and walks into the pool with me. He’s strangely silent as the others chatter excitedly, asking me what it was.

  “Your face looks better,” Kalki says quietly to him.

  I pretend not to hear, at first.

  “Cio is definitely the worse for wear.”

  I turn to Ash, and gasp. How had I missed how deeply the black and blue bruises on one side of his beautiful face run? In my defense, the cave is darker than out here, where there are more glow-rocks and even torches.

  “You’re awfully skinny,” Jezebel says. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. You can eat and get your strength back up.”

  “My appetite’s not really there yet,” I say. “I’m sure it’s coming.”

  “You should visit reverent mother while you’re awake,” Lucie says.

  That catches Aschero’s attention. “We will do that,” he announces. “We must get you healthy.”

  He then switches to bathing me, wanting to get me to see the healer before I fall asleep again, I guess.

  “It’s all right,” I say. “I’m not in the least bit sleepy. I’ll be awake for much longer this time. I can feel it.”

  For the first time, I see the strain on his face. I cup his jaw and slowly press my lips to his. “It’s okay, Ash, baby. I’m fine. Relax.”

  I’m aware of everyone else in the pool, completely quiet. Ash has turned a dusky blue, and he nods briefly.

  “I just want to make sure I get you clean, fed and to see her before your weariness hits.”

  “I’ll warn you when I’m getting tired.”

  “My baby’s getting hungry anyway,” Niki announces. She rises from the pool and Drakar covers her with a fur. Her belly is ever so slightly rounded now. I’d have expected more of a bump, but Niki’s our first mixed pregnancy. We have no idea how quickly it will progress.

  One by one, we all dry off and leave the pool. Rayhaan turns to Aschero.

  “If you two want to get dressed, I will gather your plates to save you some time.”

  “Thank you,” Ash says, and picks me up, fur and all. He hauls me down the hallway to our cave so we can dress.

  When we reach the main cave, there are two empty spots near Rayhaan and Lucie, each with a plate of food. We take the seats next to them and so far, tiredness hasn’t hit. I eat as much as I can, and when everyone notices when I slow down, then they come to greet me and wish me well.

  We laugh and visit for a bit, and again I feel a pang as I wonder how much I’ve missed out on and when all the memories will come rushing forth. I’m excited at the thought, but then I yawn.

  “I’m getting just a little bit tired,” I tell Ash. “Maybe we need to go see reverent mother.”

  He nods, rising.

  “Leave your plates,” Lucie says. “We’ll get them. I’ll see you soon, Miranda.”

  I smile at her, and loop my hand through Aschero’s. His fingers curl against mine, leaving my belly warm and tingly. We make our way from the main cave and down the small corridor where the healing hut is. The curtain door is wide open, and Lachlana gestures us in.

  “Good morning, you two. Miranda, I am pleased to see you looking so well. Come sit.”

  I sit on her table and Ash hovers nearby, still gripping my hand.

  Reverent mother feels the glands in my neck, pressing delicately. Then she moves her hands down the front of my body.

  “Lie down,” she instructs.

  I bring my legs up and turn sideways, but still grip Ash’s hand.

  She moves her hands over me again, hovers over certain points and I lay perfectly still.

  “The tea is not as strong anymore,” she announces. “But it is not completely out of your body yet.”

  “So eat, drink, and get plenty of rest?” I smile.

  “And do not have any other medicinals until everything is purged from you. You would be highly susceptible to another overdose. A second one could render you into a permanent sleep.”

  “No worries there. I won’t drink a single tea without you checking it out first.”

  She smiles. “I am sure it will not happen again. But we should probably mark the teas more carefully. I will work on that idea.”

  With a sweep of his arms, Ash picks me up and takes me down the hall.

  ASCHERO:

  Some of the girls come to visit while Miranda naps. Our cave is full, but they have brought the lunchtime stew, so we sit cross-legged and whisper quietly.

  “Cio has been asking for her,” Tessa says.

  “What has he wanted to know?”

  “If she’s woken. How she feels, what she remembers.”

  “He will not get near her.”

  “It’s nighttime all day long,” Lucie says. “We’re all house-bound until the weather clears. It will be impossible to avoid him, Aschero. Eventually Miranda will want to leave the cave.”

  “I will keep her busy in our furs,” I announce, and Jezebel snickers.

  The other women glare at her.

  “What? It may work,” she whispers.

  “I am not losing her,” I say, and my voice is a little sharp. “I am Miranda’s mate. No matter what. The only ones who refuse to acknowledge it are Cio and Miranda.”

  “He’s got a point,” Jezebel says again.

  Niki sighs. “Okay, we’ll help you as much as we can.”

  I look slyly at Tessa. “Can you not flirt with him? Distract him? You are technically still single.”

  Her mouth drops. “I’m bunking in a cave with two men. That’s a lot of sex. Sorry, I can’t take on a third. Plus, my situation works because my guys are not possessive. Cio is crazy jealous.”

  “Or just crazy,” I mutter.

  “Not possessive?” Jezebel snorts. “The reason why it works is because both Jeroc and Tijar love you unconditionally.”

  Lucie laughs. “Plus, she’s a ballerina. That makes her pretty flexible.”

  Tessa looks dreamy. “Back on Earth,” she tells me. “I’d have been called all kinds of names for having two lovers. Hell, the men might even have been called names. It’s so much more accepting with your culture.”

  I shrug. “Sometimes a relationship with three people happens. It is more rare, but it exists. Love is love and sometimes breaks the rules.”

  “Do you love one more than the other, Tess?” Lucie asks.

  “No. I love them both equally.”

  I have gone quiet, because we were talking of Cio. Perhaps I robbed this from Miranda. Perhaps she would have loved me and him unconditionally.

  Jezebel looks at me sharply. “I know what you’re thinking. It wouldn’t have been like that with you three. Miranda never loved him, not like she loves you. In fact, Cio doesn’t really love her. He just wants her. He’s a bit controlling and feels like a toy was taken away.”

  “I hope not,” I say.

  “I know not. We all know our sister, and she fought against loving you. Something happened to her—back on Earth—so she didn’t want to tie herself to one person. Do you remember when, on the trail, everything was going hunky-dory and then she suddenly started flirting with other guys?”

  I nod. “I thought she would want to mate with me, after that night. Instead she did the complete opposite.”

  “I think that night she decided she loved you. And it scared her beyond words. Then, when we went to visit the Stargazers to see all the night creatures? Did anyone else catch her leaving to speak with Jessie in private?”

  Several of the heads nod. Even I nod.

  “Just be patient, Aschero,” Lucie says. “It’s you that she loves. No one else. She’ll grow to accept being mated when she finds
out how it was done.”

  Just then, Miranda begins to stir and I move to prop her up on pillows.

  “Wake up, my love,” I whisper. “Your friends are here visiting.”

  Her eyes slowly lift. She looks sleepy and adorable. Her cheeks are pink, and her lips are swollen and pink. “Hi, guys,” she says. I place a kiss on her forehead.

  She is greeted by a chorus of voices and Niki hands me a bowl of stew for her.

  “Is this the fatten-me-up brigade?” she asks with a smile.

  “You got it, sleepyhead,” Lucie says. “Eat up. That’s all we seem to do in the winter.”

  “Maca says next week we’ll be able to notice an hour’s daylight,” Jezebel says.

  I nod, worried. “That means we usually gather outside for a few minutes just to get the few rays of weakened sunlight there is. It is cold, even for us. Perhaps those few minutes will not matter for you and you should stay inside.”

  “I need the sun, no matter how weak it is,” Tessa says. Had we not just talked about avoiding Cio? She’s elbowed by Jillian.

  “Um, of course, Miranda should skip the cold,” she amends. “Until you’re stronger.”

  I spoon-feed my mate, and she doesn’t seem to care too much about going outside. I am grateful. I don’t need Cio filling her head with nonsense.

  “Now that you’re awake,” Niki announces. “We’ll give you two some alone time. We can come back tomorrow to visit, Miranda.”

  One by one, the humans shuffle from our cave, and the curtain is drawn tight by Jezebel, who winks at me. I sigh. That one is trouble. Miranda laughs.

  “She thinks we’re gonna get it on,” she says.

  “We should be thankful she didn’t decide to watch.”

  “I’m tired of sleeping,” Miranda says. “I’m going to fight to stay up. I don’t want to dream anymore. I want to differentiate between what’s real and what isn’t.”

  Though I’m slightly alarmed at the thought of her getting lost between dreams and reality, I smile at my mate. “Then I will help you.”

  “Tell me a story.”

  About what?”

  “How we ended up mated. I can’t that remember yet.”