Savage Seed by Ivy Sparks

9

Kade

The more we walked,the clearer it became that Leslie wasn’t as strong or stout as my people. Nor did she possess the same level of stamina. I was used to making long treks across the desert, but Leslie was not faring as well. I provided her with some of my food, as well as the juice from the nutrient-rich Nebi fruit. But she still could only walk for so long before getting tired. As night approached, I noticed her pace slowing and her movements becoming weary.

She never complained, which I found quite admirable. But her need to break and to sleep was obvious.

Though I could have continued on much longer without stopping, the truth was I would benefit from a few hours of sleep as well. But I couldn’t delay too long. We had many strong warriors capable of defending my village… but none were as strong as me.

Sand tigers hunted alone, but there was more than one in this region. Since I had not killed the prey I had been following, I knew it was only a matter of time before she, or perhaps another creature just like her, returned to my village and attacked the livestock. Possibly even the villagers.

Stopping now would slow our progress, but it couldn’t be helped. If we continued, I would have had to carry Leslie over my shoulder. That might not have slowed me down very much, were it not for the fact that I was trying to limit how often I touched her, for both of our sakes.

I stopped walking and Leslie bumped into my back, that simple touch alone enough to warm my blood. She gasped softly, and I closed my eyes for a moment to collect myself and avoid the myriad of temptations that had already begun swirling through my head.

She was so delicate, so completely unlike the women of my tribe. But I had seen a spark in her when she had fought the sand beast. I knew she was made of more than just soft touches and smooth skin.

Though I certainly appreciated those soft touches and that smooth skin. Craved them, in fact.

“What?” she asked as I turned to face her. “Why’d you stop?”

“Rest,” I said, but that didn’t seem to be one of the Xeki words she understood. She shook her head in confusion, her golden hair swishing back and forth. I rubbed my chin, trying to think of a way to tell her what I wanted, possibly the same way I had gotten her to understand my father was the king earlier.

I pointed to the sky. With the growing darkness, the moon grew brighter, and the brightest of the night’s stars were already visible. The darkness should have been enough of a hint that I wanted us to stop for sleep.

Leslie looked up to where I had pointed and squinted. “What is it? Do you see something up there?”

I ran a hand down my face and tried not to sigh. She really needed a communicator. I sat down on the ground and looked back up, exaggerating my motions in the hope she would understand.

“You want to stargaze? At a time like this?”

I shook my head and fell onto my back, closing my eyes. I felt the sand fly over me as she sat beside me, and I opened my eyes back up to look at her. She was smiling a crooked smile. She had understood, after all, and had been merely teasing.

I untied my bedroll and motioned for her to lie on it. She looked at it for a moment and frowned, seeming to consider the implications. I pointed to myself, then at the ground, indicating I’d be sleeping by myself, with no intention of sharing the bedroll with her.

She seemed to understand. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

I nodded, and she sprawled out on my bedroll. I laid beside her on the sand, careful not to get too close.

“These sands are soft,” she murmured, brushing her hand across the desert floor. “And the grains… already cool to the touch. It’s like we’re lying on water. No, floating on it. And we’re just lying here—” she yawned long and hard, “floating lazily, enjoying the starlight.”

I felt her hand slide close to mine and resisted the urge to grab it.

“Sleep’s a good idea,” she mumbled, her eyes already closing. “I’m so tired.”

A moment later, she was asleep.

The quiet allowed me time to think. We’d soon make it to my tribe, and that posed a new set of problems. I’d never brought an outsider home before. In fact, I was so vehemently opposed to the practice that I had pleaded with my father to outlaw it.

Showing up with Leslie would be seen as a tremendous breach of my morals, as well as wildly hypocritical. It would likely also be seen as a weakness, a softening of my position on external affairs that would give some of my rivals cause to challenge me and my future place on the throne. This was unacceptable. I had to come up with a plan, an explanation for bringing Leslie to the village.

But the reality was, I had no reasonable explanation. I had seen her fighting, and almost instantly taken a liking to her. Somewhere between the moment I had hastily decided to save her from that sand beast and now, I had come to feel fiercely protective of her. And despite her conflicted feelings about her father, it was clear it was her first desire to return to him.

And so that was my only goal: to help her find her way back to her father. Getting her back to the safety of my village would give us time to plot a course back, and to pack the needed supplies for a safe trip. It would be simpler to get her back to him from the starting point of the village.

But as I lay next to her, watching the steady rise and fall of her supple breasts as she breathed peacefully, a question came to mind. What if one of her people—even her father himself—showed up at this very moment to take her back? Would I consider my task complete and let her go? Or would I want to keep her?

Despite my intentions to help her, I was under no real obligation to fulfill that arrangement. I could bring her back to my village and do what many in my tribe would expect me to do: enslave her, or make her my pet.

I wanted none of these things. For some reason, I genuinely wanted to help this woman. But I wanted something more. I wanted to make her a permanent part of my life.

Was I growing soft? If so, why? What had changed? Was it simply my animal attraction to her? Or was there something else happening within me?

I kept my eyes on the stars as I pondered these things, keeping an ear out for any disturbances nearby. It may have been wise to stay on the perimeter of our meager camp, patrolling for any would-be predators. But I didn’t want to leave Leslie’s side. What if she woke up and I wasn’t there? Or worse, what if something sneaked past me and attacked her while she was sleeping?

No, I wouldn’t leave her side. Not for any reason. I would just have to stay ever vigilant, watching and listening for any signs of movement.

While my eyes and ears were focused on potential threats, Leslie had rolled onto her side and inched closer to me. She groaned as if in a dream, or perhaps from the pain of an aching joint. I nearly had to place my hand over her mouth to shush her, should she alert every predator in the desert to our location. Following the groan, she threw her arm up over me, wrapping it snugly around my chest. Once there, she moved even closer to me, so that my left arm was now pressed firmly between her soft breasts. Her body was seeking warmth in the chilly night air, and I had much warmth to provide.

Too much warmth.

The heat from Leslie’s touch quickly spread to my groin, and I was unable to turn my thoughts from her. I marveled at her softness, the sweetness of her scent, the gentleness with which she clung to me. With each breath she took, her chest expanded and pressed even harder against me, letting me feel her hardened nipples through her clothing.

Damn,the cold air tonight.

My cock swelled as my pulse pooled lower, and I clenched my fists by my sides. It was possible that Leslie’s body was seeking mine again, on instinct, and that perhaps we were drawn to each other. The idea was one I had always rejected. An outsider and a Xeki? Nonsense, I believed. But it was growing harder to ignore how our bodies reacted to each other.

Leslie wiggled even closer, her abdomen pressed against my fist. If I opened my palm and angled a little, I would have been able to reach the hot space between her legs…

But before the thought overtook me, I forced myself to roll over onto my side with my body turned away from her. If she still desired warmth, she could nestle against my back. That would satisfy her body’s needs and keep my own in check.

Cold air filled the gap between us, and I heard her stir. Sand shifted behind me as she lifted her head, and I could feel her breath against my skin. Was she looking at me? Did she know I was awake?

Carefully, almost timidly, she closed the few inches of space between us and spread herself fully against my back, a small sigh of comfort passing her lips as she settled into my skin.

Softly—so softly that I could barely feel it—she traced her fingertips across the stripes on my back. I felt my body temperature growing hotter and hotter. “Like a wild animal,” I heard her murmur. “But maybe you’re not as wild as I thought.” Then, a small laugh. “Or maybe you’re just waiting to be tamed.”

Then she grew quiet, and as her breathing slowed, I knew she’d fallen back to sleep.

Each time she stroked one of the stripes on my back, a wave of pleasure shot through me. It took everything I had not to groan at her touch, and I nearly choked trying to keep it in. No one had ever elicited such a response from my body. Ever.

There was only one way to find out if our connection was true. But as much as I wanted it, I would not simply take it from her. I would wait, as long as it took, until she was ready to give it freely—if she ever was.

Morning came slowly, the first of Xersie’s two suns beginning to rise. Once it had crested the horizon, I rolled away from Leslie and knelt before her. I slept lightly. My cock had slept as well, but seeing Leslie’s face so beautiful and serene in the sun’s glow made it twitch again. Besides that desire, I felt a warmth spread through my chest, something deeper than lust. A feeling I had never felt before.

This woman was creating some kind of change in me. The question was, was it a change for the better? Or would it lead to a disaster I couldn’t yet see?