The bird-beast opens its mouth again, and I throw the damn snail as hard as I can. Its beak crunches on the snail, catching it in midair, and blue goop explodes from it, spattering my skin.

The creature screams, even more enraged. A moment later, I figure out why.

Oh no.

Holy shit.

My skin’s burning, turning red where the snail goop splattered across me.

“Oh no,” I tell the thing on my shoulder. “This isn’t good.”

It’s tongue flickers out, and it bobs its freakishly large head in agreement. But the bird creature rakes its talons in anger against the tree once more, then makes a high, keening sound that leaves my ears ringing.

Finally, its head falls forward, and it slumps to the ground.

I grab my still sodden clothes from last night, scrubbing off the blue goop from my stomach and thighs. It burns. I hiss out a breath, trying to get it all off, but the damage is done. Whatever was in the snails is like acid, and blisters are forming already on my skin.

“Ni-Kee!” a voice bellows. Draz. His worried face peers into the crack in the tree, and I throw my wet clothes at him.

“I can’t believe you made me sleep in a tree full of acid snails!” Bright lights swim across my vision, and little stars dance in Draz’s eyes. He’s pretty—for an alien. Big and huge and muscled and his face is scaly, but ooh it is pretty. Even a human man would be lucky to have his strong jaw and full lips, his thick cheekbones and long, black hair.

I shake my head, trying to clear it.

“I had to kill that big bird thing with a snail, and it got all over me, and it hurts! It hurts, Draz. Why would you have us sleep with killer snails?”

“Because it was safe, woman,” he says, glaring at me. “Safe until you used one of our sacred snails as a weapon!” He kicks the beast’s body out of the crevice, pulling up short as he takes in the creature now wound around my shoulders, still chittering at me.

“How was I supposed to know it was sacred?” I’m yelling now, adrenaline still pounding through my body, along with a strange, heady sensation that’s leaving me slightly dizzy, like I’ve drunk too much cheap wine. “That thing attacked us, and I killed it. Where were you, anyway? You abandoned me in the middle of the jungle, and I almost got eaten by Big Bird’s demonic twin. You abandoned me,” I repeat, startled to feel tears sliding down my cheeks.

Why am I crying?

Suddenly, a huge laugh hiccups out of me, and then another. And another. Honestly, this situation is hilarious.

“I can’t believe the Federation sold me out to a sexy alien so you could make babies with me.” I laugh so hard more tears come out, streaming from my eyes. “And then you tell me you’re going to take care of me, and the moment I’m asleep, you leave me alone, and I almost die.” I clutch at his wrist, snorting with laughter now. “I mean, come on. It’s too good.”

“It should not be affecting you this strongly.” He shakes his head. “I do not know what it will do to your delicate human system.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, still laughing. The words slur, but whatever. Who cares? He has a translator, and he will just have to figure it out.

“I can understand you fine,” he says carefully, narrowing his eyes at me. “Does your skin hurt where the liquid touched?”

He reaches out for me, tracing the pad of one finger along my skin.

I shiver. “No, no, it feels good,” I tell him. “It feels so good.”

Draz pulls his hand away as though he’s been scorched.

“Don’t stop,” I tell him, near panting. The creature on my shoulders wraps its little furry and clawed hands around my neck, giving me a shake.

“I leave you alone for one minute,” he says, “and you manage to contaminate yourself and bond with a zoleh. You are something else, my mate.”

“Yeah I am.” I jut out a hip, reaching for him. “I am a human.” I double over, laughing hysterically. “And you are a big, strong alien, with a big, strong cock.” I stand up, batting my eyelashes and running a finger down his ridiculously muscled torso.

His abs have abs.

A teensy part of me is screaming to stop, that something is wrong, but the rest of me does not give one single, solitary fuck.

“I want to see it again.” I crook a finger at him, using my best seductive smile. It’s my only seductive smile, but whatever.

“Ni-Kee,” he groans, shutting his eyes. “I want to tell you yes, my mate, but this is not you.”

“Then who is it, Draz? Is there someone else here who wants to look at that huge, hard dick? Hmmm?” I flutter my eyelashes again, and his gaze drops to my mouth. My entire body is pulsing with need, completely wound up. Wetness pools between my legs, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been so wet in my life. I need to have sex. I need to orgasm. Immediately. ASAP.

The weird little animal vaults from my shoulders, clambering to the top of the crevice in the tree.

Draz doesn’t say anything though, just stares at me as I sidle closer, rubbing my cheek against his hard chest. It’s rougher than my skin, but smoother and silkier than it looks, too. It feels delicious.

“Is there someone else here who wants to take that cock in their mouth? To suck it until you come in my throat?”

I never thought I’d be so glad that Bex shoved all her romance novels at me during our flight here. I am the queen of dirty talk now. I run one hand lower, where the ridges of his hips dip into his pants, and gasp as I grip the thick length of him in one hand.

“Ni-Kee,” he growls, and I grin up at him, knowing I’m about to get my way. I’m so turned on that the ache of pleasure is already cresting, and I put my own fingers down my pants as I kneel, trying to rip off his pants.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TEN

OceanofPDF.com

DRAZ

My Ni-Kee kneels before me, her fingers wrapped around my cock. My balls draw up tight, already overcome with my raging lust for her.

I tip my head back, and the hollow inside of the tree stretches above me, the snails streaking across the interior. I want what she said so badly it hurts; the thought of watching her take my cock into her wet mouth is an idea that will plague me until I see it happen.

“No,” I rasp, drawing her up from her knees. Her fingertips skate along my length, and I tremble at the slight touch.

Her hand works under the thin fabric covering her cunt, and fresh desire burns through me as I catch the delicious scent of it.

Growling, I jerk her fingers away from her cunt, and they come away slippery and wet.

“Please, please Draz, I need to come. Let me come.”

“As much as I long to hear those words from that pretty mouth, you will hate me forever if I allow you to continue on like this.”

She sways slightly, her eyes glassy with lust.

Lust caused by the bioluminescent slime that burned welts into her beautiful flesh. I’ve never seen a reaction like this. The snails are sacred to my species, used to increase libido by mated couples trying for offspring. I thought perhaps they would signify luck, a blessing on our mating.

I press my eyes closed, my hands still firmly around her delicate wrists.

It seems I was very wrong, and now my mate is paying the price. I am not foolish enough to think she will come back to her senses and thank me for letting her bring herself to orgasm in front of me, considering how shy she was last night.

I groan again, and she writhes closer, rubbing her hip across my cock and letting out a soft moan.

This is truly torture.

“Ni-Kee,” I growl, then pick her up carefully, so as not to further damage her wounded skin. Her wet clothes follow, plopping gently on top her.

“I want you, I need to come,” she says, her voice slightly panicked. “Let me touch myself.”