Craved Page 7

  “That’s better.” I brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers. “I like to be able to see you.” The color rose in her cheeks. “I’d like to see more.”

  Her eyes flashed up to meet mine and slowly she nodded.

  At the sight of her hand at the top fastening of her shirt my throat tightened.

  “May I?”

  She dropped her hands to her waist, trembling as slowly I unfastened her shirt. Every exposed micron of her skin was a gift and exquisite torture.

  When it was loose enough to slide from her shoulders and reveal her breasts I stopped, curled up to give each one a slow kiss.

  Valrea gasped as I took her pebbled nipples into my mouth, twisting my tongue around the rosy buds.

  I grinned up at her as she stared down, fascinated. “I’m feeling much better, how about you?”

  With the shirt hanging from her arms, I shifted focus, lifting her just enough to slide the baggy pants off her legs, and then resettle her in my lap.

  Her smooth curves distracted me, tempting my control, urging me to roll her onto her back, throw her ankles over my shoulders and howl at the sky as I claimed her.

  Instead, I continued unwrapping the best present I’d ever received until her torso was completely bare. Rather than tossing the garment away I wrapped the fabric around her wrists, holding them behind her with one hand.

  “Geir, why?” She panted.

  “Just let me touch you,” I breathed as I kissed the curve of her ribs. “You don't need to do anything but just feel.”

  Easing her back, she reclined on my raised knees, legs spread over my waist. So beautiful, so brave, so open.

  Mine.

  With long, languorous strokes I petted, teased her, up and down her thighs, brushing her stomach, the barest edge of her breasts. Touching her, learning her body was like a drug, I never wanted to stop. Every caress a breath closer to her core, then away again, until Valrea squirmed above me, eyes pressed shut.

  I groaned. Surely it wasn’t possible to be harder than I was, but her moans shot straight to my cock, demanding to be sheathed inside of her.

  But there were other things to come first.

  Fanning my hand across her pelvis, I pressed her back, then brushed her clit against the pad of my thumb.

  “Oh!” She exploded in my hands, pulling weakly at the makeshift restraints, her eyes flying open before fluttering closed again.

  “No,” I commanded hoarsely. “I want to see you. Look down.”

  As she watched, I dragged a finger between her slick folds, back and forth, dragging the torment out for us both. “You’re so wet. I can’t wait to taste you.”

  Her ragged pants fell into rhythm with my hand as I slipped one finger in, slowly pumping.

  “Geir, please,” she begged, face flushed and eyes unfocused.

  “What, honey?”

  “I don’t know,” she whimpered. “I don’t know what to do…”

  “Just trust me,” I slipped a second finger inside her heat while rubbing her sensitive nub.

  With each solid thrust I felt the tension coil through her until with a wail she shattered, and I gathered her into my arms, covered her face and neck with soft kisses until her breathing slowed.

  “Why are we stopping?” she panted after a few moments.

  I wrapped my arms around her to keep her nestled on my chest while we drifted off.

  “Gotta give a man something to look forward to.” I breathed deeply of her hair, felt her perfect body settle on mine. “Let’s think of it as a promise.”

  Another wave of shudders ran through her, and I held her tightly, dreaming of tomorrow.

  Valrea

  I woke well before dawn. For just a moment I let myself stay safe in Geir’s arms. What would it be like to go with him, to wake up like this every day?

  The tremors of my arm reminded me that could never happen. He kept talking about me going with him to whatever the hell it was. I was half tempted to agree with him just to make him quit asking.

  Every time I told him ‘no’ it hurt. The fraction of disappointment I put in his eyes before he covered it up with a grin.

  Father, Stanton, the Companion, the whole damn lot of them had me trapped.

  But for right now I was free.

  I kissed the hard line of his collarbone, still pushing back against the terror of what I'd asked him for, what he'd agreed to do so easily. For me.

  “Is it time?” No groggy blundering into wakefulness for him.

  “Almost. I think we should get ready.”

  I couldn't eat. For once he didn't press me to. Didn't take much other than water himself. Just ran his fingers up and down the hilt of the ever-present knife.

  “It's funny,” I said. “When I first found you, you threatened me with that thing. Scared the wits out of me.”

  Geir's eyes flew open wide. “I did what? Wouldn't have. You must be remembering wrong.”

  “I don't think it was me you were fighting.” I laughed. It seemed ridiculous now, ancient history. “You weren't exactly in the best shape. Still, I was pretty scared of that blade for a while.” I met his eyes. “I'm glad you have it now, though.”

  “So am I,” he said quietly.

  We made our way down to the opening we'd turned into a workroom and waited. I checked the light outside. It wouldn't be long.

  “So, tell me again,” Geir said. “How does this all go?”

  “Everyone in the compound will be gathered.” I spoke slowly, letting the images build in my mind. That had been my life, my only life before this.

  “Father's representative, that would be Stanton these days, will make a speech, usually about our great mission, the plan to take over the decadent Empire and bring righteous fury from the stars.”

  Geir nodded. “That sounds like a cheerful time for everyone.”

  “For most of the crowd, it is. Most of the people here are true believers in the mission, in the grand destiny that their parents or grandparents came here for. Just because there have been delays in the plan, it doesn’t mean they stopped trusting. It just seems to make their faith stronger.”

  Geir stopped where he was re-checking the set of the winches. “You said most of them.”

  “I'm sure some of the families who have lost someone to the Devourer's or the cadre feel differently.” I shook my head. “But it's not something anyone talks about. If you don't know who's likely to report you, what unguarded word will have your loved ones killed, you keep your thoughts to yourself.”

  “Besides, not many people spoke to me. It was probably Abril’s first black mark against her.” I said, gazing off into the growing light, waiting for the hellish ritual to be over. “She talked to me. Thought I was a person.”

  Geir wrapped his arms around me. “That's because you are.”

  I leaned back into him. “Once the cage is released, everyone turns their backs on the prisoners. They’re cut off. No matter how hard they beg, they’re not part of the project anymore.”

  A shudder ripped through me at the memory. “But you always heard them screaming, as you walked away.”

  The first blast of the siren jolted me back to the present.

  “We need to get ready.”

  I listened for the whirr of the crane that would lift the cage holding the prisoners from the grassy turf and swing it out over the sea.

  The second blast of the sirens came.

  I strapped him into the harness. He'd fought about it, but on this, I wasn't planning to compromise.

  He crushed me to his chest. “I'll be back, quit worrying.”

  I forced my arms to stop shaking. “You'd better be.”

  He grabbed the other two harnesses and stood poised at the edge of the opening.

  The third blast.

  The final summoning of the Devourers for their supper. A high-pitched scream and I knew the floor had been released from the cage that Abril and Caze had cowered in.

  Their bodies plummeted past us
and Geir leaped into the ocean after them.

  Geir

  I followed the screams.

  Behind me, I heard the splashes of the loosely woven baskets filled with fish hitting the water. Valrea threw them, one after the other, as far as she could, away from where we’d calculated the cage would drop its victims.

  It was a gamble, but worth it if it bought us even a few minutes.

  The icy water was already frothy with splashing and commotion. If the sirens hadn't done the job of summoning the Devourer, the thrashing and screaming surely would.

  Two strokes later I emerged from the water next to where a young woman clung to the neck of an equally terrified looking boy.

  “Keep screaming, but listen,” I hissed.

  That was easy enough. The woman's short cap of hair plastered to her head framing wide eyes fixed on me, and she shrieked even louder,

  “I'm a friend. Your mother and Valrea sent me.” A pause in the shock, as she registered the words. “Get this on.” I shoved the harness at her, but she just shook her head.

  “We don’t have time for this. Valrea thought you are worth saving. The Devourers will be here at any moment. Don't make me send you her corpse.” The young man, Faze, Laze, whatever, scowled, but the woman blinked, as my words made its way through.

  “Val. She sent you.” She took a breath, sputtered as a wave hit her face. “What do you need me to do?”

  Though her head still whipped from side to side, waiting for an attack she’d never be able to fight off, she seemed sensible. Maybe she'd be worth it after all.

  “Strap this around your waist.” I dove below to slide the harness over her legs, and with shaking hands, she fastened it.

  I tested it and then pulled the line.

  One tug, a second. Pause. Three more in quick succession. “Cover your head,” I hissed out as the winch pulled her away at high speed towards the cliff.

  She’d end up with bruises and scrapes, but better than staying here.

  I handed the other harness to the flailing young man.

  “Get this on, hurry.”

  “Who are you?” he challenged, thrashing to keep his head above water. His demands were somewhat undercut by the panic in his voice.

  I shoved the harness at him again. “Really? We’ll have time for a chat later.”

  Abril might be okay, but I wasn't sure about her choice of boyfriends.

  Another signal up the line and away up he went.

  Just in time. The entire rescue had taken seconds; the fish had distracted the Devourer just long enough.

  The questing brush of tentacles rasped against my leg. The fish had been a quick snack. But now it was back and hungry for the main course.

  “So long, squirmy.”

  I tugged my line, waiting to be pulled to safety.

  Nothing.

  I repeated the sequence, just a bit faster now, but still, the line lay slack on the water.

  A second tentacle looped around my ankle, dragging me under the surface.

  Apparently, I wasn’t getting out of here without a fight after all.

  Valrea

  I killed him.

  My stupid plan had killed him.

  The waves churned with the tentacles of the Devourer and far below I knew Geir battled for his life.

  I ran back from the opening to try the winch again.

  It sputtered and choked, then nothing.

  This was the part I'd always been most concerned about.

  Geir’s mass was easily more than Abril and Caze’s combined. The line would hold him, but it wouldn't pull him away from danger nearly as fast.

  And now it wasn’t pulling him back at all.

  Further back in the tunnel Abril and her boyfriend sat shivering, eyes wide, breathing choppy. Scrapes from the cliff face covered Abril’s arms, and he had a gash on his temple that looked like it might need attention.

  I should do something for them, but right now I didn't care. Didn't care about anything other than getting Geir back safe.

  Back to me.

  “Shut up, come here and help me!” I screamed and began to unspool Abril’s line from the first winch.

  She blinked then stood up, the harness sagging off her.

  “What do you need?

  I handed the boyfriend Geir’s line. “Drop it and I’ll push you back off the cliff myself.” The idea of it sliding away untethered into the depths screeched at the edge of my mind, but there wasn’t time to worry.

  Together, Abril and I ripped the last of the line free of the winch.

  This was taking too long. Every beat of my heart meant more blood Geir would shed.

  “All right, bring it here,” I snapped at Caze. With shaking fingers, I tried to wind the line through the spool. “Dammit, not now,” I muttered to myself.

  Refocusing I did it again until finally, it caught.

  I hit the switch as slowly, far too slowly, the line reeled in.

  A meter, another, and still the line was slack.

  Had the devourer cut the line? Had Geir taken off the harness, thought I'd abandoned him and looked for another route to safety?

  Finally, the line snapped taut and I held my breath until my heartbeat pounded in my ears, until over the lip of the opening one broad hand came up, then another.

  I ran to him, dragging at his shoulders until he sprawled on the tunnel floor.

  He cracked an eye. “Trouble with that third winch, honey?”

  I flung myself into his arms, heedless of the wet.

  “What happened?”

  “When I realized there was a problem I started swimming back. Figured I’d start climbing. You'd get me eventually.”

  “Of course I would,” I breathed.

  “No more swimming for you,” I sniffled into his chest.

  “I’m not arguing,” he said and squeezed me to him.

  Regretfully we detangled ourselves. Abril and her boyfriend stood pressed against the wall, his arm protectively over her shoulders, but she stood straight and tall.

  I held a hand out to her. “I'm so sorry. This was my fault.”

  “That's nonsense,” she bit out. “You didn't put me in that cage. You didn’t turn your back when the cadre came. This whole thing is nonsense.” She put her hand over her mouth quickly. She might be angry, but she still knew listeners could be anywhere.

  I nodded to the young man who stood behind her. “But you didn’t turn your back.”

  His fingers closed on her shoulders.

  “Not on Abril. Not for anyone.”

  A warm spark lit in my chest. A week ago, this would have been incomprehensible to me, something I’d only read about in my stories.

  I laced my fingers through Geir’s beside me.

  Not for anyone.

  “Now that we’ve all said hello, let's get you outside.” Geir headed deeper into the tunnel.

  “Outside?” Abril’s voice held a tinge of fear.

  “Something else we've been lied to about,” I grumbled.

  That first day of blindly exploring, stumbling through the dark had made the trip through the underground passages seem endless. We’d done it so often now it was routine, familiar.

  Except for one consideration.

  The sun was high when we emerged from the hillside.

  Geir and I looked at each other and frowned.

  “I don't like this,” he muttered.

  Neither did I. In our careful preparations we’d forgotten about simple daylight.

  All of our previous activities outside of the tunnels had been limited to night or under the cover of the trees lining the river banks, hoping to avoid detection from any of the spy satellites that Geir and his friends had seen when he arrived.

  “We should stay back, wait,” I suggested.

  Geir looked over his shoulder where Abril and Caze shivered in their still damp clothes.

  “I think we should risk it. Get them settled.” His lips twisted. “Besides, soon it won't matter.
There won’t be anyone receiving signals from those spying eyes.”

  For an instant, he was a stranger. Someone dark and feral. Dangerous.

  Then he picked me up and dashed down the hill, calling for the others to follow. “This way!”

  We spent the afternoon showing Abril and Caze around the camp. It was odd watching them adjusting to being out from the cover of the dome.

  Only days ago, I'd had to fight the same terrors. Now the rushing of the river, the sound of wind in the trees overhead, the buzz of the insects soothed me. It all stood in stark contrast to the cold sterility of life in the compound, or the oppressive silence of the tunnels.

  Abril and I sat on the bank watching Geir try to show Caze how to catch a fish.

  “That doesn't seem particularly efficient,” she commented.

  “No,” I agreed, “but we could all use a good laugh.”

  “I wonder…” She got up wandered a short way away and examined one of the spindly bushes that surrounded the clearing.

  “That might work,” she muttered, and I grinned. She sounded just like her mother looking at a balky engine.

  “Hey,” she called out. “Can I borrow that knife for a minute?”

  Geir splashed out of the river, flicking water at me. “How about you just tell me what you want, and I'll cut it.”

  Abril shrugged. “That works too.”

  In short order, she had a stack of thin branches and long tough grasses spread in front of her.

  “Looks like there's a lot of rocks in the water,” she commented as she started tying lengths of grass around the interwoven branches.

  I caught on and started helping.

  “While we do this,” I pointed with my chin to the river, “can you find a place where two large rocks come together? But still has about this much space?” I gestured, guessing at the size we’d have when finished.

  Geir shrugged. “Of course.”

  By the time they came back we'd finished the primitive net. “Try this.” I held my corner out to Geir. “See if the fish end up in just one piece.”

  While they tried out our invention, I turned to Abril. “Did your mom say anything to you before, in the cage?”