Page 50 of Cherished By the Alien Outlaw

“I love you, Talia,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re my heart, my mate, my world.”

“I love you too, Firion,” I whispered back, my voice shaky with the force of my feelings.

I lifted my hips up to meet each of his drives and tightened my fingers on his arms. My body shuddered as I rose toward the peak, and when his gaze met mine, he nodded.

“Let go, precious one,” he groaned. “Take what you need from me. I give it freely.”

With one hard thrust, he sent me spiraling over the edge. My orgasm crashed over me; a rush of sensation so intense that stars danced behind my eyes. I clung to him as he followed me, his cock pulsing inside me as he found his release.

We lay there, tangled together, our hearts pounding as we slowly came back to the ground. The world outside could wait. This was our sanctuary. Our moment together.

As we caught our breath, Firion gently disentangledour bodies and rolled onto his back, bringing me with him to lay sprawled across his chest. His heart beat steadily in my ear.

A warm, almost searing feeling heated the skin on the back of my left hand, and I lifted it, marveling at the mating bond symbol that had appeared there.

He was mine. I was his. Mated forever.

Together, we were invincible.

Chapter 26

Firion

After eating, we spent the morning strolling around the oasis, marveling that there was so little damage after the storm. Other than the new layer of fine sand covering the ground and some sloping up the sides of the huts, the oasis appeared unscathed.

“Our gods protect us,” Davon said when I asked about this. His hand swept to the large pool as clear as the one where Talia and I had rested a few days ago. Muted sunlight made it gleam, and we'd already washed there and refilled our flasks. “Especially our water supply. We wouldn’t easily survive here in the desert without their assistance.”

“Can we ask them to gift us with supplies?” I asked. I'd tried this morning, but if the sand gods heard me, they hadn't replied or given us any of the items I’d asked for.

“I plan to,” he said. “Clothing, eye and face coverings. I saw you didn't have those last evening.” Shadowsdrifted across his face, and his gaze swept across the horizon beyond the oasis. “I can't imagine how you've survived during your travels. You're both brave and strong, and I admire that in you. It’s not easy to survive out here even if you have everything you need. To think you did so with only the food and water you could carry in packs, plus a few items of clothing.”

“On Earth, we don't have gods that protect us,” Talia said. “Not in this way, that is. Some people believe in the gods and in the miracles they might provide, but they're not often seen in such a tangible way. If a storm sweeps across an oasis, the pool will be full of sand and need cleaning. I imagine it obliterates some oases. You're fortunate that your sand gods protect you.”

“The storm is a display of their fury, but they care for us and we for them, though our gods only seek praise.”

“So it is for the stone gods of my clan,” I said.

He led us back to the huts and into one they all shared, showing the sacks of grains, dried fruit, and meat, explaining that the sand gods didn’t provide food, though they were generous with other items. He communed with his god right there, and clothing appeared on the sandy floor for us to take with us. Lifting an item like the one he'd worn over his eyes the night before, he demonstrated how to wear it secured around our heads and covering our eyes. The narrow slit on the front helped block most of the sun's reflection off the sand and would protect our eyes from sand carried by the wind. The sand gods had provided one for each of us,plus extras in case the first were broken, as well as cloth coverings for our faces.

My heart warm with gratitude, I braced Davon's forearms. “Thank you, friend. We wouldn’t have made it without you. This help . . . I can never repay you.”

“I’m glad to help.” His face darkened, telling me he wasn't used to praise. “Thank the gods. I asked, and they provided.”

I closed my eyes and sent the message, feeling a warmth on my spine that told me they'd received it. Such as it was with the stone gods sometimes.

We took sacks of dried food and filled two more flasks Davon provided with water, stuffing them and the new clothing inside our bags.

“Is there anything else I can offer?” Davon asked, his gaze traveling to the horizon again. He kept watch all the time, as he should. A traedor always put the people of his clan and their safety first.

The sun dropped lower. We'd have to leave soon if we were going to make much distance. I hoped we'd reach the edge of the desert by morning, though it was hard to tell. I couldn't read the markings in the desert like Davon. All I could do was guide myself by the moons, the stars, and the sun. I wasn’t exactly sure where I’d stopped for the day when the Veerenads captured me. I didn't know how long they carried me to reach the mine, though I suspect not far. They wouldn't have been far out in the desert unless a hunting party had found me.

“Our stone gods will also craft weapons for us.” Ishowed him the knife I'd asked the god to make for me back at the mine, and he admired it.

“Our gods do not create such a thing,” he said.

They didn’t provide food or weapons, yet they did gift things necessary to survive in the desert, and I was sure Davon and his clan were grateful for what they received and didn't think about what they didn't.

“We make our spears from a certain tree that grows in the oases. It’s very straight and incredibly hard,” he said. “We make shorter blades from that tree as well.” He must've noticed my gaze on the crystal sword he'd pulled on us last night and now wore in the sheath running down his spine, because his gaze fled mine. “This,” he tapped the hilt jutting up behind his head, “is not mine, though I'm not sure where I got it. I was out of my head after the death of my parents. I wandered beyond the desert. I barely remember my time in the forest, and I suspect I had a fever. When my head finally cleared, months had passed, and I found myself back here, with my clan pleading for me to take the role of traedor, which I accepted.” He paused. “I saw you looking at it. Do you know who this sword belongs to?”

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