His rhythm quickened and her muscles started to squeeze around him. He fought to stay in control but the glorious tightness around his shaft was splintering his restraint. His abdomen tensed and the spines along his back erected one by one.

Vannla’s Sword.He could no longer hold back.

He plunged deep, giving himself over to his most primal instincts as he drove into her honeyed cleft.

“Come for me,”he growled, his mouth thick with the taste of her.

It was enough to tip Kara over the edge.

She shattered into a million pieces and then into a million more, jagged shards of ecstasy which pierced every cell of her body. She clung to Vahn as he emptied himself into her and his shuddering release made her crest again in a scorching rush.

She thought it would never end. And when the last ripples of her climax ebbed away, she found she was shaking.

She put a hand on Vahn’s chest to steady herself and discovered he too was trembling.

Neither spoke. They didn’t have the words. They simply curled up together and drifted to sleep, listening to the drumming rain which echoed the beat of their hearts.

Kara’s last coherent thought was that if the point of their coupling was to ‘get it out of their system’, it had failed completely.

Thirty Five

The next morning she waited for shame and self-recrimination to set in. It didn’t happen. She drifted in a warm sea of contentment, happier than she’d ever been since… well, she couldn’t remember when.

She turned to examine the alien sleeping next to her. How was it possible, she wondered? How could it be that a creature she’d been taught to hate, tokill, could make her feel so complete?

Her body still ached from what they’d done last night. A good ache. He was bigger than she was used to but she knew now they fitted together spectacularly well. It wouldn’t take long for her to get used to him.

She realized she was already thinking about the next time. Her hand drifted between her thighs where she was still sticky from the combination of their fluids. His ejaculate was pale blue – something else to get used to. God, they’d come together so hard. She didn’t think it was possible for two people to orgasm so…

She sat bolt upright.

“Fuck.”

Vahn stirred, his eyes flickering open in alarm.

“What is it? Is something the matter?”

“Yes! I mean no, but… maybe. We didn’t take any precautions.”

“Precautions?” He frowned, puzzled.

“Against pregnancy.”

Vahn relaxed.

“There is no possible way I could have made you pregnant, human.”

Kara let her shoulders drop in relief.

“You’re right. I’m being stupid. A Vraxian couldn’t knock up a human, we’re two different species. Sorry.”

Privately, Vahn thought it was very possible a Vraxian could ‘knock up’ a human. He doubted hiskalehshinstinct would have kicked in with Kara if he was unable to impregnate her. But he kept that to himself.

“That is not what I meant,” he said mildly. “Vraxian males are sterile until we decide otherwise. Then we switch on our fertility by stimulating ourbalinzhgland.”

“You do what with yourwhatnow?”

Vahn turned onto his stomach.