Page 7 of Flower of Seshana

“You are understandably feeling overwhelmed,” Kethan murmured as he unwrapped his own pack and bit into it with a snap of his sharp teeth. He chewed quickly and swallowed, his concerned gaze never leaving her, not even when Quillen drewclose at her other side with a soft, musical trill. “Do not worry, Alexandra. No harm will come to you. I will not allow it.”

“We will not allow it,” Quillen corrected, and Alexandra nodded her agreement before the two could start arguing again.

She would go crazy if they started sniping at each other now, not when the idea of being exposed to dangerous predators of the mountains that she’d never heard of or prepped to deal with it made her tremble with terror. She nibbled the edge of her food, the aroma of meat and some sort of grain filling her nose in an oddly appetizing way… and yet her appetite was gone now that she was forced to recognize some very real dangers of M285. She was so small and vulnerable that she wasn’t even equal to the weakest of the juveniles. Kethan pretty much told her exactly that. Wouldn’t it be ridiculously easy for a predator to pluck her from the safety of his guard? Although the males devoured their meals, they peered at her with concern until she finally lowered the food to address them.

“Do you think…. do you think I could sleep between you two tonight?” she stuttered as an embarrassed blush climbed into her cheeks. “I… I really don’t want to sleep alone, and it occurs to me that the safest place is between the both of you where nothing has the opportunity to grab me.”

A look of surprise registered on both males’ faces, but it was quickly replaced by a reluctant look of understanding and their own worry rising beneath the surface. She saw it even though they tried to keep it tamped down with the hope that it might not be visible to her. They exchanged a look without speaking a word, but a range of emotions appeared to flit across their faces that made her wonder what else roamed the mountains that she might have to be worried about. Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately given her current state of mind—they didn’t share it with her, but Alexandra jumped when their crests suddenlysnapped as if coming to a decision and their heads turned back to her once more.

“We agree that this may be the best,” Kethan rumbled.

She was immediately relieved and yet her stomach sank with the realization that there had to be other concerns if they were so easily agreeing to her preferred sleeping arrangement.

Not wanting to overthink it, Alexandra devoured the food in her hand and immediately accepted a second that was handed to her. It possessed an entirely different flavor profile, the notes of fruity sweetness hitting her tongue as if it was a luxurious dessert.

Few words were exchanged as they ate, and fewer still when she finally followed them back to a rear chamber possessing an enormous sunken nest in the middle of the room filled with woven blankets and furs. Her mouth went dry at the thought of sleeping between them, but she ignored it so that her courage didn’t completely desert her. Kicking her shoes off, she slipped off her TRS and set it on a bench resting against one wall. She could feel the weight of their eyes on her as she padded over to the bed in nothing but the shorts and sleeveless tunic that she had taken to wearing under her TRS to better handle the heat—even if it was technically against regulations. What could command do about it now anyway? She was more concerned about the abundance of bare skin now exposed and the way the fascinated stare of the two males made her feel. A tremor of awareness swept through her.

Feigning more confidence than she felt, she crouched down at the bed’s edge and slipped into the carved-out basin, the plush bedding cushioning her as she dropped down into it. Her fingers slid over the furs and densely woven blankets before finding the edge of one and drawing it quickly around herself. She sank down into the center of the bed, her head pillowed on a longtubular pillow shaped something like an enormous horseshoe, cradling her comfortably.

Despite the comfort of the bed, she snuggled down into her blanket, her heart galloping anxiously as she began to rethink her decision. Perhaps this wasn’t the wisest idea. She shifted, preparing to spring back up to her feet when Kethan and Quillen dropped into the bed on either side of her. She immediately stiffened and the males paused, taking their movements slow as they studied her reaction. She stared back at them warily. The warmth of the Vahel males was shocking, that much was undeniable. She certainly couldn’t dismiss the fact that, despite asking for this, every muscle in her body had tensed to the point of panic, making her freeze upon receiving intimate contact with their intense heat.

It was so strange that they were so warm when serpents were typically very cool.

Quillen brushed the tip of his silkily scaled tail against her arm and curled it. It felt much less scary. In fact, the longer it rested against her, the more the tension bled from her as a foreign sense of pleasure rushed out from the point of contact.

“Relax,” he rasped. “You are safe.”

“We have you,” Kethan agreed.

A melodic croon vibrated from his chest as he drew her snugly against him, giving Quillen room to fit himself in on her other side. The heat of his breath fanned the back of her head as he joined in with Kethan’s song, weaving a sense of complete comfort, intrigue, and safety through her being.

Chapter

Six

Despite the sweet thrum of their melody drifting over her, Alexandra stared up at the soft illumination of the strategically planted galthie on the walls. It was truly curious how much the blooms varied, shedding light in a multitude of hues. Equally odd was her sudden inability to sleep when she’d become well known among the colonists for being able to drift off practically anywhere. More than one worker had come into her lab to find her sprawled in unlikely positions as she slept soundly. Unlike many who struggled becoming accustomed to the silence of the desert, she hadn’t suffered even a moment of insomnia since arriving at Colony Mewa.

Was it because her situation was too exciting? It was possible. It wasn’t every day that one’s career was practically made by having knowledge handed to her that could benefit the colony as a whole. Wouldn’t that cause anyone a sleepless night in anticipation for the coming day? She certainly didn’t consider herself beyond any other average mortal.

If the simple use of the galthie flowers were anything to go by, there were surely many useful plants she could return to Mewa with. She peered up at the glowing blooms for a time as she listened to the Vahels’ song rising and falling aroundher with their every breath. There was something beautiful and almost hypnotic about their song that sent warmth rushing through her. Oddly, the crooning song from the males never ceased, but it seemed to draw into long, steady notes whispering over her with every exhale, suggesting that they were possibly even singing in their sleep. She turned her head on the pillow, her cheek cushioned supportively on its curve, she peered over at Kethan, noting the sweeping angles of his face that somehow took on an etheric quality as the muscles of his face relaxed completely with his deep slumber.

And he was most definitely asleep. Reaching forward, she held her breath as she brushed a fingertip very lightly against the bridge of his nose. When he didn’t stir, she smiled and rolled over to repeat the experiment on Quillen. Fascinating. They really were singing in their sleep as if they were so in tune with her presence that even when no longer conscious, they continued to sing to comfort her.

It was… incredible. She couldn’t even get her last boyfriend to hold the door open for her as he considered it beneath him to do anything “undeserved” or “unwarranted.” Hell, he didn’t even care enough to make sure she finished first before he got his when they were in bed together. And yet here she had two alien males nestled on either side of her instinctively attending to her needs.

More than that, however, they were shifting in their sleep, torsos and tails rolling subtly against her, their soft scales rasping gently against her skin in the places it was exposed. The sensation was curiously pleasant, as if they were petting her, seeking to connect with her even in their slumber. Their tails dragged against her, the tips grazing over her navel and along her thighs. A heat slowly stirred to life in their wake, sending a shiver through her as her eyes widened in surprise.

Alexandra swallowed thickly, her heart thudding harder in her chest as she felt a tendril of heat unfurl deep within her belly. Her skin prickled with awareness, and she shivered at the glide of their scales against her as their tails curled and dragged over her and the heat of their bellies undulated faintly against her, the muscles brushing against her under the blanket. Thank goodness she had clothing covering her most intimate places, but her tunic had quickly worked its way up in response to their movement, leaving her midriff bare. And despite their heavy slumber, they were highly attracted to the heat of her bare skin.

She bit her bottom lip, swallowing a moan as a tail flicked against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh just under the hem of her shorts. It didn’t attempt to work its way any higher, for which she wasn’t certain if she was grateful or frustrated, but the lazy flick back and forth of its tip was slowly driving her mad. Her skin quivered in reaction, her breath coming in pants as the need within her belly grew and grew, expanding through her, leaving her empty and aching.

Alexandra shook her head in silent denial. What she was feeling was forbidden—worse than that, it was against the law! Although many alien species within the Intergalactic Coalition were considered aesthetically beautiful, it was widely taught that relations with them were something that was immoral, potentially physically harmful to the bodies of human women, and thereby made illegal for their own protection. Men, on the other hand, were merely strongly discouraged from it to avoid risking transmission of unknown diseases, but it did not share the same stigma. There were plenty of tales of men settling on far-flung worlds with alien brides. For women, however, only the most depraved were said to enjoy taking the cock of an alien male inside of them. Such a woman was considered dirty and widely disdained by men, though admittedly other women spokein hushed voices of such encounters as a matter of intrigue and fascination.

Was she such a woman? She hadn’t thought so before. Unlike several other women of her acquaintance over the years, she didn’t download black market vids or collect 4D holopics of popular alien vid stars. Being with an alien male hadn’t even registered in her private fantasies. And yet just being around Quillen and Kethan was doing strange things to her—and being between them in the bed was having an unexpected effect on her libido in ways that no one had ever managed in all of her failed attempts at dating.

She drew in a deep breath, their scents filling her nose. How was it that they smelled so good? They didn’t have the wet musk of reptiles but smelled more of aromatic wood and a faint hint of some sort of astringent herb similar to rosemary. It was incredibly pleasant, but beyond that, every breath of it sparked her arousal. It was like pouring accelerant on a fire until her nipples became hard points, and her sex dripped with her need. It was arousal like she had never felt before, clawing at her in its demand for satisfaction. Her fingers twisted around the blanket as she trembled with desire, her inner thighs slickening with the heat flowing into her panties.

She was certain that she was about to go mad if they didn’t fuck her. Not just one of them but both of them. Quillen’s tail suddenly wrapped around her left leg completely before finally stilling as if content in its secure hold. She blinked in surprise, but her attention immediately focused on Kethan’s wandering tail. It slid along her, experimentally hooking around her ankle for a moment before letting her go to travel back up her leg. Her breath stuttered as it slipped suddenly sidewise over her pelvis, its underside grazing the top of her mons before looping upward over her hip and curling back behind it. His tail wiggled for a moment and his song trembled as he grunted as it burrowedbeneath her before coming to a rest against the small of her back. The tip flicked briefly and then sedately curled before also stilling altogether.

---