Page 78 of Sheltered in the Storm

“I think I scared them away, my Calla.” He kissed my temple and smiled to show all his sharp teeth. “I roared very loudly when I found you gone.”

I recalled the bellow I’d heard just before he crashed through the bunkhouse door. To my surprise, far from eliciting fear or sadness, the memory caused a gush of wetness between my legs.

Vos’s nostrils flared and he inhaled deeply, his eyes glowing softly with desire.

“My scary monster,” I said, kissing him lightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, my Calla.” He rested his forehead against mine and pressed a peeled, sweet vinefruit into my hand. “Eat.”

He gave me food as if I hadn’t fed myself all my life until I came to Iosa. I sighed and accepted the fruit, and let him kiss me before I took a bite.

The walk took much longer than usual because I needed three rest breaks and couldn’t walk quickly. Vos would have happily carried me, but I needed to make the journey on my own two feet. He seemed to understand that.

Vos had stayed busy caring for me and our home during my recovery, so he hadn’t been back to the inlet since my kidnapping. When we arrived on the grassy bank, everything was just as he’d left it to track me.

At the sight of the scattered shells stained with my dried blood, my hand flew to the back of my neck.

“What is wrong?” Vos asked from behind me. His tentacles wrapped around me and drew me close.

“I just remembered,” I said softly. “Not very clearly, but now I remember I was sitting here looking at the shells, and waiting for you to come back so we could go to the grotto, and something stung me in the back of my neck. Then everything went dark.”

“It was a dart, I am sure.” He kissed my hair and exhaled against my shoulder. “My Calla…”

I knew from his tone what troubled him. I squeezed his hand where it rested on my hip. “You have to forgive yourself, Vos. Youhaveto. The attack on me was not your fault. I didn’t see or hear them sneaking up on me, and if anything it wasmyjob to watch my back. I let myself get complacent. What happened was N’Mora’s doing. Actually, arguably, it was the fault of whoever tossed that bomb into the Bordian embassy and killed N’Vors. It wasn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

Judging by the tension in his body and tentacles, he didn’t believe me any more this time than the last seven or eight timesI’d made this argument. And I supposed seeing my blood on the shells didn’t help. He would blame himself for what happened for a long, long time. Possibly forever. And maybe I would have too if our positions had been reversed, but I didn’t want him to carry that burden. We had burdens enough.

So I did the only reasonable thing I could.

“All right, Vos. If you really want me to forgive you, carry me into the water, take me to the grotto, and give me the three best orgasms of my lifebeforeyou fill me with your knot.” A tall order, since the moment we were in the grotto his need for me made him start to knot almost immediately, but I had to make it at least somewhat of a challenge.

Just as I’d hoped, his tension melted away, and his chest shook with silent laughter.

“While we are bargaining, what else would you ask of me?” he asked finally, still chuckling.

“The prettiest purple and red shells in the inlet for me,” I replied with a smile. “And two full sacks of big, fat sea enni for Poe.”

Vos’s arms tightened around me. “You demand a high price, my love, but very well. I agree to all your terms but one.”

I frowned. “Which one do you not like?”

He turned me in his embrace and smiled down at me, his eyes glowing. “Three orgasms are not enough. And I do not want to wait to hear you scream for me until we reach the grotto.”

Oh, gods above. My knees nearly buckled.

I reached for the collar of my flight suit, but he brushed my hand aside and unfastened it. “Allow me, my love,” he murmured as he opened the top of the suit and slipped it down over my shoulders to my waist, baring my breasts. “I do not want to rush.”

I thought he would continue removing the suit, but he left it around my waist and cupped my breasts in his hands. With thepads of his thumbs and his gaze locked on mine, he stroked my nipples until they formed hard, sensitive points, and then he lowered his head to suck my right nipple into his mouth.

I clung to him, one hand on the back of his neck and the other on his hard cock through the soft material of his pants, as he sucked and nibbled at each of my breasts in turn. But when I started to slip my hand into his pants to stroke him, he stopped me.

“No, my love,” he murmured. “Not yet.”

I let out a sound that was almost a whimper.

He helped me remove my boots, and then he slid my suit down over my hips and legs and off. I felt self-conscious being fully naked while he still wore all his clothes, and I was pretty sure he knew that.

He kissed me gently. “Do not move,” he said, his lips against mine.

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