Page 19 of Unleashed

Nina glanced at the valos around her. If any good came of her foolishness, it’d be them. If they were able to find their people, win their freedom, and return with her to Bahmet, the danger would have been worth it.

She was reminded of her weariness when they reached a steep hillside. It was only ten or fifteen feet high, and the thick, tangled roots jutting from the dirt offered adequate holds, but the climb proved far more work than it should’ve been. Vortok and Balir lingered behind her; she felt their concern in her mind and their eyes on her skin and knew they were waiting to catch her if she fell.

When she finally made it to the crest, she dusted her hands off and nearly leapt back down to the bottom when she looked up to find Aduun less than a foot away, staring down at her. Her heart leapt into her throat, and hot, tingling fear pulsed across her skin for a moment. She understood Balir’s quiet movements — unless they were actively hunting, shriekers were nearly silent — but Aduun was powerfully built, with broad, heavily muscled shoulders and thick arms. His talent for stealth was unnerving.

“There is a stream ahead,” he said, expression unreadable. Nina could only detect mild confusion and a hint of that mistrust projecting from his mind. He stared at her for another moment before turning and stalking off.

Balir pulled himself up smoothly beside her. Cracking branches, shifting dirt, and a soft grunt marked Vortok’s destructive ascent, and his hulking form filled her periphal vision a few seconds later.

“Are you well, Nina?” Balir asked.

“I’m fine,” she said, looking at him. “Aduun said there is a stream ahead.”

His slight smile told her that he’d already heard.

“Hope it is deep,” Vortok grumbled.

The three of them continued walking side-by-side; after about fifteen yards, the sound of running water grew clear to Nina. The ground gradually descended to an area ahead where the vegetation thickened. Aduun’s upper half was visible amidst the long grass.

“We made it!” She grinned. The sound of rushing water instilled her with new energy, and she quickened her steps, brushing aside the tall grass until she reached the stream. The clear, shallow water along the bank displayed a plethora of rocks and pebbles on the streambed, darkening slightly as it deepened near the stream’s center.

Vortok knelt at the water’s edge, dunked a hand in, and scooped out a palmful. He held it to his nose and sniffed before taking a sip. “It is clean.”

Nina didn’t waste another second. She lifted her bag off her shoulder, pausing to remove her soap from within, and set it down on the dry ground nearby. Removing her belt and sheathed dagger, she placed them atop her bag and kicked off her boots beside it. The feel of the cool, damp ground under her feet made her sigh in relief. Reaching back, she unlaced her skirt and shoved it down before pulling her top off over her head. She tossed both garments near her other belongings.

Without a backward glance, she waded into the stream.

When the refreshingly cool water reached her hips, she stopped and cupped handfuls of it to wet her arms, shoulders, and face before scrubbing them with the soap. It stung her wounds on first contact but soon felt blissful against her heated skin, soothing her minor aches. Angling her head down, she studied a set of puncture wounds left by Aduun’s claws. She pressed a finger to one of the holes and winced at the pain even her gentle touch produced. She’d have to tend to them soon.

Her wince became a cringe as she recalled the state of the floors in the valos’ cells; she’dreallyhave to see to these wounds soon.

Nina took a few more moments to enjoy the water, moving slightly upstream from the soap to drink her fill. Once she felt clean of blood and dirt, she turned back to the bank and froze.

All three valos stared at her intently, their eyes alight. Aduun stood with his body in profile, but his face was turned toward her. Vortok and Balir were crouched beside the water. Without anything to distract her, their hunger swept over Nina. But this wasn’t hunger in their guts. This was blood-heating, heart-pounding lust, the same lust she’d felt a hint of earlier.

And it was coming fromallof them.

Her core tightened, and a spark ignited low in her belly. Their arousal became her own; it warmed her skin, sent anticipatory tingles throughout her body, and filled her with want. Her breath became shallow. Suddenly, she was aware not only of her own nakedness, but theirs.

Nina’s gaze traveled over their forms slowly, taking in the breadth of their shoulders, the defined muscles of their chests and abdomens, and their strong, sculpted limbs. Their differences — fur, claws, quills, hooves, and tails — didn’t register with her. They were whollymale; solid, powerfully built, and dangerously sensual despite — or perhaps because of — their savageness.

Her eyes dropped to Aduun’s pelvis. His cock was erect, thick, and swollen, standing out starkly against the dark fur around his groin. Nina’s lips parted as her breath escaped her.

She’d seen male parts when she was younger, but none had looked likethis.

Mouth suddenly dry, Nina ran her tongue over her lips and lifted her gaze to meet Aduun’s. His eyes flickered with arousal, lust,need, as though his desire were flames burning within them. For a few seconds, she was certain he’d walk up to her and take her right there; his strained muscles, drawn expression, and clenched fists belonged to a man about to lose control.

Shockingly, part of her wanted him to.

His eyes widened, and his quills rose. He shook himself, snarled, and broke eye contact with her, storming off into the tall grass.

It was enough to shake Nina from her haze. She blinked, shifting her attention to Balir and Vortok. Their desire was as clear as Aduun’s had been, demonstrated both through their projected thoughts and the hardened cocks she glimpsed between their thighs.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Nina walked toward her belongings on the bank.

She’d never been ashamed of her body or nudity, and the shame she felt now was unrelated to either; it was brought on instead by her own thoughtlessness. Orishok’s people didn’t view nakedness as a taboo, but these valos were males — males who’d gone over a thousand years without sex, who harbored primal beasts within them, two of whom had already attempted to lay claim upon her. She couldn’t expect Aduun, Vortok, and Balir to control their beasts all the time. She’d felt the power of their instinctual drives and knew their struggles weren’t easy despite the increased control afforded by their heartstones.

Why give them one more reason to battle their natures?

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