Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Corvak cleans his hands on snow and then adjusts his clothing. I turn around, presenting my back again, pretending I wasn't watching. "I do not think it was the parasite," he says, and I can hear him picking up his pack. "The other gladiators were not overcome with arousal, and at least one had a parasite of his own."
Good point. I think he would have noticed if the other men had been all over each other. Not the parasite, then, though the humming is distracting. "I see."
He moves to my side, his body lightly brushing against my leg as he does, and I clench my thighs, wondering if he's going to call me out for an arousal smell. But he only eyes the desolate, icy rocks around us, as if trying to determine the best route forward.
"Where to?" I ask brightly. "You're the man with the plan."
To my frustration, Corvak shrugs. "We walk until we find what we are looking for."
"And remind me of what we're looking for?"
"I will know it when I see it."
Super. Just what a girl wants to hear.
We head out, and I notice that we head up today. Not down the sharply sloping cliffs, nor do we seek out easier footpaths or even more of the supply caves like before. Corvak heads higher and higher into the forbidding mountains, his gaze constantly landing on the tallest purple peak in the distance, the top of it hidden by clouds. I hope his plan is a good one, but I don't have a plan of my own, so it's not like I can complain.
I don't want to walk in silence, either. I think about last night and how he'd gone down on me eagerly, all because he could smell my arousal. Just thinking about it starts to make me turned on, so I decide to focus on other things. "Why don't you tell me about yourself, Corvak?" I ask as we hike. "We can get to know each other."
"There is not much to tell. I am a splice." He shrugs, unbothered. "We are given rules so we know the games, but not much else."
"See, I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say things like that. What's a splice? What do you mean, you're given rules but not much else?"
"How come you did not touch me this morning?"
His voice is casual, but I'm not fooled. The answer matters a lot to him. Did I hurt his feelings when I ignored his requests? Can I afford to hurt his feelings? "I'm not at your command, Corvak. I don't have to do something just because you want it."
"But…I touched you last night. You enjoyed it, I think?" His expression turns vaguely smug. "I tasted your enjoyment."
Rude. I stiffen, trying not to get my back up. "I did enjoy myself, and I appreciate the pleasure, but it doesn't mean that I owe you something."
"I did not mean to offend, Aidy. I am trying to understand." He glances over at me. "Me asking you this morning…it was not correct?"
My wariness turns to chagrin. He's an alien. I can't expect him to know how to handle sexual situations with a human. Even if he'd had sex before—which he has not, it seems—he wouldn't understand our cultural mores. "I'm not trying to be a jerk, Corvak. It's just a complicated situation. I feel we should be focusing on surviving, not on personal relationships. I don't want us to get distracted."
Corvak eyes me, his expression insulted. "You think I would be so distracted by my cock that I would endanger us?"
"You tell me. You were the one that couldn't walk yesterday morning."
He scowls and stomps a few paces ahead of me, then climbs a near-sheer bit of rock up ahead, moving higher into the mountains with skill. I move to the rock after him, wondering where I need to put my hands when everything looks smooth. Corvak lowers his hand to me, a challenge on his face.
"I'm not trying to insult you." I put my hand in his. "I just want to live."
"Bah. Do not worry about survival. I will take care of you." He hauls me up effortlessly, and I fly upward, landing at his side. I wobble and his arm goes around my waist, pulling me in close. Corvak shoots me another cocky grin. "I am far more interested in tasting your thigh mound again than worrying about survival."
My what? I'd giggle, but the intense, hungry look in his eyes makes the laughter die in my throat. "My pussy. It's called my pussy."
"Your pussy, then. If I ask nicely, can I taste you again?"
He's holding me so close that it's distracting me. "As long as you don't expect that I should have to reciprocate. It should be my choice to touch you. Just like it's your choice to touch me."