Page 38 of Black Mamba

On the ground below me are my things. Every item Lukys brought to his cave. My cushy white blanket and clothes are folded haphazardly in piles next to a half-dozen liquor bottles. My toiletries are lying out neatly between them and all of it is resting upon a large dark brown animal hide. My books are stacked up on the side.

Stepping out of the ship, I scoop my blanket and clothes under my good arm. I shove them inside before doing the same with my toiletries, one by one. Reaching for the nearest liquor bottle, I hesitate. I leave it with the decision to let Greg and Levy have the alcohol if they want it. Afterwards, I stack my books along the wall in the hallway.

I hesitate again when there’s only the animal hide left. Running my hand across it, the rich scent of Ilubriam chocolate hits me. Shuddering, my skin prickles as my body tingles. Comforting warmth floods me from head to toe as I eagerly take another breath. My stomach growls as a needy craving for the chocolate grows.

I grab the animal hide, only to shove the heavy material inside my ship. The liquor bottles tumble over and roll into the bushes, but I pay them no mind. My heart races as the warmth rushing over my skin heats further. I don’t want to get sick… I step up into my ship and freeze when my gaze lands on Lukys.

Across the meadow and between the trees, his large dark form is cast in shadows made by the branches high above him, adding to his enigmatic allure. His black hair is tousled around his sharply pointed ears, giving him an almost fairytale appeal.

He’s more attractive than he has any right to be, especially with what he did to me. I try to imagine what he’s thinking and come up with nothing. Nothing good, at least.

Shivering despite my heated skin, I take a step back as he nods at me, making me pause and frown again.

After all he’s done, he just… nods? I scrunch my face.

His arching, thick brow rises.

“I command the AI to close the hatch.”

The door slides into place and I lose sight of him.

Grabbing the hide, I lift it to my nose and breathe it in with another shudder. More luscious chocolate pools into me and the blush blooming over my skin heats to an inferno. My sex quivers, and I press my legs together as a dangerous thought enters my mind.

It’s not the animal hide I’m smelling. It’s him.

Lukys.

He gave me a hide from his nest…

And I just took it—in front of him.

I trace my eyes across the closed hatch. Maybe I should throw it back outside… but as another hint of chocolate snags me, I decide against it. For now, the hide stays.

I carry it to my room and drop it in the corner. It immediately reminds me of the cave—and him. I wince as a twinge of fear and curiosity hits me at the same time.

What would it be like… to be with someone, something, like him?

I sit on my bed with a heavy sigh, burying my face in my hands, wondering, not for the first time, if I’m going crazy. The last thing I should be dwelling on is interspecies sex. Or sex at all.

Yet, here I am, thinking about it anyway. I should be ashamed, except I’m not. Anything is better than the grief, and the ache of failure and loneliness.

Reaching down as I lie back on my bed, I slide my hand into my pants and rub my clit gently. I imagine a shadowy presence as my lover as I slowly roll my finger in circles, increasing the pressure.

I shift farther onto the bed. I huff out a hot breath as sweat beads my brow.

I don’t remember the last time I touched myself. My life has been hell since the strife began on The Dreadnaut. I couldn’t touch myself. I felt unsafe. Yet my circumstances are not much different now—life is still stressful. The only difference is the loneliness. The loss.

I get a whiff of chocolate and I moan, applying more pressure to my clit. Circling it faster, I grind my hand, pretending I’m rubbing against a man… a…

…thick, protruding bulge. My eyes widen then close and I move my fingers faster, harder, extracting another quiet moan from me. My sex throbs as I spread wider, wanting more, needing more. Sweat drips down my face as I bend my knees. Pleasure courses through me while I grind with all my strength against my hand.

My climax erupts and I cry out.

I let out another whimper as it quickly subsides and the heat filling me dissolves. I ease into a languid position, more relaxed than I have been in weeks. Cool air breezes over my skin, and for a few minutes, I rest in peace.

But that peace doesn’t last because I now have a greater problem to contend with. A problem I don’t know how to handle.

My curiosity about Lukys is growing.