Page 23 of Rogue: Planet Athion
Xavier smiled with his eyes. “Right.”
We had a plan, a weak one, but a plan nonetheless. And for the first time since being brought here, the possibility of seeing the sky again was real and filled me with sweet hope.
Thank you, Anton.
Thank you for saving my life.
* * *
The water lapped at my skin, soothing the aches and pains. Just five minutes more and I’d dress and leave before the guys turned up.
We worked out all day, sparring with renewed vigor. Vex had spent the majority of his time with the Trads, helping them to process the revelation that their food was drugged. There was no escaping it, though, not unless they refused to eat, but knowing what they were consuming meant they could work at controlling its effects even more. Vex had managed it somehow, and maybe he could give them some tips.
I’d worked out harder than ever before, using Marlon and Killion as punching bags, perfectly aware that I’d be thrown into a cell with Vex soon enough, and needing to tire my body out enough to keep my libido in check. And, now, I was having an early soak to avoid the sight of tight asses and washboard abs. Urgh, when would this cycle end?
I closed my eyes. Tomorrow maybe? Maybe tomorrow Marick would put us into rotation in the mines, and we’d have a chance to escape. Maybe tomorrow we’d be off this rock.
“Mind if I join you?”
Xavier didn’t wait for a reply before slipping into the water beside me.
My body tensed at the proximity. “You know I came here early to be alone, right?”
“Yes, but I needed to speak with you.”
I opened my eyes. “Go on.”
His indigo face was beaded with water, his lashes wet, and his pupils dilated as he looked at me. “You’re going to be alone with the Trad again tonight.”
A shiver of apprehension chilled me. “Thanks for the reminder.”
He pressed his lips together. “I believe his intentions are honorable, and I believe that he may have found a way to resist the effects of the drug in the food. But he hasn’t had to share a room with a female human before …”
“You’re worried that he’ll crack.”
Xavier’s throat bobbed. “Rogue, you have no idea how good you smell. You have no idea …” He broke off and cleared his throat.
Had he shifted closer? His arm brushed mine. Yep, he had.
“It’s worse when you train,” he continued. “The whole room was saturated with your pheromones. I’ve heard of a phenomenon like this. My father told me about it.”
His face was close now, his breath on my cheek, and my pulse sped up. “Tell me.”
“My father came from a small tribe in the southern forests of Athion. He was raised there before he moved to the city. He told me that the women of his tribe would go through a period called the Needing. During that time, they would be extremely fertile, and their libidos would be through the roof. They’d retreat to their homes with their life partners and mate furiously.” His gaze dropped to my lips. “The younger, unmated females would be confined and given calming herbs to soothe the Needing. My father explained that the Needing wasn’t something that could be ignored, that it could become painful if left … untreated.”
The blood was thrumming through my veins in response to his proximity. “You’re saying that all I need to do to make this feeling go away is fuck?” My voice was a hoarse rasp.
He moved to stand in front of me, his arms braced on the wall either side of me. He leaned in to press his forehead to mine. “I can help if you let me.”
My body was humming, my core throbbing with a sweet ache that bordered on pain. All the training, all the exertion had done nothing but push this feeling to the periphery, and now it was back, flooding me.
I wanted to tear my gaze from his face but was locked in place by an incomprehensible force. “I’m not from your tribe.”
He dipped his head, and his lips brushed my cheek. “No. You’re not.”
“There is no point to this feeling. I can’t even have kids.”
His hands slid down my waist. “Let my touch ease it.” He was skimming my skin with his fingers, moving across my hip and down.
