Upon a Savage Shore

Author's note 10/15/2014: So here is the last chapter. I said from the beginning that I would finish the story and not leave my readers hanging. I stuck to that. I'm not sure that everyone will be satisfied, but I am.

Thanks for all the encouragement over the past couple of months. It made finishing the story much easier knowing there were people who wanted to read it. I hope you all enjoy this last installment.

*****

Chapter 23

The late afternoon sun was coming through the narrow window of Liam's room, accenting the warmth of the late summer day. He turned to look at his sleeping wives, reflecting once more on how beautiful they were. It had been a close thing. He might have lost them both.

After killing the last of the enemy Liam had returned to Clot'ilda who had somehow hoisted herself into one of the strange, brandy glass shaped containers. She had been unable to stop the bleeding from her wounds and the water in the bottom of the container had been stained red. Her reason for climbing into it had simply been to hide and have a good position from which to attack the enemy if it should survive Liam's wrath. Liam had helped her out of the thing and then patched her up, stopping the bleeding until they could get outside where M'pel E'kmel had been attending to the other wounded, including Tem'Ma'tel.

Sue and Charlie had brought the landstriders around and the Fauns saw to constructing travois to transport the wounded. Sue helped M'pel E'kmel with one Faun who had taken several fragments from an exploding gyro-jet round. Two others had been beyond help.

M'pel E'kmel had assured Liam that Tem'Ma'tel would live, though the wounded jZav'Etch Marine lay unconscious under a thermal blanket. Clot'ilda's wounds were painful and had needed better care than Liam had been able to give inside the ship, but in short order she was bandaged and dosed with pain killers. The fragments in her rump and legs had to wait until they returned to the villa before M'pel E'kmel would remove them.

A long journey with an overnight stop on the plain was undertaken. Though all were eager to get home, none of them, especially their landstriders, had been in any condition to complete the journey the day of the battle. After stopping at the village long enough to express their thanks and say their goodbyes, the castaways and Rover had climbed the long slope of the hill and entered the villa near sundown.

Tem'Ma'tel remained sedated, her condition being monitored by a medical kit. Clot'ilda had grumbled about her wounds throughout the whole operation to remove the fragments. Her greatest concern was that Liam would no longer find her attractive, though, it was most likely the anesthetic talking. He'd laughed at her and ended her concerns with a kiss and a nightlong vigil. The commander had dropped in to check on them shortly after dawn, reading the medical kit's data on Tem'Ma'tel and speaking softly with Clot'ilda whose mood turned from sulky to satisfied as they spoke.

"Liam?" Clot'ilda murmured sleepily, rousing him from his memories.

"I'm right here, Babydoll," he said and leaned down so they could look into each other's eyes. She was laying on her belly because of the location of her wounds.

"Liam take?" she asked with a little smile.

"Not right now," he chuckled. "Your wounds need a few days, you horny little minx."

She snorted unhappily and pouted.

"That won't work this time," he said and kissed her affectionately. "We'd bust your stitches for sure if we tried it. Besides, you need rest. You lost a lot of blood before I got you out of there."

Her little tail flicked from side to side and her ears twitched, expressing her dissatisfaction more eloquently than words. He kissed her again then reached across her to check on Tem'Ma'tel's condition.

"Crap," he cursed softly.

"What?" Clot'ilda asked, slightly alarmed. Had something happened to her sister?

"I can't read jZav'Etch." He showed her the med kit.

"Normal," she said after looking at the small screen. "Sleeping. Medicine make her sleep, Liam. Medicine."

"Yeah," he sighed. "She damned near got herself killed."

"For me," Clot'ilda said, sounding guilty.

"For you," he agreed. "But not just for you, Babydoll. We're family now. You, Tem'Ma'tel and me are family. One for all and all for one. Just like the Musketeers."

"Musk tears?" she asked with a little frown.

"I'll tell you that story when you're feeling better," he said and kissed her between the ears."

"Liam, go eat," Clot'ilda said.

"I'm fine," he said.

"No," she replied, eying him. "Your stomach noisy. You hungry. Go eat."

"I'll be fine," he insisted.

"Eat," she said, sternly and poked him in the stomach with a finger. "Take bath. Wash clothes. Come back later. I watch Tem'Ma'tel."

"Alright," he said after considering. It was time he got up and moving. Probably, Clot'ilda wanted some time to herself. "I'll come back and check on you in a while."

"Eat," she insisted.

"I love you, Babydoll," he said and kissed her again before getting to his feet.

In the kitchen Liam found several fresh caught fish that M'pel E'kmel had brought in that morning after checking the wounded girls. They were good sized and would make a good meal, but he really wasn't interested in them right now. He was tempted to break out one of the survival meals, but winter was on its way, even if there were months of autumn to look forward to first. He scrounged around and found some dried berries and a couple of slightly over ripe fruit from the orchard. As he ate them he became aware of the reason Clot'ilda had told him to bathe. His last bath had been two days and a lot of kilometers of hard riding ago. With the fruit in his hands he wandered out into the plaza, wondering where Sue, Charlie and the commander had got off to. It didn't really matter. He was just going for a bath.

The water of the pool was as cold as ever and Liam reflected that he was getting tired of cold baths.

"I'll knock together some sort of shower or a heated tub," he said as he scrubbed his hair. It was getting longer and he felt he needed a shave, but the commander had been right about how his mates would like his beard. "The king of beasts needs a mane, I guess."

Liam was finishing his bath and was about to climb out of the pool when he noticed M'pel E'kmel standing on the stone stage above him.

"Hi there," he said a little embarrassed. "Spying on me?"

"Naturally," she replied with a smirk and a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Been there long?" he asked.

"Oh yes," she purred.

"I... um... see," he replied, wondering what was on her mind. She wasn't acting as coy as she usually did.

"Sergeant, do you remember our conversation?" M'pel E'kmel asked with a sultry smile that made even the very cold pool feel warmer.

"Conversation?" he asked and then flashed her a quizzical look. "You mean the one in the forest when we were going to your ship? The one about having sex?"

"That one too," she said with a grin. "I was thinking of the one we had that night at the tree, though. The night the hyena-frogs attacked."

Liam frowned.

"I remember you asking me what I found attractive about the three of you," he said. "A lot's happened since. It's all a little hazy"

"Much, indeed, has happened," she purred and began opening her jacket. "That night you said you would like to see me in a certain garment."

Liam blinked in wonder. M'pel E'kmel normally wore an undershirt, but today she appeared to have not bothered. Her fatigue jacket slipped down her shoulders revealing a slim, white cord tied behind her neck.

"Do you recall what garment you wanted to see me in?" she asked, giving him a direct look.

"Um... Not really," he replied, confused.

"I am so disappointed," she teased and let the jacket slip to the stone of the stage.

Liam's eyes went wide at sight of M'pel E'kmel's large, firm breasts barely concealed and yet lifted up to great advantage by what could only be a bikini top. The cups were made of shimmering silver fish skin, striped with navy blue.

"Wow..." Liam breathed, hardly able to form a coherent thought.

"If you like that," M'pel E'kmel said in a throaty purr, "you'll like this better."

Liam could only stare as she slipped her fatigue trousers over her shapely hips and slid them slowly down her legs. She rose to her full height and struck a pose like a classic movie star, with one foot slightly forward, her shoulders back and her hands on her hips.

"Wow," Liam breathed again.

"A most gratifying reaction," she chuckled. "I can see you like it."

The jZav'Etch commander stood there in the sun, her golden fur gleaming, wearing only three triangles (small triangles) of silver and blue fish skin. The bikini served well to accent her lush figure and draw his attention to her most enticing aspects. Liam swallowed hard.

"Where..." he began but trailed off, still too surprised to think properly.

"It took me ever so much effort to complete this," she said, suddenly casual. "Sue helped quite a lot. I'm afraid I had to pilfer one of your medical kits for needles. I apologize for that."

"Yeah," he breathed trying to take in everything about her and failing. He just couldn't concentrate long enough. And then she laughed and dove gracefully from the stage into the deep water.

Liam tracked her course as she remained submerged and swam towards him. When she surfaced she was only an arm's length away. Her eyes sparkled as they met his and their gazes locked.

"Sergeant Liam Carter, SarJ'ant of Household SarJ'ant," she breathed huskily and moved closer, never breaking the gaze. "Chaq' Ka' shisk. Will you have me? Chaq' Ka' shisk, Liam. Will you have me?"

Liam gulped, not certain what to say. He wanted her. He wanted her so much it almost hurt.

"Liam?" she asked a little less certainly. Had she miscalculated? Would he now refuse, even after they had professed their love in the forest? Was he still angry over her deception? "Liam?"

"Yes!" he said and grabbed her, pulling her into a hard kiss, pressing her breasts to his chest and her hips to his.

Startled, pleased and relieved by his sudden action, M'pel E'kmel felt his hardness and was surprised in spite of herself. She had known how thick his member was, but to feel it pressed against her flesh was another matter. She had lain with several males in her lifetime, but none had been so thick as this. She now fully understood Clot'ilda's initial fears, but M'pel E'kmel was an experienced female. She knew what she wanted and did not fear this male who kissed her so fiercely.

Liam felt M'pel E'kmel wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, supporting herself in the water. She kissed him back and then pulled away with a broad smile before nipping his beard and giving it a pull. She dove back into their kiss and her tongue was hot on his. M'pel E'kmel pressed her sex hard against his shaft, the slick fish skin as smooth as liquid as it slid across his length. And then she broke the kiss again, looking him in the eyes.

"I love you, Liam," she breathed. "But this water is just too damned cold."

He laughed and turned, boosting her out of the pool then followed. They rejoined their embrace briefly before she took him by the hand and trotted over the stones in the stream to the orchard and a cluster of bushes. Behind this natural screen M'pel E'kmel had prepared a bed of antelope hides on top of bailed grass. It was soft, warm and welcoming as they lowered themselves onto it, side by side. They kissed tenderly and then fiercely and M'pel E'kmel's purr rose in her chest as her passion ignited and bloomed. Liam felt his need pounding in his chest and loins and he wanted her, but he restrained himself. Their first time should not be rushed.

M'pel E'kmel ran her hand down Liam's back to his rump, grasping the solid muscle. She pulled him firmly into her, pressing his member against her belly. It was wonderful. She had not desired a male this much for many years and this was a real male, not some pale and fawning creature fit only for a night of wantonness.

Liam's hand went to her breast, finding her swollen nipple through the thin layer of silver and blue leather. He felt the heat rolling off of her and M'pel E'kmel's scent filled the air to mix with the wild scent of the orchard's trees. Their tongues rolled in urgent need to take in what the other was offering. Liam began to lay a line of kisses down her throat and she arched her head back to expose herself to him, trusting him not to harm her. She yielded to his gentle pressure and laid on her back as he slipped the cup off her right breast, exposing the large nipple before his mouth closed over it.

M'pel E'kmel hissed with pleasure at the sensation coursing through her body. She arched her back and with her hand pulled Liam more firmly onto her breast. His tongue played over the swollen flesh and his teeth teased her, pulling on her nipple only to release it before there was pain. M'pel E'kmel's purr thrummed in the air as her hands glided over her mate's scarred, muscular back until she found his buttocks. She grasped both cheeks, kneading them in strong fingers, urging Liam on. Her thighs spread, her legs wrapping around his hips again, increasing the pressure on his member, pressing it into her belly. Suddenly she pushed him up, releasing his hips. Liam was confused for a moment, but she rolled him onto his side and then his back. M'pel E'kmel spun so that she lay on her belly, her mouth above the head of his shaft. She breathed in his scent for the first time, enjoying the strangeness of it, and then she licked the head.

Liam groaned and had to restrain himself. It was far too soon to let go. He would hold back as long as he was able. And then he felt her lips gliding over the head of his shaft and he wondered how long he could hold back.

M'pel E'kmel liked the way her mate tasted. His skin here was soft, though his shaft was anything but. She tried to remember all that Tem'Ma'tel and Clot'ilda had told her about what Liam liked, but she was too caught up in the moment for that. Her passion and desire guided her actions far more than conscious thought. Slowly she ran her tongue down his shaft to the soft hair at the base and just as slowly she retraced her track to the tip. A girlish giggle escaped her when it jumped at the brush of her whiskers and suddenly she dove onto it, sucking the length into her mouth.

Liam grunted in pleased surprise, closing his eyes and enjoying his new wife's ministrations for an endless moment. She was just coming back up when he reached out and drew her across himself so that one thigh was to either side of his head. Her tail waved languidly in the air and she glanced over her shoulder with a wicked smile, anticipating his next move. Liam's fingers pulled her bikini bottom aside, exposing the heated, livid pink folds of her sex. Her scent was much stronger now and drove his desire on remorselessly.

Liam's tongue found M'pel E'kmel's sex and she growled her pleasure. He kissed her diamond, eliciting another growl. M'pel E'kmel had never had a male attend to her the way Liam was doing. She found it at least as good as any female she had lain with, though it was quite different. Her fingers ran up and down his manhood and she smiled, suddenly wishing to taste him again. Her lips parted and slowly descended, engulfing him centimeter by centimeter. When he reached the back of her throat, his hot flesh pulsing against her tongue, she withdrew all the way back to the tip and then dropped over him again. Faster and faster she did this, loving the sensation of his skin on her tongue as much as she loved the sensation of his tongue on her swollen flesh. Suddenly Liam grunted, his muscles knotting in a convulsion and liquid heat splashed into M'pel E'kmel's mouth. She was startled but instantly understood. Her lips pressed tight around his thickness as more of his seed sprayed into her mouth and her purr rose in volume.

Under her, Liam gasped and bucked, not believing how utterly fantastic it felt to be with M'pel E'kmel. He slowly came back to himself, realizing she had rolled off of him and was now again laying at his side propped on her elbows and licking her lips.

"Tem'Ma'tel was right," she murmured with a smile and a wicked glint in her eyes.

"About... what?" he asked, out of breath.

"You taste good, my Sergeant," she said and leaned in for a kiss.

He gave it to her and with a smile of his own asked, "Are you going to keep calling me that?"

"Yes," she replied and kissed him again. "Are you going to continue calling me Commander?"

"Probably," he admitted with a chuckle.

"Hmmm... Mother would not approve," she said in a teasing and musing tone. "She'll get over it."

They kissed again and she crawled on top of him, but Liam rolled and M'pel E'kmel ended up on her back with his broad chest across hers. Her tail lashed over the antelope hides and she hooked her leg behind his knee, encouraging him to mount her. Liam eased on top as she spread her thighs to accept him. Her hand found his length, guiding the head to her opening, pulling him forward until the tip pressed into her. She gazed up into his eyes as slowly, gently he eased forward and her lips spread to receive him.

M'pel E'kmel smiled, feeling his girth open her in the most pleasurable of ways. She expected pain and there was some, but it was far outweighed by her desire, her need. She growled with satisfaction as he slid slowly into her, knowing that her mate would please her as he pleased himself. She let go of his manhood and slid her hands around to his hips, the better to feel his rhythm. Finally, when his shaft was as deep as it would go, she sighed and locked her legs around his thighs, gazing up into his eyes, not allowing him to move.

"I think I'm going to be sore in the morning," M'pel E'kmel purred.

"We can stop," Liam offered, though he clearly wasn't serious.

"I shall tear out your throat and eat your liver if you attempt to do so, Human," she growled playfully. "I am jZav'Etch. We do not begin that which we will not finish."

Liam felt her claws prick his backside and saw her smoldering smile.

"Now, Sergeant," she said throatily. "Attack!"

And Liam did. He drew all of the way back and slid in with a smooth, strong thrust of his hips. M'pel E'kmel grunted with the impact and bucked into him, forcing his member deeper. He drew out again and plunged in again. Her breath came in huffs and gasps as her big mate increased his tempo, driving deep and spreading her wide. M'pel E'kmel felt as she had the very first time she had taken a male. It was painful, uncomfortable and utterly wonderful all at the same time. And for the first time in many years she felt satisfied. She raised her hips to give him greater access and Liam paused in his motion long enough to move her ankles up to his shoulders and then he hammered into her, pistoning in and out. M'pel E'kmel had never had a male do that. She surrendered to her lust, pinching her nipples and growling deep in her chest as her climax built.

Liam Felt her muscles clinching around his shaft and knew what was coming, but he didn't stop, even when she bucked under him, rolling her head from side to side. She whipped her legs out wide and rose to meet him on the down stroke, latching her hands behind his neck and dragging herself up to plant a kiss firmly on his lips. Her arms slipped down to wrap around his chest and she pressed her whole body to him, her legs locked behind his back and then she threw back her head, roaring into the sky before pulling him tight against her again.