Ensnared: An Alien Romance Trilogy (The Spider’s Mate Book 1)
Ensnared: Chapter 24

Ivy awoke to the sound of birds singing. Her lashes fluttered open. Though the cloth over the nest’s entrance was closed, it flapped enough in the breeze to allow dancing beams of golden light in along its edges.

Inhaling deeply, she rolled onto her back with a sigh and stretched—only to freeze when nearly every muscle in her body protested the movement. More than that, her sex throbbed, and there was a heaviness in her core.

Ivy’s heart quickened. Memories bombarded her in a flash, reminding her in vivid detail of everything that had occurred between her and Ketahn.

I had sex with a spider man.

She bolted upright, her blanket falling to her lap as she searched the nest, but Ketahn was nowhere in sight. Ivy wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She would have liked for him to be here, to comfort her and ease her anxiety, but she was also grateful that he was gone so she could process the fact that she…that she’d had sex with Ketahn.

“I just had sex with an alien spider,” she breathed.

Just as those words left her lips, she realized that she was sitting upon something incredibly soft—softer even than the lush furs Ketahn kept on the floor. She looked down to replace herself atop what she could only describe as a nest of silk. Countless thin, fluffed threads were woven together to form a chaotic but intricate whole, resulting in something reminiscent of a huge cotton ball—and it was even softer than it looked.

Where had it come from? Had…had Ketahn made this while she slept? It was positioned in their usual sleeping spot, piled atop Ketahn’s furs and spare silk cloths to form a pallet. She ran her fingers over the threads, marveling at how they didn’t snag or separate much.

Ivy stilled when her eyes fell upon her wrist.

She held her trembling hands out in front of her. There was some redness around her wrists from the restraints Ketahn had created, and as she examined the rest of her body, she noticed a few other places where the silken strands had left their marks, but most of them had faded. There was some bruising and a few small scratches on her hips and thighs, undoubtedly left by his hands, claws, and claspers, but nothing serious. She looked like she’d recently survived a bout of rough, wild sex.

As she moved, something seeped from her pussy.

Keeping her breathing even and calm, Ivy slid a hand between her thighs and delicately touched her sex, feeling her tender flesh. There was something there, something thick and wet that also coated her inner thighs.

Ketahn’s seed.

It was the final piece of evidence that made those memories a reality.

Oh God, she’d had sex with a spider alien and…and…she’d liked it.

No, she’d loved it.

Ivy hugged her legs to her chest and buried her face against her knees. She waited for the disgust, the self-loathing, the regret, waited for any sense that what she’d done was wrong, wrong, wrong…

But none came.

Every touch, every caress, every stroke of his cock inside her had felt right. Her body hadn’t cared that he was an inhuman creature, hadn’t cared that he had four arms, six legs, and eight eyes; it had simply craved the feel of his skin against hers, of his hands all over her body, of his cock buried deep in her pussy.

She had craved him.

Ivy ran a shaky hand through her hair. What…what did that mean? What did that make her?

Shoving those thoughts aside, she pushed herself to her feet. More of Ketahn’s seed dripped down her inner thighs. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and released it slowly. Her legs felt as though they’d give out at any moment. She didn’t know if she was in a state of shock, or if this was a result of…her body having been well and truly loved.

She opened her eyes and extended a hand, using the wall as support as she made her way to the back of the nest. Grabbing a water skin and using the same cloth from the night before, she washed herself and scrubbed between her legs.

As she was walking back to the bed of fluffed silk, Ivy’s eyes fell upon the dress Ketahn had made for her. It was folded neatly and laid beside the bedding. She picked it up, and it unfurled with a soft rasp. She never would have guessed that someone like Ketahn—so big, so dangerous, a predator at his prime—could create something so delicate, intricate, and fine. The threads shimmered in the erratic morning light that snuck in past the entryway cloth.

Ivy had just pulled the dress on when the nest bounced and rocked, signaling Ketahn’s return.

The sunlight striking his hide as he entered made some of his scars stand out starkly; they were like a map of his past, of his battles and struggles, and she found herself suddenly longing to touch each one. To learn about each one.

When he met her gaze, he lifted his mandibles in his version of a smile, and Ivy couldn’t help but smile back. He unslung his bag from his shoulders as he reached back to tuck the hanging cloth aside, allowing the full light to spill into the nest. The movements made his hair, which was pulled into a bundle of black, white, and violet, fall over his shoulder.

“Um, hi.” Ivy turned her feet inward slightly, feeling more shy and awkward than ever.

Holding his bag by its straps, Ketahn approached her. He placed the bag on the floor in front of her. “Hello, Ivy.”

Her feet were frozen in place as he extended an arm and cupped the back of her head. He leaned down, pressed his forehead against hers, and closed his eyes, releasing a contented trill. One of his front legs hooked around her calf, its hide warm and hairs soft. A moment later, he lifted his head and moved his face into her hair, where her neck met her shoulder, and breathed deep. A low rumble followed.

Ivy flattened her hands against his chest; his hearts thumped under her palms. Though he’d always been gentle with her, Ketahn had never been this affectionate. It was…nice.

Something wet trailed along the side of her neck, moving up to tease just below her ear. Ivy’s breath caught. Her fingers curled against his chest, and her nipples hardened, turning into achy little points.

Just the memory of his clever tongue between her legs would’ve been enough to excite her, but the feel of it made her core clench and her clit throb.

“Your skin is sweet, my heartsthread,” he said, “but your scent is sweeter.”

She chuckled, her nerves making her laughter a little shaky. “Are you sure you’re not going to eat me?”

He chittered and withdrew from her, albeit reluctantly, to sink down over his bag and open it. He removed two handfuls of fresh fruit from within. “We will have to settle for these. Ketahn no eat Ivy.” Playfulness gleamed in his eyes, but it could not outshine their hungry light as he raked them over her. “But I will drink from you again, my nyleea.”

Ivy’s breath fled her in a rush. Her blood warmed, and heat pooled low in her belly. She clamped her thighs together. “Ketahn…”

“First, you must eat.” He plucked a moonblossom fruit from the food cradled in his lower hands and used the claw of his thumb to slice into its rind, producing a faint trickle of juice from within.

Her gaze settled on his hands as he deftly tore the rind away from the fruit and sliced a wedge out of it. The way he used those fingers and claws was so controlled, so precise; she longed to feel their touch on her body again. Everywhere on her body.

No. No, that was just a one-time thing. We’re…we’re not doing that again. I’m human, and he’s…he’s a vrix. An alien.

It isn’t natural.

Is it?

“Ketahn, what…happened?” Ivy asked.

Ketahn tilted his head, mandibles twitching uncertainly. “What do you mean, Ivy?”

“Last night when you tied me up and we…when we…”

“We mated.”

Cheeks burning, she glanced down. “I know that. But…what happened? Why did you suddenly…do that?”

“Because you are mine.” He lifted the wedge of fruit toward her mouth. “Now eat.”

Ivy looked at the fruit and blinked. What? Brow furrowing, she gently pushed his hand away. “What do you mean because I’m yours?”

“I conquered and claimed you. You are my mate.” He moved the fruit toward her mouth again, more insistently this time. “Now eat, Ivy. I will not have my heartsthread go hungry.”

“I’m not hungry,” she said, taking a few steps backward. It was a lie—she was starving—but right now she was trying to wrap her head around his words. Had he… Was he saying them right? Did he understand them? Did he really mean… “So you’re saying that you conquered me last night to mate. Because you wanted sex, right? That’s all?”

“Because you are my mate,” he said firmly, lowering his hand. “As I bound you, we are now bound. Our threads are entwined.” He crossed two of the fingers on his free hand. “They are as one. We are as one.”

“But you…you can’t just decide that!”

His mandibles fell. He placed all the fruit on the floor and rose swiftly, drawing himself up to her in a single stride. Before she could react, he had his arms around her, and he pulled her against him. His claspers circled her waist and locked her there.

Ivy pressed her palms to his chest and stared up at him with wide eyes.

“The Eight willed that I replace you,” he growled. “And from the moment I saw you, touched you, scented you, I knew you were mine. None have gone to that dark place but me. None could have found you but me. Because you were always meant to be mine, Ivy. All my searching has been for you, though I did not know it. And all your waiting was for me.”

“But you are a vrix, and I’m—”

“You are my female. My mate, my nyleea, my heartsthread.” He captured her jaw with one of his hands, tilting her face up and forcing her to hold his gaze. His eyes blazed brighter and hotter than the sun, and all that heat—all that desire—was directed solely at Ivy. “And if I must conquer you again and again to make you understand, I will do so.”

Ivy released a shaky breath. The ache that had suffused her core bloomed, spreading heat through her. The seeking touch of his claspers on her hips and ass through her dress sent an electric current over her skin. She grazed her nails down his chest. “Ketahn…”

“I smell your desire, Ivy.” Ketahn released her jaw and eased his claspers, opening a sliver of space between their bodies—just enough for him to slip his hand between. One of his long, rough fingers slid along her sex, pressing between her folds to gather her slick. “You make this nectar for me.”

Her brows creased, and she whimpered as whispers of pleasure coursed through her. She grinded against his finger, needing more, unable to deny the truth of her desires.

“Yes,” she breathed.

Ketahn growled. His finger curled, putting torturous, rapturous pressure on her clit, sparking impossible heat inside her, and stealing her breath with anticipation. Before she could even gasp his name again, he moved—so quickly that she barely perceived what was happening.

He lifted her off the floor, spread her legs, and guided her thighs around his sides. His hands seemed to be everywhere for an instant, but she was most aware of them on her hips as he slammed her down onto his hard, slick cock.

Ivy cried out, raking her nails over his chest she arched her back. She threw her arms around his neck, needing something to hold onto. It was too much. He was too much. He stretched her, forcing her to take all of him, and it left her trembling.

She met his gaze and lifted her hips. His claspers and his hands pulled her back down. The initial burn of his entry was overpowered by a bolt of pure rapture. His claws bit at her ass, and he grasped a fistful of her hair in one hand, tugging her head aside and running his tongue along her neck again.

Ketahn pumped into her hard and fast, his movements fierce, possessive, unforgiving. The pleasure that struck her with each thrust of his cock was just as savage. She struggled to match his pace, but it was too much; her quivering thighs could not long support her, and all she could do was cling to him like she was adrift on an ocean of ecstasy and he was her life raft.

“You are mine, female,” he rumbled. His fangs grazed the tender flesh of her neck, sharpening the pleasure that was spearing her core.

She squeezed her eyes shut and sagged against him, clawing at his back.

Ketahn’s front legs darted out, slamming against the walls of the nest somewhere behind her. He reared back until she was nearly lying atop him; the altered gravity enhanced the force each time he hammered her down onto his cock.

He tugged her head back. “Look at me.”

Her eyelids fluttered open, and Ivy found herself staring into his eyes, which shone like purple fire against his black skin.

“I have claimed you.” He punctuated each word with a powerful thrust, plunging deeper and deeper, each stroke setting off a small explosion of pleasure within her. “You belong to me, my heartsthread. Only to me.”

It was getting harder and harder for Ivy to keep her eyes open, to focus on his words. She slid her hands up his back, her fingers trailing over his scars and along his thick neck until, finally, she tangled them in his silky hair.

“Say it, Ivy,” he snarled, the prick of his claws on her scalp forcing her eyes wide open again. “Tell me you are mine.”

“Yes!” she cried as that fiery ball of heat in her core expanded. “Yes, I’m yours! Oh God, Ketahn! I’m yours!”

“Show me!” Somehow, he hammered into her even faster, even harder, matching the frantic rhythm of her heart. “Let me see how I have conquered you.”

Ivy combusted. Rapture blasted out from her core, consuming her in delicious, maddening heat, engulfing her from head to toe. Moaning, she clung to him as her body thrummed with ecstasy and liquid fire overflowed from her core, burning ever hotter with each of his thrusts.

She felt Ketahn’s shaft swell just before he let out a bestial roar that shook Ivy and the whole nest around her. His seed erupted with heat to match her own, the force of it complemented by the strange sensations of something unfurling at his tip and his cock vibrating.

Before she’d even begun to descend from the first, he blasted her to a second peak.

Ivy tugged his hair and scratched at his scalp as light flashed behind her eyelids. Her skin tingled with the rush of powerful sensations sweeping through her. She ground her sex against his pelvis and tightened her legs around him, seeking to take him deeper, to lock him inside.

His hands squeezed her ass, helping Ivy achieve her goal by pressing her firmly down on him. Ketahn buried his face against her neck. His breaths were hot and heavy against her skin, but it was his tongue that caught her attention and sent a thrill through her as he lapped the sweat from her flesh.

“My heartsthread,” he rumbled, the fluttering at the tip of his cock intensifying briefly. He grunted, shivered, and another gush of seed filled her. “So sweet.”

They held each other as they gradually descended from those towering peaks, sharing in one another’s pulse, in one another’s heat, in the lingering euphoria that had suffused them. For a time, it was difficult for Ivy to determine where her body ended and Ketahn’s began…and she loved that. She’d never felt closer to anyone. She’d never dreamed it was possible to feel so close to anyone. So…connected.

Tears shimmered in her eyes, blurring her vision as she stared at the morning light streaming through the nest’s entrance. How was it possible to feel more wanted, more loved, by something so alien than by those who should have loved her most?

Panting softly, she loosened her grip on his hair and combed her fingers through it. Her body was coated in sweat, and both her hair and her silk dress were damp with it. She was flushed all over. But she never felt so good as she did in that moment, with Ketahn’s hands stroking her back and caressing her thighs and ass while his thick cock pulsed inside her.

A rumbling trill vibrated from him into her. “Now do you understand, Ivy? It was decided before ever we met. You were meant to be mine.”

Ketahn raised his head, caught her chin in his fingers, and guided her face up toward his, forcing her to meet his violet eyes. They burned with possessiveness and passion, but they softened as he gazed at her. His mandibles spread, and he tipped his head forward to press his forehead against hers. “My nyleea.”

Ivy closed her eyes, and the tears spilled over her cheeks. “My luveen.”