Hard Sands: Warlords of Atera

by Kyle, Celia

Frustration and anger warred within her, annoyance that Nakan believed he could claim her like this after she’d already told him she needed time. She supposed it wouldn’t hurt to play along—for now—as long as he didn’t try to make things… physical. If nothing else, staying on his good side would give her the freedom she needed to care for the human women. The idea of escape still weighed on her mind, of course, but if she decided to pull a runner, it would be easier if she had Nakan’s trust and was allowed to roam the tunnels freely.

  It wasn’t long before Nakan turned to her, cradling something in his cupped hands. He had broken the stone into two halves, carefully carving and smoothing the rough edges of each. He had pierced the gems and threaded a thin leather cord so they now each had a pendant. He took one of the necklaces and lifted it carefully by the leather strands, moving to tie it around her neck.

  Kalinda remained silent while he put the leather cord around her neck, the stone now lying heavily in her cleavage. Nearly the shade of amber, there were light flecks of black and gray within the stone—the shades much like the colors of Nakan’s scales. The gem was oddly warm to the touch and it sent a soothing, calming sensation through her chest.

  Nakan hung the second stone around his own neck, the yellow hue a stark contrast to the darkness of his scales. Like a bright beacon in the cave’s dim interior. She couldn’t take her eyes off the glittering gem, not even when he stepped closer and brought his hands to rest at her waist.

  Kalinda’s heart fluttered, beat doubling and then increasing even more. It was so strange, so oddly appealing, to be this close to Nakan. She barely knew the massive alien male and yet… she reacted to him on a primal level. Why? How? She didn’t… The Ateran confused her, attracted and repelled her, filling her with a myriad of mixed feelings. Yet when their bodies were so close, she couldn’t help but admire him. His strength. His firm, thick muscles.

  Being near him warmed her from inside out and she wasn’t sure if her emotions were driving her mad or if the stone she now wore heated even more than before. It almost seemed as if the pendant vibrated and pulsed against her chest. As if it reacted to the twin stone Nakan wore suspended around his neck.

  A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed past the tightness. She searched for words—any at all—and came up empty. Nothing was to be had while her emotions remained in turmoil. Could she allow herself to be claimed by this alien creature? If only for one night?

  As if the stone had a mind of its own, it pulsed between her breasts, urging her without words.

  It was tempting. Oh so tempting. With the craziness of the last few days, Kalinda was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of being strong. Tired of… resisting her desires, especially when it came to the male standing before her. Maybe it would be okay, she told herself, to enjoy one night of passion with Nakan—a chance to let go of the tension that was ever-present and release her frustrations. She could allow herself to embrace her carnal desires.

  Just this once.

  “Come.” Nakan released her waist and reached for her wrist, his gentle urgings putting her nearer the pile of furs.

  She held her breath, wondering if he intended to take her despite her earlier protests. She wondered, too, if she would let him or continue her fight.

  “It is tradition for the warlord and lady to spend the night here,” Nakan released her and laid atop the furs. “But fear not. I shall not touch you. I know you do not wish to share your body.”

  Was that really how she felt? She wasn’t so sure.

  “Right,” she jerked her head in a brisk nod and held back her sigh. She brushed her hair behind her ear and then knelt on the furs at his side, not quite close enough to touch him, but still near.

  “In the morning,” Nakan murmured, “we shall return, and you may see your friends. We can discuss your duties to the people of the Hard Sands.”

  “Duties?” Kalinda furrowed her brow and worried her lower lip with her fingers. She hadn’t expected “duties” though she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to find out exactly what Nakan expected. She didn’t have to agree just yet, but learning the role of the Lady of the Hard Sands would allow her to be in a better position to use her status to her advantage.

  “Let us rest.” Nakan lay flat on the pile of furs, closed his eyes and draped one arm across his face. Within moments his breath steadied. Had he drifted to sleep so quickly then? No hesitation? No tossing and turning?

  Had to be nice. She wasn’t sure she’d had a full night’s sleep since the crash.

  Kalinda lay beside him and closed her eyes, but unlike Nakan, sleep eluded her for some time. Her mind simply wouldn’t fall silent and let her rest. She couldn’t believe all that’d happened to her. When she’d woken, she had been one refugee of many. Part of a group lost on a strange, alien world. Now she was in a scared cavern and betrothed to an alien warlord, on the cusp of becoming some kind of queen to the Hard Sands territory.

  It… didn’t seem real. Her only hope was that things would make more sense in the morning under the bright suns of the planet.

  She let her attention drift to Nakan to study his sleeping body. She had to admit that he was handsome in an alien-lizard way. She even found his gray scales and bald head appealing in a way that surprised her. She wondered what her friends and family on Earth would think if they knew she was so desperately attracted to a reptilian male from another world. Sure, she’d been destined to mate an alien on Nyx Station, but her previous mate-to-be hadn’t looked so drastically different from humans.

  Nakan was the definition of alien.

  Earth had been in contact with many different species across the galaxy and marriages between humans and aliens was far from uncommon. This situation seemed different somehow. Maybe because it wasn’t wholly voluntary? Though, it was and it wasn’t. A bit of both, she supposed. She couldn’t help but be a hint embarrassed by the lustful sensations that coursed through her whenever she looked at Nakan.

  She kept her gaze on him, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he slept on. Did Aterans dream? If they did, what occupied those sleepy imaginings? Maybe he dreamt of her. If he had been truthful about the fact that she “stirred his blood” and was now compelled to be with her and no other, he had to be dreaming of her, right?

  She let her mind drift to thoughts of him—sensual thoughts. What it would be like to truly be with him. To climb atop him, take him inside her and give into her desires. To be mated with him. She wondered if humans and Aterans were even compatible in that way.

  Her gaze drifted south, to the juncture of his thighs. At a glance, he didn’t have any genitalia to speak of. Though she supposed that if the Aterans were similar to Earth reptiles, his cock could be hidden in some kind of sheath or pouch.

  Which then brought her thoughts to wondering what his dick would look like when Nakan got hard. She wondered about his size, if Aterans were more well-endowed than humans.

  Kalinda’s stare stroked Nakan, moving between his face to assure herself he still slept and his body stretched out for her. She scooted closer, aligning her body with his and carefully resting her head on his shoulder. She laid a hand just beneath his breastbone and let her fingers stray, exploring the lines of his gray scales.

  Nakan stirred slightly and she froze for a moment, waiting to see if he would settle once again. He simply sighed and became restful once more, prompting her to let her fingers stray once again. Her hand slid lower, the hard scales giving way to the softer portion of his belly and lower abdomen.

  She eased closer to that part of him, a thin line visible now that she paid attention to his body. A slit, just as she imagined, that probably hid his cock from her. She lightly traced the curved edge, wondering how sex between them would work. What did his dick look like? Would it be similar to a human’s or wholly strange to her? She wasn’t a virgin, but alien sex was so… alien.

  A bulge formed behind the slit, proof his body reacted to her—her touch or merely her nearness?

  Ka
linda gasped and moved to jerk her hand away when a large, callused hand wrapped around her wrist. She sucked in a harsh breath and pulled against the sudden hold, her gaze flying to Nakan’s.

  His gray eyes collided with hers, and a hint of desire tempered by confusion filled his expression. “I thought you did not wish for this.”

  Her attention flitted from his face to his groin once more, the hardness hidden behind the slit pressing even harder against its confines. Her body responded to his obvious desire, growing slick and heavy, aching to be possessed by Nakan even if she wasn’t sure what that even meant. Not in her new reality.

  Kalinda hesitated. “Just this once. Once wouldn’t hurt. Would it?”

  Nakan stared at her, intent as he remained silent for one long moment and then another. Then he gradually pulled her hand away from her prize. “It cannot be only once. Not with me. Not with any Ateran. Perhaps that is how it is on your world, but among Aterans, to touch me in this way is forever.”

  “Right.” She turned her head, pulling away from his intent stare.

  Kalinda hadn’t been thinking straight. Not really. Their closeness, the odd sensations of the stone, his muscular body and the way he cared for her… She’d only been thinking of herself and not what it would mean for Nakan. She’d been ready for a night of guilt-free passion, but Aterans didn’t seem to be familiar with the concept of a one-night stand. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—give in to her selfish desires. Not knowing how it would impact the alien who’d taken such good care of her. If she took advantage of him and then left, she’d never be able to live with herself.

  “I’m sorry.” She withdrew from him completely and rolled to her side, facing away from him. “I won’t do it again.”

  Nakan remained silent and she closed her eyes, releasing a soft sigh as she relaxed into the furs and struggled to push her conflicting emotions to the back of her mind.

  After a time, Nakan turned to her, one of his thick, strong arms wrapping around her waist as he aligned the front of his body to her back. He held her close, driving away any chill as he enveloped her in his warmth. She allowed herself to relax into his firm embrace and take comfort in his nearness.

  Though as she took comfort in Nakan, Kalinda remained absorbed in thoughts of sexual intimacy. Thoughts of touching and being touched. She’d left Earth for Nyx Station with the intent of marrying a stranger—sharing her body with him and starting a family—and now…

  An achiness grew between her thighs and she became aware of a new dampness. She did her best to push her thoughts elsewhere, telling herself to think of something, anything, other than the male pressed against her. She filled her mind with the least sexy things she could think of. Having to pick up slugs out of her garden back home. Lord, she hated slugs. They had these creepy little bodies and left a trail of slime on the concrete pathway that led to her house…

  Forcing herself to think of less pleasant memories gradually ruined her aroused mood, though it had the unintended effect of making her miss home. Not that she necessarily wanted to return. Still, loneliness overcame her, and to get past that growing blanket of sadness she had to think of Nakan once more. His arms around her were a comfort, and she buried herself in the idea of being held by him. She wasn’t really alone as long as Nakan was around.

  Once more, the stone on her chest seemed to grow warm. She was sure she wasn’t imagining the sensations. But why would it react in such a way? Perhaps the rocks and minerals of this world were more susceptible to temperature changes. It may have been absorbing her body heat as she warmed under Nakan’s touch.

  “What is that?” Nakan’s voice startled Kalinda, pulling her from her reverie. He’d been quiet so long she was sure he’d fallen asleep.

  “What is what?” Kalinda asked.

  “That…” he paused, and she tilted her head back to look up at him, watching as his forked tongue darted out to taste the air. At the same time, he drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding as he inhaled. “…scent.”

  “I don’t smell anything.”

  Kalinda took a few sniffs of the air but didn’t smell anything odd and had no idea what he could be referring to. But evidently, Nakan had no intention of letting it go. He sat up and sniffed the air with increasing huffs, his tongue darting in and out of sight with rapid flicks. It was another reminder for Kalinda of just how different they really were. He seemed so animalistic to her and it roused something primal inside her.

  Damnit, she thought, just when I get my desires under control, the smallest action on his part has me wanting him again.

  He continued to smell their surroundings, his attention darting around the room. She assumed he followed whatever smell had intrigued him, but then he drew closer and closer to her. It became clear to Kalinda that whatever he was smelling, it was on her person. Could it be the stone?

  No, he had nuzzled her neck briefly but hadn’t stopped. He continued to lower himself. He sniffed past her chest, past her torso, and then settled on her pelvis. He was inches away from her womanhood when he spoke again.

  “Here. This is the source. The scent is strongest here.”

  Embarrassment flooded her, heat filling her cheeks as the implications took hold in her mind. She never for a second considered the possibility that he smelled her arousal. No human man would ever have been able to smell something like that while she was fully clothed. They just weren’t built with such sensitive senses.

  “Uh, right, um, so…” How the hell did she explain this?

  “What is it, my kode?” His face hovered mere inches from the juncture of her thighs, his tongue dancing in and out of sight as he tasted the air. “What is this glorious scent?”

  “It’s me. It’s my body.” Kalinda imagined her cheeks practically glowed red.

  “I do not understand. I have not smelled this near you before. You or any other human female.”

  “That’s because…” Kalinda had never imagined she was a prude, but she’d never been one to talk openly about sex either. It just wasn’t part of her life. Apparently, Nakan had other ideas and didn’t appear willing to give up on this line of questioning. “I was never excited before.” She said the word carefully, not sure how else to describe it. It was humiliating that she even had to explain this about herself. Where were the informational databases when she needed them?

  “Excited? What does this mean?” he pressed, attention dancing between her face and the juncture of her thighs. He almost looked… hungry the way he stared at her covered pussy, the way his tongue never seemed to still. As if he truly wanted to taste the source of the scent.

  Kalinda wanted nothing more than to change the subject. “Let’s just go to sleep.”

  “No,” Nakan’s tone brooked no argument, “I want to know everything about my kode. I want to learn your body. Please explain it to me.”

  Kalinda groaned and closed her eyes for a moment. It was clear that Nakan was not going to let this go. “So, when a human woman is preparing for a human man to take her in a sexual way, her body reacts. Things happen… down there. Parts of me get wet, and that wetness has its own scent, though human men don’t have a sense of smell as developed as yours and don’t smell it as strongly as you.”

  Nakan froze for a moment, pausing to grasp her words. “You are preparing for… me?” He spoke the words slowly. “But you do not want to become one?”

  “No, no, I don’t.” Kalinda reaffirmed.

  “Then why does your body prepare to accept me?”

  Because her body was a traitorous bitch that saw a hot alien and nothing more.

  “It’s not something I’m doing on purpose! It’s something that happens even if I don’t want it to. Like, if I’m attracted to a man but have no plans to have sex with him, it still happens.”

  Nakan’s face contorted when he heard Kalinda speak of other men. His jealousy was obvious, but he didn’t say anything about her mention of others.

  “You are not planning for me.” He sounded a li
ttle disappointed.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “But that scent, my kode… It makes me hunger.”

  Nakan’s intense look sent a shiver down Kalinda’s spine. If he wanted her and she wanted him… Couldn’t she do this?

  No, she reminded herself that a commitment like this would be forever for Nakan. He would never be able to be with another woman. She couldn’t do that to him. Not when she was still entertaining the idea of running away. She’d be a monster to take a lifetime of sexual pleasure away from him all so she could get her jollies off for one night.

  “I’m sorry, Nakan. It’s not that I don’t want to. I do. But if having sex with you means we’re mated for life, I simply can’t do that right now.”

  Nakan nodded in disappointment. “I only wish I could taste that scent. It calls to me.”

  Ugh, well Kalinda wished he would stop talking like this. The idea of him tasting her was too much. For his tongue to run up and down her wet slit… There was nothing more she wanted.

  And then an idea hit her—one that surely meant she was going to hell but would love every minute of the trip. “Wait, the only way we can be permanently mated is by having actual intercourse. Right? I mean, for you to penetrate me, with your…” She wasn’t sure what to call it.

  But Nakan knew what she was trying to say. “Yes, this is correct. Why do you ask such questions?”

  “I’m just wondering if maybe we can do other things.”

  “Other things?” He had no idea what she was referring to.

  She realized this was something else she was going to have to explain to him.

  “Yeah, like, human men sometimes please human women with just their tongues. They don’t penetrate them or anything. They just tend to them…orally.” This was so awkward for Kalinda to explain but she was so ready to experience some form of sexual pleasure that she was willing to have this conversation.

  “I can lick you?” A rumble escaped his chest with those words, his gray eyes darkening until they matched the deep stone of the cave walls.

  “If that’s something that would interest you.”