by SJ Sanders
Her cheeks turned bright red. Fascinating.
“Ah, no. It is always--uh--out.”
Vidok turned a startled look to her.“Truly? It is far too cold to have an extruded cock all of the time.”
“Oh...yes... that is practical,” she muttered, the color in her cheeks darkening to a deeper shade of red. She looked away and cleared her throat awkwardly.
Ah. My sweet mate is embarrassed.
Vidok couldn’t help but to scoop her into his arms and rub his cheek against hers. Sara laughed at the brush of fur against her jaw. Vidok was utterly charmed. The gods had given him the perfect female.
“You are in my heart, ulukska.”
Amorously Vidok stripped away the alpak fur she had wrapped around herself and began to lick and kiss his way down her flesh, enjoying the texture and taste of her. Sara gasped as he dragged his rough tongue over the nipple of one breast then the other.
“We must go join the others soon ulukska,” he rasped, “but first I need a taste of you.”
His mate’s cries of pleasure as his tongue slicked through the folds of her cunt, gathering up the sweet tasting nectar, was almost as intoxicating as her flavor. He wedged himself firmly between her thighs and began to work his tongue against her slit, at times licking and nipping the flesh to either side before returning his attention to the sweet spot of her femininity. Unlike females of his species, Sara had folds of flesh like a pink flower, with a tiny bud of flesh at the top that brought her much pleasure. Each taste had him groaning, growling into her softness.
“Ok,” Sara gasped. “A quickie before we go.”
“Oh mate,” he grit out. “This will hardly be quick.”
***
Sara was beet red as they joined the slowly gathering VaDorok before the chief’s den. A few of the knowing looks and smirks the males shared at the sight of them let Sara know that their copulating had been heard by most the tribe in attendance. She was mortified! Not that Vidok seemed bothered at all, damn the male.
Sara couldn’t be too angry though, since, given the way the males heartily slapped Vidok on the shoulder, everyone seemed ridiculously pleased about it. Vidok just wore a broad grin, his tail winding around her waist in territorial demonstration. Sara pushed it away initially, not wanting broadcast what had gone on the night before and in the early hours of the morning; but when he didn’t relent and it became obvious that everyone knew anyway, she gave up the ghost.
The spirit was jovial among the VaDorok as they prepared. After her illuminating discussion with Vidok last night, Sara finally felt clued in as to why. Every male going was holding on to some hope that, just maybe, one of the women would call forth his ulukskinon and be his mate. They hoped for what Vidok found.
Vidok raised a hand to hail Borax. Sara wondered why. He hadn’t mentioned needing to talk to Borax.
Borax made his way to Vidok’s side, brows raised in inquiry.
“I must take Sara back to my den before we leave.” Vidok clamped a possessive hand on her shoulder.
Sara went rigid, her head whipping around to glare at her mate. “What?!” she shrieked. Scowl firmly in place and shaking her head aggressively, she jabbed a finger into Vidok’s well-muscled abs.
“There is no way you are going without me,” she hissed out.
Vidok froze, his fingers slightly biting down into her skin as he looked down at her. His ears laid back irritably. “You are not going back there,” he stated sternly, quickly loosing control of his calm countenance. “I will not risk you. You will stay at the den where you will be safe while I attend to rescuing your friends.”
“Oh no, just because we are mated does not mean you get to devolve into a caveman. The little woman is not staying in the den,” she sneered at him.
What little patience Vidok had been trying to exert control over unraveled just that fast. “Female, you will go and remain at the den to wait,” he snarled.
Not cowed in the least, Sara snarled back at him. He had a lot to learn if he thought showing a bit of fang, even impressive big fangs, was going to bully her into submitting. “Look here growly...”
Vidok growled in earnest, and Sara faltered. His jaw clenched and he let out a gust of air.
“Sara,” Vidok was clearly fighting to regain his temper and be reasonable, though his tone still had an edge of growl to it. “You do not know Dorok. You are not VaDorok. You almost died on the ice flows trying to escape your captors...and now you wish me to allow you to go right back?”
“It is my choice,” she said firmly.
“It is my choice as well. You are my mate. I have waited for you and it is not in me to risk loosing you!” he snapped. He closed his eyes. “I have waited too many years, thinking I would never have a mate, and now you ask me to risk my family. To risk everything.”
Sara felt a pinch of guilt. Vidok had never been anything but caring toward her. She stroked her hand over his broad one still gripping her.
“Vidok,” she whispered. “I know.”
His silver eyes opened, his worry plain in their depths. She leaned her cheek into his arm.
“I have to free them. I tried telling myself that just finding help was enough, but I have to see it through to the end. The things the Agraak did to us--” she closed her eyes against the memory. “I will never forgive myself if I allow myself to be locked safely away. I am terrified to face the Agraak again, but I need to be there.”
Vidok shifted, his expression uncertain.
“Besides,” Sara gave him a wan smile, “how do you think ten women are going to react when you lot rush in?” Her eyes sparkled in mirth. “You are huge, and pretty scary looking for humans. Or do you need me to try to skewer you with a stick again as a reminder?”
“Your mate has a point,” Borax offered. Vidok shot his friend a glare. Borax shrugged as if to say ‘what are you going to do’ but otherwise looked unrepentant.
“Sara clearly knows the layout of the lab and where the women are located, and having her there will make the women confident to trust our lead.” Borax’s gaze swept over his motley crew. “I would prefer it if we could avoid our males being left with no choice but to chase down panicked females.”
Borax frowned for a moment longer before his face cleared and he cheerfully slapped his friend’s shoulder. “Cheer up friend, at least you don’t have to haul your mate over the ice flows again.”
Vidok shot him a questioning look as Borax’s grin grew exponentially. Borax pointed upward where a dark blob, still tiny in the distance, was lowering towards the gathering grounds. “Last night while you were...enjoying the benefit of ulukskinon, I was busy doing chiefly things such as contacting the Edoka. He happened to already be on his way towards us for the full moon gathering and was more than happy to help us out with our situation.”
Vidok relaxed slightly and returned his friend’s grin. Curious, Sara glanced from her mate, to Borax, and back again.
“Who and what is an Edoka?”
***
The Edoka was a species unlike Sara had ever seen before. The trader didn’t even remotely resemble the Budo, the only other alien trader species she had the misfortune to meet. Point in fact, if the Edoka had been the one to ask for human volunteers, most women, excepting the most adventurous, would probably have run the other way. Not that he threatened her--he was just big and scary as fuck.
The VaDorok seemed to trust him though. Or at least trusted him enough to transport them to the lab and back safely for this rescue mission. Once they explained what they needed from him, the Edoka only half-ass listened to any other plans discussed among the males, only occasionally offering his input; rather, he watched Sara with undivided focus which, frankly, freaked her out.
She didn’t get any sense of it being malicious--just super freakin’ focused. Not one to be unjustly intimidated--she had enough of that from the Agraak--Sara stared a hole through his head. He returned it without even blinking his colorless black eyes. It was unnerving, sh
e had to admit. He merely tilted his head, rather in a reptilian fashion for all his strong humanoid features--scales and spines aside.
Whereas Vidok was basically a giant cuddly kitty with a few horns, this guy looked like he could almost have walked off the cover off one of those damn sci-fi romances she loved. Almost. Maybe a dark romance, given his soulless eyes and the aura that just screamed punishment by death and mayhem.
His dark blue scales shimmered silvery in the light, and black spines, not dissimilar but at the same time not too much like those of the Agraak, peaked through the many tiny braids of his silver hair, and continued down his shoulders. The spines also armored his upper arms and elbows, though they were currently flattened in a non-aggressive manner. Unlike the Agraak, he had a long reptilian tail, slightly flattened as if he would be a good swimmer, covered with a ridge of spines down its length that were lax and flattened like those on his upper arms. She absently wondered how much the freak out factor would increase if he decided to puff out all those scales threateningly. She debated asking him to demonstrate, but a sense of self-preservation kept her silent. No need to try and provoke him.
He reminds me of some species of reptiles and exotic fish. Pretty but deadly.
Who am I kidding, this dude is way scary as fuck, but I just got to know...
Sara slowly leaned forward and asked the million dollar question. “So you got a name, or are you like with some sort of alien mafia? Ya know, space thugs? Organized crime? Because everyone just calls you ‘The Edoka,’ which is cool as fuck but isn’t much of a name.”
He looked at her incredulously for several heartbeats before bursting out into laughter.“No female, I am not part of any kind of organized crime,” he chuckled. The laughter, Sara had to admit, completely transformed him into something still pretty but far less threatening to stand near. “I just work as a trader for my family on our home world. My name is A’Jular. Everyone just remembers me as ‘the Edoka’ because I am usually the only one they have ever met.”
A’Jular huh. Sounds similar to that tasty brown sauce Arby’s serves with their french dip sandwiches. I miss those...gods I would kill for a curly fry right now.
“Tell me human female,” he leaned forward with a predatory smile that had Vidok grumbling, “before I risk my ship and am forced to deal with the Intergalactic Council, why do the Agraak want you so much?”
Sara froze. There was something she had told no one, not even Vidok. She hadn’t trusted anyone with the information, thinking if anyone knew that they would see her friends, and humanity in general, as a commodity. That was certainly how the Agraak treated them once they had discovered human breeding potential. She licked her lips nervously.
“The first part of this the VaDorok know,” that caught the attention of not only Vidok but Borax as well, both males whipping their heads around to frown at her. Sara felt a momentarily stab of guilt.
“I told Vidok that they are using humans for doing breeding tests. What I didn’t tell anyone is that early on the Agraak discovered that human biology is extremely recessive, to the point where fertilization erases all expressions of any human phenotypes. The result is that any young born are, more or less, expressing purely the traits of the non-human parent.” Sara shifted nervously under the stare of all the males. This was the part she really didn’t want to share.“They have indexed human compatibility as nearly universal.”
The Edoka’s head jerked back, eyes wide. His claws drummed against his thigh as his mind seemed to rapidly turn the information over. His lips tightened and he nodded firmly, his decision made in record-time to Sara’s way of thinking.
“Well lets go then,” he swept his hand towards the starship impatiently. “We have some human females to rescue.”
As warriors eagerly climbed into the cargo hold, eager to fight, Vidok held his mate back out of the way. She cringed slightly at the look of fury, and worse, disappointment in his eyes. She hadn’t lied, she just hadn’t told anyone. She had nothing to feel guilty about. Her positive affirmations didn’t make her feel any better though. She knew he was hurt that she didn’t share that information with him.
“We will talk about this later ulukska,” he muttered quietly.
Sara nodded with dread, that was not a conversation she was looking forward to. She only hoped that Vidok would see reason as to why she hadn’t felt comfortable telling him. It really didn’t have anything directly to do with their relationship. She wanted him to want her for her, not because the Agraak had determined that humans made good breeders. She only said anything now because it seemed like the best choice. Surely sharing that information with the Intergalactic Council would do more good than harm. She hoped.
When the last warrior entered the ship Borax shot Vidok a broad grin. “Well this is it my friend. Lets go twist some Agraak tails.”
Vidok snorted out a laugh. Sara didn’t know how to break it to the males that she never saw an Agraak with a tail.
***
Vidok was furious, and, if he were entirely truthful with himself, he was hurt. His mate had withheld important information from him. He, who she should have trusted with everything! Why would his mate not feel that such secrets were not safe with him? It was his duty and privilege to protect her.
“Don’t chew over it too much Vidok,” Borax said lowly with a companionable nudge. “You are her mate now. What passed then, does not matter now.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?” Vidok quietly snarled. They were making their way through the snow towards the large metal den looming in the distance. Sara called it a laboratory. “She knows how desperate so many species are for mates, and how many are on the edge of extinction.”
Borax shrugged thoughtfully, “Maybe that is why.”
Vidok’s head snapped up angrily, but Borax waved it off. “Think of it for a moment, my friend. She is an alien on a foreign world. One who has just escaped her captors, a species who are using her species for breeding. She meets you and finds out that this a problem among a great many species. Do you think this makes her feel safe, or less concern for her kind?”
Vidok frowned and considered this. No, letting it be known to a strange male that humanity was the answer to a wide spread issue would have been too much like putting a larger target on herself and her kind. They hadn’t yet been mated, and he had been a stranger to her. She couldn’t have known then his intentions. Being wary was the smart thing to do.
He had to smile in self-mockery. To think that he once wondered at her intelligence. He had to have been mad. Over the last several days his mate proved to be bright and cunning. Not to mention stubborn with a fiery temper. Vidok sighed.
“I suppose that is a perspective I had not considered,” he granted.
Borax offered a small smile, “Maybe she felt safer telling us in light of understanding that the Intergalactic Council would get involved, and therefore enforcing some sort of protections.”
Vidok’s gaze swung over to his mate a few paces ahead of him, she was crouched down behind a snow drift beside A’Jular, gesturing towards the building. He did not like her that far away from him, or so close to another male, but he recognized the necessity for her need to help. Even at that distance, he could hear her clearly as she explained the best way to get in.
He slid up behind her quietly, crouching low. Her eyes shot over to him, her gaze warm as her lips quirked up slightly. He choked down a purr. Now wasn’t the time. They needed stealth. He wasn’t about to chance getting his mate killed by not controlling his instinctual responses to her. Vidok wanted to groan. The ulukskinon, while the fires were banked by securing their mating, still burned. Normally, tradition kept couples for days on end in mating retreat before it was totally satisfied. Yet here he was, on a rescue mission, while his body burned with need for his mate beside him.
Borax grinned knowingly at his discomfort. That alpak’s ass.
“We need to draw as little attention as possible which rules out any of the entrances whic
h will be heavily guarded. We don’t want to encounter a large number of guards at once. Their spines are loaded with neuro-toxins. Being scratched or stabbed with one will not be a pleasant experience for anyone. The large panes of glass there is probably going to the best way in. That is the common room. I can get us around easily from there,” Sara pointed to large windows. She leaned forward and frowned.
“Strange,” she muttered.
Vidok leaned in too to see what she was looking at, “What is it ulukska?”
She pointed, “See all those guys running around.”
Vidok grimaced. The Agraak were not particularly pleasant to look upon. While he noticed some similarities to the Edoka, they lacked all of the better features of the latter. “They seem to be in a hurry,” he observed.
Sara hummed to herself and replied, “Exactly. This not the usual behavior for them. They have pretty regularly shifts in patrol groups of two or three. This is more like they are getting ready for something big.”
“If that is the case, when we go in make sure you stay with me, Sara,” Vidok pinned her with a stern look. “If they are behaving unpredictably I don’t want you out of my sight.”
Sara nodded her agreement and shifted closer to him as they moved forward as a group, the VaDorok communicating over the short distance with hand and body signals. It took very little time to maneuver everyone into position near the large windows. Vidok noted that the gods were on their side--the room was clear.
At Borax’s signal, several warriors threw their large biriate lances at the tall windows. The glass did not break, but tiny fractures webbed out from each lance. Expecting that, the warriors yanked their spears free and threw their bodies through the glass, the shards falling harmlessly from their fur onto the floor.
The crash of falling glass, though, did not go unnoticed. Several Agraak guards ran into the room, and were speared through by VaDorok warriors climbing rapidly through the windows. Vidok’s own lance caught one male, pinning him against the wall with the force of his throw. Others caught the guards up in heavily muscled arms, their necks snapped before the VaDorok could be pierced by the thick spines.
