Loved by the Elite Commander

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  It took a while, but eventually I fell asleep, and had the sweetest dreams.

  Chapter Four

  K-Tan

  I’d spent the past three solar cycles in bed with my mate, making her scream and beg for more. Even now, my cock ached to be inside her again. I’d never known such pleasure, and I knew it was because Marcy was my true mate. I just didn’t know how to broach a certain subject with her. When an Elorian male was in his prime and ready to procreate, his sperm was a pale blue. Mine had changed to a much deeper hue the last time we’d mated. I knew what it had meant, even if my sweet female didn’t, and I wasn’t certain how she’d handle the news.

  “You look both smug and worried,” J-Ril said.

  “My mate is pregnant.”

  J-Ril nodded. “Of course, you’d be concerned with her safety as long as we’re on this planet.”

  “It’s not just that. I haven’t told her. Since she didn’t react when it happened, I have to assume she isn’t aware.”

  J-Ril’s jaw dropped as he stared at me. “Why aren’t you telling her?”

  “She’s been through so much. What if she isn’t overjoyed with the news? And as you said, she’s not safe as long as we remain on X-2. We need to rescue as many females as we can and leave this horrible planet.”

  “I didn’t want to tell you, but the Humans have changed their routine. I think they’re searching for Marcy,” J-Ril said. “I’d hoped I was wrong and wouldn’t have to share the news. Your bond is still new, but now that she’s carrying the first Elorian child in nearly five decades… We need to leave, Elite Commander. With or without the other females.”

  I knew he was right, but I didn’t like it. I’d promised my Marcy that we would save as many of her Human females as we could. To go back on that promise left a bitter taste in my mouth. It would cause her pain to leave this planet, knowing those females would still be in danger from the Human males.

  “Elite Commander, might I make a suggestion?” J-Ril asked. “What if we left this planet long enough to take you and your mate to the nearest outpost? You could arrange transport back to Elora and, if you would permit to me to command the Krixtan-4, I could return here with the others and work on saving the Human females.”

  X-Ril sat two chairs away, slurping down a bowl of largo noodles. “Or you could take the Provo-6. We have enough emergency pods on board if something bad happened after we leave this hellish place. No reason you can’t just use the skiff to get home. It’s fully stocked. Even though it’s small, with only two people on board you should be fine.”

  I glanced at him. “You want me to leave all of you without a backup for reaching Elora?”

  X-Ril shrugged. “It’s not like all of us would fit on the Provo-6 anyway, even without the Human females. You might as well make sure your mate reaches Elora safely, Elite Commander. Right now, your future child is the only hope for our planet. I think every male on board would agree that you should take the skiff.”

  “Your mate is pregnant?” K-Vik asked as he entered the command center. “You’re certain?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I’m certain. I haven’t told her yet, though.”

  “I can determine the sex of the baby with a blood sample from your mate,” he said. “If you’d like to know.”

  I sighed and closed my eyes a moment. Did I want to know? Yes. Did I want to tell my mate that she was already pregnant? Not exactly. We hadn’t had much time for conversation, not with the mating heat riding us. We’d made love more than we’d spoken to one another. Before I told Marcy that she was carrying the first Elorian born in nearly fifty years, I needed to talk to her about other things. She needed to know more about where she came from and how her people had ended up on X-2.

  I looked at J-Ril. “Did you send the reports I requested?”

  “Yes, Elite Commander. Everything you could want to know about Earth’s history, as well as the plans the Marwains had for the Human slaves on the vessel that crashed here so long ago. Most of the females were to be sold to the Vaadens, but not all. The males were to be sold at various slave auctions.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be in my quarters. There are some things I need to discuss with Marcy. After I’ve talked to her about the pregnancy, I’ll see if she’d like to know if we’re having a male or a female child,” I said.

  I left the command center and made my way back to my mate. She was awake and staring at the communicator I’d left behind. Her brow was furrowed, and she held it as if it were a bomb that might go off at any moment.

  “What is this thing?” she asked.

  “It’s a way for people to reach me, even from other ships. It does other things as well. J-Ril sent some reports to me on your home planet, Earth. I thought perhaps we could read over them together. Would you like to know more about where your people came from?” I asked.

  “You can find all of that out on this thing?” she asked, handing the communicator to me.

  “Yes.” I smiled and sat next to her. When she cuddled against my side, I wrapped an arm around her waist and showed her the screen as I activated the device. I knew she wouldn’t be able to read the reports, as they weren’t in her language, but I could tell her the contents of each one.

  J-Ril had included a picture of Earth, taken from some distance away. I showed it to her, and she reached out to touch the little blue planet on the screen. When the planet began to rotate, she gasped. I was going to enjoy showing her all the wonders she’d missed by being on this backward planet. Even Earth was more advanced than the settlements on X-2.

  “This is where Humans come from,” I said. “It’s a fascinating place. Your people come in many different colors and sizes. There are a lot of different languages as well.”

  “Everyone in the settlement speaks my language,” she said.

  “It’s called English,” I said.

  “How is it that you and everyone on board can understand me and communicate?” she asked.

  “Elorians have the ability to learn any subject by simply reading about it or hearing it. When J-Ril discovered that Human females were compatible with our people, we each learned the most common languages on Earth. In addition, while you’re on board the Krixtan-4, or any Elorian vessel, there are translators everywhere on the ship. No matter what room you’re in, when you speak, it will translate your words to the other person’s language.”

  “Is that how I understood you when you pulled me from that box with the running water?” she asked.

  “The cleansing unit, and yes. Once I heard you speak and realized you were a Human female, I spoke to you in your native language, or what I hoped was your native tongue. The on board systems have since informed me your native tongue is English. Everyone on board this vessel can speak to you without a translator.”

  “I noticed that some of the Humans at the settlement here looked different from me, but I never understood why,” she said.

  “From what we’ve been able to discern, it seems that Humans might look different depending on which part of the planet they call home. Some areas have Humans with darker skin, eyes that might be shaped differently, and several seem to have their own language. Our knowledge of your planet is still lacking, but we’ll find as much information as we can,” I said.

  “How did Humans end up here?” she asked.

  “Slavers. Marwains to be exact. We believe the females on the ship that crashed here were intended for a planet called Vaaden, and the Human males were likely to be used as labor elsewhere, or possibly sex slaves to those who prefer males. The Vaaden males will perish if they can’t be intimate with a female regularly, and their females are frigid and controlling. In order to keep their health from failing, they purchase slaves for sexual pleasure. The others on board were being gathered for auction possibly and some of the species who live near here,” I said. “From what we’ve been able to tell, the Vaadens have been purchasing Human females or gathering them from Earth themselves for at least the past fifteen hundred year
s. There are fewer slaves now as the Vaadens started claiming the Humans as mates nearly one thousand years ago, but we haven’t seen any facts to substantiate they are no longer purchasing Human slaves. It’s possible they’re still keeping sex slaves and using Human females for that purpose.”

  “You said your people will be extinct if you can’t find females to carry your children. But if you don’t mate with someone like you, won’t they only be half-Elorian? Is that really saving your race?” she asked.

  My Human was rather perceptive. I hoped she would do well on Elora and would grasp the technology, but I knew she’d been on a primitive world her entire life. Learning our language might prove even more difficult for her, but my people would adapt accordingly. Anything to make the Human females feel at home.

  “My genes would be dominant in any children we have. They will mostly look like me, but could have your size if they’re female. Of course, we’re guessing based off reports we’ve read of other half-Human offspring. Until a child is born who is half-Elorian and half-Human, there’s no way to know for certain,” I said.

  I took a breath, knowing this was a prime opportunity to tell my mate that she was carrying our child. She reached for the screen and shifted the images until she could see the planets surrounding Earth. She touched one the Humans called Saturn. The Humans described it as having rings, but it was a field of debris that circled the planet due to gravity. I didn’t know if Marcy would understand if I tried to explain though. Being on X-2, she would have had limited resources for learning about such things.

  “I know you need children in order to save your people,” she said. “But do you actually want them?”

  Her question took me by surprise. It never occurred to me that my mate would assume I only wanted children to keep my people from dying out. Having a family was a great honor for any Elorian, and one that I had wanted for a long time. I’d never thought it would be possible, until J-Ril had discovered the information on Human females.

  “Of course, I want them,” I said. “There is no greater honor than for a warrior to find his mate and start a family. The males of my generation have dreamed of having children since we were old enough to realize such a thing wasn’t possible.”

  “So if we have a baby, you’d really want it? Even if it was a boy?” she asked.

  “I will love any children we have, my sweet mate, regardless of their gender. Any child will be a blessing for my people. Are females needed the most? Yes, but so are future warriors and leaders.”

  “Maybe if you’d let some females lead you wouldn’t be in this predicament. They may have noticed something was wrong sooner and acted in time to save your people,” she said. She glanced at me and smiled. “Just a thought. I know I’m less than a slave on this world. I’d hoped that maybe things would be different on Elora, but it sounds like the males still hold all the power.”

  I stroked her hair and pondered her words. My people had always valued our females, but it was true, none had ever been permitted to lead. Those with medical training were only allowed to attend to the birthing of future generations. I wondered if these Human females were going to change far more on Elora than we had realized.

  I’d assumed Marcy would be overjoyed on my planet, no longer being used and abused by males, but maybe I’d been incorrect. What if she wanted more than I was able to offer? Would Human mates want more than just a safe place to live, and a mate who would adore them?

  The Elorian females had never demanded more than what they were offered. They’d seemed content, and even happy, with their lives. I’d assumed since the Human females were similar enough on the inside, that they would also think the same as an Elorian.

  Then again, their males were nothing like Elorian males. My people would never harm a female. I was starting to think I might have been mistaken in my thinking. Not that change was a bad thing. I was a little concerned how my world’s leaders would react to the idea of a female being offered a position of power. Each Elorian female was adored by their mate and children, and each held a place of honor in their families, but what if that wasn’t enough for a Human?

  “Is it a bad thing that the males set the rules for our society and choose which battles we enter?” I asked, genuinely wanting to know how my mate felt on the subject. “Is that something you would want to do?”

  “Me?” she asked, then laughed. “No. I wouldn’t want to do anything like that. I just found it curious that none of your females were offered a position. My mother used to tell me stories of kings and queens. I guess I just wondered if your people had a queen.”

  “No, the Elorian people do not have a king or queen. We have five leaders, each from our most influential families. It’s an honor to be selected for the position. Once a leader has been chosen, they remain in that position for one hundred years. Our current leaders have already reigned for that long and are ready to step down, but they’re waiting for the males of my generation to find mates and start families. At the moment, ensuring the future of Elora is more important,” I said.

  “It’s so different from here. You’re not at all like the men at the settlement. I was scared when I saw J-Ril. He was so much bigger than the men I’ve been around, but I decided I was going to go without a fight. He would either kill me, or my life would remain the same as before. I never counted on it being better.”

  “I will give you anything you desire, Marcy. Anything within my power to give. You mean everything to me.”

  She snuggled closer. “I’ve never wanted to be intimate with a man until you, K-Tan. Even though your size is intimidating, I could see kindness in your eyes. That was enough to give me hope that you were different, better than the men I’ve known.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing I couldn’t keep it from her any longer. It wasn’t an outright lie, but I was lying by omission, and I never wanted my mate to feel that she couldn’t trust me.

  “Marcy, I need to tell you something.”

  “What?” she asked, tipping her head back to look up at me.

  “One of the times we were intimate something happened.” I placed my hand over her belly. “We created a child.”

  She bolted upright, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. “How can you know that? I’ve never been able to have children, and you expect me to believe that I conceived so easily with you? Even if you did remove that thing from inside of me, it would take longer to create a baby, wouldn’t it?”

  My heart ached at her refusal to accept the truth. “You don’t wish to have a child with me. It’s why you accepted the mating. You didn’t think you would ever carry my young.”

  I went to move away, but her small hand gripped my arm. I glanced at her pale fingers wrapping around my forearm, wanting to pull away, yet worried I would harm her. I lifted my gaze and saw the confusion on her face.

  “Why are you leaving? And what do you mean by saying I don’t want to have children with you?” she asked.

  “If I had known you didn’t want children, I wouldn’t have asked K-Vik to remove the anomaly in your body. I’m sorry, Marcy. I can’t undo our mating, nor can I change the fact you carry my child. If you’d prefer separate quarters, I can make the arrangements.”

  She moved closer, wrapping her arms around my waist.

  “I didn’t mean that I never want children with you, K-Tan. I just don’t understand. How could you possibly know that I’m already pregnant?” she asked.

  “My seed. It changes colors after a successful mating. When my mate is fertile and it’s a prime time to conceive, my seed is thicker and a paler shade due to the number of sperm. It changed to a much deeper hue the last time we were intimate, which means you’re carrying my child,” I said.

  “I didn’t know that happened,” she said. “I don’t think Human men do something like that. None of the women ever mentioned it anyway. Since I never got pregnant, no one discussed it with me.”

  “So you aren’t upset about the baby?” I asked, not quite certain
if she was happy with the news or not.

  “No, I’m not upset,” she said. “Surprised it happened so quickly, but I’m not mad. I wonder if I’ll carry the baby the same amount of time as a fully Human one? How long would an Elorian female be pregnant?”

  “Elorian females are pregnant for seven months, but I’m not certain how long before our baby is born. Our child will be the first half-Human half-Elorian, so our med techs will have to learn along the way. I’m sure that doesn’t give you much comfort.” I hesitated, remembering K-Vik’s words. “Would you like to find out the sex of our child? I was assured it could be done with a blood sample.”

  “Such a thing is possible? With Humans, we just have to wait and see what we’re having. At least, here on this planet we do. I have no idea how that sort of thing is handled on Earth,” she said.

  “Come. I’ll take you to the clinic. K-Vik may want to place you in the med pod just to run a quick scan and make sure you’re still healthy. I would imagine growing a living being inside of you could be draining and require more vitamins and nutrients than usual.”

  She accepted my hand and let me lead her through the corridor and down to the lower levels. When we approached the med clinic, her grip tightened and I could feel the slight tremor in her fingers. My poor, sweet mate was nervous, and I couldn’t blame her. The last time she’d been in the pod, she hadn’t woken for several cycles. I didn’t think such a thing would be necessary this time, but I wouldn’t promise her that without knowing for certain.

  “Are you here to find out the gender of your child?” K-Vik asked as we entered the clinic.

  “Yes, and to ensure that Marcy is still healthy. I don’t know what effect a pregnancy will have on her body,” I said.

  K-Vik motioned to the med pod. Marcy pressed closer to me, and I hated that she feared the one thing on this vessel that could save her life if the need arose. I lifted her into the pod, then pressed a kiss to her brow before the lid lowered. Her frightened gaze held mine through the glass and I wished I knew how to calm her.