Arantxa

by T. J. Quinn

“No hurry, at all,” Suriak and the others agreed, with wide smiles, as they entered the house, guided by Samantha.

  “Will you stay?” Djorg asked Korben.

  He shrugged, but Arantxa could tell he wasn’t happy. He wanted to leave Valkyr as soon as possible. “I guess I was outnumbered.”

  “Come on in.”

  With a forced smile, Arantxa followed them in and mumbling an unintelligible excuse, she rushed to her room. She needed to get away from Korben, afraid she couldn’t hide her feelings.

  She was coming out of the shower, wrapped in a towel when Samantha knocked on her door. “We’ll be having breakfast in a few minutes. Won’t you join us?”

  She gave her friend a faint smile. “I’m exhausted. I’ll get some sleep, instead, if you don’t mind,” she said, taking a seat on the bed.

  Arantxa refused to say goodbye to Korben again. Her heart had been through enough.

  “Are you sure?” Samantha insisted, taking a seat next to her.

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “You’re in love with Korben, aren’t you?” she asked in a low tone as she squeezed her friend’s hand.

  She huffed some of her pain. She knew Samantha would find out sooner or later. Her friend knew her better than anyone. “My feelings for him don’t matter. He doesn’t share them, and I have learned to accept that. I just don’t want to say goodbye to him again,” she explained in a somber tone.

  “Are you sure about that?” Samantha asked, expressing her doubts. “He was out of his mind when he realized they were too late.”

  “He’s a good man, he would have reacted the same way for anyone else. He knows Biurk and all he’s capable of,” she said, in a low tone. “There’s nothing there, believe me.”

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “Didn’t you see how eager he was to leave? He wants nothing to do with me,” she let out a bittersweet laugh. “He’s afraid I’ll cling to him and never let go.”

  “If you say so…” Samantha jumped to her feet. “I can have some food brought up to you,” she offered.

  Arantxa shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m not hungry. Too much happened today, and my stomach is still adjusting after the whole ordeal.”

  Samantha hugged her. “I’ll see you later, then.”

  Arantxa watched her leave and let herself fall back on the mattress, suddenly, too tired, too drained, to even keep her eyes open.

  She knew she wouldn’t sleep, there were too many things going through her mind. She forced herself to calm down, to slowly silence the loud voices in her mind. It was a supreme effort not to crumble down and cry herself to sleep.

  She was still there, still wrapped in the damp towel, her eyes closed and her cheeks wet from the rebellious tears that had escaped her fierce control, when she felt him lying in bed next to her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, in a tone drained of emotions.

  “You didn’t join us,” he said, in a low tone.

  “I’m not hungry,” she replied evenly.

  “You should be… you haven’t eaten in a long while,” he insisted.

  “That’s not your problem anymore,” she pointed out.

  “It will always be my problem. I didn’t save your life, twice, to have you waste it,” he said firmly.

  “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, although the recent events might say otherwise,” she assured him. “I don’t need a babysitter. You’re free to leave as soon as you wish.”

  “I can’t. You owe me,” he said, in a calm tone.

  His words had her come up onto her elbows to look at him. “What do you mean, I owe you?” she asked, with a deep frown.

  “No one paid me for rescuing you the second time,” he explained, matter-of-factly.

  Of course, it had only been a job for him. One he would want to get paid for. One she couldn’t afford. “I didn’t hire you,” she pointed out, “therefore, I don’t owe you a thing.”

  “Will you let others pay for your bills?” he asked, rolling until he was on his side, his head leaning on his hand, his eyes locked on her body. “You know they would never let you down.”

  She pursed her lips for a moment, upset by his words. Of course, she wouldn’t want Djorg and Samantha paying him for rescuing her, again. They had done more than enough for her, as it was. The problem was she couldn’t even afford to go back home, what to say pay his fees. “I’m afraid I can’t afford your price,” she admitted, with a somber tone.

  His index finger grazed her skin, right next to the towel. “I haven’t told you my price,” he protested.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s way beyond what I can afford,” she assured him, doing her best to ignore the wandering finger.

  “Oh, but I’m sure you can,” he said, pulling down the towel and revealing her breasts.

  She covered her breasts and looked at him, furious. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking what is mine,” he said, in a soft tone.

  “I’m not playing this game again. Just name your price and I’ll make sure you get paid,” she said, rolling away from him.

  He grabbed the towel and pulled it off her body. He rolled after her and pinned her to the mattress, facing it.

  “You’re my price. You’re mine now,” he insisted.

  She tried to take him off of her to no use. “I’m no one’s property, so get the hell out.”

  “I can’t… believe me, I tried…” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending chills of thrill down her spine. “Each time, I told myself there was no place for a female in my life… my heart was broken once, and I promised myself never to fall into the clutches of a female. I learned the hard way how cruel and treacherous they can be…” he said, combining his words with small kisses, scattered all over her ears, neck, and shoulders. “But then, you came into my life… and all the walls I had built around my heart crumbled to the ground, leaving me exposed and helpless. I still tried to escape, to fight the powerful pull you had over me… but I couldn’t.”

  What was he saying? Had she fallen asleep and now she was dreaming? She tilted her head to a side to glance at him. “What are you saying?” she asked, in a low murmur, afraid she had misheard him, sure she would die if she had.

  He flipped her around and faced her. “I’m saying that you’re mine, Arantxa, the same way I’m yours,” he said in a grave tone. “Now, that I’ve met you, I don’t want to live without you.”

  “You said goodbye… you walked away as if what had happened between us meant nothing to you,” she protested.

  “I was still fighting you, fighting this thing between us,” he confessed. “But I didn’t go much further… the ship was ready to leave Valkyr, but I couldn’t. I needed to be near you,” he added smirking.

  “You have an odd way to show that,” she grumbled, her heart thundering in her chest as she slowly allowed hope to enter. “You would have taken me to another male’s arms if he hadn't been a scumbag like Biurk.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. The only reason I brought you here was that you had already told me you were canceling your mating with him,” he said, leaning down to kiss the top of her nose. “If you had insisted on it, I don’t think I would have brought you here,” he confessed.

  “I wish I had known that,” she muttered, punching his chest.

  “You would have lied to me?” he asked, faking his shock. “The first walls around my heart crumbled when I saw you lying on the cold floor of the lair. I suddenly felt the need to protect you against all harm and I would have killed the Paklyors myself if my priority hadn't been to take you out of that hell,” he said, his tone grave.

  “You could have fooled me… you didn’t seem very happy to have me around,” she pointed out.

  “I was still fighting myself over my feelings for you. When I let you walk away yesterday, I kept telling myself I had done the right thing,” he explained. “That you had no place in
my life and that even if I had wanted to make you one, you would never accept going to Gaeshlai with me, to live in a very isolated area, with no neighbors around us. That wasn’t the life you signed up for when you decided to leave your planet.”

  “No, it wasn’t…” she admitted. “I only looked for possible mates amongst Valkyrian males, because I wanted to be as close as possible to Samantha. She’s my best friend, and she’s like family. I have no one else.”

  His expression hardened, and his body stiffened. “That’s why I walked away. I knew we had no future together,” he said, in a stern tone. “But then, Biurk got to you, and he almost kills you, right in front of me, and I realized I was doing it all wrong,” he added. “Yes, I’m established on Gaeshlai, and I really like living there, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t get all that here in Valkyr if that means I get to keep you with me.”

  She looked at him with a slight frown, marveling at his words. He would go that far? Could it be possible her warrior had fallen in love with her? “You would do that for me?”

  “Would you let me?” he asked instead, his words echoing the insecurity he was feeling.

  “Why? Why would you change your whole life just to be with me?” she insisted, desperate to hear the words her heart desired.

  “Because I love you. Life without you no longer makes any sense, and I would be totally lost without you.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “You love me? Are you sure? If you take me into your life, there will be no turning back,” she warned him, her heart dancing in her chest, with barely contained delight. “I’ll cling to you like ivy to a wall.”

  He chuckled. “I have no idea what ivy is, but I like the idea of you clinging to me,” he said before he claimed a passionate kiss from her lips. “I love you,” he said it again, combining his words with kisses.

  “I love you too… I never felt so miserable as when you walked away from me yesterday… my heart broke into a million tiny pieces…” she said, kissing him back, her body burning with need and passion.

  “I’ll put it back together, piece by piece,” he promised.

  “You’d better.”

  “Tomorrow, I’ll ask Djorg to help me to move here. With his help, it should be easy,” he said, cradling her face and kissing her again.

  She shook her head, as she helped him out of his suit, eager to feel his skin underneath her fingers. “No, you’ll do no such thing. I’ll move in with you, in Gaeshlai and whenever I feel the urge to visit Samantha, you’ll bring me here,” she said, with a smile.

  He lifted his head. “You don’t have to do that. I can move here,” he assured her, with a slight frown.

  “I know you can, but I don’t want you to. I’m sure we’ll be very happy on your planet.”

  He stared at her for a few moments, certainly looking for any hint of a doubt, but there wasn’t one. She had fallen for her rescuer, and she would do all in her power to make him happy.

  He kissed her again and again until they were both breathless, arousal reaching its highest levels as it rushed through their entangled bodies.

  Korben’s lips slid from hers and traveled all the way to her earlobes, lingering there for a few moments, as he kissed and nibbled them, taking great pleasure in the low moans coming from her lips.

  His big hands captured her breasts, and his fingers clamped around her hard nipples, gently tugging them before his thumbs rubbed the dark pink tips.

  Her moans grew louder, and his lips drew a trail of fire all the way down to the needy buds, taking one at a time, into his mouth, his coarse tongue wrapping itself around it before he started suckling with deep pulls, interspersed with strokes of his tongue.

  Whimpering, Arantxa arched her back, pushing herself closer to him, tiny waves of pleasure blasting through her. Her hips pressed against his throbbing cock and she sobbed of sheer need.

  “Please…” she begged, rubbing herself against him.

  “Do you want me, my sweet love?” he whispered as he suckled her breasts harder and faster.

  “Oh, god, yes… yes…”

  “Take me inside you,” he invited her.

  Encouraged by his husky tone, she wrapped her hands around him, but before she guided his hard cock to her aching pussy, she stroked it a few times, relishing the ridges underneath the smooth skin.

  His cock felt like no other, and soon her hunger for him was stronger than her desire to please him. She rubbed his tip up and down her slit, smearing it with the hot fluids coming out of her, making sure she rubbed her engorged clit with it.

  After a few moments, she finally pressed his tip to her entrance.

  With a strong, powerful thrust, he slid all the way inside her, ripping a loud moan of bliss from her lips.

  “I’ll never grow tired of this,” he assured her, slowly coming out of her, just to slam his cock back in. “Your pussy feels like nothing I felt before… it welcomes me… every single time…” he muttered, combining every word with powerful thrusts.

  The first waves of an orgasm threatened to overwhelm her when he slid his hand between them, and his thumb rubbed her throbbing clit, plying it until she came with a loud cry.

  The shuddering of her body and the way her pussy clenched itself around him as she swirled in the turmoil of pleasure was paradise for him, and he took her there again and again before he finally allowed himself to unleash the pleasure building up inside him.

  His roar echoed in the room as he poured his essence deep inside her, before he collapsed over her, making sure he didn’t crush her.

  “I want to spend the rest of my life making love to you,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I’m glad you feel that way because I wouldn’t want anything else,” she assured him, still panting, the words coming out of her lips through ragged gasps.

  He kissed her lips gently, his eyes shining with so much love, she felt the urgent need to pinch herself to make sure this wasn’t a dream, that he truly existed and she had finally found the male of her dreams.

  After all, she had been through ever since she had left Earth, the torture, the pain, and the cold she had endured while the Paklyors held her prisoner, were now forgotten and almost forgiven. If the monstrous creatures hadn't abducted her, she would have never met the male that gave sense to her life. The male that had become her whole life.

  ****

  With a pleased sigh, Korben rolled onto the mattress next to her, finally sliding out of her. He shouldn’t have resisted this for so long, but he had allowed fear of getting hurt to rule his life. That was now in the past. Arantxa meant everything to him, and now he wanted to shout it to the world to let everyone know he had found the love of his life.

  What he had felt for Ellora had nothing to do with the love he felt for Arantxa. While one had been the love of a young male who barely knew life and its challenges, the other was a deep feeling, born in his soul and confirmed by his heart and body. He would do anything for Arantxa, while he hadn't even tried to fight for Ellora.

  Though he had no idea if he would ever be able to have offspring with Arantxa, he didn’t care. His life was finally complete, and he was sure he would never miss anything.

  Arantxa was his whole life, and he was sure that would never change.

  He had found a home in the arms of a tiny, precious human female, and he would cherish her forever.

  The end

  Ethan: Cyborg of Honor

  (Knights of the future Book 1)

  In a devastated post-war planet Earth, a group of cyborg warriors gathered to search the universe for the best place for people to relocate. Some of their clients had some very particular demands. When Kawan Gyeon, a Korean warlord came to visit Ethan Hunter, the cyborgs leader, Ethan knew his demands wouldn’t be like the others. Gyeon wanted to take his people to a planet with no other human settlements, one where he could set the rules himself. So, he hired Ethan and his men to find the perfect place for that.

  Ethan
was the first one to find a planet that satisfied the conditions requested by their client – a planet with water, a perfect atmosphere, fertile soils and ruled by an alien race that had turned the planet into some sort of welcoming grounds for those with no home. The Dreshanians had built several colonies they sold to those people in need that were willing to accept their rules. Apparently, everything looked perfect, but once Ethan started to dig deeper, he found out things weren’t ideal as they seemed.

  Vrak's Bride: Mail Order Brides

  Alien Mate Romance

  (Galactic Brides Book 2)

  The last thing Vrak had in mind was getting a wife to share the lonely life he had chosen for himself in Sumirion. But the minute he laid eyes on that human female, he knew his life had changed forever. But Aliyah wasn’t meant for him. She was contracted to be another man’s wife and his job was to deliver her to him.

  Living on a devastated Earth, Aliyah is ready to leave. Her only way out is to join a Mail Order Bride Agency and marry an alien she has never seen. With almost no food and no medicines left, she doesn’t have much choice and after giving it some thought, she finally joined the agency.

  A few weeks later she traveled to a planet called Sumirion to marry a warrior. By the time she arrived, she had second thoughts about the whole thing, though she had no other choice. Meeting Vrak only made things even harder for her. A terrible storm bought them a bit of time but it wasn’t enough. Vrak would face big trouble to get what he wants – his woman.

  Colborn - Drogon Healer -

  SciFi Alien Soul Mates Romance

  (A Drogons Fate Series Book 5)

  Gil Ra looked around trying to put on a good face and a bright smile.

  This was supposed to be a second chance in life. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the past and what she had left behind.

  Being abducted by aliens sounded so much like the title of a cheap sci-fi movie, and yet it had happened to her. That night, when she had decided she couldn’t take it any longer, the mocking, the loneliness and the feeling she had failed the only person that depended on her completely had become overwhelming, and that night she had decided to end it all.