“I don’t know you well, but I wouldn’t take you as someone who would treat a union lightly.”
“I didn’t. I was in love. And honestly, I know in my heart that back then, he loved me too.”
ALTHOUGH IT’D BEEN years ago, the memories were still fresh in Payton’s mind.
“The first year, we were together was like a dream. We’d spend all of our time together. It wasn’t until...” She pulled her knees to her chest. “Later, that things got bad.”
Mike’s parents indulged him, thinking he would lose interest in her and move on, because, as they’d boldly stated to her face, Mike could play with girls like her, but he wasn’t allowed to stay with them. She came from a working class family and didn’t have any wealthy connections or lofty aspirations.
They’d had big plans for him. After high school, he was expected to attend an Ivy League University then end up as a lawyer in his father’s law firm. His parents couldn’t see why Mike would want to be with her. To them, Payton was the reason Mike wasn’t living up to their expectations.
He failed a class.
It was because he spent too much time with Payton and she kept him from studying.
He popped pills and drank.
It was because Payton was such a bad influence.
He engaged in fights.
It was because Payton hung with the wrong type of crowd.
He listened to rap music and cursed.
It was because Payton was half-Black and he tried to identify with her.
He stayed out and broke curfew.
It was because Payton wanted to monopolize his time.
He hit Payton in public and got in trouble with the police.
It was because Payton had such a disrespectful mouth.
She’d heard those excuses and many more. At first, she’d denied it and tried to tell his parents the truth. She had no control over Mike or how he acted. She’d begged and pleaded with Mike so many times to be a better person. But his parents hadn’t believed anything she’d said and pretty soon, she’d started to believe what they’d told her.
Everything was her fault.
“I had to leave him. He was hurting me.” The flash that passed behind Themba’s eyes was dangerous. But that deadly glint wasn’t for her. “I hid. For a really long time. He used private investigators to track me down and torment me. I had to learn how to take care and defend myself. That’s how I got Jack.”
Jack perked up from his vigilant spot beside Themba.
“The military had retired dogs up for adoption. They’re trained to protect and are really smart. I applied, and at first, I was denied. I wasn’t a good applicant because of my unstable life. But my therapist, Dr. Rebecca, called them and put in a good word for me. They brought me in, and I had to go through a mini-training course then he was mine. All mine.”
Payton’s eyes began to water. Not because she was sad, but because she knew how lucky she was to have Jack in her life. “I just had a few more days left before I would’ve been able to tell the court my side of the story. With the divorce final and the protection order in place, I was hoping to finally put my life back on track. Then this happened.” She waved her hands through the air, pointing to nothing and everything. “I finally got away from someone who wanted to control me in every way, and after all of that, I still might lead a life of servitude. I don’t want to be ‘that person.’ But this is fucking unfair.”
He grabbed her hand. His were strong and large. His palms were rough in certain spots and soft in others. “I’m not going to let anyone claim you.”
“You’re keeping me for yourself? Excuse me if I don’t get down on my knees and praise you. I don’t want to be someone’s plaything, servant, or breeder. When I leave here, it’ll be because I won. I won’t be beholden to you or anyone else.”
“I’m not Mike, and I’m not like the other hunters. I didn’t come to Turolois to find a mate or a servant. I came here to catch and release.”
She tilted her head slightly. “What is ‘catch and release’ and what exactly does that mean?”
“When it’s time for me to leave Turolois, I’m claiming and freeing you.”
Freeing her? Hope gave her a spark. This mess could be over.
Wait. Nothing was free. She would only end up being an indentured servant. Esme hadn’t mentioned this scenario. She squinted at him. “Then what? What will happen to me once I’m supposedly free?”
“You wouldn’t want for anything. I’ll take care of you.”
Yup. She would owe him forever for saving her. “So why would you free me? What’s in it for you?”
She would be damned if she let someone pull her into a life of servitude. It didn’t matter if she had feelings for Themba or that she’d never felt this kind of sexual attraction before. There had been a glimmer of it very early in her relationship with Mike, but a sixteen-year-old, with out of control hormones, she was not.
He turned to stare at the ceiling. The tendons in his jaws were pronounced under his skin. “It’s complicated. I’ve wanted you from the very start.”
“Because this is such a romantic environment and the perfect place to pick up dates? Right. What about the others out there? Can you free them too?”
“I can free anyone that I claim.”
They could all be free. They couldn’t go home, but being free was the next best thing. Would they agree to this? If it were up to her she would say screw Themba and stay in this thing to the bitter end. But there was everyone else to think of. Maybe they wouldn’t mind being servants if it meant leaving here.
This was a decision she needed to talk out with everyone. Usually, they would wait until after the evening alarm to chat, when they were sure all the hunters were gone, and no one had to fear a voice would come over their comlink while a hunter was nearby and give away their position. But this was important. If they could meet somewhere, this ordeal might be over tonight.
Payton pressed her comlink. Hm. The icon that allowed her to communicate with the others was gone. She studied her comlink closer. “I don’t understand. How do I call the others now?”
“You don’t have access to communication in Level Two and Level Three.”
She gave him a hard stare. “So I’m out here alone and can’t talk to the others?”
Themba winced. “It’s part of the rules.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” she seethed. Everyone would think she’d been captured when she didn’t answer roll call.
Is that what had happened to Esme and Miranda? Were they out there somewhere in the snow? The thought shouldn’t have made her happy, but it did. She would rather they be out there fighting to win instead of being someone’s servants or their whatever.
“I hate this new Level,” she continued.
When she first arrived, hot and wet, she thought she was sure to die. The first thing she’d done was to push every available option on her comlink. She put on her snowsuit, new boots, and coat right away. Thank God for the firesticks. She wouldn’t have survived the night without them.
“The only good thing about Level Two are the weapons.” She’d found the new weapons; daggers, a spear, machete, and a long thick rope when she’d pressed one of her new icons. “It still doesn’t make up for not being able to talk to the others.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
She studied her comlink. It looked much different than before. Wait. “Where the hell is my food icon?”
Themba winced and she knew immediately more bad news was to come. “In Level Two, you have to hunt for your food. You’ll be provided water though.”
“If I ever meet whoever runs this place I’m punching their teeth in!”
Chapter Seventeen
Early the next morning, Themba stood outside the cavern’s entrance.
Payton was inside.
He’d expected to find her gone and had mentally prepared to hunt her, yet again.
As he stood there, he wasn’t prepared
for the feelings rolling through him. She’d stayed where he could find her easily. She no longer ran from him. Had she accepted him? Did she crave his company as much as he did hers?
Themba sniffed the air. The smell of the wild filtered through his nose. His brain picked and discarded the various scents and cataloged them. Fresh snow. The trees that appeared dead on the outside, teemed with life on the inside. Three different types of animals were nearby, none dangerous. The moldy leaves that covered the crack in her ice cavern. The burning of the firesticks. Her.
Payton’s scent wafted through his nose, familiar and comforting. Her smell had changed slightly. Gone was the sweat and animal. What he smelled now was her true scent; fresh, flowery, and warm.
Her new smell sent waves of pleasure throughout his body. His blood rushed through his veins and sang out to her. His core, deep inside his belly, twisted and turned in on itself, pulsating and expanding toward her. Only toward her.
And he had her for a little while longer.
Themba dropped to the crevice and forced his form through the too-small opening. He had to avoid the firesticks she’d placed by the entrance to battle back the cold and wind. When he entered the cave, Jack met him. He wagged his stubby tail then rolled on his back, exposing his underside. Themba recognized the submissive gesture. Jack finally recognized Themba as his alpha. Themba nuzzled Jack’s neck with his nose.
“Humph.”
Themba glanced up to find Payton sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag. She’d wiped it down overnight. His blood was no longer present.
“We’re friends now. You don’t approve?”
“I paid good money to buy a guard dog. You’ve usurped hundreds of dollars’ worth of training.”
“You don’t need guarding against me.”
“Says the alien who’s hunting me.”
He sat back and pulled the bag from his back, then handed it to her. “I brought you something.”
She took the bag then eyed him carefully. “Your shoulder. You can move it. I mean, I did my best to dress it, but I’m no miracle worker. You’re moving it without making all types of crazy facial expressions. You’ve recovered? That’s fast.”
Themba rolled his shoulder. It was still stiff but fully functioning. “I was in bad shape. I had to spend most of the night in the medical ward.”
“A doctor fixed you up in less than a day? That’s impressive. But I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. You were able to patch me up like new without the help of a doctor.”
“Many worlds are more advanced than Earth. We have the benefit of sharing discoveries and technology, while Earth is a world of one.”
She relaxed her shoulders as she chewed on one of her nails. “Why is that? We were told hunters come from all over to hunt here. If there are so many other habitable planets, then why don’t humans know about this? We’ve been searching for aliens for a long time. We have space stations, rockets, and telescopes, and we’ve never found any evidence of them. I mean, some people claimed to have seen spaceships or been visited by little grey men—”
“The Okuthyu.”
“The Okuthyu?” she repeated slowly.
“They’re short, with skinny arms and legs, large belly and head and big black eyes?”
“I-I’ve never seen one. I’ve heard about them.” Her mouth dropped open. “Wait. They’re real?”
“They stumbled upon Earth many, many years ago and have given it and humans their protection. Earth is off-limits to the rest of us. No other species can encroach, and since the Okuthyu have seats on the Vela CE-182 Galactic Federation of Planets, they’ve made laws governing Earth with the punishment of death if broken.”
“And yet,” Payton waved a hand across her body, “Voila. Here I am. Not on Earth and not protected.”
“That’s the result of trackers. Although it’s illegal for other beings to visit Earth, that doesn’t mean it isn’t done in secret. It also doesn’t mean that some don’t take humans without the Okuthyu’s knowledge. The trackers—bounty hunters—supply The Hunt with participants for the right amount of credits. If anyone can get on Earth and leave with a human, it would be an elite warrior, and the trackers are some of the best.”
“So the trackers used their skills to kidnap humans then bring us here for some extra cash?”
Cash is equivalent to credits.
“Yes. I passed one in the Level One arena. I don’t know why he’s here though. Maybe he got tired of supplying for The Hunt and wanted to participate himself?”
Payton cursed under her breath and snatched open the bag he’d given her. She pulled out a cumla fruit, put it to her nose, sniffed then frowned. “This isn’t going to make me all horny is it?”
“No. This is safe for you to eat. The monkeys have been pelting me with cumla fruit throughout Level One. I’ve had a taste for it ever since. I think you’ll like it.”
She eyed the fruit and sniffed again. Then she stuck out her tongue and licked it. A moan escaped his throat. What he wouldn’t give to have her tongue on him again. She directed her gaze at him. If his lust offended her, she didn’t say anything. She took a bite from the fruit and juices burst from the skin and dripped down the sides of her mouth and chin.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and the tension left her body, leaving it to deflate. “Mm. Sweet baby infant Jesus. This is so damn good.” She took another bite and juices squirted from the fruit and ran down her hand.
Themba leaned over, hesitantly at first, afraid she would stop him. She didn’t. He licked her chin. “I’m betting you taste better than this.”
She quirked an eyebrow.
“Can I taste you?”
“Um...I don’t...think.”
He didn’t want her to think. It was better when her inhibitions were down. Too much thinking led to words like “No” and “Stop.”
He flipped and lay on his back. She stared at him in open shock. He used his hands to pat the ground above his shoulders. “In case you’re wondering how this works. Your knees go here.” He raised his hands an inch from his face and pretended he held something in them. “And your butt goes here.”
Did humans enjoy each other this way? Hm. Maybe he had to give her better directions.
She held his eyes with hers, sat the fruit down, and stood. With hands freed, she unhooked the bag around her waist and as if daring him to stop her, pushed her snow pants and underwear down.
He had no desire to stop her. At all.
She stepped out of her garments and kicked them to the side.
Why was she moving so slowly?
Themba patted the ground again. “Here and here.” His patience was wearing out. He wanted her now. When she squatted and moved into position, he helped her adjust. “Good. Now relax”
And he set to work.
He anticipated she would taste good, but Ancients, he hadn’t expected what touched his tongue. Velvety softness. He caressed her with his tongue over and over again. Then he moved to her clit, giving it the attention it needed by suckling and licking it. He kneaded her inner thighs, coaxing her to give him more of what he tasted.
Payton didn’t need any directions at all. She undulated her hips, riding his face, moaning and whimpering as she did. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” she begged. “Stick your tongue inside me.”
He obliged, finding her pussy and sticking his tongue deep inside. She moaned and whimpered. “Oh, God.”
Themba growled. She grabbed his hair, fisting, and pulling. She bucked and rocked against him, spilling her cum over his lips and mouth. Payton convulsed. He held her up and continued, taking in everything she had to offer.
Payton unlatched from him and pushed down his body, trailing kisses along his skin as she did. She nuzzled her nose into the sensitive crook under his jaw bone.
“You have no idea your effect on me, nonhle.”
She positioned her pussy over his cock. “Nonhle. What does that mean?”
“Beautiful.”
; She lowered her gaze. “I’m not beautiful.”
He brought his hand to cradle the side of her face. Her skin was soft and supple to the touch, so much different than his thicker skin. He stroked across her full lips with his thumb. “Ah, but you are, nonhle. You gave your heart to another, and he mistreated such a precious gift. If you were mine, I would never mistreat you. I would protect and worship you always.”
“I don’t want to be worshipped.”
He could feel the heat radiating from her pussy. He lifted, his cock jutted against her wetness. She beckoned to him. His eyes rolled back in his head. “You wouldn’t have a choice. I wouldn’t hesitate to throw myself at your feet.” He roamed his hands down the sides of her body and palmed her round butt. He groaned and massaged, coaxing her lower. Her nipples peeked through the lustrous strands of her hair. She was beautiful. How could anyone crack such a spirit?
Themba moved his hands to her hips and held tight. With a powerful thrust, he penetrated her. Payton inhaled sharply and threw back her head. “Themba!”
He lowered his hips and brought her down with him. A few breaths were all it took for her to acclimate to his size. Then she rocked against him. He bit down hard and clenched his jaw. She was squeezing him tightly. If he weren’t careful, he would spill his seed deep within her before he could give her pleasure.
“Move slowly. I want to savor you.”
She did his bidding. His fingers dug into her hips, helping her along. The head of his ionwabo rubbed against her clit. He groaned. Her clit was slick with need. She pulled her bottom lip in her mouth and with a moan, pressed his ionwabo on her clit, gyrating against it.
“Ndebele,” he ground out, lifting his chest to meet hers.
He brought his knees up and dropped them to the sides, cradling her bottom with his thighs. Her moans beckoned him. Her movements became intensified. Themba kissed her neck and suckled her nipples while she ground against him, taking him completely. She wrapped her arms around his head and cradled him to her breasts. His hands glided across the slick skin on her hips.
Hunted by the Alien Prince Page 17
