by Opal Carew
A couple more uniformed men appeared and herded Jenna and the others toward another door. They were jostled together as they were urged into a corridor, led past several doors, then around a corner to the right. A moment later, they found themselves in another room, this one smaller than the last, with a couple of easy chairs and a couch around a large, oval coffee table.
Jenna and the others sat on the couch and huddled together. She glanced around and suddenly realized that it wasn’t only Aria who was gone.
“Where’s Kate?” Jenna asked, her voice thin.
Eva patted her hand. “It’s okay. Everything will be all right.”
Eva’s voice sounded calm, but Jenna could tell the woman was unnerved. Crystal glared at the two uniformed men standing between them and the door.
“What is going on?” Crystal demanded.
The door slid open and Jenna glanced around to see another uniformed man enter the room. He had turquoise eyes and his honey-colored hair fell in waves to his shoulders. His uniform jacket, adorned with three small gold ovals on the stand-up collar, hugged his broad, tautly muscled chest. Like all the other men they’d seen on this ship so far, he was breathtakingly handsome.
“Good evening, ladies. I’d like to welcome you to our ship, the Patira Alana. I am Commander Larson Raa-ling, the first officer. I’m sure this has been quite a shock for you.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Crystal said.
“I want to assure you, you will not be harmed,” he continued.
“What do you want from us?” Jenna asked, her voice quavering.
“Let me explain why we have brought you here.”
He sat in the chair facing them and settled back into the cushioned upholstery.
“There is a power in the universe that takes a hand in our lives,” he said. “We call it nata’tai. It provides the means to keep us healthy, as individuals and as races.”
“We don’t want a lesson in alien religion,” Crystal sniped.
“To stay healthy,” Commander Raa-ling continued, “a race must grow. It must embrace other cultures. It must open its gene pool to other races, otherwise it will stagnate. Physically, emotionally and culturally.”
Jenna’s stomach tightened. “Oh my God, they’ve brought us here as breeding stock.”
Eva glanced at Jenna and squeezed her hand, fear glittering in her eyes.
“You have not been brought here to be sex slaves,” the commander reassured. “As a race matures, nata’tai gives its people the ability to sense their tanash’ae—what you would call their soul-mate—even over great distances. To ensure a mingling of races, nata’tai directs the spirits of tanash’aei—soul-mates—to be born in different races on different planets.”
“Soul-mates?” Jenna repeated in a hushed tone.
Excitement skittered through her at the thought that she’d finally be able to meet her soul-mate. She’d always believed that everyone had one special person meant for them, despite her mother’s string of disastrous relationships. Mom hated to be alone, so she’d jump at whatever relationship presented itself, making the same mistake over and over. Jenna firmly believed that if Mom had only been willing to wait for the right man to come along, she’d have found the happiness she so longed for. And Jenna would have had a stable home and a father who loved her.
“That’s right. Each of you is the soul-mate of a member of this crew. That’s why you’ve been brought here. To meet your tanash’ae.”
“So you intend to convince us we’re in love with some guy, then use us for breeding,” Crystal scoffed.
“This has nothing to do with procreation. I’m talking about love.” He focused directly on Eva. “The love of two people destined to be together. Of people who make each other complete. Soul-mates. Tanish’aei.”
“Excuse me, Commander.”
Jenna glanced around to see the woman who’d dragged Aria away. She stood in the doorway.
“Captain wants to see senior staff.”
“Thank you, Casey.” The commander rose. “Excuse me, ladies. You will remain here until someone is free to take you to your quarters. Make yourselves comfortable.”
He followed Casey out of the room, followed by the other two men. The door slid closed behind them, leaving Jenna and her companions alone in the room.
Crystal rose and approached the door, but it didn’t open. She flattened her hand on it, then dragged her fingers along the edge, clearly looking for a way to trigger the mechanism.
“Are you okay, Eva?” Jenna slid her arm around Eva’s shoulders, concerned with how pale she looked.
“Did you feel…funny…when that man came into the room?” Eva asked.
“What do you mean?” Jenna asked.
“She means were we hot for him.” Crystal turned to face them.
Eva shot her a glance and Crystal shrugged.
“You were practically drooling over him, sweetie.” She crossed the room and sat beside Eva. “He is definitely a hunk, but I find that other one—Terrien, I think they called him—much hotter. I really would love to jump his bones.”
“Crystal, how can you think about that now?” Jenna asked. “We’ve been kidnapped by people from another planet.”
“That’s the key. They are people. Just like us.”
Crystal’s incredible calm in the face of this crazy situation amazed Jenna.
Eva shook her head. “How can you treat this so lightly?”
“We’re here,” Crystal responded. “I figure I’ll make the best of it. At home, a lay is a lay, but here…” She shrugged. “Well, who knows what special talents these alien hunks have?”
“They said they know who our soul-mates are,” Jenna said wistfully.
“That might be what they believe, but I don’t buy it,” Crystal said.
“Me, neither,” Eva agreed.
Eva and Crystal might not believe it, but Jenna dearly hoped it was true.
After about twenty minutes, the door slid open and Commander Raa-ling entered, followed by Casey, the woman who’d taken Aria, and Terrien, the man who’d brought them here from the planet.
“You’ll be taken to your quarters now,” Commander Raa-ling said to all of them. “If you have any more questions, pose them to your tanash’ae.”
Terrien stepped toward Crystal who now sat in one of the easy chairs. Was he her soul-mate?
Jenna glanced at Commander Raa-ling, wondering if he was for her, but it was Casey who approached her.
“Come with me,” she said quietly. The woman’s manner was more subdued than it had been when she’d led Aria away.
Jenna nodded and rose to follow her, ignoring the strange affect being near this woman had on her. Maybe it was just a result of the emotional onslaught they’d all suffered with being abducted by aliens.
Eva leapt to her feet and stepped in front of them.
“Don’t go with them,” Eva insisted. “If we stay together, we have a better chance.”
“A better chance to what, Eva?” Crystal asked. She leaned close to Eva’s ear and Jenna heard her murmur, “Look, I don’t believe in soul-mates, but I’m damned curious about sex with an alien. Especially one that looks like this hunk.” She glanced toward Terrien, then back to Eva and winked, then followed him toward the door.
“It’s time to go,” Casey insisted.
Eva grasped Jenna’s sleeve.
“Don’t go,” Eva implored.
CHAPTER 3
“I’m sorry, Eva,” Jenna said, then turned to follow Casey
She knew she should be frightened, or outraged like Eva, but the truth was she was relieved to know her belief that there really was someone out there for her was real. Even if he was an alien. Although she’d always believed in the idea of soul-mates, a part of her had been afraid she’d never find hers. Now, like a gift from heaven, he was being delivered to her.
Even though he was a stranger, and an alien, they’d get to know each other, grow to love each other—actually, to find the lov
e already lying in wait deep in their hearts—and spend a lifetime of happiness together. What was there to fight against?
As she walked toward the door, she glanced over her shoulder. Fear laced Eva’s features, and Jenna wished she could help the other woman come to terms with this, but Eva was Eva and, from what Jenna had seen so far, she was a strong woman with strong convictions. She had to make her own journey.
Jenna followed Casey out of the room.
As the door closed behind them, the other woman pointed right.
“That way,” she said.
Jenna started to walk along the corridor and the other woman fell in behind her.
“My name is Casey.” The confident woman seemed almost nervous.
“I’m Jenna.”
“Yes, I know. Turn right here. Second door on the left.”
Jenna turned right then stopped beside the door Casey indicated.
Casey stepped forward and the door slid open. Jenna stepped inside, glancing around at what was obviously a private quarters, with the upholstered chairs and couch, a kitchen to the right, and doorways to other rooms.
Was this to be her home while on the ship? Would she be sharing it with her tannashay? Would he expect her to climb right in bed with him today?
The thought sent a shiver through her. Of trepidation but also excitement. She’d been so needy lately, sexually. So needy even women had set off her cravings, but now she understood. That had just been a reaction to her tannashay’s approaching proximity. She even felt it around this woman, Casey, but now Jenna understood it and could ignore it. Very soon she would meet her true soul mate and then she would be able to satisfy these overwhelming urges that had been throwing her so off balance.
She turned to face the other woman.
“Will my tannashay be here soon?”
Casey stared at Jenna, long and hard. How would this Earth woman react when Casey told her?
“You will officially meet your tanash’ae right now.”
Jenna glanced around, her beautiful blue eyes wide and expectant. A timid smile curled her lips.
Casey’s heart pounded. She would rather face battle with a giant Arkonian fire beast than endure this one moment. A moment she’d been dreading ever since she first felt the pull.
She stuck out her hand.
“My name is Casey.”
Jenna glanced at her, then frowned, clearly confused. As she lifted her hand to complete the Earth gesture of shaking hands, Casey braced herself for the contact. When Jenna tentatively put her hand in Casey’s, her eyes widened at their first touch.
Thank nata’tai, she felt it, too. The sensuous, obsessive, shimmering thread of need pulled tight inside her until she could barely breathe.
Casey’s heart beat faster. Her breasts swelled and her insides quivered.
And she couldn’t help noticing that Jenna’s nipples were hardening, peaking like hard little beads against the thin fabric of her lovely gown.
Fakkreh, she was stunning. Her eyes were a luminous blue. Wide and filled with a sweet innocence. Her short dark hair framing her face in light feathery wisps.
Casey’s insides ached at the sight of her. Desire pulsed inside her.
Jenna tried to pluck her hand away, but Casey held firm.
“I am your tanash’ae.”
Shock flashed across Jenna’s sweet face, her mouth falling open and she pulled back. Casey allowed her to tug her hand free.
Jenna’s head shook, back and forth, like a trillia doll.
“No, that’s not possible,” Jenna denied
“Yes, it is. Jenna, I am your tanash’ae,” she repeated.
The look on her face tore Casey apart.
Jenna stepped backward, bumping against one of the armchairs, then sank into it.
“But… I’m not attracted to…” Her wide-eyed gaze flashed to Casey then careened away. “I mean, I like men.”
Casey already knew that. She’d been saddened to see that in Jenna’s culture falling in love with someone of the same gender was taboo in many places and even outlawed in some. Jenna came from a more enlightened area and her file showed that she was accepting of people with different sexual preferences, but it seemed she herself was attracted to men only.
As was Casey. Which is why this whole thing had been such a shock to her. Never would Casey have believed she would be paired with a woman.
Tightness coiled around Casey’s chest. This woman would not accept her easily. If at all, a tiny voice inside her screamed.
Incredible pain thundered through her at the thought. What if Jenna never accepted her? Never wanted her?
Jenna’s heart pounded. This couldn’t be happening. She’d felt like Cinderella about to meet her Prince Charming and find her happily-ever-after. Now she felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke on her.
“I’ll show you your room,” Casey said.
“My… my room?”
“This is our quarters, but you have your own room.”
Casey led Jenna into the master bedroom.
Jenna stopped to glance around the big bedroom, but Casey kept walking. Another door slid open on the opposite wall.
“Your room is over here.”
Jenna hurried to the door, seeing another bedroom beyond. She stepped inside. There were no other doors in the room, except what looked like a closet, different than the sliding entryway doors.
“The only way out is—”
“Through my room,” Casey said. “That’s right.”
The alien officer would be like a gatekeeper outside her door all night.
Anytime Jenna wanted to leave her room, she might walk in on the woman changing or naked. Her breath caught at the thought of the tall, authoritative woman stripped of her uniform, her full breasts proudly on display. An urge to see the woman strip off her clothes right now shimmered through her. Then to step forward and stroke one of her full breasts. Feel the nipple harden under her fingertips. Her insides melted with need.
What would it feel like if the woman leaned in and pressed her lips to Jenna’s? Would Casey kiss her with a soft, sweet persuasion? Or would she pull her tight to her body and claim her mouth with authority, sweeping Jenna into a passionate embrace.
Her breasts ached as her nipples swelled harder and she felt moisture pooling between her legs.
Shock surged through her at her reaction to the other woman, turning to anger at her untenable position.
Eva had been right to fear these aliens. It was just sinking in that she had been kidnapped from her home. These aliens held her prisoner. Now they intended to toy with her.
“I don’t believe you’re my soul-mate and no matter what you say, I’ll never willingly be with you. Is this some kind of cruel game you’re playing?”
Casey’s lips tightened into a hard line and her violet eyes glittered. Her shoulders drew back and her chin tilted upright, making her an imposing, authoritative figure once again.
“Believe me, this is no game. And it’s not just your life that is affected by this.”
Despite Casey’s tough exterior, Jenna sensed vulnerability.
For the first time, she wondered what Casey thought about this situation. Casey may not have been the one kidnapped, but it seemed she had as little say about who her soul-mate was as Jenna did. Soul-mates were chosen by fate.
Was it possible Casey was as unhappy with this pairing as Jenna was?
“I’m sorry, Casey. I need time to get used to this situation. To figure out…” Jenna shrugged. “Things.”
“There’s nothing to figure out,” Casey said in a crisp voice. “You and I are soul-mates. Nata’tai has made it so.”
Casey turned stiffly and walked toward the wall where a paper-thin screen hung from the ceiling.
“For now, I will give you some time alone.”
Casey pressed a button on a small control box on the wall to the right of the screen. A sharp, clear picture appeared on the screen. An empty bedroom.
“You can watch some video.”
Casey turned her attention to the screen.
“That’s my room. You can select other channels by pressing the other buttons.”
She pressed a different button and the scene changed. On the screen, she saw Aria sitting across the table from a handsome officer eating dinner. Jenna was relieved to see that Aria was okay.
She pressed another button and the next scene showed Crystal in a passionate embrace with the man who’d led her away. His hand was on her breast. Jenna’s eyes widened as she realized that Crystal was stroking his long, erect penis. The couple parted from their kiss and Crystal smiled broadly, then sank to her knees in front of him. She drew his cock down and licked the tip, then slid her lips over it.
Jenna felt her face flame and glanced away. A flicker told her Casey had changed channels again. When Jenna glanced back, a view of the empty bedroom was once again on the screen.
“You can control the display from the panel beside the bed, too. I’ll be back in about an hour.” Casey turned and left the room.
Jenna watched Casey cross the screen on the still active video display as she passed through the other bedroom, then disappeared into the living room. Jenna slumped on the bed.
CHAPTER 4
A woman! Now what would she do? Here Jenna had thought she’d found the answer to her prayers. The perfect partner. A soul mate.
The man of her dreams.
Images of all the alien men she’d seen, like Baryn and Terrien, and that dreamy Commander Raa-ling, blossomed inside her head. Need surged through her. She quivered, imagining one of the big, muscular men pulling her into his arms. His lips claiming hers. His large hands stroking her body.
Her insides ached with her raging hormones. Oh, God, she wanted a man!
But she’d been paired with a woman.
Did they really expect her to accept Casey as her mate? Would she be punished if she refused?
Would Casey force her into a sexual relationship?
She pursed her lips, remembering how Casey had closed up. No, she didn’t really think the other woman would resort to that. She had looked angry, but despite the woman’s aura of strength, Jenna had sensed vulnerability. Had she been hurt by Jenna’s rejection?
