The Zoran's Bride (Scifi Alien Romance) (Barbarian Brides)

by Luna Hunter

  The beast looks at me with its two monstrous heads, shock registering on both of its faces, before it falls backwards with a loud thud.

  The sword drips with blood and my chest rises with every breath. The entire arena is silent. I wait for the beast to awake, to regrow, to try and surprise me. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that the evil bastards never only go down once.

  Seconds pass in silence, thousands of people collectively holding their breaths. And then I feel a hand on my shoulder.

  I’m ready to turn and strike before I realize it’s Kazim.

  “You did it,” he says.

  His throat is red, sore and bruised, but he’s alive. He’s alive!

  Oh my god, what just happened?!

  I drop the sword on the floor and fling myself at him, throwing my arms around him. For a second I thought it was the end, that we were both going to die awful, agonizing death at the hand of this thing.

  And now it’s over!

  Tears sting my eyes, my emotion pouring out of me like a dam that has been broken.

  “I thought you were dead,” I cry, burying my face in his chest.

  “So did I,” he says. “You saved my life.”

  I kiss him with all the energy I’ve got left. All the passion, the love, the anger, the emotion I have inside of me — I pour it all into that kiss. He sweeps me off my feet, lifting me up into the air, spinning me around, and for a brief second we’re all alone in the universe. It’s just me and him, as life ought to be.

  “Champion! Champion! Champion!”

  The roar of the crowd pulls me back to reality. We’re not alone — far from it. Thousands upon thousands of Nezdek are looking right at us, chanting, screaming, singing.

  “Champion! Champion! Champion!”

  “I think you’ve won them over,” Kazim smiles.

  The crowd is chanting for us. Their hatred, their disdain has been replaced by admiration, by jubilance. None of them had ever seen the Demogorgon before — let alone seen it killed!

  I glance behind me to make sure it hasn’t risen again, but no, it’s really there, its body still. I did it. I slayed a real-life mythological beast!

  My eyes turn back towards the crowd. The only face who looks far from pleased is the Czar himself. I’ve never seen a frown so deep, a scowl so filled with hatred.

  That’s what you get when you mess with my mate — I overthrow your dictatorship. Serves you right, prick.

  “Address the crowd,” Kazim says. “Claim your prize.”

  “N-no,” I say. “You’re the Zoran, the leader… you’re supposed to do this.”

  Kazim smiles. “You killed the beast. You are the new Czar.”

  I guess he’s right. It’s up to me to get us out of here, to save us both — and the Suuna, of course. I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and stride towards the balcony where the Nezdek elite is seated.

  “Hear me,” I say as loud as possible.

  My voice doesn’t have the reach that Kazim’s has, but luckily, it’s enough to draw attention. The crowd shushes itself and falls silent.

  “We have fought in your games, and we have won. The Demogorgon lies dead, slain by my hand. By the ancient rules, I claim my rightful prize.”

  I’m making this up as I go along — I never imagined ever giving a speech about usurping an alien dictatorship! Thankfully, Kazim nods.

  “Good job,” he whispers. “Very regal.”

  The Czar’s mouth falls open. I bet he didn’t think we’d know a thing about any ancient rule.

  “Blasphemy,” he thunders. “You are not Nezdek! You are not even a man!”

  “I fought for your house,” I reply. I turn to Kazim and pound my fist on the mark on his chest — the mark of the Czar.

  “Is this not your house? Do you not honor your deals?”

  If there’s one thing I noticed about these pale aliens is that they care about status, ownership, and saving face above all else. By insinuating the Czar is untrustworthy, I am hitting him right where it hurts.

  I hope.

  The crowd erupts, muttering amongst themselves. Even the Nezdek lords are talking amongst themselves, and to my joy, most of them are nodding their heads in agreement.

  Booyah.

  “I will not have it!” the Czar says, rising to his feet. “It is not the way!”

  “The human does have a point. The ancient rules don’t specify gender or race…”

  This voice of confidence comes from none other than Erran, the Nezdek lord who has been nothing but awful to me. I just want to get out of here — I have no intention of actually ruling over these scary, psycho aliens.

  “I do not desire your position, my lord,” I say.

  It’s a struggle to get those last two words out of my mouth, but if it gets us out of here alive, I’m willing to make a few sacrifices.

  “I have only several humble requests.”

  The Czar is ready to protest, but he’s silenced by Erran.

  “The Lords are willing to listen to your proposal, human,” he says. “This situation is quite… unusual. Yet, you have proven your prowess in battle. This is the most exciting Games in our history. Speak, and we will listen.”

  “I desire safe passage off Archon for Kazim and I.”

  “Of course.”

  “I also request several megatons worth of star fuel.”

  Erran whispers amongst the other lords for a few seconds before turning back to me.

  “That should not be a problem. Is that all?”

  “No, I have one more request.”

  My eyes turn towards the Suuna women standing besides the Nezdek lords, filling their glasses, fanning them with leaves, feeding them fruits. I worry that if I demand the release of all of them, I’ll overplay my hand. The Lords might decide it’s a lot easier to just throw me in a dungeon somewhere rather than deal with me…

  …But I have to try. I can’t go back to Earth, living my free life while these woman are kept here as slaves.

  “I demand the freedom of every Suuna.”

  The arena is so silent you can hear a pin drop. The Nezdek lords turn white — whiter than they already are — and the Suuna girls look up for the first time, their yellow eyes finding mine.

  From the shock on their faces I can see that none of them were expecting this.

  Erran clears his throat. “This is… another unusual situation. The Suuna are our possessions, we can not simply…”

  “The ancient rules were clear, were they not?”

  “They were, but…”

  “Then make it so.”

  The Suuna women don’t wait for the Nezdek answer. They stop whatever they’re doing and head towards me, climbing and jumping down into the pit. They run towards me and fling their arms around my shoulders, one after another.

  “Thank you,” they say. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  I am overwhelmed by their gratitude. I never considered myself a hero, or a savior, or anything of that kind. Not for even a second. I’m just a woman who is doing her best to do what’s right. All the praise is making me uncomfortable — I’m just Sarah, after all.

  “You did it.”

  I recognize that voice. I whirl around to see S’eu staring at me, with tears in her eyes.

  “I didn’t believe you would actually do it,” she cries as she hugs me. “You’re an angel!”

  “I made a promise, didn’t I?” I tell her. “Now let’s get out of here before these aliens change their minds…”

  19

  Kazim

  “There you are! What took you guys so long?! Been seeing the sights? Whoa, what’s with that golden armor, Kazim? And Sarah, wow! You look you like you just crawled through a slaughterhouse—”

  SLAP!

  Sarah backhands Captain Ferguson across the face. He stumbles back, flabbergasted, his eyes opened wide. She’s been waiting to throw that punch the entire shuttle ride back to the human ship.

  “You listen to
me and you listen carefully for I’m only going to tell you this once. We’re taking the Spearhead to Archon, where we’re picking up star fuel and the Suuna, and then we’re getting the hell out this system. You won’t believe what we’ve had to go through because you wanted to play captain. I’m done with you, mister.”

  “W-what happened,” he stammers. “W-who do you think you are?!”

  “As of right now, the de facto leader of the Nezdek and the Suuna,” I smirk.

  “The who and the what now?”

  “You’ve missed a lot, Donovan.”

  “I-I’m still in c-command—hey! Stop that! Somebody stop her!”

  Sarah sits down in the command chair and sets the coordinates for the Nezdek homeworld, using the last bit of fuel the giant ship has left. Ferguson looks at his squad, but they avert their eyes.

  He’s lost them.

  “Well, I never,” he pouts as he sits down. “I’m the captain…”

  “Cheer up,” I say. “If you’re a good boy, a Suuna might thank you for this daring rescue mission.”

  “What’s a Suuna?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “SARAH!”

  Ava, Sarah’s dark-haired assistant, comes running into the room and flings her arms around her friend.

  “Oh my god, I was so worried,” she says. “Are you guys okay?!”

  “We’re fine,” Sarah says.

  Ava’s eyes go wide when she takes a proper look at us both. The fight in the arena has left its mark on both of us — we’re dirty, scraped, and covered in blood.

  “You don’t look fine!” she cries.

  Sarah can’t help but laugh when she sees the shock on her friends face.

  “Things couldn’t be better, Ava, just watch. I have some new friends I want you to meet.”

  A short while later we’re docked at Archon, and as agreed, the star fuel and the Suuna are waiting patiently for us. They come pouring into our ship, thousands of them, and Captain Ferguson’s eyes go wide.

  “W-who are these foxy aliens?” he asks. “I never knew…”

  “Eyes up here,” Sarah says to him. “Things are going to change. We’re taking these women back to Earth, right now.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ferguson says. “We haven’t even reached our target yet! We’re supposed to find a planet to dump aliens on, not bring more back home!”

  SLAP!

  Sarah’s beaten me to the punch once again. She delivers a stinging slap on his cheek, which is starting to glow quite red.

  “W-what was that for?!”

  “I should have done that a long time ago, to be honest,” she says. “Where do I even begin? First of all, we’re not dumping anyone — we’re helping the Zorans, who are our trusted friends and allies, find a new place to call home. Besides Earth, which will always be their home away from home. Second, the Suuna’s world has been destroyed. The least we can do is bring them to safety. The Federation will have to decide what happens next, I suppose. And third, stop asking so many questions and do what I tell you to do, before the Nezdek change their minds and blow us out of the damn sky!”

  I can’t help but smile. Such fire and passion! I’ve never met anyone quite like Sarah. She’s completely selfless, she gives everything she has for those in need, without questioning her own devotion for even a second.

  I can’t help but feel bad about myself, when compared to her. My life has been the complete opposite. I grew up looking out only for myself. Charity is dangerous on the streets of Neo-Boston. It’s a tough, hard life.

  Or it was, anyway.

  Sarah inspires me to be a better man. She’s my salvation. I couldn’t have met her at a better time — I was at my lowest, staring death in the face. At first, I thought my attraction to her was merely physical. Her many curves drove me wild, and even just a hint of her scent made me hard, but now I can truly say it runs deeper than that. Way deeper.

  It’s her beautiful, kind, caring soul I love the most.

  More and more Suuna enter the ship, and the human crew doesn’t know where to look. Freed from their chains, the Suuna are strutting through the halls, talking, laughing, singing, dancing.

  It’s going to be quite a ride going back.

  Sarah sets a course back for Earth, and she won’t give up her seat in the captain’s chair until we’re well and truly on our way back home, and the Nezdek system is only a blimp in the distance.

  “Ferguson, can you do that slingshot-space-travel-thing you did again?”

  “Err, yes,” he says hesitantly.

  “Do it. The sooner we get home, the better.”

  “Come,” I growl, placing my hands on Sarah’s shoulders.

  “No, I have to make sure we get home,” she protests.

  “You’ve done enough,” I answer. “You need to come with me now.”

  Despite her protests, I lift her up and throw her over my shoulder. She has done her part, there’s nothing for her to do in that command room but wait.

  Instead, we could be celebrating life.

  I run the shower and rip her formerly-white gown to shreds. My golden armor falls to the ground with a clunk.

  She gazes up at me with those beautiful, big blue eyes of hers, a smile spreading across her face. The warm water is running down her many curves, and the sight makes me instantly hard.

  “We did it,” she whispers. “We really did it!”

  “You saved us,” I growl, as I take a step closer and my hands circle around her waist.

  “No, we did it,” she corrects me. “I never could have done it without you. You’re the reason—”

  I shut her up with a kiss. My tongue finds hers, our bodies melting together. My hands cup her ass, bringing her closer to me, my hard, throbbing erection pressing against her belly.

  Her hands circle around my girth, her smile getting bigger.

  “I’ve missed this,” she says as her fingers travel up my length.

  “So have I,” I growl.

  My hand slides between her legs, and her pussy is warm and wet. The feeling of her slick juices on my fingers drives me mad with lust, and for a moment, I let the beast come out.

  I grab her waist, lift her up and plant her back against the wall. Her legs wrap around my waist as I line myself up with her entrance and, with one easy push, enter her. Sarah throws her head back, closing her eyes and moaning in ecstasy as I mate with her, hard and fast, pounding my cock into her.

  The stress, the fight, the anxiety, the fear, the sweet release of victory — we get it all out of our system in one sweaty, passionate, amazing fuck.

  I come with a mighty roar, the bathroom tiles themselves trembling as I unload myself inside of Sarah, her nails pressing into my back, her tongue in my mouth, her legs around my waist.

  My forehead rests against hers, my body heaving with every large breath I take. Her hand is pressed against my naked chest, feeling the beat of my heart.

  “What did I do to deserve that?” she says with a mischievous smirk.

  “You deserve a whole lot more,” I growl as I flex my still-hard cock.

  An involuntary moan leaves Sarah’s lips, and her cheeks grow a bright red.

  “But you just…”

  “Like I said, there’s more where that come from,” I growl. “I’m far from done…”

  Epilogue

  Sarah

  “Come, we’re going to be late,” Kazim says as he knocks on the door.

  “Yes, yes, just one second,” I say. Should I wear red or blue? The red works better with my hair, but the blue one matches Kazim’s skin tone…

  The door flings open and Kazim is standing there, dressed in a suit, looking absolutely to die for.

  “W-where did you get that?” I stammer. A suit in his size?!

  “Burak knew a guy,” he says. “Why aren’t you dressed?!”

  “These things take time.”

  “If there’s one thing I know about the Federation, is that they are punctual to a
fault. If you don’t throw something on right now I’m carrying you out like this.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. Having Kazim carry me through the streets in my undies? That would be a thrill…

  “Okay, okay, blue it is then,” I say as I slip into the garment. “Now I just have to finish my makeup…”

  “No time,” Kazim growls as he grabs my wrist. “We’re leaving.

  “B-but my face!”

  “Is beautiful,” he says. “Come.”

  A short hover-car ride later we’re in the Federation’s headquarters in New Atlanta, and I have to defend my decision to bring the Suuna back to Earth. It’s been a crazy, sex-fueled few days — my legs are still wobbly — and honestly, I want to go back to bed as soon as possible.

  Just need to get these formalities out of the way.

  With Kazim by my side I stride into the council room. Six faces are staring back at me from behind their desks.

  “Ah, Miss Granger finally decided to join us,” Chief of Naval Operations Henry Arlington says. “Only twenty minutes late!”

  “Give her a break,” the Minister of Interplanetary Affairs Melissa Yates says with a bemused smile. “I’m sure she had other things on her mind.”

  Did her eyes just flicker towards Kazim for a moment or am I imagining things?

  “Sorry for being late,” I say. “There was… traffic.”

  “Sure,” Arlington says, glancing out the window. The skies are clear, no holo-car traffic-jams in sight. Oops.

  “Anyway, I am here to report on the mission.”

  “Yes,” Yates says. “Please. Go ahead.”

  I tell them everything.

  Well, almost everything — I neglect to mention what Kazim looks like underneath that tailored suit of his, or how he stalked me all wet and naked through the hallway, how he refused to let me out of his sight, how I hated him at first… and then grew to love him, fell head-over-heels for him in just a short while, when I got to see the amazing, wounded but kind, warrior-soul he has underneath all those tattooed muscles.

  No, those details aren’t pertinent. I do tell them about the Nezdek, about their brutish, slaving ways, about how they captured and destroyed the Suuna, and how, through a whole lot of luck and some strokes of a sword, we managed to free them.