by Keri Kruspe
“Sorry,” she mumbled. Great, she probably resembled a wild, crazy hag with a blotchy face and red eyes. Unless becoming a Zerin made that human trait disappear. Once again, tears clogged her throat and blurred her eyes.
“No.” It was an emphatic denial. “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.” He cupped her face, his reflective dark green pupils wide with sincerity. “What has been done to you, changing the very foundation of who you are, would devastate anyone.” He leaned and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before he pulled back. “But remember, you are who you are in here.” He put his palm over her heart. “This is who is important, this person inside. She is the one who I yearn for…the one who holds my heart.”
He moved their hands to cover his heart. “I loved you as a human and I will love who you are now. It doesn’t matter what your outside looks like, it’s what’s in here that I adore.” He brought her knuckles up to kiss as he gripped her hand to bring it back to his chest. “You have no idea how grateful and proud I am to claim you as my TrueBond.”
Lora’s heart melted as her eyes filled for a different reason. This funny, strong, beautiful alien loved her…just as much as she loved him. She opened her mouth to tell him, but he touched his lips to hers in a soft caress. She returned his gentle embrace, ecstatic with his declaration. It would take a long time to get used to the new person she was. What was important sat in front of her, a sexy, powerful male who declared his love without hesitation.
Yeah, he was her happily-ever-after.
His tongue explored and stroked hers with long, devastating swipes. His carnal taste started a slow, tense build-up in her womb. She wrapped her arms around his neck to bring her body closer to his.
He released a sensual assault inside her mouth, nibbled his way over her jaw, and then headed to the bottom of her ear. He sucked the drooping lobe between his sharp teeth and nipped before he moved upward. He drew her head toward him as he looped the tip of her ear with his tongue and sucked it into the hot cavern of his mouth.
Sizzling lust caused her brain to shut down as instinct took over. The intense sensation from his tongue on her ear was the same as if he’d sucked on her clit and stroked it. An orgasm bubbled and threatened to spill with one lick. She twisted her body to attack his mouth and grab his ears.
Avoiding her, D’zia trapped her hands in his as he gave the outer shell of her ear another tongue-lashing. Her body shuddered as vicious shivers ran down her spine. Her clit tightened with unbearable tension.
“See?” His masculine timbre deepened. He gave a wicked chuckle that caused her nerves to stretch further and released her hands. “There are joys we can uncover together, things you’ve never dreamed of.”
His breathless whisper brought her to the edge as she grasped his hard shoulders in a punishing grip. “D’zia…” Her drawn-out squeal was part anguish and part demand. “I…you…”
He gave her an unhurried kiss before he nuzzled her neck with deep breaths. “I love how responsive you are to me.” He suckled the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. “If I told you to come right now, would you?”
The roar of her thundering heart made it hard to hear him. “Wh’a?” Who cares what he said? He’d better not stop. His masculine aroma wafted around them, an intoxicating spice that filled her senses with the promise of deep pleasures to come. She swung her legs to wrap around his waist and rubbed her swollen clit against the firm fabric of his pants and hers.
It wasn’t enough…not nearly enough. She had to get closer…wait! Naked, yeah, naked would be better. She reached down to pull her tunic off when a voice interrupted them.
“D’zia, stop fooling around and get out here.” Ki’s disembodied baritone thundered.
His voice caused her to stop and stare at D’zia with wide, surprised eyes. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone. She experienced a slight relief. Ki was yelling from another room.
“Now so we can figure this thing out.” That was a rumbling demand if she ever heard one. It didn’t matter if Ki was in the room or not, his voice was enough to halt her sexy play with her tempting alien.
D’zia’s turquoise eyes closed as he leaned his head back. “One of these days….”
“I second that.” Lora wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him as she caught her breath and whispered. “I bet if you ask your ship girlfriend to transfer him somewhere, she’d do it for you.”
“Don’t tempt me.” He put his hands under arms to help her up. “Come on, I guess we should go.”
She nodded. “I know,” she bowed her head. “I just don’t want to.” With reluctance, she uncrossed her ankles and slid off his lap to leave his beckoning, thick bulge. She grimaced. Damn it, she didn’t want to leave.
D’zia stood, his smoldering gaze never leaving her face. “We will finish this soon, my luscious gariad.” He didn’t touch her, but then again, he didn’t have to. His gaze burned enough to convince her he intended to keep his promise.
A promise she couldn’t wait for him to fulfill.
He cupped a large palm around her cheek. “You okay? We don’t have to go out there until you’re ready.”
She nuzzled the calloused skin and took in a deep breath. She was still shaky and unsettled, but, hey, nothing new. “I’m okay. Let’s go.”
He gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “If you’re sure….”
Lora nodded and took his hand in hers. “As much as anyone could be in this weird situation.” She wiped her face with her free hand to swipe her tears away as much as possible.
“Don’t worry,” D’zia leaned down to whisper to her. “You are beautiful.”
Damn man. Could he be any more perfect? Confusion about her sense of self would take a long time to reconcile, but with D’zia’s help, Lora was confident she could work through it. She smiled and squeezed his fingers to signal she was ready.
He returned the gesture with a warm lift of his full lips and led her out the room.
Lora bit the inside of her cheek when she and D’zia rejoined Ki and Sherri in the sleeping chamber. She trembled as she watched Sherri sitting on the sleeping pad with her feet dangling down the side. With head bowed, Ki stood over her, his hands on her shoulders as they talked in light tones.
What was Sherri going to say after she’d run out of the room crying like a deranged nutjob? Better yet, how could Lora convince the other woman she was who she said she was? This whole “changing species” thing could be a gigantic pain in her butt. At least she wasn’t on Earth and didn’t have to worry about running into someone she’d known in her previous life. With head held high, Lora walked toward Sherri. Her face heated as she thrust her chin out and dared the other woman to reject her.
“Lora?” Sherri hopped off the cot. When she stood before Lora, she clasped their hands together. “Is that really you?”
Lora flinched as she waited for the emotional blow she was sure was coming.
Sherri swung their hands wide as she moved her head her up and down to examine Lora from head to foot. “Damn girl,” she gushed. “You look good!”
Lora blinked. Did she hear the other woman correctly? “You think I look okay?”
Sherri grasped Lora’s upper arms and pulled her closer to gaze into her eyes. “Your eyes are so awesome! Look at that hair…and your ears! Oh, my God…I’ll say it again…you are gorgeous!”
Lora laughed. The weight in her chest lightened as Sherri accepted her. She wrapped her friend in a big hug. “Thank you,” she whispered in the other woman’s ear before she let go.
“No worries,” Sherri quipped. “It’s not like I don’t have my own alien shit to deal with.” She turned her attention to Ki, who glared back with his legs spread and his tree-trunk arms crossed over his musclebound chest.
Lora wasn’t sure what Sherri was talking about, but she could guess.
The humungous Zerin scowled.
D’zia came up behind Lora to put his arm around her shoulder
s. “Okay, time to figure out our next move.” He tugged her elbow to follow him back to the sofa as all four sat down and faced each other. Ki was back on the large chair, and Sherri sat on the sleeping pad with her feet hanging over the edge.
“Before we get started, Sherri needs to tell you what happened to her back there.” Ki nodded to the woman in encouragement.
She took in a deep breath as her face twisted. “I know what Ki told you earlier, and for the most part he’s right.” She watched her hands on her lap as if they held all the answers.
“Which part?” Lora wrinkled her nose. “That you’re possessed by a pirate?”
Sherri ran her fingers through her short, auburn hair. “Yes.” She glanced at Ki. “If it wasn’t for Ki, I’d probably be insane right now.” Her brown eyes flashed in fear for a few seconds. “Lucky for me, he had some techniques I can use to control him.”
“Are you saying Maynwaring is in your head and you can control him?” D’zia put his arm around Lora. He pressed their bodies together.
Lora basked in his tactile personality.
“Yes.” Sherri nodded. “When that thing broke on my face he, um, ‘escaped’ into me.” Her body shivered and her mouth tightened into a frown. “I’m still having trouble keeping him from taking over, so don’t be surprised if I zone out…or something.”
Lora didn’t like the sound of “or something,” but she’d let Sherri finish her story before asking questions.
“Anyway,” Sherri continued. “The good part is everything he knows, I know.” She clasped her fingers together when her gaze went to the couch where Lora sat with D’zia and then to Ki who engulfed the chair he sat on. “Right now, we’ve got to move fast if we’re going to stop the Chancellor from turning the galaxy into his personal dictatorship.”
“Damn it, I knew it!” D’zia jumped up and paced in agitation. “That’s what I wanted Dr. Knum’Nz for. He’s the proof I need to take to the Imperial Forces and my uncle back on Zerin.” He stopped and crossed his arms as he focused on Sherri. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”
“Yes. As we speak, he’s on his way to invade and conquer Earth. He’ll use the MindWipe weapon to make the humans pliable. Once he has complete access to all the human females and the serum Knum’Nz created, he’ll blackmail the races that need females.” She let out a small chuckle. “He’ll shut down your peaceful Exchange program and then all human women can enjoy the wonderful experience of being kidnapped by aliens.” A smirk pulled at her full lips. “Anyway, that will force the nine ruling systems to either face extinction or cede the democratic control of the Federation Consortium to him.” She rubbed her temples. “He plans to declare himself Emperor and rule the galaxy with an iron, dictatorial fist.”
Sherri chewed on her bottom lip. Ki kept his body immobile as she spoke. “To make the Zerin people go along with his plan, he’s going to murder the royal family.” Her expression hardened in D’zia’s direction. “Everyone…including you and Lora.”
Instead of Sherri’s words scaring her, Lora’s mouth tightened in firm resolve. Well, this was getting better and better. No doubt about it, the power-hungry Chancellor had to go.
“Yeah well, he’s gotta catch us first,” D’zia snorted. He uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips. “So, do we have any other proof besides the Erkek?”
Sherri harrumphed. “That’s not our only problem.” She rested her elbows on her thighs. “The MindWipe is also headed to Earth. We’ve got to stop him before he gets there.” She sat up, her face tight with a determined gleam in her eyes.
“So, how’s he going to get the weapon there?” D’zia asked. “And once there, how is he going to distribute it?”
Sherri shook her head. “Maynwaring was getting that information…what?” Her eyes unfocused and her body sat ramrod straight. “You did not. I don’t believe you…oh, I see, okay.” Her back slumped as she rubbed her eyes.
At first, Sherri’s bizarre actions confused her before Lora remembered her friend had an alien squatter in her noggin. “Well, what did he say?” she asked after a few moments of silence. Sheesh, the guys acted as if they had to walk on eggshells around Sherri and not question her. It’s not like they should ignore what Sherri had to deal with.
Sherri’s lopsided smirk matched the twinkle in her brown eyes. “He’s a demanding pain in the ass who doesn’t like it when I keep him in the background.” Her burst of laughter was short. “Sucks to be him.” She flexed her shoulders as if to shake the tension off. “Anyway, he tells me the Chancellor’s fleet of over four hundred ships are headed to Earth.”
“Do you know what kind of ships?” Ki leaned in as he rested his arms on his thighs. “Are any of them battlecruiser class?”
Sherri gave a blank stare before she answered. “Two percent Zerin battlecruisers, forty percent war squadrons, and the rest are various guerilla military groups.”
D’zia sat next to Lora with his mouth and eyes wide. “Holy flying danka shit. With that much firepower, he’d be able to take out one of the advanced nine systems, much less a primitive planet like Earth.” He shared his fears with everyone.
“When will they get there?” Lora gripped D’zia’s forearm as she asked Sherri. She’d ignored the “primitive Earth” comment for now.
Sherri rubbed the bridge of her nose. “They should approach Earth’s solar system within thirty days or less.”
That made Lora breathless. Her home, everything she identified with as a sentient being, was under threat of elimination. Oh sure, she’d left her planet, complete with its crazy citizens who never got along. But, holy shamoka! She wanted nothing like this to happen to her home planet. “Can we do anything to stop them?” Lora beseeched D’zia, her hold on his arm tightening.
D’zia addressed Ki. “The Erkek has to go to Zerin. Once there, I’ll take him to Imperial Forces. They’ll get the Council and the other nine systems to move against the Chancellor with all the firepower needed to stop the invasion of Earth.”
“I can stop him,” Sherri’s whisper was soft.
Lora was glad she had her new Zerin senses. Otherwise, she’d never have heard her.
Ki’s head jerked in Sherri’s direction. “What do you mean? How can you stop him?”
She lifted a shoulder with a sheepish smile. “Well, not me, but Maynwaring has contingencies in place that can be triggered. If nothing else, it will slow them down enough until the rest of the Federation Consortium can be mobilized.”
“So it seems our best chance is for us to split up,” D’zia announced.
Ki was silent with his gaze off to the distance. “I agree,” he finally stated. He turned to Sherri. “So, how do you feel about going with me to save your planet?”
Lora liked the gentle smile Sherri gave Ki. She relaxed her grip on D’zia’s arm to caress his solid skin, admiring how his iridescent color was a shade darker than her own pearlescent sheen.
“You couldn’t get rid of me, even if you wanted to.” There was steel in Sherri’s tone. “No way am I leaving your side.” Sherri’s lips rounded as if she realized how her statements sounded. Her face flushed a bright red and she put a hand over her mouth. “I mean…er…you know, just in case this parasite tries to take over again.” She closed her eyes and bowed her head while she pinched the bridge of her nose.
Ki’s mouth twisted as if to prevent a smile. “You don’t have a choice. You’re not allowed to go anywhere without me.” His features softened as he spoke to her.
Sherri huffed and raised her head, then lifted her left eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. “I see you and I are going to have a conversation about certain words you keep using. Words like ‘allowed’ and ‘no choice’ are obviously getting lost in the translation and should be explained to you in great detail.”
Lora snickered in female solidarity. Watching Sherri interact with Ki helped her to focus on something other than herself. Her nerves relaxed and the knot at the base of her skull loosened its hold.
“Okay,” D’zia interrupted. “We’ll head back to Zerin with our little present for my cousin.” He addressed Ki. “Hey, what kind of ship did you bring with you?”
“My own personal vessel, the Doomed Heart. It’s a small interstellar jumper. Why?”
“Well, I’m thinking you might need a little extra something to help you. Something unmatched in speed and with an impenetrable ability to remain cloaked.” D’zia sat back and relaxed with his hands behind his head. “Not to mention a multi-loaded weapon with the capacity to never run out of ammunition.”
Ki’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? And do you know where I’d get such a remarkable ship?”
“You, sir, are sitting in her,” JR10 piped in. “Elemi is a vamped up 11-15 vessel with AI capabilities.”
Lora had forgotten about the little bots, they’d been so quiet.
“Best of all,” JR10 continued. “She has the ability to temporarily make small wormholes to travel quickly from one point to the other.”
D’zia frowned. “You never told me that.”
“Humph, you never asked.” The little spybot got comfortable on D’zia’s shoulder. “Shall we have Elemi transfer control from you to Ki?”
“What do you think, Ki?” D’zia unclasped his hands from behind his head and waved a finger to encompass the ship they sat in. “Think you can handle her?”
Before Ki responded, Lora warned Sherri. “Be careful, she is very jealous of her male owners,” Boy, she’d bring popcorn to watch Elemi trying to tangle with Sherri.
“So?” Sherri raised her palms and shrugged her shoulders.
Her actions didn’t fool Lora one bit. She’d seen Sherri give the large Zerin furtive glances ever since she woke up, and it was obvious he had a more than casual interest in her.
