Her Alien Warrior

by Mira Maxwell

  I look at Ozmyx, so peaceful in sleep next to me. More peaceful than I’ve ever seen him. I gaze at his features for a while, trying to clear my mind and go back to sleep. I know he’ll want to be on our way as soon as the sun is up in the morning. All of these things that I tell myself do no good. My body is awake and tingling, all too aware of the hunky alien lying naked next to me.

  Quietly, I slide my body on top of his, letting my legs straddle his waist. I just lie still on top of him for a minute until I can tell that he’s awake. Soon his arms wrap tightly around me and his cock awakens before he has completely shaken sleep from him.

  I know I’m going to be tired when morning comes but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

  Fourteen

  OZMYX

  I’m much more aware of the cold on my skin. Not because it affects me any more than it usually does, but because I know how cold Savannah will be. I left her under a small shelter, protected as much as possible from the elements while I hunt for food. It isn’t often that I reflect on my decisions and regret the choices I’ve made, but refusing any help from the wanderers before we left this morning is weighing on my conscience. Things changed for me in the blink of an eye last night and now all I can think about is providing for Savannah. Making sure she is warm with food in her belly should have been first and foremost in my mind. But still, there’s this barrier between me and the wanderers and a resentment that I can’t dismiss no matter how hard I try. So I shrugged off their offer of supplies and food, telling them we were fine and didn’t need their help.

  Now I’m stalking quietly through trees, on the hunt for something for Savannah to eat. I’m trying to move quickly because I don’t want to leave her alone for too long by herself. The snow is falling lazily again, but not enough to cover animal tracks in the area. And thankfully, there are a few tracks for me to follow. I’m tracking a pananos through the underbrush, into the areas where the snow doesn’t reach because the branches provide cover. They’re small but easy to catch and will provide just enough meat to get us back to the fortress.

  Five minutes later, I’m headed back to where I left Savannah, with the small creature in my hands. I near the shelter quietly so I don’t alarm her, but when I look under the branches I see that she is sound asleep. Now that I’m back with her, I set to work building the fire that she begged me to build before I left for the hunt. I didn’t want to leave her alone with a fire that could attract other creatures to her location, when I wasn’t here to protect her. She’s well bundled under a warm fur with protection from the snow and wind around her.

  I get busy making a fire. There’s a very small area right around where Savannah is sleeping where I’ll be able to get a fire started. Otherwise there’s too much snow.

  It’s a small fire but it’ll do the job of cooking the pananos. Savannah needs the protein to help her make it back to the fortress by tonight. Her back is healing, I saw it myself, but it’s still affecting her. She runs out of energy quickly. I think this outing has had an exhausting impact on her. So I roast the meat while she sleeps under the branches. It’s turning a rich brown color when she finally starts to stir. She sits up and stretches her arms. When her eyes meet mine, she smiles and my heart starts to beat faster.

  “Sorry, I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I see you were successful on your hunting trip.”

  “I was. It’s small but it will hold us over until we get back to the fortress.” I reach over and turn the meat over the fire to make sure it’s well cooked on all sides. “You were so tired,” I add as an afterthought.

  “I sure was,” she says.

  I tear off a piece of meat, steaming hot, and hand it to her. She smiles and thanks me. There’s a mischievous look in her eyes that tells me she has something to say. “What?” I finally ask.

  “I was just thinking…last night obviously wasn’t your first time with a woman. You were really good.”

  Her cheeks turn a light pink color and she looks down at the food in her hands instead of meeting my eyes. She seems embarrassed for mentioning it, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Though I really don’t want to talk to her about other women. I may not know much but I have a feeling that talking to her about my sexual encounters with other women is off limits.

  “It has been a long time, but you make it easy.” For the first time, I actually want to tell someone about my past. Until now, it has just been easier to push it all down and keep moving forward. I tear off a piece of meat and take a bite, giving myself time to change my mind. “I had a mate once.”

  When I finally look up, she’s studying me closely. I take another bite while waiting for her to say something.

  “I remember you mentioned that just before we were ambushed by the Salthu. I guess so much has happened since then we never got back to it.” She picks up the water canteen and takes a drink before continuing. “So what happened? I mean…if you want to talk about it.”

  “I haven’t talked about it in a long time. Actually, I really haven’t talked about it ever.”

  She doesn’t say anything, just waits to see if I’ll open up.

  “I was only fifteen years when my mother passed away. My father took it really hard. On Attala, when you find your mate, it’s for life.”

  “That’s so sad, I’m sorry.”

  “It was a long time ago, but I often wonder how my life might have been different had my mother survived.”

  “You don’t think you would have joined the guard?”

  “I don’t know. After my mother died, my father became a different man. He began training me to become a member of the guard. He believed that it was more valuable for me to serve the city than it was for me to find a mate.”

  “Except you said you found a mate.”

  “I did. A girl that lived in the city. We knew each other before I joined the guard.” This is the first time I’ve spoken of her since the day I said good-bye and left her to join the guard.

  “Did you love her?” she asks. Her question makes my heartbeat quicken. This is not a topic I want to talk about. It feels like these are things that happened to a different man in a different time. But the look on her face is enough to make me open my mouth and try my best to explain myself. I want her to understand that all of this happened years ago and my heart does not belong to her anymore.

  “I suppose I did. I mean, I was young and reckless. I regret what happened between us. Most of all, I regret breaking her heart. As the years have passed, I’ve come to realize that I lost something inside of me as well when I chose the guard over her. I wanted to make my father happy, he was all I had left, and it seemed like the right decision at the time.”

  “And was he happy when you became a warrior?”

  “He was. But ironically, once I joined the guard I really didn’t get to see him anymore. We spend all of our time at the outposts or on the wall. It’s satisfying work, but many of the rules do seem ridiculous.”

  “Well, now that we know what really happened with the Salthu and all of the genetic enhancements, the prime minister probably didn’t want the genetically altered Attalans to mate and reproduce.”

  “We were always told that it was an unnecessary distraction. And there was no way a warrior could have a family and continue to live on the wall or at one of the outposts.”

  “So is that what we were when we arrived? A distraction?”

  “No. It is an honor for the guard to provide protection to those that need it. Though if I’m being honest, you have been a distraction. I can’t get your enticing body out of my mind.” It’s the first time that I’ve touched her since last night but the need is overpowering. I reach over and grab her coat by the collar, pulling her in close for a kiss.

  When we finally pull away, she says, “I’m surprised by that, you know. All this time I didn’t think you liked me at all.”

  I’m quiet as I think about that. “I haven’t been very welcoming, you are right. I think from the very begi
nning I knew that I felt something for you that I wasn’t allowed to feel. The only way to do anything about that was to push you away.” I look at her as my confession sinks in. Her eyes are so blue and full of emotion. She’s too good and kind. She deserves better than someone like me…someone that could leave his mate behind and choose this life instead. The weight of our actions suddenly weighs heavily on me. Like so many things in my life, I really didn’t think things through.

  “And now we’ve complicated our relationship. You’ll be leaving to return to your planet and I will be here, living in exile with my warrior brothers because of the decisions we have made.”

  “There’s more to it than that, Ozmyx. You need to tell your brothers what you have learned from Edek. They deserve to know. It changes things. Maybe you could meet with the prime minister and tell him what you know about how it all began…the Salthu, the wall, the guard.”

  I stop her before she can continue this charade any longer. “The prime minister will do nothing about it except try to execute us to keep us quiet. And because the wanderers have gone into hiding we have no one to corroborate this story. It is a fantasy and nothing will change.”

  She looks away from me, obviously feeling frustrated that once again we are at an impasse. She is always looking for the positive but that won’t make things change this time. There is no hope for a peaceful resolution. A trip back within the city walls to try to negotiate with the prime minister simply means death or war. She doesn’t understand, and I’m torn between desperately wanting her to stay and hoping she’ll leave this planet before the city assembles a force against us.

  “We should go, right?” she asks, as I feel an invisible barrier go up between us. “We need to get back before it’s dark.” She starts arranging her things, clearly done with this conversation. “You at least need to tell the others what you learned from Edek. This can’t just be your decision. They deserve to know too, even if you don’t believe that Edek can be trusted.”

  She looks at me with that fire that I’ve come to admire so much. I almost smile. The last thing I’m concerned about right now is Edek’s story. My mind is consumed with the fact that my heart has been claimed by this woman and once we return to the fortress she’ll be leaving. I suppose this is my punishment for my past actions.

  “Let’s go.” I toss snow onto the small fire, making it sizzle and smoke. I make sure we have all of our things and then stride off towards the fortress. I’m not going to promise to tell my brothers anything.

  It is near dark when we finally arrive back at the gates of the fortress.

  “Ozmyx!” I hear yelled from the look out. I’m eager to see if the rest of our group made it back alive.

  “Ho!” I yell back, returning the greeting.

  The gates open and there is a scurry of activity. The other human females quickly surround Savannah, hugging her and exclaiming their gratitude that she is alive. Krenar and the others are quickly at my side, greeting us and complimenting me for protecting Savannah and getting her back alive.

  “I am glad to see that you are all back in one piece, as well,” I say. “Did you get caught in the avalanche all the way down to the bottom of the mountain?”

  “We were. We got to the trees but the snow fell so fast it knocked us right out and into its path,” Krenar says.

  Before we can say more, Diana pulls Savannah away from my side and into her arms.

  “When the others returned without you two, we were so worried!” Diana says. “We heard all about the avalanche. My God! You are all lucky to be alive!”

  “We are lucky,” Savannah says, returning the hugs.

  “Luck really has nothing to do with it,” I say. “We are all well trained to survive the bitter elements of this planet. She was well taken care of with me.”

  “Of course she was,” Diana says. “As humans, we worry. We are not as trained to survive this weather.” She waves me off with a motion of her hand.

  “Come inside,” Margo says, motioning for us to move further into the walls. “Come sit by the fire for a while so you can unthaw your bones.” Margo takes Savannah’s things and ushers her into the courtyard, close to the fire. The other women are quickly taking over caring for Savannah and I physically feel the loss as they take her further away from me.

  Fifteen

  SAVANNAH

  It’s a few hours later and I’m back in my sleeping quarters, alone again. It’s good to be back in the fortress, behind four solid walls that can protect me from the crazy alien creatures that seem to lurk around every corner of this planet. The image of the ragadh flashes back into my mind, making my back ache again. It was feeling better after Edek gave me his special ointment but slowly it is starting to hurt once again. I’m sure the long journey back here has had something to do with it starting to hurt again.

  Ozmyx was so quiet all night. Quiet but close by. Some sort of connection was created between us from all of the time we had together. Not to mention the incredible sex that I can’t stop thinking about. But he was back to his quiet, closed off self around all of the others tonight. Everything has to go back to normal. I mean, we’re going to be leaving in a few short days. But my body already aches for him and I feel his absence as strongly as I was missing my home.

  I’m looking through my pack for something that will help the ache when my skin starts tingling. I don’t need to turn around to know that he’s behind me. My heart starts racing in my chest and I can feel my face flush. When I turn around he’s standing just inside the door. Unlike most days, instead of wearing pants he has a small loin cloth on. The temperature spikes in the room by several degrees. I ache to feel his body on mine again.

  “Take your clothes off,” he says. “I want to see what is mine.”

  I can feel how wet I am already. Very slowly I pull off my sweater and reach behind to unclasp my bra. I let it fall at my feet, enjoying the look on his face as I move down to unclasp my pants. My nipples are hard buds, aching to be touched. I want to feel his warmth cover me again. His eyes devour me hungrily as I pull my pants down my legs. I step out of them and stand before him, naked.

  His eyes sweep over me, lingering at my breasts. His tongue licks his lips as he gets ready to taste me again. He reaches down to his loin cloth and pulls the strings to loosen it, letting it fall to the floor. I haven’t been this hot since I arrived on this frozen planet. I can’t explain it, but I want him more than anything I’ve ever wanted.

  But I stand before him and I wait. After what feels like hours, he moves towards me. When he’s standing in front of me, I reach out to touch him but he takes my hand in his. He brings my fingers to his lips and gently sucks on them, sending jolts of pleasure throughout my body. My lips part and I exhale a shaky breath as I feel his tongue on my skin. His hand reaches down and cups my breast, letting his thumb brush over my sensitive nipple.

  There’s a tremble that moves through my body as he touches me. I know he can feel it and I can’t stop it. My desire for him is so strong. “Kiss me,” I say. It’s a quiet, breathy request.

  There’s the slightest smile that touches his lips when he says, “I will always give you what you want.” And then his lips are on mine and I can’t stop the moans of pleasure that escape into his mouth from mine. When he pulls away, he spins me around so I’m facing the wall. I press my hands against the cold cave walls as his large hands massage my skin, starting at my shoulders and traveling all the way down my legs. When he’s down on his knees, he gently nudges my legs further apart.

  His hands grip my ass and squeeze, spreading me apart. I feel his hot breath a moment before his tongue dips into my pussy, licking my arousal.

  “Look how wet you are for me,” he says, practically growling the words in-between each lick.

  “Yes, I need you so badly,” I say. He’s already bringing me so close to orgasm. Somehow he works his tongue in a way that gives me exactly what I want. I’m leaning forward, my head resting on my arm, enjoying every sensa
tion that’s surging through my body.

  Then, his mouth is gone. I’m about to beg him for more when I feel his cock rub into my folds. He coats himself with my arousal until he’s slick and then he pushes deep into my pussy from behind.

  “Oh shit!” I yell. He slides in and fills me in such a way that I almost orgasm from one thrust. He pulls out slowly and pushes back in. I feel every inch of him as he moves inside of me, filling me and then taking it away, only to fill me again. I push myself back onto him, trying to keep him where I want him. “Fuck me hard, Ozmyx,” I say as he continues his leisurely pace. “I want to feel you deep inside of me even when I’m far away from your planet. I want my pussy to ache for you.”

  His hands grip onto my hips and he slams his cock into me, just the way I’ve been begging him to. I want to move with him but he holds me in place, fucking me hard. I cry out as he pounds into me, my orgasm hitting me suddenly. One moment I’m chasing it and the next it’s consuming me. He slams into me one more time and his cock pulses inside of me. The warmth of his seed coats my pussy and drips down my thighs when he finally pulls out of me. I slump back into his arms, letting him hold me as our hearts pound together as one.

  He holds me for a while, long enough for the cold to seep into the room. He gets up and crosses the room.

  “Are you leaving?” I ask. I don’t like the sound of disappointment in my voice but I can’t help it. I like how he makes me feel and I like having him in my room. I reach for a fur to cover my nakedness. Goosebumps have spread over my body now that my heat source is gone.

  “No, I’m going to start a fire to keep you warm,” he says. I snuggle under the furs and watch him as he moves about my room, busying himself with a fire. It’s the first time I haven’t felt homesick since coming to this planet. The first time I haven’t wished that we were on the spaceship headed home.