Ki's Redemption

by Keri Kruspe

  She is.

  Ki snorted and ignored the dragon.

  … it was time to concentrate on preventing the takeover of Earth. It was imperative they thwart the Chancellor’s plans to overthrow the galactic government. Ki nodded to himself. Yes, that’s where his focus should be. He could enjoy the female if the opportunity arose, but that was no reason to give up on his life’s vow to avoid a TrueBond. Ki shuddered…and refrain from having children.

  To make sure, he touched his right temple and met smooth skin. With a shaky chuckle, he realized the MalDerVon scroll hadn’t appeared while he’d been asleep. Usually, after a rousing bout of first TrueBond sex, a destined couple would find the scroll imprinted within hours. Finding nothing different, he rolled the tight muscles of his shoulders and released the tension.

  Then Sherri moaned as one of her hands reached up and cupped a full breast as a whisper escaped her plump lips. “Ki.”

  That’s all it took…he was undone.

  Every intention he had to avoid Sherri disappeared. Ki became an aroused male seeking his female as he joined her on the cot.

  Elemi interrupted. “Ki, I have rescheduled you and that female to meet with the UN Secretary-General within the hour.”

  Her voice froze Ki in place as he pulled back and stood straight. “What’s an hour?”

  “Comparable to a click, but with extra sub-clicks added in.” Elemi’s tone was steady, with no inflection. He suspected she didn’t approve of the change in his relationship with Sherri. By the father of all, he wasn’t sure if he approved of the change himself. Especially since the change eluded him.

  Stubborn, blind youngling.

  Just what he needed. An infuriating dragon providing a running commentary on his love life.

  Stay out of it. Maybe the stern warning in his voice was enough to make the Solaherra dragon know he wouldn’t listen to him.

  A smoky snort assured him Grirryrth didn’t care what Ki meant.

  A short feminine laugh caught his attention, and he glanced in Sherri’s direction. She was wide-awake, one hand under her head while the other tweaked a tight nipple. She lay on her back, her naked body open with a knee bent. Feminine eyes sparkled with mischief.

  A renewed surge of lust filled his cock. With closed eyes, he tensed before he opened them again. Her wide smile filled his vision accompanied by a beckoning crook of her delicate finger. A delicate pink tongue licked full lips as her exotic gaze focused on his groin. With every breath, he wanted to rethink his decision.

  With a stiffened spine, it took every ounce of strength not to go and wallow in the pleasures she promised. An involuntary deep breath didn’t help as the musky aroma of their mingled scents made things worse. His screaming instincts caused him to cross his arms and assume a wide stance for protection.

  No. Shoulders back. Time to leave. They had an appointment to keep. “While I would love nothing better than to join with you again, yofie-na—” Ki stepped away. “—there are more important things to do.”

  A sable eyebrow rose and her full mouth twitched. “Oh, really?” She sat up with a sensuous movement that would tempt any male. When she shrugged, her bountiful breasts bounced. “Okay, if you say so.”

  Ki swallowed a painful groan. A male could only take so much. In one long stride, he pulled her up and ravished those bewitching lips. Tongues clashed and danced as he absorbed her robust feminine taste.

  She jumped into his arms and bound her supple legs around his waist.

  Her wet core rubbed, and he was lost. Breaking their kiss, he leaned their foreheads together. “Have mercy, yofe-na. I am but a humble male you’ve ensnared. I beg you, give me the strength to walk away. We must concentrate on saving your planet.”

  Sherri’s head jerked back. The saucy mounds of her lips thinned into a thoughtful pout. “Well, you’re right, of course.” Her legs dropped, and she stepped away.

  The uncomfortably cool air caused him to frown. “Elemi has a new appointment with the Secretary-General in what she called an hour.”

  A look of horror crossed Sherri’s exotic features. “An hour?” Her eyes darted in frantic movements. “You destroyed all my clothes! What am I supposed to wear?”

  “Oh, for Goddess’ sake, human female. Be calm.”

  Elemi’s condescending tone grated on Ki. When this mission was completed, he’d put in a request for D’zia’s AI, JR10, to reprogram the ship to be more responsive to others who weren’t the male captain of the vessel.

  “Here are some Earth clothes I’ve remade for your use.” Elemi opened part of the wall to display the same alien clothes Sherri had worn before. “I’ve calculated you both have less than an Earth half hour to complete your dressing process before I can safely transport you to a different area outside the UN building to save time. This will aid you in traversing the varied security protocols the humans have and will ensure you arrive at the meeting room in time.”

  Sherri’s squeal of alarm made Ki smile and shake his head.

  Without another word, she scrambled to the refresher room to shower.

  It was fascinating to watch her ritual of getting clean and putting clothes on. Ki scrubbed a hand over his close-cropped beard when she came back, her magnificent body now covered with the strange Earth garments. It didn’t matter how nicely the formfitting garments enhanced her glorious figure. He didn’t like them. He’d rather see her naked.

  Ki eyed those ridiculous contraptions she put on her feet. They not only made her taller, but it made her luscious ass curve in prominent display. His mouth dried and his eyes narrowed. Now that she was dressed, he wanted to rip those tight clothes off and bend her over the nearest surface to plunge into her feminine depths.

  After putting on those shoes, she stood and faced him. With raised eyebrows, she took in his nude form. “I certainly hope you’re not going like that.” Sherri laughed while pointing a finger at his nude form.

  While he wanted to tease, he’d save that for later. “No, I was too busy watching you.” Arms raised, he commanded, “Grirryrth, attend me.” In a whirlwind, the Solaherra suit rose from within and covered him in battle armor. The natural process was cleansing as well as refreshing.

  “That’s not any better.” Sherri frowned, one hand on a cocked hip.

  By the father of all, was there anyone more adorable than his human lover?

  “Will this work?” Ki envisioned his prior human image, complete with a dark Earth formal suit, a white button-down shirt and red tie. What a ridiculous outfit, but it was imperative to dress as a native to the planet.

  “No, I mean yes, you look fine.” She scowled and muttered. “I like you better as a Zerin.”

  Sherri probably hadn’t wanted him to hear that, but with his exceptional hearing, it was hard to miss. He smiled.

  Sherri blinked.

  “Ready?” He lifted an elbow for her to grasp. That was an Earth custom he’d once read about. “Let’s go and save Earth, shall we?”

  Chapter Nine

  SHERRI

  No matter how glamorous something appeared, reality had a way of messing it up with a blend of boredom and sameness. Sherri had been so excited at the prospect of seeing the Secretary-General in the famous UN building, only to face disappointment once they arrived (a jarring experience going from the ship to an unused storage closet). Bureaucracy and security protocols were the same everywhere, restrictive and with no purpose. What was worse, they were barred from meeting the man. Instead, their appointment was with an underling who barely had time for them before he dismissed them with a threat to call security.

  Walking down the spacious corridors on their way out of the building, Sherri’s heels clanked and clicked with each frustrated footstep.

  Ki walked beside her, in his quiet and confident manner, with his hands clasped behind his back.

  The condescending aide embarrassed her to no end. Well…crap! Now what? The Chancellor would take over Earth and sell every woman of childbearing age to the hi
ghest bidder. Humanity was doomed to slavery…

  “Where are all the females in charge?” Ki’s deep voice interrupted Sherri’s contemplation. He slowed his long stride to match her shorter one and appeared to take a leisurely walk.

  “Huh?” His random question caught her by surprise. “What are you talking about?”

  “The females. Where are all the females in charge?” His large hand waved toward the wall on their right that displayed a list of titles, names, and countries of the delegates to the UN. “Most of those are males, are they not?”

  Sherri had no idea where he was going with his questions. She stopped and turned with palms on hips. “Yes, they are. So?”

  Clasped hands once again behind his back, he regarded her with a mild stare. The motioned stretched the jacket apart and displayed the white shirt straining at the buttons. His tan skin under the cloth was a pale imitation of his normal glowing color. She frowned. The longer he stayed in his human disguise, the more she didn’t like it.

  “It is a well-known fact throughout the galaxy that the most productive societies have a blend of male and female leaders. If Earth has a female counterpart to your Secretary-General, we should put our request to her.”

  Sherri crossed her arms. While she agreed with him wholeheartedly, she defended her society. “If I remember correctly, Zerin only had a king—no queen.”

  Ki nodded his head, his bland human hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. The round ears looked odd against his skull. Wonder where that jewel in his ear went to. “Yes, you are correct.” Massive shoulders shrugged. “It has been that way since Qay’s mother, the queen, passed into the universal consciousness when Qay was a young boy. Because she was his father’s TrueBond, the king could not unite with another female in this lifetime.” He turned to resume their walk out of the building. “Now that Qay has been reinstated and has joined with his own TrueBond, he will ascend to the throne shortly. It is customary for the Zerin people to enjoy a joint rule by both male and female.”

  Shock caused Sherri to stumble before righting herself. It took a couple long strides to catch up with her larger companion. Lora had told her their mutual friend, Aimee, was Qay’s TrueBond. “The Zerins will let a human become a co-ruler?”

  “While there have been factions opposed to an alien on the throne, the majority of the Zerin people have not made it an issue.” He stopped and turned to her. “Again I ask, where are your female leaders?”

  Sherri’s neck heated as she contemplated his stern expression. His close-cropped beard and mustache didn’t hide the frown that deepened the pull of his full lips.

  “Females in charge are a rare thing on Earth,” she began. “But over the years we’ve been making strides…”

  He walked again, and she followed. Under the watchful eye of armed guards, they exited the building. There they joined hundreds of people milling around.

  “No matter,” he stopped and observed his surroundings. “Are we in the country called the United States?”

  Sherri nodded as she murmured, “Yes.” She shivered in the bright sunshine. The sunny day wasn’t any help to get rid of the danger everyone faced.

  “Let’s meet with your President, then.” Ki stated in a firm tone.

  “I don’t think that will work…” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before Ki gave Elemi a command. From one blink to the next, she stood with Ki in a famous American room.

  The Oval Office.

  In the White House.

  Holy shit, they were in trouble. She grabbed the crook of Ki’s arm when the prominent individuals of the current administration jumped up and shouted.

  With an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach, Sherri peeked toward the famous Resolute Desk and the President. The leader gawked in their direction as a shimmering figure solidified behind him.

  Sherri blinked. It was the Chancellor she’d seen from Maynwaring’s memories, dressed in a merlot-red thick robe. Intricate gold and silver piping adorned the bell sleeves and flowing bottom as well as the frog fasteners on the breastplate. There he stood, in all his seven foot, baldheaded, Fu Manchu, black-eyed glory. He tapped the President on the temple. The septuagenarian slumped back in his chair with eyes closed and mouth wide.

  “Greetings, people of Earth.” The big alien crooned with a smarmy lift of the corners of his fat lips. “I am here to relieve your extremely heavy burden of ruling this fine planet.” Chancellor U’unk kept a large palm on the top of the President’s head and gave it a couple pats as if the man was a domesticated animal. An onyx pinkie ring twinkled as he moved.

  “Just who do you think you are? I will have you shot for trespassing!” This demand came from another elderly guy, his bald head littered with age spots and tufts of white hair here and there.

  He was the National Security Officer, if Sherri remembered right.

  He stood with clenched fists on hips and glared at the large alien while the others whimpered and cried.

  No such luck for the politician. The Chancellor put his cave-black stare on him briefly. With a wave of his huge three-fingers holding a small copper cylinder, he disintegrated the man into a puff of gray ash.

  The sickly odor of burnt flesh had Sherri breathing through her mouth to avoid the stench while an oily coating slid down her throat. With a hand over her mouth, Sherri scooted closer to Ki and seized his upper arm. Wanting an anchor, she clasped his solid muscles with tense fingers.

  He hadn’t moved; his focus stayed on the surrounding scene.

  “Questions?” The Chancellor’s hard eyes skimmed the area.

  The surviving humans kept their mouths shut except for a whimper and a moan now and then. The scent of someone’s bladder releasing scorced the air.

  “Good.” The enormous alien pulled the President’s leather seat back and pointed toward the prone man. “I presume this is your leader?”

  No one said a word. They all stood there in a transfixed daze. They acted as if the sight of the large predator mesmerized them and they did their best to avoid individual attention.

  No response.

  His penetrating stare settled on Ki. “You, human.”

  The deep, gravelly voice increased the shivers down Sherri’s spine. At first, she glanced behind Ki to see who the massive alien talked to. Oh yeah, her companion was in a human disguise. No way could the Chancellor know Ki was in human disguise.

  “Is this your leader?”

  Ki’s back stiffened. “Yes, that is the ruler of this country.”

  Well, that was interesting. Ki didn’t claim the man was his leader. Hmm, maybe the Chancellor had the ability to smell a lie. She’d better remember that if, God forbid, his attention came her way.

  The Chancellor straightened at Ki’s answer, a blank expression on his cold features. His iridescent skin might be lighter than that of the other Zerins she’d seen, but his sharp canines and pointed ears were in line with the species.

  Something about him nagged Sherri—he wasn’t quite right. She agreed with the others around her and did her best to avoid his attention. Better to stick to Ki and follow his lead.

  “That is good.” The imposing male stated in a monotone. With a sudden jerk, he tumbled the unconscious man out of the chair to flop to the hard floor in an undignified heap.

  Short cries rang from the group when they saw their president treated in such a callous manner.

  The Chancellor didn’t glance at the unconscious man when he took the seat with a grace not usually seen on such a huge creature. The thick material of his robe swirled as he settled back.

  Between one blink and the next, the group was surrounded by a mixture of repulsive little gray Friebbigh and khaki-green Erkek aliens. Each was holding a long stick made of various metallic alloys, all pointed at a specific person.

  “Kill them.” The Chancellor ordered with a negligent wave of his hand. He sat back and plonked his feet on the top of the sacred desk. The robe split and exposed his calf-high boots wi
th black pant legs tucked inside.

  At that declaration, panic raced through the room. People scrambled and screamed, racing around a still Ki.

  With calm intent, he pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of the menacing alien. He stood tall and unbending with his hands clasped behind his back. “You are making a mistake.” A bland statement.

  The Chancellor lifted a thick, black eyebrow. “Oh, how so?” He raised a fist, a signal to halt his last command.

  “You’ll need some of these people to navigate through the various systems they have in place, if you want to ensure a successful absorption of their culture.” Ki shrugged. “If you want to save time and resources, you should revise your assessment of blindly eliminating assets you could otherwise use.”

  The Chancellor cocked an eyebrow and formed a steeple with his fingers under his chin. A steady gaze pierced Ki.

  The surrounding people stopped and quieted at the conversation.

  Most shook and whimpered and the astringent smell of urine burned Sherri’s nose. A nervous sweat popped between her shoulders as the silence in the room became thick with tension. She shivered.

  “Explain.”

  Ki folded his burly arms over his chest as he returned the Chancellor’s icy stare. “You are obviously lacking the appropriate information if you didn’t know who the leader of this country was.” He nodded toward the now-snoring President who lay at his feet.

  A thoughtful frown pulled the smooth skin of the Chancellor’s mouth and made his long mustache droop.

  Sherri held her breath as she waited to see if Ki’s statement made a difference.

  The Chancellor narrowed his eyes before giving a slight nod of agreement. “Valid point, human.”

  A whoosh of relief escaped Sherri’s lips.

  The mammoth male jerked his head toward the aliens surrounding her and the others. “Secure the rest of this building and lock these humans in a different location.”

  Accompanied by cries of confusion amid whimpers from everyone around her, Sherri found herself pushed and shoved out of the room with a jumbled knot of humanity.