by Leslie Chase
The roar behind her was frightening in the best possible way, and in seconds he swooped down on her. She heard the thump of his wings catching the air, his arms closed around her, and with a breathtaking lurch her feet left the ground.
Josie gasped as he lifted her in a long arc, his wings spread wide above them, her heart hammering in her chest. It was frightening and exhilarating, and she clung to his arms for dear life as they soared across the room before descending in a steep dive. She shrieked as the floor rose to meet them, and then Verikan's wings beat again, slowing their fall and dropping them gently onto the vast expanse of his bed.
Shaking with excitement and the thrill of the moment, all her fears washed away, she turned in his arms and kissed him eagerly. He chuckled at her response, but Josie knew he wasn't mocking her. He was enjoying the experience as much as she was.
"You've caught me," she said as their lips parted. "Now what are you going to do with me?"
He didn't answer with words. Instead, he knelt up, taking hold of her jumpsuit and pulling it the rest of the way open in a single powerful motion. His hands slid across her skin, strong hands gentle on her, cupping her breasts. Josie moaned, arching her back and pressing herself up to his hands. The look in his eyes as she reached up to tug at the fastenings of his tunic was enough to make her breath fast and her heart race.
Pulling the jumpsuit from her shoulders, he helped her squirm out of it, leaving her in her underwear. Josie's fumbling fingers had managed to undo the ties of his tunic, but as she tried to pull it off him, it tangled in his wings. Verikan growled impatiently and tore it off, the fabric ripping as if it were paper in his hands.
For a moment they were still, looking at each other. Josie lay back on the bed, staring at this alien man who claimed her as his own, and bit her lip as she wondered what she'd done to deserve him. He was so beautiful, strong muscle rippling with every motion, his body sculpted like the finest artwork she could imagine. And the way he looked at her, as though she was just as gorgeous as he was...
Verikan knelt between her legs, eyes feasting on her body. The hunger in his gaze made her tremble with a delicious excitement, almost but not quite fear. Part of her wanted to hide, but she couldn't move. His presence pinned her to the bed as surely as any weight could.
"You're perfect," he breathed, breaking the silence. Josie shivered and looked away.
"I'm not," she protested.
His hand caught her chin, and with gentle but irresistible strength, he turned her back to look into his eyes. There was a fierce pride there, an intensity that burned.
"I am an Imperial Prince, and I do not lie," he said, and the force of his words made it impossible for her to doubt him. "When I say that you are perfect, I mean it, Josie. You are beautiful in every way, and I will prove it to you."
Leaning over her, his eyes were so close that she could see nothing else. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything but stare into those deep, strange eyes. But it didn't seem like Verikan needed a response. Lowering himself slowly, he kissed her on the lips, then on the neck, his sharp teeth nipping at her skin and making her cry out in pleasure.
Slowly, deliberately, he moved down her, kissing and nibbling as he went. Free of his gaze, Josie found that she could move again, her hands rising to stroke and caress him as he lowered himself. As he kissed his way across the tops of her breasts, Josie moved to undo her bra, but he lacked the patience for that. With a quick tug he tore it from her, the fabric snapping away under his strength, and his kisses continued unhindered across her bare skin.
Moaning, Josie surrendered her body to him, arching her back and pressing her full breasts up to his mouth. Verikan sucked on one nipple, his teeth teasing at it as his fingers closed on the other, rolling gently as his touch sent a shockwave of pleasure through her and her breathing became ragged.
"God, don't tease," she whimpered. He chuckled, the vibrations running through her and making her gasp again.
"What is it you need, my sweet?" he asked, raising his head from her breasts, his fingers brushing them, squeezing, playing.
"I—" Josie started, then broke off, biting her lip. It wasn't easy to say. But with those big alien eyes looking down at her, she couldn't deny it either. "I want you. Inside me. Please."
His smile widened, and he knelt up. Running his hands down her, he reached her panties and hooked his fingers over them. His eyes stayed on hers, and she gave the smallest of nods.
The panties tore like wet paper in his hands, and she was naked before him again. Naked, on his bed, as he towered over her. She moaned with an eager need at the thought, watching him as he undid his pants and stepped out of them.
His deep purple cock was erect, and she reached for him, groaning as her hand closed around it. He was so big! And the texture was like nothing she'd ever felt, rippling under her fingers. She couldn't imagine what he'd feel like inside her but she couldn't wait to find out.
Verikan groaned as she stroked him, hardening even further in her hand. Lowering himself over her, he allowed her to guide his cock to her entrance as he kissed her neck, and then paused for a moment. Just long enough for her to moan in frustrated need before he thrust into her.
The sensation of his ribbed cock sliding deep into her body made Josie cry out, and he roared as he slammed home, driving his full length into her eager body. The size of it was almost painful, but somehow that just made the feeling of him better as he pounded her into the mattress.
Josie clung to him, wrapping her arms around him tight and pulling him down. Their bodies pressed together as he slowly pulled back, his cock moving back until he was nearly out of her and her body ached to be filled again. It was torture, feeling so achingly empty for him as his cock was right there, and she tried to pull him back inside her but he wouldn't be rushed.
His next thrust was even harder than the first, and Josie shuddered under him as wave after wave of pleasure rocked her body. She felt hyper-aware, his slightest movement making her gasp or cry out, and her hands shook as she caressed him and stroked his alien skin. When her fingers brushed the base of his wings, she felt him shiver and his cock twitched inside her, and she grinned even as she moaned with pleasure.
"Like that?" she whispered in his ear, stroking gently. Verikan didn't answer in words, but he didn't need to. She could feel his pleasure as he thrust harder, faster, her touch urging him on even as he drove her towards her climax. Gasping and panting, she pressed her fingers into the sensitive skin around his wings, and it was as though she'd found the accelerator. His thrusts became frenzied, hard and deep and faster than she could take.
He pounded her into the bed, slamming into her with his incredible strength, and she screamed louder and louder with each thrust. It took only a few of those to push her to the edge of a climax, and as he forced her over it, she bit into his neck hard, muffling her cries of joy. He didn't stop, didn't even pause, and soon wave after wave of orgasm rolled through her. Josie felt Verikan swell inside her, his magnificent cock twitching and trembling and then, finally, he came too.
The feeling of his seed filling her was the last straw, and the mind-shattering orgasm that followed rocked her so hard that she lost track of everything else. There was only her and Verikan, locked together in a timeless moment of joy and light that seemed to last forever.
The two of them lay together on the bed, holding onto each other as they recovered. Josie couldn't stop smiling, feeling more relaxed than she had since she'd woken Verikan.
God, I needed that, she thought, stroking him gently. When her fingers brushed against the base of his wings, he shivered and groaned.
"Don't do that unless you mean it," he said, smiling down at her. "There's nothing more likely to get me going."
She blushed again, laughing at herself. How can I be embarrassed by that after what we've just done? But still, she moved her hand, stroking down his flank instead. She didn't know about him, but she was too exhausted for another round righ
t away.
"How do they work?" she asked as she looked at him. "Your wings, I mean. They aren't big enough to carry you, surely?"
He grinned and flexed his wings, opening them wide for a moment. At full stretch, his wingspan was impressive. "They do fine, sweetness. But there is a little help, it's true. My people evolved from flying predators and we've used our technology to improve ourselves over the generations. We can survive in a vacuum for hours at a time, and our wings don't just catch air, when we need it they can push against the... the..."
Frowning, Verikan looked up at the roof above and Josie watched with some amusement as he tried to find the right words. Finally, he shook his head and looked back at her with a sheepish grin. "I don't know the words in your language. Maybe Askelon can explain it better, he's the scientist."
"Or maybe there just aren't any words in English for whatever you're trying to say," Josie said with a smile of her own. "Your technology is so far ahead of ours. We couldn't get to another star, not without traveling for centuries."
"Maybe we can help you with that."
Josie sighed, unwelcome thoughts coming back. This hadn't solved anything, it had only put off talking about the future. And now here they were, coming back to the sticking point.
"You're not planning on helping, though. You're planning on conquering us."
She rolled away from him, getting a little distance from his still-distracting body. Verikan sat up, a look of pain on his face.
"I don't intend to do anything that will hurt you, Josie Connor," he said with utmost sincerity. "There must be another way, something else that I can do to preserve my species."
Josie looked back at him, startled by the strength of his feeling. With a small bitter laugh, she shook her head. "You're still foggy from sex, Verikan. It's nice that you say that, but soon enough the others will talk you back around to being the conquering emperor."
The pain in his eyes intensified, and it was his turn to look away. But when he looked back, his eyes were clear. "No, it's not that simple. My people ruled an empire that spanned the galaxy, but by all the signs, it's gone now. I could go back to that legacy, the one that seems to have destroyed my people, and try to make it work with a few hundred warriors. That would be the easy answer, and I admit that it's tempting. It is, after all, how I was raised."
Reaching out, he took her hand and raised it to his lips. "But that's the wrong answer. Conquering, oppressing, that led to a revolt. One that has destroyed my family and brought down everything I once knew. There must be a better way, and I will find it. You haven't fogged my brain, Josie, you've cleared it so that I can see the truth."
Josie blinked, surprised and touched by his words. He kissed her hand again, and she felt tears well in her eyes.
"You're serious? You're not going to invade Earth?"
"I will not. Your home is safe, beloved," he told her fiercely. "Though I hope that I will, someday, find a way to visit the land of your birth. I would like to see how your planet has changed since I fought knights there, centuries ago."
Josie couldn't restrain herself any longer, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight. He lifted her, his strong grip making her feel safe as he cradled her to him, and she laughed. It wasn't that there was anything funny, but the release of tension left her giddy and she shook in his arms. After a moment he joined in, and they laughed together for a minute before separating with a kiss.
"Did you steal princesses, too?" Josie asked with a giggle.
"Hah! Not me, though some of the others did. Only a few of us visited Earth back then, we were just meant to be scouting, but some of us had some fun while we were there."
Josie looked at him, and he laughed again. "No one stole any princess who didn't want to be stolen, I promise. That would have been dishonorable, and beneath a dragon warrior."
"I guess I can believe that," she said, letting her hand drift down to stroke across his abs and grinning. "There's plenty here to make a princess want to run off with you, though that bit didn't make it into the legends."
She felt her cheeks heat at the thought, and her hand drifted around him to stroke his back. Verikan growled as her fingers stroked gently, teasingly, around the base of his wings again. She could feel his body tense against her and saw his cock harden again as she caught her breath.
"Josie, I said don't do that—"
"—unless I mean it," she finished for him, drawing a fingernail over his sensitive skin again. "I know."
14
Verikan
Hours later, exhausted and happy, Verikan lay back on his bed and smiled. Feeling his mate sleeping in his arms was the finest experience of Verikan's life, and as an Imperial Prince he'd been afforded many of the greatest luxuries the galaxy could offer. Everything, he thought, paled in comparison with Josie. She lay against him, exhausted by their lovemaking, her body pressed against his. The contrast was wonderful, her smooth soft skin cool against his, and he stroked her, savoring the sensation of her touch. How she could deny that she was perfect was a mystery to him, but he resolved to spend the rest of his life proving to her that she was beautiful beyond measure.
That would have to come after he'd dealt with the more pressing concern of the invasion plans, though. He still needed something to tell his warriors when they woke from their long slumber. Some reason they should give up on the conquest they'd been promised. Sighing, he stood, cradling the sleeping Josie against him and carrying her to the pool.
"Mm? Whassa?" she asked sleepily, and he smiled, walking into the warm healing waters and lowering her into them. Neither of them was injured, but the nanotechnology would still help revitalize them, and they would both need their wits about them.
She snuggled into him as the warm waters surrounded them, and his aching muscles relaxed into the warmth. Setting the waters to refresh them, Verikan let the tiny machines do their work.
"Wow," Josie said, blinking awake and sitting up. "Okay, this feels amazing."
"There are advantages to dragon technology, certainly," Verikan said. "This is something we can trade with your world. Though, hm, I don't know how to make more of the nanites. For that you'd have to talk to Askelon, and I don't know if he'll be willing to trade our 'secrets' away to humans."
Josie sat back and looked up at him with a smile. "I'm sure you'll work out a way to convince him. Maybe between your species and mine, we'll be able to build a ship that can go looking for your other worlds, find out what happened to your empire? That's got to be worth something to him, surely?"
Verikan nodded, feeling doubtful. But the new confidence in her eyes was enough to make him feel anything was achievable, and who knew, maybe Askelon would listen to him. He was, after all, the heir to the Dragon Throne.
With some regret, he pulled himself out of the water, shaking himself off and telling the wardrobe to make him fresh clothes. The remains of what he'd been wearing were torn beyond use, so he fed them into the maker's intake. They'd be recycled for their raw materials.
The sound of Josie emerging from the bath behind him reminded him that he'd ruined her clothes too and he smiled. A quick order to the wardrobe started it on an outfit for her as well, something to match his.
"It seems a shame to cover up your beauty," he said, "but I know you won't be comfortable without something to wear. And if you are going to dress, you will dress as befits the mate of a prince."
The blush that spread across her face made him smile. The wardrobe bell rang and he reached in to take out the clothes. Josie looked at hers curiously and Verikan smiled as he watched her struggle into the unfamiliar dress.
"It fits," she said with some amazement. "How did it know?"
Verikan frowned. "Honestly, I don't know. It always gets it right, though. Why would I have a wardrobe that didn't?"
He adjusted the straps of her dress and turned her towards the mirror mounted on the wall. Josie gasped to see herself, and he smiled at the result.
"See, I told you t
hat you were beautiful," he told her. She stared at the mirror, wide-eyed, and he admired her too. The dress clung to her curves perfectly and showed her off much better than the jumpsuit had. The wardrobe computer had outdone itself, and she looked every inch a suitable match for a prince. The only problem was that he wanted to pull the dress off her immediately. But he could recognize a delaying tactic when he saw it, even in himself.
"There is no point in putting this off," he said, stepping away from her. "Let's go. Askelon and Mordrak need to know my decision, and we'll all have to prepare what to say to the royal guard when they awake."
Josie nodded, looking a little frightened by that. She chewed on her lip, a delightful habit when she was nervous, but now he saw that she was genuinely frightened.
"What's wrong, beloved?"
"I'm not sure I'll be okay, you know, confronting Mordrak. Not after the last time I saw him."
"You will be completely safe, I promise," Verikan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He won't dare try to hurt you again. But you don't have to stay with me while I speak to him and Askelon, not if it makes you uncomfortable. We also need to explain the new situation to your colleagues, and it will come better from you than from me."
She smiled, relief lighting up her face.
"That sounds much better," she said.
"I'll tell the palace to give you full access so that you can get into their room. Do you remember the way?"
She nodded, and Verikan smiled. Giving her access was the work of a moment — the system might not be speaking to him, but it was at least responding. Now she could go anywhere she wanted. The bracelet she wore would identify her to the palace, though, so it would know she was allowed to go wherever she wanted.
They parted with one last big hug. It was difficult to let her out of his sight, but he knew it was for the best. And, he told himself, it would only be a little while before they were back together.
