Stolen and Seduced

by Christine Pope

  He had a puffed up and spikey battle form. For some reason—maybe it was the head wound—I found that hot.

  “Are they all dead?” I asked.

  He nodded. “We will repair the ship, and then leave. I’m sorry, Billie. That won’t happen again. Enemies don’t dare come near our home.” Our home. I swallowed, unsure what to say. Donut squirmed against me, and I stroked the top of his flat head with my thumb.

  “You protected your young,” Lo murmured, his voice soft. “Such a good mother.”

  My stomach rolled. “Lo, about that—”

  “Commander, you might want to remove your mate from this room while we repair the breach,” a voice said from behind us.

  Loprok nodded. He took Donut gently, placed him in his cage, and scooped me into his arms. “Come, beautiful Billie.”

  “We need to talk.” I wiggled in his arms, feeling like various private parts were exposed.

  “First, we both need to be cleaned,” he murmured as he strode from the room. He carried me down a hallway and when I glanced over his shoulder, I found another few members of his crew working on a whole other set of dead bodies.

  “What were those things?” I murmured.

  “Eerinx,” he spat. “Vile things. Thieves. They would have stolen and sold you.”

  I shivered and wrapped my arms and Lo’s shoulders.

  After carrying me into a similar, smaller room, he shut the door behind us and didn’t put me on my feet until we passed through into another room, this one tiled with large faucet-heads. I felt like I was in some sort of shower porn scene when he slammed a button and water rained down. He held me out of the spray, testing it with his hand before turning to me with a frown. “I don’t know what temperature your skin can withstand.”

  I tentatively swiped a few fingers through a stream. “That’s fine. Perfect, actually.”

  With a satisfied nod, he stripped me of my clothes with a few slashes of his claws. Then he backed me up into the rainfall of water. He grabbed a solid bar off the wall and wasted no time running it through my hair and across my shoulders, where it lathered like soap. The smell was fresh and minty, and I inhaled deeply as the scent calmed my nerves.

  When he reached my breasts, he moved slower. The backs of his claws caught on my nipples, drawing a gasp from me, and he stepped closer, until I could feel the press of his cock against my belly. The water ran over him, washing away the scent and sight of the battle. But I couldn’t forget the way he’d charged in the room and dispatched of those ugly creatures who’d threatened me. And now he gazed at me with heat in his eyes, and my heart beat faster for an altogether different reason than fear.

  “Billie,” he murmured. He seemed to like saying my name, and I couldn’t deny I liked to hear it drop of his lips. I liked the way his spiked jawline quivered when he rolled the l’s of my name off that skilled tongue. “I never felt anger like I did when I heard you call my name. My little human fighter and protector.”

  “Lo,” I whispered. I needed to tell him that I was just an ordinary human. I wasn’t anything special…

  With a low growl he surged forward, capturing my lips in a kiss just as he wrapped his hands around the back of my thighs and hauled me up against his body. I melted into him, grasping his shoulders as I accepted the kiss and gave it back to him. His tongue sucked on mine, and I felt the answering pull right in my core, especially because I knew how well that tongue felt on many parts of my body. The good parts.

  I ached for him in a way I’d never ached for anyone. I wanted to feel him move inside me again. I didn’t have to wait long. One hand left my thigh and then I felt a prodding at my entrance. He peered into my eyes, waiting, and I gave him one sharp nod. He grimaced, almost like he was in pain, and then slammed into me. I arched my back on a cry, and his mouth dropped open as his face slackened with bliss. I knew the feeling. He surged up into me with those powerful hips over and over again, holding me up with nothing but his own strength. I held on, loving the way he plundered me, took me as his own, all while he whispered in my ear how beautiful I was.

  When I came, I did it with my teeth clamped onto his shoulder. He roared out his release, his cock pulsing inside of me. I went limp in his arms, barely able to keep my eyes open. And I must not have accomplished that, because I didn’t remember much after that.

  Billie

  I blinked my eyes and at first saw nothing but my own hair. I brushed it out of my face and felt my bed move. I went still and peered down to find my bed was scaled. Lifting my eyes, I took in a broad chest, a shoulder with a bite mark on it, and then a jawline, high cheekbones, and warm golden eyes.

  Lo. I was sleeping on Lo. His lips tilted up at the corners. “Hello.”

  I cleared my throat. “Um, hi.” I told myself to move. I should move, right? This was…cuddling. I was cuddling with an alien. But maybe that was less weird than having sex with him twice. I looked around to find we were back in the large bedroom. Donut was munching away on some greens in his cage, and the hole in the wall had been prepared. In fact, all traces of the breach and battle was gone, like it never happened.

  I glanced out the window to once again see space. The ship hummed around me, indicating we were on the move. Shit, I needed to talk to him. No more interrupting.

  I slowly sat up, bracing a hand below me, my weight on my hip. Lo was naked, the sheet barely containing his straining erection. Jeez. Just the sight of it had my nipples pebbling. Lo noticed because his eyes went dark. I grabbed at the blanket and covered myself. His gaze jerked to my face. “Are you okay?”

  “We have to talk.” I’d said that to men many times only for them to roll their eyes and say, oh here we go.

  Lo didn’t do that. Because to him those words had no negative connotation. He only waited patiently. I glanced at Donut and decided to rip off the news like a Band-Aid. As soon as he discovered I couldn’t push one of those out of the old hoo-ha, he’d want nothing to do with me. “Donut.” I swallowed. “Donut is not my…offspring.”

  He cocked his head. “Offspring?”

  “Child. Son. Spawn. Fruit of my loins. He’s just a pet. I didn’t birth him.”

  Lo watched me carefully. “Pet?”

  “Yes, a…” I waved a hand as my brain spun on how to answer. “We keep certain animals as pets on Earth. We love them and care for them, but we didn’t make them.” I pointed to Donut. “To breed, he would need another bearded dragon. A female. They’d do the old bump and grind and she’d… well I guess they lay eggs. Those eggs would hatch. Voila! A pet.”

  I could tell he didn’t understand everything I was saying. Hell, I barely understood what I was saying. Finally he sat up, his clawed hands digging into the sheets. “What does your spawn look like?”

  My mouth gaped open. That wasn’t what I thought he’d ask. “Um, they look like me. I guess. Only small. Really small. Less coordinated. A baby.”

  His gaze drifted to Donut, and then back to me. He did that a total of three times before something passed over his eyes. His jaw firmed and then he lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Then the spawn you produce with my seed will be your first.”

  My eyes bugged out. “What?”

  He reached for me. “You’re still my mate.”

  For some reason, I let him draw me against his chest. “But I thought—”

  “It doesn’t matter. You proved how well you care for others based on how you have treated this pet. I heard how you fought the Eerinx and saw a few wounds your little kicks left on them. I will take no other as a mate.”

  “I don’t understand. Aren’t their females of your own species? Why do you want me?”

  “Our population is not reproducing fast enough. I was sent to Earth to find women who’d bear our young.”

  My hackles went up. “So I’m a breeder?”

  “That was the intention,” he said. “But as soon as I saw you, I knew you were mine. My mate. No other. Not a breeder. If you never bear my young, I still want yo
u by my side.” He curled a piece of my hair around a claw. “You fascinate me.”

  “I’m just a novelty. It’ll fade.”

  He clenched his jaw. “No, Billie. My pull to you will not fade. I’m a Warnex. We mate for life, and we don’t deny the mate draw.”

  “Lo,” I said softly. “I don’t think you get it. My life is on Earth. I didn’t choose this. You chose for me.”

  His muscles went solid as stone and his eyes darkened. “You don’t choose me?”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. My mind and heart warred in my chest. “I don’t…know. I don’t know your world, Lo. Your home. All I’ve seen so far is that I was nearly dragged off by some slimy jerks. Would I always be in danger?”

  His nostrils flared, and he closed his eyes briefly before shaking his head. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “You say that but… that could that happen again?”

  That cut him I could tell when a flash of pain crossed his face. “I failed once. I won’t fail twice.”

  I swallowed, wanting to believe him. “Lo, this isn’t my home. While I enjoy a good adventure, Earth is safe.”

  “What about me?” He tilted his chin up. “Do you enjoy me?”

  I blinked, feeling tears well. I didn’t know him that well, but I knew enough that he had a good heart. He treated me well. And he could fuck like a porn star. But was that enough?

  I avoided his question. “I have to get Donut home. He’s not my pet. A family member of mine owns him. She’ll be devastated to lose him. I’m sorry, Lo. I can’t go with you to your home. I can’t be your mate.”

  He looked like he was going to protest. But then his hands dropped from my shoulders, and I nearly face-planted before bracing myself. He turned away from me and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His tail hung limply at his side. “You’re right,” he murmured softly. He reached for his pants and stood, pulling them on. I watched his broad back tense as he glanced over this shoulder at me. “I can’t change your mind?”

  “This isn’t just about you and me.” Fuck, why did I feel like crying? “My family would worry. My friends…”

  I could tell he wanted to argue, but instead he only nodded. “I’ll tell Prothy to change course.” After that he strode from the room, his hands fisted at his sides, and left without another word.

  I let myself drop back onto the bed, which smelled like us, and screamed into a pillow. I punched it a few times then glanced over at Donut. He had no idea of my inner turmoil. He was probably loving life. But Greta would miss him. She would miss me too.

  I laid like that for a while, my brain a mass of confusion, until the large soldier from earlier stomped into my room, dropped a tray of food on my table with a clatter and then stomped back out. He glared at me the whole time, and I was about to ask him what his problem was when he hissed at me on single word, “Mistake.” I couldn’t ask him any further questions, because he slammed the door behind him.

  I gritted my teeth and ate what I could despite my protesting stomach. After fumbling around the room until I found some clothes—a large shirt that would double as a dress—I poked around at a tablet-like device I’d found in a drawer. As soon as I touched it, the screen turned on. I couldn’t read any of the symbols, but I pressed a few until a series of pictures flashed on the flat screen. I sucked in a breath when I spotted Lo, dressed in what looked like a full uniform decorated with medals. He stood in front of what I could only describe as a palace. The structure was ornate, with a glittering fountain and detailed architecture.

  The photos changed and I saw more of his planet. His home, Trazian 2, was beautiful. Lush greenery. Smiling Warnex selling wares in a market. But I could also see many homes boarded up. And what I didn’t see was many children. At all.

  I wasn’t sure how long I sat there looking through his pictures. Eventually I carried the tablet to the bed and fell asleep with the screen still flashing.

  When I woke up, the lights were dim, and I felt a presence beside me. I jerked upright to find Loprok sitting on the bed, gazing out the window at the distant stars. “Lo?” I asked.

  He didn’t turn his head. “We’ll be entering Earth’s atmosphere soon. Prothy has the coordinates of your home so we can return you and Donut safely.”

  My stomach hurt at the thought of stepping off this ship and never seeing Loprok again. How fucking crazy was that? I turned on the tablet screen and pushed it across the bed toward him. “Is this your home? The pictures?”

  He didn’t bother to glance at it. “Yes.”

  “What’s your home like?”

  A slight smiled turned up his lips. “Peaceful. We have a large defense system, and most species know not to take on Warnex. Not at our full strength. We have a good life. Fertile soil. Rich planet. But we are dying faster than we can reproduce. At this rate…” he sighed. “Every life matters.” He swallowed thickly. “I still would have died to protect you, Billie.”

  I resisted the urge to reach for him. “You would have taken me there to live with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “What would my life had been like?”

  “I hope happy.” His clawed hands fisted on his thighs. “You could have a job if you wanted or you could keep the house. Raise our spawn.”

  “I would have been safe there?”

  “Yes,” he murmured. “Safe.”

  I couldn’t believe I was contemplating this. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t outraged that he’d stolen me against my will and seduced me. I’d always been unsettled, a little wild. A free spirit. And now I wondered if I always felt unsettled because I never belonged on Earth in the first place. I gazed out the window as my beautiful home planet came into view, swirled with blues and greens.

  I swallowed and wondered if I was going to make the biggest mistake of my life.

  Loprok

  I watched her go. I hadn’t said good-bye, and she hadn’t either. She left with Donut, streaking through the woods, her long hair streaming behind her as the moonlight highlighted the pink strands like a beacon. I stood in the clearing we first met, watching until she was no longer in sight.

  My chest ached. She hadn’t chosen me. And I couldn’t even be angry. She had explained that wasn’t the way mating worked on Earth. I understood that, even if I didn’t like it.

  I’d gone about this all wrong, and in doing so, I’d lost her. I didn’t care what our spawn came out looking like. I only wanted her. I stood there for a long time, until my knees ached from locking them in position for so long and my neck cramped from straining it while I searched the woods for one more sight of her.

  A hand landed on my shoulder.

  “Sunrise,” Horvul grunted in my ear.

  “I’m aware,” I muttered. We needed to leave before then

  His claws tightened. “Go.”

  “Yes, I know what you’re trying to say.” I shrugged off his hand.

  I searched the woods, but there was no pink hair, no husky voice calling my name. Lo. I’d never let anyone else use that nickname. Ever. It would be reserved for her until the day I died.

  I rubbed the back of my neck with a heavy sigh and turned. My joints burned. My head felt heavy.

  My craft hovered in the air, Prothy behind the large glass windows at the control panel. All I had to do was step beneath the beam of light, and I’d be inside with him and the rest of the crew, on our way back home. My first unsuccessful mission. But I had to talk to our Prema about Earth customs. We couldn’t be stealing what wasn’t ours to take.

  I would have given Billie everything, all that I promised. But not without her consent. And she hadn’t given it.

  Horvul entered the beam and ascended into the craft. I took one step into the light when I heard a sound. It came low at first, barely registering in my ears, but it was enough to capture my attention

  I spun around, stepping out from under the spaceship. Movement in the woods caught my eye. I braced for an enemy, except the sound came
again, louder this time. One word. “Lo!”

  My gaze landed on a flash of pink and I took off at a sprint. My feet pounded the ground as my heart soared. There, stepping into a patch of moonlight was my mate. My Billie. She ground to a halt and stared at me as I slowed too, until I stood motionless, waiting on her.

  Her eyes were wild, her hair in a wavy mass around her face. She held a bag over her shoulder, and now she wore a pair of pants and heavy foot coverings.

  “Did you come to say good-bye?” My voice was a rasp.

  She shook her head as she panted, and her large breasts heaved. “Not good-bye. I—” she glanced behind her as she swallowed heavily. “Did you mean it? You’d take care of me and protect me? You’d give me a happy life?”

  My heart sped up. I nodded.

  “I need you to say it,” she insisted.

  “Yes, Billie. I’ll give you everything I can. I’ll make you happy.”

  “And you’ll be mine? Only mine?”

  “Absolutely,” I nearly growled. “And you’ll only be mine.”

  She clutched her bag to her chest and closed her eyes for a moment before inhaling sharply and letting out a long breath. She opened her eyes and focused on me. “I needed to go home. I had to return Donut. Leave my family a note and gather a few things I couldn’t leave. And now…I choose you, Lo. I choose a life on Trazian 2. I choose us. And I’m probably crazy, but I know if I don’t go with you, I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it.”

  I surged forward, wrapping her in my arms and picking her up off the ground. She smiled as I pressed our foreheads together. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you don’t regret choosing me.”

  She licked her lips, and while I could tell she was nervous, her body shivered with anticipation. “Then let’s go home, Lo.”

  I smiled and with her still in my arms, I stepped into the beam of light that would take us home.