His Fallen Star

by Lily Thomas

  She couldn’t be marked by him, because she didn’t plan on sticking around for the rest of her life. She was just waiting for a rescue, and then she’d disappear from his life forever.

  “Where’ve you been?” Scarlett asked, as Olivia pushed her way through some thick bushes and rejoined the women, who were already awake.

  So much for slinking back, so she could pretend like she’d slept in camp all night long and not in Vlek’s warm arms where all her troubles seemed lightyears away.

  “What?” Olivia pretended like there was nothing interesting going on as she hurried over to her emergency pack.

  “You were gone all night long. Are you ok?” Scarlett leaned over and tried to make eye contact with her. “I was afraid we lost you to a monster of the night.”

  When she met Scarlett’s eyes, she could see Scarlett had actually been worried about her safety. “Yeah. I just…slept away from the camp.” It was a lame excuse, even to her ears.

  “Why? You could’ve been eaten by a predator.” Chloe scolded her like she was stupid.

  “No! You didn’t!” Scarlett looked behind her, and when Olivia turned, she saw Vlek walking into camp the same way she’d come.

  “Don’t judge,” Olivia muttered, as she dug out a nutrition bar and ripped off a chunk with her teeth.

  A lot of the girls paled, as they caught on to Scarlett’s revelation.

  “Well, how was it?” Scarlett eyed the alien warriors lingering around the camp. “They are attractive, and who knows I might join you if they know what they are doing.”

  “Oh, they know what to do alright,” Olivia confirmed. “But it was a lapse in my judgment.” She pressed a couple of fingers against her temple. “We should at least try to keep ourselves separate from them. Who knows when we might be rescued.”

  “Exactly.” Scarlett raised a finger into the air. “Who knows when we might be rescued. It might never come.” Scarlett continued to eye the men around them.

  “True.” They were really far out in space, and no one would be passing by any time soon and who knew how long the station would keep transmitting the signal. They still weren’t sure what had happened and what systems might become affected because of whatever hit the station. For all, they knew the research station had gone completely black while they’d been down here on the planet.

  Scarlett’s smile was barely contained on her lips. “Details. Now.”

  “Get your own alien lover for details.” Olivia scowled at her. She didn’t kiss and tell.

  Avery shook her head. “You two are ridiculous. I could never imagine sleeping with one of those brutes.”

  “What’d they do to you?” Scarlett raised an eyebrow in Avery’s direction.

  “Nothing. Not yet, anyway, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. We have no idea who these people are or what their traditions might entail. They might sacrifice us to their gods if we aren’t careful.”

  “I doubt they’d harm us though. I mean, I just had… relations with one. If they wanted to kill us, I doubt they’d romance us.” Olivia protested.

  “How do we know it means anything to them?”

  Good question. Olivia had no idea what she and Vlek shared last night. It could have been an itch that just needed some scratching, or it could have been a marriage ceremony. This was why they had protocols and why she shouldn’t have broken them without knowing more about the people around them.

  As the women packed, Olivia could feel his eyes watching her. He was getting his men ready, and she was getting her women ready to go somewhere that they had no idea if they wanted to go there. She assumed Vlek was taking them back to his village.

  A trickle of excitement pumped through her. They were about to get an up-close glimpse of this alien culture, and she couldn’t help her inner scientist from getting excited. This was a rare chance, and she almost wanted to thank the space station for this opportunity, even if it was a bit scary. This was a way of life she would have to learn how to live.

  Once they finished packing up their things, they got on their way, and Olivia did her best to hide the bite mark on her neck, but her shirt kept slipping down. It was one thing to have sex, but she knew the women around her would freak about the bite mark. To say it might be considered kinky would be an understatement.

  As they kept moving through the rainforest, Olivia did her best to keep her distance from Vlek. She was a little nervous to meet his gaze. It’d been a wonderful night for her, and she’d do it again, but she didn’t want to flaunt it around.

  All the women around her knew she shouldn’t have done what she had. If they did get rescued, she’d have a lot of explaining to do.

  Not to mention the heartbreak if they got rescued. Getting attached would be the wrong idea. Her people wouldn’t allow her to stay here. She’d keep avoiding him for as long as she could.

  “How was it then?”

  Vlek turned to find Kriiv watching him carefully. “What?”

  “There’s a bite mark on your female’s neck. I assume you were the one who put it there.”

  Vlek glance over at his Olivia. No matter how hard she tried, her shirt kept exposing the bite mark. He wished she would give it up and show it off to the entire world. She was the mate of a powerful clan leader. There was nothing to be ashamed of and every reason to show it off proudly.

  He smiled. “It is mine. She is mine.” He loved saying it out loud. He just wished he could tell her how it pleased him.

  “Congratulations, but does she know the meaning of the bite?”

  They both watched as she tugged her shirt up her neck to hide the mark.

  Vlek shrugged. “None of these females have any markings on them, and she hides her mark from the world. I’m not sure what she knows about the bite mark, and I’m unable to speak with her.” He growled in frustration. “I only know her name. The only other way I can communicate is through our night together.”

  “Then I should wish you luck. She might not know the true meaning of the bite or the night you spent together, but at least you have found your mate. I wouldn’t mind finding my own mate.”

  “You’ll find her when the time is right.”

  Kriiv sent him a small smile. He knew what Kriiv was feeling. Sometimes it was hard to remain hopeful when everyone around them found their mate and they were still waiting.

  Vlek tried to split off from Kriiv to walk near his Olivia, but every time he got close she would fade into the crowd of females, avoiding him.

  His eyes narrowed into slits.

  Clearly, she didn’t want to walk near him. It bothered him a bit, but he let it slide for now. Vlek might have to win over his mate. He was the leader of his clan, and he’d have to persuade his mate to accept him. It was a strange concept for him to grasp. She should be proud of having a position at his side.

  Vlek didn’t have much time to think about it though. They were entering the outer edge of the Feosua village, and females and children tore out of fur tents to greet the returning warriors. He smiled, proud of the village around them. What they’d built here had taken several generations, but it had been worth the effort. It was a place where his people could live in relative safety from other clans and animals.

  The females of the village stopped short to stare at what Vlek and his warriors had brought back to camp.

  There were going to be many questions. He already knew that much.

  As they entered the village, excitement soared through Olivia. This was their chance to learn about the alien culture up close and personal. It was a good chance, even if they might be interfering with the course of these peoples’ lives. Then again, there wasn’t much they could do about that.

  The women of the alien village stopped and stared at them. Their golden eyes went wide.

  Olivia braced herself for any hatred cast their way, but other than looks of curiosity and confusion there wasn’t much else. But that didn’t mean hatred wouldn’t come later. Right now, they were a curiosity, but
depending on how long their rescue took, they could become a nuisance. It wasn’t like they’d be able to provide for themselves in this new environment.

  Vlek spoke to one of the village women, and she came forward motioning for all the human women to follow her to a fur tent.

  “Come. Let’s go.” Olivia guided her people to the tent as she looked to Vlek for a little reassurance.

  He inclined his head and motioned her to follow the alien woman.

  They filed into the fur tent and breathed a communal sigh of relief. Now they could rest without being stared at by the people of this village. It was a retreat for them. Somewhere they could hide when the natives got a bit too curious.

  “I think I have it!” Brooklyn announced to the tent full of women, as she held up the translator. A smile of success plastered over her face.

  “Did you even notice we walked into the alien village?” One of the women marveled.

  “What?” Brooklyn glanced around. “I was tasked with fixing our translators.” She scowled. “Don’t judge me.”

  Olivia jumped up in excitement. “Should we try it out?” She was eager to speak with Vlek. First names were a good start, but they needed to discuss more. A lot more.

  “Sure. We will need to test it out, so I can fine tune its translations.”

  “I’m in.” Scarlett raised her hand.

  “The rest of you can stay in here and rest if you’d like.” Olivia glanced around the tent full of women, most who were already on their butts massaging their sore feet. It didn’t look like anyone was thinking of doing anything other than staying in the tent.

  The three of them made their way out of the tent, and all native eyes turned to watch them as they walked through the village to find an alien that they knew. Olivia spotted Vlek within seconds.

  “Let’s talk to him.” She pointed across the village. He was the one she needed to speak with the most anyways.

  Scarlett elbowed her and gave her a wink. “I’m sure you’re looking forward to talking with him.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes at Scarlett. “Vlek!”

  He turned, his black eyebrows raised in surprise to see the three women baring down on him.

  “Speak something.” Olivia smiled at him as Brooklyn held up the small device.

  He smiled back at her but didn’t say anything as he cast Brooklyn a wary glance.

  She mimed talking with her mouth, but without actually saying anything.

  When Vlek finally spoke, she kept encouraging him with her hands.

  “Keep him talking, or this won’t work.” Brooklyn encouraged, as she used a hairpin to reprogram the communicator.

  “Keep talking, Vlek.” Olivia again smiled at him.

  “Virr siret van?”

  Olivia shrugged. “Doesn’t look like it’s working yet. Are you sure you can get this?”

  Brooklyn arched a black eyebrow at her. “I can do this.”

  “Viir. Dar cren you.”

  Olivia cocked her head to the side. “Did he just say ‘you’?”

  “Maybe or it’s just a word in their language,” Scarlett said from Olivia’s other side.

  “What are you doing?” Vlek folded his arms across his chest, as he stared down at her.

  “I can understand you! Can you understand me?” Olivia beamed as she pointed to her chest.

  His eyes widened, and the aliens standing around them had the same reaction. A couple even backed up slightly.

  “How can this be?” Vlek looked amazed beyond belief as his eyes went wide and he leaned in towards them.

  Olivia grabbed the communicator out of Brooklyn’s hands.

  “Hey!” Brooklyn yelled.

  “It translates our language.” Olivia held the device up for his inspection. They were already beyond ruining these peoples’ development.

  He gave her a blank stare, but he looked down at the metal device in her hands.

  “It allows us to talk.”

  Vlek slowly nodded. “I don’t have knowledge of any of these.” He pointed to the device. “But I understand what you’re saying.”

  “We each have one behind our ear.” Olivia pointed but knew he wouldn’t see the tiny scar under her hair.

  “And now that I’ve… fixed it, all of ours will allow us to understand each other.” Brooklyn filled in. “Just from this one, all the others will update and translate now.”

  Olivia handed the communicator back to Brooklyn.

  Vlek grabbed her arm and guided her over to a log to sit on.

  “Now that we can talk, I have a lot of questions about you and your people.” He spoke eagerly, almost tripping over his words. His eyes skimmed over her face, and she knew the excitement he was feeling.

  Olivia nodded. “Of course.” She patted his hand. “I have questions of my own.”

  “Where did you come from? I have lived in this forest my entire life, but I have never seen your people before or your weapons.”

  She glanced over at the women who were standing nearby. “What should I say?”

  Scarlett shrugged.

  “Tell him the truth.” Brooklyn glanced between them all. “If we get rescued, and that’s a big if, it might take a long time, and things are bound to come out eventually. It’s not like we can lie and keep the lie straight with this many women.” She reasoned.

  Olivia nodded her head and faced Vlek once more. She pointed her index finger towards the sky. “We came from a ship orbiting your planet.”

  He gave her a blank stare. “You came from the sky?”

  “Yes. I know it’s a lot to take in, but we aren’t from here. My people aren’t from the forest. We fell from the sky right before we met you.” It would damage their beliefs but lying about where they came from might be hard to keep straight with this many women. It would also explain why their group was so inept at living in the rainforest.

  A scoff came from over her shoulder. Glancing over she found a few of the native watching her as they listened in.

  She turned back to Vlek. “I know it’s hard to imagine, but you have to trust me. I have no reason to lie to you. I’ll need you to teach us how to survive here. We have no idea what to eat or what to stay away from. You saw Chloe, the woman with the bug bite. We had no idea how to cure her, yet you had a cream.”

  Vlek nodded his head slowly as he digested the information she was throwing at him. “It is hard to believe, but I do believe you have no reason to lie to me. I don’t see what it would gain you.”

  Another scoff could be heard over her shoulders. That group of natives, who were mainly women, were going to drive her insane. So much for understanding and being a curiosity to them. They apparently didn’t believe what she was saying.

  “Leave!” Vlek barked at the people standing behind her.

  “Maybe you saw it.” Olivia hoped he had because she knew their escape pods would’ve made a spectacular display in the sky. “We fell from the sky, causing a lot of bright lights. I’m sure you would’ve been able to see it from here.”

  Vlek nodded. “We were able to see it from here, yes. But I never thought it would bring you to me. The flying rocks were only ever rocks.”

  Olivia smiled at him. She hitched a thumb at the women of the village. “Why do they seem to not believe what I say? I see the glares they cast my way, our way. When we first came into the village, they seemed curious about us.”

  Vlek glanced around to where a few women were pointing and whispering wildly. “They aren’t used to seeing all of you around. It will fade with time, but they might hate you more than the other females since I told them what you mean to this village.”

  “Why? What do I mean?” She glanced around as she leaned away from him. She wasn’t too sure she wanted to hear his response.

  “You’re mated to the leader of the village.” Vlek sent her a broad grin his chest bucking up with air.

  “Oh… wait, what?!” Olivia tried to keep her face neutral so as not to offend him as much as she was sure sh
e would.

  “We are mates now.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Did I have a choice in the matter?” She scooted away from him a little on their log seat.

  “None of us have a choice, Olivia. The smell and knowing gives us our mates.” He pinned her with the intensity in his golden eyes.

  “The smell? Is that why you kept smelling my neck?” Olivia’s hand went to where he had bitten her. “I just thought that was kinky sex.”

  “Kinky?”

  “I thought you got off biting women.”

  Vlek frowned. “I would only give my mate a bite on the neck.”

  “Okay.” Olivia rose from her seat on the log. “I’m walking away now, but don’t take that the wrong way. I just need some time to think about this.” Olivia forced herself to walk away, even though she had a lot more questions she needed answered. But first she really needed to talk to Scarlett, and she needed to do it right away.

  Chapter 10

  “Hey, you.” Olivia fist bummed Scarlett’s shoulder as she joined the other two women.

  “Hey…” Scarlett cocked an eyebrow at her.

  “You have a moment?”

  “Yeah.” Scarlett set down a knife and a piece of wood. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, so I decided to pick up a skill that might make me useful in this village.”

  They’d only been there minutes but leave it to Scarlett to jump right into village life by learning what this new life meant.

  “That’s what I need to talk to you about.”

  “You could be a carver like me!” Scarlett announced.

  Olivia shook her head. “No, not that. You know how the Vrak’rir can smell their mates?” Scarlett gave her a nod. “Turns out our alien friends here can do the same.”

  “Smell their mates? Interesting. How’d you find it out?” Scarlett continued to widdle at the wood in her hand.

  “Vlek says he’s my mate because he can smell it on me.”

  “Congrats.” Scarlett sent her a smile not even pausing in her work.

  “No, not congrats. This is bad. We could get picked up by rescue teams in a few months. I have no idea how this could affect these people if they start picking mates out of the women.”