His Fallen Star

by Lily Thomas

  “Maybe it will teach him not to leave me waiting.” Olivia scoffed. “You can’t spring matehood on a woman and expect her to jump for joy when she isn’t even a part of your village. There’s a lot here that he doesn’t understand.”

  “Well, you can count on all of us helping you. You’ll need food and some sort of weapon, even if you don’t know how to use it.”

  Olivia pushed her way through some thick foliage as she trekked further away from the village of aliens.

  Stupid idea? Yes, but whatever. All the women were dying to get answers, and Olivia didn’t want any of the other girls going out to get those answers. She was the leader of their group, so she’d find the answers.

  Scarlett had managed to sneak her a spear, and Chloe had been able to take some food from the stores in the village. Then she’d been ready to head out and get them all some answers they needed.

  Olivia smirked, as she imagined Vlek’s reaction when he learned she was missing if he even noticed. Damn guy had been avoiding her so much lately. She wondered if it would take him a while to notice her missing.

  A bird let out a hoot, and she jumped a bit. This was her first night out in the rainforest alone. She’d decided it was best not to sleep during the nights since she was alone. Something could creep up on her and eat her in her sleep, and most predators were awake at night.

  Hopefully, she’d make it back to the escape pods in just a day or a day and a half, if she kept up her speed. Then she could get her answers and get her butt back to the village.

  And if she needed to take a rest, she would take a nap while she was at the escape pods. She’d be able to lock herself inside and keep herself safe inside the escape pod while she snoozed. Then she’d be able to high tail it back to the village.

  She pushed past a branch, and once she passed it, it came flying back and smacked her on the back of the head. Olivia stumbled to the ground. Raising a hand to the back of her head she rubbed the sore spot as she winced.

  She cast a glare back at the branch. This journey wouldn’t be easy, but she needed more answers. She wanted this chance to watch this village develop, but not only that she wanted to accept this matehood and get to know him better.

  The only thing standing in her way was the looming fact that she might be scooped off this planet without a moment’s notice. Once she got to the escape pods, she would know what their chances of rescue were. She found herself dreading what she would find out.

  “She left?” Vlek growled into Scarlett’s face, but she didn’t back down like he would’ve expected. The woman had a backbone he could appreciate and respect.

  “Maybe you’ll learn not to be absent when a human changes their mind. We aren’t known for our patience. We act and then think sometimes.”

  Even with his fangs bared to full view, she wouldn’t back down or even flinch. These humans were interesting creatures. They didn’t have many natural defenses like claws and fangs, but they sure had a lot of confidence.

  “I will find her then.”

  “Good, because I’m worried about her safety,” Scarlett confessed finally showing a sliver of fear.

  Vlek grabbed a couple of obsidian daggers and a spear and left the village behind. Scarlett wasn’t the only one who was worried about Olivia’s safety. Vlek had first met her by saving her from a mira. It was what the humans called a panther.

  Within hours he’d caught up to some fresh tracks, and within a few more hours he’d caught up to Olivia. She’d made good progress he’d give her that, and he was relieved to see her alive.

  She had a spear, but did she know how to use one? Vlek decided it was time he saw what she knew. He jumped out of hiding and raised a war cry.

  Olivia screamed in surprise as she spun around wildly. She aimed her spear at him, but he was able to grab it and yanked it right out of her hands before she could do anything more with it.

  “Vlek!” Olivia’s eyes widened when she recognized him. “What possessed you to jump out at me?”

  He grabbed her arm and whipped her up against his chest. He leaned into her face. “You left without someone to protect you. It was foolish.” Her bared his canines in displeasure.

  “Well you weren’t around, were you?” Olivia shot back not backing down. “I would’ve asked you, but you weren’t around since you seem unable to just talk with me about your problems.”

  “Now you’ve asked, and now I’ve said no!” He tried to drag her back the way she’d come.

  “Vlek, no!” Olivia flopped her butt on the ground.

  “You are a child.”

  Olivia glared up at him, and he enjoyed the fire in her eyes. “Then start listening to me. You want me to stay here, don’t you?”

  His eyes narrowed in on her. “Yes.” His heart soared. Was his mate about to say she would stay?

  “If you take me back to where we fell, I can tell you if I can stay here with you. Otherwise, we won’t know what is happening with my people, and I could disappear in the middle of the night.” She waved her free arm in the air. “And don’t say you can do anything about it. You’ve seen the power my people can wield.”

  He had seen their firepower, and he was ashamed to say he didn’t understand it and feared the terror it could bring to his village.

  Vlek didn’t want to know if she’d have to leave him, but he did want to know if she would stay. “We will go then.” And he would hope for a good outcome. He couldn’t lose his mate.

  “Thank you for taking me back to the pods.” Olivia wanted to get back on Vlek’s good side. He probably thought she was hoping to leave, but he’d be wrong. She’d love to stay, even though she’d be giving up a lot of modern amenities she loved and he didn’t know about and wouldn’t be able to comprehend.

  He nodded at her but didn’t lessen his pace.

  She should have brought another person for this trip to play referee, like Scarlett. He wasn’t happy with her, because he thought she was trying to leave. He was taking this personally.

  “We’ll stop here to make camp for the night,” Vlek informed her sounding still pissed off with her. “We should rest and then continue in the morning when we can see better.” Then he took off into the forest and left her alone before she could utter a single word.

  Olivia frowned, as she glared at the trees around her. Then she rolled her eyes. Let him burn off some of his anger. Or maybe it wasn’t anger. He could be worried about her leaving and didn’t know how to express it. It was a frustrating position for all of them.

  It wasn’t like she had intended to grow close to an alien man, but here they were.

  Walking around the area, she did her best to gather the driest wood she could find in this humid rainforest and began to start a fire with a lighter she’d taken from one of the emergency packs back at the alien village. It might be cheating, but as she’d said before, she was no good when it came to knowing how to live on a planet without modern amenities.

  She got a fire started and sat down to wait for him. There was no way she’d fall asleep in the forest without Vlek nearby to watch out for both of them.

  Vlek stomped through the forest, yellow jeers jumping out of his way. He could catch a few, but he wasn’t sure Olivia would eat them. The human females were picky about what they would and wouldn’t eat. One of the things they wouldn’t eat was raw meat, which he found strange, but he’d cook her meat if that was what she wanted.

  So, he went in search of a troop of trike. Olivia called them small pigs, but she ate them, and that was all that concerned him. He wanted to keep those curves on her body, and he got the feeling she was used to eating well.

  As he prowled through the forest with his spear clutched in one hand he looked for hoofed tracks in the muddy floor of the rainforest. The moment he found some, he followed them. These tracks would lead him to his quarry.

  The first trike he came across tore off, because of all the noise Vlek was making with his stomping around. Now he’d have to start again.


  Olivia just kept running through his mind, and it was distracting him as he tried to hunt. He never thought he’d find his mate only to have to let her go back to the stars. She was dainty and perfect, and he might not have a choice in keeping her by his side, and that bothered him.

  The gods had given him a mate who was so different. He could see in her eyes that she thought there was a high probability that her people would come for her. After seeing the strange and powerful weapons, he’d seen so far he could only imagine what else they were capable of. For now, he would worry about his mate leaving him. Then he’d worry about her people when and if they came.

  Vlek dropped the dead pig at her feet, and Olivia’s head jerked up, as her eyes darted around the rainforest

  “It’s not safe to sleep by yourself.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” Olivia rubbed the crick out of her neck. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he’d taken so long, and she’d been so tired.

  He started to skin the pig with a sharp knife. “What does ‘tip’ mean with the way you said it?”

  “A hint. A warning. Something along those lines. But you were gone for a long time, so don’t blame me for sleeping. I couldn’t keep my eyes open despite my best intentions.” She felt the need to defend her actions. He probably thought she’d taken a nap on purpose.

  “I had to think. My mate wants to leave me, even though I would make sure she wants for nothing. You’d be mated to the leader of a strong village.” His golden eyes rose and pinned her.

  “Okay.” Olivia waved her hands in the air to shut him up. “I never said I wanted to leave you. All I said was that I had to check on our pods to see if there would be a rescue team coming. Even if I don’t want to leave, there could be other women that would like to leave this planet.”

  Vlek eyed her, as he stuck her pieces of meat over the fire. “You don’t want to leave?”

  “I haven’t decided, and before you rage all over the campsite, just listen to me.” She leaned closer to the cooking meat and took a good sniff. She couldn’t wait to fill her stomach. “You have no idea what we’re giving up by leaving our…people. Some of us have families, modern medicine, and space flight. Things you can’t even begin to imagine.”

  “I don’t understand what some of those are.”

  “That’s my point. You have no idea what we will be giving up. Give us time, Vlek.” Olivia shrugged. “Besides, the ship might not even be sending a signal anymore, which means we might be here for the rest of our lives.”

  Vlek handed her a ready piece of meat.

  “Thank you.”

  “Can I do something to help your decision?” Vlek watched her carefully with his golden eyes.

  Olivia reached out and traced one of the black stripes running over his skin. “Taking me to the pods would be a step in the right direction to pleasing me. I’d at least like to know if we have a rescue team coming for us. Then we can decide where to go from there.”

  Vlek nodded, as he handed her another piece, but she shook her head. “I’m full and ready to get some sleep.”

  He smiled at her, as he laid down next to the fire and patted the area next to him. Olivia returned the smile and sank down onto the ground. They’d work their way through this. She’d only known him for a short period of time, but she was ready to get to know him some more. He was confident and fair, and so far she had nothing to complain about.

  His hand roamed up and down her thigh. His hand made its way to her pants, which he swiftly unbuttoned and unzipped. Then he lifted the hem of her shirt and pulled it off.

  “These still confuse me,” Vlek said as he traced the edges of her bra.

  Olivia smirked. “But they are fun to take off, and I don’t want you to ruin it. Ruin my bra, and I leave. It’s the deal breaker.” She stuck her tongue out at him hoping to break some of the ice that was still between them.

  He eyed her until he realized she was teasing him about the bra being a deal breaker, and then he cracked a small smile. “I will be sure to take special care with it.”

  Vlek took it off in the way she had shown him earlier and flung it onto her shirt.

  “At least, that thing is not covering your sex anymore.” He pointed to the area between her thighs.

  Olivia rolled her eyes at him, as she felt her cheeks heat up. He was so blunt sometimes, but it was refreshing, and it made her feel sexy. It was good to know a man like him could look at her and see her as beautiful because she’d been wondering why she’d had so few interested men in her in recent years.

  “It’s called underwear, and it’s normal to wear it among my people.”

  His hands roamed up and down her soft skin. “Not normal to my people. You should be ready for your mate like I am for you.”

  As he rose to move over her, she put a hand to his chest stopping him.

  “I have an idea you might enjoy.”

  He cocked an eyebrow but laid back down to wait and see what her next move would be.

  Olivia undid the ties of his pants and sent him a wink. The moment she undid his pants fully out sprang his cock in all its long glory. She took his length into her hand and gave it a couple of long strokes, until a bead of cum formed on the tip. Using her thumb, she spread the liquid over the head of his cock.

  He growled his approval, his hand reaching for the apex of her thighs. His index finger found her clit, and he gave it a few light strokes before rubbing it. Olivia’s mouth popped open, as a moan escaped her.

  Her head fell back, as she arched her hips to allow him better access to her clit.

  Olivia’s hand left his cock and stopped him from fingering her clit.

  “I want something else, even if your fingers are like magic against me.”

  He grinned up at her. “You started it. I only sought to finish it.”

  Olivia grabbed his cock and slid it into her wet center as she straddled his legs. His cock stretched her wide, as she rested her hands on each side of his head. Slowly, she moved her hips up and down, until his hands gripped her waist and he slammed her down to the hilt. They moved in a heated frenzy, as their bodies demanded mutual satisfaction.

  Taking one hand away from her hip, Vlek grabbed her head and drew her lips down to his. The moment they connected his tongue shot past her lips and tangled with hers demanding her surrender. He pulled back, kissed her lips, down her cheek, and to her neck.

  Olivia knew what he was about to do, and she wasn’t about to stop him. It made her muscles clench knowing he was going to claim her again with a bite to her neck. She felt his fangs scrape against her throat, and then he bit down.

  They both moaned, as the bite sent them both over the blissful edge of searing pleasure. They plunged off the cliff of passion together. Stars danced before their eyes, as he kept a firm hand in her hair, not letting her break the embrace until they were both finished.

  He stroked her hair, as he let off of the bite. “Did I hurt you at all?”

  Olivia gave a bark of laughter. “Don’t worry. It was… pleasant. I enjoyed it very much.” Weirdly enough she really had enjoyed the bite.

  “Good.” He slid out of her, wrapped his arms around her, and drew her back to his chest with her front facing the fire.

  She was so warm and toasty, and she felt so safe.

  “Vlek?”

  “Hmmm?” He snuggled his nose into her neck and inhaled a deep breath.

  “This might not work, you know.”

  He paused in his snuggling, and she felt his hand tighten on her waist.

  “Not us.” She rushed to explain. “But there could be problems with us mating. Children might be out of the question. We are different. We don’t come from the same place. I can’t tell you if we are similar enough to reproduce.”

  He was silent at first, and she felt some panic build in her chest. Would no children be a deal breaker for this matehood they had? He was the leader of a clan, and he’d want to have some children, surely. He had to hope that his children would
someday lead the clan.

  “There are a few orphans in the clan.”

  “What?” Olivia turned in his arms to face him. “What do you mean?” She eagerly searched his face for his meaning.

  “I want children, but it does not bother me if there are none. We will try, but there are other children we can accept into our tent.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “You are unhappy with such a thought?”

  Olivia shook her head. “I find it surprising, but I like the idea.” She was more than surprised. She figured he wouldn’t want children not of his genes in his tent. “If we have children, we could still take in the orphans. I’d be happy to give them a loving home.” She always wanted to marry and have children. A lot of children. She just hadn’t met the right man before now.

  He shocked her with the force of his smile. His canines were a little less scary. They were sexier, and they gave him a bit of a goofy looking grin.

  Olivia turned back to the fire. She was talking about making a life here. It had just shot straight out of her mouth. She bit her tongue. Here she was making plans when she knew very well that she might be ordered off this planet by her people. There were protocols about primitive species, but they’d already been forced to break all of them.

  Chapter 12

  The moment Olivia spotted the pods, she dashed over to them with her excitement. Looking behind her, she found Vlek staring at them in wonder. He’d probably never seen something so shiny and mechanical before.

  She motioned him over. “They won’t bite. Think of them as giant shiny rocks.”

  “They came from the sky?” He eyed them and then looked up at the blue sky above them.

  “Yeah.” She smiled over at him. “They brought me to you.”

  She watched as his hand left his obsidian dagger. He was wary of the pods, and it was perfectly understandable.

  “What do you need to do?” Vlek made his way a bit closer but kept some distance.