by Imogene Nix
And they made love perfectly as he proved the truth of his words.
About Ashlynn Monroe
Ashlynn Monroe is a busy working mom. She loves her kids and family. Her greatest joy is creating stories to entertain others, and she hopes they bring a little more romance into the world. She’s been writing since her teens, for her own enjoyment, but decided in her thirties to share her imagination with readers. Ashlynn enjoys biking, camping, reading, video games, and filling her home and life with love. If she’s not working or chasing her children, you can find her daydreaming up her next tale of romance.
Ashlynn’s Website:
www.ashlynnmonroe.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
His Human
by Jaye Shields
Can a human clone trained to kill also learn to love?
Elara Roberts is the captain of a space shuttle sent to retrieve a group of cloned soldiers from the planet US-2. As soon as she lands, the shuttle is overtaken and all of her men killed.
Svarog aka Rogue, is the leader of a rebel group of clones who desire freedom. He’s been trained his entire life for one thing—to kill. But when he lays eyes on Elara, the only woman he’s ever seen, his first instinct is to love. Taking her for himself, his new mission becomes exploring the body of the creature, and punishing any other clone male who dares come close.
Elara witnessed how easily Rogue killed her men and fears she is next. But instead, the beast seems curious and more lustful than anything else. Her best survival strategy is to play along. But when she gets a chance to escape she realizes she may not be ready to leave Rogue behind.
Content Warning: this story includes a deadly, devastatingly sexy clone who isn’t above foul language and dirty sex
Dedication
No story I have written has been without the support and cheerleading of my mom. His Human is no different. As always, thank you so much to my mother. She’s my number one fan, and I am hers.
Acknowledgements
Without the professional staff at Beachwalk Press, especially the careful editing and input of Pamela Tyner, I would be lost.
In addition, I would like to mention the other wonderful Beachwalk authors that work so well together and are always supporting each other in their publishing endeavors. Specific to this book I would like to thank Ashlynn Monroe, Imogene Nix, and Beth Carter for their hard work and lusty imagination that made Volume One of Sex, Love and Aliens possible.
Chapter 1
The smooth touchdown of the space shuttle onto planet US-2 earned Captain Elara Roberts a round of applause from her crew. The barren planet may be sparse, but jagged peaks and cavernous sinkholes littered the landscape like booby traps. After completing her post-flight system check, Elara powered down the shield and was finally able to peer through the window with her own eyes. The sun glinted off the white rock, searing her eyeballs.
“Damn!” Even with the solar shield employed, her eyes watered. “How do the clones survive here?”
Mission leader Lewison leaned past Elara’s seat to take in the view. “They were born here so they’re more acclimated than we are. Poor bastards. Doesn’t exactly look like paradise.”
Elara sucked in a deep breath before unfastening her belts. The poor bastards Lewison spoke of were the clones—humans harvested from birth on the United States owned craphole of a planet, US-2. As far as the history tomes read, the clone program was drafted in 2002, a special addendum to the Patriot Act. In preparation for an age when the US wouldn’t have the supply of soldiers necessary to remain a military power, cells were taken from every man that enlisted in the military. Once a livable planet could be claimed by the United States, scientists immediately began raising farms of clones. The US never needed to retrieve its slave army. Until now.
The yoke trembled beneath Elara’s fingertips. “I don’t remember reading about earthquakes on US-2.”
“That’s because there are none.” Angela, the mission geologist, glanced at Elara with a look of sheer panic in her eyes.
Elara climbed out of her seat, but the shuttle rocked, sending her to the floor.
“Soldiers at the ready!” Lewison yelled to the young men, an urgency in his voice making Elara wonder what the hell he knew that she didn’t. She watched the men climb out of their flight stations and grapple for their ground military gear.
“What the hell is going on? Should I ready for re-launch?”
“No, this is the mission. Get the shields back up!”
Elara glanced at her first officer Hurley who appeared equally confused. He leaned forward to peer through the window at the ground. Glass shattered, tiny flecks of it embedding in Elara’s cheek. She screamed when a bullet hole burrowed right through Hurley’s eye socket.
Fighting the urge to vomit, Elara reached for the shield activator. Her fingers trembled so hard she couldn’t hit the tiny button in a sea of so many. Panic made the tiny lit up knobs look like stars in a dark sky. Focus.
“Screw the shields, open the door!” Lewison bellowed over the sound of groaning metal.
Elara obeyed, but when she did, all hell broke loose. An explosion of light burned through the cabin as soon as the door lowered to the ground, creating a ramp. She couldn’t see, but the cracks of gunfire ricocheting off the walls made her wonder if she wanted to. But if she couldn’t see, neither could the soldiers aboard her shuttle…
“Elara!” Lewison’s voice hollered over the ruckus. “Duck and go for cover! You too, Angela! If they find you—” The words were choked, followed by a horrific gurgling sound.
“Lewison!” she screamed, but she knew the commander was either dead or severely injured. Following his last order, she crawled beneath her flight panel, the body of her first officer still slumped over it.
As her eyes adjusted, she finally was able to take in the nightmare. The shuttle was filled with fighting bodies and occasional gunfire despite the confined quarters. The bodies of the men that had traveled to US-2 now littered the floor, trampled on by others still battling. Finally, it sank in. The clones had overtaken the shuttle. Recognized easily by their tanned skin from US-2’s closer proximity to the sun, they looked like any regular Joe, except all were tall, over muscled, and strapped with enough weapons to start World War XXV.
That’s when she saw him. He towered at seven feet of hard muscle with skin the color of burnt honey and eyes as blue as glacier ice. A white cap stretched over his head as if to block the sun, the rest of his granite body covered only in military cargo shorts and a white tank. Every weapon strapped to his body was already covered in blood, and yet she didn’t see a scratch on him. She trembled as she watched him survey the battle taking place on board her ship. A satisfied sneer on his face made Elara realize just how grave her situation was. She could only hide so long.
Then the icy, murderous gaze fell on her. Elara knew her life was over.
* * * *
Svarog surveyed the successful takeover of the space shuttle that had been sent to take his men captive. Raised from infancy to be nothing more than a perfect killing machine, he was insulted that these men from Earth thought it would be anything but a bloodbath. For them.
For generations, the clones lived and died on the hellish planet, passing down warnings to each new batch of clones that one day the time would come when they’d be used for Earth’s selfish use. Living on US-2 wouldn’t have been so horrible if he hadn’t been brainwashed from infancy about the beauty and glory of the land of the United States on planet Earth. He and his men longed to see it, but not as slaves. As the free men that he’d always heard so much about. Now he and his comrades would take their chance.
One of the Earthlings leapt toward him through the fray with a knife, clearly out of ammunition. Deciding fair was fair, Svarog reached out and caught the puny Earth soldier by the neck. He squeezed until the young man’s veins nearly exploded beneath his tight grip. The battle continued around him as the soldier d
angling off the ground struggled to loosen Svarog’s vise-like grip. He sneered. “I’ll have what you had, Earthling. Now you’ll have death.” Ending the man’s struggle, Svarog clenched his fist even tighter, breaking the man’s neck.
The body crumpled to the ground and joined the lifeless heaps of other Earthlings. Svarog scanned the shuttle. It was filled with so much death—it was a moment he’d been waiting for his whole life.
Suddenly, eyes hidden in a dark crevice tore his attention away from all else. Thick lashes framed a color he’d never seen before on his planet, a vivid green that he’d heard describing forests on Earth, shiny emeralds, twisting seas. The description of the color couldn’t compare to seeing its beauty now. Slowly, the darkness of the Earthling’s hiding space lightened under his vision. The body was small and built with soft curves. Something else he’d never seen before—a woman.
His body went taut in response, his shaft swelling so rigid that it pained him. He stood silent for a moment, in awe at this woman’s presence, until the battle calmed around him, a clear sign of victory.
His comrade called out, “Rogue, look what I’ve found!”
Svarog, called Rogue by his men, looked to see another woman dangling from a soldier’s grip. Her hair was short and blonde, like a man, but her body petite, her face carved by pale pink lips and frightened blue eyes.
“A woman. Spoils meant for our victory celebration this eve.”
His men cheered in response.
She struggled, but when she couldn’t get anywhere, spit in Morgun’s face. The soldier dropped her, but cracked her hard enough across the face to send her unconscious to the floor. The other men laughed, but Svarog grit his teeth, deciding that if he’d been given the gift of soft flesh, he wouldn’t mar it. He glanced back to the dark crevice where the other woman still lay hidden, but when he did, she launched at Morgun.
“You bastard!” Her voice echoed through the shuttle, a high-pitched battle cry laden with angst. Almost as if she’d never seen violence before today.
Svarog quickly intercepted her before she could face Morgun’s wrath. The woman wriggled in his grip, but he tossed her easily over his shoulder. “I’ll take this one.”
“We should all share her, like the other one.” Morgun glared his way, receiving cheers of agreement from the other men.
Heat lit his veins like fire, a possessive need of the woman clashed with the anger of being questioned. “You all would not have any woman if not for me. You dare question me?” He strode up to Morgun, glaring down at him as the woman still wriggled in his grip, pounding fists at his back.
Morgun’s jaw clenched, and it was obvious he was biting back words. After all, it was Svarog who’d risked his life the week past, sneaking into the head military compound, assassinating their Earthling controllers.
Svarog stepped back to address the other men and flung the woman down on the ground, gripping her tightly by the neck against his chest. “Of course I will share her.” Resounding cheers followed the proclamation. “But I will have her first.”
The woman continued to flail in his grip until suddenly, her knee jerked between his legs. His free hand caught her leg, yanking so she fell to the ground. Her tiny body hit the floor of the shuttle with a thud, his men laughing in response.
Her green eyes watered for a moment, perhaps from a pain she was unaccustomed to, but then they narrowed on him. “You’ll have me over my dead body.”
Laughter exploded once more. Svarog retrieved her from the floor, her escape cut off by his soldiers. Collaring her neck with his fist, he gazed into the emerald color that nearly mesmerized him. Her long red hair fell around his hands, a soft caress that nearly made him drop her. A woman, his for the taking.
“Correction, Earthling, I will not kill you. Women are non-existent on this planet.” Hunger ate away at his patience, seeming to ignite a new fear in the woman’s eyes. “My name is Svarog, but my men call me Rogue. And I will be the one to break you, Earthling woman.”
The female’s thick lashes slowly shut, her body going limp in his arms. Around him, the soldiers bellowed in laughter and triumph. Tonight, he and his men would feast. But first, he would take his prize back to his dwelling.
Chapter 2
“Put me down!” Elara wriggled in Rogue’s grasp, but it was no use. The more she moved against his strong shoulders, the more the brute seemed to enjoy it. His hand found her ass where it rested beside his face and squeezed. “How dare you.”
“I dare because my hands have never touched something so soft. You beg to be touched.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I told you to put me down.” Her fists pounded at his back, but the sinewy muscle covering his torso was like punching stone. She gave it a rest. Her body hung, the blood rushing to her head as she was carried over the landscape. The reddish rock reminded her of the Grand Canyon back home.
“Where on Earth are you from, human?”
She folded her arms across her chest as she hung like a meerkat. “I’m not making small talk with you.”
He grunted. “Have it your way.” Again, his hand found her ass, massaging it through her black trousers, the dark fabric scalding her skin due to the close solar proximity. The clone caught on during his manhandling. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of these soon.”
Not exactly the solution she was hoping for.
The ground passed quickly below, jarred every so often as Rogue climbed over a rocky hill. To avoid getting dizzy, her gaze traveled up the clone’s leg, searching for a weakness. Then she found something even better. The man still had an entire arsenal strapped to his body. Elara reached for the highest dagger strapped to his thigh.
Just as she reached it, her captor glanced behind. “Uh-uh.”
Elara feigned to unhand the dagger, but the minute Rogue returned his gaze forward, she grabbed it and stabbed at his torso. Instead of connecting, her wrist nearly broke within the clone’s quick grasp. The pressure applied made her release the weapon, but she grit her teeth to avoid screaming.
“I’m not going to make this easy on you.” To make a point, she yanked her hand out of his firm grip and pummeled his back with her fists.
He patted her butt. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve read about women in our texts on Earth. I pictured them being more…docile. But I like your spirit.”
Elara wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted or complimented by the cold-hearted killer. “You’re not going to like my spirit when it embeds something sharp through your heart.”
He chuckled as he continued to navigate the rocky terrain. “I’ll make sure to keep pointy objects out of your reach.”
“I’d happily make do with something dull. I’m not usually so sadistic, but what can I say? You bring out my dark side.”
Again, he laughed, a hearty sound that seemed to echo. Only a second later, the light dimmed and she realized they were in a cave. “This is one of my dwellings. We should have some privacy, and it keeps considerably cooler. Those clothes will still have to come off.” He set her down, appraising the uniform she wore, and she could only hope he was unaware that she was the captain. No way in hell was she going to fly these beasts back to Earth.
One by one, Rogue removed his blades.
“I plan on getting to know you much better, woman. Now that artillery is out of your reach, I think we can continue.”
“The name is Elara, and the only way I’m getting close to you is if I’m reaching for a knife.”
“I greatly desire your company.” He retrieved a dagger and sheathed it at his ankle. “So perhaps I’ll risk death to get you close to me.”
She almost smiled. If this clone wanted to risk his life, who was she to argue?
Rogue’s icy stare traveled slowly over her body. Every inch of her skin burned under the intensity, and she realized that never before had a man looked at her, really looked at her. This man, this clone, wasn’t just undressing her with his eyes, he was clearly making a plan.<
br />
Well, so was she. In that moment, Elara realized just how hungry this brute of a man was for her. Her only chance of survival was to make him crave her. If he became addicted to her, not only would she live, but perhaps he wouldn’t share her with the other men.
“You’ve never seen a woman before?” She eyed Rogue from across the cave.
He shook his head. Still his eyes lingered on her breasts. Her nipples hardened under the intense scrutiny. This was her chance.
Elara began unbuttoning her shirt. The once crisp white blouse was now soiled from the heat and dirt of US-2. When the fabric hit the ground and the warm air melted over her skin, she heard him hiss. He liked what he saw. Good. Her breasts swelled against her bra. She arched slightly, offering him an even better view as her hands went to her back to unzip her pants. The metal clicked, echoing in the empty cave, and she carefully slid the garment over her hips. The fabric fell to the floor. Rogue hadn’t moved, but his gaze continued to roam hungrily over her body.
In the past, Elara had been self-conscious with men, always wondering if her body was too soft. But the way this man looked at her now, she was filled with confidence. Keeping her undergarments on, she strode toward him. “I’ve seen you kill many men today. If you can keep your hands to yourself, I’d like to show you a talent that some women have.”
His eyes met hers. “I don’t trust humans. My curiosity compels me, but if you betray me—” His eyes narrowed. “—my hands will wring the life out of you.”
“No betrayal.” Today, she finished secretly. “Just the kind of pleasure only a woman’s soft lips can give.” She reached for the button of his shorts, but his tight grip snatched her wrist. She bit back a scream.
