by Lisa Lace
“I love you, Vanessa.�
She sighed happily. “I love you, too.�
I held off as long as I could, but I had to touch her. I needed to hold her soft, heavy breasts in my hands and feel her nipples harden. I needed to slide my fingers between her slick folds and rub her clit until she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.
I needed to push inside her and fill her — but not yet.
I brought her to the edge a couple of times and pulled back. I made sure to retreat before she could come. I wanted her to beg for it.
“Avren, I don’t care how big you are. I need you to fuck me.� Her green eyes bore into me, and I picked her up, carrying her to the middle of the room.
I sat Vanessa’s sweet bare ass on the stone altar. She spread her legs and tilted her pelvis. I pushed her gently onto her back and touched her clit again, making her moan.
“I’m ready. Give it to me, already.�
I kept brushing her clit as I lined myself up with her entrance and pushed inside, but only the tip. The resisting flesh slowly split, and I sank into her hot wetness. I thought I would lose my mind from the pleasure of being inside her.
“That’s it. Just like that, Madellan. More. I need more!�
I eased myself inside one inch at a time. When Vanessa gasped, I stopped and touched her until I felt her body relax to accommodate me. I sheathed myself, slowly sliding into her warmth until I was embedded inside her as far as I could go.
“Avren, don’t move yet. I need to get used to this.�
VANESSA
Avren was deep inside me and filling me very tightly. I had managed to get all of him inside me, although I could tell he was holding himself back with all of his Auxem self-control.
As my body stretched around him, my desire ratcheted up again. All I wanted now was for Avren to fuck me hard, fast, and deep. I wanted to come in an explosion that would make me forget my name.
“What are you waiting for, Madellan?�
That was all the encouragement Avren needed. He pulled out and plunged in again. He found a rhythm quickly, and I felt my orgasm building. I couldn’t help it — it felt like he was stimulating every nerve ending in my body.
I arched up to meet every possessive thrust. With each pumping of Avren’s hips, I could feel him marking me. His motions grew fast and frantic, and I felt my climax coming at me. I writhed on the warm stone as he pounded harder and faster into me.
“We have to come together, Vanessa. Tell me when.� He dropped his hand, lightly rubbing my clit as he continued slamming into me. His other hand reached up and played with my breasts. It was all I needed to set me off.
I screamed with an orgasm that tore through me like a blazing fire. I didn’t need to tell Avren I was coming — there was no way he couldn’t know.
Avren groaned and pressed his hips into me. I could feel him pump his seed deep inside me. It set off more contractions that milked every drop out of him.
I felt something else, too — it was like I had merged with Avren somehow. We weren’t two people anymore. My heart filled with love until it burst and spilled over into my entire body, bliss seeping into every cell. I clung to Avren and sensed a connection between us stronger than anything I had ever had with another person. It was like a metaphysical rope had tied us together. Forever.
I didn’t feel alone anymore, and I didn’t have a single worry about whether Avren loved me or not. The only way we could have bonded so intensely was if we both completely loved each other.
When our feelings cooled off, I lay back, completely exhausted. We didn’t move for a while. He didn’t pull out, and I was so lazy in my post-orgasmic haze that I didn’t want him ever to leave.
I felt a twitch inside me. Avren was getting hard again. My sex clenched around him at the thought.
“Really?� I opened an eye to look at him.
“Could you?�
I nodded, and he flipped me over, making me stand with my feet on the floor and my upper body resting on the altar.
He spread my ass to get a better view of my pussy. I felt exposed, but not for long as his hot body covered me. I felt the tip of his cock nudge inside me, and I closed my eyes. I wanted to shut out everything except this incredible sensation.
Avren slid in a little further before thrusting deeply into me without warning. One hand came around and touched my clit — the other grasped my breast roughly and pinched my nipple.
I pressed my ass back against him, and he moved deep within me. I moaned long and loud. He rocked into me, hitting the right spot and bringing my climax so close that I whimpered, my sex throbbing.
I needed to come.
“Vanessa.� He said my name, and it pushed me over the edge. “Come for me.� I felt him explode inside me a second time, and I was hit by an eruption of pleasure that washed over me in waves. I thought the blissful convulsions would never end.
We showered together before falling into bed. I was happier than I had ever been in my life — drunk on sex and love.
AVREN
I woke in the middle of the night to find Vanessa riding me wildly in the darkness. I had barely felt her pumping me until I was hard and she started climbing on top. Once her hot wetness had gripped me, I woke up.
A dead man would have awakened at that.
I grabbed her hips and surged into her. My wings weren’t deployed, and I was a regular size, so she easily took all of me. She still felt tight, and I loved being inside her.
As she rode me, I couldn’t stay still, and my strokes increased in time with her moans. Her breasts swung and brushed against me. My orgasm was a long, slow build. Eventually, I let go as my passion crested, and I spent myself within her. Vanessa’s body clenched around me; her cries of ecstasy reverberated in the soundproof room.
She collapsed on top of me, and I loved it.
I loved her.
Chapter Sixteen
VANESSA
I looked around the table at Avren’s family.
My family.
I had never been happier.
Jayne and Arnon sat together. Each had a baby on their laps and ate with one hand. Elle held her new baby daughter, with Ayrie hovering protectively over them both, trying to take the baby from her so she could eat. Gwen laughed and swore at her husband, rubbing her big belly. She was almost ready to deliver. Priya waddled in carrying a platter of food for herself. She looked like she could pop at any moment, even though she wasn’t due for another month.
My belly was still flat, but we knew someone was growing in there — a girl. I had tested negative for the H4T7 gene. I glanced over at Avren beside me, who reached out to hold my hand. He wore a dark blue suit accentuating the gray color of his eyes, and he looked delicious enough to eat.
Crindol Madellan, Avren’s father, sat a few seats down from me. He wasn’t at the head of the table, and there was no one sitting on the ends. He sat and ate by himself, occasionally inserting a comment into a side conversation. He seemed content that his children had invited him to the party. Everyone made an effort to include him. He had been striving to be a different person. Avren and his brothers appreciated it, especially after all the years when he hadn’t tried at all.
He had been angry when he learned Avren had begun valuable research without consulting him. In my opinion, the king had blurred the lines between family and professionalism. He wasn’t upset because one of his scientists had made a skunkworks project secret. He was worried as a father.
“For all the time you were gone, Mr. Verrat was building a personal fortune and neglecting his job?� Gwen looked outraged.
Arnon nodded. “Security filled me in after they seized his holdings. He planned to make a lot of credits treating our wing problem wit
h the drug therapy he’d developed.�
Jayne interrupted him. “What a bastard.� It seemed she might know what he was going to say next.
“Jayne.� Arnon put a finger over his lips. “The kids are going to start repeating us soon. Do you want them to talk like that?�
She stuck out her tongue.
“I know we questioned his scientists in court.� Allex was impatient to hear Arnon’s news and was trying to get the conversation back on track. “Whatever came of that?�
“The drug didn’t work. It appeared to offer temporary relief to some subjects, but for most of us, it was nothing but a placebo effect.�
“What an asshole.� I remembered I was supposed to watch my words. “Shit. I mean, what an evil man.� I blushed and glanced at the babies. I was embarrassed, but everyone was laughing.
“At least he’s in jail now.� Allex looked satisfied. “He’s going to suffer a fate that seems entirely appropriate: he used himself as a test subject, and the drugs seemed to work in the beginning, but they had unforeseen long-term side effects. His agony never stops when he has his wings out.�
I saw different expressions of horror and sadness on everyone’s faces. If Mr. Verrat hadn’t made terrible choices, he could have been sitting with us right now as part of a family. Instead, he was in prison. And every time he flew, his agony would never end.
“He’s going to have a tough time breaking out of the maximum security prison. It’s in the wilderness, surrounded by an area filled with beasts. If he manages to escape from the facility, they’ll eat him alive.� Anders grinned.
I felt disgusted at the thought.
“There’s a bright side. When we liquidated Mr. Verrat’s assets, all the money went to the gene project. That was Arnon’s great idea.� Allex looked at Arnon, who dipped his head in acknowledgment. Allex looked like he was trying to hold something back. “Speaking of scientists, you’ve published your paper, right, Vanessa? When are you going to be ready to release it to the public?�
We hadn’t let Allex be one of the test subjects. It was bad enough having Avren inject himself. Allex wanted to start the treatment right away, but he had forced himself to wait.
“We’ll be ready for you in a week.� Avren smiled at his little brother. “It won’t be long, Allex.�
“I can’t wait. It’s going to change my life.�
He was right. I had witnessed a change in Avren ever since he had been freed from the pain associated with his wings. He flew more and was happier in general. Admittedly, it was hard to tell how much of his joy was from marriage and having sex, but I was certain his entire family would benefit from the transformation. Anyone would be better off living a life free from agony.
I couldn’t believe we had done it. I had helped Avren, his family, and soon the population of an entire planet. Avren had insisted on putting my name on the publication. I made sure that both of our names were on it. All the fame I had once coveted didn’t seem as important to me anymore.
The people around me and my love for Avren drove me now — and one more thing. I put my hand on my flat stomach. My life revolved around the baby. I would still be a scientist, and I loved my work, but our family was paramount to me. Being famous and having an immortal quote would never give me the satisfaction I found in being around these people.
I never imagined my life would be this good. It was all because Madellan had shown up at my door.
Chapter Seventeen
VANESSA, 12 YEARS LATER
I watched from the back of the line as six families made their way up a mountain. Today was perfect for a hike. The sun shone brightly, and the sky was a freshly-washed blue.
Auxem was green and fresh everywhere I worked. The day I had arrived on the planet with Avren to start our research seemed like a lifetime ago. A few feet ahead of me, my husband was helping our five-year-old scramble over a tough patch, holding his hand and lifting him when his feet stumbled.
My sweet husband was still alive and well. He was the first one to alter his genes. Once he looked like a success, we had found a thousand Auxem men willing to be test subjects. With their assistance, we tweaked the gene therapy and perfected it. The next step was a longitudinal study changing the genes of ten thousand men and following their progress for ten years. Our study finished two years ago. Arnon, the King of Auxem, gave the approval to expand our project to the entire planet.
We started with the adult men. Once we had finished with them, the Freedom Initiative continued, starting with the oldest hybrid children. Avren and I weren’t intimately involved with the Freedom Initiative any longer. The team had thousands of people and had recently finished treating the last of the children. As of yesterday, anyone with a strand of Auxem DNA was finally free from the pain accompanying their wings.
Newly-born babies wouldn’t need further treatment. When our scientists tested the first children born from parents who had undergone the treatment, the changes to their genetic code had passed on to them and were found to be stable.
The team learned something else, too — the story about Auxem males going infertile wasn’t true. The Auxem scientists had made a mistake and misinterpreted their data. We examined their study and couldn’t replicate their results. Auxem men had produced plenty of children during the time I had been away from Earth.
Halfway through the repopulation program, we dropped the requirement of human women being free from the H4T7 gene. The first few years of births had all been female to make sure we had enough women for the future. Over the last five years, the gender ratio had been mixed, restoring the balance between women and men on Auxem.
In front of my eyes, Allex deployed his wings and grabbed his daughter and a niece, putting one under each arm. The next part of the path was littered with rocks and was hazardous for four-year-olds. They laughed when his feathers tickled them. After he had put them down on the ground, Allex retracted his wings and talked with Priya as if nothing unusual had happened.
The hideous pain that had once accompanied Allex’s transformations no longer plagued him. He was free to take them out whenever he wanted. Avren and his brothers used their wings much more than they ever had in the years before their gene therapy.
My eleven-year-old daughter, Janna, called to me, darting between people to find my place in line. “Mom, we’re having the sing-a-long when we reach camp, right?�
Her earnest, gray eyes watched me carefully. She looked so much like her father. Her brown hair was light and had a reddish tint, which probably came from me. She already knew the answer to her question, but had been so excited about it that she kept asking for constant confirmation.
“Elle said we weren’t going to do anything.� Janna took my hand. I smiled, happy and excited that one day she would have wings and be able to soar through the air without enduring the pain of previous generations. We had received the newborn’s test results earlier in the day, and I thought I might burst from joy at the thought that our work was finally complete.
“Your cousin doesn’t know about it. Maybe Aunt Elle didn’t mention it to her. Don’t worry, it’s on the schedule. We’re going to set up camp, build a fire, and make dinner. When the sun goes down, we’re going to sing songs around the campfire, or else.�
Janna let go of my hand to clap hers together. “I can’t wait, Mom.�
“Why don’t you go walk with your grandmother?� I noticed my mom was walking by herself near the middle of the group. “She just came to our planet, and she doesn’t know anyone else.�
Janna nodded and scampered up the hill. She had a good heart and was always taking care of people.
She would make sure Mom felt comfortable.
My calves were beginning to ache from climbing, but it was nothing compared to my aching back. The baby was barely showing when I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. We were going to tell everyone the good news tonight.
I had a huge and loving extended family. We were all in each other’s business, which could be annoying at times, but mostly was wonderful. I had never dreamed so many people would care about me. It was the second best part of life on Auxem.
The best part was Avren.
I looked around for him and found him chatting as he climbed with Ayrie and Ayrie’s friend, Nathaniel. Nathaniel and his wife, Ashlyn, were visiting with their two children from Vandwa. Ayrie and Nathaniel had gone to school together and still kept in touch.
Avren had filled me in on some of the more interesting details of their past, mentioning that Nathaniel had been a pirate in a previous life. He certainly had the look down. I could imagine him at the helm of a ship, shouting at someone to swab the deck. But he didn’t pirate around anymore.
I gazed at my husband, grateful for everything I had at the moment. It was better than being a famous scientist, though I had that, too. I worked as a genetic consultant with companies all over the galaxy. Work couldn’t compare with family and love.
Science was fulfilling, but the people in my life brought me joy.
AVREN
“Vanessa seems to be glowing.� Ayrie made sure to speak the words under his breath so no one else could hear him.
I gave him an evil glare. “We’re making the announcement tonight. Don’t think about stealing our thunder.�
He held up his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it, little brother.�
Nathaniel appeared behind Ayrie. “Avren, explain to me how you used our barrier technology to corral your monsters. I heard you couldn’t drop them on the other side of a giant wall, right? Apparently, they’re too dangerous.�
