by Maia Starr
“Please lie down. We should get used to this arrangement,” he said. “The choice has been made. There is no taking it back now.”
The way Zerk’k spoke, so sure of himself and our destiny, made my defenses weaken. If I was stuck here anyway, why not resign myself to my fate? I might as well accept these unwanted feelings and satiate the burning desire I was feeling. What would it matter in the long run? I don’t know why his matter-of-fact attitude was comforting to me then, when every other time we had spoken, it had only infuriated me.
“Lie down,” Zerk’k said again. It wasn’t a request this time. He expected full obedience from me. I’m sure he was used to everybody around him doing as he asked. He had apparently been bred to give orders. And while any other time of the day I would have been furious, he was giving me the permission I needed to surrender.
I lay back in the bed, my eyes focused on Zerk’k in the darkness. He climbed over me, his powerful frame sending an electric thrill through my body. I groaned despite myself when my middle, completely naked beneath my strange gown, made contact with the firm muscle of Zerk’k’s groin. Even without seeing him erect, I could tell that there was one biological difference between Thressl’n men and humans that males of my own species would be jealous of.
But I shouldn’t let myself think these things. It was totally wrong. Wasn’t I stronger than this?
“You don’t have to fight it,” Zerk’k’s masculine voice rumbled in my ear. His soft breath against my skin unleashed a whole new wave of longing in me. Why was he telling me exactly what I wanted to hear? “You are safe with me.”
He pressed his hips firmly against me, and ground up, slowly and agonizingly. My breath caught in my throat as an explosion of pleasure rocked my body. I closed my eyes. I wouldn’t be able to fight it much longer. Whether I liked it or not, this was what I wanted.
Another gentle thrust of Zerk’k’s powerful hips, and a gentle, completely unexpected kiss on my temple completely did me in. I caved in to the sweet seduction of Zerk’k’s body, and gripped his muscular biceps as he carefully used his body to elicit pleasure within me I hadn’t realized was possible.
He paused for a moment to lift the gown from my body so he could examine the slope of my breasts, and I cried out in ecstasy as the hot trail of his touch roamed from my neck to the soft mound of my nipple. Zerk’k’s dark eyes settled on mine, and a serious expression settled on his face.
In a quick flash, the cloth covering his body was gone, and there was nothing between my body and his. I moaned softly as his impressive member found its way between my legs. He took his time with my body, exploring every little detail of it with his own. Most men would have been halfway done by then, but not Zerk’k. His careful precision drew the whole experience out, and I was so overcome with pleasure that I could barely remember my own name.
“Lain,” he said softly, as if testing out the word on his lips. He seemed to decide that he liked the way it tasted, and lowered his soft mouth against my clavicle. Another explosion of bliss rocked my body, and was intensified as he began to gently push himself inside of me. I was shocked by how much pleasure I was receiving; none of the experiences I’d had on Earth could even compare.
I grabbed Zerk’k’s shoulder, moaning deeply as he made his way fully inside me. Every small movement he made sent a new thrill coursing through me, and I had to bite my lips to keep from crying out too loudly. All my life I had lived in apartments where I had to be mindful of every little noise I made, and seemed to carry the habit with me to the planet Jenal’k.
Suddenly, Zerk’k began to unleash his power on my body. He plunged hard inside me, removing himself slowly and deliberately before thrusting inside again. My entire body was shaken to the core, and I cried out loud. So this was what bodies were made for. Leave it to an alien to help me figure it out.
Zerk’k seemed to have unlimited stores of energy. Even though I had been convinced he was about to fall into a dead sleep just a few moments beforehand, now he was spending a huge amount of time building up my body in a way I’d never experienced before.
As suddenly as it started, I could feel myself tightening around the hard muscle inside of me, and Zerk’k paused. I panted as my orgasm overpowered me. I looked into Zerk’k’s face, and saw that he was completely enraptured. With one, final thrust of his powerful body, a hot explosion burst from him, and my climax reached a new height. Zerk’k held me tightly as our bodies responded to each other, and quickly withdrew from me when it was clear that both of us were completely spent.
“Sleep in peace,” he said quietly.
I didn’t know how to respond, and couldn’t possibly begin to describe the mixed feelings it gave me when Zerk’k turned his back to me on the bed and immediately fell into a fast, deep sleep.
Chapter 12
Commander Zerk’k Arkti
When I woke up, the human had already risen from the bed and left the room. I cringed, furious at myself for the night before. My plan had been to let her come to know me of her own accord. Now, I was certain that things would become even more strained than they were before.
“Good morning, Commander,” Trillis said, smiling brightly when I entered the dining area. The human was sitting at the table and glanced up at me. I caught her eye for a brief moment before she looked back down at her plate, her cheeks a deep red color. I knew I had messed up.
“You should eat something before you go,” Trillis said. She was always pestering me about food.
“Thank you,” I said, sitting down awkwardly across from Lain. She refused to meet my eyes again, so I focused on eating as quickly as I could. If I didn’t get at least 5 meals daily, I was a wreck.
I was grateful for Trillis’ intervention. Most of the time I was too busy to eat properly, despite the fact that Thressl’n bodies required a lot of fuel to keep up our massive stores of energy and maintain our muscle mass. It was strange to see the human pick at our foods and seem satisfied after only a few bites. She ate about the same amount as a small Thressl’n child might have been expected to eat.
“Trillis, would you mind taking Lain to get appropriate attire? She can’t be mated to the Second in Command and look like such an outsider.”
“Of course, sir,” Trillis said, barely able to hide her sly smile. She was quietly rooting for me to embrace my feelings for the human. Even though everyone else on the planet would have been horrified to know that my interest in Lain was anything but a necessary evil required to keep our race from becoming extinct.
“I like my clothes,” Lain said. Her voice was quiet but resolute.
“What?” I asked, prickling. “I’m not asking if you like your clothes or not. Human clothes are not appropriate for this planet.”
“I didn’t ask to be here,” Lain retorted. “In fact, if I had any say in this at all, I never would have left Earth. So the least you can do is let me wear the clothes I like.”
“Those rags will not do,” I said, raising my voice despite myself. I had never been so challenged by anyone before. I wasn’t sure why she managed to get under my skin so much. “If you spent any time outside at all, you would know that. Why do you insist on questioning me all the time?”
“I’m not questioning you! I’m telling you I want to keep my clothes. Why do you insist on trying to control me all the time?”
I glowered and stood from the table. I didn’t have to go on bantering with this woman. She obviously wasn’t going to let this go, and neither of us was feeling particularly comfortable with the other. Especially after the night before. It seemed pointless to argue.
“Where are you going, Commander?” Trillis asked, hardly able to keep the panic out of her voice. She didn’t like to see me angry. She knew what I was capable of.
“I have business to attend to. Please do as I asked and get the human some decent clothing.”
“Of course, sir,” Trillis said, bowing her head as I left the room.
It took all I had not to slam th
e door of my hovercraft once I got inside. Who did that female think she was? How long was it she had been on Jenal’k? Was she an expert on our weather now that she had stood under the suns for five minutes waiting to join me in the hovercraft? Why didn’t she seem to get that I was only trying to protect her?
No, she wasn’t going to believe that for a second. To her, I was nothing but a lowly captor who only wanted to use her for my own selfish ends. It didn’t matter what I really thought or felt. When did it ever? We all had our place in this world, and mine was apparently to quietly accept that everybody around me was simply going to make up their mind about what I was, whether I felt like I was that way or not.
I was still in a huff when I burst through the palace doors.
“Where have you been?”
I glared at the ground before meeting the eye of Grath, Aloitus’ right-hand man. “Taking care of personal matters.”
“That won’t do. Supreme Leader Aloitus had choice words for you this morning.”
“Of course he did,” I mumbled under my breath.
“What was that?” Grath asked.
“Nothing,” I said, finally looking him in the eye.
“Never mind. Please follow me. The Supreme Leader is awaiting your arrival.”
I followed Grath through the winding hallways of Aloitus’ palace, eyeing the decorative statues and art lining the walls. Aloitus had very expensive taste, and some of the most prominent artists in the galaxy were featured on his walls; pieces that likely cost money that Aloitus had taken right out of the pockets of citizens of Jenal’k.
“Zerk’k! Where have you been?”
“Attending to personal matters,” I repeated.
Apparently there was an echo in the palace.
“Personal? Nothing is personal here. You took a human without permission! I hadn’t assigned anybody yet. What’s the meaning of this?”
Aloitus pursed his lips at me. I could have punched him in the face for the power trip he was obviously on. Nothing I was doing seemed good enough. He just wanted to cause trouble. Was being the leader of Jenal’k really so boring that he had to cause needless issues with those beneath him?
“I made my selection early on. You told me you had full confidence in me before I left, and to choose whichever female I wanted. As Second in Command, you’d think I’m owed that much at least.”
Aloitus stared at me for a moment and dismissed his guards with the nod of his head. My stomach dropped. That usually meant he was going to say something he didn’t want anybody else to hear. And that was generally a very bad thing.
“You can tell me the truth, Zerk’k. We’re friends here. You probably couldn’t wait to see what it’s like to copulate with a human.”
I cringed. Luckily, before I answered, Aloitus resumed speaking.
“I’ll tell you the truth. I couldn’t wait either. I snagged one of those little creatures myself last night. What did you think? It’s way better than our own females. They’re so exotic!”
Ah, so that was the real reason Aloitus had called me in. He wanted to compare notes and pretend he had a real friend to “guy talk” with. I was used to this and did my best to remain polite.
“The human females are quite different,” I said, trying not to let myself get pulled back into the memory of the night before. In truth, I had never even hoped to experience anything so sensual and fulfilling as what I had shared with Lain. But knowing that she wasn’t happy to be on Jenal’k, or with me in general, just made my insides swirl painfully.
“How did it go?” Aloitus asked, lowering his voice and coming in close to me, a sickening grin twisted on his face. “I have to admit, I’ve never felt that way before.”
“No, I haven’t either,” I said truthfully, though it felt wrong to speak about something like this with Aloitus. The feelings I was experiencing for Lain were hard for me to understand and accept. They seemed far too personal to gossip about. Especially when I knew I’d be in huge trouble for taking a fixation with a human too far.
Nobody saw the human females on Jenal’k as suitable partners in the long term. They were just here for breeding purposes. Then, if all went well and we knew we could trust them to keep our secrets, maybe they would be allowed to return back to Earth. Although I had to admit, the chances of that happening were very slim. Perhaps if we got our hands on one of the serums that the Vellreq used to wipe the memories of their victims clean.
Regardless of what ended up happening with the humans, Aloitus would waste no time in punishing me for needlessly complicating things with them by developing inappropriate feelings for one of them. I was having a hard enough time forgiving myself. I was almost ready to welcome the punishment for my conduct and get the whole thing over with.
“You know, Zerk’k, I’ve been meaning to ask you, what do you think the hybrids will look like? I think it’s funny that the two of us are probably going to be the first to find out. I should delay breeding for a few weeks to guarantee it. Wouldn’t that be something? Then our spawn would have a higher chance of getting good roles on Jenal’k.”
I cringed inwardly, still uncomfortable reducing my experience with Lain to this base chit chat.
“With all due respect, sir, the population situation is severe. We should begin breeding as soon as possible.”
Aloitus waved his hand in the air dismissively.
“Of course, of course. It’s just nice to have something that nobody else has, isn’t it?”
Again I was forced into a memory of the sweet feeling of Lain’s skin; the soft warmth of her breath against my body. The sickening smile returned to Aloitus’ face for a brief moment, but almost as soon as it appeared, it was gone again and replaced by a stern expression. I knew it was time to get back to work.
“I need you to go patrol the lines. I promised the people an announcement today. We have to get the females assigned. I know there are going to be problems; some people have certain…preferences, if you will. And I know the humans are going to be upset. Most of the Thressl’n don’t want to bring home a limp bride, so we are going to try to do this without any sedation.”
“That’s bold,” I said quietly. I felt a sudden surge of pity for the females who would be forced into situations such as the one I was in with Lain. What a strange experience they must be having. And although Thressl’n men had certain physiological features and scents that would make the arrangement worth their while, it still seemed a bit crass. I hadn’t thought anything of it before meeting Lain.
“I know there will be problems. That’s why I’m assigning you. I’ll be busy attending to other, more private matters.”
The sickening smile creased his face for the last time before I turned my back and walked to the doorway of Aloitus’ office.
“Of course,” I said over my shoulder, unwilling to meet his eyes again.
***
I headed to the camps on the other side of Mount Zennith, my thoughts consumed by the night before. Why was it that I could feel so strongly for this human when no female of my own kind had ever kept my interest? More baffling of all, she was so volatile and defiant; these were features thought to be most unattractive in Thressl’n females. But somehow, in this tiny, serious human, they managed to be tolerable. Almost attractive.
And yet I was fairly certain that we were incompatible. There were things about her that made me feel more furious than I had ever felt before, defying my orders and doing whatever she felt like, and we had only known each other for such a short amount of time. And I was sure she couldn’t stand me. We had barely been able to look at each other during breakfast. I could only imagine how angry she must have been at me. At least as angry as I was at myself.
These thoughts were quickly rushed from my mind when I caught a glance of the campground from the sky above. Huge Thressl’n bodies were being swarmed by the tiny pink females. Through the thick glass of my hovercraft, I could hear the commotion. It was a mess, but despite it, I couldn’t hide a smile. App
arently, human females were all capable of more than even the males on their planet were aware of.
“Commander!” Jerd exclaimed, pushing through the crowd to meet me.
“What happened?” I asked, my eyes searching the crowd.
“The females want nothing to do with the Thressl’n men. Please tell me you came with orders for sedation.”
“I’m afraid not,” I said. “I’ll do my best to handle this without it.”
“Attention!” I exclaimed in our native Thressl’n tongue. The human females balked in fear. They couldn’t understand what I was saying, but I had a lot of practice with commanding the attention of large masses of people, and I was adorned in distinct armor bearing the Thressl’n crest. I’m sure I was an intimidating sight.
“The Earth females are going to require some patience on our parts,” I said. “If you cannot get your female to agree to come home with you using their native English, then you will just have to visit them in the camps until the mission is accomplished.”
The men in the crowd groaned collectively, clearly agitated by the lack of submission. They hadn’t had any personal experience with the humans the way I’d had with Lain. The perfection of her features as she gasped on top of me was a memory that had been following me all morning.
“There is a short courtship process that the humans require before they will be willing to come to your homes voluntarily. Otherwise, you risk having a volatile creature in your home that is difficult to control. I recommend coming to visit the humans at the camps as opposed to trying to bring them home; at least for now. Once they are ready to breed, they will let you know.”
“How will we know?” one man shouted.
“There will be signs,” I said, trying to keep my voice even as I thought back to the way Lain’s soft fingers had grazed my body. “You should be able to sense the shift of energy around them. And if you’re still not sure, consult the nurses. They should give you their pheromone readout.”
I hadn’t spoken to the Thressl’n females who had been charged with looking after the humans, but I already knew that they were going to be furious. They had been thinking that attending to the human camps was a temporary arrangement. I hadn’t even consulted Supreme Leader Aloitus yet.
