by Juno Wells
The moon above sent diffused rays of moonlight into the pool, giving the water a heavenly glow. I looked again to Aster, but he only smiled. And when he smiled, I felt my heart surge with affection, with something that felt like love. From the moment I met him, I sensed something special between us. A connection, a bond. Maybe it was fate. After all, he’d shown up just in time to save me. To save me from the pain and fear. To save me from… Whatever it was that had just happened.
Asterion. My Savior. My hero.
We floated together, staring into each other’s eyes, and I felt that ever-present heat between us. It was undeniable and all-consuming, like a speeding train that couldn’t be stopped. Aster pulled me closer to him, and I felt his hand move across my cheek and around to the back of my head. He pulled me closer, and closer, until his lips were just an inch away from mine.
I knew there were so many unanswered questions. So many things that defied reason, that begged for an explanation. But in that moment, I didn’t care about explanations. I just wanted him to kiss me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn’t know if he’d be able to hear me under the water, and there was nothing to say anyway. We didn’t need words – our eyes and our bodies could do the talking.
Aster closed the small gap between his mouth and mine, and when our lips met, I felt an exquisite surge of warmth ripple through my body. His tongue slid between my lips, his strong arms wrapped around me, and I lost myself in a way I’d never lost myself before. It was a kiss like no other. A powerful kiss, a kiss full of promise and passion. It was what a kiss was supposed to be like. It made every other kiss I’d ever had seem like it wasn’t worthy of the name.
I felt light as a feather, and every bit of lingering fear drained from me and was replaced with blissful pleasure. Aster’s mouth on mine and his strong arms wrapped around my body felt like the sweetest relief, like healing. I let go of everything and lost myself to him.
I don’t know how much time passed. We floated together under the water, our limbs intertwined, our lips locked together, hungry for each other.
Eventually we began to slowly shed our clothes. Aster yanked off my soaking wet jeans, then slipped my shirt over my head. I in turn tugged his shirt off, then his pants. Bra, panties, underwear came next as we contorted our bodies under the water in a desperate attempt to get naked. Once we’d shed our garments, we let the clothes float around us in the swimming pool.
I wrapped my legs around him, feeling weightless in the clear pool water. We spun around, our bodies locked together, our tongues tangling, hungry. I felt his strong hands cup my breasts and push against me, and I floated back, suspended underneath the water’s surface. He brought his mouth down and took the peak of my nipple in his mouth and I felt his tongue dance over it, coaxing it into a hard, sensitive nub.
His mouth praised me, worshipped me under the water. He kissed every inch of my naked flesh: the tops of my feet, my thighs, the curve at my waist, my breasts, my neck. With my ears submerged under the water, all I could hear was the sound of my breathing and the gentle splashes that rippled out as we twisted and turned in the swimming pool.
Then Aster cupped my mound, pushing his palm gently against it, and I let out a deep, satisfied sigh. I’d never wanted to be touched so badly in my life. It was as if every muscle in my body cried out for it, demanded it. And Aster gave me what I wanted. I felt his tongue sweep over my sex, and I gasped at the exquisite thrill of the sensation.
He used his mouth like a true artist, drawing me out with teasing, circling strokes. There was a rhythm and a music to his movements, his tongue like a warm soft wave caressing me. He wasn’t greedy or rushed or showy – he took his time, drawing my pleasure out slowly, coaxing it like a smoldering fire.
As I floated in the water with Aster’s tongue between my legs, my senses felt both heightened and incredibly focused. I looked up at the starry sky above me and felt like I was melting into his mouth, enveloped in a sea of pleasure. The water caressed and tickled my body as Aster licked faster and harder, pushing his tongue against me. I felt a gathering wave building inside me and stretched out my arms, feeling the water slide against my skin. The orgasm came slow, like a breeze, then built in intensity until I panted and moaned, my arms flailing in the water. Aster put his arm under my body to steady me and held me as I writhed, my thighs locked around his head, his mouth pressed tight against my throbbing sex.
Somehow we’d drifted to the other side of the pool, and as my senses began to return I tipped my head forward to look at Aster. He pushed his tongue against my aching bud one last time, then drew his mouth away from me and smiled.
Eventually, we came up for actual air. I exhaled one last breath of water, then came up to the surface and took in a lungful of air. After that earth-shattering orgasm, my mind felt clear again, and I was ready for answers.
Chapter Seven
“So, I think you have some major explaining to do. I mean, how was any of that possible? When you pulled me under the water, I thought you were going to kill me. But–”
“I’d never hurt you, Ava.” Aster took my hand in his and furrowed his brow. “Never. I’d die first.”
“But that’s the thing. We didn’t die. We were breathing, underwater. How in the world is that possible?”
Aster was quiet for what felt like an eternity, then finally he let out a long sigh. “It’s possible because I’m not from your world, Ava.” He pointed up at the starry night sky. “I’m from another world.”
“What the hell do you mean, from another world? You mean like another planet?” Aster nodded his head and smiled. “I don’t believe that. I mean, that’s just impossible.”
“You’ve been underwater, breathing, for at least an hour, Ava. That should’ve been impossible, but it wasn’t. Is it really so hard to believe that I might be from another planet?”
I had to admit, he had a point. It made a strange kind of sense. It explained… Well, it explained a lot. “So you’re… You’re an alien?”
Aster sighed again and went quiet for a moment. “I didn’t want to tell you this so soon. I thought I’d have more time, more time to explain everything. But yes, I’m an alien. Of course, I’d never use that word to describe myself, but I suppose that’s what you would call me. I’m from a planet named Alluvia, in what you call the Andromeda galaxy. I was sent here to…” His voice trailed off.
“Sent here to what?”
“I shouldn’t explain all this to you right now. It’s not the right time. It’ll just overwhelm you.”
“But what was that… The noise? The pain? What the hell was that?”
“That was Xa’rath. He rules a neighboring planet called Zathar. His kind is evil, sadistic. Our planet has been at war with them for centuries. And he’s made it his mission to kill me personally, before I can…” Aster shook his head. “Never mind. Listen, Ava, I know this is hard for you to believe.”
“Try impossible,” I replied with a laugh.
“I promise you, it’s all true.”
My heart believed him, but my brain was still having a tough time. In my line of work, it wasn’t enough to believe something. You had to know it. I made a living working with cold, hard facts. And yes, I’d already experienced some otherworldly things; things that defied explanation. But was I really ready to accept that this man was an actual alien?
“Prove it to me,” I said.
“Breathing underwater isn’t enough to convince you?” He asked. “What more do you need?”
“I don’t know. The burden of proof is on you, buddy. Show me another cool alien trick.”
Aster shrugged. “Okay. Get out of the pool, and I’ll show you something.”
I got out of the pool and stood, buck-naked, next to a patio chair. I tried not to feel self-conscious, but the way Aster looked at me made my heart flutter and my skin get hot. “Hey, eyes up here,” I teased, pointing to my face. “I didn’t get out of this pool just so you could ogle my naked body.�
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“I’m sorry.” Aster cocked his head to the side and smiled. “It’s just that you’re so incredibly beautiful, Ava. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
I felt my cheeks redden and my face flush. “Thank you. I mean it. Now show me some cool alien stuff before I get all embarrassed.”
“Your wish is my command,” he said. He gave me a sly wink. “I don’t mean to brag, but this is going to be pretty fucking impressive.”
And holy shit, he wasn’t kidding. Aster stood in the middle of the pool and lifted his arms, and as his arms raised, so did the water. I watched as every drop of liquid flew upward, out of the pool, hovering above Aster’s head like a gigantic raindrop suspended in the air. As he turned his hands, the giant mass of water also turned. When he moved his hands to the right, the water floated to the right. Then he moved the gigantic water droplet directly above me and brought it down until it just barely touched the top of my head. I felt a tiny trickle of water slide down my face. I looked at Aster, now standing naked in the middle of an empty pool, then I looked back up at the hovering mass of water floating in the air above me.
“Okay, fine. I believe you,” I admitted.
Chapter Eight
So, apparently Aster was an alien. When Becky said the universe was going to bring me someone special, I doubt that was what she had in mind. But damn… he really was special. What he’d done to me in that swimming pool was literally out of this world. I’d never moved that fast with a man before. In the past, I’d never even so much as kissed on a first date. But with Aster it just felt right, it felt essential.
So there I was, suddenly tangled up romantically with an actual alien. And on the run from another alien, some evil warlord out for blood. In my line of work, I was used to a bit of excitement and danger. I thrived on it. I wasn’t the kind of woman who could be satisfied sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day. I wasn’t timid, and I wasn’t opposed to taking risks. But I also wasn’t used to this kind of danger. I summoned up every bit of courage, cunning, and know-how that my years as a private investigator had instilled in me.
“What can we do? What can I do?” I asked Aster. I’d managed to find some towels on my neighbor’s patio, but I still shivered as the breeze brushed against my skin. “First things first, we need dry clothes. You stay here. I’ll go back to my house and get some for us.”
“No, we can’t go back to your house. It’s marked. Xa’rath will know we’re there. He’ll sense us.” I didn’t know how any of this alien stuff worked, so I just had to trust Aster on that one. I was just about to suggest a plan B, when he walked to the back door of my neighbor’s house and yanked open the locked door with one quick, casual pull, as if the thing was made out of paper. The wooden door splintered and split, and the knob fell off and rolled across the patio floor. “We’ll get what we need from this house.”
“Well, I’m glad the Robinsons don’t have a burglar alarm. But I do hope they have good homeowners insurance,” I joked.
We made our way into the Robinsons dark home and took what we needed: fresh clothes, dry socks and shoes. I felt a little guilty stealing from my neighbors, but hey, it’s not every day that you find yourself targeted by an evil alien warlord.
“I hope you have a plan,” I told Aster as I slipped on a pair of Mrs. Robinson’s old tennis shoes. “Because I’m totally lost. I’m used to investigating petty criminals, not evil intergalactic villains. This is completely out of my element.”
“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” He was wearing a pair of Mr. Robinson’s old blue jeans and a black T-shirt with the logo from a local bank on it. It was a good thing Mr. Robinson was tall – the jeans were just barely long enough for Aster’s towering frame. And it was also a good thing that Mr. Robinson was so skinny, because that T-shirt fit Aster’s ripped body like a glove. I watched him as he rooted around in the kitchen cupboards until he found a large thermos. He filled the thermos full of water and drank down the whole thing, then filled it up again and chucked it into a backpack.
“You drink a lot of water, don’t you?” I asked.
“Water is very important to Alluvians. Water protects us, the way it did in the swimming pool. It makes us virtually invisible to the Zatharians and shields us from their attacks. But we have to drink a lot of water, otherwise our powers start to fade. Our bodies are made mostly of water.” I knew human bodies were made mostly of water too, but I certainly didn’t have the kind of relationship to water Aster had. Or did I? I had been able to breathe underwater, after all. My mind swam with new questions.
“Aster, how is it possible that I could breathe underwater? I mean, I’m not an alien. I’m just a regular human lady. I should’ve drowned.”
“You could breathe underwater because you were touching me,” he explained. “You saw how I moved the water from the pool. I can control it, control water, in ways that are very difficult to explain to you. If we touch, I can control the water inside your body too. And I can control the way your body reacts to water. But only when we touch. If you would’ve let go of me, yes, you would have drowned.”
“I wish you would’ve explained that to me before you held me under the pool. That was pretty terrifying,” I told him.
“I’m so sorry, Ava.” Aster reached out and took my hand, then brought it to his lips and kissed the top of it. “You’re right, I should’ve explained. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to get you safe as soon as possible. Please, forgive me.”
“It’s okay.” I stood up as tall as I could on my tip toes, but still couldn’t reach his face. I pulled his head down to mine and planted a kiss on his lips. “You saved me. That’s all that matters.”
“And you saved me too, Ava.” He gave me a long, lingering kiss, then pulled back and looked me in the eyes. “Now, we have to go. It’s not safe in this neighborhood. I need to get back to my ship. It’s hidden in the woods in the National Park outside of town. I have weapons there, weapons that I need to neutralize Xa’rath.”
“Wait, what about Pepper? I can’t just leave her. What if this Xa’rath guy comes back and kills her?”
“Xa’rath doesn’t care about your dog, I promise. He’s looking for me, and now he’s looking for you too. Pepper is safer at your house than she would be with us.”
“But she doesn’t have any food, and she drank all of her water. I have to at least go over there and –”
“You shouldn’t, Ava. I can’t let you. It’s not safe. If Xa’rath senses you in your home, it could make our getaway more difficult.”
“But she needs water, Aster. Water! You of all people should understand how important that is.” I pleaded to him with my eyes, but all he did was shake his head no and sigh. I stomped my foot hard on the floor for emphasis. “I don’t think you get it. I have a lot of maternal instincts, but I don’t have any children. So Pepper is my child. And if you think I’m taking off with you in the middle of the night without making sure my baby is taken care of, then you’ve got another thing coming. And I don’t care if it makes our getaway more difficult. I can handle the difficulties.”
Aster chuckled. “You’re a very strong-willed woman, aren’t you?”
“You better believe it,” I said. “I know all this alien danger makes me seem like a damsel in distress, but I assure you, I’m not a little wilting flower.”
“You have the heart of a mother and the courage of a warrior. I like that.” Aster pointed his finger at me and narrowed his eyes. “Fine. I’ll give you two minutes inside your house. And when you come out, be ready to run, fast.”
We quickly hatched a plan. I would duck back into my house, give Pepper food and water and grab my car keys, then we’d hightail it to the National Park where Aster’s ship – and the weapons he needed – were waiting.
I ran across the lawn and bolted through my back door and into my living room. Pepper, who was still lounging happily on the couch, lifted her little head up and looked at me with wide eyes. “I�
�m sorry, girl, but mama’s gotta leave you for a bit.” I gave her belly a pat and kissed her on the top of the head. “I love you. Be good. See you soon.”
I filled her water bowl and made sure she had enough food, then I grabbed my car keys out of my purse. And right before I ran out the back door, I grabbed my gun. Just in case.
Aster was waiting for me, looking more anxious than ever. “Come on, we have to hurry.” He grabbed my hand and we ran around the side of my house to the driveway, where my car was waiting.
I’d just managed to get the key in the car door when I heard a strange sound, like grinding metal. And then my car – it imploded. The hood caved in, the tires popped, the windows shattered. Bits of broken glass flew at me, and I jumped back and shielded my face.
Then the humming started again.
I turned my head and saw a large dark figure at the end of the street. An overwhelming sense of dread hit me like a sick wave. It was Xa’rath. I knew it. I pointed my gun at the dark figure and unloaded every bullet, but he didn’t stumble, and he didn’t fall. It was like my bullets went right through him.
