Pax

by Stella Sky

  I looked around, confused, at the desolate terrain of Helna’s surface. My heart panged briefly as I wondered whether or not this sad little patch of land could actually be meaningful to him.

  “What is this place?” I asked, getting off the thuse.

  He said nothing, and I was surprised to find that he had already begun to walk off, leaving me behind him.

  I trotted behind to catch up, shocked when he bent over and suddenly lifted a circular lid off the ground.

  “Come inside,” he said, his mysterious eyes sparkling.

  I followed wordlessly, my heart hammering in my chest. Once I had a grip on the ladder, Pax reached up from behind me, his body pressed against mine. It sent a forbidden thrill throughout my body and my breath caught in my throat. He closed the lid, sealing us in the pitch darkness of an underground vault.

  “Stay here,” Pax’s deep voice rumbled from behind me. I obeyed, and suddenly the place was illuminated with a gentle golden glow. “All right, you can come down now.”

  I descended, my eyes wide. The walls were sparkling with a multitude of colors, and I could feel Pax’s gaze upon me as I took in the sight. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

  “What is this place?” I breathed, reaching out to touch the wall once I reached the ground.

  “This is Helna’s geoda mine,” Pax said, his handsome face creased in a smile. “And actually it is safe in here for humans. You may take your suit off.”

  “Really?” I asked, eager to take the heavy suit off and start investigating.

  Pax nodded, and I stripped off the suit, breathing heavily and beaming at him.

  “This is amazing,” I said, unable to contain my happiness. I had been trapped in his home for so long, and it seemed so unlikely that he would be able to understand me well enough to know of the perfect place to take me. And yet he had.

  “It is one of my planet’s finest features,” he agreed, strutting forward to touch one of the beautiful gemstones. “Unfortunately, these stones are pretty but useless. There is nothing good that comes of removing these geodas from the mine. It is better for the planet if they stay put in the place they are grown.”

  I nodded quietly, remembering what we had learned about the planet Helna in school. The gems played a crucial part of the gravitational force, a feature of the planet’s unique placement in the universe.

  “You may explore to your heart’s content,” Pax said, his handsome face earnest.

  My gaze lingered on him for a few moments, despite my reluctance to admit my attraction to him. He seemed oblivious to what I was feeling, and so I did my best not to make it obvious.

  I tore my eyes away from him and set to work exploring the mine. There were unbelievable colors glittering in the walls, and I was eager to take it all in, knowing I may never get another chance. As nice as it was for Pax to bring me here once, it surely wouldn’t happen again.

  “What do you think, human?”

  Pax was close behind me, his deep voice rumbling in my ear. A surge of heat coursed through my body and I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the deep, urgent desire that was beginning to consume me.

  But when I opened them again, it hadn’t gone away, and I turned to face the strong Verian man, whose eyes were steady upon mine.

  “This is really incredible,” I said, my heart beating hard in my ears. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  A small smile creased his lips, and suddenly his eyes were dark upon mine, flashing as he seemed suddenly to sense my desire.

  Suddenly his hands were on my shoulders, and another strong surge of heat overwhelmed me. His power was shocking and impressive, and I gasped despite myself.

  “Do you accept my claim yet, human?”

  My body was engulfed in fire, and I wanted more than anything in the world to accept it if it meant that he would be able to relieve the deep ache that his body had awakened within me.

  And yet I just couldn’t bring myself to accept. I was still a prisoner. I couldn’t allow myself to succumb to him fully, no matter how badly I wanted him.

  “I understand,” he said, dropping his lips against my clavicle. An explosion of bliss rocked my body, and I shuddered, melting against the touch of his strong, long fingers brushing against my back and pulling me closer to him. I had been waiting a long time to be with him, without even fully realizing that was what my body had been longing for. Now that it was happening, I was completely overwhelmed.

  Pax’s hands were suddenly resting on my waist, sending little trails of fire down my spine. I was weightless now, in the air, Pax’s hands supporting my full weight and pressing me against the wall. I moaned as he began to strip me slowly, devouring my body with his lips. I was consumed by the heat of his lips pressed against me, and pleasantly shocked by the feeling of his hard arousal pressed firmly against my middle. Tendrils of pleasure began to snake across my body, and I shuddered against his touch.

  “You are beautiful, Yula,” Pax said, his expression full of wonderment as he pinched a lock of my hair between his fingers and then caressed my cheek.

  I couldn’t answer. I had never heard anything like that before, though I had caught some people looking at me before. Pax’s words were nothing like this, and I froze up a little bit, unsure of how to feel about them.

  Before I had to consider it too much, I was swept up in the motion of Pax stripping himself, and I gaped at his unbelievable body. He was flawless, all but a scar across his broad chest. I touched it gently without thinking and felt him tense up under my hand.

  “What happened there?” I asked quietly.

  The moment was oddly intimate, and all I wanted to do was to go back in time and somehow prevent this perfect body from being injured, nearly forgetting that he was part of a warrior race that was hell-bent on destroying my people.

  “It’s nothing,” he said gently, taking my hand in his and lowering it to his waist. “A lot of things can happen with a life such as mine.”

  I appreciated his careful response, and suddenly his lips were pressed against mine, the shocking power of desire making my legs weak. Fortunately, Pax was still supporting my body, and suddenly, it was rocked by an explosion of bliss as he entered me swiftly.

  I cried out in pleasure, surprised by the delicious, creeping heat that engulfed me as Pax began to press himself deeper inside me, his member swift and strong, gently massaging the most sensitive parts of me and consuming me with ecstasy.

  My back was pressed against the glittering rocks of the mine, and Pax’s mouth found the soft mound of my breast, his lips gentle and warm as he massaged my nipple with his tongue and brought me that much closer to my climax.

  I moaned deeply as Pax’s powerful hips began to thrust in earnest, my body responding to every subtle movement of his body. I held tightly to his shoulders, moaning softly as he brought me closer and closer to the height of my pleasure. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and with a sudden explosive action, Pax’s body was driving me to the edge of my pleasure.

  My body began quaking, and I drank in a deep breath, my back arching as Pax held me steady and continued to thrust evenly inside me, our bodies becoming one as I was driven to the edge of my pleasure. A hot explosion of ecstasy suddenly erupted inside of me, and I shuddered, my pleasure enhanced by the testament to the Verian man’s longing.

  I panted as Pax pulled away from me, dressing himself quickly and turning his back on me politely so that I could do the same. I watched him as I pulled the dress back on, his rippling muscles quickly concealed by the clothing he had to don. It was many layers, as the Verian race wore very militant uniforms, and were supposed to wear them with pride at all times.

  “We should leave soon, Yula,” Pax said once we were both fully dressed. “It is no good to ride the thuse in the dark. The atmosphere at night is much more dangerous, even with a suit on. I would like to make sure that you are safe and do not suffer.”

  My heart warmed at his concern, bu
t I turned away before I could show him how I felt. I wasn’t even sure that the Verians could tap into human emotion, but it was clear that, at least to some extent, we had been able to empathize with one another.

  I wandered around for a few more minutes, fascinated by the incredible inner world of the planet Helna. When it came time to climb out and get on the thuse, the drastic change of the comfortable, beautiful atmosphere inside of the mine versus the barren, sad environment of the plant Helna. I felt a sudden profound sadness for Pax, who was walking ahead and playing with the bars of the thuse as he waited for me to catch up. He was much taller than I was, and strode along easily.

  Was it so wrong for his people to need somewhere to live when the planet they were on was in the process of dying? It wasn’t even safe to walk out in the air here. Why couldn’t humans and Verians just get along?

  “Are you ready, Yula?” Pax asked.

  I opened my mouth, wanting so badly to say all the things that were swimming in my mind, but I clamped it shut really quickly and nodded.

  “All right. Good,” Pax said, mounting the thuse and smiling at me. “Let’s get back. The Pelin will give us dinner.”

  I nodded and climbed on the thuse, wrapping my arms around Pax’s strong body. It felt a lot more natural now, and I leaned against him all the way home, my mind swimming with memories of the night and the strange feeling I was beginning to have that maybe, this man wasn’t nearly as awful as I had originally thought.

  Chapter 7

  Second-in-Command Pax Curad

  Instead of lingering around the house for dinner, as soon as I dropped the human off at the house, I got a message from the palace and had to leave. I wasn’t very happy about it, as my stomach was rumbling, but the food there was fairly good, so I went to where I was beckoned without too much concern.

  Still, some small part of me was disappointed not to be able to enjoy a meal with the Yula after the evening we had spent together, but at the same time, it was better to get a little bit of space so we could each reflect on what had happened. Although she was reluctant to accept my claim on her, we had made progress. What that progress meant to me and what it meant to her, however, could be very different.

  “Pax!”

  “Doyan…”

  I hadn’t been looking forward to seeing my brother, but it was beginning to feel urgent to understand what was going on with the planet.

  “Where have you been? I have been needing you here.”

  “Sorry, brother. I was in a place without any signal.”

  “What? Why?”

  I gritted my teeth. It was not his business where and how I spent my time, but at the same time, I was eager to be on his good side to try to put the pieces together of what his plans really were. He wasn’t letting me in on them, but it was starting to become frighteningly clear to me that I wasn’t going to be able to be able to see my brother as a man of dignity who had the good of the planet in mind.

  “I had to see if there was anything the human could do with the geodas.”

  “Ah. Was she able to come up with anything?” Grod asked.

  “No,” I said, looking away guiltily, my mind returning to the tryst in the geoda mine. I had never experienced anything so intense before. It had somehow made me feel stronger; gave me a rush of adrenaline. It almost felt as if I could take on all the armies of Earth on my own and win with no problem.

  “That’s unfortunate,” Grod said, eyeing me skeptically. “I need you to return to Earth. We are launching the attack to end the separation of worlds.”

  I was shocked by the news and gaped at my brother in disbelief.

  “When?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow night. Lead all the other troops with you. But do not attack until my command.”

  “And where will you be?” I asked, surprising both of us with the force of my question. I didn’t have any real reason to be angry, but the suspicion in my voice was unmistakable, and I could only hope that my brother was still self-absorbed enough that he would think nothing of it.

  “I know, you nearly died the last time you were on that wretched planet. But this time I will make sure you get the proper amount of Vari-X to take to Earth with you.”

  “All right,” I said darkly. “If you promise that to be the case.”

  “Of course,” Grod said, a sickening smile on his face. “You are my brother, and I will make sure that you are taken care of.”

  I nodded. “Dershalga.”

  The sickening smile on Grod’s face spread further, and I turned away, rage bubbling in my chest. I decided to head to the dining hall of the palace to get something to eat before I left.

  All I could think about was the book I had received from the elder. Once I was finished eating, I headed back to my home, disappointed to find that the human had already retired for the night and I wouldn’t get a chance to see her again until the morning.

  “Welcome home, Commander.”

  “Thank you, Kera,” I said absently, heading to my study and taking out the book. My heart thudded as I flipped through it, learning more about the complex relationship that the doyans in my family had with the Larex. It was very deeply entrenched, and the more I learned about it, the more afraid I became.

  The Larex wanted us, essentially to destroy ourselves. They were the biggest bullies in the universe. I was tired from the day I’d had, but I couldn’t find myself winding down at all, not now that I was just beginning to understand what was really going on.

  “What are you doing?”

  I was snapped out of my research by the soft voice of the human. Ali was standing in the doorway of my office, dressed in a form-fitting white sleeping gown. My body responded immediately to her, and I sat the binder back down on my desk and motioned for her to come inside.

  “I’m researching,” I said, trying to keep the concern out of my voice. For some reason, I wanted to be able to protect her at all costs, no matter what.

  “Anything interesting?” she asked, her beautiful, clear eyes looking down at the binder.

  “Oh, nothing much,” I lied.

  Ali quirked her brow at me, and I felt suddenly ashamed of myself as if she could tell that I was lying. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that were truly the case.

  “All right, but please try not to panic,” I sighed.

  Ali scooted forward in her seat and focused her full attention upon me.

  “I am going to Earth tomorrow. The war is going to begin.”

  Ali paled, and a soft gasp escaped her lips.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But there’s something even more.”

  Ali grimaced with trepidation, but she nodded bravely as if she were ready to accept whatever horrible truth he was about to impart to her.

  “I am concerned,” I said quietly, glancing around the room. I doubted that there was anybody who would go back to Grod with the knowledge that I was privy to his plans, but that was still difficult. It was hard to say what lengths my brother would go to in order to stay in control.

  “What are you concerned about?” Ali asked just as quietly.

  I hesitated, and then slid the binder across the desk at her, opening it to the same page that had been shown to me initially.

  “Those are some ugly guys,” Ali said, laughing softly.

  “Their actions and behaviors are even more ugly,” I said.

  Ali’s face grew serious as she began to read through the information, and I found myself impressed by her knowledge of the Verian language.

  “Do you think this is what he’s doing?” she whispered, her voice hushed and afraid.

  “I do,” I said, my stomach in knots. Apparently, the human was just as aware of how dangerous the information might be and was reluctant to speak the terrible truth out loud.

  “God…”

  I nodded.

  “So what are we going to do?”

  I was surprised by the serious look in the human’s eye. She was ready to
do whatever it took, and I considered this for a moment, the strange strength that had been so obvious after my tryst with Ali. It was then I knew that, no matter what, we were going to save the Verian race, and the human race, all together.

  “We are going to take care of it. You will come with me tomorrow. You will get your weapon ready, and we are going to fight.”

  Ali’s eyes widened.

  “I’m going back to Earth?”

  I nodded, smiling despite myself. “That’s right.”

  She grinned, but briefly, and then her face grew dark and pensive. She was quiet for a few moments, and I waited patiently for her to find her words again.

  “I’ve been thinking about that weapon,” she admitted. “I think we can really do this.”

  I smiled at her. “I know we can.”

  Her beautiful eyes lingered upon mine, and she reached across the desk and took my hand in hers.

  “Then let’s do it.”

  ***

  “Ready for launch!”

  Ali’s eyes were round as she watched the Verians moving frantically about the cab of the ship, with Kera standing beside her with his big hand over hers soothingly. Most of the men knew better than to give her the dirty looks that they wanted to give her. They thought we were going to Earth to fight the humans, but what they didn’t know was that there was something more sinister that was about to take place.

  “Ready.”

  “Remember my orders,” I said over the speakers to every ship in the fleet. “Only I will actually land on Earth. Everyone else must stay vigilant. Form a link around the Earth.”

  “Understood!”

  I nodded, and soon we were taking off into the vastness of space.

  Ali kept her eyes forward, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride; I knew that this human, who I had claimed whether she wanted to admit it or not, was considering doing whatever she had to do to protect her planet from the destructive Larex. I wished I could speak freely to her about it, but nobody, save for Ali, Kera, and I, knew the full scope of just what was going on.