by Starr, Maia
“What the hell was that?” I asked still trying to catch my breath.
He turned to me and looked at me up and down. He didn't speak for a full two seconds as he looked at me. I furrowed my brows at him.
“How the hell am I supposed to know, human?”
“Because you are so well-traveled and I am just naive.”
He didn't say anything he just gave me a look. Then he continued to look around. “We need to keep going. When we were in the air, I saw something that looked like salt flats. That will be a good place to rest. This jungle looks like it is full of all kinds of crap, probably things that want to eat us. Let's keep going,” he said.
I looked up into the sky. There were two suns, one very small and one larger. I could already feel the humidity of the jungle as the coldness of the lake began to wear off. My sweater was heavy, filled with water. I pulled it off and rung the water out of it. I already felt better in my tank top. I tied the sweater around my waist. The soldier turned to look at me. His eyes moved directly to my breasts. I rolled my eyes.
“Which way are these salt flats?”
“This way; follow me. Stay close behind. I don't know what is out here. Even the vines might wrap around you and take you away. Don't harm anything; it won't harm you in return. Tread lightly,” he said.
I looked ahead at the thick jungle that we were entering. “Oh yeah, tread lightly. That's impossible.”
“Must you have something to say about everything?” he said.
He entered the jungle, and I followed him closely behind. We were moving fast; his stride was twice the size of mine because he was so tall. I struggled to keep up but kept up nonetheless. Now that we were walking, I had the opportunity to ask questions. I needed to know a lot of information that he had been withholding.
“Now, you are going to answer my questions. Who are you? Why were you there to save me? And what the hell do you know about Imuna? I demand some answers?”
“Demand? You demand?” he laughed.
“Yes, I demand, damn it!” I said.
He turned and put his hand over my mouth. I could feel the heat from his body on my skin.
“Quiet. No shouting. We don't know what else is inside the jungle. You could be guiding them straight to us. It might not just be creatures and critters that are out here; there could be entire hostile tribes. Do you understand?”
I nodded my head yes.
“Good,” he said quietly. Then he continued walking. I looked around at the jungle with a different perspective. I could suddenly see how an alien species could be hiding in the jungle watching us, ready to pop out at us. They would take us captive. I walked quickly catching up with him.
“As to your questions, I will answer all of them once we find a spot to rest. For now, I need to walk in silence so I can listen to any signs of activity. I need to concentrate, and I can't do that with you rattling off in my ear. When we get to the salt flats, it will be a clearer place, and I will answer all your questions then. For now, shut up.”
I gasped. How dare he tell me to shut up. But he was right; I wanted him focused too. I wanted him to be able to pick up any signs that we might be followed, no matter what was following us. I had already seen the type of crazy creatures that were on this unknown purple planet. I did not want to be a meal for any of them.
Chapter Five
Commander Manha Ayre
This human female was unbearable. She was constantly doing something to make it harder for us. I didn't know how Evex Ein did it with his human. But then of course, when I saw her wet, I understood. She had taken off the bulky sweater, and underneath was a tight fitted shirt with small straps. Her hard nipples were piercing through the fabric. It nearly took my breath away; I couldn't speak for what felt like a full minute. I felt like a fool. Seeing a female was not out of the ordinary for me. I had seen many in my time of all different species, but human females were rare. I had only seen the one that was with Evex Ein, and one other human female many years ago. But that one was not dressed the way this one was. Nor did she have the fire-red hair, and spirit. There was something about this human female; she was both aggravating and arousing me at the same time. It was driving me mad.
“Finally, the jungle ends,” I said as the jungle began to grow sparse and the salt flats were in sight. I quickened stride across the grass. It was a rocky terrain covered in salt. It was such a strange sight to see something so barren next to something so lush. But the barren landscape would be safer for us. Anything could hide in that jungle right underneath your feet.
“Thank God,” she said.
There was a large outcrop of rocks in front of us. I quickly made my way to them. The human female followed behind. When I got to the bottom of the rocks, I opened up one of the bags. I pulled out a thermos filled with water. I took a drink and then handed it to her. She gave me a look.
“It is water. Don't you trust me?”
“No, I do not.”
“Well, you just saw me drink out of it. So whatever poison you think this is, I will be dead in no time.” I took another drink. “Stay thirsty if you want to,” I said noticing just how tired and sweaty she was. The humid air in the jungle was making us lose lots of fluid, and that was dangerous. I handed it to her again. She rolled her eyes and took it from me. She took a long drink.
“I'm going to climb up to get a better look. Stay here,” I said as I started to climb. It was only about twenty feet high, not too much of a climb. I made easy work of it. I got to the top and scanned the horizon.
“There is a faint glow in the distance. I think it is from lights. It could be a village or city. It looks to be about fifteen to twenty miles. We could make it in a day, but the suns are starting to set.”
“What does that mean for us?” she said.
I climbed back down to her. “It means we will head in the direction of those lights. There were a few rock outcrops that I saw on the way. But we won't make it to that light source by nightfall. It is dangerous to roam around at night; we don't know what is out here either. We will get to that outcrop and make camp. Then at sunrise, we will continue in that direction of the light source. If we hurry, we can get to that outcrop before it is completely dark.”
“Great, more walking,” she sighed.
“Don't worry when we get there you can rest as much as you like. I don't know how many hours a night time last on this planet. It could be five, it could be twenty. But I guess we are going to find out,” I said starting out in the direction of the lights.
“Twenty hours! What the hell can we do with twenty hours of night?”
“I bet I could think of something,” I mumbled.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Keep walking. Drink all of that water if you like. There is more,” I said.
“I already drank it,” she said.
I laughed.
One hour later, the two suns were making their last light on the horizon as they dipped below. We arrived at the outcrop of rocks. Now that we were closer, I could see the light source in the distance. With the suns going down, it was brighter. It definitely was a village or city of some kind. I was relieved to see it.
“Right here. I'm going to have a look around, make sure that it is safe. Make sure that this isn't the home of some sort of creature. Stay right there,” I said to her.
“You sure like ordering me around,” she said.
I laughed. I looked around the entire area of the rock outcropping. There was one large rock with a shear wall. Underneath it would be a perfect camp spot. It was flat and just barren ground; around the back side were smaller boulders, the perfect place for smaller critters, but no large creatures. I returned to the human female.
“We are good. We can set up camp here, but no fires.”
“Finally,” she said sitting on a large boulder.
“I pulled off the three bags that I had draped over my body. I set them on the ground. I looked at her as she sat there looking at me.
>
“That bag you carry, it has food. Nothing fancy, mostly food bars that us soldiers take with us in emergency situations like these. It has all the nutrients one could need.”
She quickly pulled off the bag and set it on her lap. She opened it and began to dig through it, eagerly. I enjoyed watching her. I opened one of the bags that I had and pulled out a long tarp. I rolled it out. It was massive, one that stretched longer than it looked like it would. It was Ition technology. I laid it on the ground against the rock wall. I moved the fabric up the wall; it stuck to it perfectly. Then I stopped and allowed the fabric to fall in a triangle. I grabbed the end of it and snapped it to the other end. This made a nice tent, nice and closed where no critters could crawl in from any sides. I opened a small doorway.
“Wow, that's amazing.”
“Yes, and also blends in with the environment. Anyone passing not too far away would continue to pass.”
I sat down on a boulder next to her. She threw a food bar at me. I caught it and took off the wrapping. I began to eat and drink water. I looked up into the sky for signs of any ships. It would let me know if the village we were headed to had ships coming and going.
“So what is your plan if that light in the distance is a village or city?”
“My plan is to buy a ship and continue on my journey.”
“Good, now tell me what is that journey. You owe me answers. What is your name? Why did you come rescue me? And where is Imuna?”
“My name is Commander Manha Ayre. I came to rescue you because it was my mission. I was following orders, and Imuna is with Leader Evex Ein,” I said.
“Why? Why is she with him? What has he done to her? Is she his prisoner? His slave? Why won't he let her go?” she asked.
I laughed. It was all that I could do to laugh. “She is none of those things. She is his lover, his wife. Trust me when I say that she wants to be there.”
“What? No? I don't believe you.”
“It is true.”
“Then there must be a reason for it. She must be protecting something by allowing herself to be his wife. She is probably doing it to protect the Earth system.”
“I think you don't know your friend at all. Now I have answered your questions, answer mine. What is your name, human female?”
“She is not my friend. I do not know her personally. I just know of her. I am only saying that a human female would not willingly be with an Ition like that. My name is Karina Nolin.”
“Well, Karina, you are wrong.”
“Wait, you said that I was your mission? What? That makes no sense,” she said.
“Yes. My orders were to rescue the human female that the Yinta captured. That is you. When Evex heard that they captured a human, he gave me the order immediately.”
“Why? Why would Evex want to rescue a human female?”
“I am not at liberty to discuss Evex’s motives,” I said.
“And where exactly is she? Where are we going?” she asked.
“That is enough talking,” I said.
She sighed in frustration. “I’m going to get some sleep. I can’t trust anything that comes out of your mouth. You are an Ition, and they never tell the truth. You are just tricking me. But since I can’t run away and be out in this crap alone, I am just going to get some rest.”
She stomped off inside the tent. I sat outside a little longer, eating and drinking. I watch the skies, and before too long, I saw a few faint lights headed toward that village. They were coming in from space and headed down. I smiled. There were ships there, and it was some sort of city or landing port base. I would be able to purchase a ship to get us out of here. I had to. I never failed a mission. Besides, I didn't know how much longer I could be alone with this human female without taking her into my arms and showing her just how much I always got what I wanted.
Chapter Six
Karina Nolin
I did not believe him. I could never believe an Ition. He was lying to me. He was tricking me. But I had no choice but to stay with him. I couldn't be out on this planet alone, after seeing that creature in the water; it would be better to have this soldier with me to protect me. After all, he did rescue me from General Mez for whatever reason. I didn't believe that it was because Evex Ein ordered him to. Why would he? It didn't make any sense. Nothing he said makes sense. Why would Imuna be the wife of Evex Ein on purpose? No, Commander Ayre had something up his sleeve, but I didn't know what it was.
I needed sleep. After sleep then I could figure it out, be stronger. The long journey and adventure of being captured were wearing on me. I crawled into the tent that he made. I had to admit that it was impressive. It was completely closed off, making me feel secure. I closed the entrance that I had entered, pressing the material together. It did come in handy, this fabric, whatever it was. I moved to the corner and laid down. I pulled the sweater off that I had tied around my waist and folded it to use it as a pillow. I put my head down and felt comfortable, or maybe I was just very tired.
I kept my eyes open, staring toward the flap waiting for him to crawl in. I didn't know if I could sleep close to him like this. There was something extremely frustrating about him, but something else... sexy. He was mysterious and dangerous, and I found myself thinking that it was intriguing. What the hell was wrong with me? This Ition was nothing but a liar and full of tricks. I couldn't find him attractive. No matter how tall, and how strong he was. No matter how impressive his flying skills and maneuvering was. Even his survival skills were making me feel safe and taken care of. I hated him for making me feel that. As I thought about this anger, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Before I knew it, I couldn't keep them open any longer. I fell into a deep sleep. I hoped the night would go by quickly, and not be a twenty-hour night like he thought. Although getting twenty hours of sleep sounded like heaven.
In the night, I grew cold. It didn't wake me up completely, but I was aware of it. It made sense that these salt flats would get cold after the sun went down. I felt myself shivering, but then the shivering went away. It grew warm again. I fell back into a deep sleep.
I don't know how much time had passed, but I rolled a bit; that was when I felt a hard, strong body behind me, spooning me. It was then that I realized that Commander Ayre was the source of the heat that I had been feeling. The heat was radiating from his body keeping me warm. But how dare he snuggle up to me like this. I sat up fully awake. I put my hand on his shoulder and pushed him back.
“What do you think you are doing? You can't sleep with me like that,” I said annoyed that my body was already responding to it. It felt good. I wasn't going to tell him that.
He slowly opened his eyes. He looked at me confused. Then he said in a thick husky voice that made him sound like he was barely awake, “You were shivering. I was only keeping you warm.”
His words were actually sweet. But of course, I wasn't going to tell him that.
“Well, I can put my sweater on. You don't need to wrap yourself around me,” I said.
He sat up, fully awake. Even the in the darkness I could see him staring at me.
“Are you humans ever grateful for anything? I rescued you. I brought the ship down safely when we could have been blown to bits. Now I try to keep you warm in this shelter I have made, and all you can do is bitch about all of it.”
I was shocked. Did this ruthless Ition soldier want a thank you? It couldn't be.
“You did all of that just so that you could abduct me. You still hold me against my will. I want to find my friend; that is the only reason I have not run away from you.”
“Is it? Is it the only reason, Karina?”
He came closer, putting just an inch between us. “Or is there something else driving you? Something you don't want to admit?”
“I...”
“Admit it. Say it.”
“No, I…” But I couldn't finish my words. I felt confused at the moment. Then in the darkness, his lips pressed against mine. I couldn't believe it was happening, bu
t I also didn't want it to stop. I wanted him to keep going. I was completely surprised when my hands went up around his neck, pushing my fingers into his hair. It was as if they had a mind of their own. I didn't know what was happening. I kissed him back. My mouth opened, letting his tongue in. I could feel his strength as he pressed his body against me. His chest was so strong. I wanted to touch every inch of him. My hands slid down from his neck over his chest. It went straight for the open V area of his gray uniform. I felt his skin underneath my fingertips. I could feel his strength underneath my fingers. I let my hands slide into the uniform where I could feel his hard pecs.
He groaned as I touched him. I'm moaned into his mouth. I was kissing this dark and mysterious alien, an Ition commander. He was not to be trusted. This kissing was probably part of his trick. He was seducing me in order to manipulate me, but even thinking that I couldn't stop myself. He pressed against me, and I responded laying back until I was on my back. His hand moved up my body. I let out a whimper; I was scared but aroused. I didn't know what he was going to do; I just kept kissing him and letting him touch me. His large hand moved up the side of my body until it was on top of my breast. I could feel that my nipple was hard. He found it with his fingertips and pinched just a little. I groaned. I could feel the moisture gathering between my thighs and I felt embarrassed by it. He was doing this to me; I desired him. His hand pulled the material of my tank top up until his warm hand was resting on my belly, then it went up under my shirt. His hand touched the naked skin of my breast. Fondling one breast and then the other. I gasped with pleasure. His large hand felt so good on me. Rubbing my chest. I felt like a lustful woman doing something wrong, so very wrong. I was letting the enemy have control over me, letting him touch me in ways that he should not be touching me. His kind wanted to take over my home, the entire Earth system, and yet here I was kissing the enemy. Moaning and wiggling underneath him as his hands gave me pleasure. His lips kissed me with deep passion. This was lust. It was nothing more. It couldn't be... could it?
