by Mel Teshco
Blood, thick and hot, poured through her veins, nerve endings once again flaring into wanton life.
But it wasn’t until he bucked to meet her rhythm, then jammed against her G-spot before shocking her with his charge, that she fell completely apart, yelling his name while his seed spewed deep inside, flooding her already wet channel.
Long moments later, with his fingers interlinked behind her head, he coaxed her downward so that he could kiss her, nibbling and stroking his tongue over her lower lip. She sank against him, taking his all and returning it in full.
His mouth left hers as he pressed kisses along her jaw and up to her ear. When he pulled her earlobe into his mouth and suckled hard, instant shock waves danced straight to her toes and back, shivers cascading along her spine.
She reared back, his serious gaze catching hers before he said gently, “I really do love you, Princess.”
She swallowed, a whole maelstrom of emotions threatening to overcome her. “I know you do,” she said weakly in reply. “And I really do love you too.” At least those words weren’t a lie. Had never been a lie.
But a worried frown met her words. It wasn’t until he raised a hand and carefully wiped a tear away from her face that she realized why.
“Come here and lie with me,” he said huskily. “Let’s sleep while the rain still falls.”
She sucked in a shuddering breath. For one last time, she’d enjoy the novelty of falling asleep his arms, but come tomorrow there’d be no more lies.
Come what may, she’d tell him the truth.
The decision lifted a great weight off her shoulders. And as calm descended she drifted asleep…
It was a delicious sensation, waking to Genesis’ arms around her, his thigh stretched possessively across her legs, holding her to him.
“Wake up, my sleepy princess,” he murmured.
Colin lay on his back alongside her outstretched arm and as she turned in Genesis’ arms to face him, the zadmet grumbled with the odd snuffling sound she’d grown used to. She smiled at Colin’s jealousy, but her smile soon died at Genesis’ somber expression; at the realization the rain was no more.
And at the piercing knowledge it was her time to confess.
“You’re leaving,” she stated matter-of-factly.
He nodded. “Yes. I shouldn’t be here, the storm passed long ago. And besides which, you have only a short sentence left now to be served.”
She nodded, not surprised her half a mera was almost done. “Of course. You should go.”
Maybe once he was on his cercanne and about to leave, she’d have the guts to speak the truth.
She watched as he climbed to his feet, his cock already thickening as he looked down at her naked form. He shrugged. “Seems there are some things I can’t control.” He proffered a hand. “Come, get dressed, I want to show you something before I leave.”
She sat, somehow reassured by the shifting weight of the gem at her throat as she accepted his clasp. “Another surprise?”
He pulled her upright with flared nostrils, as though scenting the aroma of sex they’d created. “Something like that.”
He tugged on his pants and she slipped on her dress. Then taking her hand once again, he led her through the hanging shield with Colin at their heels. Outside the most amazing sight greeted her eyes. The red sand was no more. Bright and colorful flowers bloomed amongst the carpet of mottled green and red grass.
She pressed a hand to her gaping mouth, drinking in the glorious, incredible scenery. It was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. “This is…it’s amazing,” she whispered.
“I thought you might enjoy it,” he said with a smile in his voice. He bent down, getting her to lift one of her feet and then the other as he removed the coverings.
“What are you doing?”
“For a good Earth day or two you won’t need these,” he explained. “It’s time to feel the grass under your feet.”
Funny, when they’d made love earlier, her foot coverings had been the only thing that’d stayed on. But she couldn’t repress excitement at actually being able to walk barefooted—on grass!
He plucked a bloom from nearby, then straightened and proffered it to her, “And enjoy the flowers.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, holding the large blue bloom to her chest and staring wide-eyed all around her.
This planet might normally be an unrelenting red, but with flowers of every color imaginable glittering as though gems from a carpet of vibrant green and red grass, it was as colorful a world as one could possibly imagine.
Her toes curled into the spongy, moss-soft grass underfoot. She looked up at Genesis. “Everything grew in such a short time.”
He nodded. “The suns ensure it will all wilt in a short time too, perhaps two Earth days. The sands absorb every drop of water, giving life to the bulbs and seeds waiting underground for their moment of glory.”
“And here I was imagining I might get flooded out after seeing the bolishtas run for higher ground.
He grinned. “The bolishtas hate storms, more to the point, they hate rain, hate getting their feet wet. And though the desert sands absorb even the heaviest downpour, water can still lie deep enough to splatter their hooves.”
She searched out the herd in question. They were tucking into the grass beneath the spectacular carpet of color. She shook her head. “So they can climb vertically without blinking, but water sends them crazy?”
“That’s about it.”
One of the bolishtas broke away from the rest of the herd to buck and prance, evidently delighting in the special moment of unlimited feed that undoubtedly also gave them a boost of energy.
She grinned as something unfurled within, an urge to join in the spontaneous moment. She swung Genesis a cheeky look. “Run with me.”
He frowned. “What?” He glanced around. “There’s no need—”
She grabbed his hand and tugged hard. Laughing, she pulled him into a sprint with her through the endless field of flowers, until out of breath, she all but collapsed onto the ground, dragging Genesis down with her. On top of her.
His eyes glinted as he looked down, not even breathing hard. “We should do this fun stuff more often.”
She giggled. “It’s nice to know an Earth girl can teach you Carèchians a thing or two.”
“You might be an Earth girl,” he said huskily, “but never forget you’re also half Carèchian.”
“The best of both worlds?”
“Most definitely.”
He kissed her then, slow, searching. “I’ve already overstayed,” he said at last.
She nodded. “I know.” But a selfish streak to prolong the moment and put off having to tell him the truth, had her blurt, “Just lie beside me, for just a minute…please.”
He acquiesced, lying in the grass and looking up into the sky, her head moving to nestle on his shoulder while red clouds scudded across an even redder sky. Tiny insects droned around them, no doubt taking advantage of the flower buffet.
“I never thought to see such a sight,” she whispered. “It’s beyond anything I could have imagined.”
Colin abruptly bounded from seemingly nowhere. He landed on Genesis’ hard torso and tucked into a comical roll before swinging around, wide eyes revealing his playful mode.
She and Genesis sat upright simultaneously, wanting to avoid an accidental swipe from the zadmet’s dangerous claws. She looked at Genesis as he looked at her, their sudden burst of laughter filling the air.
And in that moment she realized she’d never been more content.
Genesis pulled her up with him as he pushed to his feet, his stare turning thoughtful as he lifted a hand and traced the markings on her throat. “I promise we’ll be together soon, my intended. My wife. Less than five Earth days and we’ll never be separated again.”
Oh, Genesis.
She felt suddenly faint. She should tell him. Right now.
But as Colin wound through her legs as if an Earth cat
, Genesis stepped behind her. His hands moved downward along the web-thin fabric that covered her breasts, his fingertips gently kneading her hardening nipples before he continued downward.
Her head lolled back and she leaned against all his hard, protective strength, remaining wordless while butterflies danced in her belly, liquid heat rushing to her pussy and anticipation quickening her pulse.
But his touch strayed no farther than her belly, where his fingers possessively interlinked. His breath warm on her throat, he murmured, “Our baby could be forming here right now. Our future. Our legacy.”
Her breath hitched. Shock. Denial. Hope. But as emotions rolled over her one after the other, her heart never once ceased to flutter with wonder. She’d never factored children into her future, it’d always been an impossible dream. Now…it could well be a reality.
And if he wants the baby but not you when he learns the truth?
She closed her eyes, real fear clutching at her innards as though a fist. She couldn’t even contemplate such a thought. But she also couldn’t live with the web of lies she’d spun any longer. Her voice cracked. “Genesis, there’s something I need to tell you.”
His arms stiffened around her. “This sounds serious.”
She nodded, biting her lip. “It is.”
His hands moved from her middle to rest on her hips in what she had to wonder was an involuntary withdrawal. Was he aware just how momentous her next words would be?
“I’m listening,” he said quietly.
She opened her mouth but the words wouldn’t come. Wouldn’t squeeze past the lump in her throat. She turned in his hold and looked up. He stared at her expectantly, waiting patiently, and then not so patiently, and all the while her heart thudded faster and faster, a cold sweat forming on her brow.
“Eden?”
Colin abruptly hissed and dived for cover, causing her to swing her wide-eyed stare away from Genesis and toward the sudden clomping of bolishta hooves, made so much louder in the long grass. She pressed a hand to her mouth as Trasean and Auron rode toward them, their expressions grim, hard.
They knew.
She no longer faced Genesis, but he fairly radiated disquiet beside her, even before he asked the men, “Something to tell me?”
Auron’s fierce stare landed on her, his lip curling. “I’m guessing you haven’t let our prince in on your little secret.”
The world slowly revolved around her before steadying. But it didn’t stop the nausea from swirling within, the hot flush sweeping up her neck. It didn’t stop the lash of Genesis’ stare.
Trasean wasn’t looking at her, his grim eyes assessed Genesis, clearly gauging his reaction before imparting anything further.
Genesis remained immobile, but his query that was directed her way betrayed a whole world of hurt as he asked quietly, “What is this all about?”
She could only be thankful the two alien males allowed her a moment to answer and to at last tell the truth. She turned to her husband. “I’m not who you think I am.”
His nostrils flared, shock causing his eyes to chill. “You’re not…Eden?”
She wondered right then if the vast world of Carèche had suddenly shrank, enclosed them into a sphere where it was just her and him. “No,” she said hoarsely, “I mean, yes, I’m Eden. But…I’m not the firstborn.”
Chapter Eleven
Genesis’ gut churned as the truth unfolded. She wasn’t his intended? It was his worst nightmare come true. Denial was his last vestige of hope when he croaked, “Then your brother is the firstborn?”
Her face paled. “I have no brother,” she admitted in a whisper. “I lied. I have a…a sister.”
Shock paralyzed his muscles, froze his ability to speak.
She lifted a small hand, her eyes stricken. “I’m sorry, Genesis.”
He heard her voice as if from a great distance away, somehow perceived his men’s pitying looks even as rage crept into his shocked psyche, tearing down his emotional defenses until something raw and bleak was left clutching at his soul.
She’d said she loved him, yet she’d deceived him at every opportunity. His fists curled into a knot at his sides even while a piece of his heart died.
He’d marked Eden, but she wasn’t his intended. She’d never been his intended. Breath sawed in and out of his lungs. They weren’t meant to be together and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Did he even want to be with her now? She’d manipulated him at every corner.
Oh, fuck. He did. He really, really did.
Eden bit into her bottom lip, clearly scared, exhausted and too damn thin. “Aline, my sister…she never wanted this life,” she explained, voice soft but somehow strong. “When you arrived on Earth and mistook me for her, all I wanted was to protect her and allow her to be happy.”
His jaw clenched so hard he wondered how his teeth didn’t crack from the pressure. “And what about your happiness?” he asked. “Our happiness?”
“Aline is very beautiful,” she said dully, “I believe you’ll come to love each other very much and make one another very…happy.”
He stared at her with disbelief. That was all she had to say to him? No fighting to stay with him? No sobbing apology? No begging for mercy?
No. Nothing.
“So all we’ve shared has been a lie?” he asked bleakly, hoping against hope she’d reveal at least a spark of feeling. Any feeling.
She opened her mouth as if in denial, then her lips pressed together. After a long moment she nodded, her eyes clouding over. “I…yes.”
He wanted to shake her, to shout and tell her to at least pretend she cared, but as though his anger had reached boiling point and beyond, his emotions abruptly cooled. He swung away from her without a word and with long strides headed in the direction of his cercanne.
He needed time alone, needed to clear his head.
Trasean and Auron dismounted from their bolishtas, following him at a respectful distance to retrieve their own cercannes nearby. He didn’t try to stop them. Hell, from the moment the monitor had revealed the image of the Earth woman, Aline, they’d no doubt formed an instant connection to her, mistakenly believing she was their intended too.
The audio would have revealed Aline’s true identity soon enough, not to mention the fact she’d have been flagged at the same location as Eden.
Yeah, his men would understand at least a little of his torment.
But right then he was void of anything except the need to escape the bitter hurt that would soon come howling back into life.
Once on his cercanne, he didn’t look back. He couldn’t even consider the woman he loved whose betrayal cut deep. He leaned forward, pushing his cercanne hard.
His men would catch him when he was ready and not before.
The landscape around him was no longer wondrous to behold, it was overly bright and pretentious. It was…false. And he wanted the return of the barren red desert with something close to desperation. The flowers and grass might well have covered the unrelenting sand, but it’d also inadvertently exposed the one secret he wished he’d never learned.
A flock of native kwahks burst from a particularly profuse patch of flowers, their dazzling plumage failing to rouse him from his dark thoughts. With each bird sporting a savage trio of serrated beaks, he only wished they’d attack him and, for a moment at least, make him forget everything but the will to survive.
He grimaced. He’d have fought to the death for Eden. And even now, knowing the truth, he couldn’t accept she wasn’t his true love, his true intended. No other woman could replace her, not even the sister pledged to him.
Especially not her sister.
But on this world, his feelings meant little. A long ago promise had been made between his and Eden’s parents. The people of Carèche would expect him to uphold that pledge.
A fierce swelling of denial built in his throat. The cercanne accelerated to its full speed. His head rocked back and he let loose a pained shout of
despair, careless for a moment he was riding without looking along dangerous terrain.
Only the instinct of self-preservation caused his focus to return ahead. Fang-sharp rocks the size of an Earth car loomed just ahead. Shit. He really had been lost in thought not to realize where he’d been headed. There were too many hidden dangers this close to the mountain, dangers that lay just beneath the sand until the rains hit.
He tipped the cercanne into a sideward slide, the fine red sand clouding into dust high around him.
Too late to stop.
The cercanne smashed into a boulder, throwing him clear. Air pushed out of his lungs, the impact leaving him dazed as he sprawled somewhere amongst the large rocks. But it was the stabbing pain in his chest with each new breath that left him dizzyingly aware he was hurt bad.
The shouts of Trasean and Auron sounded so far away as the blessed relief of darkness closed around him, quickly taking away all pain and awareness. All hurt.
But not before grief constricted his chest. He couldn’t die, not yet.
Eden was his intended. The mother of his future children.
~
Genesis looked out over the crowd of Carechians, the three once-mighty province nations gathered together to celebrate the announcement of his newly appointed settlement.
His mother and three fathers stood behind him on the dais, their pride and love restrained only by the knowledge that soon he’d be far away, claiming a chunk of the their savage world that needed his influence to maintain natural order.
He lifted his hands and a hush immediately fell over the crowd, a few of whom were Earth women and their resultant part-alien children. He smiled at the bright-eyed curiosity of one child. Their population was slowly growing, thanks to the Earth women and their ability to conceive with the men of Carèche.
He turned for a moment and directed another smile at his mother, the queen of Carèche, who’d once also been a queen on her planet Earth. She was a beautiful woman still, thanks to the longevity given by this world’s plants. But he was certain it was the love of her three husbands that’d given her a special inner glow that caused men of all ages to take a second, lingering look.
