Reign

by Elizabeth Kelly

  “All right?” He whispered.

  “Yes. It doesn’t hurt.”

  “Good.” He pushed again, sliding in a little further before pulling back.

  “Still good.” I clutched at his waist.

  He smiled at me and I watched his face as he used the same slow, gentle thrust and retreat motion until he was fully sheathed within me. He held perfectly still, a muscle ticking in his jaw and a vein throbbing in his temple, as I took a deep breath. I was stuffed full of his cock and my inner walls worked to stretch around the unexpected invasion. It was slightly uncomfortable, and a little strange feeling, but after a few minutes, even the discomfort disappeared. I shifted beneath him and Quill released his breath in a hiss.

  “Are you all right, sadora?”

  I stared at the vein that pulsed in his temple and the way he seemed to be almost in agony. “Yes. Are you?”

  “You are very tight,” he groaned. “I – I must move. Please.”

  I arched my hips against his and his warm breath washed over my face as he made a low groan before making three long and slow strokes. It didn’t hurt and I gave him an encouraging smile. “That’s good, Quill.”

  He closed his eyes and I watched his face in fascination as he moved a little faster. I braced my feet on the bed and tried to meet each of his thrusts. His tail squeezed more tightly around my waist and I could swear it was helping me find his rhythm. Tugging and releasing with each of Quill’s strokes.

  “Krono! I – I am not going to last!” Quill muttered. “I cannot…”

  He trailed off and made one final hard thrust that actually did hurt a little before his big body arched and he groaned in pleasure. He shook as he made a few more short and hard thrusts. He was panting heavily and when he collapsed against me, I pushed at his shoulders. “Air! I need air!”

  He withdrew and rolled off of me. My pussy was aching pleasantly, and I didn’t object when Quill cupped my pussy and rubbed lightly. When he withdrew his hand, his fingers were covered in his seed and I watched as he smeared it into my lower belly.

  “Why do you do that?” I asked.

  He just shrugged and kissed my breast. “Turn on your side, Sabrina.”

  I turned on my side and he spooned me, cupping my breast and kissing the back of my shoulder as his tail curled around to rest on my hip.

  “I am sorry,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “I should have made you come again while I fucked you.”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I didn’t expect more than one orgasm.”

  He grunted in irritation. “Krono, that makes me feel even worse.”

  I laughed and squeezed his hand. “I’m not sure what you want me to say? You gave me the best orgasm of my life, and it didn’t hurt when we had sex. You singlehandedly changed my mind about never having sex again. That’s a good thing, Quill.”

  His hand tightened on my breast for a moment. “That makes me happy.”

  “You don’t sound happy.”

  He didn’t reply, and I tried not to sound resentful when I said, “This is it for us, isn’t it?”

  He sighed heavily and kissed the back of my shoulder. “We are not mates, Sabrina.”

  “I know,” I said. “And I know you were only doing this because you feel bad about what happened earlier.”

  “It was not just that,” he said. “I wanted you, little human.”

  “But now that you’ve,” I paused, “had me, you don’t want me anymore?”

  “Does it matter?” He asked a little harshly. “There is no point in continuing. You are not my mate and when the storm ends, you will go to your employer.”

  “No, it doesn’t matter. You’re right about everything.” I lifted his hand from my breast and kissed the palm. “You should go, Quill.”

  His tail flicked in agitation. “I can spend the night with you.”

  I sat up and smiled at him. “I appreciate the offer, but it’s probably best if you don’t. I could get used to you in my bed way too easily, my King.”

  He gave me a guilty look. “I only wanted to show you how good it could be, sadora. I did not mean to upset you.”

  “You haven’t,” I said. “You haven’t done anything wrong, and I appreciate what you did for me. But it’s not a good idea for you to spend the night in my bed.”

  He continued to stare guiltily at me and I made myself smile at him before leaning forward and pecking him on the cheek. “Stop looking at me like that. I understand, and I’m not upset. I promise.”

  “Sabrina -”

  I slid out of the bed, grabbed my nightshirt from the end of the bed and pulled it on quickly. “It’s late, Quill.”

  He sighed and got out of bed before dressing. I followed him to the door and pasted another smile on my face when he turned and pulled me into his embrace. He pressed a light kiss on my mouth.

  “Thank you, little human.”

  “I should be the one thanking you, remember?” I was impressed at how cheerful I sounded. I smiled even wider until my cheeks ached. “It was awesome, Quill. Evelyn is a lucky woman.”

  His green skin darkened, and he gave me such a miserable look that I immediately regretted my flippant remark.

  I squeezed his waist and kissed his broad chest through his shirt. “I’ll see you tomorrow okay? Maybe we can walk in the garden if you have time in the evening.”

  He cleared his throat. “Perhaps. Good night, Sabrina.”

  When he stepped back, I dropped my arms from around his waist and ignored my stupid urge to beg him to come back to my bed. He left my apartment, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. The smile dropped from my face and I wiped at the tears that immediately streamed down my cheeks.

  “You idiot,” I whispered. “You should have let him stay the night.”

  I sighed and walked to the kitchen. There was a jug of gallberry juice in their version of a fridge and I poured myself a glass before drinking all of it in three big gulps. I stared at the bottom of the glass. It was better that I didn’t let Quill stay the night. I was already dangerously close to feeling something for him that I shouldn’t. Spending the night with him, sleeping with him again was a dangerous idea. The storm would end eventually, and I had a contract to fulfill.

  You could just sleep with him until the storm ends, my inner voice whispered persuasively. There’s no harm in that. Just keep your emotions out of it.

  Keep my emotions out of it. Could I do that, I wondered? I knew Quill wasn’t mine. Even if I didn’t have a work contract, I was breeding incompatible and Quill needed an heir. There was no future for us and if I kept that in mind, then why couldn’t I just have sex with him? Already I was craving more of the pleasure that Quill had given me tonight. There was so much more we could do. I hadn’t even tried sucking his dick. I bet if I asked Quill to let me practice on him, he’d be more than agreeable to it.

  I rinsed the glass and put it in the sink before returning to the bed. The sheets smelled like Quill and I buried my face in them and inhaled deeply. I would ask him tomorrow if he wanted to keep having sex. I could keep my emotions out of this. No problem.

  Chapter Nine

  Sabrina

  “You need to eat your dinner, human.”

  “I’m not hungry.” I pushed my plate away and stared defiantly at Teo.

  The old Draax sighed and picked up my plate. “You cannot starve yourself to get his attention, human.”

  “I’m not,” I snapped at him. “I’m just not hungry.”

  I wasn’t lying. It took three days of no contact from Quill to finally get it through my thick skull that I was getting the Draax version of ghosting. When I finally realized that it wasn’t work that was keeping him away, my appetite disappeared as easily as he had. Even worse, I was no longer allowed to walk around the palace with Galan or anyone else. Teo or Faro delivered my meals and they didn’t stay while I ate. Tonight, when Teo returned, I hadn’t touched any of the food.

  “He i
s not your mate, human,” Teo said gently.

  “I know,” I said. “My lack of appetite has nothing to do with him. I’m bored and going out of my mind. I get that your king is done with me, but why can’t I at least go for walks in the garden or around the palace with Galan?”

  Teo glanced uncomfortably at the floor. “The king has insisted that you stay in your quarters.”

  “Why? I won’t go near him for God’s sake. I don’t even know where the hell he sleeps. He can’t possibly think that I’m going to find him and force him to have sex with me, does he?”

  Teo’s skin turned a dark green. “I cannot presume to know what my king thinks, human.”

  “Ask Galan to talk to him. I know Galan can convince him to at least let me go for walks in the garden.”

  “That is not possible.” Teo carried my plate to the door and paused in the doorway. “I understand this is difficult, human, but the storm will end soon, and you will be where you are supposed to be. If you do not eat, you will be too weak to do the job your employer expects of you.”

  As he left my apartment, I wanted to yell at him that he could just leave me a bunch of damn groceries and I’d cook my own meals, but I couldn’t do it. Having my meals brought to me was the only time I saw anyone. I’d never lived on my own before and I was going stir-crazy.

  I paced the living area for over an hour as my agitation grew. Not getting to leave my apartment was bad enough, but Quill avoiding me for the last three days was more upsetting than it should have been. I didn’t mean anything to him and it shouldn’t have surprised me that he was ghosting me, but dammit it did. I really thought he would at least still want to be friends. I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. God, I was so stupid.

  I slapped my hands on my thighs in frustration and grimaced when my hand stuck to the gallberry juice stain on my pants. I’d been wearing the same damn pants for three days and I hadn’t even showered today. I sniffed my armpit before making a face and walking to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked pale and drawn and anger bubbled in my belly.

  He had no right to keep me a prisoner. I was a grown woman and I’d be damned if I let some stupid alien king tell me what to do. They didn’t actually lock me in my quarters and it was time I took advantage of that. I’d have a bath and do my hair and makeup and dress in something other than damn yoga pants. Then I’d take my adult self and go for a walk in the gardens.

  * * *

  Quillan

  “My King, you must eat,” Teo said.

  “I am not hungry.”

  “You need to eat,” Teo replied. “It has been three days and you cannot -”

  “Did you see her today?”

  Teo hesitated before nodding. “I brought her evening meal to her.”

  “Did she eat it?”

  “Of course, my King.”

  I studied Teo’s face before curling my lip at him. “You are lying to me, Teo.”

  He sighed and sat down next to me. “She eats as little as you do, my King.”

  Worry gnawed at my stomach. The little human didn’t carry enough meat on her bones to go without food for long.

  “She needs to eat.”

  “I have told her that, but she is stubborn.”

  “Yes, she is.” A smile crossed my face. My little sadora was stubborn and I had missed her stubbornness more than I thought possible the last few days. “Take her more food and tell her I have commanded that she eat.”

  “I am your advisor, not your errand boy,” Teo said.

  I blinked at him and a look of shame crossed Teo’s face. “Forgive me, my King. I did not mean to -”

  “It is fine. We are all on edge as of late, it seems,” I said.

  “As I grow older, the storms grow more difficult for me to bear,” Teo said quietly. “But I do not think it is the storm that bothers you.”

  “Nothing bothers me,” I said.

  “If you miss the human, perhaps you should talk to her,” Teo said. “She is upset that she is not allowed to leave her quarters. Take her for a walk in the garden and ease both your irritation.”

  “I cannot,” I said.

  “You can. You are not busy.”

  I glared at him. “I cannot see the human again, Teo. Do not ask me to do so.”

  “Why not?” Teo asked. “I know you have shown her that fucking is pleasurable.”

  “How do you know that?” I snapped.

  “Do you forget that my quarters are close to hers?” Teo said with a grin. “I heard her screaming the other night. I may be old, and it may have been many years since I’ve lain with a female, but I still remember what pleasure sounds like.”

  I could feel myself blushing and the old Draax grinned again before saying, “I do not see the problem with taking the human for a walk once a day.”

  “She is not a pet that I must feed and water and walk!” I snapped. “She is a human with feelings and needs and desires…”

  My cock twitched in my pants. It was the little human’s desires and needs that kept me away from her. If she asked me to fuck her again I would not be able to deny her. Krono, if she even looked at me with need, I would fuck her. She was the first female I’d lain with who could take my cock in its entirety. I had spent the last three days in my private quarters thinking of nothing else but how it felt to be in her pussy.

  “I have never seen you so conflicted about a female before, “Teo said.

  “I am not conflicted,” I said.

  “She is not your mate and she is breeding incomp -”

  “I am aware of that!” I shouted. “Why do you think I avoid her now? There is no point in fucking her again!”

  Breathing hard, I glared at Teo. He returned my look calmly and I muttered a curse before standing and pacing. “I cannot see her, Teo. Do not ask me again.”

  “All right,” he said. “But you have locked yourself away for the last three days and that will not improve your mood. Go for a walk in the garden. It will help ease your anger.”

  He stood and clapped me on the back. “Go, my King. Walk the garden and find peace.”

  “Perhaps you are right, old friend,” I said. “I will do as you suggest.”

  I followed him out of my quarters and we walked together in silence until we reached the entrance to the garden and said good night. I walked into the warm, quiet stillness of the garden and breathed deeply. I passed Bitta and a few others and nodded to them but did not stop. I headed toward the less desirable west side of the garden. The flowers were not as plentiful on the west side nor their fragrance as sweet, and most in the palace avoided it. I would find the peace I needed there.

  Will you?

  I ignored my inner voice as I followed the stone path. Yes, I would. I had to. If I didn’t do something, I would go mad with my need for the little human. She was all I could think about and my desire to fuck her, to hear her soft cries of pleasure and to lie in her bed with her was overwhelming in its intensity. I had no idea what was happening to me and I didn’t like it.

  I cocked my head and slowed to a stop as I heard a familiar voice. I cursed loudly before storming down the path. I rounded the corner and snarled, “What are you doing here?”

  Sabrina stared wide-eyed at me. “Wh-what are you doing here?” She turned and glanced behind her at the wall of vines as I glared at her.

  “It is my garden! Who brought you out of your quarters?”

  “No one,” she said. “I brought myself.”

  “You could not find the garden on your own.”

  She blushed and gave me a defiant look. “Well, I did.”

  “I heard you talking to someone, human.”

  “I was talking to myself.”

  I moved closer and before she could step back, snapped my tail out and around her waist. For the first time since I met her, she was wearing a dress. The bodice hugged her full breasts and showed a hint of cleavage. The hem of the dress ended just below her knees and I studied her smooth calves. An image
of those legs wrapped around my waist went through me and my cock hardened. I pulled her close until her breasts brushed against my chest.

  Her dark hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders. I wound my hand through the soft strands and held tightly. Krono, I had missed her scent and the feel of her soft curves. Ignoring my urge to kiss her, I rubbed my thumb across her cheekbone and then pressed my erection against her lower belly. I grinned at her low moan.

  “Tell me the truth, human. Who were you speaking to?”

  * * *

  Sabrina

  Well it was official. I was lost in the garden.

  I pounded my hands on my thighs in frustration before smoothing down my dress. I was standing in the middle of a cross-intersection. I’d been very proud of myself when I found the garden with no trouble, but I had quickly become lost in the maze of trees and flowers and stone walls.

  I was currently standing in a section that I was pretty sure I’d never been in before. It was no less flush with plant life, but there were more trees and bushes than flowers, and no benches at all to sit down and enjoy the view. I reached out and traced the stone wall that lined the left side of the path. It was over ten feet tall and I stared up at the birds that perched on the top of it. They were about the size of a sparrow, but bright orange with lime-green beaks. They made a low beeping sound that intensified when I took a step toward the wall. Moving as one, they spread their wings and flew off the wall, disappearing quickly into the distance.

  “Are you flying in the direction of the waterfall?” I yelled after them. “Should I follow you?”

  I giggled at how stupid I sounded yelling at a flock of birds before cocking my head and listening intently. The sound of the waterfall was very faint, but I thought it might have been coming from the left. I turned that way and, still tracing my hand along the stone wall, walked quickly. The garden was massive and with my bad sense of direction, I could easily wander in it for weeks without ever finding my way out. I had a sudden and disturbingly clear image of my bloated and decomposing body being discovered by a random Draax a few weeks from now and shuddered.