by Hope Hart
The ceremony was short, completely different to anything I’ve seen on Earth, and incredibly beautiful.
Terex
“Mmmm…”
I grin, pausing to look up at my tiny female, and her brow creases as I stop. She moves languidly, her hips twisting as she searches for the pleasure I give her.
The pleasure that only I will ever give her.
I push her thighs further apart, and her eyes flutter open, still glazed with sleep and heavy with lust. I groan at the sight, and she gasps as I bury my face between her soft thighs, licking and nibbling at her sweet cunt.
“Terex,” she moans, and triumph fills me. I lave her clit, and she writhes, her hands moving to my hair, holding me tight against her.
The feel of her hands guiding me for her pleasure, the sound of her soft moans, the taste of her cunt…
It takes every ounce of my self-control to not embarrass myself. I blow out a breath and attempt to think of something else even as I gently suck her clit, applying the tiniest pressure with my teeth.
“Oh my God.” Ellie lifts her head, eyes wide, and then she chokes out a strangled moan as I push two fingers inside her, curling them to hit the spot that makes her wild.
At this, she comes with a loud groan, and I grin, pleased that any warriors nearby will know my female has been claimed.
Her eyes are dazed, sliding closed as she trembles, and I growl at the sight. I have to have her. Now.
I flip her onto her stomach, and she pushes up her plump ass, the sight better than I could ever have imagined. My cock is so hard it’s painful, and I position it at her slick entrance, almost losing control as I ease into her.
“Terex,” Ellie groans, her hands scrabbling to clutch at the fur. “Take me.”
There is no greater pleasure than the feel of Ellie beneath me. No greater sound than her voice begging me to make her mine.
She may be wet, but she’s still tight, and a sweat breaks out on my body as I strain for control, slowly inching forward.
Ellie sighs, and then I’m growling, shaking as she thrusts back into me, and I slide all the way in.
Where I belong.
I withdraw, slamming back inside her, her continual groans encouraging me. I feel as if it’ll never be enough. I’ll never be deep enough inside her, not until she admits she’s mine.
Ellie raises her hips, and I slide one hand underneath her breasts, rolling her nipples as she gasps. I move my fingers down to the place where our bodies meet, and her cunt clenches on me as I brush my fingers over her clit.
“Oh God, Terex, yes…”
I play with her clit again, needing her to come before I lose all control.
“Come for me, Ellie,” I growl, and I squeeze my eyes shut, gasping out a curse as she does, her whole body shuddering as her cunt pulses, and my body responds, pleasure shooting from my balls up my spine and back down again as I release into her, finally slumping, careful not to crush her with my weight.
“Mmm,” she murmurs, eyes drifting closed. “What a way to wake up.”
I laugh, slowly pulling out of her and finding a cloth to clean her thighs. She opens her eyes, cheeks heating, and I grin at her shyness.
“I must go soon, tiny female,” I say, my grin widening at her adorable pout. “I promised Rakiz I would attend his meeting with the council.”
I frown at the thought, wanting nothing more than to spend the day here, in the furs with Ellie.
“That’s okay.” She yawns sleepily. “I think I’ll go see Nevada. I haven’t seen her for a couple of days.”
I nod, lips curling. Rakiz has his hands full with that one. I pull Ellie closer. The council members will still be stepping over each other, fighting for the seats closest to their king.
“What else will you do today?” I lean close, breathing in the scent of Ellie’s hair.
“I thought I’d go talk to Rani. She mentioned something about helping out with the kids.”
I nod, my good mood dampening slightly. Ellie said she is a teacher on Earth, as if that is still her life. I didn’t miss the longing in her eyes even as she turned to smile at me.
I frown, and Ellie reaches up, running her hand over my brow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m glad you’re going to spend time with the children. I can tell you love them.”
She smiles up at me. “I do. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. My childhood kind of sucked a lot of the time, you know? But a few of my teachers really stood out. When I was being bullied in high school, Mrs. Avery sat me down. She told me that if I wanted a ticket out of that town, the answer was to get good enough grades to get a scholarship. Otherwise, she said, I’d be stuck in the same town with the people who made my life miserable, only we’d be adults. Then she did everything she could to help me throughout the rest of my time at school.”
“A scholarship?”
“Yeah. I applied for schools I knew that no one from my high school was applying for. I didn’t care where the colleges were, only that they were far enough that I couldn’t come home very often, and I wouldn’t run into any of the people who were so mean to me.”
I frown. “I do not like the thought of you running from your home.”
Ellie pulls back from me, her expression wounded. “I wasn’t running away. I was…” Her voice trails off. “I guess I was running away. But you would too. I guess you wouldn’t, since you’re you.”
She stares into the distance, and I sit up.
“I didn’t mean it that way, Ellie. I only meant that I don’t like that you were forced to leave. If I had known you, I would have protected you.”
Her expression clears, and she grins at me. “I’d love to have seen you stalking down the corridors at my school. Although, you’d probably have dated my sister…”
“Never,” I tell her. “I would only have had eyes for you.”
She gives me a smile like she doesn’t quite believe me, and I pick up her hand, nibbling at her fingers.
“You don’t yet understand, tiny female, but you will.” With that, I roll away from the temptation of Ellie’s body and reach for my pants.
Chapter Fourteen
Ellie
“Wow, it stinks.”
I gag a little, moving a few steps to the side to inhale some fresh air.
Nevada turns, a strangely shaped shovel in her hand. “Yeah, no shit.”
We both grin as we stare at the mountain of Mishua poop she’s creating.
“How are you?”
“Better than you’d think.” Nevada wipes the back of her hand across her forehead, leaving a brown smear that I really hope is dirt. She catches my expression, and her nose wrinkles as we both stare at each other, revolted, and then burst out laughing.
“God, who would’ve thought that this would be how I’d end up on an alien planet?” she says finally. She moves to wipe her eyes, and I step forward.
“Ew. No. Let me.”
I wipe under her face with the sleeve from my dress, and her bright-green eyes laugh at me before she sobers, leaning on her shovel.
“How was the mating ceremony?”
“It was good. I wish you’d come.”
She shrugs. “I had things to do.”
“What kind of things?”
Nevada sends me a look and then shrugs again. “I’m going after Beth, Ivy, and Zoey. I’ve been shamelessly eavesdropping and collecting information, and after our visit to the Krazion tribe, I’ve got a pretty good idea of where they would’ve been taken.”
I chew on my lower lip, anxiety hitting me hard. “It’s so dangerous, Nevada.”
She nods. “I know.” Her voice gentles. “I’m not an idiot, Ellie. I know it’s not the best idea I’ve ever had. But here’s the thing. I’ve got food, clean water, clothes, and somewhere to sleep. No one’s planning to eat me or sell me, or anything else. We can’t say the same for the other women. I can’t just sit around here and do nothing.”
; Guilt hits me hard. That’s exactly what I’m doing. “I’ll come with you.”
She immediately shakes her head. “You’ve done enough. It’s ’cause of you that we have the information we do. And no offense, Ellie, but you’re useless in a fight.”
Fair call. I blow out a breath. “What if I convinced Terex to help? We could all go.”
“Don’t say a word to him,” Nevada says, voice serious. “He’ll tell Rakiz, and then I won’t be going anywhere. You know that asshole is making me sleep in his hut? He decided he wants to keep an eye on me. I’m still deciding whether to take a bath after I’m finished here. As much as I’m dreaming of clean water, I’d love to stink up his place.”
I smirk. “You’re both as bad as each other.”
She laughs and then sobers again. “Look, Ellie, I’m experienced in the outdoors. Okay, this planet’s different, but the basic rules apply.” She blows out a breath and glances around before leaning close. “Right before the Arcav invaded, I was a prisoner of war in Baghdad. The only thing that got me through was knowing that someone would be coming for me. They weren’t going to leave me behind.”
She blinks, looking away, and I nod firmly.
“Are you seriously going to leave me with Vivian?”
She laughs. “She’s not that bad. Honestly, I feel sorry for her.”
I scoff, thinking of Vivian’s perfect face. “Yeah, her life must be so hard.”
Nevada tilts her head, eyes serious. “Vivian has obviously been taught that her only worth is connected to how she looks. You and I know better. And on this planet, her looks will only get her so far. We’re all aliens here.” She grins at me. “Now are you with me?”
I blow out a breath. “Fine. How can I help?”
Terex
Ellie is quiet and withdrawn this morning, smiling absently at me while she gets dressed.
“Is everything okay?”
She nods, standing on tiptoe, and I lean down so she can kiss me. Just like that, I want her again, and she laughs as I pull her close.
“Terex, I have to go. I told Kara I’d help her with the kids today.”
I smile at the thought. My Ellie loves children. I watched her play with them at the mating ceremony, and since she arrived at our camp, the little ones have been quick to run to her, calling her name when she is walking through the camp. She always crouches down to their level, nodding at their stories and promising to play with them.
“Fine. But don’t let Harix kiss you again,” I mock growl, and she laughs. Harix is just four summers old and can often be found trailing Ellie throughout the camp.
I freeze as someone approaches, footsteps pounding on the ground, and within moments I’ve pushed Ellie behind me, drawing my sword as she gasps.
Rakiz strides into our kradi, face hard with rage. “Where is she?” he roars, and Ellie flinches, paling.
I step forward. “Rakiz, what is this?”
He ignores me. “Tell me, female,” he says softly, and Ellie’s lips firm mutinously.
He steps closer, and I throw my sword to the ground but step in front of Ellie.
“Watch yourself, Rakiz,” I say. He may be my king, but this is my territory and my female who is trembling.
“The hellion has disappeared,” Rakiz says, his gaze cold as it finds mine. “I don’t believe she acted alone.”
I turn to Ellie. “Is this true?”
“I—”
“Where did she go?” Rakiz growls impatiently.
“Where do you think?” Ellie’s voice shakes, but she stares Rakiz down. “She went looking for our friends.”
Rakiz lets out a vicious oath. “Where?”
“I don’t know. She’s been listening in and making plans. She figured out where they’re most likely to be taken.”
Rakiz glances at me, and I almost reach for my sword at the threat in his eyes.
“She took my mishua.”
I tense, stunned. Surely the female would not be so stupid. Ellie sighs, covering her face with her hand. This part of Nevada’s plan, at least, she didn’t know.
Mishua are extremely dangerous, but none more so than the king’s.
“How could she have taken it?”
Rakiz grinds his teeth. “I had her working in the mishua pen. She likely took the opportunity to build some sort of relationship with the beast.”
Ellie clears her throat. “If the mishua let her ride it, it can’t be that dangerous, right?”
Rakiz turns away, and I sigh. I don’t know what exactly he feels for Nevada, but regardless, he considered her under his protection. Now…
“The mishua may allow her to ride it one moment and then kill her the next,” I say. “The king’s mishua is highly intelligent and easily bored. It may allow Nevada on its back purely for the chance to return to the wild.”
Ellie’s face drains of color, and I glance away, ruthlessly suppressing any sympathy. For her to keep this from me…
“I will find her,” Rakiz snarls, and I nod. More of our warriors returned last night, so he will be able to send them after Nevada.
Rakiz stalks from the kradi, and I turn my attention back to Ellie, who has tears dripping down her face.
“Are you so desperate to return to your planet that you would risk your friend’s life?”
She blinks at me, and I curse, turning away at the hurt in her eyes.
“It’s not like that, Terex.”
“It’s not? Why would you not tell me of this?”
“I promised Nevada. You would have had to tell Rakiz. You know you would have.”
“To save her life!” I roar, turning back to Ellie. “She has no idea about the dangers on this planet—”
“Of course she doesn’t,” Ellie snaps, hands fisting at her sides. “Because you guys refuse to tell us anything. How would you feel, Terex, if it was the other way around? If you landed on Earth and your friends were missing, but we just patted you on the head and told you we’d take care of it? On our planet, Nevada’s a warrior—just like you are here. Rakiz could have worked with her, but he forced her hand.”
I gape at her, and then a growl leaves my throat. “Females are to be protected.”
She tilts her head with a sigh, opening her mouth, and I hold up a hand.
“I cannot speak of this right now,” I say, stalking from the kradi.
Ellie
Stunned, I blink back tears as Terex leaves. That was our first real fight, and my stomach roils uneasily as I blow out a shaky breath.
I can see his point of view, but I don’t understand why he can’t see mine. Sure, I wish I could’ve told him what Nevada was planning. But he would’ve told Rakiz, and the king’s reaction demonstrated exactly how that would’ve gone down.
Unfortunately, with so few females in this tribe, these warriors seem to think that we should be coddled and protected. Me? I love the idea of Terex keeping me safe. But that doesn’t mean that Nevada wants the same thing.
I wipe away tears, cursing as I pull on the boots Terex had made for me. He’s so thoughtful, and the look in his eyes when he asked if I was desperate to leave him…
Don’t think about it now, Ellie. He’ll calm down.
I blow my nose, heading out of the kradi and toward the large clearing where the mating ceremony was performed. Apparently, the kids get to learn outside on warm days—something that my kindergarteners would have loved.
I spend the morning playing with the kids, teaching them to count using colorful rocks and different-sized sticks, which are more often than not used for mock sword fights.
Chani has taken a liking to me. I’m assuming she’s about six or seven, but she could be younger, since Braxian kids are so much bigger than human kids. I’m sitting on a log in the sun braiding her hair when Jarix arrives, murmuring to Rani. Her eyes widen in shock, and she glances at me.
“Go play, darling,” I say to Chani, and she smiles, jumping off my lap and taking one of the larger sticks.
“I’m going to be a warrior like Nevada,” she announces, snarling at the boys when they laugh at her.
I get to my feet, and Rani meets me, her face pale.
“What is it?”
“Rakiz has left the tribe.”
“What?”
She nods. “He told no one where he was going, but it is likely he has followed your friend.”
There’s a hint of condemnation in her eyes, and I bristle.
“He wouldn’t allow Nevada to find our friends,” I say. “They’re women, just like us, scared and alone on an alien planet.”
She nods. “But Nevada is just a female.”
I scowl at that. “She’s tough and strong, and she knows what she’s doing. It was her choice.”
“And now our tribe is without our king,” Rani says softly, and I flinch.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I think I should go.”
“Ellie—”
My hands are shaking as I walk back toward our kradi. I’m tired. Bone tired.
Vivian appears on the path in front of me, her face white. I glance behind me, but her eyes narrow on me. Awesome.
“Why didn’t you tell me Nevada was leaving?”
I frown at her. “She asked me not to tell anyone.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I don’t know, Vivian, maybe because she thought you wouldn’t care?”
Her face flushes, and for a moment I feel bad.
“I’m sorry,” I say, but she backs away, eyes hard.
“Not all of us have a giant warrior to help us escape our reality,” she says. “Nevada was my only friend here, and now she’s probably going to die because you let her go off alone.”
“You think I don’t wish I’d managed to talk her out of it? You’re not the only one who cares about her, Vivian. And if she dies, I’m the one who’ll have to live with the guilt.”
Her mouth opens, but I’m not done, and I hold up a hand. “And you know what? You could’ve had another friend here too, but you were too busy trying to make me feel like shit.”
