The ground beneath our feet shook as a creature that walked on all fours came walking towards the forest of trees and had a long neck but a very short body. Its short legs kept its stomach low to the ground.
The creature looked docile. Tanned, smooth skin ran over the large round bodied thing. Large, brown eyes gingerly ran over us and then up to the top of a yellow tree.
We watched as the creature elongated its neck to reach for the fruit at the highest parts of the tree. Then its neck went back to its normal size as it chewed on the small green fruit.
As the animal shook the limb to detach the fruit, several more of them fell to the ground, and Zan walked over very slowly, so as not to startle the creature, and picked a few of them up.
The skin was very rough, and he peeled it off, finding a white inside. He took a tiny taste and made a horrible face. “It’s sour! Yuk!”
Zin took one from his brother and took a nibble of the rough skin. “This part is sweet.”
I took a picture of it. “Hmm. You eat the outside and leave the middle alone. Interesting. Emerald what will you name this one.”
“Oh, I’m in charge of naming everything?” she asked with a laugh.
She took a little bite and frowned. Then Zin said, “How about backward fruit?”
I pressed the buttons, writing the new name and smiled. “A second discovery already and we haven’t even really begun to scout the area. This is looking good.” I took Emerald by the hand. “Stay together and scout the area. Make sure to use your communicators to keep in touch and take pictures of anything you find of interest.”
Jared added. “If anyone finds shelter let all the others know about it. It won’t be getting dark for another 15 hours on this planet, but there isn't a lot known about it. The weather is not known. The temperatures once the suns set is not known. So we do need to find some type of shelter and get a fire going. If none can be found, reconvene at the ship before nightfall.”
The planet had the same two suns as Euthenia did. There were no moons showing in the sky at that time. We had no idea if there was a moon or not as we didn’t even see one when we were still out in space. The night was sure to be black if there would be no moonlight.
Emerald and I headed out to the right and Jared, Zin, and Zan headed to the left. We began our search on the planet to see if it would be a place we could make another part of Euthenia.
The first creatures Emerald and I came upon as we walked towards a green pond were some small, feathered creatures with long beaks and feet that looked like paddles. They had a funny little walk as they made their way toward the water away from Emerald and me, but they didn't seem afraid of us. They merely seemed to be on their way to the pond.
“It’s doubtful they can fly. Their wings are much too short to carry their wide bodies,” I said as I pointed to the little animals.
The golden grass grew all the way to the edge of the large, oval-shaped pond. Bubbles came up from the bottom of the pond and made little splashes.
Emerald said, “It’s probably gasses from underneath, escaping the water.”
I bent down and took a handful of the water and smelled it. Then I let her smell it too. It smelled of eggs, but they noticed that the little, birdlike creatures that got into it quickly drank from it.
It seemed to be okay, so I tasted the water. “It tastes fine. It’s warm to the touch. The source is probably a natural underground spring.”
“Look over there,” Emerald said as she pointed to a large, gray rock in the grassy field. “Let’s go climb it.”
I took her hand and off we went to see what kind of rock it was. We climbed up the dome shaped thing. Once we reached the top, we found it wasn’t a rock after all.
It was a large tortoise-like animal, and its huge head was busy eating the grass. We slid back off the thing and made our way around to look at it.
“It has big, brown eyes, Caleb. It looks kind.” Emerald took a few steps to get closer, and it raised its large head and looked at her. Then it went right back to eating.
I laughed and pulled Emerald along. “If it’s that big, eating must be a full-time job. Come on.”
We had walked for an hour before we came to a clearing in the grass. Nothing grew for as far as we could see. Just black dirt that when we stepped on it, it crackled beneath our feet.
It was as if nothing had ever walked over it. I took a few steps. “Warm puffs of air come up with every step. It must be some kind of volcanic activity.”
“So this part of the planet is not habitable?” Emerald asked as she took a few steps on the dirt.
“No, but not all parts of any planet are.” I looked off to the sides, and a green color caught my eye. “This way.”
It took an hour and a half to get to the green area. It was a lush forest. Very tropical and dense with vines that ran over the tall and large leafed trees.
We heard the sounds of many animals and insects; little creeks, twitters, and chirps were all around us. Then a terrible howling sound seemed to come from everywhere, and I pulled Emerald to my side, taking out the small stick I could use to paralyze anything that meant us harm.
Emerald and I searched all around for the horrible creature making such a racket. The howling got closer and closer, yet we saw nothing.
Emerald pointed to the trunk of the tree nearest to us. “Look, Caleb. That little green thing with the tiny red eyes and the tiny mouth shaped in an open circle. I think that’s what’s making this noise.”
I waved a hand over the tiny thing, and it jumped off the tree and bounded away, the loud sound going with it. “It was! I don’t know how it made that loud sound.”
Emerald giggled. “We can call it the howler hopper.”
“You’re quite good at this, Emerald.” I took her hand, and we went into the thick forest.
The suns’ light was filtered, and it was dim in many places. A large outcropping of rocks stood out in part of the forest, and we went to see if there might be a shelter in them.
I hesitated at the opening. “It seems to be a cave.” I took out my light source, and we moved forward into the cave.
It seemed to go on forever. We walked through one giant cavern after the other until we smelled something burning. “Caleb,” Emerald whispered. “There’s someone in here. Do you think it’s the others?”
With a shrug, I said, “Let’s find out.”
We crept along, staying close to the sides to stay hidden. I held out my arm, stopping Emerald from moving ahead. I pointed, and there, by a small fire, there was something with long hair.
It sniffed the air and looked back at us. Then it shrieked, stood up and started running toward us. I quickly moved Emerald behind me and took the paralyzing stick out of my pocket.
“Stop! We mean you no harm!” I shouted.
The long haired thing just kept running toward us. It let out a growl and slowed down as it saw that the tip of the stick I held, began to glow. It stopped altogether, let out a shriek and then turned the other way and ran.
“Come on. That’s a human,” I said as I grabbed Emerald by the hand and started running after the thing.
“Are you sure?” Emerald asked. “It didn’t sound human.”
The thing let out another shriek as it left the cave through a different opening than the one we’d come in. Our feet pounded the forest floor as we ran.
We could see much better now. That thing was tall, and the hair was in ratty, light brown waves to its waist. A tattered, dirty dress-like thing covered its body, and no shoes were on its dirty feet.
Then just ahead of where it was running Jared, Zin, and Zan came through the forest, igniting another harsh growl and shriek from the thing.
The men got in front of it to stop it, and all three took out their paralyzing sticks. I already had mine out, and Emerald got hers out as well. We had it surrounded as we moved to form a circle around the thing.
It stopped. Hair covered its face as it turned to find it was trapped. Then it fell to the
ground and moved its body into a ball.
Emerald moved forward. “We don’t want to hurt you. Are you a man or a woman?”
It looked up and pushed the hair away from its face, revealing a male face covered with a thick, light brown beard. “I am a man.”
The rest of us came forward, and I asked. “How did you get here?”
Jared added, “Where are you from?”
Zin asked, “What’s your name?”
Then Zan said, “You guys need to let him answer one question at a time.” He held his hand out to the man. “Come, stand up. We can help you if you want help.”
The man took Zan’s hand and got up. “My name is Xavultan. Euthenia was my home. I cannot go back otherwise, my brother will kill me. It was he who put me here after I made him believe I killed his wife.”
Jaws dropped as I asked, “Is your brother Hexultan?”
The man nodded. “My brother is the King of Euthenia. And I am stuck here as I can never go back to that planet or he will surely take my life.”
“It was you who hid the Queen.” Zan smiled. “You can go back. You’re a hero.”
The man shook his head. “I am no hero. I merely couldn’t kill her. A real hero would have done so much more than hide her. He would’ve stood up to his older brother and told the planet what he wanted him to do. Instead, I hid the Queen. A coward is what I am.”
I shook my head. “You are no coward. A coward would’ve killed her. Come with us. We have some clothes you can put on and a pair of boots as well.”
After exchanging introductions, we started making our way back to the ship as Xavultan told us about the planet that had been his home for years. “There is no moon and the nights are awful here.”
I asked. “What about animals? Are there any that would make it hard to live here?”
“I’ve seen one giant thing. Tall as the palace, yet it’s a stealthy predator. It hides in the tall forests and then plucks the birds from the sky and eats them whole. I have no idea if it would be a threat to men or not,” he told us.
“How many have you seen?” Emerald asked as she stepped over a puddle of red liquid.
Xavultan gestured to the puddle. “You can light that liquid, and it will take many hours to burn.”
I took a picture of it and labeled it, firewater. “That could be useful. Xavultan, what would you say to being the top authority for the exploration and colonization of this planet?”
With a chuckle, he said, “I see none better than me for that job. And as for more than one of the giant animals, I have only ever seen this one. I call him the snake, as he reaches out with his long arms just like a snake does to strike.”
All the way back to the ship he told us about the planet and with his knowledge we were able to make our trip shorter than planned.
As we got to the ship, I said, “In light of finding this man and the expert on this planet, I say we head back to Euthenia, so this man can get cleaned up and sleep in a soft bed after all this time.”
Everyone agreed, especially Xavultan.
I wondered how the Queen would take this surprise…
Chapter Thirty-Six
Emerald
The Rightful Reign
In a small room at the very back of the ship, Caleb and I went to rest for the ride home back to Euthenia. The day had been long and full, and I was beyond tired.
Yet somehow I was still excited about finding the new planet and wondered how life would be there. I pulled the light blue blanket back on the small bed and fluffed the two pillows. “Caleb, this is so exciting. Don’t you think?”
He stepped out of his boots and took his pants off. “I do.”
I turned to find my husband stripped down and I smiled. “I’m so tired, yet your body seems to have woken me up.”
He moved to take me in his arms and pulled the shirt off over my head. He pressed his chest to my breasts, and his hands moved to push my pants away from my hips. We lay in a pile on the floor at my feet.
Caleb laid my back on the bed, pulled my boots off and rubbed my feet. “Do they ache from all the walking, Love?”
I nodded. “But I loved it. That was the most adventurous I’ve ever been. That tortoise thing was by far the largest creature I’ve ever seen, much less been so close to.”
“I’m sure we’ll build us a home there. Not that we’ll live there permanently, but we’ll need a place to stay when we go to oversee the work going on there.” Caleb dropped my boots to the floor and moved his body over mine as he climbed on the bed.
“This is all so amazing, Caleb.” I ran my hands over his muscled back and relished how they felt.
“It is. And I’m happy to have you with me as my partner through all of this.” His lips pressed against mine for a moment and then he looked into my eyes. “You and I have a lot to do.”
I nodded as my hands moved to his face, pinning it between my palms. “That we do, Husband.” Pulling his face to mine, I kissed him deeply.
I let him go and found myself wondering out loud, “I wonder how the Queen will take this.”
Caleb got up and went to the small bar on the wall to turn the light off. “I don’t know. Well, I hope.” He turned the overhead light out, and we were in complete darkness.
“This is the most darkness I’ve ever been in,” I said. “It’s beyond imagination.”
Caleb felt around on the bed for me, and my breath caught when his hand rubbed across my thigh. He trailed kisses over my leg, and then over her stomach. His lips kissed me until he found a breast. He gave it a quick suck and then kept moving up until his lips touched mine.
He pulled the braid from my hair and ran his fingers through my silky blonde locks. My hands ran to tangle in his auburn curls as our tongues twirled around one another's.
The complete darkness heightened our other senses. I felt every little movement of his muscles as he moved and I ran my hands all over him. Each tiny hair, I felt on him. It excited me even more.
I arched up, and he pressed himself into me. We both moaned with the connection and the intense feelings of excitement from the new discovery of the planet. Excitement from the discovery of the lost man and excitement for the future filled us both.
Caleb's hands ran all over my body exploring every part of me as he thrust into me over and over again while the ship glided through the air. Through the small window, I saw an asteroid shower making small starlight streams. I watched them pass by the window fast as Caleb took me to another place.
His fingers were burrowing into my ass as he moved to his knees and lifted me up and down to stroke his long, hard cock. He made me feel as if I weighed nothing.
I ran my hands over my breasts as he moved me. I couldn’t see a thing except for the stars flashing past the small window as he pumped me back and forth along his length.
Only sensations were all I was aware of. The way he lifted me, the way my body felt as it moved over his erection. It felt as if I was completely connected to him. An extension of him, somehow.
Time seemed to stop as Caleb's breathing was all I was could listen. Then the pounding of our flesh against one another’s filled my ears.
My heart was racing, and my body was beginning to pulse. I felt his cock twitch inside me, and Caleb began to make little grunting sounds.
My body began to descend into a magnificent orgasm. My eyes closed and I no longer looked at the stars as they flew by the window. All I could think of was how Caleb made me feel.
I felt strong and powerful as I knew our future now was going to be nothing like I thought it was going to before that day. Our future was bright, and we would be at the pinnacle of the new way all Euthenians were about to begin living.
My orgasm coaxed Caleb along, and he tensed and came to his own climax with a loud groan. He fell to the bed beside me and pulled me up to lie on his chest.
His heartbeat filled me with strength, safety, and hope. Hope for new life. A new beginning, one where our children would prosper and l
ive happily. It was more than I ever thought I could even ask for.
I looked forward to our children's happiness in the future. Now if I could only get into the Queen’s ear and make her see that the death of the king wasn't necessary.
Other things could be done. There had to be other ways to handle things like that.
Caleb’s strong arms wrapped around me, cradling me to him. His lips touched my forehead. “Sleep, Love. Soon we’ll be back home, and things will be moving pretty fast for us.”
I closed her eyes and listened to my husband’s heart beating. The new planet would be an experience none would ever forget. The new way of life would ensure a bright future for our children and all the future generations to come.
So much change was on the cusp and Caleb and I would be right there at the forefront, leading the way to a new life for everyone.
A knock came to the door. Zin’s voice was on the other side, “Caleb, I intercepted a communication meant for the palace. It was the Prince!”
Caleb flew out of bed and turned the light on. “I’ll be right out, Zin.”
He dressed quickly, and then ran back and kissed my cheek. “You sleep. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I lay back and watched him hurry from the room. His face was bright with the hope he could talk to Kerr. I snuggled under the blanket and smiled.
Maybe things will be alright.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Caleb
The Rightful Reign
After waiting some time for Kerr to try to communicate again, I was relieved I was able to talk to him and without revealing who had taken over, let Kerr know he shouldn’t help his father.
The ship was coming in to land at the port, and I found Xavultan looking nervous. “There’s nothing to be worried about,” I told the older man.
“Surely, the Queen thinks ill of me.” He paced and wrung his hands.
“She told us about you. She had no idea who you were, but she was upset when you disappeared. That didn’t sound as if she thought ill of you,” I told him.
Kerr: Paranormal Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Àlien Mates Book 1) Page 22
