Her Alien Warrior Prince

by Roxie Ray

  18

  Akzun

  As Carly stepped into the room I'd led her to, her eyes widened. “Oh, Akzun… it's beautiful!”

  I smiled. This was precisely the reaction I'd hoped for.

  The observatory was a huge, circular, high-ceilinged chamber of glassy obsidian, meant to represent the black void of space. A series of carefully-placed windows and mirrors were arranged near the top, projecting clusters of stars, swirling nebulas, and other cosmic phenomena down into the room so that they seemed to be floating all around us – so close that we could reach out and touch them like gods.

  “Is this disorienting to you?” I asked, placing my hand on her upper arm gently. “Some people have been known to find the effect somewhat unnerving at first.”

  “I guess I should, right? But for some reason, I don't. I'm just… overwhelmed by it all. I mean, it actually feels like we're these celestial giants standing in space, surrounded by all these suns and moons and galaxies. It's spectacular!”

  “I hoped you would feel that way,” I chuckled. “Are you enjoying the wine?”

  She took another sip from her glass, raising an eyebrow. “Hard to say. It's… very different from what I'm used to. On Earth, the only wine people like me can afford comes in a cardboard box, and tastes like cheap grape juice mixed with antifreeze. Come to think of it, that's probably what it actually is.”

  “Ah yes, the inequality of your home planet rears its ugly head once more,” I sighed.

  “Sorry.” She shrugged. “I don't mean to be such a downer. I guess it's hard for me to not think about it, given how much luxury I've been surrounded by since…”

  “Since I purchased you,” I finished for her. “Surely, you must know by now that I no longer think of you as merely my possession?”

  Carly tilted her head to one side. “That's a funny way of putting it. You no longer think of me as your possession, or as ‘merely’ your possession?”

  “I'm uncertain that I recognize the distinction,” I replied. “But then, as you know, English is not my native tongue. No doubt there are certain subtleties which elude me.”

  But that wasn't true. I hated having to pretend that it was simply a language issue on my part that prevented me from acknowledging the meaning behind her words. The fact was, it was simply a road I wasn't prepared to go down with her yet. How could she be both my blood slave and my mate? And yet here she was.

  Earlier, in the kitchen, I'd detected nothing but honesty in her scent. She had no intention of ever betraying me. She did care for me, truly and deeply. I hadn't been able to detect Elrisa's falsehoods – we were the same race, after all, and she'd trained herself well when it came to hiding her true thoughts and feelings, even when we opened ourselves up to each other telepathically.

  Humans had no such defenses against the Valkredians. Due to the quirks of their physiology, we could often smell untruths on their skin, in their very blood, no matter how convincingly their mouths lied.

  She trusted me. She wanted me. She no longer considered herself my prisoner.

  That would have to be enough for now.

  “Come,” I said, offering my hand and trying to change the subject, “let me show you something special.”

  I pointed out a nebula – churning clouds of red and pink, with a fiercely-glowing white core that was almost too blinding to look at. Ethereal crimson tendrils reached out from it on all sides, curling and swirling and coiling.

  “What is it?” she breathed, drinking the last of the wine from her glass and putting it down on the floor.

  “One of the natural cosmic phenomena used to denote the borders of the Valkred Empire,” I told her. “An extremely rare collection of ignited gas clouds, signifying the heat death of one star and the birth of another from its ashes.”

  “Like a phoenix,” Carly pointed out. “A mythical bird on Earth, which bursts into flame only to be reborn again.”

  I nodded. “An appropriate comparison. The Mana refer to this nebula as Gluk'Taag, ‘the great jellyfish.’ We Valkredians call it the Kardiiya – a word that loosely translates to the beating heart of a living creature, and the complex system of blood vessels that extends from it. Funny, isn't it? How each culture gazes up at the stars, and sees something different in them. The shapes we perceive in them – the legends we invent around them – say far more about ourselves than any objective truth the galaxy has to offer. However, when our planets’ scientists first reported the recharging of the solar atoms within the anomaly, the renewal of its stellar radiation, M'ruvev and I both saw the same thing: a cataclysmic conclusion to what was old and unnecessary, and the beginning of something new and wonderful.”

  “The end of the war,” she guessed. “The start of a fresh chapter in relations between your worlds. Maintaining that kind of optimism in front of your people couldn't have been easy, huh?”

  I shook my head. “No. It was not.”

  She put a hand on my shoulder. “It can still happen, Akzun. I believe that with all of my heart. And I'll do everything I can to help you achieve it. But for now, let's eat, huh? Before the emptiness in my stomach causes a black hole to form there, and we have to give that a name, too.”

  I laughed, gesturing to the meal. “Very well, then. Sit. Eat.”

  Carly picked up a mollusk with her fork, lifted it to her mouth – and then paused, noticing that I wasn't eating anything. She lowered the fork again slowly. “You know, I've never actually seen you eat anything. Unless you count that fake blood stuff. Do you even consume, you know… regular food?”

  “From time to time, yes. Mostly to amuse myself with the various flavors, and the means of preparing them. As you've seen, cooking is something of a hobby for me. Many other Valkredians rarely bother with it. Some even see it as an affectation, an indulgent pretension exclusively for the wealthy and powerful among us. But it is only the blood that truly sustains members of my race.” I tried to keep my voice even, but I was uncomfortable with this line of questioning.

  “Uh-huh. And… how often do you need to drink… blood?” It looked like she had completely lost interest in the food in front of her.

  I sighed. “The artificial plasma must be imbibed almost daily, in order to stave off the cravings. However, in order to remain alive and maintain our good health, real blood must be had every four or five days. Otherwise, we become weak. Our bones grow frail, our flesh thins and blisters, our teeth loosen, the feathers fall from our wings, and we grow more susceptible to the ill effects of sunlight. It is a most unpleasant spectacle, I assure you. One I intend to spare you from witnessing.” I paused, then added, “Then again, mated couples can sometimes go a bit longer without feeding.”

  Carly raised her eyebrows quizzically. “‘Mates,’ ‘mated.’ This isn't the first time I've heard you use those terms. Clearly, they have great significance to your people, but how? What do those words mean to you?”

  “I'll be happy to show you in the fullness of time,” I assured her. “Meanwhile, if you have no desire to eat after all, perhaps I can come up with another way for us to occupy ourselves, hm?”

  She smiled. “Why, Blood Ruler, whatever could you mean?”

  This, I thought at her, folding my arms – and my wings – around her tightly and kissing her.

  She returned the embrace eagerly, opening her thoughts to me once more. This time, though, I didn't rush to join our minds and hearts. I was more careful, more guarded, my essence hovering just outside the edge of her consciousness as if I was lurking in the doorway to her soul.

  You can come in, her mind whispered to me as her tongue playfully flicked against the tip of mine. I like swimming in your thoughts. It's refreshing, like slipping into a cool pond on a hot summer day.

  No, I replied, raking my nails gently against the nape of her neck. By the stars, the taste of her warm breath was making my heart race. Her jugular was so tantalizingly close… I do not wish to overwhelm or confuse you.

  I can take it, Akzun. I prom
ise. And hey… maybe I want to be overwhelmed.

  I resisted, pulling away with my mind even as I held her closer to my body – but surprisingly, her thoughts followed mine insistently, pursuing them, cornering them like a Frenzien Gorehound chasing its prey up a tree.

  I'd never encountered a human with such a forceful mind, and I was taken aback by it. Even most Valkredians couldn't push into my thoughts unless I granted them access. Clearly, Carly was a very special woman – more special than even I had realized until now.

  I caressed her upper arms tenderly, feeling goosebumps rise there, seeing the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up. And just inches away, major arteries – throbbing with blood, red rivers gushing and flowing, ready for me to bury my face in them and lap them up…

  I had to distract myself. If I couldn't claim her blood, I needed to console myself with her body.

  But you can claim my blood.

  The thought appeared in my mind so sharply and suddenly that I physically recoiled with surprise, staring at her. Her eyes met mine unflinchingly, her head cocked to one side in a silent challenge.

  “Yes, you heard me right,” she said with a grin. “You want to bite me? You want to taste my blood? You can. I don't mind. Really.”

  How could I possibly respond to that? How could I fully communicate my reasons for holding back without frightening her – without making her want to run from me, screaming, finally convinced that I am truly the “vampire” that haunts the legends of her world? She saw me as a lover, not a danger, not a predator.

  I didn't want to change that. I couldn't, no matter what the cost.

  Instead, I slammed the doors to my mind as hard as I could and focused entirely on the physical, hoping she'd simply be caught up in the moment with me and forget all thoughts of blood.

  She slipped out of her clothes, dropping them on the floor and lying down next to them.

  I undid my tunic and trousers, casting them aside and flexing my wings. I enjoyed the expression on her face as she took in my full wingspan – I imagined that to her, I must have resembled one of the fierce and mighty angels from her Earth mythology, a divine engine of beauty and destruction.

  I placed my hands on her knees, spreading them apart. I could see that she was already wet, her labia glistening, her reddish-blonde pubic hairs beaded with dewdrops of lust. There was a blush high on her cheeks, and she was breathing hard, waiting for me to take her.

  I joined her on the floor and leaned forward, delicately pressing the tip of my thumb against her clit. She twitched and moaned, and I began to move my thumb in a slow circle, teasing her, relishing her moisture against my skin. Her pungent musk filled my nostrils, briefly eclipsing the scent of her blood.

  I pushed my thumb inside her, angling it upward to press against the spongy, sticky wall of her G-spot. She hissed my name urgently, both out loud and inside my head – my mind was still tightly shut, yet she was able to make herself heard there anyway.

  Fascinating. Intriguing. And so alluring.

  Unable to wait any longer, I withdrew my hand and positioned myself between her legs. She wrapped them around me immediately, hugging my sides tightly between her thighs. My cock was hard, throbbing against the lips of her pussy – and then, with a single push, I was inside her.

  “Oh Akzun,” she begged, “give it to me, please, give me everything you've got… take me, make me yours…”

  Our hips thrust against each other so hard the impact almost hurt – yet we still quickened our pace steadily, hungrily, our sweating bodies sliding together marvelously. Her nails dug into my back, and she arched her neck, closing her eyes and exposing her throat to me.

  “Drink from me,” Carly drawled deliciously.

  “No,” I panted – plunging myself inside her even harder, hoping I could distract her. “I cannot do that.”

  “You can,” she insisted, opening her eyes again and taking my face in her hands. “It's all right. I want you to. Look inside my mind, and you'll see.”

  I seized her wrists suddenly, pinning her down and slamming myself into her with all my might. She cried out sharply, but her eyes never left mine. The bloodlust was rising in me, surging, tidal in its ferocity. I had to maintain control, but by the stars, it was almost too much for me to bear.

  “You do not know what you ask of me,” I snarled. “I cannot feed on you. Ever. You do not know what will happen if I do.”

  “Whatever it is, I'm not afraid. I want to feed you, to nourish you when you need it. If the blood slaves in the lower levels of the castle can survive it, I can too. I know you won't hurt me.”

  I couldn't take it anymore. If I did not pull away from her – if I did not leave the room at once – I would no longer be able to resist the bloodlust. I would feed, and feed, and feed, until…

  Carly was looking up at me with a strange mixture of curiosity and pity. “But you're afraid, aren't you?”

  I reared back, dislodging myself from her and grabbing my clothes from the floor.

  “You are merely a human,” I sneered, getting dressed quickly. “I know what is best in these matters – you do not. In fact, you know nothing of the galaxy outside your own planet, nothing of the Valkredians, or of me. Perhaps it would be wiser for you to be frightened of me after all.”

  As I stormed out of the room, she called out after me, clearly choking back tears. “Yeah? And maybe you shouldn't have paid two hundred and fifty thousand whatever-the-fucks on a meal you aren't even going to eat, asshole!”

  The truth of her words stung, and I allowed the door to close behind me. When I’d said I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, to make sure no harm came to her, I’d meant it.

  I just never thought it would look like this.

  19

  Carly

  As soon as Akzun left, I rolled over onto my side, sobbing, and feeling like my emotions were pulling me in a hundred directions at once.

  Why wouldn't he drink my blood? Why was he trying to distance himself from me again? Why was there suddenly so much tension between us, when he'd seemed so relaxed and open before?

  And more than that: Why the fuck did I care so much?

  He was an alien vampire, for Christ's sake. And worse, he'd bought me from some scummy bartender like I was livestock. He showed no remorse about putting more money into an intergalactic slave trade that had led to the abduction and abuse of countless people from Earth. People like me, who were routinely terrorized, treated like shit – even sexually assaulted, if what Miranda had told me about the collars was true.

  So why did I want so badly to be with him, to stay in his castle on Valkred and give him whatever he needed from me… even if what he needed was my blood?

  Because even through all the bullshit, I could sense the good in him. More than that, some part of me saw the potential for greatness in him, the chance for him to change things in the galaxy for the better. With the support of someone who truly cared about him – someone who believed in him – I was convinced that he could do amazing things. He could end the war with the Mana, and save the lives of his people. He could be a kind and benevolent ruler. He could enact policies that would ensure the blood slaves were treated better, and perhaps even end the practice of slavery altogether eventually.

  Maybe he could even use his diplomatic influence to correct the imbalance of wealth and power on Earth. He clearly felt strongly about the injustice that existed there.

  If he had the right woman behind him, there was no limit to what he might accomplish.

  There was all of that. But there was something else, too – something that was harder to admit, a magnetism between us that couldn't be denied.

  As crazy as it made me feel – as insane as anyone on Earth would think I was – I knew that I was in love with him. I'd never met any man like him on my own world, and I was sure I never would. It felt like I'd been waiting for Akzun my entire life, and now that I had him, I didn't want to let him go.

  Was that such a lu
dicrous concept? That I could find the love of my life in the arms of an extraterrestrial warrior-king with wings and fangs?

  Yeah. It was. But it didn't change the fact that it was true.

  So what was I supposed to do about it?

  As if on cue, the door to the observatory opened, and Akzun strode in. “I… have something to show you,” he said, clearing his throat.

  “Yeah?” I wiped the tears from my cheeks, sniffling. I hated giving him the satisfaction of seeing me cry, but there wasn't much I could do about it now. “What's that?”

  He went to the wall and turned a series of levers, shifting the windows and mirror arrays above us. The starscape around us changed, and when I saw what was now at the center of the room, my breath froze in my chest.

  A tiny blue marble hung in space, shrouded in clouds, surrounded by the specks of orbiting satellites.

  Earth.

  “You can return there,” Akzun said. “If that is what you wish.”

  I stood up, walking over to the blue and white dot slowly. The sight was bizarre, not to mention beautiful. I knew it should have made me homesick, eager to set foot on familiar soil. From this distance, it was hard to imagine all of the poverty and greed and strife that covered the surface of my home world like a blight.

  But those things were there. I had seen them firsthand – God, I had seen too much of them. And I knew that they were still there, waiting for me.

  It made me sad. And scared. And angry.

  “Do you… want to get rid of me?” I whispered incredulously, hot tears spilling down my face again. “You don't want me around anymore, so you're just going to throw me away?”

  Akzun looked genuinely confused. “No! That was not my intention at all…”

  “Oh? Then what are your intentions, huh? 'Cause I've gotta tell you, I'm getting pretty tired of trying to guess.”

  “I must be… certain that being here, that being with me, is truly what you desire. How we both came to be in each other's lives is not important – all that matters is how we proceed. This life can be… dangerous, and I won’t have you taking those risks because you think you have no other choice. You must either be with me of your own free will, or you must not be with me at all. So if you want to return to Earth, now is the time to let me know, and I will free you.”