by Anna Carven
Unexpectedly, Jerik burst into laughter. “It’s actually a plausible plan, and spoken like a true Kordolian. Maybe you are your mother’s son after all.”
A warning growl escaped Xal’s lips, and the Commander blinked.
“Did something make you think I wasn’t a true Kordolian, Commander Jerik?” Xal’s voice was low and menacing.
The Commander paled, holding up a placating hand. “Sorry. That was a stupid thing for me to say. But what stops us from simply going after them and blasting the shit out of them once they are outside the firing range of Earth? Are we ready to sacrifice the Fleet Station? That’s a lot of Callidum right there.”
“Pursuit is an option, but it is not without risk. Luring them into the Fleet Station would be most ideal, because we could simply eliminate them without any collateral damage. The Fleet Station has undergone much degradation after traveling so far, and we lack the resources to maintain it properly. It will eventually turn into space junk, so it is not unreasonable to sacrifice it.” Tarak leaned back in his chair, considering the possibilities. “The alternative is a firefight between two Alpha-Class battle cruisers. It would get dirty, and we risk leaving Earth undefended during that time. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, but either way, Xal would still need to convince them to leave.” The General narrowed his eyes. “Xalikian, this is a dangerous plan, but not without merit.” Tarak leaned forward. “Are you sure you are willing to take such a risk?”
“I won’t allow them to win, General. And if you see to the details and arrange my retrieval, I have every confidence we will succeed. I am only one individual, and my life is no more valuable than those of the thousands who serve you.”
Tarak nodded. “We will have to work together to persuade them that the Fleet Station is ripe for the taking. Easy enough. You will convince them that you wish to betray me. If it’s Alerak and Daegan, they will believe what they want to. The fools are gullible enough.” He regarded Xal with his unsettling deep-red gaze. “I will do everything in my power to ensure you get out of there alive, my Prince.”
“I know, General Akkadian. That is why I have no hesitation.”
“Then it is decided. You will lure Ristval V away from Earth to the Fleet Station, and we will arrange for its destruction.” Tarak’s expression turned grim, and a deathly silence fell upon them. They all knew what this meant.
Their actions would cause the deaths of hundreds of Kordolians.
It was the terrible price of war.
Tarak broke the stillness by pounding his fist on his chest once, in the traditional Kordolian military salute.
Xal nodded as the Commanders stared at him in shock. The General didn’t salute anyone, ever.
But he had just acknowledged his Prince.
And Xal wondered how far the Imperium had strayed from its path that a Kordlian like Tarak could betray it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When Sera woke, Xal was gone. She lay in the shadows, tangled in impossibly soft sheets, listening to the sound of total silence.
The bed wasn’t really a bed, but more of a dark, organic cocoon; a rounded pod that was either stifling or cosy, depending on one’s preferences. She stared up at the blackness, wondering what the hell had just happened.
Oh yeah, amazing sex, that’s what.
Her stomach growled, and she hazily remembered her original mission, which had been so conveniently sidetracked. She was starving.
She slipped on her clothes and ran a hand through her disheveled hair, trying to make herself look presentable. The only thing she wasn’t able to put back on was the g-string Xal had torn.
Oh well; she wouldn’t be needing that anymore, anyway.
Sera headed for the door, only to find that she was locked in. The stupid thing wouldn’t open, and as far as she could see, there wasn’t any release panel. She stepped back and looked around. Xal’s room was similar in size to hers, with identical furnishings. She would have thought he’d have something a bit more opulent, considering he was a Prince and all, but she was starting to find out that his title and his role in the Universe weren’t so straightforward.
Sera collapsed back onto the bed, a tumult of thoughts running through her mind. She was sure Xal hadn’t meant to lock her in, it was just that those weird doors were complicated, and only designed to admit or release the main occupant of the quarters. Feeling restless, she decided to explore the quarters, tapping panels here and there and running her hands across the smooth, curved walls.
Kordolian things were so strangely designed.
Sera brushed against a triangular set of blue lights on the wall and another basket-weave door opened. Inside was a narrow space that looked like some sort of closet, and beyond that was a washroom.
There was a smooth, dark cubicle in one corner, and when she poked her head inside, a torrent of cold water fell from the ceiling.
Sera jerked away in surprise, and the water stopped.
It was a shower.
How the hell were the Kordolians so liberal with water onboard a spacecraft that probably hadn’t seen land in months? On the few Human space stations Sera had been to, they had always been on water rations, or they had been required to dry-cleanse.
Nothing compared to a long, hot shower. It was one of the luxuries of living on Earth.
Sera undressed and stepped into the shower, letting the water hit her in a cold blast. She shivered, turning her face upwards. There was no control panel to regulate the temperature. Apparently, Kordolians liked their showers cold.
Sera closed her eyes and let the frigid water cascade over her face. Cold water was better than a dry-shower, any day of the week, and the arctic temperature was actually helping her wake up and feel refreshed.
Especially after a session of wild, frenzied lovemaking with a certain silver-skinned alien.
She needed to get her head back into reporter-mode. She couldn’t afford to be wandering around in a lustful daze, dreaming of fucking Xal all day long. She was supposed to be objective here.
Sera laughed. Objective was out the window.
It was bad enough that she’d already broken her golden rule; it was downright unprofessional.
But when she was faced with a sexy Kordolian who seemed to be equally as attracted to her, what was a girl supposed to do?
Ignore him?
She wasn’t that virtuous.
Despite the cold shower, heat started to burn through Sera at the thought of his touch, and before she realized what she was doing, she’d slipped her fingers between the moist folds of her pussy, stroking herself.
Oh, come on, she told herself. Just a little bit more. She was locked in the dark chambers of a Kordolian Prince, onboard an alien warship orbiting Earth. It wasn’t as if she could flick on the holoscreen and watch Netcom all of a sudden. She had to do something to pass the time.
Xal had awoken her long-buried sexual appetite, and it was like rain in the desert after a long, hard drought. She didn’t know what the customs of his people were when it came to sex and relationships, but she felt as if she might pursue him to the ends of the Earth to take this further.
There was so much to explore.
Goosebumps rippled over her skin, and she opened her eyes, blaming the cold water. But when she looked into the shadows, her eyes touched upon amber, and she gasped.
“How long have you been standing there?”
He’d been watching her. That dirty, sexy bastard.
Xal stepped forward, a slow grin spreading across his handsome features. “Was I not sufficient for you, Sera?”
She blushed, having been caught in the act. “No, you were perfect. But you locked me in, Xal. What did you expect me to do? Clean the bathroom?”
“My apologies. I forgot about the Qualum door. I will have it re-programmed.”
Sera looked at his plain robes and suddenly felt very naked. Which was stupid, considering she’d just been naked with him a few hours ago. But the way he was staring at her, with his
predatory gaze, was making her conscious of her bare skin.
“Although, if being locked in here means you will spend your time pleasuring yourself in the shower, then perhaps I will keep you here for myself and enjoy you.”
“Don’t get full of yourself, Prince.” Sera flicked water at him, but the cold droplets didn’t make him flinch. Before she could react, he dropped his robes in a blur of movement and stepped into the shower.
“Can’t you make this water warmer? How do you do cold showers all the time?”
“We like the cold,” Xal murmured as he moved behind her, bending to nuzzle her neck. He tasted her skin with his warm mouth, and she pressed her slick, wet body into his, feeling his erection nudging against the small of her back. He brought his arms around her, capturing her breasts in his large hands. The sharp points of his black fingernails retracted like a cat’s, and he traced his fingertips over her skin, fondling her nipples, causing her to shudder.
Suddenly, the water didn’t seem so cold anymore, and Sera forgot she was hungry for food.
A different kind of appetite had been awakened.
“Let me take over with that, female,” Xal whispered, his lips grazing her ear. He nibbled her earlobe, trailing soft kisses down the side of her face. His hands slid down the lean planes of her belly, gliding over her hips and around her ass. He brought one hand to the front and curled two fingers over her pussy, pushing them deep inside. Heat pooled in her belly and spread through to her core. “To leave you unsatisfied is most dishonorable.”
He wrapped his other arm around her belly, drawing her into him. She found herself pressed against the hard planes of his body, their wet skin molding together. He was oh so warm, and his cock was nestled up against her, impossible to ignore.
Impossible to resist.
At this rate, Sera would never get any work done.
Xal stretched her, his fingers moving back and forth insistently, causing Sera to squirm against him. He held her tightly, trailing slow, hot kisses along her neck.
He moved his other hand up to caress her taut nipples, one at a time.
Sera moaned, planting her hands on the wall, pushing back against him. She bent over, and he slowly withdrew his fingers, eliciting a moan of pleasure.
He teased her entrance with his cock, its moist tip parting the silken folds of her pussy. Sera reached behind and took his length into her hand, guiding him.
He plunged deep inside her as she anchored herself against the wall of the cubicle. Water streamed over both of them, and a low, rumbling growl escaped Xal as he held her tight and fucked her slowly, his hands cupping her breasts. He was gentle at first, then he went faster, taking her deep and rough, their lean, slick bodies moving together. Sera let out soft sighs of satisfaction that became progressively louder as Xal pumped his hips, stoking her to new heights of pleasure. As he moved inside her, he planted a long, deep kiss on her neck, at the point just above her collarbone.
He ground his hips, his movements becoming more forceful, more intense, a possessive, primal sound issuing from his throat, mingling with her soft cries. He thrust deep, and he thrust hard, and his lips were on her neck, and he was kissing her there, and fucking her so hard and she wanted to come.
Oh, how badly she wanted to come. Yet at the same time she didn’t want this to end.
The tension built. Her pleasure grew, becoming ecstasy. He stretched her and caressed her and claimed her. They moved to their own wild rhythm, and his grip on her became tighter and tighter, his mouth hot and demanding on her bare, wet skin.
Xal was insatiable. He took her higher, and he went even faster, and smoldering embers of sensation became a wildfire, and Sera writhed and arced her back, and then he came, slamming into her with a tremendous cry, his sharp fangs grazing the skin at her neck, drawing out a feeling of of exquisite pain.
The sprinkling of pain mingled with a tidal wave of bliss, sending Sera into overdrive as she orgasmed, slamming her fists against the wall.
Xal drew her against him, pulling her upright as she became a boneless, quivering, hot mess.
The tension drained from her body and a satisfied sigh escaped her lips.
Xal withdrew from her and she turned to face him, loving the way his expression had become so peaceful, a contented smile dancing on his lips.
“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I stepped into the shower,” she said, as the water held them in its cold caress.
“I was just finishing what you started, female,” he rumbled, looking most pleased with himself. “How could I leave you to pleasure yourself when I’m right here?”
Sera laughed as he rested his hands on her waist, gently stroking her skin. “Yes, how could you?” She pulled him out of the shower, examining the pulps of her fingers. They had started to look like prunes, from prolonged exposure to water. “At this rate, we’ll use up all of Silence’s water supply, and I’ll shrivel up like a raisin.”
“Again, I don’t know what that is, but you don’t need to worry about the water. It’s recycled in an infinite closed loop, constantly being filtered. All moisture onboard Silence, even vapor, goes back into the system. We will never run out of supply.”
Sera shook her head. “You know, when you guys finally settle on Earth, you’ll become overnight billionaires selling your technology.”
Xal raised an eyebrow enigmatically, but said nothing.
Sera wrapped her arms around her naked body as the cold water dried, rubbing the skin of her arms where gooseflesh had appeared. Xal said something in Kordolian and suddenly heat radiated from the ceiling and the bathroom became dry and warm, the moisture disappearing in an instant.
He wrapped her in his own warm embrace. “You Humans don’t like the cold, do you?”
“And you guys do?”
“Our planet is cold. It’s our natural environment. But the warmer climate of Earth doesn’t bother us. It’s just your infernal sun and its ultraviolet light. Our eyes are sensitive to it.”
“Remind me to get you a pair of sunglasses when we get back to Earth.” Sera slipped on her clothes and shot Xal a wry look. “So was this all part of your plan, Prince Kazharan?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you mean to bring me all the way up here and seduce me so I would write nice things about you and your Kordolian friends in my magazine?”
He looked shocked. “I would never use sex to manipulate you. That is sacred. Do Humans do such things?”
“Relax, Prince.” She laughed. His earnestness was heartwarming, somehow. “I was just teasing you. I’m a big girl. A little bit of sex won’t change what I write. And just because you’re a skilled lover doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
“You think me skilled, then?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Silly man, you know it already. You’re clearly experienced in that department, so you don’t have to sugar-coat your past. I get it. You’re a Prince. It comes with the territory.”
Xal smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “I know how it must look, Sera, but my upbringing wasn’t a conventional one. I truly have very little experience with females. As a Kordolian male, I received training in the art of pleasuring a woman. It’s a rite of passage for us.”
“Oh.” Sera was floored. “I’m sorry. I didn’t-”
Xal took it all in his stride. “It must seem strange to a Human, coming from a planet where one can easily find a mate. But on Kythia, with our imbalance of males to females, we do everything we can to keep them satisfied. And Kordolian females don’t conceive without reaching climax. It’s essential for the release of certain hormones.”
Sera bent and retrieved Xal’s robe, draping it across his shoulders. He straightened her grey top, pulling a tucked-in bit from the waistband of her trousers, running his hands over her body, unable to help himself.
A contented sigh escaped Sera, and they made their way back into the sleeping area. Xal was silent and pensive, watching her with an unre
adable gaze.
She observed him in turn, savoring his angular beauty and the fluid grace of his movements.
“Something’s bothering you,” she said eventually, reading into his silence.
“You’ve witnessed the conflict we Kordolians are facing with our brethren from the Empire. You saw the perpetrators first-hand. Our plans have changed, Sera. Soon I’ll have to leave here to deal with it once and for all.”
“Well, I’m shadowing you, so-”
Xal put a finger to her lips. “No. The place I’m going is too dangerous for a Human. You will return to Earth and await word from us.”
“What do you mean, dangerous? I’ve been to war zones before, Xal. I’m sure I’ll be fine, as long as-”
“No.” His eyes became hard, like chips of glass. “Absolutely not. There’s no place for you where I’m going, because those I’ll be dealing with might easily kill you or torture you or enslave you, purely because you’re Human. I won’t ever put you in that kind of situation, Sera Aquinas.”
She stared back at him in shock, because it was as if he’d transformed in front of her. Gone was the cheeky, cocky, passionate male who’d just made love to her. In his place was a regal Kordolian Prince whose word was absolute.
Xal, she was beginning to realize, was a man of many faces.
“My story isn’t finished,” she said quietly, withdrawing from his touch. “At least allow me to stay here, onboard Silence, until you return.” She paused. “You will be coming back, won’t you?”
“I intend to,” he said cautiously, but there had been a tiny hesitation there, and she sensed there was a lot he wasn’t telling her.
“You’re going to them, aren’t you? You’re planning to do something to those enemy Kordolians.”
He remained silent, and that infuriated Sera. That meant that whatever he was planning was stupid or risky, or a combination of the two.
“Why don’t you want to tell me what’s going on, Xal?”
“You will know if I succeed,” he said softly. “Then you will have your story, Sera Aquinas.”
For some reason, that statement filled Sera with cold dread. “You’re coming back, right? I mean, this isn’t some sort of weird goodbye, is it?”
