“Thank you,” she said, sitting down and taking a bite of food. “This is amazing. I don’t think I’ve had anything other than sim food for years.”
“Sim food?” he asked.
“Stuff they make that tastes terrible and is meant to make us feel we are eating actual food rather than manufactured crap.” She ate more, and he watched her, fascinated by her expression.
“I don’t think I have ever seen anyone enjoy a meal I have prepared quite so much.”
“That’s because you take all this for granted,” she said after she had chewed and swallowed another mouthful. “It’s only when you haven’t had something before that you fully appreciate it. You are so lucky; I don’t expect there is anything you have never had to live without.”
He sat and thought about it. “That isn’t true. I have never known what it is like to be around a woman.”
She laughed, a short snort. “Wait until you have had to put up with me inside a small space ship for a week or more, and then you won’t think you have missed out on a thing.”
“I don’t think so.” He smiled at her, his colours creeping across his skin. But this time it wasn’t from arousal; it was from sorrow. “I am happy our child will have a mother. I see now that I must have missed a lot not having her around. Females are so different to us male Karalians.”
“Wait until we’ve changed you, then you might not think we are good to have around.”
He laughed. “Before I met you I might have agreed. But now, I think I would rather feel the full range of emotions that come with you, than to go back to being what I was before.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his. “We can be happy. Can’t we, Garth?”
“I believe so. I hope so.” And he meant it. All they had to do was survive space.
Chapter Fifteen – Tamzin
It had been a long day, which she had spent most of alone. Garth had gone off to make the last-minute preparations for their mission, and she had been left behind.
At first the thought of just sleeping in, of not having to do anything for the first time in her life, seemed like bliss. But she found herself restless, wanting to go out and explore a planet she did not know, one that was waiting on the other side of the door. But the door was locked to her.
Not just because of her being unable to leave unchaperoned, but because her skin was not supposed to be exposed to daylight.
Examining her body, she was surprised at how quickly the salve Darl had given her, and which Garth had lovingly spread all over her body last night, had helped. The redness was already fading, and her skin didn’t feel taut as if it had shrunk a size in the wash.
Talking of washing, she had taken a lovely long shower. In water. She couldn’t remember the last time she had stood under jets of water. Feeling them spray her body, to run off leaving her clean was amazing. And then she had stood in a hot air dryer, turning this way and that until she was dry.
Now she was seated on the side of the bed, applying the salve again and wishing he was here.
Once she had finished, she replaced the lid on the salve, and went to the bathroom to wash her hands, pulling on the loose cotton shirt he had given her. When she returned, he was there.
“What did you do, creep in?” she asked, finding herself ridiculously happy to see him.
“No, the sound of the tap must have stopped you hearing me.” He looked tired, and she felt guilty for keeping him up all night; not that he complained, apart from when she nipped his nipple, and then he yelped like a puppy.
“Is everything ready?” she asked. “I still can’t believe I’m going back into space tomorrow. When I haven’t seen anything of your planet.”
“I have been thinking about that.” He went to the kitchen and began to boil some water. “I thought we could go out this evening, after the suns have set. We could take some food and eat while we watch the stars come out.”
“A picnic.”
He stood for a moment, searching his memories for the word. “Yes. A picnic.”
“That would be amazing. I feel I’m going to go crazy if I stay in here much longer.” Karal in the dark was better than no Karal at all.
“Then get dressed, and I’ll prepare some food.” He pointed to the bed. “Darl dropped these over to me, he said they should fit.”
“Clothes!” She went to the bed and rifled through the bag he had brought in. There were a couple of dresses and some loose pants, plus a T-shirt. “What should I wear?”
“I thought we might go out onto the plains, we would get a good view of the stars above. Maybe the pants would be best, the grass can be prickly.” He turned back to his food preparation while she dressed, finding the clothes and almost perfect fit.
“There, I’m ready. At least for our picnic, space is another matter. I feel nervous. This girl has never left Earth before yesterday and now she’s about to head off out into the unknown.”
“It isn’t unknown,” he said. “We have explored most of the universe, well, that which is within our reach. Where we are going, it has been explored by us. There should be nothing out there that we cannot handle.”
“As long as the ship doesn’t break down.”
“My cruiser will not break down.” His voice was adamant.
“Things happen, asteroids happen,” she said, feeling a sense of vertigo. “Space is just so big.”
“We will be safe, Tamzin, I promise.” He came to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. “Then we will return to Karal and you might even be pregnant.”
“If we keep practicing like we did last night, then yes, you are right.”
“We weren’t practicing, that was the real thing. At least it was for me,” he said unsurely.
She giggled. “I meant practicing making a baby.” She put her arms around him and put her head on his chest. “It was real for me too.”
He groaned. “If we don’t leave now, I will be keeping you here in this room for the night instead of us going outside. I think I could entertain myself all night, and make you beg for mercy.” He pressed his body closer to hers, so she could feel the hardness of his arousal.
She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “We have plenty of time for that on our mission. Right now, I want to breathe in your fresh air and see your stars.”
Pulling away, she went to the bed, picked up the pants and T-shirt, and made her way into the bathroom. She would have happily changed in front of him, but she was certain if he saw her body, naked, he would want her again.
That thought made her stomach flip. She had never expected to feel this way about her alien prize. She had imagined it would be forced, and that she would learn to live with another species putting his hands all over her, and inside her. Yet she had feelings for Garth, and she hoped on their mission those feelings would grow past lust, and into love.
Or was that wishful thinking?
Shaking her head, she told herself to be patient. What would be, would be. Excitement bubbled up inside her. She was going to actually walk around on an alien planet, with a hunky alien. How cool was that? Oh my goodness, so cool.
“OK, I’m ready,” she said, coming out of the bathroom, dressed in new clothes. They were the nicest things she had ever owned, not grey, drab hand-me-downs. Made of a soft, natural fibre similar to cotton and dyed a pretty shade of yellow, they were cool, comfortable, and made her feel human. Which was bizarre, since she was on Karal, but before, on Earth, she had always felt old, dirty, and somehow subhuman, a skim who was expected to do the worst job, if she had a job at all.
“The suns will be setting soon,” Garth said, jerking her out of her daydream.
“Those two suns, that is an experience on its own. I can’t see how they don’t crash into each other.” She followed him out of the door, keeping close to him when she spotted other aliens coming her way.
“They have spent millions of years following their endless cycle, I think we’re safe.” He nodded at t
he other Karalians, who stared at her as they squeezed past.
“They don’t seem too friendly.” Tamzin forced herself not to turn around and stare at the two big, well-muscled males, who had the same dark hair and dark looks of Garth. “Do you all look the same?”
“Look the same?” he asked, opening a door leading out onto the courtyard, where their cruiser was still parked from yesterday.
“You know, dark brooding looks.”
He stopped and turned to face her. “Most of us have dark hair, there are some over towards the poles who had light brown hair, and paler skin, but that is because they do not have the same amount of sun as us.”
“On Earth, humans are different, depending on what country you come from. Or at least what continent.”
“That is where we are different to Earth. Karal has only one land mass; we are all from the same gene pool.” He turned and walked on, opening the ramp and leading her into the cruiser.
“What about the next generation, won’t your genes be diluted by human genes?”
“No.” He turned again, so suddenly that she almost walked into him. “My genes will be dominant; it is how it has always been.”
Looking up at him, she swallowed down the wave of desire that swept over her. “I see, shame, you could do with a little bit of uniqueness. You are all so interchangeable. I saw it with you and Okil, but now, seeing the others…”
He moved forward, pressing her back against the wall, his hand going around her to the small of her back, then he bent his head and kissed her until she ached for him to go further.
“Am I interchangeable, Tamzin? Do you think that any of the other Karalians could make you feel the way I do?” His hand stroked her back, his teeth nipping her lower lip.
She couldn’t lie; every part of her desired him. “No, Garth.”
“That’s what I thought.” And then he pulled away from her and said, “Come, sit here, and we’ll go and enjoy the night.”
She hoped he planned to enjoy her too. Making love under the stars had suddenly become top of her to-do list.
Chapter Sixteen – Garth
Why didn’t he just turn around and take her back to his rooms and indulge himself in her warm female body? Why? Because some stupid part of him wanted to please her, and not just with sex.
“Where are we going?” she asked, doing up her seat belt and looking out of the window at the great tall walls of the breeding house. She shuddered, and he placed his hand on hers, squeezing it, as his colours flowed down his arms and appearing across his hands while he offered her comfort.
“These walls are not for holding you in.” As if to confirm this, the big doors swung open and he throttled forward, taking them out into the twilight that was settling over Karal.
He had travelled in the descending dark countless times, but never had he paused to take in the beauty of the colours washing over the grassy plains as the two suns set on the horizon. Things were different; he was different, as if seeing everything through new eyes.
“It’s beautiful.” Tamzin stretched forward, trying to take her fill of the view in front of them.
“I’m pleased you like it. I thought we might head over to the lakes. The birds there will be beginning to roost.” Guiding the cruiser away from the breeding house, he turned left and drove across the grassland, the cruiser bumping along the uneven ground. Flicking a switch, he set the cruiser to hover, not wanting to get stuck in the mud holes that sometimes appeared after rain.
Tamzin took in everything, from the small animals drinking from pools along their route, to the flocks of birds coming into land on the lake in front of them.
“So many birds. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“A little further and I’ll stop, then we can walk to the edge of the lake.” He concentrated on steering the vehicle away from any animals so he didn’t disturb them, until gradually they were within two hundred feet of the lake. There he switched off the engines and got up from his seat.
Tamzin had to drag herself away from the view. Only the promise of actually being out there in the cool evening air, made her get up and follow him. Grabbing the picnic he had prepared and a blanket for them to sit on, he opened the ramp, and breathed.
“What can I smell?” she asked, taking a deep breath.
“Herbs, and other plants that grow along the bank. Some of us come here to harvest them. They are good for seasoning fruit and vegetables.” He walked down the ramp, waiting at the end and offering her his hand. She took it, electricity sparking between them.
Her eyes met his, and he smiled, this was the most surreal thing he had ever done, the rest of his life had been so functional. Yes, he enjoyed swimming in the ocean and climbing the mountain, but these things were done for exercise, not just for him to enjoy the view.
“Shall we sit over there?” He pointed to a small rise in the ground and set off, holding her hand tightly, as his colours flowed through him and into her.
“You are as beautiful as any of these creatures.” She looked at his face and then ran her free hand over his cheek, and he knew he was glowing in the descending darkness. “As bright as any star.”
“I should be more under control.” He tried to shut his colours down, tried to stop his skin from transmitting the electrical charge that made him glow like the StreamScreens he had heard about on Earth.
“I like it. I like you not being in control.”
They reached the piece of dry ground and he laid the blanket out, but as he stood tall, she kissed him, standing on tiptoes to reach his lips. “Now, this is romantic.”
He could no longer contain himself. He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her mound pressing against his cock. Placing his hand on her bottom, he moved up and down, stimulating her clit, making her press harder against him, small whimpers of need escaping her.
Turning, he placed her down on the ground, wishing he had told her to wear the skirt, he would have had easy access. Yet her pants provided no match for his strong fingers and he pulled them down, casting them to one side, and then shoving his own pants down just enough to free his cock.
One slick thrust took him deep into her tight, wet sex, she cried out, and grabbed hold of his shoulders to keep herself in place while he ploughed into her over and over again. There was nothing soft or romantic about their lovemaking; this was a male claiming his female. out here in the darkness it was so primal. He could imagine his forefather mating with the Karalian females under the stars a long time ago, when their species was complete.
As he impaled her on his cock, he thought over what Okil had said and rejoiced in the fact that one day there would be Karalian males and females once again, and they might enjoy the planet. No more strange species being brought here to breed.
And yet as he came inside her, his cock fusing against her inner walls to ensure his seed was taken inside her womb, he could not imagine being with anyone other than his female prize.
Afterwards they lay side by side, watching the stars come out one by one. Together they spread out the picnic, working as one, and he looked forward to their mission, and to finding out all about this female who was to be the mother of his child.
Chapter Seventeen – Tamzin
Last night had been incredible, although her body ached, muscles she had never used before complaining about the invasion of Garth’s cock inside her. But the rest of her was not complaining at all, he was a wonderful lover.
“So this is it?” They were inside the space cruiser getting ready to launch. “After last night I am regretting having to leave so soon.”
“We will return in a few weeks’ time and then we can begin our lives here. You will be with child by then.” He switched the engines on and set the throttle forward.
“Are you that confident in your virility?” she asked.
“No, I just know that I am in my prime, that you are at your most fertile, and I intend to make love to you until you are pregnant.”
&
nbsp; “Nice.” But secretly, that was fine with her. Because what else do you do in space?
“Permission to launch.” He flicked the radio switch and waited for the reply. “Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she answered as they were given clearance. Although her stomach flipped over with nerves, she was used to having people around her who would help her, people like Sybil and Thomsk. Now it would be just the two of them in space, no one on hand to help if they got into trouble.
The cruiser hovered just off the ground and then they were shooting into space, going through the atmosphere and into the enveloping darkness, leaving her saddened. Her brief visit had been just that, brief, and she wanted to return and explore in the daylight. Yet the mission was important, she understood that, and so she pushed her selfish thoughts away and instead held the image of Sybil and Thomsk, standing with his children on a new planet, a healthy planet, and promised herself that was whom she was doing this for.
“You can open your eyes.” His voice woke her from her daydream, and she prised her eyes open, letting the vision of her friends go.
“I was thinking of my friends back on Earth,” she said feeling stupid. “I only hope one day they will see the new planet we discover.”
“If we discover it.” Garth flicked some switches and then pressed a button that brought up some kind of space chart. “That is where we are heading. We explored the sector when we were looking for females, but that was a few hundred years ago or more, and because there appeared to be no life, well, life that we needed, we didn’t land.”
“All these planets in the universe, there has to be one we can live on.”
“For all we know, other missions may have found one.” He read something off a chart and then they altered their course, heading out into a vast ocean of nothingness; there were no stars or planets in the window at all.
“So none of the other missions have returned?” she asked.
Hunted: BBW Alien Romance (Warriors of Karal Book 4) Page 7
