This time, Janelle couldn’t hold back her tears. She blinked and they spilled down her cheeks in two wet, silvery trails. “Thank you,” she said shakily, brushing her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Thank you for this. I honestly came because I was desperate, not because I wanted to do the right thing. I feel ashamed of myself now.”
Shaking his head, Glastar reached out and gently rested his hand on Janelle’s hair. “Whatever your intentions were, I can tell your heart is pure. Whether you knew it or not, this is where you were meant to be.”
Chapter 4
Andar was awake before the sun, as was Maslar. The expected knock came on the tree’s door and he opened it, letting his friend slip inside. They spent a morning filled with anxious silence and tense waiting.
“It is finally time,” Andar said, glancing up from the table where he had been working, preparing food for their evening meal.
Maslar, his writings and papers spilling over the desk-like piece of furniture, glanced up. His pen stilled. Maslar was a Teller, an important member of their species who wrote down their history, legend and myth. He had shown promise at a young age, when his vivid dreams of the future, the past and the present had defined him and laid out his future.
Andar wished he had been so lucky. He had yet to decide on a profession. He showed promise of being a Nurturer, one who grows trees and plants, in part to replenish food source and living space for the species.
“Yes. I agree.” Maslar looked out the hole in the tree, a natural window. “The position of the sun is low. We can go for our female now.” He couldn’t quite contain his smile and his eyes sparkled with the promise of new hope.
“I will put away our food. Straighten your desk if you can. The rest of the house is in order. Everything is ready.”
“It’s been ready for days. I wonder if this human woman knows how lucky she is to have two doting males who have been friends their entire lives. Just promise me one thing, Maslar: You cannot be jealous of the young should it be of me.”
“And you cannot make any snide jokes should it be of me.”
Maslar never lost his wide grin. “Of course not, my friend. It’s as you said, you always were the better looking of the two of us.”
“And you,” Andar said, clapping a hand on Maslar’s shoulder, “Have always been wise and dedicated. Whoever creates the young, it is sure to be an incredible being with a promising future.”
Maslar quickly tidied his desk while Andar put away their food. The two males left Andar’s tree dwelling together, walking briskly over the field that led to the cave where the human women were prepared to be claimed by their males.
The expanse of open land, rich with plants, flowers, herbs and wildlife was eerily similar to what was on Earth, yet so different. Other males joined them and passed them. They all wore the same brown breaches made from the fibers of the strong Cavvassa plant. The material was incredibly soft and durable. The Klaskians cared far more about functionality and living in harmony with their planet than they did about fashion or vanity.
Twenty-eight males strode through the field, reaching the cave and the creek that flowed by it. They lined up shoulder to shoulder, and stood in breathless anticipation, waiting for their females. The silence swirled around them, thick and palpable.
Andar’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the first human woman emerge. Dressed in the same woven fabric as the men, her tunic stretched over her shoulders and breasts, wrapped tightly around her narrow waist and flared out at her hips, ending just above her knees.
More human women stepped from the cave’s entrance. They entered daylight and blinked after having spent the past few hours underground. They were all dressed the same, though their hair and eye color varied. They were so unlike Klaskian females that Andar found himself studying the different shades and hues with intrigue. Klaskian eyes were always purple, their skin always blue and their hair always black. He marveled at the beauty and uniqueness of each female.
Finally, when all the women were lined up the Klaskian guard stepped forward. He had a list in his hand and he began to call out names.
Andar tensed and felt Maslar freeze beside him. He waited for their names to be called. Males rushed forward, eagerly claiming their human women and leading them away to their tree homes or underground dwellings, wherever they had chosen to abide.
Stomach clenched painfully, his chest compressing to the point where it was impossible to draw breath, Andar waited.
Finally, he heard his name. “Andar and Maslar. We present your human woman, the beautiful Janelle Speirs.”
Andar’s eyes searched the few remaining women for the one who would be his. His eyes widened when she stepped forward. She was beyond beautiful, the most spectacular woman he had ever seen. He had picked her out right from the beginning, been drawn to her since the minute she stepped from the cave’s entrance.
Janelle took a few, halting steps forward. She waded through the shallow creek, as she had seen the other women before her do, then stood on the bank, beads of water sluicing off her shapely legs. The wind caught her hair and tendrils sprang free from the braids to soar on the breeze and tangle about her face. Her lips were lush and red. Her blue eyes were heavily lashed and her blonde hair was the color of slassa flowers. Her body was spectacularly built, slender yet curvy where her hips met her waist. Her breasts were well-rounded and full.
Andar was finally able to tear his eyes from her body long enough to look into her face. He held out his hand and she reached out hesitantly, and placed her much smaller, cooler fingers into his.
“Welcome home,” Andar whispered, his voice soft as it had been stolen from his throat like the air had been robbed of his lungs. “My name is Andar and this is my friend Maslar.”
Maslar was beside them in the next instant and he, too, extended his large, ink-stained hand. Janelle shyly placed her other hand in his. “Yes, Janelle. Welcome home,” he echoed.
Janelle blinked, those long, blonde lashes hitting her cheek just for a second before rising up to frame her huge blue eyes again. Her full red lips finally turned up in the hint of a smile. “Home,” she whispered, as though she were trying the word on her tongue. “Home is a beautiful word.”
Chapter 5
“I hope you like it.” Andar swept his arm proudly to indicate the massive, towering tree.
“It’s incredible. I never would have thought that you could live inside a tree.” Janelle breathed out a sigh of wonder. So far everything about Klaskar had been more amazing than she could have dreamed possible.
“Others live underground or in hills or caves. We make our home from the land and live in harmony with it. Our food and clothing comes from the land as well. We do not construct to obstruct the planet like on Earth.”
“You wouldn’t like where I live,” Janelle admitted to the two males. They leaned in closer to hear her quiet words and she marveled at the size of them. They were as big or larger than the males at the cave. They topped seven feet and their broad, naked chests could easily have been composed of two of her. Their powerful shoulders rippled with muscle and their chests looked like they could have been carved out of stone or cast from bronze, like a statue. Their legs were muscled and thick; their arms powerful. Their bodies looked as though they had been created, hewn of the land they clearly loved so much.
Andar’s hand rested on her shoulder gently and Janelle started. He went to withdraw but she took a deep breath, and though sensing she didn’t want to lose his touch, he kept his hand there. A pleasant warmth spread down her shoulder to the rest of her body at the contact. “This is your home now,” he said gently.
Maslar nodded. “Shall we go inside? We’ve prepared you a meal that we can share together.”
“Yes. I would like that. Thank you.” Janelle felt a strange stirring of anticipation squeeze her chest and tingle in the pit of her stomach. An embarrassing pounding was starting between her legs and underneath her flared skirt of the softest mat
erial she’d ever felt. She grew wet just thinking about those two strong bodies covering her own.
She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on following the two males inside the huge tree. The bark was a strange, gnarled red. It was thick on the outside and surprisingly flat on the inside. Janelle still couldn’t believe that she was inside of an actual living tree.
The room was large with rounded walls. There was sparse furnishing on the first level – a table, chairs, a desk, and some kind of naturally-woven hammock. Janelle suddenly had the impression she’d been taken to a beach or jungle escape. There was a rope ladder with wooden rungs that led to the second floor. Janelle blushed furiously when she thought about what she would do there later.
This really was happening.
“I’ve prepared something similar to what you would call a salad on Earth, just to help you grow accustomed to our food. The plants that grow here are very rich in minerals and nutrients, as is our water and soil. You’ll find that you’ll be satisfied after eating a few small mushrooms or leaves of a plant similar to lettuce.” Maslar informed her. He went over to a shelf on the far side of the wall and held up a large, rough-hewn bowl carved out of some type of wood. It was filled with greens and mushrooms.
Janelle’s mouth watered. She had been fed some fruit-like food at the cave as she was bathed, but she was famished again.
“It looks delicious,” she admitted as her stomach growled softly.
“Would you care to sit down?” Andar pointed to the table and chairs and Janelle nodded. Maslar set the bowl on the table and he rushed over to hold her chair out for her. She noticed how his hands shook as he held it for her and her heart turned over. He was as nervous as she was, it would appear.
“Thank you.” Janelle sat and waited. Andar and Maslar sat next to her, taking up the other two chairs. She watched as they helped themselves, filling their hands with the leaves and mushrooms. She followed, taking a few leaves and a mushroom into her own palm.
The plants were so green, the mushrooms so white and perfect. They looked and smelled fresh, not at all like even the best of the foods she’d eaten at home. She raised a leaf to her mouth and chewed slowly. The flavor that burst there was like a symphony on her tongue. The juices filled her mouth and ran down her throat. She swallowed, eager to try the mushroom. It was even better. It had a nutty, woody flavor. She noticed, as the males had said, that she was already feeling satisfied, as though her hunger had just vanished.
“That’s amazing!” She exclaimed. She eyed up both males, flushing as she realized that she had no idea what was expected of her now. Were they eager to take her right to bed?
Sensing her confusion, Andar quickly rose from the table. He indicated the hammock. “If you would like to get comfortable there, Maslar and I both play what you would call an instrument. We could play for you, to help you relax. I know you are likely tired after your journey, yet probably as excited as we both are.”
“Yes,” Janelle admitted gratefully. “Thank you.” She rose and walked over to the hammock. She carefully bent the side, laying her back into the strong netting before she swung her legs over the side. She gasped and laughed softly as the hammock started to sway comfortably. She touched the netting, running her finger over the smooth knots and realized it was made of the same fabric as their clothing.
Maslar and Andar fetched their strange-looking instruments. One appeared almost harp-like and the other seemed to resemble something similar to a guitar. Maslar began to expertly strum the harp instrument. The notes it produced were so pure and sweet that they took Janelle’s breath away. There was a strange stirring in her chest and her body tingled. The hair on the back of her arms stood on end. Andar soon joined in, strumming his own instrument gently.
It was the sweetest sound Janelle had ever heard. She wished they would never stop playing. She closed her eyes and let herself drift away, her senses lulled and hushed into a peaceful serenity of surrender.
Chapter 6
“I believe she’s sleeping,” Maslar whispered, laying down his harp. He stared at the beautiful human woman, his body longing for her yet his heart longing to cherish her as he had cherished his own lost female.
“I wonder what she’s thinking.” Andar stepped closer to view the sleeping woman the same as Maslar was. They both hovered over the edge of the hammock. “She looks like an angel,” Andar sighed. “I can’t believe she is actually ours to care for.”
“What do you suppose she thinks of us?”
“I could smell her desire when she saw us,” Andar said huskily, his own raw, male scent flooding the room. Maslar sniffed the air and was surprised at how quickly Andar had all but chosen the human woman as his female, almost at first sight. It would take Maslar much longer before his own scent flared rich and thick in the air. He doubted if it ever could again. He’d had one female before. One he loved more than his own life, and he’d lost her. He lived with that pain daily. It was a new feeling, this tiny seed of hope that bloomed inside his chest and his heart when he looked at the human.
“Do you think that she thinks this is wrong? Us using her like this?” Maslar asked, turning to Andar.
Andar reluctantly removed his eyes from the woman’s face and turned towards Maslar. “I doubt it. The program is voluntary. Surrogacy is legal on her planet, as it is on here. We have given Earth much and her women have come to us to help us in return. It is much like the relationship we have with our own planet.”
“I suppose you could see it like that. What if she came only for the payment? Some humans do.”
Andar smiled, shocking Maslar. “Would it truly matter if she did? She’ll change her way of thinking soon enough.”
“Andar!”
“We know that our species is best at the carnal act of pleasure. We would have to be, or we would have died out long ago. The act of conception is so rare that if we did not enjoy our females, we would have surely ceased to exist.”
“It is a basic fact of life. We were meant to enjoy the planet and all that it provides. Our bodies were designed to give and receive pleasure. There is nothing more natural.”
“Though we’ve never shared a female before, I know we will enjoy it. I’m sure it will be as natural as anything else.”
Maslar nodded. “I hope so.” He was thankful that their species could not show embarrassment as keenly as humans could. He recalled the delightful way the woman blushed when he could tell she was thinking about them. His body flooded with heat when he thought of her in the same way. It was an unnerving flood of emotion and sensation that he had not expected.
“Shall I carry her up to the bed?” Andar asked. He looked uncertain. Maslar was reminded that his friend had never had a female live in his house before.
“I think so. If she wakes, soothe her and she should not fight you. We only intend to give her pleasure and she intends to give us a young. We both know what we want from each other. This night will be about her pleasure and hers alone. We will know soon enough if she has conceived.”
Andar looked longingly at the woman before he bent and scooped her up delicately in his arms. “I’m not going to leave it up to chance. I plan to remain in that bed for many rotations of the sun and moon.”
A hot rush of raw, powerful heat swept through Maslar as he watched Andar carry her up. His body responded, his muscles clenching, his cock hardening painfully. The need to take the woman, to possess her and pleasure her, to drive her wild and hear her sharp cries of need drove him forward, towards the hanging rope ladder.
He climbed it quickly, ascending to the second floor with ease. Andar was already laying Janelle on the bed. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open. Maslar held his breath, waiting to see how she would react. Could she smell the strong scent of a male’s desire flooding the room? Could she sense just how thin their control would be stretched before the night was over? How they would all be brought to the brink time and time again?
She smiled sweetly when her eyes settl
ed on Andar. She surprised Maslar by holding her arms out, extending a hand for Andar to join her there on the large bed. The mattress was a woven cover of the same material that constructed their clothing. It was essentially a huge, soft bag stuffed with the seed of huge flowers that burst into fluff when over ripe. It was placed on the wooden floor, but thick enough to be more than comfortable.
The room was devoid of other furniture. Some of the tree branches had been twisted through the holes in the trunk that served as windows, and arranged as shelves to hold objects or an extra set of breaches.
Janelle glanced at Andar and the sensual light in her eyes was unmistakable. She tore her gaze away and her blue orbs met Maslar’s purple ones.
“Is this how we begin?” She asked wide-eyed, her voice sweet and innocent.
Maslar had not heard or seen anything so beautiful in a very long time.
Chapter 7
Janelle blinked, focusing on the two faces who peered down at her. There was a delicious scent in the room, something dark, heady and seductive.
Andar sat, poised on the edge of the mattress where they’d lain her. He nodded and when he reached out and ran a calloused finger over Janelle’s chin, they both trembled.
The effect of Andar’s touch was felt in every nerve ending in Janelle’s body. She gasped when his fingertip trailed lower down her chin, over her collarbones, tracing a pattern that burned like fire. Her nipples hardened painfully though Andar had not touched them.
“Are you going to kiss me?” Janelle whispered breathlessly.
Andar’s eyes flashed but his face gave nothing away. His touch moved back over her chin, up to her full lower lip. He caressed her there, sending a thousand shockwaves racing through her.
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