“OK. I’ll try not to touch anything,” she said with a slight lift of her mouth; she was trying to lighten the mood between them. Or was she trying to seduce him with her feminine wiles, wiles no Karalian had experienced for centuries, until these humans had come to their planet. Perhaps they were hoping no other planet would be needed and that if they seduced enough Karalians, his species would allow them to live here amongst them and bring their families. Until eventually, Karal would die in the same way as Earth. Overused and overworked.
“Do not worry. The controls of the Karalian space cruisers only work for the Karal.”
“Really? It knows that I am not from Karal?” she asked, running her fingertips lightly over the smooth metal of the control deck.
He felt a tremble of desire pass though his body, he longed for her to touch him in such a way, to stimulate his skin until his colours exploded like a supernova. “Yes. It knows.”
“Clever. Not that I would have any idea how everything worked.” She sat in her seat, and did her seatbelt up. “I have never been very good with machines and things. I was brought up with plants.”
“I thought Earth was devoid of most life,” he said, sitting down and starting the engines.
“Not completely. When I was young, our garden was full of plants …” She stopped talking and looked away from him. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, what painful memory she had touched on. But he needed to remind himself he didn’t really care. But he did care.
He couldn’t help himself.
Chapter Eleven – Gaia
Her words brought back memories of her mom; she would have loved Karal so much. Gaia couldn’t help thinking of her childhood, and how despite her mom’s mental state, she taught Gaia how to tend plants, how to water then feed them and make them flourish.
Until the acid rain.
Gaia could still remember her mom kneeling in the poisonous dirt, grabbing her beloved plants to her chest and wailing like a lost child. Gaia had spent two days meticulously going through the plants and potting up any that she thought might live, while her mom went into some kind of stupor, rending her useless to everyone.
To ease her worry, Gaia had constructed a makeshift greenhouse, with Johnny’s help. Dear Johnny, he was always there for her. Always willing to help her and make her happy. Why had she left him? Traded him for this alien creature whose only sign of emotions were the colours that rushed across his skin.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and she realised he had been staring at her for some time.
“Yes. Please, let’s go.” At least seeing the planet would take her mind off her old life. She had to learn to embrace her future, but that would have been much easier if this was her home now. Instead, all she had to look forward to was the inside of a space cruiser and an alien who didn’t speak very much.
After living in the same town with the same people for her whole life, it was going to be difficult to adjust to being in Rikka’s company. Let alone in his bed.
At this thought, her body reacted in an unexpected way. Her stomach clenched, filled with a kind of longing, a need to mean something to him. To break through his reserve and be the person he looked forward to seeing everyday. She wanted what her mom had never had.
Weren’t children supposed to repeat their parents’ mistakes?
Yes. That was the old saying. Only Gaia was going to do things slightly differently. She was going to know who the father of her child was, know where he was; it wasn’t as if this Karalian was about to run off and leave her holding the baby. However, she would still be alone. Because he did not appear to want to make any kind of relationship with her.
She shook her head, angry with herself. Maybe he didn’t know what to say, how to behave. She was probably the first female he had ever been this close to. There were so few lottery winners on Karal that there was a good chance he had never seen, or at least spoken, to a woman before.
Feeling a little better, she decided that it was up to her to make their relationship work. If he couldn’t learn to love, could they at least learn to be friends?
“Your planet is very beautiful.” She looked out of the window, leaving her thoughts of their future behind to concentrate on the present.
“Thank you,” he said, looking around him at the vibrant greens dotted with trees. “I don’t really think of it in that way.”
“How do you think of it?” she asked, wanting to know how this big brutish male’s mind worked.
“I don’t know.” He frowned, looking confused. “I protect it, but not because it is beautiful, but because it is my home. The place where the Karal have always lived.”
“My home is grey. It’s depressing to look at. But your planet is full of colour and life. I have never seen so many greens.” She pointed out of the window to where a flock of birds danced in circles around each other. “I have never seen so many birds. In my whole life I have seen ten, that is all.”
“Ten. At once?” he asked.
“No. Ten in total.” Shaking her head, she continued. “I can’t think I will ever take it for granted, as long as I live here.”
“It is different for you. And maybe now I have seen the ruin of your Earth, I will not take my planet for granted anymore,” he said.
“Then maybe I have changed you already,” she said, seeing his face darken and blue skim across his cheeks. He didn’t want to be changed, and she could understand that; he was a proud man, the Karal were a proud species.
Trying to smooth things out, she said, “But I know what you mean, how easy it is to take things for granted. When you see something every day, you get used to it. Like this space cruiser. To you it is normal, to get inside a tin machine and fly to distant moons. But to us on Earth, it is an amazing machine that we could only dream of being able to invent.”
He studied her carefully, a brief flash of blue, intense as it flicked like a tic on his neck, told her he was at least listening to what she said and thinking about it. Glad she hadn’t completely alienated him, she carried on.
“In the same way, we take our planet for granted. We know that the air will be polluted, that the food will be made of chemicals rather than the real thing. So when we come here to Karal, it is so amazing. The food we ate earlier was the first real vegetables I have eaten for over a year.”
“So you think that because we see our planet every day, we do not appreciate how alive it is?” he asked. “For some of us, that might be true. But for the warriors, and all of those who have travelled to your Earth, that is not how we think.”
“I see. Because you leave here and see other planets.” She thought about that for a while as he flew lower. “Have you ever found a planet more beautiful?”
“No.” He shook his head, and she believed him, especially when he added, “You are right. Karal is beautiful. There is never anything better than coming home. Especially when you have sights like this to see.”
She looked to where he pointed. There was a large herd of the animals she had seen earlier walking across the grasslands below. Their bodies resembled elephants, while the necks were long. They walked together, big and small, stopping to eat the grass. It was an amazing sight, and she found herself unbuckling her seatbelt and pressing her face to the window to see them more clearly.
“Wow. They are amazing,” she said. “Do you have lots of animals on Karal? I mean big, wild animals like this.”
“Many. The grasslands are filled with them and the forests too. So many, we are sure there are some we have never seen. The forests are so thick it would take weeks, months even, to walk to the centre.”
“I would love to see trees. Do we have time?” she asked.
The ship lifted and they flew higher once more. “Yes. We have until tomorrow morning. Okil has brought the launch forward, but for now, the time is our own. I have food on board, and blankets. We can sleep on the cruiser, if need be.”
“Or under the stars,” Gaia said wistfully. “You can’t see them from Ear
th. The pollution cloud blocks them out. My mom used to show them to me when I was younger. I still picture them sometimes. When I go to bed and close my eyes.”
“The stars will not be the same as those you see from Earth. But that is not to say they are not equal in their beauty. We can head to the forest and camp outside if you prefer. Something I haven’t done since my father died.”
“I’m sorry. I mean, I never thought of you having parents. Stupid, isn’t it.”
“The Karal need two parents, just like humans,” he said, and she caught a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Obviously. That is, after all, the sole reason I am here, isn’t it?” Gaia asked. “If Karalians could perfect a way of not needing human females, then we would be left to die on Earth.”
He didn’t answer, mulling something over in his head, and she found herself more and more fascinated by him. He might not talk much, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think deeply about what she said.
“You are wrong. The Hier Council must think there are other reasons humans are worth saving. That is why we are going on our mission.”
“Wait. You mean your species doesn’t need us?” she asked, not sure she understood his cryptic reply.
“I have been told that there is a way we might be able to reintroduce our own females. We would no longer have to rely on humans. But still, our mission stands. You are lucky that Okil and the Hier Council are in your favour. If not, then the mission would be delayed and your people would not be given a new chance.”
“How?” she asked. “After all this time you won’t need us? Why have you never perfected this before, if you knew there was a way?” Had the Karal been lying to humans all along? Was it possible they were more sinister than she thought? “Are you experimenting on us?”
“No. And yes. From what I can tell it was an accident, with the first lottery winner. It will pave the way for our species to be self-sufficient once more.” He banked the space cruiser and headed down towards the ground, only it wasn’t the ground. Instead, a high canopy of trees appeared, the leaves like green fluffy clouds all moving as one with the breeze, which blew gently over them.
“I didn’t know. I thought you needed us and that was what this mission was about,” she said. “I heard the President announcing it was your intention, but no one told us the missions had started.”
“The Council have their reasons. They do not have to share everything with us, in the same way I doubt your President shares everything with you.”
She laughed bitterly. “In that we are together. Presidents, governments, councils. They all have their own agenda, don’t they? We are just the little ants who work to keep the world running while they make these life-changing decisions.” She sat back up, looking sadly out of the window. “I can’t believe this is what Earth would have been like once.”
“Now there is nothing left,” he stated.
“No, All used, all gone.” She looked at the trees. At the flock of colourful birds streaming up from the branches, scared by the space cruiser as they flew over. “I think it’s time I forgot about Earth. It’s too beautiful here to dwell on what was. My mom always told me to live in the present, and that is what I need to do.”
He pushed the throttle forward and they went lower, the trees thinning to reveal a clearing, into which he carefully guided the cruiser. Then he switched off the engine, turning to look at her in such a way that she knew he had not brought her here to simply look at the trees.
Chapter Twelve – Rikka
She stirred his loins, making his cock harden. He had sat close to her, smelt her scent, listened to her soft voice, and now he wanted to taste her, kiss her, make her his. Mixed in with the need to protect her was a need to claim her. She was his female, his mate, and it was time to find out what kind of woman she was beneath her tattered grey clothes.
“Let’s go out beneath the trees,” he said. “There is a pool we can swim in.”
“A pool?” She undid her seatbelt and stood up. “On Earth there is no water source clean enough to swim in.”
“Then you will like this one.” He walked to the ramp and pressed the button, waiting patiently while it lowered to the ground.
“I have no swimsuit,” she said. “I could swim in my underwear and then let it dry, I suppose.”
“I was thinking of us swimming naked,” he said, his eyes raking her body and leaving her in no doubt what he expected. She blushed beautifully, a soft shade of pink creeping over her flesh. He longed to touch her skin and feel the heat that his fingers would bring in their wake.
“Naked,” she breathed. “I … of course.”
“I won’t hurt you, Gaia,” he said gently. Or at least her tried to make it sound gentle, but his voice caught in his throat as it constricted with a deep primal desire to throw her to the floor and make her submit to him right this minute.
“I suppose, since we are going into space together, I will have to learn to trust you.”
“As I must learn to trust you, Gaia. I am used to relying on my own kind. You are as alien to me as I am to you.”
“I understand,” she said. Then she took a deep breath, dropped her pack onto the floor—a symbolic gesture of her trust, for she had clung to her pack as if it was a safety line.
“Come. It is beautiful here.” He led the way down the ramp and across the clearing with its springy grass. She stopped and, much to his amusement, sat down, taking off her shoes and then placing her bare feet on the green grass.
“It prickles,” she said, wriggling her toes. Then she closed her eyes and stood still, taking in a deep breath. “My mom used to tell me that, years ago, you could feel the life force through the ground. As if you could connect to the Earth’s energy.”
“I can understand how you can look at the planet as if it had a life of its own,” Rikka said. “But in reality it is a lump of rock floating in space.”
“And there was me thinking you were a romantic,” she said opening her eyes and smiling at him.
The tension he had felt passed. She was different to anyone else he had ever met. Not just because she was female, but because she thought of life in a different way to him. Gaia promised laughter and light, of sunny days romping in green meadows. What scared him was he wanted to see the same light in himself, but he didn’t know if it existed.
“I do not know of your romance,” he said simply.
“Then I will teach you,” she said, running lightly across the grass towards the pool. There she stopped, staring in wonder at the water. “It’s so clear. I can see right down to the bottom. Is that a fish?”
“Yes,” he said, coming to stand next to her. “Do not be afraid, the fish will not hurt you.”
“I’m not afraid. I’ve never seen anything like it. Pictures, but not an actual fish. They don’t breathe with lungs, do they?” She knelt down on the bank of the pool, and stared at the silver fish as it darted away.
“No. They have gills.” He sat and watched her, as fascinated by her face as she was by the fish. “I heard that your planet had no animals left, but I didn’t know it was true. I thought that it was a ruse to get us to help you.”
Tears of joy shone in her eyes as she looked up at him. “No. It is not some plot to fool you. We have ruined our planet, which is why I am happy to be going with you. I wasn’t at first. But to think we could go and find a new home for humans, that they could experience the same joy, the same wonder, at being on a planet like this. Well. It makes any sacrifice I make worthwhile.”
She placed her hand on his, squeezing it while her eyes held his. That part in him that wanted to be romantic, stirred. He leaned forward and kissed her for the first time, a soft sigh escaping her lips. And in that one kiss he wondered who was surrendering to whom.
Chapter Thirteen – Gaia
His mouth was insistent, his lips warm as they pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and leaned her body towards his, wanting to feel his life force through her skin. He was as
magnificent as the silver fish, as beautiful as the arunda, and he was hers.
She pressed her hands against his chest, feeling his heartbeat, strong and rhythmical, increasing in speed as his tongue moved to explore her mouth. Content. For the first time in forever she would gladly lie down and never move again. If she died now in this moment, she would be happy. And in a way this was a death; it was the end of the old Gaia and the beginning of a new life.
His hands were on her shirt, undoing the mismatched buttons that she had sewn on to keep her shirt functional. One at a time he opened them, revealing her skin, and then the top of her grey bra. His hands roamed her flesh, making her body sing.
Rikka became more urgent, his hands almost tearing the thin fabric of her clothes as he raced to make her naked before him. This was it. Her head hammered the words round and round. He planned to take her, make her his. She found she wanted that too. More than anything, she wanted them to make a life, a new life, a child. How wonderful to give birth to a son who would live on this extraordinary planet.
Live in the present, the voice in her head that sounded so much like her mom’s whispered, making her reconnect with her body and how Rikka was making her feel.
Half-naked, he had removed her shirt and now his hands fumbled with her bra, until her breast spilled out into his hands. His thick thumbs brushed her nipples, making her arch her back as she offered herself to him. Lowering his head, he kissed the tips of each one in turn until he became braver, and he used the flat of his tongue to lick the taut buds. Stabs of desire shot out from her breasts to mingle with the ache in her sex. She wanted him with every fibre of her being, and now it was her turn to drag his clothes from his body.
Clutching the hem of his T-shirt, she hauled it up over his head. His hands left her breasts. He slid back, lifting his arms so she could slide his T-shirt up over his arms. As soon as he was free of it, he bent to once more nurse on her tortured breasts. Gaia slipped her hands over his smooth skin, urging him to take her, to make love to her.
Found: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Warriors of Karal Book 2) Page 5
