Escaping the Hunt: SciFi Alien Romance (Galactic Courtship Book 4)

by Lily Thomas

  Skyler slipped her hand into his, jumped back up to her feet, and followed him back into the forest. She felt some butterflies enter her stomach. There could be a lot more Hennians out there, waiting to kill them.

  After a few hours of walking around, Kyux finally held up a hand, signaling her to stop. He motioned her forward, and she crept up to him, doing her best not to make a single sound. She didn’t want to scare their prey away.

  Sitting a few yards away was a large rabbit like creature, like the one they’d eaten not too long ago.

  Kyux motioned for her to take the shot with her spear.

  Skyler gulped and sucked in a steadying breath so her hand would stop trembling. She could do this. He had confidence in her ability, now she just had to believe in herself as well. Time to impress them both.

  She leveled her spear at the rabbit, and after a couple seconds, she let her spear loose. It went sailing through the air with barely a sound, until it landed with a thump in the rabbit. It was dead in seconds.

  Skyler turned to Kyux and held her hand out to him.

  His brow raised, as he eyed her hand. “What do you want?”

  “It’s a high five. It expresses success usually.”

  “Ah.” He placed his hand against hers, and she rewarded him with a smile.

  She dashed over to the rabbit, took the spear out, and carried her catch back to where Kyux was waiting.

  “I think this will be enough for tonight.”

  “I would agree. Nice shot.” He congratulated her.

  “Thanks. I’ve never hunted for my own food before.” And she didn’t plan on continuing it once she got back to civilization. She glanced at the alien rabbit she was holding. Poor thing, but she had to live and its life was had been taken for a reason.

  When they got back to camp, the sun was already starting to set.

  “I’ll get a fire started.” Kyux offered.

  “Sounds good.” Skyler placed the rabbit near to where he was building the fire.

  The fire could always attract unwanted attention, but they’d need it to cook the alien rabbit. It was a risk, and this time they didn’t have a nearby cave to duck into.

  He watched Skyler out of the corner of his eye, as he got the logs arranged in a small fire pit he’d dug earlier. She hadn’t been the only one surprised by her shot. He hadn’t thought she’d be able to make it.

  She kept impressing him at every turn. Some people said humans were useless, but clearly his mate was the exception. She was spunky and maintained a good attitude while in a bad situation.

  Now he just had to convince her to accept their mate hood. Humans were one of the species without mates, and it confused him how they’re personal lives evolved. How did they find a lifelong spouse without a mate hood?

  “So… what about that plan you have to get us off this planet? I don’t really want to stay here any longer than I have to.” Her eyes were filled with hope.

  “It’s not much of a plan, but it’s our only way off the planet.”

  “I’m game. Just tell me what we have to do to get this baby up and running.”

  Sometimes he found her speech to be a little on the confusing side, but he enjoyed her optimism and spirit.

  “The Hennians land their ships on the surface of the planet, leaving them unattended from what I’ve been able to gather. We’ll need to find out where they’ve landed, but I’m guessing it’s close, since we just had a run in with them.”

  “So, we need to take one of their ships from under their nose. I love it.” Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “They deserve it.”

  Skyler was definitely a good match for him. She was ready to face a challenge no matter how hard it was, and he liked that aspect of her.

  “When will the rabbit be ready?” Her gaze fell to the animal.

  “Not for a bit.” He got the fire started and placed the rabbit on a wooden spit he’d made.

  “If dinner is going to be a while, do you want to destress a bit?” She gave him a wink.

  “How?” He glanced over at her and found her stripping her clothing off. A smile formed on his lips. Skyler was definitely the perfect mate. “What do you have in mind?” Kyux stood and watched as her breasts were exposed to his eager view.

  “Maybe a little sex before dinner?”

  A smile creased his lips, as her pants came off next, and she stood in front of him in all her naked glory.

  “I’m so lucky.” He whispered to her, as he stepped forward. His hands ran over her supple skin. They made their way from her shoulders to her breasts, and he cupped each of them. “So, lucky.” He whispered against her skin.

  Her hands wound around his horns and drew his head between her breasts.

  “I could stay here all day and night.” He said as her warmth surrounded him.

  “I’m pretty sure every man says that when a woman welcomes him to her bosom.” Skyler’s chuckle caressed his ears.

  Kyux sucked one of her nipples into his mouth and twirled the tip of his tongue around her nipple. Her honeyed taste drew him in like a bee.

  He had his mate in his arms, now all he had to do was keep her there. He’d never be able to let go, not now, not after knowing her. She was like a cool refreshing drink to a man who’d been living in a desert for his whole life without even knowing it.

  She was his. Skyler might be human, but it wouldn’t change anything, and she’d be a fool to think he’d give up on her just because she’d recently come out of a relationship.

  With a growl, he placed her on the ground and worked his way to her other pert nipple. He wanted to drive her insane. He may not be able to win her mind over, at first, but he could win her body over. It was time to show her body this wasn’t just sex between them, this was a necessity, like breathing, she wouldn’t be able to live without it.

  His nimble fingers made their way down to her pussy where he lightly played with her clit, as he continued to tease her eager nipple with his tongue.

  Glancing up he watched her hands reach out above her head and dig into the grass. Her head tilted back, and her back arched, as the pleasure within her built.

  Her pussy was soaking wet, and he couldn’t restrain himself. Kyux slipped a couple fingers into her passage way.

  “You’re so wet and ready for me.” Kyux abandoned her nipple. His mouth landed on hers absorbing all her cries of pleasure, as she came around his fingers. “Come for me, Skyler. You’re so tight and wet, I love the feeling of you around my fingers.”

  Slowly her body wound back down, and her hazy brown eyes met his.

  Skyler looked up at Kyux. He was so appealing, like a sweet addiction. Her hands came up to run over his well-defined biceps.

  “You’re not a dream, are you?” He was able to please her without her guiding him. What a three sixty from Robert.

  “I’m no dream.” He assured her.

  Kyux unzipped his pants, and his hard cock shot out.

  Skyler licked her lips.

  He wrapped a hand around his cock and rubbed the tip against her clit. “What do you want?”

  “I want you inside me.” Skyler shifted her hips, giving him access to her entrance.

  Kyux’s hands whipped out and flipped her onto her hands and knees. He positioned himself behind her, his cock prodding her entrance.

  “What do you want?”

  Skyler tried to force her pussy onto his cock, but his hands held her hips steady.

  “Not so fast, Skyler.” He leaned over her, his shirt brushing over her back. “What do you want?”

  Skyler whimpered. “You’re teasing me.”

  “I know.” His voice carried the hint of a smile. “Just a little pay back for what you did in the cave.”

  “I want your cock to fill me.” She whimpered. Skyler was used to being in control of her life, but she was more than happy to hand over the reins to Kyux when it came to sex. He was a god, and he was driving her insane in a fantastic way.

  Slowly, Kyux inche
d the tip of his cock into her.

  A whimper formed on her lips, and she attempted to move her hips down, but his hands stayed her.

  “I’m in control of this, Skyler.”

  She nodded her head.

  One of his hands worked its way around her waist and found her clit. The pad of his finger caressed her clit in small circles, and a moan ripped from her throat. She felt her clit become engorged and extremely sensitive.

  “Oh god. If you keep this up, I will come!”

  His finger left her clit, and his hand wound its way into her hair. Grabbing a handful, he yanked her head back, as he slammed his cock to the hilt.

  “Yes!” Skyler panted as sensation shot from the base of her spine to her head. Her fingers dug into the ground below her, as he pulled his cock out to the tip, and then rammed her again.

  “I want you to come around my cock. I want to feel your body clench down around me.” Kyux growled in her ear, as he drew his cock out of her yet again, only to plunge it back into her.

  “Faster.” She panted.

  “What did you say?” He demanded.

  “Faster!”

  He gave a chuckle, before he increased the pace to her satisfaction.

  “You are so soft and wet. You drive me insane. The power you hold over my very soul is frightening.”

  Skyler could barely hear what he was saying, she was so focused on his cock moving inside her. Every ridge on his penis hit her like a ton of bricks. It was the best feeling ever! She couldn’t take any more of it. Her inner muscles clenched down around his cock, and he pulled on her hair a little harder as he came inside her.

  “Kyux.” She moaned, as he kept pumping his seed into her.

  His head came down to kiss the crevice of her shoulder and neck when they’d both finished. He rolled her over and held her close to his chest.

  Looking up Skyler placed a hand against his cheek and brought his head down so she could kiss him.

  Maybe she’d give this mate thing a chance, once they were off this planet. Kyux wasn’t like Robert. He didn’t ask her to take a back seat when it came to their life on this hellish planet. He was worried about her safety, but he let her be a teammate. He’d taught her to throw a spear and had even allowed her to hunt for their dinner. And he appeared impressed with her boxing skills.

  His lips spread hers, and his tongue darted inside her mouth. Skyler chuckled and pushed him away.

  “We should probably check on our dinner. It’s the first time I’ve hunted, and I don’t want it to be ruined, because we got distracted and it burned.”

  “It probably isn’t even ready yet.” He leaned in for another kiss, and she put a hand up blocking him.

  “Still… I’d feel better if someone checked on it.”

  Kyux gave a dramatic sigh as he rose up, zipped up his pants and made his way over to the fire.

  She wanted him to strip down with her, but at the same time she was thinking she might want to get dressed. This area wasn’t as well hidden as the waterfall cave had been, and she didn’t want to fight for her life while she was nude.

  “The rabbit still needs some more time.” Kyux confirmed.

  Skyler grabbed her green pajamas and made her way over to him while pulling them over her body.

  “Don’t want to walk around naked?” He eyed her clothing.

  “Just in case someone stumbles upon our camp, I don’t want to be lounging around in the nude.”

  He nodded his head, his blonde hair swirling around his grey horns. “Understandable. I wouldn’t want any man to see such a stunning sight.”

  She blushed.

  “So…” Skyler couldn’t believe she was about to bring this topic up, but here she went anyway. “What does this whole mate thing mean?”

  Kyux turned around slowly, a barrier up on his face, showing her no sign of what he might be thinking. “The major thing is that you and I would be exclusive. No other man for you and I wouldn’t be able to even appreciate another woman. My eyes would only be drawn to you. My eyes are currently already just drawn to you.”

  “Not too hard to do that when we’re on a planet with no other women.”

  Kyux smiled. “We could be surrounded by naked women, but the only one that would capture my attention would be you.”

  Well that was flattering, and she wouldn’t have to worry about him being unfaithful.

  “So… it’s more than just marriage, it’s a soul mate thing.”

  “Soul mate?”

  “Yeah. A life partner. Someone you were meant to be with.”

  “Yes. We are one.”

  Skyler pursed her lips. So, he already thought of them as one and the same. That didn’t bode well for her.

  “So, what if I wanted a divorce later on down the road?”

  “Divorce?”

  “Silly me, of course you wouldn’t know what a divorce is. If your people have soul mates, there wouldn’t be any divorce lawyers. It’s where two people break up, take some time, and maybe even see other people.”

  “We do not do that. And we,” he pointed between them, “will not do that.”

  “You realize humans don’t have this same mate craze as other species do. What if I fall out of love with you?”

  “You won’t.”

  “You sound pretty sure of yourself.” She arched an eyebrow.

  His black eyes flashed. “We will not be breaking up. We are mates. End of story.”

  No way out of a mated relationship? Really? “There have to be some among your people that take a break every once in a while.”

  “Never. Once you’ve found your mate, your search is over.”

  It wasn’t the fact that she’d be with one guy for the rest of her life that she found daunting, but the fact that she didn’t want to promise anything. Humans were fickle creatures, prone to changing their minds. Could she commit for the rest of her life and mean it?

  Or should she just lighten up and admit the fact that she could see herself in his arms for the foreseeable future?

  “The rabbit is done, if you’d like some.” Kyux interrupted her thoughts.

  “Yes, please.” Skyler came over to the fire pit eagerly.

  “Here.” He passed her some meat on a slab of tree bark.

  “Thank you.”

  “Why do you bring up divorce, Skyler?”

  They both sat down, facing the fire, but close enough to touch.

  “The majority of humans get divorced, and I’m just not sure if I can promise you this mate hood that you seek. I don’t want to promise a future that could change.”

  His head nodded. “I realize you humans have no mates, but I ask you to give it a try.”

  Skyler took another bite of her rabbit. It was so juicy and perfect. She licked her fingers. The firelight reflected in his onyx eyes, and she felt herself being drawn to him.

  Maybe she was jumping the gun. Every relationship started with an unknown future and although her last serious relationship hadn’t gone anywhere, it didn’t mean that there weren’t people who could make it work. Kyux was a man who had welcomed all of her. Maybe she should welcome him in return.

  Chapter 8

  “What’s the plan then?” Skyler felt the butterflies build in her stomach. Today could be the day she left this planet behind. She only hoped their plan would be successful.

  “We need to find their ships.”

  “So, we wander around and hope to stumble upon the ships?” It didn’t really sound like a great plan.

  “They have a few spots where they’ve landed several times. We will check those spots first and move on from there.”

  “Sounds good. I’m ready when you are.” Skyler hefted her spear. She had her weapon, and she was ready. She wouldn’t mind kicking a little Hennian ass while she was at it for what they’d done. When she got home, she was going to have nightmares about this place.

  Kyux kicked some dirt over their fire pit to smother the hot coals. “Let’s head out then.”
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  He led the way, and she followed quickly behind him. Her nerves were making her a bit jittering. Today! Today she’d be back on her way to see her old life on Jirian.

  Her coach was probably dying with worry about her. They were more than just coach and athlete. They were friends. They had drinks together, and they shared their personal lives with each other. Not to mention, Skyler was Michaela’s source of income.

  Wait until she told Michaela about finding a Krocosian mate. Skyler was sure it would sound insane to her coach. Maybe she had gone a little insane, because she was thinking of letting Kyux into her life, not just her bed.

  After a few hours of walking around and checking a couple of spots, Skyler’s feet started to ache. She wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest, but she wasn’t about to slow them down. She was still so eager to make it off this planet, and she didn’t want to wait or slow them down.

  Kyux held up a hand, and she froze.

  “What is it?” She whispered. Had he heard something?

  Kyux looked around, and then motioned her forward again. “I thought I may have heard something, but I must have been wrong.”

  Skyler glanced around. There were so many damn threats on this planet to watch out for.

  They made their way through the dense pack of trees.

  “How much further to the next landing site?” She did her best not to sound too eager.

  “Not far.”

  “Look here.” A Daen’su stepped into their path.

  Kyux moved in front of her, blocking her from view and from any danger the Daen’su could throw their way.

  “Move and we won’t kill you.” Kyux warned him.

  “I’m not the one who needs to worry.” The Daen’su’s silver eyes moved to look at the trees around them.

  A couple more Daen’su came out to surround them.

  Skyler spun around so her back was pressed firmly against Kyux’s. If he wanted to fight their way out of this, she was all for it.

  “It’s rare to find a woman on the Hennian hunting planet. They must be running out of formidable foes to plant here.” The Daen’su commented, almost as if he himself was growing bored.

  Skyler bristled a little. Even if that was true, the Daen’su had just called her useless because she was female. How dare he! She glared at the Daen’su that was standing in front of her, and she figured Kyux was glaring at the one in front of him. The other one stood by their side.