“Fortune does indeed smile on me. Here I thought I’d have to assault the Galatea to get to you,” her eyes went up and down my body critically, “Looks like grief really has done away with Zenon’s sense. You’re barely even pretty.”
“Well fuck you too,” I replied before I could stop myself.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “My droid could crush your skull in an instant. Or I could order them to bring you to me, and slowly strip that imperfect skin from your bones. You are an insect; you live only because of my mercy. In short, human, know your place.”
“I do,” I answered, and boldly, stupidly, added, “It’s in the bed of your former betrothed and boy, don’t you hate wanting something you can’t have.”
Yeft left out a scream of fury. The droid’s arm ignited with licking tails of electricity. I had no defense; I could only sit helplessly, willing myself to be brave, as it swung.
I felt the heat before I felt the pain; the intensity of it made my eyes water. But the electricity didn’t touch me. It passed close enough that the skin of my nose momentarily burned, and then the droid was abruptly lying in a useless heap at my feet.
I stared down at the pile of machinery in confusion, when from the corner of my eye I caught the sight of a familiar pair of boots.
My head jerked up. Beside me, a blazing rod of fire the length of his entire body in his hands, was Zenon. He regarded the assembly of enemy droids around us calmly, his eyes hard and unyielding. Even in my shock, I inwardly marveled at the embodiment of the vengeful thunder god before me.
For a moment, no one moved. The wind whistled around us, kicking up pebbles.
Zenon swung first. He moved like an apparition, flowing from one carnage to another, his rod cutting apart any that came within ten yards of us.
When the rob caught in the body of one spiked opponent, Zenon instead opened his palm and unleashed a wall of fire onto the retreating robots, melting them where they stood. He rained destruction down on them as if he was born to it.
It took only a few moments, as I knelt there frigid with amazement, and the small battle force had been reduced to nothing but charred chunks of smoking metal.
When it was silence once more, he stuck his rod deep into the ground; the instant his hand left it, it morphed into a plain staff. He stepped carelessly through the slaughter, kicking aside pieces until he found a droid head, it's green display still flickering. Holding it in both hands, he raised it to his eye level.
“Your force is destroyed, Yeft,” he said to the droid harshly, “This farce has cost you your entire cavalry and half your fleet. If I wished, I could consume your entire territory. Yet again, you let vengeance cloud any sense you have. Surrender, and I will allow you to flee. Come near my land again, and I will crush the rest of your army. Threaten her again, and I will make wine from your blood.”
The droid’s head combusted in flame. Zenon dropped it indifferently onto the burned soil, and turned his steel eyes to me.
He didn’t speak to me the whole ride back to his ship. Nor did he give me much of a chance to speak to him; he bodily threw me over his shoulder without the slightest strain and marched me to his waiting dragon-like steed.
Not gently, he tossed me into the saddle, and mounted up ahead of me. Without a word, the robot bolted forward, nearly throwing me off, rushing headlong for the ship. I opened my mouth a few times to try to speak, to apologize, to offer excuses, but each time, the wind pushed them back into my throat.
A hatch in the lower section of Galatea swung open to meet us as we approached. Zenon easily navigated his mount up and into a long room that looked remarkably like the spaceship hangar.
Here, though, the droids seemed to be working on huge goliaths of machinery that reminded me of cannons. They all paused to warble at Zenon as he passed-some kind of salute, I reasoned-and then returned to their work.
Zenon stopped his dragon-steed in the very center of the room, and dismounted. I clumsily did the same, rushing to keep up with him; he was already striding towards the exit, his shawl billowing out behind him like a storm cloud.
As I tumbled to the floor, I saw that right behind us the droids were hauling in the damaged spaceship. It had taken a brutal beating; the hull was cracked in dozens of places, and wires hung from the control panel like thick spider webs. The sight of the ship triggered intense guilt; I quickly turned away.
Zenon had apparently either not noticed or not cared that I lagged behind, still walking briskly away. I paused, momentarily wondering if he meant for me to follow him. He threw a sharp, stony glance over his shoulder, and I knew that I was.
I trailed him through what felt like the entire ship, lagging behind him like a lost little puppy dog. He maintained his stony silence. It was torture, his utter indifference to me, his firm refusal to acknowledge me. I desperately wished I could say something, but anything I thought up in my head sounded stupid even there.
Instead, I spent the walk contemplating how he was going to punish me. I certainly wouldn’t be going back to my glorious cavern; instead, he was probably preparing some four-foot-by-seven box in which I would languish away.
Maybe he’d torture me first. Maybe he had decided I was no longer worth all the trouble, and really was done with me-and that the only reason he’d rescued me from the killer bots was to have the pleasure of killing me himself.
Every evil scenario swam through my mind, so that by the time he halted, I was close to hyperventilating from fear. Get a hold of yourself. Be strong even now.
The wall opened to reveal my cavern, exactly as I’d left it. I looked around in stunned amazement, which only increased as Zenon casually strode into the room and turned back to me expectantly. Hesitating for a moment, I followed him, and the opening closed behind me.
“Are you hurt?”
I gaped at him. “What?”
“Are you hurt?” he repeated firmly, his expression incomprehensible.
I blinked, my brain seizing up at the sudden turn of events. “No, no… I’m fine.”
“Good.” He suddenly swept me into his arms, and in one motion, threw me onto my bed.
Before I could move even a muscle, he straddled my hips, and kissed me, longingly, desperately. It felt incredible-I thought his skills before had been beyond proficient, but he had clearly been holding back. His mouth on mine seemed to set my whole nervous system on fire.
He kissed me deeper, his tongue gently probing, his hands already pushing down the straps of my filthy tank top. His body pinned me to the bed, and I arched into him, letting him take full advantage. His hands moved to my stomach, slowly pushing up the hem of my shirt, running his fingers along my bare skin.
In one fluid motion, he broke the kiss and pulled my shirt cleanly off. I raised my face to his, attentively waiting for him to resume, but he instead brushed his nose against my jaw, giving me chills.
“I must apologize,” he muttered, moving his hand from my stomach to the zipper of my jeans.
“I think that’s my line-” I started, but he interrupted me with a kiss. When he seemed sure I was stimulated into silence, he continued, “Your escape today was my fault. I should never have left you alone, though my only thought was to protect you.”
He wrapped his long fingers around the waistband of my jeans and slowly began to guide them down over my hips, fingertips lingering over every inch; I instantly felt relief that I’d chosen my laciest pair of hip-hugging underwear today.
At last, my legs were free, and he ran his hand sensually up the length of my leg, taking in the shapely curve. My breath caught in my throat with hot anticipation as he deliberately pressed his hand in between my thighs.
“When you first came here,” he breathed, pushing aside the lacey fabric, “I promised I would see to your every need. I failed-there was one need that I have not yet satisfied.”
I cried out in delirium as he pushed his fingers into me. With his thumb, he began to caress the
hidden mound of my clit, his fingers easily moving in and out. The pleasure arched my spine upwards, shoving myself even harder against his muscular body. After a few moments, he paused to let me catch my breath.
“You could-make it up to me,” I gasped.
With a devilish grin, his lips met mine again, and his fingers continued their delicious torment. I moaned against his mouth, my hands shifting to stroke his chest, but he caught both my wrists in one hand and effortlessly shoved them up above my head.
I groaned in protest, breaking the kiss. “I want to touch you.”
He gazed down at me, amusement and naked lust dancing in his eyes. “Why?” he asked teasingly.
“I-I want to please you.”
He kissed me harder, the rhythmic motion of his fingers intensifying. “Say it again,” he growled against my lips.
“Let me please you, oh, oh my…”
“Say my name,” he ordered.
“Zenon…”
“Louder!”
“Zenon! Oh my God, Zenon, let me have you!”
He instantly released my wrists, and removed his hand from between my legs, leaving me in a gulping mess of libido on the mattress. He straightened, and yanked off his own shirt, along with the shawl, leaving him shirtless-a sight I had sorely missed. He wrapped one arm around me, holding me close to him, and unclipped my bra with his free hand.
“I want you naked,” he purred, “I want to see all of you. I want to have all of you.”
“I’m… I’m a little embarrassed,” I muttered, instinctively trying to cover myself. I’d been with boys before, and never thought myself fully up to snuff. I couldn’t bare for the sex god that was the commander to find me wanting.
He lightly pushed my arms away. “If you won’t let me see you,” he warned softly, “I’ll have to tie you up so I can get a good, long, proper look.”
I instantly let my arms drop to my sides.
He sat back, balancing on his knees, his eyes slowly raking across my body. Any self-consciousness I felt instantly disappeared as I watched the raw craving bloom in his face. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
He bent, and smoothly pulled off my panties, depositing them on the floor along with my bra. He tenderly pushed apart my thighs, and settled himself down between them.
“Zenon, wait…” I tried to sit up, but he easily pushed me onto my back.
“What kind of host would I be if I didn’t see to the needs of my guests?” he smiled slyly, and dipped his head.
The sensation of his tongue against my wet mound nearly threw me out of my head with ecstasy. His mouth quickly resumed what his fingers had begun, nibbling and stroking me as I tried to contain my outbursts. While his tongue was busy, his hand swept to my breast, expertly toying with my hardened nipples.
I was a goner as soon as he introduced his fingers again, sensually stroking as his tongue grazed and his hand groped. I lost all control of myself. My hips began to jerk and gyrate with his cadence, steadily growing faster and faster.
I couldn’t swallow down my voice any longer-I screamed out in the echoing cavern, begging him to finish me, imploring him to fuck me, pleading to let him do whatever he wanted with me.
Just when I thought I couldn’t stand another moment, I burst against his mouth.
My body shuddered and twisted, a flood of sweet relief washing over me. I’d never orgasmed like that, not even on my own; I collapsed against the bed, limp.
He carefully raised himself onto his elbows, playfully resting his chin on my stomach, smirking mercilessly.
“I think you are trying to kill me,” I choked.
6: THE TRUTH
I fell asleep in Zenon’s arms, curled up in the warmth of his body as we watched the two moons lazily climb the Dionus horizon.
I awoke to find him still beside me, the morning sunlight carving perfect shadows across his bare chest. He was intensely studying a sense of floating diagrams. Noticing me, he swiftly waved his hand, causing the diagrams to vanish in mid-air.
“Yeft,” he explained, seeing my curious look, “It seems she heeded my warning and finally fled. She won’t be bothering us again.”
I hesitated, but gathering my courage, bravely asked, “Thal said… why did you break off your engagement to her?”
Zenon sighed, running his fingers through his thick curls. “Yeft always had a tendency to focus strongly on the retribution and power aspects of the Dionus code, without grasping that dominance without control or reason will only consume its host like a wildfire.
Over the years, it made her hard and unyielding. About a year ago, during a reconnaissance mission on a nearby moon, we came across an underdeveloped but semi-intelligent species… not unlike your ancestors,” he winked at me as I smarmily stuck out my tongue.
“They had slings and crude clubs; it was easy to take what we needed with minimum force. Yeft slaughtered them.”
Zenon carefully tucked an arm behind my back, pulling me close. “I believe on Earth your philosophers have a concept of balance?”
“Ying and yang?”
“Yes. I believe-” he took both of my hands within his, holding them so that our palms faced us, - “that life can only continue with true strength, and the ability to rule does not come from force. Dominance must be tempered with free will; conquests must be adapted with mercy.
Yeft has no balance. I could never meld my soul to someone who cannot see the value of compassion, who cannot find the softness within themselves. I don’t believe in senseless killing; I will not take an innocent life.” He smiled sideways at me, “Even if that life belongs to a particularly vexing creature.”
I hugged my knees to my chest, my mind racing with a thousand questions. His words stood opposed to his callous murder of Trent, and whatever other cold-blooded plans he had for the other humans on Earth. And yet, there was such sincerity and feeling in his voice. None of it made sense.
“Meld your soul? On Earth, we have this concept, soul-mates… do you believe in that here?”
“Believe?” he chuckled, “Sometimes I envy the ways of Earth. For my people, when we claim a mate, we merge our souls with theirs forever, a bond that can never be broken.”
“You said that human women had come here before, for… amorous purposes.”
He shook his head, “Claiming a mate is more than just sex. The Dionus people can sleep with many throughout their lifetime, but only the eternal mate keeps a part of you with them always. It is the most sacred act we have.”
“You guys sure don’t do anything halfway here,” I observed wryly.
He grinned. “Emotions run deep within us. It’s why control of them is so imperative.”
“Yeah, my little adventure with the spaceship yesterday kind of gave me that impression.”
From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw a flicker of perplexity cross his face, but it disappeared so quickly I wasn’t sure it had ever been there.
“Zenon-have you ever lost control?”
“Yes,” he said softly, “Once.” He opened his mouth, seemingly on the verge of continuing, and then appeared to change his mind. He slid from beneath the bedcovers, and extended his hand. “Come. I suspect you’re more than a little hungry.”
“Famished,” I grinned, and took his hand.
Sitting together at the small table, I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious. Yesterday, I had been escaping, and now suddenly, I was sitting next to a bare-chested god-like alien after he made love to me.
“Zenon…”
He regarded me calmly across his tea. “If you’re going to attempt to apologize again, I may need to pull you into my lap right here and silence you.”
The sensual threat made my breath hitch, but I forced myself on. “But… I think I have to.”
“Why?”
“Because… I betrayed you.”
“No,” he contradicted me smoothly, “You betrayed yourself. You we
ren’t lying to me in the library-you meant every word. When you ran, you were really running from yourself. I am curious, though-what triggered your flight?”
I looked down at my hands in embarrassment. “Well, Thal… Thal mentioned that you and Yeft had been engaged, and that, perhaps there would be sparks off the battlefield as well as on.”
“I see,” Zenon said without expression, “So you were jealous?”
I felt the blush spread across my cheeks. “Yes, I suppose I was.”
“You shouldn’t be. I am not one to take lovers frequently, and I’ve enjoyed my time with you far more than with anyone else.”
Now the blush was seeping into my neck from sheer awkwardness. “O-oh,” was all I could manage.
“You really don’t give yourself enough credit.”
I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. “You mean-about my looks?”
“Yes, and-” He paused, and then continued, “Do you know why I didn’t worry too much about your escaping, even though I suspected Thal might attempt a sabotage?”
“No.”
“Because no human has ever managed one of our spaceships. They require intense mental agility and emotional control. The fact that you got as far as you did is, frankly, nothing short of remarkable.”
“Really?”
“As I said,” he flashed me a small smile, “I continue to underestimate you.”
The pride in his voice filled me with warmth as I sat speechless in my chair. I had done something no human had before; he was impressed. The idea that I could impress the enthralling man before me gave me daring like I’d never known.
I stood up, securing my robe around me a little tighter. He glanced up at me in surprise, his eyebrows raising as I slowly made my way around the table to where he sat.
“It’s true,” I declared boldly, “You do underestimate me. To your peril.”
Before he could move, I lightly dropped into his lap, wrapping my arms around him. Before he could talk, I took his face in my hand, and kissed him, letting him linger in the softness of my lips. He complied without complaint, one arm pressing me to him. With his other, he began to slide the robe from my shoulder.
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