Alien Dragon's Baby: A Scifi Alien Romance (Red Planet Dragons of Tajss)

by Miranda Martin

  My lochaber is just above me so I crouch and leap for it. My hand grips the base of the shaft and I hang in the air from it. I get my feet against the thing and then move myself around so I'm on top of it. I shift until I have both hands on the shaft. Climbing hand over hand, I pull myself closer and closer to the beast. It rears up and and throws itself forward so I loosen my knees and prepare for the impact. As the monster and I fly towards the ground I catch a glimpse of Calista. She's retreated into the opening but isn't leaving.

  "Run!" I yell.

  It's all I can do before the beast hits the ground. Shocking vibrations numb my limbs but I keep my grip on the haft. The middle part of the beast arches up as it places its head against the ground. It's going to go under which I can't allow. I leap up and place my feet on the monster then lean into the lochaber driving the blade deeper and towards the brain. The monster's maw opens wide then slams shut filling the cavern with the sound of clacking razor sharp teeth. I push, putting everything I have behind it. The sound of burning rock reaches my ears as its acid spit opens the ground before it. I have moments before it's too late.

  I'm out of options, so I do the only thing I can. I spread my wings wide. Pain explodes through my brain and all I can see are stars but I know what I have to do. Something snaps and pops as I flap my wings to gain thrust which forces me forward and drives the lochaber deeper. It hits my target and the monster shudders then collapses. I fall off of unable to keep my footing. Everything is pain and blackness creeps in at the edges of my vision slowly winking out the stars.

  "LADON!"

  I hear her voice as if it's coming from across a vast gulf of darkness. I latch onto it and claw my way back. The monster is defeated but its not the only threat. I must protect her and she needs to eat the epis. Hot hands on my face, running across my chest, then she touches my wings. Sharp pain brings her into focus and I'm looking into her eyes. Cool moisture falls from them and lands on my face. A drop lands in my partially open mouth. Salty. It's salty and strange but it tastes of her. She shakes her head side to side. I smile and touch her face then she leans in and kisses me.

  Her kiss makes the pain less, makes it bearable. Her kiss makes it worth it.

  14 CALISTA

  My heart pounds in my chest so hard I'm sure it's about to give out. I'm light-headed as I run across the cavern to where Ladon has landed.

  "No!" I cry out. "LADON!"

  He's lying still in a crumpled heap. He has to be okay. Has to, what will I do without him? It's more than survival. He's been so kind, caring, and fighting for me. He's stood up for me in ways no human ever has. I need him. The luminescent plant he threw to me drops to the ground as I run all but forgotten. All that matters is him.

  The monster dragon-worm thing lies still on the ground but I still give it a wide berth in case it's only playing dead. The nasty thing looks like a giant earth worm with scales but instead of a closed end at the tip there's a massive mouth filled with thousands of sharp teeth in concentric circles going down its throat. And it spit acid. The ground is pock marked where it was throwing spit around.

  As I close with Ladon I stumble on one of those pits and fall to my knees then slide to his side. My pants tear as it happens and my knees are scraped raw but I don't care. He stirs as I reach him. I touch his face turning his head towards me. Tears are streaming down my face and falling on his. His eyes blink open. I'm so grateful I run my hands over him, touching his face, his arms, his chest, just feeling him. I feel his heart beating as I rest my hands on his chest but the rhythm is odd.

  I chuckle to myself as it only now occurs to me that I think he has two hearts. There's no other way to explain the beat I feel under the palms of my hand. I lean in and rest my forehead against his, tears streaming. He touches my hair, my arms, then moves to sit up. He winces in pain so I help him the best I can. He's so much bigger and heavier than I am, I'm not sure if I help or hinder but it's the least I can do.

  "Oh thank you, thank you, I'm so glad you're okay."

  "Calista," he says and for once he doesn't drag out the S on my name.

  I smile and kiss him. He rest for a few more moments then shifts and climbs to his feet. He looks around obviously looking for something.

  "Epis?" he asks.

  "E-pis?" I repeat sounding out the word.

  He points to the plants that grow from the ceiling.

  "Oh! I get it, it's over here."

  I lead them to where I dropped the epis. He kneels down and carefully gathers up the strand. Once he has it all he glances over at the worm before taking my hand and leading the way out of the cavern. On the far side of the small passage he stops again and gently lays the plant out on a flat stone. He opens his bag and takes out a small knife. He cuts a very small piece off of the plant and hands it to me.

  "Food," he says motioning between the plan and my mouth. "Food."

  I stare at the light blue glowing plant in my hand. I arch an eyebrow uncertain.

  "You sure? I'm not from around here. What if this isn't good for me?"

  "Food," he says more insistently.

  He motions again but this time there's a harshness to his gestures. When I hesitate still he takes my hand holding the plan and raises it to my mouth. He nods sharply.

  "Okay," I say, figuring what the hell.

  My head hasn't stopped pounding for days and I have to admit to myself at least that I feel weak. I'm not stupid and I know damn well that I've been suffering from heat exhaustion that is only growing worse. Eventually my body will completely shut down. In all honesty it should have happened before now.

  I place the plant in my mouth. I let it rest on my tongue and a sour almost spicy flavor fills my mouth. It tastes like dirty curry. Ladon watches me closely and when I don't swallow he mimes chewing himself.

  "Food," he insists.

  At his urging I start chewing. What else am I going to do? As I bite down for the first time the liquid center bursts in my mouth. A cold chill runs down my throat and then explodes through my limbs. It's shocking but not unpleasant. As I keep chewing the sensations normalize and it feels like my body comes alive. I'm suddenly aware on a cellular level. I've been hot since waking up from the crash. Now I feel cool. My headache is gone. The mild nausea and cramping in my stomach fade away. I stare at Ladon in amazement. I feel stronger too. Like I could lift him over my head and carry him easily.

  I point at the rest of the harvested plant with a questioning look.

  "Epis," he says again.

  "I have to get this to my friends," I say.

  He stares at me obviously not understanding. I frown trying to figure out how to communicate the idea of friends to him. Knowing the history of his planet the concept may be foreign to him. How long ago did what I saw in that video happen? Was he alive then? Has he been alone his whole life?

  "Friends," I repeat the word trying to think of a way to convey the concept to him.

  I have to get this to them. I feel amazing and the more I chew the better I feel. Tingles run across my body and through my system. I can literally feel my body repairing itself. I shake my head amazed at the feelings then it hits me how to say what I want to say.

  "Friends," I say but now I mime something falling from the sky.

  He watches my hand then I point to myself then put my right hand up high folding my fingers in and mime crashing down while pointing from myself to the hand coming down.

  "Friends," I repeat.

  Ladon smiles then nods. It feels like he gets it and excitement wells up in me. I point at the epis then repeat friends to him. He frowns and shakes his head.

  "Why? My friends need this. Why can't I take it to them?"

  He says a lot and I can't follow it. I catch epis and that's about it. He shrugs then shakes his head but he looks sad as he does it. He points to the epis repeatedly then at the ceiling that it grows from. I shake my head not understanding and he tries again. He kneels down beside it and points moving his hand along like he's
showing something to me. It's only been a short while since he harvested the plant But I can see the glow is almost nonexistent now. I swallow the bit that's in my mouth and kneel down beside him.

  I dig through my own pack and find some of the oily cloth that he uses to wrap meat in. I carefully wind the epis into a small bundle. Ladon touches my hand so I look up at him. He shakes his head side to side then points at the epis one more time.

  "No," he says shaking his head.

  "But why? They're going to need this too. I feel amazing and I want my friends to survive."

  He frowns and I can tell he's as frustrated as I am. He points at it again and says no along with several other words that I don't understand. I have to apply logic to this. I look at the plant again and now the glow is gone. I take the end of the strand then tear a small piece off then put it in my mouth. It doesn't taste the same. It's dull and the sour, the spiciness is gone. I wait for the cool rush that I felt before and it doesn't come.

  "Damn it!" I exclaim in frustration.

  The effect doesn't last. It has to be something to do with the freshness of the plant. It means I have no options but to get them to the city. I don't know how well they've survived but they had supplies. It's more than I had when he found me. Maybe they'll be okay. No, they have to be okay. I try not to think about all the creatures that Ladon has protected me from. They have weapons, they'll be okay.

  "Friends?" he asks.

  "Yes!" I say excitedly as he repeats the word. "Friends."

  He nods in apparent understanding then takes my hand and leads the way out of the cave. The sunlight is blinding but my eyes adjust very quickly. Quicker than they would have before. The next thing I notice is that I'm not hot. Well, I'm hot, but I'm not burning up to the point I think I might die or pass out at the very least. It's a massive improvement.

  I can see the city in the distance. If I can get my friends here we can survive. The power source is still alive in the city and I'm sure we can repair it. We can bring this dead city back to life. Ladon turns away and starts walking. He's moving slower than he normally does like each step causes him pain. One of his wings hangs at a slightly odd angle instead of being tight against his body like they usually are. His tail is not swishing left to right like it usually does either. He's hurt and trying to hide it. I run the few steps to him and put my hand on his shoulder pulling him to stop. He turns and looks at me.

  "Friends?" he asks.

  I ignore him reaching my hand into his bag instead and rummaging around. I find the tube of salve he used on my injuries and pull it out holding it up between us. I point at his wings trying to get him to tell me if this will help or not. He shrugs then nods his head. I open the jar and get my fingers into the cool salve. Moving around behind them I slather it all over his wings where they connect to his back. When I'm finished I return the jar to his bag and we continue on our way to save my friends.

  15 LADON

  The numbing salve helps ease the pain. We make good time across the desert as I navigate us towards the direction I found her at originally. Marking the sun as it travels across the sky I figure we'll be close to where I found her by nightfall. Calista talks as we walk making the time pass quickly.

  As she talks I decipher new words. I mimic her words until she smiles and nods with excitement then I share the same word in my own language. Soon we'll be able to talk with greater ease. She's smart and learns very quickly. Everything about her is impressive.

  As the sun drops to the horizon I begin to think about a camp. We're not close to an oasis so we'll have to sleep in the open. I have some cloth with me that I can use for camouflage and enough small bits of wood for a tiny fire. I can use that to cook some meat for our dinner. We have enough water as well.

  She's doing so much better now that she has eaten epis. She'll have to keep taking it which she probably doesn't know yet but that's fine. It just means she won't be leaving me. She's mine, my greatest treasure, the prize of my collection.

  "Dark," I say in my own language pointing at the sky.

  She says a word back and we go back and forth until we both understand that we are saying the same thing and learn yet another word. I slip my pack off and pull out the cloth and the bits of wood. It only takes a short time before I have a small fire and the succulent smell of bivo meat fills the air. It's not the treat that guster meat is but it's hardy and lasts longer when traveling.

  I lay out a cloth for us to lay on while it cooks. She sits close to me so that we're constantly touching. Her hands are warm but not burning like they were before the epis. It's exciting when she touches me. Desire blossoms and my testicles tighten against my body. I run my fingers along her soft skin and touch the fur on her head. We lean in and kiss and my prime cock stiffens and hardens. I trail my fingers along her leg towards her center of pleasure.

  I want to bury my tongue inside of her strange pink folds and seek out that nub of flesh which gives her so much pleasure. I catch whiffs of her smell and it pulls me in until the scent of burning flesh intrudes and I remember the forgotten meat cooking over our fire. I jump around and retrieve it laughing and she laughs as well. One of the sticks holding the meat dropped lower and is on fire. I blow on it trying to put the fire out before I lose the meat. She leans in and blows as well and together we get the flames out.

  "Damn it," she says laughing.

  "Dam-mmmmm-t?" I ask.

  She shakes her head and laughs then says the word slowly. "Da-mm-it."

  She puts an emphasis on the end of the word so I repeat it and she nods clapping her hands together.

  "Yes!" she exclaims.

  Happiness fills me when she laughs. I feel light and alive. I feel things I haven't felt since before the devastation. A connection with another being. We work together to ensure our mutual survival.

  Reaching over I touch her arm then trail my fingers up to her mouth. She smiles then takes my fingers into her mouth and sucks on them. Her mouth is wet and hot as she sucks on my fingers moving her head up and down causing a shudder to run through me and my tail stiffens behind me. My cock feels like it's ready to explode with pent up passion her actions create inside of me.

  A moan slips past my lips. I've never felt anything like this before. She stares into my eyes as she moves up and down my fingers sliding them in and out of her mouth. Her tongue moves around them licking, stroking and it feels amazing. She grabs my other hand and pulls it towards her placing it over her breast while her free hand dives between my legs to my cock.

  I shudder and will my penis to not react as it tries to dump my first load at her touch. No Zmaj female ever did anything like what she is doing to me. Mating with a Zmaj was more straight forward albeit much rougher than taking pleasure with Calista has been. Zmaj are not soft like her. Their fleshy bits are protected by scales and exposed only during the mating and for that purpose only. Sex was pleasurable but not a core drive for having in and of itself. It was about the next generation, about survival more than pleasure.

  Calista runs her hand up and down lightly gripping my cock simulating my entering her softness while sucking on my fingers. My testicles tighten more, pulling up against my tail and I don't know how much longer I can hold off. I pull her shirt up exposing her flat, soft stomach, and the delectable mounds of her breasts. She moans around my fingers in her mouth and I lose control. My sperm explodes out with violence.

  As my first cocks softens it folds back under and the second emerges, ready. She smiles and slides off of my fingers lying onto her back. She wiggles out of her pants and the delightful, heady scent of her fills the air. I don't wait or hesitate. I move over her placing my cock at her wet tunnel of pleasure. I do go slow, she's not well designed for my size and I don't want to hurt her but that's the extent of the control I can exercise. My desire for her is too high.

  I slide in to her and she takes me easily. As I enter her she screams my name and her arms lock around my neck. I give her body just enough time to adjust the
n pull back and she screams once more but it's a new word.

  "Fuckme!" she screams.

  I don't know what it means but I know what I want and need. I thrust back into her and then I'm lost in the pleasure of being in her. My mind is consumed with the push and the pull. Friction and moisture and pleasure mix until all rational thought is gone. Her body conforms around my cock squeezing and pulling. Milking it as her pleasure begs for my seed. I hold off, biting down on my lip, focusing on her face. Her mouth opens into an O and her eyes fly open wide. She screams my name as I thrust deep into her and then I explode, filling her with my life.

  Her body arches to meet mine and I hold myself deep inside until in a last shuddering pump my load finishes passing from me to her. My cock softens and still I leave it in her until she relaxes her own arch and lowers herself back to the ground. I kiss her soft, beautiful lips, then pull out of her and roll to lay beside her on the cloth.

  It's not fully dark as we lie and the stars twinkle in the sky above us. I wonder where she came from and how she ended up here. I can't count the number of marks it's been since the devastation. Years, suddenly I remember the term. Years, it's been years. I haven't used that word in so long it had become forgotten. As I remember it another word comes back. Decades. It's been many decades.

  The epis extends life but it's addictive. Once you've had it you can't go without it. If you've had it for any length of time, more than a handful of tastes, it will kill you in the withdrawals. Less than that you might survive but you'll wish you didn't because it hurts so much. It's also the only thing that allows us to adapt and survive.

  I hear a shifting of sand from behind us and roll to my knees. We're at the base of a dune which is blocking my view. I don't see anything but I know to trust my instincts. Calista sits up and looks where I'm looking.