Ladon looks up from his food and smiles and warmth floods through me. When he smiles it makes me feel like the world is okay. When I'm with him everything will be fine because he's here. Could I leave him behind if they leave?
I get onto my knees and crawl across the small distance between us. He's sitting on the floor leaning against a wall. I crawl up into his lap and lay my head on his chest. Listening to the sounds of his hearts beating is soothing and sexy. His hand runs up and down my back as he looks down into my eyes. He leans in and we kiss, Soft, endearing, beautiful kisses that go on and on. His hand moves soft and slow along my skin.
I drop my hand between his legs and work my way under his clothes to find his already rock hard cock. I rub the smooth underside of it and he moans into my mouth flaming my desire to even greater heights. One of his hands lands on my ass and squeezes gently while his other fumbles with my shirt until my breasts are freed.
I let him play with my tits for a few minutes while still kissing and stroking then I slide out of his arms. I get onto my knees and move the clothes out of my way. His cock is erect and free like a tower rising from his middle. I lean low and lick along the soft, smooth underside to the tip. He inhales in a long hiss of surprise and says something low in his own language. It sounds like a question. Has no one ever done this for him before?
I am going to blow his mind!
When I reach the end of his great length his head is thrown back, his eyes are closed, he's moaning, and the first drops of his sperm gleam on the head of his cock. I lick it up curious as to the flavor.
It's spicy with a tang of cool refreshment that reminds me of the epis. It makes my mouth feel cool and fresh. Smiling I lower myself back down and lick along his length again. His hips shift then he reaches down with his long arms and fondles my breasts. My nipples stiffen at his attention as I continue to lavish his cock with my tongue and mouth. I can't take him fully in, it's too big for my mouth, but I use my tongue to great effect. It's not long before he slams his hands against the floor to either side of him and then his cock jumps and his sperm releases in long streams.
He throws his head back and hisses in a low, long sound that lasts as long as his orgasm. When it's done he opens his eyes and looks at me with in amazement. I grin and watch as his now soft cock retreats only to be replaced by his second which is more than ready to go. I slide out of my pants and crawl across the length of his body and position myself over him. I slide down on to him slowly letting us both enjoy that moment of first entry. Each inch of him that slides in to me with each hard ridge is a little release. The sensations are so overwhelmingly pleasurable it's like my brain shuts down, for an instant unable to process thought.
His hands are on my hips helping support me but he lets me set the pace. I slide down and down until he hits bottom and the hard ridge at the base of his shaft is pressing against my clitoris. I hold the position for a moment letting my body adjust then I ease myself forward and back. The constant pressure of that hard bone on my clit combines with the fullness of his ridged cock inside me and in moments I lose all control.
I rock back and forth then up a little and down. I lose all sense of anything but pleasure as an orgasm builds and then grabs me in its hold and sweeps me away. Fire burns through me, stars fill my head, my breath is ragged gasps as I scream his name and he comes with me, filling me with his seed. When it passes at last I collapse against him and in moments I fall asleep on his chest.
20 CALISTA
"It's too damn hot," Jolie complains.
She wipes the sweat away from her eyes. Her hair is hanging in damp strands and her shirt is soaked.
"I know," I agree with her. "I think we've almost got it though."
"You said that an hour ago," she complains.
"Yeah but that means we're an hour closer," I say optimistically.
"Sometimes I hate you," she laughs.
"Would you two shut up?" Amara asks. "Hand me that spanner wrench."
Jolie picks up a tool out of the box and holds it up waving it at Amara whose head is sticking out from underneath a massive machine.
"This?" Jolie asks.
"Were you dropped on your head is a baby?" Amara grouses.
"Uh, no, botanist here, what do I know about spanner wrenches?" Jolie asks.
"Nothing apparently," Amara says, sliding out from under the machine and getting the tool herself while I laugh. "What are you laughing about?" She targets me. "You're no better."
"Hey, I'm not involved!" I say.
"And don't I know it," she says.
Amara crawls back in to the machine and there's the sound of metal on metal then something crashes. Amara curses just as the lights in the tunnel we're in come on.
"You did it!" I say.
"Yeah, all thanks to me," Amara says, crawling out.
"Yes, your highness," Jolie quips, mocking a bow to Amara.
Amara smiles and wipes the dirt away from her face. "Okay, okay, that's enough of that now," she says smiling.
"So is it really fixed?" I ask her.
"I think so," Amara says. "I don't think it's running at full power but at least parts of the city will be functioning now."
"That's amazing," I say.
"Well, it is for now," Amara says. "I'm sure it won't be long before something breaks down. It looks like this equipment has been sitting here for a thousand years or more."
"It very well may have," I answer her.
"Are you serious?" she asks.
"Yeah," I say and tell them about the video I saw.
"Where did you see that at?" Jolie asks.
"In the building where Ladon and I live. I think it might have been a library or something. It seemed to run on minimal power."
"A library? Let's check it out!" Jolie enthuses. "Maybe it will do more now that Amara has fixed the generators!"
"Okay," I agree.
I hope she's right. I lead my friends to the library and as soon as we enter the more intact glass panels come to life. We each go to one and begin fiddling. My scientific mind wants to give a much more esoteric term to it but the truth is none of us know what were doing and were just randomly poking at things. I move my hand along it back and forth then I make circles and that seems to get a reaction. It takes a while longer and finally in frustration I press both my hands against the glass.
Two lines of blue light up below the palm of my hands on either side. The lines of light scan up and down and then the panel flashes rapidly. It changes color so fast I can't track it. The colors coalesce and beam straight into my brain it feels like. It makes me blink a lot and then it's over. Text starts to scroll across the screen and I realize it's a menu. The same moment I realize that, it hits me that I'm reading it. I can understand this. This machine just taught me Ladon's language!
One of the menu items is epis. I touch it with my finger and the screen flashes and and more text scrolls. I settle in and start reading absolutely fascinated. I don't even realize how long I sit and study until Amara is behind me.
"Hey, figure anything out?" she asks.
"Yeah, I'm hungry," Jolie says beside her.
I turn to them and nod. "Yeah, I figured something out."
"Well, what is it?"
"You know how some of the people were talking about leaving the planet?"
"Yeah?" Amara asks and Jolie nods.
"I can never leave."
"What do you mean?" Jolie asks.
"You remember I talked to you about that plant that lets you survive the heat better?"
"Yeah," Jolie says, encouraging me to keep talking.
"Well it has a side effect," I say.
"Oh shit," Amara says.
"Yeah."
"Well, what is it?" Jolie asks.
"They did a lot of research on its properties. Epis was one of the most valuable commodities in the universe and it only grows here. The problem is it's highly addictive. Once you've taken it there is no way to not have to take it again."
"Well so you can detox," Jolie says. "We can set up a celebrity rehab for you."
"It's not that easy," I say.
"Why not?" Amara asks.
"Because it changes your DNA doesn't it?" Jolie asks as everything clicks into place for her.
"Yeah," I say. "It changes you at a cellular level. It doesn't just help you adjust to the heat, it rewrites parts of your genetic coding. It extends your life, gives you strength, and lets you adapt to any environment but you can never not take it."
"How often do you have to take it?" Jolie asks.
"Three to four times a year to keep off the detox," I say.
"Well maybe we can grow some and take with us," Jolie says.
"Yeah, that would work right?" Amara asks.
"Maybe," I say, not having the heart to tell them that from what I can see this entire galaxy with technologies way in advance of our own had tried to do that very thing for decades without success. The figured out it has something to do with the monstrous zemlja which live only on Tajss. Epis only grows near their underground lairs.
"Okay, we'll figure it out," Jolie says and hugs me.
"Yeah, right, we will."
We hug it out and then my belly grumbles.
"Yeah! I'm hungry!" Jolie says again laughing.
"Okay, well dinner time."
I walk them out of the library and get them on their way home. They'll report to Rosalind about all we've learned. Everyone should be really excited about the working power too. As I make my way towards my home with Ladon I muse about my life. I may be stuck here forever but that's not so bad. I have Ladon and he adores me. I adore him too. I've never been happy or felt more complete than I have since I met him.
And now I know his language! I can't wait to have a real conversation with him! Thinking about that I burst into a run.
21 CALISTA
When I find Ladon he's standing on the roof looking out across the desert.
"So I'm looking for a sexy Zmaj warrior who might be able to give me a hand," I say in his native tongue.
He turns around, his eyes wide and his mouth open.
"Calista?" he asks.
I smile and nod excitedly. "Yours truly!" I say, still using his native language.
"How?" he shakes his head side to side in confusion.
I shrug. "Amara got the power working then I played with one of the machines in the library area downstairs. I don't know how I did it but it… I don't know…downloaded your language in my brain."
"That has not worked in centuries," he says.
"Yeah, well, it may have fluked," I walk over to him and he takes my hand.
We stand together and look out over the desert. All the things I wished I could say to him I can now but right this moment I'm happy to just be here with him. No concerns, no worries, just the two of us. I let the moment stretch out as long as I can. The sun drops close to the horizon.
"Ladon?" I pull his attention to me.
"Hmmm?" he asks still gazing out.
"Are you happy?"
He turns to face me tilting his head to one side. I appreciate that he isn't giving me a flippant answer but actually considering what I'm asking though it makes me worry at the same time. What if he isn't happy? I didn't get to consult with him before bringing all my friends and the other survivors into his home. We couldn't communicate and if I didn't act they would be dead. I couldn't let that happen but I don't want him to be upset or resentful.
"Yes," he says at last.
"Even with all of," I motion back towards the building the other humans have made their home "them?"
He frowns and thinks. "It is… different. Change is not easy but change is not bad in itself."
"But different, different better? Different worse?"
He shakes his head. "Different is just different. You, you make it okay."
I nod accepting his simple answer. Holding his hand I lead us to the edge of the building away from the desert so that we can look out over the city.
"I want to fix this," I make a sweeping motion. "All of it. We can bring this all back to life. Recover all your people had before and combine it with what my people know. Together we can make this place beautiful again. I can see it all laid out before us. These buildings repaired, cared for, shiny and like new. The dome, like I saw in the videos, that will keep the weather and any predators out. It will make us safe."
"Yes," he says simply.
"It will be perfect," I say.
"You are perfect. It will be an extension of you. You are my greatest treasure," he says.
I turn to him and smile then rise up and kiss him.
"We need to get epis," I say as I lower back onto my feet. "The others aren't going to survive without it."
"Yes," he agrees.
"Will you lead an expedition?" I ask.
"Lead? Take them?" he frowns.
"And me," I say.
"No," he says shaking his head. "You will not go."
"I will too!" I argue with him.
"No. It is too dangerous. You will stay here. Do your work."
"I'm not some simple housewife that you get to order around!" I yell.
"No, too dangerous. I won't risk you. You must remain."
"That's not happening," I retort. "You going to lock me in my room and then sneak off?" It was a smart ass comment but he looks like he's seriously contemplating it. "You wouldn't…"
"You would be safe," he says, tilting his head.
"And I'd never forgive you."
He frowns, starts to say something, then his shoulders slump."Fine," he says. "However, this is not wise."
"I can live with that."
"I will make sure you do," he says and I'm not sure how to take that so I let it go.
"I need to explain to them about the epis. They need to make an informed decision before they take it."
"Yes," he says thoughtful. "They will die without it though."
"Yes, probably, maybe. I don't know. I just can't trick them into it you know? They need to know that if they take it, that's it. They're stuck here, forever."
He nods and we walk to the door and down. Getting every one of the survivors into one place is all but impossible. Since we've been in the city Rosalind has been organizing teams of people based on their skills to work on projects to either insure or enhance our survival here. They're gone all day long every day out on their work details. My friends are easier to gather so I decide to start with them. Word should spread fast enough after that.
"Hey Jolie!" I call out as Ladon and I pass through the library.
"What?" she asks, looking up with a grin on her face.
"Hey, I'm going to brief the others on the epis and what taking it means. You want to tag along in case there's any questions?"
"You mean like ones you couldn't answer for yourself?" she asks. "Cause you know you're NOT the nerdy one of the two of us now?"
Jolie glances suggestively at Ladon who I'm supremely thankful doesn't get the implications. My cheeks burn hot as I shake my head.
"Uh, yeah, exactly that," I laugh, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"You're red!" she laughs pointing.
"So, are you going to help or…"
"Sure, I'll tag along. You know you turn the most lovely shade of pink?"
"Thanks," I say, leading the way to the others.
I walk in to the survivor's building and find Inga, Amara, and Lana working as a team cleaning the place up.
"Did you two live in a pigsty?" Amara barks. "Seriously, you call this clean?"
Amara points imperiously at a section of the floor that looks clean to me. The other two hang their heads and roll their eyes.
"Sure Amara, when were you going to actually do some of the work yourself?" Inga asks.
"Oh! We've got a big strong man coming to our rescue, maybe he could help us out?" Lana says, her gaze drifting over Ladon and lingering too long for my personal comfort.
Jealousy is a green
monster inside me that wants to roar out and slap her back into her place but damn she's so pretty. And confident, never forget that confidence. Everything about her exudes sex and confidence. I close my eyes and push all that aside.
"Hey guys," I say, trying to push past my own feelings. "I need to talk to you and then get the word spread out through everyone. Is Rosalind around?"
"I'm here," I hear her say and look around to find out where she's at.
Finally I look up and see she's actually up in the ceiling doing something. She grabs the lip of the opening through which she must have entered and does a drop hang down then lands gracefully on her feet. Now I'm jealous for an entirely different reason.
"So, yeah, well we wanted to talk to you about the epis," I begin.
"That's the plant you said would help us survive on the planet?" Amara interrupts.
"Yes," I say. "Thing is, we've been studying it and well, it's highly addictive."
"How addictive? What are the side effects?" Rosalind asks, cutting to the chase.
I take a deep breath and try to organize my thoughts.
"One hundred percent. It seems to actually, well it, it changes your DNA. Adjusts it so you're perfectly adapted to this planet as near as I can figure."
"Okay I get that, there's something you're not saying though. How does that affect us when we're rescued?" Rosalind asks.
The others defer to her leadership and wait for me to answer. This is the part I didn't want to have to tell them. I look at the ground, the walls, anywhere but them, unable to meet their eyes.
"We won't be able to leave," I say.
Someone gasps and the others murmur softly.
"Why? Exactly?" Rosalind asks.
"Once you take it the effect is immediate and then you have to take it on a regular basis or you will die from the withdrawals," Jolie chimes in rescuing me.
"Damn," Amara says.
"That's bullshit," Lana cuts in. "We'll just grow some and take with us. What are you biologists, or what the hell ever you are, good for if you can't even do that?"
"It's not that simple-" Jolie starts
"Bullshit," Amara cuts her off. "You have to fix it."
Alien Dragon's Baby: A Scifi Alien Romance (Red Planet Dragons of Tajss) Page 13
