by Lisa Lace
Zandra moaned at feeling so full, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back. She opened her eyes to find him studying her. She placed her forehead up against his.
“More,” she whispered, and he began to pump, raising and lowering her body over his. She arched her back, letting her body press up against his, the steam from the water making their skin slick. She could feel his cock twitch inside of her. Her core began to spasm as she came, crying out for him. He moaned, biting her shoulder as he orgasmed. Zandra let go of herself as she let Jurgen claim her body.
He lifted her up and out of the water. She wrapped her legs around him, resting her head on his shoulder as he climbed out of the tub. He carried her upstairs, setting her down on the bed. It was deep and luxurious. He leaned over her as he climbed up on the bed. They kissed passionately, then they parted and lay side by side. Zandra snuggled closer to Jurgen, putting her head on his shoulder and throwing one leg across his waist. He wrapped a large, muscular arm around her, pulling her in closer. He nuzzled her cheek. She opened her eyes, kissing him lightly on the nose. She let him cradle her body as she slowly slipped off to sleep. She felt satiated, warm, and safe.
Jurgen
Jurgen awoke slowly as the sunlight began to seep through the window. Zandra’s small body was pressed up against his, her back to his front, both of them tucked in beneath the bedclothes. Under the blanket, his hand rested on her rib cage, and he felt the rise and fall of her sleeping breaths. She reminded him of a bird—compact, warm. He watched her sleep, the morning suns shining over her bright hair, causing the ring on her finger to sparkle.
This is temporary, he reminded himself, knowing that her first desire was to return to her home planet. The thought caused him pain. Regardless, part of him hoped that perhaps she would change her mind.
She opened her bright emerald eyes, slowly turning to face him. Sleepily, she smiled up at him when she saw that he was awake. He felt a lightness in his chest—something he had not experienced since Lilat’s death.
“Morning,” she said, stretching. He reached up to tuck a strand of her soft hair behind the pink shell of her ear.
“Good morning,” he said, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. The flat of his hand traveled down her ribs and up and over her hip. The kiss deepened as he pulled her closer. His whole body sang in response to her nearness. She wrapped a leg over his hip as she pressed a hand to his chest.
“Mmmm…” she moaned, pulling away. “I’m hungry.”
He was disappointed, but his own stomach rumbled at the thought of food. “Of course,” Jurgen replied. There’s always later, he thought. For the moment, at least. He watched as she slid out of bed, gazing at the perfection of her body. She caught him looking and smiled at him. He growled, a deep rumbling in his chest as he almost forgot his hunger for breakfast.
“Let’s go,” she insisted with a teasing grin as she yanked on his hand.
He sighed heavily as he got out of bed. Downstairs, he had a well-stocked kitchen, and they fixed themselves a simple breakfast of dried meat strips and fruit, which he was learning was pleasant to eat.
“What do you want to do today?” Zandra asked him as she chewed.
“I thought we would take a walk,” Jurgen told her. “I can show you what lies beyond the settlement.”
“Okay.”
They left his—no, their—house. They were greeted by members of their tribe as they walked to the gate. Zandra held his hand, her body bumping lightly against his as they walked. He looked down, and she smiled up at him.
“Are you doing that on purpose?” he asked.
She looked at him innocently. “Doing what?” she asked.
He shot her a look.
“Oh, you mean this?” She bumped into him again.
He growled, picking her small form up off the ground. She squealed as he pressed his lips to hers. She responded with warmth. He spun her around, placing her back on the ground. She slid her hand back into his as they walked through the gate.
They walked in companionable silence for a little while as they passed through the pastures. Jurgen liked the silence of the fields outside the settlement. Had he not been an Alpha, he would have requested to work out here, where he could be alone with his thoughts.
“So, as queen, what are my official duties?” Zandra asked. She was smiling, glowing.
He frowned, wondering if this was another of her jokes. “To give birth to the next chief of the tribe,” he replied. He watched the smile fall from her face. He didn’t understand. Certainly, that was what all females did?
“That’s it?” She stopped walking abruptly.
“Yes.”
“So, I do nothing?” Her hands were in fists at her sides.
“You give birth and raise the younglings,” he said, stating the obvious.
“You want me to be barefoot and pregnant,” she fumed. “Just some broodmare.”
“You can wear shoes.” He kept his tone neutral. He wasn’t sure why she was angry. “But as the wife of the chief, you need to give birth to the next chief. Isn’t this what we agreed upon?”
“But as queen, I could do so much,” she said. “I could make changes in this tribe.”
“What do we need changes for? The tribe is thriving.”
“There’s no school,” she pointed out.
“There’s no need. The women teach the younglings.”
“The women could do other things as well,” Zandra replied. “Why should the Beta males do all the work?”
“That’s what Beta males are for.”
“But they don’t have to be.” She wasn’t finished yet. “Even the Alphas could do things other than fighting and hunting.”
“Why? What would be the point?” he wondered.
“Freedom of choice,” she said.
He could only think of one response. “It’s just not necessary. As chief, I make the decisions.”
“Why can’t we choose for ourselves? I mean, with the peace treaty, Erusha could become a true civilization,” she said. “We could start having art and culture. You know, like books and movies and such.”
He frowned and glanced around. The Beta males working in the fields had stopped and were watching them. Anger coursed through him. No one questioned the chief’s authority. His tribe didn’t need to be fixed.
“Things are fine as they are,” he replied. “We are one of the richest tribes on Erusha. And now that you and the other women have arrived, we will be one of the largest.”
Zandra sighed, covering her eyes with her hands. “You don’t get it,” she hissed.
“What? What don’t I get?” he asked, bewildered.
“You expect everyone to just follow everything that you say.”
“Yes. I am the chief.”
“So then no one is your equal?”
“No,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes and growled.
“What’s wrong, Zandra? I don’t understand.”
“That’s the problem,” she snapped and began to walk back to the settlement.
He followed. “As chief, I need everyone to follow my orders,” he tried to explain. “Otherwise the tribe will not function.”
She spun around to face him. “In order for me to be happy,” she said, her face angry, “I need to be your equal.”
He paused.
“That’s how women are treated on Earth. As equals.”
He was silent. She stared at him, waiting for a response. All he could come up with was one she had already rejected.
“It’s just not necessary,” he said, finally.
She nodded. “Very well. Then our marriage just isn’t necessary,” she stated and then turned away. They were nearing the northern gate of the settlement.
“We’ve already committed,” he told her.
She stopped walking. “That was under false pretenses,” she stated, not looking back at him. She then walked off briskly.
He stopped, letting her storm away
. He was baffled. As chief, he was the supreme authority. He couldn’t understand why she was angry. He looked at Grav, who was standing beside the gate. Grav merely shrugged.
Jurgen
A day had passed since his fight with Zandra. She had not returned home the night before, choosing instead to sleep in the bachelorette hut with the unmated women. Jurgen stood beside Auslur and Clara on top of the wall. They were watching as a storm neared, the clouds dark over the plain. In the distance, the mountains appeared blurred as a driving rain poured down on them.
“Do you think it will become a funnel cloud?” Auslur asked.
“It may. It certainly seems large enough,” Jurgen replied. Funnel clouds had been known to destroy entire settlements. Nature was one of the few things strong enough take out an entire Erushan army.
“On Earth, we call them tornadoes,” Clara said. “I’ve never seen one in person, though.”
Auslur looked at her. “Really?”
Jurgen immediately envied the lack of complication in their relationship. Clara had come to Erusha of her own accord. Auslur never had to worry about letting her go.
“Yep. I lived in the part of my country that rarely gets them,” she went on.
“Surely you must have had some kind of inclement weather,” Auslur said.
“Oh yes. They were called ‘blizzards’ and ‘hurricanes.’”
“What are those?” Jurgen asked.
“Well, blizzards involve lots of snow. And hurricanes involve lots of wind and rain,” she explained. She frowned. “Do you get snow here?”
“During winter we get some,” Auslur replied. “No hurricanes, though.”
“Those only happen near the sea,” Clara explained.
“Ah, I see,” Auslur said seriously, causing Clara to giggle.
Jurgen smiled at them, jealousy threatening to overwhelm his senses. As far as he could tell, they never argued. Or if they had, Clara hadn’t stayed angry for long.
“Have you and Zandra made up yet?” Clara asked. The small, blonde woman looked at Jurgen kindly.
He thought back to when he had run into Zandra that morning in the mess hall—she had avoided even looking him. He had watched her walk past him, making her way to a table on the other side of the room. He felt like he was drowning without her. He scanned the settlement for her bright red hair. He found her, sitting with a group of women by the communal building. She was hunched over one of the Beta male’s looms, weaving an emerald-green cloth.
“No,” he replied. “To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure why she’s angry.”
“On Earth, the spouses of powerful men and women also have power of some sort,” Clara explained patiently. “They help their spouses with ruling.”
Jurgen cocked an eyebrow.
She smiled gently before clarifying. “She just wants to help you. On Earth, she had control of her own life. It’s likely that being here has made her feel she has lost everything. Don’t forget she was brought here without her consent. She is trying to reclaim her power. That’s all. She has good ideas.”
Jurgen nodded as he considered her words. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to make a few small changes, especially if it made Zandra happy.
“You should apologize,” Clara went on. “You should listen to what she has to say.”
Jurgen nodded as he considered what she’d said. He patted Clara on the shoulder. “Thank you.”
She smiled and returned her gaze outward to the fields beyond the settlement wall.
Jurgen looked at Auslur. “Your wife has a good head on her shoulders.”
“That she does,” Auslur agreed proudly. He wrapped his arms around Clara as he stood behind her.
Jurgen bid farewell and then made his way to the carved steps. He headed straight to where Zandra sat, angrily weaving. Her shuttle dropped, causing a deep snarl in the thread. She hissed as she tried to fix it. He noticed with a jolt that she was not wearing the ring he had given her. She looked up, seeing him approach. She paused and watched him warily, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“I apologize,” he began. His heart was pounding in his chest. “Erushan and Earth customs are a bit different. I was unaware.”
“You think?” she muttered.
She was still very angry, the time apart having served only to give her irritation room to fester and grow, he realized. He felt guilty, remembering that she was only there because she’d been kidnapped. She had been trying to make the best of a bad situation, and he hadn’t listened.
“I would like to hear your ideas,” he went on. “I would like to have you help me make the Apaknor Tribe better. You are a smart woman. Your mind should not be wasted.”
She studied him. “Who told you to say that?” she asked angrily. She pushed her hair behind her ear.
“Clara said I should apologize,” he said honestly.
“You didn’t think to do it on your own?” she snapped. “You needed someone to tell you you should apologize? Seriously?”
He merely nodded.
“Do you even mean it?”
“Of course I do,” he said, wounded.
“So I’m your equal?”
“I’m the chief!”
“I see,” she replied, still piqued.
He realized with a sinking feeling that this had been a test and that he had failed it. She got up, abandoning her loom, and walked away. Jurgen sighed as he helplessly watched her storm off. He didn’t know what else to do. Wasn’t she the woman that the goddess had promised him? Why were things so complicated? He turned, making his way out of the settlement. The first drops of rain from the storm began to fall. After he shut the gate he broke into a run, headed for the goddess’s mountain.
It had stopped raining during his climb. As he made his way to the top, the suns peeked out from the cloud cover. The goddess was waiting for him at the peak. Her arms were crossed, and her eyes flashed in anger. She bared her fangs at him. Somehow, she could see everything that happened out on the Erushan plains. He knew without thinking that she had watched his every step as he scaled her mountain in the downpour. He was soaked through with rain and sweat.
“How dare you question me?” the goddess fumed. Her golden eyes flashed dangerously in her rage.
Great. Another angry female, he thought.
“Everything I say is wrong,” he said helplessly. “How can this be right?”
“All couples have problems,” she hissed. “Part of making it work is working out your problems with your mate. Not running to the goddess for help.”
Jurgen stared at her, unsure what to say.
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her delicate green nose with her long fingers. “On Earth, women are the equals of men. This is something that Zandra prides herself on. Zandra is your equal in every way. In order for the Apaknor Tribe to flourish, you must not only treat her that way, you must view her that way.”
“It is against Erushan custom. How was I to know?” he asked, opening his arms wide in supplication.
“If you actually listened to her, you wouldn’t have this problem. Stop being a typical male and start working with Zandra,” she said. “You are wasting time. Both mine and yours. War is impending. Look.” She pointed in the direction of the Apaknor settlement.
Jurgen turned to look. His heart felt like it had dropped into his stomach. He could see an army marching on his home.
“The last remnants of the Saavi have made an alliance with the Junta,” the goddess said. “As we speak, they are marching on the Apaknor settlement. They want your women. They want your goods. They want to kill your people and use your settlement for their own.”
“We don’t have enough warriors,” he murmured.
“You must make an alliance with the Mawari,” she said, gesturing to the east, where the settlement of their nearest neighbors was located. “Offer them the blood price.”
He nodded. The Mawari were a large tribe. They even had women and younglings who had survived the wars.<
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“Go. Go now.”
Without another word, he took off down the eastern slope of the mountain.
As he neared the settlement of the Mawari, bells rang out and a delegation ran out to meet him. They were Alpha warriors, the bright sunlight glinting off their armor. One carried a white flag on a wooden pole. Their blasters and blades were all holstered and sheathed to show that they came in peace. Jurgen held up his hands to show that they were empty of weapons. He had not even taken any with him when he had left the settlement and run north to the mountain in despair.
A large male stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest in a sign of respect. He wore a red sash to show that he was delegated to speak for the chief. “Jurgen Apaknor. What is it that brings you to us?”
“The Saavi and Junta Tribes have allied,” he said. He was still out of breath from his race down the mountain. “They attack the Apaknor settlement. We need an ally. After the Apaknor are no more, they will come here.”
“The Mawari are strong,” the other male said, speaking of his own tribe. “We can easily match the Saavi and Junta combined.”
“We have women who are not mated. We have gold and other goods. We can offer you the blood price,” Jurgen told him. “The alliance between our tribes would make us stronger. If the Peace of Erusha is no more, then we are only as strong as our alliances.”
The Mawari representative studied Jurgen for a moment before he spoke again. “We will help the Apaknor Tribe in exchange for the blood price.” The man grinned and it chilled Jurgen to the very core, although he didn’t know why. He shrugged it off. He needed to get back to his tribe…and Zandra. Inwardly, he cursed himself—he had failed as a chief and as a husband.
The Mawari Tribe was ready within the hour. The Mawari chief strode to the front of his troops. As he neared, he held out a staff that had a blade on either end to Jurgen.
