by Lisa Lace
“It is a good day to draw blades together, brother,” he said.
Jurgen nodded, taking the staff. “May the suns shine on our alliance,” Jurgen replied, as was customary.
The chief nodded then gestured to his troops. They took off running, Jurgen with them, his heart pounding in his ears.
Zandra
After she had fought with Jurgen for the second time, Zandra sat silently amongst the other women. She was still fuming, but she tried not to show it. They were in the medical pavilion, sitting with the women who had not yet regained consciousness. It was well known that those in comas responded to being spoken to and touched. They all gathered there once a day to try to waken the other women. Zandra sat holding the hand of a woman with pale skin and dark hair. Her eyes were closed, and an IV was in her arm. Zandra picked up a wet cloth, bathing the woman’s face with cool water.
This woman has never opened her eyes on an alien planet before, she thought. The last time she was awake, she was on Earth. She sat in silence. Those who had been mated the other night spoke happily of their new lives.
“He says we can add on to the house when the children come,” Maddie said of her new mate, Havi. It was obvious that Maddie found the young Alpha beyond attractive.
“That’s what Auslur said as well,” Clara murmured happily. She had a bright, happy glow about her.
Zandra wanted to roll her eyes but couldn’t help but be happy for her. Clara and Auslur had an undeniable connection.
“Are either of you thinking of anyone?” Maddie asked Carly, Marlene, and Lily. Carly shrugged. She had been surrounded by potential suitors at the celebration, while quiet Lily had spent the night sitting off to the side. Marlene had left early, her headache having become severe.
“Grav is really cute,” Lily said shyly.
Zandra smiled at her. She could support that union wholeheartedly. She recalled seeing Grav sitting on his own during the celebration the other night. Her heart had gone out to him. It was clear that social situations weren’t where the computer whiz was the most comfortable.
“Are they…you know?” Carly asked in a conspiratorial undertone. She smiled mischievously.
“Yes!” Maddie crowed. “Just…yes.”
“Well-endowed!” Ashton agreed. She seemed quite happy with Mutorn, another older Alpha.
“Zandra, how are things going with Jurgen?” Brice asked. She was the only one besides Zandra who seemed unsure of her new mate, Utyi.
Zandra found herself the object of many eyes. She glanced away.
“We all heard you guys fighting,” Maddie said softly, her eyes wide.
“Yeah. Well…” Zandra shrugged. She really didn’t want to have this conversation.
“What could be wrong? I mean, he called you his queen in front of everyone,” Marlene said.
“He certainly did,” she replied. “But evidently, all that involves is being barefoot and pregnant.”
“Not the worst thing,” Maddie stated.
Zandra fought to keep from rolling her eyes at Maddie’s veiled brag. She turned to Maddie and looked her in the eye. “Really? I mean, don’t you want things? Equality? A voice?” Zandra looked around, making eye contact with each of the women. “On Earth, I was a career woman. I loved my job. I worked in publishing. I had things to do. I had power. I was happy. Everything has been taken away from me.”
The women were silent.
“I think you have the potential to have an equal partnership,” Clara said, her tone gentle. “You just have to ask for it.”
Zandra nodded doubtfully.
“It’s just not a thing here…yet. Women are valued in this society. They have just needed protection because of the wars. There aren’t a lot of them. I think Jurgen would listen to you if you asked. Without being argumentative.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly.
“You may be right,” Zandra conceded.
Clara nodded then turned her attention back to the unconscious woman beside her, dabbing at her forehead with a cloth.
“Remember waking up on a strange planet?” Clara asked. “They have no idea of all the things that have happened.”
“What if they don’t wake up?” Ashton asked. “There are so few of us. And as far as we know, no one else is coming.”
The women all looked at each other then at the few women who were in comas. At that moment, there was a commotion outside. A Beta male rushed into the medical pavilion. He walked quickly towards them.
“We are being attacked by the combined forces of the remaining Saavi and the Junta Tribes,” he said. “Hide yourselves.” He moved away, clearly going for medical supplies.
Zandra looked around at the other women. They looked fearful. “This, ladies, is where we prove ourselves. Let’s go help our men in battle.”
The others looked frightened, but they all stood, except for Maxine, who glared at her.
“Are you coming?” Zandra asked her.
The former matchmaker looked down at the sewing in her lap. It looked like a mass of snarls. “No,” she replied, keeping her head down.
Zandra glanced at Clara, who shrugged. Zandra nodded, waving for the others to follow her. She led them towards the communal building, where the armory was housed. As they reached it, Auslur was running outside.
“What are you doing?” he asked, frowning in concern. He looked to Clara.
“Even those who do not live by the sword can die by it,” Zandra told him. “We’re arming ourselves, just in case.”
He paused, his eyes still on Clara, and then he nodded. “Good idea,” he conceded. “Let’s not have history repeat itself.” He leaned in and kissed Clara. When he pulled away, they shared a look. He smiled at her, whispered something in her ear, and then ran off, unsheathing his blaster.
The women continued into the armory. They looked around aimlessly, not sure what to do with themselves.
Zandra took a deep breath, pulling a blaster off a shelf. “Come on, girls,” she said, trying to infuse her voice with confidence.
She hefted the blaster. It was made for an Erushan Alpha male. It was a sidearm, but it was about the size of an Earth shotgun. She was damned if she would let that deter her, though. Clara was the next to move. She grabbed a blaster of her own off the shelf. The others still hadn’t moved.
“Come on, ladies,” Clara said. “Let’s go. Those are our men out there.”
Zandra raised an eyebrow, impressed. The others burst into motion, walking forward, pulling blasters off the shelves. When everyone had one, Zandra made eye contact with each one of them. They returned her gaze. She could see they were all fighting to be brave. She smiled.
“We, too, are warriors. Be smart,” she said, formulating her battle speech as she went. “Don’t let fear win. Those warriors are bigger and stronger than we are. Our advantage is that they are going to underestimate us. Use your size and your brain to outsmart them. Is everyone ready?”
“As ready as we’ll ever be,” Maddie said. Her blaster was shaking as her hand trembled, but she held her head high.
The others murmured their agreement.
“Let’s go,” Zandra said, breaking into a run as she headed for the door. The women cheered behind her, their very own battle cry.
When the women arrived, the males were already embroiled in battle. Zandra could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She looked about, trying to find Jurgen. When she couldn’t locate him, she turned back to the women. They were waiting for her. Clara smiled at her grimly. It was now or never.
Zandra ran towards the battle. She was spotted almost immediately by a thin male in Saavi battle garb. She remembered it well from the few hours that she was a Saavi captive. The Saavi were leaner and meaner looking, with a strange pallor to their green skin, making them almost spring green. Their armor was dented—clearly they had seen too many battles.
The warrior held up his weapon. Zandra’s stomach lurched queasily. While the Saavi male wore protective armor, she had none. She would have to bank on
her size and quickness. She aimed for his blaster, shooting the moment hers was in place. There was a blinding flash, and the male staggered back as his own weapon was shot out of his grasp. Shrapnel from the explosion of his blaster hit Zandra in the cheek. She kept her own weapon up, aimed at the Saavi warrior. His arm hung off his body at a strange angle, the skin burnt. He glanced at it momentarily then began to stagger forward.
She shot again, but he somehow managed to duck out of the way. Zandra panicked as he continued coming toward her, gaining momentum. She shot several more times, two shots going wide before one hit him in the chest. The warrior paused, his body suddenly falling insensate to the ground. Zandra exhaled a massive sigh of relief.
“Zandra!” Brice yelled.
Zandra turned to look. Brice pointed, and she followed her gaze. Another warrior was charging her. Her arm already aching in exhaustion, she aimed her blaster shakily. He is too close, she thought weakly as his massive green arms wrapped around her. She clutched her blaster for dear life, trying to wrestle it into firing position. The large alien warrior squeezed, and she could barely breathe. Instead, she brought it down on his head. His head snapped to the left, and he growled in pain. She raised her blaster, closing her eyes as she pulled the trigger.
Zandra felt the hot flash of the blaster, scorching her skin but not enough to injure her severely. She fell to the ground as the alien warrior’s grip released in death. The world was silent except for a ringing in her ears. She looked up as someone shook her. She found herself looking into Auslur’s face as he mouthed something.
Suddenly, sound began to fade back in.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you alright?” he yelled.
She nodded.
He helped her to her feet. “Can you still fight?”
“Yes.”
He handed her the blaster that she had dropped on the ground. “Keep your eyes open when you shoot!” he yelled.
She nodded. “Where’s Jurgen?” she asked.
He pointed toward the mountain. “Gone!” he replied.
Her heart sank. She nodded. Auslur ran to Clara’s side as she shot at another warrior. He pulled his hunting knife from its sheath, slamming it into the neck of an alien who ran at Clara. Zandra looked around, raising her weapon. The Saavi and the Junta Tribes were winning through sheer numbers. The Apaknor were flanked on three sides, and there were more enemies arriving.
“Retreat!” Auslur yelled. “Retreat to the gates!”
Zandra began to run for the gates. As she did, arms wrapped around her waist, picking her up and carrying her back to the gates. She turned, expecting Jurgen, but found Aphelion carrying her back to the safety of the walled-in settlement. He placed her down inside the gates. They stood for a moment, looking at each other. In another life, it might have been him and not Jurgen, she thought.
“Thank you,” Zandra said.
Aphelion nodded as he walked off. Zandra wondered for a moment about him. He had lost his battle with Jurgen for her hand. Since then, he had avoided her. She knew she would have turned him down had he won. Or would I? she wondered. The doors were pushed shut with a loud bang. Warriors raced to the top of the wall with their weapons to continue the battle.
The other women gathered around Zandra. They all looked dazed. Maddie had a cut on her forehead. Lily had lost her blaster. The others wrapped their arms around each other. On top of the wall, there was an explosion. Some of the women screamed. Zandra knelt down, covering her ears.
Jurgen
It seemed like time slowed down as Jurgen and the Mawari troops ran for the Apaknor settlement. His legs burned with the effort—he felt as though he couldn’t run fast enough. The Mawari let out a loud war cry as the battle came into view. His heart was in his throat as he saw that his warriors had retreated to the safety of the wall. There was a loud crash as the Mawari Tribe attacked the Saavi and Junta alliance. Behind them, the Apaknor settlement’s gate opened and his Alphas ran out. Jurgen joined them. He used the two-bladed shaft, fighting hand-to-hand with a Saavi warrior. The Saavi attempted to pull his blaster, Jurgen brought up a hand to hit the Saavi’s arm. There was a flash as someone behind him shot the Saavi in the face.
Jurgen turned and then froze in shock. Zandra lowered her blaster.
“Zandra!” he cried. “What are you doing out here?”
“Saving your ass,” she replied, raising her blaster again and shooting. Jurgen whipped his head around to watch a headless Junta warrior fall to the ground. He glanced momentarily back at Zandra.
“Focus!” she yelled. He did, fighting his way in a swath through the attacking Saavi and Junta battle line. With the combined might of the Mawari and Apaknor, the battle quickly became a rout. Jurgen and Zandra fought, side by side. He had never been so terrified and proud in his life—if he lost her, he didn’t know what he would do. But at the same time, Zandra was clearly holding her own. As the sounds of battle and the cries of the wounded and dying began to decrease, Jurgen slowed. He found himself facing no more enemies. He turned to Zandra. She looked up at him. Her pale skin was splattered with blood. She was breathing heavily. He reached out and pulled his wife to him. He felt her body stiffen.
“I apologize,” he said breathlessly as he buried his face in her hair. He kissed her on the cheek. “You are the most amazing warrior. You are my equal. I am sorry that I was too blind to see it.”
She relaxed into his arms as she nodded, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m sorry, too,” she said, looking up at him. “I should have explained calmly. It’s not your fault your society is backwards.” Jurgen squinted. She grinned, laughing. He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.
“I am so proud of you,” he whispered.
She beamed.
“You handle a weapon well.”
He looked up to see the chief of the Mawari, walking in their direction.
“Zandra, this is Oden, the chief of the Mawari. He is now our ally. Oden, this is Zandra.” He wanted to add, my wife, but he wasn’t sure where he and Zandra stood. Now that they appeared to be on good terms, he didn’t want to rock the boat.
“This woman fights with skill,” Oden said, clearly impressed.
Jurgen nodded, looking down at Zandra, who looked up at him with a smile. “She does,” Jurgen replied. He looked at Oden. He did not like how the other male was looking at Zandra—his eyes were hungry, appraising.
Jurgen placed his arm around Zandra’s shoulders. “Come,” he said to them. “Let us celebrate our victory and tend to our dead.”
“Indeed,” Oden agreed. He trailed after Jurgen and Zandra as they entered the settlement.
“Will you come home?” Jurgen asked Zandra quietly.
She smiled up at him. “Of course,” she replied.
He smiled then turned to Oden. “There are huts available to you and your men,” he said. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
Oden nodded. “Thank you,” he murmured. He was still watching Zandra intently.
She slid her delicate hand into Jurgen’s. “Let’s go home,” she said in a loud voice. She had noticed Oden’s look as well. Jurgen smiled at her.
When they reached their house, she opened the door, whirling back to face him as he shut it behind him. He picked her up, pulling her in close as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue across her bottom lip.
They fucked quickly, frantically at first. He tore at her blood-splattered clothing, pulling it from her body. She grabbed at his clothes, fumbling, but making quick progress as they moved from the door to the rug by the fireplace. He scooped her off the floor, laying her down on the soft rug. He pressed his lips to hers in a hungry, searching kiss. He moved away from her mouth, trailing kisses, which he alternated with gentle bites, working his way down her neck and over her collarbone. He paused at her breasts, sucking a nipple into his mouth. She inhaled sharply, moaning as he teased it with his tongue.
He palmed her other
breast, using his thumb to tease it until both of her nipples were like small stones. He looked down at her—her skin was flushed pink with desire. He lowered his hand to her pussy, fingering the hood. She was already moist with desire, and he pressed a finger inside her, feeling her warmth and wetness. She was watching him intently, panting as he fingered the soft bundle of nerves. She bit her lip as he took his finger out of her, placing it in his mouth to taste her. Her eyes widened, her face darkening with desire as he tasted.
He leaned down, pressing her legs apart with the flats of his palms. He leaned in, letting his hot breaths warm her delicate parts. She moaned softly as he ran his tongue over her slit. He then parted her soft folds, tasting her before he began to lick in earnest. Against the palms of his hands, her legs were shaking. He stuck two of his fingers inside of her, pushing them in and out as he used his tongue to stimulate her nub. She cried out, and he felt her as her walls began to flutter. He licked harder, driving her on. He watched her. She was exquisite in her throes of passion. Her small, pink mouth was open, her eyes were closed. Her inner walls convulsed as her whole body shuddered. As she came, he continued to move his fingers in and out, helping her ride it out. He kissed the inside of her thigh, nuzzling the soft skin there. She had barely come down when she sat up, grabbing his arms and pulling him to her.
She kissed his mouth, her tongue licking her own desire off his lips. She reached for him, wrapping her fingers around his manhood. “I want you,” she demanded huskily. “Now.”
He nodded, pulling her into his lap. Placing his hands on her hips, he plunged inside of her. Her inner walls clenched around him as he raised and lowered her over him. She arched her back, which raised her breasts. He leaned in, capturing her nipple between his teeth. He teased it with his tongue.
“Yes,” she panted.
He let go with his teeth and covered it with his lips, sucking. She threw her head back. Her pleasure-filled moans urged him on. He leaned in, licking the trail of sweat that had formed between her breasts. It was sweet and salty at the same time. He felt his own orgasm begin to build, so he progressed into a slow and steady rhythm to draw it out. What started out as desperate and savage lovemaking became redemptive, a healing act. She covered his lips with his own, kissing him deeply. She pulled away so she could look him in the eye.
