by Maia Starr
“And I suppose I should be taking advice from a human female, whose primary qualifications include getting into trouble and practically caving under my brother’s advances? My conduct is none of your concern.”
She looked deeply wounded, and I glowered at the tree above her head. I wanted nothing to do with this conversation. I hated the way her face contorted in pain, pain my own words had inflicted. And yet it was her own doing. How was I supposed to tell her to mind her own affairs if I didn’t do it assertively?
“I know Kerglan is a pain in the ass, but that doesn’t mean that he should always get his way is all,” she said quietly. “I mean, he thinks he owns me or something, so that’s been a real joyride. I would trade places with you. At least, I think I would…”
“Bing his brother means that I am stuck with him for life and have been since birth. You are only going to be his mate from now until the point where you die.”
Mila sighed, a sad, forlorn sound that deepened my frown. She was quite a perplexing creature. Nobody had held my interest quite like this in my entire span of existence. And yet, she got under my skin as well. It was a strange matter, and one I did not want to overanalyze. There was already enough going on. I had to find my crew.
“I guess the amount of time doesn’t matter all that much,” Mila said, interrupting my thoughts. “What does matter is knowing that both of us are stuck…”
She trailed off and then stood up, heading into the forest. I furrowed my brow. It always bewildered me when she did this: sneaking away from us as subtly as she could to expel toxins from her system. And she wondered why my brother and I often commented on the base biological functions of the creatures of Earth.
While she was gone, I decided to try to collect my thoughts. It would do me no good to linger on the inappropriate fixation I had with the human. She may have been fascinating, but there was a claim upon her, and it was a claim that I was duty-bound as a Raither to respect. It was especially important now, knowing that soon we would be back on our own planet and the other Raithers would be holding me accountable for my actions. I did not want to end up like my mother, persecuted for adultery and sent to this hellish planet to live out the rest of my life. I would have to keep my emotions in check.
I sighed, trying to keep my mind occupied until the human came back. She had been gone quite a while, and I frowned. This usually wasn’t the case. Her trips were often short. Was she angry at me? Or was it possible that she was in danger?
My heart thudded hard at the possibility, and I stood up quickly from my perch.
“Mila?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as low and as calm as I could. There were unexpected dangers everywhere. If they heard me before I was able to get a grasp of their presence, a sneak attack could kill me. And yet I could not keep myself from calling for her, more urgently this time. “Mila!”
A sudden rustling of the grass and leaves brought my attention to the left, and my chest tightened. Off in the distance towered the maroon-colored body of a Jorgan.
“Gred!” I shouted, running toward it. Jorgans were beastly and terrifying, with many, many tricks up their sleeve. They closely resembled the elephants of Earth, or the rensa on my own planet, except they lacked the same elements. They had no ears, and their bodies were built to destroy. They were often carnivorous, choosing to prey upon the weaker races in the universe; those with under-evolved biological hardware; species like humans.
The sickeningly sweet scent of the Jorgan’s lure knotted my stomach. The human would not even be able to register this scent; she would only be drawn to it, right into the arms of the enemy without even knowing that this was what she was doing.
“Mila!”
My eyes searched the forest frantically, fearing the worst. If anything were to happen to her, I didn’t know what I would do.
Finally, I saw her, weaving through the lush foliage, her eyes fixed upon the beast. She seemed to walk as if not of her own accord, drawn in by the savage scent and the Jorgan’s beady black eyes.
“Mila, stop!!”
The Jorgan turned its black eyes on me, and a surge of fear froze me momentarily. These beasts were known to attack until they had killed everything in their paths. They were rampaging, wild beasts with no regard to life outside of themselves. That was why there were so many imprisoned on Hexa; often they would go from world to world, sampling each species as a delicacy until they were hunted down by the Resha Federation. They were considered some of the biggest menaces in the entire universe.
Mila didn’t even seem to be able to hear me, but it was certain that the Jorgan had. And apparently, it was furious about me trying to interfere with its lunch. It bowed its bulbous head and scraped its giant foot in the dirt as if preparing to charge. I felt a pang of sudden regret. I should have played this a little bit smarter.
I gripped my spear tightly, frantically attempting to recall what my studies had mentioned about Jorgans. They were like armored tanks, but even these tanks had a weakness. If I could remember what it was before it attacked me, then maybe I would stand a chance of survival…
Like a flash, it suddenly dawned upon me. The underside of its belly was extremely frail. Within it lay all of its most delicate of internal organs, vital to the function of its day to day life. I closed my eyes and began to charge toward the Jorgan as it charged at me, the human off in the distance, frozen as if under some sort of spell.
The Jorgan’s eyes flashed wildly, and I slid beneath it, knowing that at any moment, I could die. I jutted the shaft of my spear up and felt the tip of it make contact, then the resistance of its skin as the weight of my body slid its underbelly open.
The Jorgan let out a terrifying yell, and I knew that my attack had struck true. I scrambled out from beneath the monster’s belly just as its body began to collapse on the ground. I rushed toward Mila, who was beginning to step forward, still consumed by the aroma of the Jorgan’s bait.
“No, human. You are going to come with me,” I said gently, lifting her from the ground. She did not resist, and looked at me, her beautiful clear eyes clouded over with confusion.
“What…”
I shook my head. “Do not speak now. There is danger here. I fear the call of the Jorgan may have attracted more danger to us. Please, stay silent until we reach safety.”
The human nodded, and rested her head against my chest as if exhausted by the encounter. I held her tightly, the sweet scent of her hair arousing something deep within me; it was possessive, yes, but it was also somewhat gentle. I wanted this human for myself, and whether my gredding brother liked it or not, there were some bonds that simply could not be broken.
***
Under the circumstances, it seemed in poor judgment to return to the area we had come from. Kerglan was just going to have to come and find us if he wanted us. Both of us seemed more at ease without him there, and I did not want to put the human under any more stress than was necessary.
I carried her instead to a different location, following my instincts as best as I could. It was difficult considering the nature of the planet we were on, but I wanted to be sure that she was safe.
The confrontation had left her somber, and when I made a move to put her down, she reflexively clung to my torso. I looked down at her in surprise, and my gaze was drawn to her full lips, and a sudden, insatiable desire consumed me.
The human gasped, pleasantly startled as I dropped my own lips upon hers, and my body was electrified by the velvety texture of her tongue against my own. I had never experienced such a visceral thrill before, and with this human, my heart and body were aligned as I put my mind to taking her for my own, Kerglan be damned.
I whisked the human away from the place I had intended to place her down and instead pinned her against the thick trunk o one of the jungle trees, sampling every little piece of skin exposed to me. I buried my mouth in the nape of her neck, tearing the clothing away from her body as I did so. I wanted nothing between us now. Only our flesh.
<
br /> She shuddered as I devoured the supple skin of her breasts, my mouth working quickly to seek her nipple with my tongue. She was tense beneath me, and I marveled at the wonders of this female’s body. She was so much smaller than the females of my own species. And her sex was far more appealing: small and modest and inviting.
Mila cried out in surprise when I ran the length of my member against her middle, and we caught each other’s eye. Both of us knew that we should not be indulging in this forbidden passion. There were so many reasons why it was a terrible idea. And yet, there was nothing that I could do to stop myself. I was lost in the passion of the moment, and I knew that no matter what I did, it would be more difficult not to indulge, knowing I would be to live with myself for the rest of my life knowing I missed my chance with the only female who had ever made me want to possess her entirely.
She shuddered at my touch, and I could feel myself grow firm between her thighs until Mila was gasping as I began to push myself deep within the sensual folds of her body. I had never known such pleasure, and closed my eyes, burying my head in the slope of her breasts and causing her to moan in bliss as I rocked my hips gently. Human women were not accustomed to the girth of a Raither, and I knew that for her to be able to enjoy the full extent of my body, I would have to go slow.
Her chest heaved as she slowly accepted me into herself, inch by inch, until I could feel her body contracting around me. She swallowed hard, and then opened her eyes, fixing a look on me that sent a thrill throughout my body. She was ready.
I allowed my body to take over then, starting with slow, deliberate thrusts that made her breath catch into her throat. The sensual heat of her middle made me full nearly to bursting, but I could contain it easily. I wanted to see the pleasure on the human’s face before I could release myself; it was far more entertaining that way.
A deep moan escaped her lips, and she bucked her hips against me, and I knew that it was time to give her more of what she wanted. My body responded immediately, and soon I was unleashing my full power upon her, both of us groaning softly in appreciation of the hot ecstasy that entwined us.
Again, and again, I was enveloped by the blissful walls of the human’s body until suddenly, she let out a sharp gasp, and her body began to quake and tremble beneath me. I kissed her again, our mouths clasped together as I fed her more of what it was she wanted, a hot tingle filling my abdomen as she began to contract tightly around my member.
Our climax was long and simultaneous, her body coaxing mine to unleash the hot torrent of longing that I had been working to hold back. Mila gripped my arms tightly, and I gritted my teeth, unable to keep the power out of my movements. She cried out loudly as my body unleashed an explosion of bliss within her, prolonging her pleasure until every last drop was spent.
I kissed her deeply and then pulled away, the shame and the weight of what I had done suddenly crashing down upon me. I was now a traitor to my people, and if anybody ever found out about this, I would be exiled to live life on a prison planet just like Hexa. My mother and I were one and the same, and I turned away to hide the agony on my face.
“Get dressed now, human. I fear we may have attracted more danger to us. It is dangerous to make such noise. If Kerglan heard us…”
Mila’s voice from behind me was gentle and warm, like a blanket around my deepest fears.
“All right,” she said quietly. “Let’s get out of here.”
I dressed quickly, then waited until she was fully clothed before leading her out of that area of the forest. It was dangerous for us to be so careless. In more ways than one.
“There you are!”
I cringed at the sound of my brother’s voice, and I turned to him. He had an armful of his favorite fruits and looked so innocent and proud of himself for finding such a bounty. How could I have betrayed him like this? A sick, heavy feeling of guilt crashed over me, and I quickly looked away.
“Kerglan. There was an attack. A Jorgan.”
“A Jorgan? Did you kill it?”
“Yes,” I said. “It is dead.”
“Good. We should go and get one of its claws,” Kerglan said. “They are very valuable.”
I exchanged a strained look with Mila, a secret promise to each other that we would never reveal to Kerglan what had happened between us while he had been away.
“All right,” I said, clearing my throat. “I will show you the way.”
Chapter 6
Dr. Mila Voss
The Raithers seemed a lot quieter after what had happened between Lazan and I. I knew that Kerglan had no idea what had happened, but it felt as if he did. The relationship between the brothers was even more strained than before, and I found myself worrying that the two of them would end up killing each other long before they ever reached their crew.
And yet the tension was an unspoken one, and came out in little ways at unexpected times, leaving us all reeling when it did happen.
“I think it was a mistake to come this way,” Kerglan would say. Or Lazan would prickle at one of Kerglan’s unreasonable demands and they would seethe at each other for hours, without saying any more than three or four words to set the other off. The tension was thick, but there were times when it seemed they were getting along.
The whole thing was bewildering, and I couldn’t help but believe that all of it was my fault. If I hadn’t gotten between the brothers, maybe their relationship would have been a little bit easier. Or salvageable at the very least. At this point, it looked to me like they may never reconcile; at least not until they made it back to their crew. From there, who could say what might happen?
The likelihood of that happening though seemed to grow dimmer by the day. We had been wandering for nearly a month at that point, all of us growing more and more anxious to stumble upon the promised land. In fact, was beginning to doubt the existence of the place, until Kerglan halted and turned to us, his eyes wild and frenzied.
“I know this place!”
Lazan and I exchanged a look and then turned to Kerglan.
“What do you mean you know this place?” I asked, not daring to hope that it could possibly be true. Was our search going to end? I couldn’t even allow myself to consider that to be possible.
“It is where I was going to collect myself. Remember, Lazan? Because I liked the shape of that tree. It reminded me of home.”
Lazan turned to where his brother was pointing and studied the tree, a look of disbelief creeping across his face.
“Kerglan, I think that you may be right,” he breathed.
“I told you I would lead us back to the camp!” Kerglan exclaimed, his pomp and bluster nearly bursting at the seams. On any other day, I might have looked away from him, the sight of his ego a little bit too overwhelming for me to take seriously. But today, all I could do was gaze at him in wonder. We had made it back to the camp. We were going to be saved.
“Come, the camp is this way,” Kerglan said, waving his hand and motioning us forward. “Human, you are going to love the food that we brought, if there is any left. It is so much better than what has been sustaining us thus far.”
I followed the Raithers through the trees as if in a daze, my body numb. Were we truly finally at the end of our journey? And what would happen if what we found was not an encampment at all? What if they had been raided? Or the ship had already come and gone, leaving us all behind for the rest of our miserable lives?
But a sharp laugh startled me out of my thoughts, and Kerglan was running toward me, his handsome face brighter and more attractive than I had ever seen it. It was a look of unbridled joy, and he gripped me by the waist and lifted me, spinning me around above his head so that I was able to see what he was seeing.
In the distance, there was a large, metallic vessel, surrounded by a large gathering of men who all had the same baby-blue skin tone as Kerglan and Lazan. Each of them bore the same black uniform proudly, and bustled about in a surprisingly organized fashion. We had made it to the camp. At last, we cou
ld stop wandering the dangerous and terrifying jungles of Hexa and settle down among the Raither people.
***
“You mean to tell us you went adventuring just out of sheer boredom?” a Raither named Jadex was asking, his expression skeptical as he studied Kerglan. It seemed that everybody was deeply familiar with Kerglan’s self-important ways, and suspected that his cover story was more of a prideful excuse to go out wandering and get lost.
I half expected Lazan to call Kerglan out and tell the crew the real story, but he kept his eyes forward and refused to speak. It was sweet, really, the loyalty he had toward his brother, no matter how difficult Kerglan could be. He didn’t seem to want to cause him any pain. And yet, there had been that tryst in the forest…
My cheeks flushed hot as I recalled the deep, sensual thrill of Lazan’s body against mine. I had never experienced anything like it in my entire life. It had seemed as if he had known exactly what he was doing and had brought me untold pleasure as he did so. I often found my thoughts wandering back to it, wishing for another chance to be alone with him and to replay the steamy affair.
But if Kerglan found out, he would surely kill us both. I had no doubt in my mind that he was the type who would think nothing of such an action. If his ego was on the line, he would do whatever he felt necessary to redeem himself.
“Yes,” Kerglan said. “And then we had to rescue the human.”
“I see,” Jadex said, eyeing me skeptically. I felt unnerved by his serious gaze and looked away quickly. Lazan seemed to sense my discomfort and cleared his throat loudly.
“So what is going on with the rescue? When will the ship be coming in to save us?”
Jadex sighed. “It will still be another week yet. But once it has come, before you know it we will be back on our home planet. Can you imagine how wonderful that will be?”
The Raithers all seemed to get a dreamy, far-away look in their eyes, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was that was so captivating to them about their planet. I wanted nothing more than to return to Earth, so perhaps I would be able to relate, at least a little bit. The thought of my home planet always made me feel nostalgic.
