by Liza Probz
The thought of marrying an alien didn't fill her with discomfort like she thought it might. He's from another planet. So what?
His eyes moved back and forth rapidly beneath his dark eyelids. He's dreaming. She wondered what visions he was experiencing during his slumber.
Suddenly his eyes opened. He caught sight of her and gave her a tremendous smile.
"Hi there," he mumbled, then opened his mouth for a huge yawn. "I was just dreaming about you."
"You were?" she asked. "What were you dreaming about?"
He pulled her tighter, his voice rough with sleep as he answered. "We were on Zanthar, on an island near the colony where I grew up. I was showing you the giant sea turtles. I'd just set you up on one of the elder's backs for a ride when I woke up."
The image touched Brook deep inside. It gave her hope that the deep feelings she felt for the major weren’t one-sided. Then he stretched under her and she moved away, coming to her knees and doing her own stretching.
The ship continued on its path into the unknown.
"Do you think this rig has anything to eat?" she asked, putting her hand over her rumbling belly. It had been hours since she'd eaten, and she was definitely feeling the lack.
Ontarii sat up and looked around. "I haven't seen any panels that seem to open for storage. Have you?"
Brook shook her head. "No. The ship seems extremely sparse. Not useful for long journeys or large numbers."
They both stood, and split up, going to opposite sides of the craft. Then they started a slow scan, running hands over panels, searching for anything that might provide food or drink. Their search netted no results.
"This doesn't make sense," Brook said, her frustration leaking into her voice. "Why trap us here and take us away from my ship? Do you think this is what happened to my crew?"
Ontarii shook his head. "No. I think your crew's on my flagship. That's the only thing that makes sense. One of the Hareema convinced them to board the flagship, then said something that made my ship break formation and head off somewhere. Probably the home world."
His frown couldn't mar the perfection of his features.
Brook wanted to sigh at his physical beauty. He was an incredible creature, and she felt her desire for him rising. He'd already made her climax repeatedly, but she wanted more.
She struggled to pay attention to his words and not his body. "But why would they take our people but not us?"
"That is the question. Maybe we were chosen to be imitated. There's probably an Ontarii and a Captain Brooklyn on the flagship as we speak. Although they'd have to have figured out a way to fool the charge test into thinking they weren't shapeshifters." His brow furrowed. "There are so many loose ends in this mess that it's impossible to unravel it."
She stood close to him, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out before the end, handsome. Don't worry." Her smile was painted on, but she hoped he wouldn't notice.
He gave her a laugh, and it was only filled halfway to the brim with bitterness. It was a start.
"You know," he said, turning to her, his expression serious. "I think we should take this opportunity to talk about us."
"Us?" This was a surprising turn of conversation.
His face closed up. Maybe he was nervous. The thought made her heart beat faster.
"Yes. As you know, the mating frenzy has taken hold of me. If I do not mate my chosen female, I will die." She nodded. He'd said that much before. "It should be obvious by now who my chosen female is. All that remains is to mate you."
Brook swallowed. When he said it like this, it made it all seem so clinical. Where was the passion he exuded? It was entirely missing from his demeanor.
"If I am able to truly mate with you and release my seed, you will become my mate for life. I will not be able to take another - ever." He tilted his head as his eyes scanned her face.
Brook wasn't sure how to respond to his words. How did this make him feel? Happy? Disappointed? His expression gave no clues. She nodded, but didn’t respond. Staying silent seeming the most prudent course of action.
His eyes tightened. "I could just mate with you, release my seed to ensure that I will not pass away from the frenzy, and we could go our separate ways."
Those words hit her like a punch to the jaw. She could appreciate practicality in most things, but in a conversation like this, she hoped for at least a little romance.
"What if there's a child?" She thought the question a valid one. If he released his seed, couldn't it take root?
"That isn't very likely. We aren't the same species after all. This could all be a quirk of nature, something that happens once or twice in a hundred thousand times. The chance of offspring resulting from our union is slim, I would think."
Brook wasn't a biologist, so she didn't know if his words held water. It was more the tone of his words than their actual content that bothered her. He was aloof, slightly cold, and calmer than he'd been earlier.
Did this mean that he thought the wham, bam, thank you ma'am was the best solution? Love her, then leave her?
"Ontarii," she began, ready to lay all her cards on the table. This was her chance. If he rejected her, she could still thrive on the knowledge that he'd wanted her bad enough once to drive him into a frenzy. If he didn't reject her, if he felt like she did, then they would be able to plot a course into the future together. "I think you should know something. I—"
A buzzing sound came out of one of the consoles near them, interrupting her words. The ship jolted, and Brook stumbled.
"We must be reaching our destination," Ontarii said, grabbing hold of her to steady her.
Brook bit her lip. She'd just been about to profess her feelings for the handsome alien, and now she wouldn't have the chance. It was time to find out exactly where they'd been brought.
Chapter 26
Ontarii stood at the ready, starting to charge his energy weapon. The rest had done him well, his bioelectricity back to normal levels. He had a couple of good zaps in him, enough to take out a few of their captors. Now, if he could just get a look at them.
The buzzing ceased, and three lights above the hatch began to blink. Ontarii shoved the human female behind his back, vowing to himself to protect her from any harm. Even if it meant giving up his life. He would die to keep his mate safe.
She was his mate. He knew that now. No matter what happened, she belonged to him, and he to her.
The hatch opened. Outside stood two forms. One resembled Xivthar Rasveen, Supreme Regent of Zanthar. The other looked like his mate, Dr. Sylvia Cohen of Earth.
"Welcome home," the regent said, extending his hand to Ontarii.
Without warning, Ontarii flung his hands outward and sent a charge through them, flinging the energy into the two beings outside the hatch.
The bolts hit the pair and nothing happened. The energy dissipated as if it never existed.
The Supreme Regent smiled widely.
"Good try," he said with a laugh, "but your energy blast won't work on us."
"What's happening?" Jennifer asked from behind him, her hands gripping his sides tightly.
"We're meeting the Hareema," he said, nodding his head toward the regent's imitation. The double nodded back.
"But you blasted them. Shouldn't they change form or something?"
"They've found some way to neutralize my energy. They can't be the genuine article, because my energy beam would have at least knocked them down. Instead, nothing happened."
"That's right," Sylvia said, her smile matching the one on the face of her mate. "Nothing happened because we've advanced. We have technology now that will prevent your little bioelectric shocks. Now nothing will stop us from taking over your planet and making you slaves."
"Wrong," Ontarii said. "I'll stop you."
The regent's double laughed. "I think you overestimate your power, and your chances for survival."
Xivthar and Sylvia stepped aside, and an army of what appeared to be Zantharian soldiers m
arched into the cramped space. They grabbed Ontarii and his female, easily restraining them with tight metal cuffs. Ontarii considered putting up a fight, but he thought it best to conserve his strength. It made more sense to try and discover more of the enemy's strategy before attempting to escape.
"What are you going to do to us?" he asked.
"Well, we'll start by giving you a short tour of the facilities. You might see a familiar face among the crowd."
The regent motioned and the guards pushed them forward to follow behind the regent and his mate.
"You see, our invasion of your planet has been in the works for centuries. But it wasn't until we took over a backwards little world called Earth that we discovered the means to actually accomplish our goal. With the ability to neutralize your energy discharges and a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes, we've been able to marshal our forces for a full-scale invasion, one your people won't even see coming."
The regent laughed, a deep belly laugh, and his human-looking mate joined him. The sound made Ontarii's stomach clench.
They were led out into a sterile hallway, nothing but white walls and a few doors, also white. Ontarii and Jennifer were marched down the corridor that led into a wide room filled with cells. The ceilings were high enough that three cells could be stacked on top of each other.
All manner of creatures inhabited the cells. There were alien species he'd seen before and many more that he hadn't. Ontarii imagined the range that the Hareema had in being able to mimic anything. Some of the caged creatures looked to be a nightmare of complexity.
They passed a set of cells and were headed toward another when the regent’s double looked back over his shoulder at Ontarii. "You might find the inhabitant of this next one interesting."
Ontarii looked and his throat dried up. There, hunched over in the center of the bare cell, was the regent's own brother, the Minister of Defense, Drak'Karren Rasveen. Most of his intimates called him Drake. He'd been missing for months, his place taken by a Hareema operative in disguise.
His skin was sallow and deep blue. Ontarii wondered if the man had given up all hope.
"Minister!" he shouted, and Drake's head rose slowly. "Minister, I'll get us out of here. I swear it!"
Drake shook his head sadly. "Go away, Hareema scum. You won't fool me this time. You'll never fool me again."
"But I'm not..." Ontarii's words trailed off. Clearly the Hareema had been toying with the man. Words would not convince him. Ontarii vowed to himself that actions would. They'd escape the Hareema and take Drake with them.
"And here we are," the regent's double said as they came upon an empty cage. He jerked his thumb at the cell and his men jostled Ontarii into it. Ontarii charged up his energy, causing it to flow in waves over his skin. The soldiers felt nothing and did not release him. He was flung into the center of the cage and the door was locked behind him.
Ontarii scrambled to the edge, worried about what would happen to his mate. He'd promised himself he'd protect her, and already he'd been defeated easily by the enemy.
"Come here, pretty one," the regent said, taking hold of Jennifer.
"You let her go!" Ontarii hit the door hard, slamming himself into the bars. They didn't give, but he wouldn't stop trying.
The regent laughed once more. "Stop your fussing."
Then his legs extended and he moved up, taking Jennifer with him. He used his free arm to open the door of the cage above him, then he settled the human inside, locking the door behind her as she threw a fit.
The regent returned to the ground, his legs once again becoming their normal size. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you," he said, putting his arm around Sylvia’s double. He turned to go, but Ontarii's words stopped him.
"What are you going to do to us?" Ontarii hoped his fear didn't show in his tone.
"I'm not going to do anything," the regent replied. "I'm just going to watch. The mating frenzy will do the rest."
He gestured upward to the cell where Jennifer had gone to her knees and was peering down at them. "She's right up there, but you'll never reach her. Inside you'll die pining for her, and she'll have to watch."
With those words, the regent and his mate turned and walked away.
Chapter 27
Captain Jennifer Brooklyn sat in her cell, looking out at the array of cages and their inhabitants. There were creatures with humanoid shapes, some with additional arms or legs, some with heads that looked as large and fragile as eggs. Some were towering, some were tiny, but all were interesting to a spaceship captain who had very little experience with alien life forms.
The creatures spanned from interesting to horrific. Brook had to turn away from several of them, fear rushing in to choke her due to their appearance alone. There were ones with mountains of eyes, or things with so many tentacles she couldn’t figure out what shape the body underneath would be. It was a far cry from the familiar animal life on Earth.
Brook and her crew had been sent on a mission to locate the missing scientist, Dr. Sylvia Cohen, who hadn’t been heard from since her ship entered the atmosphere of JL-398, a planet able to support life. What Brook had discovered was that JL-398 was known as Zanthar to its inhabitants, creatures with color-changing skin and the ability to project electricity from their bodies.
The Zantharians were at war with their ancient enemy, the Hareema, a race of shapeshifting jellies. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the mission had been her reaction to the alien major. Ontarii was strong, brave, and surprisingly compassionate. Their attraction had seemed to catch them both off guard. The time they spent locked together in the bridge would forever be etched in her memory as the single most fulfilling sexual encounter of her life.
But the outcome of their coupling had not been so positive. Their joining had caused the mating frenzy to come upon Ontarii. His skin, which had changed with his moods, had become pitch black, a dark so deep it matched his midnight eyes. His moods came fast and furiously, but more importantly, his attraction to her seemed to falter. He’d gone from lustful to resentful, and Brook had no idea if she would be able to wholly reverse that trend.
Ontarii had told her that he had to mate his chosen female or die. Brook was clearly that female, as he’d started the frenzy after their encounter, but she wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep her. He’d confessed that Zantharians mated for life. As one of only a handful of spaceship captains on Earth, Brook considered her life too busy to support a long-term relationship. Especially a long distance one, like theirs was bound to be.
Still, she couldn’t deny the feelings she had for her alien lover. Brook had never felt so much for someone, like her heart wanted to explode in wanting when he looked at her with his dark eyes. At the thought of leaving him, her chest locked up and she couldn’t breathe.
Captain Jennifer Brooklyn had surrendered her heart to an alien who was destined to die, and the fact that it had happened so fast was concerning.
She peered down into the cage beneath her. Ontarii was staring up at her. He’d been staring at her for hours, ever since they’d been locked in these cages after being trapped in a Hareema vessel and brought to this prison. Apparently the Hareema knew about the Zantharian mating frenzy, and they’d designed a punishment that would be both torturous and deadly.
Unless Ontarii mated her, he would die. She wasn’t sure how long it would take, but she knew he would only last a few days. Already his face looked tighter, his eyes wilder. His moods had started shifting rapidly and intensely after the frenzy had taken hold. Brook was afraid that spending much more time in their cells might make him lose it entirely.
She’d been looking for a way out, but so far no opportunities for escape had presented themselves. The cell doors were locked tight, and the bars were too close together to squeeze through. Furthermore, her captors hadn’t shown themselves since they’d locked her away several hours ago.
Brook’s stomach rumbled for the hundredth time. She hadn't eaten in hours…actually, it
was probably at least a day by then. Events had snowballed since Ontarii had boarded her ship making his demands. She smiled at the memory.
She’d thought him bossy and arrogant, too comfortable with giving orders on her ship. But as they’d searched for her crew and battled Hareema agents, she’d come to realize that he was what he was: A strong, beautiful, and caring individual who wasn’t afraid to take charge. Although she herself was no stranger to command, she found she liked having someone that she could lean on in times of trouble. Someone as strong, or stronger, than she was.
Ontarii continued to stare at her, his dark eyes full of some unnamed emotion. Could he feel about her the way she did about him? His body certainly liked hers, if his current coloring could be any indication. Their sexual encounters had been incredible, and she knew he felt it too, but a hot time in the sack wasn’t always a solid foundation upon which to build a relationship.
There were so many things that lay between them, not the least of which were the Hareema prison bars. If they did manage to escape and Ontarii somehow survived the mating frenzy, would it be possible to build a life together? They were literally worlds apart with a gulf of stars between them.
Still, staring down at him now, Brook knew that she wanted to try. It might be impossible, but if there was a chance of spending the rest of her life with the handsome Zantharian commander, she was going to take it.
Now I just have to figure out how to break us out of a Hareema prison and steal a ship, make it out of enemy territory, and back to safety either on Earth or the unknown world of Zanthar.
Piece of cake.
There was a sudden grumbling from the cell across from her. Brook’s eyes flew to the creature within the cage. It was hairy, so hairy that its features were almost indeterminate. Without warning it let out a throaty howl and leapt several feet in the air to grasp the bars on the top of its cell. It swung back and forth, grunting and howling, its cries echoing through the giant prison chamber.
The ruckus caused by the hairy creature set off a domino effect of anxiety among the other inhabitants of the prison. Soon there were shouts and calls of all types, some in what resembled words in languages she didn’t know, others resembling nothing she’d ever heard before. In seconds the whole chamber was ringing with noise.
