by Ella Maven
I guessed that she was telling me her name, and I liked the sound of it. I would have given anything to let the syllables roll of my tongue. Instead, I only nodded.
She pointed to me and shot me an expectant look. Ah, so I was supposed to tell her my name? I did not know it. Not anymore. That was in the Before, and now I was just a disgraced warrior.
I shrugged, and she sucked in a breath. “U dun no?”
I repeated the shrug and this time shook my head. Something odd passed over her face, and her brown eyes shimmered in the orange light of the setting sun.
“Merr-anda,” she said pointed to herself. Then she placed a hand on my chest, over where my cora beat. “Heart.”
Was she telling me my name? I didn’t think it was Heart, but if that was what she wanted to call me, I’d accept it. I nodded, and her full lips stretched into a smile. I sat transfixed at the way her face changed. The skin at the corners of her eyes crinkled, and small indents notched into her cheeks. She had blunt little teeth—no fangs—and the bottom row was a little crooked. I was fascinated by every one of her features, from her small feet to the tip of her nose.
I was honored that she named me and felt my chest puff out with pride. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been proud of anything or stood tall. But my Merr-anda was changing that.
“Heart,” she said again. Then she held up the empty jug. “Qua.”
I went still. She knew my words. Did that mean she knew the other female? The warriors?
Images hit me hard and fast—battles and blood. A large warrior with a nose ring and dark hair. A cliff overlooking the freshas. Brotherhood and peace. Until the betrayal. My enemy’s face flashed before my eyes like a solar flare, followed by sharp slash across my throat. I growled, grabbing my head as pain sliced through my skull. Memories. Memories always did this.
It was easier not to remember. It was easier to be alone and prepare for the revenge I’d one day seek…
Soft hands landed on my back, and I flinched away with a growl. The hands were insistent, soothing, blanketing the fire raging in my blood. The pain ebbed and I slumped forward on my hands and knees.
Something tugged me onto the furs, and I came willingly. I allowed my body to be arranged and my head to land on a softness. Exhaling, I opened my eyes in the near darkness.
Fingers sifted through my hair, and a rumble in my ear calmed me. My female, Merr-anda—she was talking. My ear rested on her breast as she spoke words in a lilting way I’d never heard before. The sounds drifted up and down, high pitch to low, and I was mesmerized by the sound.
I lifted my head to see her eyes half-closed, her full lips stretching and contracting to form the strange syllables and words. For once, I was glad I couldn’t speak, because I wouldn’t have been able to describe the beautiful sounds.
Finally, she stopped, and smiled at me. “Sengeng,” she said.
I liked this sengeng. I tried to smile, but my lips wouldn’t work, so I settled for placing her hand at my throat so she could feel the only sound I was able to make, a rumbling vibration I’d never had an urge to utter before. It’d been instinct to do it when she was in distress, and since it helped, I vowed to do it as often as I could.
She kept smiling, and I laid down once again on her chest, listening to her cora beat strong and steady against my ear.
Miranda
He was a cuddler. Or something. I couldn’t believe it. He had all the instincts of a Drixonian warrior, but he didn’t seem to understand why. He cared for me, yet he was wary.
He’d slept on me all night with his head on one breast and his palm curled possessively around my other one. His tail rested over my legs and looped around my hip. If he was literally anyone else, I would have kneed him in the balls for taking such liberties, but this was … not bad. Sort of nice. He cradled my breast delicately. What was this silent alien doing to me? I should have been shoving the big lug off me.
About seventy-percent of my body was numb from his weight, but I was loathe to wake him, even though I was hungry, had to pee, and now the sun was up, I felt like I was in a sauna. But no, I didn’t move, because I felt bad waking him up.
When had I ever felt bad waking up anyone?
Never.
I thought most Drixonians slept half-awake and alert, but this one was like a rock on my chest, snoozing away. It would have been kind of cute if he wasn’t a half-Neanderthal living in a tree who didn’t talk. Our only communication relied on reading each other’s auras, and he seemed to be alarmed every time I had a sudden one.
I’d decided to call him Heart because that was what he was to me—all heart. Cheesy, but seeing as he either didn’t have a name or refused to tell it to me, that was what I was going with. He was like Mowgli and I kept expecting a pack of wolves or monkeys to come out of the trees and claim him as family.
His reaction last night when I’d said ‘qua’ had been startling. One of my uncles served in the Vietnam War, and Heart’s episode had been so reminiscent of my uncle’s flashbacks caused by PTSD. His reaction killed me and even though I knew the risks of touching him, I couldn’t help it. He’d been so … wounded.
My aunt would always sing to my uncle, so that was the first thing I thought of to soothe him and bring him back with my voice. I hadn’t sung anything important really—just “Lean on Me.” But he’d settled almost immediately, and when he’d placed my hand on his throat, I’d nearly cried.
I felt oddly protective of him. Not in a physical way, since he was obviously the most capable between us, even if my leg had been healed, but in an emotional way. He wasn’t … okay. I got that from his aura and from the way he huddled in on himself. He was a massive guy, yet he rarely stood up straight and proud.
I had so many questions—how did he get his scar? Why couldn’t he talk? Why was he alone and living in a damned tree?
I ran my hands over the scales on his upper back, marveling at the texture of them, almost like velour-coated steel. As close as I’d been to many Drixonians, I didn’t touch them often. Most of the ones I interacted with on a daily basis were taken, and the other ones—well I didn’t want them to get ideas I was on the market.
I supposed I was off the market now. I lifted my wrist to marvel at the marks. They were in a swirly pattern, and they almost reminded me of flowers. I had to admit, they looked badass on my skin tone. But still, I hadn’t wanted these. I hadn’t wanted to leave my big, annoying, lovable family on Earth either, but that was what had happened when I went to bed one night and woke up on a damn spaceship.
I’d sort of come to terms with the fact I wouldn’t see Earth or my family again. Sometimes the grief still hit me at odd times, and I’d wake to break down when I was alone in bed. I wanted to be strong for the women here and lead by example. It was what I’d done all my life, and old habits were hard to break.
I shifted my weight and Heart instantly came awake with a jerk. He shot up on his hands and glanced around before his wild black eyes fell to me. I remained still, wary of his reaction at being woken, but he blinked lazily before his expression lost some of the startled harshness.
That was when I felt it—a hard rod poking into my leg. Because of course aliens got morning wood too. But Heart seemed confused. His hips thrust a couple of times before his nostrils flared and he jerked away from me, his aura cowering like he was ashamed.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said.
But he didn’t want to hear it. He turned away from me, his giant shoulders heaving, before he immediately retreated to a woven basket in the corner where he kept his food. There he worked with his back to me, and I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want him to be embarrassed. I knew a little about Drixonian history. If Heart was like the rest of them, he’d been a child when the females of his species had died from the virus. After that, their libidos had gone dormant. Most had never had an orgasm, or even been hard.
Heart, for all I knew, might not even understand sex or what his body was doing. But I let
him have his dignity. I was sort of flattered I’d made him hard. Then I rolled my eyes at myself. Seriously, Miranda? I was most likely the only female he’d ever seen in his adult life.
After preparing a wooden slab of food, he brought it to me with more qua. I had to pee, but I held it in and dutifully ate my food. It wasn’t anything special, but it was food, and I’d long since learned to take what I could get and not complain. My niece had taught me a saying she learned in kindergarten: You get what you get, and you don’t get upset. So that was my mantra. I was alive. I was okay.
Afterward, Heart poked at my mud cast and then gently pulled me to my feet. I swayed on one foot, but he held me steady. For a moment, he regarded me, and then lowered himself to one knee and gestured to his back.
“Ooo, a piggyback?” I asked.
He only blinked at me. Well, if this meant he was going to take me to solid ground so I could relieve my bladder, then I was all about it. I climbed on his back, which was difficult with one operating ankle, but as soon as I wrapped my arms around his neck, he tucked his hands under my knees.
Even though my vision was shit, I still closed my eyes while we descended. Heights had never been my favorite thing, and this tree house was way too high off the ground for my liking. While inside, I could pretend it was on solid ground, but out here, I got vertigo.
When we touched down on the forest floor, I was able to communicate I had to pee with a series of hand movements, and he left me alone long enough behind a tree for me to do my business.
Afterward, I climbed on his back again and we set off on a path away from the tree house. I was a little wary. Was he taking me to some leader who’d sacrifice me?
His aura was calm, and when my nerves raged too much, he would pat my leg. I forced myself not to panic. My grandmother always said not to borrow trouble. So, I’d worry when I actually had trouble.
We traveled until what felt like mid-morning. Occasionally he’d stop and hand me some berries or leaves to chew on, but other than that, he kept a steady pace. It wasn’t until the air grew humid and I heard the sound of running qua he slowed down. The trees were denser here, lusher.
When he pushed a large leaf aside to reveal what lay ahead, I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. A lot of it was blurry anyway, so I had myself half convinced it was a mirage, but as we drew closer, it became very, very real.
Qua trickled down a small cliff in a gentle waterfall to fill a wading pool about the size of half a large neighborhood pool. The qua was edged with large rocks except for a pebble-covered area sloping down into the water. It was perfect, like something out of a movie, and I could barely believe it was here. I hadn’t been outside the walls of the Night Kings compound other than when we traveled on their hover bikes, so I hadn’t been aware of all the beauty this planet possessed.
I slid off Heart’s back and took a few cautious, limping steps toward the qua. He stepped up beside me. I turned to him, unable to control my delight. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful.”
His eyes scanned my face and his aura, while smoky, seemed calm. Almost peaceful. He swung me into his arms and placed me on a low rock so that my legs dangled into the qua. I jerked my ankle out of the water as my mud cast began to soften and fall apart. But Heart wrapped his large hands around my knee and slowly lowered my limb back into the water.
“Oh, it’s okay if it gets wet?”
He worked quickly, cupping his hands with qua and washing away every last bit of the mud cast. After carefully removing the splints and bindings, he placed them on a flat rock in a sunny spot to dry. His large hands ran down my calf, prodding at the injury with careful, gentle movements. The care with which he held me nearly took my breath away.
How many times had I bandaged my siblings’ boo-boos and injuries? Many times. How often did anyone tend to me? Barely ever. And I never cared. I was like a cat—when I was hurt, I wanted to be alone. But I couldn’t deny I enjoyed being taken care of.
Was it really so bad to let him do this? What was so wrong with letting my guard down for a little? This was an unprecedented situation. As soon as I was better, I’d be my independent self again. I’d find a way back to my girls. I wouldn’t get used to this silent warrior’s attentions.
Heart let my leg drop back into the qua, and he plucked at my pants before gesturing at it. Oh right, I could bathe. I wanted to do that more than anything, to wash away the feel of those Kulk’s hands grabbing at me.
Heart turned away, like a gentleman. To be honest, I didn’t care that much about nudity. This was an alien planet, and I’d never been too hung up on modesty. Boobs were boobs and butts were butts, right? Still, it was pretty cool he gave me privacy. I quickly slid off my pants and untied my top before sliding into the warm qua. I let out a long moan, reveling in the feel of getting clean. I dunked my head under and rubbed the qua out of my eyes. With a contented sigh, I relaxed back on the rocks behind me, the qua up to my collarbones, and turned my face up into the sun with my eyes closed.
A shadow fell across my eyelids, and I looked to find Heart making his way around the outside of the pool toward the waterfall. “Heart?” I called after him.
He jerked at the sound of my voice and looked at me over his shoulder. His aura was calm, so I knew everything was okay. He motioned toward me with his palms down. Stay. I could have gotten annoyed at him for giving me Fido commands, but he didn’t have another way to communicate, so I let it slide.
He picked his way up the small cliff, scaling it like a monkey before reaching the top. I could barely make him out up there. His skin blended into the foliage around him, but his black and white hair stood out like a beacon. He entered the stream above the cliff and then without warning, braced his hands over his head and dove down the waterfall.
I cried out his name in surprise just as he landed in the water with a small splash which would have scored great in the Olympics. He surfaced quickly, the water beading off his scales like he was coated in a thin oil.
He swam toward me until he could walk on the bottom. He rose out of the water like Jason freaking Momoa in Aquaman, all long, dripping hair and bulging pecs and Christ on a Cracker he was completed naked.
Na-a-ked. Somewhere in the time he’d dove down the waterfall, he’d lost his pants and I could not look away from his giant blue cock. Girthy, long, and pierced at the tip with a heavy ring, it hung between his legs at perfect attention.
My body flushed white hot. I didn’t want to stare. I didn’t want to look away. I wasn’t sure which part of his body held my attention more—his intense eyes and rippling abs, or hard dick. Oh, and his muscled thighs. Also, his square jaw. Damn, his veined hands.
He kept coming, and his aura pulsed a steady beat, the smoke taking on a hazy red tinge that made my toes curl.
I should have felt fear, but I didn’t. I had never been so aware of my nakedness. My breasts felt heavy, my nipples pebbled despite the warmth of the qua, and my core clenched.
I was a mess because I was about to risk it all for this blue hunk of alien.
Five
The Warrior
She was aroused. Her color had deepened, rising up her neck to flush her face, and her brown eyes were glassy. The bloom undulated in a steady rhythm, the petals seeming to beckon me. Closer. Touch me.
I had never in my life thought I’d see an aroused female, let alone one who looked that way because of me. I hadn’t thought twice about taking off my coverings. I did it all the time when I came to this spring to get clean. But I hadn’t been hard then either, not like I was now, not like I’d been since I woke up.
It was an odd feeling, for my cock to be so thick. The flesh slapped against my thighs, and my balls hung heavy and full.
She did that to me. My Merr-anda.
My mind buzzed with the need to be inside her, to release my seed, to claim this female as my own. On the heels of that possessive urge came anger. I wouldn’t let any males take her away from me.
&n
bsp; Merr-anda let out a small cry of distress and rose out of the water to her waist. She smashed her back up against the rocks behind her, an arm across her breasts. The bloom in my mind shriveled. A warning. I hesitated and studied her as her chest heaved, not out of arousal. But out of fear.
What had I been thinking? Fleck, I’d scared her. This wasn’t how honorable warriors acted, and that was who I was now. To her, I wouldn’t be the miserable savage fleck I’d been for tens of cycles. I’d be her Heart.
Ashamed, I dropped to a crouch in front of her. The qua covered me to my chest, and I gazed up at her. Kneeling didn’t come naturally to me. The position was awkward, and something told me warriors didn’t go to our knees for anyone—except our females. So, I’d do it for her, and hoped that would make up for my sick thoughts of ravaging her. Had I ruined it? I waited to see if she’d let me touch her. I didn’t know how to ask, or if I was allowed to. Maybe she’d touch me first, then I’d know it was okay.
The bloom in my mind trembled before cautiously peeling back the petals one by one. The warm golden glow strengthened, heating me from inside out. I heaved a breath and then inhaled the scent of the fresh qua and my female.
Merr-anda swallowed, and I watched her neck work. Her eyes bore into mine, searching. She must have been satisfied with whatever she saw, because she stretched one hand and slowly touched the side of my face. Her fingers were soft, warm, and without meaning to, I felt myself leaning into her touch.
“Heart.” She murmured that strange name she’d given me.
I wanted to say her name back, but all I could manage was the steady purr in my throat. With careful movements, I bent forward and pressed my forehead to her stomach. She gasped softly, and then dropped both hands to the top of my head. I could feel them there, sifting through the strands and loose braids.
Images flashed in my mind, but these didn’t come with pain. These were pleasant visions, words, and lectures on how to pleasure a female. Someone had taught me once. I knew for sure I’d never touched one, but I could remember what to do. I clicked the piercings in my tongue against the tips of my fangs. Yes, these meant something. These were for her.
