by Lucee Joie
Everyone in the room is staring at me and I try not to glance around. I don’t want to see the possible accusations in their faces too, not wanting to discover just how many onboard the Prennia distrust me as Mary does.
A rage is forming, against everything, against the people in the room with me. But, most of all, against Mary who has brought out into the open everyone’s distrust of me.
Rather than fight, though, I stare at Shirley, imploring that she looks at me. Finally, the silence has lengthened, become awkward and Shirley has no option but to return my gaze.
“Tell Mary that I will not be present.”
Chapter Eleven: Shirley
“Are you there?”
We all wait patiently after I speak. I hope that Mary will be available, that she can sneak free of her captivity to make contact. Of all the days that she needs to be able to do this, today was it.
“Hello,” Mary finally says and I sigh deeply in relief.
“I have everyone here except for Ece,” I reply.
Beth immediately cuts in. “Who are you really?”
“I can’t say,” Mary says. “It doesn’t matter anyway. All that is important is setting the women on board his ship free.”
I can hear murmurs of approval behind me.
“How is Lizzie?” Clare asks.
“All the women are well,” Mary replies. “As well as they can be under the control of the Galactic Union.”
“No, but what about Lizzie, specifically?” Clare prompts further, seeking out additional information.
“Lizzie is one of the few who are concerned about this rebellion. She is fearful that she will lose Nuvul as a result.”
I look to Clare and she nods at me. Even though I have been on board the Leonida for many years, I don’t know Lizzie personally but the other person mentioned sounds like an Ochek name. I wonder if love among the breeders is more common than I thought.
“Do you have a plan?” I ask. “Is there any way that the ship can be compromised?”
“The ship is secure,” Mary says. “The security has been tightened since you all escaped. However, the night patrols mainly rely on technology in order to pick up breeches. This is how I can escape as I do. I have managed to circumvent the controls and temporarily turn off the sensor alarms when required. I think I could do the same if you were to return and free us.”
Horgeer approaches. He wants to say something, his teeth gnawing at his top lip rather than speak. While Mary has requested Ece not be present, she hasn’t mentioned Horgeer. Still, I figured that she wouldn’t want to speak to any Ochek, so I have asked him to remain silent if he wants to attend. Ece also thought this would be a good idea, which is the only reason why Horgeer agreed.
I know he wants to speak and I nudge at Beth. When she looks at me, I point to Horgeer. She leans over to him, whispers into his ear. He returns the favor.
“Why do you need us?” Beth asks, obviously on Horgeer’s behalf. “Can’t you just start a mutiny from inside the ship?”
“Most of the women are terrified. Some are even too scared to think about leaving. Plus, to rebel from inside the vessel means having to overcome not only the emperor but his guards as well. We have no weapons and no way of accessing them. If you can approach and supply the vessel in which we can safely escape then I think all of the women would be open to leaving.”
It made sense. I know that I would be hesitant to rebel if I were in a similar situation. At least when I escaped, we had access to weapons. However, it would also put us all in danger. Perhaps it would be better to gather a bigger group before we attacked.
Danika has been in close contact with the Brux while looking after Bivir and it seems likely that we can find shelter there. Maybe it would be better to mount a joint attack with the Brux against the Galactic Union, rather than as a smaller rogue group. To attack openly, to show our hand, so to speak, is probably the easiest way for all of us to die.
“Please,” Mary begs. “I’m not sure how much longer we can stand it here, not now that we know escape is possible. Many of our breeding partners have been worse since you all escaped. It is like we are being punished for your actions. The least you can do is give us the same chance as your own.”
My heart goes out to Mary and the others left onboard. I look to Beth, then each of the other women in turn. I can see what they are thinking, their emotions are showing plainly on their faces. Their universally pale and pinched look telling me the same thing.
“When should we approach, then?”
“You did what?” Ece is mad, although he is trying hard to contain his anger. His hands hang stiffly at his sides, as though he is pretending that he isn’t livid. But the way he holds his shoulders higher than normal is all I need to know that Ece is well and truly pissed at me.
“I think you owe it to these women to try and save them.”
“What if it’s a trap?”
This thought has entered my mind a thousand times and it still ripples through me with a distinct unease. “I think we need to take the chance. If we can free these women, if we can let everyone else know that they are freed, imagine how much less of a hold the Galactic Union would have?”
Ece’s jaw is working now, chewing on his lip as he works over my words. “I think it is a trap, that we are being played by someone inside the vessel. Are you sure that all of the women want to be free?”
“What from being handed over to the highest bidder and fucked until they produce offspring? Yeah, I think they all want to be free of that.” I hope he notices the bitterness in my voice, the accusation as well.
I watch as Ece works his jaw. His brow is deeply furrowed and his whiskers twitch as though he is about to sneeze. The displaced air from his tail as it swishes angrily from side to side rolls over my skin, making goosebumps rise.
“Is everyone in agreeance with you, with this Mary woman?”
I nod my reply. “Except for Horgeer.”
“I guess I have no choice in the matter then?”
This time I shake my head from side to side.
Ece continues to stare me down until a smile starts to twitch across his lips. It is contagious and I try to swallow down my own reaction. It is futile, though, and I eventually allow the smile to beam across my face.
Without a second thought, I am throwing myself at Ece, suddenly euphoric with the excitement of potentially freeing the other women on board the ship. My arms wrap around his broad shoulders and my lips brush against his cheek. I feel the bunching of muscles under my fingers and breathe in the heady aroma of him, the unique scent that is Ece. It makes my heart melt and my panties want to drop.
While our initial contact is relaxed, I can feel the tightening of Ece’s muscles underneath my embrace. His body is going stiff—and not in a good way. I continue to hug him, though. My happiness is more than I can contain and, for some reason, it just feels so damn right to be in Ece’s embrace at this point in time.
To be honest, I think that it is nervous energy more than anything else that makes me continue the embrace. I suspect that I am worried about the attack, that things might go terribly wrong, but I don’t know how to express it.
Or, maybe I don’t care. Maybe I want something to happen between Ece and me before we go off on this dangerous mission. Maybe I wanted to fuck him one more time in case we didn’t survive the attack.
Yeah, that sounded more like it.
Ece is breathing heavily and I squeeze his shoulders, my head nestling into his shoulder. His hands finally come up to settle on my hips and I sigh into his neck at the action.
“I need you, Ece,” I finally say. “I have always needed you.”
For the first time since we have been paired, I am baring my soul to Ece. I am allowing my thoughts to be spoken aloud and for Ece to respond to them.
A soft purr escapes Ece’s lips and I smile into the mess of his mane. Pulling back, I gaze at this strange alien that I thought I hated, that I continued to convince myself I
was angry at for past damage. Now, I wonder if life is too short to be trapped in the past.
His gaze bores into mine and I catch my breath at his strong features. They are so different to those of a human man. Yet, so entirely the same.
Reaching up, I trace one finger along his strong jawline and Ece closes his eyes in response. Leaning in, I kiss him gently, my lips pressing into his hesitantly, as though asking for permission to do so.
Ece opens his eyes in surprise. For a moment, he is unresponsive but then he leans into me, his lips suddenly eager for the taste of me as his mouth opens. I respond accordingly, my tongue reaching out, seeking, wanting to taste him, to devour him.
His hands roam my body and I feel the tingle of arousal growing. I want him so bad that I cannot wait any longer. Jumping up, I wrap my legs around his waist a hand sneaks under my shirt.
I wrap my arms more tightly around him as I reach up to tug at his mane. Pulling gently, I drag his head back so that I can look at him once more, to see the desire for me in his hooded eyes. Then, I dive back in, my chest heaving as I taste him again, feed off him. Our embrace is cosmos-shattering in its magnitude.
Ece is walking now, leading me to the padded bench that runs the length of this room. It is soft as we settle but I do not break contact. In fact, I try to wriggle in closer, to have more of my body over his as my legs part further still and the wetness of my arousal drips through my panties, through my shorts and makes contact with Ece’s T-shirt.
He groans as I writhe against him, as my wetness seeps through to his fur. His fingers are searching me out, trickling down the inside of my thigh as they search out my center. My fingernails dig into his back as he finds my sensitive nub and I rock against his touch.
I think back to that night on Bruxland when I reacted in the morning like I didn’t want to couple with him. What a huge mistake.
Now, I need him with a desperation I have never known before.
Today is about raw passion, about getting exactly what I want and giving zero fucks about the fact that Ece and I had once been forced together. Now I wanted Ece for Ece and it didn’t matter how we had originally come to know each other, only that we did.
I wanted this moment to wash away our past, to clear out the mess that had happened that first night when I revealed to Ece exactly how I felt about him. It didn’t matter anymore that he had deserted me rather than admit his own feelings back to me. I knew now, without having to be told, that Ece was sorry for what he had done, that we could get past it.
His fingers force aside my shorts and my underwear then pushes inside of me and I have no more time for contemplation. I throw my head back, groaning in absolute pleasure. Ece dives in, kissing my neck, his wet lips tracing down to my chest, his whiskers a delicious tickle. His free arm pushes up my shirt and I gasp in pleasure as his fingers squeeze my nipple.
“I need you so bad,” I groan. “I need you right now.”
Ece ignores me, though. He seems intent on proving me wrong, of making sure that I am insane with delight before he chooses to enter me and I want to disagree with him.
I want to force his hand, so to speak. If only his hand wasn’t causing so much absolute delight at the moment.
Running my fingers over Ece’s back, I pull his T-shirt up and over his head. I watch as his strong arms extend so that I can remove his clothing and then run my hands over the length of them once the shirt has been discarded. His fur is silken under my touch and I reach down to bite his shoulder, to lick his fur in just the way that I know he likes.
Ece groans as I lick him, a purr rumbling deep in his throat that threatens to escape as a roar. I bite him again, trying to tease one out of him, knowing that he won’t, just in case he draws attention to us.
Personally, I don’t care if someone were to show up at this moment. I am too far gone in my passion to give a single shit about someone else’s potential embarrassment.
Ece’s fingers are still inside of me and I writhe against his touch as he delves deeper. His thumb works my clit and I feel my release building. I groan, a deep guttural sound and Ece squeezes harder on my nipple before tugging at my shirt, the button popping open as he does so, exposing my chest to his. He tugs down my bra and takes a nipple in his mouth. His pointy teeth gently scraping against my soft skin and I groan.
I reach into his pants and the hotness of his erection greets me. I rub the length of it, craving to taste it, but wanting it inside of me even more.
Ece rises, kissing me as he does so that we still have some form of contact so that I am not so saddened by the removal of his penis from my grasp. Reaching down, he tugs at my shorts and I lean back so that he can pull them down over my hips. Then I yank at my panties, pulling them down with force in my desperation to have Ece inside of me.
We finally part from our kiss as Ece stands and removes his own pants. They drop to the ground and I smile at his arousal. His cock stands so brilliantly to attention that I want to reward it.
“Come here baby,” I say seductively and Ece dives right in.
He enters me with a single thrust, plunging in until he fills me to the brim. Still, I strain against him, pushing further, trying to take more of him inside me. I wrap my arms and legs around his body, pulling him even closer still. Ece leans in, kisses me, devours me. Our embrace is so rough, so passionate that I wonder if it is possible to come just from a kiss.
Then, Ece is drawing back, pounding into me and I can’t think straight anymore. My mind has been lost to my body, to the power that Ece can exert over me. I want to lose myself, to be conquered by Ece but this is impossible because he has already stolen my heart, no matter how much I fight it. Ece owns me and there is nothing I can do about it. The only difference is now he owns me because he desires me and not because I am his property. I never want it to change.
Taking control, I relinquish all power to this alien, to the man that has captured my heart. He pounds into me and I match his pace, finally a welcome passenger on this strange adventure that started the day that I was abducted in my sleep.
I can hear the rattle of a purr in his chest. It is intensifying, deepening, and I know he is close to the edge. It fills me with my own urgency. His orgasm has always spurned on my own, even when we were only mated for breeding. There was something about listening to another person approaching climax that totally turned me on.
I join Ece’s frantic pace, my body slick with sweat that gets absorbed into his fur. As we collide, our bodies meld, joining more closely than ever before and it feels like I have melted into his soul even as we shatter apart with our orgasms.
The world spins downwards as we settle into the bench beneath us, protecting us as we settle into our release.
A staggered breath escapes me, guttural, a half sob. It is raw with emotion and Ece gently kisses my hair in response.
His body is heavy on mine but I relish the sensation as he settles into me. Ece stays but a moment before wriggling to one side, placing his body behind my own, and we settle into the close embrace. He continues to kiss my head as he wraps his arms around me. I snuggle in, breathing in his aroma and I swear I have never been happier in all my life.
“I think I love you, Ece,” I say and Ece leans over me, his gaze boring into mine.
“I think I love you too, Shirl.”
Chapter Twelve: Ece
I wake to the sound of the gentle breath of a sleeping Shirley. I honestly can’t believe we are lying here like this. I smile into her hair, trying not to make a sound in case I wake her. Today is going to be a big one so I want her to get all the rest that she can.
Not that we got much sleep last night.
My mind wanders to the previous night, to the lovemaking performed. Shirley is insatiable, I am too. It’s like we are making up for lost time.
Sleeping with Shirley when we were on Bruxland has haunted me for a multitude of reasons. Although I tried not to admit it to myself. That sex had been wonderful. Yet, even though she insiste
d on it, I knew that she was intoxicated, I knew that maybe she wasn’t thinking straight. I had let myself believe that maybe she was acting on impulses that she normally repressed. For all her anger towards me, I knew the spark was still there, shining brightly like a star about to explode. Even if Shirley hid it well, I knew that the attraction remained, even through all that had happened between us. And, even though I had given her up.
I swallow hard, my hands clenching into her hair and Shirley wriggles in her sleep. I pause, not even breathing, and wait for her to settle back down into slumber.
I should never have given her up. My father had insisted, convincing me that I needed to produce offspring, that I needed a human which could provide that assurance. Out of all the Ochek, he insisted it was most important that I breed. He even convinced me that our line would be strong enough to produce a girl. I had believed him because my father is persuasive. He would never have gotten so many planets to side with the Galactic Union otherwise.
I knew him, and even I could be swayed by his talk.
Even though I loved him, I knew he had to be stopped. There were other ways in which we could get humans on our side and agreeable to the program. Shirley and Beth had convinced me of that.
And, if no females were ever produced again? Well, maybe we deserved that.
“What are you thinking?” Shirley asks and I suck in my breath, surprised that she had managed to wake up without my knowledge.
“I am thinking about how I should have never let my father convince me to give you up,” I whisper, leaning forward and kissing her hair. I brush tendrils aside so that I can make contact with her forehead and kiss her again. Shirley reaches up, cupping my face, her fingers tracing through my mane and a purr erupts. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and I let my father ruin it.”
Shirley turns, sitting up. She gazes deep into my eyes. “No, you should never have listened to him. But here we are in spite of his wishes, so maybe it all worked out for the best.”
