by Zoe Ashwood
For a moment, everyone stared at Ben, pondering this.
Then Taron stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
Ben glanced up, hope lighting his face. “Really?”
“Taron,” Kol warned. “Don’t be stupid.”
“You heard him. This might give her a fighting chance. We only have one shot at this, brother, and if this adrenimine can knock out a warrior, Adriana and Zeema should be armed with it.”
“Adrenaline,” Ben corrected, earning himself a ferocious growl from Lhett.
“Do you have enough of it with you?” Adriana asked the doctor.
He nodded. “I have a box of two dozen EpiPens. Jean is severely allergic to bees, so we brought them as a precaution, but since I haven’t seen a single bee on Rendu…”
Adriana looked at Mika, who shook her head. “No bees here. What plants they have are pollinated by these amazing moths…” She flushed, realizing everyone was grinning at her. “Which isn’t the point here, sorry.”
“We can spare a couple of EpiPens,” Ben concluded. “I can get one right now.”
“Do it,” Taron commanded.
The doctor scampered out of the room, and Adriana turned to her tall alien, taking his hands in hers.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly, trying to ignore everyone else. She was holding hands with her man, and she would not be ashamed of it. The cat was out of the bag anyway—Taron was holding on to her just as tightly.
“No,” he murmured. “But I’ll help you in any way I can. It will kill me to remain outside while you go in there alone.”
“I know. But I won’t be alone.” She nodded at Mika and Hanne, then at Steven, who was pretending not to be listening to their conversation but now nodded enthusiastically. “We’ll make this work, Taron.”
He sighed and wrapped his large arms around her. She ended up smushed against his broad chest, breathing in his clean, minty scent. It calmed her senses and instilled a sense of tranquility inside her. She understood with sudden clarity what Taron had meant about peace being the foundation of a long-lasting relationship.
Then Ben returned with a handful of bright yellow EpiPens. “Here we go,” he said, passing one to Taron.
Adriana eyed him skeptically. “Okay, but are we sure epinephrine won’t harm him? Is there a way to…inject him with a smaller dose or something?”
Ben pursed his lips. “I mean…this is the first clinical trial. Ideally, if this was a real scientific experiment, we’d be doing months of testing in advance, then move to animals…”
Mika hissed, letting loose a string of expletives so vile, everyone flinched. Kol put a calming hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “Animal testing should be outlawed.”
But Ben merely gave her a bored look, as though he’d heard this argument a hundred times before. “Would you rather have experimental new drugs tested on human subjects?”
Adriana wasn’t sure she liked the Dutch doctor very much, but if his theory worked…
“So you can’t say for certain it won’t kill him?” Lhett summed up, arms crossed over his chest, his skin back to a pale blue.
“No, but I’m very optimistic.”
At that moment, Taron crumpled to the floor beside her.
19
Adriana
The room erupted with exclamations, but Adriana stood frozen to the spot. She took in the discarded EpiPen that rolled from Taron’s hand, noted his slightly open lids, behind which only white showed.
Oh fuck. She dropped to her knees beside him, cradling his head, and searched for his pulse beneath his jaw. For one terrifying, endless moment, she didn’t feel anything—and he was cold, so damn cold—but then her fingers came to rest on his vein. And there it was, Taron’s heartbeat, slow, strong, and steady, as though he was deeply asleep.
Next to her, Ben was checking Taron’s vitals, taking his blood pressure and shining a light into his eyes. He rattled off numbers to Kol and Lhett, who stood over their younger brother, confirming that he was, in fact, perfectly okay—but unconscious.
“Idiot,” Lhett murmured, finally leaning back against the wall.
“How did he even know what to do?” Kol asked and gingerly picked up the EpiPen.
Ben sighed, removed his stethoscope, and stood. “The instructions come with pictures exactly for this purpose. EpiPens are very easy to use, even by children.”
Adriana looked down at her alien. He’d made his decision and acted on it while the rest of them had been squabbling about details he’d deemed unimportant. And now here he was, laid out flat on the floor. She’d have a serious talk with him later—he should have at least lain on the bed before sticking himself in the leg. He could have hurt his head falling.
But the truth was, he’d done a very brave thing that they required of him—and she suspected that this was Taron at his core. Just as he’d come racing after her in the snowstorm, just as he’d killed those vile soldiers, this was who he was inside: a deeply honorable, brave man.
She smoothed his long white hair away from his forehead and pressed a kiss to his temple. He didn’t even stir, but his cool breath caressed her cheek.
Adriana straightened and caught Hanne’s gaze. Her friend smiled at her, a little wistful, a little sad, as if she already knew what decision Adriana had made. Tears prickled behind her eyes, and she blinked fast to keep her emotions under control. Saying goodbye to Mika and Hanne would be hard, perhaps harder than her farewell from her parents had been.
Minutes passed with no change, the members of their fledgling conspiracy team pensive and quiet. They agreed they wouldn’t let the other members of the human team know about the plan—the fewer people knew about it, the less chance there was of someone behaving suspiciously. They didn’t need Graham or the rest of the scientists for the execution of their plan.
Then, twenty-five minutes after he collapsed, Taron stirred from his slumber. His eyelids twitched first, then his leg, and he came awake slowly, mumbling something. Adriana stroked his cheek, and he leaned into her warmth, then grabbed her and dragged her down to lie with him as if on instinct. The rest of the crew chuckled while Adriana blushed and tried to wriggle free, but Taron wouldn’t let go.
Mika hopped to her feet, took Kol’s sleeve, and tugged him through the door. “Call us when he, uh, wakes up,” she said and inclined her head to show the others that they should follow.
They all trooped out, and Ben called through the closing door that she should keep an eye on Taron until he fully recovered.
The moment the door closed behind them, Taron’s eyes popped open, sky blue and clear.
Adriana gasped. “Have you been awake this whole time?”
He chuckled, running a palm down her back to grasp her ass. “No, but this is a nice way to wake up.”
She squirmed under his touch; the rica leather of her pants was warm, but not very thick, and she felt every touch of his clever fingers.
“How much time do we have?” Taron murmured into her ear, then flicked his cold tongue over it.
Adriana shuddered at the sensation. “I don’t know. The dinner is in less than three hours, and we need to… Oh!”
Taron worked his hand under her thermal shirt and pinched her nipple, so hard the pain of it pulsed through her nervous system before it dissolved into heady pleasure.
“Then I better make you come fast,” her alien said, standing with a grace that shouldn’t have been possible with a body so large and muscular as his.
Adriana scrambled to her feet, wondering if she should lock the door, but she didn’t make it that far. Taron grabbed her, swung her around, and pressed her back to the black obsidian wall. It was warm to the touch behind her back, smooth as glass. She lifted her face to receive Taron’s kiss, opened herself up to him, and gave him everything she had.
Within moments, their clothes lay discarded on the floor; she hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, while he supported her full weight with his palms. Withou
t warning, he plunged deep inside her, sliding into her slick core, sheathing his thick, cold cock to the hilt.
Adriana threw her head back and moaned his name. Taron fucked her with shallow, powerful strokes, each one hitting the spot that had her seeing stars. She clung to his shoulders at first, but the moment she realized he was strong enough to hold her without her help, she let her hands roam over his back, feeling the spiky ridges of his spine.
Taron shouted in pleasure, his hips snapping forward. “Ah, fuck, do that again,” he begged, then caught her mouth in another brutal, life-changing kiss.
Adriana found a spike on his upper back, smoothing her fingers over the skin-covered bump, and Taron dropped his head to her shoulder on a helpless moan.
He moved his hips faster, almost frantic in his need. He held her so tightly, his fingers would leave bruises on her thighs, but every time he hit the end of her, Adriana panted, her need coiling inside her like a spring.
“Is this what you like?” she muttered in his ear, playing with his reactions. “Tomorrow, after all this is over, I’ll put you on your stomach and lick you all over until you come just from this,” she promised.
Taron growled, all his restraint gone. He was a savage, ravaging her body with pleasure, pinching her nipples until Adriana couldn’t breathe, fucking her long and hard. Her sweat-slicked back slid up and down the shiny wall with his every thrust.
On another wild, relentless stroke, she shattered, white light blinding her. A scream tore itself from her throat, and the force of her pleasure remade her world.
She gripped the spikes on his back with both hands, squeezing. Taron’s eyes flew open, shock written all over his features the second before he came, and he bucked inside her time and time again, prolonging her orgasm.
Finally, the pulsing waves quieted, and Taron gently let her down on the floor. She swayed, so he put his arm out to steady her, always careful.
“Are you all right?” he murmured.
Adriana nodded, then wrapped her arms around his strong middle and lay her cheek on his chest to listen to his heartbeat. It didn’t matter what he called the emotions—she knew what he felt for her was just as intense as her own feelings for him. She’d told him she loved him already but she didn’t need him to repeat the words back to her. His actions spoke so much louder.
The moment stretched, the sounds of the palace rushing in around them, muted but present. Adriana stifled a yawn, wishing she could take a nap before dinner, but they didn’t have the time: they needed to prepare for the evening.
“Do you really think it will work?” she asked, mentally going through all the steps of the plan. It was simple and imperfect but would serve its purpose.
Taron’s faraway gaze told her he was considering all angles. “Provided the engineer does his work, yes.” His arms tightened around her.
Adriana looked up to him. “Jean will find a way. But I want to thank you.”
“What for?” asked Taron.
His blue gaze met hers, cool and collected—but Adriana heard the thrum of his heartbeat, still racing from their incredible interlude.
“For coming to save me. And for going along with this plan. I know it’s not easy for you to trust us. But we won’t let you down.”
He hummed and put his chin on top of her head. “I trust you, Earthling. I’m not so sure about your teammates. But if you trust them…”
“I’d trust Mika and Hanne with my life,” she said, echoing what he’d said about his brothers that first morning on Rendu. The two women were more sisters than mere friends to her; their shared adventure had tied them together in ways she hadn’t expected. “And I’m certain Steven, Ben, and Jean will do what’s required. Nobody else knows about the plan.”
Taron sighed. “All right. Get dressed, then. We’ve got work to do.”
They found Kol and Lhett in the mess hall, where they were eating a late lunch, apparently fueling up for the evening. Taron joined them, and they demolished an entire rack of rica ribs, as well as a mountain of soft, white rolls that quickly became Adriana’s new favorite food on Rendu. Taron insisted she’d need the calories for completing the plan.
“I’m going to dinner, remember?” she asked as she accepted a buttered roll from him.
“You won’t be able to eat anything. You’ll be too busy waiting for the perfect moment to implement the plan.”
He piled more food on her plate—she suspected feeding her was somehow culturally significant to him, because he watched her like a hawk and offered her a jar of a tangy yellow spread that turned out to be caviar of some sort. She ate the food as she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but also because he was right. Even though she could barely force down the second roll, she knew Rendian cold sucked up all the energy she had—and if everything went according to plan, she would be spending time outside tonight after dark.
Lhett was the first to finish; he glowered at the rest of them until they hurried up and put away their trays. Then they all walked to Hanne’s room—apparently that was the designated meeting space. But it was Mika who opened the door and put a finger to her lips. Hanne was fast asleep on the bed, her long blonde hair spilled all over the pillow.
Lhett stood at the threshold, staring at her. For a moment, an expression of such intense longing passed over his face, and Adriana turned away because it felt like an intrusion of privacy to witness it.
Then the eldest Naals brother cleared his throat. “She’s, uh, she’s tired. Always watching those stars. I’ll…” He glanced at Taron, who nodded in understanding.
Lhett remained behind, keeping vigil over Hanne’s sleeping form—they could afford to let her rest for an hour—while the rest of them went to find Jean.
The Canadian engineer was visibly exhausted and didn’t say a word to them. He stood aside to let them enter his room and closed the door behind them. Lieutenant Anilla was slumped in the only chair, her face flushed blue. The metal collar around her neck looked dirty, as though they’d smeared it with tar.
“Have you figured it out?” Kol asked Jean, motioning at the collar.
Jean’s expression was closed off and serious as he replied, “I have found a way to keep the queen from getting electrocuted. The entire collar will need to be coated in epoxy resin.”
“That’s amazing,” Adriana exclaimed, clapping Jean on the shoulder. “I knew you could do it.”
He pursed his lips, staring at the lieutenant for a long moment. “Yes, but at what cost?”
The beautiful soldier laughed hoarsely. “I volunteered, remember? Now get this thing off me.”
Jean stepped forward immediately and unlocked the collar. Adriana didn’t miss how he pressed his fingers against the lieutenant’s cheek in a soft, lingering touch—or that she didn’t seem to mind. It wasn’t just her relationship with Taron that was getting increasingly complicated.
“Can’t we use that key to unlock the queen’s collar?” Mika’s clear voice pierced the silence.
“Each collar’s lock is different,” Taron explained to her. “And the regent has the key to Zeema’s.”
“Of course.” Mika rolled her eyes in frustration. “Why would anything ever be easy?”
Kol nudged her. “Your role tonight won’t be complicated. You just need to keep the regent occupied.”
Mika snorted. “Not a problem. I can talk about vissnae harvesting for ages.”
Adriana had to stifle a laugh at Kol’s shocked face. He probably didn’t believe Mika could charm the evil usurper by prattling on about alien squid, and she privately agreed. But she also believed in Mika’s determination—her friend would figure it out. And she’d have Hanne by her side to help her, though their Danish colleague was far less chatty.
Lieutenant Anilla sighed, stretching her back like a cat, and got to her feet. She wobbled and put a hand to the wall to steady herself. “Excuse me,” she said. “I need to go find a shirt that will cover up this gunk.” She pointed at the black smudges left all over he
r neck, touched Jean’s hand for the briefest moment, and left.
The engineer stared after her, as though he wanted nothing more than to follow.
“She’ll be fine,” Taron said quietly. “I’ve served with her for a decade—she’s tough.”
Jean seemed to snap out of it. “Yes, of course. I need to explain to you how this works.”
He picked up the collar and a translucent tube half filled with a black resin. Then he turned to Taron.
But Taron merely shook his head and pointed at Adriana. Jean looked from one to the other with wide, shocked eyes.
“You cannot be serious,” he hissed, the words laced with anger that was so uncharacteristic of him. “You can’t send her to do your work.”
Adriana flinched. “Not this again,” she grumbled. “We’ve gone over the plan a hundred times. There’s no way Taron—or any other Rendian, for that matter—can get close enough to the queen to help her.” She held out her hand. “Now stop worrying about me and show me how this works.”
20
Taron
He followed Adriana to her room, where she would prepare for the evening. She hid the small tube of insulating resin inside her waistband and covered it with her shirt—but she would need to find a different place to carry it into the royal dining hall. All guests would be searched before dinner.
The door closed behind them, and Taron leaned against it, letting out a long breath. “I need to talk to you about something.”
The question had been needling him ever since he realized she might be carrying his child. The thought, while terrifying, ignited a strange nugget of warmth inside his chest.
“Mm?” she murmured, kneeling on the floor and digging through one of her drawers. She pulled out a beautiful red dress she must have brought from Earth. “What do you think?” she asked. She got to her feet and held the dress in front of her. “I brought it with me because the human delegation was supposed to meet the king.”
