Markuz

by Zora Jorel

“Mommy!” the boy in my arms yells.

  “Go! Don’t be afraid!” I push the child in the direction of a grouping of trees nearby, where I hope he’ll be safe. It’s me and Brea that Grev wants, not these collateral targets.

  The debris clears just enough for me to see Brea behind a large rock.

  “Brea!” I must get to her. More blasts and mini explosions follow me as I push myself on wobbly legs. I barely breath. When I reach her, we embrace. I encompass her in my arms, our hug full of desperation and longing.

  “I knew you were alive,” she says into my chest.

  “Yes, but if we don’t move, neither of us will be for long.”

  As I feared, Grev’s transport begins a slow motion, circling around for him to get a better view of his prey. He stands in its open bay door, his blaster pointed in our direction.

  “Move!”

  “Wait, I have a plan!”

  “Now!”

  I pull her away before a large hole is blasted into the rock. We make our way to a small clump of trees to catch our breaths.

  “Markuz!” Grev yells. He jumps from the transport, landing on the ground with an audible thud. “You were trained to be better than this, Commandant. Duty, honor, justice. How you forgotten our motto? The meaning of those words? What would your beloved Kulan have thought, seeing you cower like a neutered scrat?”

  Hearing the traitorous scum speak Kulan’s name makes me burn with rage. Grev fires a shot, missing us by ten yards to the right. Even though he doesn’t know our exact position, he still toys with us.

  “We just need a little time,” Brea whispers beside me, trying to work a miniature tablet she takes from her pocket. She smacks it on the side. “And for this stupid thing to not be broken.”

  I don’t need to ask what it is. My sense of duty tells me to not leave her side, but Brea is strong, just as Kulan. I trust her. If it’s time that she needs, then time is what she’ll get.

  “Stay here.”

  Before Brea can stop me, I jump into the clearing, my hands raised in surrender.

  “Fine, Grev. You win. But just tell me why before you kill me. Why betray your sania? Was Kulan not good to you? To all of us?”

  He gives me a predator’s grin, cold and dark. “She was a fool, a poisonous fruit who would’ve killed us all. She and her sister sholqua. The Duqaan Empire starves to be great again. To ravage the stars. Those weak-willed cattle you call saviors would’ve made us servants. Did you know that upon conquering this planet, they planned to make it the first member of a kinder, gentler Empire? This worthless speck of dirt, equal to us! I, and the ones who believe as I do, did what was necessary to make Duqaan great again.”

  I shake my head, disgusted but, most of all, disappointed. “Is that it? Don’t lie to yourself or to me. Patriotism was never your priority. All you care about is your own power.”

  “Whoever says one must be sacrificed for the other?” He raises his blaster, squarely at my chest. “And very clever of you, postponing your death for a few moments longer. But neither you, nor your whore, can be allowed to live.”

  Any time now, Brea.

  Laser fire breaks up our standoff. Fast approaching is a woman in fatigues leading a squadron of droids, similar to Duqaanian ones but much bulkier.

  “About fucking time!” Brea exclaims when I make my way back to her, barely avoiding getting hit.

  “What the hells is that?”

  “EEF. All a part of my plan.” She gives me a sly smile. Of course. The Earthans have spent the last five years reverse engineering Duqaanian tech from the sholqua’s attempted invasion.

  My clever little Brea. “Do you think they can take him?”

  The question is answered as laser fire bounces off Grev, staggering but not felling him. An EEF droid makes it within arm’s length of him, and Grev wrestles it down, dismantling it on the spot. For all the Earthan ingenuity, it has failed at the self-replicating durability of our own droid design.

  “Finally.” Brea’s device lights up. “Our robots might not be a good as yours, but they have basically the same circuitry. My friend helped build them. This should work on every one of those things in the area.”

  I think I’m catching on to what she has planned.

  While the EEF woman fires at Grev from a distance, more of her droids rush Grev. Above, his transport circles around for one more pass, Grev’s droid undoubtedly in the cockpit.

  “Do it, Brea!”

  Brea presses the display.

  The air crackles as droid after droid explode. Most of the EEF ones are on top of Grev as it happens. A few in the vicinity of the Earthan EEF agent send her flying backwards.

  The transport begins to descend at an obscene angle. It scars the Earth upon impact, scattering Grev’s prone form near our location, before coming to a stop.

  I hold Brea still until the dust settles. A rattled cough breaks the silence.

  Broken and battered, Grev tries to reach for his blaster. I reach it first, aiming it at his head.

  “Re…remember your oath. Your…duty. I am your superior…officer!”

  I glance back to Brea and then to the bastard. “My duty is to something higher.”

  His skull explodes into blue and white splatter when I pull the trigger.

  “Markuz!”

  I drop the weapon and go to my jenu. Her body crushes into mine, the contour of her curves the perfect cushion for my battered torso. Even in the midst of a war-zone, my cock rages in need to rut her.

  “I will meet you by the remon tree…”

  “where spirits say goodbye… ” I finish for her. “But no more goodbyes for us. You’ll never leave my side again.”Through the scent of smoke and displaced Earth, I scent her. She’s ready, too, and there’s nothing to now get in my way.

  “Well, this will come in handy.”

  The Earthan female stands before us, a gash across her face. In her hand is the blaster, which she holds like a long lost lover. There’s disdain in her eyes directed towards Brea.

  “Fucks sake, Cat. Put that down!” Brea demands.

  The woman grits her teeth. “You’re a traitor, Stone. You and Masterson. Consorting with them.” She looks at me like a prize. “I’m going to enjoy bringing him in. I always knew you clowns from the 21st were trouble.”

  Brea gives me a quick glance and nods. I take a half step towards the woman, forcing her to direct all her attention to me. Brea closes the distance and meets her head with an uppercut, knocking her out instantly.

  “Goddamn this bitch has a hard face,” she says, shaking her hand.

  I take her aching appendage and kiss it, indulging in the feel of goosebumps pebbling it.

  “Markuz, if I didn’t already have one bad hand from punching this psycho, I’d knock you out for making me think you were dead.”

  I pull her close. “It is I who’ll do the punishing in this relationship. Never forget that.”

  “Yes, sir.” She blushes.

  The unconscious woman groans.

  “Something tells me she could be trouble. Should we eliminate her?”

  “No! I mean, she’s a jealous, crazy psycho bitch and all, but technically she’s one of the good guys. I think. But we need to be getting out of here. At some point reinforcements are going to come.”

  I point to Grev’s fallen transport. “After you, my jenu.”

  She smiles at me, her eyes like stars. “I understand that word, you know. Do you really mean it?”

  I pinch her nipple through her jumpsuit.

  “Why don’t I show you?”

  11

  My friends—my sisters—called me The Rock. I was the shoulder to lean on, the always open ear. Reliable. Dependable. Predictable.

  I never let them see me cry. They never even knew I could.

  I was afraid to let anyone in.

  After the stunt I just pulled, though, I don’t think anyone will call me predictable. I’ll always be the people in my life’s strongest supporter, but n
ow I know I can be so much more.

  Someone my mother always wished she could be.

  “Brea Stone, you are amazing,” Markuz whispers to be, before crushing my lips with his in the most amazing kiss. A mouth watering, nipple hardening, pussy gushing kiss.

  He sits me down on his lap. The cockpit of Grev’s transport is in shambles from the exploded droid, but fortunately the transport still flies. After I take care of some last-minute goodbyes, we’ll be on our way to Grev’s main ship sitting in orbit.

  After that, who knows?

  “Will you be able to go back to the Protectorate?” I ask through labored breaths, as Markuz impatiently rips the jumpsuit from my torso. He inhales my breast, his tongue a whirlwind that sends pinpricks of pleasure between my thighs. He finishes with a bite, forcing my body to retreat, all the while needing, demanding more.

  “Grev still has allies in high places. News about the events surrounding his demise will no doubt make its away to the motherworld. Duqaanian eyes and ears are everywhere. His friends will not be pleased.” Markuz stands and repositions me into the cockpit chair, leaned back. He tears off my pants, filling the cockpit with the most delicious ripping sounds. “But I will return. I will honor Kulan’s memory by fighting for what she believed. And if you want, I’ll help you take your place as its proper sania.”

  Supposedly, I have a claim to everything that belonged to Kulan. Being the queen of a group of intergalactic cops sounds interesting, but all I want at the moment is to get to love the big, grey alien before me.

  Sensing my apprehension, Markuz continues. “For now, though, I’ve earned a vacation. Perhaps we can visit Lord Brann’s world and you can spend time with your friend Ada.”

  “You didn’t even need a crystal to read my mind.”

  Good god, I know I should’ve stretched when I had the chance. Markuz is the type who loves to spread a sister wide. When I’m nice and open, he goes to work on my soaked pussy, licking and nibbling, making me moan and squeak in rapid succession.

  Is this punishment or pleasure? At this point, I don’t know the difference. Duqaanian chicks must tough and rough, because ever since absorbing Kulan’s essence pain and pleasure have been best friends.

  I’m not complaining. It just so happens I have the perfect Duqaanian to keep me satisfied.

  The faster he laps, the more I need him to nip, to nibble, to bite. Markuz does just that, working magic with that dutiful mouth of his. I’m not even able to warn him before I cum all over his face, coating his stubble with my pent up juices.

  He leers up at me, a pussy-eating grin on his face. “Are you prepared for a life away from Earth with me?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “No.” Markuz licks his finger and slides it just past the rim of my anus. I bite my lip hard, just short of drawing blood.

  Instead of lapping, Markuz goes straight for my swollen clit. He gently thrusts his finger back and forth in my ass while he sucks my knob. My claws dig deep into the seat as I embrace the rumblings of a deep, prolonged orgasm that shakes me to my core.

  Markuz licks his finger. Oh, I love my nasty alien protector. He stands and unbuckles his pants, his face promising me a thrashing I’m not about to forget.

  “You’re mine, Brea Stone.”

  “I know. I’m your jenu.”

  His cock jumps at the sound of the word coming from my mouth. “And do you understand what that means?”

  I use my legs to pull him close. “It means I’m your forever.”

  “That’s right. More than just a genetic match, a DNA mate. Our souls are one. Intertwined. I’ve traveled across star systems to fine you. Nothing will ever take you away from me.”

  Nor you me.

  With a forceful thrust, his fat cock pushes into me, bringing me close to another orgasm with just a few strokes. I pull his face to mine, mingling our tongues. I got curves, and I’m happy to use them to my advantage. My wide hips meet his, increasing the pace of our lovemaking.

  Wide, baby-making hips. Breeding hips, is what he called them. If Markuz wants a lot of gray-skinned babies, I doubt I’m going to be able to stop it.

  I feel his body strain. I know what’s about to come.

  This splitting cock of his is going to be the death of me.

  Also by Zora Jorel

  BRANN

  BOOK 1 OF THE HELLCATS SERIES

  I step back. The mesh covering I’ve provided her is like plastic over a work of art. Maddening. I press a button on my wristband and it morphs on Ada’s body, conforming to her thick, goddess shape, stopping only once it’s nice and tight. Soft flesh pushes tantalizing through the spaces between the mesh.

  She stirs, confused, until she notices me standing over her.

  “You bastard! That hurts! What have you done to me?”

  Her words mean nothing to me, but I recognize the look. The fury in her eyes pierces through me. It’s an aphrodisiac. I press a button and the mesh tightens even more.

  “I’ll kill you, Brann! Stop! Let me go!”

  I point to an etching on her skin which reminds me of an animal one would find in the wild plains on Duqaan’s warmest moons. I trace it with my finger, causing her to shiver. I scent the rising moisture between her thighs.

  “It’s a Hellcat, you bastard. That’s what I am, a Hellcat. We’re the ones who beat your sorry asses before!”

  Hellcat. Yes, I like this word.

  “Hellcat.” As I say it, she gulps. My finger moves from her back to her front. I notice that she’s no longer fighting me with her body, even though her eyes are firing daggers. Ada’s back arches as my fingertips reach her nipple. Her thick lips part, a heavy rasp escaping them.

  I pinch it hard. She screams, her body tensing, her legs rubbing together as if trying to start a fire.

  “Stop…please.”

  My cocks jump. The sound of concession knows no language barrier, and it puts unholy thoughts in my head. Vali and the gods should punish me for what I’m thinking. I could do so many things to Ada, please her in ways that would shatter her mind, expose her to the wonders of the universe. But now is not the time.

  Right now, I must show her my control is absolute. I must break her flesh to free her mind.

  Also by Rae Reigns

  UNMASKED: A SUPERHERO ROMANCE

  Maria saw his teeth, white in a background of shadow.

  Things were not going to end well.

  "Look, I can't give you a ride! Just let me by!" She attempted to push past him, but he resisted, shoving her backwards. She fell hard on her backside, her butt splashing a puddle of dirty water...or worse, from the smell of it.

  "Maybe you can give me another type of ride?" His white sneer moved closer.

  No. Not like this. With all her might, Maria kicked forward, her feet meeting the man's torso. The alley echoed with an audible crack.

  "Aaaggh," he said, bent over in pain. Before Maria could use the opportunity to escape, he grabbed her leg.

  "I think you broke my rib! Imma have to cut out one of yours!"

  Screaming would be useless. No one cared in The Vines. No one would save her or even give her a second look if she even survived.

  Didi had been right about her all along. Maria was weak and useless. A damsel through and through, and that's how she would die.

  "It just isn't your night, is it?" a voice echoed throughout the alley.

  For a moment Maria thought the source was her attacker, but the change in his demeanor told her different. He looked left and right, the white smile disappearing.

  "And in case you were wondering, I'm talking about you, not her."

  Still gripping his side, the thug pulled out a knife. Maria tried to back away, hoping to get lost in the shadows of the rising night.

  "Put it down. You already have a T9 fracture of the ribs. Don't make it a lot worse." The voice was strong, persistent.

  Calm, but ready to explode.

  "Help me!" Maria belted, knowing it was a bad i
dea the moment she did it. The attacker refocused his attention onto her, pulling her up and holding the knife against her throat.

  "Jus leave me alone, and I'll let the bitch go!"

  The alley was silent for a moment. Still. Then a small movement caught Maria's eye. It must've caught her attacker's too, as he turned them both towards it, making sure Maria's exposed neck was clearly seen.

  "I ain't playin' man! Just leave me alone!"

  "I'm not playing either, Travis."

  The thug's body shifted noticeably behind hers.

  Who is this guy? Maria thought.

  "That's right, I know your name. Travis Jackson, Hillgrove Place, Apartment 323 , age 21, allergic to...interesting...shellfish..."

  "How..how do you know all that?!" The man--Travis--acted completely off-kilter now. Agitated. Maria prayed to herself that her "savior" wouldn't make Travis do something stupid in fear.

  "I know everything about you, Travis. Including the fact that there are two red dots between your eyes right now."

  "W..what?!"

  Maria tried to keep calm. Clearly the voice belonged to a Cape. But who? She ran through the possibilities in her mind. Not all Capes were heroes, and sure as hell a lot of them weren't competent. Please let this be one of the good ones.

  "Don't worry, Ms...Miles. I don't use bullets. But do try to stay out of the crossfire like a good girl."

  The fuck! And how the hell did he know her name?

  "Travis, this is how it's going to go. The device I have pointed at you is a subsonic neurodisrupter. It's designed to send a pulse through your brain that'll cause a low level stroke. Sounds nasty, I know, but the effects are temporary, yet...unpleasant.” The voice spat with glee with the last word. “You'll be eating out of a straw for a few days, probably in a city jail infirmary, where they're just as likely to molest you as treat you. Nasty.” A pause. The air around Maria filled with the sound of her heartbeat. “Or you can let the lady go, and I'll deal with you in a more...civilized manner."

  Just let me go just let me go just let me go, Maria thought desperately as Travis weighed his options. Tic tock. The seconds seemed to stretch forever, and no one said a thing.