CLAIMED BY THE DEMON ALIEN

ELLA MAVEN

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Ella Maven

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

Cover design by Moonstruck Cover Design

First edition February 2022

CLAIMED BY THE DEMON ALIEN

I live on pain… but for her, I only want to cause pleasure.

Penelope: One minute I’m conducting important research on a distant planet, and the next, I’ve fallen through a crack in the surface and am transported to an underground world with terrifying fanged creatures who want to eat me, an army of feathered warriors who rescue me, and a massive horned demon leader who gains power through pain… except he’s only giving me pleasure.

He wants to keep me, and I have to admit, I don’t hate the flaming underworld anymore. But I can’t stay—my air filter will only last so long down here, and as for my demon? He can’t survive on the surface. We are from two different worlds that never should have collided… what kind of future is there for a hot, alien demon and a human woman?

Claimed by the Demon Alien is a standalone Sci-Fi Romance featuring a horned alien who used to torture his enemies and now spends his time picking flowers for his botanist human girlfriend.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

About the Author

Also by Ella Maven

ONE

Penelope

“It’s not uncomfortable?”

I shook my head with a smile at my sister’s tone of disdain. In my mind, I could see her scrunched nose spotted with freckles and the curl of her glossy lips. She was probably painting her nails between clients. It was tax season, and my accountant sister was busy, but she always made time for her intergalactic traveler sibling.

I touched the clear plastic cap over my nose. A tube extended from it and connected to a filter on the back of my neck, a device we called AYER, which allowed me to breathe the air on Planet EII. It was much more comfortable than the previous design, which was a full helmet. “I’m used to it now. And I’m grateful for it since it’s the reason I can be here doing my research.”

“Why couldn’t you do something safe and boring?” She was pouting now. We were close, and this was the longest I’d been away from home. “You could be selling monstera plants to millennials at a hippie shop in town and instead you’re on some depressing planet light years away collecting dirt.”

I kicked at a blackened rock on the craggy surface of EII. I was excited to be a part of the botanist crew allowed on this planet—the first non-explorers to step foot on the soil. The gravity was dense here, making me feel sluggish all the time, and I wasn’t holding out hope for anything resembling current plant life. But we all were hoping to find some sort of evidence of a teeming ecosystem on this planet at some time in its past.

“Penny!” a voice called. I glanced over my shoulder to see Roger waving at me. “Time to load up.”

Today we’d ventured farther from our base than any day before, and while we’d found some interesting soil samples, nothing had excited me. I didn’t want this to be a bust. EII made the hair on the back of my neck tingle. I felt like there was something here, whether it’d been gone centuries ago or was still alive. I just knew it. But I was a scientist and so were my coworkers. A hunch was great, but it was nothing unless backed by proof and data. Holding the heavy satellite phone to my ear, I sighed.

“I like it here,” I murmured. EII’s triple moons were broken spheres, and the twin sun’s rays reflected off the surfaces, creating a red halo effect around them. One was so close, it almost felt like I could throw a rock at it. Roger thought the planet was creepy, and more than one of my crew said it gave them nightmares, but I thought it was beautifully ugly.

“Hey,” my sister said, jerking me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

I scoffed. “I don’t do stupid things. I have a Ph.D.”

“You absolutely do do stupid things because you have the curiosity of a cat and act like you have nine lives.”

“I don’t—”

“Remember the time you waltzed into that creepy gas station in Reno to ask for directions when the attendant clearly had glass jars of fingers?”

“Those were pickled sausages.”

“And remember the time you ignored my warning and went into that haunted cabin in the woods and got bitten by a bat?”

“It didn’t have rabies, and I don’t blame it for defending itself.”

“Penny!” She shouted in exasperation.

“Okay, okay.” I placated her. “I have one life, and I’ll act like it.”

She blew out a long sigh on the other end. “Promise.”

“I promise.”

I heard running water followed by a few gulps. She paused before saying, “I’m proud of you, Pen.”

I grinned. “Thanks, Demi. Proud of you too.”

“You should be. I’m a great accountant.”

I laughed as Roger called my name again. “I gotta go. Tell the kids Aunt Penny loves them. And thanks for answering the phone.”

“Always. Can’t wait to see you. Drinks on me at Barkley’s when you get back.”

“Drinks and an order of fried pickles?”

“Deal.”

I ended the call with a smile on my face and turned to find Roger frowning at something on his tablet. I took another look at the closest moon before trudging toward him. Each step felt like I was wading through mud, and my thick boots didn’t help. My suit was more gray than white now from digging around on the surface for hours.

The rest of the crew leaned on the vehicle waiting for me—Cassidy, with her perpetual smile, Yohan with his scowl, and Sumit with his constant assessing gaze.

Roger’s head lifted, and he watched me approach. “How’s Demi?”

The familiarity with which he spoke of my sister rankled me. We dated for three months, and he’d met Demi all of twice before I’d ended it, and he acted like they were best friends. He also liked to act like our relationship never stopped.

Dating a co-worker was the biggest mistake I’d ever made. Actually, dating period was a big mistake, and now that I was forty I was content to spend Friday nights with my sister and her kids eating spaghetti rather than on another bad date.

I didn’t answer Roger’s question, and he frowned at me, but I ignored him. “Who’s got the next call?” I asked.

Cassidy’s hand shot in the air. “Me!”

Yohan let out a heavy sigh, and I hid a smile in the neck of my suit as I handed her the satellite phone. Cassidy’s phone calls were always to her boyfriend and consisted of lots of baby talk and endearments. Personally, I found it cute she was so unapologetically in love with her boyfriend, but Yohan was allergic to anything positive.

Cassidy was already fiddling with the phone while I hauled myself into the all-terrain vehicle we called VEE1 when Roger spoke up behind me. “Hold on a minute,” he murmured to himself, gaze on the screen of his tablet. He tapped on it a few times before tossing it into VEE1, holding up the land density scanner with his lower lip tucked between his teeth.

I stepped down from the vehicle while Sumit straightened from where he leaned on the hood. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“There’s an anomaly in the surface density under that ridge,” he gestured with the scanner to a rocky outcrop about half a mile away. “But it doesn’t make sense…” he banged the scanner against his other hand. “If what this says is true, there’s a cavern deep beneath the surface, but the reading keeps changing.”

Sumit crossed his arms over his chest as he peered at the scanner screen. “That can’t be right. The reading isn’t stable.”

My skin tingled beneath my suit, and my heart sped up. I grabbed a cord from the back of the vehicle and tested it with a yank to make sure one end was secured to the vehicle. With the rest of it coiled in my arm, I grabbed the scanner from Roger’s hand. “I’ll go take a look.”

Sumit frowned. “Hey—”

“Pen—” Roger reached for me. “Hold on.”

“We all want to get back to the station for food and rest. I’ll head out to the ridge to get some more readings, and then I’ll be right back.” I tied the end of the cord around my waist and tugged on it. “It’s not like I’m getting lost.”

“I’ll come with you,” Roger said.

I held back my eye roll. “No, stay here where we have a satellite signal in case you have to call back to the station.” We weren’t the only ones working on this planet. Planet EII’s base had a bustling population of scientists.

Cassidy unstrapped a pack from around her waist. “Take this in case you need to collect samples.”

“Thanks, Cass.” I hooked the pack around my waist.

She grinned and held up the phone. “Come back soon so I can make my call.”

I laughed. “I’ll be back before you can come up with a new pet name for your boyfriend.”

I took a step toward the ridge when I felt a hand on my arm. I glanced over my shoulder at Roger’s concerned face. I felt a pang of guilt at my internal annoyance at him. He wasn’t a bad guy. He just wasn’t for me. “Be careful.”

Saluting, I nodded. “Always.”

I marched forward, the cord uncoiling in my arms with every step I took. I kept my gaze on the ridge ahead while my boots kicked up gray dust at my feet. As much as I wanted to get back to base, I also wanted to spend as much time on this planet as possible. Some days I could barely believe I was here, and that this was my job. I had always been perpetually curious about the unknown and, particularly, space. The word anomaly was like a carrot in front of my face. I had to know more. It’d been cutthroat to make it here, and I wasn’t going to wimp out exploring anything. There was a time in my life when I didn’t think I’d live to see another year as I sat in a hospital with a needle in my arm pumping me with drugs to kill the cancer in my body. To be able to have this chance felt like a miracle.

I aimed the scanner at the ground when I walked. The readings would automatically be recorded on Roger’s tablet, but I kept my eye on them myself. He was right… the readings fluctuated drastically. I stopped and held the scanner as steady as I could, and even standing still… the numbers increased and decreased rapidly. How could the density change when I stood still?

The scanner wasn’t broken. This wasn’t a kid’s toy. This was a million-dollar-level piece of equipment designed by the smartest people in the world.

About halfway to the ridge, I felt a slight rise in air temperature. Sweat tickled down the back of my neck. I checked my watch, and the data proved I wasn’t crazy. The temperature had risen. When I took my next step, I stumbled slightly, my nerves causing my knees to buckle. I glanced back at my crew to find them standing where I’d left them. No one shouted at me to return. Cassidy raised a hand and waved. I swallowed around my dry throat and gripped the cord in my hand tighter.

“Keep going, Pen,” I whispered to myself. “Just a little closer, then you can run back like the devil is on your heels.”

The scanner was flashing at me now, the numbers clicking so fast that I couldn’t even read them. “What the hell?” I said out loud.

A crack rent the air, and the ground shook. Gasping, I fell to my knees. The scanner hit the dirt and bounced a few feet away. I lunged for it just as another crack nearly burst my eardrums, like a gunshot right at my ear. My hand came up empty. A loud rumble surrounded me, and boulders from the nearby outcrop began to tumble toward where I huddled on all fours. “Shit,” I shouted as I shot to my feet and began to speed back toward the buggy. I felt a tension in the cord, and just ahead I could see the forms of my crew huddled around the other edge of the cord to pull me to safety.

“Pen!” Roger’s voice cried just as the ground shook so violently I was swept off my feet. I landed on my back, gasping for breath as the air was knocked from my lungs. My mouth filled with dry, bitter dust, and I coughed.

“Penelope!” Roger’s voice called again.

“Coming!” I hacked out. I curled my abs to sit up and grasped the cord again. But this time, it was slack. Zero tension. My heart dropped as I could see a figure in the distance running toward me.

The next crack was so loud that momentarily I couldn’t hear a thing. White noise roared in my ears, and then the ground beneath me opened like jaws.

I opened my mouth to scream, but the sound was swallowed as my body plummeted straight down into the cracked planet’s surface. I grasped the cord, my last lifeline, but as the ground above me closed, blotting out the red moons and the orange glow of its suns, the frayed ends of the cord followed after me. I reached my hand out, seeking the last bit of light just as the edges of the cracked surface sealed themselves back together while I continued to drop in a stomach-sickening free fall. My last thought as I was plunged into darkness was that I broke the promise I’d made my sister.

TWO

Penelope

I expected any minute to hit the ground and break approximately 112 bones. Hopefully I died on impact, or I was going to be in for a world of pain.

But I just kept falling and falling. The darkness that had surrounded me gave way to a small bit of light below, and all I could make out were craggy walls. How could there be light below me? I flailed, trying to reach for anything to break my fall, but I didn’t connect with anything solid.

You have the curiosity of a cat and act like you have nine lives.

Well, then I was going to be a cat. I twisted at the waist, trying to throw myself into a spin so I could see below me, and I’d managed to turn my neck just as a bright light flashed, blinding me. I cried out, and my voice didn’t echo as much as I thought it would.

The impact stole the breath from my body, and I waited for the excruciating pain. The crunch of my bones. But instead, I sunk down into what felt like a spongey material that broke my fall but also gave way, like a giant gray marshmallow.

My body rebounded, but instead of flying off as if I was in a giant bouncy house, small suckers on the marshmallow beneath me hung on to my suit and moved me—like I was on a conveyor belt of starfish feet. I let out a yelp as I was dumped onto soft dirt on my hands and knees. I lifted my head to take in my savior, but the massive pillow darkened and shrunk before my eyes until it was nothing but a small fungus about the size of a softball on the ground. What had prompted it to inflate?

I stood up on wobbly legs and brushed my hands off on my pants, still unsure how I was an intact body. I tested all my limbs and although my back was sore, I wasn’t seriously hurt anywhere as far as I could tell. My breathing tube was still intact, and I forced myself to take even breaths. Checking my watch, I let out a relieved breath that the readings showed my AYER was still functional. But the filter wouldn’t last forever, and once it was depleted… well, I was screwed. No oxygen for Pen. And no oxygen for Pen meant… a dead Pen. For now, I had most of the filter’s life left. My watch would let me know when I was entering the danger zone.

The light source came from glowing rocks that littered the ground and were scattered into the sides of the cavern I’d found myself in. Above the now shrunken mushroom was the hole from which I’d fallen, about twenty feet wide. Beyond the mushroom was a solid wall, and the only direction to walk was straight ahead down a rock-lighted passageway.

I wavered. If I stayed here, maybe the crew would find a way to crack the surface and find me. But how long would that take? Remembering the pack Cassidy had lent me, I unstrapped it from my chest and dug through the contents. As she said, there were collection tools as well as a small bottle of water and a granola bar. That was all I had for provisions. My heart began to race as panic threatened to take hold, which made my breath speed up, which only made me panic more at my rapid use of the AYER filter.

“Calm down, Pen,” I murmured. “Calm down. Roger won’t leave you here. It’s okay.”

I took a small sip of water to wash the dirt from my mouth and carefully repacked the bag before strapping it to my chest. I kept out the small scalpel and vial, because if I was stuck down here, I might as well take samples… starting with my mushroom savior.

Taking careful steps toward it, I watched carefully, worried I’d trigger it to inflate. While it saved me once, I assumed it could also crush me, but it stayed motionless. I didn’t want to do anything to harm it, but I could scrape off a few cells to keep and study later. While it looked like a harmless plant, I had to believe it possessed a nervous system and some kind of brain.

With my scalpel in hand, I reached out just as a shuffling sound reached my ears. I whirled around, gazing down the passageway. Was I not alone? I glanced back at the mushroom, and the colors were once again lightening. Why hadn’t I considered the possibility that if something like this existed down here then maybe other life forms did as well? A scent drifted on the still air that made the bile rise in my throat. Rank and musty—like decay.

Shoving the vial back into my pack, I brandished the small scalpel in my gloved hand as I faced down the passageway. For a moment, I thought I imagined the sounds, but then they came again, louder this time. Closer.

A form passed over one of the glowing rock crevices on the wall, and I gasped as sweat dripped into my eyes. I wiped it away as another form blocked out a rock light in a different direction. Then another. And another. The shuffling sounds turned into eerie moans, and I held my ground with only a scalpel as a weapon. A dark form dropped to the ground in front of me and it stepped into the light created by the glowing rocks.

I screamed and dropped the scalpel as I fell onto my butt and hands. The form was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Shaped a bit like a four-legged spider, its head was skull-like, almost human, and its skin nearly translucent. I could see a backbone and a rib cage as well as a beating heart and inflating lungs. It had a wide mouth with sharp teeth, two holes for a nose, and white eyes with tiny dark pupils. At the end of each bony leg was a clawed, three-fingered hand.

It let out another low moan that vibrated my spine with dread. Behind it, I began to see more creeping along the walls, ceiling, and ground. The army of deformed spider people all moaned as they approached me, clicking their teeth and curling blackened claws around rocks.

I couldn’t scream.

I could barely breathe.

I prided myself on thinking quickly in difficult situations, but this was unlike anything I’d encountered before. I scrambled in the dirt for my scalpel and closed my fingers around the familiar handle just as one of the monsters dropped down beside me. I slashed out my hand, and it scuttled back. The army of them let out one long combined moan as if they were all connected by some hive mind.

So, this was it—I didn’t have nine lives. I survived an impossible fall, but I was going to be ripped apart by an army of demonic, underground, alien spider people. The one in front of me shuffled closer, and a clawed hand grasped my ankle. I screamed and kicked, but the claws dug in until I cried out in pain. As the hand pulled me closer to the fanged mouth, I scraped the ground with my nails, still trying to escape its hold.

In the distance, a high-pitched whistle pierced the air. Every head among the spider people army twisted an impossible one hundred and eighty degrees to gaze down the passageway. The clawed hand didn’t let me go and continued to pull me closer. I slashed at it with my scalpel, and it wrenched my ankle painfully until I felt something tear.

I let out a guttural howl of pain, and the one whistle turned to two, then three, until all I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears.

The spider people let out a moan just as dark figures poured into the tunnel. I couldn’t see them very well, and they moved fast—climbing the walls to attack the spider people, leaping from the ceilings and cutting through the translucent bodies like knives through butter.

The hand holding me refused to let go, and I gasped through the pain of my injured ankle as it dragged me toward a small crack in the wall. “No!” I screamed, knowing that wherever this thing was going, I didn’t want to go with it.

Suddenly, the spider person let out a high-pitched moan, and I caught sight of a lighted sword like something out of a Star Wars movie before the smell of burning flesh singed my nose.

I coughed as the hand holding my ankle let go. Everywhere I looked, large figures held lighted swords and slashed at the spider people. Realizing I was finally free, but also not interested in getting to know any of the other creatures down here, I stumbled to my feet and sought to make a run for it. Where? I wasn’t so sure. But my ankle didn’t cooperate. Bearing weight on it sent excruciating pain up my leg, and I cried out as I fell to the ground on my hands and knees.

Refusing to give up, I rose again on my one good leg and hopped toward the mushroom—hoping it would somehow save me again.

The moans of the spider people were fading, as they had retreated back to wherever they came from, but the passageway was still teaming with very much alive creatures. Before I could reach the mushroom a line of them blocked my way. Screaming in frustration I slashed at them with my scalpel but one of the creatures knocked it out of my hand easily with its sword—which was no longer lit and was instead a black rod.

I lunged in the other direction, but soon found myself completely surrounded. They didn’t reach for or advance maliciously on me like the spider people. They stood stiffly and calmly in a circle around me, like I was a baby elephant during an attack. I panted where I stood, my ankle screaming in pain, and focused on my new adversaries.

These creatures were a few inches shorter than me, but stocky. They were covered in blue-black feathers like ravens. I hadn’t noticed before, but sleek wings were folded on their backs. They had bird-like feet with three-clawed toes and similar front arms. Purple eyes glowed beneath a feathered brow, and their noses were hard hooks over a wide mouth. Each grasped a rod.

For a moment nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. The only thing I could hear was my panting breath.

One of the birds stepped forward and let out one piercing whistle. Suddenly they all took flight. As two birds passed me, they grabbed each of my arms and took me off my feet. “Hey!” I cried out and squirmed to dislodge their grip, but it was no use.

We flew through the passageway at surprising speed, and tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes as the air rushed by me. My ankle ached. I’d dropped my scalpel, and all I had on me was a small bottle of water and a granola bar.

We weaved through tunnels, and the air grew progressively hotter as the luminescent rocks became more plentiful, lighting our way until we reached a massive cavern. The grouping of dark birds in front of me parted, and I was gently deposited on my knees on a path of red-tinged rock that seemed to glow from within as if flames flickered inside. I ran my hand over the surface, and the blaze inside seemed to follow my fingertips. If only my crew was here… we’d be having a field day gathering specimens.

I lifted my head to take in the cavern, expecting some sort of nest, and instead my eyes followed the lighted rock path as it ascended into a staircase. My gaze went up, up, until I took in a large fire-blackened throne on a platform. And sitting on that throne was a creature. Not a bird. Not a human. But something else. Long hair as crimson as blood settled on orange-red shoulders capped with a protective plating, while black horns curled from his temples. A red hooked tail slowly waved in the air behind his head, and his masculine, humanoid torso was stacked with muscles. He wore only a pair of frayed dark pants, and he tapped his black-clawed hands on the arm of his throne, while his talon-tipped feet followed a similar rhythm.

Surrounded by heat, flaming rocks, and a dark winged army, I could only stare at Planet EII’s version of a Demon king.

THREE

Penelope

We came to this planet hoping to find evidence of plant life and instead I’d found… Well, I wasn’t sure what I’d found.

All I knew was that this demon alien creature and his minions were sentient and intelligent. His bottomless black eyes assessed me carefully before he rose to his full height, which had to be close to eight feet. His hand alone could palm a head twice the size of mine. On the balls of his feet, like a cat, he stalked down the stairs with purposeful footsteps while his taloned toes clicked on the rocky surface. If I ignored the horns, red skin, and black eyes, his face was homo sapien-ish, with a wide nose, a large mouth, and high cheekbones.

I didn’t dare take my eyes off him. It wasn’t like I could run anywhere, not while being surrounded by a sea of raven people. I had no weapon, nothing but my fists, my feet, and a smashed granola bar. My heart raced so fast, I could barely hear anything over the panicked thumping, and goosebumps broke out onto my skin while my teeth chattered with fear.

I’d done some stupid things in my life and been in some precarious situations because of said stupidity, but never in my life had I been this frozen in terror.

His nostrils flared as he got closer, and when he was a few feet away, my body reacted on instinct, sending me into flight mode. “Stop!” I screamed at him. “Stay away!” I scrambled away from him until I crashed into a feathered body behind me.

He still came, undeterred by my screeching.

I struggled against hands holding me while I continued to scream nonsense. When a feather got stuck in my mouth, I spit it out and kept on screaming, struggling, anything to get away from this giant demon—

He opened his mouth and let out a roar so loud I swore my eardrums burst, again. As pain sliced through my skull, my knees buckled, and I would have hit the ground if it wasn’t for the many feathered hands scooping me up, placing me on my feet, and bracing me there.

The demon, eyes now alight from within with a red fire, stood in place five feet away. Ears still ringing, eyes leaking tears, and snot bubbling out of my nose, I stared back at him. “Please,” I murmured, feeling sick to my stomach. “I want to live. I want to go home and see my sister. I want to breathe Earth air again and continue my research.” My voice gave out as I trailed off with a whispered, “Please.”

I didn’t have illusions he could understand me, but I hoped something in my tone got through to him. He looked above my head and blurted out some guttural tones to the raven people holding me. They whistled back and suddenly I was being held aloft and swept away over their heads like I was crowd-surfing at a rock concert. The hands were gentle, careful. I craned my neck back to see the red alien standing in the same spot with his massive arms crossed over his chest—black eyes never leaving me.

“Where—?” I tried to ask as I was jostled into a tunnel leading off the main cavern. “Where are we going? Please don’t take me to those spider people.”

I was still alive, which was a mystery. I should have died during the fall, then at the hands of the spider people and very probably should have been slashed to bits by the demon for invading his home, but instead I was very much still among the living.

Unless this was all a dream. Or the afterlife. Had I actually died during that fall? I pinched myself and yelped out loud. The ravens below me let out a series of high-pitched whistles at my small cry. A bellow sounded from behind us, echoing from the main cavern, and the ravens slowed as they passed me over their heads, their hands gentling even more.

They must have thought they hurt me… but what was that bellow from? The demon? I should probably stop calling him a demon, but he looked straight out of some artist rendering of the underworld.

The tunnel widened, and I was carefully deposited on the ground in a smaller cavern. And this one… had water. An actual clear, clean pool of water, and I nearly choked on my spit as I stared at it. A raven placed a hand on my back and pushed me forward until I stood on the edge. All around the pool was a soft terracotta-colored moss. The raven who stood next to me wore a belt made of a woven red vine, which was in contrast to the rest who seemed mostly unadorned. Was he some sort of leader? He scooped up a piece of the moss, dipped it into the water, and rubbed it together until it created a lather.

He held it out to me, and I stared at it, then him, before leaning down to smell it. It didn’t have a strong scent at all—it resembled the smell of grass. He continued to hold it patiently. When I only stared at it, then him, he let out a low whistle, almost like a sigh, before he mimicked rubbing his arms and face.

Again, he held the lathered moss out to me. Was he telling me I could use it to wash? I glanced back to see most of the ravens had left. Only two others remained standing guard at the entrance of the exit, facing away from me.

The raven gave another low whistle before gently grasping my hand and placing the lathered moss on my palm. He almost seemed to smile as the corner of his eyes crinkled, before turning around as well.

This was… not expected. I was in a fiery underground cabin with some sort of demon king and black bird minions. Instead of being torn limb from limb, I was led to a place where I could bathe. Shouldn’t there be… more things on fire? Screams of agony? Gnashing of teeth and rending of garments? Eternal suffering?

“Weirdest Hell I could have imagined,” I muttered to myself.

Was I still terrified? Yes. Was I worried I was being bathed in order to be a clean sacrifice or meal? Sure. But something about the ravens providing me privacy gave me pause, because it was just so… humanizing. They weren’t treating me like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. They were treating me with a surprising dignity.

I swiped at my face and cringed at the damp layer of dust coating my skin. I’d long sweated through the clothes I wore underneath my suit, and the once-white fabric was now a gray-red mess.

Getting clean was the first step to feeling somewhat normal… as normal as I could feel here. As long as I was alive, I was going to hold onto everything that made me myself.

So, I quickly unzipped my suit and stepped out of it before neatly folding it and placing it on top of the moss. My thin underclothes followed until I stood only in my bra and underwear. I glanced behind me, but the birds were not looking, so I threw them off quickly and then stepped into the water.

The lukewarm water coated my sweaty skin as I dipped below the surface until it reached my collarbones. Careful not to get my AYER wet, I lathered up the moss and began scrubbing my skin. My hair remained pulled back in a low ponytail, protecting my breathing device. I didn’t dare take too long, worried the big red alien was going to come back any minute. When I turned around to pull myself out of the water, my suit was nowhere to be found.

“Hey!” I shouted, feeling frantic. “Where are my clothes?”

A raven with the red belt stepped forward, holding my underclothes and suit which were now so clean they nearly sparkled. I stared as he placed them gently on the moss before stepping away to once again turn his back. “What the…?” I muttered. “There’s dry cleaning service down here?”

I knew I should be on guard. None of this felt normal, but then what was normal about crashing into some alien’s underground home? I stepped out of the water, shook myself like a dog and wrung the ends of my long ponytail before dressing quickly. When I was finished, I cleared my throat, and the raven leader turned around. At his sharp whistle, the two guards at the mouth of the passageway flanked me, and the lead raven signaled for me to follow him. I walked with hesitant steps, remembering how quickly the spider people came out of nowhere. But the raven stalked along confidently, so eventually my steps grew surer even though I still favored my injured ankle.

They led me back into the main cavern, which was now empty, and then down a narrower tunnel with many doors on each side. We stopped at the final door, and the raven opened it to reveal a room with a round nest of matted ferns. Sitting beside the nest was a bowl of… what was that? I stepped closer to investigate. Inside were small moving worm-like creatures that left behind slime as they wriggled around and over each other. A hole gaped at the end and a row of teeth clacked together. I gagged and turned to ask the raven what to do when the door slammed shut, leaving me alone.

When I heard a bolt click into place, I threw myself against the door, pounding on it with my fists. “Hey!” I shouted. “Am I supposed to eat these things? Where’s the big red guy?” When no answer came, I shouted louder. “Hey! Don’t leave me in here!”

But there was no answer.

Haste

Reagen stood in front of me, solid and still, while his brother, Treeter, fidgeted with the tips of his wings.

I paced back and forth, which was what I’d been doing since I’d learned about the Eater’s attack on a pale creature who’d crashed through a crack from the planet’s surface. First, I’d been interested in why they wanted the creature. Now I was just plain interested in what it was.

Suddenly my door burst open, and Pieter fluttered inside, holding an old, cracked tablet. He tripped over Treeter’s tail, muttering his apologies, before sliding to a halt in front of me. “I… I think I know what it is.”

He slapped the tablet down on the table in front of me and pointed to a form on the screen. “Human. A female human.” He let out a low whistle. “They’re a fairly new species. Cropped up on a planet called Earth in the Milky Way galaxy some time ago.”

I frowned at the screen. “Why did the Eaters want her?” They rarely showed up en masse, preferring to scavenge on whatever living being they could. They also never ventured that close to my territory. I didn’t have much, but down here, I had power and respect.

“I’m not sure,” he frowned. “She’s nothing special.”

I glanced up at Reagen. “Is she clean?”

He nodded. “And secured with food.”

I sniffed. “Good, she smelled like Eaters. I want to know her scent alone.”

“There’s something else,” Reagen said. “She didn’t seem happy about her room.”

I straightened and crossed my arms over my chest while my tail swished with annoyance. “What was her complaint?”

“I don’t think she liked the pobas we left her,” Treeter said.

“They were prime stock,” I snapped.

“Yes, well…”

I blew out a breath. “Once I know why the Eaters wanted her, we can hand her over to them or dispose of her. I don’t need another mouth using up our supplies.”

Reagen flinched. “You’ll dispose of her?”

“What do you think we should do?” I asked him.

“You’ve treated her well so far.”

He was right. I hadn’t even taken a bite out of her or given her a lashing with my tail for fun. Anyone venturing into my territory unasked would have been happy to leave with just those punishments. I didn’t share with Reagen that when she’d screamed, her terror and pain hadn’t filled me with satisfaction like others’ suffering normally did. I had the desire to see her… smile. And that was just unheard of. Maybe I was coming down with something.

“It’s only to find out how she got here, and why the Eaters want her,” I barked at him. “Don’t read into it.”

He bowed his head in deference, and Treeter followed suit.

As Pieter snatched up his tablet, I turned to him. “Find out everything you can on humans as well as look into a language translator. I’d like to know what she’s saying, because right now, her screeches just hurt my ears.” I wiggled my earlobe and stretched out my neck.

“I’ll need her to talk in order to determine her language.” Pieter said.

“Why? Just find Earth language.”

He made a nervous clicking sound with his tongue while ruffling his feathers. “Haste, sir, per my last study of Earth, there were thousands of languages.”

“Thousands?” I roared so loudly that Pieter made a flustered whistle and nearly dropped his tablet. I rubbed my forehead. “By the flames, this is giving me a headache.” With a sigh, I gestured toward the door. “Let’s go visit the human and get her to make her screechy noises again.” I stalked out, my Raken guard following me, while I steeled myself. I couldn’t wish for her happiness, could I? That didn’t make sense. I was Haste, ruler of the Under on this wasteland of a planet. I liked pain and suffering. So why did the human’s screams bother me so much? It had to have been a fluke when we first met. I couldn’t be soft toward her. This time, I’d hold her feet to the fire a bit. I wasn’t called the master of the flames for nothing.

FOUR

Penelope

The sulfur smell tickled my nose, and I rubbed it before sniffling. The red alien leader narrowed his black eyes at me as if displeased I moved.

I was starting to think I’d been duped. Sure, I’d been treated nicely at first, but that diplomacy seemed to be drawing to a close. On my knees in front of the demon’s throne, surrounded by his black winged army, I looked to my side. Flames licked at the edges of a deep crater. A crater big enough for my body to fit while it burned to ash.

Swallowing thickly, my nose twitched again but I didn’t dare scratch it. The demon began to speak in a booming voice full of guttural grunts and booms. I understood nothing and everything all at once. I got the overall gist that he was displeased, likely that I’d intruded on his home, and that he intended to roast me like a whole pig at a Fourth of July barbecue. Where was the apple in my mouth and some herbs up my butt?

“Look,” I said, knowing my words would likely fall on ears that couldn’t understand me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t try to come here, okay? Well, I tried to come to this planet, but I didn’t try to crash land into your home.” I looked around, hiding my grimace. “I, uh, respect what you’ve done with the place. Really cozy. But if you could show me the exit, I’ll happily return home.”

The demon wasn’t looking at me. In fact, he was staring right at a winged minion who held a flat screen in his hand. The bird let out a low whistle and shook his head. The demon took a step toward me, his breath huffing out of his wide nostrils in obvious frustration. I staggered to my feet with my palms out, my heart rate climbing to Everest elevation levels. “Wait.” I backed away as sweat dripped down my temples. “Please. I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here!”

The demon reached for me with a massive red hand just as a fluttering and a series of whistles went up behind us. The demon dropped his hand and lifted his head to peer over the crowd of his army. I smelled the cause of the disturbance first—decay. I turned too just as the feathered warriors parted to reveal two others carrying one of the spider people. Except this one looked a little different. Less twisted and grotesque with eyes that landed on me right before it let out an eerie moan followed by a garbled language.

My knees went out and I nearly collapsed, but the winged leader easily caught me and hauled me back to my feet. He kept a firm, two-handed grip on me so I didn’t run away… as if there was anywhere for me to go.

The demon wrinkled his nose in distaste, and I wondered if he hated the smell of these things as much as I did. When he took a step closer, the creature began to moan and writhe, but the demon barked out a few words before his lips stretched into a grin that sent a chill down my spine. His tail lashed out, quick as a whip, and sliced through the creature’s wrist like a knife through butter. The spider man let out a piercing wail that I felt down to my bones.

I covered my ears with my hands, seeking a refuge from that horrible, painful sound. I expected everyone else to hate it too, but the birds around me were shuffling, their feathers ruffling, and the demon… he swelled. The armored plates on his shoulders rippled, his skin darkened to a deeper red, his horns glowed, and veins stood out on his arms as he fisted his hands and threw back his head, inhaling deeply, like he was feasting on the sound of the creature’s pain.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, horrified, as he picked up the wailing creature and tossed him into the flaming crater with a roar of triumph.

The fire roared, the birds cheered, and I stared in horror as the demon watched the creature crackle and burn into a crisp.

My knees went out again and this time the bird man let me fall, and that was where I crouched, unsure what to make of what I saw and wholly terrified that that would also be my fate. I stared at my hands, wondering which one he’d take first. Or maybe he’d chop off my foot? Or maybe go right for my head. That would be preferable to burning alive in a pit.

When I glanced through the flames, nose tingling with the smell of burnt flesh, the demon’s black eyes were on me. Instinct kicked in, and I lurched to my feet. I got one step into the ground when a band wrapped around my chest and hauled me backward.

I hit the ground with a thud and cried out as the wind rushed from my lungs. Gasping, I rolled over onto my hands and knees as the red rope around my chest—the demon’s tail-dislodged and slithered away.

My hands went right to my stomach, convinced I was going to see my intestines on the ground, but I was in one piece. Still alive. With all my limbs.

I lifted my head to once again meet the eyes of the demon. He watched me curiously—not in the way he’d looked at the spider intruder, which was full of disgust and rage. Suddenly his jaw clenched, and he shook his head. He barked out a command, and a bird man stepped forward. He shoved me toward the hole even as I tried to scramble away, and the demon followed us.

Panic seized my limbs. I tried to dig in my heels and impede my progress, but I was so damn terrified I couldn’t do anything. White noise roared in my ears, my throat closed, and tears leaked from my eyes as the demon grasped my wrist, stuck it over the hole, and lowered it to the flames.

“Please!” I blubbered, full on crying now with snot and tears and spit. “Please don’t do this. Just let me go, I—aaaahhhh!” My scream surprised me as the heat licked at my palm. My throat burned from the smoke and the pained shrieks coming from my mouth. Suddenly the demon shuddered, letting out a bellow, and shoved me away from the hole. I hit the ground on my hands and knees and immediately cradled my burned hand to my stomach.

I waited for him to grab me again, wondering how long this would last. Did they want information from me? I’d tell them everything I could if they could understand me.

But no hands reached for me. Nobody moved or made a sound. Sniffling, I lifted my hand to find the demon crouched a foot away, staring at me with his black eyes rounded, and his lips peeled back in a grimace.

His color had darkened, and the armored plates on his shoulders no longer rippled. If anything, he looked in pain himself.

“What do you want from me?” I whispered to him.

Suddenly the bird man holding the tablet let out a shrill whistle that pierced the quiet. The demon surged to his feet, and in two strides was at the bird man’s side. He took a small disk from him, no bigger than a watch battery, and before I could move, shoved it into my left ear. I tried to take it out, but like a worm, the thing seemed to burrow into my ear further. My head pounded as my eyes watered.

The bird looked at the demon and nodded. He turned to me and said in a booming voice, “Wer bist du?”

I stared at him. Was that German? I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

He turned a furious look to the bird who frantically tapped at his screen. He nodded again, looking less certain.

The demon nostril’s flared as he narrowed his eyes at me and said in a ground-shaking tone, “Who are you?”

For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. The demon turned to his bird friend with a snarl. “It’s wrong again.”

The bird man quaked. “I could have sworn—”

“I-I can understand you,” I sputtered out.

The demon’s head jerked to me, and his eyes narrowed. “Then why didn’t you answer?”

Why didn’t I—? Was he serious? Like I was supposed to rapid fire speak while still trying to process that he’d held my hand over flames and now suddenly spoke my language.

“I’m sorry I’m not quick enough for you,” I spoke through gritted teeth as I rose to my feet. I swayed slightly, lightheaded from my screaming and the blistered skin on my hand.

His gaze dipped to where I held my hand tight to my body, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed and took a shuddering breath. Low whistles rippled through the bird army before the demon whipped his tail in the air with a crack and the birds dispersed in seconds. All that remained was the bird with the tablet plus the bird leader and a smaller one at his back who stared at me with rounded eyes.

The demon stepped closer, and I shuffled away as he spoke again “Answer my question.”

“My name is Penelope. I’m a human being from Earth.”

“I know all that already,” he said on an exasperated sigh that seemed very much human. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to this planet with a crew of scientists to determine if there was plant life. We were taking soil samples on the surface. I was investigating a weird anomaly in the density of the ground when I fell through a crack and landed here.”

He tilted his head slightly and watched me. “What did the Eaters want with you?”

“The Eaters?” I gasped. “Well, I guess they wanted to eat me as their name suggests.” I glanced at the birds behind him. “Is there… something else that Eaters do?”

“If they wanted to eat you, you’d be a dead husk already,” the demon said. “So, are there more of you on the surface?” He glanced upward.

“More of my crew, yes.”

“All human?”

“Um, yes. All human.”

This was an interrogation, but at least he wasn’t holding my hand over the flames again. Whatever that bird with the tablet did likely saved my ass. I swallowed. “Can I… can I go home?”

He shook his head. “Not until I know why the Eaters tried to take you. And why one of the prime Eaters was lurking around.”

I stared at the flaming pit. “Was that… a prime Eater? How is he different?”

“That was a prime, yes. He can speak other than moaning and can think for himself unlike the Eater horde.”

The Eater horde. That phrase alone made me want to hurl as I remembered the smell.

“So, am I allowed to ask questions?” I said carefully.

The demon’s head jerked as if he was surprised. “What do you want to know?”

“Who are you?”

His chest puffed out slightly as his tail swished along the floor. I watched it warily, since I knew what it was capable of. “I’m Haste and my domain is here below the planet’s surface, which we call the Under. These are my Raken guards.” He pointed to the one with the red belt. “Reagen is the commander and that is his brother Treeter.” He then gestured toward the smaller Raken holding the tablet. “This is Pieter.”

I watched them all warily, as the pain in my hand was starting to blur my vision and make my head swim.

“Can I go home now?” I whispered. I forced myself to breathe as Haste stepped closer. His knees bent and his thighs bulged as he leaned down closer to me.

“No,” he said in a low voice. “Once you’re here, I decide when you stay or go. And right now…” he stroked his chin. “I have decided you will stay.”

The pain became too much. I bent over with a soft cry as the burning pain of my hand reached my shoulder. I would have hit the ground if it wasn’t for two red hands lifting me against a hard chest.

FIVE

Haste

“What is wrong with her?” I asked Pieter, who was furiously tapping on his tablet.

“I don’t know. Human skin seems… not very well adapted to extreme conditions.”

“A few flames are that extreme?” I groused.

“I could have handled that without making a sound,” Treeter piped up.

The human—Pen-something—opened her eyes blearily in my arms as we made our way to my den. “Skin… can freeze and burn… easily. Could have… killed me.”

“And humans managed to space travel despite these weaknesses?” Reagen frowned.

Small bubbles had risen on the skin of her hand, and her entire arm was red. Her pale skin was dotted with drops of liquid that had an unpleasant smell to them. They were scented like pain and anxiety, which normally smelled delicious to me, but on this human…

I now had to admit that the way her pain made me feel was not a fluke. While the Eater’s pain fed the power in my body, the human’s pain had the opposite effect. I didn’t want to tell Reagen yet, but it was almost like her pain… weakened me.

I rushed into my den where a fire burned in the center, and a large pile of bedding—of which I never used—lay crumpled in the corner. I directed Treeter to gather it up into a suitable place to lay the human, and once the soft blankets were well set out, I laid her down. She was conscious, but everything about her smelled wrong.

Growen rushed in, holding a container of salves and bandages. We rarely needed the supplies, but sometimes the Eaters got a claw or two in one of my Rakens and they needed tending to.

When he poured a thick solution on her hand, it hissed and steamed on contact. Pen let out a loud yell, eyes opening in shock before she stared in wonder at her hand. After that, Growen wrapped it in a bandage and instructed her to drink a tonic. She tried to knock it out of his hand, clearly suspicious, but I grabbed it and forced her head back. She sputtered, trying to spit it out at me, but I continued to pour until I was sure some had been ingested.

“Asshole,” she spat at me.

I didn’t know what that word meant, but I’d been called many things, all of which I relished. For some reason, I did not relish this supposed insult.

“Why can’t you see we’re trying to help you?” I barked at her.

“Help me? You burned my hand!” Her eyes were fire as she snapped at me. “I’m in pain because of you.”

Those words hurt. Like the lashings of my uncle’s tail when I’d been nothing but a small demonicus. I swallowed and snarled at her. “Well, I’m trying to help now.”

Her mouth opened, and I expected her to throw more insults when her gaze drifted over my shoulder and her eyes went wide. Leaping to her feet, she brushed past me and rushed over to my bathing pool. With a sharp inhale, she knelt near the blooming arnicas and gazed at them in wonder. “What… how…” Squinting at the ceiling, she turned to look at me. “How are these plants able to live down here? There’s no sunlight.”

I didn’t answer her right away and watched her curiously, but her gaze held such an innocent wonderment I couldn’t imagine she meant ill will.

Still, I was careful about how much I told her. I pointed to the vibrant blue glowing rocks scattered in the walls. “The ivum stones. They can capture the sun’s rays below the planet’s surface. Their light is how we grow our food.”

She swiveled on the balls of her feet and blinked at me. All thoughts of her burnt hand seemed to have drifted to the back of her mind. She turned back and slowly reached out a hand. “Don’t!” I barked at her. Yanking her hand back, she nearly toppled on her butt. “Those aren’t yours,” I groused, suddenly protective of my purple arnicas. They were the one thing that reminded me of… of before. Back when I felt the sun’s rays on my face, when I’d been a proud warrior, and before I’d been sentenced to this underground life of flames and pain.

Hurt crossed Pen’s face for a moment before she swallowed and straightened. “Sorry.” Her gaze once again strayed to the arnicas with a sense of longing that made me want to pluck them all from their roots and bundle them into her arms.

Even though I wasn’t quite sure how, I should have found a way to send her back to the surface that moment. Already my skin itched, and my shoulder armor scales wouldn’t sit flat. I was unsettled and not in control. And worst of all, she seemed to be my weakness. If any of my enemies learned the way to destroy me, the balance here would be destroyed and my Rakens at risk.

But I couldn’t seem to let her out of my sight. And if any of the Eaters got a hold of her… my scales prickled, and my tail thumped the ground angrily. Just the thought of her terrified and in pain in their clutches made my chest tight.

It wasn’t like I had a way to get her to the surface anyway, I reasoned. Getting her there meant sacrificing one of my own.

As if he could sense where my thoughts were, Reagen watched me closely. I met his gaze and gave him a reassuring nod. His shoulders relaxed.

“Wait,” Pen said. “You have… plant-based food? Then why did you give me those worms?”

“Those are a Raken favorite,” I said.

“Well, I’m not a Raken. I’ll eat earthworms in a pinch but whatever you gave me looked like it could bite off my nose before I’d ever get it in my mouth.”

“They are harmless.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Nothing is harmless if it has teeth.”

Treeter made a whistle. “She has a point.”

“Leave!” I snapped at him. Treeter let out a squeaking whistled and hurried from my den, Growen at his heels. Reagen took one last look at me and then followed them out, leaving me alone with the small human.

I took her in more carefully now. Her hair, which had been pulled back in a knot at the back of her head, had mostly fallen from its tie and settled on her shoulders in loose curls. She fiddled with the band holding it until she pulled it free of her hair, leaving the brown strands loose.

A small clear cap fitted over her nostrils, and a tube led to a small device on the back of her neck. It appeared to be a breathing apparatus designed for other-planet travel.

Her eyes, which I’d previously thought were brown, were in fact a green-ish blue, and small dots spotted the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She no longer seemed to favor her hand as she studied the bedding.

“I didn’t know the flames would affect you like that,” I said.

She stopped her investigation of the bedding and studied me. “Is that an apology?”

“An apology?” I snorted. “Not at all.”

Her lips curled just a moment before she settled her expression. “I see.”

“I will not hold your hands to the flames again,” I explained. “Or do anything to cause you pain.”

She wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“What won’t you do anything to cause me pain?”

I said the first thing that came to mind. “Because I didn’t like it.”

That must not have been the answer she expected as her eyes widened. “You didn’t like it? Not that it was painful to me, but that you didn’t like my pain?”

“What’s the difference?”

She opened her mouth and made a few intelligible sounds before scrubbing her face. “I—I think that’s a lot of therapy sessions.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

She waved a hand. “Never mind.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Are worms my only option?”

“They are a Raken favorite.”

“Right, well more for the feathered guys then. I think I’m fine with some water and a rest.”

Right. I needed to remember she likely needed rest like the Raken. After directing her to a bottle of water, I left her to sleep and went off in search for Reagen. We’d need to find proper food for her when she woke up.

Penelope

I had to admit, once I got past the flames and smoke… this place wasn’t so bad. The blue rocks were like veins in the walls, providing a heated light so plants could grow. It was almost like Planet EII’s underground was a body with blood and limbs… so where was the heart?

Haste’s den reminded me of something out of a pirate ship cabin—he had lots of odd trinkets and even though I wanted to inspect them, I didn’t dare get close. I hadn’t been allowed to touch the massive purple sunflowers, so I didn’t think he’d let me touch his personal effects.

I picked at the threads of his bedding which turned out to be a type of plant—threads like dried ferns which were surprisingly soft. Were those worm things all they had for protein? I couldn’t imagine Haste being a vegetarian. Sitting down next to a big salad. Asking where the ranch dressing was. I snorted to myself in the empty room.

While Haste had assured me he wouldn’t hurt me, I didn’t know what he actually wanted with me. For now, I was left in his den to rest like a fainting woman. Could I sleep? Maybe. But why would I bother when there was a whole underground ecosystem to explore. I got up from the bedding and padded toward the entrance of the den. No Raken guards stood outside ensuring that I remained put. Did he trust me that much? Because… he probably shouldn’t. I was great at following directions until those directions butted up against my curiosity. And right now, I was so curious my skin tingled. Curiosity was my default setting. I was a scientist after all. Everything about this place fascinated me and made me wonder what treasures it held that could benefit us back on Earth.

Did I want to return to the surface? Absolutely. Did I want to let my crew know I was safe? Did I want to go home? Did I miss my sister? Yes, to all those things, but currently they took a back seat. The botanist in me was driving the bus now, and we were all in. This place was a treasure trove of information. The ivum rocks didn’t have to be in direct sunlight to retain the properties of the sun. But I couldn’t understand what made them work. It was almost like they were alive. What fueled them? They were some sort of miracle natural resource I longed to take back to Earth and study.

If I ever got back. I tried not to think about that too much. My crew wouldn’t leave without me, would they? Had they already written me off as dead? My watch still worked, but I didn’t know if my signal was transmitting to the surface to let them know my heart still beat and my lungs still inhaled air… for now at least.

I shook my head. There would be time to panic, but first I would do a little investigating. After a drink of water and downing the last bit of granola bar, I took the opportunity and ventured out of the den. My fingers grazed the smooth wall as I took a detour down a narrower passageway instead of heading out to the main cavern.

I walked for a long time—maybe too long. I thought maybe I should turn back when suddenly the passageway widened, and I had to come to a stop because a row of tall plants blocked my way.

The teal stems were about as thick as a coffee mug, and resembled bamboo shoots. Large golden flowers bloomed all along the stems, and tufts of gold fluff on top looked like something out of The Lorax. They stood about twice my height. I hadn’t been able to touch a plant here yet, other than the soap moss, thanks to stupid Haste. But now I was left alone with this gorgeous plant that shone like spun gold. I felt a bit like Sleeping Beauty touching the knitting needle as I reached out—

A band wrapped around my waist, tugging me backward, and I let out a yelp as I was slammed against the wall. My head flung back, but before it hit the hard rock, I was yanked forward, inches from the snarling face of Haste. My arms were pinned to my side by his tail, my feet dangling as he held me in the air.

I went still, frozen in a mixture of shock and fright, as he roared at me. “I thought I told you not to touch my things!”

I tried to shout back, but with my heart racing, my voice only came out in a trembled, “I didn’t know these were yours.”

“Everything down here is mine,” he snapped back. His eyes were a blackened stormy swirl as his voice dipped to a gravelly rumble. “And that includes you.”

My stomach dipped, and my head spun. I weakly kicked my feet as my skin broke out in goosebumps and a shiver shot down my spine. The sensation was unlike anything I’d felt before. “You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” I whispered.

“Am I hurting you?” His voice was a barely a whisper, and I felt the heat of his breath on my face.

I squirmed and wiggled my hands. No, I wasn’t hurt, but I was helpless. Still, I lied. “A bit.”

Snorting as if he didn’t believe me, he reached around me into his pocket and withdrew one of those large worms. The thing writhed as it flapped its little jaws. “See this?”

When I nodded, he narrowed his eyes. While still holding me in the air with his tail, he viciously launched it sideways at the plant. As soon as it hit a flower, the petals flashed a bright white and a crackling sound split the air. After a brief sizzle, the flower let out a small puff of smoke before returning to its original golden color. I stared, checking the ground and the surrounding area of the worm. “What… what happened to it?”

“The dessec vaporized it,” Haste said.

“V-vaporized?” I gasped. “Wait, that means…”

“That means if you touched it, you’d be a puff of smoke. Do you still think I’m hurting you?”

I pressed my lips together as he took a step forward, still suspending me in the air until my back touched the wall. He leaned in as the spaded tip of his tail began what felt like an exploratory mission of my body, sliding over my butt, around my thigh, between my breasts and then resting at the base of my throat.

My heartbeat drummed in my chest, and my stomach fluttered like I’d swallowed a hive of honeybees. I couldn’t figure out if I was scared, thankful or… something else. Something I couldn’t imagine I’d feel right now in this situation, but the heat roaring through my blood to pool between my legs told me otherwise.

He was just so… very big. Very strong. And his dominating personality was unlike anything I’d seen before. I always seemed to date meeker men, ones who crossed their legs while drinking an Americano and reading some goal achieving book. Haste wasn’t human, but he was male. Very, very male.

His nostrils flared, and he ran his nose up the side of my neck before stopping just below my ear. His body went still until his hands slowly rose to rest against the wall over my head. “Why do you smell like that?” he growled, the words trickling down my spine like fingers.

His chest rose and fell rapidly against mine, and to my horror, my nipples pebbled beneath my suit. And that was when his eyes widened, his shoulder armor rippled, and the ivum rocks around us flashed like lightning.

SIX

Haste

I felt the familiar tingle in my body, the swelling of power in my muscles, and all around me the ivum rocks reacted in unfamiliar blinding flashes.

This wasn’t the typical surge I got from the pained screams of the Eaters. This was bigger, stronger, and almost… euphoric.

My tail loosened from around Pen’s waist, and she slowly slid to the floor as I stumbled away from her—from the heat of her body and the smell of her emotions. I grabbed my head as the plants swayed, the rocks pulsed a vivid, nearly blinding blue, and shouts of astonishment drifted from the main cavern.

Pen stepped toward me, her hands out, and I staggered away from her. She stopped immediately, concern etched in her pretty features and big round eyes.

Pretty? Eye compliments? What in the flames was happening to me? My cock, which hadn’t stirred since my previous life, hardened uncomfortably. My heart pounded, and I wanted to fuck and fight at the same time. This didn’t happen to me… this feeling of pleasure. I didn’t have pleasure—I no longer ate or slept. My life was a constant cycle of causing others pain.

I gasped, shaking my head to clear this strange sensation and only then, once I’d placed some distance between myself and this human, did I start to feel like me again. I didn’t like this. My life was mundane and the same, but I had purpose. Her crashing into my home had caused me nothing but confusion and chaos. Clenching my fists, I braced my feet apart and curled my lip at her. “What did you do to me?” I barked.

She jerked back, clearly stunned by my tone. “I-I didn’t… Haste, I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes, you did!” I roared.

Feet pounded down the passageway and two of my Raken guards burst into the area. They both looked at me in alarm. “Did an Eater intrude?”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to answer them. I didn’t have a reason for the swell of power. Nothing but… her. And there’d been no screams of pain. My gaze drifted to her once more, while she still watched me carefully. Suddenly her face warped into a sequence where her head was thrown back, her pale throat exposed and the moans coming from her mouth had nothing to do with pain, but everything to do with…

My cock swelled, and I turned away with a growl. “Take her back to my den.”

And then I walked away. Unable to face her. Not wanting to make any sense of these changes. With my hard cock making every step miserable, the tenters at the base rubbing painfully against the front of my pants, I stomped back to the main cavern. I couldn’t retreat to my den, so I instead made my way to the room Reagen shared with Treeter. I threw open the door, nearly busting the hinges, and Treeter let out a whistle of surprise, while Reagen was already on his feet, shrewed gaze watching me carefully. “Out!” I snapped at Treeter.

He immediately scurried out, giving me one last look over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him. After he was gone, I sank down onto the floor in the corner of the room, my back to the wall, and hung my head.

Reagen was quiet. He was usually quiet. My lifelong friend, he was the only one who had the ability to break through the monster I’d become to reach the male I’d once been.

His feathers rustled and then he sat next to me with his legs out in front of him, stretching his wings so one brushed my shoulder. “That wasn’t a normal power swell,” he said softly.

“You think?” I snapped.

He eyed me with patience I didn’t deserve.

I scratched at my horns. “I’ll apologize to Treeter later.”

“Treeter is fine. Talk to me.”

“It’s about her.”

“I know.”

I let out an irritated huff as I leaned my head back on the wall and closed my eyes. “Reagen, I...” My voice trailed off, the words hard to get out. “She gave me the power swell. But it wasn’t her pain, it was… she smelled…” I clapped my hands over my eyes. “By the flames, it was her pleasure.”

For a moment, there was no sound, and then a loud scuffling as Reagen pulled my hand away from my eyes. His face inches away, big eyes rounded and beak touching my nose, he squawked in a voice so unlike Reagen’s, “What did you say?”

I pushed him back slightly until he rested on his haunches, but his attention was lasered in on me. I gave him a brief summary of what happened, how I’d saved her from the dessec plants, and then when I’d had her braced against the wall… she had smelled different. Wonderful.

Reagen fell back, in as much disbelief as I was, which didn’t make me feel better. Reagen was the one who could logic everything out. The world just made sense to him, even when the senseless had happened to us. He was able to help me keep everyone alive as we made a home in a place meant to be our eternal hell.

“But you…” he began. “It’s the pain…” He let out a loud huff and stared blankly at the wall. “How is this possible?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Did she…” he swallowed. “Climax?”

Even the word sent a pulse through my cock. I could barely remember what pleasure felt like, but there’d been a time, so long ago, that I’d known what the intimate touch of someone else felt like.

“No,” I whispered.

“Treeter came running to tell me the crops doubled in size. The pools in the humis burrow bubbled. Haste, that was only… smelling her? Can you imagine what would happen if you mated—”

“Stop!” I held up a hand.

“But Haste,” he said, placating me. “Listen, we’d been worried about the life expectancy of the ivum. They’d seemed to be dulling lately. But now…” he gestured to the walls. “Look at them.”

The blue lines of rock glowed anew, almost shimmering as if they were happy from within.

“By the flames,” I muttered.

“Ask her if she will mate. You said she’s an Earth scientist, and this is like an experiment. She might participate.”

“Ask her?” The idea sounded ridiculous. I’d never had to ask before when I wanted a sweet, hot cunt…

“Haste, ask her.” Reagen implored, and I looked into the hopeful eyes of my best friend. Pride, what little I had left, warred with duty. It’d been easier when the human had been nothing but a pale frightened face, but now she was… Pen. Blue eyes, sweet smell, and too curious for her own good.

Penelope

I sat in my nest of blankets in Haste’s den and fidgeted. My skin still felt hot and feverish from our encounter. I could still feel the band of his tail wrapped around my middle, pinning my arms to my side while he suspended me in the air. He could have done anything to me then. I was defenseless.

My stomach curled, heat licking at my core, and with horror, I realized… that turned me on. The way he’d be in control of me. My fear had quickly turned to arousal, and that most definitely had never happened to me before.

I wondered what had made him leave so suddenly. He’d been almost angry, and I’d been left stunned, confused, and feeling out of sorts. I’d followed the guards back to the Den on wobbly legs and now here I sat contemplating how to deal with my new feelings.

I had never asked to crash through the planet’s surface, but the more time I spent here, the more curious I was about how this entire ecosystem worked. I reached behind me, fingers grazing the wall, just as footsteps sounded outside the den.

In the end, fatigue was the only thing that could ever beat out my curiosity and as soon as I let my body relax into the bed, sleep pulled me under.

The pitter patter of feet—small feet—pulled me from a fitful sleep. Buried beneath the mountainous blankets, I blinked as I sought to investigate who was in the den with me.

“Is she she awake?” said a soft voice.

One tiny claw, like a cat’s toe, slipped beneath a fold of blanket and nearly poked me between the eyes.

“He he will be angry if he he catches us,” said another voice, this one a bit deeper.

“Then we we won’t get caught,” the first voice snapped back. “I I just want to touch her her fur.”

“Reagen Reagen said it’s very short and sparse.”

“Sparse? Is her her underskin exposed?”

“Yes, I I heard she she’s pale and might be sick.”

A little squeak of distress penetrated the blankets. Throwing off the top cover, fists raised to defend myself, I prepared to take on my intruders.

I barely caught a glimpse of two furry faces before they went scattering into two different directions. One dove into Haste’s bathing pool with a splash while another careened into a shelf of trinkets, nearly toppling the whole thing before sliding under a blanket somewhere below my feet. There, the entire thing trembled and shook.

Silence reigned except for the slight sound of splashing. Finally, the higher-pitched voice called out near the bathing pool. “Did she she see us us?”

“I I don’t think so,” said the voice at my feet.

“I can hear you,” I called out, crossing my hands over my chest.

At the sound of my voice, more water splashed, and the figure wrapped in the blanket launched himself out of his hiding spot, only to get his foot stuck in the vine fabric so that he slipped and fell—hard.

The creature was the size of a four-year old, and he let out a pained cry as he hit the ground with a smack. I reached down, finding a claw twisted in the blanket like a cat stuck in a curtain. When I reached for his foot, he let out another terrified squeak and struggled, only successful in further tangling his foot.

I sighed as I took in the creature. He was covered in a light brown fur and his face reminded me of the Whos from Whoville—a smushed nose and a small, downturned mouth with big brown eyes. His lips were parted, revealing two long front incisors. Honestly, he was kind of cute, with little hamster-like feet. They seemed way more scared of me than I was of them. “I’m not going to hurt you. Want me to untangle your foot?”

He blinked rapidly before turning to his companion, who now stood at the edge of the bathing pool dripping water all over the floor. Hugging her little arms to her body, she sniffed. “How can you you speak our our language?”

I pointed to my ear. “Haste shoved something in here and I guess it translates my words somehow.” I shrugged. “I don’t really get it and Haste isn’t big on explaining things well.” They both stared at me. I once again reached for the little guy’s foot. “Here, let me untangle you.”

This time he let me touch his small ankle, and I gently pulled his claw loose so that he was able to stand properly, although I noticed he favored the foot. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

“I I’m fine,” he muttered. They were both standing next to each other now right outside my reach, like curious deer. He took one tiny step forward and then seemed to immediately regret it and step back.

Haste had mentioned other creatures down here, but I’d only seen evidence of him, his Raken guards and the Eaters. But now there were these creatures—small, cute, and flight seemed to be their first line of defense. “So, who are you?” I asked.

The wet one stepped forward. “I I’m—”

“Shhh,” said the other. “We we don’t know her her.”

“I’m Penelope,” I announced. “I’m a human from Earth, and I just want to get to know you. I won’t harm you.”

The wet one elbowed her friend. “See?”

“Fine,” he muttered, still watching me warily.

The wet one shook like a dog, sending droplets of water onto my blanket. “We we are humis and my my name is Covi. This is my my brother Coly.”

“It’s nice to meet you two.”

“Can I touch your your fur?” she blurted out, earning her a glare from her brother.

I smiled and held my hand out. “Sure. It’s not that exciting.”

With a careful reach, she touched the pad of her hand on my arm, letting out a little squeak. “You you feel like when ma shaved us us when we we got liss.”

“Liss?” I asked.

“Bugs,” she wrinkled her little nose. “And not the ones you you eat. The ones that live in your your fur and drink your your blood.”

I laughed. “Oh, so lice even exist in Hell? Why does that not surprise me?”

“Where are they?” Came a loud shout and Haste stomped into the room, followed by a pissed off looking Reagen. I immediately leapt to my feet and stepped in front of the small creatures. Bracing my feet apart to protect them, I faced off against Haste and Reagen, who stopped abruptly when they caught sight of me.

“Don’t hurt them,” I said in the firmest voice I could. “They are harmless and only curious about me—”

Reagen shoved me with aside with a huff and snatched Covi into his arms.

“Hey!” I shouted, terrified he was going to hurt the little furry girl. “Don’t hurt her!”

Suddenly Covi started convulsing, her little face screwed up tightly as she let out a volley of rapid, pained squeaks, and my stomach plummeted to my feet. Haste stood nearby with a placid expression on his face as he watched his guard maul the little humis. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” I screeched at Haste as I jerked on Reagen’s arms. “Stop him!”

Coly dashed past me and clung to Reagen’s legs. “My my turn! My my turn!” he squealed.

Suddenly Reagen spun Covi around before depositing her on her feet. She wobbled, clearly dizzy, before throwing herself back at Reagen while he picked up Coly.

“What—?” I took a step back, thinking I might have overreacted just a bit.

Haste was watching me closer now. “He wasn’t hurting her.”

“I—” I swallowed, cheeks heating. “I realize that now.”

Reagen deposited a wobbly Coly on the ground and held up his arm, which bore scratches from my nails.

I winced. “I’m so, so sorry.”

He shrugged and gave me something that resembled a grin. “It’s fine. Thanks for worrying about the safety of the troublemakers.”

“They have a habit of sneaking out of their burrow,” Haste said. “Their mum raised the alarm, and we came here right away.”

I blinked at him, feeling like I was once again in another universe. I’d seen this demon roast an Eater alive with glee and hold my hand over a flame, but he was also apparently in charge of hunting down errant furry children?

“I don’t… I don’t understand.”

Reagen picked up both humis in his arms and encircled them with his wings. “I’ll get them back home.”

Haste nodded.

“Bye Pennepee Pennepee!” Covi called, waving her little paw.

I waved back before dropping my hands to my sides and staring at Haste. “I’m not sure what to think right now.”

“You think I burn everything alive that I see?” He asked snidely.

“It wasn’t like I’d seen evidence otherwise,” I retorted back.

His lips twitched and his black tongue snaked out to wet his bottom lip. “Well, if you would have rested like you were supposed to instead of sneaking out, then I would have woken you up with food and shown you around.”

I kept my mouth shut about that. It had become clear this was not a place to frolic around on my own. A horned tour guide would be nice. “Okay, so am I getting that tour now then?”

His eyes swirled, and his shoulder armor rippled before he turned around without another word. Smiling to myself behind his back, I jogged after his long strides.

SEVEN

Penelope

We didn’t venture out into the main cavern, which was nice. I’d been there and done that. Also, I considered his throne pretty pretentious, but I wasn’t about it tell him that.

Instead, we traveled through a series of rocky tunnels until we came to a massive underground field. Here, the ivum rocks were more plentiful, like spiderwebs in the rocky walls and ceilings. The air was humid like a greenhouse and the plants… I didn’t hold back my gasp. So many plants. Leafy with bluish-green stalks. Some bore large fruit while others remained low to the ground, and I assumed their bounty was in their roots like a carrot.

“This… is what you eat?” I asked.

“It feeds my Raken, yes, and we also supply food to the other innocents here.”

“What about you?”

He ignored my question and stepped forward, grasping a vivid blue sphere from the plant and handing it to me. “You turned your nose up at our pobas, but I think you’ll like this sustenance. It’s a ruque.”

I accepted the sphere from him, which looked tiny in his big hand, but was easily the size of a football. I held it in both hands and stared at the seeded skin. “Do I—”

Haste bent at the waste, his face inches from mine. His mouth opened and I let out a squeak of fright at the size of his pointed teeth. His black eyes locked on mine and his scent surrounded me—a heated musk that gave me a flashback to when he’d pinned me against the wall. Before I could react, he took a chunk out of the ruque and backed away. His scent gone, his eyes no longer holding mine, I let out a relieved breath. Chewing, he nodded to the fruit. “Just take a bite.”

“Right,” I muttered, still a little weirded out by my repeated reaction to his closeness. I shook my head and took a bite out of the fruit. While the skin was a little tough—kind of like a kiwi—the inner flesh had a watermelon like texture and burst with as much flavor as a ripe peach. I hadn’t had much of an appetite when I’d first arrived and had only scarfed down the last of my granola bar for energy. Now that I wasn’t scared out of my mind, my stomach was craving something, and this fruit was hitting the spot.

“Oh yeah,” I murmured, taking another bite. Juice leaked out the corner of my mouth. “I could eat these every day.” I snaked my tongue out of my mouth, catching the dripping juice at the corner of my lips. When Haste’s gaze locked on my tongue, and his shoulder armor rippled, I froze. “What?” I whispered.

For a moment, he didn’t move, and then he let out a low growl that rumbled in my belly before turning away. “Reagen, tell your brother to pick a selection and place it in my den.” When Reagen nodded, Haste turned to me. “Let’s go. There’s more to see.”

Haste showed me more bathing pools, explained where his Raken lived and ate, and most importantly, he explained the boundaries of his territory. We didn’t revisit the dessec plants, as I’d already gotten a firsthand demonstration, but Raken said they kept out the Eaters and other underground vermin that could cause harm to the humis.

“A little info on the boundaries would have been nice earlier,” I whispered under my breath as we descended a moss-padded tunnel.

“I needed more information on who and what you were before I could trust you.”

“And you trust me now?”

He glanced behind him, and his eyes did a casual perusal of my body. “If your kind want to cause me harm, I would have expected something a little more equipped for battle.”

I inhaled sharply, slightly offended, but then let out a loud cackle. He did have a point. I wasn’t meant for battle. Still, I raised my fists. “I’m not totally helpless. I take kickboxing lessons back at home.”

He stopped in the tunnel and turned to face me. “Kick … boxing?”

I was a little rusty. It’d been a while, since I’d been on, you know, a damn spaceship, but keeping fit was important for interstellar travel. Swallowing, I let out a volley of air punches before a spin kick. I stumbled a little on the landing but tried to cover it up with a little spin. The moss provided some cushion. When finished, I maintained what I considered a fierce pose with my hands at my face and lifted my eyebrows. “See?”

He didn’t seem impressed. Before I could take another breath, he dropped into a crouch and swiped his long leg under my feet. Suddenly I was airborne. I braced for impact, but before I hit the ground a tail and arms wrapped around me, stopping me in mid-air inches from the moss below.

Nearly levitating, I breathed harshly, stunned, as Haste leaned over me with a wicked grin on his face. “What’s that about not being helpless?”

With a growl, I struggled until he relinquished his hold on me. I flopped on the ground inelegantly until rising to my feet with as much dignity as I could muster. Brushing off my suit, I huffed. “You didn’t have to show off.”

“That wasn’t showing off.” He stood with his arms crossed, feet braced apart. The ivum all around us glowed.

I fished a ruque fruit from my waist pouch and ate it while glaring at him. “I have other talents. Being strong and powerful isn’t all about strength.”

My words must have struck a nerve, because he visibly flinched before his nostrils flared. Whirling around, he barked over his shoulder, “Let’s go!”

I followed quickly, finishing my fruit, already wishing I had another one. I was really looking forward to the selection that would be awaiting me back in Haste’s den.

As we traveled down the tunnel, a din could be heard ahead. I’d already seen the Raken barracks, which were actually fairly quiet. The feathered warriors operated much like a military installation.

The tunnel widened and the moss grew thicker under my feet until I felt like I was walking on shag carpet. Ahead, a few small bodies scurried this way and that. I let out a little gasp and skipped to Haste’s side. “Are those humis?”

He didn’t respond, as the answer was now obvious. We came to the mouth of the tunnel and suddenly we were immersed in a very busy humis colony. They scuttled about here and there, chatting in little voices. Some sat behind small stands selling wares and the smell of food cooking hung in the air. This didn’t feel like an underground burrow. With the high ceilings and vast opening, it reminded me of the model towns that existed in Vegas hotels.

“The humis are vulnerable to Eaters, so we protect them. In exchange, they work the crops, provide us clothing, and also craft weapons.”

While the humis absolutely noticed Haste’s presence, they didn’t cower in fear. Instead, they either waved or bowed in respect before continuing with their duties. I was the one who gained the most attention as lots of little eyes bore into me from all directions.

“The news of you has already spread, which is why Covi and Coly decided to spy on you.”

“Pennepee Pennepee!” shouted a little voice and a furry body emerged from the crowd, bolting toward me. Coly was on her heels, and they skidded to a stop just as an exasperated Reagen appeared behind them with a larger, older female humis.

“So sorry, Haste Haste,” she murmured as she ran as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Covi grabbed my hand. “Can you you stay and play? I’m sure Mum Mum would let you you sleep over.”

I laughed as I squeezed the little humis hand. The only person who asked me to sleep over anymore was my sister, and I had to admit, I missed that time with her. I crouched down. “I don’t think I can play now, but I’m sure I can sneak away from Haste soon and visit, okay?”

Covi seemed only somewhat pacified. “Okay. I I guess so.”

“You you two,” the female humis said, grabbing the siblings by the scruff of their necks. “I I told you you to stay and clean your your den!”

“Mum Mum!” Coly cried out. “That hurts!”

“I I’m not even squeezing that hard,” she huffed.

Her eyes glanced up at me, but she immediately let them drop and bowed her head. “I I’m sorry. I I will try do a better job disciplining them them.”

“Are you their mother?” I asked.

She nodded with a strained smile.

“I enjoyed meeting them. Am I allowed to visit again?”

She glanced up in surprise. “You you want to visit?”

“Yes, I’d love to get to know them more.”

“Please, Mum Mum?” begged Covi. “Can she she? Can she she?”

“She she can,” their mother said before glancing at Haste. “Is that all right?”

“Of course,” he answered.

“Now come,” she said, tugging harder on their necks. “You you have chores to finish. And Coly Coly, I I told you you to wipe your face.” She steered them away from us. “You you have juice on your your chin.”

“I I’m sorry,” Coly squawked before hollering. “Bye Pennepee Pennepee!”

I waved, even though they were now out of sight in the crowd. I watched the burrow some more, while Haste spoke quietly to Reagen.

“Why do you all live down here?” I asked Haste. “Instead of on the surface?”

He hesitated a moment before answering. “The surface does not have proper living conditions for us.”

“Then how… how did you get down here?” I was trying to wrap my brain around how a living colony formed underground but not on the surface of the planet.

Again, he paused before answering. “The surface used to possess optimal living conditions.”

“Did you live up there at one time?”

He nodded.

“What happened?”

He let out a long breath, and Reagen’s dark eyes fixed on me intently. Haste motioned for us to leave the burrow, and I hurried to his side as I waited for an answer. Reagen followed behind.

“I’m not completely sure what happened. I was already underground when those living on the surface were killed.”

“How long have you been down here?”

He snorted softly. “A long time.”

“So how old are you?” I was asking a lot of questions and although I could tell Haste was getting irritated, I couldn’t stop. My brain had to parse out how this made sense. “Wait, you’re the only one of your kind I’ve seen. And as for your Raken…” I turned to glance at Reagen, who wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I haven’t seen any females. How do you procreate? What’s your life span?”

Haste rubbed his forehead on a sigh. “My Raken and I are immortal.” I let out a low whistle as he went on. “There’s only one way for me to die, and since that’ll never happen…” his jaw clenched. “My duty is to protect the humis and prevent the Eaters from taking over. And that’s enough questions for now, little scientist.”

EIGHT

Penelope

I ate as much as I dared. Before, I’d been too terrified to really think much of food, but now that I felt marginally safe in Haste’s den, I could finally swallow without a lump in my throat. Still, I didn’t want to get sick, so I refrained from scarfing down all the fruit in front of me.

Fruit! Underground! I could barely believe my eyes and wished like hell my crew was with me. Sumit would be collecting as much data as he could as fast as possible while Cassidy would be busy documenting everything with pictures and video. My hands fell limply into my lap. I missed them. I even missed Roger. But I couldn’t say I regretted falling into Haste’s lair. This place was a feast for my scientist brain. I only wished I had some way to share this with my crew and Earth.

I picked at a small tear in the pants of my suit. I swore I could still smell the burning of the worm when Haste had thrown it against the dessec plant. And it was like I could still feel his tail wrapped around my waist, the tip slipping up the inside of my thigh…

I hit the heel of my palm against my forehead a few times, trying to knock some sense into myself. I was smart. I had a doctorate. How could I be down here thinking of some alien feeling me up?

“Focus on staying alive and collecting as much information as you can, Pen,” I muttered to myself.

But the encounter wouldn’t leave my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he smelled, how he felt, and most of all… the flash of the rocks and the way he’d stepped away like I’d burned him. Something had surprised him, something big that made him literally flee from me as fast as he could.

I glanced up just as Haste bowed his head, horns almost grazing the frame of the entryway, and entered the room.

He stopped short inside with his eyes locked on me.

I stared back, trying to gauge his mood.

He snatched a chair and plunked it down in the center of the room before sitting down. The legs creaked under him as he leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees. “You are a scientist, so you like studying and experiments, right?”

Elation fluttered in my chest. Was he going to let me explore on my own now that I had a tour and knew the problem areas? “Yes. I like those very much.”

He inhaled sharply before letting out a long exhale. “Then I have an experiment I’d like you to participate in.”

Eager to hear more, I shuffled to the edge of the nest with a giddy little wiggle. “What is it?”

He stared at his hands for a moment before slowly lifting his head to meet my gaze. “Mate with me.”

I blinked at him as my mind processed the words. Had he just said…? Did he want…? “I’m sorry?”

He jerked upright and barked indignantly. “You said you liked experiments.”

I held up a hand. “I did indeed say that, but I’m going to need more details. How is mating with you an experiment? Like, look, I’ve heard a lot of pickup lines in my day, but this is a new one.”

“Pickup lines?”

I waved a hand. “Just explain please.”

His nostrils flared. “I can’t.”

My eyebrows rose into my hairline. “You can’t?”

“I don’t know how to explain it, but my reaction to you is unlike any reaction I’ve ever had since…” He swallowed, eyes shifting away for a moment in a way that made me suspicious. “Since I’ve lived in the Under.”

I latched on to his evasion. “What does that mean?”

He looked about ready to snap. “It means that my body reacts positively to your pleasure, when usually it reacts positively to the pain and suffering of others.” He huffed out a breath from his nose like a bull. “And your pain… displeases me.”

Goosebumps broke out on my skin as I said in a shaking voice, “How do you know your body reacts to my pleasure?”

His black eyes fixed on me fiercely. “You smelled different when we were near the dessec plants, and it wasn’t your fear. Your fear stinks. But when your scent changed…” Eyes closing, his body shuddered, and his hands gripped his knees until his claws dug into his pants.

“So… you were turned on?” I asked slowly.

His eyes popped open and narrowed. “I don’t get turned on. I haven’t since…” Another odd shift of his eyes. “In a long time,” he finished.

“How long?” I asked.

He answered with a curt, “Long.” His chest rose and fell, and the scales on his shoulders rippled. “I want to know how your climax affects me.”

Well, I had to hand it to him. He was direct. He didn’t want to give me an orgasm for me, he wanted to see how it affected him. For some stupid reason, that filled me with disappointment. Why had I thought he’d be any different than a human male?

I rubbed my forehead. The woman in me wanted to snap no at him. Maybe even slap him. But… the scientist in me was curious too. I remembered the flash of the ivum rocks, the swaying of the dessec plants, and the way his body swelled when he smelled my arousal, so similar to how he’d reacted when he’d sliced off the hand of the Eater. But when my hand had been held over the flame, and I’d cried out in pain… he’d hated it. I remembered the pain and distress that had crossed his face.

I let out a long sigh. “So, we just… mate?”

He hitched a breath, head tilting like a puppy. “Are you considering?”

I was dry as a bone, to be honest. Usually experiments gave me a lady boner, but this one was unlike any I’d done before. When we’d been near the dessec plants, our reactions to each other had been so spontaneous and instinctual. Planning it out like this was a mood killer.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be alive or if I’d get home. So why not live a little and bone an alien demon?

“I—yes.”

His body jerked. “Yes?”

“Yes, I’ll… mate with you.”

He didn’t seem to believe me at first, as he sat frozen without a reaction. I’d learned that despite his terrifying demeanor when we first met, he was actually quite expressive.

Suddenly he jerked to his feet and his clawed hands went to the waistband of his pants.

Thrusting my hands in front of my face, I turned away, shouting, “Whoa whoa!”

“What?” he grunted from somewhere in front of me.

I peeked between my fingers. His hands were still there, not moving, and thank God he was still fully clothed. “I-It’s just… you mean now? Right now?”

He looked bewildered. “If not now, when?”

I pressed my lips together. He had a point, but jeez. The thought of participating in an experiment excited me, but I didn’t think I’d so quickly have to deal with the actual reality that I was going to… consummate with this alien and whatever organ he had in his pants. “Can we… build up to it?”

“Build up to it?”

Was I really asking him for foreplay? “I need—”

He went to his knees in front of me so quickly that I let out a little yelp and nearly toppled over on the bedding. His black eyes bore into mine, and I tried to get back to that place I’d been near the dessec plants, when I’d reacted to his nearness without fear. I just couldn’t seem to get there. Not now, not when we were treating this like a clinical act.

His nostrils flared and his nose wrinkled. “I don’t like how you smell.”

“Uh, thanks?”

“You don’t smell like you did before.”

“I realize that.” I gritted my teeth.

Suddenly his hand gripped the back of my neck and flipped me. I found myself on my hands and knees, his groin pressing into my ass and his hand pushing firmly on the back of my shoulder blades. I tried to turn my head, but he held me with an inhuman strength, and it was then I felt him fumbling at his pants.

Sex was now the farthest thing from my mind. My body went into fight mode, and I let out a scream as I fought against his hold. “Stop! No! I-I don’t want this!”

The heat of his body left my ass. His hand was gone. I flipped onto my back and then rose up onto my knees, hands ready to do battle, but I didn’t have to land any punches. Haste had fled to the far side of the room. Hands fisted at his side, chest heaving, he looked positively miserable. His eyes were huge and shiny, while his skin was dark and angry.

I lowered my fists and could only stare back at him as I sought to calm my racing heart. What had I thought? That he would have mating rituals like humans? This wasn’t going to work.

“You reek of fear,” he spoke through a clenched jaw.

I swallowed. “What you did scared me.”

He visibly trembled. “That was how my kind mated. If we were able to get the female onto her front, we could mate.”

I swallowed. “I respect that, but that is not how I like to be mated.”

“I said I would never hurt you again, and I failed.” His mouth twisted, like he’d just drank poison.

“You didn’t hurt me. You scared me. And I think it was because of a lack of communication.” I rubbed at the back of my neck and grimaced. “I’m not sure this is going to work.”

“I will do more research on human mating,” he said quickly, his eyes alight.

I sighed. “All humans are different. Women get aroused by different things.”

He still breathed heavily, and he didn’t take his eyes off me as I slowly rose to my feet. “Look—”

“Haste!” Reagen burst into the den, his brother Treeter at his heels in a flurry of feathers. “The south border has been breached. We don’t think it’s a large break, but the Eaters are getting bolder.” His eyes flicked to me before returning back to Haste.

“By the flames,” Haste muttered. “Treeter, you stay with Pen. Let’s go, Reagen.” With one last glance at me, he strode out with Reagen at his side.

I sank back down on the bed, feeling confused about our interaction and a little drained. I drank a little water and ate some of my fruit as Treeter stood at the mouth of the den. His eyes kept straying to me, and finally I took pity on him and stood across from him. Leaning on the wall, I studied the Raken. “So, you and Reagen are brothers?”

He nodded.

“Any other siblings?”

He nodded, then quickly shook his head. “Not anymore.”

“You used to have more?”

His throat worked and his lips shook beneath his hooked beak. “A sister.”

“You have no female Raken now?”

He grew increasingly uncomfortable at my questions and shook his head. “No.”

“You don’t have to be nervous around me.”

“Your questions are a lot,” he admitted with a nervous little whistle.

“Okay, that’s fair.” I had to lay off the guy. I didn’t want to get him in trouble with his older brother. “Want to play a game or something?”

That got his attention. “Really?” Suddenly his face fell. “I’m supposed to keep watch though.”

“Oh, okay,” I sighed with disappointment.

He glanced at the den before the corner of his lips tilted up. “Okay, one game.”

I fist pumped the air. “Yeah!”

We settled on a game where we had to throw stones into a small ditch. Whoever got the most stones in got the most points. Treeter turned out to be very, very good at the game. He won two out of three games and was taking a victory lap around the den while I called him a gloater when a familiar shuffling sound reached my ears.

Frowning, I tried to shush the celebrating Treeter, but he didn’t pay attention to me. I took a few steps toward the mouth of the den as the shuffling grew louder. Fear sent my heart racing just as Treeter stopped in his tracks and tilted his head. Eyes widening, he took a leap toward the opening when a sharpened spike sailed into the room, piercing Treeter through the chest. Another followed in quick succession, slamming into his thigh.

“No!” I screamed, lunging for him as he fell into the dirt, gasping for breath. But I didn’t get to reach him. From the mouth of the den, Eaters poured in like a hatched spider egg sack, led by a bipedal eater who bore a satchel of spikes on his chest. He opened his mouth, full of sharp-pointed teeth, and let out a victorious hissing moan that froze my breath in my lungs. Hands grabbed me, claws tore at my suit, and I screamed and fought until my throat was raw and every muscle in my body ached as they carried me away.

NINE

Haste

“What do you think?” Reagen said as we watched the bodies of half a dozen Eaters burn in my fires. The ivum rocks flared around me, and I inhaled the sweet scent of their pain.

“They are getting bolder.”

“You think it’s because of her?”

“Yes, but I still don’t understand why. Why didn’t they eat her when they got to her first? They couldn’t have known I’d want anything to do with her.”

Reagen rubbed the tips of his feathers together. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I need to get a hold of a prime. We might have to send out a squad.”

Reagen nodded. “I’ll organize one.”

“You know I hate to—”

“It’s fine,” Reagen cut me off, watching me steadily. “Our numbers are still great.” He turned to face me as the last moans of the dying Eaters flushed through my body. “Did you ask her?”

The memory of what had just happened in my den came rushing back, making me wince. “I need to speak to Pieter.”

“Why?” Reagen frowned.

“I have to understand the mating habits of humans. She did not respond well to my efforts that I’m familiar with.”

Reagen crossed his arms and leaned back, hips jutting out. “What does she need to mate?”

I clicked my claws together as I thought. “I’m not sure.”

“She won’t tell you?”

“I think she will, but she seemed reluctant and isn’t confident it will work. And now I’m more determined than ever. If she thinks I can make her aroused…” I snorted. “Then I will work extra hard.” I gestured toward my den. “Let’s go relieve Treeter. I need to talk to Pen.”

We were silent on the way there, me lost in thought and Reagen properly perplexed as well. Raken matings were always female-instigated and most males had to fend off multiple female suitors. As far as my kind… it was always a battle. If the males won, they earned the right to mate.

I bowed my head, so my horns didn’t scrape the opening of my den and lifted my eyes to the bedding in search of Pen. But she wasn’t there. Instead Treeter lay in a pool of blood, a prime Eater spike piercing his chest and thigh.

“Treeter!” Reagen called out, immediately going to his knees at his brother’s side. I feared the worst as I raised the alarm for Growen, but fortunately I saw Treeter’s lips move and his arm weakly raise in the air.

Reagen turned to me, jaw set and eyes flashing with anger. “A few primes with an entire army of Eaters. They must have slipped a border somewhere else. Those were decoys.”

As much as it pained me to see Treeter wounded, the news that my enemies were now in possession of my Pen sent my head spinning and my muscles flaming. “They took her?” I spat out in a low growl. Already my mind was on killing as many Eaters as I could until I got her back…

Reagen reached for me. “Haste, you have to be careful. They’ll use her against you. She’s a weakness.”

I could barely hear his words. I hadn’t even thought about them using her against me. I didn’t give a fiery flame about that. I just wanted her back.

As Growen rushed into the room to treat Treeter, I spun to my chest of armor and weapons. I’d heed Reagen’s words and prepare for battle. The thought of my human—my plant-curious, kickboxing, humis-loving human in their clutches… They weren’t prepared for even a tenth of the wrath I felt.

TEN

Penelope

I was sick and tired of being afraid. I had assumed the Eaters were these simple-minded monsters who wanted to eat me. I hadn’t realized there was a whole colony and that the Eaters I first saw were merely the soldiers. The ones who hurt Treeter—I didn’t want to think he was dead—and abducted me were some sort of leaders.

Bipedal, more humanoid, and clearly intelligent, they spoke an actual language rather than a bunch of moans. While my translator seemed to be translating something, their words were jumbled, and I had a hard time parsing them out. What had Haste called them? Prime Eaters, I thought it was.

Carried on the spiny backs of the soldier Eaters, I decided to save my energy. I wasn’t escaping them, not now, while my abduction was their main objective. Did I want to be transported to a second location? No, but I could only hope Haste would return soon and… fuck, would he try to rescue me? Would it be worth the injuries his Raken could sustain? He might find Treeter dead and think, Fuck it, they can have the human.

“Please find me,” I whispered to myself as clawed hands dug into my clothes. “Please, Haste.”

My space suit was nearly ruined. Long tears marred the torso, and one pant leg had been torn completely off. At least my leg hadn’t been taken with it, although I could see a clawed gash bleeding on my shin.

Moans filled the tunnels as the spider Eaters scuttled along quickly. The farther we went, the less I saw any ivum rocks until their glowing blue light was nothing but a memory.

Here, it was only flames sputtering out orange sparks. One landed on my stomach, and I quickly patted it out. Left behind was a scorched black hole exposing my belly.

My AYER was still in place, and I worried about the filter life the deeper we seemed to retreat into the core of the planet. Sweat dripped into my hair and pooled at the base of my spine. I could smell the stink of my breath, rank with fear and exhaustion. As terrified as I’d been when I first met Haste, I would have given anything to see that horned alien right now. I imagined his tail slashing through these Eaters like a hot knife through butter.

We finally entered a cavern where soot coated the ground and flames rose from holes in the floor. But this was no throne room. The entire place stunk like decay, and weird shapes lined the room. As we drew closer, I realized they were emaciated Eater bodies. When I was dumped on the floor, my knee landed on something hard, and I cried out. Suspecting a rock had pierced my skin, I searched for the object only to find a white bone, picked clean. Gagging, I dropped it, praying it didn’t belong to a humis or a Raken.

Lifting my head, I finally got a good look at the prime Eaters. Each carried a satchel of stakes like the one they’d thrown at Treeter. Their white eyes with small black pupils watched me closely while the Eaters all around me rose in a frenzy of moaning and clacking of bony limbs.

It was like a celebration, and I didn’t like what that meant for me. They were Eaters after all, so wouldn’t they… eat me?

The prime Eater who’d staked Treeter stepped forward. “Defeat weapon, possess now!” He called out in an accented voice, and all the Eaters began to stomp their clawed hands in the soot, kicking up so much dust that I had trouble seeing what was happening.

“Victory!” The prime Eater shouted.

I didn’t understand. What weapon? Who were they defeating? Because Haste wasn’t here … and I didn’t think he’d risk his Raken for me. Sure, he might have been close to getting laid, but I didn’t sense that I was a priority for him.

I sneezed as the snoot tickled my nose just as the ground seemed to rumble beneath me. But this wasn’t the stomping of the Eaters, this was an actual ground-shaking Planet EII-quake.

Through the dust, a form took shape in front of me—so massive at first I thought I was seeing things. But from a large mouth in the cavern a massive, bloated creature emerged, like some sort of blob that moved on small legs like a centipede.

The top of it scraped the ceiling of the cavern, which had to be three stories high. It had no eyes I could see, just a thin, nearly translucent skin. Underneath the skin, vaporous shapes shifted like black smoke, moving around the giant globe animal, sometimes pressing on the skin like they were trying to escape before retreating back inside.

The prime Eaters went down on their knees and bowed their heads while the soldier Eaters flattened their bellies to the ground and splayed their limbs.

Kneeling, I remained where I was, staring at the giant blob as it slithered closer to me. “What the fuck?” I whispered, unable to believe what I was seeing, like something out of a science fiction horror movie.

The one prime Eater rose from his bow and addressed the silent crowd. “Consume! Feed us!”

The sight of the blob might have frozen me stiff, but at the sound of those words, my body went into fight mode. No way would I sit here while they tore me to bits and ate me, or whatever that blob had planned for me. None of it could be good. Taking advantage of the temporarily disabled spider Eaters, I lurched to my feet and took off on a dead sprint, running on the backs of the Eaters as they lay sprawled in their allegiance to the blob.

The primes shrieked, while the ground shook again, probably some sort of protest from the blob, but I didn’t look back. The spider Eaters scrambled to rise, but I had already reached the back of the crowd. Did I know where I was going to go? No way. I hadn’t left breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel but any place on this fucking planet would be better than in the blob cavern.

I tripped as the Eaters in the last few rows began to rise. My ankle turned and pain shot through my leg, but I only firmed my jaw and kept going. So close. Almost to the edge of the cavern—

A prime rose in front of me, seemingly out of nowhere, with a spear pointed right at my chest. I stopped short, stumbling to the ground as the spider Eaters went into a frenzy around me. I looked back, seeing the Eaters part like the Red Sea as the blob thing made its way toward me. A section of skin pulsed and suddenly a hole opened in the blob itself. Inside, the dark shapes swirled, and I swore I heard screams coming from inside the blob. Was it going to suck me in there? Oh fuck no.

I turned back to face the prime. “I’m not going to be a victim to that blob thing,” I spat. Maybe I should run myself through with his stake.

I took a step forward just as the prime opened his mouth. But he never got out any words. One minute he stood in front of me menacingly and the next he was in two pieces. Two. Pieces. They hit the ground with a thud and when I looked up, at first all I saw was a cloud of white steam. Emerging from it, carrying two flaming whips and a lashing tale—was Haste.

He dropped into a crouch, and then with a mighty roar leapt over me, whips whistling through the air. Their cracks were deafening, and the spider Eaters went berserk. They advanced on Haste like a moaning, scrambling army. Behind them, I could make out the primes protecting that blob as it retreated to whatever hole it had come from. I lost sight of it when hands grabbed my arms. I let out a shriek and began swinging until I heard Reagen’s calm voice. “You’re safe now.”

He shuffled me back through a line of Raken, who stood at the mouth of the cavern like a barrier. Behind them, Haste wreaked havoc on the Eaters. But they seemed to be infinite, more appearing on the walls and ceilings no matter how many he sliced in two. Their dying moans filled the cavern, and it was then I caught a last glimpse of the blob. Before it vanished out of sight, the hole in its mouth opened and… more spider Eaters burst through as the smoke vapors inside the translucent blob shimmered and screamed.

My mouth dropped open and despite the flames all around me, an ice-cold chill trickled down my spine until my teeth chattered. The blob produced the spider Eaters but… how? Would I have been consumed and turned into one of these bony spider people?

A fiery whip cracked the air over my head and my attention was immediately drawn to Haste who battled the Eaters all on his own. I tugged on a Raken’s wing. “Aren’t you going to help him?” The Raken cast me a side-long glance and then silently shook his head.

Haste was a vision—steam rising from his skin as he turned and slashed and whipped, slicing Eaters in half with ease. Their numbers were the only reason they were able to hold any sort of ground, but even that was a losing battle.

A shout went up from somewhere deep in the cavern and suddenly, like a queen calling her drones home, all Eaters retreated into the opposite mouth of the cavern.

Haste did not follow. He stood in the center of the now empty room, chest heaving, whips flaming, and his shoulder armor rippled. He wore a breastplate and thigh armor, but other than that, he wore no protective gear. When he turned around, his skin bore no injuries. With another crack of his whips, the fire was extinguished in a puff of black smoke.

“Where is she?” he growled.

The Raken guards parted to reveal me where I stood with my fists clenched. I couldn’t imagine what I looked like. Somewhere along the way, my hair had been torn from its tie, I had to hold the torso of my suit closed with my hand so I didn’t expose myself, and my leg was still dripping blood.

“Pen,” he whispered hoarsely. In two long strides, he was in front of me and gathering me into his arms. He’d dropped his breastplate, so he pressed me to his bare chest, and I breathed in the smoky musk of Haste.

I clung to him, finally realizing how close I’d come to… well, I didn’t want to think about it. Vaporized into a screaming cloud before being rebirthed as a moaning spider person. I shuddered at the close call, and that was when the tears started.

I wasn’t a crier, and I didn’t enjoy crying. My sister loved sad movies and said it was cathartic, but that wasn’t me. Even when I’d gotten my cancer diagnosis and had to have a hysterectomy at age thirty-three, I barely cried. Shedding tears felt like I’d given up, but right now… I understood her. I cried out the fear and pain as Haste began walking. I didn’t even look where we were going. I didn’t care. Now that I was safe, I could break down, and it didn’t matter who saw.

Suddenly, I remembered something very important. My head shot up on a gasp. “Is Treeter okay?”

Haste’s jaw was firm when he nodded in one jerk. “He will fully recover.”

I let my forehead fall onto Haste’s chest with a thunk. “I was so worried.”

Nearby, I heard a strangled sound like a throat clearing and blinked at Reagen who strode at Haste’s side with a determined gaze. “I’m sorry about your brother,” I said to him.

Reagen’s eyes shifted to me for a millisecond before he nodded. Haste’s hand rested on the back of my head, his claws massaging my scalp and it was then I closed my eyes and let the thoughts of the blob drift away.

ELEVEN

Haste

I laid Pen down in my bedding. Her clothes were ruined, she bled in several places, and so many dark purple spots marred her skin that I lost count. Gaertha, Coly and Covi’s mother, stood nearby with her sister, and while Pen slept, I turned my back so they could undress and clean her. After they’d covered her appropriately, I resumed my watch of Pen while Growen treated her injuries.

Her leg worried me. The cut was deep but Growen assured me that while human skin was thin, it could take a lot of damage and still heal.

She no longer stunk like the Eaters, thanks to the humis females. They’d even cleaned her hair, and now it lay in a wet braided plait on my bedding. I fingered the tip, surprised at how soft the strands were. She had felt so small and vulnerable in my arms. When we’d arrived at the vapix’s chamber, I had feared the worst. When I saw her alive, sprinting for her life when I’d been tasked with protecting her… I hadn’t been able to contain my rage.

If I hadn’t needed to tend to her, I might have taken on a suicide mission and gone after the vapix and the primes. Instead, I’d forced myself to accept the Eater retreat and focus on her.

“What do you think would have happened if the vapix consumed her?” Reagen asked. Pieter stood nearby with his tablet, tapping away and whistling in stressed tones.

“I don’t want to think about it,” I muttered as I watched her sleep. I’d only known her for so long, but now I couldn’t imagine not having her in my den—

“He’d be more powerful than you,” Reagen interrupted my thoughts.

I frowned at him. “What?”

“That’s the concern that I’m trying to explain to you.” Reagen spoke in measured tones that did nothing to hide his annoyance. “We don’t yet the know the extent of the effect she has on you. There’s something… powerful in her. If the vapix takes that power for himself…” Reagen shook his head. “We can’t let that happen. We must protect her.”

It made sense that Reagen was worried about the effect on our colony. I should have been too, and instead I was only thinking about how badly I wanted her for myself. How she made me feel.

“She’s my strength, not weakness,” I growled.

“She’s both,” he snapped. “I’m not insulting her, so quit your steaming. I’m saying we will use her for good and they’ll use her for bad. You need to consummate—”

“Stop.” I lifted a hand in the air. “She’s bleeding and injured. I’m not thinking with my cock.”

Reagen’s eyes fired. “I didn’t say to think with your cock. Think with your head as the leader of this colony and help us all stay alive.”

I rose to my feet and turned on him. “You think I forget my duty?”

Pieter let out another distressed whistle and cowered in the corner.

Reagen, as always, did not back down. “No, but I think she’s confusing you, and I’m just sorting it out for you.”

“Thanks for your charity,” I quipped.

Reagen’s wings fluttered, and he let out a long breath as his eyes strayed to the sleeping human. “I like her too. There’s something about her that’s different. Maybe it’s a human thing. But she won’t be here forever. Pieter said she’s mortal. So, we need to think long term, not temporary.” With that he gave me one final look. “I’m going to check on my brother.”

He walked out, leaving me to stare at the opening of my den as I thought about his words.

For a moment, there was no sound, then Pieter shuffled toward me before shoving the tablet in my hand. “I did some research based on a conversation I had with Reagen.”

I glared at him, and he let out a squeak. “It was just between the two of us. Private. Secret.” He cleared his throat. “Please read what I prepared for you.”

He fled the room quickly and I sank down in a chair beside where Penelope lay. It was then I began to page through the research Pieter had made about human biology and lifespan. I paged through it, not wanting to think about how long she could live until I came to the information I cared most about—human courting and mating habits. Leaning back in my chair, I began to read.

Penelope

I opened my eyes, which was one of the few body parts that wasn’t sore and for a moment only saw purple. I panicked for a moment, thinking my vision had gone wonky somewhere in that blob hell, until my eyes focused, and I realized that my bedding was completely surrounded by purple flowers.

All around me, they lay in bunches tied with a dried vine. One even lay on my chest. I picked it up and stared at it. Had they thought I was dead? Was this some funeral pyre?

I sat up straight in bed, worried that the entire thing was going to go up in flames like some Viking ritual, but instead the room was empty except for four Raken who stood facing away from me guarding the mouth of the den.

“Hello?” I called out. One turned around, spotted me, and immediately let out a piercing whistle that made me wince.

Footsteps thundered outside almost immediately and Haste rushed into the den, skidding to a halt. His tail cracked the air, and the Raken immediately left, leaving the two of us alone.

I glanced at his bathing pool to find that most of the purple flowers—the ones he’d forbidden me to touch—had been carefully pruned. I touched a petal of the bouquet on my chest, and the surface was soft and fuzzy, like a kitten’s belly. I smiled and inhaled the sweet fragrance.

But I didn’t understand…

I glanced up at Haste. “What’s all this?”

His eyes shifted and his hands twitched. “Bouquets.”

“Bouquets?”

His tongue came out to wet his lips. “You were hurt, and I wanted to make you feel better. I understand that human females appreciate watching flowers die.”

“I—” my breath left me in a whoosh, and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing at him. This was a nice gesture, albeit a little misinformed. Especially for me, a botanist. I liked live plants and as much as I appreciated the gesture, I was fine with leaving the flowers where they were.

His eyes clouded. “Do you not like them? Do you need more?” Frowning, he added, “More will grow soon.”

I waved my hands in the air. “No, no, I don’t need more. These are fine. In fact, these are more than enough.” And of course, because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, I explained, “I would prefer to admire the flowers intact. You didn’t have to cut these for me.”

His mouth opened and closed without a sound before he nodded his head in a jerk. “I will do better in the future.”

“That’s—”

“Are you feeling better?” He crossed his arms over his chest, all business now. Back to supreme demon leader mode.

I looked down at my body, for the first time realizing that I no longer wore my spacesuit. Instead, I was clothed in an oversized shapeless shirt and a pair of legging-type pants, all made from the same woven vine material-like the bedding. I plucked at the soft fabric. “How—” I glanced up at Haste sharply. “Did you dress me?”

“Coly and Covi’s mother Gaertha dressed you. Your original clothes were torn.”

My fingers found their way to the filter on the back of my neck. I prodded it, but thankfully found it intact and without damage. Soon, I was going to have to deal with the very real fact that my AYER would not last forever. I couldn’t be sure how long I’d been down here, but I knew I had some time before the filter expired and I’d be gasping for oxygen.

I shifted in the bedding and a minor ache in my leg made me pull up my pants to reveal my bandaged shin. I remembered the slash of claws and hot pain, but I could flex my foot and bend my knee, so it was only tissue damage.

“Are you in pain?” Haste asked.

I glanced up. He’d come closer and now crouched next to my bedding. I answered honestly. “I’m sore. Nothing serious.”

His head dropped and one of his clawed hands rested on the bedding near mine. “I’m not happy about what happened.”

I let out a small chuckle. “Neither am I.”

He seemed confused by my humor. “I promised not to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me.”

“But my inaction and inattentiveness got you hurt.”

“You also arrived just in time and prevented that blob thing from doing whatever it was going to do to me.”

“Blob thing?”

I puffed out my cheeks and held my hands out from my sides while swaying back and forth like a lumbering elephant.

“Ah,” he said. “The vapix.”

“What is that thing?” I shuddered.

“It inhales live creatures and turns their essence into Eaters. It controls the Eaters as well as the primes.”

I wrinkled my nose. “It’s like a giant brain that eats things. So, all those black clouds inside…”

“Essences of the living.”

“It sounded like…” I swallowed. “They were screaming.”

He nodded slowly. “They are suffering.”

“Fuck me,” I murmured on a gasp. “Are there more of those vapix things?”

“Just one. One essence can produce hundreds of Eaters.”

“So, it would have...”

“Eaten you, yes. And I believe there’s something special about your essence. Something the vapix wants very badly.”

Fear at seeing that thing again had me reaching out and grabbing Haste’s hand. “Thank you for rescuing me. I wasn’t sure if you’d think I was worth the trouble. I wouldn’t want any of your Raken to get hurt.”

He glanced down at where I clasped one of his big hands between mine. “Of course, I’d come.”

“What do we do now? Will the Eaters try to take me again?”

“Their ranks are depleted now and will take time to recover before they try again.”

“But you think they will?”

He nodded.

“Haste…” I bit my lip. “I need to get to the surface. My crew will be looking for me, and the vapix can’t get me there, can it?”

His shoulders heaved as he took a deep inhale and when he exhaled, he looked away with a tight jaw. “I don’t know how to get you to the surface, Pen.”

That wasn’t the response I expected. He’d blustered before all finders-keepers about what was down here was his territory. “I’m sorry? Can’t you just… send me back up the way I came?”

Taking his hand from mine, he rubbed his face with a growl of annoyance. “It doesn’t work like that. The surface is unlivable for us and there is a boundary even I can’t cross.”

I didn’t understand. “A boundary…?”

He jerked to his feet and turned his back on me. The armor on his wide shoulders rippled as he fisted his hands at his hips. “You think I’ve always lived here? Like this? Feeding off pain and suffering?”

Dumbstruck, I could only utter, “I hadn’t considered an alternative.”

He whirled around, eyes flashing. “Consider it. Consider that I was once a warrior of a respected race who thrived on this planet until the greed of others ruined everything. And in trying to do what was right, I was turned into this.” He tossed his blood-red hair and his horns seemed to swell with every angered word. He looked ready to bolt from the room any moment.

I wanted to understand more than anything, but he was furious, and his tone didn’t give me hope for a decent conversation. “Haste, please—” I struggled to stand up, but my sore arms gave out at the elbow, and I toppled off the side of the bedding with a yelp.

Red arms were suddenly under me, sweeping me up and depositing me back on the bedding with a gentle calm. Haste loomed over me, his expression once again calm. “Don’t try to get up.”

“I thought you were going to leave.”

He didn’t respond to that, and I squinted at him. “Were you going to leave?”

“I wanted to protect you from my anger.”

I reached for him, grasping his face between my hands.

His skin nearly burned my palms, and his eyes swirled a gray-ish black as he went very still.

“Haste,” I said on a near whisper. “Explain to me what happened.”

“I will,” he said. “When you are feeling better. It’s easier to show you.” He went silent after that, and his eyes dulled to his usual black.

I nodded, recognizing the conversation was over. “Okay.”

His long fingers wrapped around my wrists and tugged them from his face. “You need to eat and rest. Coly and Covi are asking to visit you. Treeter too.”

“He’s really okay?” I asked.

Haste’s lips tilted up at the corners. “He will heal completely. Although he’s feeling guilty for you being taken.”

“No, he shouldn’t. There were dozens of them. No way could he have fought them all off.” Not like Haste had single-handedly with his fiery whips. “Are you sure you aren’t hurt. You fought all those Eaters—”

“I’m fine,” he patted my thigh and rose. “I’ll send in the humis. There will now be six Raken guards outside my den at all times.”

I winced. “That seems like a lot of trouble.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

The pitter patter of smaller feet could be heard outside the den, followed by the deep chatter of Raken guards. Haste nodded at me. “Enjoy the visit. I’ll return soon.” As soon as his head ducked under the exit of the den, the humis burst inside.

I smiled at them, but my mind was back on my conversation with Haste. What was his story?

TWELVE

Penelope

My Eater abduction and run-in with the vapix blob took more out of me than I thought. The soreness in my muscles seemed to last forever and I couldn’t stay awake for long periods.

Haste growled at Growen numerous times asking him what was wrong with me, but I assured Haste that my body was recovering.

The cut in my leg was nearly healed, and I’d started doing light exercise around the room when Haste left, because I couldn’t take his fussing over me.

The Raken guards rotated outside Haste’s den and kept a steady presence of six or more. Coly and Covi visited me, and we played games like a modified version of darts and another which was similar to checkers.

I had just finished bathing myself and sat eating a protein bug paste on a wheat flatbread with a fruit spread that was close enough to peanut butter and jelly if I closed my eyes and didn’t think too much about it.

Footsteps in an uneven gait outside my room gave me pause, but when the guards didn’t raise any alarm, I shuffled over to see who was visiting.

Walking next to Reagen was Treeter, but he wasn’t the Treeter I remembered. He walked with his head bowed, using a cane to ease the weight on his injured leg. “Treeter!” I gasped and stepped up to him. Immediately pulling him into my arms, I embraced him and buried my head in his feathered chest. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

He remained stiff, and I pulled back to find him turning his face away from me, clearly uncomfortable. Stepping back, I dropped my hands to my side awkwardly. “Sorry. I should have asked if hugging you was okay. Did I hurt you?”

His dark eyes darted to me. “You didn’t hurt me.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” I stammered. “Good.”

He seemed to try to smile, but then his head dropped again. I glanced at Reagen helplessly, but he only watched his brother with a set jaw. Pulling a chair over, I pointed to the seat. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“I’m fine,” Treeter said quickly. “You should sit down.”

“I’m all healed. Barely even sore.” I spun in a circle to emphasize my point. “Please, sit.”

Reagen let out a puff of air between his lips before shoving his brother into the chair. The cane clattered to the floor, and I bent to pick it up before leaning it against Treeter’s leg.

No one spoke. Treeter wouldn’t look me in the eye, and Reagen stared straight ahead like he could see through the wall. This whole situation was awkward and uncomfortable, and it didn’t have to be. “Reagen, can I talk to Treeter alone?” His focused eyes shot to me and studied me carefully. “Please?” I added.

He settled his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll be back soon.”

Turning on a heel, he strutted out, leaving the two of us alone. I sank down onto the bedding across from Treeter and dropped my chin onto my knees. “Why won’t you look at me?”

“I’m the reason you were taken,” he murmured, still avoiding my eyes.

“You’re not the reason I was taken. I was taken because of the Eaters and the vapix. It was you against dozens.”

“My brother would have heard them coming and alerted backup. He never would have been injured.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Are you sure about that? I mean, Reagen does seem very capable but that was an ambush. He’s not invincible.”

Finally, he lifted his eyes. “You don’t blame me?”

I shook my head vehemently. “Not at all.”

His jaw shifted. “Reagen said you asked about me right after Haste rescued you.”

“Of course, I did. I was worried. I thought you were dead.”

Finally, a small smile broke through. “I felt like it for a little while.”

“But you’ll be okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “I might have a limp for a while, but I’ve been through worse.”

“Worse?” I nearly squeaked.

He flapped his wings. “Getting used to these was something else.”

I stared at his fluttering feathers. “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”

He opened his mouth, but was cut off by his brother, who called his name with a sharp tone that made me jump. Treeter immediately clamped his mouth shut. He gave me a small smile of apology before turning around to face his brother. “What do you need?”

“I should get you back to the room to rest.”

“I’ve been doing nothing but resting—”

“That’s because you need to heal.”

I smiled to myself at Reagen. While terse and curt, there was an underlying gentleness and concern with how he helped Treeter from his chair. Just then Haste walked in as well. His gaze came right to me before shifting away quickly to his second-in-command. “After you get Treeter settled, please join me. We have some issues with the dessec plants that I want you to take a look at.”

That got me to my feet, albeit slowly. “Can I see?”

The three aliens turned to stare at me. Reagen and Treeter then shifted their gaze to Haste, who watched me carefully with his hands on his hips. “You want to see…?”

“Let me look at the plants. While I don’t know these plants very well, I’m a quick study and might be able to help you out.” I let out an annoyed huff. “I’m a very acclaimed scientist on my planet, you know. Like, people pay money to listen to my lectures.”

Haste looked very unimpressed.

I threw my hands in the air. “I’m kind of a big deal, okay?” I pursed my lips. “Well, to certain people. Who like plants and science.” When Haste didn’t respond, I stomped my foot. “Will you please just take me?”

Haste scratched his temple before nodding. “Do you need to be carried?”

“C-carried?” I sputtered. “I’m sore, not immobile. Show the way, big guy. Let’s see if we can get these dessec plants back to their deadly zapping condition.”

The border effect lay near the humis burrows, which concerned Haste because the humis were vulnerable to Eater attacks.

Some of the blooms had blackened and using some worms as test subjects, we found they had lost their charge. It was only a few of them, but they were in a small clump, which led me to believe it was some sort of infection. Reagen and Haste talked in low tones along with the leader of the humis burrow, an older female named Opalie. For the most part, they ignored me as I crouched on the ground near the plants. I wished I had my full kit so I could test the soil and study the leaves under a microscope, but I still had the pouch from Cassidy. I took out a few vials and did a quick sample of the soil near the infected plants and the non-infected ones.

Eventually, the talking around me died down as I worked, and I turned to find all three of them watching me closely. I gave them a little wave and went back to work. After dropping a solution in the soil samples, I was able to get readings for pH and acidity. The soil near the infected plants also had a decidedly different smell.

“Has this happened before?” I asked into the silence while studying the blackened leaves.

“No,” Opalie said, wringing her paws. “Our our dessec plants are our our pride.”

I nodded and prodded at the soil with gloved hands. Turning in my crouch, I gazed up at them. “Look, I can’t be sure, but I don’t think this is natural. I believe they were poisoned.”

Haste’s eyes narrowed dangerously and the ivum rocks pulsed around us at his reaction. “What did you say?”

I wiped my sweat with the back of my wrist. “The Eaters wouldn’t be capable of this and the vapix wouldn’t either, but the primes are fairly intelligent, right?”

Haste nodded with a tense jaw.

“And these dessec plants… this is what keeps them from devouring the humis.”

“The dessec plants are our first line of defense,” Reagen said. “We also have guards at all times.”

“Right, but these plants are effective, that’s why you’ve managed to keep the humis safe for so long. I think you need to consider that the Leaders have found a way to poison the plants. They might be testing this patch here to see if their concoction works. Which, clearly it does.”

Haste laid a hand on Reagen’s forehead. “Set up a patrol along the dessec borders to catch any Leaders who may be killing the plants.”

Reagen nodded and took off immediately with Opalie, leaving Haste and I alone. He crouched next to me and fingered the dead plants while clenching his other fist tightly.

“I might be able to work up a protectant to spray on the plants if you give me some time and materials,” I said.

His eyes shot to me like bullets. “You can?”

“I might,” I emphasized.

“I’ll give you whatever you need. Just make me a list.”

I nodded, my mind running through possible solutions.

“Pen?” His voice called out.

“Hmm?” I glanced up.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and his lips curled into a small smile. “You’re kind of a big deal here, too.”

Haste

Pen chased Covi, who squealed with delight even as she ran slow enough Pen could catch up with her.

I’d warned the humis to take it easy on their human playmate. Since her encounter with the vapix, Pen had been sleeping more and moved stiffly. I’d tried to get her rest more, but she said she was just sore and needed to stretch her muscles. I would never forget the sight of her leaping over the backs of the bowed Eaters with torn, bloody clothes and determination etched in her expression. She’d been running for her life, and I’d been able to smell her fear and terror from a distance. It’d been the main reason I’d reached her so fast. The vapix often changed its hideout to avoid being caught, so if I hadn’t been able to follow her scent, I might not have reached her in time.

Even now I wanted to yell at her to go back to my den and rest, but she’d insisted that she’d feel better if she “stretched her legs” and so I conceded to let her visit the humis.

Pen let out a peal of laughter as Coly wrapped himself around her leg and held on while she chased Covi. Together, they went down in a pile of limbs, and I started toward them, afraid Pen was hurt, when she popped up, threw back her head in a fit of giggles, and began tickling the humis siblings.

The busy din of the humis burrow surrounded us. Many humis stopped to greet Pen, which made her smile as Covi and Coly pulled on her clothes to get her to chase them.

She didn’t smile like that in the den, alone with me, no matter how hard I tried. I’d read everything I could on humans and courting. I feared the information I had was outdated, as the last reading we’d received from Earth had been decades ago.

She hadn’t liked the cut arnicas. I’d read there was a holiday where it was customary to give sweet treats, so I’d prepared a candy for her, convinced it would make her smile. Instead, she’d eaten it and then came down with a stomachache so painful that I’d had to call Growen. “Humans like sweet things!” I’d yelled at him when he reprimanded me.

Next, I’d bought a shirt for her from a humis seamstress in the same color as the arnicas. She’d worn it one time and her skin broke out into red bumps. Convinced her flesh was going to peel away, I’d screamed for Growen only for her to tell me she was okay, that she had something called eczema, and that while she appreciated the shirt, she couldn’t wear it because it irritated her skin.

After that, I’d stopped giving her gifts. Instead of making her smile, they’d done nothing but cause her pain and grief. I didn’t understand why my human was different and didn’t like the typical human gifts. In anger, I’d thrown the tablet and broken it, so I couldn’t read more until Pieter fixed it. He hadn’t been happy with me.

So, it’d been the right decision to let her visit Covi and Coly. As much as I wanted to be the one to make her happy, in the end it didn’t matter who caused her to laugh—it only mattered that she was joyful. The sight of smiling heated my skin like a warm blanket, and I sat back to watch her once again chase Covi. For once I wasn’t thinking of my duties and responsibilities. I only wanted to revel in the human’s smile.

She glanced up at me, eyes bright, mouth stretched wide, and held her hand up in a wave—a welcoming gesture I’d learned from her. I held up my hand and waved back. Laughing she scooped up Covi into her arms and swung her around while making buzzing sounds.

Actually, she had smiled like that when she’d been able to develop a cure for the dessec plant infection. She’d completed it quickly when I’d brought her the supplies, and I’d been in awe of her intelligence. Gaertha had visited her a few other times to ask her some questions about the crops, and every time Pen had known the answer or had been able to figure it out.

At first, she’d been my prisoner, then she’d made my cock hard, and now… well, now she was carving out a place for herself here. She had a purpose. I wondered what life had been like for her before she arrived in the Under. Could she be fulfilled here with me?

After another round of chase, Covi and Coly’s mom called them for their mid-afternoon meal. Pen trudged over to me, looking tired but happy and plopped down on the seated bench with a sigh and groan. I sat up immediately and reached for her. “Are you feeling ill? Hurt anywhere?”

She laughed softly. “I’m fine, just tired.”

“Eat and drink,” I said, pushing a canteen of water and a bowl of cut fruit over to her. She drank deeply and popped the juicy morsels in her mouth while she watched the busy humis market.

“Playing with Covi and Coly makes you happy.”

She glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, it does. The remind me of my niece and nephew.” Her chewing slowed as she inhaled sharply. “I miss them.”

“Do you want children of your own?”

Leaning back in her chair, she shook her head. “No, I never wanted to have my own kids. I love my sister’s kids, and while I could adopt, I can’t have my own children. Not anymore.”

“Are you past human child-bearing age?”

She gave a soft laugh. “Well, sort of, but that’s not the reason. I don’t have my uterus anymore.”

I stared at her, unsure of her words.

She cleared her throat. “The organ I need to carry a child. I don’t have it. I, uh, got sick a while ago and it had to be removed.” Her smile was tight.

“Sick? Are you well now?”

“I’ve been cancer free for over five years.” She shook her head. “Enough about that. What about you? Do you want children?”

The question was so innocent, but the words felt like a dagger digging into my spine. Firming my jaw, I looked away. “I had children. A long time ago.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What? You had…” Suddenly her face fell. “Haste…”

I sat up straight and gripped the bench seat tightly. “It’s all right. I barely remember them now.”

“Barely…” she shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

I didn’t answer, because she shouldn’t have believed that. I was a liar. I remembered them every day. Their faces. Their hugs. The sound of their laughter, their cries, their pain.

I swallowed thickly, pushing aside the memories of a life that was no longer mine. That had been someone else. This was who I was now.

“Haste, what—”

I stood up, not wanting to answer her questions, not here in the humis burrow. My skin itched, my legs were restless, and I didn’t like the tight feeling in my chest. “Let’s head back.” I gestured for Pen to stand.

She rose slowly and nodded with her eyes downcast. I knew that look. She was thinking… hard. My Pen liked to chew on things in her mind. There would be more questions, soon. And while I’d been avoiding this discussion, it was time to give her some explanations before she once again took a search into her own hands and got into trouble.

So, when I didn’t head in the direction of the den, she noticed immediately. “I thought you said we were heading back. Where are we going?”

I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. “We’re going to answer your questions.”

She let out a little gasp of surprise, and then her pace quickened at my side.

THIRTEEN

Penelope

Haste’s steps were slower than usual, and there was a tightness to his muscles, a tension surrounding him, that made me on edge.

As much as I wanted to learn more about Haste, a bubble of dread swelled in my stomach, making me grimace. I doubted anything Haste was going to tell me would be full of happiness and sunshine.

He bent under a low-hanging ceiling before the space opened into a small cavern, about the size of his den. Ivum rocks lit up the room to reveal a few chests on the floor. Haste stood in front of them, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, as he looked over his shoulder at me. I ran my fingers over the wall, unable to resist touching the ivum rocks whenever I could.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“Where we store the past,” he said before crouching down in front of the chest and lifting the lid.

I walked over and knelt beside him to peer inside. Laying among bright colored shiny fabrics were a selection of weapons and armor. Seemingly out of place among the battle relics was a small doll made out of a stuffed furry pelt. The eyes were like walnuts and the hair… I picked it up, and Haste let out a strangled sound in his throat. The hair was jet black and shiny. I fingered the soft strands. “What is this made of? It feels so real.”

“It is real.” His voice wavered. “That is my daughter’s hair.”

I nearly dropped the doll and instead clutched it to my chest. Staring at him, I could only say, “What happened?”

He leaned back on his haunches and scratched the back of his neck. “I used to live on the surface. I was a member of the demonica warrior race, and we lived harmoniously with several other species. But the members of my race who were in charge were depleting the planet’s resources rapidly. I led a faction who disapproved of their methods. We petitioned. We rallied. We did all we could, and when they wouldn’t listen, we…” he swallowed. “We rose up. But I was betrayed by the mother of my children. She told the king, who was her brother, what I was doing. He crushed our uprising. I was banished underground.” He gestured to his body. “I didn’t always look like this. My now Raken guards used to be demonicas like me, but the curse turned them into the winged creatures you see now and I’m the red clawed monster. This is our eternal punishment.”

“But your children… the rest of the demonicas… where are they?”

“Dead,” he said in a flat tone. “They depleted the resources on the surface as we predicted and were wiped out in a planet-wide fire. We didn’t learn of it for many rotations around the sun. But even if I’d known…” he shook his head. “I couldn’t have done anything.”

This was not the story I expected. A leader and his army cursed. “What about the humis?”

“They were always an underground burrow species and lived here long before us.”

“And the eaters? The vapix?”

His gaze dropped to the doll in my hands. “The former king. My brother in marriage. In cursing me to this life, he also cursed the whole planet. Changed the balance. He tried to save himself from the fires and in doing so morphed into the monster he is now, only living by feeding on those who are alive.” He shook his head. “But am I any different? I feed on pain.”

“But it wasn’t your choice, Haste.” I could barely talk around the lump in my throat. I couldn’t imagine the pain he’d endured. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t lift his head to meet my gaze. “My skin used to be gray. Black hair. No claws. My entire body was fitted with the scales like my armor.”

“What do you mean by the curse? How did it happen?”

He finally met my eyes. “We were injected with a serum to kill us and then tossed to the flames below the surface. But we didn’t die. Our bodies morphed into what we are now.” He gestured at the walls. “I’m connected to this place now. I can’t leave.”

“What do you mean?”

He stood up and brushed his fingers over some of the glowing ivum rocks. “I’m the heart of the Under. These rocks glow because of me, and if I crossed the barrier to the surface, the rocks would no longer glow. All my Raken would die. The humis would no longer be able to grow crops and would eventually perish.”

I rose slowly to my feet. “So, you… you are the power supply of the ivum rocks?”

He nodded. “As long as I live, the rocks glow. They light the darkness of this place. For a long time, the rocks glowed full strength, and they only began to wane in power when the vapix and Eaters were created. It was then I learned that their screams of pain and anguish fueled me… and in turn fueled the rocks.” He shook his head with a sad snort. “I used to live to serve the demonica race. My goal was to keep them alive, but down here I am committed to an eternal life of causing pain.”

I took a step closer, my heart lurching. “Haste…”

“Until you showed up,” His voice dipped low. “You remain unchanged by the surface barrier. Your pain causes me pain, something I haven’t felt since the last time I existed on the surface. And your pleasure… it fuels me more than any Eater scream ever could.”

I stared at him, still clutching the doll to my chest. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know,” he breathed out in a sigh. “All I know is I don’t want to go back to the time before I met you. Even if this wasn’t my curse, even if I wasn’t the heart of the ivum rocks, I would still want to see you smiling and playing with Covi and Coly. I would still try to give you a gift that you actually enjoy. You remind me of who I used to be back when happiness was a part of my life, and for that, I’ll be eternally grateful to you, as long as I live.”

My knees buckled, and I slid to the floor on my hip.

Haste started toward me, but I held out my hand. “I’m fine.” The doll sat in my lap, and I stared at the little mouth curled into a smile and the worn patches around the arms, like his daughter gripped there a lot.

I reached over and carefully placed the doll back in the chest before looking up at Haste, who stood motionless in front of me. “I’m sorry.” Tears pricked the back of my eyes. It was amazing to me that for most of my life I hadn’t even been able to cry for anyone, including myself. But with Haste… his story brought me to tears easily. Around him, I was more human than I’d ever been. “I can’t imagine the injustice you feel. You tried to do what was right and look where it got you. Your family. Everyone you knew…”

A tear slid down my cheek and I swiped it away angrily. “So Reagen and Treeter…”

“They were demonicas like me. Reagen has been my best friend and closest ally since we were young.”

“Leaving here, or doing anything to end your misery will only hurt him, the rest of the Raken, and the humis?”

He nodded. “I can’t leave the humis undefended. They have welcomed us, and their lives matter.”

“Of course,” I whispered, feeling like I was two seconds away from breaking out into sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

He dropped to a crouch in front of me and gently cupped my face with his heated, clawed hand. “I didn’t tell you this for you to be sorry. I know you wanted answers, and now you have them.”

“But they aren’t the answers I wanted to hear.” My voice shook as I placed my hand over the back of his. “And now I feel guilty for all the bad thoughts I had about you when we first met. After all you’ve been through, you sacrifice for those around you—”

His face swooped closer, and his lips touched mine. Briefly. Just a brush. I went still, so very still and waited as his scent surrounded me and his heated breath warmed my skin.

But he didn’t deepen the kiss. Before I could react, he pulled back with his eyes cast downward. “That… was a mistake.”

He pulled his hand away, but I grabbed it, and his gaze jerked up to mine. “Were you trying to kiss me?”

His head tilted slightly as he studied my face. “Did I accomplish this human kiss? I wondered if it was wrong like the other information I read.”

“Other information?”

“You didn’t like to watch the flowers die or wear my clothes or eat my food. The human studies that I read had to have been wrong. I didn’t think mouths touching sounded right, but—”

I threw myself at him, smashing our lips together with a force so strong that he grunted and would have fallen backward if he didn’t brace himself with his tail. Black eyes wide, he stared at me, and I stared back. “All humans are different,” I mumbled against his lips. “But I do like kisses.”

His hands flexed around my waist where I half-straddled his lap, and the scales of his shoulder armor rippled. The rocks around us glowed a deep blue just as his head leaned to the side and his mouth opened. His tongue swept inside my mouth—his very long, very forked tongue, and it worked around mine, seeking every inch, licking into me until my head spun and I was dizzy with the sensation.

His chest heaved as he drew me closer, and I could hear his sharp inhale and almighty groan as he sniffed what had to be my arousal. Heat pooled in my core and between my legs as his big hands slid down to grab my ass and squeeze. I let out a little squeak in surprise and he pulled back slightly. “Did I do something wrong?”

I shook my head and suddenly the room tipped, and I felt like I was floating. It took me a minute to realize I was floating. Haste leaned back on his hands, legs straight out in front of him, and he held me suspended above him with his tail wrapped around my waist. My thighs clenched and I ached for friction between my legs. I gripped his face, kissing him more. “Please,” I murmured. “Let me straddle you. I want to feel you.”

I could see the bulge in his pants, and I could have sworn something in there was… moving. Before I might have been curious to see his sex organ, but now I wanted to not only know what it looked like and how it worked, but also what it could do for me. He was a mating species and seemed to understand Tab A went into Tab B…

With one hand, he lifted up the bottom of my shirt. “I want to see you.”

I nodded, and before I could make another sound, he’d stripped me out of my shirt and borrowed pants until I remained suspended above him completely nude. I’d been a little self-conscious after my hysterectomy about my laparoscopic scars, but they weren’t on my mind now. I felt alive, sexy, and so very turned on. With the tip of his tail, he held my hands clasped behind my back. Using one hand, he ran a clawed finger from my bellybutton to between my breasts.

I could practically feel myself dripping now. The glowing rocks made the room like a sauna as he flicked the tip of his claw against one of my peaked nipples. “This means you are aroused?” he asked in a husky voice.

I could only nod as I pressed my thighs together. He only had to lean forward an inch to snake his long, thick, black tongue out of his mouth and lap at my breasts. The muscles of his forked tongue worked independently, pulling at my hard, distended nipples, and pulled them into his hot mouth where he sucked loudly.

“Haste,” I cried, my hair tickling my hands where they were clasped behind my back.

He pulled back, a feral look in his eyes as his hand dipped between my legs. A claw nudged my clit, and I let out a gasp. His lips curled into a wicked smile. “And this is where you take cock.”

I nearly came right there on the spot. I tried to talk, but the only sounds that came out were low moans as his fingers fondled my slick flesh.

“I read something…” he murmured, seemingly to himself.

“What?” I gasped out.

With his gaze locked on mine, he leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. Using his tail, he slid my body up his until I hovered above his face. Black eyes gleamed and his mouth opened to reveal that forked tongue and long fangs. “Spread your legs, human.”

Was he…? With aching slowness, I spread them, knowing I was baring everything, all the evidence of my arousal with a wet pussy and swollen clit. Unable to move my arms, legs cramping with the effort, I could only mutter,” Please.”

He lowered me onto his mouth, until his lips brushed my pussy, and I cried out as my aching flesh finally received some friction. But with his next move, I was rendered speechless. That tongue snaked out and flicked at my entrance, spearing me a few times before moving onto my clit. There, the ends twisted and tugged at the swollen nub, until I gasped and shook and babbled incoherent nonsense.

The room was a blur, white noise roared in my ears, and then I felt two separate sensations, the flick of my clit and the penetration of my pussy. With his forked tongue, he could commit both acts at the same time. And that was really the end of me. With a scream, I came like a geyser.

Haste grunted through it, slurping at my clit and pussy like an ice cream cone while my muscles strained and heaved, and I swore my heart was going to give out.

Only when I kicked out because the sensitivity grew too much did he finally bring his tongue back into his mouth and stare up at me with eyes that had turned a deep-sea blue-black.

His body had swollen, and the rocks all around us pulsed like waves crashing. He surged up until our faces were inches apart and I could smell myself on his face. Nostrils flaring, body trembling, he reached out and cupped my neck, squeezing slightly at the base of my throat. “Let me release inside of you. I want to feel your cunt squeezing me while I make you come again. Please, Pen.”

I nodded, because I would have been out of my mind not to want everything he was capable of doing to me.

He shed his pants with a couple kicks of his legs until he lay below me, all nude red skin and bulging muscles. His cock was a nearly translucent color in contrast with his body, but beneath the skin, colors rippled and shifted in a way that reminded me of a deep-sea squid. At the base of his cock, a nest of tendrils undulated like fingers.

His tail lowered me onto his cock, and when I felt the head press on my entrance, I panicked for a brief moment. But my squirming only aided the passage, as my slickness guided him inside my channel.

My arms flexed in their holds, my legs quivered, and all the while Haste kept his blue-black eyes locked on mine. His chest heaved, the red of his skin grew darker, angrier, and when I was fully seated on his cock, he let out a mighty growl that vibrated up my spine. My brain fuzzed and skin tingled.

Fingers prodded at my clit, but Haste’s hands were folded behind his head. I glanced down to see his tendrils tickling over my wet folds, flicking at my clit, my inner thighs and… I let out a gasp of surprise as one circled my back entrance.

“Haste!” I screamed out as he lifted me up and dropped me back onto the fullness of his cock. The pulsing colors of his cock rippled along my inner walls, making me clench my core. My body bucked as he picked up the pace, fucking me on his cock with only the strength of his tail and the thrust of his hips.

“You,” he gasped, muscles nearly bulging out of his skin. “You make me want to risk it all. Do whatever I can to stay with you. Like this. Always like this.”

My eyes rolled up, heat spread to every limb, and I clamped my thighs around his waist as another orgasm powered through me like a train. I might have screamed or maybe my vocal cords froze, all I knew was I could hear a dull roar from below, a powerful pulsing inside of me, and then the pressure around my waist gave way.

I fell forward and would have smashed my face on his chest if he didn’t catch me half-way and gently lower me to rest my head on his shoulder.

My eyes couldn’t focus, and I shook with full body shivers. Something soft rested on my back and when I blinked, I could see a fuzzy blanket settled over my shoulders. Beneath me, Haste breathed, and his hand cupped the back of my head tenderly.

“You make me want to risk it all,” he said, so soft I barely heard him.

Fatigue made my muscles go lax and I couldn’t have formed words if I tried, but my brain operated on a basic level and I knew, without a doubt, I couldn’t let him risk it all for me. He had too much to lose, too many lives he was responsible for. And I was one person. This was one love story that would be but a blip in his life.

As for my life… he would be way more than a blip. He’d ruined me for all men. At least I’d decided long ago to dedicate my life to science.

FOURTEEN

Haste

Her skin was softer than I could imagine and when I was inside her… nothing compared. I could barely remember mating when I was a demonica warrior. Release was short and the female snarled and fought the entire time. It was our way. But this human… I had to work to mate with her in a way that had nothing to do with physicality and battle.

It had to do with learning what made her happy. What caused her bright smile. What softened her to allow me to lick her mouth and her cunt.

Power surged in my body, and I felt like I could take on an entire planet’s army if I was called to do so. The rocks around us were a deep blue, and I could only imagine what I’d find when we returned to the main cavern. A bountiful harvest. But that was an afterthought to what we’d just done. Mating as an experiment was far from my mind. I only wanted this peaceful moment where she was soft and happy on my chest.

Her small hand crept up under the blanket and rested on my shoulder. There, her fingernails scratched at the scales on my armor. I propped my head up on my hands and watched her exploration of my body.

She lifted her head, hair in a tangle around her face, and smiled at me. I touched a finger to her reddened cheeks, noting her skin was warmer than normal. “Are you feeling ill? You are warm.”

She smiled. “I’m definitely not ill. You’re like a heater.” Placing her chin on a fist, she studied my face. “How come you acted like you didn’t know what you were doing before when we tried to mate, and this time you hit a triple slam pick six hat trick?”

I blinked. “A what?”

She laughed. “You were amazing.”

“That isn’t how demonicas mate. I read what materials Pieter had on human mating. There was a mention of tasting your mouth and cunt. So, I tried those things.”

Her eyebrows went into her hairline. “What exactly did you read?”

I explained the information Pieter had given me, which was where I got the idea for the gifts. “But I understand now,” I said. “All human women do not like the same things.”

She smiled. “That is correct.”

“I regret the ill-informed gifts.”

“It’s the thought that counts.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, what was your purpose in bringing me gifts?”

“I wanted you to be happy.”

“Not to entice me to mate?”

I shook my head. “To see you smile.”

“Then that thought mattered. Even if the gifts didn’t work out, you tried.”

I frowned. “I would have preferred to succeed.”

She laughed again. “Were you an overachiever as a demonica warrior? I bet you were.”

“I was always in the top bracket in training and led my own battalion.”

“See?” She grinned. “Overachiever. And it’s okay, because I am too.”

Suddenly a beeping sound filled the room. Pen’s eyes went wide as she struggled to sit up. Clutching the blanket to her chest, she stared at the small screen she wore on a strap around her wrist.

I hadn’t paid much attention to it and had only noticed it once she’d been forced to change out of her spacesuit. But whatever it said wasn’t anything good, as I could feel the scent of her fear leach into the room, quickly replacing the sweet smell of her arousal. “Pen?” I questioned.

Her arm dropped listlessly onto her lap as she stared at the far wall, biting her lip.

I curled a hand around her waist and tried again. “Pen?”

She blinked and turned to me, but her eyes were glassy, and her skin had paled. “Haste,” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“That’s a warning that the filter in my AYER apparatus,” she pointed to the small tube connected to her nose, “has only ten percent life left.”

Her fear was so thick in the air I could take a bite out of it. “What happens when you’re filter no longer works?”

She swallowed and her knuckles whitened as she gripped the blanket at the base of her throat. “I won’t be able to breathe anymore. I’ll die, Haste.”

FIFTEEN

Penelope

Haste’s fingers dug into my waist, his claws nearly piercing my skin. “You’re hurting me,” I whispered through my tears.

His grip immediately slackened, but his eyes didn’t leave mine. He searched my face as if expecting me to give him a different answer or tell him a solution. But there was no solution. I wouldn’t be able to breathe on this planet if I couldn’t replace my AYER filter.

“You have to leave me?” His voice was a hoarse rasp.

“I either leave you through death or I leave you…” I pointed up toward the surface. “There. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because I didn’t think I’d be down here this long. I didn’t think…” I cupped his face. “I didn’t think I’d want to stay.”

“Would you stay if you could? If I found a way—?”

“You can’t find a way for me to breath down here, and Haste, I—” I didn’t know what to say. As much as I’d found happiness, friends, and a purpose down here, I had another life. A sister, a family, friends, and a career that I loved. I floundered, searching for words, but Haste had already turned his face away, and I could see him slowly harden back to the demon I’d first met. His eyes dulled to a flat black. His body returned to his normal size, and he no longer clutched me like he’d never let me go.

“Haste—”

“Get dressed, Pen,” he said in a monotone. “We’ll need to arrange your passage home.”

I didn’t move. “Please talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

“Are you angry.”

He turned and met my eyes. “No.”

And for some reason, that hurt more. A selfish part of me wanted him to wail and rage and beg me to stay, but that wasn’t fair to him. He’d slipped back into self-preservation mode, into the hard demon alien who thrived on pain and dealt with the mental anguish in order to protect his guards and the humis colony.

So, I nodded and said, “Okay.”

I rose to get dressed, turning my head away so he didn’t see the tears fall from my eyes. I didn’t have a right to demand his emotions. He’d spent enough energy on me already. He deserved to lock down his feelings so he could manage when I was gone.

I turned around to find him fully dressed, standing patiently with his back to me. I swiped at my face quickly and tried to look like I wasn’t two seconds away from breaking down. “I’m ready,” I whispered.

He stalked out of the room, and I followed. Staring at his tense back, I realized I hadn’t felt this alone since the moment I first arrived. We’d come so far since that first meeting when he’d burned me and then quickly regretted it. Ever since then, he’d been slowly softening to me. He’d saved my life. He’d told me I was special. And right when we made the ultimate connection, I told him I had to leave.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair.

I tried not to let the abrupt change in Haste’s treatment of me sour my mood, but I wasn’t very successful. Once again, I was the intruder who had to be left alone and guarded. He was somewhere talking to Reagen and his Raken warriors while I sat on his bedding forcing myself to eat something just to keep my energy up.

I cleaned up a bit and changed into clothes left out for me by Gaertha. The fruit, which once had so much flavor, seemed to taste like nothing now. Haste didn’t return, and I began to wonder if he planned to leave me here when Reagen strode into the den, a male humis I’d never seen before with him. “This will be your guide to take you back to the surface.”

The humis gave me a little nod. I blinked back at Reagen. “Who is he?”

“He’s Gaertha’s oldest son and the most capable. We cannot take you past our borders without…” he let his sentence fade before continuing. “Weirgo is not bound by our limitations.”

“Where’s Haste?” I stood, trying not to lose it, but a rising pressure in my chest stole my breath. “Is he coming?”

Reagen’s jaw muscle ticked. “He is needed elsewhere.”

“Needed—?” I blew out a harsh breath. “He can’t—”

Reagen’s feathers fluttered, and his eyes softened for a fraction of a second, just enough to see the warrior underneath that he must have been at one time. “It’s best this way, Pen,” he murmured in a low voice. It was the first time he’d been warm to me, and I wondered so much what he’d been like once upon a time.

Twisting the bottom of my shirt in my hands, I knew it was time to go. Soon, my watch would be flashing at me constantly. I didn’t have much time—maybe a day in Earth time.

I wanted to scream and demand Haste come and say goodbye to me. But what would that do? We’d had our moment where our souls had met and now, we must separate. Forever.

Covi and Coly burst into the room followed by their mother, and they hugged me tightly while squeaking their farewells. Crouching, I embraced their furry faces and told them to be good to their mother. When I rose, Gaertha was holding my spacesuit. Intact. I took it from her with careful hands. “Wait, what? How?”

Gaertha smiled. “I am very good with a needle and thread. I repaired it for you. Do you like it?”

I ran my fingers over the once torn sections. I wasn’t sure what witchcraft she used, but it looked brand new. “Thank you,” I whispered, eyes blurred with tears. I pulled it on over top of my clothes, which was a bittersweet feeling. I felt like myself again… but a different version. One that wasn’t fully me any longer, not after what I’d experience in the Under.

The siblings left with their mother, leaving me alone with Reagen and Weirgo, who was munching on some fruit casually while I contemplated how my life was permanently altered.

Reagen met my eyes before taking a small step forward. With a low voice, he said, “Thank you for all you did.” His jaw worked, and his eyes blinked rapidly. “Please return to your normal life and forget us. We prefer our existence to remain unknown. Just know…” he shifted his weight, and his eyes went to stare at the wall over my shoulder. “Your presence here will not be forgotten. Especially not by Haste.”

“Reagen,” I whispered, a sob choking me.

He shook his head and turned quickly on a heel. “Let’s go, Weirgo. I’ll lead you as far as I can go.”

I took one last look at Haste’s den, and when neither were looking, I picked one last arnica bloom before shoving it in my pack. As much as I detested cut and dried flowers, this was one I’d keep forever.

I walked behind Weirgo, and Reagen brought up the rear. His steps were heavy behind me, and I walked in what felt like a death march. Reagen’s words stuck with me. I would have to keep my experience down here a secret. What would I even tell my crew? That I lived on Cassidy’s granola bar for however long I was down here? That would make no sense. I chewed on my fingernail as my mind whirled with a plausible lie and then more importantly, how I’d sell it. I wasn’t a good liar.

We walked through tunnels and past a well-guarded door that Reagen said was the only non-dessec protected link between Haste’s territory and the Vapix.

“So, we’re in vapix territory now?” I asked, gazing at the duller ivum rocks.

“This is the only way to get you home.”

“Are we… going back the way I came?”

Reagen shook his head. “The vapix collapsed that tunnel.”

Dread swirled in my stomach, and I got the sense that I’d been left in the dark about some things. “Did this happen recently?”

“Shortly after you arrived,” he said curtly.

“They still want me, if they could get to me, right?”

Reagen glanced behind us, his feathers rustling. “Yes.”

I swallowed and focused on walking ahead. I felt pulled in two different directions, worrying about Haste and everyone who lived down here and anxiety over how I was going to adjust to human life again.

A rumbling could be heard from somewhere behind us, and I stumbled as the ground shook beneath my feet. Weirgo turned around in alarm, but Reagen gave him a gentle shove. “Keep going.” He opened his mouth and only received another shove from Reagen.

“What was that?” I asked, turning around as a distinct shuffling sound could be heard from deep within the cavern. The hair on the back of my neck rose. “Reagen?”

“Pick up the pace,” he snapped.

But my feet wanted to do the opposite. I slowed to a stop while Reagen and Weirgo continued ahead. I spun in a circle. “What’s going on? Where is Haste?” I didn’t like this unsettling feeling. The dulling ivum rocks around me seemed to be fluttering from within. That meant… something was going on with Haste.

And then the smell hit. Decay.

“Reagen!” I shouted just as the wall of the tunnel blew open in a shower of rock and dust. The force of the blast knocked me off my feet, and I hit the ground on a painful skid. A blur of bodies tumbling into the tunnel separated me from Reagen and Weirgo. “Reagen,” I coughed as my head spun and my hip shrieked in pain.

Heat infused the tunnel along with the moaning of dozens of Eaters. One reached for me, and I screamed hoarsely. Before its clawed hand could dig into my ankle, a flaming whip cracked down, beheading the Eater in one clean swipe.

I scrambled back like a crab as Haste leaped into the tunnel on top of a pile of moaning Eaters. Heat blasted me from the steam of his skin and the flaming whips whistled through the air. I felt the heat of one inches from my face and smelled the burning of my hair.

Eaters shrieked as Haste cut them down, and with every death he swelled in size. Reagen slashed at Eaters as well while Weirgo clawed and scratched with a ferociousness I didn’t know humis possessed.

Haste leapt off a pile of bodies and landed next to me, whips slapping the ground on either side of me. The crowd of Eaters continued to pour through the hole, but they ignored Reagen. They scuttled toward me. “Go back!” Haste shouted to Reagen.

“What?” he hollered back, still slashing at Eaters who were altogether ignoring him in favor of getting to Haste and me.

“Go back!” Haste growled. “I’ll handle getting the human to the surface and leading the Eaters away from our territory.” He cracked his whip at a line of gross bastards.

For the first time since I’d met him, Reagen looked panicked. “Haste, you can’t—”

“Go!” He roared as he hauled me over his shoulder and took off at a dead run. In the distance, I heard the ground-shaking thumping that could only be the Vapix.

“Haste!” Reagen shouted after us.

I glanced up to him standing with his hands at his sides, dirt-streaked face twisted in helplessness as the army of Eaters mindlessly raced after us. They climbed over each other like a zombie horde with a single mission. And that mission was clearly to get to me and feed me to the vapix.

But Haste was faster, too fast for the Eaters, and we easily outpaced them as we twisted and turned through various tunnels. But I couldn’t run forever, and soon I stumbled onto one knee. Haste hauled me into his arms. “We have to keep moving. They can smell you.”

“They can smell me?” I panted, mind whirling with a strategy.

He nodded.

I plucked at my spacesuit. “We can throw off their scent.” I dug around in Cassidy’s pouch until I found what I was looking for. Pulling out a sweet-smelling antibacterial spray, I misted the air and leaned into the fruity scent.

Haste wrinkled his noise in distaste immediately. “What is that?”

“We’ll leave my shirt here that’s under my spacesuit. It’s soaked with my sweat. I’ll spray myself with this stuff to disguise my scent. And then we hide.” It wasn’t the most genius plan, but it could work.

I unzipped my suit, pulled off my shirt, and the pants under it for good measure and rubbed them over the walls. Not wasting any time, I misted myself generously with the spray, damping my shirt and my skin until my head ached from the scent, and I couldn’t stop sneezing. “They won’t come after this smell, will they?”

He shook his head, standing as far away from me as he could with a grimace. “It’s too artificial. Smells awful.”

I laughed softly. Bless Cassidy and her vanity. When the first sound of the Eaters on our trail could be heard, we dashed away, leaving behind my clothing.

We snaked our way through a series of tunnels, often backtracking to confuse the Eaters of any lingering human scent on my body. When I began gasping for breath, Haste found a small alcove in the ceiling of a tunnel. He shoved me inside and followed after, horns scraping in the small opening.

Ivum rocks glowed in the walls, and I ran my fingers over the rocks, still amazed something like them existed… and that I sat next to the source of their power. He sat leaning back against the wall, wrists braced on bent knees. His eyes were open, but he didn’t look at me, only stared straight ahead at the wall. I took a sip of water from my canteen and sat next to him. His body went stiff.

“They’ve been more active in searching for me after that first abduction than you led me to believe, right?”

His eyelids fluttered and he gave a brief nod.

“Did you avoid saying goodbye to me or were you actually busy fighting an attack?”

He hesitated before answering. “Both.”

“Haste—”

“I have said goodbye enough in my life.” His hands curled into fists.

I clamped my jaw shut, heart aching. He had a point, and that was why I refused to guilt trip him over this. I only wanted to know. “I’m sorry.”

“There is nothing for you to be sorry for.”

“I should have told you about the filter before, so you could prepare—”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he turned his head and met my eyes. Some of the soft Haste was there among the harsh lines of his face. “I’m glad I didn’t know. I’m glad I could pretend for a little while that you could stay forever. If I had known…” he shook his head.

“If you’d known, you wouldn’t have let yourself get close to me?”

“I wouldn’t have let myself love you,” he answered quickly, and my heart skipped a beat. “You made me remember who I used to be. You gave me one last moment of joy in a life that is full of pain.”

“Haste,” I whispered as I fought tears. “I’m still sorry. And selfishly I’m glad this happened, that I got to talk to you again. I was so worried you hated me, that you avoided saying goodbye because I was insignificant, and that makes me feel worse that I’m making you confess to this pain—”

His hand gripped my face and his lips crashed down on mine, silencing my words as tears spilled over my bottom lashes.

SIXTEEN

Haste

I hadn’t meant to do this. I hadn’t wanted to remember what I was losing. But as she sat there, her cheeks shiny with tears for me, I couldn’t hold back. One last time, I told myself. I’d have her one last time before I had to send her back.

As I deepened the kiss, she crawled into my lap and seated her hot core on my groin. I groaned at her smell, because even underneath the spray she had on, I could scent her arousal. It has hard to believe she wanted me as much as I wanted her.

“Your filter,” I gasped against her mouth.

“It’s okay,” she muttered back before tearing off her shirt. I laid her on the ground and quickly divulged us of our clothes. She lay before me, bathed in the blue light of the ivum, with wet eyes and a soft smile on her face. My cock ached fiercely, my vissel nodes searched for her heat.

“Quickly,” she urged as she pulled at my hair and horns. “I want to feel you inside.”

I couldn’t deny her, not when I was barely holding on myself. I spread her slick folds and notched the head of my cock at her entrance. She seemed so small and unable to take my girth, but when I pushed in, she unfurled inside like an arnicas bloom.

“Pen,” I murmured as she gripped me tightly. “My Penelope.”

Her legs wrapped around my knees, tugging me deeper, and I went down on my elbows above her as I sunk in the rest of the way. My vissel nodes rippled along her flesh, plucking at the nub that made her cry out and pressing at her other entrance until her eyes rolled back into her head.

I plunged into her, repeatedly, as the ivum rocks pulsed and flashed. Her wet lips pressed kisses everywhere—my face and neck and chest—while her small blunt fingernails dug into my arms.

I brushed her hair off her face and gazed into her eyes, knowing this would be one of the last times I’d see her. “I’m sorry,” I gasped, saying those two words for the first time in my life. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye—”

She silenced me with a kiss and when her tongue touched mine, a bolt of pleasure zinged down my spine. She cried out and her hips bucked as her inner walls squeezed my cock. Plunging my face into her neck, I came on a muffled roar, releasing myself inside of my Pen’s body.

Panting, I remained above her, still inside of her, as my vissel nodes slowed their activity to a slow wave, massaging her flesh where it stretched around my cock. She shifted under me slightly, and I pressed a kiss to her nose.

“I won’t forget you,” she whispered. “I can try to return—”

“Never return.” I clutched her neck and made her meet my eyes. “Promise me. I won’t let the vapix hurt you. Do you understand?” She swallowed and nodded as tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes. I kissed away the salty liquid. “Live the rest of your life happily. Please.”

“H-how can I?” she sputtered out with a sniff. “Knowing you’re here, suffering—”

“I won’t be suffering if I know you’re safe. Promise me”

She bit her lip and nodded, and it was only then I reluctantly pulled myself from her body. I gathered her in my arms, and she cried softly against my neck.

“I never cried much before meeting you. Even when I was sick, I didn’t cry.”

“Well then maybe it’s a good thing you’re leaving me.”

She let out a hiccup. “No, it means I didn’t care enough about things to get that upset. Not until now.”

I hugged her to me and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Cry for me now, and then no more. Promise.”

“Quit asking me to make promises. If I need to cry later, I’ll cry.”

I let out an annoyed huff.

She looked up at me with a teary smile. “If your nose ever itches, and you feel like you’re going to sneeze, just know it’s me thinking about you. Somewhere out there.” She waved a hand upward.

“And what if it’s too painful for me to be reminded of you?” I asked.

She propped her fist on her chin and said in a soft voice. “Then your nose just itches, I guess. There’s no meaning.”

“I was a fool to think I could forget. I won’t, Pen. Never.”

Sitting up, I placed her on my lap with her shirt wrapped around her shoulders. Her large breasts hung loose and full, and I ached to suck on them again. But there was no time for that.

“I have one more gift.” I reached into my pocket as Pen smiled at me.

“Is this one going to make me sick or give me a rash?” she smiled.

“I hope not.” I pulled out a pendant and held it in front of her eyes.

Her smile vanished and her mouth dropped open. “Wait… is that…?”

I nodded. “A piece of ivum rock. Gaertha had one of the humis females make it for you.”

The blue stone, wrapped in a thin, strong vine and secured to a string, glowed fiercely, reflecting in her eyes. For a moment, she didn’t move, then she slowly reached out a hand and tapped the pendant. “This is for me?”

“Yes.”

She carefully took it from me as if it was a living being. “Will this… always glow?”

I nodded. “It’ll always glow. It’s a part of me.”

“So as long as you live…”

“As long as I live… you’ll have that as a reminder of me.”

“I don’t have anything to remind you of me.”

I smiled. “What are you talking about? I have reminders everywhere. Covi and Coly. Treeter. The dessec plants. My den. Everything is a reminder of you, Pen. Everything.”

Her soft fingers brushed my cheek. “Haste, I—”

An alarm went off in the small space, and I flinched at the loud noise. Pen’s eyes went wide as she stared at the screen on her wrist. “Shit,” she hissed, and her eyes came to mine, round and scared. “I don’t have much time left.”

Penelope

I didn’t want to say those words to him, to admit that this was the end. I either died here, gasping for breath, or I left him for the surface.

Clenching his jaw, he nodded. We dressed quickly, and I shoved the pendant into Cassidy’s pouch, so I didn’t lose it. He grabbed my hand and we descended from our hiding spot to find the tunnels quiet and Eater-stink free.

“I can’t take you the way Weirgo intended,” he panted. “Because the vapix and Eaters cut off that route. But I tested out another exit and it should work. It’s our only chance now.”

I didn’t really like the sound of “it should work” but I also didn’t have much of a choice. I ran next to Haste, pumping my arms and trying to keep up the best I could. He ran slower to match my pace. For a while, it felt like we were running in circles, like every passage was Groundhog Dog until we reached a larger tunnel that looked vaguely familiar. It was then I realized we were back where I’d originally fallen—I could see the glint of my scalpel in the dirt. It felt like a lifetime ago that I’d landed here, even though it was likely only a week or two in Earth time.

As we drew closer to the end of the tunnel where the shaft appeared in the ceiling, distinct moaning could be heard coming closer.

I turned around and in the far distance, creeping shadows could be seen. The Eaters were here and if I wasn’t mistaken, that thumping was…

A dust cloud appeared at the other end of the tunnel, and the ivum rocks glowed on the bulging translucent skin of the vapix. We couldn’t retreat now. The only way was… up. Which was where I intended to go, but Haste—

My heart pounded in my chest like a maniac. I clutched Haste in panic. “What are you going to do? They’re blocking your way—”

“I’ll be fine.” He pushed me toward the small fungus plant nestled in the dirt, innocuous and sedentary. “You have to go now.”

“Come with me,” I gasped, even though I knew it wasn’t an option. Tears streaked my face as I resisted his push, not wanting to leave. The Eaters were drawing closer, scuttling in a frenzy now that they found their prey. “You said you can’t fight the vapix alone. Please, Haste.”

“Go,” he growled at me, shoving me hard toward the plant. “I can fight them off and give you time.”

“Haste!” I cried, begging now. I dug my heels into the dirt. “I can’t leave like this.”

“You will leave like this!” he roared at me, eyes shining like fiery black coals. “You’ll leave and live a long life.” With one final push, he shoved me on top of the mushroom plant, which I crushed beneath my weight.

“Haste,” I cried one last time.

He rose to his full height before me. His arms extended, flaming whips cracking the air as the first line of Eaters came within striking distance. “Live,” he growled.

His whips cracked the air, and the mushroom below me ballooned, rapidly inflating so quickly I nearly toppled off it. Haste’s face tilted back as he watched me, and then he turned to attack the line of Eaters. And that was the last thing I saw before a blast of air hit me from below, my neck whipped back, and everything went dark.

SEVENTEEN

Penelope

Hands grabbed me, and I struggled to open my eyes and move my heavy limbs.

“Pull her up,” shouted a male voice.

“Hurry!” said a woman. A human.

“She’s unconscious,” came another voice.

Somewhere in the distance, a beeping blared, making my head ache.

“Her AYER filter is damaged. We need to get her back to base now!” That first male voice again. Roger.

My body jostled, shifted, and then a steady vibration followed by a breeze ruffled my hair. “Wh—?” I tried to talk as I blinked my eyes open. I saw nothing but a bright light until a shadow blocked it out and Cassidy’s concerned blue gaze stared down at me. Her mouth dropped open. “Pen? Are you okay? Guys, she’s waking up.”

I tried to breathe, but my chest was tight. That alarm was still going off. “What’s… noise?”

“We’re getting you to base as soon as we can. Hang in there.” She fiddled with my wrist. “Shit.” Her head whipped around. “Drive faster, Roger!” she hollered.

“I’m going as fast as this thing will go!” he roared back.

Her hands touched my face, and she sniffed as her eyes grew moist. “It’s okay, Pen. You had us scared there for a moment.”

“A-a m-moment?” How had they found me? I wanted to ask more questions, but every breath was labored. Where was my oxygen? I squeezed Cassidy’s hand as panic flared in my chest. “A-air,” I choked out.

She nodded, a tear falling onto my face. “We’re almost there. Take slow, deep breaths for me.”

“We’re here!” Roger shouted. He must have slammed on the brakes, because my body shot forward, my head hit something hard and for the second time that day, I blacked out.

More beeping, but this time it didn’t sound like an alarm, but more like a steady reassurance that something was working. And I was pretty sure that meant I was breathing. I opened my eyes and stared at the white ceiling of our base’s infirmary. I gripped the scratchy sheets of the cot and inhaled deeply. My lungs inflated fully before I exhaled. Air. Oxygen. That had been a close one.

I turned my head to find Cassidy sitting next to me reading a book while Yohan dozed in the corner, his chin dropped onto his chest. Cassidy licked her finger and turned the page, eyes scanning the words of her regency historical romance novel.

“C-Cass?” I managed to utter past a dry as the desert tongue.

She jerked, dropping her book to the floor with a clatter. “Pen!” Relief lit her pretty face, and she grabbed a jug next to the bed. Holding the straw to my mouth, she urged me to drink slowly. I took a couple of sips and relished the cold liquid sliding past my sore throat.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Sore,” I murmured.

“What’s your name?”

I blinked at her. “Penelope Botham.”

“What year is it?”

“2022.”

She tapped her lip. “What’s your sister’s name?”

“Demi.”

Cassidy let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank God.”

“What’s with all the questions?”

“I just wanted to make sure that the fall didn’t knock a few screws loose.”

I winced as I fluffed the pillow under my upper back and sat up. “What happened?”

She nibbled her lip. “I can say this now that I know you’re okay. But that was bad Pen. You fell through that crack, and Yohan and Sumit pulled you up by the rope, but you were…” she swallowed. “You were so limp and pale, Pen. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my life.”

I stared at her. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Do you remember falling?”

“Yeah but—”

“You must have passed out when the rope stopped your fault. We were worried your neck snapped, but by a miracle you’re alive.”

I stared at her. “Cass… how long was I out?”

She scrunched her lips as she thought. “Maybe an hour? We pulled you up quickly.”

“An hour?” I gasped.

“But you’re okay. You know your name. Your brain is functional.”

An hour. I’d been out an hour. They’d pulled me to safety. Did that mean…? Had Haste been a dream? An otherworldly hallucination while I hung unconscious?

My head ached something fierce, and my vision blurred. This made no sense. Even now I swore I could feel his hands on me, and his gruff voice in my ear. I smelled the stink of the Eaters and felt the heat of his whips.

“Hey,” Cassidy’s hand rested on my shoulder. “Are you okay? Your heart rate is going up.”

“I already called the doctor to come take a look at her,” said a now-awake Yohan.

I nodded at him helplessly as I felt like my brain was going to bust apart. He nodded back. “Good to see you, Pen.”

“Yeah,” I swallowed. “You too.”

I couldn’t have dreamed all that. I remembered everything vividly—the taste of the roque fruit, Coli and Covy’s laughter. That had to have been real… right? My hands went to my waist where I wore Cassidy’s pouch, but it was no longer there. I grabbed her hand, and she looked at me in alarm. “What—?”

“Where’s your pouch?”

“My pouch—?”

“Your pouch!” I yelled, my breath puffing in short bursts. “The one you gave to me that I was wearing when I fell. Where is it?”

Cassidy eyes were wide, and she inhaled deeply before letting out a slow exhale. Her hand settled over mine as she gave me a strained smile. “Please calm down, Pen. You’re hurting me.”

I glanced down to see my nails had made white crescent marks on her skin. I immediately let go as my cheeks flushed with shame. “I’m sorry, but Cass I need to see the pouch.”

She rose slowly, watching me like I was a venomous snake about to strike. “Okay, I’ll get it.”

I nodded, feeling a little calmer now. I needed to see the pouch. I had to believe that everything I’d experienced was real. Was I losing my mind?

The doctor walked in, and I barely paid attention as she looked me over. She asked me questions and I answered tersely while staring at the door waiting for Cassidy to return. I was given some pain medication which I swallowed dry. As the doctor was leaving, Cassidy walked in, the pouch clutched in her hand. I sprang out of bed and nearly fell over.

Cassidy jerked back. “What is wrong with you?”

I snatched the pouch from her and poured the contents out on the bed. “It has to be here,” I muttered, sifting through some hair ties, a granola bar wrapper, and other odds and ends.

Cassidy stepped to my side. “Um, look I don’t mind you’re looking through my stuff, but can you tell me what you’re looking for?”

My anxiety rose as I couldn’t find what I was looking for. “The arnica bloom. The rock necklace—” My knees buckled, and I would have hit the floor if Cassidy hadn’t caught me.

“Pen!” she cried as she slammed a button on the wall. “Dr. Grant, can you come back, please? Pen isn’t feeling well.”

“I don’t need the doctor,” I growled, but she ignored me as I grabbed the pouch and shook it again. I dug my fingers inside, but it was empty. My movements slowed as my energy waned. “This doesn’t make sense.” A wave of dizziness hit me, and I collapsed onto the bed. “He was real,” I muttered. “I know it.”

“It’s okay, Pen.” Cassidy bit her lip as she swung my legs into position and fluffed the pillow behind me.

Then the doctor walked in, and I tuned out of the conversation. A needle pricked my arm, and I turned to look at the confused faces of my crew. A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. “He wasn’t a dream,” I whispered.

“Just sleep, Pen.” Roger’s hand settled on my shoulder. “Just get some sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” My sister’s voice was loud in my ear.

“I’m fine.” I stared out of the station’s windows at the black dust of the Planet EII.

She sighed. “You don’t sound like yourself. Is the doctor giving you too many medications?”

“I’m not even taking pain meds.”

“Then why are you so listless?”

“I’m not listless,” I frowned. “I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Demi let out a frustrated huff. “That was what you said two days ago, and you still sound the same.”

I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me. “I’m okay, Demi. Really.” That was a lie, but maybe if I willed it to be true enough times, it would be. But it was a mindfuck to learn that I couldn’t trust my own brain. That it could conjure up something so very real…

I shook my head. “I’ll see someone when I get home. It’s just the mid-mission blues I get sometimes.”

“I don’t ever remember you getting any mid-mission blues. You love your job.”

I changed the subject. “How are the kids?”

She let me shift the conversation and answered after only a moment’s hesitation. “Good. Connor made honor roll and Poppy got a spot in the school play.”

“What are they doing?”

“The Wedding Singer.”

I smiled. “Take lots of videos for me.”

“I will.” She paused. “You sound better now.”

I laughed, even though it felt strained. I hoped she didn’t notice. “I told you I was fine.”

“All right, all right. It’s just hard to tell.”

“I have to go. It’s breakfast time before we head out for the day. We’re covering some new ground today and hoping we find something exciting.”

“Thanks, and Dem…” I chewed my lip. “You don’t resent that I’m not there, do you? Wouldn’t you rather be a normal family where your sister is Earth-bound?”

There was a rustling in the background before Demi’s voice came back online. “Pen, listen to me. I want you to be happy. You deserve it. And if you told me that you were going to live on some distant planet for the rest of your life, I’d accept it. This is your job and your passion. As long as it’s what you want, then it’s what I want for you. And Pen… after all you’ve been through with your cancer diagnosis, that’s all I want. Live life how you want it. Who knows what the future brings?”

Tears slipped down my cheeks and I tried to cover my sniffles with a cough.

Demi gasped. “Are you… are you crying?”

“I have been doing a little bit more of that lately.”

She let out a surprised huff. “I would say to anyone else that’s a bad thing, but with you… I’m happy you’re letting yourself emote.”

I had to laugh despite the tears. “Thanks, Dem.”

“Whatever you’re going through, you’ll get through it and figure it out. Love you, Pen.”

“Love you, Dem. Always.”

“Now get out there and kick galactic butt, sister.”

I laughed and hung up the phone. After wiping my tears and splashing cold water on my face, I headed to the mess hall to down some breakfast.

The rest of the crew had been treating me with kid gloves, and I both appreciated it and resented that I needed it. At all times I felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, and I couldn’t seem to get myself together. Today, I was finally getting back into the field which I hoped would sort my head out. If I had something to focus on—my job that I loved—that should make me feel more like myself, right?

I picked at my food, but it didn’t taste like much. I hadn’t had an appetite since returning to the station and only forced myself to eat to keep up my energy. Roger watched me like a hawk, which was the main reason I cleaned my plate.

When the rest of the crew stood up, I followed, but was stopped short when Roger grabbed my arm. I looked down at where his fingers gripped my wrist and frowned at him. “Yes?”

His jaw ground together before he rolled his shoulders. “When we get back, I’d like you to speak to someone.”

“Someone?”

“A psychologist.”

I carefully twisted my wrist until his fingers let go. “Okay.”

His eyebrows bounced. “Okay?”

“Yeah, did you think I was going to argue?”

His lips turned up at one corner. “Actually, I did.”

I signed. “I’m admitting that this mission has got to me, and I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to get my head sorted. And talk to someone.”

“You can talk to me too,” he cleared his throat and added quickly. “Any of us.”

“I know.” And I did, but I also wanted them to trust me, and if I talked to them about falling in love with a demon alien, I was pretty sure they’d throw me out of the airlock. “Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”

He nodded and gave me strained smile.

When we left the station, Roger directed us toward VEE2, as he said VEE1 had sustained some damage during our manic drive back to the station. “It’s just cosmetic, but I don’t want to risk getting stranded,” he said.

I nodded and took a look at the crunched side of VEE1, remembering Roger’s mad-dash drive back to the station.

Yohan, who was loading the back of VEE2, suddenly stopped and cursed.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I forgot my kit in VEE1.”

I strapped my own pack to my back. “I’ll go get it.”

“You don’t have to—”

“It’s fine,” I waved a hand and began the trudge back to where VEE1 was parked. Cassidy joined me with a smile. “Last time you wandered off alone, we almost lost you,” she quipped.

I laughed. “I’m going maybe twenty yards away.”

“Still.” She linked our arms. “I’m not taking any chances.”

Cassidy had been a good friend the last few days. I knew she worried about me and thought I had gone a little cuckoo, but her judgement was correct. I had gone a little cuckoo. I still felt an unsettling itch under my skin, like I wasn’t in the right place. Everything about the dream had just been so… real. And part of me didn’t want to ever forget it. With each passing hour, some little image from my dream faded, and that terrified me. Haste, however, was vivid as ever, so clear in my mind I swore I could reach out and touch him. Sometimes I woke up to his voice whispering in my ear, his claws tapping at my skin, and the heat of the ivum rocks warming my face.

I shook my head. I had told myself today would be a new day. I’d focus on the mission.

We reached VEE1 and Cassidy bent over the passenger seat to look for Yohan’s kit. “Did he say where he left it in here?” she asked.

“No,” I answered and climbed into the back seat. His black pack rested on the floor, shoved underneath the seat and I tugged it out with a grunt. Something clattered to the metal floor of the vehicle. Assuming it was something from his pack, I reached down. My fingers closed around a hard, rough-edged lump that warmed to the touch. I opened my palm and resting there on my skin was a glowing blue rock.

EIGHTEEN

Penelope

My head spun. My skin broke out into goosebumps. My stomach flipped and flopped, and my heart pounded so loudly in my ears that I swore the entire planet could hear it.

“Ivum,” I whispered.

“Pen?” said a voice somewhere around me, but it was drowned out by my heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat.

I couldn’t be imagining this rock, right? Glancing up, Cassidy’s concerned face swam into my view. I saw her turn her head, probably to call for Roger, but I gripped her shoulder. “Cass.”

She jerked in my hold and her lips parted. “Are you okay?”

“What do you see in my palm?”

She let out a frustrated sigh before casting a bored glance at my hand. “I see a necklace.” Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed, and her head tilted. With one finger, she poked at the rock. “Wait, what is that? How is it glowing?”

“Oh my God,” I whispered. It hadn’t been a dream. It had been real. Somehow time had warped and altered when I’d fallen through the planet’s crust, but here in my palm was the ivum pendant on a chain. My last gift from Haste. My favorite gift.

“Huh, the glowing isn’t consistent,” she muttered, and I glanced down at the rock. The color was fading in and out on a slow pulse. She made a tsk sound. “We’ll have to study this, but it seems like whatever is causing the glow is losing power and dying.”

“Losing power,” I echoed, staring dumbly at the ivum rock which was in fact fading. I snatched it from her and held it tightly, willing it to burn bright and heat my palm with its warmth, but already the temperature of the rock had dipped. “No,” I whispered.

“What?”

I glanced up at her as I pulled the necklace over my head so that the pendant rested on my chest. “I’m sorry but I have to go do something.”

“You have to… Pen, what?”

“Forgive me, Cass.” I lurched into the driver’s seat, tossing my pack on the seat beside me, and plunged my finger on the ignition.

Cassidy leapt from the vehicle in alarm before shouting, “Roger!”

“I’ll be back,” I yelled over the sound of the engine. “Don’t worry about me!”

Slamming my foot on the gas, I sped off, tires kicking up the dust and ash of Planet Ell.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I chanted to myself as I held the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip. Something was wrong. I felt it in the dying ivum rock where it swung against my skin.

“I’m so sorry I doubted you, Haste.” Tears streaked down my face. I’d wasted days. Days. How could I have ever thought he was a dream? VEE1 sped over the terrain. I glanced in the mirror to find VEE2 on my tail, Roger in the driver’s seat looking like a man on a mission.

I couldn’t blame him, and guilt swamped me at the concern I was causing them, but I couldn’t stop. All I could think about was Haste hurt, in pain, dying, and I wasn’t there. I slammed my hand on the dashboard. “Faster!” I yelled.

The vehicle did not respond to my command, unfortunately. I kept my foot slammed to the floor on the gas pedal, grateful that I had a head start on Roger. I wouldn’t put it past him to lock me up in the station somewhere until I came to my senses. And if anyone else was acting like I was, I wouldn’t blame him. But I knew myself now, without a doubt. I wasn’t crazy. I was just in love with a demon alien.

The familiar sight of the ridge came into view, the scene where I originally crashed through the crust to the Under. I skidded to a halt and grabbed my pack off the passenger seat. Securing it to my back, I raced toward the ridge. I didn’t have the density reader on me, but I remembered this walk. I remembered everything about it. How could I ever have thought it was a dream? “I’m sorry, Haste,” I whispered as I ran.

“Pen!” Roger called. I glanced over my shoulder to see him pulling VEE2 to a halt. He leaped out of the vehicle and tore off after me.

“Shit,” I growled and ran faster.

I reached the area where I’d fallen before and stopped. I waited. I waited for the crack and the fall but all around me was just… silence. Silence and the sound of racing footsteps coming to talk me off the ledge.

“What’s going on?” I muttered. “Why am I not falling?” I stomped my feet. But nothing. The ground felt as hard as ever. My ivum rock dimmed on my chest. Tears welled in my eyes as I fell to my knees and pounded the dirt. “Let me through!” I screamed.

The voices were closer now. I glanced up to see them all advancing on me, sweat dripping down their concerned faces. And that was the moment I felt it. The rumble. The crack.

And then I was falling.

I stared up at the sky and saw Roger’s face and his hand reaching through the crack for me a second before the surface’s crack closed, swallowing me up as I fell to the Under. I didn’t panic this time. Instead, a sense of calm came over me, even as my body hit the soft mushroom cloud. After gaining my bearings while the plant deflated, I made my way off my cushion.

I rolled onto the ground and dropped into a crouch listening for the familiar sound of the Eaters moaning. But there was no sound. In fact, the tunnel was… eerily quiet. The ivum rocks glowed so faint I could barely see a few feet in front of me. Panicking, worried I was too late, I took off at a sprint toward the main cavern. I got lost a few times on the way but managed to recover.

“Haste!” I called out. “Reagen!”

When my cries went unanswered, I tried other names. Any names. Treeter. Coly. Covi. Gaertha.

But no one answered my call. I burst into the main cavern and skidded to a halt on the path to Haste’s throne. I stopped dead, my heart dropping down into the fiery pits when in place of this throne was nothing but a pile of broken rock. The toe of my boot smushed into something on the ground and I leapt back in horror when I realized it was the ragged, bloody piece of a Raken wing. “No,” I whispered in horror as I went down to one knee.

What had happened here? I listened for the moaning and the thumping approach of the vapix, wondering if they’d been victorious, but still no sounds of life—any life—reached my ears.

Suddenly a squeak sounded from the direction of one of the tunnels, and I whipped around to see the dirt-streaked face of a humis peering at me from behind a pile of rocks. Lurching to my feet, I stumbled forward. “Hello?” The face came into view, and my steps faltered. “Covi?” She was there, whole and in one piece. “Are you okay?”

“Pennepee Pennepee?” she said, and I could have burst into tears right then and there. But I held it together.

“Yes, it’s me. What...” I swallowed. “What happened? Where is Haste?”

She didn’t answer, only waved her little paw at me and disappeared down the tunnel in the direction of Haste’s den. I took off after her, barely seeing where I was going through my panicked vision. When I entered Haste’s room, I tripped over a body and only caught my balance at the last minute. Whirling around, I stared at Treeter laying on the ground, his eyes half open and unfocused. He blinked at me slowly and licked his dry lips. “Must be imagining things now, because that humis looks human.”

“What?” Reagen sat hunched in the corner of the room and slowly turned to look over his shoulder. One of his wings was bent at a broken angle, and he swayed like he couldn’t keep his balance. “What did you say, brother?”

“Reagen,” I whispered, and when his body turned more, I gasped and clutched my chest as the air rushed from my lungs.

Laying on the pile of blankets that had once been my bed was my demon. A broken, hacked version of him.

“Haste,” I choked out and went to my knees at his side. I didn’t know where to touch him. There wasn’t a spot on his body that wasn’t wounded. The right side of his face coated in a black blood, one of his horns was broken at the tip, and his entire torso was streaked with claw marks.

“No,” I whispered, tears splashing onto his motionless arm. I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying. “No,” I cried again before turning to Reagen. “I’m too late, aren’t I?”

Reagen blinked at me, his pupils blown. “I don’t… are you really here?”

I gripped his hand and squeezed. “Reagen, what happened?”

He smiled, but it was lopsided and loopy. “Haste beat him.”

“Who?”

“The vapix. He’s gone. The Eaters are gone. He did it.” His grin faded as his body swayed. “The humis will be safe, but the rocks…” he swallowed. “The rocks and all of us Raken are dying with Haste.”

I remembered now, that the Raken were a part of Haste too. He kept them and the rocks alive, so without him…

“What can I do?” I tugged on Reagen’s hand. “Tell me I can save him.”

“He hasn’t woken up since the battle the day you left,” he shook his head. “It’s a matter of time.

I gripped my necklace and tugged at my hair in frustration as I stared at Haste’s chest. He breathed—his chest rose and fell, but his eyes were closed, and his color was a desaturated red. Lifeless.

“We’re tried everything,” Reagen said. “Some of the humis wanted to sacrifice themselves, to give him power from their pain, but I refused. He wouldn’t want that, and neither do any of us.”

“I thought he was immortal,” I spat.

He swung his head lazily. “He’s immortal, but he can be killed.”

I braced myself over Haste and leaned until I was inches away from his face. He smelled like soot and Eaters, but underneath was the familiar Haste musk. “Haste,” I pleaded as I cupped his bloody face. “Stay with me. Stay here.” His eyelids fluttered and his lips twitched. I squeezed his shoulders. “Are you there? Haste?”

He opened his eyes a fraction and his forehead wrinkled as he seemed to be coming to. “Wha—”

“Haste,” I brushed his hot forehead. “It’s me. Pen.”

“S-stay,” he whispered. His face twisted as he seemed to be trying to open his eyes.

“By the flames,” Reagen muttered.

“Leave me alone with him,” I said to Reagen, my eyes never leaving Haste’s face. “Please. Will you be able to get yourself and Treeter out?”

“Why?” he asked.

I turned and met his gaze steadily. “Trust me.”

He let out a low groan and slowly spun his body around to crawl toward his brother. “I’m willing to try anything.”

The two of them seemed to take forever to stumble out of the den, with help from Covi, all the while Haste continued to twitch and let out small moans of pain. He seemed to be trying to say my name, but he couldn’t get the sounds out.

He had said my pleasure was a source of his power, but sex was the furthest thing on my mind. Still, I had to do something. I had to give him the tools he needed to heal. And I had to believe that I could do this.

“Haste,” I whispered as I leaned closer. “Come on, you can do this.” I pressed my lips to his, and for a moment, he didn’t move, didn’t respond, and then slowly his mouth opened. It was a sloppy kiss with zero finesse, but he was responding and that was all I could ask for.

I pulled back and gasped when I found his black eyes open and watching me. “So, this is what happens before I die,” he said on a rasp.

I shook my head, tears building behind my eyes. “No, I’m really here.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed. “You already said that when you last appeared as a hallucination.”

“What?”

“This must be the end. You look the most real right now.”

“Haste,” I whispered as I gripped his face, careful of his many wounds. “I am real.”

“Let me see you one last time,” he murmured. “Let me feel your soft skin.”

“Haste, you’re hurt.”

He shook his head. “I’m not in pain. I’m just… fading.” His hand came up to skim my arm and then brush along the base of my throat. “Let me touch you one last time, Pen.”

I lowered the blanket covering his lower half to find he was already nude. His soft cock rested against his thigh, and the tendrils at the base of his shaft remained still.

He watched me through half-lidded eyes as I stripped out of my clothes, until I wore nothing but the ivum pendant around my neck. His gaze, while unfocused, was adoring, and I had never felt as beautiful and loved as I did in that moment. “Perfect,” he whispered.

I carefully straddled his hips until my core rested over his groin. Still, his cock did not stir, and I held back a sob as he remained mostly immobile. I lifted his hands and placed them carefully on my thighs. His claws flexed against my skin, and his lips twitched into a small smile.

“Will you touch yourself since I can’t?” He asked in a raspy voice.

And I didn’t hesitate. Despite his battle-worn appearance, underneath he was still Haste, the one who’d touched me with so much care once before. I swallowed and let my hand drift over my breasts where I squeezed my nipples. An ember of heat flared to life in my lower belly, and I found myself growing aroused as I let my fingers trail down my stomach. This was for Haste. This was what he wanted. And with every movement of my hands on my body, his eyes seemed to focus more and more.

Dipping my fingers lower, I strummed my clit and a zing went up my spine. I could feel myself growing wet, and Haste’s nostrils flared as if he smelled me. Beneath me, I felt a jerk, and when I looked down, his cock was hardening. The tendrils around the base waved weakly.

I glanced up at his face, for the first time feeling hopeful, but he still didn’t show any other sign of strength. I leaned over him as I slid my fingers inside of my pussy on a moaning shudder.

A shiver ran through his body. “Let me… taste,” he whispered as he licked his cracked lips.

My core clenched around my fingers as I withdrew them, wanting something thicker and harder. I drew them up and touched them to his lips. His forked tongue slipped out to lap at them before he sucked them inside. Moaning, he swirled his tongue around my slick fingers. His cock jerked between my legs, and I felt the first stroke of his tendrils. “Haste?” I whispered.

My necklace dangled over his face and when I drew my fingers from his mouth, his tongue looped around the pendant. Drawing it into his mouth, he pulled me down with it, until our lips met and tongues volleyed the pendant back and forth between our mouths. My hips moved of their own according, seeking friction as the smell of my arousal surrounded us. Then came the distinct smell of Haste’s musk, blooming around us like perfume.

“Pen,” he moaned, and his body jerked as I felt the press of his cock head at my entrance. “Death is worth it for this moment, as imaginary as it is.”

Tears dripped from my eyes as I whispered against his lips. “It’s real.”

With a groan, he surged inside, and my body bucked at the sudden intrusion. Thick and pulsing, his cock filled me to the brim, and his tendrils lapped at my clit while pressing against my back entrance. The prodding of the sensitive nerves there made me moan and clench down harder on his cock inside of me.

Suddenly his hands were on my face, and the tangled necklace had our tongues locked together. He slammed up into me with a strength I hadn’t thought he’d show again. Pounding my body as I cried into his mouth. I shivered and shook and when my orgasm hit me, I thought my heart would leap out of my skin. Colors burst behind my eyes, heat infused me down to the bone, and I writhed on his cock until I could no longer feel my muscles.

My body was shifted, and then I was staring up at Haste, my back on the bedding, as he powered into me with the force of his entire body. I cried out with each thrust, holding onto his pulsing, swelling body and staring in fascination at the ripples of his body armor. His tail waved above us, cracking like lightning while the ivum rock necklace between my breasts burned almost to the point of pain. All around us the rocks in the walls flashed and buzzed like fluorescent bulbs until Haste threw back his head and roared with a ground-shaking growl.

His cock pulsed inside of me, and my body answered with another crashing orgasmic wave that nearly took me under.

When my eyes could focus again and my brain could make sense of my surroundings, I found Haste braced above me, black eyes wide in his red face. Crimson hair hung around his in a curtain, and the wounds on his torso… were healed. He panted, nostrils flaring like a bull. “What…?” He panted, confusion etched on his face. “What is going on?”

I licked my lips as I weakly reached for his face. “I came back, Haste. This is real.”

Shouts could be heard in the tunnel outside the room, and Reagen came flying into the room in a flurry of feathers. He hit the ground and bounced back up. His once broken wing now laid flat and healthy against his back and he stared at us, chest heaving.

He stared at where Haste and I lay, and I gave a weak wave from underneath Haste’s body. “Um. Hi.”

“What the flames just happened?” he gasped.

“Surprise,” I said with jazz hands. “I came back.”

Haste stared down at me, and slowly drew a blanket over my body before sitting back on the bed on his haunches. He rotated his hands and gazed at his tail waving over his head. Slowly rising from the bed, he tested his legs with a furrowed brow.

I sat up and watched him. “Do you believe I’m real now?”

Haste slowly turned and then in a rush he flew at me. Gathering me in his arms, he pressed me to his chest so tightly I had to gasp a few times to breath properly. He loosened his grip only minimally. “Pen. You came back and you saved me. You saved us.”

I gripped his shoulders and laid a cheek against the warmth of his skin. “I had to make sure you wouldn’t forget me.”

He let out a snort. “Never.”

NINETEEN

Haste

It was hard to believe she was back. I wanted her all to myself, but the humis and the Raken wanted their visit, and after all they’d been through, they deserved to greet Pen.

Reagen had always been cordial with her, more focused on what she could do for us, but now… now she’d won over his stony feathered heart. She had saved me and his brother, the two lives he cared about the most. Now he followed her like a bodyguard and carried around a constant satchel of food and supplies for her in case she made even a mere mention she was hungry.

But finally, I managed to scare everyone away with a growl and take Pen back to my den. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink from all her talking, and she collapsed on the bedding while happily chewing a ruque fruit. I sat down next to her and thought of what I wanted to say first.

“You have a new filter, right? How long before you have to return?”

She held up a finger. “I actually have a spare. So, double the amount of time I stayed last time.”

I nodded, already dreading when she’d leave again.

“But next time,” she announced. “I’ll come back with three filters. That might be my time limit before I have to return, call my sister, and complete my work. So, I’ll bring three each time, okay?”

I stared at her. “Each time?”

She dropped the fruit core and turned to face me. “Listen, I would have returned sooner if…” she shook her head. “There’s some weird time warp when I come to the Under. When I returned to the surface… not much time had passed at all. It was like I was never here. So much so that I half convinced myself you were all a dream, since none of it made sense. Until I found this.” She held up her necklace. “That was when I realized you were very real, and when the glow began to dim, I came back. I knew something was wrong. So, I’ve been doing some thinking. I can’t stay down here forever. I won’t be able to talk to my sister. I can’t complete my work that means so much to me. But I also can’t bare the thought of never seeing you again. You’re the love of my life, Haste. When I’m with you, I feel more human than when I’m with other humans. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s the way it is. So here is my proposal to you: Will you share me? I’ll spend half of my time here, and the rest on the surface.”

I gripped her hands in mine. “Do you really mean that?”

She nodded with a bright smile. “We can do it. I’ll have some explaining to do when I return, since I kind of…” she winced. “Well, I kind of escaped. But I can handle that. My mission here was supposed to last years, and with the time warp when I come here…” She smiled again. “We’ll be together a long time. As long as I’m able.” She spread her arms. “And I have a purpose down here. I can help the humis with their crops and study the dessec plants. I can work with the Raken guards on their nutritional plans. I like it down here. And best of all, it’s where you are.”

I pulled her to me and cupped the back of her head. Her warm breath puffed against my neck. “You really do mean it.”

“Of course. I don’t lie,” she muttered against my skin. “Will you be okay when I’m gone?”

“When you leave… my power will wane. We’ll stock up ahead of time during your absence. Most of all, I’ll miss you and have to entertain Covi and Coly on my own.”

She giggled. “My crew is going to think I’m nuts when I return, but I’ll deal with that when I get there.” She pulled out of my hug and placed her palms on my chest, blue eyes shining up at me. “I didn’t make this decision lightly. There were times in my life I didn’t think I’d have a future. Death doesn’t scare me. Living a life that’s unfulfilled does. I want to be your happiness, Haste. And I want you to be mine.”

I kissed her and all around us the rocks warmed and flashed. Excited chatter could be heard in the distance, and I smiled against her mouth. My Penelope had come home to me. And this would always be her home.

Months later… in Earth time…

Haste

My fingers dangled in my bathing pool aimlessly as I crouched beside it. The arnica blooms surrounded it were wrinkled and their color faded. Everything was dull. The ivum rocks. Our crops. My life.

It felt like three lifetimes since I’d seen Pen. While life in the Under went on around me, I mostly stayed in my den moping. My Raken were still routing out some primes who had survived the great war, and I’d tried to help but Reagen told me my sour attitude brought down the morale. We’d lost a few Raken in the battle with the vapix, so keeping the survivors’ spirits up was important.

This was now the fourth time I’d had to deal with her absence since we met. She would stay with me for roughly a month, as she called it, and then return to the surface where she would merely be gone an hour or so. She came up with excuses that her crew accepted, as they were glad she had returned to her happy, driven self. She was still able to complete her work on the surface as well as study the plant life in the Under.

She told me about her sister, and her niece and nephew. I opened up more about the family I lost. Reagen even talked about his beloved sister with Pen, which was a topic he had previously avoided as the pain was too great.

I sighed, feeling sorry for myself. And one of the dead arnica blooms fell from its stem, drifting slowly to the surface of the water where it floated there. The humis and the Raken were used to my depressive episodes. They stocked up on supplies while my happiness was at its peak during Pen’s visit to hold them over during her absence.

Sometimes I grew paranoid that she’d never return, but then she’d bound into my den with a bright smile, and suddenly I forgot all about how hard it was when she was gone. She promised me she’d never not return, but I worried about her mortality. Still, she always looked the same, and she told me she’d never felt healthier. I wondered if passing through the planet’s crust was somehow affecting her aging. I could only hope it would increase the longevity of her life.

Warm hands settled on my shoulder, and I closed my eyes. “What do you want, Reagen?”

A throat cleared and then a voice spoke in an unnaturally deep voice. “I’d like you to get up and give me a kiss.”

I spun around, confused, to find Pen standing behind me, wearing her spacesuit and a smile. Scooping her into my arms, I spun her around as my tail twisted in the air above us. She laughed, and the ivum rocks around us flashed. My bathing pool bubbled and the arnicas fluttered to life. From deep within the Under, dull cheers reached our ears.

“They know I’m home.” She pressed a kiss to my lips and I chased after her mouth when she pulled out of the peck too soon. Her hands gripped my face and she swiped at the skin under my eyes. “How did you fare this absence.”

“It was awful. I hated it. I wanted to die.” I pouted.

Her eyes crinkled when she laughed. “I missed you too.”

Footsteps could be heard outside, and I whipped my head to face the intruder, lips curled in a snarl. As soon as Pieter stepped foot inside, his eyes went wide at my expression. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to ask Pen—"

“Leave!” I bellowed.

He let out a terrified whistle and flew off, leaving a few feathers behind.

Pen slapped my shoulder. “Why did you yell at him?”

“They know the requirements. I get you to myself when you first arrive. They can wait their turn to see you.”

Her cheeks flushed. “It feels good to be wanted.”

“Good, because I have been wanting you for what feels like ages.” I tossed her onto my bedding, where she landed with a squeak.

“All right,” she said, tugging off her spacesuit. “Let’s make some fireworks.”

With a grin, I pounced.

***

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ella Maven is the pen name for a multi-published USA Today Bestselling author who decided to finally unleash the alien world that had been living in her head for years. (Is that weird? Probably). Her books feature dominant, possessive aliens who are absolutely devoted to their humans.

She lives on the East Coast with her completely normal husband and two spawn who sure seem alien some days.

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Miranda and Drak: The Alien’s Revenge

Gar and Naomi: The Alien’s Savior

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Nero and Justine: The Alien’s Equal

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Mates of the Kaluma

Hunted by the Alien Assassin

Protected by the Alien Bodyguard

Claimed by the Alien Chieftain

Rescued by the Alien Outlaw

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Claimed by the Demon Alien

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

About the Author

Also by Ella Maven