ALIEN’S REDEMPTION

OUTLAW PLANET MATES

- sci-fi orc romance -

Copyright © 2022 by Cara Wylde

Cover by Kasmit Covers

All rights are reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

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CONTENTS

Chapter One – Caroline

Chapter Two – Ko’nar

Chapter Three – Caroline

Chapter Four – Ko’nar

Chapter Five – Caroline

Chapter Six – Ko’nar

Chapter Seven – Caroline

Chapter Eight – Ko’nar

Chapter Nine – Caroline

Chapter Ten – Ko’nar

Chapter Eleven – Caroline

Chapter Twelve – Ko’nar

Chapter Thirteen – Caroline

Chapter Fourteen – Ko’nar

Chapter Fifteen – Caroline

Epilogue – Caroline

More Outlaw Planet Mates

About the Author

THE WORLD OF OUTLAW PLANET MATES

Reazus Prime is a hard planet. Once a prison, it was abandoned when the mines dried up and the Overlords could no longer turn a profit off the prisoners. Now it’s a haven for outlaws, pirates, and anyone holding a grudge against authority.

It’s isolated, alone, and the only ships coming are the worst sort. One such ship carrying a cargo of abducted human women explodes in orbit. A lucky few were ejected in pods, only to crash on the outlaw planet.

Now the race is on to find and claim the human females.

Chapter One

Caroline

I ducked behind a tree and held my breath, my fingers digging into the rough bark. It was a good thing the forest was dense and the trees tall and wide, otherwise hiding from my pursuers would’ve been impossible. For the past two days, I’d been crawling behind rocks and painfully folding myself into hollow trees when I could find them, just to get a moment to think and strategize, or an hour of rest before I had to run again. My clothes were torn to pieces, I was filthy, and my high heels had broken a long time ago. I could barely walk in them, but I couldn’t give them up. I was already bleeding from too many places to afford ruining my feet, too.

Reazus Prime. An alien planet. Yes, that was where I was. A group of purple-skinned aliens with antlers once managed to get close enough that I could overhear their conversation. That was how I found out where I’d crash-landed, not that the information had proved to be helpful in any way. I also found out why they were all hunting me, aliens of every shape, color, and size. Because I was human. A human female, thus a universal breeder. And there were aliens who had exotic tastes and were willing to pay a good price for someone like me.

I knew where I stood. I knew what I was running from, and that I absolutely needed to keep running. I couldn’t let anyone get close. I couldn’t get captured. But then... how was I going to find my way back to Earth with no help? Except I wasn’t the only woman who’d been abducted. Apparently, the spaceship that had practically exploded in the atmosphere of Reazus Prime had been filled with abducted women, each secured in her individual pod. And when the ship broke in two, we quite literally rained upon the planet.

Now, if I could find one of the other women, or more of them, maybe we could come up with something. Unfortunately, I knew, they were being just as savagely hunted as I was. I’d survived for two days in this jungle-like forest, drinking water from streams and eating berries, all the while fearing that I could be poisoning myself. I could only hope that other women had survived too, both the crash and the unfriendly environment, and that I might find them.

That I might find them before the aliens did. Or before the aliens found me.

Between hiding and running, sweating in my two-piece suit in the middle of the day, and shivering at night, I had moments when panic took over and I realized how naïve I was. To think that I could save myself... To think that I could find others like me, and together we would find our way back home... But what else could I do? I was hungry, thirsty, covered in bleeding wounds, and I didn’t have a single personal thing on me. Not that the oversized bag I carried everywhere contained anything that could help me now. The best use of my work laptop would’ve probably been to smack some horned alien over the head with it.

I had to keep going, keep hoping. I had to keep myself entertained with my own thoughts, otherwise I would break, and the aliens would scoop up my broken pieces and sell them for credits. The purple people I’d overheard had talked about credits, not money. Not understanding their system meant I had no way to negotiate for my freedom if it ever came to that. I had to make sure it would never come to that.

Back on Earth, I was a successful attorney. Kind of successful. I could pay my bills, and I wasn’t working myself to the bone. I’d never wanted more, and I was happy. The night I was abducted, after a client meeting, I’d gone to meet with some friends at a bar. So yeah... When the bright light descended upon my tipsy self a few blocks away from my apartment, I was in high heels, an elegant two-piece, and with my dark brown hair neatly tucked at my nape, in a non-pretentious bun. The next thing I knew, I was floating in the air, vertiginously headed toward the clouds, and I dropped my bag. And then I passed out.

What else did I remember? Being poked and prodded. They must’ve installed some sort of device in my head, because I understood everything the aliens said, regardless of their species. That was the last thing I was going to complain about, seeing how it was useful. If I ever returned to Earth, I intended to keep it. If it could translate all the alien languages in existence, then surely it could translate the languages on Earth.

I thought about all of that and more as I waited behind the tree. When I was sure the aliens had passed me, I looked around the trunk and inspected my surroundings. Silence. I was safe. For now. This group had gray skin, long, lanky limbs, and pointy ears that were almost as big as their heads. They looked creepy, and I got the feeling I wouldn’t have a great time if they managed to get their three-fingered paws on me.

It was getting dark, and I was both relieved and scared. On the one hand, the two suns shined so brightly during the day that I’d already gotten a sunburn, even in the forest, even mostly clothed. On the other hand, once they set, the forest became chilly and humid. And I had no way of making a fire. Not that I wanted to risk it, so maybe it was better that I didn’t know how to make it without matches or a lighter. I was an attorney, not someone who’d ever had to learn how to survive in the wilderness! Frankly, I was impressed that I’d made it alive so long. However, another night under the sky of Reazus Prime was waiting for me, and who knew if I would be impressed by my surviving skills another day.

I picked up the pace, wondering for the umpteenth time whether I might be walking in circles. How big could this forest be? But after another hour or so, I abruptly came to its edge and stepped out into the open. Shocked at my discovery, I quickly re-entered the forest, praying no one had seen me. I’d been on autopilot, not really looking where I was going, my ears trained on the noises around me, so I hadn’t noticed when I stepped out from between the denseness of the trees.

No one seemed to be around, though, so I took a deep breath and stepped out once more. I found myself in a field, and if I crouched slightly, the tall, flowy reeds provided enough cover for me to feel safe to advance. I walked for a while, and when the long shadows of the night fell over the field, I felt a little bolder, and straightened by back. Though it was probably stupid. Who was to say there weren’t alien species who could see perfectly in the dark?

And then I saw it. A wooden cabin, more like a wooden shack, old and lopsided, standing at the edge at the field, between two mighty trees. And beyond it, the lights of what seemed to be a settlement. The cabin was removed from it, surrounded by a wooden fence that was more fallen and rotten than standing. I sneaked closer, and I saw someone move outside. I took a step back and crouched, and for a moment, I thought of turning around and going back into the forest. But I was hungry and exhausted, and it was dark already, and oh-so-chilly. And the cabin, with its lit-up windows, looked so inviting. Now... if only the owner weren’t an alien...

Despite the terror creeping into my bones, I advanced, staying low and keeping silent, until I was behind the fence. Through a crack, I observed the alien.

He was old, from what I could tell. His skin was brown and scaly, and a long, white beard covered his scrawny chest and reached his belly. His hair was just as long and white, and he was dressed in a patched-up robe that dragged on the ground, which told me that he was anything but wealthy. An old man. Yes, an alien, but still... If I was ever going to ask someone for help – someone who wasn’t human, – he was my safest bet.

I waited for him to go inside, thinking it was much more appropriate to knock on his door than to pop out from behind his fence like a lunatic. I dusted off my clothes as best as I could and smoothed back my unruly hair. I knew I looked like shit and smelled even worse, but I hoped my smile would convince him I was worth a warm meal and a cot to sleep on. And a pointer or two about how to get back to Earth.

I knocked, and he opened reluctantly. His dark eyes scanned me from head to toe, and I realized that he was tall. Taller than he looked from a distance. And stronger, too. Underneath those tattered clothes, muscles corded as he moved.

“H-hi... I... umm... My name is Caroline. I’m lost. I wondered if you could...”

He opened the door wide and stepped aside.

“Caroline,” he said in a soft, almost whispered voice. “I was just sitting down to eat. You look like you could use a warm meal.”

“I was just thinking that,” I chuckled nervously.

I smiled some more, and he smiled back, lips tightly closed. I peeked inside, and it looked so inviting. There was a rich smell in the air, wafting through the open door, and I knew he wasn’t lying. He was just sitting down to eat.

“I... I need help,” I said. “But I don’t want to impose...”

“I am alone, Caroline. I’ve been alone for years, since my mate passed away. I would love to have a guest for dinner.”

It sounded too good to be this easy. He was old, though. His story followed.

“I’m sorry. About your mate.” Was that what spouses were called on Reazus Prime? “How long have you lived here alone?” As if making him say it again would definitely ensure he was alone in the house, and I wasn’t walking into a trap.

“Years. So many years, Caroline. I’ve lost count.”

He kept saying my name, in that whisper-y voice of his, and it sounded oddly soothing. Maybe because I hadn’t talked to anyone in two days. Not that I hadn’t been given plenty of chances...

“Okay. I’ll... I’ll join you for dinner, I guess.”

I stepped inside. He closed the door gently, then walked around me and proceeded to clatter around the small kitchen. I took in my surroundings as I awkwardly wrapped my arms around me. The cabin was small, but the inside was better kept than the outside. Worn-out pelts covered the floor, and the furniture was all made from wood. Everything in here had seen better days.

“Sit, Caroline.”

He placed a second plate on the table by the window, then brought an entire pot of what looked like stew and put it in the middle. I shuffled toward the chair, trying to not get too much dirty on the pelts. But I didn’t feel comfortable taking off my now heelless pumps, since I wasn’t wearing any socks.

“It smells amazing.”

He nodded and sat down across from me.

“What is your name?” I asked him.

“Gadon.”

“Oh. Umm... it’s an interesting name.”

He served me first, and then filled his own plate. I looked at the stew before me, trying to divine what it contained. I thought of asking him, but I hesitated for two reasons. One, he’d invited me to eat with him, and I didn’t want it to sound like I was questioning the food he was so generously sharing. And two, I doubted I would have any idea what the ingredients were and what they looked like even if he told me their names and explained their provenance. So I took the spoon in my right hand and stirred, inhaling the delicious smell. Gadon started eating, and that was all the reassurance I needed. I dug in, and after two days of no warm, cooked food, the taste was incredible. I ate quickly, and Gadon laughed and poured me another portion.

“Thank you so much,” I said. “Thank you for sharing your food with a stranger.”

“I’m just glad I have company for a change. I have children, you know. But they never visit. For all I know, they’re probably not even on Reazus Prime anymore.”

“Oh, that’s awful. I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, got up, and cleared the table. I wanted to help, but I didn’t know how.

“What are your plans, Caroline? Are you headed into town?”

The town. Right. No. If anything, I was trying to avoid it.

“Actually, I was hoping to go around it.”

He nodded as he washed the dishes in a large basin, pouring water over them. Was he aware that I was human? To him, I was the alien. But did he know my species? I debated whether to ask him or not. He wasn’t giving me any bad vibes. If he knew, then it meant it made no difference to him. If he didn’t know, well... I didn’t want it to start making a difference. I decided to keep my mouth shut, and in general, to give him little information about who I was and what I was doing here.

“You can sleep here tonight,” he offered without my having to ask. “Right there, on the cot, by the fire. I will give you pelts and furs.”

The cabin had a second room. The door was slightly ajar, and I could see it was his bedroom. And there was another door at the back of the kitchen that was closed. I assumed it might lead into a pantry.

What could I do but accept? I thanked him, and he quickly made the cot for me. It was small and narrow, but I’d slept in worse places lately, so I had nothing to complain about. If anything, the fact that he wasn’t offering me his bedroom made me feel better. Safer. He wasn’t going out of his way to make me comfortable, which meant he didn’t see me as a prize he could get his hands on, to keep or to sell.

I wanted to ask if there was any way I could wash myself a little, but he moved so quickly and effectively, preparing the cot for me, setting what was left of the stew aside for the next day, feeding the fire more wood, and blowing out the candles, that I felt it was inappropriate to make more demands. With one last candle in his hand, he shuffled toward his bedroom, and threw me one last tight-lipped smile before disappearing inside.

“Good night,” I called after him.

Silence. Maybe they didn’t say good night on Reazus Prime. I took my shoes off, finally, and gingerly massaged my feet. They were sore, and the blisters I’d gotten from walking in high heels on my first day on Reazus Prime had longed popped and hardened. I climbed under the furs and tried to make myself comfortable. The cot was hard, made from wood, and the furs didn’t quite replace a mattress. But I was tired, muscles that I hadn’t known I had ached and throbbed with a vengeance, and all in all, both my body and my brain urged me to shut down. Shut down for just a few hours, and then I could figure out my next steps.

I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. The fact that I wasn’t out in the open, that I was safe for once, made me relax and let go. No one was hunting me, for now. And there was no threat of wild alien beasts stumbling into my hiding spot. I fell into a regenerative sleep that I knew was going to give me plenty of power for what was to come.

* * *

The first thing I felt was something warm on my shoulder. I ignored it. Then the warmth traveled down, and somehow, the fur I’d covered myself with slid down to my waist. I stirred and stretched a leg, but I was too exhausted to do more than that. For a while, nothing else happened, then I felt the warmth again. On my thigh. I reached down to see what it was, eyes closed and mind half asleep, and my fingers found a rough hand covered in scales. The hand slid between my thighs, and that felt invasive enough that I jerked awake and opened my eyes.

The fire had died in the hearth, and the darkness was all-encompassing. I felt him more than saw him. Gadon hovered over me, so close to my face that I could feel his beard tickle my neck and my chest.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He sneered at me, and for the first time, I saw his teeth. They were thin and sharp, like needles. My eyes widened, and I scurried away from him, pressing my back to the wall. His dark eyes glowed eerily, in such a way that they illuminated half of his face. I was trapped. Nowhere to go, and he was moving closer to me, now both his hands trying to explore my body.

“Human female,” he said. “Sweet, fragile human female.”

“What do you want? Gadon, we can talk about this.”

“What do I want? I’ll tell you, Caroline. First, I will rut you, and then I will eat you.”

My heart started hammering in my chest. His words made me forget all about the aches in my body. In fact, I didn’t feel tired at all. I lunged at him, hoping to push him off me, but nothing happened. On the contrary, all that did was to entice him more, and he climbed on top of me, pinning me down.

“Caroline...”

“No. Stop!” I started screaming, though I knew no one could hear me. “Get off me! How are you so strong?!”

Because he was old, wasn’t he? He looked old. Long white beard, white hair... Maybe that was just what his species looked like. And I realized my mistake. Too late.

“Please, don’t! Please! Let’s talk... Let’s just...”

His sharp teeth dived for my neck, and I yelled, afraid he was going to rip me apart. He kissed me, instead, and tears sprung from my eyes.

“Let me go. I’ll do anything!” Well, not anything. Definitely not anything. “I trusted you.”

He ignored me. His tongue came out to lick my neck, and I felt it long and thick, covering the space from my collarbone to the back of my ear. He was a monster, and I’d walked right into his trap. With his strong legs and arms, he kept me pinned down as he licked the side of my face. I closed my eyes and whimpered, more tears streaming down my cheeks.

“No... Don’t...”

“Mine to rut,” he whispered. “Mine to devour.”

I screamed at the top of my lungs, trying to push against him, hit him, bite him, scratch him... It was no use. The more I struggled, the more he seemed to like it.

I heard the door bang open and felt the rush of cold air on my face. Gadon stilled for a moment, then jumped off me. I opened my eyes and pushed myself up and saw that he’d actually been pulled off me by a big, towering beast with skin like ice. My rescuer was so tall that he barely fit inside the cabin. The fight with Gadon was no fight at all. When the scaled alien lunged at him, the ice beast grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. I heard a distinctive crack, and then saw his body crumble to the floor as the beast released him.

I fumbled to find a candle, slipped off the cot, and found myself on the ground, right next to Gadon. He wasn’t breathing. His neck was twisted at an impossible angle, and his eyes were still open but had lost their glow. My breaths came in short, quick gasps. Light poured from somewhere above me, and I looked up, shielding my eyes. The ice beast was holding a sort of flashlight, pointing it right at me.

“That’s a Srokin,” he said. “They eat their mates.”

Chapter Two

Ko’nar

I’d been tracking the human female for a day and a half. I would’ve caught her earlier, had I not had to take care of every band of outlaws that was on her heels. She’d survived well enough without me, and I was impressed, but now that I was following her like a shadow, there was no reason to let anyone get close to her. No reason to put her in more danger than she was already in. I was bidding my time, wanting to grab her at the right moment and cause minimal damage.

I didn’t want to harm her. She was going to be a gift, after all. And a broken gift was no gift at all. I had to make sure that when I captured her, she was in one piece.

So I stayed on her tracks and eliminated the scum that got too close to her. There were many aliens who wanted to claim her as their prize, keep her for themselves, or sell her for a fortune. Even with my help, she was still in real danger of being caught. I once had to stray from her to chase after a group of aliens, and when I returned, I found her almost surrounded. She was hiding behind a tree, I could tell, and the aliens were closing in on her. I had to distract them, then beat them until they gave up and ran in the other direction.

It wasn’t easy... keeping her safe. She was human and very much desired among the outlaws. A universal breeder, straight from planet Terra, delivered at their doorstep. No wonder that when it started raining with human females, every scavenger on Reazus Prime set on a mission to collect them. The news of the slave ship crashing on the outlaw planet caused such an uproar that even I heard it and understood what it meant. What it meant to me and to my future. It was pure luck that I was in the Rigus system, just finishing another job.

I was a mercenary. Had been for three years, ever since I’d been exiled from my home world, Zorran. I missed home every day. It was painful, like missing a limb, or half of my heart. Before this, I had never left Zorran. I’d never been interested in exploring space and other worlds. I’d always cared more about home and my family – my parents and my little sister, who’d gotten mated in the meantime. My sister was now carrying a baby, and the thought that I might not be there when my first niece or nephew was born killed me. I had to be there. I had to show the king that I’d learned my lesson, prove to him that I could still be useful, if he’d just allow me to return.

This little human female was going to be my ticket back home. That was why it was so important to capture her gently, without harming her, or even scaring her. Ideally, she would agree to come with me. But I hadn’t yet found a way to approach her and make her trust me. If I showed myself to her too soon, or at the inappropriate moment, she was going to think I was like all the others. Which I was. But that was beside the point.

If there was one thing I believed in was that love shouldn’t be controlled by politics. All I’d done was to help two lovers, two fated mates, find their way to each other. And that had gotten me punished. Banished. Exiled. I didn’t regret doing it, and I would’ve done it again. But I did regret not being there for my family these past three years, to take care of them, to share in their joys and sorrows.

This little human female... This delightful universal breeder, with her dark hair, piercing green eyes, and round, generous curves... She was exactly what I needed. A gift fit for a king. As I watched her from a distance, I myself got entranced by the sway of her hips. But she was not for me, I had to remind myself over and over. I hadn’t found my mate yet, but I would. A human couldn’t be my mate. My mate was surely waiting for me on Zorran, which was another reason why I had to return home. I didn’t know who she was yet, but she had to be Zolunian, like me. Everyone in my family had found a Zolunian mate, and I would too. One day. I just had to believe. And be there when she showed up.

I was done with this dishonorable mercenary life. I used to be part of the king’s personal guard. And at first, I’d tried to only accept honorable jobs. I didn’t need much to survive and keep my ship in decent shape. But there were no honorable jobs for mercenaries.

Hunting this little Terran and bringing her to my king was going to be the last despicable thing I did. And then I could start on the road to recovery.

She slipped out of the forest, but I stayed behind, hidden in the trees. There was no one else on her track but me. She was safe for now, but even I didn’t know what was beyond the field she’d just decided to cross. I pulled the tablet out of my backpack and tapped on the map icon. A single glance was enough to realize she was heading straight to an alien settlement. A town. What was she thinking? She probably couldn’t see if from where she was, crouched in the tall reeds. I could barely spot her if I looked really hard, so it was time for me to move before I lost her completely.

Careful as to not make a sound, I followed her to a rotten fence. She stopped and spied on the alien behind it, and I cursed under my breath. It was a good thing the wind was blowing quite loudly through the reeds, otherwise she would’ve heard me. The alien was a Srokin. What was she thinking? She’d been smart so far... She was probably tired and hungry. I hadn’t seen humans in the flesh before, and I was just realizing now how fragile they were. But why would she choose to approach this alien? Maybe because he was alone.

I watched her knock on his door and overheard the short conversation they had. I considered coming out of my hiding spot and making my presence known, but I couldn’t predict how that would end, so I stayed put. If there was one thing that made me a good mercenary, it was my patience. When I didn’t have a clear-cut strategy, I waited until new information was revealed to me. So far, she seemed to be safe.

I watched them through the window, and it seemed like the Srokin was serving her dinner. I smiled when I saw she was smart enough to not take a bite before he did. He didn’t make any kind of move on her. He put more wood on the fire, turned a little cot into a bed for her, and then retreated into his own room.

Huh. Interesting. Fascinating. Since when were Srokins such decent creatures?

Night fell, and I could see her small, exhausted form in the dim light coming from the fireplace. I could only see half of her face, and her tiny hand with long, thin fingers poking from underneath the furs. She was sound asleep, her chest rising and falling. I found myself feeling soothed by the sight of her sleeping, and that was probably why I waited, still. This was my chance. All I had to do was go in there and kidnap her. With some luck, the Srokin wouldn’t even hear me. He seemed to be lame enough.

As I was trying to decide if I should let her sleep some more or grab her, tired as she was, her host made the decision for me. I saw him sneak out of his room and approach the cot. He hovered over her, and I saw his nostrils flare as he sniffed her hair and skin. She stirred in her sleep, bothered by his long beard and hair tickling her neck, and I felt something snap inside me. I rose to my feet, feeling my veins flood with ice-cold adrenaline. He was touching her. The bastard was crawling over her now, and she started screaming and begging, and I couldn’t bear to witness it.

I jumped over the fence and burst through the door. I took the Srokin by surprise, pulling him off her. The most he got to do was sneer at me, showing me his needle-like teeth. He lunged, and I grabbed him by his scrawny throat and squeezed. The bones snapped, and I watched the life seep out of his wretched form. I dropped him to the floor and turned my gaze to the little female.

In her terror and confusion, she’d fallen to her knees, right next to her attacker’s lifeless body. She looked up at me with big, bright eyes that were swimming in transparent liquid, and I realized I had to say something. Something that would keep her calm. I had an advantage, since I’d just saved her.

“That’s a Srokin,” I said. “They eat their mates.”

“Th-thank you.”

Her voice was small. It trembled with shock, and her whole body was shaking, too. She didn’t have the strength to pull herself to her feet. I took a step toward her, and she flinched. I stopped.

“You’re safe now.” I showed her my hands, hoping she would understand that I meant her no harm.

Her eyes went to my belt, where my fire weapon and my two daggers were neatly tucked into their holsters. I also had a backpack on, but no other places where I could hide other weapons. I was only wearing my leather pants and my sturdy, worn-out boots. No shirt, because it got hot on Reazus Prime. For a Zolunian like me, anywhere was hot. I often wanted to ditch my pants, too.

“What do you want?” She was starting to pull herself together. She straightened her back, then slowly rose to her feet.

I waved my hands, then pointed at the Srokin.

“You saved me, I know,” she said. She wrapped her arms around herself, and what that did was to push her beautiful breasts up. “Thank you, again. But what do you want?”

Well, she wasn’t stupid. Of course I wanted something. But was I going to tell her? Not right now.

“I saw you go in with him. Srokins are some of the vilest creatures on Reazus Prime. I won’t let anyone alone with one if I can help it.”

“Hm. So, you’re not here to capture me? Sell me for credits?”

“Does it look like I’m trying to capture you?”

She studied me from head to toe. I was so tall compared to her, my head nearly touching the ceiling, that she had to crane her neck to look me in the eyes.

“I guess not.”

I took another step toward her, and she moved back, her brows furrowing.

“Don’t worry. I just want to take the dead guy outside. And bury him.”

“Okay.”

Once I’d grabbed the Srokin and threw him over my shoulder, I saw her relax. She went to the fireplace and tried to stoke the fire, but to no avail. She had no idea what she was doing.

I smiled to myself and walked outside. I knew she wasn’t going to run. She didn’t trust me fully, but for now, I’d convinced her that I was on her side. Where would she run in the middle of the night, anyway? As I dug a hole for the body, I almost started to feel a little guilty. For lying to her, for what was to come. I was going to betray the little trust she had in me, and it wasn’t a pleasant thought to have. But as things were, I didn’t have any other choice. Not unless I suddenly became the kindest, most honorable Zolunian there was, and helped her find her way back home. And then what? Hunt another one of her kind and hope I didn’t develop feelings again?

No. I was not that man. I was a mercenary. The three years I’d spent doing whatever despicable job I could find had squeezed the honor right out of me.

Chapter Three

Caroline

I could hear him digging outside. As I waited, I managed to light a few candles. I stared at the shadows dancing on the walls, curled up on my cot, thinking of what was going to happen next.

He’s saved me. I didn’t even know his name.

He was a giant brute of a man, all made of ice. That had been the first thing I’d noticed about him. I wasn’t naïve, I understood that he couldn’t have been made of actual ice, but his skin had an icy, translucent texture that allowed me to see his veins if the light fell just right across his form. I wondered if he would feel cold to the touch. If I ever got the chance to touch him, that was... Not that I was thinking about it!

He was handsome, with a square jaw, strong nose, and sharp cheekbones. Everything was sharp about him, come to think of it. Oh, and the fact that he seemed to have an aversion to wearing shirts... Now, that was something that didn’t bother me at all. His hair was completely white, and his eyes intense. Another thing I’d noticed was that he had some sort of spikes poking out of his shoulders and clavicle. And the tusks… long and sharp, poking out of his mouth and curving toward his upper lip.

I needed to get a better look at him.

I needed to know what his name was and what he wanted from me.

He returned a few minutes later, heavy boots thudding on the floor, dirtying my deceased host’s pelts. I straightened my back and looked up at him.

“I’m Caroline,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“Ko’nar. Ko’nar Eisvir.”

“What... are you?”

He cocked an eyebrow but responded nonetheless. I realized my question was probably rude.

“I was born on a planet named Zorran, in a kingdom called Zo’lun. That makes me a Zolunian.”

I nodded. “I’m a...”

“Human. Terran. I know.”

The little hairs on my nape stood on end. Of course he knew. Gadon had known as well, and it had been silly of me to think he didn’t and that I was safe with him. With this one... With Ko’nar the Zolunian, I had to be more careful.

“What do you intend to do with me?”

He averted his gaze, suddenly seeming interested in our surroundings. The cabin was dark and cold, save for the candles that did little to make it look more welcoming. His gaze landed on the fireplace, but he didn’t seem interested in making the fire. I’d failed pathetically at that task.

“We should go,” he said.

“Where?”

“I’ll help you catch a ship back to Terra.”

My eyes widened, and I uncurled my body and leaned forward.

“You will? Why would you do that?”

“Because I know what it is like to miss home.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been away from Zorran for the past three years. I’m going back at last. Reazus Prime was just a... stop on my journey. If I can go home, I don’t see why you shouldn’t.”

He sounded sincere. Every time he said the name of his planet or his kingdom, I could hear the longing in his voice. He wasn’t lying.

I let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

“We should go now, while it’s dark.”

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what he was saying made sense, but I was still tired. Exhausted. And so dirty that I couldn’t stand myself a single minute.

“Can’t we stay here tonight?” I asked. “I barely had one hour of sleep. And you could use some rest, too.”

“I’m fine.” His tone was firm and definitive.

But I was an attorney. I knew how to argue a case. I stood up and stepped closer to him. He looked down at me as I looked into his eyes.

“Two days and one night in that dreadful forest, fearing for my life, not allowing myself to doze off for more than twenty minutes at a time, hungry and thirsty... Please, I need this. Just a few more hours. It’s warm here, there’s a real bed...” My eyes darted to the open door that led into the Srokin’s bedroom. I shuddered. On second thought, the cot was fine. “I need to sleep, or I’ll collapse. And I need a bath.”

“We have to leave now, while it’s still dark. We must cross the forest. My ship is on the other side.”

“Not the forest again,” I groaned.

“We’re leaving now, Caroline.”

He turned his back to me, and I panicked. I would’ve done anything to stay for a few more hours.

“Wait! Look, I really need a bath. It’s bad.” I took off my blouse. “Just look!”

He turned around, and his eyes landed on my exposed skin. My bra was so dirty that no one could’ve guessed it had been white once. His eyes widened slightly, and I got the sense that he was finally listening to me and understanding my plight. I undid my pants and slowly slid them down my hips. My panties had been white once, too. I winced as the fabric rubbed over a rash I was just now discovering. I looked down at my knee. Around it and down my calf, the skin was red, raw, and a bit itchy. How had I not noticed? Then again, my whole body was aching in ways I’d never thought possible. By this point, it was hard for me to identify what aches came from where.

“See, Ko’nar? I really need a bath.”

I now stood before him in my bra and panties, shaking slightly from the cold. I clenched and unclenched my fists, waiting for his verdict. But I could see it in his eyes... He was having second thoughts.

“Your body,” he whispered.

My heart started beating faster. “What about it?”

He gazed at me from head to toe and shook his head. “Caroline, you’re covered in wounds!”

“Oh?”

I stretched my arms in front of me and squinted my eyes in the darkness. Clearly, he could see better than me. I was covered in scratches and the same rash that was on my knee. But I was sure a nice, hot bath would take care of most of what he called wounds. It wasn’t like I’d been stabbed or something.

“You ate the berries that grow in the forest, didn’t you?”

“Umm... yes. What was I supposed to do? Starve?”

“They’re poisonous! Did you eat the mushrooms, too? No, you couldn’t have, or you’d be dead, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

He suddenly closed the distance between us, and I didn’t have time to react and step away. He was so impossibly tall that my head barely reached his sternum. He brought his big hand to the side of my face and gently brushed his fingers on my cheek. To my surprise, I didn’t flinch. I wasn’t scared of him. Maybe I should’ve been.

“We’ll stay the night,” he said. “I’ll make the fire, bring water, and heat it up for you. There must be a basin that’s big enough around here. And I will look for medicine. I have some with me, but maybe the Srokin has something more adequate, since he lives... umm... lived near the forest.”

Ko’nar’s voice now had a gentleness to it that I hadn’t thought him capable of. I relaxed my shoulders, liking the sound of everything he’d just said. If I was lucky, maybe I could have another warm meal, too. Though thinking about what he’d said about Srokins eating their mates, maybe it wasn’t a great idea to touch that stew again.

He didn’t wait another minute. One second, he was so close to me, his fingers wandering over my blushing cheek, the next, I could feel the emptiness of his absence. He rushed outside, and while I tried to decide what to do with myself, he made two trips back inside, once carrying a huge, round basin he must’ve found in some adjacent building I’d missed, and then bringing in water in two large buckets. He made the fire and heated the water, then filled the basin and motioned for me to get inside.

To say that I was reluctant would’ve been an understatement. It was one thing to let this massive, handsome block of ice see me in my undies, and it was another thing to let him see me naked.

“I’ll wash you myself,” he said, making things even more awkward. “I have to make sure you don’t get an infection.”

“Umm...”

“Get rid of all your clothes. I’ll have to burn them later.”

Well, that sounded a tad exaggerated. But he was being serious, so I chose not to question him. I sighed in relief when he made things slightly easier for me as he turned around and headed to the door that I’d guessed earlier separated the kitchen from the pantry. He opened it, and in the bright light of the crackling fire, I saw that I’d guessed right. There were shelves upon shelves stocked with jars and cans. Dried herbs hung from the ceiling. While Ko’nar was busy rummaging through all that, I quickly slipped out of my panties and bra, kicked them away, and got into the basin. The water was hot and soothing. Within minutes, I felt relaxed and ready to doze off.

Ko’nar fumbled with pots and pans in the kitchen, but I was too tired to keep my eyes open. I submerged myself up to my nose, relishing in how the tension started leaving my muscles. The pleasant feeling was short-lived though, because when the muscular aches and pains subsided, I started feeling the horrible itch of the rashes that seemed to cover my entire body. My back was the worst. I tried to scratch it but couldn’t quite reach.

“Stop that,” Ko’nar growled as he approached with a steaming cup in one hand and a washing cloth in the other. “You’ll make it worse.”

I winced. It was already the worst! He stepped closer, and I looked down at myself, trying to assess how much of my naked body he could see. I noticed a trickle of red in the water. One of the deeper scratches on my left arm had started to bleed.

“The berries you ate are slowly poisoning your liver. You don’t feel it now, but you will in a day or two. They take effect over a prolonged period.”

I looked up at him. “How do you know these things? Do the same berries grow on Zorran?”

“No. But they grow on other planets I visited.” He handed me the cup. “Drink this. It will stop the poison from attacking your liver.”

I took a sip and was surprised at the minty taste of the concoction.

“You’re some sort of adventurer, then,” I continued to make conversation as he dipped the cloth in the water and started running it over my shoulder.

“I’m a mercenary.”

“And what does a mercenary do?”

“Any job he’s offered.”

“Can you give me an example of such a job?”

He clenched his jaw and remained silent. He ran the cloth down my arm, to my wrist, then took my hand in his and started cleaning my fingers. I noticed that he’d put something on the cloth before soaking it, and it left a thin, oily film on my skin.

“What is this?”

“It will help with your rash. The scratches are another story. I’ll clean them and then bandage them.”

It was hard to focus when he was washing me with his own hands, gently moving around the basin. I tried to cover my breasts and not drop the cup, from which I continued to sip. His whole palm came in contact with the sensitive skin on my ribs when he tried to make me sit still.

“Stand up,” he said.

“What? No.”

He’d washed most of my body – my shoulders, arms, back, and I’d even given him my legs, one at a time.

“Caroline, stand up.”

I pushed the empty cup into his hand and tried to grab the washing cloth from him.

“I can do the rest. Thank you.”

“I’ll do it. Stand up, now.”

His voice turned growly and impatient. We stared at each other for a minute, then despite myself, I had to admit that I felt compelled to follow his order. There was something in his tone that made it impossible for me to ignore his command, that made me... want to do as he said.

I grabbed the edges of the basin and pushed myself to my feet.

Chapter Four

Ko’nar

The little human was covered in deep wounds and angry rashes. Her soft, fragile body had been through so much, and I shouldn’t have been as aroused as I was by the sight of it. But my cock strained against my leather pants, begging to be let out. My balls had doubled in size, and the urge to grab Caroline, bend her over the edge of the basin, and push my cock inside her was a battle I was afraid I might just lose. From where she sat, she couldn’t see the tent in my pants, but once she stood up, exposing herself to me, letting the water run down her luscious curves in long rivulets, her green eyes locked right onto the bulge between my legs.

I cleared my throat and proceeded to wash her front, gently swiping the cloth over and under her heavy breasts. This was torture to me, but it was also so delicious.

“You’re lucky to be alive,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t sound too unlike me. “On Reazus Prime, the outlaws are often not even the biggest danger.”

“I beg to differ after being hunted for two days in a row.”

I ran the cloth over her belly. Her body had an hourglass shape – big breasts, large hips, and in the middle, a narrow waist. She was so enticing, and as I knelt before her and focused on covering every scratch and rash with the plant mixture I’d poured onto the cloth, I could smell the juices gathering at her entrance. The hair between her legs was dark and soft, and all I wanted was to push two fingers between her folds and open her so I could see her core. Her body was similar to the females in my kingdom, except she was smaller and more delicate in every way.

“Tell me more about Reazus Prime,” she said.

That snapped me out of my thoughts. I motioned for her to turn around, and I started running the cloth over her round buttocks.

“It used to be a prison planet, back when the Overlords were still around. They used the prisoners to mine a mineral of great value. When the mines dried up, the Overlords abandoned it and moved on to other things. Then a revolt overthrew them, and there was a new order in the galaxy brought by the Alliance. The Alliance freed the prisoners and allowed them to live on Reazus Prime, but never to join the Alliance. It’s a place forgotten by the greater powers. This happened hundreds of years ago. There are still descendants of the original prisoners living here. The Srokin you had the displeasure of meeting was, most likely, one of them. Now, Reazus Prime attracts outlaws from all over the universe. Pirates, thieves, mercenaries, slavers... It’s one of the worst places to crash-land on, if you ask me.”

“Yeah, no... I figured that one myself.”

Telling her about the planet wasn’t doing much to distract either of us. My hands lingered on her hips, and she didn’t complain. I found that fascinating. Just a few minutes before, she’d been reluctant to let me wash her, and now here she was, standing before me, naked and unashamed, not even attempting to cover her curves anymore. The light from the fireplace danced on her pale skin. Her dark brown hair hung in wet strands over her shoulders and back. And she smelled amazing. Behind the subtle scent of the ointment, I could identify the specific smell of her, of her skin and her fluids, and it was so intoxicating that all I could think about was tasting her.

“What else about Reazus Prime?” she asked.

She still had her back to me, so when I leaned in and held my nose inches from her bottom, she didn’t react. One of my hands moved down her thigh as the other dropped the washcloth and went to press on the small of her back. I didn’t answer her question, though I’d heard it. But my mind simply couldn’t put words into a coherent order, so I didn’t even try. I inched closer to her round ass, until my nose pressed against the pale, sensitive skin.

Caroline gasped but didn’t pull away. Taking that as permission on her part, I pressed my face further against the crack of her bottom, until my tongue could reach between her legs. My hand on her lower back urged her to bend slightly, and to my surprise, she did so. The position wasn’t the best, and I knew that she would soon lose her balance, but I couldn’t wait a second longer. I needed to have a taste. I grabbed her hips with both hands and held her steady as I licked her again, grunting at the taste of her juices.

“Mmm... Ko’nar... I don’t think this is a good idea.”

But she didn’t do anything to stop me. I didn’t think it was a good idea, either. She was to be a gift for my king. If we did this... if I did this to her... then she would be a used gift. On the other hand, it wasn’t like the king needed to know that. Just a taste, nothing more, I told myself. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, and she was enjoying it too, clearly.

“Ko’nar...”

As she said my name again, she parted her legs, and that allowed me better access. I pushed my tongue inside her tight pussy, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my throat. She moaned, too. She wanted more. Her juices poured onto my tongue, and I lapped them up greedily. She wanted so much more, and the Twins help me, I was going to give it to her.

“Do you want this?” I asked, voice hoarse and pulse quickening.

“I do,” she breathed out. “I want this...”

That was all it took. I jumped to my feet, wrapped her in my arms, and lifted her out of the water. She yelped and held onto my neck with both arms.

“I thought you would be cold,” she said.

“Cold?”

“Yes. Because of your skin... It looks like ice.”

That made me laugh. And as I laughed and she stared at me, a smile playing on her lips, I realized I hadn’t laughed in a while.

“I’m not cold.”

“No, you’re not.” She snuggled against my chest as I carried her to the bedroom.

“My skin looks like this because Zolunians have adapted to the environment we live in. Our continent is in the north. It snows all the time. There are mountains covered in snow and ice as the eye can see. Our skin looks like our land, so we can blend in easily.”

“That makes sense.”

As I was about to drop her onto the bed, she held on to me. Her eyes widened, and she looked at the bed in horror.

“What is it?”

“We can’t... I can’t... He slept here.”

Interesting. My cock was aching to fill her, and I also wanted to eat her pussy thoroughly before I gave in to those urges, so I definitely didn’t have time for this.

“Does it matter?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll throw another pelt over it.”

“It feels wrong.”

“More wrong that him trying to eat you? And not in the way that I’m trying to eat you.”

She blushed and averted her gaze. She squeezed her legs slightly, and I knew she was just as impatient as I was.

“Okay, throw another pelt over it.”

I sighed, placed her on her tiny feet, and went into the other room to grab the pelts off the cot she’d been sleeping on. I threw them over the bed, then swiftly threw her onto them. She screamed and squirmed at first, taken by surprise, but then my face was between her legs, and her hands were in my hair, pulling and massaging, pressing my head against her, showing me where she needed me most.

I licked a trail from her entrance to her clit, then swirled my tongue around the throbbing nub, enjoying the little sounds she made. She was so tiny that I could easily wrap my mouth around her entire sex. When I did that, she spread her legs wider and mumbled something about how she didn’t want me to stop. I kissed her, licked her, and sucked her like she was the one meal I’d been craving my entire life. And right now, in this moment, she was. I couldn’t imagine wanting anything, more than I wanted her pussy.

“Ko’nar... Oh, fuck... Right there. Oh, God...”

I didn’t know what “God” was, but I did understand the meaning of the expression. With two fingers, I spread her folds open so I could look at the tiny, engorged nub and at the pink, inviting entrance. She was delicious, and everything about her was beautiful. I complimented her with my tongue and teeth, teasing her until she was moaning and calling my name over and over.

“Please... I need to come... This is too much. Please...”

I loved it when she begged. My cock pushed against my pants painfully, and I had to release some of the tension. I reached one hand between my legs and undid my belt first, letting it drop to the floor. Then I undid the laces and let out a sigh when I felt the chilly air on my throbbing shaft. I wrapped my hand around the base as I kept licking Caroline’s pussy. She was getting closer and closer to the edge, and I teased myself, punctuating every moan and whimper that left her lips with a tug on my cock.

As I focused my attention on her clit once more, I looked up at her only to see that she was looking down at me. Her eyes were hooded with pleasure, and her lips were wet and parted. She could see me stroking myself, and that seemed to enhance her own pleasure. An idea came to me.

I sat up, grinning at her whimper of protest. But she was forced to let go of my hair as I crawled between her legs and positioned my cock against her pussy lips. Suddenly, she was more attentive than ever.

“Do you want to come, Caroline?”

“Yes, please...”

“What if I make you come like this?” And I started rubbing the length of my cock against her folds.

“However you like... Just... I need this.”

I pushed one hand underneath her ass and lifted her slightly. With my other hand, I kept guiding my cock up and down her slit, gently teasing her entrance, then rubbing her clit with my engorged head. She started moaning again. I slapped her clit with my cock once, and she let out a sharp breath. I could see a bead of sweat glistening on her upper lip. I slapped her again, and she closed her eyes and licked her lips.

“Do you like that?”

“Yes...”

I slapped her clit again and again, then rubbed it in circles, smearing my pre-cum all over her. Soon, her body was shaking, and her spine was arching with the pleasure that was washing over her in waves. She moaned as she came, fisting the sheets and involuntarily squeezing her legs around me. She pulled me in, and before I knew it, the tip of my cock slipped back down to her entrance, and I was pushing inside her, delirious with desire, unable to think straight anymore.

She was a gift for my king, and I was going to fuck her. I was going to fuck her without protection, fill her with my seed, and then what? I couldn’t think that far into the future. Half of my cock was inside her, and her pussy squeezed me possessively.

It was done. Because no, I wasn’t going to pull out. I wanted to pump her full of my cum, and watch her orgasm again and again.

Chapter Five

Caroline

It was crazy, but I wanted him. His skin was soft and warm to the touch, except for his hands, which were rough and calloused from physical work. I liked that he was a warrior, that he was strong, and that he’d saved me. Even as I thought how insane it was that I was giving myself to him so shamelessly, I knew it would’ve been stupid to miss the chance of being ravished by the sexiest man I’d ever seen.

So what if he was an alien? I’d been abducted and hunted for the past two days, and in light of that, the fact that I was in bed with an ice giant with sharp tusks poking out of his mouth almost... followed. I couldn’t think too deeply about it. Not with Ko’nar slowly sliding inside me, filling me with his long, thick cock. I received him enthusiastically, wrapping my legs and arms around him, pulling him close. I needed to feel him. I needed him to hold me as he fucked me, and I needed him to look into my eyes. I needed this to mean something, otherwise I knew I would feel guilty after.

I’d had one-night stands before, and I’d regretted all of them the next morning. They’d left me feeling empty and used. As Ko’nar started moving, pulling out and pushing in, I stared into his dark eyes and hoped this would be different. He seemed to be entranced with me. He moved slowly at first, carefully, giving me time to adjust to his almost impossible girth, and I was grateful. Because it hurt. He stretched me to my limit, and I bit my lower lip and clenched my jaw. I wasn’t going to tell him that I was in pain because I didn’t want him to stop. I could take this. I could take him. And the pain was slowly turning to pleasure, and I was soon melting under him, unable to move from all the sensations exploding in my body, one after the other.

“Caroline,” he whispered.

“Ko’nar.”

“So tight... you feel... you feel like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. He felt like nothing I’d felt before, too. If I ever returned to Earth, how was I going to fuck human men, now? Especially since I hadn’t been too enthusiastic about them before, either.

“Beautiful,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful... With your soft skin, soft hair... Your lips...” He leaned in and kissed me.

I moaned and parted my lips for him, my eyes fluttering closed. His tongue sought mine, and he fucked my mouth with his tongue like he fucked my pussy with his cock. I felt his tusks graze my lower lip, and that sent a shudder through me. My core tightened, my pussy squeezed him, and he growled deep in his chest, making my body vibrate with his.

The kiss was long and intense, and I never wanted it to end. No one had kissed me like this before, like they wanted to devour me and absorb me into their body and being. Like they wanted me to be a part of them. And I’d never abandoned myself to a kiss like I was doing it now.

“Faster... please...” I said when he gave me a moment to breathe.

He grinned and moved faster, and the tip of his cock pushed against my cervix. I yelped, then laughed when I realized that it didn’t feel bad at all. Just... different. He did it again, and I furrowed my brows, focused on every little thing he made me feel. I clung to him like my life depended on it. Maybe not my life, but my next orgasm.

He moved faster and harder, and I tried to match his pace, tried to move my hips to meet his, but every time he hit my cervix and rubbed against my G-spot, I felt my body turn to jelly. I could barely move, no matter how much I wanted to.

“So close...”

The tension was building up.

“So close... please...”

He sat up slightly, and my arms slipped from around his neck. I lifted them above my head and looked for something to hold on to, because he was fucking me so hard now that he kept pushing my body up the bed. I found the headboard and pressed my palms against it.

He curled his back and latched his mouth onto one of my breasts. I had big, round breasts, so when Ko’nar’s mouth almost swallowed one of them, I was impressed. He was huge in every way. Every part of his body was big, mouth included. The sensation of having my whole breast enveloped by the warmth and wetness of his mouth sent me over the edge. I screamed and came hard, my pussy throbbing around his cock, pulling him in, squeezing him. He refused to come, though. I was trying to milk him, and all he did was suck on my breast and dig his fingers into the soft flesh of my hips, delaying his own release.

“Ko’nar...”

He looked up at me as he swirled his tongue around my hard nipple, then sat up and pulled his cock out.

“Next time you come, scream my name, little human.”

“Next time...?”

I didn’t know if I could take another mind-blowing orgasm. My body was so sensitive, and I was tired. The dull ache in my muscles was back.

But Ko’nar didn’t wait for me to say yes or no. Swiftly, he flipped me onto my stomach and pulled my hips toward him, and his cock plunged inside me once more, deeper this time. I screamed and fisted the sheets, trying to hold the position on my hands and knees as he fucked me harder and faster than before, forcing my pussy open, stretching me beyond what I thought was possible.

“Scream, Caroline. No one will hear you.”

It sounded sexy. Maybe it shouldn’t have, but I was screaming in pleasure, not pain, and that made all the difference. That was another thing I’d never gotten the chance to experience. To allow myself to get lost in the sex. To allow myself to scream as hard as I could, beg and cry if I needed to... There had always been neighbors to think about. But here... now... I was on an alien planet, in a lonely cabin in the middle of nowhere, and an alien man with skin that looked like ice was pounding me from behind, fucking any decency I might’ve had right out of me.

So, I screamed. Because I wanted to. Because it felt good. It felt cathartic.

I screamed, moaned, and called his name. And every time I said Ko’nar, it sounded right, like his name belonged on my lips.

He pushed me over the edge once more, and this time, the orgasm almost hurt. Tears spilled out of my eyes, and I didn’t care. He pulled me against his chest, forcing me to sit upright. He held me there even as I wanted to melt into a puddle. He pushed inside me one more time, and as I was coming down from the heights of my orgasm, he shot his seed deep into my womb. He came in long, hot spurts, and I felt his cum fill me to the brim, until there was no space left in pussy, and I felt it start to drip out and down my inner thighs. His cock twitched and throbbed, and he rocked against me slowly.

I could feel his breath in my ear. His tongue darted out to lick the sweat off my cheek, and I closed my eyes and leaned back into him. It felt nice to be held like this. If he let go, I would collapse onto the bed, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to get up for hours. I felt lightheaded and satiated. My core throbbed pleasantly, and when he started pulling out of me, I whined and clenched my pussy around his cock. I wasn’t looking forward to the emptiness he’d leave behind.

“Caroline... You’re mine.”

“Yours, yes.”

“Do you want to be mine?”

“I want to be yours, Ko’nar.”

Tough I had no idea what that meant. I figured this was the equivalent of saying “I love you” after having hot, sweaty sex. Did it mean anything? I wasn’t sure. It had never meant anything on Earth, and that was why I’d never been in a real relationship. It probably didn’t mean much on Reazus Prime, either. Or on Zorran, since he was from there. But this was not the time to think about that. I still had a few minutes (or hours, if I was lucky) to enjoy, with my body pressed against his body, his warmth enveloping me and making me feel safe.

I wasn’t going to overthink this.

His cock slipped out of me, and his seed followed. I squeezed my thighs as she lowered me onto the bed and pulled me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest and hooked a leg over his hard abs. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me possessively as I dozed on and off.

On the one hand, I wanted to stay awake and listen to his heartbeat. I wanted to take in every little thing, from the way he breathed, to how his skin felt against my fingertips. Because of the spikes that protruded out of his clavicle and shoulders, I couldn’t move around much, or I risked hurting myself. I wanted to soak up the warmth his big, hard body gave off. But on the other hand, I was exhausted. I couldn’t think clearly anymore, I couldn’t see two seconds into the future. I needed to rest if I was to be functional the next day, when he would surely want to leave this place and... and what? Take me with him and find me a ride back to Earth? Was he truly going to do that?

He’d talked about his home with such passion and such longing... Surely, he understood that we were alike on that account. We both wanted to go home. As I fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep, I decided to trust him.

Trust Ko’nar. His name sounded right even in my thoughts.

Chapter Six

Ko’nar

The two suns of Reazus Prime weren’t up yet. Caroline was curled up in my arms, lying half on top of me, snoring lightly and so cutely that I’d stayed up the entire time just to listen to her. She had a smile on her lips, and the weight of her body on me felt right.

Why had I told her that she was mine now? Because it had felt right, too.

But she wasn’t mine. She was my ticket home. That plan hadn’t changed, and it couldn’t change, because it was the only plan I had.

Universal breeders were rare and extremely valuable. Especially universal breeders like her, belonging to a species that was so pleasant to look at. Human females were known across the universe for being fertile, despite the fact that the planet they came from was still in the dark about the existence of other species. They weren’t evolved enough technologically, and they still had much to learn about themselves before they could learn about others.

The fact that a slave ship had gotten so close to Terra and abducted so many females was a great offense. Highly illegal. Not that anyone on the outlaw planet cared about that. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Alliance was going to get involved at some point. Though they’d made it their mission to stay away from Reazus Prime after they’d returned the planet to the prisoners who’d been exploited by the Overlords. Besides, the slavers were dead. And probably many of the human females, too.

On second thought, no, the Alliance was probably not going to get involved. To return so many women who’d seen aliens and other planets back to Earth was out of the question. Terra had to be kept in the dark until it was ready. And if a few of them made their way back home, it was one thing. They would be considered crazy if they started talking about aliens and outlaws. But if they all made it back and talked... No, that could cause more problems than it was worth.

So, the females were on their own. If they survived, good. If they didn’t, I personally doubted the Alliance would care. But what did I know? I was just a mercenary.

All I knew was that Caroline was coming with me, and once we reached Zorran, her fate would be sealed. I couldn’t imagine the king saying no to such a gift. He and the queen hadn’t shared a room, let alone a bed, for many, many years. As a former member of the king’s guard, I knew as much. He was going to love the prospect of owning a universal breeder who could give him more heirs. The queen... not that much. That was, if she was going to even bother to leave her quarters. And I didn’t need the queen’s favor, anyway. I needed the king to forgive me and allow me to return and be with my family. Then, maybe I would finally meet my fated mate, too.

Though, as I looked at Caroline’s sleeping form, the idea of taking a mate that was Zolunian didn’t appeal to me that much anymore. Not that I could choose my fated mate... What I felt for the little human was more than attraction, more than lust. But no, she couldn’t be my mate. We were not alike. And I needed her to fulfill a completely different role in my life. I couldn’t stray from my initial plan, and practically condemn myself to more years in exile just because I wanted her.

I wanted her. I wanted to possess her, own her... I wanted her body and soul so badly that just thinking about it, it was hard to breathe.

No. I had to stop now, before it became unbearable. Before it became inevitable.

I placed my hand on her should and shook her lightly.

“Caroline.”

“Mmm?” She mumbled and stirred in her sleep, only to climb further onto my chest and make herself more comfortable.

“It’s time to go.”

“Mmm... no.”

I shook her again, more harshly, and she opened her eyes, yawned, and looked up at me.

“Go? Now? Why?”

“It’s still dark out. We can disappear into the forest before anyone sees us.”

“But there’s no one around. Gadon lived alone.”

“Who’s Gadon?” Then I realized she was talking about the Srokin. Such a vile creature he’d been, and she was still referring to him by his name? Humans were strange. “We have to go.”

I pushed her off me, and even as I craved her touch and her little voice whispering in my ear, I forced myself to stay focused on the task at hand. Which, currently, was getting dressed. I pulled my pants on and began lacing my boots.

Caroline sat up in bed, blinking and yawning. She looked confused, and for a second, that pissed me off. Why was it so hard for her to understand that it was time to leave?

“All right,” she said. “So, we’re going to cross the forest, board your ship, and then... you’ll take me to Earth first, and then head to Zorran? Or... what’s the plan?”

Her words were like a dozen daggers plunged straight through my heart. I’d lied to her. And now that I’d claimed her body and given her my seed, I felt guilty about it. I was a mercenary and an outlaw but lying wasn’t something that I did often. I lied when my life depended on it, or when a lie brought me closer to a goal and I didn’t care about the one I lied to. They were all outlaws, anyway. Caroline was different, though. I could smell her on my skin even as she slipped out of the bed and put distance between us as she looked for her own clothes.

Right. I’d said I’d burn those.

She remembered they were in the other room, and with a sigh, she stalked in there, gently wrapping her arms around herself. The fire had died, and it was chilly again. Soon, the suns would rise, and the chill would be replaced by heat as they traveled through the sky. I followed her, fighting the instinct to catch her from behind and wrap her into my arms.

She bent down to pick up her blouse, but I was faster.

“No. I’ll find you something else to wear.”

“What? Why?”

“Your clothes are dirty and probably filled with plant lice.”

“Really?” She scrunched up her nose as she looked at the piece of fabric in my hand. “What about my shoes? Though they’re horrible to walk in since the heels broke.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. But I doubted the Srokin had shoes her size lying around, so... “You can keep the shoes.”

I gathered her clothes and threw them in the fireplace, then made the fire, both to warm her up and to make sure we didn’t leave too much evidence behind. I turned to her and saw she was trying to clean her strange shoes before putting them on.

“So, you’re taking me to Earth before you return to Zorran, right?” she insisted.

“No.”

I couldn’t keep lying to her. And I knew it was stupid of me to tell her the truth now, but the idea of kidnapping her when she trusted me so much was even harder to live with.

Caroline looked up at me. “Oh. Then what’s the plan? I mean, in what order?”

“I’m not taking you to Earth. Earth is very far from where we are. I could... take you to the Hub and find you a ship that’s traveling that way, pay for your safe passage...” I paused to study her face. She was looking at me curiously now, unsure of how she should feel about my reveal. “But I’m not going to do that. I’m taking you to Zorran.”

“And then find a way to send me to Earth?”

“No. I’m taking you to Zorran as a gift for my king. I will give you to him, and he will forgive me for what I did three years ago and end my exile.”

“What?” She looked around and grabbed the first pelt within reach. She was naked, still, and oh-so-vulnerable. “But you said... You lied to me!” She furrowed her brows. She was angry, though, not scared, and I realized I liked that about her. “You lied to me, Ko’nar! And you took advantage of me. I believed you. I trusted you. And you... you said you would help me, save me, only so you could fuck me.”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?!”

Yes, I’d lied to her, but not because I wanted to take advantage of her and fuck her. Those were completely different things. The fact that we ended up in bed together hadn’t been something I’d planned. But I couldn’t explain that to her. I could see in her eyes that from now on, she wasn’t going to believe a single word I said.

“Ko’nar, you can’t do this to me. Just tell me this is a bad joke, and we can forget about it. Move on.”

“I’m sorry, Caroline.”

“You’re sorry? Oh God, this isn’t happening...” She ran a hand through her hair. She needed a few moments to collect her thoughts, but then she turned to me again and fixed me with a serious gaze. “This isn’t who you are. So, don’t do it.”

I shook my head. It was hard for me to look at her. Hard to see her so upset and betrayed. I needed to do something with my hands, distract myself. I started looking through the Srokin’s closets and drawers and pulled out clothes that I thought might fit her. They were all gray, brown, or black, and they were old and tattered, but at least they were somewhat clean. I threw them at her. They would be too big for her frame, but they would have to do. Dressed like a Srokin, she would also be less of a target.

“Try these on. See what fits.”

She looked at the pile that gathered at her feet. Then back at me.

“Please don’t do this, Ko’nar.”

“I’m sorry. I have to. You’re a universal breeder and very valuable. I can’t spend another year, or three, or ten in exile. I just can’t. Get dressed, Caroline, and let’s go.”

She pursed her lips, and the look in her eyes turned from pleading to hateful.

“You won’t see me naked again. You want me to get dressed? Fine. But give me space. Go in the other room or something.”

I sighed. I would’ve rolled my eyes, but she had a point. But there was nothing for me to do in the other room. I grabbed my backpack and headed to the Srokin’s pantry. I could make it to my ship without eating, but she was going to need some sort of sustenance. Plus, the medicine the Srokin had wasn’t half bad.

“Don’t take too long,” I said. “I’ll pack up some supplies, and then we’re leaving.”

“Close the door behind you.”

I sighed again. The pantry was cramped, but if that made her happy... I closed the door and cursed under my breath when I realized I’d forgotten to bring a candle. I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out my flashlight, then focused on figuring out what she might be able to eat that was on these shelves and was easy enough to carry. It didn’t take me long to fill the backpack. Maybe ten minutes. She was surely dressed and waiting for me.

I opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, then looked around. Caroline was nowhere in sight. I frowned and stalked into the bedroom. She wasn’t there either. My eyes zoomed in on the front door, which was slightly ajar. And it hit me.

“Fuck, Caroline. The Twins be merciful, what have you done?”

She’d run from me. And now we were back to square one – she was the prey, and I was the hunter.

Chapter Seven

Caroline

I put on the first thing sitting atop the pile and walked right out the front door. It was stupidly easy. Maybe because Ko’nar thought I was under his control, or something. He might’ve fucked me, but he didn’t know me at all.

I ran as fast as I could. Not toward the forest, because that was where I’d come from, and I was done with that experience. I ran around the cabin and hurried across the field, ignoring the pain in my feet. The reeds covered me well enough. It was still dark, but not for long. My intention was to try and go around the alien settlement, then see if I could find a secluded spot to catch my breath. I had no plan, and that scared me. It scared me so much that I felt tempted to just go back to Ko’nar and beg. I even entertained the idea of becoming a breeder for his king. How bad could it be? He was of the same species as Ko’nar, so he probably looked like him, maybe older. But no, those were ridiculous thoughts. I might’ve been lost on an alien planet, but that didn’t mean I had to accept whatever fate others chose for me.

I was going to run until I couldn’t run anymore, and I fell dead.

The Srokin’s clothes, albeit large, were more comfortable than my own. Too bad my broken shoes weren’t doing me any favors. Thanks to the ointment Ko’nar had applied a few hours before, my wounds were healed, including the blisters on my feet. This was a great opportunity to get new ones, and I was taking full advantage of it by running as fast as I could while making as little noise as possible.

I wondered when he was going to realize that I was missing.

The first sun of Reazus Prime appeared over the horizon. A few minutes later, the second one joined it, and I started to sweat in the oversized clothes that were too dark, almost black. I wiped my sweaty brow and ignored the heat. I had to stay focused.

Night turned to day, and to my horror, I soon started hearing footsteps behind me. I picked up the pace, now running as fast as my heavy, tired body allowed it. My breathing came in sharp gasps, and my chest started to hurt. But I couldn’t stop. I had to push myself. I was still out in the open field, and I prayed that I might find some sort of shelter soon, somewhere I could hide.

The footsteps got closer, and then I heard voices. There were at least two aliens, and they’d seen me, because they picked up the pace, too. At this point, I wasn’t sure if it was better to be caught by them, or if Ko’nar had been the better option and I’d just blown it with him.

I ran faster, and they ran after me. And the next thing I knew, something curled around my ankles, tripping me and making me fall on my face. I came down with a scream. I trashed around for a minute, like a helpless fish on land, then managed to flip onto my back and look at my feet. My ankles were bound tightly with rope. How had they managed to throw it so expertly? I never had a chance.

The two aliens approached, and I looked up, shielding my eyes from the two suns. I couldn’t see their faces clearly, but they seemed to be covered in dark, short fur from head to toe. They had large ears on the sides of their necks, and they were tall and bulky, with hunched backs and large feet that were also covered in fur. They wore no shoes, and their clothes were minimal, too.

One of them had dark brown fur, and the other had black fur that was streaked with gray here and there. The brown one bent over me and pushed the hair away from my face to get a better look.

“A human female. How lucky are we?”

“I heard a slave ship crashed here a few days ago. This must be one of their cargos.”

“Hey, little one, what’s your name?”

I clenched my jaw and didn’t say anything. They didn’t look friendly, and I doubted they actually cared about my name.

“You’re right, it doesn’t matter,” he chuckled. Then, to his friend, “What do you think we should do with her?”

“She’s a rare universal breeder. She will fetch a good price in town.”

“You’re right.” He reached for me, and I tried to bat his hands away. He frowned and grabbed another piece of rope that was hanging from his belt. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” He tied my hands as I tried to fight him off, but he was so much stronger than me. And he wasn’t messing around. “There you go.” He hauled me over his shoulder and stood up. “Now, which way is the town?”

“That way.”

He carried me like I was a sack of potatoes. I considered screaming, but what was the point? If Ko’nar heard me, would be come and rescue me a second time? But then he’d kidnap me, too. I was tired. So, so tired. I hung limply and listened to their conversation. They behaved like I was an object, not a person.

“We better sell her quickly and get her off our hands,” the black-furred one said. “These human females are bad news.”

“I agree. We don’t need a breeder anyway.”

“But we need the credits.”

“We’ll sell her to the highest bidder in town and be on our way.”

“What an opportunity!”

They laughed and started talking about what they were going to buy after they sold me. They seemed to be travelers, interested in exploring and enjoying the frivolities every alien settlement had to offer. The first thing they were going to do was drink and eat as much as they could. They weren’t complicated creatures, but just as I was thinking that trying to negotiate with them might’ve been worth a shot, I realized we’d entered the alien town. Someone shouted at them, asking what they were bringing, and the brown-furred one said to come check the goods in the town square.

God, they were going to organize an impromptu auction. They were going to sell me like livestock, and who knew who was going to buy me! I started screaming then, but all that did was to make my captors laugh and draw everyone’s attention. I looked at the aliens’ faces. They were of different species, and not even the females looked like they felt any pity for me. They regarded me with curiosity, interest, and some of them, in a very lecherous way. I shut my mouth, realizing that screaming my head off was only making things worse.

We arrived in the town square, and conveniently enough, they found a wooden pole to tie me up to. A few dozen aliens gathered around us, shouting and laughing, asking questions about where they’d found me and if I was for sale.

“She is for sale. This fine universal breeder from planet Terra will make a great addition to your house. Use her in the kitchen or use her in the bedroom. Or be inventive and use her however you please.” The brown one laughed. “We want to sell her today. We want to sell her now. There’s no time to waste, so shout your bids loud and clear, so my brother and I can hear you.”

And the aliens started shouting. There were many bidders, and the noise they made as they threw their hands in the air and shouted numbers was unbearable. Some of them hissed, others growled. There were aliens who looked human enough, and others who didn’t have humanoid heads at all. I saw one that had a boar’s head. Some were covered in colorful feathers, others in scales. Some looked rich, wearing clothes that shined in the suns, while others looked poor, but were clearly not that poor since they were participating in this madness.

As I watched their faces, some angry, some excited, I thought... I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life. I should’ve stayed with Ko’nar. What had happened between us the night before hadn’t been entirely meaningless, had it? There had been moments when I’d felt that I truly belonged with him, that we fit together so well, there was no way he would leave me, or I would leave him. But then he’d betrayed me, and I’d felt so hurt that I couldn’t think straight. And I’d run.

Now, here I was, waiting to see who would offer the highest bid, the bid no one would be able to match. A few aliens had already started to leave, bitter and disgruntled, which meant the price had gone over what they could afford. The shouts were far in between now, and the bidders needed a bit more time to think. My two captors kept exchanging glances, as if trying to decide if it was time to end it. But then someone else would shout a price that was slightly higher, and they would become greedy again and encourage the thinning crowd to bid again, bid more, because the prize was worth it.

It was nearly over, and I was starting to shake in my oversized clothes. Then I heard a voice I knew all too well, because it had been whispering in my ear the entire night. He called a price that far exceeded the last bid, and silence fell over the square.

“Sold to the ice giant in the back,” my brown-furred captor yelled. “Congratulations, the female is yours.” He proceeded to untie me from the wooden pole, and he untied my ankles, too, so I could walk on my own. “See? That wasn’t so hard?” he said, grinning at me. “You did good, human. With the credits we made today, my brother and I are set for a year.”

But I wasn’t listening to him. I watched Ko’nar as he stepped forward. The aliens that were still lingering in the square made way for him, and the last few bidders threw him deadly looks. But no one dared to touch him or provoke him. I wondered if that was because he’d won fairly, or because of who he was. What he was. In their eyes, I saw a mix of reverence and fear.

Ko’nar stepped up to me and grabbed the rope that tied my wrists together. He took out a tablet from his backpack and made the transaction. I could hardly believe he was actually paying for me! Surely, he intended to get his credits back later. There were too many aliens here, and he couldn’t attack my captors out of the blue. But he wasn’t going to let them get away with this and with his credits, right?

What did I know?

I knew nothing about Ko’nar. I knew nothing about this alien world. All I knew was that I was relieved. Without sparing me a single glance, much less a word, he turned his back and started walking. He pulled me after him, and I followed him like a puppy who’d just wet the carpet and was hoping for forgiveness. Except it was wrong. The whole thing was messed up. I wasn’t a puppy, and I hadn’t done anything to deserve this. My only sin was that I was a human woman among aliens who wanted to sell me, buy me, own me, breed me.

But still, even as rage started growing once more in my chest, I knew Ko’nar was better than anyone who could’ve gotten their paws on me today. Maybe, just maybe, what had happened the night before hadn’t been for nothing. Maybe I still had a chance to convince him, if I begged. Or if I applied myself and seduced him properly. At this point, I had not an ounce of shame left in me. I was going to do everything I could to make him change his mind.

“Ko’nar,” I whispered. “Thank you.”

He was silent. Okay, so this wasn’t going to be easy.

Chapter Eight

Ko’nar

I was not happy that I’d had to spend almost all the credits I had to save Caroline. Again. I considered tracking down the two idiots who’d caught her when I wasn’t looking and take back what was mine. But the hassle and the risks were too great. For one, now I knew I really had to keep an eye on her. She could easily slip through my fingers again, if she set her mind to it. And two, I was tired. I wanted this to be over. So, I was going to take the loss and move on, not even think about it.

Credits were only good on Reazus Prime, anyway, and I had no intention of returning to the outlaw planet anytime soon. Home was where I was going.

Caroline kept talking. She thanked me a few times, told me about how they’d caught her, and about how frightened she’d been in the square. I listened, but I didn’t respond. I pretended that I was ignoring her. I kept walking in front of her and pulling her along, and soon, we entered the forest.

“Ko’nar, will you untie me, please? It hurts. Especially when you keep pulling me like this.”

I ignored her.

“Please, Ko’nar. You’re going too fast. I can’t walk right in these shoes.”

“But you could run,” I growled despite myself. It was hard to stay silent forever when she was so insistent.

“Sorry about that.”

I could sense the pout in her voice. She was blissfully silent for a while after that, and we made good time. But she was getting slower and slower, and I knew that she wasn’t lying about the shoes. I didn’t want to spend more than one night under the open sky, which meant that I would have to step on my pride at some point and carry her in my arms.

“Can we take a break?” she was panting, and my pulling the rope had ceased to make her walk faster. “Please... I’m so tired. And parched. Do you have some water?”

I groaned and came to a halt. Before I turned to look at her, I took a few deep breaths to steel myself. And steel my heart. It was painful to look at her. In the square, when I saw her tied to that post, rage had bubbled up inside me, and I’d had to fight the impulse to just go up there, tear through the crowd, grab her, and tell everyone that she was mine. The urge to rip her captors apart with my bare hands had been hard to control.

It scared me. What Caroline could make me do...

I had to get a hold of myself and stick with the plan. She was just a human female who had some sort of strange power over me, but once I gave her to the king, all that would be over. I’d forget about her and rebuild my life on Zorran. Find myself a mate who was just like me – skin like ice, dark eyes, tusks, and a strong body that could keep me warm at night. A strong body that could take a good pounding without my having to worry every five seconds that I might break something if I didn’t hold back.

I finally turned to face Caroline. And my resolve started to melt at the edges. She looked deplorable. She was sweaty, her hair was a mess, and the skin on her wrists was red and raw. She stood awkwardly on her feet, which made me think that those stupid shoes she was wearing were hurting her.

“I have water,” I said.

“Oh, thank God!”

I gave her the bottle and sat down. She sat down next to me.

“Who’s that?” I asked. “You keep saying that name.”

“God? Umm...” She gulped down half of the water. “He’s... err... God. Like... a deity? The all-powerful being humans believe in? Well, most humans.”

“Like the Twins,” I said. “Deity.”

“Twins?”

I nodded. I mentioned the Twins sometimes, but the truth was that I wasn’t religious. I hadn’t prayed in years. More than three. Maybe that was why the Twins had turned their back on me and allowed me to be thrown into exile. I should’ve done better. Been better.

“Tell me about the Twins,” Caroline said, pulling me out from my miserable thoughts.

I huffed. I knew what she was doing. Trying to get me to talk... Share... But we were on a break, and it was hard to stick to the silent treatment. I pulled a can of food from my backpack and gave it to her. When she looked at it helplessly, I opened it for her.

“Eat. You need your strength.”

“Is it good?”

“How would I know? It’s food.”

“You’re not trying to poison me, are you?” But she was joking. I could hear it in the playful tone of her voice. “All right. I’ll admit I’m hungry.” She took the food and picked at it with two fingers. “What about you?”

“Not hungry.” I drank some water from a second bottle that I was carrying.

“So, the Twins,” she said between bites.

“We worship the Twins in the kingdom of Zo’lun. Their statues are made glass that looks like ice, and they adorn our temples and our houses. Muth and Gifer. Muth is covered in hair and has long, curved tusks, and Gifer has a long snout and mighty antlers atop his head.”

“How are they twins when they look so different? Also, are they animals?”

“Yes, they are beasts. Beasts of the mountains. They are twins in power and spirit, and they guide the Zolunians, reminding us that we are a part of nature and that we should love it and respect it. We only hunt what we need to eat, and we don’t waste.”

“That sounds... nice. I can tell that you miss your home a lot, Ko’nar.”

“I do.” I should’ve stopped talking then, because she was only trying to find out things about me, probably thinking she’d later manipulate me better. But I did miss home. And during my years of exile, I hadn’t made any true friends with whom I could talk about it. I hadn’t met any other Zolunians, that was for sure.

“Tell me about Zorran.”

I smiled. “My planet is divided into three continents. Zo’lun is in the north. I visited Zo’kun once. It’s all green forests and rolling hills. And it’s lovely, but I couldn’t live there. Too hot. Reazus Prime is too hot for me, too. Most worlds are. My body was built to withstand very low temperatures.”

“Well, my body was built to withstand... practically nothing.” She chuckled. “Sorry, go on.”

“I used to be part of the king’s personal guard. My job was my life. My family was my life, too. My parents, and my little sister.”

“What happened? How did you get exiled?”

I sighed. “I made a mistake. I thought I knew better than the king. His daughter, the princess, was in love with a lowly Zolunian. Heart of gold, but he was poor, and his parents were servants at the palace. But one cannot choose their fated mate, so the princess and the servant met in secret every night, and when I found out, I first wanted to tell the king. But she begged me and told me how divine it felt to have found her fated mate, and that if I told the king, she would run away. Or if the king did anything to harm her lover, she would harm herself, with her own hands. So, I kept my mouth shut. Then I started helping them, making sure they could continue seeing each other without anyone finding out their secret.”

“Oh, but that’s so sweet!”

“Sweet?” I laughed bitterly. “Sure, until she became heavy with child, and she couldn’t hide it anymore. The king found out, but there was nothing he could do about it. It was too late. He had to give his daughter, the princess, to the lowly servant boy. It was all my fault. He condemned me to a life away from home.”

“I don’t like this king of yours,” she said. “Not one bit. All you did was stand up for love. Is the princess happy, at least?”

“I believe she is. I rarely hear any news. Zolunians like to keep to themselves. But yes, I believe the princess is happy. My sister is happy, too, I heard, and I’m not there to tell her how proud I am of her. She found her mate, and she is with child. She will give birth soon, and all I want is to be there when my first nephew or niece is born.”

I looked into Caroline’s eyes, and I saw that she was listening attentively.

“That’s why I’m doing this, Caroline. I have nothing else to offer the king. Nothing of value. Not even my life. He wouldn’t take it. He has no use for it. But you... you’re a universal breeder, and much more valuable than you can imagine. He would want you. And if I bring you to him, he might find it in his heart to forgive me.”

She straightened her back and looked away.

“Please tell me you understand, Caroline.”

She shrugged her shoulders, and I didn’t know what to make of it.

Chapter Nine

Caroline

Understand. Did I understand? I turned my back to him, needing to be alone with my thoughts for a minute. I heard him sigh as he started to pick things up and put them in his backpack. Even if I wasn’t hungry anymore, nor thirsty, there was an emptiness inside me.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I did understand. It wasn’t like I was devoid of empathy. And like it had happened many times before, this empathy of mine was working against me.

Ko’nar touched me on my shoulder to signal it was time to go. I looked up at him, took his hand, and tried to pull him back down. He resisted.

“Untie me, please. I won’t do anything stupid, I promise.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you, Caroline. And I don’t blame you. This is my fault, and you were right to run. But you risked your life, and if that happens again, what if I’m too late?”

“My life, my freedom... who cares? No one.”

“I care.”

He sat down then, and I scooted closer to him.

“You’re probably enjoying this,” I smirked.

“What?”

“Seeing me like this, I mean. My hands tied, helpless and completely at your disposal.”

“I don’t enjoy any of this.”

“I don’t believe you.” I looked up into his eyes. “Kiss me.”

“Caroline...”

“Just kiss me. After what we did last night, it’s no big deal.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for another minute, and then his gaze fell to my lips. Mine fell to his lips, too, or more specifically, to the curved tusks that embraced his upper lip. White and shiny, so sharp that he could rip me apart with them if he wanted to. He leaned in, and I closed my eyes. I wanted to savor this, because I knew it might not happen again. He was doing his best to put distance between us. Since he’d retrieved me from the square, we’d barely touched.

The kiss was soft and slow, nothing like what we’d shared just hours before. Ko’nar cupped my cheek with his big, rough hand, and pressed his body to mine, enveloping me easily. I felt one of the spikes in his clavicle graze the side of my head. Our lips moved languidly, and he took a long time before he slipped his tongue inside my mouth to taste me. I let out a small moan, and I felt him tense up. I was giving him an erection, and apparently, that was not comfortable at all. I tried to explore his chest with my tied hands, and that was when he pulled away and stood up abruptly.

“Enough. We must go.”

I sighed but didn’t protest. There was no point to it, and I was happy I’d at least gotten a kiss. I liked him, I thought. He was complicated, and contradicted himself a lot, but even that was endearing. To see two sides of him fight within him for control. He wanted me for himself, but he also wanted to return home. He’d just met me, while his longing for home had been persisting for three years. I was new and interesting, and that was most likely not enough to make him change his mind and plans.

As I followed him through the forest, it dawned on me more and more that I was never going to see Earth again. On my own, I couldn’t make it back. And it was clear that no one wanted to help me. Not even the alien authorities, or whatever the Alliance Ko’nar had spoken about was. Coming from a world that didn’t know about the existence of aliens, and still considered them science-fiction characters, and now having seen so many alien species that I’d lost count, it was as if I was marked. I had no place on Earth anymore. It was only mature of me to give up the idea of Earth and try to focus on the real future. A future among aliens.

Ko’nar was my best option, as I saw it. He wasn’t rough with me, and I felt safe with him. Well, at least when he wasn’t talking about how he planned on gifting me to the king of Zo’lun. Details. All I had to do was convince him. Seduce him. Something. Make him keep me. We could be happy together, he must’ve seen this.

I was lost in thought, and when Ko’nar halted suddenly, I wasn’t paying attention and walked right into his massive back. Almost broke my nose.

“Owww!”

“Shh!”

It was hard to “shhhh” when my nose hurt, and tears sprang out of my eyes.

“What is it?”

“We have company.”

I looked around me with wide eyes, but all I could see were trees and bushes. The forest was so wild, that for us to advance, Ko’nar had to use his dagger to cut branches and weeds and make a path. It was why we were going faster and covering more ground than I’d been able to on my own.

“I don’t...” But I didn’t get to finish my sentence.

Ko’nar let out a deep growl and pushed me aside. I landed on my butt and hit my head against a tree. The air was knocked out of me, but I was fine, just in shock and a little bruised. When I looked up, I saw two silhouettes lunging at Ko’nar, both carrying long spears as weapons. Ko’nar pulled out his only weapon that looked like a gun and fired. Two shots rang out, and one of the attacking aliens fell to the ground, howling in pain. He wasn’t dead. He crawled away while his partner managed to stab Ko’nar in the side. Ko’nar whirled around and shot at him but missed. I saw dark blood pour out from underneath his ribs.

A third alien made his presence known. After he pulled the wounded one up against a tree, he threw his spear at Ko’nar and got him right in the hand that was holding the gun. Ko’nar grunted, dropped the weapon, and cradled his hand to his chest, but only for a moment. He could still use it, so he grabbed the second dagger from his belt and lunged at the alien who’d so easily given up his spear.

I watched them fight, and with every blow Ko’nar took, my heart shrunk just a little more. If he lost, what would happen to me? One of the aliens shot me a glance, and he would’ve dived for me, had Ko’nar not seen him in time and plunged one of his daggers right in his back. The alien’s cat-like eyes blinked in confusion, then he crumbled to the ground.

Seeing Ko’nar had killed one of his mates and gravely injured the other, the last alien standing made a run for it. But the ice giant wasn’t going to have that. I shouted after him to wait and not leave me alone, but he ignored me. And I understood why. We still had a long way to go, and we were probably going to spend the night under the stars, so Ko’nar couldn’t let the alien escape.

I curled within myself as I waited, trying to make myself as small as I could. A few feet away, the alien with cat-like eyes was dead and not a threat anymore. But the other one was still breathing, albeit shallowly. He’d been shot twice, and without anyone to see to his wounds, I knew he didn’t stand a chance. I kept an eye on him as I quickly peeked through the bushes to see if Ko’nar was returning. At some point, the alien gave his last breath, and that made me feel brave enough to stand up and assess the damage.

With my hands still tied, I couldn’t do much, but I did manage to go through the satchels they were carrying. I found tablets and wondered if Ko’nar could use them to steal their credits. I also found two bottles of water, and something that looked like bread wrapped in a relatively clean cloth.

I heard footsteps approaching, and I grabbed Ko’nar fire weapon. I’d never fired a gun before, and this one was shaped oddly, and it was heavy. Also, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find the trigger if I really had to shoot. Luckily, it was him. I let out a breath of relief, but for some reason, didn’t lower the weapon.

Ko’nar stopped in his tracks.

“Caroline, what are you going to do?”

“What?”

“Are you going to shoot me?”

I looked at the weapon in my trembling hands, and then at him. I hadn’t thought about that. I hadn’t seen this as an opportunity to escape, but now I did, and I had to ask myself if it was a good idea. Last time, it hadn’t been, and my hands hadn’t even been tied.

“Sorry, I... I don’t know what I’m doing.” I gave him an apologetic smile and let the weapon fall to the ground. I saw him visibly let out a breath of relief. “Sorry, I thought you were one of them.”

He scanned me from head to toe. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Good.” He stomped over to me, holding himself straight, but I could see that he was in pain. With one hand, he was holding his side. “I’m proud of you, Caroline.” He brushed my hair away, inspecting me carefully. “You were ready to defend yourself.”

“You’re bleeding.”

“I’ll be fine. We have to keep going.” He looked at the two dead bodies and scrunched up his nose. “Not before I bury them, though.”

“You kill a lot, don’t you?” As I said it, I realized that it didn’t make me feel anything in particular. The fact that he was a killer should’ve at least made me squirm.

“I’m a mercenary, not some prince,” was all he said, then stepped away, and with one hand, proceeded to drag the bodies away.

“Let me patch you up first. Or... try to...”

He looked up at me. After a moment, he nodded.

“You’ll have to untie me.”

He nodded again, took out his dagger, and cut the rope around my wrists. For the next half hour, I did my best to clean his wounds and use the medicine he told me to use to stop the bleeding.

“I heal fast,” he said.

“But it hurts, doesn’t it?”

“I’ve been through a lot worse. And with no one to patch me up.”

I grinned, feeling satisfied that I was finally useful to him. That wasn’t to say I was happy he’d gotten hurt. To protect me.

“We should call it a day,” he said as he looked at the darkening sky. “I’ll make you a nest to sleep in, and then I’ll go take care of the idiots who tried to steal you from me.” He took my hands in his and gently ran his thumbs over my bruised wrists. He dipped his fingers in the ointment I’d used on him and rubbed it over the superficial wounds. “You won’t try to run, will you?”

“No, I’m done with that.”

“So, I can trust you?”

“Yes.”

We shared a heated look, but when I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me, he instead lifted my hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles.

I had to remember. He was not some prince.

Chapter Ten

Ko’nar

We reached my ship the next day. We didn’t run into any more problems, and my wounds healed completely. She was exhausted, though, after an uncomfortable sleep in the wilderness, and I had to carry her in my arms for most of the day. Once we arrived, we boarded, and I showed her the cabin she could use, the shower, and some clothes she could put on. They were too big for her, but she needed more layers if she was to survive once we got to Zo’lun.

I left her to her own devices, certain she wouldn’t try anything this time. She’d proved to me already that she wasn’t going to run again. I went to check the ship and make sure it was good to fly. As I worked, not too hurriedly, because I wasn’t keen on getting to the next step in our journey, I thought about all the possible scenarios. What if I kept Caroline? What if I made her mine, took her as my mate, and found us a home somewhere on a peaceful planet? Then I would have to give up on the idea of ever returning to Zorran.

Was Caroline my mate? My heart beat faster when she was around. When she spoke in that sweet voice of hers, a knot formed in my throat, and I had to swallow around it and pretend like I wasn’t affected. In the cabin, in the middle of nowhere, we’d become one for just a few hours, and I couldn’t remember ever having felt so complete before. All I felt when I touched her, talked to her, and even only thought of her, indicated that she could be my fated mate.

But that wasn’t the plan. Had never been the plan. I had to fight this and do what I needed to do to get my life back. For three years, I’d walked like a ghost, flying from one world to another, looking for jobs, surviving on autopilot. Living every day knowing there was nothing left for me, so why was I even bothering? And when I found out about the human females that had crash-landed on Reazus Prime, something had finally sparked inside me. Hope.

The ship was in good condition, and I had enough fuel to make it to Zorran. I secured everything that needed secured and walked on deck to start the takeoff sequence. We were up in the air in no time, and I entered the coordinates for Zorran.

I heard Caroline walk in, and I took a deep breath and released it slowly before I turned to look at her.

“Hey,” she whispered.

My eyes widened when I saw her. She was clean and perfect, her brown hair fell in soft waves over her back, and the dress she’d picked hung loosely over her curves, making her look ethereal. She was going to need more layers, and also a fur coat, but for now, all I wanted was to stare at her until her image was imprinted on my brain forever.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her small ear. “I hope I didn’t use all the hot water.”

“It doesn’t work like that.”

“Oh. I don’t know how anything works.”

“You’ll learn.”

She chuckled. “What choice do I have, huh?”

She was trying to sound casual, but I could hear the bitterness in her words. The sadness and disappointment. I was the one who’d disappointed her.

I fought the urge to walk over to her and wrap her in my arms. It was better if we kept our distance from each other, even as we talked.

“Caroline, I want to.”

“Want... what?”

“I want to keep you.”

I would’ve said more, but I didn’t trust my voice. I’d never been good at expressing my feelings, and the last thing I needed was to choke on my own words and make a fool of myself. A female of my species, a Zolunian, would’ve looked at me now and thought I was weak. She would’ve declared I’m a turn-off and walked away to find herself a true warrior. I was half afraid Caroline would react similarly, though I knew that her being human meant she came from a different culture, with different expectations. I knew nothing about human males, only that they were slightly larger than the females, though sometimes, not even that rule applied.

“Then let’s do that,” she finally answered. “Keep me. I love your ship. We can live here, travel from one place to another... I don’t mind.”

And therein lied the problem. I wanted to be done with planet hopping. I was tired, and the jobs I got were dirty, nasty, and didn’t give me any sense of accomplishment. They made me into someone I wasn’t. Caroline had seen me kill, and it broke my heart, because had I met her three years before, when I was a respectable member of the king’s guard, she would’ve seen the real me. Noble, honorable, law-abiding and guided by strong values. But then... how could our meeting even have been possible?

No, these were the only circumstances in which I could’ve met Caroline, and I would have to learn to be okay with it.

“You never told me about your family,” I said. Maybe if I made her talk about her family, she would understand how much mine meant to me.

She advanced on deck and looked for a place to sit. Once she found a chair that was a fair distance from any important buttons and levers, she sat down and looked at me thoughtfully.

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything you want to tell me.”

She shrugged. “There isn’t much. That’s because I don’t have any family left. My father walked out on my mother and me when I was a baby. I never met him. My mom said it was for the best, as sometimes it’s better to grow up without a father than to grow up with a bad one. She passed away a few years ago.” Her voice became strained. “That’s all there is. No family back on Earth, wondering where I vanished.”

She said it so quickly and simply, that I needed a moment to process her words and let it sink in that her mother had died and she had no one.

“How did she...”

“Cancer.” When she saw my confused expression, she elaborated. “It’s a deadly disease. I mean, not always, but usually. Many people suffer from it on Earth.”

“What about cures?”

“There’s therapy, drugs... Sometimes they, work, sometimes they don’t.”

She fell silent, and I gave her space to grieve. I could tell she was thinking about her mother, and I hated myself for bringing it up. Now I really wanted to close the space between us and press her to my chest, whisper in her ear that she had me, and I would protect her. And that I would make sure she would never lose anyone again. That I would be her world, and she could count on me.

“It’s okay. I have found family.”

She smiled, and even though it was feeble, I was grateful that the moment had passed before I did something that would compromise my plan forever.

“Found family?”

“Yes. Friends, you know. They’re probably worried sick about me.”

“Friends are not the same as real family.”

“I guess not. It depends. But no, I agree. When your real family is great and you lose them, friends can’t replace them.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. This conversation had to end now, or I might just lose the little control I had. “I want to keep you, but I can’t. Will you be good, Caroline?”

She laughed bitterly, and I saw her tap the corners of her eyes with her fingers.

“Good?”

“Yes. I don’t want to tie you up again. A tied-up gift is not as valuable as a willing gift. At least, that’s how I see it.”

“That’s how you see it...”

“Promise?”

She sighed. “Okay, I promise. I will be good. I will behave.”

“Thank you.”

She didn’t talk to me for a while after that, though she stayed on deck. I was happy to be in her presence for a few more hours, even if we were silent and the silence was heavy and awkward. Resentful, even. It was better than nothing.

Chapter Eleven

Caroline

We approached the planet of Zorran, and I found myself transfixed by the view out the window. The ship headed straight to the northernmost continent. I shivered as I took in the endless fields of snow, the glaciers, the frozen lakes, and the tall conifers that were laden with snow. The kingdom of Zo’lun, ruled by a king who was soon going to own me. Knowing what was waiting for me ruined my enjoyment of the landscape.

We landed on a busy dock, and Ko’nar told me to stay behind as he went to talk to the king’s soldiers. He wasn’t allowed to step off the ship, though, so I ended up hiding in the shadows, a few feet behind him, listening in on the conversation.

“Ko’nar Eisvir, turn your ship around, and I will pretend I saw a ghost today.”

“Old friend, let me speak.”

“To allow you to set foot on Zo’lun is treason.”

Ko’nar raised his hands as if to show he meant to cause no trouble. I couldn’t see the Zolunian he was talking to. If they used to be friends, then maybe he wasn’t going to shoot Ko’nar before he got to explain why he was breaking the law again.

“I have a gift for the king.”

“The king doesn’t want to have anything to do with you.”

“This is a gift he will want, unique on Zo’lun, unique on the entire planet of Zorran. All I ask is an audience, and if the king doesn’t like my gift, I will never step foot on his land again.”

There was a moment of silence, then I heard murmurs as the Zolunians decided what to do. A few minutes later, Ko’nar returned. He looked relieved, though his body was tense.

“They will let me know soon enough,” he said.

“Why did you tell me to hide? Maybe if they had seen me, they would’ve been more easily convinced.”

“If they had seen you, they might’ve thought they could steal you and present you to the king themselves.”

“Oh.”

Seeing how many they were, I knew Ko’nar couldn’t have protected me this time if something like that happened.

“I have no power here,” he continued. “I’m already an outcast, and I don’t want to spill my people’s blood too.”

“I hope you’ll never have to,” I whispered.

“Come. You need clothes that are more appropriate for the weather on Zo’lun.”

He was right. I was shivering in my dress. He took me to the cabin he’d said was mine and started rummaging through the closet. There were a few dresses inside, and I’d seen them earlier and wondered whom they’d belonged to. But I’d forgotten to ask him. I asked him now.

“Females. They used to belong to various females. I spent three years in exile, Caroline. Mostly on my own, but not always.”

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. Of course he had a past. I had a past, too. But it still wasn’t the most pleasant thing to hear about. I didn’t press, since he also looked like he didn’t want to talk about it.

I ended up decked in three layers, and with a massive fur coat on top. I could barely move, but I was finally starting to feel less cold. The shoes were harder. All the boots he had were too big for me, and unlike with the clothes, the problem couldn’t exactly be fixed with belts and ribbons. It took us a while to find something that I could walk in without tripping over my own feet. And that after he made me put on two pairs of thick socks. He went to his own cabin to bring those, and I knew they were his. They reached well over my knees.

As he helped me with laces and buttons, I looked at him carefully, taking in every detail. I thought this could have very well been the last time we were together alone. I felt an ache in my chest, and tears prickled my eyes.

“Ko’nar,” I whispered. “Please. I know why you’re doing this. I understand. I do. But please...”

“No.”

“I beg of you...”

“Don’t beg, Caroline.” He straightened his back and shot me a dangerous look. “Anything but that.”

Why? Because it was hard to say no to me when I begged? I was counting on that. But when I opened my mouth to try again, he placed his hand right over it. He covered half of my face, my nose included, and I stared at him with wide eyes, hoping he knew what he was doing.

“Don’t. Beg. Or I will gag you.”

I nodded, and he let go. I took a big gulp of air and blinked rapidly to keep my tears at bay. He’d made up his mind, and there was nothing I could do to make him change it. At this point, even if I started undressing and strutting around naked, it wouldn’t have worked.

“I need you,” I said, trying to change tactics.

“Caroline,” he growled in warning.

“I want you to know, at least.”

“I know.”

“And it doesn’t change anything?”

“No.”

Dear God, when he got an idea into his head, it was impossible to reason with him. The more I insisted, the more annoyed he became, and I really didn’t want him to gag me. I was helpless enough as it was.

The soldier he’d spoken to earlier called his name, and Ko’nar went to see what the news from the king was. I heard it clearly, too. The king had granted him an audience, and we had to go now. My heart galloped so hard that I was certain it was going to burst out of my chest.

Ko’nar turned to me and offered me his hand.

“The king is old,” he said. “He’s lived and ruled for many years, and if you’re lucky, that might come to an end sooner rather than later. And you will be able to find your freedom, somehow.”

That sounded so cruel, especially coming from him. If he didn’t see it, there was no point in my trying to make him see it. I clenched my jaw and kept my mouth shut. I was too busy trying to not fall apart, anyway.

Chapter Twelve

Ko’nar

How could such vile words come out of my mouth? I wanted to take them back the moment I said them. I saw the hurt on Caroline’s face, and I wished she’d say something, tell me how horrible I was, that she hated me now, and never wanted to see me again. It would’ve made things easier.

But I didn’t deserve to have it easy. Not now, not ever. As I helped her into the snow mobile that would take us to the palace, her small hand in mine made me feel things I couldn’t explain. Emotions I’d never felt before battled within me.

To be home, at last, to feel the cold wind on my face, to hear the snow crunch sharply underneath by boots... It was everything. Even to see my old friend and talk to him was something I cherished. And it didn’t matter that he regarded me with sadness and disappointment. All that mattered was that we breathed the same air again.

But Caroline felt like home, too. And to give her up felt like a different kind of exile. One that I was choosing, while I condemned her to her own exile, too. To slavery, even. I was despicable, and after this was done, I wasn’t sure I’d find a way to live with myself. As we reached the throne room and I let go of Caroline’s hand and only guided her with a soft touch on her lower back, it hit me that I should’ve thrown her over my shoulder then and run.

What had I done? What was I doing? This had gone too far, and now there was no turning back. What a fool I was!

The king was on his throne, but the queen, as I’d expected, wasn’t anywhere in sight. There were courtiers who’d come to see what the fuss was about. My name was on their lips – the Zolunian who’d betrayed his king’s trust and pushed the princess into the arms of a servant boy. Forget that the two were happily mated and were going to make great leaders one day.

And then I saw my family. My mother and father, dressed in their best clothes, holding hands, and my sister next to her mate that I had yet to meet, her belly round and full, waiting to burst. They all looked at me with wide eyes, and I could see how much they’d missed me. They didn’t know if they were allowed to smile at me, call to me, or express in any way how happy they were that I was home.

And that confused me even more. Because they were home, but Caroline was also home. They were family, but Caroline also felt like family. How could two things that were the same exclude each other so terribly and tragically? Maybe I was the problem, not them.

Had the king tried to be kind by calling my family to attend this audience? Or the opposite? Either way, I was grateful to see them. No matter what happened next, I would forever have this moment to think back to.

“Ko’nar Eisvir,” the king said. The murmurs around the throne room stopped. “I should have your head for daring to show your face again at my court.”

“Your Highness, I come bearing a gift for you, in hopes that it will please you, and you might forgive me for what I did.”

I gently pushed Caroline forward. She stumbled into her too-big boots, but regained her balance, and in the end, it kind of looked like she’d bowed. The king looked at her, his eyes squinting. His vision had been failing him lately. Zolunians were strong and healed fast, but unfortunately, even we hadn’t discovered a cure for old age. Or fortunately, perhaps, in the king’s case. He’d ruled plenty, and he hadn’t been the best ruler we could’ve had.

“She is human,” I said. Gasps all around. “A rare universal breeder, Your Highness, and she is yours if you’d like her. I found her and brought her to you.”

“A universal breeder,” he echoed. “This is a fine gift, indeed, Ko’nar Eisvir.”

I could see Caroline starting to shake. Maybe she’d hoped the king would not want her. She still didn’t understand how rare and valuable she was.

“I accept your gift. And in exchange, I forgive you. You can return to Zo’lun, but you will never be part of my court again. After today, I do not want to see your face or hear your name spoken in my presence. Your family will not step foot at the palace ever again, either.”

I bowed respectfully. I couldn’t ask for more. He was being generous.

“Approach, human,” he addressed Caroline. “What is your name? No, don’t tell me. I will give you a new one.”

Caroline didn’t know what to do. She turned to shoot me a confused glance, and I saw droplets of water in her eyes again. It was a reaction she had sometimes that I didn’t understand, and now I hated myself for not asking about it. It seemed to show distress, and I’d always been too absorbed by my own thoughts and my stupid plan to care enough. So many things I’d done wrong... So many mistakes I’d never get a chance to fix. Caroline was never going to forgive me, and for good reason. I was a mercenary, a killer, and a slaver now.

“Human, approach, I said.” The king was losing his little patience and very short temper.

Caroline took a tentative step toward the throne. It was almost over. It was almost... done.

“Stop this madness, father!” A voice rang clear from the corridor. Everyone turned to look at the princess, who came storming in, a child hurrying after her. Her mate, the servant boy turned prince, was hard on their heels. “I will not allow you to do this.”

The king sighed as he looked at his daughter. He’d always loved her and wanted to protect her, but he’d also always been exasperated by her rebellious personality.

“This is none of your business, daughter.”

“Yes, it is. Because this isn’t you. There are no slaves in this kingdom, universal breeders or not, and I will not let you make the mistake of creating a precedent.”

The way she talked to him... I knew from my years of being a guard that only she could afford to do it. Not even the queen had the courage to be feisty with the king.

“I understand the appeal of a universal breeder when my mother, the queen, cannot give you any more heirs. But just the fact that this female is not like us doesn’t mean she should be treated this way. It doesn’t mean we have a right to use her as we please, only because she belongs to a species that is inferior to ours.”

She turned to Caroline, looked her up and down, then her eyes focused on me.

“Ko’nar Eisvir, I believe you have atoned for your sins in the three years you’ve been away, and you should be allowed to return to your home without having to bring gifts.”

“Daughter,” the king stood up, his voice booming over the heads of his courtiers. “That is not your decision to make.”

She turned to him once more. “Father, I am happy. I have found my mate, and we gave you a beautiful grandson that you are proud of. I know this, because you tell him every day after he spends the afternoon reading to you. I owe my happiness and the family I’ve started to Ko’nar Eisvir, and I believe he should finally be allowed to find some happiness for himself, too. The past is in the past.”

The king seemed to be anything but pleased, and when he’d stood up and leaned forward, his guards had placed their hands on their weapons. It was an instinct and nothing more, but still, I knew this could end badly. As much as he loved the princess, the king was still the most powerful male on Zo’lun, and he could easily order his guards to grab Caroline, and then she would be gone. Forever.

Now I knew I didn’t want that to happen. Now I knew I wasn’t going to allow it. So, I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed Caroline by the arm and pulled her behind me.

Chapter Thirteen

Caroline

The atmosphere was tense. The king’s guards had their hands on their weapons, and no one moved. No one talked. They barely dared to breathe. Ko’nar had positioned himself between me and the throne, and I was grateful for his protection. It seemed like the plan had changed, after all.

I looked at the princess with admiration. She was tall and athletic, and her skin looked as if it was made of ice. Spikes grew out of her clavicle, too, and her dress had been beautifully designed around them. It was weird to be surrounded by aliens that looked like blocks of ice. And that had tusks, too. Had it not been for the color and translucency of their skin, I would’ve thought they were orcs. Like I’d seen in fantasy movies and read in books. Except handsome, of course.

The child who had entered the throne room with the princess ran up to the king to whisper something in his ear. The king regarded him with immense love. But when he looked up from his grandson and his eyes fell on his daughter’s mate, his gaze hardened. He was not yet at peace with the fact that the princess had mated with a lowly servant.

The princess kept her head high, though. She looked at her father insistently and continued to plead Ko’nar’s case. And mine.

“I will not let you do this,” she said. “Because I love you, and I believe that you are a good, righteous king.”

That seemed to do the trick. The king sighed, waved at the entire audience dismissively, and sat back on the throne. He looked tired, and suddenly bored, seeing how he hadn’t gotten what he’d wanted, and all he’d achieved was to give his court an anti-climactic show.

“As you wish. If this is what you desire, my daughter... Well, I’m sure everyone knows by now that I can’t ever deny you when you decide you want something to go your way.”

There was no malice in his voice, though, and I spied a smile tugging at the corner of his lip. The guards relaxed, too.

The princess then stepped up to Ko’nar and me. The tension in Ko’nar’s shoulders dissolved, and he bowed down in respect. I made a small bow too and panicked slightly when I felt the weight of my clothes pulling me down. I struggled to straighten my back.

“You saw the good in my mate,” the princess addressed Ko’nar. “You saw that he was worthy of me, and you were a champion for our love. I am sorry you had to suffer for it. Had I had then the wisdom I have now, I might’ve succeeded in stopping your exile. I hope you can forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, my princess,” Ko’nar said. “For my exile allowed me to find my mate.”

My heart skipped a beat. He took my arm gently and pulled me next to him. I didn’t know what to do, how to behave. He’d just said I was his mate. This meant... Well, this meant he loved me!

The princess smiled at me. “I can see that you two were made for each other. Please don’t punish Ko’nar for what he tried to do today. The fact that he was ready to give up his own mate so the king would be happy only speaks to his devotion to the kingdom.”

That was an interesting way to put it. And how exactly did she believe I could’ve punished Ko’nar? I didn’t say anything, and nodded instead.

She nodded too, satisfied. Then turned to the king.

“Father, Ko’nar has showed his devotion to you, and especially to me. I want him to be part of my personal guard. I trust him with my life.”

The king sighed, waved dismissively some more, and it was done. Apparently, that was all it took.

What happened next had me even more confused. Ko’nar bowed before the king, princess, her mate, and her son, and I bowed too, to the best of my ability, without losing my balance. As if it hadn’t been enough that my big, heavy breasts had always given my back a hard time, now I also had to wear clothes that weighed way too many pounds. But if I didn’t, I’d freeze to death.

Quickly, Ko’nar guided me away from the center of the throne room. The courtiers started talking again, whispering amongst themselves as they looked at us. Some even pointed their fingers. I felt a blush creep up my neck and cheeks, and I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It was hard to walk, especially as fast as Ko’nar was urging me to, so I looked at my feet and, basically, did my best.

I felt out of place completely. So completely that I wanted to find a rock, or an ice block, crawl under it, and die.

“Better to make ourselves sparse before someone changes their mind,” Ko’nar whispered to me.

“Is the king that unpredictable?”

“Not only the king. Don’t you have royal families on Earth?”

“Not in my country.”

“The princess may seem like the nicest Zolunian alive, but believe me, she’s quite unpredictable, too.”

He guided me toward a group of Zolunians. When they all lunged at him and attacked him with hugs and kisses, I understood they were his family. Mother, father, and little sister with her mate. And with a tiny Zolunian inside her belly. I stepped aside and let them have their moment, which didn’t last long, since apparently, they also thought it was a good idea to disappear before the royals got any new ideas.

Outside, in the freezing air, Ko’nar introduced me to them.

“This is Caroline, my mate.”

“So tiny,” his father said.

“So lovely.” His mother elbowed her mate and placed a hand on my arm. “Caroline, it is so nice to meet you. I am happy that you and my son found your way to each other.”

“Thank you.” Now I was blushing like mad, and I had no chance of covering it. The blizzard that was starting wasn’t helping either.

“You must be cold! You were not made for this weather.” She slipped her arm around mine, and we started walking toward the gates. “A Terran! Who would’ve thought? My son is so lucky to have you. Your kind is rare in this part of the universe.”

“So I hear...”

“You’ll get used to the life here in no time. If it makes you feel better, know that I was born here, and I still don’t quite enjoy getting out of the house. I spend my days in front of the fire, under furs, with a good book and a hot cup of tea. Maybe you’ll want to join me.”

“That sounds lovely.”

I wasn’t lying. It sounded like the dream.

“Of course, now that Ko’nar has you, a mate, he will immediately start building a house for you and your future babies. But there’s plenty of time to think about that.”

We braved the blizzard until we reached a big, long motor sled that was made to hold more than two people, and both Ko’nar and his mother helped me up. His sister and her mate took another one. Ko’nar pulled me close, and I snuggled against his chest.

The real adventure was just beginning.

Chapter Fourteen

Ko’nar

Dinner with my family. It hurt to think that only days before, I’d thought it would never happen again, that I would never again share a meal with them and listen to their joyful banter. I fell silent as they spoke about what had happened in the past three years, how they’d missed me and prayed for me every day. My sister told the story of how she met her mate, and I couldn’t help taking Caroline’s hand in mine and squeezing it gently.

I looked into my mate’s eyes, and my heart melted when she smiled at me. It was hard to believe that she’d forgiven me so easily, but everything was happening so fast that she probably didn’t even know how she felt anymore. For sure, relief was the most prominent right now. She was safe, she was with me, and she’d gained a family. I could see that she wanted to stay. Her body was relaxed, and her laughter was easy. I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it.

“Stop,” she whispered, giggling. She looked at me through her long, dark lashes. “Everyone’s looking.”

“Let them look. All they can see is happiness.”

My sister asked me about my years in exile, and that was when the mood around the dinner table changed a bit. I answered vaguely. Aside from the past few days, which I’d spent with Caroline, I wanted to forget about my time in exile. I wanted to believe that I wasn’t that man anymore, that I wasn’t a mercenary. And I wasn’t. The princess had made me part of her royal guard. I was an honorable man again, and I had a second chance to make my family proud. Caroline, especially, who’d seen me at my worst. I was determined to show her the real me.

The conversation shifted once again to my sister and her beloved, and to the baby. Only two weeks now, and my first nephew or niece would be here. Zolunians liked a surprise, so we never wanted to know a baby’s gender before, even if we had ways to tell. In our society, Zolunian males and Zolunian females were equal. Our females could work if they wanted, and they could become warriors. It was entirely up to them if they wanted babies, too. Most did.

I looked at Caroline once more, and I realized it would be different for us. She could, of course, do what she wanted, but as a human, she wasn’t built for my world. Starting today, my priority was to protect her and make sure she had everything she wanted and needed.

When dinner was over, the males retreated to the salon, where they poured drinks and talked about politics, while the females huddled around the fire. I only had the patience for a single drink, then I went to steal Caroline from my mother and sister and show her to my quarters.

My parents’ house was big, built to hold a numerous family. They had hoped to have more than two children, but the Twins had had other things in mind. My sister had moved with her mate, and it was time for me to move, too. But not today. Not for another few months. The tradition was for the male to build a new home for his mate, once he found her. More often than not, the female contributed, too, but I wasn’t going to expect that from Caroline. Before my exile, I’d lived more at the palace than at home, but I wasn’t going to do the same now that I had her. My job was important, and I was grateful to have it, but Caroline was my everything.

I guided her to the west wing. The house had a ground floor and an underground one. The bedrooms were underground, because that ensured more warmth. Caroline was fascinated, and bombarded me with questions about the house, the furniture, and the dishes we’d just had for dinner.

“That was the best food I’ve ever eaten!”

“Make sure you tell my mother. She made it.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

In truth, it hadn’t been anything special, because she hadn’t had time to prepare a fancy dinner. But Caroline was right. It was the best.

“You have to tell me how I can help, starting tomorrow. I don’t want your mother to do everything around here.”

I kissed the top of her head and guided her through the door of my room. She stopped in the threshold, her bright eyes taking in the large fireplace, the canopy bed, the pelts on the floor, and the statue of the Twins that sat on the topmost shelf of my bookcase. Mostly, I read about weapons and war strategy, though the kingdom of Zo’lun had enjoyed peace for centuries. If we didn’t have any internal political issues, no one bothered us. No one was ever keen on attacking so far north.

“This is so cozy. I love it!”

I closed the door and immediately wrapped her into my arms. She hugged me back, sighing contently.

“You know, for a minute there... I thought all was lost,” she whispered in my chest.

“I’m sorry, Caroline. I should’ve never done what I did. Will you ever forgive me?”

“What is there to forgive? It all ended well, after all. Had we not come, and had you not gotten an audience with the king, the princess might’ve never stood up for you. Yes, we could’ve turned around before landing on Zorran and made a life out there, but you would’ve never been able to return home, and that would’ve been a shame. Then, I would’ve never forgiven myself for it. Now that I met your family, I know why you wanted to return so badly.”

I cupped her face and looked into her eyes.

“You are beautiful, incredible, more than I deserve. My mate. My love.”

She smiled. “I love you, too. If that was what you were saying.”

“I love you, Caroline.”

I kissed her lips tenderly. But soon, she was clinging to me, crushing her round, heavy breasts against my chest, turning our kiss into something hungry and heated. She giggled and licked one of my tusks, and that set my whole body on fire. I started pulling at her clothes, peeling the layers off one by one. The fire roared in the fireplace, and I walked her to the bed, where I pushed her onto the covers, so I could kneel between her legs and bury my face in her warmth.

“Caroline,” I breathed against her clit.

“Mmm... shut up and... and...”

I pushed my tongue between her folds and licked her eagerly, cleaning the sweet juices and dipping inside her for more. She whimpered and sank her hands into my hair. Grinding her hips against me, she guided me where she needed me most.

“Right there... please...”

“Caroline,” I said again. I knew this was not the time, but what I wanted to tell her was important.

“Mmm... Ko’nar...”

“We should have the mating ceremony as soon as possible. Tomorrow.”

“The mating ceremony?”

That got her attention. She sat up, and our gazes locked. I licked my lips as I gave her a smirk. She was delicious, and I loved seeing how she blushed and bit her lower lip in anticipation of more.

“Yes. I don’t want to risk the king changing his mind about you, so I want to make you my official mate as soon as possible.”

“Tomorrow...”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Is it... Do I have to do anything special?”

“No. It is a simple ritual, held at the temple of the Twins. A priest will officiate, and my family will attend and serve as witnesses.”

“It sounds pretty similar to what we do on Earth.”

“Then it will be easy.”

She smiled widely, and I cocked an eyebrow. Something in her demeanor had changed.

“What is it, Caroline?”

“Nothing.” She shrugged, but I could see there was something. “It’s just... I’d never thought I’d get married, that’s all.”

“Married?”

“Mated.”

“Oh. And why not?” Before she could respond, I added, “Of course, you couldn’t have, because to become mated, you have to find your mate first.”

She laughed. “And that’s where the similarities with Earth stop. Most humans don’t marry they’re one true mate. That’s more like a fantasy. But no... I don’t know... I guess I was focused on my job, and I thought it would always be the most important thing in my life.”

“And now?”

“To tell you the truth, since I was abducted, I haven’t thought about my job for a second. I was too busy surviving. And now... well, now, I’m too busy being ravished by you. My mate.”

The only good answer to that was to bury my face between her thick, juicy thighs again, and make her moan my name. Along with those two beautiful words – “my mate”.

She fell back onto the covers, eyes closed, hands in my hair. I swirled my tongue around her clit and pushed two fingers inside her tight, wet pussy. The way she squeezed me and sucked me in made me so painfully hard that I could barely hold myself back. But I wanted to pleasure her first, to let her know that to me, her needs were more important than mine.

“Oh, there... don’t stop... don’t...”

She arched her back and came with a soft cry, her legs tightening around me, her hands pressing down on my head to keep me there. With the tip of my tongue, I pressed lightly on her clit, while I pumped her pussy with my fingers, in and out, in and out, until she was coming down from her orgasm and begging me to fuck her.

That was something that I could definitely do.

Chapter Fifteen

Caroline

I grabbed at his arms, shoulders, the spikes on his shoulders... anything I could reach, trying to pull him up and over my body. I needed him inside me. The desire was so powerful that it almost made me dizzy. He was quick to give me what I wanted.

Ko’nar positioned himself between my legs, his long, thick cock teasing my entrance. As he looked into my eyes, he guided the tip up and down my slit, pressing it against my clit, making me moan and squirm. I tried to thrust my hips upwards, tried to impale myself, but he had me pinned to the bed, at his mercy. He was in control, and the thought that I couldn’t actually make him do anything unless he wanted to do it, was exhilarating. Never in my life would I have imagined that I’d let a man control me like this. And enjoy it.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

“Then fuck me.”

He grinned and pushed only the tip inside me. I loved and hated his teasing. I needed release, again and again, until I forgot my own name.

And I was mad at him, actually. Now that there was some distance between me and the royal palace, and after I’d had a nice meal and my nerves had settled down, of course I was mad at him for what he’d done. Or attempted to do. Yet, I hadn’t lied to him when I told him it didn’t matter, because all had ended well. It sounded like a contradiction, but did it have to be? And if it was, so what? I could be happy and satisfied that it had all worked out, and still want to smack him over the head because he’d tried to gift me to someone else. As a universal breeder. As if that was my only purpose in this world.

Oh, I was going to punish him. But not in the way the princess had implied. I was going to punish him by teasing him every day, making him fall in love with me more and more, until all he could think about day and night was me.

If that wasn’t happening already.

He pushed himself inside me, at last, inch my inch, and I sighed and wrapped my legs around his waist, my heels digging into his round buttocks. With my fingers curled around two of his spikes, I had him in a serious grip, and I wasn’t going to let him go until he made me scream his name and cry from too much explosive pleasure.

He took things slowly. He was big, and it hurt, but it hurt in an intoxicating way that I could easily get addicted to. I held my breath as he slid all the way in, and the engorged head of his cock rested against my cervix. I tried to relax, and then I realized it wasn’t going to happen unless I exhaled.

“So tight,” he groaned. “It’s hard to hold back when you grip me like this, when you pull me in and squeeze me.”

I flexed my pussy muscles, and he groaned again. I loved it.

“Move.”

He pulled out almost completely, then slammed into me with a force I hadn’t expected. I let out a scream, then laughed when I saw the look on his face.

“Do that again.”

The pain was there, but it was slowly fading. He leaned in and kissed my mouth, my cheeks, my forehead, as he thrust in and out of me, this time more carefully.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You’re not...” I was breathless.

“I will spend my life making it up to you. Protecting you, loving you...”

“Fucking me,” I moaned. “That’s the most important right now.”

He kissed me again, and I felt his tusks graze my delicate skin. The sensation made me gush, and my pussy throbbed around him, sucking him in as he penetrated me deeper and deeper.

“Caroline, I want to take care of you.”

He stopped kissing me and looked into my eyes. I pushed a strand of snow white hair behind his ear.

“I know. I know you will take care of me.”

He picked up the pace, and I couldn’t hold back my moans and screams. I was close, so close, but it was also so good that I didn’t want it to end. And I loved that he was fucking me like this, holding me in his arms, looking into my eyes, kissing my face... Why did people think missionary was a boring position? It was so intimate and intense. His cock ravaged my pussy as he looked straight into my soul.

I came with a scream and hoped that no one in the house could hear me. My back arched painfully, and I wrapped myself around him even more, shaking uncontrollably.

“More?” he asked.

I couldn’t trust my voice, so I nodded.

“I want you on top,” he said.

He flipped us, my weight meaning nothing to him. And suddenly, I was straddling him, still impaled on his impossibly hard cock. For a minute, I just sat like that, too weak and dazed to do anything. But he was patient. While I collected myself and started rocking my hips, he explored my body with his big, rough hands. He cupped my breasts gently and played with my pebbled nipples, then his hands traveled lower, over my stomach and my love handles. The love handles I’d been so conscious about until I met Ko’nar and saw how he looked at my body and how he loved to play with all the rolls and excesses my previous lovers had all ignored or avoided. When I was with him, I felt beautiful and sexy. And it wasn’t because he seemed to be saying it all the time, but because he made me feel it.

I placed my hands on his chest, and as I leaned over him, my hair cascaded down onto his neck and face. He ran his hands through it, pulling it into a ponytail than he then gripped firmly. The possessiveness of his gesture made me move faster, impaling myself onto his cock with more enthusiasm, chasing another orgasm that I knew would leave me completely spent. With his other hand on my hip, his fingers digging into my flesh, he helped me keep up the pace. He thrust his hips upwards, and he did it with such ease and grace, that soon, I didn’t have to move at all. Even when I was on top, he wanted to do all the work. And I wasn’t going to complain about it.

I felt my body turn to jelly. I let myself fall forward, and he cradled me gently as he drove into me, pushing me toward the edge.

“I will fill you with my seed,” he whispered in my ear.

And that did it. His words were all I needed to let out a scream and come hard, my juices splashing onto him, my pussy gripping him desperately. He buried his face in my hair and nipped at my neck with his tusks as he grunted and came deep inside me.

“Take it,” he said. “Take it all.”

I collapsed on top of him, even as his cum kept shooting, hot and abundant, into my pussy, filling me to the brim. I felt it trickle down my inner thigh, and I thought... it was going to stay like that until morning, because I had no energy to move.

Ko’nar held me. He kissed my neck and played with my hair as we stayed like that, connected. We were one, and it felt good. It felt right. There was nowhere else I wanted to be but here. The crazy adventures I’d been through... all worth it.

“I can’t wait to become your mate officially,” I murmured. “Tomorrow.”

“And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

I chuckled. “Same.”

And that was about the most conversation I could entertain in the state I was in. As I dozed off on top of Ko’nar, I kept thinking to myself that I was going to get up in just a minute and go wash myself. But the minutes passed, one after the other, until I fell fast asleep.

The next morning, I woke up in the same position, with a stiff neck and... something else that was just as stiff inside me. He didn’t let me roll off him before he gave me a mind-blowing orgasm to start the day.

Epilogue

Caroline

Ko’nar’s sister was so sweet, and very efficient, too. In just a few hours, she was able to find a dress that kind of fit me and modify it so it wouldn’t look like I was wearing a tent for my mating ceremony, which I kept calling wedding in my head. Even with her round belly ready to burst, La’mia moved swiftly around me, helping me get dressed. She helped me with my hair, too, then we both sat down so she could do my makeup.

“This is a special makeup,” she explained as she dipped the tips of her fingers in white pomade and then lightly touched my cheeks. She drew long lines, starting from my nose to my temples. “You can take it off after, but you need to wear it at the temple.”

“Fascinating.” I couldn’t wait to look in the mirror. “La’mia, do you think I’ll fit in here? I’m so different, and...” I shivered. Even with the fire blasting in the fireplace, I felt cold most of the time. “On Earth, I lived in a place where it never snowed in winter.”

She smiled as she applied white lipstick to my lips. “You will get used to the cold. Once, a Zokunian came to study at our university. Zokunians live in the south, on a continent that is all green forests and clear blue sky. It’s summer all year round. And it was hard for him at first, but in a few months, he was walking around shirtless.” She giggled and blushed. “He looked weird.”

I laughed. “But still, he was a Zokunian. Everyone on this planet is much more resistant than I’ll ever be.”

“Well, I don’t expect you to walk around naked a year from now, but still... Maybe in less layers? You’ll see. Your body will adapt to the temperature.”

“I hope so,” I murmured. “I want to fit in. I don’t want Ko’nar to be embarrassed because his mate can’t even take a walk outside.”

“Ko’nar? Embarrassed with you? Never!”

She applied the white pomade to my eyelids and my forehead, too, and when I was finally allowed to look in the mirror, I had a bit of a shock.

“Oh, you don’t like it,” she said.

“No, no, no! I do... I just... It makes me look so different.”

“I think it goes great with your eyes, and your dark hair.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re so special.” She combed her long fingers through my brown locks. “I’ve never seen hair like yours.”

Among the Zolunians, with their white hair that made them look ghostly, I was an oddity. My lack of tusks also mystified them, as well as the shortness of my stature. When they looked at me, I could tell what they were thinking – that I would never survive in their kingdom on my own. And they were right. I’d survived on Reazus Prime, but compared to the continent of Zo’lun, the environment there was almost friendly. Even as I’d almost poisoned myself by eating berries I shouldn’t have eaten. Here, if I ever got lost in the wilderness, I wouldn’t even find anything to eat. I’d need to hunt and make a fire. So, yeah... Seeing how I couldn’t do either of those two things, I would be dead.

But it was okay, because I was never going to be on my own. I had Ko’nar, and I had a family now. They all looked at me like I was the most fragile thing they’d ever seen, and they constantly felt the need to reassure me that they would take care of me. Today, at breakfast, I received extra food. And her mother came by later to bring me more furs. And now La’mia was helping me prepare for the mating ceremony.

She and her mate took me to the temple in their motor sled. Ko’nar was waiting for me there. Tradition said he wasn’t supposed to see his mate in the ceremonial makeup before the ritual, and to me, in just sounded again like their customs were very similar to the ones on Earth. I was relieved, honestly. I understood so little about the Zolunians, and the fact that there was this one thing that sounded familiar to me made me feel a little more confident, like if I was careful, maybe I wouldn’t screw up and make a fool of myself.

We reached the temple, and I was stunned for a moment. It was all made of wood and glass, a construction that threw itself toward the sky. It was more majestic than the palace. Many Zolunians were gathered here already, which confused me.

“I thought it would just be the family.”

“They’re curious,” said La’mia. “They all wanted to see the human female again.”

“I don’t know what to say...” Knowing that I was such an attraction didn’t make me feel particularly happy. But there was nothing I could do about it. “Don’t leave my side, please.”

La’mia chuckled. “I won’t.”

We walked through the doors of the temple, and I did my best to keep my head high and not trip over my long dress and heavy boots. The fur on my back weighed a ton, and I was relieved when I saw there was a fire burning inside the temple. When La’mia took my fur, I sighed and straightened my back. Sometimes, I didn’t know what was worse – to suffer from the cold, or to break my back under the layers of heavy Zolunian clothes.

There was music, and a choir of young Zolunian children, all with ice-like skin and white hair. I walked to what seemed to be the altar, where Ko’nar was waiting for me. He only turned when I was right behind him, and when he smiled at me, all long tusks and sharp teeth, my heart beat faster. He looked me up and down, his chest expanding as he took me in.

“You are beautiful, my mate.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I chuckled. For once, he was wearing a shirt.

The ceremony began. We turned to face the priest. Behind him, a huge statue of the double-headed deity they called the Twins stood. And indeed, the two animal heads couldn’t have been more different. I’d seen this statue before, in Ko’nar’s room, at a much smaller scale. But now I could finally see that the deity they called Muth was, in fact, a mammoth. Or looked like a mammoth. And the one called Gifer was a reindeer. Fitting, I thought. I rather liked the idea that the Zolunians were so in touch with nature that they worshiped an animal deity.

The priest read from a thick book, and even though I understood the words thanks to the translation implant my abductors had given me, I couldn’t say that I understood their meaning. He seemed to be telling an ancient story about the first mates who’d found each other on the continent of Zo’lun, and how they’d hunted a mystical animal together, and... and the rest of the story lost me completely. I hoped Ko’nar would never expect me to go hunting with him.

And then the priest was silent, and Ko’nar was facing me and taking my hands in his. The priest tied our hands together with a white ribbon, and finally declared us mated. Ko’nar leaned in, I rose on my toes, and our lips met. The crowd cheered, and the choir started singing again.

“Mine,” Ko’nar whispered. With a swift gesture, he removed the ribbon and wrapped it around my wrist. He then cupped my cheek and kissed me again. “My Caroline.”

“Yes, yours.”

He lifted me in his arms, and I yelped, taken by surprise. I saw La’mia laughing, and I laughed too at my own silliness. Well, it wasn’t my fault that they hadn’t told me how the ceremony would unfold step by step. Ko’nar carried me out of the temple, then tucked me into his motor sled.

“What about the party?” I knew his mother had enlisted the help of a few Zolunian females and cooked all morning. “We’re going to the party, right?”

“After I ravish you again, yes.”

“We’ll be late.”

“We won’t. That’s why we’re leaving the temple first.” He revved the engine, and I wrapped my hands around his arm. I knew he was going to speed. “I will be done with you before they get home, don’t worry.”

I blushed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good. Because this is going to be your life from now on.”

I had no intention of contradicting him. Because of all the ways my alien adventure could’ve ended, this one was the best. So, I snuggled against his side and held on tightly.

THE END

Have you read Alien’s Temptation? Read it now.

Alien’s Temptation

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Angie

All I wanted was to travel the world. My world. Not some alien planet that’s trying to kill me at every step.

One minute, I’m admiring the pyramids, the next, I’m being abducted by aliens. Then something goes horribly wrong, and my pod crashes on the most hostile island. And right on top of another alien’s ship!

Thev is a massive wall of green-skinned muscle, all covered in tribal tattoos. Oh, and he has long, sharp tusks! Basically, he looks like an orc from fantasy movies, but when I tell him that, he disagrees. He says he’s a Zokunian, not an orc. And he also says I’m in his way, and he’s on a mission.

I hate it that I have to beg him to help me. What I don’t hate is the Zokunian custom of going around shirtless.

Thev’rar

My mission is to find my sister, bring her home, make her queen, and then follow my calling to become a priest.

That means I will never take a mate, a fate I’m resigned to because I haven’t found the other half of my soul, and I’m too old and it’s too late.

When tiny, curvy, rosy-cheeked Angie literally crashes on top of me, I’m determined to ignore her and mind my own business. But she’s sweet, enticing, and oh-so-human! The more time I spend with her, the more I start questioning what I thought was my destiny.

MORE OUTLAW PLANET MATES

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Alien’s Gamble

Alien’s Stake

Alien’s Heart

Alien’s Claim

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cara Wylde loves to write about strong, feisty women and their hot Alphas who will do anything to make them happy. Her books are filled with romance and just a dash of mystery, suspense, and that eerie atmosphere she fell in love with reading too many gothic novels. With a master’s degree in Comparative Literature, she can’t help but play with tropes and themes from various genres, trying to come up with fresh perspectives on the paranormal characters her readers love so much. Vampires, shapeshifters, demons, witches... Cara will always make sure they get their own twists.

When she’s not writing, Cara is reading, planning her next story, or daydreaming.

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Table of Contents

Chapter One – Caroline

Chapter Two – Ko’nar

Chapter Three – Caroline

Chapter Four – Ko’nar

Chapter Five – Caroline

Chapter Six – Ko’nar

Chapter Seven – Caroline

Chapter Eight – Ko’nar

Chapter Nine – Caroline

Chapter Ten – Ko’nar

Chapter Eleven – Caroline

Chapter Twelve – Ko’nar

Chapter Thirteen – Caroline

Chapter Fourteen – Ko’nar

Chapter Fifteen – Caroline

Epilogue – Caroline

More Outlaw Planet Mates

About the Author

Chapter One