THE ALIEN’S REWARD

LUNA KINGSLEY

B&N Publishing

Copyright © 2021 by Luna Kingsley

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Also by Luna Kingsley

Chapter 1

Sarah

“THERE YOU ARE. I should’ve known I’d find you here.”

The sound of Maren’s voice jolts me out of the peaceful daze I’ve slipped into as I stare out of the windows of the ship’s observatory, the unfinished Sudoku puzzle forgotten on my lap. Now that we’ve entered Cruna’s atmosphere and zoned in on Nedruinia, there’s suddenly so much to see of this new planet. It’s nearing dusk which means before long everything will be covered in shadows. But until then, I’m taking in the mountains with jagged peaks like fingernails that point toward the sky. And the spattering of trees that remind me of pussy willows, but they have thick brown trunks with white puffs along the branches the size of balloons. I knew I’d see amazing things on this trip which is one of the reasons I decided to come along. Everything is bigger than on Earth, like it was given steroids and now we get to gaze upon its majesty while flying overhead.

“It won’t be much longer now,” I say, tearing my eyes away long enough to look at Maren. I close my puzzle book, creasing the corner so I’ll remember my page the next time I have a moment to myself. She relaxes in the seat next to me, pulling a blanket over her lap while bringing the mug of steaming chamomile tea to her lips that I’ve prepared for her.

She takes a sip, making a face while trying to identify the unique flavors. “Did you add something else to the tea tonight?”

I’ve studied traditional medicine for two years now. But I’m interested in all things related to medicine—including herbal remedies. It’s why we’re on this spaceship in the first place. We’re part of an intergalactic educational program that allows us to meet with cooperating species and exchange information about useful herbs and medicines. There’s no other way they’d allow a bunch of twenty-three-year-old students on this type of mission.

“I added lavender and passionflower to the chamomile. You should sleep well tonight.” She looks like she’s ready to watch the feature film of the night and I guess she isn’t too far off. For now, it’s just wilderness outside these massive windows but eventually it’ll be the cities we’ll be visiting. “Did Trinity mention how much longer until we reach our destination?”

“Tomorrow. Late afternoon.” She tucks her brown hair behind her ear and leans back, resting her head like she’s exhausted. Ever since Maren and I met at the start of our program, I knew we’d be close friends. One of the first stories she told me was how she decided to apply for the program when she realized she was her boyfriend’s mistress after she saw his wedding photos online. Deciding to leave the entire planet after being scorned by a lover is a whole mood and I was here for it. But tonight, I’m seeing a different side to her. She lacks her usual fire.

“That’s nothing after how long we’ve been on this ship. You doing okay?” You’d think after weeks of space flight, we’d be used to this routine by now. But like everything, after a while, it becomes monotonous.

“I’m tired. I should be sleeping but even with the workout facility, it’s like I need more mental stimulation. I need to go somewhere. How about you? Still having trouble sleeping?”

I smile and shrug because there’s no use denying it. “It doesn’t matter how many concoctions of tea I make or how many puzzles I do to distract myself.” I hold up my little puzzle book before tucking it away in my pocket. “You say it’ll get better with time so I’m doing my best to wait it out. Let’s face it, we could both stand to get off this ship. The distraction will be nice,” I say, stretching my legs and trying to change the subject.

“Exactly.” She sips her tea as we settle in, enjoying the sights that are like watching an IMAX.

The truth is, she inspired me to be bolder with my own life choices. I may be interested in learning all I can about medicines from around the galaxy, but I never would’ve signed up for this trip on my own. My parents already lost one daughter. I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving them to an empty house while I went galivanting across space. But in the end, they encouraged me to follow my dreams.

A large screen between the two massive windows shows the ship’s path. Right now, we’re flying between the cities of Dundurn and Nedruinia, our first destination on a medical mission that begins in Nedruinia tomorrow where we’re scheduled to meet with the city’s healers.

A large herd of animals the size of elephants but without their girth runs along a path around the top of a mountain, kicking up plumes of dust in their wake. Short spikes protrude from their backs, massive horns from the tops of their heads. They move fast like cheetahs, which is impressive for their size and mass. “Did you see your crush around the ship when you were looking for me?” I ask, changing the subject.

Finally, I get a smile. “He was playing cards with a few of his buddies. I stopped to ask if any of them had seen you.”

“You know what you’re doing.” I smile back and shake my head, impressed with her gumption. We’re stuck with our military escorts for the entirety of this trip, after all. While I prefer to keep things mess-free and professional, Maren is all for seeing where things can go. “He’s probably going to sneak into your bunk tonight.”

She snorts after taking another sip of her tea. “He’s welcome to. Maybe I’d actually sleep…if by some miracle he could make me orgasm.”

We both laugh but our moment is interrupted by flashing red on the map. “What does that mean?” I ask, moving closer so I can read the flashing notice.

“Restricted territory,” Maren says, reading the message.

“How would we know it’s restricted territory? Isn’t that something they should’ve told our military escorts or the pilots?”

“You’d think,” Maren says, her expression one of worried confusion.

Before we have a chance to really figure out what’s going on, the ship suddenly lurches to the side, throwing Maren and me into the reinforced glass. The lights flicker before leaving us in darkness, the ear-splitting sound of metal ripping causing my stomach to drop and my insides to fill with fear. The paneling above is peeled back, exposing a hole in the ship that causes numerous things to happen at once—multiple alarms sound while the ship drops so fast my stomach heaves.

Maren screams but I’m too busy staring at the wing-armed creature attached to the ship. It glares down at me through the gaping hole—the two turquoise-blue eyes pinning me in a way that makes it impossible for me to move.

“Holy shit,” I say, mustering barely a whisper. Its head tilts while it clings to the metal by its claws. It crouches only for another moment before its muscular legs push off and it takes flight, disappearing into the darkening night sky.

Moments later we crash. The impact throws me straight through the huge hole where the glass used to be.

I SWALLOW the coppery taste in my mouth. Why are my ears ringing? I tell my eyes to open, but it seems to take forever to find the strength. What is going on? Am I dead? Did I pass out? I blink as memories of the crash replay in my head. One moment I was staring at the creature attached to our ship and the next I was weightless.

Pain pulses through my leg. My head aches as I try to clear the fogginess weighing me down. Then another sensation, wet and soothing against the pain acting like a drug to my system as I sigh with relief. A piece of crumpled metal lays to my side, a silver mass crouched over my lower body dangerously close to the apex of my thighs.

Smoke billows, swelling above me and adding to the clouds already blocking the sky. Rustling and then movement from the side of the ship draws my attention, even though I can’t move. The armed military guards who are still on their feet run toward me with their weapons pointed directly at me.

“Freeze!” One of them yells in my direction. My head is still too dazed to make sense of what’s going on. Why the hell are they pointing their weapons at me?

This silver mass that I mistook as part of the ship pinning me to the ground moves. It lifts its head and I’m staring into its eyes—a strange mix of human and alien swirled into a deep pool of blue. One minute there are six marines advancing toward me and the next, two of them are lifted off the ground, disappearing from sight. Then the screams start before being quickly cut off. The air smells metallic, the constant popping of guns causing my panic to rise at being unable to flee because of my leg wound.

Then another immediate thought crosses my mind: Maren.

Where is she? I scan the scene, but don’t see her or any of the other men or women from the ship other than the marines. The ship has crashed but it isn’t destroyed. It’s smoking but not a crumbled ball of metal. There could easily be survivors. I can’t be the only one.

More gunfire just before the silver, winged alien lands with a thud not far from me. It appears to be male. He throws one of the marines into the cliffs where his body crumples from the high velocity. He does the same to one more. The two men still standing fire endlessly at the creature. His body jolts and flinches but he doesn’t go down. When they finally stop, he’s still standing—no signs of blood, cuts or injury.

The alien pulls his arm back, his claws tipped, and slices downward. Unable to watch the bloodshed, I close my eyes as the alien finishes off the last two soldiers. My whole body is trembling at this point. Whatever this thing is, it has come to kill us. We flew where we weren’t supposed to and now we’re paying the price. Even our military escorts can’t protect us from this creature and the blood he seeks.

The quiet seeps into my bones while I wait with my eyes closed, unwilling to look death in the face. The screams have stopped. There’s no more gunfire. Only the occasional creaking and bending of broken ship parts as they settle against the side of the mountain. I cling to the sliver of hope that reinforcements will arrive any minute. There had to be more than six of them that survived the crash. Surely some of them will show up to investigate all that gunfire.

When I finally get the courage to open my eyes, the silver alien is standing above me. The first thing I zone in on are his feet. They’re bare with spikes on the back of his heels. The same sharp talons on his fingers are also on his toes, the logic clicking into place as to how he was able to cling to the ship while it was still in the air. My eyes move up his strong, muscular legs, over his defined torso and barrel-shaped chest until I’m staring in those intense blue eyes once again. He’s completely silver from his body to his wings to his hair—except for his eyes. They’re the color of the ocean, a calm turquoise that doesn’t fit the chaos he’s created around us.

My breathing is rapid, my body consumed with pain and fear as he begins circling me. It’s cold lying here on the ground without the appropriate clothes for the environment. Was I imagining him crouched over me before? What was he doing? I’m afraid to look down and see the state of my legs but I do it anyway, relieved to find they’re both still attached. There is a deep gash in my left thigh, the blood flowing free and steady. There’s no way I can fight him in this condition—not that it would matter anyway. I saw what he did to the marines. I’m no match for him.

Then, to my complete surprise, he slides his arms under my body and lifts me, holding me in his arms. I’m too shocked to say anything but it doesn’t matter because in the next moment, his wings extend and he lifts me into the air.

Chapter 2

Vah’all

MY HOME IS A SECRET, protected sky island called Bameh. We are warriors, fighting against extinction. We are a species called the Dhevieth, protecting its sacred land—the only place we have on Cruna to call our own. When this massive space ship flew too close to our island, setting off our radars, I was called into action.

Ships aren’t allowed to see Bameh—ever.

Strangers don’t know of Bameh’s existence. And we have every intention of making sure it stays that way.

This isn’t the first ship I’ve brought down from the skies. And these aren’t the first warriors whose lives I’ve ended in order to protect our secrets. But this is the first female who caught my attention.

I felt her before I saw her. Which was significant because I don’t allow myself to feel anything when I’m on a mission. My insides are empty and black like a void so I can do what I need to do and return home again.

My actions stay with me, though.

Regardless of why I do what I do, the images come back to haunt me. This female was one I couldn’t add to the growing list of lost lives. Her wide brown eyes showing every inch of her terror—the terror that I caused.

As I fly through the sky, holding this delicate creature, my mind wanders with all the things I didn’t think through when I took her.

What am I going to do with this trembling female in my arms? Is she hurt or cold? Or just afraid of me?

I circle the peaks of the mountains, searching for a place to keep her safe and hidden until I can figure out what to do next. I haven’t thought through what I’m going to do with her. We don’t even speak the same language. Communication is a challenge. I can’t take her to Bameh because the others won’t allow it. Not until I at least speak with the elders about it first. And yet, here she is in my arms while I fly away from the crash site, determined to find somewhere safe to keep her.

The peaks are snow-covered, the temperatures so much colder at these altitudes. Without any knowledge of what type of species this female is or how she tolerates variants in temperature, it’s impossible to know how she’ll handle the cold.

I’m quickly running out of options, however, when our military commander speaks, his voice loud and clear through the device in my ear.

“Mission update.”

Alpha Stux’an is efficient and impatient. Already aware that he’ll be expecting the most succinct response, I deduce how much longer it will take me to deal with my prize before they can expect me to return.

“The ship is down, military personnel aboard the ship now deceased. I’ll return soon.”

A uniquely shaped mountain catches my eye with four peaks curved inward like talons. The center is covered in smooth snow, no signs of animal tracks from above. This is a good sign because she’ll have no one around to provide protection while I’m gone.

I land close to one of the sharp peaks, inspecting the area for any openings that might end up being a cave or at least a large enough indentation in the rocks to provide shelter from the cold. After a few minutes of searching, I find it. It isn’t large enough to be called a cave but the two of us fit inside the small opening once I clear away the snow.

Once I set her down, I get a good look at the gaping, bloody wound on her thigh and finally understand why she’s been so quiet. Aside from a few whimpers, she hasn’t fought me or tried to get away. A glance at her face shows me she’s in pain and quickly losing a lot of blood. I did what I could with her wound at the crash site before I was interrupted. It wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding and maybe her species doesn’t react to my saliva in the same way it heals others. I take the small plaster dispenser from my belt and reach for her wound. For the first time, she clutches her thigh, her eyes going wide as her breathing intensifies, wondering what I’m planning to do to her.

“It’s okay,” I say in my native tongue. But she shakes her head, her eyes filling with moisture from the misunderstanding happening between us. Thinking quickly, I take the small device and hold it to my arm, pressing the button that allows a film of healing plaster to form to my skin. As soon as it’s in place, I hold it out to her so she can feel it if she’d like. Then I point to her wound, visible through the wide tear in her pants. My mouth waters at the sight of her bare skin from wanting to taste her again. Her scent is still with me, distracting me from my current task.

First I must deal with her injury. Then I will make sure she is warm.

She turns her head toward the rock as I move closer, but she lacks the strength to put up a fight. My inexperience with females isn’t helping me right now but I’m doing what needs to be done so she survives to see tomorrow. As soon as the cold, metal device touches her skin, her body jolts from the contact. After further inspection, her wound is deep and jagged, severe enough to cause her significant pain and discomfort. I cover the whole of her thigh with the healing plaster, determined to be thorough.

I finish and want to ask her if she’s injured anywhere else but don’t have the words to communicate. Instead, I hold up the device and touch it to her arm then her other leg, watching her face each time. She touches her head which makes me tilt my own, wondering if she’s indicating another injury. But after a moment, she brings her hand down and wraps her arms around her body.

She’s dressed in black pants and a thin shirt, nothing heavier. I also don’t wear anything heavier, but I’m covered in thick scales and my body is able to easily regulate various temperatures. Her skin is soft and fragile. Not conducive to being exposed to the extreme temperatures. Reaching to my belt again, I have one more tool that will come in handy while I’m away. I unclip the small pouch and unfold the thin material inside. It’s large enough to fit my body so there’s plenty of space for this small female. I wrap it around her, and she lets me without complaint. As soon as she’s covered, I activate the controls which automatically heat the material. As soon as she feels the warmth, she looks at me—a mixture of shock and delight.

Her eyes grow heavy as she relaxes against the rock wall in the small indentation. For now, her bleeding has stopped and she’s warm. Soon she’ll need food, water and much better shelter but that will have to hold off for another hour or two while I report back to Stux’an.

As soon as this small female’s eyes drift close and remain that way, I spend a few more minutes building up the shelter around her. Once I’m satisfied she can’t be seen by walking up to the peaks or even from above, I reluctantly leave her and take flight back to Bameh.

I fly straight from the mountain into the layer of the clouds that provides a permanent cover for Bameh. Once I break through the thick layer of white, the island appears, floating like a massive green and brown rock in the sky. As soon as I arrive, the energy from the core of the island fuels me up like having my battery recharged. Suddenly, I’m flying faster, my energy back to one hundred percent now that I’m so close to the source of our powers.

It’s more than just my powers regenerating this time, though.

I also found someone special on this mission. Someone who gives me peace even during battle where my Alpha demands my obedience in completing these missions. If it were my choice, I wouldn’t continue to initiate unprovoked battles. Even though I understand that we live secretly, and we haven’t been discovered for hundreds of years, there must be a better way of doing things.

We’ve never allowed outsiders into Bameh but for the first time in my life, I have a reason to take a stand.

Knowing there isn’t a lot of time before I need to return to her, I fly directly to our military compound where Stux’an will be waiting for the mission debrief. Though I’ve done this hundreds of times, now, I plan on asking for a reward.

“YOU DID WELL, VAH’ALL,” Stux’an says when I return to our military compound. “You took care of all witnesses to your existence?”

“There was a female on board.” Stux’an’s large pointy ears twitch, his expression stern but challenging to interpret. Over the last fifty years, female dhevieth have slowly begun to die off. Diseases affect them more than males. Male young have been born more than females which has been a worry for years. The procreation of our species is a concern even if it is an issue that isn’t discussed among the alphas. The alphas worry about security while the elders make the continuation of our species their concern.

Stux’an quietly ponders my comment for a few moments before he says anything. “What type of female?”

“I’ve never seen anyone like her kind before.” Up until this moment, I haven’t confessed to going against the strict rules of our lands. But admitting to not only allowing this female to live as well as wanting to keep her…well, I’ll need to prepare myself for Stux’an’s reaction. “I want to keep her.”

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the room goes deathly quiet. Stux’an stares me down along with the rest of my warrior brothers. I know what they’re all thinking…they’re wondering if I’ve lost my mind.

“Where is she now, Vah’all?” The alpha’s voice is low and calculating, his silver skin darkening along with his mood.

I’ve never lied to Stux’an before and it surprises me that it crosses my mind to do so now. “I’ve hidden her somewhere safe.”

“On Bameh?”

“No. Cruna. I wouldn’t bring her here until I’ve been given permission. But I’d like your permission. She’s harmless, Stux’an.”

“Harmless until someone comes looking for her. Are you certain she was the only one?”

Once I found her, I didn’t take the time to find out if she was the only female. I found her and took her. Not my smartest moment, but then again, I’ve never been so distracted by someone before.

“I’m not sure,” I’m forced to admit.

Before we have a chance to continue our conversation, Drocrek interrupts from the monitors. “Multiple heat signatures converging below the cloud lining.”

I rush to the screen as my worries are confirmed. Multiple red dots move toward her location which means we’re out of time. I need to go get her, regardless of what the others might think.

Chapter 3

Sarah

I JOLT awake to a high-pitched screech. Expecting to see a flock of crows overhead, my eyes fly open and search the skies before everything comes back to me. The events of the last few hours wash over me, and I start to panic…because I’m alone. I thought I was being kidnapped by the flying assassin alien that was there when we crashed but now it looks like he brought me to the mountaintop and left me.

No, none of this makes any damn sense.

He kidnapped me but then he treated my wound and made sure I was warm, only to disappear? He must be returning at some point. That’s the only explanation for this and I can’t hang around to find out what his plans for me are going to be. He killed the military escorts right in front of my eyes…this isn’t an alien I can trust.

And there were other women on the ship. Maren!

I need to get back there and find out if anyone else is still alive. If I was still alive after the crash, surely Maren was too. She was with me right when we went down. Trinity was in the cockpit with the other pilots and Willa was probably already in bed for the night.

So, why…why did the alien take me?

I glance around me now that my head seems clearer, the pain much less prominent. I’m pressed against the rock in a small enclosure, protected from three sides. From the front, there’s a wall of snow that covers the entrance. High enough that I can’t see outside without crawling right up to the barrier. Curious enough to want to know where I am exactly, I do just that. Gripping the blanket tightly around my shoulders, I crawl to the snow so I can peer over the top. There’s still light outside but it’s mostly because of the snow. It’s nearing dusk and before long I’ll be alone on the top of a mountain at night.

Except when I look out across the snow—I’m not alone.

At least six creatures stalk toward me, the size of grizzly bears but more lean muscle and skin-tearing teeth. They have pointy ears that stick up high above their heads, making it possible to see them from where I’m hidden. They’re raised and turned toward me like they’re using their hearing to hunt me.

Maybe they can hear me breathe.

I bled through my clothes before the alien was able to close my wound. They can smell me…I know it. How do I hide from a pack of carnivores when they scent my blood and hear me breathing? And why would my alien kidnapper leave me all alone up here?

I’m helpless in this position and it only causes my anger to swell until it barely feels like it’ll fit inside of my body anymore. None of this was supposed to happen but if I was going to die, I should’ve died in the crash with the rest of my friends. Not up on the top of a mountain all by myself. If I ever see this alien again and I’m not animal meat, we’re going to have words. He may not understand my words, but I’ll say them, nonetheless.

But first, I need to figure out if there’s somewhere I can hide from these beasts intent on finding me. The wall of snow doesn’t provide any protection. They’ll break through it in no time. Freeing my feet from the blanket, I slip around the side of the peak, staying close to the rocks, hoping there’ll be somewhere more fortified to hide. Unfortunately, there’s nothing but rock. My leg is still sore, but I suck it up and do my best to climb up the peak, hoping these beasts aren’t skillful climbers.

Adrenaline fuels me when I have nothing left because it doesn’t take long before the deep growls can be heard behind me. Jaws click and snap as they lunge for my feet. My arms are tired, but I pull myself higher anyway. I make the mistake of looking behind me, only to get an up-close view of these creatures that want to kill me. Their eyes are a deep blood red, their coarse fur a midnight blue. They carry a heavy, musky odor that makes me scrunch my nose. Not that it should matter that they smell bad because regardless they want to kill me.

My arms and legs begin to shake while I cling to the side of the peak. I haven’t really gone up that far, but it has managed to give me time. Though now that I’m up here, I’ve trapped myself in a corner. As soon as my strength gives out, I’ll slide down right into one of their waiting jaws. All these thoughts are happening quickly as one of the creatures tries to climb after me.

I’m clinging tightly to the peak until I’m suddenly plucked from the rocks and carried high into the air. It takes a moment for my brain to make sense of what’s happening. The flying alien is back and he’s carrying me underneath his body, taking me far away from the creatures interested in eating me. Glancing to the sides, there are at least two more flying aliens traveling with us. It’s nearly dark but I can make out the flying shadows, nonetheless.

While I’m relieved not to be on that peak, my current situation isn’t much better. I don’t know what this alien wants with me. I don’t even know if I’m lucky he’s kept me alive while the rest of my crew is possibly dead.

I’m cold, wishing I could wrap myself more fully in this blanket again and turn the crank on the heat. The wind whips against my body from up here and it’s so much colder at this altitude than when were on the ground. After a while, our pace slows, the lazy trail of smoke still slithering toward the sky indicating we’re nearing the crash site. Maybe…just maybe, they’ve decided to return me.

We land and the area is dark and too quiet. The dead bodies of the marines still lie lifeless on the ground surrounding the ship. Without thinking I’ve started to move toward the ship, thoughts of my friends and whether I’ll find their dead bodies somewhere inside on my mind. Before I can get too far, a strong hand wraps around my arm, stopping me.

The alien stares at me, those intense blue eyes clearly trying to tell me something. I glance at the other two aliens and they’re staring at me as well. As if I’m supposed to know what we’re doing here. It’s dark now and I can’t distinguish their features aside from their height and mass being similar to my captor’s.

When it becomes obvious they’re waiting for me to do something, I put my hands up and shrug, gesturing in that sassy teenage way that always sent my mom through the roof during my middle school years. They’re going to need to try harder to get their point across because I’m beyond lost right now.

The alien gripping my arm motions up and down my body while making a string of sounds that I don’t understand. My expression changes to show my confusion but that’s about it. Then the other two chime in, saying the same thing as if it’ll make any more sense by having it repeated over and over again.

I grow distracted by the touch of the alien’s hand on my arm because the longer it remains, the warmer that place on my body becomes. It’s like his hand works in a similar manner to the blanket he gave me when I was cold at the top of the mountain. I’m questioning whether his body regulates temperature differently and how his touch sends tingling warmth through my arm when I realize it has grown quiet again. The alien who’s holding me walks me forward until we reach the wide hole in the side of the ship. He bends down and steps inside, taking me by the hand so I’m forced to follow him.

I still don’t know what their intentions are, but now that we’re here I plan on finding out what happened to my friends. “Maren!” I say, second guessing a loud shout because it’s already so eerily quiet. Walking through the dark corridors, it’s like something straight out of the movie Alien right before something creepy crawly jumps out from the shadows. Still, I need to know if any of the women aboard survived. “Maren! Trinity!”

My alien escort extends his arm behind him, pressing his palm flat to my chest and stopping me in my tracks. I still don’t hear a thing, but his ears twitch back and forth before he takes my hand and we turn to the left, moving deeper into the ship. It’s too dark for me to see anything so I stumble a few times, even falling into the alien’s wings once. Somehow, he can see where we’re going. His eyesight must be as impressive as his hearing.

Soon we reach the section of the ship where the sleeping quarters are located. This is where the alien stops, just outside the door. We exchange looks and though I still can’t hear anything, I gather this is where the sounds are coming from. I test the handle and though it moves, I’m unable to push the door open.

The alien moves me out of the way with his arm, repositioning me so I’m off to the side. Then, he slams his body weight against the door, and it flies open, causing a massive crash from the inside. High-pitched screams cause my heart rate to spike because it means I’m not the only one who survived the crash.

“Maren? Trinity?” I rush inside to find my friends huddled together with Willa. Maren and Trinity are in bad shape—bruised, cut and bloody from the crash. Willa looks okay but it’s impossible to know what they’ve been through.

“Oh my God…Sarah! You’re alive!” I rush into the room while the three aliens watch us from outside the door. At first, they’re too excited to see me and I’m too excited to see them to care about the aliens. But it doesn’t take long before they notice them.

“Sarah—“ Maren asks. “Who the hell are they?”

All three of them are staring behind me now as I think of how to respond. “My rescuer and possibly my captor? I don’t know what they want. We have no way to communicate with them.”

It’s at that moment the three aliens step further into the room as if they’ve made a decision. Since we have nowhere to go and no one else to save us, it looks like we’ll be going along with whatever they decide whether we like it or not.

At least for now.

Chapter 4

Vah’all

“FOUR FEMALES,” Kraal says once we step into the room. “Stux’an will be pleased. Let’s give them the language implants and return to Bahem.”

“Two of them look to have significant injuries,” I say, concerned with their appearances. “We need to treat them before worrying about the implants.”

“Kraal is correct,” Drocrek says. “We must not linger in case someone discovers us.”

The women stare with wide, frightened eyes. Stux’an gave permission for Kraal to bring language transmitters along in case we discovered more females and had the opportunity to bring them back to the sky island. A decision has yet to be made about the fate of the females, but Stux’an has at least given permission for them to be brought back. Instead of just keeping the one, he decided we needed to make sure we took all the females and destroyed the rest of the ship, thus reducing the chance that anyone would come looking for the lost women.

Knowing we’re running out of time, I take my female’s chin between my fingers and tilt her head so the back of her ear is exposed. As soon as I press the flat silver disk against her skin, it becomes activated, the sharp prongs piercing her skin and locking into place.

She jumps in my arms, trying to pull away. I release her as she rubs her ear in the place where the language transmitter has now attached itself. “I apologize,” I say, waiting for the moment where she realizes she has the ability to have my words translated into her language. “This will help us understand one another.”

She continues to stare at me with distrust while rubbing her sore ear. “Can you understand me?” she asks.

“English,” Drocrek says, confirming the language she speaks.

“Yes, I understand you.” We’re already equipped with language translators that can translate hundreds of languages. This is the first time I’ve ever heard English before, though, so it is going to take some getting used to. Just like it will take time for the females to adjust to hearing the translation. “We’re going to give them medical attention and then leave this place.”

“Will you take us to Nedruinia? They’re expecting us.” The female who speaks is bleeding from her temple from a wide gash. Her skin is pale, tinted a sickly green and she struggles to keep her eyes open. “We need medical assistance.”

Kraal steps forward, determined to do what needs to be done so we can get out of here before anyone sees us. He attaches the language translator behind her ear and she barely reacts. Then Kraal covers the wound on her head with a film of healing plaster. “Any other wounds that need to be dealt with now?” he asks.

She moves her arm away from her waist showing another deep cut across her torso. “Oh, Maren!” my female says. “You must be in so much pain.”

“We’ve been putting pressure on it, and we wrapped it with gauze, but we’re cut off from the medical bay. We don’t have the supplies we need,” another female says.

Kraal works quickly. While he begins to apply the healing plaster, I speak quietly with Drocrek. “We’ll take them directly to medical when we return. Their wounds have gone untreated for too long.”

Kraal treats the women who have been stuck in this room while implanting them all with the translators. Finally, we’re ready to leave the ship. The women don’t trust us but they’re weak and injured so they don’t fight us when we lift them and carry them through the dark hallways. My female is the only one who walks. She may not like it, but she won’t leave the others behind.

I pass the female called Maren to Kraal so he’s carrying two. “Take them and go. I’ll destroy what is left of the ship and follow after.”

“What do you mean destroy the ship?” Kraal and Drocrek carry the three females away from us before lifting straight into the air, disappearing into the cloud layer. That leaves me with my female who has regained her strength and her fire since I saved her from the wreckage.

I’m not used to answering to anyone besides the alphas…certainly not a tiny female who I’ve saved from death multiple times now. “We cannot leave any evidence of your ship or of those destroyed. Our existence remains a secret. It would be very bad for my kind if anyone were to decide to search for you.”

I remove the cylindrical-shaped devices from my waist and press the red button in the center. As soon as I throw the explosives into the ship, I grab onto her and lift us both into the clouds. We’re far enough away that the explosion doesn’t affect us, but we can still hear it loud and clear. Pieces of the ship blast apart, throwing metal and other objects a wide radius from the crash site. All that’s left are the pieces that continue to burn.

We don’t linger for long. The sound of the explosion could draw the unwanted attention we’ve been trying to avoid. “Time to go.” Clutching her tightly, I extend my wings as I power us through the layer of clouds. We burst through to the other side, the familiar sight of my home floating in the sky in front of us a reassuring sight. The steady pulse beating from the core instantly re-energizes me.

“Holy shit,” my female says. She’s clinging to me but she’s staring around in awe, her mouth opening and closing like she can’t decide on what to say. “Holy shit! This can’t be real.”

It excites me that she appears to have forgotten momentarily what I did to her ship and her crew. Instead, she’s distracted by her new surroundings, and this works in my favor. Because she intrigues me and arouses me. I’ve never seen a female like her before and I want to learn everything there is to know about her. I find myself fantasizing about tasting her skin again or twisting my fingers in her hair. It has been too long since I’ve had a female in my bed, and I want to feel her under me. I want to know what it would feel like to push inside of her soft heat while our bodies become one.

But these fantasies will be impossible while she looks at me like she wants to hurt me and then run from me. Of course, she thinks I’m a monster. Why wouldn’t she after what I did to those warriors from her ship? Somehow, I need to find a way to make her understand.

“This is where you live?” she asks.

We’ve reached the city now and I’m trying to decide if I take her to the medical center so she can be with her crewmates or if I should take her directly to Stux’an. I already know which one will make her happy, but I also know which one will make my alpha happy. “It is. And if things go well, this will be your home now too.”

I make my decision to fly directly to the military base and check in with Stux’an. He’ll want an update and if I want him to agree to allow these females to remain on Bameh, the last thing I need to do is piss him off.

I land, still holding her in my arms, striding inside while my heart pounds with a strange irregularity as all eyes focus on me and my female. The overwhelming desire to keep her a secret again rushes in. Now everyone will see her and know she exists.

She’s grown quiet again, her uncertainty radiating off her in waves. Even my usually confident demeanor is more subdued because this initial meeting between Stux’an and my female will establish how things will proceed. “What is your name?” I ask suddenly, needing to know before I present her to my alpha. I’ve grown tired of referring to her as “my female” in my head.

“Sarah,” she says.

This name is agreeable. Even with her torn pants, blood-stained clothing and dirt-smeared skin, this name seems fitting. “I am Vah’all.” It’s important to me that we’ve at least exchanged this basic information about each other before we stand before Stux’an. I want her to know the name of the Dhevieth warrior who saved her when I was supposed to do the opposite. I want to be her comfort in this new, strange place and I want to protect her and fight for her until the others agree that she be allowed to remain.

“So,” Stux’an says, surprising me out of my thoughts. He’s standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for our arrival when we step off the elevator. “This is the female you were ready to risk everything for.”

Stux’an is an alpha so whatever he decides today will be the final word on the matter. If in the end he decides having the four females on the sky island causes too much of a risk to our kind, that will be the end of it.

“Bring her along, Vah’all. The rest of the council wants to have a look at her.”

Sarah looks like she’d prefer to turn around and run, but I don’t give her the option. With my hand on the back of her neck, we follow Stux’an down the hall.

Chapter 5

Sarah

SO…THIS is really happening.

Sure the aliens rescued my friends and they’ve given us medical aid, but I can’t forget about the fact that Vah’all killed the marines right in front of my eyes.

He’s dangerous. And I need to keep reminding myself of that fact. He distracts me with his swimming blue eyes and bulging muscles until I forget that he’s a killer.

But I can’t forget.

Now I’m being taken in front of a panel of aliens who are about to decide my fate. Which means my job right now is to figure out everything I can about getting off this island and back below the clouds. Because if they tell me I’m not welcome, I’m not waiting around to see what they plan to do with me.

As I follow Vah’all through the hallway, I come up with a simple plan that consists of escaping this building, finding my friends and getting off this rock that floats in the sky. It’s only three steps but each one is even more daunting than the last. These aliens can already fly so does that mean they don’t need spaceships? Because my plan is counting on being able to steal a damn spaceship. And then I’d need Trinity because she’s the one who could fly it.

“Sarah.” I’m so distracted by my own thoughts that it takes me a moment to realize Vah’all is speaking to me. I glance at him as he walks next to me, his alpha leading us to an unknown location. “Do not speak while a decision is made.”

I don’t know what I thought he’d say but it wasn’t that. My anger spikes at his arrogance. It isn’t even my choice to be here in the first place. I’d much rather have landed safely on Nedruinia with our crew intact.

“Why don’t you just return me to Nedruinia where I belong? We can skip this entire charade.” I keep my voice low because I get the impression he doesn’t want his alpha to hear us, like he’s preparing me for how I’m supposed to act when we get to wherever we’re going. Well, I’m feeling more like myself now. My wound has healed and the shock of the initial crash has begun to subside. I’m ready to fight for our survival and get back to where we belong.

Vah’all’s hands turn to fists while his muscles tense. He’s angry but so am I. I can barely keep myself from shaking while my emotions are bottled up inside. This fight or flight instinct is real, and I’ve never wanted to turn tail and run for my life more than I want to right now. But before that opportunity presents itself, we arrive at a set of doors. Alpha Stux’an enters first and then Vah’all forces me to follow him while he prevents my escape by bringing up the rear. The doors close behind us and I’m trapped in a room full of silver aliens who look like Vah’all…all of them male.

The quiet murmurs quickly stop as all eyes focus on me. And then the whispers begin again. Suddenly, I’m incredibly self-conscious about my appearance. I’ve endured the crash, a kidnapping, an animal attack and now I’m being presented to an alien council. All without a shower or a change of clothes. Not the best impression I’ve ever made. I’m attempting to straighten the wrinkles from my top and comb some of the tangles from my hair with my fingers when Vah’all sets a chair behind me and motions for me to have a seat. He stands just behind the chair while the rest of the council takes the shape of a crescent, all standing and staring down at me.

“Stux’an has given permission for the four females to be present on Bameh. It is most unusual considering we’ve kept our home a secret from those who would seek to take what has been ours for hundreds of years. But this exception has been made because of the dwindling numbers of females and the reassurance that no one will come looking for them.” The councilor who speaks looks to be an elder, apparently in charge of deciding my fate. While physically he doesn’t look much older than the others, his silver skin is darker along with his hair which he keeps pulled back and tied. He wears an ornamental chain around his neck and no one else has anything similar.

“I want to claim Sarah as my reward for the missions I have completed for Bameh,” Vah’all says.

I snap out of the daze I’m in as all of this unfolds around me, and I stare up at this massive alien who just decided I’m an award to be claimed for a job well done. Absentmindedly I make a strangled sound that reflects my feelings because he glances down at me with a stern expression, reminding me to stay quiet.

“I don’t understand the appeal, Vah’all,” another elder says while looking me over like I’m a cow up for auction, “but if she is capable of carrying your young, I approve.”

“This is an opportunity to find out if our kind is compatible with humans. If Vah’all creates a successful bond with his mate, we’ll know we can keep the other three females and use them to mate with also.”

This type of talk continues around me and while at first I was offended that Vah’all told me to keep my mouth shut…I don’t know what I would even say at this point. Clearly I’m viewed for what I can do for their species. It’s horribly offensive but at the same time, it’s keeping me alive.

“Thank you, elders,” Vah’all says a while later. “I will take Sarah to my living quarters now so she can clean herself and recover. She has been through a lot.”

The council congratulates Vah’all, and I curse myself for not paying closer attention even when their misogyny got to be too much to handle.

“Let’s go, Sarah.” Vah’all squeezes my shoulder gently which I take as an indication to stand up so we can leave. It’s just the two of us once we’re in the hallway.

“What does this all mean?” I ask, leaning close so I can keep my voice low. They have these pointy, twitchy ears which I’ve come to learn means they can hear incredibly well.

“It means you are mine now. They’ve given me permission to keep you here…with me.”

“As your reward.” I say it with sarcasm but that’s lost on him. He simply agrees with me. “It doesn’t work that way, Vah’all. You don’t just take a woman you want and say, ‘Oh, you’re mine now.’ There needs to be a mutual attraction. An understanding between the two. There needs to be consent.”

He’s still holding my arm, pulling me through the hallway while I explain these concepts to him. But he doesn’t respond or slow down. In fact, this only seems to be making him more agitated. We finally step outside again and instead of releasing me, he wraps his arm tighter around my waist and lifts off the ground without warning. This is his preferred way of travel. Swallowing my anger for the moment, I hold on for the ride.

He flies me over buildings but there isn’t a specific area of Bameh that is the central city. Instead, there are buildings spaced sporadically with trees and gardens interspersed. We fly over plenty of sparkling ponds that look black this time of night. Golden orbs float through the air, illuminating the land below. Are they some sort of flying animal or plant? I have no idea. It’s beautiful here…exactly how I would picture a floating island in the sky to look. But it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t stay here. I need to find my friends and get back to where we belong before I find myself pregnant with an alien’s baby.

We’re on the edge of a forest when Vah’all finally lands. There’s a home built into the side of a hill, the back all trees. But leading up to the house there’s a river not far off to the side with a rocky bank full of vegetation. It’s quiet here, and peaceful. Not what I would expect from the alien assassin Vah’all. “Is this your home?” I ask.

“It is. There’s a shower inside and I’ll find something for you to wear so you can change out of those clothes. Then you must be exhausted. We’ll sleep and figure everything else out in the morning.”

“I don’t want to figure everything out, Vah’all. I want to see my friends and return to Nedruinia. We have work to do there…you don’t understand.”

“No, you don’t understand, Sarah. I’m not letting you go. I’m not taking you anywhere. You are mine now. I plan on keeping you.”

I open my mouth to argue but he doesn’t let me. He leans down, closes his fingers around my chin and presses his lips to mine.

Chapter 6

Vah’all

THE ELDERS HAVE GIVEN me what I want…Sarah in my home and in my bed…but they can’t force her to accept me. They can’t force her to feel the way for me that I feel for her. But I won’t give up on her. Not when I have a chance at something I never thought was possible for me.

As she continues to defy me and asks me to take her somewhere I can’t follow, I let my urges win as I lean down and taste her lips. They’re soft, just like I expected them to be, and warm. They’re sweet against my tongue like the ichreet berries when they’re first ripe on the vine. She’s too shocked initially to back away, so I pull her closer and deepen the kiss. My heart is pounding like our tribal drums against my chest as my arousal for her spikes. Her scent changes and her breathing shifts so I know she’s affected by me even if she denies it.

“Vah’all,” she says, pushing me away by flattening her palms against my chest.

“My apologies,” I say, stepping back. We stare at each other for what seems like an endless amount of time. My body is alive with adrenaline, like I’m charged to the maximum and then some, the excess moving between us in waves, creating an unbreakable bond.

Eventually I force myself to break the spell we’re under. “This way,” I say, moving toward the house. Once inside, I lead her directly to the shower at the back of the house. “Take your time. I’ll bring you something to wear and fix something for us to eat.” Before I leave, I turn on the shower so it’s ready to go. She has a lot to learn but I want to make things as easy as possible tonight.

She steps inside without any argument like she’s still in shock from my unexpected kiss outside. Or maybe she’s reached her point of exhaustion after everything she’s endured. Whatever the reason, she closes the door to shower so I head to my bedroom to find something that might work for her to wear until we have a chance to get her a more suitable wardrobe. And then I need to think about feeding her.

For as long as I’ve lived in this location, it has just been me. My parents died when I was young, I have no siblings. I’ve survived for a long time on my own, relying on the kindness of my friends and their families while I was an orphan growing up. I haven’t had to think about the needs of someone else before. And I don’t know if I really expect the elders to agree to allow the females to remain here, but the thought of finally having someone all for me…the start of my own family, I’ll do anything to keep her. Now that she’s staying, I’m going to need to figure out food, clothes, and everything else.

The temperatures drop at night on Bameh so I flick on the fireplace set into the brick wall, wanting Sarah to be warm and comfortable for her first night here. I’ve just finished setting a few different options of clothes just outside the shower door when there’s a knock at the front.

It’s Kraal so I invite him inside where we sit in front of the fire. “The other three females are resting comfortably at the medical center,” he says. “They all sustained wounds from the crash and needed to be treated for dehydration and nutrient loss. By the morning, they’ll be functioning like normal again. From what we’ve been able to figure out from the short time we’ve had the humans to examine, our medicines work incredibly well on them. This is a good sign.”

“It is. I’m relieved they responded well to treatment. Did you hear what the elders decided?”

Kraal is already smiling, and I have a feeling I know why. “News travels quickly in this place. We’ve already heard you’ve been granted permission to keep your prize. The other females will be allowed to stay?”

“For now. The elders are very interested to see if humans are compatible enough to carry our young. If Sarah and I prove it is possible, the other women will be allowed to stay. They are mostly interested in the continuation of our species. My desires? Not as much.”

“Their priority has always been making sure we survive. It is why you’ve been tasked with such missions over the course of your life. You do what needs to be done, whether you’ve wanted to or not.”

“I’ve grown tired of these missions. Finding Sarah was the first time I’ve experienced such calm for as long as I can remember. All of these deaths weigh on me.”

“They do. And it is why you’ve chosen Sarah as your reward. It is something you never would’ve done five years ago.”

I glance back toward the shower but the door remains closed, though she has taken the clothes. I’m used to being on my own, living on my own but having Sarah in my home fills me with excitement. When I started running these missions for Stux’an, I was honored to fulfill my duty to my tribe. Our safety has always been a concern, so I considered these missions to be important for my friends and military brothers. Over time, these feelings have changed with every life I’ve taken and every ship I’ve destroyed.

“We all have our designated tasks on Bameh. After all this time, I’m ready for something different.”

We talk a little while longer until it’s late enough that Kraal needs to return to the medical center and I’m beginning to wonder if Sarah will ever emerge from the shower. “The females will leave the medical center tomorrow as long as they’ve recovered but I haven’t received word as to where they’ll stay,” he says once we walk outside.

“Sarah will want to see them. I’ll contact you tomorrow.”

Kraal walks down the hillside and I’m just about to step back inside when movement off to the side of the house catches my attention. It’s in the shadows and anyone without my eyesight wouldn’t notice. Then I catch her scent on the air and know she’s gotten out. My initial reaction is to swoop down and grab her and then haul her back to the safety of my house. But curiosity gets the best of me, and I decide to follow her and see where she’s headed.

She’s more resourceful than I expected. But she has no idea where she’s going.

She’s following Kraal. That works for a while until he decides to take flight and fly the rest of the way to the medical facility. She watches him while I watch her, not sure if I should be angry or impressed.

She follows the light from the orbs, heading in the general direction where Kraal went. She’s going after her friends. It’s admirable but even once she finds them, they have no way of getting off Bameh unless we allow it. She’ll learn this sooner or later.

After everything she’s been through, I didn’t anticipate her escape. While I was getting ready to prepare her food, and thinking about where she’ll sleep, she was biding her time until she could slip out. But once again, she’s proving that I don’t know anything about her aside from the way she makes me feel. Not that I know anything about females beyond the pleasures I’ve experienced from having them occasionally visit my bed.

She stays away from the woods, keeping instead to the center of fields or along the riverbank when possible. It’s as if she knows enough about survival training to avoid where animals would hide if she’s being hunted. At one point, she passes a small farm where three males still roam around outside, bringing tools back to the house for the night. She keeps to the shadows and only moves when they’re making noise.

She’s in the clear, walking through a quiet patch full of small bushes and vegetation when she makes her first mistake. Her stomach rumbles, her body revolting after going an entire day without food. She stumbles upon an osrotus bush. The fruit hangs from thorny branches and it smells sweet and enticing, but it’s poisonous if ingested. It’s grown and used for medicinal purposes. As she reaches for it, I lunge forward, pushing off the ground with my legs to engage my wings so I’m in front of her before she has a chance to put the poison in her mouth.

My sudden appearance surprises her, making her screech as I knock the fruit from her hands.

“Hey!” she says, her mood switching from surprise to annoyance so quickly. “I was going to eat that.”

“I know—but it’s poisonous.”

I watch as an array of emotions passes over her face. First, surprise at my sudden appearance followed by annoyance that I knocked her food source out of her hand. Then she realizes I’ve found her and her plans for escape are over. There might even be a bit of relief that I’ve saved her life, but I’m not sure about that last one.

“I’ll be honest, Sarah, I didn’t expect this from you tonight.” I wrap my arms around her in order to take her home.

“You thought I’d just fall into your bed?”

It takes all my self-control to get that image out of my head. “I thought you’d want a meal and a good night’s sleep.”

We take flight while I do my best to ignore how good it feels to hold her in my arms.

Chapter 7

Sarah

I KNEW TRYING to get to my friends tonight was a long shot. I never expected to make it as far as I did. But I was filled with a restlessness inside of me that wouldn’t just let me accept this new situation without doing something about it. “I want to make sure my friends are okay,” I say once we’re back inside his house. He doesn’t need to know the rest of my plans to get out of here.

“Your friends are in our medical facility. They’re doing well, receiving treatment. Resting now, in fact. Something you should also be doing.” He’s not giving me any freedom now. His expression is stern, all hints of warmth or kindness gone. He points to a chair at the table and instructs me to sit which I do without hesitation. I don’t need to be reminded of what he’s capable of. I should’ve thought of that before I let myself act so impulsively tonight. So far, he’s treated me fairly well. But do I really want to push him and find out what his alternative treatment would look like?

He sets a bowl in front of me and my stomach rumbles again. It doesn’t look like anything familiar, but it smells decent and that’s good enough for me. The utensil has three tines instead of four, but the thick round noodles wrap easily around them. After blowing a few times to make sure I don’t burn myself, I take a big bite, not afraid at all of what it’s going to taste like. “Are you going to eat?” I’m a few bites in before I realize Vah’all hasn’t had a seat or helped himself to a bowl.

“There was not much food in the house tonight. I will have a chance to prepare more tomorrow.”

I set down the three-tined fork and finish chewing the bite that’s already in my mouth. “You gave me the only food you have?” This gesture of kindness floors me while making me feel incredibly guilty for trying to escape.

“It is fine, Sarah. As soon as you finish I’ll show you where you can sleep for tonight. Then tomorrow,” and he makes a point to emphasize tomorrow, “I’ll take you to see your friends.”

I’m left feeling like I’m the one who’s done something wrong in this situation. Still, I nod in agreement, all the fight I felt as I snuck out the back window gone, leaving me exhausted mentally and physically. It was the kiss that spurred my flight in the first place. His intentions are clear every time he looks at me and I’m embarrassed to admit how good it felt when he kissed me. It shouldn’t feel good. Not unless I have an issue like Stockholm syndrome where I find myself becoming attracted to my kidnapper.

The fact that the elders were talking about the two of us procreating and then he decided to kiss me…well, it freaked me right the hell out. I saw the opportunity to sneak out and I took it, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense. I know there’s no getting off this sky island unless we can find some sort of ship. And I haven’t seen any ships since we arrived. All of these aliens can fly on their own but they still must have a need for ships when they travel longer distances. If I can find one, we can get off this rock and get back to where we need to go. It’s a waiting game now.

“I’ll share this with you. I don’t need to eat the whole thing.” I push the bowl across the table and offer him some food.

“No, eat until you’re full. You need your strength for tomorrow.”

After making that ominous comment, he leaves me alone to finish my food. I leave a few bites for him even though he turned my offer down and set off to find him. Now that I’ve eaten, I can barely keep my eyes open. Vah’all’s kitchen area connects to a small sitting room with a fireplace, the shower area off the back of that room and then the bedrooms must be somewhere around here. It isn’t that large of a space but it’s clean and surprisingly modern for looking like a cabin in the woods from the outside.

“Finished?” I startle again, whipping around to find Vah’all has returned. He moves so quietly for such a massive alien…I don’t know how I’ll get used to it.

“Yes. I left you a few bites.”

He stares again and I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking. His eyes widen when he takes me in, devouring me which forces me to break the stare and look away. “If you’re ready to go to sleep, I’ll show you where my bedroom is.”

He just said my bedroom. As in his bedroom. So whatever else he’s made accommodations for, a separate bedroom isn’t one of them. After running away tonight and being rescued from almost poisoning myself, I’m not in the position to argue with him. So, I go along with it.

His bedroom is on the other side of the shower room. It’s plain with a large, comfortable-looking bed in the center of the room. Maybe it should bother me that I’m about to sleep with an alien who wants to eventually impregnate me but tonight I don’t have the energy to care. I head straight to the closest side and climb in, hoping I haven’t chosen the place where he sleeps. Maybe that’s a human problem, though? I get the impression he takes up the entire thing when he sleeps by himself.

After pulling the blankets over me and snuggling down into the pillow, I glance back at him where he’s still standing by the doorway. “Well, good night, Vah’all.”

The lights go out and then I don’t hear anything. But eventually the bed dips and he climbs into bed. “Good night, Sarah.” He’s suddenly so close that all my muscles tense and I forget to breathe. Part of me was calling his bluff while he was calling mine. “Are you warm enough? I don’t know how your body regulates temperature yet. It gets cold at night when we lose the light.”

“I’m warm enough. Thank you.”

I don’t remember anything else because my exhaustion takes over and I drift off into a dreamless sleep.

I WAKE up in the morning wrapped in the warmest nest of blankets. It’s a funny sensation because the tip of my nose is cold but the rest of my body is so warm I don’t want to move. But as I slowly come back to reality and shake off the cobwebs of sleep, another sensation becomes apparent. Tingling pressure between my thighs makes me squirm and that’s when I realize Vah’all has his hands on my breasts while he licks the skin along my neck. I freeze in his arms as he alternates licking with gentle sucks and kisses.

His massive palm gently squeezes my breast, sending tingles of pleasure straight to my pussy, making me press my legs together in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure he’s creating. This is wanton and wrong of me to lie here and allow it to proceed but in my sleepy haze—it feels really good. His fingers tug on my nipples as I suck in a sharp breath of air. His massive alien cock presses into my ass as his mouth continues to explore my skin, apparently at the same time removing any inhibitions I previously had.

His saliva must contain hypnotic properties or some kind of drug because I want what he’s giving me. As his hands slide over my skin, they ignite desires I didn’t know I had. Why can’t I think straight right now? All I can focus on is getting off. I need him to help me come.

“Don’t be shy,” he whispers in my ear. “Tell me where you want me to touch you. I want to know how to please you.” Vah’all’s wings are wrapped around me so that we’re lying together in a warm cocoon. Strangely, I’ve never felt so safe or free to explore my desires in this secret place he’s created for us.

Taking his hand, I guide it between my legs, spreading myself for him so he can feel where I’m wet. He groans, his fingers eagerly beginning to move and explore. “This is where you feel the most pleasure?” he asks.

My eyes are closed as I focus on how he’s touching me. I nod and try to guide him. “It feels good all over but you’ll make me come if you rub right here.” After showing him my clit, he focuses his attentions on that spot until he has me writhing and begging for release. My fingers dig into his thick muscled bicep as I approach orgasm and start to lose my inhibitions. I press into his palm, seeking the delicious friction that his rough, calloused fingers provide. I’m so wet from his touch, his fingers slide easily over my sex until he maintains a rhythm that makes me tremble from anticipated gratification. With a deep groan I come as his fingers rub continuously over my hard nub. I press my legs together as the waves of pleasure continue to ripple through my body.

He eases his rubbing but doesn’t remove his fingers. Instead, holding his hand firmly against my mound. I’m drowsy again from satisfaction but once the feelings pass, realization sinks in. In my sleepy state, I made out with an alien who kidnapped me and claimed me as his prize. As soon as he made me feel good, I gave in to him.

I work myself out of his arms and out of the bed completely. I’m already at the door when he speaks. “Where are you going?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

My cheeks are still flushed so I can’t meet his gaze. Instead I flee the room and give myself a moment to pull myself together. When I return, Vah’all is up and dressed, unbothered by the state we were in only moments before.

“You became quite cold in the night,” he says as if he didn’t just have his hands all over my body. “I’ll make sure to turn the heat up. My body temperature helped keep you warm.”

“Thank you.” I still don’t know what to say about it and thank you doesn’t sound like the right thing to say. Why am I suddenly acting like it’s my first time being around a man?

“Once you’re ready, we’ll eat and then I thought I would take you to see your friends. I know you’re eager to make sure they’re doing okay.”

I glance up and catch him smirking.

“I would like that. Maybe you could show me around a little bit after. I mean, if this is going to be my home now too, I might as well get to know it better. What do you think?”

He studies me, his gaze intense and his words full of heat when he says, “I’ll show you anything you want to see.”

Chapter 8

Vah’all

WE FLY to the medical center so I have an excuse to hold her in my arms again. She’s quickly becoming an obsession.

She’s all I can think about.

Last night, I tried to keep my distance but as soon as she began to shake from the cold, I was compelled to wrap her in my arms and give her my warmth. Sleep came sporadically while I fought my desires. By morning I couldn’t fight them any longer. I had to taste her and feel her. I had to know where she would experience the most pleasure from my touch.

Now I know the soft, slippery feel of her sex. The wetness and warmth against my fingers as she pressed into my palm, seeking the pressure she needed for the ultimate gratification. It was good she escaped me when she did, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from claiming her completely.

We reach the medical center and she won’t meet my eyes. She’s such an interesting creature. I want to possess her and make her mine. But I need to learn more about her.

We reach the door of the hospital room where her three friends are being treated. She knocks and begins stepping inside but pauses when I go to follow.

“I’d like to talk with them privately, please.” She blocks the door so I can’t see past her. This secrecy makes me want to force the issue but knowing I’ll be able to hear whatever they talk about from the hallway anyway, I agree to remain outside the door.

She disappears inside, letting the door shut behind her. At first, they greet each other and make sure they’re all okay. While they’re busy doing this, the doctor who has been in charge of the females since their arrival appears.

“How are the women recovering?” I ask.

“Well. All three of them will make a full recovery. Only one of the women had wounds that were life threatening and they’ve already healed enough that she’ll be able to leave with the rest of them when she’s ready.”

“Have you been given information on where they are to go once they’re discharged?”

The doctor shakes his head. “I was told to keep them here until we received word from Stux’an.”

“That’s what I thought.” I pause to listen in at the door. The women have grown quiet but they’re still speaking to one another. “I’ll find out what the plans are and let you know.”

“Thank you. I’ll return to check in with them once they’re alone again.”

With that, he moves off down the hallway to tend to other patients while I focus back on what’s being discussed behind the closed door.

“He seemed to get on board with the idea when he believed I’d be able to become impregnated. If that happens, he’ll definitely allow you to stay.” Sarah’s voice is quiet but my hearing is excellent.

“That’s crazy!” Another female voice says. “We’ll find a way to get out of here.”

At the mention of them leaving, my calm mood begins to shift. I’m not going to let Sarah leave…even if her friends decide to go. She’s mine and soon she’ll want me as much as I want her. She’ll realize I’ll do anything for her.

“Are you okay, Vah’all?” Kraal appears by my side. I’ve been so caught up in the conversation going on I didn’t pay attention to what’s going on around me. “You look angry.”

I take a deep breath and relax my muscles, releasing the tight fists I’ve been gripping by my side. “I’m fine. Any word from Stux’an? What has he decided with the females?”

“They stay for now. He realizes their importance.” The image of Sarah round with my child makes me realize how much I want that. Not just a family, but her. I was drawn to her by her scent. It beckoned to me through the sky, A consuming calm aura that surged from her to me and settled in my bones until she became an obsession. I’ve spent too much of my life fighting the darkness that threatens to consume me by keeping secrets. I had my first experience with the light when I looked down upon her exotic, petite face through the hole in the metal of the ship.

My hands have only been used for harm. The sharp tips of my claws are able to pierce through metal or puncture a creature’s throat until its blood drains from its body with every strong pulse of its heart until all that remains is a lifeless form.

Until now.

Now the desire to use my fingers to stroke through Sarah’s long, dark hair is stronger than any urge to end another’s life. She is enticing and desirable in a way I’ve never experienced before. In a way I never thought possible.

“Vah’all? Where did you go?” Kraal asks.

I snap back to attention, staring into Kraal’s face currently marked with concern.

“I apologize, Kraal. I was consumed with my thoughts.” It’s true but I won’t give him details about how obsessed I am over Sarah. What would the others think if I told them I knew from the moment I saw her that I wanted her to be mine? “Stux’an’s decision is a good one. With the current state of our kind, we can’t turn females away. Once Sarah is finished visiting with her friends, I will show her Bameh. Introduce her to her new home.”

“Her home as long as you can impregnate her,” Kraal says, reminding me of Stux’an’s original agreement. My cock twitches at the thought of claiming her in such a way. I’ll do whatever is needed of me to make sure this woman can remain by my side.

Ignoring his last statement, I move toward the door, having grown tired of waiting for Sarah to emerge from the room on her own. “I’ll see you later, Kraal.” With a nod, I open the door and turn my back on him, having grown tired of our conversation.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the sight of them,” one of her friends says, shaking her head as I walk right up to Sarah. “The wings are unexpected. They’re so much larger up close.”

“Ah, this is my friend Maren,” Sarah says, indicating the female who has been speaking since I entered. “Also, Trinity and Willa.” She keeps our basic introductions simple. “This is Vah’all. It seems I’m staying with him for the time being.”

Forever. The urge to correct her is strong, but I keep it to myself for now. The women haven’t had a lot of time to get used to this sudden change in plans.

Then she leans closer and lowers her voice. “I thought you were going to give us time to talk in private.”

“I didn’t want to be away from you any longer.” I don’t bother hiding my words from the other females. “You’ve had a chance to see your friends. Now I’d like to show you around my home.”

“Okay.” Sarah looks apprehensively at her friends and then back to me again. “Are they staying here for a while? If they’re being moved somewhere, I want to know where.”

This spark of authority causes me to reach out and place my hand on her body, right in the curve where her shoulder meets her neck. My talons are retracted so there’s no chance of hurting her when I gently stroke my thumb over her strumming pulse point. She’s frightened but fighting it, the defiance shining in her eyes, and it makes my cock hard. Not because I want her to be afraid of me, but because she’s stronger than she knows.

“They’ll be moved eventually but not yet. For now, they’ll keep them here until they’re certain their wounds have healed. Nothing will happen to them while we’re gone.”

She’s satisfied with my answer. After meeting my gaze, she nods hesitantly. That’s when I realize she’s concerned for her friends but apprehensive about going off with me again. I’ll have her all to myself and we both know what happened the last time we were alone together.

“Nothing will happen to you either. You are safe with me.” Her eyes widen and her cheeks flush a deep red. Whether she realizes it or not, her lips part and her pink tongue darts out to wet them. The urge to lean forward and pull her plump bottom lip between my teeth is strong but I fight it because of where we are.

She quickly clears her throat and tears her eyes away from me, stepping out of my touch and severing our connection. After saying goodbye to her friends, she walks through the door like she’s ready to get the next part of this day over with.

Chapter 9

Sarah

“SO, what do you have in mind?” He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry as we leave the medical facility even though he practically forced me away from my friends. Whenever I’m around Vah’all, my heartbeat increases until it’s normal that the palpitations make it feel like it could beat right out of my chest.

If I had the time to sit down and process this situation—I’d be struck with the absurdity of it all. I came willingly to this planet but was abducted by a different alien species before we could reach our destination. The only logical thing to do next is take advantage of our time together to learn about his home and figure out how to get out of here.

In my next breath, before he answers my question, he sweeps me up in his arms and we’re suddenly in the air again. “What are you doing?” I ask breathlessly while clinging to him as he uses his power to lift us above the mountains.

“Showing you around,” he answers simply.

“From up here?” My voice has risen an octave because while I’m not afraid to fly while inside a spaceship, this experience is completely different and definitely outside my comfort zone. Unlike the last time I flew with him, I’m clear-headed, completely aware of my surroundings and the fact that we’re floating above the ground at a considerable height has me coming unglued. “I’d rather walk for this tour.”

“I prefer holding you in my arms.” His steel-like arms tighten around me, pressing me even closer to his warm chest. Unlike in bed this morning, his wings are extended behind him but our bodies are still entwined like the roots of a tree that has grown for hundreds of years.

We’re floating like this, above the trees and hills, the expansive fields of green full of colorful blooms. He doesn’t move quickly or fly me anywhere in particular. Instead, he holds me above everything while I look down. “The quickness of your pulse tells me you don’t mind being held like this.” When I turn to meet his eyes instead of staring down at the sights below us, he’s gazing at me with intense heat. Before I can respond, he leans close and licks the skin that covers my pulse sending goosebumps over my body as I suck in a sharp gasp of air.

“Let’s go down, Vah’all.” He smiles but does as I ask, slowly descending while never taking his eyes from mine. Our feet meet the ground in a soft meadow but he doesn’t release me. He keeps me wrapped in his arms, his gaze piercing mine like I’m the most extraordinary thing he’s ever laid eyes upon. I try to wiggle from his grasp but he doesn’t want to let me go. “This isn’t how things work.”

I’m shaking my head, trying to get him to understand my apprehension while he looks at me with his brows furrowed, clearly confused. What I should really explain to him is that good girls like me don’t jump into sexual relationships with men—or aliens—they’ve just met.

“I do not understand,” Vah’all says.

“You are a stranger to me, yet you claim to want to be with me. I don’t understand how you could know that when you don’t really know me.”

“I wanted you before I ever saw you,” he says as if he doesn’t understand why I don’t believe him. “It was the feeling that you were meant to be mine. Then when I saw you, I understood.” His fingers trail over my skin, his sharp talons retracted but his words tearing through the shield I’ve put in place to keep him at a distance. Because our plan is to get out of here and back to where we belong. Which means I can’t fall for him. No matter how sweet he sounds or how sincere he seems when he looks into my eyes.

“It doesn’t work that way, Vah’all.” I clear my throat and repeat what I’ve already said. I speak over the pounding of my heart and the flood of endorphins rushing my system from his confession. Or maybe it’s the way he’s still holding me so our bodies touch while his fingers gently brush over my skin.

“Understand, my female, we do things differently on my planet.” He presses his mouth to mine before I can object, though I’m starting to think fighting this is pointless. He’s determined but that’s not the only reason. His kiss is all consuming like it comes from a secret place inside of him that he only shares with someone deserving.

The softness of his lips surprises me because the rest of him is rough and scaled—a warrior built for the sole purpose of battle. His tongue presses inside my mouth while his hand locks around the back of my neck, holding me in place while he explores. I should be terrified of what’s happening between us. He’s forward, not hiding his intentions or desires but maybe that’s what makes it so appealing in the first place. I’ve never had someone so directly, unabashedly attracted to me. He shows no shame or hesitation in going after what he wants.

Eventually I press my palm to his chest and lean back, pulling away from his kiss. Emotions are pinging through my body like that tiny silver ball in an arcade machine. One moment I’m enjoying his all-consuming kiss and the next I’m questioning if I’ve lost my mind. “What did you want to show me?” I finally ask once I gather my thoughts.

“This is my home, as you know, but I thought you’d like to see it for yourself.” He begins walking and I follow, his massive silver wings extending wide before they fold in like an accordion, resting along his back. Now that I’m walking behind him I have the opportunity to take in just how colossal in size he really is. His shoulders are so broad they extend past his wings when they’re closed and resting against his back. He moves with a mindless swagger, his arms roped with muscles that flex and bend with every movement he makes. But it’s his legs that consistently draw my attention because of the sheer herculean size of his thighs and calves as he maneuvers over the gentle hills of the meadow.

He looks so out of place here. I see him as the sharp-taloned bringer of death who flies through space and peels metal from ships. Not the soft-lipped alien who kisses like it’s his forbidden passion and walks quietly through meadows.

“Do you have roads here?” Even from above when Vah’all held me high in his arms I didn’t see an intricate system of roads or anything similar where vehicles traveled.

“No roads. No need for them. Not here. We fly where we need to go. If we don’t feel like flying, we walk.”

“What about ships? You must have ships in case you want to travel further away from here?”

“We have a few ships but they’ve never been used. Our home is a secret and we plan to keep it that way. We don’t allow outsiders to come here and we don’t leave.”

“You’ve never left?”

“I’ve gone further than anyone else because of what I do. I’ve been through the cloud layer while the rest have not.”

“Why are you so worried about others seeing you? Do you really think everyone would want what you have?” Instead of taking in our surroundings, I’m more interested in the thought process behind why they do what they do here. It’s the reason my ship is a pile of twisted metal on the ground with most of our crew dead.

“It is the way things are. The way things have always been.” I wait for him to elaborate, for him to give me more but he doesn’t. Either he’s been spoon-fed the same excuse his entire life and he’s regurgitating it or he really does believe this is the only way things can be for him. How incredibly isolating.

For the entire time we’ve been walking, we have yet to run into anyone else. Occasionally I notice another streak of silver in the sky above but I’m still wondering what he wants to show me in these lands that look to be so isolated.

“Do you have a main city with buildings and homes? This area is all nature from the looks of it.”

“This is what most of Bameh is like. Homes are built throughout but not all in one place.”

“So they’re all like where you live? Private?”

“Yes.”

“And you wanted me to see the beauty and experience the privacy of your home? Try to sell me on this place?”

Vah’all stares at me for a moment, something shifting in his expression. “I enjoy it. The quiet brings me peace.” He steps closer to me again and I instantly know where his thoughts have shifted. He can’t disguise the hunger on his face or the tension in his muscles. His desire for me is intense, enough that another crack appears in the armor I’ve worn since I boarded the spaceship. “I want to touch you again, like I did this morning. This time with my tongue. I want to spread you open and feast on you until you forget everything except who you belong to.”

His eyes flame with desire while my pussy throbs from his words. Arousal seeps down my thighs and I’m horrified by how wet I am for him. A few dirty words and promises of mind-blowing orgasms and my body turns on like a faucet. He already made me come once and he was barely trying. I’m imagining what it could be like if he really put in some effort and I almost have to take a moment and sit down.

No one is here. There’s literally no one around. We could mess around a little bit and no one would need to know. It doesn’t need to ruin my plans for finding a ship and getting my friends out of here. Just a little mindless pleasure to relieve some of the stress I’ve experienced since the crash.

So when his hands slide the oversized pants down my waist, I don’t fight it. Instead, I step out of them and let him settle me in the soft grass. It’s like I’m entertaining a swarm of bees in my stomach I’m so torn between nerves and excitement but as soon as he spreads my legs and sees my arousal glistening on my thighs, the look of satisfaction on his face calms my nerves. He swipes a finger through the wetness and licks it from his finger.

“I want to hear your pleasure as you shout it into the sky.” With a cocky smirk, my alien settles between my thighs.

Chapter 10

Vah’all

SHE’S MORE than I’ve ever wanted. And now she’s mine. I lay her down in the softest part of the grass where there’s a canopy of trees providing coverage from above. Not that I mind if anyone else sees what I’m going to do to her.

Let them look. Let me see what is mine.

But she is apprehensive about this intimacy. I can see the way it tears her in two—one side of her wanting all I can give while the other part of her seeks the mental clarity to deny me. Her scent envelops me as soon as I spread her thighs. It’s stronger than any mind-altering drug because it’s seeping through my pours and oxygenating my blood.

She’s pink and soft so I dive in with my tongue, licking as much of her as I can cover in one swipe. She groans with pleasure, her fingers diving into my hair and holding my head to her cunt. A shiver courses through her body, starting at her toes and moving like the flow of water until it reaches her chest. I press my nose into the soft curls that rest at the top of her mound, inhaling her scent like it’s the air I need to breathe.

Then I lick again, parting her pink lips and sucking them one at a time into my mouth, nipping her sensitive skin with my teeth. She squirms while my hands wrap around her thighs, kneading her soft skin and keeping her pliable to my mouth. “I’m going to make you come in my mouth,” I say, focusing my licks to her hard, erect bud. “And then we’re going to do it again.”

She groans from deep inside her chest, her mouth open and gasping while one of her hands pulls on my hair. The other hand grips onto my hand that’s holding her thigh, squeezing as her hips press against my face.

“Tell me when you’re going to come,” I say, pulling my sloppy mouth away from her swollen lips. “I want to hear it.”

A desperate sound leaves her, strangled and intense—so much so that I want to take my cock in my hand in order to relieve some of the pressure. But that would mean taking a hand off her body and I can’t do it. Not when she’s so close to unraveling. Her back arches off the ground as she screams, her thighs pressing into my shoulders as her orgasm tears through her. I feel the throb of pleasure in her pretty, pink cunt as I continue to lick because while this enjoyment was for her, she gave it to me willingly. I pull her pleasure bud into my mouth and suck it while it throbs.

When it slows, I raise my head to find her watching me. Her limbs are relaxed, her brown eyes bright. “Again,” I say with authority.

Her fingers slide through my hair while she lies still, only her chest rising and falling as she struggles to regulate her breathing. The gesture is affectionate, and it seems for the first time that she’s getting over her fear of me.

I place kisses along her spread thighs and belly, unable to stop myself from touching her now that I’ve started. When she doesn’t say anything, I continue with my intent to make her submit to me again and again when I hear the familiar sounds of wings cutting through the skies above. My ears tip upward to track their path, the safety of my female at the front of my mind.

She notices them a moment later, still circling us from the skies.

“Vah’all,” she says, pushing at my shoulders. When I don’t move back fast enough, she twists her legs trying to close them while maneuvering out from underneath me. I don’t want to let her go but when the sounds from above get closer, I give in. She scrambles to cover herself moments before a group of males lands one at a time surrounding us.

These aren’t alphas and they’re not elders either. They’re warriors, like me. Given their orders and expected to follow them.

“The rumors are true,” Aeh’ers says, his eyes going to Sarah as soon as his feet land. The jagged scar above his right eye tugs the skin back, giving him a menacing leer that causes me to impulsively move in front of Sarah to block her from his full inspection.

“What do you want?” I ask, suspicious of his hostile tone. Allowing the human females to remain on the island won’t be a popular decision with everyone, but it was the council’s decision so it will stand. At least for now.

“This is an abomination,” Uveat says. “It should never have been allowed.”

Uveat’s grandfather is an elder but he’s not part of the council. The dynamics are complicated among the families on Bameh. Families like Uveat’s cling to the traditional ways and look down on mixing our DNA with other species. How they expect our species to survive without procreation…that is unknown. In the past, I might have even thought the way he did…until I saw Sarah. After her, everything changed.

“The council agreed on allowing her here. You have no say in the matter.” I extend my wings, posturing to get them to back off. For one moment Sarah’s fear began to ease and now it is thick around her again.

There’s one more, Sadhaih. The three of them using their bulk as intimidation to show their displeasure. Sadhaih, with the streak of black cutting through his silver hair, is the only one to make the mistake of stepping toward Sarah, his curiosity too strong.

I’m on him in a split second, my talons sharp as I latch on to his throat, using my legs to kick him back and land on his chest. With my wings wide, the other two can no longer lay eyes on what’s mine. “Make no mistake,” I say, my voice dripping with the malice I carry in my soul. “She is mine to protect and I will kill to do it.”

“All three of us?” Aeh’ers asks. He’s testing me to see how committed I am to the promise I made. As warriors, we do whatever the alphas tell us to do, without question, for the betterment of our species. It has been a long time since any of the younger warriors have claimed mates so my commitment to her could conflict with the oath I’ve given my alpha. So far, it hasn’t been tested.

“You’d do the same for your mate. It would be as easy as breathing.” The air shifts around me as the warriors remain in place. Their current indecision over their next move the loudest sound for miles. “This is the reason your family hasn’t established a place on the council, Uveat. Your impulsiveness is disappointing.”

My comment cuts enough for him to want to retaliate. The assassin in me wants him to push me over the edge so I have a reason to snap. But for once, he swallows his pride and backs off.

“Let’s go.” He takes off into the sky with Aeh’ers right behind him. Only then do I release Sadhaih so he can follow.

The meadow is quiet once they leave, aside from the chaos in my head and the staccato breathing of Sarah’s trembling body behind me.

“It looks like not everyone is on board with having us here,” she says from her crouched position. Now that they’re gone she rights herself, physically pulling herself together again. It takes a moment for my rage to cool. She’s right but I didn’t want her to have to deal with anyone’s indecision while she’s still getting used to the idea of being here. While she’s still getting used to the idea of me.

“Don’t worry about them. They won’t bother you again.”

She doesn’t bother to hide the disbelief written on her face. “You can’t possibly know that.”

“They wanted to get a look at you. See what everyone must be talking about. They won’t go against a decision the council has made. And I’ve told you, I’ll keep you safe. You must not worry about them.”

She allows me to get close enough to touch her again, which I take as a good sign. I haven’t known her long but she’s determined and strong for a female. She’s not one to crumble at my feet and fall apart because things aren’t going her way. It’s one of the reasons my heart swells with pride knowing she’s the one my soul wants.

“Come. There is much more I wish to show you before we return. If you’re feeling up for it?”

I stare into her eyes, giving her the chance to say no.

But she doesn’t. She nods, accepting me. So I take her in my arms once again, carrying her off into the sky.

Chapter 11

Sarah

MY BODY TREMBLES but it isn’t from the cold. The loud incessant blaring of the horn drowns out any other sounds I might be able to hear. It isn’t until I peel my eyelids open that I’m able to re-orient myself to where I am.

When I reach up to touch my face my fingers track through sticky liquid. It coats my eye and drips over my lips from the cut in my forehead. At least I hope it’s just a cut. I can’t see it but it’s pulsing, mirroring the beating of my frantic heartbeat.

There’s glass everywhere. All over the seats, cutting into my skin. When I turn my head toward the driver’s seat, Sam isn’t there.

She’s supposed to be.

I struggle with my seatbelt at the same time I open my mouth to scream her name.

“Sam, Sam, Sam!” I scream.

I scream until my voice is hoarse and I’m finally able to get free of my restraint.

“SARAH, WAKE UP.”

My dream hangs heavy around me, pulling me down like quicksand while I try to fight my way to the surface. Soft fingers caress my face, dipping into my puddle of tears. Just like that night almost four years ago, it takes me awhile before I remember where I am. When I do, my eyes slowly adjust to the darkness before they’re caught in his web of blue eyes.

He’s holding me close, his face not far from my own. Do I allow him to give me comfort? Do I deserve it? I haven’t given up on trying to find a way out of here. Making it to Nedruinia means continuing my medical studies and working toward my goals. I can’t allow myself to be fazed by this setback, no matter how massive it seems at the moment.

“What is it that troubles you while you sleep?” he asks.

It would be so easy to pour my heart out and allow him to help me carry this burden. I’ve held onto it for so long that it has become a part of who I am. The events of my past determining the path of my future which set me on a journey of redemption. Maybe then I’ll finally escape these nightmares that renew my guilt and keep me clinging to the memories.

The recent crash has only set me back to square one, erasing the progress I’ve made since leaving Earth. He grows frustrated when I don’t answer but after a few moments, the lines ease on his forehead as he releases a sigh.

“Nights are often lonely for me,” he says, relaxing back into the bed. Now that he’s not watching me so closely, I take a moment to scrub the tears from my cheeks in an attempt to pull myself back together. “It’s a comfort to me when I hold you. Your breathing is steady in a way that distracts me from the thoughts that keep me from sleep.”

“What thoughts?” I didn’t share my secrets yet so I don’t blame him if he’s not ready either. But it doesn’t stop me from asking. Even if only to understand his actions or motivations a little better.

“The memories of all the ships I’ve been forced to take down.” My spine tingles at the reminder that I’m in bed with an assassin. He may have saved my life, but he took so many more. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of seeing it with my own eyes.

“It has always been you?” Strange initial question out of all the ones I could ask, but it’s important. Who knows how long they’ve been destroying ships that fly into their territory?

“Not always me, not exclusively. But I’ve done enough that sleep evades me because my soul is burdened with my misdeeds.” For the first time since he started talking, his eyes find mine in the dark. Only a glow coming in from a few windows above illuminates the room, casting shadows along his body. He looks at me with the expression of someone who recognizes guilt and carries this burden like a dagger in his gut, slowly seeping.

I nod, accepting his confession. Maybe he’s expecting me to run from him after this but the fact that it affects him only makes him more relatable. It humanizes him in a way I wasn’t expecting.

“Why do you have to keep doing it? Sure, we might’ve spotted the Isle in passing but we wouldn’t have done anything about it. We would’ve commented on how cool it looked and then continued on our way. Something must have happened in your past that made you so secretive.”

“This is the way it has always been. Because the core is necessary for our survival, we wouldn’t be able to survive if we were invaded and forced to flee. We protect our home because we’d die if we didn’t have it.”

“If you truly believe that, why are you overcome with so much guilt?”

He pushes off the bed and begins pacing through the room. Memories of my vivid nightmare have faded like ash, leaving me with a hollow ache in my chest. “I do not rejoice in the deaths of the innocent, even if I’m following the orders of my alpha.”

I don’t know how to respond to him. He’s following orders while I’m supposed to be meeting with various medical tribes on Cruna to learn all about medical treatments that might be useful on Earth in helping save more lives. We couldn’t be more different, and yet, he claims he wants to keep me as his mate.

Not a lot scares me anymore but expressing my feelings about this situation is one of them. Asking him to let us go so we can continue our journey is a close second. Acknowledging that he’s skilled with his tongue and I enjoy what he does to me with it is in there somewhere too.

“You have nothing to say?” he asks.

I push up so I’m sitting before taking a breath and letting my thoughts tumble out. “You should let me go…and the other girls too. We don’t belong here. Just let us finish our journey to Nedruinia and we can figure everything else out from there. We won’t say anything to anyone about you or this place. You can trust us.”

He stands eerily still against the backdrop of the night, his body occupying so much space it’s suddenly stifling. His anger becomes palpable to the point where I open my mouth to take it all back. Before I can, he steps toward the bed and leans over me, his legs caging me in so I have nowhere to escape to. His fingers work their way slowly from my arm, over my shoulder until they rest against my neck, this thumb pressing against my rapid pulse. “I will never let you go.” He licks over my neck, nipping behind my ear. “Get those thoughts out of your head.”

A whole-body shiver works its way through me as his free hand travels down to cup my mound. I gasp, my eyes flying wide at how quickly things have shifted. He spreads me, dipping his fingers into my wetness, a restrained growl sounding at my ear as he works his fingers through my arousal. He’s touching me like he’s proving a point, working his fingers in ways that have me dripping over his hand.

He tightens his grip on my neck as he focuses his attention on my clit, flicking and pinching until I’m moaning, my eyes unfocused as my limbs relax. I grab his wrist and move my hips, desperately chasing the orgasm that still eludes me. His hand relaxes around my throat, his thumb pushing up into my mouth so I suck it in and work my tongue over it like I would his cock. Our eyes meet just before he slams his mouth down on mine, plunging his tongue inside to twist and slide against my own.

His other hand fists my panties, tearing them away with a snap and rip, leaving me gasping into his mouth. Then his fingers are back, thrusting inside me two at a time. I cry out as I adjust to the sheer girth from two of his massive fingers but quickly relax as he strokes me in a controlled rhythm that lets me know who’s in charge. “Remember this,” he says, his voice raspy in my ear. “I will never let you go. And soon, you would rather beg me to allow you to stay than ever speak those words to me again.”

Then his mouth disappears from my face and he latches onto my sex, devouring me with everything he has. With his fingers still working me from the inside and his tongue pressing into my clit, I finally explode. The intensity is unfamiliar, taking me by surprise as I writhe and clutch at anything within reach. I’m sweaty and panting for breath when the sensations ease enough that I’m able to think clearly.

He managed to do it again. He distracted me with his skillful tongue and fingers that worked me over like a well-played instrument and I didn’t have an ounce of strength to resist him.

Chapter 12

Vah’all

TAUNHER POND IS the one place I wanted to take Sarah yesterday before we were interrupted by some of the warriors intent on scaring her off. It isn’t large but there’s plenty of plants that grow there, many she might find interesting.

There are plants with medicinal properties on the island, but I don’t know much about them. It’s out of the area of my expertise. Hopefully, having the opportunity to explore might satisfy her cravings for knowledge about the world around her.

“What kinds of creatures live in the water?” she asks, crouching down by the edge. I still haven’t solved the issue of finding her clothing that actually fits her curvy body type so she’s stuck wearing my clothes—too-large shirts that would hang down to her knees if she didn’t tie them at her waist and pants she’s forced to roll over at the waist multiple times. After our time at the pond today, I’ll have to take her to see some of the elder females who might have something more appropriate, even if it is still too big for her much smaller human frame.

While I’m busy admiring her in my clothing, a tiny tan pandacle the size of my fist jumps out of the water. It flips in the air, showing off its shiny underbelly before disappearing under the water.

“Oh!” she says, her bright eyes full of surprise as she turns to look at me. “What was that called? I’d say it looked like a fish but it had those legs on the back. So strange.”

She shakes her head, watching the water to see if it’s going to re-emerge. “We call them pandacle. They’re common in the waters on the island. We use them often in the food we eat.”

“Have I tried it?”

“Not yet. I can make it happen for you tonight if you’d like.”

“I’m not picky,” she says, moving along the edge of the water to examine more of the plants. She touches the petals without causing damage while inspecting the stalks, sometimes sniffing them too. Many of them are in bloom because it’s warm enough during the day before the temperatures drop overnight. “These are so pretty…and they’re not used for anything? They’re just nice to look at?”

“They might be used for something…I just don’t know much about them. I do know the first night you tried to escape, you were going to eat a poisonous berry that is actually used for medicinal purposes.”

She scrunches her face and glares at me, clearly not happy to be reminded.

“Once things have been settled with the council for good, I’ll arrange to have you meet with the doctor who treated your friends. You can learn all you’d like to know about medicine and treatments on Bameh.”

Her face drops and I already know this isn’t what she wants to hear. “I appreciate that, Vah’all, but our intentions were to learn about medicine from all over Cruna.”

“Then Bameh will be a good place to start.”

With my arms crossed over my chest, I continue to watch her closely as she explores the pond. It isn’t my intention to keep her on lockdown in my home, but I don’t trust her enough to leave her on her own. Not only that, not everyone is happy with the council’s decision to allow her to stay. Until I know she’s safe to roam on her own, she’ll stay within my sight.

“Is this how you always spend your days? Or am I keeping you away from your responsibilities?”

“Stux’an will contact me if he needs me. On a normal day I’d be at the military base but it isn’t necessary. Not unless they have a specific mission for me.”

“So they call you when a ship enters your territory?”

“That’s all I’ve been needed for in a long time. Other than that, we train together to keep our skills sharp.”

“But you haven’t had to use them in a long time. Because no one knows you exist up here beyond the clouds.” She’s studying me, gauging my reactions to her questions. Maybe she’s hoping I’ll see the logic behind her doubts but she doesn’t know enough about the elders to understand why we do things this way. Taking her from the crash site was impulsive. Now I’m thinking about what I need to do to get her to understand our way of life. I must figure out what I need to do to get her to accept me and then a life here. “Is this what you’ve always wanted?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you were little…is this what you envisioned for yourself? Was it your only option or did you have other choices?”

She’s moved away from the pond now, more interested in hearing about my life than the exotic plants and creatures that lurk beneath the water. It takes a while to realize I’ve been staring at her, trying to piece together an answer in my head. Since it’s taking so long for me to answer, she continues to elaborate. “I only ask because I know there’s a doctor who works in your medical center. I guess I never stopped to think about what the elders do, but there must be different professions available to you? Or did you always want to be a warrior?”

I sit down in front of her, attempting to mimic her and cross my legs in the same way. “When I was young I used to fantasize about flying all over Cruna. I wanted to go everywhere and explore everything. Whether that was because of being told it wasn’t possible…I don’t know. I’ve always felt like there was so much more out there beyond the cloud layer but I squashed those thoughts because it would never become a reality.” A light breeze rustles the trees, makes the plants sway before lifting her hair off her shoulders like it’s going to carry it away. “Is that why you’re here? Aside from learning more about medicine. Did you have a desire to see the differences across the galaxy?”

She glances off into the distance, a lost expression dancing across her face. “I lost someone close to me back home. It has been years since it happened but it’s still hard to be there without constantly being reminded of the tragedy.”

“This tragedy is the cause of your nightmares?” She nods even though I already know it to be the truth. She’s running from her painful past and I intercepted her along the way. “Who did you lose?”

“My sister,” she says, clearing her throat at the same time she drops her gaze down to her hands. “I’ve been running while trying to find a way to heal but also working toward a medical degree all at the same time. My head is a mess but I’m doing all that I know of to work it out.”

“Why did you choose to pursue a medical degree?”

“The night my sister died, we were in a really bad car accident where we hit a tree and she was thrown through the front window. When I finally found her, she had impaled herself on a branch. Well, I panicked when I saw it and pulled the branch out before using my shirt to try to stop the bleeding. Except by pulling it out, I only made the bleeding worse which caused her to bleed out even faster than if I would’ve just left it in.” Her hands form tight fists in her lap as her eyes glaze over, the pain of her past mistakes obvious in her vacant stare.

“You were only trying to help,” I say in an attempt to ease her guilt.

“I should’ve known better. A mistake like that—” She shakes her head as unwanted tears streak down her face. “It creates too big of a burden to carry. So I made a promise that I’d learn all there is to know about medicine and treating sick patients so I never find myself in a situation like that again.”

I reach out and use my fingers to touch her soft skin but she doesn’t want my comfort or she doesn’t think she deserves it. She gets to her feet and paces along the edge of the pond, closing herself off from anymore conversation about our pasts. There’s still more I’d like to know but it’ll have to wait for another time.

“I lost my parents when I was a young boy. My mother to sickness and then my father in an unexpected training accident. After that, I was raised by the warriors at the military compound because they were already like family. That’s why I became a warrior and it’s why I feel indebted to do whatever is asked of me. You and I are different in so many ways but we both understand loss.”

Sarah’s expression is soft, her demeanor calmer after my confession. “I’m sorry you had to go through that when you were so young. It must’ve been awful.”

“It wasn’t easy. It was definitely lonely. But at least I had a lot of my parent’s friends looking out for me.”

She stares at me for a while, like if she studies me long enough, all of my secrets will come spilling out. When she still hasn’t said anything after a few minutes, I’m not sure if confiding something so personal worked in my favor or against.

“Have my friends been taken from the medical center? I’d like to see them again. Do you know where they’re staying while all of the details are being figured out?”

Talking about such personal things has clearly agitated her. Instead of being content to explore the pond, she’s ready to leave and rejoin her friends, wherever they may be. I want her all to myself but my desires aren’t the ones that matter right now. They’ll have to wait. But that shouldn’t be difficult considering I’ve been waiting years for her to show up.

“I’m not sure where they are but we can easily figure it out. If that’s what you need right now, I’ll take you to see them again.”

She almost smiles after exhaling a deep breath but the calm doesn’t last long. Before I can take her anywhere, the sky is darkened by an incoming hoard of warriors, all descending on the side of the pond where we’re currently standing.

Chapter 13

Sarah

THE SKY DARKENS ABOVE ME, the first clue we’re no longer alone. Warriors drop down from above, enclosing Vah’all and me in a wide arc, putting the pond at our backs.

“What’s going on?” I ask unable to keep the quiver of nerves from my voice.

Before Vah’all can respond, I’m grabbed and yanked off the ground. Then I’m held in the air above the warriors as a fight breaks out below. Growled rasps and shouts saturate the air around me as Vah’all turns feral toward the warriors who have come to take me.

I squirm in my captor’s arms but I already know he’s too strong to escape. And if I managed to get free, he’d drop me and there’s no way I’d land without injury. All I can do is watch as Vah’all fights six warriors like himself.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask the one who’s keeping me out of harm’s way. Not that I expect an answer but I say it nonetheless.

“We’re following orders,” he says. Recognizing his distinct voice, I turn to see the familiar scar above his eye. It’s the same warrior who had a problem with me being here before.

Vah’all slashes out with his talons, cutting deep slashes into the skin of one of the other warriors…the one with the black streak through his hair. Blood flashes red against the silver before sliding down in thick rivulets. Their blood may be the same color but it’s much thicker than human blood. The gashes don’t slow the warriors down. They press forward toward Vah’all, intent on subduing him.

“Don’t hurt him! What are you trying to do?” I’m shocked that my initial reaction is for them to back off and leave him alone. Leave us alone. We were finally having a moment, just the two of us before they arrived. We connected beyond the physical and now they’re trying to take me away and attack Vah’all? I don’t understand any of this.

“We’ve been given new orders by the council. You’re to be kept at the military compound for now.”

Vah’all hears him and pauses, giving the others the opportunity they need to pounce on him.

“Why have they changed their minds?” Vah’all asks. His voice is muffled from having his face pressed into the ground. He has four warriors on his back so for now he’s stopped fighting. “Why do they want to take her from me?”

“They’ve created too much controversy. Until another larger council can be convened, the females will be kept at the compound. For their safety, Vah’all. They will not be harmed.”

“Why didn’t you just say that from the beginning?” I ask, annoyed with the way they chose to handle the situation. Though looking down at Vah’all with the bloody warriors breathing heavily as they restrain him, it’s clear he wouldn’t have handed me over without a fight. No matter what excuse they gave. “Have you already taken the other women?”

“Yes,” Aeh’ers says.

Vah’all growls from his place on the ground, his wings fluttering as he tries to throw the warriors from his back. “Release me,” he says, his voice deep and threatening.

“Not until I’ve taken her,” Aeh’ers says.

This only angers Vah’all more. The sounds coming from him send chills through me, making me glad I’m not on the receiving end of his wrath. As my captor begins to take me higher into the sky and further away from Vah’all, panic kicks in. He may have been my kidnapper but he’s protected me from the beginning. Without him, I’m vulnerable to whatever the council decides to do with me. Not only that but I have no idea what they plan to do with Vah’all once they take me away from him.

My mind is spinning with everything that’s happening but I can’t fight back or run until we land. Moments later, as if we’ve somehow become linked after this short time together, I sense Vah’all. It’s impossible to get a good look around from where I’m being held against this Aeh’er’s chest, but I could swear we’re no longer alone up here. Aeh’er’s grip tightens around me as his speed increases. Vah’all is here but so are the others. We’re in a high-speed chase in the sky, the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death is the tight grip of my captor. While I want to be set free, I’d prefer Vah’all wait until we reach our destination. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned so far in my life, it’s how fragile and fleeting life can be. After surviving an entire spaceship crash, I don’t want to test my luck any further.

“Give her to me!” Vah’all’s furious cry penetrates through the sky. The pained emotion of his words sink into my heart making me ache to ease his suffering.

“Do not lose yourself, Vah’all. To go against the council means punishment. Think before you make a choice you cannot undo.” Aeh’ers speaks to him like a friend. Like someone who cares about what happens to him because of the impulsive choices he makes. Even I don’t think I could reach him at this moment. They’ve gone about this all wrong—even I can see that.

A scream sounds behind us, a shout like someone is falling. Then it ends abruptly. My stomach twists with nausea with the realization that someone is either badly hurt or dead. These are the choices Vah’all can’t undo. The only question left in my mind is what will they do to him because of it? How do they punish their own on Bameh?

My captor’s grip loosens, and I slip through his grasp, suddenly free falling from the sky. I’m screaming with my eyes squeezed closed. Considering I’ve never liked roller coasters or any kind of ride that made it feel like I was free-falling, my current situation is a nightmare scenario. Not only am I actually free-falling, but I don’t have any kind of harness to keep me from splattering all over the rocks below.

Something grabs me again, throwing me in the opposite direction and giving me whiplash in the process. I know even before I look that it isn’t Vah’all who has me. It’s like a game of keep away in the sky except by the time this is all over, there’s no way I’ll have kept the contents of my stomach where they belong. Sadhaih is my new captor, easily recognizable because of his unique hair. He begins his descent and I’m able to see our destination. It’s a domed building not far ahead that looks to be made of smooth cement and hundreds of small circular windows. It’s surrounded by trees, not another building in sight.

As soon as we land on a platform at the top of the dome, the other warriors quickly surround us. But there aren’t as many as there were back at the pond.

“Put her with the others while we wait for the rest to return.” Two of the warriors lead me toward a doorway that will hopefully take me to the other women. If I can’t be with Vah’all, I want to be with my friends.

“Where is Vah’all?” I ask as they lead me inside. “Is he in trouble?”

They don’t answer me, but they don’t look happy either. I can’t help but wonder what mess we’ve gotten mixed up in and if it would’ve just been better if he would’ve let us leave when we had the chance.

“He’ll be brought back shortly,” one of the warriors surprises me by saying. “I doubt you’ll be allowed to visit him while he’s in confinement.”

Confinement.

I had a bad feeling about this from the beginning. I shouldn’t worry about what happens to me when Vah’all is the one who’s in trouble but our fates are linked going forward. If I lose my protector, the one who fights for me to be here, what happens if I must rely on myself? I’ve never been a fighter, only a healer. I’m suddenly out of my element in more ways than one.

Once we’re inside the dome, the walls quickly close in on me. Paneled lights illuminate the corridors. Even though there are so many small windows, they don’t allow much light inside. I’m led down until we reach the floor they want. It has been quiet so far aside from soft voices in some of the rooms that we’ve passed along the way. This floor has an open carpeted space in the middle that leads to a large partition of glass on the far right. Trinity, Willa and Maren all sit on different cots that rest against separate walls of the locked room. Even as I approach, it doesn’t appear that they can see me.

The guard opens the door and motions for me to enter. All three of my friends look so happy to see me as we hug and tell each other how relieved we are to be together again. But they can’t hide the worry that’s etched across their faces or the way their fear has manifested in the way they make their bodies so small within this room.

I wish I could reassure them and tell them Vah’all will come for us and figure it all out but the truth is, I don’t know what happened to him. The guards sounded confident that they’d capture him and bring him here and if that’s the case, I don’t know what our future holds.

Chapter 14

Vah’all

THE SLAP of cold water against my face shocks me back to consciousness. I’m lying half in, half out of a river after falling once my wing took a cut from someone’s sharp talons. I move slowly when my head clears, testing my limbs to make sure nothing is broken. Urgency fills me as I think of Sarah and how they came to take her from me. She must be at the compound by now which means it’s going to be much more difficult for me to get in and get her back.

I pull myself to my feet and shake my head to clear the fog so I can take to the sky and finish what I started. Before I get anywhere, though, I home in on the sounds above me, my scales prickling with awareness.

They’ve found me again.

My warrior brothers stalk me from the skies, circling above the trees. I swoop in and out so I can get glances of them before they disappear. Thoughts of fighting them cross my mind but if they’ve already taken Sarah into the compound, it doesn’t make sense to fight it. Now I want to be close to where she is.

I’m still assessing my injuries when the warriors land. For falling from the sky, I’m in remarkably good shape, aside from a wound to my wing and a few scrapes and cuts on my body.

“We’re taking you in, Vah’all. It’ll go better for you if you don’t fight it.”

I raise my hands in surrender, focusing on the sounds of water rushing over the rocks to bring calm to the chaos inside of me. When they grab my hands to restrain me, I hold thoughts of Sarah in my head. When anger over the council’s decision being overturned suddenly threatens to consume me, I focus on knowing that at least we’ll be together in the same place. Whatever reasons they have for this sudden change in decision, I’ll find a way for Sarah to be with me again.

We return to the military compound and I’m eager to see Stux’an. He may be my alpha but he’s always been on my side. This is the first time I’ve strayed from our laws and technically I asked permission for Sarah to be here before I brought her from Cruna. Instead of allowing me freedom now that we’re back, they lead me down to the very bottom floor of the compound. I’ve been down here myself before but only to deliver prisoners that I’ve captured from fallen ships. And only when the prisoner is someone the alphas would be interested in questioning.

Now it’s my turn to be a prisoner.

I’ve gone against the alphas in favor of my woman. These are the consequences I’m forced to suffer. But I’ll do what I need to do for her.

The confinement cells are dark. There are no windows at this level. No heat either. By the time nightfall comes, even I’ll be uncomfortable in the frigid darkness. They don’t bother with any special treatments once I enter the cell. My arms are forced above my head, my wrists shackled into the restraints. They do the same to my ankles. It’s possible to move forward and sit down against the wall, but I can’t access the door or the locks.

“I want to speak with Stux’an,” I say.

“You are not in a position to make demands, Vah’all. A warrior is dead because of your actions.”

Dread pools in my stomach, the only thought blaring in my mind—lies.

“I did not kill anyone!” My voice is absorbed by the walls. The confinement cells are where prisoners go to disappear. Once the dutiful assassin, I’ve become expendable as long as I no longer follow their directions as soon as they’re given. “Allow me to speak with Stux’an and I’ll explain everything to him.”

“He’ll see you when he’s ready.” I don’t understand the lack of sympathy from those whom I’ve fought with side by side for so many years. They treat me like a stranger, barely looking into my eyes while locking me away like a criminal. When in truth, I’ve done nothing but protect what I was already given by the council. A mate who I’ve sworn to protect as soon as she became mine. How can that make me a criminal?

“At least tell me what has become of Sarah. Is she here in the compound? Is she safe?”

“She’s with the other three humans. They’re staying together until the council makes a final decision.”

I drop my head, relieved but frustrated at the same time. My arms are heavy in my chains and I’d give anything to have the opportunity to see her with my own eyes and make sure she’s being treated well. “I don’t understand why the council changed their minds. They’d already made a decision. Now they claim to want to do it all over again.”

“You’ve sent tremors through the core of Bameh by bringing these females here. Some like the idea, some are vehemently against it. Consider they’re here for their safety.” The last warrior turns to leave. When the door is only open a sliver he says, “I will let Stux’an know you’re here.”

And with that, he closes the door, leaving me in darkness.

The night drags on as I drift in and out of sleep. My dreams are cursed with the faces of the dead framed with fire and twisted metal. Haunted screams jolt me awake as I shiver on the cold cement floor. It isn’t until I’m lucid that I remember where I am and that none of the images or sounds are real. Just memories from my past that I’ll never escape.

How could I ever explain to Stux’an how Sarah takes all of this away? The night terrors are an endless punishment of everything I’ve done but when I hold her in my arms, a calm encompasses me, protecting me and keeping the memories at bay. Her aura called to me from space like a piece of my soul. Now that I’ve tasted this peace, I can’t live without it.

I don’t want to.

Sarah’s somewhere in this building. Somewhere above me. Stux’an better pay attention to the fact that she’ll need heat to stay warm. And they eat more often than we do, needing sustenance at least three times a day if not more. These are all things I planned on telling him if he would’ve come down to see me. But the night wasted away and he never appeared. No one did. I was given no medical treatment, no food, no water, no heat. Once the one who did anything they asked, now a criminal in their minds.

It’s easy to lose track of time down in these cells. The darkness is disarming and disorienting but at some point, there’s a tightness inside of me that grows with intensity. My skin prickles across my chest but nothing external will soothe me. My instincts tell me it has something to do with Sarah and not knowing is the worst form of torture.

Has something happened to her?

Is she sick?

Was she injured when they took her?

Suddenly I need to know but there’s no one around to answer my screams. They’ve thrown me down in this cell, locked me away. But I don’t care about any of that. I only want to know what they’ve done with her.

I want answers and I won’t get them down here. Not if they plan on pretending I don’t exist while they form another council and decide the fate of my woman without me. The problem is clear—there are those who don’t want Sarah and I to reproduce. But at the same time, if it’s a possibility, it would cement her future on the island as well as that of her friends. There are more of us who want a future for our kind than those who look at species mixing as a negative thing.

Slowly the answer to our predicament begins to form in my mind but it won’t be something easily won. Somehow I’ll need to convince Sarah that our best course of action is to try for a child.

Then the door to my cell unlocks, a sliver of light too bright after so many hours of darkness. Sarah enters my cell surrounded by a glow as if she’s being presented to me in a dream. Her hair flows softly around her shoulders, accentuating her wide brown eyes that are full of worry and hesitation. She wears a one-piece outfit that fits the curves of her body but when I glance down, her feet are bare. A tremor passes through me as I imagine how cold the floor of this cell must feel on her bare skin. It’s the bare feet that tell me this is all a dream until I close my eyes, awash with disappointment, and then she speaks.

Chapter 15

Sarah

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Maren asks. “Are we prisoners, or what?” I haven’t been in the room for long but the other three women have been holding onto their worries since the medical center. From what Maren has explained, they were discharged from there and brought directly here. No opportunity to leave or roam freely. They’re being watched at all times, essentially treated like prisoners.

“I honestly don’t know.” I explain what I know based on what happened to Vah’all and me at the pond earlier. “From the little they’ve explained, there’s going to be another council vote to decide our future. I can only imagine that means there was an uproar over the initial decision that we were allowed to stay.”

“So, we are prisoners.” Willa is huddled on her cot, her knees pulled up to her chest while she rocks back and forth. I haven’t been able to settle down enough yet to sit so I’m still walking a path into the floor.

“Be careful what you say out loud. If we’re prisoners, they’re listening to our conversation right now,” Trinity adds.

“I hate feeling so out of control,” Maren says. She’s up and pacing right behind me now. All four of us are together again so it seems like the appropriate time to figure out a plan B. So far, we’ve been going along with everything but nothing is going our way. If we’re not careful, we’re going to find ourselves with a one-way ticket off this rock in the sky. “We need to figure out what to do instead of leaving our fate up to these creeps.”

“They can’t be all bad,” Willa says in his quiet voice. “They wouldn’t have treated our injuries from the crash if they just wanted to kill us.”

Maren throws her hands up and glares at Willa in frustration.

“What?” Willa asks. “It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Kraal has a thing for you.”

This is news to me and a conversation we’ll continue when tempers aren’t flaring so hot. “I’ll ask if they’ll let me see Vah’all. Maybe he can give me some answers or give me an idea what we should do next.” I change the subject in an attempt to keep the peace between Willa and Maren. They’ve only been together in this room for a short amount of time, but it’s clear the stress of the situation is wearing on their nerves. The last thing we need is for all of us to start fighting.

“Good luck with that,” Trinity says. “They haven’t let us leave the room since they put us in here.”

Finally, whether from exhaustion or too much stress, I sink down on the last empty cot, resigned to my current situation. “I can’t wrap my head around how we ended up here.” I’m saying the words out loud but not really talking to anyone besides myself.

“At least we’re not in it alone,” Maren says, sitting down next to me. She throws her arm around my shoulder, and I relax into her. Her words make me realize how right she is. We should be thankful we all managed to survive the crash and end up together in this place. Glass half-full kind of attitude and all of that. “Are you okay? Out of all of us, you’ve been the one forced to shack up with an alien these last few days.”

At the mention of Vah’all, my heart seizes up unexpectedly. I swallow past the lump in my throat as images of his gentle fingers brushing over my skin cause goosebumps to break out. “He’s been…kind.” The word is lackluster to describe the ways he’s set my body on fire and made me question my entire existence but it’s what the other women will understand when they haven’t been there to see it.

“That’s good,” she says simply, squeezing my shoulder.

We wait like this for a while. All of us sitting around, wondering what’s going to happen next now that all four of us are together again. Even though I’m determined to stay awake until someone gives me answers about what happened to Vah’all, I end up drifting off anyway when the lights switch off for the night.

“Don’t stress about it,” Maren says. “They do this every night.”

I curl up under the coarse blanket and try to relax but I’m still not as warm as I would be if Vah’all was holding me. Unable to see anything around me, my other senses are heightened. Our room smells almost antiseptic underneath the lightly scented aroma of the one-piece jumpers we’ve all been given to wear. Even though I struggle to hear any sounds outside of this room, I still strain to listen for clues as to whether there’s anyone sitting outside the doors, watching us like a science experiment.

Sleep doesn’t come for a long time, especially once the chills set in. And then, inevitably, the dreams begin.

THE NIGHT IS dark as the passenger door finally gives way and I’m able to stumble from the car. No light except for the high-beams and they shine straight ahead to where my sister lays in an unmoving crumpled heap. Still disoriented from the crash, I have to drag myself along the cold, damp ground until she’s within reach.

“Sam?” The hesitation in my voice reflects how scared I am to see her condition. And yet, I’m struck with the urgency of finding help in order to treat her wounds so she’ll be okay. “Sam, talk to me.” I touch her arm, gently at first and then with more force when she doesn’t respond. It takes me rolling her onto her back before I realize she’s landed on a branch that now protrudes from her stomach. She was crouched in the fetal position to protect her wound, the pain too much for her as her eyes are squeezed shut and she struggles to take shallow breaths.

“It’s going to be okay, Sam. I’m going to get help.” I’m about to force myself to my feet when she protests.

“No, don’t leave me here!”

Her blood encrusted fingers reach for me, her one arm momentarily releasing the wound. When she does, more blood oozes onto her shirt, finally making me realize I should do something about her bleeding.

“Here.” I pull my long-sleeve T-shirt over my head and crumple it into a ball. “I’m going to pull out this branch and then press my shirt to the wound. We’ll stop the bleeding and then I’ll call for help.” She nods frantically like she’s onboard with any plan we make from here on out. Her eyes are solely focused on me and full of trust.

Once I’ve summoned the courage to go through with it, I grip the branch as close to the wound as possible and pull quickly to avoid causing more pain than necessary. Just like I planned to do, I press down on the wound as soon as I can. Except, as I’m pressing my shirt to the wound, it becomes saturated with blood much faster than I anticipated. The flow of blood isn’t stopping, and I don’t have any other supplies.

“Keep your hands on this, Sam. I’m running back to the car to see what else we have to press against the wound.”

I wait for her to respond but she’s drifting in and out of consciousness now. “I’ll try,” she finally says. “I’m just so tired.”

“Try really hard, okay? I’ll be so fast.”

I try to run back to the car, but I stumble over my feet and fall at least three times, all while cursing myself out. Inside the vehicle, I search for my iPhone as well as a blanket or towel that will work to put pressure on the wound. There’s a small fleece blanket jammed under the passenger seat from behind but I’m able to work it out after a few aggressive tugs. When I don’t see my phone right away, that task is abandoned so I can deal with one thing at a time.

Sam isn’t moving when I reach her again. After tossing my now sopping shirt off to the side, I press the blanket against her midsection. She still doesn’t regain consciousness. Tears stream down my face as I sob her name, begging her to wake up and stay with me.

Soon, blood covers us both and I hold her in my lap after the headlights die and I’m shaking from the cold. I’m surrounded by silence. There’s nothing but the sound of my teeth chattering and the scent of death hanging in the air. We lie together in the aftermath of the crash and the only hope I have left is that the forest will come alive and claim me. I scream my wish into the darkness until my voice is hoarse.

“WAKE UP, Sarah! Jesus, you’re going to wake the dead.” Suddenly, I can breathe again as I sit up in bed with a start. Once I acclimate myself to our surroundings, I flush hot with embarrassment. The rooms on the ship were small but we had our own and they were soundproof. This is the first time the other girls will get a taste of how significant my night terrors can be.

“Sorry.” My heart is pounding like horses stampeding, and I need to press my palm against my chest to keep it from exiting my body. Before I can really pull myself together, the door to the room opens and a warrior whom I recognize as Vah’all’s alpha enters. Normally I wouldn’t pay such close attention, but I want answers regarding Vah’all and this is someone who can give them to me. “Please…I need to see Vah’all. Is he here?”

He’s only stared at me from the moment he opened the door. It takes an eternity, but eventually I get my answer. “Come with me.”

I ignore the shocked expressions on the rest of my friends’ faces and practically run to the door before he can change his mind.

Chapter 16

Sarah

THE CHILL SETS in as soon as we reach the bottom floor. Bitter shocks of cold move from the cement through my bare feet as I realize shoes would’ve been an appropriate choice if I were thinking more clearly after that bitch of a nightmare. “This is where you’re keeping him? I thought he was one of you?”

Stux’an doesn’t answer as he unlocks the huge metal door. There’s a lone lantern on the wall providing the only bit of light for the entire space. It’s enough for me to see that there’s nothing but cells down here. No windows or other guards. Only a place where someone goes to be forgotten or punished—or both.

I’m not prepared for the sight of Vah’all once the door opens. His head hangs in defeat, his arms and legs restrained to the wall with massive chains. When his eyes finally focus on me, they lack the usual flare of possession I’ve come to recognize.

“Vah’all?” I ask.

From the beginning he’s elicited a strange mixture of fear and desire from me. More recently, less fear and more desire but I’ll save those conversations for the inevitable sessions with my therapist when all of this is over. In this moment, however, desire wraps around my fear and smothers it. The door closes shut behind me, leaving me locked in the cell with a chained alien but my feet move me across the floor toward him without hesitation. It isn’t until I cup his face with my hands that life registers behind his eyes.

“Sarah? You can’t be real. How is this possible?”

He moves against the chains, the heavy rattle so loud when they collide against the thick cement of the walls. “Why are they doing this to you?” I can’t stop myself from touching him now that he’s finally here in front of me again. After everything that has happened since leaving Earth, it finally registers that he’s not my enemy, no matter how hard I’ve tried to put him in that category.

Without answering me, he pulls me closer until he’s nuzzling into my neck, breathing in my scent. “They’ve treated you well? I sensed your distress.”

My arms wrap around him until our lips are mere centimeters apart. “My nightmares were back without you there to keep them away.”

His chest rumbles and the vibration passes through him into me. “I fought to keep them from taking you from me…but I failed you.”

He hangs his head again but he’s curled around my body, so he ends up encompassing me more. His masculine need makes itself known, pressing into my thigh as he kneads his fingers into my lower back. The ownership he takes with my body relaxes me, making it almost possible to forget we’re in a locked, dark cell together and he’s still chained to the wall.

Without overthinking it, I drop one of my hands between us and rub over the bulge in the front of his pants. Even though he’s been generous with his sexual intimacy with me, I have yet to see or touch his alien cock. After seeing him chained and defeated like this, I want to give him pleasure now.

“Take it out, Sarah. Let me feel your soft hands on me.” He licks slowly across my neck, flicking over my ear until his sharp teeth press into my soft flesh and make me gasp. A whimper escapes me as I fumble with his waistband, working to set him free. “Ahhh, that’s right. Pull them down.” He’s working me out of my jumpsuit at the same time I’m doing what I can while working against these chains.

“I want to touch you, Vah’all.” The urgency in my voice shocks me but my pussy is throbbing like is has its own pulse and I’m not sure how to explain it.

“Put your hands on me. Let me feel your body against mine.” It’s too dark for me to be able to see his cock so I use my hands to explore. Yes, hands. I need both of them as I stroke around and over his massive, thick erection. My fingers move over raised lines that I assume to be veins that wrap around from the underside but they’re more patterned, almost like a spiral. I’m still touching and exploring when a gush of fluid streams down from the head over my hands.

“Oh shit…sorry,” I say, quickly, pulling my hands away.

Vah’all is practically purring now and isn’t the least bit embarrassed or apologetic. “No, my only. This is my body’s way of telling you I am ready to mate. You can rub it anywhere on your body and it acts as an aphrodisiac. Or let it coat my cock so when I slam into your beautiful cunt it won’t cause you any pain. It’ll slip inside as if I was made for your sheath, no matter how large I am.”

“Really?” It’s coating my fingers but not sticky in any way…just like a thick liquid that’s warm and slightly tingly. Curious, I rub it over my nipples and gasp when they immediately begin tightening and tingling. Tight, hard nubs swell on my chest as warmth moves straight to my pussy, causing moisture to begin leaking down my thighs. “Holy shit,” I gasp.

Vah’all’s hands grip onto my ass and pull me closer, his mouth sucking one of my nipples between his teeth until I’m shaking so hard I might just explode. “Do you like how it makes you feel?” He whispers into my ear, his hands holding me against him so there’s no space between our bodies anymore. His cock is pressed against my mound and up against my stomach, not where I need him to be right now.

“God, yes.” My fingers grip his shoulders, clinging to him because if I let go, I’ll dissolve into a puddle on the floor. “More, Vah’all, please. Please.” It’s not just the feeling the liquid gave me, it’s also the scent of it in the air. We’re locked in this cell like it’s a goddamn sex box, turning me into a writhing, needy mess.

His mouth moves to my other nipple and the pressure of it sends another tremble through me. He’s latched his lips over my bud like a suction while his tongue flicks over and over again. He’s moving my hips against his cock, the slippery slide of our bodies mixed with my panting and his possessive growls the only sounds in this small cell. Occasionally his chains rattle, reminding me of our precarious position but in this moment…I just don’t care.

“I want in this warm cunt.” He pulls away and grips my chin between his fingers, staring into my eyes with burning intensity. It takes a moment for me to realize that this is his way of asking permission. Telling me what he wants and waiting to see if I’ll let him take it.

“Yes. I need you so much.” He moves his hands, spreading me by gripping the back of my thighs. “Take me hard, Vah’all. I need it so badly.”

Instead of taking me without wasting another moment, he growls again, his head rolling back on his neck like he’s trying to keep himself under control. With his neck exposed, I dip forward and pepper kisses there, my arms holding me tight against his body. Every nerve is as tight as a spring ready to pop off with only the slightest bit of stimulation.

“Vah’all,” I say, desperation lacing his name when he still hasn’t entered my body and given me what I need. I’m strung out with need as if I’ve taken too strong of a dose of the aphrodisiac. Or maybe it’s because it isn’t really meant for a human’s body. Whatever the reason, I’m going to burst if he doesn’t fill me up and relieve this growing ache within me soon.

“I’ve got you.” His fingers push inside, giving me a taste of what I need. “Your cunt is impossibly tight.” His voice is deep and raspy as he adds another finger, moving them back and forth while he explores the tight space. “I’m desperate for you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

Pleasure grows in my core as he rubs against the walls of my channel and it’s difficult for me to form words. “I thought you said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“It’s not supposed to but you’re smaller than any other female.”

“I don’t want to hear about any other woman you’ve been with.” Unexpected jealousy strikes me fast and hot at the thought of Vah’all being with any other woman besides me.

“There is no one else but you. Only you.” Our lips press together, our tongues tangling frantically. His fingers disappear, leaving me too empty and too desperate for more. I’m about to beg him again to take me but it’s unnecessary. In the next moment he fits the head of cock against me and slides inside, working himself until he’s buried deep.

The air leaves me as I struggle to acclimate to his size. I can feel him everywhere.

“Breathe.” Vah’all’s kiss gives me the air I need. Now that I’m distracted from the size of his appendage inside of me, my muscles begin to relax as I melt into his arms. “That’s right. Let me in. It’s going to feel so good. I promise you.”

Vah’all shifts his body so he’s no longer on his knees. Instead, he’s sitting back against the wall while I straddle his hips. This slight shift in position eases the discomfort until my entire body is alight with sensation.

There’s no turning back now. He’s becoming someone who means something important to me and I lost any desire to fight whatever this is growing between us. My fingers dig tighter into his shoulders as I ready myself for what comes next.

Chapter 17

Vah’all

IT TAKES all my willpower not to begin thrusting into her the moment her hot cunt wraps around my cock. She squeezes with such pressure I’m lightheaded. But I feel the moment her muscles begin to relax. The moment she starts to let me in. “That’s right. Let me in. It’s going to feel so good. I promise you.”

At least I hope I can keep that promise. The last thing I want to do is hurt her in any way. At the same moment my instincts kick in, relieving any doubt in my mind that this is anything other than perfect. It’s a tight fit but she’s molding to me the longer I remain still. Her small fingers cling to my shoulders, my brain not registering the dull pain of her nails cutting into my skin because that’s the moment she begins to move. “I need…something. I ache Vah’all.”

Her eyes are glazed over, a pained expression on her face. She’s moving but I’m still holding myself back. Worried once I release my desires it’ll be too much for her to handle. Worried all of this is too much for this fragile human in my arms.

“Please.” Her desperation is my undoing. It snaps the last of my reserve and I grip her supple ass cheeks hard enough to leave marks. I’m in control now, moving her so she slides up my cock until I’ve almost left her empty and then slam back home, filling her and stretching her. Giving her what she’s begging for. Her cries surround me, the intensity of them growing with every hard slam into her tight sheath.

I growl my pleasure, the rumbling of my chest vibrating through the chains that still restrict my movements. When she moves her hands from my shoulders to grip the chains that hang above, stretching her arms wide like a sacrifice, I almost come right then and there. But I fight the urge because I don’t want this moment to end. With her head tipped back, her hair flowing in waves and her tits bouncing as she rides my cock, I want this moment to last forever. The first time I claim my mate should be a memorable experience and this will never be forgotten.

“Talk to me, Sarah. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

Her eyes open slowly and only halfway. “It feels so good. Too good, Vah’all.”

“It doesn’t hurt you?”

“It does a little…just because of your size. But I like it. I’m used to it now.” She’s slowed her movements as she explains how she’s feeling and it’s breaking our rhythm. I should’ve left her alone while she was lost in the sensation, but I needed to know that she was enjoying herself. That this was as good for her as it was for me.

She’s staring at me closely now, a sensual tremble coursing through her every time I thrust my hips forward and plunge deeper into her cunt. “Does it feel good for you?” she asks, her head slightly tipped to the side, her voice shy like she’s afraid to know the answer.

Her insecurity wrecks me. How do I convey to her that there’s simply no scenario where mating with her wouldn’t be the single most enthralling experience of my entire life? “I’ve never felt anything better. You’ve got me thinking about all the ways I’m going to take you when I finally get free of these chains, and we haven’t even finished what we started.”

A smile touches her lips as she grinds down on my cock, eliciting a shocked, sudden moan to escape me. “I’m not going to last much longer. You need to take what you want. Tell me if you need help.”

She picks up the pace again, grinding her hips down against me, quickly figuring out what she likes. To distract myself from the force of my balls tightening and my seed readying to shoot into her tight channel, I play with her nipples again. Her legs squirm against me as I suckle one nipple with my mouth and flick the other with my fingers. When I switch, I cup the weight of her tit in my hand and tug the tip between my fingers.

A strangled moan starts low in her throat before erupting into something much bigger. She moves her hand to her cunt, pressing against her pleasure bud as her body shakes, even more fluid than before suddenly covering me. Her mouth is open in an O, her eyes squeezed shut as pleasure takes over her, making her unable to function. The sight of it alone sends me over, one more hard thrust into her squeezing sheath and I go off, shooting my hot seed inside of her, my fluids mixing with hers.

She falls forward against my chest, her body limp but trembling while I hold her as best as I can, my cock still emptying in strong, hot pulses. If I wasn’t chained to the wall, I’d flip her on her back and hold her down so my seed wouldn’t get the chance to slip from her body. I’ve never been more possessive of anyone in my life. I’ve never wanted anyone to be mine more than I want Sarah to be mine until my dying breath. The only rational way to keep her, at least the only rational thought in this moment, is to put my seed inside of her. At least that will keep the council from taking her from me.

My thoughts have already strayed to dark places while my hand strokes calmly down her back. My cock is still planted deep inside her cunt and I’m making no move to change that any time soon. A guard could return at any point and remove her from the cell. They could come to try to take her away from me. But I’m not going to let that happen. She’s mine now and I’m going to keep her.

When she still hasn’t attempted to move or speak quite a while later, worry prickles at me. “Did you fall asleep?”

She answers me with a grumble and a slight shift of her body that causes blood to travel back to my cock. “Mmmm, no, Vah’all. I’m not ready again yet.” She pushes off my lap and my cock slides from her body. The loss is instantaneous, so I tighten my arms around her body, unwilling to let her go.

“I have no control over how my body reacts to you. Especially when you’re naked and sprawled across me like this.” I nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck, slowly licking the vulnerable place where her pulse flutters.

“What’s going to happen to us, Vah’all? Will they let you go?”

My hand continues to trace soothing circles over her skin while I think of how to respond. Because the truth is, this is unchartered territory and I’m not sure how things are going to work out. This is my first time being in chains as a prisoner and we’ve never had another species on Bameh before. “This will all be over soon. I may not have answers, but we won’t have to wait much longer.”

“I don’t like that they’re keeping you chained down here like this. It isn’t right. Why is Stux’an allowing this to happen?”

“He brought you to me, Sarah. He’s doing what he can while respecting our laws. But you won’t be able to stay with me. Not yet. And I don’t want another male’s eyes on your naked body.” She’s hesitant but eventually she climbs off my lap and pulls her jumpsuit back on, her body trembling from the cold temperatures the entire time.

“They’re definitely not pumping the heat down here for you, are they?” She tries to keep the mood light even though we’re locked in the dark together, prisoners until the council decides otherwise.

“No. It is cold even for me.”

“I didn’t notice it when we were sharing body heat. But now that I’m not touching you I do.” She leans down and works my pants over my hips, the ends of her soft hair brushing against my chest. I wrap my hands around the chains to help me back to my knees. It’s natural instincts to want to protect her now. To need to be positioned in a way that I can move easily and wrap my body around her if necessary. I’m already preparing myself mentally for when the door opens, and the guards come to take her back to her cell. It won’t do any good to react the way I did before. I have to bide my time until they free me from my chains, and I can take my woman away from this place.

Eventually the doors open and Stux’an enters again. “I’m returning her to her cell, Vah’all. I’ve given you all the time I could.”

I nod my thanks toward my alpha before gripping Sarah’s chin between my fingers and staring into her eyes. After taking another moment to memorize every detail of her features until I’ll be able to see them in my dreams, I plunge my tongue deep into her mouth. Her soft lips mold to mine, her fingers tangling in my hair. The beast inside of me wants to defy orders and keep her here but I push those desires away. I’m fighting against my basest urges to allow another male to take her from me after we’ve mated. But I’ll do it if it means we have a chance of getting through this and making it out on the other side together.

Chapter 18

Sarah

THREE SMILING faces greet me the next morning when I finally wake up. All three women staring at me, waiting for the details on my late-night rendezvous. I haven’t moved yet but my body feels like I’ve taken part in a triathlon. Muscles are sore that I didn’t even know I had but it’s my womb that’s absolutely aching. The aphrodisiac worked wonders last night because the sex wasn’t painful…at least not really. Definitely not enough to make me want to stop when my entire body was crying for release. But I’m realizing now that it was all due to the fluid he produced before things really got started between us.

“What’cha thinkin’ about?” Maren asks. All three of them exchange knowing glances as I grumble and try to roll over on my small cot.

“It looks like you’re pretty sore,” Trinity adds with a smirk. “To be honest, I’m jealous. We’ve been stuck in this room for days and you just arrived and they’re already sneaking you out.”

“Did he make the bad dreams go away?” Maren asks again but it’s Willa who breaks out in a fit of giggles.

“What is the matter with you three?” I ask, forcing myself to sit up no matter how much it hurts my bruised crotch. “You’d think we’re on a vacation instead of prisoners in an alien compound.”

Trinity shrugs like I’m overreacting about all of it. “We’re just trying to take our mind off our current situation. There’s not a whole lot we can do about it at the moment.”

“Yeah—if we keep dwelling on getting out of here, we’ll all end up in a deep depression,” Maren says.

Willa’s eyes agree, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs while they’re pulled tightly to her chest. A distraction is necessary before we’re all sucked into the rabbit hole of despair. So, I do what any good friend would do and tell them all about my mating with Vah’all last night.

“Wait, wait, wait…” Trinity says, waving her hands around in front of us. “Tell me more about this liquid. You’re telling me these aliens release their own lube for ‘her’ pleasure?”

“Basically, yes. Like a tingling lube that feels good wherever it touches. And it smells amazing. He said it’s an aphrodisiac and I believe him. It felt so good last night. The soreness didn’t kick in until today.”

“Now that it wore off,” Maren says. “You need another dose.” Giggles break out around us, and I flush with embarrassment. Not only do the other girls know what I was up to, but Stux’an knew exactly what was going on in that cell, too. There’s no way he couldn’t know if he was giving us time to do our thing. He must care for Vah’all if he’s willing to break the rules and bring me to him down in confinement.

Eventually the giggles die down and they run out of questions…at least for the time being. “You know…we can use this situation to our advantage,” Trinity says, lowering her voice and leaning closer to my cot. “If they take you to Vah’all’s cell again, it’s the only time they actually open the doors. It could create an opportunity for us to escape.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Maren says, the wheels turning in her head. “This is a military compound. If there’s going to be any kind of ship, they’d have it here, wouldn’t they?”

“Did you see anything on the walk to your alien’s cell, Sarah?” Willa asks.

There’s an unexpected lump in my throat at the thought of leaving Vah’all behind. I can barely get the words out to participate in the conversation that would lead to our escape. “I didn’t see anything,” I say eventually. “But they’re keeping Vah’all down in the confinement cells. Wouldn’t you think any ships they’d have would be up high?”

“Who knows. You can ask Vah’all the next time you see him, can’t you?” Trinity asks.

She makes it sound so casual like I might just pass him on the street. Instead, it’s the next time they allow me to leave my locked cell in order to be escorted down to his locked cell. Nothing is as simple as the next time I see him. Especially trying to figure out how I would explain such a question to him. There’s only one reason we’d want to know where the ships are kept.

“He’s not dense, Trinity,” I finally say.

“I know but what if they decide not to let us out of here? He wouldn’t want that either. What if escape becomes our only option?”

I didn’t think that far ahead. I was too busy being completely consumed with pleasure when I should’ve been concerned about my future. We need a plan to fall back on even if the thought of leaving Vah’all behind leaves more than just a bad taste in my mouth. At this point it gives me all the feels—the twisting of my stomach and the aching in my chest. I should’ve done a better job protecting my heart, but he made it impossible. He wormed his way inside even when I thought I was being careful.

Operating under the assumption that things won’t go as expected, we create a backup plan that relies heavily on getting out of this room again in order to visit Vah’all. Stux’an escorted me down to him in the dead of the night so it’s possible he’ll do this again. Betraying his trust doesn’t sit well with me but I’m torn between my friends and my growing loyalty toward Vah’all. After Sam, I don’t want to disappoint anyone close to me. And I’ve known Trinity, Willa and Maren a lot longer than Vah’all at this point. So why does it sting so much to think about leaving him?

It would be foolish to stay. I’ve been planning and working toward being a medical doctor for a long time. The trip is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only to travel and see sights I’ve never seen before, but also to learn valuable skills that could save lives someday. I can’t be set off course by a sexy alien who manages to make me feel like I’m the only girl who matters on this entire sky island. His possessiveness is like a potent drug sending me on a high that leaves me floating in the clouds.

Later that night, dinner arrives, carried on a large tray by Kraal. Maren takes the opportunity to see what information she can learn about what progress is being made on our release.

“Has the council met to decide our fate?” she asks, giving him a smile she must reserve for moments like this when she wants something.

“The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow,” he says.

Before he can escape, Maren casually slips into a conversational tone. “Hey, Kraal. You don’t happen to keep any kind of ships here at the compound do you? I mean, I know you guys can fly and all, but what happens if a large group of you needed to transport somewhere together?” She starts picking bites off her plate, attempting to give the impression of nonchalance while getting vital information.

“We have cargo ships for when we need to transport shipments.”

“Interesting,” Maren says, taking another bite of food. The rest of us are trying not to pay too much attention to this conversation. I keep my head down on my plate with only the occasional glances in between them. Kraal does stare at Maren with quite the heated gaze, his forearms flexing every time his hands tighten into fists. “They can travel distances or just short trips on the island?”

I forget to breathe while I wait for him to call her out on her line of questions. She was too obvious and took it too far. Now they’re going to make sure to add extra security to wherever it is they keep these cargo ships.

“They can travel wherever we need them to go,” he finally says.

“But you don’t leave this island, so you’ve never really gotten in one and just let loose, have you?”

“Right.”

Tension hangs in the air between them, their eyes never leaving one another. My lady parts start to tingle just from the memory of how it feels to have Vah’all’s eyes on me like that. These alien warriors are intense and not into hiding their feelings when it comes to their interest in a woman. Why do I find that so appealing?

It isn’t until the door clicks shut again that I realize I’ve drifted off into my own thoughts about Vah’all. Kraal left and it’s just the girls again with valuable information we didn’t have before dinner was served. Once my stomach is full, I’m left with the growing ache in my chest that can only be eased by Stux’an’s arrival to take me down to Vah’all.

Thankfully hours later, I get my wish.

Chapter 19

Vah’all

SHE TREMBLES in my arms making me curse the bitter cold of this cell. Her bare skin is cool to the touch, tiny bumps raised across her skin.

“Press against me. I’ll warm you with my body.” Even in the darkness I can see the wide gleam in her eyes. She surprises me by settling her back against my chest and rubbing against me until the friction of our bodies is enough to make me burst. “Take me out so I can feel you against my bare skin.” I wrap my arms around her torso, taking her full tits in my hands and squeezing while she works to rid me of my pants.

She’s eager tonight. Her jumpsuit landed on the floor of my cell as soon as Stux’an locked the door behind her. Now she’s in my lap, writhing over my erection while trying to tug my pants down at the same time. In order to distract myself, I nuzzle into her neck, licking her soft skin and nipping down her shoulder. My arms wrap around her completely, pressing her so tightly into my body I must be careful not to hurt her. “I missed you today,” she says when she finally frees me, her body never slowing down.

As soon as the warm wetness of her cunt slides against my cock it begins seeping in preparation to mate again. Her small fist wraps around me and pumps a few times, coating my cock before she slides her hands over her mound. “You’ve become an addiction, Vah’all.” She’s sliding the soft lips of her sex over my rigid erection. Back and forth, back and forth. Making me crazy with need. “My pussy throbbed for you all day. Like my body knew you were here but too far away.”

She gasps when she hits the perfect spot. Once afraid of me, now my woman is using my cock to get herself off. The sensations grow and I can’t fight it any longer. Grabbing her hips, I lift her just enough to gain access so I can plunge my cock inside her. One sharp thrust and I’m buried deep, gripping her hips and holding her flush against my body. My cock throbs but I fight the urge to pump a few times and explode. Instead, I wait for her body to adjust and let me in. I wait for her muscles to relax and for her nails to pull out of my thighs. Seconds pass and a long, deep moan eases from her lips as she relaxes against my chest, her arm wrapping awkwardly around my neck.

“This is my cunt now.” My fist wraps around her hair as I begin to thrust into her from behind. “Mine, Sarah. Mine.” My growls mix with the sounds of our skin slapping together, the sounds of the chains rattling with every vicious pump. “So sweet.” Thrust. “So tight.” Thrust. “So perfect and all mine.”

My hands travel down her back, one gripping her hips while the other plays with her full ass cheeks. They jiggle in my lap, with every squeeze and slap of my palm until I’m obsessed and can’t stop touching. When we finally get out of here, we’re never mating with the lights off again. I want to see every inch of her beautiful body. Every curve.

“I need more, Vah’all.” She’s panting and breathy, desperate to come but unable to reach the pinnacle. “Touch me where I need you.”

My fingers reach around and slide over her pleasure bud. Circling, squeezing, pinching, rolling, until she moans, and shouts cries of “Yes, yes, yes!” I give her what she needs until she flops backward against me. Still wrapped in my arms, I pump into her a few more times before marking her with my seed, stream after hot stream of it.

Just like the last time we mated, I hold her as long as she lets me. Until she dozes off and I worry Stux’an will come in and see her glorious naked body sprawled across me. He’s doing me a huge favor by bringing her to me like this, but I’d still want to claw his eyes out if he saw her in this state. So even though it goes against all my instincts, I jostle her awake so she’s ready when Stux’an returns.

“He’ll be back soon. You must get dressed.” She’s groggy and moving sluggishly but she climbs off my lap and puts her clothes back on. Now that she’s standing, her mind must clear because when she looks at me, she smiles.

“Kraal said they’re holding the meeting about everything in the morning. All of this should be over soon, right?”

Even though I want to ease her worries, I don’t have the answers she’s looking for. “They’re not telling me anything, Sarah. But if Kraal said the council meets in the morning, I assume this will end soon.”

She brushes her fingers through her hair and steps toward me once she’s dressed. I watch every move she makes, soaking it in like it’ll be the last opportunity. “They won’t keep you chained like this forever.” She uses her fingers to brush my hair from my face. She looks me over, straightening my pants and doing the little she can to make me comfortable before she leaves. “Even if Stux’an isn’t telling you what’s going on, he’s on your side. He wouldn’t be bringing me down here to you if he wasn’t.” She leans in and presses her soft lips to mine. Without thinking, I pull her to my lap, deepening the kiss in order to take advantage of every moment we have together.

Stux’an comes for her a little while later. Once she’s gone her scent lingers, bringing me comfort knowing she’s at least in the same building even if she’s not allowed to stay with me. I wouldn’t want her to stay down in this cold cell with me anyway. She deserves better than this. I deserve better than this, too. After all the missions I’ve completed for Bameh to keep our secrets safe, my anger continues to grow the longer they keep me chained like an animal down here in confinement.

I never questioned the missions they sent me on…not once. I brought down so many ships and ended many lives. I did it all for Bameh and the safety and protection of our lands and people. Now because I asked for something in return, a woman who felt like my other half from the moment I saw her, I’m being punished.

Unlike the other nights, Stux’an returns after delivering Sarah back to her quarters. At any other time, I’d thank my alpha for bringing my woman to me. But tonight, those words remain trapped in my throat as he stands before me, the light from outside outlining his features.

“In a few short hours this new council will convene for another vote. I haven’t heard good things, Vah’all.”

“What have you heard?”

“The discourse among our kind isn’t worth the trouble for four females. There are too many who will vote against allowing this mating between Sarah and you to continue.”

This isn’t surprising news. I knew it to be true the moment they came for us at the pond. “Then why bring her down to me?”

He stares at me thoughtfully, a mix of emotions crossing his face. “You’ve claimed her. The bond is strong, even for her. The women don’t realize but we can hear everything they say in their room. They’ve been quietly scheming. Making plans to escape if things don’t go their way. I watch Sarah and she struggles with this. She wants to please her friends but it’s clear from the look on her face she doesn’t want to leave you. I wouldn’t have believed in the connection if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

“And this convinced you to encourage our mating regardless of the council’s decision?”

“I don’t see anything wrong with your love.”

Silence settles between us, the unexpectedness of his support making it difficult for me to know how far to push his loyalty. “How long must I remain down here?”

“Your punishment will be decided tomorrow. We’ll have all the answers we seek soon.”

He leaves me in darkness, alone with my thoughts and my shifting loyalty. Anger and retribution simmers in my blood. Not toward Stux’an but for those who think I’ll accept any decision related to Sarah other than allowing her to be mine. I’ve killed to protect Bameh’s secrets and I won’t hesitate to do the same for my mate.

Chapter 20

Sarah

THE FIRST TIME we’re escorted from our cell is to attend the meeting to decide our fate. We’re led into a room the size of an arena filled with what looks to be the entire population of the Bameh Islet. The heat of fixed stares burns my skin even as I try my best to ignore being made to feel like an animal at the zoo. Surely all these aliens can’t want us gone. Some of them must think the same as Vah’all and see the value in our presence.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Maren says, leaning closer to whisper in my ear. For the first time, I gain the courage to look around. To meet the eyes of those who don’t bother hiding their stares. Everywhere I look, this space is filled with males and there’s nothing comforting about that.

Vah’all is on my side. He’s sworn to protect me. But he’s not here to be able to do that now so I understand Maren’s bad impressions of the situation. “Yeah, I’m with you. Not getting the best vibes right now.”

“I’m doing a check for the closest exits but we’re at a disadvantage because we don’t have wings,” Trinity adds.

Poor Willa simply sits quietly at the end, taking everything in. I want to reach out and squeeze her hand but it’s currently a tight fist resting against her thigh.

“We’re also at a disadvantage because even if we are able to get out of here, we have no idea where to go,” Maren says, exhaling a frustrated sigh.

“Try to be patient. Let’s see how this all shakes out.” I glance around again, wondering if they’ll bring Vah’all up from confinement. Hoping I’ll get to see him because even if he’s in chains, having him here calms me. At least we’d know we have someone on our side.

This arena is like what I imagine a stadium would’ve looked like back when the gladiators used to fight in ancient Rome. They’re using it now to fit all these spectators inside to see what decision will be made regarding us—the humans who are the first to learn the secret of the Dhevieth. And they’re curious.

“They’re not just going to kill us if they decide they don’t want us here, are they?” Willa asks. As if none of us even considered the possibility before, we’re all silent. Incapable of mustering even a lie to make us all feel better. There’s a strong possibility we’re all remembering how we got here in the first place. The sudden red lights and alarms sounding in the ship moments before we began dropping out of the sky. My stomach flips remembering how it felt to be standing at the screen one moment and the next being catapulted through the air.

The bottom line is that these aliens are killers. They’re willing to destroy whatever or whomever could be a threat to their home. My heart tells me that Vah’all is different even though he’s the one who got us into this mess in the first place. But the strange prickling sensation at the back of my neck while these aliens watch us is because many of them have broken moral compasses. They won’t do what is right for four women who mean nothing of value to them. And that’s why I agree with Maren when she says she has a bad feeling about this.

Moments later, my heart leaps into my throat as Vah’all is brought into the arena. I couldn’t get a good look at him down in his dark cell but now that he’s under the lights, my stomach churns with bile. It has only been a few days, but he doesn’t look good. They’ve been withholding food and medical care. Tears spring to my eyes at how selfish I’ve been. He’s been suffering in confinement, really suffering, and I’ve been obsessing over how great the sex is. Anticipating when Stux’an will come for me so I can see him and get off. Not that I don’t care for him— because I do—but the sex is addictive and mind-altering.

Next to me, Maren sucks in a sharp breath. “Look at that cut to his wing. It needs stitches—like yesterday.”

I swallow, still trying not to break down in tears and nod in agreement. “I didn’t know…” There’s more I could say but I get too choked up and have to stop myself. Maren squeezes my hand, pulling it into her lap.

“Of course you didn’t. You’re not to blame.”

The elders begin. Whichever one speaks, levitates off the ground, becoming the center of attention or more like a floating aberration to those of us who are still acclimating to being around aliens who can fly. My eyes continually drift down to Vah’all. Even in chains with bloody wounds he still holds himself like a proud warrior. I’m embarrassed to admit it makes my pussy throb. Moments ago, the sight of him in the light brought tears to my eyes knowing he wasn’t being treated kindly. Now as I steal glances of his strong form, muscles chiseled from rock, long hair tied back but strands hanging along his cut jawline, and I know without a doubt there’s no leaving him behind. As if he can feel my gaze on his body, he turns and finds me, our eyes locking on each other as electricity fills the air between us.

My lips part to accommodate the increased rate of my breathing. As my heart pounds steady, my skin flushes and my core throbs. Vah’all smirks, licks his lips and then turns forward, like he’s completely aware of the effect he’s having on my body.

“Well, that was hot,” Trinity says. “He just looked at you like he was going to have you for dinner.”

I’m still flustered enough that I can’t form words but it’s safe to say I’m officially distracted from the conversation going on around us. Maybe that was his plan all along. I should be focused on what the elders are planning because this is all about our future and what they plan to do with us. But it isn’t until Vah’all grows visibly agitated that I snap out of my head and realize something is wrong.

“What the hell is the research laboratory?” Trinity asks.

I’m embarrassed to ask her what she’s talking about.

Stux’an grips Vah’all’s shoulders and leans close to speak into his ear. He’s fighting against his chains as more guards begin to circle him. Then Stux’an raises his voice to address the elders. “As Vah’all’s alpha, I claim the right to oversee his punishment.”

I want to know what’s going to happen to Vah’all but the guards are advancing toward us. “Maren, what are they going to do to us?” I ask.

“I haven’t a clue but nothing good is going to come from the research lab. At least not for us. Not when we’re the lab rats.”

The guards begin shuffling us away and all the while I’m trying desperately to find Vah’all. I can sense him close by. I can feel his distress. But I don’t know what decisions have been made regarding his punishment or what they’re going to do with him next.

It doesn’t take long for the guards to escort us out of the arena. We’re shuffled along like cattle, and we don’t bother fighting because there’s no reason to. There are still too many factors working against us. We don’t know where to go and even if we did, we have no way of getting off the island that inconveniently floats in the sky. The other problem for me is that I can’t leave Vah’all anymore. I just can’t. It might not make any sense because of how we came to know each other and the actual time we’ve been in each other’s lives, but the sentiment stands.

I can’t leave him behind.

It’s difficult to see what’s going on around us. The guards tower over us as the crowd surges. We cling together, linking arms and fingers so we’re not separated in the growing chaos as we’re taken away. The urge to hold my ground and refuse to be taken from this place becomes overwhelming.

Dread settles in my belly. I’ve always considered myself to be a strong person. Resilient because of the setbacks in my life. But I’m being pushed past the point where I’ll be able to recover. This just might be the greatest test I’ve encountered yet.

It isn’t until I’m strapped in a seat next to the rest of my friends that the fog of panic begins to clear. The crowd is gone and although I’m still unsettled about what happens next, the four of us are still together.

“Sarah, look around,” Maren says, her voice filled with quiet excitement.

It takes a moment for it to click. When it does, I’m hopeful for the first time since this all began.

They’re transporting us to the lab in a cargo ship.

Chapter 21

Vah’all

BLOOD DRIPS onto the packed dirt beneath my fingers. The small trails of liquid move until they’re absorbed into the ground. The weight of the chains grows heavy on my arms and legs, my strength finally failing.

“He’s had enough,” Stux’an says. His voice echoes from above where he’s been forced to remain since my punishment has been delegated to a different unit. Uveat’s unit. He’s the warrior who died while trying to take Sarah from me. These warriors are not my friends. They’re looking for retribution for the wrong I committed against them. Against my own.

Another strike to the face, and I collapse into the blood-soaked dirt. Images of Sarah flash through the darkness that threatens to engulf me. I’m holding onto consciousness in case I’m released when this is all over. With every minute that passes, the tension within me grows because I don’t know what they have planned for Sarah and the other women at the research labs. My body may pound and ache but all I’m concerned about is getting to her before it’s too late.

“I’ll be the one to decide,” the alpha says for this unit.

We’re down in the confinement area of the military base on the opposite side of Bameh from my own base. Stux’an is the only warrior on my side. The rest would like to see me dead.

I’m used to being on my own. On rare occasions another warrior would accompany me on a mission. Otherwise, I work alone. But what I wouldn’t give to have Kraal or Drocrek up there with Stux’an right now.

“He’s a traitor,” Sadhaih says. “Uveat is dead because of him.”

A rumble of agreement surrounds me. Not that they need any other reason to turn against me. In the past, being labeled a traitor by my brothers would’ve been the worst possible thing to happen to me. Now, I can only think about whether I’ll see Sarah again and if I do, what sort of future do we have?

I can’t leave Bameh, and she can’t stay but I don’t want to let her go.

Hopelessness seeps into my bones as my blood continues to ooze from my wounds. Black dots blur my vision, so I close my eyes and wait for them to carry me back to my cell. They’re transporting me through the corridor when there’s a commotion. The guards who are dragging me, drop me. When I push up onto my arms, the faces of my friends come into focus.

Kraal hoists me off the ground with one arm, the other pointing his high-frequency blaster at the guards. I’ve taken a hard enough beating that this could all be a hallucination, but Kraal’s body is solid against my own. He’s supporting my weight when my own strength has given out.

“This way!” Stux’an says, shouting while he’s already running in the opposite direction. Drocrek and Ondin appear at my side, ready to fire their weapons at the guards trying to maintain control. They don’t hesitate to fire and take them down. We make it to the doors where Stux’an disappeared even though I’m slowing them down.

There are a lot of reasons why I’m not thinking clearly but I know the consequences of their actions. We’ll all be branded as traitors, not just me anymore. And I can’t let my brothers suffer because of me. Uveat’s family is powerful on Bameh and they’re going to want retribution for his death.

“Don’t do this, Kraal.” My words lack conviction but at least he hears me. “Don’t sacrifice your future for me.”

He smiles at me and keeps moving.

We’re through the door now and moving as a group. By their practiced, methodical movements, they had a plan coming in. This isn’t an impulsive decision. My instincts are confirmed as we travel upward until we move through another set of doors that leads us outside the building. A small cargo ship waits on the platform and we run directly toward it. They help me into the actual cargo area of the ship where I’m finally able to lie down while the rest of them pile in. The next few minutes are chaotic while they shout between each other about getting the ship up and running while checking in to see if we’re being pursued.

I want to help—I really do—but I don’t have the ability or the strength to force my arms and legs to move. All I can do right now is fight to stay conscious while we make our escape. This is all so reckless. Their actions have consequences and I’m not prepared for them to suffer because of me.

“They’re in pursuit,” Stux’an says from the pilot seat. “Evasive maneuvers. We need to make it to the rendezvous point.”

I’m taking this all in when Kraal appears next to me with a medical kit. “Let’s take care of these injuries, my brother.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll hang on until we get where we’re going.”

I don’t miss the flash of worry in his expression before he pushes it aside to focus on fixing me. Maybe I’m in worse shape than I thought. My muscles relax and my eyes drift closed while he works. “Where did they take the women?”

He doesn’t answer right away. Even though he hasn’t specifically said the words, Kraal is one of the good ones. It won’t sit right with him that the elders want to use the females instead of allowing them to choose mates and live their lives freely. It’s why there’s been so much division on the island as of late. We aren’t all monsters and some of us are willing to fight against those who are. “They took them to the research lab. They’ve been quiet about their purpose, but Stux’an has access to all the documentation because of his position. They’re planning on using the women as surrogates for Dhevieth babies. Before you ask, the women have no say in whether they agree to this or not.”

My blood pressure spikes and the overwhelming need to get to Sarah becomes unbearable. “What’s the plan, Kraal?”

“We’ve been quietly building our resistance since you were forcibly taken,” he says, his lips thinning with anger. His hands shake slightly while he continues to treat my bloody wounds. Kraal has always been a solid partner to have at my side. But for the first time, he’s allowing me to see the cracks in his armor. “This isn’t right, Vah’all.” He meets my stare, the intensity in them glowing with a savage inner fire. “None of this is right and it’s time we did something about it.”

I seek out his hand and grasp it, squeezing it in silent agreement and thanks that he’s not only on my side but he’s putting it all on the line for me. All the warriors in this ship are.

We’re interrupted by the explosive booms of gunfire as Ondin starts firing at our pursuers. The ship jolts to the side causing Kraal and me to slide into the wall before Stux’an rights us again. “We need to make it over the mountain pass and then we’ll have backup,” Stux’an says over the speaker. More gunfire erupts as the reality of our situation sinks in. We’re really doing this. We’ve started a confrontation between our own warriors. It’s us versus them now and blood has been shed.

“Backup?” I ask.

For the first time, Kraal smiles. Instead of the body trembling anger he’s doing his best to contain, he lights up. “It’s not just the five of us, brother. It’s the entire compound in force waiting to back us up once we reach them.”

This is the best news I’ve heard since I found Sarah and brought her onto Bameh. “So, if we have the manpower, we need to figure out a way to save the women from the lab.”

“Don’t worry, we already have a team on it. They’re working out the details while we rescued you. They’ll be our next stop.”

The healing plaster begins sealing the gashes in my body. As soon as the wounds begin to close, the core can work its magic by healing me from the inside. I draw on this power because when it’s time to organize our rescue at the research lab, I’m going to be there. For now, I’m able to push myself into a sitting position and lean against the wall. Outside my window, bright explosions erupt midair. More ships fill the sky around us but we’re reaching the peaks of the mountain pass. It won’t be long, and we’ll no longer be outnumbered.

We make it over the pass, flying as fast as the cargo ship can go when a series of booms explodes one after the other in quick succession behind us. Straining my neck to see, the ships that were behind us are no longer there, only bright explosions and puffs in the sky before there’s nothing. Like there’s an invisible wall blocking everyone but us from flying into this region of air space.

“That’s our backup,” Kraal says. “Now let’s get you to medical so we can make sure you’re good to go when it’s time to save your woman.”

Chapter 22

Sarah

“TRY TO STAY CALM, okay? We’ll get some answers the next time someone comes back.” Willa is falling apart, and I don’t blame her. If I allowed myself a minute to really think about the situation we’re in, I’d be having a full on panic attack right now. Instead, I image my mom and dad’s faces and think about all they’ve been through. After they encouraged me to take this trip and fulfill my dreams all to prove they weren’t holding me back after my sister’s death, I can’t disappear on them. Not without a word about what happened to me. “This is where we need to stay strong. Let’s look at the positives. First, we’re all together. They didn’t separate us and that would’ve been worse, right?”

Willa nods, frantically, but she nods, nonetheless.

“And don’t forget about the cargo ship,” Maren adds from where she’s strapped to her bed. Yes, they’ve strapped us to our beds even though we’re locked inside another room together. This room is completely sterile with nothing in it besides the four plain beds and four white walls. There’s one door with a window the size of an index card, otherwise we’re in a literal white box. It’s panic inducing without the straps holding us to the beds.

“Yes, the cargo ship,” Trinity says. “Once we get out of here, I can fly that baby and get us back to Nedruinia. And if you’ve had enough of Cruna after all this drama, we’ll plan our flight back to Earth. Okay?”

“I want to go home,” Willa says. Her voice breaks and she could be talking about right now or on the chance we get out of this facility. Either way, my heart breaks for her because this isn’t what we signed up for.

“We all want that, Willa,” I say. Of course, before I can say anything else, Vah’all’s powerful, well-muscled body and boldly handsome face pops into my head. And it’s not just his sexy alien features that appeal to me—it’s his scorching touch, his determination to have me and keep me all while making sure I’m happier than I’ve ever been. How do I leave someone like that behind?

The door to the room opens, all four of our heads moving in the same direction to see what’s going on. Instead of one of the scientists, a large machine is wheeled in, followed by a scientist, and then the cycle is repeated. A strange machine with a scientist for each of us.

“What the hell is this?” Maren asks, fighting against her restraints to try to sit up on the bed. We’ve all begun fighting against the straps unconsciously, our attention focused on the machines being positioned by our heads. “Answer me, douche canoe.”

He doesn’t answer her, and I can’t form the words to ask what’s going on. Panic like I’ve never known before wells in my throat as he pulls out a needle and positions it toward my hand. They haven’t explained anything about what they plan on doing to us or with us while we’re here. And now they’ve brought in these strange machines and are about to poke us with needles. Should I be afraid for my life? What level of fear should I be working with right now?

Willa screams as more guards enter the room. She’s fighting like hell, and she may think she’s fragile and falling apart, but she’s the reason these assholes needed to call in reinforcements. My heart swells with pride because even at her lowest, she’s not going down without a fight.

The scientist at my side grabs my arm to steady me but I take Willa’s lead and fight against him. “Guards!” My bed is surrounded as hands clamp down on my arms and legs. One even presses against my face, making me cry out at the pressure being exerted against my cheek. There’s a sharp prick against my neck and I scream.

I do my best to fight off the panic that threatens to pull me under while so many hands press down on my body I could suffocate. Within seconds of receiving the injection to my neck, though, my body grows as heavy as lead until I lose the fight at keeping my eyes open.

THE LIGHTS ARE dim when I blink awake. Soft whirring sounds and occasional beeps fill the room like our own sound machine. My friends are quiet and calm. As soon as I turn my head to the side, they’re lying still, suffering from the effects of the drugs. My arms are still strapped to the bed but now when I move them, they ache. A needle sticks out of each hand connected to a tube that runs up to the machine by my head. My hands are already bruised and I’m still sluggish from whatever drugs they’re pumping into my system.

It’s alarming to me that my initial response to waking up in this situation is to cry out for Vah’all. He’s become the one I can count on in this place. Now after all this, he’s the only one I can trust. But I don’t know what he’s going through. If he’s still in confinement or being punished for trying to keep me safe, we can’t count on him to get us out of this mess.

“Sarah?” Maren’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.

“Maren, are you okay?” I do my best to lift my head so we can look each other in the eye, but I’m still too groggy and from the sound of her voice she’s just coming out of it.

“I think so.” A minute of silence passes before she says what we’re both thinking. “We need to get out of here. Somehow. They’re not messing around.”

“I know.” If only there were a way to loosen the restrains enough to get free. I’d be happy just to pull the needles out right now because whatever they’re pumping into my system, hurts. My arms are bruising, my veins throbbing and alternating between scorching hot and as cold as ice. Every so often my whole body starts to shake but right as I’m wishing for a second blanket, I break out into a sweat and try to kick off the one I have. “What do you think they’re trying to do to us?”

“Make us more like them?”

My head pounds, making me want to close my eyes and go back to sleep. But that seems like the last thing I should do. My instincts tell me to try to find a way to get free of these restraints. To try to keep these drugs from being pumped into my system.

Once again, the door clicks open, and my stomach drops as my heart rate increases. Like a sick science experiment, I already associate the door opening with bad things. This time, it’s only one scientist and it’s just him—no more machines on wheels or drugs that’ll add to the painful discomfort I’m already experiencing.

He walks to the machine by my bed first. After checking to see that the needles are still inserted and the tubes are delivering the liquid, he looks at the panel on the machine. “So, what’s the end game here, Doc?” I ask.

His wings kick out suddenly behind him before he folds them back in place. His eyes are a smooth, dark onyx that regard me with a practiced coolness that adds to the chills already racking my body. We haven’t been given an explanation thus far so when he begins speaking, I’m shocked.

“In another lab we’re working on successfully fertilizing a female Dhevieth’s egg. Once this process is successful, we will use you as a host.”

“Surrogacy,” I say, my voice a whisper while I process this new information. “What’s with the tubes and needles? My body hurts. Every inch of me. Why would you want us in this much pain if you want to use us for your benefit? We never did anything wrong.”

For the first time, he hesitates. But it doesn’t make any sense to me. The four of us are innocent but we’ve gotten caught in the middle of these games.

“I’ll see what I can do about finding something to make the administration of the medicine less painful.”

After staring at him for a while to see if he’s serious about that, I nod. “What about the restraints? We’re already locked in this room. Isn’t this overkill?”

“We can’t risk having you pull the needles out. The medicine you’re receiving prepares your bodies to accept the Dhevieth offspring. We will not compromise on this.”

“Son of a bitch.” For the first time since he entered the room, Maren speaks and it’s to curse him out. I don’t disagree with her, but I want those pain meds. Since I don’t know what happened to Vah’all, I have no way of knowing if anyone will come for us or if we’ll have to figure something out on our own. The same hopelessness Willa felt weighs me down now that he’s revealed our purpose. Without Vah’all to protect me, I’ve become a property of Bameh’s science program instead of his protected mate.

The four of us are on our own.

Chapter 23

Vah’all

“TRUST ME, I have healed enough to fight. You know as well as I do the healing plaster works quickly.”

Stux’an’s expression is skeptical, but I will win this argument. The mission to rescue the women from the research laboratory leaves in eight hours and I won’t stay behind. Nothing can keep me from getting Sarah out of that place even if I must fly there myself.

“You were close to death, Vah’all. If I wasn’t there, they would’ve killed you.”

There are still aches and pains in my ribs when I move. The cut in the back of my wing is taking the longest to heal because it went untreated during my captivity. I can fly but when my wings extend initially, it’s painful. Though the gashes on my face have closed, they’re still puffy and sensitive to the touch. And yet, none of it compares to the pain I experience at the thought of something happening to Sarah before I can get to her. “You’ll always have my allegiance, Stux’an. You were there for me when I needed you. When I thought everyone had abandoned me. Know that you can count on me now and in the future. If I didn’t think I could handle this, I wouldn’t do it. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins to the point where I can barely sit still. I want to leave now. So, trust me when I tell you…I’ve got this.”

Kraal and Ondin enter the room, followed by Drocrek and another group of our warrior brothers. It’s still difficult to comprehend they’ve all made such a huge sacrifice to save me and now they’re doing the same for my woman. We all crowd in the room to review our plan to attack the lab and rescue the females. For now, we’ve created a barrier around our military compound that we’re capable of defending from the “others.” To get to the lab, we’ll need to leave the safety of our hold.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Stux’an says as I survey the room. “But this was bound to happen eventually. You were the motivation for us to make our move, but we all know the division was inevitable. We can’t sit by while the elders approve of the kidnapping of human females. For now, they’ll use them for our species procreation but who knows what they’ll think of next.”

Guilt consumes me anyway. Not because of where we find ourselves now but because of how I’ve allowed myself to be used over the years. Even when it tugged on my conscious, I still completed my missions with gut wrenching accuracy. It makes me wish I had taken a stand before Sarah and not just when I had a physical reason to do so.

While Stux’an is our alpha, Ondin does most of the talking. We all work as a unit but where my specialty is destroying ships without a trace, Kraal is gifted with first aid and medical treatments. Drocrek can figure out anything related to technology while Ondin thinks in ways the rest of us do not. Now as he speaks, it’s about how our arrival will be anticipated and the ways we’ll approach the laboratories without being detected. I take it all in greedily, anxious to get in the ships and make our way toward Sarah.

“We’ll take two cargo ships and then the rest of us will fly on our own. The ships will be the distraction. We already know those of us flying in separately will remain undetected. Once we rescue the females, they’ll be transported in the cargo ships unless something goes wrong. Regardless, we have our rendezvous point where we’ll meet back again when this is all over.” As soon as Ondin is finished going through the plan step by step, Stux’an stands and moves to the center of the room.

“Any questions?” he asks.

With adrenaline buzzing through my veins, I’m ready for this meeting to end so we can get moving—but that won’t happen until dusk.

STUX’AN FORCES me to ride in the cargo ship. It’s one of his stipulations for allowing me to come along. This is the first time I’ve ever argued with my alpha and it’s all over a woman. If I could fly on my own, I could reach her faster. I could be the first one at the door instead of being forced to wait around for the ship to land and the rest of my unit to move out. But if we’re using the cargo ships as bait, I don’t want to be stuck being held by the guards while someone else oversees rescuing my female.

I agree to it eventually and end up in the packed cargo bay with the rest of my warrior brothers. It’s dusk when we leave the platform of our compound and venture into now enemy territory. The irony isn’t lost on me that after all the years I spent bringing down ships to keep our sky island safe, we’ve still become divided. Now the enemies we avoid are our own species with evil intentions, still stuck in the ways of the past. Bameh is no longer peaceful. We’ve seen to that.

“Skies are clear,” Stux’an’s voice says over the radio. “Be ready to move out as soon as we touch down.”

The wide, flat slant of the roof of the laboratory building glows from the fading light. We land the ship on the platform located at the back, the one section of the roof that is level to the ground. As soon as the engine powers down, the ramp lowers and we’re disembarking. It’s a surprise at first that we’re not met with military force, but then again, like Stux’an explained, they’ve been planning this revolt against the elders and their laws since the second council forum was called.

We’ve had time to prepare for this. They don’t know what’s coming.

As soon as my feet hit the pavement, my body alights with sensation because Sarah is so close again. Now that we’ve mated, she’s in the very blood that moves through my veins as much as my heart. When she’s near, my body’s reaction is visceral.

The other warriors file out behind me when a figure appears above me before landing at my side. I recognize his scent immediately but it’s the intensity crackling around him like electricity that surprises me. “Let’s go. I don’t want to waste any more time,” Kraal says.

“We’re in agreement there.” The two of us make our way toward the stairs but my skin prickles as my intuition kicks in. “Let’s go a different way. Entering through the landing bay is too obvious and I don’t have the patience right now to get caught.”

We extend our wings to take flight, determined to find a different entrance in this massive building. Since this is the first time I’ve flown since my beating, my wing aches once it’s extended. The cut is healed but my usual power isn’t there and the painful twinge when my wings flap isn’t helping. My adrenaline fuels me as I follow Kraal until he finds a large window on the south side of the building. I flutter in midair, casting glances around at the sky and the ground to make sure we don’t have company while he works to open it.

“I got it.” As soon as Kraal’s intense voice reaches me, I fly down to the window and by the time I get there, he’s already through. The hallway is lit with a dim nighttime glow that indicates no one is actively working in the labs right now. It’s quiet as we move quickly through the corridors, but the problem remains that we don’t know where the women are being kept.

“Check in,” Stux’an says through the comms in our ears.

Warriors check in, giving their location and guard status in their area. I’m listening for Drocrek because he’s headed straight for the security station. Once he’s inside, if the women are being held in a room under surveillance, we’ll have their location.

“I’ve reached the security room,” Drocrek says. His voice is enough to set my anticipation on edge. “Give me a minute.” Seconds tick by while my anxiety grows. Kraal and I have stopped moving now and are waiting to hear if Drocrek can give us some direction. Otherwise, we’re moving through these hallways blind and all the doors look the same. I already sense that Sarah is close, but I can’t focus in on her location based on feelings.

Kraal is pacing back and forth, his agitation unusual for this type of reconnaissance mission. “Is everything okay?” I ask, sparing a moment to check in with my friend.

He rolls his head, followed by his shoulders to calm himself. “I want to get to them before it’s too late.”

“I understand your frustration.” I clasp his shoulder with my hand and squeeze just as Drocrek comes through again.

“I’ve found them and you’re going to want to move fast. Third floor, and it’s locked up tight. Start moving while I work to unlock it for you. I’ll have it done by the time you get there.”

“We’re already moving,” I say.

“What’s happening up there, Dro?” Kraal asks.

“They know we’re here. They’re trying to move the women before we can get to them.”

Chapter 24

Sarah

WE’RE WOKEN out of a dead sleep to the hurried sounds of guards rushing into the room. The lights go from dim to fully lit within seconds as the scientists move to the machines at our heads and begin messing with the buttons.

“What’s going on?” All four of us ask the same question to anyone who will listen. Unlike the last period of time that passed while we’ve been strapped to these beds, hooked up to these machines, there’s an urgency to their movements that strikes alarm inside of me. The presence of the guards doesn’t help. They haven’t been back to the room since the needles were forced into our arms.

“Be quiet and do what we say,” a guard says. He unlocks the restraints at my wrists before moving down to do the same to my ankles. I’d give anything to rub the soreness and irritation, but I can’t do anything until the needles are removed. In this bright light, I gasp when I get a good look at how badly my arms have bruised from the needles and drugs they’ve been pumping into my system. It’s the necessary motivation we need to remember our goal all along of getting out of here and finding our way to the cargo ship.

As soon as the scientist pulls the needles from my arms, the guard lifts me from the bed and throws me over his shoulder. There’s no time to protest or fight him because we’re already moving toward the door. “Where are you taking me?” I use my arms to lift on his back so I can see the hallway around us, but his arm is like a steel lock across my torso, preventing me from moving.

Seconds after I’m carried through the hallway, the rest of my friends appear behind me. We’re moving quickly and orderly but there’s an air of urgency about the situation that’s unsettling even though we’re the only ones in the corridor. The rest of the facility is quiet aside from the pounding of the guard’s boots on the ground and the irregular beating of my heart.

We reach a stairwell but once we’re inside, we’re met with a loud bang followed by hurried footsteps from above. The guards back away, slamming the door. “The stairs are compromised!” he yells.

We turn around but only go about halfway down the corridor when we stop again. The stairwell door opens as I lift my head in time to see Vah’all and Kraal storm through. Voices sound from the other direction, telling me they’re not alone.

“Vah’all!” Pure joy rings from my voice. All the pain and discomfort I’ve endured since being brought to this place eases as I take in my proud, fierce warrior. He’s more battered and bruised since I saw him last but then again, so am I. His turquoise blue eyes swim with emotion as he takes me in. His muscles tense, his fingers flexing like he needs to put them on me but he’s fighting it.

“My only,” he says, his deep voice vibrating through me like a mating call. Then he shifts his attention to the guard holding me when he turns around so I can’t see him any longer. “Give her to me now and I’ll consider allowing you to live.”

The guard grabs his weapon from his waist and I’m able to turn enough to see Vah’all’s talons grow before my eyes. The sharp, deadly weapons are back. Memories from the first time we met flash through my mind. Only this time, instead of destroying my ship with them, he’s going to use them to save me. Funny how things have come full circle.

The weapon fires with an explosive blast not far from my ears. I cover them but it’s too late. The ringing in my ears disorients me but the guard’s grip on me loosens. Just as I think I’m falling; I’m grabbed and pulled against a firm chest I immediately recognize. Vah’all’s arms tighten around me at the same time I throw my arms around his neck. The guard lies dead at our feet, four large bloody gashes cut through his chest all the way to his abdomen.

Vah’all moves us to safety while a bloody fight continues in the middle of the corridor. “The girls…” I say, watching closely to make sure someone is going to help them.

“Don’t worry,” Vah’all says, “our priority is to rescue the females. They will not be harmed.”

His arms tighten around me as he drops his head to kiss me. It isn’t long or passionate, but just enough to express how happy he is to have me back in his arms safe and sound.

Within minutes, Vah’all’s warriors have successfully put an end to the research guards. The scientists didn’t fight them, so they’re now bound and locked in a room while we make our escape. We all move to the roof while I continually check behind us to make sure Maren, Trinity and Willa are following.

“The cargo ships are on the roof,” Vah’all says. He’s still holding me in his arms even though I think I could walk. I’m weak, though, so I don’t fight it. After being so vulnerable and used in here, Vah’all’s strong embrace is the safety and reassurance that will get my mind right again. When he’s with me, I truly believe no one else can hurt me.

“Where will we go? Won’t everyone be after us now?” I ask.

“There’s so much that has happened in a short time. You’ll be safe at the compound for now. I know that isn’t a permanent answer but there is still so much to figure out.”

He carries me to the cargo ship, and we load quickly. As soon as it’s full, the engine roars to life and we’re lifting into the air. “Where are the other women?” I ask.

“In the other cargo ship or being flown separately by a warrior. We don’t want to take all of you together in case we’re followed. It would make it too easy for you to be recaptured if that’s their plan.”

I try to relax against him and allow the safety and security that he brings to pass from him to me. But the gravity of our situation is sinking in. How could we ever have a happily ever after on Bameh when we would always be hunted? There’s nowhere we could go that someone wouldn’t be looking for us. It would be impossible to settle down and start a family. And if we did, would there always be those on Bameh who would consider our child an abomination? I got swept up in the passion of all of this but never stopped to consider how it would end. After going through all of this? I have my answer: it will end badly.

“Ships in pursuit,” a voice says over the loudspeaker, breaking the silence in the ship.

Warriors burst into action, moving into position. We’re toward the back of the ship near the large guns but Vah’all doesn’t make a move to leave me to fill that station. He tightens his hold on me while the others handle our defenses.

When the guns begin firing, I slam my hands over my ears to cut down on the noise, but it doesn’t do much. The ship suddenly feels too small, like it’s a challenge to take a deep breath now that warriors are moving around, and guns are firing so loud I can feel it in my body.

“Fliers in the sky!” the same voice says.

I glance back at Vah’all, my expression full of questions. “What does he mean?”

Before he can answer, a loud ripping sound rivals the volume level of the guns. Then, a huge panel of the back of the ship tears free, leaving a gaping hole. An alien appears in the opening, scans the area before latching onto me with a clawed arm and pulling me toward the opening all in the matter of seconds.

The ship begins to plummet, forcing Vah’all to grip me tighter and push me toward the hole and the alien waiting to abduct me again. A fight ensues between Vah’all and this other alien while I’m clinging to his body from below. The constant swoops and dives make me scream and cling with all my life. But I still don’t have my strength back and the constant jolts loosen my arms.

“Vah’all!” I shout as soon as I feel myself slipping. He reaches out and grabs me, but the sky is full of winged aliens with their eyes on me. Another one sneaks in from below, snatching my body away from Vah’all. In my panic, I wriggle free.

This time, I’m free falling. My arms are outstretched above me, waiting for Vah’all to grab me because he’s always been the one to catch me when I’ve fallen before. But this time, I don’t stop until I reach the cold water below. My body drops like a stone, falling into the murky depths. Finally, it’s quiet. No more gunfire or shouting. Only quiet, cold peacefulness until my lungs begin to burn and I’m forced to push myself back toward the surface.

Chapter 25

Vah’all

“I’VE GOT YOU. Just hang on.” We’re both dripping wet when I pull her from the lake, but her body can’t regulate the temperature like I can. She’s already shaking out of control and while my body would usually warm hers, I’m now wet and cold from the lake as well. The fight continues above us, so I stay close to the water, holding her to my chest while I try to figure out where to take her. For now, it’s imperative that I get her warm and hide her somewhere safe until we regain control of the situation. Before that happens, it’s risky to try to get her back across the mountain pass.

Our enemies are circling above so I fly off in a different direction toward the safety of the forest where it’s possible to find somewhere to hide. I settle at the base of a hill where the grass grows tall, but soft. The trees stand a few feet away, but the canopy provides a circle of protection from enemy eyes searching from above.

I lay her in the tall grass and cover her with my body. It’s dark but still not safe to start a fire for warmth. “I know you’re cold.” She watches me while I check my waist to see what supplies are still with us since we made such a quick exit from the cargo ship. “No fire, but this will keep you warm.” I hold up the device that turns into a heated blanket and she manages a small smile. “Take off your wet clothes and I’ll wrap you in the warm blanket.”

Her teeth chatter loudly while she complies. First, she tugs the soaking shirt over her head before moving to the waist of her pants. Her nipples are hard buds, round like berries and I must fight the urge to suck them into my mouth. My body aches for her and even though my head knows this isn’t the time for mating, my body isn’t getting the same message.

She struggles out of her pants but eventually manages as I activate the blanket to begin wrapping her up. My cock is as hard as a steel pole in my pants and now that I have my woman back by my side, I want to show her physically how much I’ve missed her. But first, I’m going to make sure she’s warm and uninjured.

“Do you want to share the blanket?” she asks. “You must be cold. You went in the water too.”

“I just need to hold you. That’s all it will take to warm me.”

I pull her onto my lap and then burrow us down into the tall grass as far as possible. From this position, I can still see if anyone approaches but we’re well protected. We’ll be able to rest for a few hours and then I’ll get her back to the compound.

“Are you okay, Sarah? What did they do to you in there?”

She releases a deep exhale and burrows deeper against my chest. She quietly retells what happened to them until we arrived. It’s unsettling to listen the details of her captivity and have it sink in how dangerous it is for her right now. I brought her here once I had permission. I kept her with permission from the council. But once that all changed, it has become more difficult for me to guarantee her safety. How responsible am I being if I’ve put her at the center of conflict among my kind?

“You’re so quiet. What’s wrong?” She props her chin on my chest and searches my face for the answers she seeks.

Unfortunately, I’m more conflicted now than I was when I had a clear purpose. We’ve rescued the women, but we need to figure out what will happen to them. “I’m good,” I finally say. “Trying to be alert until it’s safe for us to leave this place.”

“Are you cold?” Her fingers trace up and down my torso, light enough to send a shiver through my body. “I’m hogging the blanket when you were in the water too.” Before I can object and remind her that my body adjusts easily to the temperature of my environment, she begins to unzip the thin blanket, revealing her warm, slightly pink skin.

I groan when she flattens her chest against me before pulling the blanket wide, so it stretches over my shoulders. “You should keep the heat. I want you to be warm.” Even as I say those words, I rub my hands over her soft skin, reveling in the silkiness of her body rubbing against mine. She parts her lips and smiles, as if she knows what she’s doing to me.

“I’ll share with you,” she says, her hand sliding down my body until she rubs over my growing bulge. “You saved me from that hell, Vah’all. Those plain white walls were painted with hopelessness and all the tubes and needles were panic inducing.” She wraps her fist around me and squeezes. I can’t contain the sounds of pleasure that escape me even though I’m trying my best to be quiet. “You make me feel different, though. You give me pleasure and make me feel safe. Give me those things now, Vah’all. Please.”

Without waiting for a response, she slides down my body and takes me into her mouth. Her tongue slides over my shaft, licking around my swollen head. Heat engulfs me as she takes me into the back of her throat. I twist my fingers in her hair as she moves up and down, taking me as deep as she can until she starts to gag. Warm saliva drips onto my pelvis and a moment later, I pull her off me by her hair. She sucks in a deep breath as I gush liquid onto my belly and cock. “Looks like you’re ready,” she says. Before I can answer, she licks over my shaft, tasting my lubricant.

The physical response is almost immediate. Her cheeks flush pink while her breathing changes. Grabbing onto her, I roll us around so she’s on the bottom, nestled in the grass. “This is the first time I get to take you without chains to hold me back.” I take her mouth hungrily, my cock sliding against her pussy, making her wet and ready for me. “Spread wide for me. I won’t be gentle.”

“Vah’all,” she moans as her mouth moves against mine. Her hips press up, seeking the connection she’s aching for. “Fill me,” she begs.

I give her what she wants. She spreads herself for me, so I push my cock into her slick cunt and thrust home with one forceful pump. With my hand covering her mouth to keep her noises from carrying, we lock gazes and I start to move. Her eyes squeeze shut with the first few thrusts, her body stretching and adapting to me. “Open your eyes and watch me, Sarah. Watch what you do to me.”

Her eyes snap open and flood with desire. There’s something else there, too, a flicker every time I bury myself until my balls slap against her skin. “Does that hurt, my only?”

She nods, a low groan sounding from her throat.

“Do you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head.

“Soon your cunt will recognize my cock. But only mine. This is my cunt now, isn’t it?”

She nods her head again, her eyes losing focus the closer she gets to orgasm as I continue to pound into her body. “You squeeze me so tight. So tight.” I continue to whisper to her as I take her. My hand moves from over her mouth to around her neck, squeezing just enough to show her who’s in charge.

Her mouth parts as her eyes roll back in her head. I’m about to tell her to keep her eyes on me when she begs me to touch her. “Please, Vah’all, please. Touch me, rub me.” I move my finger down to her pleasure bud and massage her, rubbing my fingers in circles until her body locks up and I know she’s coming harder than she ever has by how hard her nails dig into my ass.

Her channel squeezes me while it contracts, and I come just as hard. I pulse into her warmth, locking my arms around her torso and holding her to me so we’re one. After such an intense mating, the nature of the kiss I press to her lips is surprisingly gentle. She curls her body into me, and I’m filled with the greatest sense of peace. It’s the same sensation I experienced when I first saw her. I knew she’d be the one to save me from a lifetime of assassinations and haunted dreams. But now I’m struck with the realization that in order to keep her safe, I’m going to have to let her go. Unless my brothers and I can figure out a way to guarantee the women’s safety, we’re going to have to offer them a ride out of here.

Chapter 26

Sarah

“WE SHOULD BE fine to head back to the base. Everything is quiet now,” Vah’all says. “Unfortunately, you’re going to have to put your wet clothes back on, but it won’t be for long.”

I’m still trying to process the flood of emotions coursing through me. The most noticeable and nagging thought is that I don’t know if I want to leave Vah’all anymore. That was the plan all along, to find a ship and get to Nedruinia. Vah’all wanted me to stay with him from the beginning, but I was never really on board with that. I went along with it while we figured everything else out. Now my feelings have changed but it’s no longer safe for me to be here. So, I don’t know where that leaves us.

I snap out of my daze and pull my clothes back on. He’s right, it is quiet now. The sounds of the guns firing, and the explosions ended a while ago. We just haven’t been in a hurry to get moving.

“Did the others make it back to the compound safely?” My question comes a little late, but we were preoccupied with other things before this.

“I turned off my comms unit so I could hear if anyone was approaching. I’ll check in with Stux’an once we’re in the air. My brothers are reliable, though. You have nothing to worry about with your friends.”

“I know.” My answer comes without thought because I trust him. How could I not after he’s shown me multiple times that I can count on him?

As soon as I’m dressed, Vah’all grabs onto me and lifts off into the sky. Even though we’ve done this a few times, it’s hard to imagine ever getting used to this feeling. It’s freedom in the purest form. The only way it could be better is if I had my own set of wings. We enter the dark sky like thieves, glancing all around us to make sure we’re alone.

“This feels strange. Too quiet and empty.”

Vah’all agrees with a deep rumble in his chest. He’s alert, on edge and I’m counting down the minutes until we reach the mountain pass. After a moment, another voice comes through his comms unit.

“There you are. We’ve got you on radar, brother. Happy to know you’re okay.” Drocrek’s voice cuts through the quiet of the night.

“We were forced to take a detour, but we’ll reach the pass in ten minutes. Did the other women make it back safely?”

“They’re all accounted for except for yours.”

“I’ve got her.”

“We assumed.” Drocrek’s amused chuckle sounds out of place in the quiet night sky around us.

“Are the skies clear around the perimeter?”

“It’s all quiet now. We’ll expect to see you soon.”

My friends are safe, just like he promised they would be. “You have some sort of strong hold now? Somewhere you’re safe and won’t be attacked?”

“Our military base as well as the outlying lands surrounding it. We’ve formed a solid perimeter that basically divides Bameh in half. Once we cross the mountain pass, they’re all allies.”

“This must have been developing for a while. It’s nice to think you’d do all of this for the four of us, but there must be more to it.”

Vah’all slows. We’re still flying but it’s more like a carefree glide while he holds me, as if time could stop for a little while and give us this moment together. “Many of us began to question the strict laws of the elders but the way the council is set up, we were always outvoted to change the archaic ways.”

“The council initially voted to allow us to stay. It sounds like there’s other influential factors that also hold power.”

“Exactly. Nothing changes and if we continue on this path, it’ll lead to our extinction.”

“Or unethical practices like using females against their will as surrogates for your future young.”

This reminder produces a growl from him. “They’ve gone too far. I was ready to suffer the consequences for you but wasn’t expecting so many of my warrior brothers to do the same. But their hearts are pure and good. I should’ve known they’d stand beside me when I needed them to.”

“You’re one of the good ones, Vah’all. I can see that now too.”

It isn’t the time or the place, but I steal a kiss in this secret moment where the two of us drift in the sky twisted together like one. I slide my tongue past his lips, seeking the guidance of his firm stroke. His hand presses into my ass, fixing me against his growing bulge. I break away flushed and disoriented. “This is crazy,” I say, laughing at my brazenness. “I can’t make out with you while we’re floating mid-air.”

He brushes his fingers across my cheek and smiles. “You’re right. We shouldn’t linger out here. But I like having you all to myself.”

After another few seconds holding me in a close embrace, we fly toward the mountain pass. Vah’all’s body heat is keeping the chill of the night away. So, after the reassurance from Drocrek that the skies are clear, I take a deep breath and force myself to relax. My friends are safe and before long, we’ll join them at the compound.

A breeze rustles my hair, a hint of smoke and something metallic still lingering from the conflict hours earlier. The outline of the mountain pass rises ahead of us, the jagged peaks illuminated by the stars. Memories of sitting in the spaceship right before we crashed flood my mind. Everything held a touch of magic because it was unlike anything I’d seen before.

“Vah’all! Incoming—” Drocrek’s voice cuts into the quiet night sending fear straight to my gut. Before we have a chance to react, Vah’all is struck from the side, sending both of us spiraling out of control. After a few seconds he straightens, but we take another hit. I’m clinging to him like a spider monkey while my head whips around to try to get an idea of what’s coming at us. There’s a pack of aliens surrounding us—above, below, behind. From the little I know about flying, we’re trapped.

Vah’all surprises me, though, because he has tricks and abilities I didn’t consider. Even though he’s at a disadvantage because he needs to hold onto me while fighting off our pursuers, he’s excellent at evasive maneuvers. We’re spinning and twisting, dropping and changing directions all while I start suffering from a serious case of motion sickness. While I’m silently wishing this would end, Vah’all makes a sudden, strangled sound. Time slows, our eyes lock and we start to drop. Unlike his movements before, there’s nothing smooth or graceful about this. He’s struggling to hold me, struggling to keep us from plummeting into the rocks below and all I can do is hope he’s not injured too badly.

“Hold onto me, Sarah. I need to let you go for a moment.” I’m already clinging to him like my life depends on it when he flips onto his back so I’m resting against his stomach. He pulls his weapon and fires while I bury my head into the crook of his neck. It could be my imagination but his body trembles beneath me, as if he’s using the last of his strength to keep us in the air. And I don’t know what to do to help. Once again someone I love is in the fight for his life and I’m a useless bystander. I’m not equipped to help him fight and until he lands, I can’t help him with his injuries.

Our impact is painful when we finally land. We’re outside of the perimeter, not at the mountains, yet. But the ground is rocky with sporadic patches of tall grass growing in between. Vah’all takes the brunt of the hit, his body curled around me to protect me when we finally land. We’re wedged between two rocks but need to move to find better protection before we’re found again. Vah’all isn’t moving, though. The fear of his injuries being more than I can handle freezes me in place. I should be doing something, but my mind is scrambled, and everything blurs in and out of focus.

Finally, I give myself the mental slap needed to focus. Bending over Vah’all’s body, a quick assessment shows he’s conscious but bleeding from multiple wounds. “First things first, we need to hide, Vah’all. They’re going to be looking for us.” I already know it’s a lost cause to try to move his body on my own, but it doesn’t ease the panic that swells in my chest knowing we could be discovered at any moment. “Let’s try to move behind the rocks. Can you signal Drocrek for help?”

“Comms on,” he says, his voice weak. “He’ll track us.”

“Okay. We still need to move, Vah’all. We’re out in the open and I can’t protect you.”

I scoop my arms under his body, but he doesn’t have the strength to lift himself up. After a pained cry, he falls back to the ground, thudding hard against the rocks. My hands slip through the pooling blood as I hurry to help him. We lack supplies but even if I had what I needed, it’s my emotions that are clouding my judgment and making it impossible for me to think clearly. The pressure of our situation settles on my shoulders but where I had hoped to have the strength to weather the storm, the weight of it begins to crush me.

Vah’all isn’t moving anymore. His eyes are closed while I kneel next to him, tears streaming down my face. Rough hands eventually grab me, trying to haul me away from him and there’s nothing I can do to fight it.

I’ve failed him.

Chapter 27

Sarah

SOMETHING inside of me snaps and finally things click into place. “No!” I shout, fighting against the hands that try to pull me away. “Let me go!”

“Easy, Sarah. I’m not going to hurt you.” For the first time I whip my head around to see who’s holding onto me.

It’s Kraal.

Three more warriors surround Vah’all, pushing me out of the way. His voice is so quiet, I question whether I’m imagining it when I hear him say, “Get her out of here.”

Kraal starts pulling me toward the cargo ship that’s hovering not far away. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of him. He’ll get help while I help you. Come—“

I don’t want to leave him, but my indecision is interrupted by gun fire ricocheting off the rocks right next to our feet. Kraal covers me with his body while firing his weapon toward the sky.

“We don’t have time,” he shouts.

I check the skies as the nauseating burn of panic ignites as soon as I realize we’re no longer alone. Even though it’s dark, the sky is full of streaks of silver. The sounds of the next round of conflict overwhelm me while I’m stuck in the middle of a battle.

“We’re holding them off while we get you two out of here,” Kraal says. “Luckily you weren’t far away when we spotted them on the radar. They planned this ambush.” He glances back at Vah’all who’s being lifted into a second ship that I didn’t notice until now.

“He’s not going with us?” I immediately start to pull away again. “I want to go wherever he’s going, Kraal.”

Instead of answering, he throws me over his shoulder and then he’s running toward the ship’s ramp. I’m helpless to do anything about it. I can’t even help Vah’all as he’s loaded into the medical ship. They take off before the ramp has fully withdrawn, taking the choice away from me. Then he’s running up the incline to the cargo ship, slamming his hand over the button to close the outside doors behind us.

“Look.” He sets me back down on my feet and grabs onto my arms so I’m forced to focus on his words. “Your friends have asked me to fly them to Nedruinia. They’re here, on the ship. I’m taking you all back where you were supposed to go in the first place.”

I stare at him while words fail me. Before Vah’all, this would’ve been an easy decision. I would’ve run to the ship without looking back. Now, it doesn’t feel right. My heart is splitting open in my chest, an open, raw wound at the thought of leaving him behind. “But Vah’all…” I finally manage to say.

“Vah’all will take time to heal. Until then, you will be safe in Nedruinia. Safer than you’ll be here. You heard him, Sarah. He wants you out of here. When the time is right, when we’ve figured out a way for you to live safely on Bameh, Vah’all will return for you. I promise.”

I’m still torn, clutching my shirt where it’s bunched at my chest. When it’s safe we could find a way to be together. That doesn’t sound so bad except I’m choosing between my safety and Vah’all. If he were conscious and able to fight, I don’t believe he’d let me go which makes this seem deceitful and wrong.

“Sarah!” Maren runs to me, throwing her arms around me before looking me over to make sure I’ve made it in one piece.

“I told you to stay in the cargo hold where it’s safe,” Kraal says, scolding her.

“And you said it would only take a minute,” she retorts. “Come on, Sarah.” She shifts her attention back to me. “It’s finally happening. We’re getting our ride out of here.”

Kraal hurries to the pilot’s seat while Maren leads me to the passenger seats where Trinity and Willa are already strapped in and ready to go. Their faces exhibit the excitement I should be feeling but I’m too ashamed to admit that I don’t share their enthusiasm about leaving anymore. We haven’t been here that long and the time we’ve spent hasn’t been positive. But locked away in a secret place in my heart, my love for Vah’all burns brighter than ever before.

When I secure my safety harness moments later, the ship already in the sky working evasive maneuvers on the enemy ships pursuing us, it’s because of the doubt that has taken ahold of me. Doubt that I’d ever be able to survive in a place like Bameh. Knowing that a warrior as strong and fierce as Vah’all deserves someone worthy of him. Not someone who crumbles under the pressure of seeing him hurt. Not someone who failed him when he needed her most. Not someone who always fails the ones she loves.

“Sarah,” Maren says, reading the expression on my face. “It’s better this way. Safer for all of us. You’ll see.”

In a daze, I stare out the window as we speed through the sky, leaving the mountain pass behind us. After a while, I’m vaguely aware of Trinity and Willa’s concerned stares. They’re all exchanging nervous glances with each other, and I can’t bring myself to care. I’m too busy swallowing my tears and trying to convince myself it’s better this way. Better for Vah’all and better for me. But no matter how many times I repeat it like a mantra in my mind, it doesn’t make the growing ache in my belly go away. It only grows the further we get from him as the realization hits that I made the wrong choice.

Maren’s hand closes over mine, squeezing tightly. “Hey, everything’s going to be okay. Why the tears?”

When I turn to look at her, my vision is clouded, my shirt collar wet from the tears dripping off my face. “It might not be safe, but I shouldn’t have left him. Not when he was hurt. Not when he needed me.”

“They’re going to take good care of him, honey.” Trinity chimes in from her seat a row in front of me. “There’s nothing you could’ve done anyway if you stayed. Their medical procedures are different from ours.”

Willa hands me a tissue but doesn’t try to give any advice or make me feel better. Once I pull myself together, it gets quiet again, mostly because the girls don’t know what to say. What do you say to someone who’s fallen in love with an alien? We were doomed from the start.

“If you’re really miserable without him, you can always fly back with Kraal,” Willa says. Finally, I perk up. Because she has suggested exactly what I want to do. What I’ve been wanting to scream at Kraal since he carried me onto this ship. I want to beg him to take me back with him, damn the consequences. I want to be by Vah’all’s side while he heals and recovers even if there’s nothing else I can do for him besides be his moral support.

“No,” Maren says to Willa. “No, she can’t.” Then she turns and speaks directly to me. “You can’t go back. Not yet. Not until it’s safe. You were a part of that craziness as much as I was. They hooked us up to those machines and kept us locked in that room like we were lab rats. Some of them are good…I’ll give you that. They stuck their necks out for us to get us out of that hell hole. But some of them are very, very bad and if you fall into the wrong hands again, who knows what they’ll do to you.”

She’s still squeezing my hand, imploring me to listen to her words and see the reason behind them. “I understand your concerns…I do. But, somehow since the crash Vah’all has come to mean everything to me. Don’t ask me how it happened because I don’t know myself. But all the sudden, the thought of never seeing him again…I can’t fathom what that would be like. I came on this trip to learn all I could about medicine, so I’d never fail someone again when they needed me. But guess what? That already happened. There was nothing I could do medically to help Vah’all when we were attacked.” I’m shaking my head, so damn disappointed in myself and the impulsive choices I made instead of taking a breath back there and thinking things through.

“What I can do, though, is be there for him. Be a shoulder to lean on when he needs me. Be strong enough to endure the uncertainty of our future as long as we’re fighting for it together, side by side. All I need to do is not give up. So, I need to go back, even if it doesn’t make any sense.”

Now that I’ve admitted it out loud, a weight has been lifted. If I wouldn’t have been embarrassed to admit how I felt from the beginning, I’d be sitting by Vah’all’s hospital bed right now. Instead, I’ll have to wait until we drop the girls off in Nedruinia before I can catch a ride back with Kraal.

Now it’s Maren’s turn to get teary. “I’ve never seen you cry before, Maren. Is this because I’m going back?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She angrily swipes her tears away. Then she exhales deeply before fixing me with a sad stare. “That’s not true. I do know. I’m going to worry about you back on Bameh all by yourself. You’re a grown-ass woman so you can make your own decisions, but I still say it isn’t safe. I wish you’d give it more time before returning. Just enough to let Vah’all and his men get everything figured out on their end of things. Have you thought about where you’ll stay? It’ll probably be on the military compound with all the other male warriors!”

These are all things that should concern me, but don’t. Because all I want is to get back to Vah’all. If I’m by his side, everything will be okay.

Willa giggles from her seat before hiding it with a cough. Honestly, she doesn’t care what I do. She’s just happy to be going home. The two of us are on the same page about that because as soon as Kraal lands, he’s going to take me back.

Chapter 28

Vah’all

“YOU’VE BEEN through a lot recently. I’m relieved you’ve finally regained consciousness.”

The most obvious sensation when I come to is my dry mouth followed by how difficult it is to open my eyes. I can hear Stux’an’s voice and sense his presence next to my bed, but it’s still so hard to open my eyes and look at him.

Trying to piece back the moments of everything that happened after a serious injury is becoming a regular occurrence. It all started on my last mission when I saw Sarah for the first time and wanted to make her mine. Every beating and confinement was worth it. The rift between our species, the shake-up between the traditionalists and those of us who are ready to see the world. Those of us who are tired of hiding away and destroying those who might happen to steal a glance. It has all been worth it to have my woman by my side.

“Sarah,” I manage to say.

“Here, drink this.” I finally pry my eyes open as Stux’an tips water toward my mouth. It’s when he refuses to look at me that my skin prickles with awareness. Even if Sarah isn’t in the same room with me, if she’s close, I can feel her. We’re connected, completely in tune with each other, but at the moment, there’s a void where she should be.

“Why can’t I feel her?” I try to sit up, but Stux’an is on his feet, restraining me and trying to get me take it slow.

“Your body has suffered so much trauma. Injury after injury. You’ve needed time to heal. Don’t stress yourself now and re-open wounds that have freshly healed.”

“Just tell me where she is, Stux’an. She’s all that matters, and my last memory is of us falling. She was there with me, but they came out of nowhere. One moment we were alone, almost to the pass and then there was sharp, intense heat in my back and my wings wouldn’t cooperate.”

“Your wing tore and you took enemy fire. Don’t blame yourself for losing consciousness once you hit the rocks. You’re lucky to have survived.”

“Did they take her? Before you arrived?”

“No, she’s safe. But we’ve returned the women to Nedruinia—for now.”

His words pass through my brain multiple times while I try to process this new information. In the end, it doesn’t seem real. “After everything I’ve gone through to keep her by my side, you took her away from me while I’ve been unconscious? Without giving me a chance to voice how I feel about it?”

“There was a second wave, a second attack. At that point, the other three women made it clear they wanted out of here and they weren’t going to leave Sarah behind. After what they went through in the research lab, we felt it best to give them what they wanted. We couldn’t guarantee their safety when we were fighting off enemy ships and warrior packs—all with the same agenda to take the women.”

The desire to rage is overwhelming. I want to pull the needles from my arms and throw things at the pristine walls. But the logic behind Stux’an’s words overpowers those impulses. Instead, I slump back against my pillows.

“Curse me out if you want to, brother. I understand your anger right now,” Stux’an says.

I shake my head and rub my chest. Even with the pain meds being pumped into my system, the space inside my chest aches. For her—because of my all-consuming love for her. “When things turned against us, I should’ve put her safety first. Things have escalated out of control and now we’re dealing with a full-on civil war. Battle lines have been drawn and it will continue this way even though the women are gone.” I exhale and take another drink of water. It’s cold and soothing going down my throat, but it does little to ease my building regrets.

“She gave me peace in a way I didn’t think I deserved. Not after the life I’ve lived and the crimes I’ve committed. So, I was selfish and I kept her, putting her life in danger along the way. It’s wrong—I know it’s wrong—but you’re still going to have to chain me to this bed if you think I’m not going to go after her as soon as my wings are strong enough to make it that far.”

Stux’an laughs, actually laughs, before relaxing a little more into his chair. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

“We’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Yes, we have. Long enough for me to know you deserve good things whether you really believe it or not. So, we’ll find a way to make sure your woman will be safe when you bring her back here. I’ll give you one more day and then I expect to see you at the base. In the meantime, Drocrek has been busy mapping our borders into a new program. We’ll use it to figure this all out.”

“Thanks, Stux’an.”

“Get some rest. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” And then I’m alone with plenty of time to plan how I’ll get Sarah back.

“WE’VE SET up monitors along the perimeter so we can track movement in and out. Now that word has spread that the females are gone, the daily attacks have stopped.” I’m in the control room of the military compound while Drocrek shows me the system he’s set up to ensure the safety of the area we’ve established as ours. The mountains provide a natural wall between the warring sides, but we can fly, so we’re always vulnerable to attacks from above. Long electrical poles with sensors on the end form a line along the pass. Not only does it send out electrical waves into the air, but it signals us that something has flown past the barrier. We’re still installing them along the rest of our borders but nearing the end.

“Do you think as long as they continue to believe the women are gone, they’ll leave us alone?” I ask.

Stux’an answers from where he watches at the back of the room. “No. The women were an excuse for all of us. We finally took a stand. And they pushed the boundaries too far. Now we’re left with the consequences, but this all started long before Vah’all set his eyes on his brown-eyed woman.”

“Speaking of…” Drocrek presses a few buttons on the panel in front of him and the images on the screens jump and shift. “We’ve got a lot of land within sight of the security cameras.” He continues to press the button and the images change over and over again. “Settling with Sarah at your home would be too obvious and not secure.”

“I agree,” I say.

“But look at this area.” He zooms in on a tight rock formation where upon closer inspection a small river hides at the base. The shore is overflowing with rocks of all sizes, a spattering of small saplings growing further up the bank. “There’s an opening in the rocks right through here next to the river. It’s small, almost impossible to find unless someone is specifically looking for it. We’ve been inside and it’s expansive, like a wide cavern. Protection from above with one way in and one way out. It’s easy to defend and we’ll keep cameras around the entire area.”

“It’s perfect, Dro. If Sarah is willing to play it safe for a while in order to be together, this place works.”

“You think you can convince her?” I spin around at the sound of Kraal’s voice. He’s been gone since he flew the women to Nedruinia, and I’ve been impatiently waiting for his return so I can hear all about it. For a lot of the time, I wanted to initiate a fight with him for taking Sarah away from me when I was bleeding out on the rocks. They told me later that I instructed them to take her away, but I didn’t mean off the island. In my near unconscious state, I tried to communicate for them to get her to safety. Now that fire has dulled with every day that passed and I only want to know that she’s safe and happy.

He raises his hands in defeat after analyzing my expression. “I’m relieved to see you back on your feet. I’m not the only one who’s been worried about you.”

There are so many things I want to know. So many things I want to ask, but in the end, I settle for the most important. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, brother. She’s fine. But why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Kraal moves out of the doorway and then Sarah is standing there. She’s alive and well, in the same room again after too much time apart. My heart leaps in my chest like it’s getting the jump start it needed after all this time. Our bodies instantly synch up, my upper body expanding as her essence fills me again.

We crash into each other and then she’s in my arms. “Be careful. You’re still healing,” she says, admonishing me even though it’s impossible for me to feel anything besides happiness in this moment.

“I’m never letting you leave me again,” I say before crashing my lips down on hers. My intensity is unexpected, especially when we’re surrounded by so many of my warrior brothers. But I’ve missed her like I’ve missed a part of me.

“Nothing could make me leave you again. I promise,” she says, kissing all over my face. “Never again.”

Chapter 29

Sarah

“DON’T you think you’re being a little overprotective?” Vah’all walks back into the space we’ve established as our home within the cavern, his arms overflowing with supplies and more items strapped to his back. Since he won’t let me leave right now, I take what I can from his arms before it all ends up in a pile on the floor.

“It won’t be like this forever. But if no one else knows you’re back on Bameh, let’s keep you out of sight until absolutely necessary.”

I carry a load of wood to where we’ve built a fire pit for when the temperatures drop at night. I’m spoiled because we have plenty of heated blankets on hand when I need them but Vah’all’s body and ability to cocoon around me with his wings provides plenty of warmth at night.

We have a bed, complete with a mattress and everything. He carried it in with the help of a few friends. Slowly, over the course of the last few days, we’ve been moving in furniture to make a kitchen of sorts where we can store our food.

The cavern is always fairly dark so I asked Vah’all to find us a lighting source so it doesn’t feel like we’re living underground like a mole couple. We don’t have electricity capabilities yet, but Vah’all is determined. It’s only a matter of time before he has this place functioning like his other home.

“Kraal took off to Nedruinia again. Apparently, he’s developed a sense of responsibility since delivering your friends to their destination.”

We’re both moving about the cavern, organizing our supplies like two people just getting used to each other again. Not because we were away from each for too long, but because we’re officially living together now. “It’s not a huge leap to say there’s one friend in particular he’s keeping an eye on.” I smile mischievously at Vah’all while he stares like I just filled him in on a huge secret.

“Which one?”

“Maren. It wasn’t easy leaving my friends behind but knowing Kraal would be watching her like a hawk definitely helped.”

Eventually he accepts this, and we move on to another topic. “Now that your friends are completing the medical training you hoped to receive, does it make you regret your decision to come back here?”

His question surprises me. He’s always been so confident that we’ll be together, that I’m the one for him and nothing could change it. Sometimes I even wonder if he would’ve been able to honor my decision to stay on Nedruinia if that’s what I decided to choose.

“No,” I say simply. “I decided to become a doctor when I lost my sister in the car accident I told you about. For the longest time, it felt like my fault, and I wanted to do everything I could to prevent anything like it from happening again. And then I met you and what I thought I had figured out, changed.” He wraps his arms around me from behind, pressing my back against his chest.

“Even though I have training now, it still didn’t do me any good when you were injured. Bameh isn’t like Earth, and you are quite different from humans. But leaving you behind only made me realize how much I still wanted to be there for you and stand by your side. Even if I couldn’t fix you.” I shake my head and make the confession I’ve wanted to say since I returned. “I never should’ve left you like that. Not when you needed me…but I panicked.”

“Shhhh.” Vah’all’s lips brush over my neck, his hand wrapping my hair in his fist. “No more blame. We are together now and that is all that matters. I regret putting you in danger. You regret leaving to seek safety. In the end, we’re here, making a home. Starting a life.”

He sucks my skin into his mouth, his tongue licking over my sensitive flesh. A shiver rakes down my body when his hands begin to move. “You’re trying to distract me,” I say.

“Is it working?”

“Mmmm, you always know what to do.” Pleasure ignites in my belly, all thoughts of organizing gone as they shift to the bed. Before Vah’all can give me what I’m craving, however, there are sounds at the entrance, followed by shouts of hello. “Are you expecting someone?” I fix my top to cover my breasts while he moves to the tunnel.

“Vah’all! Sarah!” Voices grow louder until his friends enter.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

We greet everyone as they file into the cavern. They’ve brought drinks and food, ready for a feast. I only wish I had a head’s up, so I could’ve been more prepared. “We’re celebrating the first mating in years!” It’s one of the elders who makes the proclamation, but I don’t remember his name. It’s a mixture of elders and warriors who make themselves at home. Thankfully, the cavern is open and spacious enough to accommodate all our unexpected guests.

“Everything is quiet for now, but I’m watching the monitors from here.” Drocrek shows Vah’all and me the band on his wrist equipped with a small screen that alternates between different views of the area around us outside of the tall rocks. “And I made Cozex stay behind in the control room. I couldn’t miss celebrating your mating and your new official position at the base.”

This is news to me. “You got a new position?”

“It isn’t a big deal, but I was going to tell you tonight. I’m in charge of security right here so I’ll never have to be far from you. I’ll always be close if you need me or if there’s another attack.” He closes the distance between us until we can almost ignore the crowd in the cavern. “You won’t need to worry.”

“I’m not worried.” I throw my arms around him, relieved to hear he won’t be crashing any more ships and eliminating witnesses. “We’re going to be okay. And you’ll be close.”

“Come,” Stux’an says, pulling Vah’all away from me. “Help me start a fire.”

Vah’all beams, the support from his makeshift family so important in this moment. It finally registers how much he was willing to sacrifice for me. He ostracized himself from his warrior brothers just to keep me. The same warriors who were all he had when his parents died. But they’ve proven their loyalty to him in the end. This may be a testosterone fueled family but as they prepare for a celebratory feast, the appeal is undeniable.

By rebelling against the restrictive laws set by some of the elders, they’ve freed themselves in more ways than one. Now Vah’all and I can be together, and we won’t be forced to be a secret forever. Maybe one day we’ll be able to go on an adventure together and Vah’all can see some of the places he’s always been curious about.

Ondin approaches while I’m standing on my own, watching everyone settle in and make themselves at home. He’s with a female, and the shock of seeing the first female dhevieth in person causes me to forget all my manners and stare.

“Sarah, I wanted to introduce you to my mother, Akva.”

Akva is like Ondin but with a slight frame and petite features. She has long silver hair adorned with beautiful, beaded clips, full lips and the thickest eye lashes I’ve ever seen. Even being considered petite, she’s still a head taller than me. She smiles when Ondin introduces her, probably amused with the shocked look on my face.

“It’s so nice to meet you.” I’m smiling now, too. With my friends in Nedruinia, I’ll be sticking close to the cavern without many opportunities for interactions with friends. It’s exciting to know Ondin has a mother on this side of the pass. Another woman who I could spend some time with.

“I’ve been eager to meet you,” she says. “Ondin has been telling me all about the four women from Earth but with everything that has happened, this is the first chance we’ve had to meet.”

“Yes, never a dull moment, and all that.” I laugh because what else can I do? We’ve been subjected to a lot since arriving on Bameh. It’s a relief to know Akva is relieved to meet me and seems interested in getting to know me better.

“Do you have parents back on Earth? Siblings you left behind?”

Usually, any mention of Sam strikes red, hot pain straight to my heart. But today it’s different. Surrounded by Vah’all’s family, knowing I’m loved and finally able to forgive myself, her question doesn’t create the same regret as usual.

“I had a sister. My parents still live on Earth. Now that I plan on staying with Vah’all, Drocrek promised to figure out a way for me to communicate with them. Facetime through the galaxy? Something like that.” I shrug and laugh because I’m talking but she doesn’t have a clue what I’m saying. “I’d love to visit with you anytime. You’re always welcome to pop in. I could use more friends.”

Akva smiles, looking genuinely pleased about the offer. “I would enjoy that. Especially is there’s a baby one of these days.”

“No baby yet. And now that we aren’t under any pressure to have a baby to try to appease the council, we’re not going to stress about it. If it happens, it happens. Otherwise, we’re in no rush. But when it becomes a reality, I appreciate the offer of help.”

They walk away but I’m only alone for a few minutes before Vah’all returns. It’s pleasantly warm in the cavern with so many bodies crowding the space and a fire roaring away in the corner. Our guests have set up the food buffet style along with barrels of ale along the wall.

“Is everything okay?” Vah’all asks, sweeping me up in his arms.

I glance around and even though we may be in the middle of a huge conflict, the faces in the cavern are happy and content. They’re a family and Vah’all is mine so the scene unfolding around me fills me with nothing but unexpected joy.

“Everything is great.” We kiss at the same moment someone must say something hilarious because a loud roar of laughter erupts around us. “There’s a lot to celebrate tonight. A lot to be thankful for.”

“You,” Vah’all says. “I’m eternally thankful for you.”

Epilogue

Sarah

A FEW MONTHS later

LATE AFTERNOON, right around dinner time, is always the hottest time of the day. It’s also nearing the time Vah’all returns from his rotation of security at the border. We’ve fallen into a routine over the last few months since moving into the cavern. I stick close, staying out of sight for safety purposes, but so far, I don’t mind. There’s a plethora of new plants growing along the bank of the river keeping me busy with my latest remedies and tea concoctions.

I’ve just filled one of my bowls to the brim with the bright red hacklebore berries, at least that’s what Vah’all told me they’re called, when the almost indiscernible swish of wings from behind me announces his arrival home. I’m wading through the river in water that comes up to my waist when his strong arms wrap around me and lift me into the air.

“What if one of my brothers decided to come for a visit? I would become so jealous if they saw you this way, I’d be forced to end them.”

I giggle because today, with this heat, I didn’t bother wearing anything into the water. “If someone came, who wasn’t you, I’d sink lower under the water and hide my lady bits.” He chuckles and turns me in his arms, kissing me long and deep. “Where are your pants? I know you didn’t patrol the borders pants less today.”

He motions toward the bank with his head. Sure enough, his clothes are tossed in a pile. “Ah, the hacklebore berries are ripe?” He sees the bowl sitting next to the small bushes, the red standing out against the dull rocks.

“Uh huh. Which is exciting for me because now I can add the finishing touches to my anti-itch cream.” There are these tiny flying bugs that hang out by the river, and they love to bite me. They’ve never bothered Vah’all, but his skin is much thicker and scalier. They feast on me, leaving behind itchy patches. Through trial and error, I’ve developed my own creams using the herbs and berries that grow around our cavern to treat these issues when they pop up. It’s the best of both worlds this way. I don’t have to feel so guilty for unenrolling in the intergalactic educational program, but I still get to experiment creating remedies, creams and teas with the things I find in nature on Bameh.

I used to spend all my time researching remedies to help with sleep troubles, but ever since I began sleeping with Vah’all, that hasn’t been an issue for me anymore. So, I’ve expanded my research.

“Let me look. Is your skin still irritated?” He gently slides me down his body until I’m back in the water. Once my feet support me again, he lifts my right leg out of the water so he can look at the red patch near my ankle where I haven’t been able to stop scratching for a few days now. He’s too tall and I’m not flexible enough, though, because in a fit of giggles, I start to go over backwards into the river.

Effortlessly, he scoops me into his arms, and we hover in the water together. “Did you do that on purpose?”

“Of course not. But I still forget how small you are sometimes.”

He kisses me along my jaw, down the column of my neck but I squirm because it tickles. “How did everything go along the border today?”

“All quiet.” He kisses my bottom lip, pulling it into his mouth before releasing it with a pop. I love when he’s so playful with me. He’s never in a rush, always taking his time to explore and show his desire. With my legs wrapped around his waist, he walks us into the deeper section of the river. The water is warm this time of day but still refreshing when the sun is so hot.

My fingers twist into his hair as our kisses deepen. His tongue strokes against mine making my pussy wet and achy. “Are you happy?” Vah’all surprises me by asking. I’m still panting from his kisses, in a daze ready for him to carry me inside and show me how much he loves me. We’ve been together for a while now and we’ve expressed our love, but he’s never specifically asked me this question before.

I kiss him gently, trying my best to put all my love into this act. And when I pull back, I nod my head and answer. “Yes, I’m happy.”

Tension melts from his body as his passion explodes. He moves us from the middle of the river to the sandy bank, setting me down so we have room to work. His wide palms seek out my thighs and flatten them to the ground. His head dips down and then seconds later his hot tongue licks me from my puckered hole to the top of my mound. He controls me so easily, rocking my hips forward and back.

A strangled moan escapes me. “Oh, this makes me really happy.” He doesn’t let up, but his lips spread like he’s smiling while he flicks my clit with his tongue. Two thick fingers slide into my pussy where he strokes me in pleasing curls, like I taught him to do. I’m so close when he suddenly pulls back.

“Sorry, my only.” He positions his cock over my mound as his lubricant gushes over me. It’s a huge perk that he produces his own natural arousal but sometimes it comes at inopportune times. He rubs the liquid into my pussy, massaging it into my lips. It only takes a few strokes on my clit before I burst with pleasure, crying out, begging him not to stop while he strokes his cock to get himself ready.

I’m still high from my first orgasm when he thrusts deep, the action causing a second orgasm to take over where the first left off. “Shit, Vah’all!” My nails dig into his shoulder as my back arches off the ground. He pounds into me while I struggle to breathe through the ripples of pleasure that consume me. “So good…” I manage to say, my eyes closing so I can focus on the experience.

Moments later, he flips me so I’m supporting myself in the sand on all four limbs. His massive palms spread my cheeks before he works his cock back inside of me. “Oh…you’re going to hit my G-spot like this.”

He strokes deeper, slower this time until he’s sure there’s no discomfort. It took a while before we could have sex without any pain purely because of his size. But now my body adapted to him and it’s only on rare occasions that there’s a painful moment. After a few thrusts, he pulls me up so my back is flush against his chest. His fingers play with my clit while he fills me, pumping in a slow, steady rhythm. “Come for me one more time. You close?” he asks, whispering in my ear.

I nod, squeezing my eyes shut as I get closer and closer to the finish line. “I can’t hold on much longer. You feel too good. So wet and hot. So tight.” With a pained groan, Vah’all wraps one arm around my hips and plunges deep, his cock pulsing as he comes. I’m quick to take over for him, moving my fingers to my clit and working it in a circle until I dive over the edge and follow him.

At this point, my body is trembling and boneless after so many intense orgasms. Vah’all holds me up with his arms until he pulls me into his body. Then we snuggle and rest on the bank of the river until we lose the heat from the afternoon sun.

I’m not sure whose stomach growls first but it’s the dose of reality we need to get us up and moving. The sun is almost gone. From where we lie on the bank, we can see a bit of orange and pink that paints a jagged line across the sky. Soon it’ll be dark, and I’ll need to warmth from the fire as well as my clothes to keep the chill of the night away.

“Are you ready to go inside, my only?” Vah’all asks, brushing his fingers through my hair that has now dried.

“Almost. We haven’t seen the flock of saribree yet. Once they fly past, we’ll go inside.”

“Hmm. You liked the story about the saribree?”

“Well, you said your people believe they’re a sign of good luck. It can’t hurt to make a wish when they fly past at night.”

“You make a wish every night?”

“I do.”

“What do you wish for?”

I shrug and even though I don’t like to tell what my wishes are once I’ve made them; I decide to give him the general idea. “You know…I make wishes that my friends stay safe and healthy on Nedruinia. I make wishes for us that we stay safe and can remain together. Things like that.”

He kisses my temple and wraps his wings around me now that the first brisk wind can be felt. “So, you wish every night that those you love will stay safe and healthy?”

I smile and look up into his eyes. “Yes. I guess that’s the gist of it.”

“Then tonight, I will make a wish along with you.”

We’re both quiet when the pack of orange, yellow and blue saribree fly overhead like they do every night on their way to their nest. Then, Vah’all stands and offers me his hand. “I love you, my only. Now let’s get you inside.”

“I love you, too.”

I take his hand and let him lead me home.

The End

THANK you so much for reading! If you loved the story, please consider leaving a review. And be on the look-out for Maren and Kraal’s story in The Alien’s Bounty coming soon!

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Natasha Snow (Natasha Snow Designs) for the gorgeous cover.

Thank you Flirty Girl Editing for always squeezing me in.

Thank you to the ARC readers who take the time to read and review my books. I appreciate you all!

And to all my readers—I am so honored that you continue to support/love/read my books. You are beyond amazing and I couldn’t do it without you!!

About the Author

Luna Kingsley writes steamy sci-fi and paranormal romance. She loves a happy ending more than chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream on top! When she’s not writing she’s attempting to keep up with her two active boys on all of their adventures. With her faithful rescue dog at her side, she’s dreaming up "out of this world" romances with sexy aliens who are irresistible. Sign up for my newsletter to get a free novella, Surrender to the Alien!

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