by S. E. Smith
“I will return soon. Rest and we will eat when you awake.” Zoran said letting his hand rest on Abby’s hip for a moment before he stood and left the room.
Abby listened as the door closed behind Zoran, only then did she let the tears fall. What had she gotten herself into? Zoran’s world and hers were so different. How was she ever going to fit in? It was more than just the sex in front of people. It was losing everything she had ever known and going into a world where she didn’t know anything. What would happen if Zoran decided he no longer wanted her? What would happen if he wanted to have sex with other women? Abby knew she could never live with him if he did that. But, where would that leave her? On an alien planet away from everyone she had ever known and loved and away from her beloved mountain. Abby cried until she was so exhausted she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Slowly, sleep claimed her giving her a measure of peace.
Zoran glanced across the table worried as Abby picked at her food again, pushing it from one side of the plate to the other, never eating more than a bite or two. She was losing weight and dark shadows appeared under her eyes. She seldom talked to Zoran unless he talked to her first. They had been traveling for over two weeks and she became quieter the closer they got to Valdier. He reached out for the symbiosis on her wrists to see if they would tell him anything but as soon as he connected with them, they withdrew from him.
Slamming his hand down on the table, he watched as Abby jumped, “What is wrong? You must tell me, Abby. I watch each day as you fade further and further away from me.”
Abby refused to look Zoran in the eye as she replied softly, “I’ve never turned you away.” And she hadn’t, she couldn’t. Every time Zoran touched her, she felt the waves of heat build inside her and she could no more turn away from him than stop breathing.
“You let me love you but it is only to your body.” Zoran said harshly. “You do not eat, you do not talk, you barely sleep. Why? You refuse to let me take you to medical and even your symbiosis will not answer my concerns. I need you to tell me what is wrong?”
Abby felt a tear drop onto her hand. “Nothing is wrong, Zoran. I’m just tired. That’s all, just tired.”
Zoran stood up coming around the table, kneeling down, he lifted Abby’s chin gently to look him in the eye. “You say that, Abby, but you do not sleep. You think I do not know that you pretend to when I hold you at night. Tell me, elila, let me help you.”
Abby stared into Zoran’s eyes for a moment before she replied softly, “We are so different. We literally come from two different worlds.” Abby laid her palm on Zoran’s cheek. “I’ve lost everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever loved, who I am.”
Fear made Zoran’s eyes flashed with anger. “You are mine, Abby. I have claimed you. You will learn to adapt. You will learn to love my world, my people, and accept who you are now.”
Abby shook her head tiredly. She thought of nothing else but what she could do over the last two weeks, “Zoran, I don’t belong here. I belong back on my mountain.”
Zoran stood up, trembling at the thought of losing Abby. He had to get away. Walking towards the cabin door, he turned and softly said, “You are never going back, Abby. You will learn to accept what has happened. If you do not start eating, I will force you. If you do not sleep, I will medicate you so you get rest. You will learn that you are no longer the person you were.”
Abby watched as Zoran stormed out of their cabin before softly replying. “Oh Zoran, I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive.”
“I do not know what to do, Kelan.” Zoran said as he nursed a stiff drink in his hand. “She is fading away right before my eyes. She doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep, hardly talks to me. She wants me to take her back to her mountain.”
Kelan swallowed his drink before pouring another glass. He was already well into his cups by the time Zoran found him. He picked up the glass and took another big gulp before replying.
“I am ready to take them all back!” Kelan slurred. “I have had it with her…them. They are bossy, opinionated, stubborn…” Kelan hiccupped, “…beautiful and too damn sexy.”
Zoran frowned but before he could reply, Trelon came in growling under his breath. “I need a drink.”
Before Zoran or Kelan could say a word, Trelon took the bottle of potent wine and started drinking straight from it, not even bothering with a glass. Wiping a hand across his mouth, he growled, “I’m going to kill me a tiny human female with red and purple hair. I’m going to rip her apart, burn her to ash, and then put her back together again so I can do it over and over until she begs for mercy.”
Zoran looked at both his brothers. He had never seen them like this. “What is wrong?”
“Wrong? Wrong, he asks.” Trelon growled pointing the bottle at Zoran. “I’ll tell you what is wrong. You landed on a damn planet of females who would drive any male to distraction then act like it is the male’s fault! No, you couldn’t land on a planet where our symbiosis would want to kill the female and our dragon would find them repulsive. No, you had to land on a planet where my symbiosis is so infatuated with the female it does every damn thing she asks regardless of what I say and my dragon is so horny it is about ready to disembowel me if I don’t claim her before another male does, only I can’t catch her long enough to do so.”
“You too?” Kelan looked burry eyed at Trelon. “My female refuses to even acknowledge me as a male. All she does is quote her name, rank, and some awful number I can’t remember. She insists I take her home. My symbiosis is sleeping with her like it is her new pet sending me images of her stroking and scratching it and talking nonsense while me and my dragon get to suffer.” Kelan grunted as his head fell forward. “She even said if I wanted to stay in my dragon form she would scratch my belly but she wouldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole.”
“What of the other females?” Zoran asked confused. What was happening to his brothers?
“The one named Ariel stays with her sister, Carmen. She is the female who was almost killed. She is a vicious one. One of the males from medical wanted her to mate with him. She knocked him out. They have been moved to their own cabin under guard.” Trelon said taking another deep drink.
“Why are your females not under guard?” Zoran asked as he finished off his drink and reached for another bottle of wine.
“The one named Trisha is under guard, in my cabin.” Kelan slurred. “Unfortunately, I can’t get in because she has my symbiosis attack me and drag me out every time I try to enter. Wait until I get her home. I am going to send my symbiosis to play and as soon as it is gone, bam, she is mine!” Kelan giggled at the thought of finally having the female defenseless.
Trelon sighed heavily, “Cara has already hacked into the computer systems, engineering, communications, the environmental system, and our training programs. She had the men doing something called the ‘Electric Slide” in the training simulator yesterday. The woman drives me nuts. I swear she never sleeps, never shuts up, and gets into everything!”
“Maybe Abby would feel better if she were to talk to some of the other females. Perhaps if she knew she was not alone, that others of her kind were here with her, she would feel better about staying.” Zoran said perking up. “A dinner, I will set up a dinner for all the women. Notify Mandra to set it up. Invite as many males and mated couples as you can. Have mother there as well. We arrive on Valdier tomorrow. Maybe if the females see that our world can be similar to theirs they will be more receptive.”
“Oh joy, we get to be humiliated in front of everyone.” Kelan said sourly.
Zoran felt better as he returned to his cabin. It would explain much if Abby was fearful of being the only one of her kind but she wasn’t. There were four other females and she knew them. Perhaps if she knew that, it would help her. Opening the door of the cabin he moved in quietly, walking over to where Abby sat looking out into the blackness of space.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Zoran asked softly looking at Abby.
Abb
y smiled sadly. “I was raised to believe there was one god who created our world. Even that is something I can no longer hold onto.”
Zoran turned Abby to face him. His heart was breaking at the look of bleakness in her eyes. “You can hold onto me, Abby. I love you so much, elila.”
Abby looked into Zoran’s eyes. “What does that mean,…elila?”
“There is not an exact translation but it means ‘my heart’. You are my heart, Abby.” Zoran said softly brushing a light kiss across Abby’s lips. “Feel my heart, it beats for you.”
Abby looked at her hand laying against Zoran’s chest right over his heart. A single tear coursed down her cheek. She loved him so much. She was torn between knowing she had to leave him and knowing she couldn’t. She felt so lost. She felt the warmth through his shirt, the soft thump of his heart.
“Now, feel yours.” Zoran said taking her other hand and putting it on her chest. Abby looked up in wonder as she felt both their hearts beating at the same time. “How?”
“I told you, we are one now. I cannot live without you, Abby, just as you can no longer live without me.” Zoran whispered against her hair.
Abby sniffed, trying to not cry. “Oh Zoran, I love you so much. I just don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Know I love you, Abby.” Zoran said wrapping his arms around her tightly. “Tomorrow we will be on Valdier. You will see how beautiful it is. I have much to teach and show you.”
Abby leaned into Zoran’s warm body. She didn’t want to worry anymore. She just wanted to feel his warm body wrapped around hers and feel safe in his arms. A soft sigh escaped her as her body finally gave in to all the stress and emotional duress she had been suffering over the last few weeks and she fell asleep in Zoran’s arms.
Chapter 16
Abby shivered nervously as she followed Zoran towards the transporter room. They reached Valdier a couple of hours ago. Zoran had been busy with making final arrangements on board before he came to the cabin to get her. Abby was wearing the jeans and t-shirt she had on when she had been on Earth. She needed something familiar to help her deal with all the changes.
“So, how does this thing work? Are all my body parts going to be in the same place after you zap us? What does this button do? Why is that one flashing? Man, I’d love to take this puppy apart and see what makes it tick.” Abby heard Cara’s voice going a mile a minute.
Abby chuckled when she saw Cara moving like a hummingbird around and around the console holding the transporter controls, a symbiosis following her while Trelon moved from one side to the other trying to catch her. Every time he would get close to her, Cara would either turn at the last minute just out of arms reach or the symbiosis would get between the two of them. Trisha stood over to the other side with a stony stare on her face, Kelan’s symbiosis laying at her feet with Kelan sending dark looks at her every now and then. Ariel and Carmen stood to the other side with two guards staring at both of them with lusty looks. Carmen bared her teeth at the guards, causing both of them to take a step back.
Abby touched Zoran’s arm softly, “I didn’t know you had brought the other women here.” Abby whispered.
Zoran smiled down at Abby’s surprised face. “I am afraid I have not taken as good of care of you as I should have. I’ve kept you to myself these past two weeks. It was necessary to bring them. They had seen too much. Besides, the one named Carmen had been hurt too critically to leave her behind.” He didn’t add how he hoped having others of her kind being here would help her adjust.
“But…” Abby looked at the other women hesitantly. “Did they want to come? What if they want to return home?”
“This is their home now, Abby. They cannot return.” Zoran replied sternly. He did not want her to think if the others wanted to return to Earth then she could.
“But…” Abby started to argue, stopping at the dark look Zoran gave her.
“They will adjust just like you will.” Zoran said before turning away to nod towards Kelan and Trelon to show he was ready to transport.
Taking Abby’s arm, he guided her over to one of the transporter modules holding her tightly as the lights began moving around them. In a matter of moments, they were on Valdier in the transporter room of the main base. Several guards appeared, bowing to Zoran as he pulled Abby through the room.
Abby glanced around the elaborate room she had been guided to before Zoran kissed her, promising to return later. He told her he ordered some clothing for her and a seamstress would be along shortly for her fitting.
Abby bit her tongue trying not to give into the anger building inside her. She was getting tired of Zoran’s high-handed attitude of bossing her around. She paced back and forth clenching and unclenching her fists. The more she paced, the madder she got. How dare he bring the other women here? Didn’t he understand how it felt to lose everything you knew? Didn’t he care if they had families who would worry and miss them?
She was the one responsible for Cara, Trisha, Ariel, and Carmen being here. It was her fault. If she hadn’t invited them to her home, they would have been safe. Abby wrapped her arms around her waist. She had to talk to them. See if they were happy, if not, she had to find a way to talk Zoran into returning them to Earth. He had to listen to her. She was so tired of him telling her she would adjust. How would he know? He wasn’t the one who was ripped away from everything he knew. He wasn’t the one having to rely on someone else for their very existence.
Abby was so upset, she didn’t even notice the small scales appearing up and down her arms. Abby ran her hands up and down her arms as she felt the tingling under her skin grow. Moving towards the open double doors leading to the balcony, she looked out over the mountainous terrain towering over the city below. Her eyes were drawn to a commotion down below her. A small figure was running across the expanse of purple grass far below, when suddenly a huge golden creature resembling an eagle swooped down and picked it up. Abby couldn’t contain the gasp from escaping her as she covered her mouth with one hand trying to following the huge creature as it came higher and closer to her balcony. She jerked back as she saw the huge eagle was making a path straight for her. Abby’s eyes got even bigger as she realized the small figure was, in fact, Cara who was in the process of yelling insults at the very aggravated male who was shaking his fist up at her.
Abby gave a small squeak as she jumped to the side as the huge eagle came even with the balcony swinging back as it gently tossed Cara’s small form onto the narrow area.
“Hi!” Cara grinned up at Abby.
“Hi!” Abby responded, startled to see Cara grinning with a mischievous Cheshire grin. “What on earth is going on?”
Cara looked over the edge of the balcony and with a laugh shot the still yelling figure below her a symbol using her middle finger. From the answering roar, the symbol was understood. “Just having a little fun.” Cara replied cheerfully.
Abby leaned over the edge watching as the figure below fought with two other figures trying to hold him back. “Do you think it’s wise to provoke him that way?”
Cara just grinned, never taking her eyes off the struggle down below. “It does him good. You know, he is the only man I have ever met that I haven’t been able to drive away.” Her gaze softened as she watched him break free.
Abby watched the emotions flowing across Cara’s face, “You like him, don’t you?”
Cara looked up startled. “Does it show? I love it here. I’ve only been here a few hours but I’ve never felt so free, so…right.”
Abby watched as a thoughtful look passed through Cara’s eyes. “How do you know you’ll be happy here?” Abby asked softly.
Cara looked down as Trelon turned into a dragon. A huge grin spread across her face right before she let out a loud whistle. Climbing up onto the railing of the balcony, Cara glanced at Abby before jumping on the back of the huge golden eagle, “I don’t know but I’m willing to try. I’ve never felt this way before and I’m not about to let it go without
a fight…or two.” She said before the huge creature broke away with a huge sweep of its wings. “I’ll see you later at the dinner.” Cara yelled before the bird flew into a dive barely missing the dragon coming up underneath it.
Abby shook her head laughing as the dragon let out a roar of outrage as it twisted at the last minute in an effort to not collide with the massive bulk of the bird; a tiny laughing, human female clinging to its back.
The rest of the afternoon flew by. The seamstress came by with a legion of helpers carrying bolts of fabrics. She measured Abby, clucking her tongue as she muttered under her breath. It took Abby a while to convince the seamstress to create not only the dresses Zoran asked for but pants, shirts, and a variety of underclothes. Abby had to finally threaten to not wear a thing that was made if the order did not include panties and bras. Abby learned quickly that such items were not common attire on Valdier.
Abby was happy to hear the seamstress had also visited with the other women, excluding Cara who was still on the loose, and clothing for them had already been ordered. Shortly after the seamstress left, a young man appeared at Abby’s door.
“Yes.” Abby asked feeling sorry for the young warrior as he nervously swallowed.
“My Lady,” the young warrior began, “Lord Zoran thought you might like the company of some of the other women who had accompanied you to our world. He asked that I bring them to you, if that is permissible.” He finished with a stutter; a bright blush covered his face as he tried to keep his gaze from the dragon’s mark on Abby’s neck.
Abby smiled suddenly, feeling a very old twenty-two year old. “I would love the company. Please bring them by immediately. Oh, can you have some refreshments served as well?” Abby said as she watched him swallow and turn even redder.