So fucking handsome.
It should be a crime to be that lovely, and male.
And he was a king. Completely out of her league.
“I’m Gloria Lancaster of Earth, clerk at Gas-n-Stuff. A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” She held out her hand but thought better of it and slipped out of his grasp to stand and bow, feeling stupid.
He watched her with eyebrows and antennae lifting. “It is my delight to know you, Gloria,” he murmured gently and slowly reached for her. “Please, call me Azziarh.”
Gloria watched his hand, six elegant fingers and the golden-clawed thumb, and longed to take that big hand in both of hers and squeeze for dear life. Reality was that this could never work. She had a job as a clerk at a quickie mart in a tiny tourist town in the mountains. She didn’t have a penny to her name, wasn’t young, attractive, skinny, or gifted intellectually. These were well-documented flaws that past boyfriends pointed out upon finding her lacking. “I’m not royalty. What can I possibly offer you?”
“This is what concerns you, Lady Gloria Lancaster? There is no cause for worry, my sweet Earth lady. You offer me everything my life has lacked, my mate. It is more than a simple pleasure, it is my honor.” He continued to extend his hand as he spoke.
“Why would you want me?” she asked quietly, hands lifting to ball together between her breasts.
“Because you are my mate,” he answered as though that were obvious and natural. “You have a choice in the mater, of course, but it would be my desire that you stay with me. I wish for you to come to my world and rule at my side.”
She found that she couldn’t speak. Her throat was so tight and her eyes stung with tears at his tenderness. Rule alongside him? She clasped his hand with both of hers and he drew her closer, sliding his arm around her again. His antennae lifted from the lazy coil against his silken hair and his brows drew together in sadness. “I am so sorry I wasn’t able to prevent them from harming you, my heart. My soul. My queen.”
“It’s fine. I mean, I’m fine. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to stop them from hurting you, either. I…this is all a bit much. It’s not that I don’t want to go with you. I very much would like to go, but…”
He flashed a glorious grin of triumph as he cupped her jaw, six fingers, claw, and palm warm and comforting against her, and his scent sexy and spicy. “Good, then it’s settled. We shall attend the celebration of your holiday and bring your blood kin offerings proper to your new station, and then you shall gather those belongings you wish to take with you and we shall go. Take as long as you need to settle your affairs.” There was a twinkle in his gaze as he murmured, “But do not take too much time, my darling.”
“Wait. Wait. Azziarh?” His name rolled sweetly off her tongue for the first time. Strange that she wasn’t concerned that he was so eager to take her and make her his bride after less than twenty-four hours. There were other things that concerned her. “I don’t know anything about your people or your world. How will I get by? I don’t want to do anything to fuck things up.”
When she said fuck, his lips curled back from his fangs. A hungry look passed across his handsome features. “There shall be much fucking, but only between you and I. Our people will not be involved in that.” A questioning look followed as he stroked his thumb talon along her lip carefully. “You are…not interested in a multi-union are you? I…know some terrestrials engage in those types of matings. I didn’t consider…”
“What? Wait…no. No, I only want you. No one else.” She laughed and squeezed her eyes closed at his low rumble of appreciation. “I— Speaking of not knowing about things…are we…um, are we even compatible?” She untangled her fingers and tried to motion coming together with both hands.
“Of course. We are mates. We have not consummated the physical union, but do not fear that. I will treat you with the utmost carefulness, my treasure.” His fingers stroked across her cheek, teasing the lobe of her ear as he resumed that hungry regard of her. “It’s only a matter of removing these clothes so we can join together in body. Our hearts and souls are already merged. You took in the powder of my wings without taking any harm and that is the most important part.”
“Harm? Wait, you mean there could have been harm?”
“Well, if you were not my mate, yes. The powder is poison to any who are not true mates. It is an important part of the union and bonding; coating you with my powders. I am looking forward to completely painting you, my lovely Earthling.”
“Human is probably better. And I…I don’t know how I feel about the possibility that I could have poisoned myself by accident.”
“Of course, my human,” he growled, stroking his fingers along her jaw. He fell silent, his features twisting with guilt and a touch of something else. Anger? His jaw tensed. “I came here under the instruction that I could just…” his voice trailed off and for the first time he looked away from her. “I was told to simply select females until I found the one compatible with my powder.” He sounded disgusted and his narrow nose crinkled as he bared his fangs. “I was not as stricken by this thought as I should have been. I am embarrassed to say my desire to find a mate was that strong. I have broken a good number of imperial orders to come here and find you. My advisor thought himself very clever, setting this trap for me, but he is being dealt with.”
She could only stare at him as he unpacked all that information. Where did she even start to question him? Was he going to get into trouble for breaking rules? What asshole had suggested he just randomly go through women to find one that didn’t die at his touch? How did that even work? And despite all those questions and her initial disturbance at the threat, she was more aroused that he wanted to cover her in that magnificent, glittering powder.
“The moment I saw you, I realized that the very idea of letting another touch my wings was unthinkable. Not only simply unpalatable but wrong. I knew before you ever touched me that you were the one. My one. I felt it.” He tapped a finger against his chest as he fixed glowing eyes on her. “I am sorry I did not have the words to warn you so you could decide the risk before you touched them. I fear that it is possible do die in a failed union. It is a risk, but I have not heard of death occurring in many generations. I would have gladly taken the risk myself to save you from the danger if such a thing were possible, however you have no wings. And you are mine!”
The possessiveness sent a hot lance of desire straight to her pussy. She remembered the way her whole arm had tingled with pleasure when she’d touched his wing. Part of her liked the fact that no other could touch his wings without the threat of getting sick. “What if I’m just not poisoned because I’m human and this is just…”
“Your companion and my chief deputy have mated, my Gloria. They were fully computable in all ways.”
She frowned and blinked hard at Azziarh. “Jeff?” Dim memories of his features came to her, the vivid smudges of colors on his face. He’d gotten himself powdered too? “They’re mated. That’s….wow. He’s coming with us?”
“I should think so. My chief has not announced that she’s stepping down from her station. Of course, if your companion gets with young, she may have to…”
“Whoa…the what?” She asked and reached out, putting a finger to his lips to silence him. She wasn’t sure she was up for details about her best friend and an alien having sex.
Blinking, Azziarh went silent behind her finger, his eyes flaring with heat at the touch. He held still a moment before his tongue darted out to caress the tip of her finger.
“Oh.” Heat spread from the simple touch, all the way to her sex. “God!”
Azziarh thrummed, his wings shivering as the purring sound rose, filling the room with their vibration. Glittering powder swirled in the air with the movement, and the scent of him grew stronger. “Yes, less talking,” he agreed and playfully nipped at her finger before taking it between his lips, sucking lightly against her. His long, agile tongue wrapped around her finger and drew her in deeper with the steady suction.
He freed her finger and pressed his lips to her palm and kissed and lapped there. He smiled against her palm, nuzzling before giving the pad of her hand a playful bite, the fang catching her skin with a delicious pang of pain before he lapped the spot, fixing her with a look as his long, red tongue extended.
How had she thought him so alien before? He was gorgeous. From his sculpted cheekbones to his full, kissable lips. Even the impossibly thick lashes framing his eyes gave his burning green gaze an exotic edge.
Curling her fingers against his jawline, she pulled her hand away and pressed a kiss to his sexy mouth. His whole body stiffened in response and his arms tightened around her. For a moment she thought he would pull away. Instead he went as still as stone.
His skin was felt almost feverish in comparison to hers and she savored the way his plump lips tasted as she sampled the lower one by sucking against it. Spices. Nutmeg and hazelnut. When her tongue stroked along his captured lip he let out a throaty moan. The dark, desperate sound he uttered made her whole body tighten. A wave of heat surged from her chest down to her sex as his long fingers fisted in her gown.
Then he returned her kisses, his lips sampling hers with little caresses until she moaned in desperation for more. He deepened the kiss, lips parting to claim her mouth with his tongue. The plunder took her breath away and she tangled with him. Oh, the tangle. He feasted on her as though her lips were a life-giving flowers and he’d never tasted anything as delicious.
The talon of his thumb caressed her throat as his palm cupped her jaw while they kissed. Slowly his hands roamed lower over her body. His strong fingers squeezed her hip and caressed her stomach and the side of her breast. One fingertip after another traced the outside curve of each breast.
She pressed against him as another moan escaped her. He consumed the sounds and the tone of his purring deepened, trembling notes of desire and hunger reached all the way into the marrow of her bones. He was leaving his mark against her there. From this point on, she’d always know the sound of him.
She ran her fingers through the luxurious ruff at his throat and found the texture softer than chinchilla fur and much longer. She longed to rub herself all over that thatch of silken fur. When her fingers stroked up his neck and into his long, silken hair, he snarled in pleasure. His tongue darted deeper into her mouth, wrestling with hers in a sexy duel. She couldn’t get enough of the feel and taste of him and craved to have his skin all over her. In her.
She drew her head back at last, reluctantly breaking the kiss. He blinked down at her, glowing eyes hazy with lust.
She kept her fingers caught in his silken hair. “I want to see you.”
“Yes, as I wish to see you bared,” he murmured and bowed his head as he leaned in to place a kiss to her neck. His tongue lapped against her skin and lit a sizzling path to her ear. “Shall I undress you, Sazina?”
She moaned aloud, head falling to the side to allow him better access to lick his way up to her jaw. His lips, teeth, and that insane tongue made her writhe. She found herself rubbing her thighs together, desperate for relief.
“Tell me of your wants and I will fulfill them all and make you dream up new desires to challenge me.” His words were a low hum against the shell of her ear before his teeth lightly nipped her there. His tongue curled around her ear lobe in a slow, long lick.
“I want you,” she whispered, blushing furiously. In her experience, lovers didn’t take requests. Was that a thing? She couldn’t possibly put into words that she wanted him to lick every part of her, particularly her pussy and breasts.
He drew back to regard her, eyelids heavy and gaze shimmering behind the veil of his lashes. “Do not be shy, Sazina. Are you distressed?” His hand cupped her jaw and his thumb caressed her lower lip. “I will undress for you first.” He drew back and the loss of his warmth pulled a shivery whimper from her. “Do not hide from me. Open your eyes.”
She snapped open her eyes when he stood from the bed. And found him standing before her, hands already working open the topmost golden clasp. “What does Sazina mean?” She asked, mouth going dry as he peeled back one side of the robe and then the other to expose his pale abs to her.
“It is a flower. Did you not see it at your bedside? It is the same color as your lips.” Another clasp came unfastened, and another until at last he shrugged out of the gleaming silk and let is pool at his feet.
“I…yes, I saw it. I…” she lost the capacity to form words as she gazed at him. Sure, he was wearing the pantaloons, but they were so sheer she could see his powerful legs and the glory of his cocks straining against the gossamer fabric.
Cocks. That’s right.
She should be terrified of what he was packing, but her lust was so sharp there was no room for that emotion as she watched him. Besides, this was her alien and she trusted that he wouldn’t harm her. Need and desire pooled low in her belly as he slowly pulled down the loose-fitting pants.
She counted what looked like four cocks as he presented himself to her. At least, those silvery, rose-crowned appendages that extended from his groin looked very cock-like to her. A long, thick cock arched elegantly at the center, flanked on each side by longer, slender cocks and at the underside, where his testicles should be, was another. She closed her mouth with a snap.
Heat flooded her face as she fumbled for words. It was so much easier when sex happened with the lights out and she knew the guy was going to climb on top and pump away. This was completely new equipment and she was pretty sure that simple had no place in the workings of that sexual arsenal. Her missionary experience had not prepared her for epic alien sex. Creative dildos didn’t, either.
His wings gave a shuddering tremble as the purring song of them increased and then suddenly powerfully fanned his wings, enough to stir the air in the room. “I can smell your arousal, but you are displeased,” he stated, as though sensing her unease, and reached down to put a hand over his groin to shield himself.
“No!” The word came out too loud and she covered her face with her hand before forcing it down. “I’m just trying to figure out…that is…human males only have one.”
His nose crinkled slightly. “I see.” He wrapped his hand around the central appendage and slowly stroked from base to pink crown, making the velvety skin flush to a magnificent purple. The lower cock flexed upward and surprised her by coiling up and wrapping around his wrist.
Crooking a finger at him, she whispered, “Come here. I need a better look to educate myself.”
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, his hand still wrapped around the base of his central cock. The broad, tulip-shaped crown glistened with pearly moisture. “I should explain. These are my claspers.” He released his cock to run a finger along one and then the other of the longer appendages and they flexed in response to the touch, as agile and flexible as the one still wrapped around his wrist. These will hold you secure while we mate in flight.”
“But I don’t have wings…I…”
“I would still carry you,” he answered fiercely, a little shiver in his voice.
Her stomach did a wild spiral of desire. He was going to fuck her in the air? She bit into her lower lip to keep from moaning but he must have scented her excitement because he smiled and his shoulders relaxed.
“This is my cock and I intend to bring you great pleasure with it.” He ran a finger along the underside. It was a work of art, flushed fully pink now with a crown of magenta. There were ridges spiraled up the girth and she longed to get a better look. With her hands and mouth. He was large and that might be a problem if she wasn’t ready, but damn, she was so needy for him, she would hardly need a touch before she was going off like a rocket.
When she reached out to touch him, the under-cock coiled toward her fingertips like a tentacle and she hesitated, looking up into his eyes.
“That is the thalin,” he said as she caressed the length of it. In return, it coiled around her fingers, catching her up and drawing her hand toward the
base of his cock. The action made her laugh in delight and another wave of desire flooded her.
His breath caught and he resumed talking after widening his legs slightly. “There is a dance between male and female as they mate. Male and female thalin twine together, much like our tongues while kissing. And in the end, after copulation, my thalin will collect your egg and transfer the fertilized embryo to me for the gestation of our offspring.” He bared his teeth in a wide, feral smile of pride.
It sounded so scientific that it should have left her cold and detached, but there was nothing in his explanation that chilled her desire for him. In fact, it only made her want to fuck him even more.
“I have not done this, of course,” he assured her, as though thinking her growing concern was that he’d been with another before her. “It’s purely theoretical on my part, and I may not have physical experience, but I have researched to be sure I’m able to pleasure you, my mate. Wait, what’s wrong?”
“That all sounds wonderful but it’s not how my body works. I don’t release eggs like that. I don’t have…a-a…thalin. Human females carry the babies to term.” Her heart twisted as she realized that they weren’t compatible after all. Her eyes stung with sudden, irrational tears.
They could have fun and fuck probably, but he’d be missing out on half of the experience. To top it off, they couldn’t have children? They weren’t even the same species, of course having children would be an issue. Would it even be possible for them to have children? She should have known this was all too good to be true. A king wouldn’t want a barren queen, that was pretty much the kiss of death. Right?
He reached out and cupped her cheek, tipping her chin up as he stepped in closer. “Do not worry. We will find a way. You are my mate, Gloria. Lovely little Sazina. We will have our medic aid in the transfer. It is often the case that medical care is needed. Ssshh, do not cry. Have I offended you?” He looked horrified and even his cock deflated and the agile thalin released her at the first sign of her tears. “If you wish to carry our offspring, the honor shall be yours. Forgive me, I am new to courting. Perhaps this is too early to speak of offspring.” He winced and looked even more stricken.
Stars, Snow and Mistletoe: A Holiday Naughty List Collection Page 38