by Webster, K
And return quickly.
We’ve been lucky so far, but I know how quick that luck can turn.
The sooner Avrell gets here, the better.
When we finish our rounds, Zoe’s already knee deep in studying data from the multitude of tests she and Avrell have devised. I leave her with the promise to take it easy for the next few weeks and head to see Willow for our scheduled comms with the Facility to check in before they depart in a few days.
Theron and Hadrian are busy preparing their ship for the journey back across Mortuus to collect Avrell. When not working on the ship, Theron has been training Willow to use their weapons and how to safely use their suits. She won’t be able to go into the Facility to see her mother, but she’ll be able to see her from afar.
I should be jealous, after all, I’ve been waiting to see Aria for most of my life, but surprisingly, I’m not. I’m content. Having caught The Rades, I’m still highly contagious and don’t want to bring the virus back to my sister and her new son. As soon as Avrell has cleared everyone, we’ll move the prisoners to the Facility and let the guards to fend for themselves. They won’t have any comms units to communicate with Earth II or any ships to leave the prison. They’ll be stuck there, like we were, which is a fate better than what they deserve for how they treated us.
I find Willow in the command room, speaking animatedly with her mother, who only looks to be a few years older due to all of us being on ice while we traveled to the prison.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Molly was saying, “I can’t wait to see you, my sweet girl. We’ve got so much catching up to do.”
“I won’t be able to see you for long, Mom. It won’t be safe.”
Molly waves a hand. “A few minutes will feel like a lifetime. Once Avrell gets there and gives that virus a kick in the pants, it won’t be long until every one of y’all is back here for good. I can’t wait for you to meet your sibling and Draven and the rogcow.”
Draven stands like a hovering thundercloud behind Molly. If any of the morts look like a monster it’s him. I don’t know how a sweet woman like Molly could mate someone so intimidating, but she flutters around him, full of enthusiasm, and he watches her with eyes full of love. Who am I to judge? I never thought I’d end up mated to man like Hadrian either.
“Rogcow?” Willow asks.
“Oh, you’re just going to love Eileen, I promise. Oh, hi, Limerick, I mean Lyric. I bet you’ll want to talk to Aria. You’ll have to forgive me. Sometimes I just get to talking and I can’t stop.”
Her bubbly personality makes me smile. “No rush. We’ve got all the time in the world now.”
“You sure you don’t mind me going with Theron?” Willow asks as Molly runs off to retrieve Aria.
“Of course not. We’ll be fine here. Hadrian will stay with us.”
“As if he’d leave at this point. I don’t think I’ve seen him leave your side unless he’s working on the ship.”
“I’m not complaining.”
Willow rolls her eyes. “I am. Because when he’s with you Theron has no one left to annoy but me. If it weren’t for Mom, I’d tell him he could go to the Facility by himself.”
“What’s he been doing?”
Willow, who has always been cool under pressure, begins to pace. “He’s so full of himself. He thinks he’s God’s gift to Mortuus. Strutting about, eyeing everything with a pair of breasts. No wonder they’ve been cooped up for so long. The world would simply explode if it had to deal with morts on a daily basis.”
“Has he…done anything?” I ask with grave seriousness. I didn’t think Theron was the type, but after everything we’ve been through, there’s no way I’d let any of my women be harassed.
Willow immediately looks contrite. “No, no, of course not, it’s not that. He’s just so infuriating. He gets under my skin.”
“If you don’t want to go with him, I’m sure we can figure something out. I just know how much you wanted to see you mother, even if it’s only for a short time.”
“Hell no!” she protests, and I see a flash of her mother on her face. “I’m not going to let him stop me from going. I can ignore him. I shouldn’t even be complaining about it.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulder. “No, don’t say that. I’m happy to listen when you need it. Just let me know if he’s too much. I know how the morts can be.”
“Particularly Theron,” comes a gruff voice from the speaker.
We turn and find Breccan and Aria waiting for us. In Aria’s arms is a baby. The sight of him steals my breath away. Somehow he’s the perfect blend of Breccan’s alien strength and Aria’s beauty.
“This is Sokko, named for Breccan’s father. My son.”
Sokko.
My nephew.
My family.
I hear the door open behind me, but I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen where Aria is holding a cooing Sokko. Hadrian’s arms come around my waist and he rests his head on my shoulder. He fits against me like a missing piece.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” I say, tears coloring my voice.
“You will soon,” Aria says. “And for the record, I won’t ever let you out of my sight again.”
“Same goes, sister.”
My hands go to Hadrian’s over my waist and I grip them as emotion swells in my chest. I couldn’t have done this without him. I’m strong. I proved that when Zoe, Willow, and I saved this place. Strong, but I’d been alone.
From the corner of my eye, I see Theron sidle up beside Willow, who scowls in his direction. I make a mental note to keep an eye on the two of them until they leave. Maybe Hadrian can talk to him about laying off her for a while.
“We’ll see you soon,” I say to Aria.
“Not in a hurry back?” Breccan asks Hadrian with a knowing look in his eye.
Hadrian tightens his arms around me. “I’ve got everything I need here.”
* * *
“Where are we going?” Hadrian asks after he, Theron, and Avrell finish nailing out the details for the trip back.
I give him a coy look over my shoulder as I lead him down the hallway. “To find somewhere to be alone. You gotta problem with that?”
He clears his throat. “No, no, I don’t. It doesn’t involve the zap stick, does it?”
“Only if you’re a bad boy.”
A hand wraps around my waist and pulls me to a stop. “You’re trying to tease me, mate.”
“That’s the point.”
He growls in response and nips at my ear, but releases me to lead him to our destination. The level above the infirmary is the bathing floor. We find it nearly empty because most are still recovering from the virus or isolated in the infirmary. The worry for the rest of our people still lingers, but for now, I just want to focus on Hadrian.
He lifts a brow when I flip on the switch for the bathing floor, but doesn’t say anything when I tug him to an empty shower stall. I twist the shower knobs to an acceptable temperature, then turn to face him. Mine.
I have time to draw a shaking breath, suddenly full of nerves. This man is mine. To do with as I please. To enjoy. To satisfy. The nerves fade and I take a step forward.
Lifting a hand to his shirt, I slide my fingers underneath. “Off,” I command.
He crosses his arms over his front and lifts his shirt off in one swift movement, the muscles under his taut skin flexing and making my mouth go dry. Normally, he wears his minnasuit as he calls it, but it started to get ripe and needed a good washing, forcing him to wear a prison uniform like me. Hadrian makes for a hot convict. His shirt drops to the floor forgotten and his hands fall to his side, those watchful eyes on me as I step forward.
“Boots and socks,” I instruct. He kicks off his shoes and peels off his socks.
“What next, fiery one?” he asks.
“We’ve got to get you clean,” I say simply and reach between us for the snap at his waist.
He lets me work his pants down his hips until he stands naked before me. I
reach for him, but he shakes his head. “Your turn,” he says in a low voice.
There is something decadent, sinful, about having Hadrian’s eyes on me as I strip down to skin that feels extra sensitized. I chew on my lip as his eyes rove over me, still a little nervous for him to see me so bare.
Steam begins to fill the shower stall and Hadrian reaches a hand by me to test the temperature of the water. He must find it acceptable because he herds me back under the spray. I can’t even tell what it feels like because my skin is burning up from the inside out.
Everything about the prison was designed to be as efficient as possible, so the shower really only has room for one person. Made of a stainless-steel material that’s supposed to be easy to clean, it’s about the size of a small closet. Barely enough room for the both of us to fit inside, but Hadrian makes it work by pressing me against the wall underneath the spray, positioning us so the water beats down his back. His wide shoulders protect me from getting any in my face.
Here, away from everything that’s happening, there’s only the two of us. I’ve never given any thought to what my life could look like once I found my way back to my sister. For a long time, I wasn’t sure I’d even find her. I was certain I would be alone for the rest of my days, lost.
“There are a lot of thoughts behind those eyes,” Hadrian says as his hands work a bar of soap into a lather. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I find it hard to speak when he brings his soapy hands to my skin and begins to clean every crevice he can find. Behind my ears, the hollow of my throat, the backs of my knees, the dip of my belly button. I’ve never paid attention to how sensitive those areas can be until Hadrian’s deft fingers make it a mission to explore each and every one of them.
“My truth is I love you, Hadrian.”
His hands stop massaging the creases on the inside of my elbows and his eyes come to mine. “You what?”
“I love you. I should have told you as soon as I woke up, but I don’t know. I was afraid.”
“You, afraid?” he teases, pulling me closer.
“Don’t tease.”
He kisses my lips and I feel him press against my stomach, making me lose my train of thought. When he notices, he says, “Continue. You love me.”
“All I remember about being in the fever is the sound of your voice. You never left my side and I don’t ever want you to.”
“That’s something you’ll never have to worry about, Lyric. You’ll never be alone again.”
“That’d sound creepy from anyone else.”
“I’m your creep, your monster, and your mate. And I’ll love you from this solar until our last,” he says against my lips.
And then he stops talking.
Because it’s almost impossible to talk when you’re doing what he’s doing.
Epilogue
Theron
Da-dum-dum-dum!
Da-dum-dum-dum!
Da-dum-dum-dum!
I pound on the control panel with a metal rod I found hanging from the ceiling in the supply closet of the Mayvina, loving the way it echoes. Molly says that the beat I like to make is called music. I’ve never heard of music, but I’ve heard of singing. Both Molly and Aria do it all the time. Sometimes, I think up beats to go with their pleasant words. Sometimes I feel like I belong to Earth II instead of this decaying planet.
My ship purrs beautifully as we coast above the clouds with the great unknown above us. I admire the sparkly stars against the black backdrop and wonder if there are other planets besides this one and Earth II. Other women…
Because, the one that makes my cock weep like a fussy mortling whenever she’s near, hates me. Loathes my very existence.
It’s rather confusing.
Everyone loves me.
I’m Theron.
The Rogue Rekking Captain.
Master of the skies. Mate of the Mayvina. Handsome mort with the best hair and the best laugh and the best—
“Oh, God. Not again.”
I drop the metal rod and Willow all-too-happily kicks it into a corner before dropping into the co-captain’s seat.
“What?” I ask, lifting a brow as I rake my gaze down her front, lingering on the way her ample breasts strain against the fabric.
I tried.
Rekk how I tried to be attracted to one of the other humans.
Zoe offered to gouge my eyes out if I even thought of looking her way. Lyric found something pleasing within Hadrian—though I can’t imagine what. And the other humans there were simply terrified of my existence.
It didn’t matter.
My eyes were for only one.
Flaming red hair. Pale, speckled skin. Light blue eyes that harden whenever I’m near.
“I like that shirt,” I say, trying to be amicable.
“Of course you do,” she mutters. “Because you can almost see my tits. I’m surprised you stopped staring at your own reflection in the glass long enough to consider someone else besides yourself.”
“You can almost see them,” I state. “I’d probably stop looking at me if you showed me more of you.”
“Gross,” she grumbles. “Does this pickup line work often? Seriously, ew.”
“I’ve only really tried it on you,” I offer.
“Doesn’t make it any better. You’re like those guys back on Earth II who think they’re the bees’ knees.”
I’ve heard Molly say this before.
Grinning, I nod. “I am, in fact, the bees’ knees.”
“Ugh,” she groans. “You’re a hyperactive frat boy goofball with a license to drive a spaceship, who thinks his balls are the biggest on the planet. Over it.”
Energy thrums through me now that she’s actually speaking to me. We’ve been in the air for one solar of our projected four solars’ travel, and all I get are hisses and grumbles. This feels like progress.
“If you’re referring to my sac, I imagine it is the largest and most appeasing to the eye.” I waggle my brows at her before spinning in my chair and stopping again to face her. “I could show it to you so you could properly make that determination yourself.”
“You’re disgusting.”
I laugh and shrug. “Been called worse.”
“Like idiot? Dumbass? Player?”
I check off the first two with my fingers and then frown at the last one. “What’s a player?”
“You, Theron! I saw you flirting with every woman with a pair of tits. It’s gross. Here I almost bought into the whole ‘the morts were lonely and dying and looking for mates’ BS my mom and everyone else who’s been drinking the Kool-Aid spouts. Hell, even Lyric of all people has fallen into that line of thinking. But I see you, douchebag. You’re a player who given the time, you’ll sleep your way through the entire prison just because you can.” Her breasts jiggle after her long-winded rant. “Seriously, can you not look at my tits for like three seconds?”
I look away.
One…two…nope.
Rekk, her breasts are lovely.
“You know, screw it. You want them so badly. Have them,” she says, emphasizing her words by grabbing them and making my cock lurch in response. “Back home people have casual sex all the time to scratch an itch. Then, they can move on to their real matches. It’s called kissing a few frogs to find your prince. Who knows, maybe my prince is waiting for me at the Facility. I’m into the nerdy quiet type. Got anyone like that?” Her face is red from fury and she’s never looked more beautiful.
“You want to mate with me?” I ask, astonished.
It must be my dazzling smile that finally wore her down.
“Stop cheesing at me like that, goober.”
“Like this?” I grin, baring all my teeth.
A laugh escapes her, making my heart skip a beat. “I feel like this is my own personal hell. What did I do to deserve this?”
“Am I supposed to answer that or is it a ridiculous question?”
She snorts. “Not ridiculous—although yours was—it’
s called a rhetorical question. And you’re not supposed to answer.”
I test her breast theory again, looking out the window for one, two, nope. Can’t do it. Rekk, that’s difficult.
“Take your pants off, Captain. Let’s get this show on the road. You need to fuck me out of your system and I need…I have my own needs.” She stands and puts her hands on her hips. “Where’re we doing this?”
I rise to my feet, eager to mate with her. Finally. All my dreams since I laid eyes on her have been about this moment.
“And you better use the pull-out method so help me or I’ll murder you,” she warns. “Y’all may not have rubbers because you’re into procreation and whatnot, but I’m not about to let a one-night stand knock me up.”
I don’t understand any of what she said, but she’s taking off her shirt.
Mortarekker!
Her breasts are—
“Come on,” she orders. “I don’t have all night. Get naked already!”
I strip out of my suit as I stalk her. She peels off clothes, backing away from me until her rump hits the metal wall, making her shriek. Her eyes are wide when I free my cock and take it in my hand. It’s most certainly the most impressive one on this planet, I am sure.
“Okay, so,” she starts as I pounce. She lets out a squeal when I grab her rump and lift her. Her blunt claws dig into my shoulders. “We do this and we’re done. Understood?”
Negative, lovely red-haired alien.
I don’t think I’ll ever be done with you.
She whimpers when my cock rubs against her pussy—that’s what I’ve overheard the girls back at the Facility giggle and call it before. I think it feels good for her because she rocks her hips, seemingly eager for the friction. We go at it like this for several moments until she shudders wildly. I nearly spill my seed all over her stomach but barely refrain.