by Liza Probz
“I’m scared,” Mayra said, blinking back tears.
“So am I,” he answered. “But my love for you is greater than my fear.”
Mayra let out a sob, ready to say the words back, but suddenly, she was thrust into darkness. She blinked, and she was back in the garden courtyard, watching as Demaylia paced in front of a bound Nojan.
“Perhaps if we cover his body in a million tiny cuts,” the princess was saying to her father, who was licking his greasy lips in anticipation, “then we can accomplish both our goals. I will bleed him slow, and you can enjoy the torture that it brings.”
This isn’t real. Mayra could see now how shabby the illusion was, how it frayed at the edges. The characters were two-dimensional, the plot trite and overblown. “I’m not going to fall for this Sanri,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
The feline princess came skipping over to where Mayra still rested on her knees. “What’s the matter, oracle? Has your mind snapped like before? Still hearing voices?”
Mayra’s eyes narrowed. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t heard that cold, foreign voice since she’d found herself in the courtyard. Perhaps it was because Sanri had no need for the voice when she was projecting an entire world for Mayra’s benefit.
“Ooh,” Mayra chirped. “Aren’t you clever? Convincing me that everyone was against me? Telling me the only way out was death.”
“And it still is,” Demaylia said with a feral grin.
“Maybe the only way out is your death,” Mayra said, charging forward. She surprised the princess, who’d expected her to remain cowed, to remain docile, a slave to the illusion that wrapped her in its tawdry threads. Her hands circled the girl’s neck and tightened with all of her strength.
“Mayra, stop it,” Demaylia choked, her paws beating ineffectually against Mayra’s grip.
“You stop it, Sanri.”
“Never,” the princess snarled, and Mayra noticed then that her eyes were green. The same green as the slutty hitchhiker’s.
Mayra squeezed harder, harder, until the woman beneath her was gasping and clawing at her. None of the guards, not even her father rushed to help her. The world was frozen around her, Sanri too distracted to continue the illusion while the breath was being choked out of her body.
She went limp and Mayra dropped her, surprised to see not grass beneath her but the ship’s bland floor. She looked up and saw Nojan at the controls, his eyes wide with surprise.
“We’re back,” he said, a smile creeping slowly across his face. “We did it.”
Mayra beamed back at him. “Yes, we—”
Suddenly, Sanri struck out at her, her motion fast as lightning. Mayra tried to dodge but was too slow. She did move enough for the knife to miss its intended target. What Sanri had tried to use to slit her throat had only caught the edge of her jaw instead.
Mayra knocked the knife from the woman’s hand and then drew back without thinking, punching her in the face with all the power she had in her. This time, Sanri wasn’t faking. She was knocked out cold.
Chapter 34
He wasn’t sure if ropes and a gag were good enough, but Nojan didn’t know how to bind a demon with the power to snare you in its hallucinations. They were back on his cruiser, the transport in tow. Sanri was tied to one of the chairs, her body slack in her bindings.
“Whatever we do, we have to do it quick,” he said to Mayra as he hit the controls, trying to reach his brother.
At last, Zelup’s face filled the viewscreen. “How the fuck is this happening?” his brother asked, his eyes glassy with shock.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t have long to explain. I boarded the transport, and I saw you start shooting like crazy and then take off into hyperspace.”
“I started shooting at Evar Kange’s ship. He’d come out of nowhere and hit your ship with a booster missile. Blew up your cruiser and the transport. Naturally, having just seen my brother explode, I swore revenge on Kange and chased after his ship. But I lost him, and now you’re calling me. I hate to break this to you, Nojan, but you’re dead.”
Leave it to his older brother to insist he was dead even when evidence to the contrary was staring him in the face. Stubborn didn’t begin to describe Zelup Vartik.
“Sanri is an evil demon with the power to project hallucinations. She made you see those things. Just like she made me and Mayra think we were in our own personal hells. We’ve managed to subdue her, but we don’t know for how long. So get back over here and help me figure out what to do next.”
“On my way. Don’t move from that spot.”
Nojan turned away from the console and headed over to stand beside his beloved. “Well,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. “We’ve caught a tiger by the tail.”
Mayra laughed. “More like a snake with poisonous venom that gives you fever dreams.”
The image was appropriate. “What should we do with her?”
Mayra shook her head. “I have no idea. Unless we can find a way to counteract her powers, I don’t know how we would even begin to hold her.”
“I’d much rather hold you,” Nojan said, nuzzling at her neck.
Mayra giggled, giving him a heated glance. “This isn’t really the time, Nojan. But as soon as it is, I hope you’ll do more than holding.”
“You’ve got a date, angel.”
Zelup’s ship came into range on the viewscreen. “I think heading back to Vartik is the only reasonable thing to do,” he said when they’d accepted his transmission.
“I don’t know if I want this demon bitch back on our planet. She’s far too dangerous.” Nojan didn’t want to risk being in the vicinity of her powers. He didn’t think he could take any more of her horrible illusions.
“Speaking of evil bitches, guys,” his brother said, “where is she?”
Nojan cocked a thumb over his shoulder at Sanri’s unconscious form. “She’s right here. We’ve got her all tied up.”
“I don’t see anything.”
“What are you talking about?” Mayra asked. “She’s sitting right in front of me.”
Zelup shook his head. “Sorry, guys, but I don’t see her.”
Nojan frowned, then shut his eyes tightly, concentrating on reality. When he opened his eyes, the image of Sanri was gone.
“Fuck,” he muttered, just as Mayra asked, “Where’d she go?”
They’d fallen for her power again.
Sanri was gone.
“Is the transport gone?” he asked Zelup.
“Yep.”
There was no point trying to find her. If they did get close, she’d just project the image of empty space into their brains. She was well and truly gone.
At least he hoped she was.
“Father’s going to be pissed,” Zelup said. “That bitch knows where Vartik is.”
“I’m afraid we may have bigger problems than Vartik’s exposure, big brother,” Nojan replied. “Have you ever heard of something called the Battle of the End?”
Chapter 35
The sunlight of Vartik must have magic in it, or so Mayra thought. She sat in one of the palace courtyards, ringed by all manner of beautiful flowers and tasty fruits, and inhaled deeply. The air was sweet on this planet, almost enough to give her a sugar rush. And it was only on Vartik that she had learned what a sugar rush was.
The last few days had been the happiest of her life. Nojan had spoiled her, had spent every waking moment with her, and had even moved her into his quarters, over the protest of his parents who feared it would look unseemly. He’d insisted that as a royal heir and an oracle, they made their own rules.
And now she was alone in the courtyard, one of the rare moments when Nojan was not by her side. She’d asked him for some time alone to work on learning more about her powers, and he’d reluctantly agreed, making her promise to meet him in his lab the moment she was finished.
Although she loved being in the lovely courtyard and tasting the air, she had
to admit she was making little progress on her powers. It doesn’t make sense, she thought. Everything is either a jumbled mess or contradictory. I don’t see one clear path. I see what appears to be alternatives, with no hint that any one of them is the real future.
That’s because Time is a god, a voice said in her head. And gods guard their privacy.
Mayra started. Voices in her head made her nervous, even when they sounded as beautifully melodic as this one.
There was a laugh like the tinkling of bells and suddenly the light goddess was before her. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Force of habit.”
“You came back,” Mayra breathed, honored that the goddess had returned to talk to her.
“Sure did,” Sveta said with a smile, “but you know the deal. I can’t stay for long. They’re always watching.”
Mayra nodded. “Why have you come?”
“To shed some light, so to speak, on your powers.” The little goddess giggled at her own pun. “You see, no one can see the future exactly as it will occur. With your gift, what you can see is possible futures, some more likely than others. It will be up to you to make the most of the information, guarding against the possibility of attack, and planning careful strategies that consider every possible move of the enemy.”
“But I won’t ever be certain?”
The goddess shrugged. “As you continue to work with your powers, you’ll be better able to distinguish which visions are more likely to come true. You may even get flashes of insight that are akin to certainty. But never rely too heavily on any one particular vision. That way lies folly.”
Mayra nodded. “Thank you for the advice, goddess. And for the gift and your protection.”
“Of course, child.” The goddess leaned in to finger the blue crystal that lay against Mayra’s chest as if to remind her that she was always with her. “Now I’ve got to be going. But before I do, just one more hint about the future, although I think this is one you’ve already seen.” The goddess winked, then cupped her belly with her hands. Then, in a flash of blue light, she vanished.
Mayra hurried to Nojan’s lab, her body shaking so hard she was afraid she might stumble along the way. Could her vision be true? Could Mayra be pregnant with Nojan’s child?
It shouldn’t be possible, she thought. We’re a different species, and Territhians and Vartik cannot interbreed. It’s already been proven.
Then again, Mayra wasn’t technically Territhian. Well, she was partially,, but she was also Partinthian, and a holy Guardian of the light goddess’s children. Maybe that combination was different enough to allow Nojan’s seed to take root.
Or maybe it was one last gift from the Goddess of Light, designed to make up for a terrible life full of servitude and degradation.
The reason didn’t matter. All that did matter was whether the vision was true.
Mayra rushed into the lab, coming up behind Nojan as he bent to look into a microscope. “I didn’t know science could be so sexy,” she said in a husky voice. “I must admit you look quite good from this angle.” His butt had to be the hottest one in the seven known galaxies.
“Angel, it’s about time,” he said, turning around to pull her into his arms. “I thought I was going to have to wait all day.”
“I’ve only been gone for an hour,” she said, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
“And did you learn all about your powers?”
“Kind of,” she said with a laugh. “I had a visitor who gave me some notes.”
Nojan cocked an eyebrow at her. “Explain.”
“The light goddess appeared. She told me that I don’t see the future but a mix of possible futures. I’ll get better at predicting possible outcomes as I work with my powers and gain confidence, but it’s never going to be exact.”
“Makes sense,” Nojan said, nodding. “I don’t know if anyone can know exactly what might happen in the future. It would mean that time is already fixed and all of our destinies were decided the second we came into existence. Seems unlikely.”
Mayra let her head fall back onto his shoulder. Once he got to thinking about philosophy, his head would be in the clouds all day. She had to bring him back to Vartik.
“The goddess had one more piece of information, one I’d like you to confirm for me now.”
“And what is this piece of information, angel?”
Mayra swallowed. There was no easy way to put it, so she put it bluntly. “She says I’m pregnant.”
Nojan’s eyes grew so wide, Mayra thought they might fall out of his handsome head. For a split second, Mayra was besieged by all the old doubts of not being good enough for him. Then his face split in the biggest grin she’d ever seen. “I would love to confirm that,” he said. “Step right over here.”
The scans only took a few moments, but the results required some tabulation. “It’s because the child would be a mix of species,” he said. “If we were both Vartik or both Territhians, it would only take a moment.”
“So how are we going to fill this time, Mr. Scientist?” Mayra asked, giving him a sultry look. Something about Nojan in his natural environment turned her on to no end.
“Why, oracle, are you attempting to seduce me?”
“If I have to try, I’ll be disappointed.”
Nojan laughed and pulled her close, his lips descending to capture hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, filled with all the love between them. But Mayra wanted passion. She flicked her tongue into his mouth and he groaned, seizing her by the hips and lifting her to an empty space on one of the lab tables. He shoved up her dress and made short work of her panties. Then his head was buried between her thighs.
Mayra cried out in ecstasy as he explored her. Nojan never failed to make her so wet, and it seemed only seconds before she was climaxing in his talented mouth. When he added a few fingers, she came again, her legs shaking around his ears.
“Wait,” she cried when he bent to lick her again. “This feels a little one-sided.”
“What are you saying, angel? I love to give you pleasure.”
“I know,” Mayra said. “And this time, I’d like to return the favor.” She pushed him back, then hopped to the floor before dropping to her knees. His cock was so swollen in his pants that she had difficulty getting the zipper down. But when she did, she was not disappointed.
He’s so fucking massive, she thought, then saw a bead of pre-come sparkling on the head of cock. It made her mouth start to water so her tongue peeked out to give it a lick.
Chapter 36
Nojan couldn’t believe his sweet angel was about to taste him. She stared up at him with those gorgeous blue eyes and then licked the head of his throbbing cock. His eyes rolled back in his head and he knew he’d have to white knuckle it to keep himself from coming instantly.
“My gods, Mayra,” he said when she ran her tongue along the underside of his dick. That little tongue teased him all over and he wondered whether he could hold out long enough to maintain his pride. And then she slipped it into her hot little mouth and all bets were off.
He was on the edge almost instantly. “Mayra,” he groaned. “Careful, love. I’m about to climax and you might want to step away.”
“But I want to taste you,” she murmured around his cock.
Gods, and he wanted to be tasted. “But our seed is known to be, uh, somewhat mood altering.”
Mayra pulled his cock from her mouth long enough to laugh. “Let me guess. You guys have magic spunk too? It figures.” Then she was sucking him in deeper than before, running those perfect lips over him, that tongue flicking away at the underside of his erection.
I tried to warn her, he thought. “Oh fuck,” he growled. “Don’t stop what you’re doing. I’m so close. I’m—oh Mayra!”
With a glorious shout, he exploded in her mouth. She swallowed every drop, and he pulled her up to hold her tight. “That was magnificent,” he breathed.
“You’re telling me,” she said, her head lolling around on his shoulder.<
br />
“Are you okay?” he asked half-seriously. There was a look of sated joy on her face.
“Only if you let me do that again every day of my life. I’ve never tasted anything like that. It’s indescribable.”
Nojan laughed, pride filling his chest. “I’ll let you do that whenever you want. Although I may never do another day of work again as a result.”
There was a ding from his console, and Nojan walked over on rubber legs. Part of his unsteadiness was no doubt due to the sex, but part was also nervousness. Right now, I find out if I can breed with the only woman I will ever love. If the results are positive, my life might end up close to perfect.
“What does it say?” Mayra asked, standing at his shoulder. Her face was filled with concern, if her eyes were still a little glassy. “Was the goddess right?”
Nojan stared at the results and couldn’t speak. All of his dreams had just come true.
“Nojan,” she said softly. “Tell me.”
Instead of speaking, Nojan dropped to his knees. He grabbed both of her hands and planted kisses on them. “My angel Mayra, Great Oracle of Territh and soon-to-be mother of my child, will you marry me?”
Mayra gasped, her hands shaking. Tears filled her eyes.
“I promise to make all the arrangements,” he said, “but I want to do this right away. No royal wedding full of pomp and circumstance. I want you as my wife tonight as I introduce you to pleasure the likes of which no woman has ever known.”
“Yes,” she said, then collapsed into his arms.
Nojan had never felt as happy as he did in that moment.
Chapter 37
Mayra watched as the trees below her gave way to green fields. She was wearing a beautiful white dress given to her by the Queen of Vartik. She’d had it made for Jazmine, who was much closer to Mayra’s measurements than the queen herself was, but as Jazmine was still on her honeymoon and Mayra couldn’t wear one of her fiancé’s T-shirts to the wedding, she gifted it to the oracle.