by Josie Walker
I raise my sword arm up over my head, and with all my might swing it around. The razor sharp steel severs his head from his body like a ripe starthax fruit. Blood spurts from the stump of his neck as he falls to his knees, then slumps forward. The head rolls to the side. I look up and see that TSSS is watching this. I wonder if I have made a mistake in letting her see my vengeful side; I remember her reaction to the men I killed in order to win her hand.
Tears run down her face. She is still in agony, held captive by the vicious blue threads. I look at her helplessly, unsure what to do next. Then I have an idea. I point my trident toward the box which has fallen from Endingo’s dead fingers. I shoot a stream of hot metal at it, melting both his hand and the box into a flat puddle. The blue threads holding TSSS evaporate, and she falls to her knees, then collapses onto the ground.
“TSSS!” I scream, as my heart stops. I fear I have lost her.
My voice seems to have revived her, and she stands up and runs to the bars. But the moment she touches them more of the blue threads shock her. She points wildly to the side. Does she mean for me to touch the round dials on my side of the wall?
“MELLT THAHT TOOH,” she screams.
I am unsure of what she wishes me to do. I lift my trident and point it toward the wall. “Gah verstah?” I ask if she wants me to melt it with my trident.
“VERY STAY! SAI! VERY STAY!” she yells.
I am glad my mate has learned more of my words than I have of hers. She has plainly said melting it would be good, so I direct my weapon and let loose the metal fires. The blue sparks stop immediately, and I reach out my hand and rip the bars from the wall. TSSS bolts through the opening and leaps into my arms, hugging me tight with her entire body.
“IMMM SOHRRY . . . SOOO SOHRRY,” she sobs into my neck, as I clutch her tight to me. I want to shift from my battle form so that I can feel her sweet body against mine, but I know that would be beyond foolish. I must keep my armor on until I know for sure that all of the Hock-ver have been eliminated. Still, I cannot bear to let her go, so I satisfy myself by clutching her in my metal form.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tessa
Bocc’dar and Sa-br’wren have freed the five alien prisoners who were being held in the same area I was. Each one of them seems to be a different species. They also found six huge elongated spheres. I think they’re dragon eggs because they’re covered with a hard, jewel-like shell that reminds me of the dragons’ armored skin.
They’re pretty heavy, and awkward to hold. The prisoners offer to help carry them, which leaves Bocc’dar and Sa-br’wren’s hands free to use their weapons if we run across any more of the Hock-ver. We make our way back to the transport platform, but stare at it in confusion.
When no one makes a move I decide that I probably have a better chance of making it work than Bocc’dar. At least I’ve grown up with computers. I try to feign confidence, even though I have no idea what I’m doing.
I climb up and look at the control panel, but it’s covered with strange symbols which mean nothing to me. I hover a hand over a green button which seems like a logical choice, then look back at Bocc’dar. I’m unsure what to do. Maybe we should start searching for an alternate way out of here. There might be a set of stairs. What if I press the wrong button and it scrambles us all to pieces and fails to reassemble us?
Given all we’ve already been through, I would hate to be responsible for something like that. A prisoner with blue skin joins me on the platform. He gently takes my trembling hand away from the button I was considering pressing. He says something indiscernible.
“You know how to use it?” I ask.
He nods his head yes. I guess that’s a universal gesture. Everyone joins us on the platform. It’s a bit crowded, but we all fit. Bocc’dar and Sa-br’wren draw their weapons and turn to face the outside of the platform because we don’t know if all the Hock-ver have been subdued.
The blue alien presses several buttons, and I begin to experience that weird out of body sensation as I watch everyone dissolve into a million particles. I really hate this feeling. Then we all re-form seconds later. I’m so very, very glad that I didn’t press that green button.
Then we’re on the main level. Kay, Bocc’dar’s war chief, is rushing toward the platform to join us. Even though he is in his metal form, I can tell he’s greatly relieved to see us. I look around the carnage of this indoor battlefield as Kay fills Bocc’dar in on what has taken place.
There are many faces I don’t recognize. Did Bocc’dar call in reinforcements to rescue me? I feel loved. I may not deserve it, but my man pulled out all the stops to save me. I’m determined to spend the rest of my life making it up to him. From what I can see, most of the Hock-ver are dead.
The few that remain have been restrained with metal wire. The other alien races that the Hock-ver were holding as slaves have been released and are roaming around. The blue electricity restraints are no longer binding any of them. I’m so thankful that Bocc’dar has freed them.
I can’t calm down though, because I’m deeply concerned that my stupidity has set catastrophic events into motion. I’m glad that Endingo is dead and all, but what if Bocc’dar came too late to stop him? I really hope Endingo was lying when he told me that he’d already communicated with his home planet about Earth, Krina, and Sagren. Yet, there’s no way for me to know for sure. The stress is killing me. Did I make it off easy, or have I put the entire populations of three planets at risk?
I’m not sure if there is anyone left on Sagren. I don’t even know if Vorek and Sarah are alive. If they are, they could be headed here, to Earth, or even Krina. It is impossible to guess what they might do. If only there were a way for me to communicate with someone, to warn them.
Once we return home to the castle, I will work more diligently with De-Var to master the Ro-heem language. Then I can tell them all I have learned, and admit to my epic foolishness. But unfortunately there is nothing I can do about any of this now. Impulsively, I wrap my arms around Bocc’dar and hug him.
He’s still wearing his metal armor, but I don’t care. I didn’t think I’d ever get to see him again. I’m not about to take one second of the happiness he brings me for granted. I can’t believe it’s happened to me, especially with the language barrier, but after I was kidnapped I finally admitted my feelings. I love my sexy alien. If I could go back to Earth this second I wouldn’t. I want to spend the rest of my life with Bocc’dar.
He loves me. It doesn’t matter that I can’t understand his words, because he shows me with his actions every day. Growing up in the foster care system has given me some rough edges. I built a wall around my heart to protect myself. But my failure to believe that someone could really love me just about cost me everything.
I believed the lies of an evil, bug-eyed alien—who I’d known all of five minutes—instead of the man who’d tenderly bound my wounds, and saved me so many times that I’m starting to lose count. I don’t know if I’m ready to take the wall down completely, but I built a gate today. As soon as we’re alone I’m going to show Bocc’dar that he, and he alone, has complete access to my heart.
Bocc’dar hugs me back, and then he takes my hand and leads me out of this place. I take in a lungful of the fresh air. It’s so much cleaner than the dank dungeon, even with the coppery scent of blood and burning metal filling the air. The grounds are crowded. Dragons and smaller fighter jets circle in the sky above, and many others have landed.
Two dragons wait just outside the door, expectantly. I know from my studies with De-Var that the dragons are actually called Dar-fnar. We walk toward the ruby encrusted one. I recognize her from my first ride to the castle, and from my rescue by the waterfall. I smile at her, as though greeting an old friend, and I could swear she’s smiling back at me.
Bocc’dar stands before her in his metal form and holds out an enormous egg. It is covered with ruby an
d emerald gemstones. The red dragon and Bocc’dar look into each other’s eyes. She snorts, and tendrils of smoke come from her nostrils.
A tiny puff of fire flows over the egg, swirling and encircling it. Then she puts her nose on it and breathes in deeply. And then I’m certain that she was smiling before, because she does it again, just bigger this time. Bocc’dar’s laughter fills the air. I don’t know for sure, but something tells me that this is her egg. Did Endingo steal her baby? If he wasn’t already dead I’d want to kill him again.
“SAI!” Bocc’dar shouts triumphantly, holding the egg up over his head for all to see.
All of the metalheads start their crazy chattering sound, and the ruby and emerald Dar-fnar raise their heads and roar, shooting fire into the sky. I know SIGH means good, so I smile and yell too. The thought of a mother being reunited with her baby makes me emotional in a way I’m not used to. Could this be a surge of pregnancy hormones?
My hand drops to my stomach, stroking the barely visible bump. There’s something I have to tell Bocc’dar. There was one good thing about being kidnapped. One of Endingo’s scientists pulled me out of my cell and ran some tests on me. They had an alien device that reminded me a lot of an ultrasound machine.
I’d gotten to see the baby growing inside of me. I’d heard its heartbeat. And all my fears and concerns about being a mother had evaporated in an instant. My mother may have abandoned me, but I choose a different way. I choose to love and nurture the new life growing inside of me. I know that this child will be raised in love. That this child will provide the hope of a new generation to Bocc’dar and his people. I’m going to be a mother. Now I just need to find a way to tell the father.
Bocc’dar climbs onto the red dragon’s back and straps the egg into a pouch on the side of the saddle, then reaches his hand out toward me. I carefully climb up and take my place in front of him in the saddle. The grounds are a beehive of activity as Ro-heem in their metal form swarm from the building and into their aircraft.
We soar above the clouds on the back of the red dragon. She really is a thing of beauty. After all that I’ve been through I’m no longer afraid of her. We are barely in the air when I feel my mate’s hands begin to roam freely over my body. Yes, I’ve finally admitted that he is my mate. He has shifted out of his metal form, yet the rock hard feel of his thighs around mine is almost as rigid as the steel he was sporting just a moment ago.
I can’t believe how much I’ve missed his touch. I guess that his overt sexuality is rubbing off on me. I don’t try to stop him, even though we are not alone up here flying through the air. Our escort of dragons and fighter jets soars around us, but no one seems to be paying us much attention. I feel the touch of his lips, nuzzling the back of my neck.
“I love you,” I tell him, even though I know he doesn’t know my words. But somehow I think he does understand when he says something passionately in response and grabs my hips and grinds my backside into his enormous erection which I can’t wait to have inside me. Just when I’m beginning to doubt we’ll be able to wait until we get home, I spot the familiar view of the metal castle sitting atop the mountain peak.
The dragons land on a grassy area outside the wall, and the large ship and fighter jets follow suit. Bocc-d’ar stands, and I’m relieved that he at least has on his loincloth. He holds my hand and shouts orders to his men as he helps me out of the saddle and pulls me along with him. I can tell he’s leading me straight to our bedroom, but I tug on his hand and tell him no.
He gives me a confused look, and then it’s me who’s pulling on him. I go so fast that I’m out of breath, but still I don’t stop. I tug him behind me to the tower with the secret door. And I don’t stop until we’re inside, surrounded by the familiar smells of paper and ink. On the flight back I finally figured out a way to tell him the good news.
My hands are shaking as I pick up a quill pen and grab a blank piece of parchment. I center the paper before me and sit down at the desk and start drawing. Only this time I’m not copying a page out of a manuscript . . . I’m drawing straight from my heart. Lines flow out of me. One by one I connect them and a shape takes form.
I keep adding in details until I see Bocc’dar’s large fingers running alongside the drawing, and then reverently tracing the same path down my face. He carefully takes the paper from me and holds it, treasuring it as though I’ve given him a great gift. Who knows, maybe I can figure out a way to frame it for him later, but I’m not done.
“The best is yet to come, big guy,” I murmur as I grab another sheet of parchment.
I draw the baby as I imagine it will look full term. I give him Bocc’dar’s eyes and a pale little wisp of hair on top like I had as an infant. It’s beautiful, there’s no other word for it. I turn to face Bocc’dar to see if he understands what I’m telling him.
His brow is wrinkled in confusion so I point to the drawing of the baby, then to myself in the portrait. When that still isn’t enough I take his hands and press them to my abdomen. I guide his hands to the slight bump our baby has made, and I’m looking in his eyes when they light up like the sun. That’s when I know he understands.
“Baby,” I tell him.
He tries to lift my tunic out of the way, but he can’t seem to get to my bare skin fast enough. This time when I hear the rip of fabric I don’t care, because I never want to wear this outfit again. This was the outfit I was wearing when I believed Endingo instead of Bocc’dar. I was imprisoned in these clothes and cried bitter tears thinking I’d never see Bocc’dar again. I’m happy to be rid it.
I hear something that I suspect is De-Var clearing his throat, but I’m too caught up in the moment to really notice, much less care. I faintly register the sound of a door opening and closing, and De-Var’s retreating footsteps as he flees our overt display of intimacy and leaves us to our private moment.
Bocc’dar has torn away all of my clothes now, and I stand naked before him. He drops to his knees before me and places the gentlest of kisses on my baby bump. My heart is so full I fear it might explode from experiencing too much joy.
Gradually his caresses change and I can tell that he’s moved on from admiring the baby growing inside me, to reveling in my body. Heat suffuses my core and all it takes is one brush of his hands across my pregnancy sensitive breasts to have me moaning. He stands abruptly and pulls me into his arms. Then he carries me over and lays me down on the rug by the fireplace.
I’m just about to tell him to lose the loincloth, but he beats me to it. When he enters me, I’m overwhelmed with the intimacy of it all. I had sex with other men before Bocc’dar, but never for the right reasons, and certainly never with the right man.
We are both incomplete apart from one another. We are two parts of one whole. And I’m starting to realize that getting abducted by aliens was the best thing that ever happened to me.
His hands are everywhere at once, stroking my flesh to a fever pitch. I feel his mouth close down around my breast and I shudder when he sucks my nipple and works it with his tongue. Our love making is different this time. I realize that I feel lighter as I let go of the pressure I’ve been burdened with up until now.
I will never stop caring for my friends and trying to help them, but I will not put my need to rescue them over my own personal well-being and happiness. Every life is sacred, and the one growing inside of me will keep an entire species from going extinct. Bocc’dar’s people deserve to go on living, and I’m going to do everything I can to help them.
For the first time in my life I actually believe that I deserve to be happy. Bocc’dar’s cock starts doing that unbelievable vibrating thing it does, and I dig my nails into his back and do my best to hold on tight as he thrusts wildly. He’s murmuring something soft and sweet in my ear. When I finally understand he’s using one of the few words he knows of mine I start laughing, and I don’t stop, not even as the mother of all orgasms thunders through me. He�
��s whispering “PENUSSS” again, like it’s some kind of endearment.
I love this moment. It’s perfect. And most of all I love my alien. Something inside of me has changed. I actually believe that just because things are good now, doesn’t mean they’ll end horribly. My intuition tells me that Bocc’dar will never, ever abandon me. To him, I’m not trash . . . I’m treasure. And he’s never getting rid of me.
He holds me close, and I wait until both of our heartbeats have returned to a normal rhythm before I move and make my way back to the table. I grab my third piece of blank parchment for the day. There’s something I want to tell him, something my tutor has inadvertently prepared me for.
I’d thought that the manuscripts he’d had me copy had been random, but he’d made sure I had the right words at my disposal for when I was ready to share them. I grab the quill, and write carefully. I don’t want to miss a single accent and mess up the meaning. I write I love you, and then I set down the pen and study his countenance.
A huge smile covers his face, ear to ear. He takes the pen from my hand, dips it in the ink, and begins to write below my words. His penmanship is beautiful, and I watch intently as he forms the elaborate symbols. “I love you too. Please, don’t ever leave me again.”
I take the pen from him, and form my reply on the parchment. “I won’t ever leave you,” I promise.
And then he’s kissing me again, and my thoughts go fuzzy. Something tells me we’re going to have to start keeping a stack of paper and some quills in our bedroom. Now that we’ve finally found a way to communicate, I never want to stop talking.
Author’s Note:
Wow! If you’re reading this not only are you awesome because you’re reading my little note, but you’re also a rockstar because you’ve read through all three books in the series! Thanks so much for hanging out with my characters, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!