by KD Jones
Cassie would have felt completely uncomfortable if she hadn’t already met some of her traveling companions. Both Dr. Morris and Medic JadEN were accompanying her on the small shuttle so that they could monitor her for any problems. Someone she hadn’t met yet was the very attractive Katieran male, RajAM, who introduced himself as the pilot for the small shuttle. Cassie wondered if all men on Katiera were hot. The last passenger boarding the shuttle was Prime Leader RendEL. The man was intimidating to say the least.
Cassie remembered seeing images of him on TV. He was supposed to be something like a prince. She noted how tall he was when he had to duck down to keep from hitting his head on the roof of the shuttle. He must be at least 6’7”. Wide shoulders, muscular build. Probably weighed 240 pounds. Built like a quarterback. All muscle.
He had the blackest hair Cassie had ever seen. It was so black that it appeared blue at times. His eyes were a dark blue with the yellow-gold pupils designating him as a Katieran. He was exotic and beautiful.
Ren fought all his instincts that urged him to go to the small, flame haired female. He wanted to hold her and to comfort her. But this was not the time or the place. It was imperative to get Cassandra Tomlin off the planet. He focused on co-piloting the shuttle. Running checks for all the flight instruments and giving his flight code to control center for takeoff clearance.
The takeoff wasn’t what Cassie thought it would be like. She thought the takeoff inside the small spherical shuttle would be rough and jarring. But it wasn’t like that at all. She barely felt anything as the shuttle gently lifted up and up and up.
Cassie was able to watch their ascension from the viewer screen, which was like a window. Through the viewer above her head she watched as they passed through the clouds. Rising up and above everything. They rose higher and higher until the blue of the sky slowly turned darker and darker. They passed through the invisible barrier that keeps everything within Earth’s gravity.
She couldn’t hold back her awe. “I never knew it could be so beautiful.” She said in a soft and amazed voice.
Ren turned back to look at Cassandra. He watched her staring up at the viewer and could see the stars shining in her eyes. His voice was deep and rich and warm as he spoke to Cassandra for the first time, “May the light show us the path, and the darkness show us the stars.”
Cassie looked at Ren in surprise. She felt his voice vibrate deep within her. The sound of it felt like velvet rubbing over her skin. She blinked a couple of times. She could, almost, imagine him repeating those same words to her while he was moving inside of her. She felt her female parts tingle.
Ren broke eye contact and turned back around. He had to do something to take his mind off the fact that the scent of Cassandra’s arousal now filled the small shuttle. He shifted in his seat to try to alleviate the tightness that he felt within the lower half of his flight suit. He adjusted the thermostat to a lower temperature and then changed it back again a few minutes later. He glanced at his pilot and noted the male was also scenting Cassandra’s arousal. Ren emitted a low growl which caused the other males to look at him worriedly.
This wasn’t good. Ren never acted this territorial toward any female before. He couldn’t afford to lose his control. He was Leader of his people. They looked to him to be level headed and even tempered.
His brother KydEL had refused the position of Leader because he felt that he was too aggressive. Kyd convinced Ren to take the position in his place because Kyd said that RendEL, being more in control of his emotions, would be much better at the position than he ever could be. Kyd would certainly be shocked if he knew how much Ren wanted to tear apart the other males inside the shuttle that were scenting his female. What was he thinking? She was NOT his damn it!
Ren decided he was going to have to keep his distance from the lovely female. No matter how attracted he was to her, or how good she smelled to him. She was bringing out strong urges that were hard for him to keep control of. Ren’s people would be better off if he chose a different female, one less dangerous for him. His mind was made up, but his body clearly disagreed with the decision. A battle within himself he was unsure whether he would win, or, if he even wanted to win.
The trip to the transport ship only took about 20 minutes. The landing was just as smooth and soft as the takeoff had been. Cassie was a little disappointed that Prime Leader, RendEL, did not try to speak with her again. She reminded herself that he was handsome, sexy, and completely out of her league. She was starting a new life for herself and her little girl. Her getting involved with a man who was so complicated, would not be the best thing for her. She wasn’t looking for a new boyfriend, but if a nice, gentle, easy-going Katieran man was good to her and her baby, she would be open to a relationship.
The Katierans were different from humans in many ways. Those differences became clear to Cassie early on during her journey.
The Katierans didn’t have first and last names because their names had been combined centuries ago. So, RendEL was a result of squishing his first name Rend together with his last name EL. Another difference was that the Katierans didn’t shake hands, they clasped forearms. Their living facilities were different as well. All the doors operated like pocket doors and they were usually kept open unless someone physically closed them. Despite the differences, or maybe because of the differences, the human women found the Katieran males enjoyable.
A week into the trip, Cassie was hurrying to get herself dressed so that she would not be late for the Katieran Culture classes that evening. There had been many misunderstandings due to the culture clash. There were many disputes between the Katieran males over the human females. Prime Leader RendEL and Prime Commander KydEL were puzzled over why some of the females would provoke such disputes.
In an attempt to prevent any further incidents, it was decided that the human doctors and educators on board, including Dr. Morris, would hold daily classes in order to educate the women on Katieran culture and to answer any questions they may have. The Katierans were planning to have their separate sessions for the males but they called them “strategy sessions”.
The strategy sessions were given by the medics on board with a consultation from Dr. Morris. Dr. Morris had attended a few of the strategy sessions and found that there were many misconceptions the Katierans had on humans. The most blatant misconceptions had derived from the recorded material that the Katierans observed demonstrating human sexual relationships. When Dr. Morris asked to view this material, she discovered that they were porn videos. She had to explain that normally, human women needed only one sexual partner. The Katierans were relieved because they did not like to share.
Cassie looked forward to the classes. She only knew 4 people on board the ship. Jaxon was busy training with her team, she hadn’t seen Prime Leader RendEL since their arrival, and Medic JadEN and Doctor Morris were giving the culture classes. She hoped to make some new friends by attending the classes. Dr. Morris was a friendly face, so Cassie made sure to go to the classes the human doctor conducted.
The classes were being held in the meal room which could hold 100 people at a time. Dr. Morris and a human teacher that Cassie had yet to meet were leading the class. She quickly took a seat near the back. She needed easy access in case she had to relieve herself. It was just another part of a normal pregnancy.
Dr. Morris cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. In case this is your first class, my name is Dr. Katrina Morris. I am a surgical doctor with 10 years of experience in the ER.” She pointed to her right at a short, slightly chubby strawberry blond woman with sky blue eyes.
“This is Dr. Elizabeth Connell. She has a PhD in linguistics, a doctorate in social cultures, and a doctorate in foreign languages.” The short little woman waved shyly at everyone. “Hi ya’ll. You can call me Lizzie”. She was, also, from the South.
“We are going to open up the first 10 minutes for questions or requests for things you would like us to
cover. If we don’t have the answers for you tonight, we will note to cover it with the next session in 2 days. For those of you who do not already have one, we will be handing out some digital tablets at the end of the class. These are very similar to laptops and e-readers, but with a lot more functionality. If you can’t come to a class, it is being recorded and you can watch it on your tablet at your convenience. Okay … let’s open this up to questions.” Dr. Morris moved to stand by Lizzie.
A bubbly blonde with the double D breast implants raised her hand immediately. Dr. Morris pointed to her. “Can I access my personal email with that tablet thingy?”
“Yes, you can access it, but it will be in view mode only. It’s not safe to send out unfiltered communications while we are in transport. Once we reach Katiera, you should have full access again.” Dr. Morris pointed at the next woman with her hand up. “Yes?”
“Can I access my e-books with the tablet?” The woman had her eyes zeroed in on the tablets stacked on the back table.
Dr. Morris looked at Lizzie and rolled her eyes. “Yes, but you won’t be able to buy any more books until we reach Katiera.”
“Why not?” The woman asked.
And so it went for another 5 minutes with questions on the digital tablet. Dr. Morris and Lizzie divided up subjects regarding the Katierans. The class lasted about 1 ½ hours and at the end they were served refreshments.
Cassie learned a lot. The Katierans believe in a mated pair of Gods. KatieRI is the female Goddess and KiljOR is the male God. Because of this religious belief which is the foundation of their entire culture, the Katieran people believe heavily in mating for life. There is no such thing as divorce. Mating is till death.
A handful of women panicked in the middle of the talk on mating. Using their own words, they had engaged in, “hot monkey sex with some hot dudes but they were just playing around”. Lizzie took the lead and explained that SEX was different from mating. A mating involved the exchange of scent markings, sexual intercourse, and an official ceremony with word exchanges. Cassie still was confused over the scent marking thing. It just seemed so … unsanitary.
Cassie had picked up her digital tablet and was about to leave without eating refreshments because she was feeling tired. Several women started bringing out the refreshments and Cassie froze. She turned to the woman next to her and asked, “Are those cupcakes?”
The woman next to her gave her a broad smile and answered, “I believe they are.” Both women rushed over to the table to grab themselves a cupcake, or in Cassie’s case, several cupcakes.
“Oh my God, I am in heaven!” Cassie couldn’t help herself. It was a berry filled chocolate cupcake with white chocolate whipped icing. The cupcakes kept coming. Who made these? They were wonderful. And what Cassie really wanted to know, was there enough to go around because Cassie wanted more.
The women stayed another 30 minutes enjoying the cupcakes. The bakers were human women who volunteered to cater the classes. Cassie took another cupcake and headed back to her small cabin she was given. She didn’t have to share a cabin with anyone else, which was great, but lonely.
So caught up in the delicious flavors of her cupcake, Cassie didn’t pay any attention to where she was going. She didn’t see the mountain of muscle until she walked straight into him and almost fell backwards. “Oh...”
Strong hands reached out quickly preventing her fall. “Are you okay?” Ren asked. He hoped she couldn’t hear the desire in his voice. He had allowed himself to watch her from a distance. But now, in her presence, with her sweet scent all around him, he knew he was in serious trouble. He reluctantly released her and took a step back.
Cassie felt extremely embarrassed. The first time she sees the man in a week and she mows him down. “I am so sorry Prime Leader RendEL. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” It may sound bad, but she checked to make sure her cupcake was still intact. It was, thank God. She then returned her attention back to the Prime Leader. She looked up and up … the man was seriously tall. His dark blue eyes were staring intently at her. And those gold pupils of his were shining like little stars.
“Are you okay Miss Tomlin?” He looked her up and down to make sure she was uninjured. He worried for her well-being.
“I’m fine, just a bit clumsy. Did I hurt you Prime Leader?” She blushed because obviously it would take a tank to do any damage to the huge man.
“You did not cause any permanent damage.” Ren answered with a wide smile. “And please, call me Ren.” His voice cracked a little because the female started licking the food in her hands. Her tongue moved in long slow strokes from the bottom of the dessert to the tip. Her rapturous expression made it clear that she enjoyed the rich flavors. Damn! Her mouth was going to haunt him in his dreams.
“Oh ... Okay. My friends call me Cassie.” She took another lick of her cupcake before she bit into it. “Mm mm.” She closed her eyes as she savored the delicious filling. She opened her eyes when she heard what sounded like a growl coming from Ren. “Did you just growl?”
He took a step closer to her and breathed in her scent. “Yes. Sometimes we Katierans growl when there are no words to express what we feel.” He kept staring at her intently and his voice sounded a bit strangled. “What are you eating?”
Cassie took a step back but Ren kept coming toward her. He moved like a tiger stalking his prey. It was kind of a turn on. For a moment she imagined what it would be like to be in his arms. Wait a minute. He had asked her something. What was it … something about the cupcake? Maybe he wanted to know the kind of cupcake. Yeah, that was probably what he was asking her.
“It’s a rich berry filled … chocolate cupcake with white chocolate frosting.” Was that her voice? It sounded a bit raspy.
“May I have a taste?” Ren asked as he backed her all the way up against the wall of the corridor.
Cassie was taken off guard. Ren wasn’t even looking at the cupcake “Uh … sure I guess.” She lifted up her left hand which was holding the cupcake in order for Ren to take it from her.
Ren kept his dark eyes locked on Cassie’s green ones. Instead of taking the small dessert from Cassie, he enclosed her smaller hand inside of his larger one. He raised both hands higher till he could bend forward and take a bite. The flavors were strange, but delicious. He gave a low moan of satisfaction.
Oh God. Cassie’s whole body instantly reacted to him. She wanted those large hands all over her body. She wanted his lips tasting all her sweet spots. She just wanted …
Ren kept his eyes on Cassie. He tilted his head up slightly and breathed in her arousal. He leaned forward and very lightly brushed his lips against hers. He found her lips soft as petals from the dragon fire flowers that grew on the red planet Ratran. So soft, so sweet, so ….
What in the fires of Kitana was he doing? Ren breathed deeply. Cassie’s arousal filled every pore in his body. He was instantly hard. He tried to take a step back but his body was refusing to do what his brain was demanding. He was actually trembling with a desperate need. Control. He needed to get control over himself. He thought of all his people who were counting on him. He thought of his fellow warriors, who respected him. And he thought of his family that supported him. He could do this. No. He had to do this. He made another attempt and was able to take one … then two ... and finally three steps back.
Cassie watched as Ren retreated from her. She wasn’t sure if it was something she did or said. She wanted to tell him that she thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. And he smelled so good. It made her whole body tingle. She wanted to kiss him fully and rub her body all over his. She wanted him desperately. But did he want her?
“Thank you.” Was all Ren said to her in a cool reserved voice. And then he was walking away.
Damn it! She had the worst luck with men. She couldn’t blame him. She was a “refugee” escaping the EWG. Add into the mix that she was over 6 months pregnant with another man’s child. Top it all off, she was now sporting a definite baby bump.
Of course he didn’t want her. What man would? Suddenly, the cupcake wasn’t that appealing to her anymore.
Week 2 on the transport ship went a lot better for Cassie. She was making friends thanks to the culture classes she attended. In fact, she was sitting in a chair at that very moment waiting for the next class to begin. Someone tapped her shoulder from behind and a familiar voice asked, “Is this seat taken?”
Cassie turned in her seat to look back and squealed. “Jax! Oh God I am so glad to see you!” Cassie jumped up and hugged her friend tightly. She hugged the other woman a little too tight.
“Ugh … need …. Air … to …. Breathe.” Jaxon managed to get out. She hugged Cassie back and was pleased to note the changes in her friend. Cassie had gained about 15 pounds and her more rounded belly was proudly on display. Her complexion was glowing with health. They released each other. Jaxon sat down in the seat next to Cassie. “So, my knocked up friend, how are things going?”
Cassie smiled warmly at her friend and rubbed her now properly expanded belly. “We’re both doing really well. Dr. Morris says that the nanos are doing incredible things for the pregnancy. How’s the training going?”
“Ugh.” Jaxon rolled her eyes and groaned.
“That bad?” Cassie asked her.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if that ass wipe they call Commander didn’t have to ride my ass all the damn time. He hates me.” Jaxon complained.
Cassie looked at her very attractive friend as she replied, “Maybe he’s riding your ass because he actually wants to be riding your ass.” This caused an indignant grunt from Jaxon.
“Not going to happen. No way. No how. Not with that dick.” Jaxon was shaking her head back and forth, trying a little too hard to be convincing.
“Whatever you say Jax.” Cassie told her. Both women ended the touchy subject as Dr. Morris began the class.