by Celeste King
“Why?”
“Because I was hoping that you would be able to hear me if I called out to you. Last night, for several hours before I fell asleep, I cleared my mind, and used my heart and soul to call out to you. That had to have been the humming you felt.”
“It was my love.”
Jubal and Keyan came out of the shack with the boxes of food and water.
“The only thing in the shack were these,” Jubal said.
“I assume you drank these,” Keyan said, holding up two empty water bottles.
She nodded, and seemed embarrassed when she said, “I meant to try to conserve water, and not drink so much, but my throat hurt, and I felt very thirsty.”
“We could take these boxes back with us and analyze the food and water. Although the full bottles and the food containers are sealed, whoever is behind this could have contaminated them. Plus, fingerprints and DNA might give us some hints as to who is behind it.
I guessed that she was drugged, and I wanted to know how she got here and who brought her. However, I wanted to get her back to the ship so we could check her out and get her fed. Besides, I really didn’t want to be here in the event that the renegades came back. Maura wasn’t in any shape to fight and we didn’t bring all of our men.
“Let’s get you back to the ship and get you home,” I said.
Then, even though she insisted she could walk, I lifted her and carried her back to the ship. To be completely honest, I was happy to feel her snuggled against me, close to my heart.
17
Maura
At first, I thought I was dreaming. The last thing I remembered was focusing on Galen. I remembered attempting to tell him that I loved him and where I was telepathically. Then, the next thing I knew, I was hearing his deep voice telling me to wake up.
When I opened my eyes, I was confused. I had heard him clearly, but he wasn’t there. Then, I looked around the shack until I focused on the window. For a brief second, I thought the men had drugged the water and I was hallucinating. I shook my head to focus. It really was him.
Immediately, I jumped out, ran out of the shack and straight into his arms.
The thought that I could finally tell him how much I loved him possessed me.
Jubal and Keyan asked me if I was okay and if anyone else was in the shack. I answered no and then pressed my face against Galen’s chest. It was the best feeling in the world. I felt him kiss my head.
I looked up at him, smiled to see his gorgeous face and told him that I was in love with him. Then, he started to glow, and his skin seemed to turn into some type of prism, reflecting several different colors, with an under shade of his blue.
Although he was beautiful, I had to tease him a bit about glowing. I was pretty sure he didn’t care. Everyone already knew he was in love with me, and I guessed the Nirqoi glowed when they found their fated mates and the love circle was complete.
I insisted that I could walk through the sand to the ship, but in reality, I wasn’t so sure that I could. My body still felt very weak, and I was a bit dizzy.
Besides, I loved snuggling up to his chest and hearing his heart beating.
As soon as we boarded the ship, a medic examined me.
The look on Galen’s face when he saw the four burn marks from the taser could have frightened the dead.
The medic treated those, and said that although I had been drugged with something pretty nasty, I was okay. The effects would wear off in a couple of days.
I knew Galen wanted to ask what happened, but he insisted that I have a shower and food first.
He undressed me and himself, and we got into the shower together. Seeing his naked body made my hands itch to touch him, but he wouldn’t let me. He actually swatted my hands away.
Galen was extremely gentle when he shampooed my hair. He carefully washed my face and body as I leaned against the cool shower wall. The coolness felt good against my body, and my legs were starting to feel a bit shaky.
He was very businesslike while bathing me. I guessed that his only thought at the time was to make sure I was okay.
After the shower, he carefully dried me off. Although he didn’t say anything, he pressed his lips tightly together when he saw the burn marks again. He helped me dress and even brushed my hair while I sat in the chair.
“You had better be careful. I might get used to this.”
“You don’t have the patience to let someone take care of you like this often. I’m sure if you could stand, you wouldn’t let me now.”
“I don’t know. I’m new at this whole love thing, so I’m not sure if I would or not. Perhaps, we’ll have to try this again sometime soon.”
There were some sandwiches and fries waiting for me when I got out of the shower.
While I ate, Galen, Jubal, Keyan, Noxu, and Gowan waited patiently for me to tell them what happened.
Finally, Galen couldn’t wait any longer.
What happened?” he asked.
I looked at him and smiled. “I was impatient for you to wake up so I could tell you that I loved you. I didn’t want to wake you up, so I went outside to exercise. After about an hour I decided to head back in and shower. A group of men were between me and the house. I turned around, but there were some men behind me. I tried to run for the forest, but they tased me. I tried to get up, but they tased me again.”
I showed everyone four marks where the barbs had latched into my skin, and all of them became angry, although they tried very hard not to show it.
“Then, one of them put a rag over my nose and mouth. When I woke up, I was in the shack.”
I paused for a second. “There were five men there with tasers. One of them checked my blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. Then, I guessed they decided I was going to live, so they brought the boxes in and left. They never spoke a word. I asked them who they were and why they kidnapped me, but they just looked at me like they were deaf.”
“My head and body hurt so badly, and I was thirsty beyond belief. I don’t know what drug they used, but it was awful.”
“We’ll get them,” Galen said tightly.
Everyone exchanged glances.
“You suspect them, don’t you?” They nodded.
“Me too. They are the only ones who knew what planet I was living on. I have no idea why they would do it. I have to value to anyone.”
“You have value to me, and they had to know that I would come after you.”
Finally, everyone decided to head to their chambers.
I looked up at Galen. “You are my fated mate. I am absolutely in love with you.”
He smiled.
Galen wrapped his arms around me and held me close to him. His tongue made love to my mouth the same way that he had made love to my body.
Hastily, I pulled off my clothes. “Please make love to me.”
Whereas the last time he moved so slow and easy, this time he made sure that I was ready for him, and then plunged deep inside of me.
I cried out his name as his ribbed shaft caressed my sensitive walls.
He filled me with such exquisite pleasure that my entire body began to tremble from the white hot burning electricity that exploded through me.
There was nothing in the world but this man who owned my heart, this man who completed me.
He pulled out, to where the tip of his hard cock was at the entrance of my pussy. He leaned down, and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. Then, as he plundered my mouth with his tongue, he thrust his cock deep inside of me.
I could no longer contain the heat, and I felt a rush of hot liquid erupt from inside of me. Second later, a hot geyser gushed deep inside of me.
“I love you,” I said, and snuggled into his arms, falling asleep instantly.
18
Galen
I held my sleeping bride in my arms thinking that I had never been happier. My fated mate finally allowed herself to love me and accept that we were meant to be together.
The next morning, we appr
oached my planet. I could tell by the looks on the other men’s faces that they were worried. Maura was not kidnapped on accident. She was much too easy to find. They also made sure to leave her enough provisions to stay alive until she was found.
I knew something was wrong the minute the ship landed. Several of my warriors, dressed in their battle gear, were waiting at the landing strip.
“Kzera is with his troop at the fields fighting off a band of ragtag alien invaders. They were searching for uranium.”
We looked at each other. The distraction. The five of us men set off with all but one of the warriors, who stayed behind to get Maura home safely. I was glad that I didn’t have to argue with Maura about staying home. She realized that she was not fit for a fight.
The renegades were mostly subdued once we got there. I was all over within minutes.
I was not surprised to see Maura coming up behind us with the warrior assigned to take her home looking defeated. I knew the feeling. It was impossible to argue with Maura once she made up her mind.
Noxu brought a human to him. The human, identified as Patrick, was the leader of this group.
“Why are you here?” I asked him.
“We were sent here to try to find the uranium. It is still one of the most valuable resources on the black market.”
“How did you know that I wouldn’t be here to defend the uranium.”
“You are predictable. We knew that when your woman was kidnapped you would run off to find her,” he sneered.
It took every bit of will power that I possessed not to knock that sneer right off of his face.
“What do you know about her kidnapping?” I asked him.
“Your friend, Jubal paid us to kidnap her.”
Jubal started to jump in, but I shook my head.
“When did this happen?”
Patrick named a date.
I nodded to Kzera. “Take them to the prison.”
The outlaw gang was marched to the prisons.
Turning back to my friends, I said, “Whoever sent him here didn’t do their homework well.”
I looked at Jubal. “You still would have been on Earth. It was two days after the ball. I knew you didn’t do it, but I wanted to see if he would slip up. And he did.”
“Something is rotten here. Someone has a plan.” I stated the obvious.
“It seems as though someone is trying to cause hard feelings between us,” Keyan said. “But why?”
“There is an old saying that a house divided will fall. If the six of us leaders who were invited to the ball are united in friendship and peace, we cannot be beat. However, if someone can cause us to be at war, then we are fair game. Not only do we not have each other’s backs, but our attention will be focused on fighting each other. That allows the enemy to come sneaking in the back door, and defeat us.”
“That makes perfect sense. The question is, what would the organization responsible have to gain by defeating us? It seems to me that they are almost all powerful. They have no overseer, no one to call them down if they get out of hand,” Jubal remarked.
I had to admit that I didn’t know.
“We’d better get back home,” Keyan said. “If they are starting trouble, we all need to be prepared for it.”
“Agreed,” I said.
We shook hands and agreed to stay in touch. Then, they left for their ships.
Maura and I were alone.
She reached out her hands and touched my chest. “You are glorious. I don’t know why every woman in this universe and all the universes surrounding us have not kidnapped you for themselves.”
I chuckled. “Maybe it’s because they know that I have a ferocious lion for a woman who would end them instantly if they tried.”
“Oooh,” she cooed. “You know me so well.”
I laughed, and we walked slowly back home.
Another shower is in order because I am all sweaty from the fight.
She takes no time at all in undressing herself and then me. This time, she decided that it was her turn to take care of me.
The hot water felt divine after the stress of the last few days. She couldn’t reach my hair to wash it, so I bent my head for her, laughing at her shortness.
She informed me that her legs were long enough to reach the ground and that was all she needed.
Her slippery soapy hands slid all over my body. Despite my good intentions, my shaft hardened into a steel rod that protruded proudly from my body.
Shyly, she wrapped her hands around the base. Slowly, she moved her hands from the base to the ridge just below the head.
Maura looked up at my face to see if it was okay. “Explore it all you want, Love. It’s all for you.”
Her fingers danced along my length, until I couldn’t take it anymore. “I want to be inside of you.”
“I want that, too,” she whispered.
I rinsed the soap off, then lifted her up. With one swift movement, I impaled her on my cock.
She let out a moan that shook the world. Maura wrapped her legs around my waist, as I rocked my hips back and forth.
Maura started panting. She tangled her fingers in my hair, and the love I saw flashing in her eyes started a raging fire inside of me.
After a few moments, she buried her face into my neck and dug her fingers into my back. She cried out my name. Her body began to pulsate, tightening against my buried shaft. Unable to hold back myself, I exploded deep inside of her.
“I love you, Galen,” she breathed.
That was the sweetest music I had ever heard.
19
Maura
Galen was a rather large man, and I found that I was a bit tender that night. I couldn’t help smiling, though, as he held me tight in his arms while he snored like a ferocious bear.
Although Pitch Perfect and the UPO likely did not have good intentions when they arranged for the ball, I was grateful they did. I never would have guessed how fulfilling it was to have a man who loved me, believed in me, and was willing to support my cause on Earth.
If Jubal and Keyan were any examples, my five friends all found amazing men. I was happy.
Whatever the UPO had planned by getting us together, they actually made a mistake. Six powerful men were formidable. Six powerful men with six equally powerful women were impenetrable. We would never be defeated.
That night was the best sleep I had had in such a very long time. My heart and soul were complete.
During breakfast the next morning, I told Galen my thoughts. He flashed his beautiful smile at me and told me that I was right.
“I would like to see them again soon. The six of us felt an instant connection, like we were sisters separated at birth.”
“I’ve heard said that blood is thicker than water,” Galen said. “But I’ve seen people betrayed by blood kin. I think that bonds forged by experiences, good and bad, are the strongest of all and can’t be broken.”
I nodded.
“I’m sure a visit can be arranged. We all get together once in a while anyway. We meet at the halfway point. There is no reason why we can’t do that sooner rather than later.”
He paused for a minute. “You can also talk to them through our telecom system. You can get all five of them on at the same time, so all six of you guys can talk together.”
“That would be awesome.”
I took a drink of what I assumed was orange juice, and said, “I’m sorry that all this trouble is happening. I know that the UPO was up to no good when they arranged everything. However, I am grateful that they did let us meet. I will walk through all the layers of Hades for eternity to have a lifetime with you.”
Galen leaned over and kissed me. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was enough to make the world spin around. It was a kiss that spoke of promises made from the heart.”
“I’ve got some business to attend to. Go on into the comm room and tell the operator what you want. He’ll set you up, show you how to do it, and then give you some privacy.”
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With one final quick kiss, he disappeared through the door. I stretched and looked back at the bed, thinking that a nap would be nice. Even though I slept well, I was still pretty tired and I had a lingering headache.
Instead, I scolded myself and told myself to get moving. Reluctantly, I did as I was told.
The operator was very helpful and soon I was talking to my friends.
“I would never have believed it if you told me six months ago, but I fell in love with Galen. He is right. We are fated mates. Once my eyes were opened, I felt stupid for being so blind.”
They smiled and congratulated me.
“I don’t mean to be a party pooper, but what happened to you?” Nina asked. “Jubal said you were kidnapped by a group of outlaws.”
I told them the story of what happened, and showed them the burns that were just starting to heal.
“I don’t know what is up, but be careful. Don’t go anywhere alone,” I warned them.
“As Shakespeare wrote almost a thousand years ago, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Samaria said.
We all looked at her and she shrugged. “I love old literature. Don’t hate.”
We laughed.
After agreeing that we would have to meet in person soon, we ended our visit. I did want to rest a bit before the feast tonight.
Galen came in that evening and dressed in his pants and opened white shirt. I was sure that my eyes popped out of my head and I was drooling everywhere. All I wanted to do was look at him and touch him everywhere.
The feast almost took place without us, because I wanted this sexy beast all to myself.
Instead, he kissed me and said, “All in good time, My Dear. Haven’t you heard that good things come to those who wait?”
“Where in the world did you hear all of these ancient hokey sayings anyway?”
“Just because I’m big and beautiful doesn’t mean I’m not smart. I like to read. And studying the past is the best way to learn how to handle the future.”