by L P Peace
‘Do you know about the Protectorate and their venom?’ Sarah asked.
‘Venom. They’re venomous? I almost kissed that man!’
Suddenly, Sarah burst out laughing.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘Shhh!’ Sarah said. Her face had gone red, and she was covering her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter.
‘Shhh?’ Charlotte felt her irritation flare.
‘Shhh, I don’t want my daughter in here while I explain their venom to you,’ Sarah managed through stifled laughter. ‘And trust me, you don’t want Elise in here.’
Charlotte found herself intrigued. ‘Why? What’s up with this venom?’
Sarah sat forward in her seat like she was imparting a secret. ‘The venom does a few things. That Cealin fella—’
‘Kallis,’ Charlotte supplied.
‘Yeah, him. He designed it to work on human women. He intended on using the Protectorate to take over Earth. He was planning on changing the rest of the human men. Then, they would bite a human female—’
‘I’m not letting anybody bite me!’ Charlotte said. Nope! Fuck that! Whatever that venom did, it wasn’t going anywhere near her.
‘Okay, but this is what it was meant to do. Once they bite a woman… once Thanesh bit Alethia, it delivered new DNA into her body and began to do to her what Kallis did to you and your daughter.’
‘He never touched Elise. We’re albinos.’
‘Oh, like Alethia.’
Charlotte let out a steadying breath. She was getting sick of hearing that name. ‘Yeah. Go on.’
‘But the venom does something else as well. According to Alethia, it puts women… It makes women…’ Sarah leaned forward, her eyes flashing to the door. ‘It puts you in that place right before you… you know,’ she whispered. ‘So that even the smallest touch makes you…’ Her eyebrows rose twice, in quick succession.
All of the irritation inside Charlotte broke, the tension fading as she descended into a fit of laughter.
‘And it leaves you there for a couple of hours too.’
‘You are kidding me!’ Charlotte gasped.
‘Nope. And, these Protectorate men have the stamina, you know, to keep up with you.’
‘I’ve been holding him off,’ Charlotte whispered, getting closer to Sarah. ‘But it’s been so long since I had a good orgasm and that sounds like a really good orgasm.’
Sarah’s eyebrows rose once again. ‘Well, my sex life certainly got better when Mikel heard. He’s terribly competitive.’
Charlotte almost screamed. ‘Get it!’
Through their laughter, they heard the front door open. Mikel stepped inside. ‘Are you both well?’
Charlotte and Sarah looked from Mikel to each other, and immediately the two women were hysterical once again.
‘Mikel! We’re fine. Go!’
With a confused look on his face, the alien walked out.
‘Did I offer you a drink?’ Charlotte said once they’d calmed down a bit more.
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
Charlotte rose and walked into the kitchen. Outside, Kerr, Mikel, and Herik were talking in low voices. Charlotte took a moment, examining Kerr in profile.
He was a damn fine, sexy male.
Turning, she went about preparing drinks. She was filling the kettle with water when Sarah walked up behind her.
‘Charlotte, there’s something else the venom does,’ she whispered.
‘Does it clean the kitchen too? Because if it does, I’m sold.’ She looked at Sarah, expecting to see humour on her face, but it was deadly serious. ‘What does it do?’
‘The venom comes from their Fedhith and Sehn genes,’ Sarah said.
Charlotte had no idea who they were.
‘The orgasmic bit? That’s all Fedhith. The Sehn’s causes euphoria in their partners. But both races are bonding races, Charlotte.’
‘Bonding races?’ For a moment, Charlotte didn’t understand what Sarah was saying. Then slowly, realisation dawned. ‘As in, he would bond to me?’
‘No. Kerr’s mother is Weyilan. They bond on sight. That’s already happened for Kerr. The bonding venom bonds a female to a male. He’d never be able to leave you, or you him.’
Several days passed while Charlotte, with the help of Kerr, got the cabin sorted out. By the time they were done, it was beautiful.
The community was small, close, and welcoming. They were used to taking in the ex-slave strays of the galaxy and had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome, even to the point where Charlotte hadn’t had to cook a single meal, apart from breakfast, since arriving.
They were helping her settle in and showing her around to get a feel for the place. See the roles they had, the roles they needed filling and even the roles no one had thought of yet.
Elise was thriving. The village kids were as close as their parents. They were all different ages and all different races. There were a few hybrids running around besides Chloe, and they welcomed Elise as though she’d always been one of them. Thanks to that, and the beautiful bedroom she now had, Elise had started sleeping alone. She still woke up occasionally from a nightmare and had crawled into bed with Charlotte once or twice, but she was getting stronger and braver.
Kerr was the biggest help of all. In the last few days, he’d taken to bringing Elise and her friends into the woods and teaching them survival. As Elise got to know the surrounding forest, her confidence in their new environment grew. Slowly she’d started commenting on how pretty the trees were, with their purple trunks and red leaves. She’d even taken to bringing Charlotte flowers, which sat in vases made from local clay around the cabin.
That’s where they were now.
With everything in its place, Charlotte was walking about the cabin, going from room to room and wondering about Kerr. Wondering about the things Sarah had told her.
Sarah thought Charlotte would be afraid. That finding out this alien was bonded to her would freak her out. But the idea that Kerr had imprinted on her… it intrigued Charlotte.
Even though he was full of charm. Even though he seemed to have the traits Charlotte associated with a chancer, a charmer, a user, it seemed that Kerr was none of those things.
He hadn’t arranged this cabin to get in her pants; he was helping her build a home with the hope he might join it. He wasn’t teaching Elise to not fear the forest to trick her mother into bed. He was doing it because he genuinely loved her. Even after Sarah had told Charlotte about Kerr’s instinct, she hadn’t quite believed it.
It wasn’t until a few days earlier when Elise asked Kerr to help her with something in her room. Charlotte had gone to spy. She trusted Kerr with her daughter’s safety, but she’d seen the way Elise was beginning to look at Kerr. She knew that not having a father was rough on her and always had been. In the past, Elise had asked questions, but with time they faded. Now, when she looked at Kerr, the expression on her face was devotion.
Sneaking to the bedroom, Charlotte had looked through the crack in the jamb. She saw Kerr holding Elise high up the wall so she could put up a picture she’d drawn. When she was done, Kerr placed her gently on the ground. Elise turned and placed her hands on either side of Kerr’s face and smiled up at him with love. The look Kerr returned was as pure and loving as the look on Elise’s face.
It had torn the last of Charlotte’s doubts to shreds.
Kerr loved her, and he loved Elise. He’d always be there. He’d always protect them.
Now, Charlotte had to make the decision. Was she ready to take the next step with Kerr? Was she ready to take him to her bed and let him bite her? Could she let him change her even more than Kallis already had and in doing so, make her his for the rest of their very long lives?
The front door opened and Elise ran in. ‘Mommy, Mommy! I’ll always know my way back to the village. Kerr showed me!’
‘What did he teach you?’ Charlotte’s eyes went to the door. Kerr was making his way up the path, a huge
grin on his face as he watched Elise.
‘He told me about the moss, how it only grows on one side of the tree. I can follow the moss to get home!’
Kerr walked in through the door. ‘She did very well. She’s a natural. Much better than I was when Alethia was teaching me.’
Charlotte turned her attention back to Elise, who grinned up at her with pride. ‘Well done, baby.’ She leaned over, pulling her daughter into her arms and giving her a big hug. ‘Sarah wanted to know if you want to stay over at her house tonight? Sleep over with Chloe and Ann?’
‘A sleep over?’
There was a time when Elise would have jumped at the chance to sleep over at a friends, house. Now Charlotte spied uncertainty.
‘You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,’ Charlotte said. It would kill her plans for tonight, but she would never force Elise to do something like this, something she didn’t have to do, against her will. Not with everything they’d been through.
‘No. I want to. Just if I get scared, can I come home?’
‘Of course, baby. Just let Sarah know, and she’ll bring you straight back.’
‘What about you, Kerr?’ Elise looked at him.
‘I suppose I will go back to the ship—’
‘Kerr’s going to spend some time with me,’ Charlotte said.
Kerr turned from Elise to Charlotte. His face turned from resigned, to shocked, to hopeful. Charlotte smiled at him to stoke that hope.
The fact was, since talking to Sarah, Charlotte had allowed herself to imagine a future with him. He was kind and gentle. Charming and cheeky, with a good sense of fun. He was everything she found attractive in a man, without any of the risks that came with a guy who arrogantly took what he wanted and cared little for the consequences. For Kerr, the consequences, being with her, was the point and Charlotte knew she wanted that.
She wanted to be with Kerr. The questions she’d asked herself before were easy to answer.
Was she ready to take the next step with Kerr? Yes.
Was she ready to take him to her bed and let him bite her? Not just ready, but eager.
Could she let him change her even more than Kallis already had and, in doing so, make her his for the rest of their very long lives? Absolutely.
Charlotte was ready. So much so that she was the one who’d arranged for Elise to stay the night at Sarah’s.
‘Okay then. Let’s get you some things ready. Chloe’s waiting, and she has a few other friends coming as well.’
Elise’s eyes widened and filled with excitement.
It was the work of a few minutes. Kerr helped, and they packed a small bag with a change of clothes, pyjamas, her favourite new stuffed toy, and all the other things she’d need. Kerr rolled up her bedding, and they walked Elise up the road to the square.
‘Thanesh and Alethia are here.’
Charlotte looked at Kerr, then in the direction he was looking.
At the very edge of the village, opposite from Sarah’s house, was the huge Protectorate male they’d met a few weeks earlier. He was standing on the ground. In front of him, standing on the veranda, was a human woman. Alethia was an albino, but Charlotte already knew that, of course.
The male had both of his hands on the flat of the woman’s stomach. Charlotte gasped, no, not flat. There was the slightest bump there.
‘She’s pregnant!’ Charlotte looked at Kerr.
‘Yes. They are in the process of telling people. I suppose that is why they are here. Alethia is closest to those in this village. When they are done, they will announce it to the rest of our people.’ Kerr’s smile was sublime, beautiful. ‘Thanesh and Alethia’s child will be the first natural-born Protecto—Tessan. The first natural-born Tessan.’
‘The future of your race,’ Charlotte said.
‘Our race, Charlotte. The future of our race. And hopefully, she will be joined soon by many of our people. We will fill this world with life.’
Children!
Charlotte looked down at Elise. Children… She tried to imagine another Elise. Younger, possibly with a tail and small red scales on her cheeks. A bone-deep craving erupted through her so quickly and completely that Charlotte felt it must have been there all along. Ever since Kerr started showing his interest in her.
‘Would you like me to introduce you?’
Charlotte looked at the woman who’d been through the same procedures she had. Who suffered the same condition Charlotte and Elise did. They had so much in common.
Charlotte had spent months resenting this woman, but watching her, she realised those feelings were gone.
‘They look like they’re having a moment. Let’s leave them.’
Kerr nodded. ‘You are right. Very well.’
They turned and walked to Sarah’s cabin. The door opened even before they arrived. Elise was already in Chloe’s bedroom by the time they stepped foot inside.
She looked at Kerr and smiled. Charlotte was excited about where the night would lead them. More importantly, she felt a sense of normalcy for the first time in months.
By the time they left Sarah’s an hour later, Thanesh and Alethia were gone.
Charlotte and Kerr walked around the corner and headed back to the cabin. As they walked along, Charlotte slipped her hand in Kerr’s.
‘What is this?’ he asked, looking at their joined hands.
‘It’s a human thing,’ Charlotte said, enjoying the curious set to his features.
Kerr let their hands drop, but his fingers, wrapped around her hand, tightened a little.
They walked up to her small garden and up to the veranda. Her hand fell to the doorknob, but Charlotte didn’t open the door. Instead, she looked up at Kerr.
‘I want you to stay the night,’ Charlotte said. ‘I… I know. About the mating instinct.’
Realisation dawned on his face. He reached out, his knuckles grazing her cheeks. ‘I did not want to pressure you—’
‘I know.’ Charlotte smiled. ‘You gave me time. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you, Kerr.’
With that, she opened the door, and they went inside.
Once the door was closed, Charlotte felt her nerves rise. ‘I… I don’t know—’
‘Let’s go for a picnic,’ Kerr said.
‘Picnic? Where did you learn that word?’ Charlotte laughed.
‘Sarah has advised me that a picnic is an appropriate first date.’
‘First date, huh?’ Charlotte grinned. ‘I haven’t been on a first date in years and never a picnic.’
‘Then we must!’ Kerr said. He stepped towards the kitchen. ‘I will take you on a picnic that no one has ever had the sense of taking you on before.’
Charlotte laughed. ‘I’m not sure that sentence entirely made sense.’
Kerr stopped, his eyes moving side to side. ‘No, it did not.’ With that, he charged into the kitchen and started digging the cupboards. ‘Wait. Can you do this? I don’t know what food to pack, and I have to borrow Sarah’s basket.’
Charlotte’s smile hadn’t faded yet, and watching him go from one thought to the next was an entertainment in itself. She couldn’t stop laughing.
Kerr turned to her, a grin on his face. ‘Why are you laughing at me, my Charlotte?’
‘I’m not,’ she lied, taking a step back.
Something sparked in Kerr’s eyes. He crossed the space between them in a jump that took her breath away. Landing beside her, he pulled her into his arms. ‘Laughing when I can see a much better use for these luscious lips.’
One hand to the back of her neck, the other around her waist, Kerr claimed her lips.
His kiss seared her. With expertise and a talented tongue, Kerr stole the very air from her and replaced it with his own. He filled every sense, the touch of his hand and the sensation of his body pressed against hers. The smell of him, sandalwood and spice. He tasted spicy, and Charlotte licked and nipped at him for more.
She could hear his breathing as it grew quicker and quicker. Hi
s tail curled around her leg, and Charlotte pressed herself closer to him.
Her whole body had become incandescent with her arousal. She grabbed his hand and broke the kiss. ‘Bedroom.’
To her surprise, Kerr didn’t move.
‘No. I know exactly where I want to make love to you for the first time.’ His smile was gentle and loving. ‘It will be perfect. A moment we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.’
Charlotte was shaking with need for him, but she couldn’t resist the look on his face. ‘Oh! You are insufferable,’ she growled at him.
The smirk on Kerr’s face did nothing to diminish Charlotte’s burning desire. ‘Did Sarah tell you about our venom?’
Charlotte shivered.
One eyebrow rose, giving Kerr the look of a rascal. ‘I’ll take that as a yes. I’m going to pleasure you for hours, my Charlotte.’
‘Get. The. Damn. Basket.’ Charlotte pulled Kerr’s face to hers, and they kissed once more. ‘Now. Before I drag you in that bedroom and chain you to my bed.’
A chuckle started low in Kerr’s throat. ‘Next time,’ he grinned, then was gone. Charlotte watched him run up the path, then turned to prepare their picnic.
The forest around the village was stunning. It was late spring. Aida was close enough to the equator that it was already warm and Charlotte was resistant to the small chill in the air thanks to Kallis.
The trees here were a feast for the eyes.
The purple trunks went from pale lilac to vibrant violet—the trees from orange to red, with crimson being the overriding colour.
Around her, there were glades of flowers. There were purple flowers that looked a little like wild roses. An orange flower transitioned to pink on the inner petal, and there was a pink flower that was red in the centre. The red leaves on the purple rose plant darkened to black along to the stem. It was vibrant and stunning. This was the perfect world upon which to start a new race. The planet teemed with life.
Kerr was carrying the picnic basket in one hand; the blanket Charlotte had folded atop it. He held her hand with the other.
For a few minutes, Charlotte heard rushing water. They’d taken a steep climb up a hill and were moving closer to the sound now.