by Luna Hunter
“Pain,” I answer. “Death.”
“That bad? I guess you don’t have those claws for nothing… what brings you to Earth though?”
My eyes find hers once again, the heat inside of me flaring up.
“You.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Me? I’m juts a nobody, fighting a losing war and getting my friends killed in the process.”
“You are my nera,” I reply. “Human females are our future. We must breed and create new life.”
Joan’s mouth hangs open in shock. “Did you just say breed?”
“Yes.”
She shakes her head vigorously. “No way.”
Anger rises up inside me. “You would deny the sacred bond?!” I growl.
“There’s nothing sacred about what we just did!” she says, her cheeks achieving that adorable red glow once more. “And if you think I’m letting you knock me up, you’re dead wrong.”
I have saved the female’s life. I have healed her wounds, provided her with food, safety and pleasure. And still she resists!
She’s more stubborn than Kerax!
For the future of all the Kaizon… she must submit.
Chapter 8
JOAN
“You are mine,” he growls. His deep voice is so loud that it makes the birds scatter. “Mine and mine alone.”
I rise quickly, ignoring the throbbing in my ankle. This is more important than pain. This is about my honor, my body! This brutish alien thinks he can just claim me. He’s dead wrong.
I don’t care what the customs are like where he’s from, but here on Earth, we do things differently.
“I belong to no man,” I answer, my hands planted firmly in my sides.
“No human male?”
“No male, period!”
He takes a step towards me, and I inch back, until my back is planted firmly against a tree. Surlok is so big, he’s everywhere. There’s no escaping him.
“Wrong,” he says, baring his fangs to me. “You belong to me.”
I meet his fiery gaze, neither of us blinking. I try to ignore the racing of my heart and the fluttering of my stomach as we have an intense stare-off.
Here I am, trying to convince this alien I’m not his, meanwhile my heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, my nipples feel like they’re hard enough to poke right through my shirt, and my sex, well, let’s not even go there.
I wouldn’t mind putting on a fresh pair, is all I’m saying.
If I can’t even convince myself, how am I going to convince this hulking mass of muscle? Surlok is towering over me, his hot breath tickling my skin, his manly scent surrounding me completely.
The memories of what we did is still fresh. My toes still remember how they curled, my lips still remember how they screamed his name, my tongue still remembers his taste. A hint of it lingers still, and just thinking about it ignites a flame inside of me…
It was a moment of temporary insanity.
A lapse of judgment. My way of dealing with the trauma of facing Xane and losing. That’s the only possible explanation.
Because the other option — that this horned brute really is my fated mate — is something I just can’t accept. It goes against everything I stand for. I’ve always been independent. I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me.
Even though I’ve never seen anyone fight as well as Surlok. He’s quicker, faster, stronger than me.
But still, the last thing I need is a husband. I especially don’t need someone as controlling as this snarling, sniffing beast. I’m not ‘his’, and I’ll never be!
And yet… my body doesn’t seem to agree with my mind. Just the prospect of having his claws on my skin, or his forked tongue on my lips, has my heart racing.
Nothing makes sense anymore.
“Get away from me,” I say with a shaky voice.
Surlok cocks his head to the side, one strong brow rising up as if to say are you for real, human? You dare to defy me? You’re going to say no to all this greatness?
The smugness, the cockiness is written all over that chiseled face of his. He doesn’t even need to say a word. It’s all there in his mesmerizing eyes.
With a heavy sigh that’s so low it makes my entire chest rumble, Surlok takes a step back.
“You are stubborn, Joan.”
“Now that’s something we can both agree on,” I say.
“In the end, you will submit to me.”
“I beg to differ.”
“I could take you right now.”
“But you won’t.”
For a second the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I do hope that I’ve read the situation correctly, and he’s not about to pin me down to the ground and have his way with me right here and now.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because… you are… honorable. And… a good man.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” I say. And I’m not even sure if it’s a lie or not. It’s something I want to believe is true… and somewhere, deep inside of me, in the part that operates on feelings rather than logic, I feel that it is true. He rescued me, he cared for me, fed me…
… Okay, and then he also dived that head of his between my legs, and despite my mock protests he made me come harder than I thought possible, before feeding his alien cock right into my waiting mouth… but I would by lying if I said I wasn’t asking for it.
Damn it. Everything used to be so clear cut. Men bad. Women good. Simple.
And even that’s not really true, because dad was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known, if not the best.
Damn it, inner Joan, you’re right. But dad is not around anymore. All that drives me now is revenge.
I don't need all of these feelings to complicate things. I’m not good with them. I’ll take a gun every day of the week, thank you very much. I can take a gun apart, clean it, and re-assemble it with my eyes closed.
Now, talking about my feelings?
That’s something I’d rather run from. Preferably as fast as my legs can carry me.
Right now my legs aren’t going to be doing a whole lot of carrying, and this alien warrior, this colossal male is not letting me go anywhere. The possessive look in his alien eyes assures me of that. He’s going to stick by my side, whether I want him to or not. And a whole lot of confusing feelings are going to accompany him.
“Hm,” Surlok growls. “Very well then.”
He sits back down in front of the fire, and continues roasting the deer meat.
“You will submit to me sooner, rather than later, human female. But if you want to deny this bond, then be my guest. I’ll wait for you to cave in, and when you do, I’ll be right here.”
If any other man uttered those words, so smug and self-confident, I would have probably given him a good smack. Surlok, however, gets away with it somehow.
Maybe it’s because we both know that he’s telling the truth. I’m denying something that can’t be denied. When he’s close, when his male scent surrounds me, it’s like I want to drown in it.
“We’ll see about that, alien male,” I say, anger rising to my cheeks.
It’s like he sees right through me.
“If you’re going to stick around like a bad smell, then how about you make yourself useful and help me save my friends?”
“The females?”
“Yes, those females have names, you know. Eileen. Faith. Belinda. Rather than sitting around here and chatting about our non-existing bond, I’d like it if we hunted that bastard Xane down.”
Surlok rises instantly.
“If I save your friends, will you stop fighting our bond?”
“I, err.” I stop myself mid-sentence. I know what he’s really asking, and if I say yes, then there’s no coming back from that. On the other hand, a life without my friends by my side will not be worth living.
“Yes,” I say. “Yes I will do… whatever. Just help me save my friends.”
Surlok
grabs my waist and flings me over his shoulder in the blink of an eye.
“What are you doing?!” I scream. Before I’ve even finished my sentence he’s already sprinting through the woods, twigs slapping against me.
“We travel faster if I carry you,” he says, his hand resting possessively on my behind, his claws poking my skin.
His touch drives me mad, and I have to bite on my tongue to stop myself from pushing my butt back against him.
When we save my friends… then I can surrender myself to all of my crazy feelings. But not before that.
My friends come first.
Chapter 9
SURLOK
The earth is damp and soggy underneath my feet. The treetops provide us with some shelter from the drizzle, but not enough to stop my mate from getting wet. I clutch her tightly, as I try to make sense of everything that has happened.
These human females are such strange creatures.
Their bodies are made for mating. Every curve of Joan’s body exudes that. Everything about her makes my quad throb with desire. Her skin is deliciously soft and sinking my fingers into her is the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.
Her lips are the plumpest things I have ever seen. So full, so rich, so desirable. I want nothing more than to feel her lips on mine, to drag my forked tongue across them, to savor her taste. The fact that I have not yet kissed her is a crime.
I already know that tongue of hers can work wonders, though…
Just thinking about that moment makes my two hearts quicken. We’ve only just met, but already I can say with full confidence that filling her mouth is one of the best moments of my life. I’ve never felt more powerful or alive than in that moment, with her lips wrapped around my manhood, her fingers stroking my entire length, cooing for me to finish in her mouth.
My seed is meant for her cunt.
It’s meant to create young warriors, to make sons and daughters, to spread my genes, to create many heirs that will keep the Kaizon culture alive.
It’s not meant to be deposited on my mate’s lips, on her tongue, on her cheeks and on her chest. And yet, that is where it all ended up, and I didn’t even feel guilty.
I felt alive.
I know that she feels the same way, this human female, Joan, my nera. I can hear her heart beat as loud as a thunderstorm, and every time our eyes meet it’s like a jolt of electricity passes through her small frame.
And I haven’t even mentioned her scent.
Oh my horns, her scent.
My entire system is attuned to her pheromones. The smell of her cunt surrounds me completely. It reminds of the botanical gardens on Kysus, which contain the most beautiful flowers found in the entire galaxy, with odors strong enough to make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud.
Her scent is like that, only a thousand times stronger.
It makes my skin prickle, my two hearts quicken, my quad throb and my cock harden, all at the same time.
I know exactly what it all means. She is my fated mate, my nera, my one. And yet, despite all of the proof staring her in the face, she resists. Impossible! How can one resist a draw so strong? How could you say no to perfection?!
Is it me? Is there something about my appearance that frightens her? Because she has absolutely nothing to fear from me. The men who hurt her all the more.
I will tear them limb from limb. I will rip off their heads and twist their necks. Anyone who even thinks about harming my nera will not live long!
Or could it be simply in her nature to be so stubborn, to look destiny in the face and say ‘no’? Either way, it will not stand. I will convince her, one way or the other, that she is mine. I have travelled across time and space for a reason, and I will not let her stubbornness stand in the way.
Vukaror was right, and I was wrong to doubt him. The future of our species lies here, on Earth, within the warmth of the human females.
The males… well, we’ll see. My nera certainly doesn’t seem fond of them. I can track their smell easily — they stink like a skunk. Tracking them is barely a test of my true abilities.
The sky is gray, the rain is not going to go anywhere soon. Darker storm clouds are on the horizon; we must seek shelter eventually. For now, I press on, closing in on our prey.
I slide my mate’s body around, so that her legs are wrapped around my waist, and my hands rest on her round, luscious backside. If we weren’t wearing clothes this would be a prime mating position, but unfortunately, we are. I file that information in the back of my mind, to be used later. There are countless positions I want to explore with her.
“What are you doing?!” she asks, her heart beating so loudly it drowns out the sounds of the falling raindrops.
“This way, my body will protects yours from the rain better,” I say.
It’s the truth. Also, this way, with her body cradling mine, I can feel her heart beat in every inch of my body, I can enjoy her scent completely, I can feel her soft hair rest against my neck…
But I can also keep her dry. That’s the most important part. Like she said, I’m an honorable man.
“And I’m supposed to believe that?” she says, but still she rests her head against my chest without fighting me. I untie the top of my chest piece with one hand, so that she can rest her cheek against my bare chest.
The moment her skin touches mine, a feeling of pure, raw energy courses through my veins, my legs finding an extra reserve of energy as I speed up.
The moment I slay these lowly males, she will be mine.
Joan promised.
And though love is not something to be bartered with — I would have saved her friends regardless — I couldn’t resist giving her the option of surrendering herself to me willingly. There is a wall around her heart, and I must shatter it, much like I will shatter the spines of those males who tried to harm her.
“Talk to me,” I say.
“About what?”
“It does not matter. My translator requires input to work. The more you talk, the more I learn,” I answer.
Also, the sound of her voice soothes me. It makes me forget about my many mistakes. My failure to cure the Sickness. My prototype annihilating the entire royal fleet. Febakur missing, possibly dead. When she speaks to me, I am more than just one of the many Kaizon princes.
When she speaks, I feel worthy.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me about your history.”
“There’s not much there.”
“Humor me.”
“Okay. Well, I was raised by my dad. My mom… well, that’s a story for a different time.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s personal? And I barely know you?”
With one hand, I gently press her head against my chest. “Do you hear that?”
She listens for a moment. “It sounds like rolling drums to me. Are those… two hearts I’m hearing?”
“Yes. And both of them beat for you.”
From the corner of my eyes, I can see her rolling hers.
“I am serious, my nera,” I say. “When I’m with you, when our bodies are touching like this, I feel alive, I feel whole. I want to give you that same feeling, but you have to open up to me. You have to lower your guard.”
She makes a face. “You see, lowering guards is not really my thing. Now, raising my guard, that’s where I shine. That’s my forte. My special power, if you will.”
“And why is that?”
“Because every time I lower my guard, people get hurt. People die. People like… my mom.”
She closes her eyes, and with my one free hand, I softly rub her lower back. The salt in her tears is strong I can already taste it on the back of my tongue before she’s even released them.
Joan tries to hold onto them for as long as she can. Nothing comes easy with this female. No matter — I have all the time in the world. I will carry her to the edge of this planet and back again if I must.
“She was killed, okay?” she say
s, crying silently.
I want nothing more to stop and comfort her, but she herself would be the first to chide me for it. My legs keep moving tirelessly, the wind whipping her hair, the trees a blur as they pass us by.
The male scent grows stronger. We are closing in on their position.
“It was Xane. He’s the leader of a raider gang. We lived a simple life, living off the land, keeping our head down. It’s not easy out here, you know. I don’t know where you’re from, but I assume it’s quite different. Here, life is brutal and short. They say it was different back in the day, but I don’t fucking know anymore, to be honest. I don’t see how life could have ever been anything other than savage. Mom used to talk about the past, but dad never did after she was killed. And I never asked him either. All we could do was just carry the pain, you know?”
She looks up to me, grief written all over her face.
“Ah, why am I telling you all of this for? What difference does it make?”
“A lot,” I answer. “Talking about your past is one way to keep it alive, to keep the memory fresh and warm. Please, speak.”
Joan wipes the tears from her eyes. “Okay, I’ll… I’ll try.”
Chapter 10
JOAN
I can’t believe I’m spilling my guts to Surlok. I haven’t told anyone this stuff, and yet this man has the power to make me feel so at ease that I’m telling him my most closely guarded secrets.
It’s enough to make me wonder if he has physic abilities, to match his immense strength, but I know that’s not true. The real answer is that I trust him. When I’m his arms like this, I just feel… safe. And protected.
And a small part of me, as strange as this may sound, resents him for it.
I’m Joan. Of Joan’s Blades. A name that strikes fear into the heart of men. I’m my own woman; I don’t need any man to take care of me. And yet, that is exactly what Surlok is doing. Plus, he’s a hell of a lot stronger than me. Faster, too.
I have to face the facts: When it comes to protecting people, this alien warrior is just plain better than me. And that’s something I’m struggling to accept.