"I doubt they're that different from what I'm used to."
"I literally came from a different planet."
"You still have the same basic biology."
Astrid stepped in front of him suddenly, a playful grin on her face.
"Okay then, if you think it'll be so easy, attack me."
"Right now?" Hestian looked at the empty hall around them, but Astrid just nodded, moving her dress out of the way of her feet.
"I'm ready."
He frowned but, at her insistence, stepped forward and swung at her, slow, obviously holding back. She caught him by the arm and slid under him, pulling him down as she aimed a kick at his knee to unsteady him.
He tumbled forward under his own weight and landed hard on his back on the marble floor. Astrid was on top of him with a knee in his solar plexus a second later. He stared up at her with wide, startled eyes.
"You've got to teach me that one," he said seriously.
"Maybe I will," she said, leaning over him with a smile, "If you teach me how to use those laser lances."
"It's a deal," he agreed, and raised his head to seal the contract with a kiss.
Astrid, still straddling him in the middle of the hall without a care for who saw them, returned it passionately and didn't resist as he stood and lifted her into his arms.
He held her close, the press of his tongue insistent as it claimed her mouth, his hands irresistible as they pulled her where he wanted her. Bars of moonlight and shadow through the narrow windows of the hall passed over them like ghosts, turning them into abstract shapes that moved as one while he carried her away.
Between hungry kisses, Astrid glimpsed the room he'd brought her to, it's colors muted to a stark palate of black and white by the dark night. They became just another shadow moving though the darkness as he slid her dress off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a puddle of brilliantly colored silk.
Her hands tangled in his hair, dragging nails lightly across his scalp, tugging him closer as though if she could kiss him fiercely enough they would cease to be two people. He pulled away and for a moment she was afraid she'd done something wrong before he threw her onto the wide, soft bed.
Sprawled across the silk sheets in nothing but her underwear, she stared, as he loomed over her, huge and intimidating, his eyes burning with desire for her. He'd lost his fine coat earlier in the evening and now he pulled his shirt off over his head, powerful muscles rippling as he tossed it away. Astrid just stared for a moment, drinking in the sight of him.
How could he look like he was carved of marble, chiseled muscle sliding under bronze skin, at the same time he was a predatory beast, shoulders rolling with the motion of a lion stalking prey as he crawled onto the bed?
He pinned her down and Astrid let him, trembling with excitement. He hooked his fingers under the center of her bra and, to Astrid's shock, simply tore it open, letting it fall to either side of her.
"Hey," she stared down at her ruined bra indignantly as he cupped her firm breasts, "That was the only bra I had on this planet!"
"I prefer you without it," he declared, squeezing her firmly.
Astrid hooked a leg around his hip and flipped him, straddling his hips and discarding her ruined bra.
"Well I prefer you like this," she said with a playful grin, grinding down against him. She could feel the heat of his arousal through his pants and he groaned as she teased him, reaching up to grab her hips, pulling her down against him harder.
She bit her lip, the friction making her heart race and heat bloom in her belly. Having him at her mercy like this was almost as enjoyable as the reverse. But the real pleasure was in the struggle, and he didn't disappoint her.
With a rustle of the silk bed covers, his grip on her hips tightened and he flipped them again, pushing her down onto her back with a breath stealing kiss. A moment later, he had slipped between her thighs and Astrid bit her lip to muffle a groan of approval as he pressed hot kisses against the thin cotton barrier of her underwear.
The rush of cool night air as he literally tore her underwear away sent a thrill of goosebumps across Astrid's skin. She looked down, her heart racing, at the powerful, gorgeous man between her thighs and wondered about the absurd luck that had led her here.
A moment later all such thoughts were wiped from her brain because Hestian's tongue was diving between her folds. His clever tongue, hot and relentless, lapped at her clit skillfully, until she was rolling her hips into his mouth, all but riding his face. No one had ever done her like this, not just with passion, but as though he knew her body better than he knew his own.
She could almost believe he'd been made for her. Pleasure rushed through her and overwhelmed her entirely. She arched her back, moaning as she came, stars dancing in front of her vision.
Rather than letting up, Hestian locked an arm around her waist to hold her in place and redoubled his efforts, sliding two fingers of his free hand inside her to curl and press against her walls. Oversensitive, still trembling from her last orgasm, she tangled her fingers in his hair as he drove her towards a second, gasping his name.
"There," he said, licking his lips as she lay panting, her whole body glowing with pleasure, "That should make you a little more docile."
Astrid gave a low, purring chuckle, looking up at him with half lidded eyes.
"You really don't know anything about women, do you?" she teased, and sat up, her eyes hungry, to kiss him hard. She could taste herself on his lips and it only made her want him more, pushing him back as she climbed into his lap, fingers fumbling, clumsy with eagerness, to open his pants. He leaned back to give her better access, neither of them surrendering, only finding a middle ground where they were equals.
She finally freed him from the restraints of his clothing, stroking him to full hardness and marveling at the size of him. When she'd seen how much taller the people here were than on earth, she'd hoped the growth was proportional elsewhere, and she was excited and a little worried now to see she'd been right.
As she raised her hips, positioning herself over him, she shivered with nervous excitement. He slid a hand under her to help support her, looking up at Astrid with an expression of curious wonder on his face. She paused, the hot head of his tool pressed against her entrance, suddenly self-conscious about the way he was staring at her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, a worried frown crossing her flushed features.
"No, not at all," Hestian reached up to stroke her cheek, highlighted white by the moonlight, "It's just that you're so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined."
Astrid blushed, caught off guard by the compliment, then leaned in to kiss the man hard, pulling him close as she sank down on to him, moaning into his mouth as he spread her open, filling her almost past what she could take.
He held her there; trembling, as electric tremors of pleasure ran through Astrid, overwhelmed by the mere sensation of having him inside her. Had it been that long? She could have sworn it had never felt this good before. There was something so achingly right about it, about being with him like this. She realized she'd been fighting it since she got here, straining against the urge to hold him. Why had she been pushing back against it so hard when it felt this right?
Overcome, her knees shaking as she tried to raise her hips, she didn't have the strength to ride him. But he didn't tease her, only tipped her back into the sheets and began moving his hips, rocking into her, slow and powerful, taking his time to push as deeply into her as he could, until her breath came fast and shallow and she was clinging to him, begging him to go faster.
His hand found her clit, rubbing slow circles that built speed as he did, until the sound of skin against skin filled the room, drowning out their voices.
He was saying something in a language she couldn't understand, despite the nanites in her blood, and she could only whisper his name, breathless and needy, as he drove her hard into the mattress, his strokes deep and unsteady as he neared his limit.
H
e kissed her hard, planting himself as deeply within her as he could, and Astrid wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep him there, feeling like she'd never been closer to another person in her life. She felt the warmth of him releasing inside her and moaned at the sensation, drawn out as his hand rubbing her continued, bringing her to a third finish that made her squeeze around him, milking him of the last of his seed.
He stayed within her as he rolled over onto his side and pulled her against his chest. He kissed her again, then showered smaller kisses across her jaw and down her throat. He lingered there against her neck for a long moment, as though contemplating something, until she pulled him up to look in her eyes. The moon had shifted and the room was so dark she could barely see him now.
"I'm glad I came here," she said, voice as quiet as the curtains that shifted in the midnight breeze, "I'm glad I met you."
He said nothing, but he kissed her hard and the long night wore on she didn't let him go until he had collapsed, exhausted.
At last, when she was certain he was asleep, she rose silently and found her dress. In the dark, she couldn't see him watching her, silent and sorrowful, as she slipped away.
Chapter Ten
She'd been planning this latest escape since the last one had failed. She'd found out where the Hesperides got their clothing, which was a kind of advanced 3d printing. Patterns by popular designers were rare and exclusive, but Astrid didn't need anything fashionable.
She'd printed off the same kind of embroidered suit she'd seen the men in town wearing and she'd hidden it along with other supplies just outside the women's quarters.
She changed into them now, hiding her hair and her face behind a fur cloak. Then she made her way silently through the palace, quick and quiet as a shadow. She'd learned a lot from her first attempt. Climbing down the mountain was unnecessarily time consuming and difficult when the palace had so little security. She supposed the accords protected them, or the fact that every man in this society seemed to be trained at least minimally in combat.
When she reached the city, she stayed off the main roads and stuck to the shadows. She saw a few men out, but they didn't recognize her as female and didn't stop her. With only a little difficulty, she found the stables where the eight legged mounts the men used were kept.
They looked fearsome, and she kept thinking back worryingly to that first day in the arena when Hestian had shown her the man trying to tame one. She shuddered. But she had to at least try. Being able to ride would vastly increase her chances of making it to her pod without being caught.
The creatures were loose, some slumbering in stalls, others wandering a fenced in pen. She pulled a piece of dried meat from her pack and held it through the slats of the fence until one of them ambled closer. It sniffed her hand, then ate from it docilely. Astrid sighed with relief, patting its elongated feline head.
"Okay Sleipnir," she said quietly, naming it on a whim, "Let's get out of here."
She found the riding equipment in an unguarded shed nearby, but didn't bother with the saddle. She didn't have time to figure out how saddling an eight legged cat/horse hybrid worked. She took a bridle that seemed simple enough and Sleipnir was placidly cooperative as she figured out how to put it on, then opened the gate to let it out.
"I really hope this is like riding a horse," she whispered as she swung up onto its back. No sooner had she settled into place than the creature bolted, flying down the street at well beyond the speed of the fastest horse. Astrid barely restrained a shriek, knowing she couldn't afford to get caught now.
Sleipnir seemed to know where to go, and with minimal guidance it charged towards the front gates of the city. She found them open, which caused her a moment of curiosity, but she didn't have time to investigate. Sleipnir hurtled on out of the foothills of the mountain as Astrid steered him towards the tundra where her pod was waiting for her.
It was nearly dawn by the time she saw lights on the horizon. She slowed Sleipnir to a stop and swung off of him, hiding behind a rocky outcropping as she stared at the field of tents before her. There were more than she could readily count, and they stretched on beyond what she could see. Was this Orestes's army? She'd had no idea it was so vast. A worm of guilt gnawed at her stomach. Was she putting Hestian and the others at risk by doing this?
She tried to shake it off. They weren't her responsibility. Her only responsibility was to get home to her family, to the human race, to tell them what she'd found here. She turned Sleipnir around and patted him on the backside till he took off back towards home. He wouldn't be any help to her here.
Cautiously, she crept into the camp, passing through the tents like a ghost. She could hear the sounds of men breathing within them, the shallow easy breaths of sleep. But she knew they wouldn't be asleep much longer. She just needed to get out of here before they woke. It wasn't far to her pod now, she could feel it.
Her pod was where she'd left it, half buried in the snow, surrounded by a circle of large tents. Her heart raced. She was so close. She was going to make it!
She darted forwards, opening the pod and slipping inside, almost sobbing with relief as the door closed behind her. She tried to start it up immediately, frowning when nothing happened. The emergency power light was on, indicating the main power cell had been removed. She swore, kicking the console. But she could still activate communications with the emergency power. She wasn't out of luck yet.
She flipped on coms, nearly crying with relief when Professor Brentwood's face swam into view.
"Miss Carver!" He said in shock, "You're alive!"
"There isn't time, Professor," Astrid was already strapping herself in, "I need you to remotely activate the portal! The pod's on emergency power but it should be enough to get me back through!"
"I don't understand," the Professor stared at her, baffled, "How have you survived out there so long? What happened when you landed?"
"The planet is inhabited!" Astrid snapped, "I'll explain later! Just get me home, now!"
"Of course, of course!"
The professor hurried away from the console, rushing to activate the portal while Astrid sat waiting, her heart hammering with fear. She might only have a few minutes more. Why was it taking so long for the portal to open?
"There we are," Professor Brentwood wandered back into the view of the coms camera, smiling genially, "Everything is taken care of now."
"What do you mean?" Astrid felt a terrible suspicion creeping up her back, "Why isn't the portal opening?"
"I mean I've alerted Prince Orestes to your whereabouts," he replied, mildly as if he were discussing the weather, grandfatherly smile never failing, "I sent you to him on purpose you brainless twit! Orestes has been sending me data about the planet and their technology. I'll be able to revolutionize every science known to man! No one will be able to deny my genius ever again! And the only price Orestes demanded was a woman dumb enough to let me send her to him!"
Astrid paled with horror, anger and shame warring in the pit of her stomach. Speechless, she could only stare as Brentwood, chuckling mildly, closed the coms and abandoned her. A second later the door of her pod opened and she was dragged out again.
This time she was ready, shoving the long nail of her index finger below the thumbnail of the man holding her. At the same time she planted her feet in the center of his chest as hard as she could, kicking off as soon as his grip loosened in surprised pain. She hit the ground, rolled, and tried to run, only to be suddenly clotheslined by a powerful arm that dragged her to the ground.
Winded and wheezing, Astrid looked up and recognized the red headed woman now kneeling on her chest as one of Orestes's war brides. She struggled to get loose, to drag the other woman down close enough to grapple her, but as she looked around it became obvious that she was surrounded.
Orestes's war brides stood around her, some of them holding weapons, others looking more than capable of dealing with her bare handed. Orestes stood over her head, a smug expression on his handso
me, bearded face.
"Perhaps I was wrong," he said, rubbing his chest, "You might make a decent bride after all. Sneaking into my camp this way showed skill. Also unbelievable foolishness, but still."
He shrugged, and the brides chuckled.
"Do you know the best part?"
He knelt down to look her in the eye and Astrid struggled harder, wishing she could at least punch him once before the end.
"My brother will break the accords to rescue you," Orestes patted her cheek with a toothy grin, "And in doing so will forsake all right to throne. You just won this war for me, little one."
Astrid felt guilt rise up like bile in her throat, squeezing at her chest and making tears gather at the corners of her eyes. They were right. She really was an idiot. And now she'd endangered everyone because of it...
He and the brides dragged Astrid into one of the largest tents, the inside of which would have put earth technology to shame. The portal array had been ripped out of the back of her pod and reconstructed here, enlarged to allow far more than a single pod. He could march an entire army through it.
"Before my brother stole you," Orestes explained, clearly enjoying gloating, "I always planned to use the technology you brought with you to return to your planet.
When that Professor managed to contact us and I saw how primitive your world was I knew it would be all too easy to conquer it. And with a slave army built from your people, it would be all too easy to overthrow my brother and take back my throne. Now that he's going to dethrone himself for your sake anyway, I don't really need an army."
He smiled at Astrid as he patted the portal.
"But you know, the portal is almost done," He said, "And I would hate for it to go to waste. Besides, I think watching me destroy your home will be a good first step towards domesticating you."
Astrid said nothing, though all she wanted to do was scream and fight. She wouldn't let this happen, she couldn't. She'd die first. And Orestes had said Hestian was coming with an army. They could still stop this, she knew they could.
Alien Romance: Seized By The Alien: Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) (Celestial Protectors Book 1) Page 6