Which made me think that he was – in that moment – consulting Ozul to see if we actually would be sexually compatible. I smiled and shook my head.
“I am built very similarly to your human male,” he said with a nervous laugh. “Ozul assures me that we should have no difficulties – ”
“Good.” I kissed him again, this time more passionately as I let my hands wander all over his body. I grabbed his hands and placed them on my breasts. “Touch me, Jendrish.”
And he did. Once he got started, he was touching me and kissing me like never before. He was so soft and sweet as he slowly undressed me. He took his time, as if savoring every moment, knowing there was no rush. I undressed him, discovering he wasn't wearing jeans and a shirt but rather a suit that hugged his body – sort of like a wetsuit, but different.
He gave me a nervous smile. “Sorry,” he said, as he hurried out of his bodysuit.
Once it was off, I stared at his pale chest, which was dotted with a smidgeon of dark hair that glimmered blue in the light. I ran my fingers through it, causing him to shudder beneath my touch. He was solid, well-toned and muscled without going over that line into being a bodybuilding fanatic.
I wrapped my legs around him as we kissed, our tongues dancing and swirling together. I touched every inch of his magnificent, naked body. I pressed my lower body into him, feeling him grow harder as our bodies touched one another. With one hand, I guided him into me and we both gasped as our bodies joined together.
Rolling over on top of me, Jendrish took control, making love to me as I'd always dreamed of being made love to. It was slow, sweet, and with every thrust of himself deeper into me, that fire deep between my thighs grew hotter and brighter. He was large and thick and he filled me up completely. I bit my lip and stifled a gasp as he moved, burying himself deep within me.
Having Jendrish inside of me felt surreal and magical. It was a whole new and different experience, being with a man that cared so much for my pleasure, who enjoyed watching as I climaxed over and over again, and who after climaxing himself, laid down beside me, holding me close.
He kissed my face – even with the sweat dripping from me. His arms were wrapped around my naked body, my head resting on his chest. I heard his heart beating fast, as we both came down from the experience, our bodies returning to normal slowly.
And unlike just about every time I'd ever had sex with a man, this time I didn't feel dirty or cheapened by it.
Neither one of us said a word, we didn't have to. He stroked my hair until I finally managed to fall asleep, the first time in what felt like eternity, safe and warm in his embrace.
ooo000ooo
The next morning, I was the first to wake up. The sun was filtering through my blinds, nearly blinding me with its light. I stared at the clock – it was already after ten. My head ached from the alcohol, and as I stared down at Jendrish's naked body, I remembered vividly the details of the night before.
My first reaction was normally panic – fear that I'd made some kind of horrible mistake. But this time, I felt none of that. As I sat up to look at the clock, Jendrish reached for me, his eyes still closed. And once he touched me, he motioned for me to lay back down with him.
I did. He rolled over to embrace me more fully, still seemingly asleep. I stared at his face, his eyes closed and peaceful, and I couldn't help but smile. I reached out and touched his cheek, as if I needed to see if he was real. He was too beautiful to be real, almost like a work of art with his pale skin, dark hair and chiseled features. Yet there he was, in the flesh, and we'd had sex the night before.
Remembering that and all we'd done – from having him in my mouth, in my hand, deep inside of me, having his firm body on top of mine with my legs wrapped around his waist – having him taking me a little harder and deeper from behind – it all coalesced in my head and forced the color into my cheeks. I felt like my body was on fire and yet, all I could do was smile.
As I lay there, I reflected on things in my life. Specifically, the feeling that often came with sex – the dirty, guilty feeling – wasn't there. And it felt nice to just snuggle close to him, without feeling bad or hurt. No man had ever made me feel that way before. And yet, there we were. It almost felt too perfect, like I was holding my breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop – which I knew should frighten me. But for whatever reason, it didn't. Not at all.
“Everything okay?” he mumbled, his eyes opening just a peep.
Once he saw me, a small smile appeared on his face. A tired, still half-asleep smile that was so cute, I had to kiss him right away. And he kissed me back.
“Yes, everything is great, actually,” I said, curling up even closer to him.
“Can we stay like this all day?” he asked.
“I'd love that actually.” It surprised me to say it, but I would. I wanted nothing more than to lounge in bed with him all day, talking, cuddling, kissing and making love.
“Then lets do it,” he said, closing his eyes again, but not before he planted a kiss to the tip of my nose.
“Yes, lets,” I said, letting him wrap his warm body around mine.
For the first time in a long time, I not only felt safe, but at peace. I felt like I belonged. Who'd have thought it would take me being saved by an alien – someone who's not even human – to finally feel a connection with another living being?
I wasn't sure how or why this was happening to me, but I didn't want to question it too much, afraid I could chase all the good feelings away.
And God knew, I needed them at that point in my life.
Chapter Seven
Jendrish
I wasn't lying when I'd said I wanted to stay in bed with her all day. But I also knew I had work to do. So, I compromised and we stayed in bed most of the day. And then we discussed going to meet Bazarok. Using the information Tarkonil had fed into Ozul, I put in a call to him and he agreed to meet me. We would go over to his place.
Riley wanted to join me at the meeting. And honestly, I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, so I didn't object.
“So Bazarok is the former king?” she asked as we walked over to Bazarok's home, which wasn't too far away.
Sapphire Bay was a smaller town, but I had to admit, it had its charm. The salty air from the sea called to me, reminding me of home – which only made me homesick and angry that I might not see it again.
“Well, kind of. I don't know if he was ever officially crowned before abdicating the throne,” I said. “It's hard to explain.”
“But he did it for this Paige woman? That's sweet.”
“Well – from what I understand, he didn't abdicate just for her. He really never wanted to be king anyway.”
“Why?”
“That I can't answer, but perhaps he can?” I said.
Her questions were adorable. I loved being able to share some of my history and culture with her – and she seemed genuinely interested. She had a lot of questions and I was trying to explain it to her the best way I could with the information I had. But even I didn't know exactly why Baz had opted to give up the throne. If it were just for Paige, that I could understand. But even before she came along, he'd had no interest in it.
“We're going to meet a king of another planet, living right here in Sapphire Bay,” Riley said, shaking her head in disbelief. “You know, if it weren't for the fact that I experienced so much other wonky stuff, I'd probably call you crazy.”
“Maybe I am?” I said with a wink.
Riley grabbed ahold of my arm, latching herself to it – and to me – with a smile. “Maybe we all are,” she said. “But I like your kind of crazy.”
There was a weird sensation in my belly – that of warmth and so much more. Never before had I experienced these weird sensations, and I had to admit, it seemed like Riley was the cause of it. Even before we'd made love, I'd been having fleeting thoughts about kissing and touching her. But until she came on to me, I wasn't sure it was appropriate to attempt to indulge those
feelings. Now that it was, I just wanted to keep her close to me at all time.
Perhaps Baz had the right idea. Settling down here with a human didn't sound too terrible – even though I missed my home. After all, I'd likely end up dead if I ever tried to go back.
But the other women, my conscious reminded me. Can you really let that go?
But I'm also only one person. Can I really stop it?
Of course, that was why I was meeting with Baz, hoping he could help me stop it all. Now I had a conflict of interest, however, as I stared at Riley. I wanted to stay with her and not fight this battle. It was such a tough call and I hoped that Baz might offer some answers. Because in that moment, I had none.
ooo000ooo
Meeting a man I idolized, in the flesh and up close in his own home, was almost too much to handle. Sure, I'd been around Bazarok before, but never alone. And never in such a personal meeting. I honestly don't know if he even knew my name.
But when he opened the door, he greeted me with, “Jendrish! Welcome! And who is this young lady?”
“Riley,” she said, reaching out her hand. “My name is Riley.”
He shook her hand, but gave me a sideways glance as if to ask if we were together. I wasn't sure if we were or not, so I didn't dare make assumptions. I gave him a small smile and tried to deflect the conversation.
“She's one of the women I rescued on my mission, my lord,” I said. “The one our late friend, Tarkonil, told you about, I believe?”
“Yes, come inside,” Baz said. “And stop with the my lord stuff. I'm just plain ol' Baz.”
We followed him inside and he shut the door behind us, locking it. He looked at Riley, giving her a sympathetic once over as if it pained him to hear about what had happened to all of them. I liked to think he would help us, even though he insisted to Tarkonil that he wanted to stay out of it. I knew him better than that. He was a good man, a man with a heart. And maybe bringing Riley here would make him realize that these victims needed to be saved and this needed to stop.
“I'm so sorry to hear about Tarkonil,” he said. “He was a dear friend and it breaks my heart that I couldn't do more to save him.”
I knew he meant it too. “I hardly knew him, but he was a friend of my father's, so I trust him to be a good man.”
“He was,” Baz said. “Very much so. I hate to see what our planet has come to and I know it pained Tarkonil to the very core of him.”
I nodded. “It did. He became almost obsessed with trying to prove the Regents were involved in what's going on and bring them down.”
“And it cost him his life.”
I gave him a grim smile. “Yes, it did.”
We all stood in silence for a moment before Baz nodded. “Well, let's go have a seat on the deck,” he said.
Riley took my hand and we followed him through the house, out onto his back deck. I thought it was beautiful. Tall, soaring trees seemed to cover the world out there – and it blended with the aroma of the ocean, creating a very pleasing scent.
“You have a beautiful home,” Riley said.
“Thank you,” he replied. “Though, I can't take credit for it. Paige is the one who decorates and makes this house what it is. Please, sit.”
He had arranged the chairs on his desk so that we were facing one another in a small semi-circle. He'd also thoughtfully arranged food and drink on a small table in the center of our little meeting spot.
“I'm sorry Paige isn't here to meet you,” he said. “She had a lot to do at her club today.”
Riley cocked her head. “Which club is that?”
“The Mahogany Tavern,” Baz replied.
Comprehension – or perhaps just familiarity – crossed her features. “I've been there before,” she said. “I had no idea your wife was the owner.”
Baz nodded, beaming proudly. “She is the owner,” he said. “She's really made something of herself – and her club, I have to say.”
Riley took a can of soda from the table and opened it. Not being familiar with human food and drink, I leaned back in my seat without taking one. Riley though, giggled and handed me one.
“Dr. Pepper,” she said. “At the very least, give it a try.”
I looked at her skeptically, but raised the can to my lips. Baz was watching me very closely, probably waiting to gauge my reaction. The bubbles in the drink tickled my nose, but it had a good flavor. I held the can and looked for at it for a bit. The soda, as she'd called it, had been very good. Different than anything I'd had before, but good.
“I like it,” I said.
“It's become one of my favorites too,” Baz said as he leaned back in his seat. “So, what can I help you with today, Jendrish?”
“To be perfectly honest, I don't know anymore,” I said.
“Well, what do you want to have happen?”
“I want what Tarkonil wanted,” I said simply. “I want to make Optorio a world to be proud of again.”
“So what is stopping you?” he asked.
“There is but one of me,” I replied. “And the Regents have an army.”
“Sometimes, the smallest fighting forces are the most effective,” Baz said. “Especially those with absolutely nothing left to lose.”
“Nothing left to lose?”
I cocked my head and looked at him. He smiled and took a drink of his soda. Birds chirped in the trees all around us. As beautiful as Optorio was, this place was extraordinary. I snuck a peek over at Riley, who was trying to be discrete about her presence, and was hanging on every word of our conversation.
“I still have a connection with Anjol, my biosystem,” Baz said. “I never closed the link. He told me that there was a death notice out for you. Though, you should take heart in the fact that bringing you in alive is worth a little bit more than bringing you back dead.”
I sighed. “Yeah, that wasn't expected.”
“It's not fair,” Riley finally chimed in. “He saved our lives and now he can't go home?”
A rueful grin touched Baz's lips. “It's because he saved your lives that he can't,” he said. “He made some powerful enemies by doing that.”
“So, what should I do?” I asked.
“You're going to have to cut out that corruption,” Baz said, all trace of warmth gone. “You're going to have to break the power of the Regents. Destroy the Council. And then establish something in its place to govern Optorio.”
“Oh, is that all?” I asked, my words dripping with sarcasm.
I looked up and something had caught Baz's attention. Though he appeared to still be focused on us, I could see that his eyes were focused on something behind me – something in the forest.
“Don't turn around,” he saids softly.
The urge to turn and look was very strong and I had to actively fight it. I looked over at Riley and saw that she was having the same internal battle.
“It looks like that bounty on your head must be a good one,” Baz said. “I count a pair of those lowlives in forest back there.”
My heart started to race and I felt the familiar tension in my body I would get as I readied for battle. Baz stood up and walked inside the house, leaving Riley and I staring at each other.
“I'm scared, Jendrish,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Don't worry,” I replied. “Just act like everything is normal.”
Her laughter was more of a dry, barking sound – and definitely not the laughter of somebody who genuinely found something funny.
“Normal,” she said. “Nothing in my life has been normal in a good, long while.”
I nodded. “I know. And I'm sorry for that. I truly am.”
Baz re-emerged fom the house and set another tray down on top of the table – actually, on top of the tray already there. It was covered by a napkin, and I looked at it questioningly. Baz nodded and tipped me a wink and I had the feeling that there was something beneath the napkin would make the coming fight a little more even.
“Riley,” Baz said. “I w
onder if you'd be so kind as to go in the house and see about putting on some coffee?
She looked at him, an expression of offense upon her face before she realized what he was actually asking – go inside, stay inside, and keep her head down. Without another word she stood up, and excused herself, disappearing into the house.
“They still out there?” I asked.
“Yeah, they're creeping closer though.”
“We're going to need to question one of them,” I noted.
“Of course,” he replied.
“On the count of three,” Baz said.
I nodded and began mentally preparing myself for the coming fight. It had been a little while since I’d last seen combat – or had been involved in any sort of a fight. But I was well trained and I was ready.
Three...
I cleared my throat and tried to clear my mind.
Two...
I was doing this for Riley. I was doing this to help keep her safe.
One...
I reached and yanked the napkin on the tray Baz had carried out. And sure enough, there were two weapons of Optorion design sitting there. Picking up the first gun, I spun and fired – blindly, of course. I had no idea where the assassins were. I was simply hoping to draw them out long enough for Baz to get a good shot.
But no shot came. These assassins were ridiculously patient. I snuck a peek at Baz, and he was a little uneasy too, not knowing what was going on.
“Come,” Baz said.
I followed him down the stairs and into the meadow that spanned the distance from his deck to the forest beyond. Holding our weapons out in front of us, we walked slowly toward the forest with no idea where they were.
The sound of a twig snapping underfoot drew my attention quickly. Gun raised, I spun and saw one of my would-be assassins – and he was holding Riley, a gun to her head. My heart lurched and my stomach seemed to be folding in on itself. I looked over at Baz and saw that he was angry, his face darkening.
“Let her go,” I said.
“I'll do that,” the first assassin said. “But you'll be coming with me.”
The second assassin appeared and held a gun pointed at Baz. “You scum are the worst of the worst,” Baz hissed. “Have you no shame? No pride?”
Fawks (Dragons of Kratak Book 4) Page 38