PYTHEN: An Alien War Romance (Galactic Order Book 1)

by Erin Raegan

  “You did harm me,” I accused, reminding him of his words that he would not harm me. Bologna. I hurt everywhere now.

  He scowled at the claw marks on my thighs. “I will regret my actions for the rest of our days, my yula. I had no control during the mating rage. Our future matings will be slow,” He laved at my neck, “I will take great care with my soft human.” He sucked. Goosebumps spread down my skin. He sucked harder.

  “Okay, big guy.” I eased back and pushed my hand against his deadly lips full of ginormous fangs. He licked at my hand. I sighed, at least it wasn’t my neck again. “When you say future matings?” I widened my eyes dramatically. One and done was clearly not how he saw this playing out.

  “Yes, many, many matings.” He nipped at my fingers with every word. “Very, very soon.” He purred.

  I shivered from the sensual tongue fucking he was giving my pinky finger. “What about the Vitat?”

  That did it. Tahk froze and sat up straight. His arms tightened around my waist. “The Vitat are not long for the universe,” he rumbled and glowered at the wall. “I will eradicate that infectious species once and for all.” Okay, that was good. Yay for Tahk killing the Vitat. That I was onboard with. When do we start?

  “And save the humans and our planet, right?” I cautiously probed him. Now was the time to ask my new alien mate for the things I damn well-earned sexing him up. We were going to have a give and take here. I saved him from the mating rage, he would save my people and help me make my family safe. That’s what I signed up for, whether he knew it or not. This milkshake came with strings.

  Tahk searched my eyes a moment before nodding. “I will save the humans as best they allow.”

  Woah, what? Allow? More of Yilt’s permission crap?

  “What do you mean allow?” I scowled at his irritatingly chiseled features. Tahk’s eyes were dark and silver, and startlingly beautiful. His cheek bones large and sharp. His ears were a bit strange, and his nose may be flat and wide, but somehow, wicked horns and all, he pulled it off. I wouldn’t say he was handsome, but I could get behind rugged. With the mowhawky ridges, he looked kinda badass.

  Looking closer now, I could see thin scars on his face and thicker ones down his muscular chest. With his wings and air of beastly strength, the guy had it going on. He may be an alien, but he was a damn fine one.

  What was happening to me? I had the hots for this guy now? No way. This was some alien stockholm crap. I just needed a large glass of wine, a bubble bath, and my trusty bedside buddy to get my shit straight.

  “Your leaders evade my attempts of communication. I am bound by law. I can fight the Vitat here, ship to ship outside of Earth’s atmosphere, but I cannot engage them planet side.” He squeezed me to him when I made to jump off his lap.

  “But you already did when you took me!”

  Tahk heaved a sigh and sniffed along my chin. Weird. Aliens were so weird. “It was only meant to be a reconnaissance mission. We needed human language implants when we realized our simple hail signs were taken by the humans as threats. But the Vitat were there and spotted our ship, I could not allow them to communicate with their Hive mother that we were here.”

  “So that was okay? Snuff those guys out so they didn’t spread the alarm? But saving us is a no no?” I scoffed and shook with new rage. They shouldn’t need permission to save an entire species! If an old lady walks in front of a speeding car you don’t take a moment to ask if it was alright to push her out of the way!

  “I understand your frustrations mate, but that attack is much easier to keep below the Galactic Orders radar, a mass attack on Earth soil without proper legal avenues taken will endanger my Dahk. I cannot do that. Punishment for such an offence is death.”

  “Okay but the Vitat are doing it, where’s the Galactic Order to punish them?”

  “My wise mate, the Order should step in, but again they will not do so without proper communication with the humans, and this may be hard to hear, but your species is still primitive. The Order does not feel the resources should be wasted to come this far outside its ruling for such a small planet. Taking on the Vitat would cost much, and they are not members. Too many on the council would not feel the risk is worth it.”

  Tahk couldn’t keep me in his lap after that blasphemous statement. He let me curse and shout for a moment before chuckling and tugging me back. “This isn’t funny! Those are my people! You’re all just going to let us die!” Tears flowed, and violent shakes peppered my body.

  “Hush now, little one. We have human language now, we will try again,” he murmured and laved at my salty tears. I was too upset to be grossed out. They may have human language, but humans didn’t have Dahk language. I doubted any leader of earth would get close enough to even learn about the translators.

  “Who has to give you permission?” It sounded so silly. Permission. There should be a better word for it. Access or something. That someone on earth had the authority to allow an alien race to save them from another alien race and extinction was ridiculous. But how else would it happen? A vote. Alright let’s take a vote! Vote Yes for bat alien saviors or Nay and the lightbulb human eating aliens wipe us out. Let’s have a televised debate of pros and cons.

  Yeah, no.

  “You have a hierarchy of leaders, yes?” He rubbed my trembling arms. I was so intent on this conversation I didn’t even flinch as his claws grazed my skin. I nodded. “If humans were like the Dahk, you would have a King. One who ruled the planet as a whole. But from the information we gathered you do not.” I nodded again. We had many King’s in the past, that didn’t ever work out for us really well. “Your Earth is divided into many forms of leadership. Sectioned off all over your lands. There is not one human that can accept our law, but many.”

  “So, like the President? Or the Pope? The queen of England” What kind of leadership were we talking about? His thick brows scrunched, and I knew I lost him. “We have so many forms of leadership. There’s law, and religion. Governors and Presidents.” Hell, would my girl scout leader do? She lived a few houses down from my dad’s old place.

  “There are ways around this law, as Commander I would take the word of a Commander in your military. They may be different from mine own position. But in times of war they make decisions for the good of their people.”

  “Our President is our Commander,” I murmured. Would any old Commander do? “What about a military squadrons commander?” I asked hesitantly, an idea taking shape.

  “If he were the highest-ranking human in his unit, yes.”

  “So, a Sergeant Major?” I knew someone who had one of those.

  “If he were in a high position of authority in your military I could argue he had the mind to make such a decision. Yes.” Tahk watched me with wild eyes as I bounced in his lap excitedly.

  Vivian nor I could give permission, I would have to ask Colt what he retired as, but since he was no longer active I didn’t think that would count. But Hector knew one. Hell yes, he did. If communications on Earth were still live, he could get a hold of his Sergeant Major and set up a meeting. And if that didn’t work for the Dahk, at least Hector’s word and that of his unit would prompt enough of a stir for the Secretary of Defense to step in. Maybe. Hopefully. It was a long shot, but it was more than what I had a few minutes ago.

  “Ohmygod! Tahk!” I squealed and slapped his shoulders. “I know who could get you permission!”

  Tahk blinked a few times before smiling softly, fangs and all. “Who my little mate?”

  “Hector!” I shouted.

  “Who is this Hyctoor?” He growled, but it was softened by his twinkling eyes. He was excited that I was excited. That made me stop and look at him closely.

  “Vivian’s human.” I smiled at him. His tension ebbed, and I grinned again.

  “Where is this human?” He rumbled and thumbed my cheek.

  “He was supposed to meet us at my house,” I told him softly. He was being so open to my questions I had missed how closely he ha
d answered them. He was open to me, it didn’t seem so difficult to get his help at all. He was ready to, if it didn’t endanger his Dahk.

  “Then you will take me to your House,” he stated arrogantly and grinned. It was so easy, in the face of this horrible day, and terrifying mating. It was so easy to get his help. I kissed him.

  He froze. Body turning to complete stone. I flushed scarlet and pulled back watching him carefully.

  He leaned down, lips almost touching mine. “What is this?” He rubbed his lips carefully across mine.

  “A kiss,” I whispered.

  “Show me again,” he demanded, low. I did.

  Hell if I knew why. Looking back, I might think I was totally insane. I might regret it. But I had gone through so many highs, and so, so many lows the last few days. To have this alien Commander save my people for no immediate benefit of his own, I kissed him.

  Our lips, so different but still so alike, rubbed together. I sucked lightly on his bottom lip before moving to the top. Pausing, I waited for his reaction, but beside the tightening of his hands on my hips, he stayed very still. I sucked in a breath for courage and ran my tongue along the line separating his lips. He rumbled his approval and I did it again. His lips parted the tiniest bit and I snuck my tongue between and licked the inside of his upper lip. He growled heatedly and pushed forward his own tongue meeting mine. I tilted my head and pushed closer. My tongue tangling with his, my hands gripping his brawny shoulders tightly.

  Tahk moved his clawed hand to tangle into my hair and sucked my lower lip into his mouth. I whimpered from the sting of his fangs and pressed my thighs tightly together. Tahk huffed through his nose and growled low again. Moving my own hand to the back of his skull I gripped and bit at his upper lip.

  Then we were up in the air and my back slid onto the examination table. My thighs gripped his hips and my other hand grabbed onto his extended wing. Tahk snarled and tore his lips from mine, moving them down my chin and to my neck. Oh, man this had gone way past gratitude into something I wasn’t sure I was ready for. But when his hips pushed into mine, and something very hard and very long rubbed just the right way, any hint of alarm on my part vanished. I whimpered again and ground down against him.

  My robe was then ripped away, and lips and fangs sucked and nipped down my chest to my belly. He stopped at my belly button and paid extra close attention to sip there before moving on to my hip bones. I shook and tensed the closer he came to the area that needed some attention. My hands dug into his horn and wing when his hot breath fanned across the sensitive area. There was a moment I thought I should stop him. One silly ridiculous moment, right before his amazing hot tongue laved up my lips. I bowed up in anticipated tension, and when his tongue hit right on that little bundle of nerves, my back slammed back onto the table.

  “You taste so huktbores sweet, my fierce mate,” he growled into the most sensitive part of my body. I whined. My heels dug into his shoulders. My breaths frantic, thundering my chest to the erratic beat of my heart. He licked long along the inside of my lips and I moaned. His tongue circled my entrance, dipping and probing before moving up to carelessly pass my clit again. My body bowed once more, and my nails dug further into his tough skin. My hand tightened around his thick horn. He groaned. “Here then, hmmm?” He licked my clit again and I shouted. He chuckled and sucked the tender flesh. My body vibrated with tension, my muscles spasming for release.

  His claws dug lightly into my thighs, careful of the sore flesh from our earlier mating. As I thrashed on the table, whining and crying out, he focused all his attention on that special part of me. Never once letting up.

  I found myself desperately moaning his name over and over, his growls the only answer I received for my begging. “Please,” I cried out loudly. Banging and shouting threatened to take me from my pending release but Tahk growled louder and louder until all I could hear was him and all I could feel was him. “Please!” I screamed as he sucked my clit into his mouth, his fangs scraping along the sides. My muscles spasmed, my legs shook, and euphoria crashed through my body lifting me up so high only to slam me back down into the most intense orgasm I had ever felt.

  My body slowly came back to me shaking and heaving. Tahk left me slowly, licking and nipping at my over sensitized flesh. He moved from there to my thighs then to my belly, his hands smoothing up and down my sides and legs. I blinked open blurry eyes to see myself cocooned in darkness. His wings had come around to create a barrier against the harsh environment of the lab room. His lips came to rest on the side of my neck and sucking on the sore bite he left there earlier. My hands hung limply around his shoulders, my legs curled around his waist were held there by his hands. Any strength I had left fled from me. I was limp and sated.

  “My beautiful mate, you are exquisite in your release,” he hummed. Shouts and thumps came to me and I tensed. Tahk sighed.

  “Did they h-hear me?”

  Tahk chuckled, “All my Dahk on the ship will know how grandly my mate screamed for her Pythe.”

  Oh, jeez. I couldn’t blame this one on the good of mankind. I had definitely wanted it.

  Chapter 20

  Peyton

  The shouts weren’t stopping, nor was the heavy beating the door was taking. Tahk snarled at the door and lifted off me. I shakily pulled my robe around me as best I could of the torn fabric. Tahk looked from the door and his face softened from whatever he saw on mine.

  “We must go ease the fears of your companions my mate.” He lifted me off the table and placed me on unsteady feet. I leaned heavily onto him until I felt my feet weren’t going to betray me and then stood straight. I couldn’t look him in the eyes again. My skin was beet red. I could feel it flaming. I didn’t know what was more mortifying, everyone hearing us, or that I so easily opened my body to this strange Commander of aliens.

  I could let the thoughts run rampant through my brain and slowly drive myself insane, but I was too tired. It had been a long day. I just wanted to hug Vivian and hash out the details with Tahk to go home. The thought brought a smile to my face. Tahk gently kissed the corner of my mouth when he saw it. Terrifying alien, to gentle orgasm giver. Yeah, a girl didn’t have time to analyze all that in the middle of an invasion.

  Tahk waited for me to join him at the door before hovering his hand over the mechanism that would open it. I kept my eyes firmly on my feet, but when an uncomfortable moment passed where he hadn’t opened the door I dragged my eyes up reluctantly. “You are distressed my mate.” He fisted his free hand. He seemed to want to touch me but held back.

  I blew out a breath. “I’m fine. Just a little overwhelmed.”

  “We are new to each other, this causes many confused thoughts, yes?”

  I nodded jerkily. Way new to each other. He was new from the tips of his clawed toes, to the curl of his long horns. I was excited about being able to go home, but also terrified. The Vitat were down there, it would be dangerous, but worth it. For the first time I really started to realize how safe we had been up here. The Dahk may have taken us, but they also saved us. I really needed to start prioritizing my chaotic thoughts. Survival needed to be number one, and if the Commander and his Dahk were that to us, than we were actually very lucky they found us at Colt’s gas station. Problem was, I couldn’t seem to reconcile all that with what had happened and was still happening between Tahk and I. I was thrown into an impossible situation. I was violated in a lot of ways, but Tahk had taken care of me since then. He seemed really concerned with my wellbeing. Against my better judgement, I looked at him and the Dahk in a new light. It was that that caused my stress. They were aliens, humans hadn’t known aliens existed mere days ago, we knew better now, but at a great cost.

  The Vitat ate us and were destroying our planet, but the Dahk who were equally as terrifying wanted to save us. I just hoped my new-found trust wasn’t misplaced.

  “We will do all we can to save your people, my yula. As for our mating, you are a blessing.” He rubbed along the line o
f my lip, careful to keep his claw back. “I am honored to have been chosen as yours. You will know me in time, as I you. In the meantime, I will do all I can to free you from your every fear of me,” he swore and leaned down to nuzzle my neck gently. I sighed, he was being sweet. Had he been a human man, he would be the perfect guy― horrifying mating rage aside. But he wasn’t, and now wasn’t the time to address all his ideas on us, how long we’d be together, how our mating would progress and develop. I needed to focus on survival, and at least one thing was clear. Sticking with him was the best chance at survival I could hope for.

  He watched me for another moment, I tried my best to clear my head and radiate confidence. He rubbed along my chin line, to the bite mark on my neck gently, then sighed and opened the door.

  Vivian screeched and tried to launch herself at me, but Yilt blocked her. Tears coated her face and her nose was an ugly shade of red. My friend was on the verge of having her first ugly cry.

  “What did you do to her?” She screeched and reached for me.

  “I’m fine, Viv.” I walked forward and pulled her into my arms. She clutched me tightly and sobbed. My soft-hearted friend was losing it. She needed girl time as much as I did, but I knew she needed something else more. And thanks to Tahk, I would be able to take her to him.

  “You were screaming!” She hiccupped and pulled back to run her eyes up and down my scantily clad body. I needed some damn clothes.

  “My mates cries were of pleasure not pain.” Tahk sounded offended, but the smug grin he shot me said the opposite. Vivian’s mouth dropped open, and Colt snorted behind her.

  “What happened Pey?” Vivian eyed the bite mark on my neck. She shot Tahk accusing eyes.

  I looked to her and couldn’t find the right words. How to explain all that happened? “Um, it’s hard to explain….” My voice sounded weak to my own ears.

  “We all heard you, girl. That alien take advantage of you?” Colt scowled at Tahk.