Hide to Stay Alive (Club Release 1)

by Pixie Moon

  He sniffs the air and his eyes glow lightly. “You only obey the warriors I introduce you to. When we are at the club, you are to stay close to me or one of my friends at all times. Another safe zone is our table. The one we were at last night is just for us. With time, you’ll get to know your place.”

  My place. For some reason I’m not liking this obeying thing at all today. It could be in part because I’m horny. I look out into the jungle and long to run free. Among the plants I’m not horny and confused. Tears well in my eyes, I blink them away.

  Din Zar pulls me to him and strokes my back. “Don’t be mad and sad. I promise to take good care of you. The jungle is no place for you, little seema.”

  I shrug. “I just don’t know if I can always obey.” As I breathe his scent in and think about how kind he’s been to me, I don’t think I can disobey him. The others, I probably can.

  “I understand. Just remember that when you don’t do what you’re told you will be disciplined. It’s all up to you.” He shifts me to a seated position in his lap. I miss the coziness of his chest immediately. “Hand me my drink, seema.”

  Automatically, I reach out, grab his glass off the table, and hand it to him.

  He takes a drink and then puts the glass back on the table. He cups my chin and raises it slightly so that I have to look into his intense eyes. “You can do this, seema. Being submissive is a natural part of you. You like to please me. When I told you to hand me my glass, you did it without even thinking. Embrace that side of you and you’ll do well here.”

  Heat blooms across my cheeks. He’d been testing me and he’d proven that I am submissive. On this planet, that’s not a bad thing, my logical side points out. The thought of him dominating me sexually has me shifting in his lap.

  The sound of him inhaling and then growling lightly has desire flooding my system.

  “I’m glad you’re starting to see how well you fit in here.” Zar runs a hand up my thigh and places it at the junction of my legs. “When we’re done talking I’ll take you inside and satisfy you.”

  CHAPTER

  26

  ~ Hallie ~

  ♥

  Hope has my pulse leaping. “Can you do it now?” I yearn to lick the little scar under his lower lip and then work my way down his body.

  His eyes harden. “No, I want you to suffer a little longer for disobeying me and Din Von last night.”

  Fuck. I don’t want to suffer anymore. If you want that big cock of his then you’d better start listening to him? my logical side ruthlessly says. The ache between my legs proves she’s right. If I’d listened and trusted him last night I wouldn’t be so needy today.

  I shiver as I recall the sweet taste of his cum and the feel of his blunt cockhead easing down my throat. The remembered feel of his wide length inside me has me clenching my core. I need him.

  No, I need to cool down. I look at the white scar below his lip. “How did you get this scar?”

  He rubs the scar and then answers, “In my youth I wasn’t fast enough to dodge Von’s throwing knives.” He chuckles as he looks into my eyes. “By the time we were adults both of us ended up scared but with a new respect for speed and for how powerful our weapons are.”

  “I wish I had a brother or a sister.” I run my finger over the scar and then add, “But being an only child may have been safer.”

  He leans back and pulls me to his chest. I happily snuggle against his muscular body. “I’m glad you weren’t raised to be a warrior.” He strokes my hair for a moment and then stops. “Tell me why you hide.” His tone says he’s not asking.

  My mind draws up a picture of my parents. The vision causes my heart to hurt. A slight growl vibrates through his chest. Not wanting to make him mad, I answer, “My parents taught me to do it. The most important thing to them…was me staying alive.”

  “Your parents are right. Are they still alive?” He gently moves his hand up and down my thigh.

  “No.” I press my face into his chest and breathe in his masculine scent. It calms me. “I still can’t believe they’re gone. We heard a noise out in the woods. My father told me to go hide and then follow normal procedure. I quietly ran from camp and hid in the first good spot I could find.”

  A tremor shakes me as I remember breathing shallowly and feeling dread as time went on that horrible night. “I could make out some sounds but I couldn’t tell what they were. When the sun came up, I headed south. We always met a mile south of where we split up. I waited for them for a day. Then I started circling the area to see if they were waiting for me somewhere close by. When they never showed up anywhere in the area, I went looking for them.”

  Another tremor runs through me. Zar rubs my back comfortingly. “Go on, seema. Tell me what happened.”

  My lips tremble so I bite them for a second and then take a deep breath. “I traveled back to our last camp.” Tears fill my eyes as sorrow pierces my heart. “They didn’t show up because they were dead. They’d been beaten to death and all of our stuff was gone.” A sharp pain knifes through my chest as I recall how desolate I felt.

  A tear rolls down my cheek. Zar wipes it away as well as the one that follows closely behind. “They were good people. I did right by them. It took me all day but I dug a grave and put them in it together. A part of me wanted to drop in the hole with them so we could all stay together. I didn’t want to be alone.” I release a harsh breath as my throat tries to close up.

  Strong arms wrap tightly around me. “You’re not alone anymore, Hallie Mead.”

  As his warmth surrounds me, I know he’s telling the truth. I wrap my arms around his waist and soak in his masculine scent. A tremor runs through me. He caresses my hair and keeps me pulled in close to his body. “I’m glad you didn’t die, seema. How old were you when this happened and afterwards how did you take care of yourself?”

  I know telling my story will help me heal. That doesn’t make it easy though. I answer his question in an unsteady voice. “I was sixteen. I was on the edge of their grave and about to jump in with them when I remembered that the reason we split up was so some of us could live. Since they were gone, I knew they’d want me to live.”

  I’ll never forget the anguish I felt as I laid my parents—my only friends—to rest. That night I slept on the grass next to the dirt covering my parents. My hand resting on the loose soil. This part of my story is too painful to say out loud.

  My hands rub small circles over his back. The motion soothes me. “I did what I’d been taught to do. I lived off the land. When I’d come near a group of people or a town, I’d watch them from afar for several days. If I thought it was safe enough, I’d go in and ask a few select people if they wanted to trade me for what I needed. Sometimes I got to work and make a little money other times I traded and left.”

  “I’m surprised none of the men took you for their own,” he whispers into my ear.

  “I’d been taught to avoid big men and how to dodge all people. A couple of times I was almost caught.” I shiver as I remember the yellow-toothed human males trying to get me.

  “I’m glad you got away and I’m sorry for your loss, little seema. Your father was a good man. He taught you well. A smart warrior always teaches his children to take care of themselves.” His hand slides down my back and then rests on my hip.

  I enjoy the feel of his touch and rest in his arms for a while. Looking up, I ask, “Are your parents still alive?” They haven’t come by and I never met them at the club. That worries me. Were they murdered like my parents?

  He sniffs and squeezes me for a second. “Stop worrying so much, seema. My parents are alive. They live on the other side of the planet. My father is Second in Command so he has to spend a lot of time at work. You’ll meet them one day.” He repositions me so that I’m straddling his hips and then he presses my head against his chest and strokes my hair. “For now, let’s just enjoy the day.”

  I relax into his warm embrace. This is the position I’m supposed to be in. The feel
of his growing erection pressing into my clit has the pearl between my legs agreeing wholeheartedly.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  The yellow petals of the purrdot flowers open wide when I get near them.

  I smile as I hold my arm out for the crazy flowers to smell me. One gets too close and brushes the underside of my arm. My giggle blends in with the music lightly playing in the background. I water the ever begging plant and then move on to the next one.

  The house is different without Zar in it. I think of him as Zar most of the time now. Din seems too formal to call a lover. Heat flashes through me at that thought. Since he’s not here, I force myself to think of less lusty things.

  I’ve been here for a month and this is the first time since the night I arrived that I’ve been alone. It’s different but not bad. My heart swells and I have to confess that I miss him a little. I knew he couldn’t work from home forever.

  Get a grip, Hallie Mead. You’ve got it good here. Now get to work so he’ll be proud of you when he comes home, my logical side states. She’s right. I need to do everything I usually do. I want him to be proud of me.

  I spray a snaplot’s leaves and stem. The pretty blue petals vibrate and then bam. The petals open and then slam closed. A small whoosh of air brushes across my face. “Thank you for the vitamin enriched air,” I say to the plant before moving on to the next one. All of the plants here on Zaphin are so cool. I’m lucky to be here.

  The floor cleaner zips by me. I watch the device move around the room sucking up any particle it can find. I’m glad I don’t have to sweep and mop. That is a job I wouldn’t like at all. The beauty of living in the woods is that you never have to do certain tasks.

  I move to the kitchen cabinet to get more plant food. As I’m bending down to get it, I hear a bang. I freeze and my pulse starts to race. I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear the noise again.

  My first instinct is to run and hide. I take a few steps toward the corridor and then stop. I’m safe in here. I don’t have to hide all the time.

  Zaphin is safer than Earth. The light banging sound happens again, so I listen closely to where it’s coming from. I think it’s coming from outside. For the first time in my life, I go to see what the noise is. I hope it’s not some big and deadly creature that likes to eat humans.

  Covertly, I tiptoe over to the kitchen window and peek out. At first I don’t see anything. Then a movement on the patio catches my attention and a second later the banging sound happens again. I chuckle. “No way.” It’s not a big human eating beast. It’s a bird.

  The bright yellow bird has purple feet and a long sturdy purple beak. I watch as the bird drills its beak into the glass. Once again, I wonder if the glass is breakable. As hard as the bird tries, he or she doesn’t make a dent in the glass. I’m guessing the bird is a Zaphin woodpecker.

  I smile and go back to work. Zar should get a kick out of me telling him what’s been happening while he was away. My father used to say that sometimes the best stories are the ones that happen to you personally. My life has definitely produced some wild stories lately. I’m glad Zar is around to share them with.

  With the floor cleaner buzzing around, I continue feeding the plants. It feels normal and good to be doing this. I can’t believe how different my life is. Zar TocGar has given me a normal and secure home. For that, I’ll forever be thankful.

  CHAPTER

  27

  ~ Hallie ~

  ♥

  With my hand in Zar’s, I walk down a corridor I haven’t been down before. This is the area the playthings live in. Club Release is just starting to come to life. Music is pumping through the club.

  The beat is meant to heat people up. The notes are played in a way that is sensual and heart pounding. The club has a life to it that is unique and irresistible.

  Zar pushes a door open and ushers me in. I look around to see that I’m in what looks to be a large living room. There are several playthings hanging out in different areas of the room. He leads me to a table where two females are smiling as they watch our approach.

  “Hallie, this is Lingma and Babshi. Playthings, this is my seema.” Zar’s gaze is trained on the two pretty beings. “Keep her occupied while I do some work.”

  Lingma’s dark green tail swishes and her black eyes light up. “Is she here to play?”

  “No, she’s here to hang out and get to know you two.” Zar’s eyes are hard as he looks them over. “Take good care of her.”

  The women don’t seem to be offended by his gruff, dominating attitude at all. Jealously hits me when I realize that they’ve known him for a long time. Zar’s gaze lasers in on me and a knowing look enters his eyes.

  Heat blooms across my cheeks.

  “Aww, she’s adorable. We’ll take good care of her Din Zar,” Lingma assures in a friendly voice.

  “Yeah, we’ll take good care of her,” Babshi adds with a nod. Her full pink lips are curved into an inviting smile.

  “No playing around. Just hang out here. I’ll be back to get her in a bit.” Zar releases the cuffs from our wrists and slides them into the pocket of his fitted black pants. The dark body hugging shirt he’s wearing moves along with his rippling muscles. The lovely sight never gets old.

  With his thumb and index finger, he raises my chin and stares into my eyes. His commander look is back. “Stay here, seema.”

  Heat instantly pools in my core. That certain tone he uses does it to me every time. He sniffs the air and the side of his mouth kicks up. “Be good and I’ll satisfy your need later tonight.” I moan when he brushes his lips over mine. For me, the sweet kiss didn’t last long enough.

  I long to go home and have him take care of my need right now. From the look in his eyes, I know that’s not going to happen. He pulls a chair out for me and gestures for me to take a seat. I quickly sit. He smiles at me and my heartbeat picks up its pace.

  Din Zar is the only male I’ve ever wanted to please. He does something to me that I don’t understand. As I look into his unique eyes, I don’t care about understanding my feelings. I just want to continue to feel them forever.

  He inhales and grins at me in that sexy I-know-your-secret way that has my cheeks stinging.

  “I’ll be back soon, seema.” He gives the girls a hard look and then leaves.

  Like a love struck puppy, I watch him leave and long to go with him. Each step he takes pinches my heart. I barely stop myself from running after him.

  “Aww, you’ve got it bad for him. That’s so cute.”

  Lingma’s words have fire shooting through my face. I turn to look at my tablemates. Lingma’s tail is busy moving as she looks me over. I glance at both of them and note that they are dressed similar to me. We are all wearing skimpy tops and short skirts. At least in that way I’m fitting in.

  Tling By smiles as she walks up to me with her black hair shining and her pink skin glowing. A female is next to her. The tan skinned female has long purple hair, pretty green eyes, and a bright smile. I can’t help but admire all of the intriguing people in this club.

  “Hi, Hallie. I just wanted to say hello and have you meet Fraysta. We were just heading out but I wanted you two to meet,” Tling By says. Her glowing pink skin looks good next to her short black hair.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Hallie. This is an exciting place. I look forward to seeing you out there,” Fraysta says with another smile. A sincere one. Her stunningly green eyes are lively and her purple hair is long and shiny. I’m pretty sure purple is her natural hair color. It makes me wish my hair was more lively.

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Fraysta. The club does seem to be interesting,” I reply. I don’t know what else to say. They save me by waving and walking off. Too many people still make me nervous. I have to get used to crowds though if I’m going to be here.