Rai

by Maia Starr

  “I’ve been better, but it’s not as bad as the night before,” she said, her blue eyes focused on the ground in front of me. “I’m sorry if I…”

  She trailed off and laughed mirthlessly, shrugging. “Why am I apologizing? I honestly don’t know what was real about last night and what was a terrible dream.”

  “Terrible?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, suddenly feeling a little bit of offense at the thought that the kiss we’d shared had been terrible for her. For me, it had been the single most erotic moment of my life, and I’d left for the night unable to sleep as I replayed the memory over in my head again and again. It had been the farthest thing from terrible I could ever imagine.

  “Well, I don’t mean…”

  Regan’s cheeks grew red, and I couldn’t help but smile. Our skin tones may have been much different, but the act was the same. Verians were pale, but a ruddy orange glow animated our features, while many humans had a variety of skin tones. Regan’s happened to be a sun-kissed copper, with an attractive pink accent. When she blushed, the pink deepened into red, and I couldn’t help but wonder what color they might be if I gave in to my body’s impulses as I had been sorely tempted to do the night before.

  “Do you think you feel well enough to return to your cell?” I asked.

  Regan nodded. I could tell she didn’t trust herself to open her mouth, and I couldn’t blame her. I imagined that if I was a spitfire like she was, I wouldn’t know whether or not it was safe to let the words spill out of me either.

  “Good. That means your infection is going down.”

  I gripped Regan’s hand tightly and pulled her out the door, vaguely registering the bashful look on her face as I led the way out. She was quiet as I walked her down the hallways and back to the solitary cell where she had been sleeping the night before, and I smiled at her as comfortingly as I possibly could.

  “If anybody else asks you though, do not tell them that you are healing just fine. I have a feeling there is going to be some inquiry about you, and it would be better to avoid any suspicion. Do you understand?”

  Regan nodded impulsively as we stepped inside the cell together, and then seemed to change her mind. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned her bright blue eyes onto me.

  “No, actually. I don’t understand any of this,” she said, flinging her hands in the air desperately. “I don’t get what I’m doing here. I don’t know why you’ve been trying to protect me, or why you’ve gone out of your way to heal me when I know, at least I think I know, that you are only collecting humans to serve some weird war agenda. And I don’t even know whether or not that moment we shared…I don’t know what’s real, and I doubt very much that you are going to be the kind of man I have been imagining you to be.”

  I waited patiently for Regan to quiet down, and she glared into my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile. She was so fierce, even though, despite my illness, I was still likely to be a hundred times stronger than she was.

  “It was real,” I forced myself to say. “I gave in to a moment of weakness on my part last night, and for that I am sorry.”

  “But why are you sorry?” Regan exclaimed. “What is it that makes it so hard for you Verians to just admit what you feel and try to talk things out instead of making everything so needlessly complicated?!”

  I frowned, unsure of what she might mean by this accusation. Verians may have been somewhat disconnected from their feelings, but that didn’t mean that we were monsters. We were simply able to put logic and intellect before our own useless emotions. And my logic and intellect were saying that it would be a fatal mistake to feel anything toward this human but what it was my duty to feel.

  “I need you to tell me, Zaine. What is it that you are feeling for me? What do you want? Because I’m a really straight forward kind of a person. I can’t do guessing games. This is just too much for me right now. Please!”

  Regan’s voice wavered, and she stared at me, brave and vulnerable all at the same time. I sighed. I couldn’t voice my feelings. I was having a hard enough time understanding them for myself. But there was one thing I could do.

  Regan gasped as I gripped her hard, my mouth suddenly on hers. Her eyes widened before she surrendered to the strength of my grip, and I knew that this time there would be no way to stop myself. Regan would be mine.

  Chapter 7

  Regan Lawrence

  My body responded immediately to the powerful longing within Zaine. His muscles were tense all around me, and as his hot mouth covered mine, the electricity between us nearly made me buckle to the ground.

  But he was strong and quick-thinking and held me up gently with ease, his arms wrapped around me as he devoured my lips. His sweet kisses immediately brought a moan to my lips, and as soon as he heard it, I felt the impressive hardening of his groin against my thigh.

  I was in constant wonder of the strange similarities and differences between human and Verian, and the thick, urgent muscle nestled beneath his uniform was definitely biologically superior to the men on Earth.

  Zaine took his time exploring my body, and I gripped the firm muscles in his arms. His handsome, full lips parted in a broad smile, and my heart lurched as, in one fluid motion, Zaine lifted me onto the cot and stripped me of the gray prison uniform.

  I shuddered as the cool air roamed over my naked body, and Zaine’s silver eyes took in the sight of it appreciatively. My hands were shaking as I reached them hesitantly toward him and pushed the pants of his uniform off of his body. He stripped his shirt for me, and my eyes widened as I took him in.

  His body was milky white, much like the paleness of his face, all but for his erect member, which was swollen and a deep orange color. His bellybutton was shallow, almost non-existent, and his broad torso was packed tightly with muscles that rose and fell as he breathed heavily in front of me. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life, and I knew that I would do anything to have him inside of me.

  As if he could sense my thoughts, Zaine was suddenly on top of me, the head of his massive member nestled close to my middle. I gasped as his hands and body massaged me gently, sending sparks of pleasure coursing throughout my entire body. The fire within me had been awakened, and had quickly gone from a small spark to an outright inferno.

  I moaned deeply as Zaine’s hips began to move sensually against mine. I had never imagined I would be in a situation like this, with a Verian of all possibilities, but now that I was here, it was proving to be one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.

  Zaine kissed me deeply before moving his mouth to the most sensitive regions of my body: from the nape of my neck down to the sensitive mounds of my nipples. I shuddered beneath his body in pleasure and bucked my hips against him: an unspoken signal that I was ready.

  Zaine wasted no time in pushing my legs apart, his hands firm against me as his well-muscled body gave an uncompromising thrust. Suddenly my entire world was shaken from the inside out as Zaine entered inside of me, and a deep moan escaped my lips.

  “Shh,” he whispered into my ear, his deep voice a rumble that simply intensified my passion. “Try to stay quiet for once, will you, Yula? If anybody hears us, there will be consequences.”

  Even then he was trying to reprimand me, to punish me. But I couldn’t blame him. It would hardly look good if one of the other guards or a Pelin, who, I had noticed during my brief stay in Cell 3, had a penchant for gossip, saw the highest ranking warden in the prison bedding one of the inmates.

  Frankly, it would be a very messy situation, so I bit my lip to keep from crying out loud as Zaine’s impressive shaft made its way further inside of me. I could feel him swelling with pleasure once he was completely wrapped up in my body, and I couldn’t help but moan softly with rapture as my insides were stimulated and gratified by Zaine’s body.

  His handsome face smiled down at me, and I felt as if we were sharing a special, secret moment that I would want to treasure for the rest of my life. But that was impossible. I couldn
’t be falling for a Verian. It was wrong. I just couldn’t be.

  Still, as Zaine’s body moved, his silver eyes sparkling as he explored every inch of skin beneath his long fingers, I couldn’t help but think of just how much I had grown to depend on this man on the planet Helna. He’d gone out of his way to tolerate and accept me. To protect and to heal me. And frankly, I had wanted nothing more than to be near him from the moment I had heard his voice and we first laid eyes on each other.

  It was just a fling. It had to be. Just something temporary so that we could get on with our lives and get this out of our systems. Right? He couldn’t love a human any more than I could love a Verian.

  But all the complexities of our situation were driven from my head as Zaine’s body began to thrust inside of me in earnest, and I gasped quietly as he brought me closer and closer to ecstasy. Bliss filled my entire body as Zaine’s impressive shaft was enveloped deep inside of me, and we both hissed in pleasure as my climax began to build to its breaking point.

  I bit onto Zaine’s bicep to keep from crying out loud as my body betrayed my feelings for him, and I closed my eyes, relishing in the ecstasy of my orgasm. I could feel myself contracting tightly around Zaine’s member, and he unleashed a furious torrent of power, his hips shaking us both on the cot until, with a deep, gratified grunt, he intensified my orgasm with a flood of his seed, hot as it erupted from deep inside of him and spilled out inside of me.

  I panted hard as he emptied himself fully inside of me, the heat of his climax taking my own to new heights, until my body, extra sensitive after the release, trembled beneath Zaine and he pulled out gently.

  I was too exhausted to lift my head as he climbed off of me, and closed my eyes blissfully as Zaine’s lips pressed against my temple.

  “Rest now, Yula. There will be much to do in the morning.”

  I was slipping into a deep sleep as I listened to Zaine dressing himself, and then the metallic clanking of my cell doors signaled to me, just as I let go of consciousness, that I was once again alone.

  ***

  When I woke up the next morning, I was freezing cold. I realized that I’d fallen asleep still naked, with Zaine’s seed still inside of me. It was an embarrassing realization, and I had the sudden fear that, against all odds, I was pregnant.

  But that would be impossible. There would be many things that might lead to a pregnancy by a Verian man, and one ill-planned fling would not be enough for me to bear Zaine’s child, whether it was what we wanted or not. No, there was no way I was pregnant. Not like this.

  The day continued on, drab and slow, until I heard a huge commotion deep within the prison. The others were back, though where they had gone, I couldn’t guess. It had been silent the night before when Zaine had shared my bed, but now I could imagine the disdained expression on his face as the cells were once again filled up with the clamoring humans in Ward B.

  It was a while before meal time, and I figured that was probably a good thing. If Zaine was going to serve me, I would have to figure out just how I was going to respond to him. I simply couldn’t bring myself to love a Verian man. Not after it was the Verians who had been responsible for the death of the man I had wanted to marry in the first place. None of this would have been happening if not for them. Logically, I should hate every single bone in their bodies. I should definitely not be sleeping with and fantasizing about them. Definitely not.

  I stood in the cell and walked to the little shower area in the corner. It was nearly impossible to reach the showers and toilets in the cell with the other women, and by the time you got there, you wished you hadn’t. Here, though, I had all of the water I needed to myself, and showered in peace, washing away all evidence of my tryst with Zaine. I simply should not allow my feelings to develop any further. I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it.

  I swallowed hard as I washed myself, letting my hand drop experimentally on my belly. It was a little more swollen than I remembered it, but there was also the possibility that I was simply feeling paranoid after the night before. It was common knowledge that sex could lead to pregnancy, even sex with Verian men.

  But these types of pregnancies often led to complications. Many women who had been raped on Earth by various savage Verian warriors had found themselves with child, and were left with a whole slew of complications. Most of the women died, and if they didn’t, the children they bore did. What was going to happen to me?

  “Yula, it is meal time.”

  I froze in embarrassment and dread at the sound of Zaine’s voice, and ventured out of the shower. There were no towels to speak of (in orientation, they had referred to them as vectors of disease), so I was left wet and naked in front of Zaine as he let himself into the cell and sat the plate down on the small table beside my bed.

  “Zaine,” I whispered, walking toward my cot, feeling far more embarrassed than I would have if we hadn’t just had sex the night before. “What will happen to me if I get pregnant?”

  Zaine pretended not to hear me and refused to look me in the eye. “Today is a specialty, reserved for the return of women after their check in with the lab. Even my kind are not so cruel as to allow despair to fester in the hearts of humanity for long.”

  “I don’t care about the food!” I exclaimed. “I need to know what’s going to happen to me. I’m worried.”

  Zaine turned to me, his eyebrows drawn in anger.

  “We cannot speak of such things here,” he hissed. “We are not alone in this building, do you understand? There is nothing good that will come of your lack of self-control; don’t you see that yet? If you cannot follow my lead, then you are going to have to deal with all of this on your own. I can assign you a different guard.”

  “No!” I shouted, surprising us both. “I don’t want a different guard. I just…I’m scared.”

  “Yula,” Zaine said, sitting heavily on the bed and sighing. “I can’t change what is to happen to you. Your fate was sealed the moment you left your Zone and you were caught. I wish there was more I could do, but I simply don’t have the means.”

  “You could help me escape,” I said suddenly. “You could get me back to Earth.”

  “And then what?” Zaine asked, his eyes hard. “Leave you there and return to my life here as if it never happened? As if we…”

  He cut himself off and cursed in his native tongue, and despite myself, I felt my heart melting. So he did care about me? All of this was just far too confusing.

  “This isn’t just some campy little Earth tale. There are ways we just need to live at this point. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is there a sanctuary that would offer refuge to people like us.”

  I grimaced. “What about Earth?”

  Zaine scoffed and shook his head. “Oh, human. Earth would have us executed for showing our faces.”

  “Not everywhere,” I said. “Just in the Zones. What if we made our own Zones! Lived in peace there together…raised a family…”

  The words sounded hollow coming out of my mouth. Neither of us believed it was possible. but the idea of going back home was just too tempting.

  “It is true that Earth offers abundant resources. With Verian technology in place, it would be the most suitable habitat for our people. We could enrich the soil, rebuild the planet back to its natural glory. Humans were far too careless with Earth and let it fall to ruin. Or nearly. It is so unlike the planet Helna, where resources were simply depleted because of natural disasters…droughts…floods; we didn’t put ourselves in this position. But humans did.”

  “You can change it?” I asked, puzzled. “If it would work on Earth, why wouldn’t it work on Helna?”

  Zaine sighed. “Earth is different. Helna is made almost purely of rock. Once the soil was depleted of nutrients and washed away by the floods, that was that. Only a few natural wonders are left on the planet, but the Verians can make a small clump of fertile soil feed an army of men.”

  “So no matter where we went on Earth, you could take care of us?” I asked, hop
e once again rekindled in my breast.”

  “You do not understand me, human,” Zaine exclaimed. “There is nothing I can do for you. We are bound and stuck here. This is my place. And now it is yours as well.”

  Zaine stood up and glared at me, and I felt suddenly foolish for allowing myself to get caught up in such a fanciful daydream.

  “Whether it is our place or not,” I asked, doing my best to keep my voice even. “What will happen to our child?”

  “If you are pregnant, I will know it within a week,” Zaine said quietly. “And we will deal with the issue at hand then. Until then, you will say nothing about it to anybody, even to yourself. Do not utter a word. There is no telling when there may be eyes and ears who may overhear your concerns. If that happens, then there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it. So for the love of Mai, keep your mouth shut. Is that clear?”

  I swallowed hard, a hard lump forming in my throat. Of course, Zaine wouldn’t help me to escape from the prison. He had brought me here himself. Whether I bore his child or not, I was still just another human, and he was still just another Verian, and we were still stuck in this hopeless timeline where the war between our people was still raging and would not cease until one side or the other was completely wiped out. I had to accept that.

  “I won’t say anything,” I promised, unable to look Zaine in the eye. He sighed, and I was suddenly being held close to his body in a tight, comforting embrace.

  “Enjoy your meal, Yula. And dine well. You may be eating for two now.”

  And with that, he disappeared from the cell, leaving me alone with nothing but the food on my plate and the potential of his child inside of me.

  ***

  That night, I lay on my cot wondering what Daniel would think of the mess I had gotten myself into. Would he understand that I had simply done it for the sake of desperate loneliness? For a longing to be close to someone who seemed to care about me? Would he forgive me?