by Zena Zion
He groaned against her and before she knew what had happened, she was being swept into his arms. Though Thren seemed to toss her around like no more than a ragdoll, Beth who had always been extremely conscious of her curves, had never allowed a man to pick her up in such a way. The panic that washed over her was exactly what she needed to get her mind back in order.
“Crap! No. Put me down.” She gasped. Pushing against his shoulders to put as much space between their heads as possible. What had she been doing? What had she been thinking? Beth, who never gave herself over to instinct had been acting on purely that.
Thren set her feet lightly on the floor and stared at her with utter confusion.
“This,” she tried to catch her breath, “will not… happen again.”
“I don’t understand why you resist it so much.” He clearly thought that she was being irrational.
“Just…no. Okay?” At the moment she could not really think of a good reason as to why she should not just throw herself back into his arms and allow him to carry her off. It had been too long since she had been with a man, would it really be so bad if she gave in this once? Then she remembered that if she gave in, he would definitely consider her his mate and there would be no chance of returning to her home on Earth, ever.
“If it isn’t me, there will be another.” He made the statement as if it were a matter of fact. She would be had by one of them, whether she liked it or not.
“There will not.” She squared her shoulders defiantly.
Thren bent down so that their faces were level. “Until you have your mate, you will see more displays like this every time that you set your foot out of this room. You might as well give in to me, I can best any of them and I will continue to do so until you’ve seen the truth.”
She chewed her lower lip. She was torn between the raging hormones that were begging her to give in to him, and the irrational desire to defy him out of spite.
“You’ll return my pod and allow me to leave?” She countered.
Thren stood up and narrowed his eyes at her. “I thought that I told you once already, human, we don’t barter for mates. We don’t mate for goods or gain. I won’t trade your freedom for a night in my bed. You’ll stay here because that is my decision, and when you realize the truth, that we have both been waiting for such a match, then you will see that this desire to return to your corrupt planet is fruitless. Why would you want to continue with a race such as these humans? Our features are biologically compatible, of this I am certain, and yet still you pretend that what a human being has to offer can compare to that of the Asreen?”
“You are so certain that what you say is true.” She bristled at his constant insults to her species. “But have you ever considered that despite your so-called desires, you might hold no lasting draw for my affections?” What grated most was that he made his statements as if they were an agreed upon fact, as if she would have no reason, or inclination, to feel differently.
“Whether or not you choose to admit it, Beth as you say you are called, the deepest, most intelligent parts of you know that I am right. You know, or soon will, that you do not fit in with the creatures that you claim for your own.”
Having spent her entire life being raised with the mentality that humans were the superior race, it was a difficult pill to swallow.
CH. 5. THE SEARCH
The following week was spent in a series of heated arguments. During their scientifically driven moments, Thren did his best to portray the Asreen, and the Asray, with the utmost reverence and irrefutable superiority. Beth attempted to counter his attacks with representations of the wonders of human discovery and technology. Unfortunately, his well-studied mind launched effortless rebuttals to the effect of human nature’s desire for power and greed, often leading to the destruction of their own people or discoveries.
In the few moments that were spent outside of their shared laboratory, Beth was witness to numerous displays of dominance, just as Thren had suggested. Each new suitor that he laid aside, increased the tensions between them.
In his opinion, these short-lived battles were an annoyance, a waste of time that could be easily averted by her simple submission to his desires.
When Thren transformed and stood before her in all the magnificence of the Asray, Beth could not deny that these creatures were impressive beyond comparison. The sheer strength and perfectly honed aerodynamics left them the unchallenged predator of their entire planet.
Later, as Beth was finishing the final sketch of the Asray anatomy, Thren watched over her shoulder, commenting when her dimensions were slightly off or the bone of a wing bent incorrectly.
With a light chuckle, she added a burst of flame from the open mouth, much to Thren’s horror.
“What is that?” He sounded unimpressed. This was his favorite question of all, one which Beth had come to resent in his insatiable desire for knowledge.
“It’s fire.” She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips knowing him well enough by now that he would take her addition to the drawing as a gross dramatization, something the Asreen thought highly distasteful. “Back home, I would probably describe the Asray as something akin to a dragon.”
She had been purposely goading him this afternoon, hoping that by showing her primitive ignorance, he would retract his claim that she belonged to him. Unfortunately, so far her attempts had only renewed his conviction that she was intelligent enough to manipulate the situation, and therefore maintaining that her own male suitors were unworthy.
The drink that he had been in the process of swallowing caused him to choke.
“A dragon?” he coughed. “Those lizard birds with no brain and a ferocious temper?”
Of course, those would be the features that he would remember, not their strength or agility, dominance, or sheer size.
She nodded with a bated smile.
“We don’t have a ridge of spines down our back. We don’t breathe fire or anything dangerous, and we absolutely are not some mindless beast who tromps around destroying everything.” For the next several minutes, he continued to animatedly list the difference in features and characteristics.
“Well, sure,” Beth broke in when he stopped for a breath, “maybe not entirely similar but, you both have scales, wings, a tail, and are enormous. So,” she concluded, “I would describe you as either a dinosaur, or a dragon.” Her matter-of-fact delivery did exactly what she intended. It infuriated him.
As he stomped away, muttering under his breath, she distinctly heard two words. Impossible and primitive.
When he still had not returned several hours later, she knew that she would have the evening to herself. Estimating that there were at least four hours remaining before he returned to deposit her safely at the door of her bedchamber, always with the offer to join him in his own, Beth set out to complete the escape plan that she had been formulating since that first day.
She spent the first hour covertly wandering the intricate network of hallways that made up the enormous compound. She hated to admit it but the idea of encountering another male frightened her more than she cared to admit. Without Thren present to re-assert his dominanc, she would be entirely at the will of whatever peacocking creature attempted to claim his stake.
Room after room of hopeless items left her with no hint that she was getting any closer to the location of her pod. What if Thren had ordered that it be taken back to the landing field, outside of the compound? With the only access points at such astronomical heights, she had no way to enter or exit the forbidding fortress.
Perhaps, she thought, Almoore would come to her aide? Surely she should be able to appeal to the female’s softer side, Beth knew that Thren certainly did not have one.
Another hour of wandering finally brought her back to a hallway that she recognized. Knowing that her time was running short she sprinted to the chamber in which Almoore and three other females resided.
With a sigh of relief Beth found her prey alone in the chamber.
“Almoore,” she pleaded, “You have to help me. I am looking for my ship.”
Almoore furrowed her brows. “What for?” She seemed genuinely perplexed.
“To go home, of course!” Beth sighed. “At the very least to contact my team and request help.”
When Almoore remained unconvinced, Beth spent the better part of a half hour explaining to her that she needed to return to her own planet.
Finally, after a long pause, Almoore weighed in.
“Bethanyannecoulter, I cannot understand why you would choose to leave for a planet of humans when you have the future commander of an entire planet offering you his loyalty.” When Beth began to speak, Almoore held up her hand for silence. “The females of this tribe, of all seven tribes to be honest, have vied for Thren’s attentions for years and never once has he asserted himself as dominant on behalf of a certain female. He is, to say the least, the most perfect specimen of our kind. Here, I wait in a shared chamber, for a mate of my own to stake his claim, and yet you deny the most sought after male we possess. I’m sorry, human,” Almoore stood and grasped Beth by the upper arm, “You should be grateful, and whether or not you are, I will not help you.”
She pulled Beth from the room like a child who needed to be punished. Beth followed mutely, knowing that any resistance would be futile against the massive female.
Almoore dragged Beth to the glass-ceilinged chamber of her first encounter with Thren, and pulled her toward the dais.
Again, Thren sat comfortably at his father’s feet.
As the females approached, Dreth pressed his lips together with an expectant grin. Thren, however, looked surly and surprised to see Beth being presented at his feet.
“She has been searching for her ship, commanders.” Almoore released her grip. “I thought that you might care to know.”
Dreth continued to smile as if he considered the entire situation to be amusing. He nodded down to his son, “She is your mate to handle.” With that, he stood and left the room. Upon his exit, all others followed, including Almoore, leaving Beth to face Thren alone.
“Did you find it?” He asked with a calm voice.
“Obviously not or I wouldn’t be here.” She snapped.
“Finding it and being able to operate it are two entirely different issues.” He stared at her without blinking for a long time, a trait that she found unnerving but characteristic of the entire population.
“Are you telling me that you’ve had it disabled?” The frustration in her voice was apparent. Why could she not have landed on a planet with dim witted Neanderthals as she had anticipated?
“There is no need while its communication methods are down.” His statement was true. If she could not communicate with her team, the chance of a flight was impossible.
The idea of trying to put herself into cryogenic sleep gave her shivers. Without the medical staff monitoring the robots, there were an infinite number of potential errors.
“Come.’ He stated, placing his hand on the back of her neck to guide her, a gesture that she had come to understand as the equivalent of offering someone your arm. The only difference was that this particular gesture was not limited to couples or even male-female situations. Often two friends of the same sex would walk alongside each other with one leading the other in this way. Beth assumed it was a simple sign of fidelity, and at the moment, she found it quite comforting.
“You aren’t angry?” She asked as they walked toward her chamber?
“I would expect no less from you at this point.” He replied. “You are strong willed, and will make a devoted partner. Until you commit yourself to me, I fully expect you to make a formidable opponent as well.”
“Good,” She turned to glare at him as they reached her door. The motion broke the contact of his hand with a forceful snap. “Because I have no intention of giving up.” She raised her chin in defiance as she looked into his eyes. She expected to see anger, instead there was a flare of something she might have called admiration before his pupils dilated into the universal sign for lust.
He raised his hand and brushed a finger across her pouting lips.
“Neither do I, Beth, remember that.” Her defiance excited him, she realized.
Well, he was going to be sorely disappointed when he found out just how defiant she could be.
Two months of escape attempts left both Beth and Thren exhausted. For every moment of her persistence, he met her with constant vigilance.
Her search for the shuttle was less troublesome than the situations that arose from her independent wanderings throughout the stronghold. On numerous occasions, Thren showed up just in time to thwart a persistent male, determined to win her affections. Only once did his opponent push Thren far enough to warrant a fatal blow.
Another time, Beth was determined to have a good look outside of the complex, searching for the hidden pod among the deserted landscape.
On one occasion, Thren, in his bestial form, appeared in front of her at the cavernous opening. The fright caused Beth to lose her footing and tumble off the ledge, plummeting to a most certain death.
Thren caught her with almost lazy ease and returned her to her perch. When he had transformed once more to speak with her, Beth found him in a state of uncontrollable laughter. Apparently for the Asray, the idea of flying and falling was a game to be played constantly. For Beth, on the other hand, the near-death experience had her stomping off in anger and barricading herself in her chamber for two entire days.
She began sneaking off at night, when Thren could not follow her. When she finally located the pod, in what appeared to be a storage room on the lowest level before the grey domain, she almost expected him to come bursting in on her at once.
Each night, she returned with growing hopes. As she worked diligently on repairing the communication devices, Beth began to list the questions that demanded answers from Professor Margwall. The first, being what exact information she was supposed to be looking for, and the second being whatever led him to believe that this was a species of diminished intelligence.
Despite her growing frustration with Thren, a level of tension that for some inexplicable reason had a coinciding increase in desire, they continued their scientific evaluations without pause.
Thren argued that it was important for her to learn as much as possible about her new culture. Beth often replied that he needed to study humans so that he could learn how ill-suited they would be as a pair. Nothing that she showed him seemed to convince him of this fact.
Her exhaustion made it more and more difficult to resist Thren’s advances. The truth was that she had never stopped wanting him. Despite her mortification with her uncharacteristic behavior on their first day, her days and nights were plagued with fantasies of what might occur if she allowed it to happen again.
On one fateful evening, when they had spent the entire day discussing the well-managed efficiencies of his civilization, Beth found herself more drawn to him than she ever had before. Perhaps it was because he had appeared much more open, and forthcoming, with information about how this particular society functioned.
Try as she might, Beth could not deny that the peaceful atmosphere, one that maximized the use of each individual’s talents, had a strong appeal over the chaos and competition of Earth. Not, she reminded herself, that she was considering an extended stay on this planet, only that she, from a scientific perspective, recognized the value and rarity of such a collaboration.
They took their meals in the joint work space, as usual. However, this time, rather than determinedly consuming their sustenance in silence, Thren allowed the conversation to continue as he shared with her many revelations about his childhood.
Beth was fascinated with the way he spoke. His detached manner allowed for no exaggeration or over-excitement, however there was a deep level of pride that coated his words, a love for his people and experiences that brought a light to his eyes in the way that no other topic had.
He would make an exc
ellent commander of his people, she realized. Thren explained that his father could choose to relinquish command at any time of his choosing. Due to the lengthy lifespan of the species, rulers passed leadership whenever they deemed their offspring fit, rather than upon death. Thren was young, comparable in age to Beth herself, yet his father was nearly three-hundred Earth years old and had served as ruler for a large majority of that time.
The pair sat upon the picnic-style mattress in the middle of the floor. This traditional Asreen setup for eating had initially made Beth uncomfortable, she had longed for a table and chairs, however over time, she had grown accustomed to the practice. Even now, she sat cross-legged on the cushioned mat, leaning against an enormous pillow while Thren stretched across the far length of the surface, on his stomach.
When the meal was finished, Beth wished that the moment would not end. It was the first time that she and her captor had conversed so easily. Each had refrained from goading the other, as had become the common practice in their encounters.
“Tell me about your youth.” Thren pressed. He was leaning on his elbows, toying with the thick tassels that decorated the border of a nearby pillow.
With a deep sigh, Beth leaned further into the pillow.
“To be honest, there isn’t much to tell. I was an orphan.” She explained. “Where I am from, if you are an orphan, you are pressed immediately into a rigorous education track. The idea is to try to mold you into a productive member of society. When you have no family, or other distractions, they expect you to be the best at everything, so that’s what I did. I received top scores and climbed from lab to lab until I was finally accepted into the most prestigious laboratory on my planet, the Margwall Space Exploratory Operation. I’ve only been there for a short time, and only recently been promoted to Professor Margwall’s personal unit. It might seem strange that he chose someone with so little experience to make this trip, but I was the only one without family or, a real life, to leave behind. My career is everything to me and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”