by Celeste Raye
“I think I owe you an apology. I am not a traditional Milisarian, and I would love to give my excuse that I am only a half-breed.” Alexis was instantly taken aback by that statement. She had wondered about his darker skin before, but nothing else about him read a thing other than Milisarian knight. “That is a poor excuse for my behavior, but I assure you, I took no other woman with me on my latest travels. It was purely business, and I have been trying to see those women less and less in hopes of doing right by you. Do you not understand that I wish to make you my queen? You would be queen of all of Milisaria. Nothing could stop you, then. No one could tell you what to do, other than myself in this bedroom. You could be whatever you wanted; you could do whatever you wanted.” Alexis tried not to laugh. If only he knew what she wanted, he wouldn’t be giving her that offer. But it was tempting. That freedom could do so much for her. It could do so much for Milisaria.
“Forgive me if I seem to be in a poor mood. I have been lonely this time and faced with a hard reality. My friends will be going back to Earth to face whatever it is they must face back down on Earth. Many were prisoners before, and I worry about them,” she admitted, hoping that he would do something; even a tiny thing about that concern.
“I am sorry about that. I did not realize you were close to any of those women,” he admitted. How could he not know that? Did he not pay any attention at Destiney’s wedding? Then again, the king only paid attention to himself. It was something she needed to remember in all of this to not be pulled in. “I will make sure you get to tell them goodbye before they are left on Earth, and I will talk to the humans and let them know that these women deserve a nice life.” Alexis doubted he would remember, but it was better than nothing. But maybe that time alone with the women would do some good. Maybe they could all come up with a plan with Nabvan’s help. There was something else to take care of first, though: fulfilling her duty to the king.
“Aren’t you going to ask for my answer?” she asked him, interested that he had not pressed it yet. She was in the mood to get it over with. She was still so close to her memories of Nabvan and his amazing body, and she could imagine him the whole time as the king took her and tried to impregnate her.
“I was trying to put the focus on something else,” he said, still standing over her on the bed.
It was time for Alexis to find the actress within her. She stood up and placed her mouth over his ear so that her lip left a slight trail of wetness while she whispered. “Well, I think it’s time to focus on it,” she told him in as sultry a voice as she could manage. “Because my answer is yes.” She pulled away, reaching behind her back to unclasp the red dress she was wearing just for his pleasure. He liked those dresses instead of the bodysuits, which Nabvan preferred.
Underneath, she was completely naked, and it did its job. The king’s eyes glazed over with a sickening lust that she tried not to let get to her. This was the whole point: her ticket back to Milisaria after their detour to Earth. She was not stepping foot on that planet and risking the loss of Nabvan.
King Shene stripped off all of his armor and his real robes, leaving his body bare as well. His muscles were harsh and his body a dark square. He looked a bit like one of those men on the cover of a romance novel—the kind that made you wonder if they were on steroids to get those kinds of rounded muscles. His body was not completely unappealing, but it wasn’t Nabvan. It was hard to allow herself to get wet for him, to get ready for him to slide inside of her the same way Nabvan had.
King Shene did not waste his time. He laid her down onto the bed, being gentle, which belied what she knew must be coming. He dragged his hand over her body, and she shut her eyes, imagining that every touch came from the man she loved. It was the way she had promised herself she would get through it.
His thumb reached her clit and began circling it around, getting her center wet and ready for him to plunge in. She rocked into him, forcing herself to get into it until she was really feeling it. He pushed his finger inside of her, making her gasp at the sensation. She opened her eyes as he pulled out his fingers, tasting her sweetness on his tongue. He was testing her, seeing what she was like to be with. He was so curious about the human body: she could tell.
Alexis pulled him up to her by the hair, not taking care not to be rough. He struck her as a man who would appreciate that. She nibbled at his lips, driving him crazy as she felt his shaft push up against her skin. He was shorter and thicker than Nabvan. It would be a different kind of sensation, but she hoped she would at least enjoy herself for all the trouble she was putting herself through.
Suddenly, the king growled loudly and flipped her body over onto her stomach. His fingers traced her spine, sending a chill through her before he placed himself between her legs, leaning over her with his head entering her like he was impaling her from behind.
His thickness caused her center to stretch and tear, and she screamed out in pain until it subsided so that she could feel his pumping rhythm. Then, she gripped the sheets in her fists as he slammed into her over and over, much rougher than she expected. There was a certain kind of pleasure to that as she felt herself being pounded. It was a shocking satisfaction that cleared her mind of any worries so that all she could feel was the squeezing of her center around his shaft and the warm liquid that slashed inside her in response. He kissed and bent down her body as he pulled out, and she got the feeling he was not going to hang around for sleeping or a cuddle.
“Thank you,” he told her as if she had done him a favor. And she supposed she had. She stayed there, laying on her stomach as he left, not even moving to cover herself. She was exhausted in more ways than one, and she hoped that Nabvan would not come in to see her that way; that he would be smart enough to keep his distance until morning.
Chapter 19
Alexis had been set free by the king. She was free to roam anywhere in the capital. He trusted her now that he seemed so sure his seed was growing inside of her, even as much as she hoped it wasn’t. To give birth to another man’s baby, that was something she didn’t know if Nabvan could stay with her through, even though he made the promise that he would. She didn’t know if she could live with that and continue to look him in the eye. Things were already hard. Despite their promise not to discuss anything about what happened between her and the king in the bedroom, the words that were not said hung between them so thick they could be cut with a knife.
Her roaming privileges had led her to the conclusion that she had been entirely right about the way the women were still being treated. What had been done had all been for show, though, she should not have trusted the king to do anything other than have sex with her. That was his priority, and he had now done that twice in less than a week. The ship was being prepared to go to Earth, and she felt a desperation growing, knowing the women would be boarded that evening. They had all been warned what was happening by their men and the king by now. That she was sure of, and part of her wanted to stick her tongue out like a child, glad that she was right. Some of the women were such bitter and ungrateful people. She had forgotten about that when she learned they were in such distress, but it still rang true. It didn’t mean they deserved that treatment, though. She had trusted that they would change in their new life with the Arkani.
Alexis was walking freely around the capital, enjoying the nice day when she saw the back of Nabvan. He had begun to train one of the young knights again in his spare time now that the king was focused on her. She hoped it was a good distraction from the pain he must be feeling.
Alexis paused for a moment, watching the way his muscles moved with the weapons he was training with. He was a deadly creature and beautiful in that deadliness. He was Milisarian knight through and through, which is why she knew what she was about to ask him might be the hardest thing he ever had to face. He could easily say no, and she had prepared herself for that. His loyalty was still with his people, though not with the king. She understood that now like she had not before.
Alexis hung
back in the shadows until he was finished training for the time being. She did not want anyone to notice her fondness for him and report it to the king, not now that there was a chance to get what she wanted.
Alexis enjoyed admiring this incredible Milisarian man that she had the pleasure of meeting until he walked away, headed back into the building that took up most of the capital where they all lived. She headed him off and pulled him into the shadows with her, the same place he had brought her the day of the wedding to tell her that he wanted another chance with her. “I like it when you’re dangerous,” he whispered in a low growl that set her body on fire. Nabvan bent down to kiss her neck and then her lips, licking them before pulling up. But he still leaned over her, one hand on either side of her head. He was almost distracting her from what she needed to say to him.
“I know you do,” she told him playfully, hating to kill the mood. “But I actually need to talk to you about something serious.” Nabvan visibly frowned and stood up, backing off from her. He did not look happy at the change of subject.
“Are we ever going to enjoy each other again, my love?” he asked her with a hint of sadness and bitterness that she was not expecting. If she had any say in it, they were going to find a way to always have each other with no one else coming in between them, but that all depended on him.
“I can’t let it go about these women, Nabvan,” she told him straight, no smile, no gimmicks. She couldn’t stand the thought of being responsible for their demise. It was eating her alive from the inside out, and she needed to do something about it.
“My love, there is nothing that can be done now. You have gotten King Shene to offer to talk to the humans about their return. That is all you’re going to get. You have to let it go, or you are going to lose,” he told her, coming in close again to hold her. Nabvan was trying to comfort her, but there was no comfort in the guilt inside of her, roiling her stomach like she ate raw fish. There was no comfort in stolen kisses and secret moments anymore. Her desire for him was becoming painful, and she thought she knew a way to save herself and these women from a sad fate.
“Except I know that I can do something,” she told him, looking up into his eyes with a pleading from deep inside of her. “I have to do something,” she emphasized, leaning up against the wall. Now she felt guilty about two things; the women and the way she was dragging Nabvan into all of this. “I have a plan, harebrained as it is, and maybe the two of us can get something out of it too. You never know.” Her convincing skills were poor and involved a pout. She thought about walking away right then and there and telling him to just forget about it. It was too much to ask him, and she knew it.
“What else must I endure for you?” he asked her, slumping over as if she was sucking the marrow and energy out of him every time she asked him to do something for her. Yes, she needed to leave him alone. But the hurt was there, fresh like a tear in her heart. This man had promised to love her until death, but it looked more like she was loving him to the grave. And to have him say it out loud felt like the end of something.
Alexis stood on her tiptoes, snaking her hands around his waist and then his neck. She gave him a sweet kiss, more for her own benefit than for his. “You’re probably right; I need to get over it. I am sorry, I just have a lot of guilt about this,” she told him, reassuring him that he did not have to do anything: that it was over.
“I know you do, my love,” he told her in that deep, sweet as molasses voice of his. She was going to miss that more than anything. “But sometimes things happen in life we cannot control. I will be here to help you get through it. I promise.” He picked up her hand and kissed it before walking away. She knew they would meet up again in her room later, but by then, he would have noticed what she had done.
Her hand clenched around the thing she had taken from him in order to continue her plan without him. She would just have to do this on her own, with a little help from the radio she had stolen from inside his armor. Would he ever forgive her?
Alexis made her way back inside and went straight to her room. She had to take the first step before Nabvan or the king came for her because both of them would stop her for different reasons. She couldn’t risk that. Phase one of the plan was happening even if all else failed. Even if she got caught and jailed, away from the man she loved.
It took a good hour for her to figure out how to get to a frequency outside of Milisaria, but she knew with her tech experience she could make the radio work for what she wanted. Surprisingly, she remembered just how to get in touch with the Arkani, and she wasn’t sure how she did not think of it before. They were not fighters, but they were smart and desperate for these women to come to them. Surely, they could figure out a way to get the women back.
She felt her heart beating fast in her chest, praying that the king did not choose that moment to walk into the room and catch her in the middle of her message. “Attention Arkani, this is Alexis Fisher. I know where the women that were meant to come to you have gone. They are alive and being held as slaves by the Milisarian Knights. The knights will return uncooperative women to Earth in just a few short hours if they do not mate with the men that chose them. If you can find a way to come and intercept them, please do so.”
Alexis hoped it got through and switched off the radio before tucking it under the mattress where she hoped nobody would look. The call was made, and all there was to do was wait. Wait for her punishment and wait for the Arkani to come and rescue the women.
Chapter 20
King Shene led Alexis down a familiar hallway. She knew just where she was going, but she pretended as if she didn’t. The last time she came, it had been less guarded, and Nabvan had been the one to get her in. She had been desperate to convince the women to believe her and find a way to cooperate with the men who had chosen them, but it had been a no-go for everyone but one.
King Shene spoke to the four guards who were at the entrance to the quarantined set of rooms that held the human women who would be loaded up on a ship to Earth as soon as their conversations ended. He let them know Alexis was allowed in for a certain amount of time and then was to be escorted out and taken straight to the king. Alexis had no reason to believe the king suspected her. He had hardly been in her room, and he seemed happy at her presence unlike any time before they had mated. His hands kept sliding over her body possessively as if to let her know she belonged to him now and he would want another shot at her later. And he probably would.
“Will I still get to come with you to see them home?” she turned to the king and asked in a sweet voice, brushing her hand through his hair. She had to be sure he still wanted her on that ship because if things didn’t go as planned, she had to be ready for plan B.
“I am happy to have you with me anywhere I go. I am so glad that you have truly come around, my Alexis.” His voice sounded like a snake, as it often did when he said her name. He pulled her chin up and kissed her lips, smoothing his against hers. He was not the best of kissers, but if she ever wanted a rough lovemaking session, she knew who to ask. “I think when we get home, it may be time to make you my queen. We can have a wedding more beautiful that Siefer’s. Would you like that?”
Alexis imagined a wedding with all that love and the beauty of the moons shining around them, but she imagined a different groom entirely waiting for her at the end of the aisle. “Yes, I think I would like that,” she told him with a smile before he commanded the doors to be open. She looked back at him as she walked down the hall to the women until the doors shut behind her, leaving her alone with them. There was only one entrance and no windows there. The only guards were at those doors, so she knew there would be no one around to hear her. The king trusted her fully now. She had made sure of that. How wrong he was, though.
“You again!” one of the women seethed as they came out of their room to see her there.
“I came to talk. Can you get the others and take them to the last room down the hall, please?” she asked the women, keeping her distance
. She didn’t want to incite any more anger.
“Why should I trust you?” the woman asked, pushing a black curl out of her face.
“Because you know now that I told you the truth about being taken back to Earth, and I am on your side. I am here to help, if you’ll let me.” A woman poked her head out of her room. She had been listening.
“I want to hear what she has to say.” Alexis nodded, and the women began to gather the others into the last room down the hall just as she had asked them to. They were squished inside like sardines when the door closed on them, and she was permitted to talk.
“I have made contact with the Arkani,” she told them. Shocked whispers rippled through the room, and some looked confused as to how she could have pulled that off. She couldn’t blame them. She was shocked she had been able to do such a thing. But she had done it for them. “I was able to get a hold of a radio and tune it to their frequency. I asked if they would come for you and told them where we were going. I will be on that ship with you.”
One of the women spoke up. “But the Arkani are further from Earth than Milisaria. What if they don’t make it to us before we get to Earth? Their ships are fast, but I would guess that the Milisarians have some pretty good ships too.” Alexis nodded. It was what she had feared as well. It was exactly why she needed to talk with them about the backup plan.
“That is true,” Alexis said, trying to make sure the room would be calm for what she said next. “Which is exactly why I want to be on that ship. I say that if we get halfway to Earth with no sign of the Arkani at all, that we fight to take over the ship. We will either succeed and get to the Arkani, or we will die trying.” Alexis looked around at all the faces in the room as they took on new appearances. Some were shocked, others afraid, and even more with determined looks. She could tell that at least a few of them would fight.