Creature Worlds: Solar Slick

by Juliet Cardin

  “The same thought occurred to me,” I said. “It may come down to me having to choose between staying who I am or losing part of myself to be free of Clay.”

  “Whatever you decide is fine with me,” Tigg said.

  I sighed. “Unfortunately, I think the only way to ever be completely free of Clay is to remove that part of me that’s so attractive to him.”

  “Or I could just kill him.” His lips turned up into a little snarl.

  I couldn’t believe he was so protective of me. Even willing to kill for me. No one, other than my parents, had ever loved me so much.

  Love!

  Was Tigg in love with me? I reached up and ran my finger down the side of his chiseled green jawline. He was so handsome. I wondered if our child would take more after him or me? Perhaps I’d give birth to a green shifter? Wouldn’t that be something?

  “It’s night here, we’ll have to wait until morning to go to the lab. Perhaps we should try and rest?”

  “But I’m not tired,” I said looking into his eyes. He got my message loud and clear. The attraction I felt for him bordered on obsessive. Perhaps he was right and my hormones were out of whack? All I knew was I wanted him inside me—now.

  I began clawing at his clothing, suddenly desperate to see him naked. His shirt came off over his head bearing his glorious broad chest. Ignoring my pawing hands, he got to his feet to pull his pants off. Then he started on my clothes. I was suddenly very grateful for the comfortable, easily removable outfits of Treox.

  Once I was naked, Tigg kneeled down on the floor and opened my thighs while I lay back on the couch. Lowering his head, his long flicking tongue beat against my pussy in fast strokes making me writhe in delight. Sensing my urgency, two of his thick webbed fingers slipped inside me, pushing deep into my core. My hips rose up off the couch and my head thrashed from side to side. “Please,” I begged. “Fuck me, Tigg. I need you.”

  His other hand squeezed my ass while another finger slipped inside me. I opened my legs wider and pushed against him, urging him deeper. His lips wreaked havoc with my clit, that tongue of his moving with lightning fast speed. I couldn’t hold on. I couldn’t wait for him to bury his rods inside me. “Tigg!” I cried, unable to wait for him to join me.

  “Go, Minka,” he urged. “For you, my love.”

  My world shattered making me cry out as I came. “I love you. I love you.”

  And as I sailed slowly back to Earth I heard Tigg’s gentle voice. “Love you too, Minka.”

  Chapter 8

  When next I opened my eyes daylight was streaming in through the windows. Despite my insistence of not being remotely tired, I’d slept like a log. Remembering Tigg’s attentiveness last night, I smiled and stretched out on the couch like a Cheshire cat.

  “Ahh, you’re awake.” Tigg came up before me holding two steaming cups of coffee. He placed them on the end table and sat down beside me. “You look well rested. That’s good. Growing babies is hard work.”

  Yeah, that had to be it. “Did you sleep?” I asked.

  “A little. Lizords are actually more active at night, but I managed to shut my eyes for a few hours.”

  I sipped my coffee and eyed Tigg speculatively. “Think we’ll find some answers today?”

  “Hope so. If not we’re back to plan B.”

  “Clearing my name. That’s not gonna happen. Clay’s too good at keeping people under his thumb.”

  “I suppose we could always hurry back to Treox and get him the menite.”

  “And hope that he keeps his word? Yeah, don’t see that happening either.”

  “Or I could just kill him.”

  “There is that,” I concurred. He smiled and kissed my lips. Despite the circumstances, I was glad we were together. He was easy to be with. Easy to love.

  There was that L-word again.

  Last night, in the throes of passion, I’d cried out that I loved him. He’d responded in kind. Did I love him, really? Or was it those dastardly hormones along with the great sex that had made me say it? Whatever it was, I was feeling decidedly warm and fuzzy toward him.

  “We should eat before we go,” I said. Neither of us had Earth currency, and I’d cleaned out every bit of money I could find when I left here years ago. So, it was freeze dried gourmet for us again.

  It didn’t take me long to boil us up some breakfast. Before I knew it we were uncovering the space ship and on our way. The only thing I took from the cabin was a few sheets from my parents’ folder. They could hold more answers to questions we had later on. Now I sat in my seat, pouring over the documents once more, searching for a contact as Tigg maneuvered the craft.

  “Are you sad?” Tigg asked.

  “About what?”

  “Leaving your home again.”

  I shrugged. “You’re my home now.” Strange, but that was exactly how I felt. Tigg smiled at my reply.

  Being in the craft it only took about an hour to get to the city. We traveled at the speed limit otherwise we’d have made it much faster. We parked on the outskirts of town in a city-owned field that served as a makeshift parking lot for spacecraft. We didn’t have the required permit to park in town. A shuttle service was offered, which would bring us into town. Alas, we lacked the required funds. Tigg swung me up into his arms and began to run since time was of the essence. Nestled in his strong arms I rested my head on his chest while his long strides ate up the ground.

  As we neared the main hub of the city, Tigg slowed his pace and then stopped. He set me down on the ground beside him as I looked around trying to jog my memory of where we needed to go.

  “Anything familiar?” he asked. From the way his head swung around and his eyes bulged at the sights I knew this was probably the first time he’d ever been in a thriving metropolis. Sure, there was some pretty high-tech stuff on Treox, especially in the domed cities, but nothing compared to this.

  Overhead was a complex monorail system stretching across the city as far as the eye could see. Several ground-riding vehicles scooted about, much like the one my parents had owned. The popular mode of transportation here were the smaller personal crafts like the one Tigg had. Some smaller buildings, ten or twenty stories high were scattered about —like the kind I’d lived in when I first arrived. But mostly, the skyscrapers dominated the scenery. They soared all around us practically blocking out the blue sky, giving the city a hazy appearance. Single dwellings were non-existent in big cities such as this, there not being enough room to accommodate them. The virtual annihilation of anything green and growing made this a cold, metal, unwelcoming place. And yet, it thrived. Populations soared. So much so that the city had expanded its size to almost double in the past ten years.

  I tried to get my bearings and searched for anything familiar. In the distance I saw a building shaped like the letter ‘T’. “There,” I said. Tigg looked in the direction I pointed. “That’s familiar.” We started to walk along the wide busy sidewalk, keeping our eyes on our destination while trying to avoid bumping into others. If anyone thought Tigg’s appearance strange, they didn’t show it. I suppose in this day of interplanetary space travel, aliens were no longer an oddity.

  Soon we were standing near the building I had recognized. We stopped while I gazed around trying to picture the building I was looking for. In my pocket I had a folded up piece of paper that I’d discovered a name written on. Dr. Jeneva had been jotted down in my father’s handwriting. He had to be the contact in the city.

  “That’s it,” I exclaimed, seeing a short, wide building made mostly of glass. Kelasio Labs was written on the outside in big, fancy letters. “That’s the place.”

  We entered the building and walked up to the big wide desk. A young woman sat behind it and looked up at us and smiled. “Can I help you?” she asked. Tigg smiled charmingly and I had to admit he was strikingly handsome. Knowing he was mine, warm fuzziness enveloped me again.

  “Yes,” I said, getting her attention. “Does Dr. Jeneva work here?” I kept my fin
gers crossed that he did, it’d been five long years since my last visit.

  “He does,” she affirmed. “Twice a week only, but you’re in luck, he’s here today.”

  “Lucky break,” Tigg said.

  “I don’t have an appointment, but would it be possible to see him? It’s very important.”

  After another charming smile from Tigg, the young lady nodded her head. “No harm in asking, right?” She got on the phone and after a few moments she hung up. “Third floor, go into the office on the left and wait. He’ll see you there as soon as he’s free.”

  “Thank you,” Tigg and I both said in unison. We headed for the elevator and went up to the third floor as instructed. We entered the office and found it was vacant, which suited our purpose. Being half Ventillian, and an outlaw on Earth, discretion was imperative.

  “Want to sit down?” Tigg gestured toward the pair of seats against the wall.

  “No.” I opted to pace instead, knowing every second the clock was ticking and Clay was awaiting our return. If this turned out to be a bust then precious hours would have been wasted.

  It seemed like forever before we heard the doorknob turn and an older gentleman shuffled into the office. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, a friendly smile on his face.

  I walked right over and offered him my hand. “Hi Doctor Jeneva, my name is Minka and this is my friend Tigg.”

  “Minka?” the doctor asked. “That name sounds vaguely familiar.”

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that had his name on it. I passed it into his hands. “I think you may have worked with my parents in the past. Teal and Haddon Bain?” I hoped their names sounded familiar to him as well.

  “Haddon Bain? Oh yes! I knew him well. Terrible tragedy that happened to him and his wife. You’re their daughter?”

  “I am.”

  He looked at me cautiously. “And are you still able to control your shifts?”

  “Yes.” It was a little unnerving that this virtual stranger knew my deep dark secret.

  “Good, good,” he said nodding his head.

  “Doctor, we’re here because we’re hoping you’d discovered a way to stop the shift altogether,” said Tigg.

  The doctor looked up at Tigg and raised an eyebrow. “Young man, are you from Treox?” he asked, excitement in his voice.

  “Yes. And before you ask, I’m a Lizord.”

  “Amazing! I’ve never actually met a Lizord before. How wonderful.”

  “Please, doctor. It’s very important,” I said, urging him to remember.

  He pondered the paper in his hands for a moment as though it would jog his memory. Then he looked up at me with a gleam in his eye. “Why, yes. I’m not sure how much you remember of that day, but before the terrible tragedy, you and your parents had met with me. All of you gave me a blood sample and with the help of your parents’ meticulous research I was able to concoct a remedy for the shifts. It took me some time, months in fact, but I did it. Now, if I still have it is another matter.”

  “If?” I asked.

  “Let’s go back to the lab shall we? If I have it, that’s where it’ll be.”

  We followed the doctor from the office and down the hall. Tigg gripped my hand tightly in his, knowing my life was hinging on whatever we were going to find in the lab.

  Chapter 9

  We entered the lab and thankfully no one else was in there. The doctor walked over to a glass case with shelves inside. He slid open the door and a puff of cold air escaped. Trailing his finger along the many vials, scanning their labels, he finally picked one up.

  “Ah, ha!” he exclaimed. He set the vial carefully on the metal table behind him.

  “Is that it?” I asked, trying to contain my excitement.

  “Yes, I still have it,” the doctor answered.

  To my embarrassment I began to cry. Never one to give way to tears I was shocked and embarrassed at my reaction. “Damn hormones,” I said, trying to explain my emotions to the doctor who was looking at me worriedly.

  When Tigg went to reach for the vial to get a closer look, the doctor suddenly snapped it up in his hand. “Just one moment young man.”

  We eyed the doctor in shock. “Aren’t you going to let me have it?” my voice came out in a squawk.

  The doctor waved his finger between Tigg and I. “Tell me something. Are you two lovers?”

  My face flamed. Were we that obvious?

  “What has that got to do with the cure?” Tigg demanded.

  “Everything,” the doctor insisted. “Minka, if you’re expecting a child then you cannot take this cure until after the baby is born.” He saw the dumb expression Tigg and I shared and explained. “Think about it. The baby could also be shifting even while in utero. Do you want to risk stopping the shift if the baby is in spider form?”

  I hadn’t even thought about that. “No,” I gasped. “Oh God. What do I do?”

  The doctor held out his hand and passed me the vial. “Take it with you. It will keep for years if you keep it cold enough. After the baby is born, if you still decide you want to stop shifting, then take it. There are enough for two doses in there. And if you needed me to, I could create more.”

  “More?” Tigg asked.

  “Yes, for future children you may have. The cure will stop the shift in the person who takes it, but you will always carry the gene. Each child may or may not inherit it, and in turn may pass it on to their own children. Perhaps some may decide to not stop the shift. It should be an individual choice.”

  He was right. It wasn’t up to me to make the decision for my child. “I’ll wait,” I told him.

  “Good.”

  “I’m sorry, doctor, but we need to leave now,” Tigg said giving my arm a little squeeze to urge me on.

  “Yes. We do. Thank you, doctor. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  The doctor smiled at us both. “Good luck.”

  We left the lab and hurried toward the exit remembering time was not on our side. After we wound our way through the busy city sidewalks toward the edge of town, Tigg picked me up into his arms again and ran until we reached the field where the spacecraft was parked. We climbed aboard and strapped ourselves into our seats. As Tigg lifted off and began the slow incline toward the sky where we could then use top speed to breach the atmosphere, he turned in his seat to stare at me.

  “Minka?” he said.

  “Yes?” The serious look on his face was slightly distressing.

  “Let’s not go back.”

  “What? Not go back? Where, to Treox?”

  “Clay is waiting there for the menite and even if we did get it to him in time you know that’ll never be the end of it.”

  It’s what I’d known all along. “You’re probably right.”

  “We could go somewhere else. Just until Clay gives up waiting for us. Then, before the baby is due, we can return.”

  “He’ll never stop looking though, that’s the problem. Sure, he may get fed up and leave, but he’ll be back. And what if next time he threatens our family?”

  A dark look flashed across Tigg’s face. “I won’t let him hurt you or the baby,” he assured me.

  “You can’t just kill him, Tigg. You’ll be hunted down and thrown in jail.” Damn my hormones, I felt like crying again over the futility of our situation. “And now I can’t take the cure and get Clay off my back until after the baby’s born.”

  “So let’s disappear then, until you can take the cure. When you’re ready to have the baby we’ll go so deep into the jungles of Treox that Clay’ll never find us.”

  It sounded like a plan. Part of me cringed at the thought of hanging out in the hot, bug-infested jungle for any length of time, but I would do it for the baby. At least Tigg hadn’t suggested we go there now. But where in the universe could we hide from Clay? Was anywhere safe? Clay had resources and a ship larger and faster than Tigg’s. We couldn’t outrun him and I knew of nowhere we could hide.
/>   Unless—

  “Ventillia.” I said the name as though it were something foul.

  “What’s that?” Tigg asked as though he hadn’t heard me or was pretending he hadn’t.

  “It’s the only place Clay would never go.”

  “With good reason.” Tigg actually shivered. “Don’t they kill Lizords on sight?”

  I shrugged. “They probably kill a lot of things on sight. I’ve heard it’s not the friendliest place to visit.”

  “But you think it’ll be safe from Clay?”

  “Yes. And I think you’ll be all right there, as long as you’re with me. My father told me that Ventillians are very clannish and if I say we’re a family…”

  “They’ll accept me?” Tigg interrupted hopefully.

  I smiled at him, hoping I appeared reassuring. “I don’t see why not. I mean, as long as you don’t gobble any of them up when they’re in spider form.” I laughed at the distasteful frown he flashed.

  “Very funny. Now, what should we do with the vial?”

  “Ventillians live very primitively despite their technology. The planet’s much the way Earth was in medieval times. They have no electricity so keeping the vial cold may be difficult.” I thought for a moment. “What about Zenet? My parents still have a home there we could stash the vial in.”

  “Too bad we couldn’t hide out there.”

  “Unfortunately, it’ll probably be the first place Clay looks for us. He won’t care what I’ve put in the fridge though. And it’ll be kept cold. I’ve kept the utilities up on that place as well as the one on Earth, for just such an emergency.”

  “Good idea. So we’ll hide the vial on Zenet now, and then head to Ventillia?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I settled back into my seat knowing Zenet was a good four-hour flight from Earth.

  Chapter 10

  Making love with Tigg was a great way to pass the time. I held his head in my hands as his whip-like tongue gently thrashed the pebble of my breast. Though he tried creatively to distract me, I was still wary. Frightening thoughts continued to bombard me about going to my father’s home planet. For one, I’d never been there before. All I knew about Ventillia was what I’d heard or read about it. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on Tigg. My back arched as I felt him slowly enter me, both of his rods taking me simultaneously.