by Jaye Peaches
Catching sight of her smile, he paused.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Thank you for coming back.”
He smiled, a crooked one as he fought to stem his own orgasm. “Now. Fuck, now!” He thrust hard and his balls touched her fiery ass.
They came in rapid succession. Marco spilt inside her bottom while waves of delightful spasms raced from out of her pussy and clitoris reaching every nerve of her body. Flashes of light flickered before her eyes and her vision blurred. The explosion of nervous energy nearly caused her to black out.
Marco slumped to one side of her. “I won’t leave you,” he whispered, then closed his eyes.
Freya cuddled up next to Marco and watched him slumber. While he dozed, snoring softly, she basked in a swath of post-sex warmth and the heat of her ass. She listened to his slowing heartbeats, her ear pinned to his tattooed chest.
After a while, he stirred and yawned. “You’re awake.”
“Yes. I’m too happy to sleep.”
He rose onto his elbow. “I should bathe you.” He swung his legs to the edge of the bed.
“Wait, please.” She pressed her hand against his chest. “I have to know. What will become of me?”
Marco climbed back onto the bed. “You’ll live here in my residence. I’m sure you’ll enjoy that, keeping me company, welcoming me home each day.”
She would, she’d no doubts about that. She’d dreamt many nights about living with him. It had been her wish from the outset. However, what exactly was she to him? “My freedom? Am I still a prisoner?”
“For now, you are still officially a convicted spy. But that doesn’t alter how I feel about you or how I will show that to you—this, what we did in here, is how we shall be. It means I shall keep you safe and make love to you every day. As for your conviction, I’m hopeful mother can advocate on your behalf, and as the evidence in your favor is good, we must trust in her abilities.”
“Your mother? How can she help? She’s not a warrior,” Freya frowned.
“Women are not weak, Freya, not on our world. Yes, they might appear to be so because we don’t let them fight, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have influence. If your father can present a case against Tony at the same time, then there is always hope.”
Her letters had gone unanswered and she worried her father had nothing positive to tell her. “Dad hasn’t contacted me.”
“Give him time.”
“If… if I do win my freedom, what will happen to us? Should I go back to Earth?”
He spoke without hesitating. “That is your choice. I can’t force you to stay. If you want to be my companion, I would be very happy. Honored.”
“Companion?”
“I suppose it is the equivalent of your life partner, although we don’t hold to the lifelong part. It means you are mine and nobody else’s. It usually signifies that we wish to mate.”
She hadn’t considered he might want children. It saddened her that it would be something that would be unfulfilled in their lives. “Children? I suppose that will be impossible for us.”
Marco cleared his throat. “Actually, it is possible.”
Freya’s shoulders stiffened. “We’re compatible! How do you know?” As she asked the question, she guessed the answer. Dr. Han’s studies were part of a wider program and she doubted it was entirely to do with maintaining the health of aliens.
“Yes, I think you understand.” Marco sighed. “It’s a secret. Earth, and Lucilla’s planet, are special to us. Your species of humanoid are the only ones that can interbreed with us.”
“Why is that important for you? The Vendu have remained isolated on Earth, uninterested in us.”
“But we didn’t conquer your territories. We also brokered peace treaties with Lucilla’s people. Usually the Vendu crush any rebellions and force the indigenous population into servitude. On Earth that didn’t happen. You see,” Marco inhaled deeply before continuing, “not only is our planet dying, so are we.” He uttered sentence with a voice of doom.
“I don’t understand. You’re the great Vendu, an empire.”
“We’ve spread our people too thinly across the galaxy, and due to our military’s preference for self-sacrifice rather than captivity, our numbers are not as strong as you might believe—hence the secrecy. We might have explored numerous planets, but in reality, we’ve laid claim to only a few because most have environments that are too harsh for even our terraforming technology. And, our search hasn’t just been for a new home world, it’s also for a compatible race to extend our bloodline. Without the help of humans, we might not survive into the next millennium.”
Freya guffawed. The idea that the Vendu could simply announce their intention to breed with humans and expect her people to comply was ludicrous. “We’ll resist you. No human would allow this to happen. What incentive could you possibly…” She halted. Marco’s eyes widened and he bolted upright in bed.
“Terraforming,” they said in unison.
She shook her head. “It can’t be done. I mean, would that really be something worth trading for?”
“We’d never give up military technology, but other things, like terraforming and renewable technologies, these we would part with if it ensured cooperation from Earthlings. Yes, you know, it might be something to negotiate.”
“You’d have to prove that there is more than procreation involved. You see how important it is for us to bond with our children, to maintain those family ties. We need love, Marco, and can’t just be turned into baby factories.”
Marco nodded. “We’re proof of that. We can show both the Vendu and humans. Once we’ve ensured your innocence, you and I can work toward convincing our people there is hope for us. The emperor is tired of expansion and war. He’s ready to consider alternatives. I know this from mother.”
“Then I shouldn’t lose hope?”
“On the contrary, you must live in hope.” He tipped her chin toward his and moved to kiss her.
Freya sensed the residue of stickiness between her legs and elsewhere. “Marco,” she murmured as he grazed his lips along her neck.
“Mm?”
“When you’re working, what will I do?”
He leaned back and shrugged. “I suppose you’ll do what you did in the Volta.”
She chewed her lips. “Could I help out with those projects you’ve initiated? The theater—”
“We’ll see. You’ll have to be good. Not get involved in prisoners’ affairs and problems. I can just see you trying to fix everything down there.” He cocked an eyebrow.
“I’ll try. I’ll be good,” she added swiftly. She was glad to be out of the Volta, but she’d miss the company of other women. “My maid, Gellis, will not miss fighting my hair every morning.”
Marco laughed and combed his fingers through her tangled hair. “We’ll appoint another servant. Someone who can take care of you. Keep you in the state fit for the ruler of Tagra.”
“Gellis?”
“Sadly, she’s in the Volta and Lalita will keep her there. You can pick somebody else.”
Freya pondered, but the decision came easily. “Tally. She was the one who welcomed me when I arrived here. She deserves a break from making those ghastly crackers.”
Marco guffawed. “Those crackers are what the Vendu army march upon.”
“Poor soldiers,” she gasped in a mock fashion, rolling her eyes upwards. “I should make you cornbread instead.”
“Cook for me?” He resumed his petting and aimed his face toward her nipple. “That might be the best thing you could ever do for me.”
Freya leaned away from his ticklish tongue and gave him a real pout of indignation. “The best? I’ve just given you my best—”
He laughed. “A joke, sweetness. I’m learning too!”
Epilogue
The view out of the window appeared unchanged. The prisoners still roamed from building to building, the guards still marched when on patrol. The heat of the sun roasted the backs of tho
se who labored outside and the wind swept up the sand, blowing it across the rooftops. Freya pursed her lips and commiserated with those in the canyon. However, her fortunes were much different.
Behind her back, Marco sat at his desk, putting the final touches to a report—his last as governor of Tagra.
The planet had circled the primary sun twice since she’d arrived on the penal colony. The length of her stay was not determined by her custodial sentence but by her own choice.
After Dr. Han’s abduction of her, the doctor had been recalled to Halos. There were no repercussions following Marco’s intervention. No reprimand or demands for Freya to be handed back to the alien health division. From that day on, she’d lived in a state of limbo. No longer his jenjin, but neither had she ceased being a prisoner. When in the residence, she acted as if she was Marco’s wife. She ensured his time there was his to enjoy and that he was content. His promise to love her and cherish her remained unbroken. However, for the duration of that time, she hadn’t been allowed out without his permission or without the protection of an escort. She hid her frustration. It wasn’t his fault she was a prisoner.
If she had bent his rules, her ass paid for it with a thorough spanking. She didn’t mind that he maintained her role as his submissive companion. For some reason, probably because she’d come to find comfort in the role, she’d not forgotten what she’d been taught in the jenjin. She performed her rituals, continued to meditate and practice her harp, and much to Marco’s ongoing delight even pole dance. Those things helped her adapt to her strange life.
Then, the fateful day had arrived when Tagra had nearly completed another passage around the sun. Her father made contact via Hadro. Seeing the video of her mother and father sitting side by side had brought both joy and sadness to Freya. The dark shadows under their sorrow-filled eyes and their hands clasped together as if to hold in their pain was a crippling display of their grief. The joy came from news that Tony had been arrested—her father spoke with relish as he described the man’s downfall. The Earth’s defense council had confirmed his deceitful actions.
From that point on, not only had she the support of the Eagle Network, but also the willpower of the EDC. The Free Freya campaign had joined together the nations of Earth into one voice. The Vendu couldn’t ignore them. However, progress toward her release would be slow, Marco had warned her back then. She’d watched the video a few times until he’d told her not to, because it made her too homesick.
He’d distracted her with projects. He allowed her to help with the production of a play—a comedy that suited the tastes of many of the prisoners, as it included slapstick and wit. The script had been written on the paper produced in the old factory. She’d taken the opportunity to catch up with Jean and Abby, pleased to find them in good health and spirits. They’d joined a dance troupe. Generally, the atmosphere in the canyon was good-natured and less violent. Although the factions still managed to make trouble from time to time, it seemed to Freya that the prisoners had some hope in their lives.
Hope had been something Freya had nearly lost, and then regained when Marco opened his heart to her. If it weren’t for his connections back on Halos, she’d never be free.
Marco’s mother had worked a miracle. Freya wished she could meet her and thank her in person, but the opportunity had never transpired. Marco’s dream of visiting Halos remained unfulfilled. Too risky, he’d tell her. Who knew what might happen to Freya if he took her there.
When the judgment arrived on Tagra, informing Freya her sentence for spying had been quashed, and that her time in the penal colony was sufficient penance for illicit filming, she’d nearly collapsed into a faint. The relief and joy merged into an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.
Marco had supported her in his arms and she’d heard the unfamiliar pounding of his concerned heartbeats. Although pleased for her, she’d known that he feared the day of her departure. His tenure on Tagra was not complete.
It had been an easy decision to make. “I’m not going home,” she’d announced.
The man was honest enough not to lie about his feelings. He hadn’t told her to reconsider, nor had he pleaded for her to go back on the basis of a false claim of self-sacrifice. He needed her still. Instead, he threw a party to celebrate her new status as his unfettered companion. Lalita had joined the celebrations, along with a few jenjins, Gellis and Jophran—who now had a job in the city, allowing them to reside together—and her good friend and loyal maid, Tally.
After Marco had removed Freya from the Volta, she’d dreaded that Lalita might despise her. But contrary to her fears, the overseer accepted the situation with little argument. According to Marco, she might envy Freya’s special status, but her natural dignity prevented her from showing any signs of jealousy or bitterness. The emperor had let Lalita go because she’d passed out of favor. The same would never be true for Freya.
“I love you,” Marco would end each day whispering it into Freya’s ear before she fell asleep in his arms.
That love would be the role model for future negotiations between Earthlings and the Vendu, he’d declared. Barriers would come down, borders would open, and diplomacy would replace aggression. More important for Freya, terraforming had been offered freely to Earth. The opening gambit had paid off. Negotiations for a new treaty had started.
“Do you really think it will happen? Our two species co-existing, interbreeding?” she’d asked Marco one evening.
He’d shrugged. “It helps that a new planet has been discovered that looks promising. Uninhabited by humanoids and barely needing terraforming, it could serve as somewhere for both humans and Vendu to populate and raise their children uninhibited by prejudice. Lucilla’s people too, if they wish. However, it will take time to establish. A long time.”
“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Freya remembered his bemused expression at her remark.
“I don’t think many things are built in a day,” he’d responded with furrowed eyebrows.
“Never mind, sir. You’ll have to learn all these idioms once you arrive on Earth.”
She turned away from the vast window in his office and rested her hands on his shoulders.
“There,” he said, swiping the screen into darkness. “My last act as governor of Tagra.” He looped his arm around her waist and she slid onto his lap.
“It’s a good day,” she remarked.
“Tomorrow we’ll begin the journey to Earth. I’m looking forward to meeting your parents. Seeing Geneva.”
“We’ll be quite the couple. I’m not sure I’m going to like all the media attention. There’s bound to be those who’ll think I’m a traitor and deserve—”
Marco pressed his finger to her lips. “Yes, and on my side too. It won’t alter the course of things. I can prove to them that the Vendu can change.” He stroked her cheek, releasing her mouth for him to kiss. He slid his other hand underneath her bottom and squeezed her ass cheek.
She winced, as the previous day she’d earned a punishment for losing her temper over a trivial matter. She blamed nerves at the impending departure, but he’d decided the cure was a good hard spanking.
“I think we should keep quiet about the exact nature of our relationship,” she suggested.
He smirked. “They don’t take to spanking on Earth?”
“Not quite as you see it, sir, no. I would say we’d have more chance at promoting relationships between aliens than spanking.”
“Pity.” The grin spread across his face. “I’ve no plans to stop.”
“Nor would I expect you to, sir.”
“Or fucking you. I have great plans for fucking you after all that time in stasis.”
She huffed. “I hate it. Being shut in that tube on my own.”
“Ah, I have a surprise for you. I was going to wait until tomorrow.” He nuzzled his nose in her hair and sniffed. “You’ll not lie in one of those narrow tubes. I’ve had made something special. A double tube. We can lie side by side, then wake up together
on Earth.”
The second sun rose above the horizon. An extra layer of light bathed the room. Freya’s spirits rose in tandem with the brightness. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything.”
Marco cocked his head to one side. “It’s my pleasure. You are, after all, my everything.”
The End
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More Stormy Night Books by Jaye Peaches
Taught to Serve
Though she is both beautiful and intelligent, Casey has bounced from one job to another as a result of her failure to truly apply herself. As she sits on a park bench crying after yet another dismissal, things show no sign of changing anytime soon… until a passing stranger sees the tears in her eyes and comes to her rescue. The handsome, smartly dressed man by the name of Robert informs her that he is in need of a personal assistant and she might be a good fit.
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