Anders: An Auxem Novel

by Lisa Lace

  Emmy was fumbling with the door. There was a handle, but I could see her searching for a puzzle. Morley pushed past her and leaned on the release. “Sometimes things aren’t complicated.”

  We all slipped out of the door, emerging onto the mountainside where we saw Abel’s team trudging down the mountain. It was cold in the shadow of the cave, and we moved out into the blissful heat of the two suns. Looking through the door, we could see the demise of the structure. I held Emmy’s hand as the catacombs which kept the Silver Mestolo of Zelia safe for centuries collapsed into ruins.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  EMMY

  I leaned into Ven’s side, putting my arm around his waist. He smelled wonderful. I couldn’t wait to take him home. It was our one-year wedding anniversary today, and I was going to give him a gift he would remember for a long time. The new lingerie I was wearing was only the first part.

  Distracted by Ven’s delicious scent, I had missed whatever Morley was talking about. We were part of a small crowd of archeologists in a beautiful new building. Morley was making a speech and would soon cut a ribbon opening the Morley Davidson Wellness Center featuring the Silver Mestolo of Zelia. Modern technologically-based security heavily guarded the ladle. No more rolling stone wheels.

  The plan was for the center to treat terminally ill patients who were incurable. People could take a drink from the ladle, then get educated on how to keep themselves healthy. A wellness center had been Morley’s dream since he first learned about the ladle. From the time he started on the adventure to heal his brother, he had focused on this goal.

  Surprisingly, Abel was at his side. He was shocked by his near-death experience and went through a change of heart. He apologized and asked for Morley’s forgiveness. Reconciling with his brother made Morley happier than I had ever seen him before. He loved his brother and was deeply hurt by their schism.

  I was happy for my mentor and planned on working with him for a long time. We had all taken a drink from the ladle, of course. We expected the single drink to increase our life span by thirty years.

  Ven had found a purpose in his life. He decided to go back to school and was taking courses in archeology. He had discovered a new interest. Once he graduated, we would work side-by-side, hunting down artifacts and learning from the wisdom of the ancients.

  In the ceremony, Morley was cutting the ribbon. Ven squeezed my hand, and we smiled at each other, briefly releasing our hands so we could clap. He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I can’t wait to get you home.” His breath sent tingles down to my core.

  “Oh?” I tried to play innocent. “Why would that be?”

  “I know what you’re wearing under your dress.”

  I blushed and bit my lip, trying not to smile. “I have a present for you.” I gave him a coy look.

  “As long as it’s not something dusty and old, I’ll take it. I’ve had enough of that to last a lifetime.” He grinned at me.

  “I wouldn’t give you an ancient artifact for our anniversary. This gift is much wetter and is definitely alive.”

  His eyes darkened, and I drew in a breath at the sight of his desire.

  “I’ll search for that treasure any day, my love.” He gave me an intense look that set my core on fire. We made our way to congratulate Morley. Now that the ceremony was over, we were ready to go home. Neither of us could wait to celebrate our first year of marriage.

  We hurried home, both of us on edge. As soon as we entered the bedroom, he pushed me up against the door and started kissing all over my body. Soon we were both so wound up that we couldn’t wait another minute. He quickly stripped off my dress and made quick work of his clothes.

  He paused for a moment when he saw my bright red lingerie. It was a red satin bra and matching panties. “Those look fantastic, but right now, they’ve got to go.”

  I didn’t care as long as he fucked me immediately. I could wear them another time. In fact, I didn’t have to wait for him to undress me. He was naked already, and I pushed him onto his back on the bed. His eyebrows flicked up. I usually let him take the lead, but not this time. I needed him. I was going to take what I wanted.

  He moved back until he was against the headboard. He watched me slowly undo the clasp of my bra and pull it off. I heard his breath catch when my breasts came into view. Then I slid out of my panties and dropped them on the floor, crawling over to him, ready to take him and make him mine.

  I had already soaked my underwear, so I knew I was ready. I positioned myself over him and slowly took his cock into my body. He filled me, and I closed my eyes in ecstasy at the sensation of being penetrated deep inside my core. I sank completely, covering the last inch of his cock and making our pelvises flush.

  I couldn’t speak. I felt my orgasm building already, and I had barely moved. I raised myself up and let him push back inside. It felt amazing. I rode up and down on him, increasing my pleasure. He rubbed against my G-spot in a way that drove me crazy.

  “That’s good, Emmy. Ride me.” Ven moved his hands to my hips. He leaned forward and took one of my nipples into his hot mouth. I gasped at the feeling and started to rock faster. He sucked hard, then switched to the other side. That was enough.

  I came hard, moaning and contracting around him. He held my hips still and drove up into me several times before he stiffened and emptied himself into me. I wrapped my arms around him and held on as shudders wracked my body. The bliss continued until I finally stopped moving and collapsed with my head on his shoulder, feeling spent.

  After a while, he whispered to me. “You’re my treasure, and I’m glad I found you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I had a lazy grin on my face. He kissed me until I forgot treasure hunting, archeology, and everything except for him.

  “Now that you’ve found me, what are you going to do with me?” I gazed into his eyes.

  “I’m going to hold you and never let you go.”

  Warrior Invasion

  A TerraMates Novel

  Chapter One

  The outfit looked so good that anyone would want to fuck her.

  Katie Briggett studied herself carefully in the dressing room mirror. The lighting in here was terrible, but it was good enough for her to know the teddy was the right fit for her body. The black lace number graced her body perfectly, showing off her curvy hips and full breasts.

  Hell, it made Katie want to run her hands over her body herself, feeling her velvety skin through the thin fabric. She had tried on at least ten different styles of lingerie this afternoon, but she knew Ben would love using his teeth to rip the tiny ribbon holding this one together. The clothing would be in shreds on the bedroom floor by the time he finished with it.

  She smiled as she changed back into her regular clothes and slipped out to find the cashier. She and Ben loved to have fun, but it had been a while since she wore something special for him. Sure, the back corner of her closet held a red bustier, black thigh-high stockings, a shiny leather outfit that was nothing more than straps with a matching whip, and more babydolls than she could remember, but it was always fun to mix it up a little. She gladly paid for the expensive underwear.

  Taking the little pink bag, Katie headed out toward the food court. A mall restroom wasn’t the most romantic place to change into her new purchase, but she wanted to make this time special for Ben, and she wanted to do it right away. Locking herself into a stall, Katie stripped down to her bare skin. She pulled the teddy back out of the little bag and slipped it on.

  Even though nobody could see her, she felt a certain thrill whenever she wore something sexy. She tucked her old bra and panties into the bottom of her purse and put her blouse and dress pants on over the lingerie. Heading back out into the mall, Katie felt dirty thinking about what she had on underneath her clothes, like a sex-fiend superhero.

  On the ride home, she let herself imagine Ben’s reaction when she came home early. She saw him sitting in his recliner, having just arrived a few moments before he
r. His tie would be loosened, and he had a beer in his hand. He would see her coming in the door and think it was just an ordinary day. Maybe he would ask her what was for dinner. She wouldn’t say a word. She would rip her clothes off and fuck him right on the dining table. He would like that. Then they could order a pizza and eat it while they were nude.

  The first sign of trouble came when she unlocked and opened the door to their shared apartment. Ben wasn’t in his usual spot. In fact, she didn’t see him at all. There was a faint rustle down the hallway from their bedroom, and Katie grinned. Maybe she wasn’t the only one with a surprise this evening.

  Her flats didn’t make a noise on the hall carpeting. She undid the first few buttons of her blouse, eager to get things started. Ben had half-heartedly attempted to close the bedroom door. It wasn’t latched, and it was slightly ajar. She pushed it open with a finger, ready to catch him in the act of throwing rose petals all over the bed or lighting candles for her.

  Instead, she could only see his feet and hands. His feet hung off the edge of the bed, toes curling slightly. His hands tightly gripped the waist of a naked redhead gliding back and forth on top of him.

  Katie stared blankly for a moment, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. She had always heard of women catching their men in the act of cheating, but she never imagined that she would be one of them. The naked bitch moaned and tossed her red curls, and Ben gave an answering grunt from underneath her. The noises made everything real.

  “What the fuck?” Katie’s heart beat so fast that her hands started shaking. She didn’t know which one of them she wanted to punch more. Katie had built herself up all afternoon for a hot and sweaty evening with her boyfriend. She was hot and sweaty, all right, but not in the way she wanted to be.

  The redhead swiveled around and smiled but didn’t stop what she was doing. Katie recognized her instantly. Her name was Laura, and she was Ben’s newest coworker at the accounting firm. She couldn’t remember what Laura did, but fucking Ben was part of her job description. Katie had met her once at a company party and noted the fiery woman with interest. She didn’t worry about competition at the time. She trusted Ben.

  “Oh, shit.” Ben flung Laura away, and she bounced slightly on the mattress. She didn’t even bother trying to cover herself up, giggling as her giant breasts jiggled. Ben sat up and snatched a sheet to cover himself, as if Katie hadn’t already seen every inch of him numerous times. “This isn’t what it looks like!”

  Katie wondered why he bothered speaking at all. It was exactly what it looked like. She narrowed her eyes and wondered what she had ever seen in him. When they had met, she thought he was handsome. With fresh eyes, she could now see he was a bit on the skinny side. He had a paunch, and his eyes were too close together.

  Her disgust and hatred overrode her broken heart. She spun on her heel and left the apartment without saying another word.

  Chapter Two

  Katie pressed the phone to her ear so hard that it hurt. She felt like throwing it across the room. She should never have answered the phone, but apparently she liked to torture herself. Was 'heart attack from the jerk of an ex-boyfriend' covered by her medical insurance?

  “I can’t believe you, Ben! How could you do this to me? To us?”

  The voice on the other end of the line was doing its best to sound soothing. “Come on, babe. Don’t make this a big deal. It was a mistake. She didn’t mean anything to me.”

  “She didn’t mean anything?” Katie screamed. “Are you telling me that it didn’t mean anything to sleep with someone else when we’ve been together for three years? Thanks for letting me know where I stand!”

  Ben had never taken any of his mistakes seriously, and it didn’t look like he was going to start now. “Calm down. You’re always uptight about everything.”

  “Oh, yeah, sure. Blame me.” Katie paced back and forth, burning a track into the rug in her parents’ living room.

  “Come home and we can talk about it. I’ll make you a nice candlelit dinner and order your favorite cheesecake from the bakery around the corner. Everything will be right again. I’ll give you a massage, and we can see where things lead.”

  Katie yanked the phone away from her ear and stared at it indignantly. “There’s nothing left to talk about, Ben. I saw you with another woman, a bimbo with fake boobs and dyed hair. I’m not dumb enough to let you get away with it, and I’m not stupid enough to fall for what you think are your smooth moves. I’m not coming home. Ever.”

  “Does that mean a threesome is out of the question?”

  Katie’s hand curled harder around her phone. “Yes, that’s exactly what it means.” She ended the call and tossed her phone on the couch. It was the safest place to hurl it without breaking the screen. Katie had gone through too many phones already.

  She plopped down on the couch next to her phone and buried her face in her hands. Three years of her life were gone. Three whole years of dating, loving, sharing an apartment, and picking out furniture. Three years of arguing over whose turn it was to wash the dishes and hot sex on the kitchen counter when they couldn’t decide.

  None of it mattered now.

  Katie had returned the next day to get her clothes and books. She thought he would be at work, and she could slip in and out without a confrontation. But Ben was home, waiting for her. Katie wasn’t interested in his pleas. Now all of her worldly possessions sat in a stack of liquor boxes and garbage bags in the corner of her childhood bedroom.

  “Katie, can I make you some dinner?”

  She looked up to see her mother standing in the living room doorway, with a pitying look on her face that meant she felt sorry for her youngest daughter. Again.

  “No thanks, Mom. I don’t think I can eat right now.”

  Her mother crossed the room, moving to the couch and sitting down next to her. She brushed Katie’s hair behind her shoulder with a relaxed hand. “I know it hasn’t been easy for you, dear. You can stay here for as long as it takes to get back on your feet.”

  Katie had been fighting back tears since Ben’s call, but her mother’s words made them threaten to spill over her lashes. She was twenty-five years old, and she shouldn’t have to get 'back on her feet'. It was embarrassing. But she knew her mother meant well.

  “Thanks. I’m going to start looking for a new place tomorrow. Maybe I can find something a little closer to work.” She thought for a moment about what it would be like to finally live on her own again. There were some benefits. Nobody would chastise her for leaving her clothes on the floor, for example. “Maybe I’ll move into a pet-friendly complex, and I can get a cat.” Ben had never liked cats because he didn’t want loose hair on his expensive tailored suits.

  “There’s the spirit, champ!” Her Dad suddenly appeared, and he sat on Katie’s other side. “Don’t let a bozo get you down. The best things in life are ahead of you. Do you mind if I watch a little TV?” He picked up the remote and clicked on the television.

  Katie settled back into the cushions, enjoying the warmth of her parents next to her. She used to love being between them when she was a kid. There was nothing better than snuggling up on the couch for a good movie. But it wasn’t the same now. She couldn’t lie down with her head on Mom’s lap and her feet over Dad’s knees, falling asleep before the credits ran. No matter how much they told her things would be all right, she didn’t believe them anymore.

  The news was on, which seemed to be her Dad’s favorite thing to watch these days. It was a sign of his age and personality. He liked to complain, and the news gave him plenty to complain about.

  Katie watched with disinterest as the newscasters spoke of war, price gouging, and poverty. Then her ears perked up. “In other news, the most recent negotiations between Earth and planet Bonaan have resulting in EarthGov awarding a contract to TerraMates. The company was founded here on Earth, and our correspondents tell us it specializes in recruiting Earth women to become alien brides.”

  “Sounds like a lo
ad of shit.” Her father waved his hand dismissively at the screen. “As though we don’t have enough issues with illegal immigrants in this country. Now they want to take red-blooded American women and ship them off to another planet?”

  “They said Earth women, Dad. America isn’t representative of the entire world, no matter how much we want to act like it.” Katie shushed him so she could hear the rest of the story. She had been intrigued by these aliens from the moment they began showing up in the news.

  A satellite had received an outbound communication from Bonaan. It took a few years to establish real-time messaging. EarthGov needed time to determine these aliens were not a threat, then the first ambassadors had to trade visits. It felt as though contact with aliens was a defining moment for her generation, and she had always been fascinated by them.

  She remembered her teachers turning on news reports and documentaries about alien life, and the papers they had to write about what they might find on new alien worlds and how the inhabitants behaved.

  Katie was pretty sure that none of the students had written about marrying one of them.

  The news company played a clip from one of the representatives from Bonaan. “We believe this will be an excellent opportunity for both humans and the Bonaan,” the man on television said. He was distinctly humanoid, with a shock of ginger hair whose relaxed and swoopy styling looked like he borrowed it from a boy band on Earth.

  His English was almost perfect. It sounded as if he were from a foreign country, not an alien planet. “We are desperately short of females here due to a genetic anomaly, and it’s a fantastic chance for beautiful human women to explore a new life safely. The first ships will start running in a month.”

  Katie felt her heart leap out of her chest. She had seen numerous photos and high-definition videos of Bonaan, but the chance to set foot on an alien planet for free was tempting. Documentaries portrayed the Bonaan as a gentle people, and their world was remarkable. Katie had even dreamed of becoming a botanist, hoping to land a job where she could study alien flora.