Anders: An Auxem Novel

by Lisa Lace

  Troxeo was too busy trying to catch his breath to respond. He lay on the pillow next to her, gasping and running his hands over his face. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling as though he wasn’t sure what had happened, but he nodded dumbly.

  “So did you like fucking a human?” She felt confident of her sexual prowess on Earth, but she didn’t know what the standards were for the alien. Making love to Troxeo was not the same as it had been with anyone else before. Fucking wasn’t even the right word for it. It wasn’t anything like what she used to do with Ben. She felt raw passion now. Unleashed, unhinged, and uninhibited.

  “Liked it?” Troxeo let out a breathless laugh, a noise that Katie had never heard from him before. “If I had known it could have been like that, I never would have taken you to the Fortress in the first place!”

  Now it was Katie’s turn to laugh. “That’s good to hear. I guess you’ll be ready for some more later.”

  Troxeo rolled over, pinning Katie to the bed with his chest. “I intend to get as much of you as I can before the time comes.” He trailed off, his countenance becoming somber. “We only have a few hours remaining before I return you to Earth.”

  Katie felt like crying out in protest. Although it was true that she had been trying to get back to Earth ever since Troxeo had taken her prisoner, things had changed now. Various schemes flashed through her mind, focused on how she could stay together with Troxeo. Returning to Oretoz was out of the question. They might shoot her on sight when she was recognized as an escaped prisoner. Troxeo was likely a wanted man as well.

  She couldn’t bring him back to Earth and pretend to live a normal life there either. Though the people on her home planet were aware aliens existed in the universe, it would be unusual for an entirely new race to show up without any fanfare. Katie had likely averted an Oretoz invasion by escaping from Commander Reck. That might change if EarthGov tried to make contact.

  Tears welled in Katie’s eyes. After a lifetime of waiting, she had found her true love, and he was about to be ripped away from her. “I don’t want to leave you, Troxeo. I don’t care if I don’t make it back to Earth. I need you. I don’t know how to make it happen. Can we float around in space forever? Please don’t force me to go.”

  He kissed her on her forehead, a gesture so tender that it only made her tears spill down her face. “I love you, Katie.” His voice spoke straight to her heart, cradling it and stabbing it simultaneously.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Rolling back to his side of the bed, Troxeo racked his brain. He knew it would be impossible for them to stay on either of their planets. It would be terrible luck to find a woman he was destined to be with but then have to give her up. Katie was right. They couldn’t travel forever without any plans for resupplying.

  “I wish there were a place we could go where none of our complications mattered,” she whispered. “Some place where neither one of us would be hunted, scrutinized, or dissected. Maybe a place where there aren’t any other people at all.”

  Troxeo listened to her words, imagining a place that would provide a peaceful rest from all they had been through. Suddenly a thought occurred to him that made him want to smack himself for not having realized it sooner. “I think there’s a planet that has everything you want.”

  “Really? Where is it?” She sat up on her elbow to look at him. Her breasts rubbed against his arm, but he forced himself to concentrate on the matter at hand.

  “Several years ago, when they promoted me to Captain, the military gave me a bonus. As a soldier bunked in the Fortress, I didn’t need any extra money. I could have used it for upgrades to my ship or saved it for my retirement if I was fortunate enough to live that long. Instead, I combined it with some other savings and bought a parcel of land on a distant planet. Mezval is a resort world for wealthy people who want to be left alone. I only visited it long enough to approve the purchase, but I remember it is beautiful. The land I bought is near an ocean, and it’s big enough that we would never see our neighbors or know they existed. Better yet, they won’t know we exist, either. There’s a nebula near the planet that turns the sky purple and green in the early mornings.”

  “Do you think we could live there safely?” she asked hopefully.

  “Definitely. Mezval is practically uninhabited compared to Earth or Oretoz. Commander Reck will never think to look for us there. He has no idea that I bought the land. Nobody does, as a matter of fact. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone.”

  A smile played at the corners of her lips. The expression was a direct contrast to the tears that still clung like crystals to her eyelashes. “Why?”

  He smiled back at her, his humiliation seeming childish. “It’s not the kind of activity befitting a soldier. Especially one with rank.” Troxeo remembered what made Mezval such an exclusive destination, “This planet is in the cluster of stars you call the Milky Way. It’s too far to concern anyone on your planet, but it means we can swing close enough to Earth on the way there to transmit a message to your family. You can let them know you’re safe.”

  “Oh, Troxeo! You must be the sweetest, most thoughtful man in the whole universe! No wonder I had to leave Earth to find you!” She threw her arms around him and smothered his face with kisses.

  “I’m warning you, we’ll have to find a way to kill time until we get there,” he said with a suggestive glance.

  “Well, I’m sure we’ll come up with something. I already have a few ideas.”

  “Like what?” He nuzzled her neck, nipping at her tender skin.

  “I’m nowhere near being done with you yet. The lather in that shower, for instance, would look fantastic on you.” She reached a hand down toward his inner thigh, where he had already begun to harden again.

  “Yeah?” He broke away from her neck and moved down to her breasts, pushing them up around his face.

  “Oh, yeah. And we’ve only tried one position so far.” She leaned her head back in delight as the stubble on his chin raked against her.

  “How many are there?” he asked, his voice muffled by her voluptuousness.

  Katie pulled herself out from underneath him and shoved him down, moving on top of him. She straddled Troxeo and impaled herself on his cock. She glided back and forth, tilting her hips and making him touch her in the perfect spot. “Enough.”

  Troxeo’s hands couldn’t decide if they wanted to grab at her breasts or fondle her slit as she moved on top of him. Katie was a paradise he had never known could exist. “I can handle multiple positions.”

  Katie closed her eyes and tipped her head back. She solved the debate of his hands when she licked a finger and rubbed it against herself in slow, methodical circles. “There are many more of them that I can’t wait to show you. And one more thing...”

  “Yes?” He could feel her tightening around him, and he bucked against her. Her breasts jiggled as she rode him, and he didn’t think they would ever make it out of bed.

  Katie opened her eyes. “I love you, Troxeo.”

  EXCLUSIVE: Abduction Part 2

  Editor’s note: Abduction Part 1 is available in Ayrie!

  When Bethany opened her eyes, her head was pounding. She blinked a few times until the room came into focus. She was lying in a huge bed – her bed, she remembered. There was a man in a green coat with gold stripes who was examining a T-screen, and Snia was asleep in a chair next to the bed.

  “Snia?” Bethany’s voice came out hoarse and croaky. Snia jerked awake at once.

  “Bethany! Doctor, she’s awake.”

  “How are you feeling?” The man in green leaned over her, shining a light in her eyes and feeling for her pulse. Bethany flinched; she hurt everywhere.

  “I’ll tell Klowix.” Snia leaped out of her chair and rushed from the room.

  A few moments later, Klowix came striding in. Brushing the doctor aside, Klowix knelt next to the bed.

  “Bethany, are you alright?”

  She hesitated. “I think so.”

 
“Good. Then you can tell me why you weren’t tested before you came here.”

  “Um. What?”

  “Untri was under strict instructions to test every girl he brought. What happened?”

  Bethany looked as Snia for help, who had come in behind Klowix.

  Snia explained. “Some humans have a bad reaction to the sharing. Most die – you were lucky you survived. If Klowix hadn’t realized what was happening and reacted so fast, you would have. There is a medical test you can take to tell you if you’re susceptible to the reaction. Untri was supposed to test all humans before bringing them here.”

  Bethany’s head was throbbing and she couldn’t think properly. “I… I don’t know.”

  The doctor was firm now. “She needs rest. You can question her later. For now, no stress. She’s past the worst, but she still needs care if she’s to make a full recovery.”

  “Fine. Snia, tell Trili to get Untri here, then stay with Bethany. Get her anything she needs and see to it that no one disturbs her.”

  “Yes, Commander.” Snia quickly curtsied before hurrying off.

  Bethany reached out, snagging Klowix’s hand. “Stay with me.”

  Klowix’s expression softened. “I will return once I have resolved the reason for the threat to your life. Rest easy, now.”

  He kissed her on the cheek and left. Bethany was stunned. What had just happened? She’d taken him by the hand and asked him to stay. She felt alone and abandoned with him suddenly gone. She barely knew him – how had such strange and confusing feelings wormed their way into her without her realizing?

  Snia came back in and sat down beside her.

  “Where’s Klowix?”

  Snia sounded tentative. “Gone to kill Untri, I think. Don’t worry, he won’t really kill him. At least, I think he won’t.”

  “I feel strange.” Bethany watched as the doctor made some notes on the T-screen

  “You’re lucky to be alive.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. Klowix…”

  “Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know. That’s the sharing – it brings two people closer. I imagine Klowix is feeling more drawn to you as well at the moment.”

  “It makes us closer?” Panic started to swell inside her. She was already in enough trouble as it was, she didn’t need feelings for Klowix injected into the situation. How was she going to keep distant from him now? She supposed she should have thought of all this before the sharing, but she’d wanted him so badly, she’d lost sight of her better judgement.

  Snia reassured her. “Hey, relax. Klowix will throw a fit if he sees you upset. The doctor was serious, you need to take it easy for a while.”

  Bethany nodded, trying to get her breathing under control. The sharing was done, and there wasn’t anything she could do about that now. Snia began humming a soothing tune, and before she knew it, Bethany was drifting off to sleep.

  She woke up to the sound of shouting.

  “You had strict orders! What were you thinking? Did you even think? Explain yourself!”

  She heard a vaguely familiar voice stammering in the face of Klowix’s rage. “Her – her parents didn’t want it! It was – against their religion. I swear, I told them, but they were insistent. The girl knew nothing of it, I should have warned her of the possibility.”

  “AND YOU DIDN’T THINK TO MENTION ANY OF THIS BEFORE NOW?”

  Snia giggled. “Klowix is going to take Untri’s head off.”

  Bethany opened her eyes and looked away, uncomfortable. It had just occurred to her that she should probably tell Klowix about Untri. The man was making illegal deals behind his back to earn extra gold. No doubt the test would also have cost him gold, which he pocketed when skipping that step.

  She couldn’t tell him, though. Her parents’ lives depended on it.

  Snia got up and quietly closed the door, muffling the sound of the shouts somewhat. Bethany closed her eyes, trying to think of what to do. She needed to stay away from Klowix. When he came back, she’d just have to act cold, that was all. She could do that.

  She thought she’d fallen asleep again, because when she opened her eyes, the light was coming through the window from a different angle. Klowix was sitting next to her, watching her sleep. As soon as she woke, he met her gaze with an intensity that took her breath away.

  His gaze remained steady. “I did not know. I promise you, I had no idea. If I’d known you had not been tested, I never would have…”

  “It’s ok. I believe you. It’s not your fault.”

  “Untri was my agent, acting on my behalf. I am responsible for his actions towards you.”

  “What did you do with him?”

  A ghost of a smile crossed Klowix’s face. “He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re asking. Not that he deserves it. Whether anyone in the galaxy will dare to hire him now remains to be seen.”

  Bethany privately thought that Untri would be just fine, what with all the money he’d stolen from Klowix, but she didn’t say anything.

  Klowix continued and pulled her out of her own thoughts. “The doctor has given strict instructions that you are to rest. He said the bad reaction to the sharing is only an initial reaction; now that your body has survived it, you will be able to try again with no ill effects, should you want to. You have my word on that. Of course, after your experience, it would be understandable if you never wanted to do it again.”

  Bethany wanted to take his hand and tell him that she did want to do it again, that she wanted to be close to him like that again.

  She wanted him to stay at her bedside until she was well, then take her in his arms and kiss her, but she couldn’t – not if she wanted to get home. Besides, those weren’t her thoughts anyway. It was the side effects of the sharing talking.

  “I think I need to be alone for a while,” she forced herself to say.

  A flash of hurt crossed Klowix’s face, but it was gone quickly. “Of course. I will have one of the girls come in and sit with you. The doctor says you need to be monitored, just in case.”

  Bethany nodded and turned onto her side. She’d pretend to be asleep so that she didn’t need to talk to whomever came to watch her. She didn’t want to talk; she wanted to wallow in her misery in peace.

  Bethany subtly chose the place at the table farthest from Klowix, pretending not to see him looking at her. She was getting good at eating Evion food now; she didn’t drop anything this time.

  “How was your day, Commander?”

  He replied warmly to Ruth. Bethany tried not to listen. Ever since the doctor had given her the go-ahead to be up and about again, Klowix had been showing the utmost respect for her wish to have some time alone. When he wanted something from one of the others, he simply ordered it, but he left her to do what she pleased.

  Bethany was miserable. She could see how he wanted to be close to her, the same way she wanted to be close to him. She forced herself not to respond to his signals, and he took the hint and stayed away.

  After dinner, Klowix followed Ruth to her room. They shared everything, and Bethany knew that he hadn’t so much as kissed any of the others yet, but it still made her jealous.

  She could just hear them talking through the closed door. She wanted to throw something. Culip wanted to do some more shopping, and Bethany reasoned it couldn’t hurt to try to take her mind off things, so she acquiesced to another session of acquiring the many things her new friends thought she needed.

  It wasn’t all bad; curled up on the bed together in front of the T-screen, Bethany couldn’t help but get drawn into it. She hadn’t been a fan of such excessive shopping at first, but Culip was converting her.

  “So Bethany, when do you think you’ll be feeling better?”

  She looked at Trili, who had a concerned expression. “I’m feeling fine. The doctor cleared me; I’m fully recovered.”

  “Clearly not. You’re still avoiding Klowix. What’s going on?”

  Bethany sighed. She should have expected this sooner or la
ter. They didn’t know that she wasn’t here by choice; they’d be wondering why she was squandering her chances with Klowix. Every time she lied to them, she felt worse. In this case, she settled for the truth, or at least part of it.

  “I don’t like the way the sharing made me feel. I mean, not while it was happening, that was amazing. I mean afterward. If I’m going to feel closer to Klowix, I want it to be because of me, not because of some strange Evion ritual.”

  Lizzy nodded. “I guess that makes sense. None of us is really qualified to judge; we’ve never partaken in the sharing. Have you talked to Klowix about it?”

  “No, I just need some space.”

  Beoli spoke up. “He’s giving you that. He must really like you. If it was anyone else ignoring him, he’d just dismiss them.”

  Bethany looked up. “Does that happen often? People being dismissed?”

  Trili shifted in her seat. “Not that often. He likes to get to know us thoroughly so that he can be sure we’re not his secrena before dismissing us. I’ve been here the longest, about eight months. You’re the newest, and Beoli was about two months before you.”

  “I’m still in contact with Alexa,” Lizzy put in. “She was dismissed maybe four months ago, right? Anyway, she’s booked onto one of those explorer ship tours. She messages me whenever she has signal.”

  “I think I may join her, when the time comes.” Trili brushed the hair from her face. “I’ve had the time of my life here, but I think if Klowix was going to choose me as his secrena, he would have done it by now.”

  Anna shook her head. “He likes you, just not like that. I think he sees you as someone who could become a friend, in time.”

  “I hope so. He’s a good man. Maybe we’ll stay in contact once I’ve left.”

  Bethany tried not to let her relief show on her face. Klowix had been spending more hours with Trili than anyone else. She knew he hadn’t done anything other than talk to her, but she’d worried that once he gave up waiting for her, he’d turn to Trili’s charms. The fact that Klowix saw her as a friend soothed the hot lump of jealousy in Bethany’s throat – not that she had anything to feel jealous about. She was the one avoiding him, after all.