by Kylie Gold
We moved into the jungle, Dracon and the scouts leading the way. Dracon still held onto my arm as we moved quietly through the forest, keeping me close to his side as though to protect me. Though at that point, I wasn’t sure what side I needed protecting from—the Navani, or the humans? The Navani hated me and basically had every right to since I was human and the humans were slaughtering their people. However, the humans had been willing to send me on a suicide mission as a step towards overthrowing my crew to take the ship. So really, I wasn’t safe anywhere. At that point, if he actually was protecting me, he was protecting me from the entire planet. It was a scary thought to only have one ally on an entire planet.
The group began to slow down, as I assumed we were growing close to where the scouts spotted the humans. Without warning, Dracon tugged me to the side and pulled me into his side with an arm wrapped around me to keep me firmly against him. Thank goodness for it falling dark out, it kept the blush which covered my cheeks from being too noticeable. Just from being under his arm I could feel how muscular he was. I highly doubted he had any fat on his body with how solid he felt. A couple of darker thoughts stirred in my mind before I shook myself from it. How was I so attracted to an alien? And why was I? I had never been attracted to anyone but humans before, and had honestly just never been around many aliens on a personal level—the colonies seemed to isolate themselves a bit from the planets they lived on coexisting with other beings.
The scouts neared the tree line and looked around with confusion, looking back to Dracon. One of the scouts looked back to Dracon, “I-I don’t understand. They were just on this path.” The scouts began to move towards the clearing, but something didn’t feel right. How could an entire group of people just vanish?
A thought dawned on me and I called out in a loud whisper, “Wait!” I looked up to Dracon who was already peering down at me. “They are here. They are hiding in the trees,” I told him, a look of confusion coming to his face. “It’s a tactic they use in war. It’s called guerilla warfare. They hide in the trees and when someone gets near, they will jump down and surprise attack.” I peered through the trees and looked about. As I gave a glance, something reflective shined into my eyes. I looked over to see it coming from a tree top. It must be reflecting from a gun. I pointed it out to Dracon, “See? There.”
Dracon’s eyes strain for a moment as he moves his head a bit to try and see what I was talking about. When squatted a bit to get to my level, his eyes widened and he looked back to the Navani. He pointed up, “Go above the trees and search for the humans in them! They are hiding in the trees!” Without hesitation, all of the other Navani’s stood straight up, their wings expanded and then launched themselves upward past the trees. Dracon’s hands took my shoulders, locking eyes with me with his burning with intensity. For a moment, I was just completely consumed by the lilac eyes. “Stay behind this tree and do not move. Understand?” he demanded, pushing my shoulders back until they were against a tree. I gave him a nod and then he stood back. Wings practically exploded from his back and with a mighty gust, Dracon lifted into and disappeared in the leaves. The worry for his safety was instantaneous, and I justified the worry by the fact he was the only ally I had.
I listened to Dracon’s words, not moving from the spot he placed me in. I could hear the screams and gunfire followed by loud crashes. Becoming far too curious about what was causing the crashing noises, I dared to rear my head past the tree I was behind towards the sounds of the battle. From it becoming dark and the foliage being so thick, I couldn’t see anything but rustling leaves and tiny flashes of light from the Navani’s laser weapons and the humans’ gunfire. Then, a silhouette of someone would fall from the leaves. From where I was standing, I couldn’t tell if it was humans or Navani.
12
Dracon
Not a single Navani was killed in battle, which was completely unheard of. However, knowing they were in the trees and us being able to fly gave us the complete upper-hand—and we had Amelia to thank for it. A sense of pride was swelled in my chest for her, she had genuinely shocked me with her bravery. Not only for daring to step outside when her enemy was surrounding her but for going with us and following my instructions. This human woman had actually helped us win a battle against her own kind, and for that, I could be grateful. The others seemed to take notice as well, seeing as they weren’t glaring at her or really even paying her any mind. That I could deal with. They didn’t have to like her, they just couldn’t kill her.
We returned to the village, the women, children, and men who stayed behind came out of their huts to see if we all had returned. At the sight of no one missing, all of their loved ones returned safely, there was a loud cry of rejoicing. I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of my lips. I felt like something had finally gone right for my people, and Amelia was to thank for that. Without her knowledge of human fighting, we would have been an easy slaughter. My hand kept on her shoulder as we walked, still not trusting the others not to attack her. At this point, I think they all had mixed feelings about her and wouldn’t try anything to anger me. As we walked towards the hut, the others were gathering big wooden tables and benches and setting them in the center of their rather small village. Then giant platters of food of all kinds were brought out and put down for everyone to feast on. The Navani had a tradition of sharing their food for the day with everyone else in celebration of victories and safety. They hadn’t had one in a long time…
I glanced down to Amelia who was watching everything set up with wide, curious eyes. “Are you hungry?” I asked her softly. Apparently, I had pulled her from some thoughts, Amelia blinking rapidly before looking up at me and nodding. Well, if there was ever a way to merge her with the tribe, it would happen there. I doubted any of the men would protest after the successful victory she helped with. With my hand going to the small of her back, I led her over to the tables and moved to sit down at my usual spot at the head of the table, having her sit next to me. There was a tension in the air, my eyes lifting to see one of the women of the tribe staring Amelia down. “There is to be no fighting. She helped us gain the upper-hand when it came to the humans, which led to our victory,” I explained to her.
The woman snarled, clearly not believing me, when Brun spoke up as he came to sit, “It’s true. She knew what the humans were doing. They were trying to lead us into a trap and she let us know. The human could have just let us fall into the trap and die.” The Navani woman gave Brun a look, glared at Amelia, and sat down without another word. No one said another word to Amelia.
The celebration was much needed in the tribe, everyone’s spirits seemed to be lifted. There was plenty of food for everyone to get full, some even drank wine, and some younger Navani men had even gotten out their drums and played a rhythmic beat as people ate and danced. I looked at my people, hope coming over me for the first time in a long, long time. That was how things should always be, uplifting and fruitful. I watched as wives, children, and parents rejoiced in their loved ones coming back from the militia safely. I lived in fear of our kind being obliterated by the humans, to be put to extinction—and for once, it felt like I could breathe without that stress sitting on my shoulders. Once I had finished eating, Amelia having long since grown full, I stood. Her blue eyes peered up at me and I offered her a hand to help her stand. Her small pale hand placed in mine, and I guided her to where the men were building a grand fire. The drummers were circled around the fire, Navani men and women dancing happily to the beat of their drums. I sat with her in the cerulean grass towards the side to spectate the festivities.
I basked in the air of happiness and vitality. Not a single face wore a grimace or frown. There was laughter all around as everyone danced and drank. Typically, I would have partaken in the drinking, but that evening I didn’t want to. It was all so surreal and I wanted to remember every last moment and each smiling face. It was the greatest honor to have led these people so long, and they were my source of motivation when it
came to fighting. I wanted peace with the humans, but our safety came first. And each life there was my responsibility to protect.
After a while of gazing around the celebration, I finally looked to Amelia to find her looking in amazement at my people. Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and admiration as she looked over everything at the celebration. Her eyes lingered on the drums it seemed, watching in amazement as each hit on the drum made ripples of blue light and sound amplified. Amelia didn’t look about in disgust or stress, but pure fascination. And it sank in then that she really wasn’t like the humans we had dealt with. The only human contact we had ever had was humans ambushing us and attacking our people; they seemed bloodthirsty and vicious. Amelia wasn’t either of those things. She had actually helped his people and hadn’t acted out at all despite being unchained. Amelia actually seemed sorry for being a part of an attack party on the village. And suddenly, I didn’t feel as terribly repulsed by my attraction to her. That woman wasn’t a killer by any means, and she was gorgeous with spunk to her which was just my type—Amelia just happened to be human.
No matter how I felt, she did deserve an actual thank you for her help. She could have just let the humans kill me and my men, but she chose to help. I stood then, looking down to her, “Let’s go,” I instructed. I didn’t want to thank her in front of the tribe, they wouldn’t like it. I didn’t have to ask to know that they felt as though Amelia owed them something. She didn’t owe us anything, really, she had done nothing wrong. She stood and followed close behind me as we walked to my hut. We walked inside and I closed the door behind me. Amelia looked around before turning back to me, only to find me standing close to her. The moons’ light shined through the windows of the hut, illuminating her pale skin. How could a being have skin so white? It was so smooth looking, and something in me yearned to just reach out and touch it. “Thank you,” I began, my eyes looking down into her blue irises. “Thank you for helping us with the fight… we would have died if it hadn’t been for you.”
Amelia’s eyes softened, “I have to admit something to you…” her voice was hardly a whisper.
My brow creased, but I stepped closer to her as though there was any chance the next words from her mouth would be along the lines of being attracted to me as well. “What’s that?” I asked her.
Her face turned down then, looking a bit ashamed. “I had no idea what I was doing when I asked to go with you. I’ve never been in or seen any battles. What I knew back there was just something I learned in school… I just got lucky.”
I couldn’t help myself, I reached and turned her chin upwards with my index finger and thumb. Her blue eyes were pained and filled with shame, a look my hearts couldn’t bear. She had helped us, that was all that mattered. But one questioned burned my being with curiosity and a bit of hope. “Then why did you offer your help?”
Amelia’s face flashed with surprise and then her pale cheeks began to turn pink in hue, the woman hesitating to speak. With my hand keeping her chin turned upwards towards me, her eyes found mine and searched them as though looking for the answer to my question. “I… I couldn’t stand by. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
Just as her words rolled off her tongue, the air change. It was as though there was static friction in the air. Did she care about me? And within a fraction of a second, it was like we realized our attraction for one another, both looking over one another’s face. Her eyes glimmered with admiration and a sense of longing.
I couldn’t contain my attraction anymore. With a swift movement, my arm hooked around her waist and picked her up to hold her level to my face. My other hand held the back of her neck as my face leaned into hers and caught her lips. Her lips were plush with impossibly soft skin. The feeling of her hands was on my cheeks, her fingertips grazing against my skin as she held my face. The kiss was soft but passionate. I was kind of surprised to feel her returning the kiss. She actually wanted me as I wanted her.
Something within me snapped, bringing out primal urges. My lips pressed hard against hers, the hand on the back of her neck traveled down the length of her spine; I could feel her shiver at the touch. Both hands went to her thighs, bringing her legs around my waist as I held her up. I felt her tongue brush against my bottom lip, causing a groaning sound from my throat. I couldn’t contain myself with knowing she wanted me too. I walked straight into my living quarters, sliding the door closed behind us so that no one could spy on us. Her lips never left mine as I moved, her tongue parting my lips and grazing against mine. Turning, I held her against the door and moved my hands from holding her thighs, to rubbing up the sides of her legs and then up her stomach. My hands groped her chest ferociously as she nibbled at my lip. It felt so wrong and dirty to be touching a human in such a way, and yet with her, it felt right. Like I wasn’t meant to touch anyone else like that.
The zipper to her leathery suit was just below her collarbone. I needed her out of that suit before I finished ripping it to shreds to get it off of her. Pulling the zipper down over her breasts, more of her white flesh being revealed with just a white strap of clothing covering her breasts. I ducked my head down and began to kiss and nip at her neck. I could hear her labored breathing as I kissed down to her collarbone, my hands on the small of her back then, keeping her body close to mine. Her hands then found their way to the top of my head, pulling at the roots of my hair. A flame of arousal rushed through my veins at the action, no longer able to keep it at bay. Peeling my face away from her skin, I carried her to the bed and laid her down on her back. Crawling onto the bed over her, I look down at her for a moment, her big blue eyes were dilated from the arousal. Leaning over her and giving her a feverish kiss, my hands busied themselves by beginning to peel the suit from her arms which she complied with and assisted me. Once her arms were freed, I sat up a bit and looked down at her. The healing balm I had given her had rapidly healed most of her cuts and bruises. Amelia looked perfect, bathed in the moons’ light and laying in my colorful silk blankets, her curly brown hair framing her delicate face. I had to have her.
Reaching beneath her, I pulled the suit down over her hips and then past her thighs and knees. I could feel my pulse in every limb of my body as it raced from the anticipation. Tossing her boots into the floor and finally pulling off the rest of the suit, I practically dove onto her. Her small hands rested on my chest as my lips devoured hers. My crotch began to ache as it pressed against the fabric of my shorts from the arousal. Amelia noticed before I could do anything, her hand brushing against the outline of the bulge making me begin to sweat. This human woman was driving me crazier than any Navani woman had. Her fingertips hooked into the waistline of my shorts, pulling them down and releasing my erection. I slipped them off before pulling her panties off and tossing them somewhere in the distance. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I clasped my hands under her knees and spread her legs. Unable to help myself or my urges, I lined my pelvis to her and grabbed my member and began to push it into her. Immediately I shuddered at the feeling; she was so tight and wet.
It felt almost animalistic, the instincts which filled me with the feeling of her. Unable to help myself, my hips thrust into her quickly. The walls of her sex hugged my member, making my breathing ragged. An audible groan escaped her lips as I pulled out and then thrust back in. Her nails dug into the red flesh of my chest. My hands clasped her hips as I pumped into her again and again, giving her my full length. My body was positioned over hers, lips hovering above hers as I focused on the movement of my hips. From there I could hear her strained breaths, her hands clinging to me in her pleasure. With a suddenness, her hips swiveled into mine, earning a throaty growl from me.
Each movement from us was hungry and almost desperate. Her lips brushed against my cheek before leaving soft kisses along my jaw in the direction of my ear. Teeth were on my earlobe then, nipping at me. Her hands found their way to my back, drifting over my skin before brushing across the nubs of my wings. My lips parted from the arousal, moaning rather
loudly. It was a very sensitive part of the Navani body, making it intensely pleasurable during sex. A breathy giggle was in my ear as she noticed, her fingertips slowly grazing over the area of the nub as her tongue flicked over my ear. I was lightheaded from the pleasure of it, never having been so turned on in my life. I was going to be pushed over the edge if I couldn’t get her to stop, even if my body begged for her to continue.
Pushing away from her, I pulled out of her, earning a look of confusion. I quickly turned her onto her stomach. Amelia propped herself up on her elbows as I positioned her legs. My fingers teased her sex, running across the slick seam before I pounded into her. My hands moved to grip both of her hips tightly, thrusting into her hard and fast. Amelia began to moan loudly, and it was the most intoxicating sound I had ever heard. She moved her bottom up higher into the air with her legs spread wider to give me better access. Oh, she wanted me. My hips moved rhythmically, slamming into her hard and withdrawing quickly just to do it again. One hand reached around her, groping her breast under the bit of fabric that remained on her, pinching her nipple. Her pelvis thrust backward in response, sending me deeper into her. Her head turned a bit to look at me as I pounded away into her tight flesh. Sin and lust swarmed her eyes as she nibbled at her own lip to keep her moans at bay. The look was delicious on her. However, the moment was just that—a moment. Amelia then pulled away, forcing me out of her. I was about to protest before she sat up on her knees and pushed lightly on my chest, having me sit down. My legs hung off the edge of the bed, I watched her with intense eyes.