by Abella Ward
“And this is for father and mother,” Erdal said, tears glistening in his eyes, as he raised his Light-Shard. He plunged the thin blade into Zutaar’s chest, severing his dark heart. The pseudo-king convulsed and breathed his last, the light escaping his cold, gray eyes. His body lay still in an ever-increasing pool of dark blood.
***
Erdal found Natalie unconscious on the dark floor. She was pale and her skin seemed gray in the dim light. Her breathing was ragged and her pulse faint, but she was alive. He carried her in his arms to the sickbay, tears rolling down his cheeks.
Dr. Barca took her in. Kissing her forehead, Erdal left her in his care. An hour later he reported she was stable and the baby was fine. She needed breathing pills and was dehydrated. He had given her a sedative to put her at ease. She was stronger than she seemed, the doctor reassured.
Erdal heaved a sigh of relief as he gazed at the now confused and scared faces of the council members. Half an hour earlier, when he got back to the meeting room, there was chaos among the council heads. Ornek had already briefed them about the situation and showed them the documents that proved Erdal was the true heir to the throne.
They wanted some time to think it over, but as Ornek said, there was no doubt about it. They had no choice but to agree.
Epilogue
Erdal sat by the bed in the sickbay and watched her sleep. He had almost lost her. Again. His chest constricted at the thought. If something had happened to her or the baby, he could never have forgiven himself.
Natalie stirred and her eyes fluttered open.
“Erdal,” she whispered his name, and he felt a familiar pull toward her.
“I’m here, my love...” he bent down and planted a kiss on her soft lips.
“Oh, Erdal!” she cried, as he took her in his arms. “I thought I would never see you again!”
“Hush,” he whispered into her hair, taking in her sweet scent. “I rule this land now, so everything will be okay.” He smiled down at her, and then kissed her deeply. “And you will be my beautiful queen,” he said pulling apart.
“You have claimed the throne?” she asked, ever so softly. “What happened to Zutaar?” She saw the side of his face was still slightly swollen, and she could only imagine what he must have endured.
With Dr. Barca’s treatment, his wounds had healed quickly.
“He’s dead,” Erdal said darkly. “We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“Even if he’s gone, don’t you ever leave me alone...” she said.
“I promise you, I will always be at your side,” he said as he gazed deep into her eyes. “And, as my queen, I will lay the world at your feet. I will make you feel loved like no man has ever loved you. I will mark your soul with my touch so deeply that you will crave for nothing more. I will ensnare you with my love, touching you in those secret hidden places you don’t even know exist. Only then will you know what it means to be my queen.”
She gasped, speechless, as her heart beat faster.
He kissed her again. “Oh, and Dr. Barca tells me that it’s a boy,” he said, smiling his gorgeous smile, as he placed his palm on her belly.
“Really? What should we name him?” she asked, smiling.
“Arion,” he said, “he will be Arion Erdal Bu’rak Urquiorra.”
***
Six months later, he stood waiting at the steps leading to the pavilion overlooking the sea. It was draped in gold and white with ivory flowers encircling the gold columns. He wore a dark suit with dark pants, the royal cape draped over his shoulders. He couldn’t stop gazing at the beautiful woman who walked toward him.
She wore a low-cut, backless gold silk and chantilly gown with intricate ivory and gold designs. She held a sleek, gold staff in her hand, a tradition of their race. Her hair was swept up in a loose bun, and she wore an intricate gold tiara on her head. She ambled up to him with a civilized grace gazed into his eyes. The women from the harem were her bridesmaids. They had been set free. Many of them had volunteered to work at the palace while others left for their home planets. One of the bridesmaids held their two-month-old son as she stood by, watching.
Natalie took his hand and he slid a large sapphire onto her finger. They exchanged their vows and Ornek declared them man and wife.
After the ceremony, they stood alone at the far end of the pavilion, gazing at the beautiful sunset arcing over the sea. He held her hand and she rested her head on his shoulder, gazing at the horizon awash with golden and purple hues. He turned to her, his emerald eyes full of love and warmth, and she blushed. He could still do that to her. She bit her lower lip, and he bent down and claimed her mouth with his, his tongue demanding and receiving all of her. As always, he took her breath away, and she wondered what she had done to deserve such a man.
Their hearts beat as one, and the calm sea reflected the peace within their souls. Together they ruled their kingdom and their people loved them. They were remembered long after they were gone.
*****
THE END
* * *
1 Estion Year 2370 equals Present day Earth.
Sold to the Barbarian
Description
What is this massive brute going to do with me?
Zon is a ruthless savage, killing for sport. He knows she is his mate from the moment their eyes meet. So it’s only natural that he buys her. He’s in his “musth”, a time when hormones run rampant. If he doesn’t mate right away, he becomes... unpredictable.
One moment Lisa is working late at the lab and the next the curvaceous scientist is in a vessel going at light speed. And the next? That’s when she’s sold on the auction block to a powerful alien warlord with a penchant for violence.
Is she his slave, his pet or his next meal? Either way, she’s finding herself inexplicably drawn to him.
But danger looms. Another alien wants Lisa for himself and will stop at nothing to get her. When the seemingly cold-hearted warrior jumps to her defense, her attraction to him only intensifies, although she tells herself it’s only sexual.
As the danger swells and her feelings deepen, Lisa finds herself torn between her desire for the fearless warrior and her longing for Earth. When her attackers return, she can only hope Zon will save her again.
And in the midst of the action, another little surprise announces itself and Lisa has to ask herself: is cross species breeding really impossible?
Chapter One
Nothing in the sea of colorful faces was familiar. Lisa trembled inside the cage, wrists bound and chained to the floor, forcing her to her knees. A collar was clasped around her neck, almost choking her. A weird vibration came from it, silencing her voice every time she tried to speak. Around her, the blue-green bars of energy that made up her cage buzzed and crackled. Small drones flew around her, red lasers scanning her body from every angle.
Lisa could see herself projected on the large holographic screen behind the auctioneer. Her face burned with humiliation as close-ups of her breasts and private parts were shown. There were a few catcalls from the crowd, which made her stomach churn.
"Gentlemen, please remain quiet." The auctioneer, a pale green-skinned female with a pair of bat-like wings sprouting from her shoulders, rapped her knuckles against the podium she stood at, causing the crowd to fall silent again.
The drones surrounding her moved to the energy cage beside hers, circling the hairy creature that was in it. What it was, she had no idea. Although the silently snarling mouth looked vaguely bear-like, it was only about the size of a Pomeranian. The implications of it being right next to her were clear as day, though.
She was being sold. Like an animal. That was all Lisa understood about the situation she was in. She had watched several creatures be sold already and knew her turn was coming up.
Aliens don't even exist, she thought numbly, tugging against her chains. As she did so, a sharp jolt went through her. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. Her heart rate spiked as a creature that l
ooked like a human toad peered in at her, licking its lidless eyes. She stared back, shrinking away from it. That seemed to amuse it and it licked its eyes faster.
How had she even got here? She remembered working late at the lab–she’d known that if she didn't get results from her research into how the newly-discovered geo-nuclear radiation from deep inside the Earth's core would change the human DNA sequence, her grants would dry up. There had been a rumbling sound, and the next thing she knew, she was being lifted out of a box, freezing cold and naked, by aliens, green and winged like the auctioneer. They had poked and prodded her, stuck her with needles, then snapped on these cuffs and the collar and shoved her into this cage.
"Next is this specimen from an undiscovered species," the auctioneer said, and the drones surrounded Lisa again. "Found in a primitive vessel going at light speed. Female. Genetic tests have indicated that it has a possible universal DNA, making it likely compatible with most species, and has a high level of intelligence. A translation chip has been installed, and it has received all inoculations necessary for either companionship or consumption."
Lisa's stomach jerked. Companionship or consumption? She yanked against her chains again, shaking her head wildly. Did that mean that whoever bought her was going to turn her into a sex slave or eat her? The shock from her struggling against her chains kept getting worse, making white splotches dance in front of her eyes.
"Bidding is in hadron particles only. Who will start the bidding at three quarks?"
Hadron particles. Quarks. Lisa stopped struggling. Those were familiar terms. Her area of scientific research was based more in genetics, but her brother was an astrophysicist and engineer working with NASA on more effective means of space transportation. He always said that he was going to figure out how to stop the temporal distortion that would theoretically happen if they ever did get a vessel going at light speed. He’d vowed to have his first paper on the subject written by her thirtieth birthday.
Next year, she thought. Happy birthday to me.
Except how long had it been since she was taken from Earth? She was vaguely aware that she had been kept in cryostatus. It could have been months, even years since she was abducted, and she wouldn't know until she returned to Earth. She hunched over, ignoring the bidding that had started, and ran her fingers over the collar that bound her throat. Finally, she found a small latch and began yanking on it.
"Look at that, gentlemen! Didn't I say it was intelligent? It would make an excellent pet."
Lisa glanced up to see that her efforts to escape were being shown on the screen. The auctioneer was beaming. There were a few more bids from the crowd, who were growing louder as they pressed forward.
What would Tom do without her? Her brother was smart, and he had his wife and daughter with him now to make sure he ate during his intensive study periods, but for years it had only been her and him together as they moved from foster family to foster family. He hadn't taken the death of their parents well… how would he take her disappearance?
Her fingers pressed into a slight depression at the latch and the collar dropped off. Lisa gulped in a deep breath and turned her attention to the shackles.
"Ten," somebody said.
"Fifteen."
"A hundred!"
Lisa ignored the bidding. None of it meant anything to her. For all she knew, she could be getting sold for ten cents or a billion dollars. It didn't matter, anyway. She wasn't going to stay here to be auctioned off and eaten or… Bile rose in her throat, but she choked it down, yelping as the chains shocked her again. She tried pulling at the base of them, tried manipulating her hands so she could feel the cuffs. There was a slight depression right between her wrists where she couldn't reach, and she stuck her nose in it.
The resulting shock threw her back, making her scream. She collided with the energy barriers. The smell of scorched flesh and hair filled the air and she collapsed, an electric shock rocking throughout her body. She struggled to draw in breath, stars blinding her. She was aware of laughter. Her head spun and she knew she was about to pass out.
She wasn't sure what made her look up. Maybe it was desperation, hoping to find a sympathetic face in this alien crowd. Maybe she was just hoping that it was all a dream and she would look up to find herself in her lab.
What she found were distant black eyes.
At the back of the crowd stood a man–at least, she thought it was a man, given that he was bare-chested and didn't have obviously enlarged breasts. He was one of the tallest beings there, towering over those around him. His skin was devil-red, hair as black as coal with eyes just as dark. He was huge, muscles everywhere, making him wide, with a powerful body. He could easily crush Mr. July in the firefighter calendar she had back home. Dark tattoos ran down one arm and across his chest in spiked swirls.
"Bid is at two hundred," the auctioneer called. "Do I hear two twenty?"
Lisa tore her eyes away from the red-skinned man to glance at those nearest her cage. The toad was licking its eyes more fervently, a yellow flush in its cheeks as it rubbed its slimy hands together, eyeing her up and down. She may not have been paying attention to what was going on with the bidding, but she knew that this creature was the one with the winning bid. He moved closer.
"Two twenty? Two ten?" The auctioneer scanned the crowd. "Two five–two five!"
"Three hundred!" the toad called, his voice croaking just as Lisa had imagined it would. She shuddered, her mouth going dry.
Desperately she looked up again, searching the crowd. The red-skinned man wasn't there anymore and Lisa felt a wave of disappointment and despair crash on her. She didn't know why she expected him to outbid this toad, to rescue her from it. All she knew was that there were no more bids forthcoming, and the auctioneer was about to declare her sold. Whatever the toad planned for her…
The toad scrambled onto the stage as the auctioneer called out for the final bid. Sharp teeth were exposed in a smile and Lisa shrank back.
"My, my, you look like a tasty pet," the toad whispered to her.
Lisa's stomach clenched. She kicked out, foot slipping through the energy bars. It collided with the toad's face. He felt backward, and a blade impaled his chest.
There were gasps from the crowd and the auctioneer went silent. The red-skinned man was standing by the stage now, clutching the toad's shoulder as he pushed a sword through the creature's chest. A twisted, disgusted expression was on his face. The toad squealed in a high-pitched noise.
The devil twisted his blade sharply. The toad went limp. It fell to the ground as the devil withdrew his weapon. Calmly, he climbed onto the stage and neatly sliced through the top of the cage. The bars of energy died, and he reached in, lifting Lisa out. He cut the chain connecting her to the stage with one swing of his sword and threw her over his shoulder. She was in too much shock to fight against him, though she knew she should.
"Six hundred," he grunted, his voice deep. It reverberated through Lisa's chest. One of his hands was latched onto her thigh, while the other tossed a silver orb at the auctioneer. The green alien fumbled but caught it.
"Sold," she said, her voice trembling. "Enjoy your purchase. Remember that this auction house does have a five-day return policy—"
"I will not be returning my new pet," the devil said, and there was a threat in his voice that made Lisa shiver.
He stepped over the toad's body and headed through the crowd. The gathered aliens all pressed back away from him, and from her position over his shoulder, Lisa could see looks of fear and horror following them. She wanted to scream, to fight and kick and escape, but she seemed frozen.
There was an almost bitter scent around him, and yet as Lisa breathed it in, she found that it wasn't unpleasant. The hand on her thigh felt hot and heavy, and his skin against hers was doing strange things to her insides.
It must be the shock, she told herself. Endorphins because the toad doesn't have me.
That didn't mean this red-skinned man would be any better
.
She tried to focus on the positives; she was no longer bound. All she had to do was find a way to free herself from this alien, and then she could make her way back to Earth and tell them what she had seen. But her mind wouldn't focus as her legs and chest alternately bounced against this red-skinned man's hard body.
All she could think of as the devil carried her away was that maybe the toad would have been a better choice.
Chapter Two
When the man finally set her down, she got a better look at him. He was even bigger up close than he was from afar. He wore only what looked like a skirt, which was riding low on his hips to just above the knee, and a pendant that dangled from his neck. A huge, curved sword hung from his belt on one side, and various devices on the other side. A gun was strapped across his back. He wore no shoes or boots, and his toes ended in curved claws. The black tattoos were vivid against his red skin.
Despite her terror of him, Lisa couldn't help but think he was utterly beautiful. She was fascinated, like a rabbit awed by the bear that was about to devour it.
"Do you have a name?" he asked, taking a small cylinder from his belt. He pointed it at the cuffs, and a red laser shot out, slicing the metal neatly in half.
"Lisa," she managed to say, stuttering. "Who are you?"
"My name is Zon."
He contemplated her for a moment. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hide her naked body. Her face burned as she stared back at him. His gaze traced her curves–too many of them, according to her last boyfriend, although she didn't care what this red alien thought of her body. She just wanted him to look away.