by Maia Starr
“That is the most unbelievable feeling I have ever experienced. It is better than being in command of a thousand battleships,” he smiled.
“Yes, yes it is,” I said to him.
He put his arm on me, and the other on my hair, and said, “The color of your hair. It is different. You are different. You are a special human female, Shia.”
“You don’t get too many redheads out here, I assume,” I said.
He laughed and then we lay there together in silence. It felt good that I had saved his life by having such explosive sex with him. It was an indulgence on my part too, and that was obvious when I made love to him again and again. The second and third times would not save his life, only the first, but I could not get enough of him.
Chapter 6
COMMANDER DURON SPAUNOK
It was unlike anything that I had ever experienced. Now I understood the reason for abducting human females from Earth! Being inside of her made me feel whole. It made me feel like I suddenly had a bigger purpose and the passion and chemistry while being inside of her was the most extreme emotional state I had ever been in. It was hard to put into words. But now I understood why human females were so priceless. This was everything.
But now I had bigger problems. Because I had given into my temptation, I had defied the rules of the Corillion, and everyone would know, because I would not expire at twenty-two years like I was supposed to. I was going to be in a lot of trouble, and I wouldn't be able to hide it for long. The penalty for defying such a rule was death. By giving in to Shia and mating with her, I had sentenced myself to an earlier death. But since I only had one year left anyway, death due to breaking the rules didn't seem so important to me; in fact, after experiencing mating, it was worth it. But what did bother me now was that I would not be around to protect Shia. That bothered me more than anything. I had to come up with a plan, and I had to do it soon. My life no longer mattered, but hers did.
"That was unbelievable. I never thought I would do something like that. Not with you. I still have so much hate for you, after what you did to the space station. After what you did to my colleagues, but being here with you feels right, and I do not understand why,” she said, rolling over in bed next to me.
"I understand more than you know. By being with you, I have defied everything that I am as a Corillion warrior. It is against the rules to do what I have done with you. I will pay for it. Yet it does seem so very right.”
"What are we going to do?” she asked.
"I don't know yet, Shia. But I promise you, I will figure something out. This is a very unusual situation for me, for any Corillion warrior to be in. As far as I know, none have defied the rules, so I do not know what will happen,” I said to her, hiding the fact about my looming death.
"I understand,” she said to me.
Ping!
“What is that?” she asked.
"That's the door. Stay in your room. I will close the door behind me,” I said to her as I sprang up from her bed and quickly disguised the evidence of our tumble together by smoothing back my hair. I pulled on my pants and boots and then moved into the living area, closing her door behind me.
I answered the door. “Leader Baradur wishes to see you right away,” the warrior on the other side of the door said.
"I will be right there,” I replied as I shut the door.
I draped on my weapons and quickly pulled myself together. Had he already found out? Was he spying on us? But what would I say? What would I do? I could not have Shia taken from me at this point.
"What is it?” Shia said as she peeked out of her bedroom.
"I have been summoned by the leader, Baradur Spaunok,” I said to her.
She gasped. “Do you think he found out that I visited with Alexis? Will he punish her? Will he punish me?” she asked.
I had forgotten about that meeting that I set up between her and Alexis and it had not caught my attention that that was why I was being summoned until she said something.
"No, I am sure it is just to give me my orders for the next few days. It is fairly typical at this point in time,” I said, lying to her. I did not want to upset her or make her feel panic and anxiety.
"Oh, I see. All right. I will wait for you here,” she said as she wrapped her arms around me and then reached up on her tiptoes and gave me a kiss. I groaned deep within me as she did so. Just her touch set me on fire. I could not lose her.
Moments later, I was standing in front of Baradur in his official meeting quarters.
"So, the human female known as Shia Heton, has she been giving you trouble?” he asked, looking at me suspiciously.
Dammit. He knew. Could he smell it on me? Did he know that I had mated with her and defied all rules? The way he was looking at me told me so. Or was it because his mate Alexis had told him that she met with Shia?
"She has not. She is still very opinionated and demanding, but she has calmed and has become used to the routine of being locked up in her bedroom,” I said to him.
"And what has she told you?”
"What is your meaning, leader?” I asked.
"My mate Alexis has told me that she and Shia are Earth scientists. This means that they're both very, very intelligent human females. We can learn much knowledge from them. What knowledge have you learned from Shia?” he said.
"Not much, superior leader. I do not converse much with the human female except to feed her and check on her. Other than that, we do not converse on any level,” I said to him.
"Of course,” he said, “you are but a warrior. You do your duty and nothing more,” he said. “But you say that she is settled in her routine of being locked in her bedroom?”
"Yes, she is. She has not tried to escape, and she has not slapped me again,” I grinned.
"Good,” he laughed. “It is good that she has not killed you in your sleep the way you warned me that she might when you first brought me the two females.”
"No, but she is locked in her own room, as I have said. She would not have a chance,” I said to him.
"Good, then she will be secure and go about her routine being locked up while you are away,” he said.
"While I am away?” I asked.
"Yes, I have orders for you."
"Ready to receive orders, Baradur," I said, standing at attention. I was relieved that we were done speaking of Shia and this was routine orders.
"I have received information that an Earth ship that is stationed one thousand units from here. You will go investigate and report back through communication. If there is an Earth ship, then you will pillage and plunder her as always,” he said.
"Order confirmed. When do we depart?” I asked, immediately feeling anxiety toward leaving Shia while I went into deep space.
"You will depart as soon as your ship is ready. Get your warriors together and take as many as you can. We do not know what you will run into. It could be a research vessel or it could be Earth military. You must be prepared,” he said.
"I will have my ship and warriors prepared. I will deliver the commands now. Is there anything else I can do for you, leader?”
"That is all for now. You may inform the human female known as Shia that my forever mate Alexis will be the one visiting her to bring her meals. I do not trust any other warrior to be near the human female,” he said to me.
"Yes, I will deliver the message to her," I said to him, trying to hide my elation. Shia would be very, very happy and relieved to know this. But most of all, I was relieved to know that she would not be left in the hands of another warrior.
I moved as quickly as I could around the moon base Altid. The faster I was at getting my ship prepared and my warriors in order, the faster I could leave. The faster that I could leave, the quicker I would return. I did not know what Baradur’s plans were for Shia, but the longer I was gone, the more time he had to make a decision about which leader she would be sent to. I could not stand the thought of it. I buried myself in the preparations so that I did not have
to think about it; it felt like torture.
I'm not sure if any other Corillion understood what this felt like because they did not have to go through it. Once they had a mate, it was forever, and they did not have to feel the torture of having it pulled away from them. No, none of them could understand what I was feeling. None of them could understand the insanity that it would make you go through in order to keep the human female for yourself. It was making me defy the Corillion ways and rules that I had lived by and honored all of my life. All for one human female and the experience of mating with her.
"I have news, Shia Heton,” I said to her when I walked into the living quarters. The sight of her took my breath away. She was freshly showered and wrapped in a blanket. Her hair was wet and dripping.
"Yes, what is it?” she asked anxiously.
"I have already forgotten because looking at you is such a distraction," I said, stepping toward her. I put my hands on her wet arms and rubbed them up and down. Her soft pale skin was so wet and delicious. I wanted to kiss and lick every inch of her.
"Well, you must remember. It must be important for you to walk in and say so,” she said smiling.
The smile fell from my face as I remembered that I would have to be leaving her. “I am being sent on a mission. I will be leaving very soon, and I am not sure when I will return. I am going into deep space after a vessel,” I said to her.
"No. You can't leave me now. I'm so confused," she said panicking.
"I understand your feelings, Shia. But I do not have a choice in the matter. I am a warrior. I obey my orders from my leader. I must go on this mission.”
"And what is to happen to me? Is Baradur sending me away to another leader to be a forever mate?"
"No. He asked me to pass a message onto you,” I said to her.
She looked at me in surprise. “Me? The leader has a message for me?”
"Yes, he does. He says that you are to stay here just as you have been. You will be locked away in these living quarters. You will be delivered meals while I am away. His message was to tell you that those meals would be delivered by Alexis.”
"Really? You are not lying?” she asked excitedly.
"No, I did not lie about this. That is the message from the leader.”
"That is a relief! I am so happy that I am to remain here to wait. I am so happy that I will get to see Alexis on a daily basis!” she said excitedly.
"But, Shia, you must promise me something. What we did, what we have done, that must be kept a secret between you and me. No one can know it. You cannot trust your companion, Alexis. She is a forever mate now. She is obligated to share all information with her Corillion mate. In fact, it might be why Baradur is sending her to you, to get information."
"What do you mean?” she asked.” What information could he possibly want from me?”
"He said that he has learned that you and Alexis were Earth scientists. Therefore he knows that you and she know a lot more information than your average human female. He is very wise. It is information to further the Corillion race at any costs. That could be what he wants. Or he could have doubts about what you and I have been doing this entire time. Of course, he would be suspicious that I would have mated with you by now; who would be able to resist such a thing? Therefore you cannot tell Alexis this that you and I have mated. The penalty for mating with a human female that is not yours is a heavy one,” I said.
“Well, what is it? It can’t be that bad. The whole purpose of the Corillion is to mate with human females; how could you endure such a heavy penalty for it?” she asked. “What is it exactly.”
“Death. I would be put to death before I could even make it back to Altid,” I said to her.
"Duron! I did not know this. Why did you not tell me this? I would have never touched you! I have ruined everything. You will die because of me!”
“I would die without you anyway. It is better that I have something real to die for. I would die a thousand deaths to experience being inside of you once.”
Tears began to form in her green eyes and roll down her cheeks. “You can trust me. I will tell no one, not even Alexis, that we have been together. Just come back safely. It is all that I ask of you at this time. I can keep a secret. You do not need to worry about me here and what will be said.”
Chapter 7
SHIA HETON
"Goodbye, Shia. I will return; that I promise. Stay quiet. Do not do anything that will make you stick out. Stay here, stay locked up, say nothing to your friend,” Duron said to me as he held me tightly.
I was astonished by how much had changed since he had taken the space station only weeks before. I’d hated him so much, and a part of me still did. But the other part of me was falling for him. I knew that now because the fact that he was leaving was very disturbing and sad to me. I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want him to leave me here alone in the strange world full of male warriors. I had developed feelings for this ruthless, brutal warrior Commander. He had showed me a different side of him, and I was falling for it. Now as he hugged me tightly, I did not want him to let go.
"I understand, Duron. I will try to stay as invisible as possible. Just make sure to return here, to me.
"I will. I promise,” he said as he pressed his lips against mine. Then he quickly pulled away from me and walked out the door. Now I was alone, truly alone.
I was devastated by the news of the Corillion punishment for mating with a human female that was not yours. I thought that I was helping. I thought that I was giving Duron life by mating with him. Instead, I was giving him an earlier death than what he expected. I wished that he had told me. Why did he not stop me before things went too far? He truly did want to be with me. He had to in order to risk death in this way. I cried myself to sleep. I didn’t know how we could get out of this. Then it donned on me, I was saying “we” instead of “I” and that was new. I had it bad. Was I falling in love with this ruthless commander that I hated so much?
The next day, I waited, hoping that I would get to see Alexis again. Finally, she showed up carrying a large basket full of food.
"Shia! I'm so happy to see you," she said as she hugged me.
"Alexis I am so happy to see you,” I said, acting as though it was the first time I had seen her since we were separated because there was a guard standing at the open door. She turned to the guard and nodded. The guard shut the door and stood outside in the hallway.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?” she asked.
"No, I am fine. How are you? Are you still being treated respectfully?” I asked her.
"Yes, Baradur is very fair with me. I love him so much, Shia. It is absolutely insane to say that, but I do. And there is something else..."
"What is it?” I asked.
"I am with offspring,” she said, putting her hand on her belly.
My eyes grew wide. I couldn't believe it. It had happened so fast. But then again, we weren't exactly dealing with human DNA here. I was terrified for her, but I did not want to say so. I did not know if Baradur had told her what Duron had told me. I did not know if she knew that the Corillion race was actually a race of spawned aliens, like a plant life. I did not want to scare her, so I simply smiled and said, “Alexis! Are you sure? How do you know?”
"I can feel it. I feel different. I know that something is growing inside of me. I know that it is a product of the love between Baradur and I."
"Are you happy about this? If you are happy, then I am happy for you,” I said to her.
"Yes! I'm very happy!” she shouted.
"Then I am happy for you, Alexis. How long did it take you to get pregnant?” I asked.
"It happened during our first act of making love,” she said to me.
Her words shocked me. In the heat of the moment, I had not thought about such a thing. I too was with an alien warrior. I was careless and reckless. What if our time together resulted in me becoming pregnant with offspring? I began to panic, but I had to hide it. She could not know th
at I had been with Duron.
"You must be hungry. I hate that you are locked up like this. I am able to roam the moon base as I please. I know that once you are matched with a Corillion, you will be able to do the same,” she said, digging through the basket on the table and pulling out food.
Talking to Alexis was strange. She wasn't the same friend I knew on the space station. Now she seemed like an outsider to me. She was more Corillion than human. And now being a forever mate and carrying offspring, she was full on Corillion and devoted to them. I now had to be careful what I said to her. Duron's warning was fresh on my mind. Was she really here as a spy for her husband, Baradur? Would she try to gather information from me?