by Luna Hunter
The water that pools at at his feet is crimson, a stark reminder of how dangerous Nero Octavius is. He’s a killer.
Still, I can’t stop my fingers from pulling my panties all the way down. I’m naked behind Nero, the imposing alien only a few feet away from me, as naked as I am.
A shiver runs down my spine.
He’s got his wide back turned towards me, the drops of water gliding down his muscled shoulders, past his perfect ass, down his thighs and his calves…
Nero turns around and freezes up when he sees me. His lips are parted as his eyes dart over my exposed, naked body.
No hiding it now.
A flush of heat passes over me as my eyes land right on Nero’s hard, throbbing cock.
Oh fuck.
I can hardly avoid looking at the big, swinging tool between his powerful legs. His member bobs up and down like a predator.
I’m his prey.
My gaze flutter up to his, his brooding eyes fixed on me. A cocky smirk forms on that chiseled face of his when he knows he’s got my full attention.
Well, two can play that game.
“Is there room for one more under there?” I ask as I strut over, swaying my hips with every step. My heart is beating in my throat now — I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.
This is so not me. Yet, Nero challenges me by simply raising an eyebrow, and he’s got me acting like a horny teenager.
The alien warrior takes a step backward, and I take my place underneath the hot stream of water, my eyes glued to Nero’s naked frame.
He’s so damn big he’s everywhere. I don’t even know where to look. It’s like facing a mountain.
One I’m fixing to climb.
I turn my back towards him, because if I look at his cock for one more second I’d be apt to drop down to my knees right there and then. His strong hands touch my naked shoulders, and a shiver runs through me.
His hands move up to my neck and I close my eyes, a blissful sigh leaving my lips, as he expertly massages me.
All the tension flows from my shoulders, and for a tiny second I forget all about the world around me, about how I’m trying to resist this brooding alien warrior, and just enjoy the peaceful, serene moment…
Until his massive hardness presses against my naked ass.
A moan involuntarily leaves my lips, and my cheeks turn as red as a supernova. I can feel him throb and pulse against me, I can feel his need, his hunger, his desire, and my knees grow weak, my legs start trembling, and they want to do nothing more than to give in, to lean in, to fall into Nero’s strong arms, to let him take me, pound me, fuck me.
I whirl around, my breathing erratic. He places his forehead against mine, our eyes meeting, his hand resting on my cheek.
He tilts my chin up ever so slightly and I close my eyes, ready to surrender, all the doubting voices in my head silenced…
And then the water flow suddenly cuts out.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling spring on, coating the room in its harsh light.
“Proceed to the exit,” the intercom crackles.
I take a step back, the spell broken.
What am I doing?!
Chapter Seven
Nero
So close.
So tantalizingly close.
I was an inch away from kissing Victoria’s lips, from feeling the touch of the human female. And it wouldn’t have ended there, oh no.
The scent of her wetness surrounded me. If I had kissed her, she would have surrendered herself to me. Body and soul.
My throbbing hardness was a hair’s breadth away from pressing right against her wet folds. One touch is all it would have taken for her knees to turn weak.
But that didn’t happen.
The lights turned on, the water turned off, and her eyes popped open as if she just saw a ghost.
Am I that frightening?
I watch her go. Her ass bounces with every step she takes, and my cock still throbs furiously.
It’s better this way. You would have just hurt her.
That’s right. I hurt everyone close to me. It’s better this way.
After a few moments I follow her into the next room just in time to see her wrap a towel around her frame and duck out.
Out of my life for good.
I towel off with a heavy heart, resigning myself to my fate. I must face Magnus, I must find out the truth — but how?
I’m a galaxy away. I have nothing.
Human soldiers bring me my armor back (“We have nothing else that fits you,” one of them mumbles) and I strap it back on. I allow them to take me further into the bowels of this space station, for what other choice do I have?
How seriously these men take themselves is entertaining to me, if nothing else. Minutes later I’m sitting down behind a desk in a dimly lit room, a human male frowning at me.
He’s got a bushy mustache and many pins across his chest.
“Who are you?” he barks. “Who do you work for? The Koreans? The Russians?”
Those words mean nothing to me.
“Do you know how much shit you’re in, son? Do you know who I am? I’ll tell you — I’m General Bowers. Yes, that’s right, the Bowers.”
I stare him down, my face blank.
“If you ever want to breathe genuine air again, I’d start talking right now.”
He slams his fist down on the table. I don’t flinch.
“I’ve broken guys tougher than you, son.”
I doubt it.
General Bowers sighs, and nods at the door. It swings open and two men walk in, carrying my sword on a cushion.
Ah, there it is. Fire’s Bane. I rise to my feet and immediately the general pulls out a pistol from the holster on his hip.
“Sit down!” he barks. “Don’t you move a muscle!”
“That is mine,” I say dryly.
“That belongs to the US military now!”
I frown.
“No, it is mine.”
I reach for it, and from the corner of my eye I see the general’s index finger moving. I whip my sword up, raising the blade before the sound of the trigger pulling has even reached my ears.
The bullet ricochets off my sword, nestling itself into the ceiling.
The two soldiers carrying the cushion duck down, while the general’s eyes are wide, his mustache trembling.
“How…” he breathes.
I slide the sword into its sheathe and sit back down.
“How did you do that?!”
My eyes are narrowed as I stare the general down.
The general licks his dry lips. “That thing… that sword. The material — we have no record of the material its made from. According to my scientists it’s alien — but that’s impossible. How did you make it? Was it made from moon rock? Some kind of meteorite?!”
The general is all bark, no bite. There’s nothing he could do to harm me. I’m only here because their demeanor is entertaining, but I’m tiring of his attitude fast.
“I’ll only talk to the one called Victoria Snow.”
Before I can stop myself, I find the words leaving my lips. You idiot. She was safe from you…
Victoria
I rest my head against the headrest, waiting for the shuttle down to Earth to depart. One by one people trickle in, all headed home after a long shift; the guards, doctors, cooks and cleaners that keep this facility going.
In a few more hours I’ll be back on Earth. All of this will become a distant memory.
I can’t wait. For at this moment, it’s all still fresh. It feels like Nero’s lips are still inches away from mine, like he could wrap those powerful hands of his around my neck at any moment, pick me up off the floor and carry me off…
The doors close.
Finally.
I close my eyes, and a powerful rush of emotions takes me by surprise. I didn’t expect to feel this… hurt.
It’s for the best, I tell myself.
It would have been fool
ish, anyway.
He’s an alien warrior.
I repeat. An alien warrior.
You saw him kill several guys. Stab them right in the neck. Covered in their blood. It didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest.
He beat Magnus to a bloody pulp.
That’s not the kind of guy you want to give your heart to, Victoria. He’s a soldier. Just like father was.
You know how soldiers are. You know all too well. Their buddies come first. No amount of love you can give will ever come close to the bond he has with his squad mates.
Nothing you can do will provide the same thrill as combat.
They’re adrenaline junkies.
Give your heart to Nero and you’ll regret it.
Just like you regret all those years fighting helplessly for daddy’s approval.
This is for the best.
Trust me.
I try to convince myself as hard as I can, but a feeling of doubt lingers. What if turning away from him will be the biggest mistake of my life?
When will I ever have a chance like this again? A seven feet tall, alien warrior with the body of a greek god, whose hardness throbs for me? Now that I’ve seen what a real man looks like, I don’t think any human male will ever compare. Just a glimpse was more than enough to convince me of that.
And all of my hangups on soldiers… am I going to let this chance slip through my fingers just because of my father? Am I projecting all of my fears onto Nero? Am I self-sabotaging again?
The shuttle starts rumbling as the engines revs up.
It doesn’t matter now — the opportunity is gone. I can’t turn back time. What’s done is done. If I do end up with regrets, I’ll just have to live with them.
At least I can see my neighbor’s dog again. That little puppy must be going crazy without me.
I glance out the window, but we still haven’t taken off. What’s taking so long?
The sound of the engines dies down, and a sigh leaves my lips. Another delay? Every moment I spend on this station feels like torture. I just want to go home, have a good cry, and forget all about this. Is that too much to ask for?
I hear the doors whirring open, and when I open my eyes I’m surprised to see everyone standing upright, their hands held up in a salute. I don’t catch onto what’s happening until I’m staring right at the bushy mustache of General George Bowers himself.
“Victoria Snow?”
My eyes grow wide and I snap to attention, even though I’m not in the army anymore. The five-star general is flanked by two soldiers, whose length might have impressed me once — but now I’ve seen Nero, and they seem like an off-brand imitation compared to the real thing.
“Sir, yes, sir,” I answer in a reflex.
“Follow me.”
The general turns and walks away, leaving me stunned, and rooted to the ground.
I’m too surprised to comply. After the rollercoaster of emotions I’ve been through, I want nothing more than to curl up in my own bed for an hour or twelve.
“But sir,” I say. “I’m going home.”
Bowers stops and turns.
“No, you’re not,” he replies curtly. His eyes narrow. “It wasn’t a question, private. It’s an order.”
“I’m not a private,” I say to my own surprise. “You can’t command me.”
Where did this gutsy version of Victoria come from? Is Nero’s attitude rubbing off on me already?
From the corner of my eyes I can see the crowd stare at me openmouthed. General Bowers is not someone you disobey… but I’m too tired to play this game.
After seeing what Nero is capable of, crotchety old men don’t scare me anymore.
Bowers marches towards me and pokes me right in the chest, his eyes narrowed to thin slits, his voice laced with venom.
“I’ll command whoever the damn hell I please, miss Snow. Now, you can either come willingly, or I’ll drag you along by your hair, kicking and screaming if need be. Your choice.”
I can’t stop myself.
I slap the general right across his cheek.
The slap resonates around the silent shuttle. My eyes grow wide as I look at my own palm, as if it moved out of its own accord.
No one dares to even breathe. All eyes are turned to General Bowers, who is speechless, his face growing redder and redder, like a bomb that is about to go off. His left-eye twitches as he shakes with rage, a thin line of foam forming on his lips.
Oh crap. I really screwed the pooch on this one. Sorry puppy, I might be a while…
“TAKE HER!” he bellows, spittle raining down on me as he gesticulates furiously. “TAKE HER!”
Two soldiers step forwards and lift me right up, my feet dangling helplessly in the air.
“I’m coming, I’m coming, let me go,” I protest, but it’s too little, too late. They carry me back into the station, the general leading the way, fuming.
“This whole station’s gone to hell,” he mutters to himself. “Everyone’s lost their damn fucking minds. First those nutters in their white coats tell me the material is alien — alien! — as if that isn’t the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I won’t let those ruskie bastards pull a fast one on me. I know it’s them. Got to be. Then the big fucking giant refuses to talk, moves quicker than my own damn shadow, and now my own personal is mouthing me off? I can’t believe this day! Fucking hell.”
Big fucking giant — that sure sounds like Nero Octavius. What did he do this time?
I’m carried into a small cell and roughly pushed down into a cold, uncomfortable metal chair. Shackles are placed around my wrists, tying me to the chair.
“Get out,” the general commands the soldiers. They follow his command instantly, and the door shuts behind them with a bang.
A single light bulb lights up the room.
The general sits down in front of me. He lights up a cigar and blows the smoke right in my face.
I cough, trying to move away, but the chair won’t budge even an inch. The bad-ass Victoria who slapped a five-star general slinks away — now I’m just regular Victoria.
And she is scared of what this man is capable of.
“You got balls,” he says after a few moments. “I’ll give you that. The last man who laid a hand on me had to get surgery… and despite that, he still looks like shit. Do you know how long ago that was? It was before you were born, missy.”
He plucks the cigar from his mouth, and for a second I fear he’s going to put it out on my hand, but he grinds it out on the metal table instead.
“Shouldn’t be smoking,” he mutters. “Made a promise to my wife. But today isn’t like any other day. No, today I have a foreign agent in lock-up who’ll refuse to talk to anyone… but you.”
His eyes flicker up at me.
“Who are you, really?”
“Wh-what do you mean?” I stutter. “I’m Victoria Snow. No one special.”
“You’re an astronaut. You don’t think that’s special?”
“It’s a job,” I say, my throat dry. “A good job to have, yes, but I don’t think I’m anything special.”
“Hm,” the general growls. “I looked at your file. Military family. Gifted pilot. Discharged from the Air Force. Is that why you hate America, miss Snow? Want to get back at us because you couldn’t live up to your fathers name?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I blurt out, bewildered.
“You’re working with that stranger, aren’t you?”
“You mean Nero?”
The general slaps the metal table with an open palm.
“See, you know his name! I knew you were working together!”
“You’ve lost it,” I say, shaking my head. “Just because I know his name doesn’t prove anything. I demand you let me go right this instance!”
The general flies up so fast his seat falls over backwards.
“You assaulted me, Snow! A whole ship full of witnesses will support my story. I can keep you here for as long as I’d like.”
“For a slap? Come on now,” I say. “You wouldn’t go public with that. It would only embarrass you.”
“Maybe,” he glowers, “but the fact that you tried to grab my gun and shoot me isn’t so innocent.”
“What?! I didn’t to that!”
“Yes, you did. Everyone saw it. And they’ll back me if if need be, because unlike you, some people know their place. You are working with a foreign agent — that makes you a traitor, Snow. You know what we do with traitors, right? Let me remind you that the death penalty is still in the books.”
My throat is dry, my heart beating like mad. A flash of heat takes hold of me, and I struggle against my chains.
This can’t be right. This is not how this is supposed to go.
“You can’t do that,” I croak.
“I can do whatever the hell I want,” he says. “And you better start playing along if you ever want to see the sun again.”
“What… what do you want from me?!”
Bowers sits back down. “I’m glad you asked,” he says sarcastically. “The foreign agent made it very clear that he will only talk to you.”
I roll my eyes.
Nero!
The universe isn’t done playing games with me quite yet. I thought the alien warrior was out of my life for good, but it’s almost like a force keeps pulling me back in.
A small part of me is secretly relieved. I thought the moment had passed me by, but I get another chance to be with him, to give in to my fantasies…
But that part of me is microscopically small, for it comes at a heavy, heavy price: Being charged with treason by a five-star general. My freedom, my very life threatened. And this time Nero isn’t there to save me, to be the hero… yet.
“You will talk to him,” the general says. “You will question him. And only when I’m totally and completely satisfied with your cooperation will you be able to walk freely once more. Understood?”
Not much of a choice, is there?
“Understood,” I say. “Can I make a call first? I really need to talk to my neighbor.”
“No,” the general says. “You don’t get to do a single thing until you’ve talked to this Nero fellow.”
Oh boy.
Chapter Eight
Victoria
The metal door swings open, and the soldier nods at me. This is it.