“The things you know could scarcely fill a matchbox, Thal,” Zenon said dryly.
Thal’s bark-like laugh echoed off the sides of the hallway. “Perhaps. I confess, why you dedicated yourself to that mission of yours instead of enjoying the fruits of your conquests, I could never understand.”
“I never expected you to,” the commander replied, and the wall closed up between us.
* * *
That night, I dreamed of Commander Zenon. All I could recall when I woke was his husky voice thick with all-consuming hunger, and the feel of his fingers against my feverish skin, but it was enough to make me lay breathless in bed for several minutes trying to pull myself together. His absolute physical perfection was getting to be a real problem.
Though it was hard to admit, I would have absolutely let him kiss me the night before. In fact, in those few moments, I would have let him do anything he had wanted. He had been right; he wouldn’t have had to force me to do anything.
The mere memory of his scorching eyes set off such an explosion of longing in me that I had to keep sitting down from the head rush. I couldn’t recall in my life ever feeling so attracted to anyone as I had felt towards him then. And it just had to be a murdering alien who keeps me captive, I sighed.
I had to be stronger. Whatever I had promised, I had no intention of staying my entire life trapped in this magnificent prison. I couldn’t let him get to me. He’s just manipulating you, I reprimanded myself harshly, He knows how good-looking he is, and he’s using it against you.
Right. I squared my shoulders, and pushed myself out of bed. However radiant and achingly beautiful he was, he wasn’t going to get the better of me. I just had to resist his charm.
This turned out to be much trickier than I anticipated. I emerged from my morning bath, towel-drying my hair, to find a leather-bound book sitting beside my usual breakfast of toast and orange juice.
It was clearly very old, yet well preserved. Intrigued, I opened to the first page. Scrawled in elegant, cursive handwriting, the title said “The Chronicles of the house of Rath’al.”
Rath’al. That had been how Captain Thal greeted Commander Zenon last night. Rath’al must be his family name. Had he given me a history of his family?
The book had to be some further maneuver of his. At first, I ignored the volume, leaving it laying on the table as I ate breakfast and surveyed the foggy, unending landscape. Already I missed the supple sight of the wild oasis, and his voice against my ear as we shared in its beauty.
I did my best to distract myself, from the book and from its owner. I pushed through pages of every single book Alva had brought me, even though, in my agitated state, I barely remembered anything I had read. I tried doing push-ups and sit-ups, and still the book sat there, enticing me.
Maybe... , I thought, Maybe there’s some secret about this ship in those pages. Maybe I might read something that could help me in my escape. And maybe I could finally untangle the mystery that was Commander Zenon, and his strange and conflicting motivations.
I finally abandoned myself to temptation, and sitting on my bed with book in hand, lost myself in it. Written in the style of a Greek epic, it spanned centuries, dating back to when the humanoid people of this alien world conquered the untamed wilds and its natural riches.
As the planet aged, the riches grew less, and disease began to kill off whole clans as they battled for what little resources were left. Marveling at its history, I couldn’t help but be impressed that there were even people like the Commander left on the planet.
I was so lost in the epic that it took me a few moments to notice I was no longer alone. Catching something from the corner of my eye, I looked up to find Commander Zenon himself standing there, smirking slightly.
The sight of him sent my heart thundering against my ribcage. He was dressed in dark gray today, and it set off his magnificent eyes perfectly.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you?” he asked courteously, though his knowing smile suggested this was exactly where he’d hoped to find me.
“No, no, not at all,” I mumbled, intensely aware of my blush. Thank goodness, I at least wasn’t in my underwear this time, “I was-just reading the book you left me.”
“Are you enjoying it?”
“It’s fascinating!” I exclaimed earnestly, “The technology is truly extraordinary... did your great-great grandfather really trick an enemy ship into thinking his army was just a harmless herd of animals?”
Zenon grinned proudly, “He did. Tech really took off around his time, but a good commander takes advantage of every blind spot.”
“And that’s right about when your people found Earth,” I commented.
Commander Zenon’s entire demeanor instantly changed, as if I had uttered some kind of salacious insult.
“I apologize for interrupting you,” he said, tone brusque, “I just wished to ensure you were entertained.” He turned to quit the room.
“Wait!” I cried, before I could stop myself.
He paused, and turned back, though by his guarded and quizzical expression, he did so with great reluctance. I opened my mouth, unsure what to say, and finally stumbled into, “I’m sorry-if I offended you. I’m only just appreciating what a touchy subject Earth is for you.”
“Thank you,” he inclined his head.
“But,” I drove on daringly, “I don’t really understand why.” I gestured to the epic, lying on the bed between us. “I mean-this story mentions that humans even came here to Dionus…”
He held up a hand to stop me. “Only human females,” he clarified bluntly, “And only for one purpose.”
My eyes widened. “Oh…” Suddenly, Thal’s meaning from the night before made more sense. “Are you-” my heart pounded in my throat as I realized the implication, “-is that why I’m here?”
His reserved expression quickly morphed into a mischievous grin. “That almost sounds like a request,” he muttered wolfishly.
I sank back into the bed, simultaneously alarmed and aware that once again I was completely alone and physically helpless in his presence. If he wanted to, there was nothing I could do to stop him. And, ashamedly, I knew some part of me wouldn’t want him to stop. I had to get out of this, and quickly.
“You think very highly of yourself,” I attempted false bravado.
My subterfuge only made Zenon grin wider; I desperately prayed in addition to shooting fire from his fingers and super strength, he wasn’t telepathic as well. He took a few stalking steps towards the bed, as if he was hunting skittish prey.
“Only because I’ve never received anything but high praise,” he answered in a low, wicked voice. He suddenly lunged forward-I yelped, leaping out of the way, and only just managed to avoid his grasp.
I dodged around the bed, the commander hot on my heels. He moved like someone who had been raised to be a warrior, athletic prowess and intensity melding into a sheer force of nature. I only managed a few feet before he seized me around the waist, holding me close to him.
He tucked his mouth close to my ear. “Do you know my very first thought when I saw you, that night in the woods on Earth?”
I swallowed. I tried to respond, but my mouth was dry.
“I thought,” he said into my ear, “I wonder how she tastes.”
He swept me around, and carefully but firmly enfolded me against the wall of my prison, keeping me in place with himself. I could feel every inch of muscle in his arms and chest as he clasped himself to me, tangling his fingers in my loose hair. To be so near him was intoxicating; I struggled to remember anything but the feel of him.
“Should I find out?” he asked, caressing my lower lip with his thumb.
He dipped his head and ran the tip of his nose along my jaw, teasing, enticing. I couldn’t move-I stood frozen in his embrace, hardly daring to breathe, desperately trying to wrestle down an aching, acute desire to push myself against his hard body.
He paused the delic
ate torture of his touch as he reached my temple. Tenderly, almost agonizingly, as if he couldn’t stand the enthrallment a second longer, he pressed his lips against my skin. The spot seemed to burn, sending waves of tremulous sensation all down my body.
“Zenon…” his name forced its way from deep within me.
“Hmm,” he muttered, his mouth still against my temple, “Just as sweet as I imagined.” He pulled back, just enough to look down at me. There was no mistaking the glow of passion in his gaze. The sight twisted my stomach into delicious knots of anticipation.
He cupped my chin in his warm hand, drawing my mouth to his, brushing his lips against mine…
“N...”
His gentle kiss stopped my words. “Don’t say it. I know you don’t mean it. You only think you should say no.”
I didn’t resist as his mouth pressed into mine. He tasted smoky and sweet. His careful touch hid none of his insistence; I couldn’t stop a whimper of protest as he pulled away. His eyes locked again with mine, refusing to let me go. I tried to speak, but desire overwhelmed all sense. In response, I could only arch my back, pressing into him.
“Did you want to say something?” he serenely teased me.
The voice in my head that wished to protest was swallowed by the cries of my desire. I shook my head.
“Good,” he growled, pushing me into the wall with his hips. “I’m not the sort of man who likes to be told no.”
As he kissed me, deeply, fully, I surrendered myself to my sea of longing. I’d drowned in what he’d awakened within me, regardless of what small part of me resisted.
My submission seemed to awaken a dire hunger in him. His kiss skillfully parted my lips, his tongue expertly exploring mine. He’d break the kiss, leaving me a few precious seconds to catch my breath, only to capture me again, bending me to his will.
As his hips still trapped me against him and the wall, his hands began to wander across me unopposed. He lingered on the curve of my hip, the swell of my bust, and the roundness of my bottom.
I’d never been touched like this, as if he had never beheld anything sexier than my body in my plainest tank top and jeans. He touched me like there was a clearly laid map marking every spot that would drive me out of my mind with passion.
Dear Lord, I could come from his touch alone, I thought wildly. I could give myself to him and never look back…
No. No, I had to get home. I didn’t belong here. I didn’t belong with him.
“No!” the word sprang strangled from my throat. I pulled back as fast and as far as I could, still caught between him and the wall. He stared at me in surprise.
“No,” I said again, stronger, “No, I can’t.”
His face darkened like an impending storm. He shoved himself away from me with a low growl of frustration, pacing far away to the other side of the room. Disappointment seemed to radiate out from him; I could swear I saw the fire beneath his pale skin flare like a sunspot.
“I’m sorry,” I tried timidly.
He turned to face me, wry amusement slowly replacing the frustration. “Apologize to yourself. You deny yourself what you want just as much as me.”
“I don’t,” I insisted.
He shot me a disbelieving and steely glare. “Lying is one of my least favorite traits about humans.”
“And murder is one of my least favorite traits about Dionus!” I snapped, my tone harsher than I’d intended.
Zenon threw up his hands in exasperation. “Again! You are determined to judge something you do not understand.”
“I understand it perfectly-”
“Why does it rankle you so much?” Zenon cut in forcefully, “What was he to you? Were you lovers? Is that the source of all this angst?”
I blinked in shock. “Lovers? Trent and I?”
“It would certainly explain your fixation,” the commander said with some disgust, staring off into a corner of the room. Was he…. jealous? I thought in wonder.
“No…. Trent was just my boss. He was an ass, honestly. He flirted with anything that moved, he went through women like tissue paper; he thought he was God’s gift to women, so full of himself that he never considered for a second that maybe a woman didn’t want him,” I said in a rush, self-conscious of my opinion; I’d never dared voice just how much I had disliked him. “But… he was still an innocent person, Zenon. He didn’t deserve to die.”
Zenon let out a deep breath, almost as if he’d been dreading my answer, and then swiftly returned to sternness. “You belong to me. Your destiny changed forever that night in the woods. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can stop living in the past, and we can both finally have some satisfaction.” He strode to the door as it opened to allow him through, but paused and turned to face me once more.
“I will not force you,” he said as the opening began to close, “But do not lie to me again.”
The wall re-solidified with an ominous crack, as I stood staring helplessly just where he had left me.
4: THE GIFT
I lay awake for hours, tossing, turning, and tangling my legs in the sheets, desperately trying to make sense of my twisted motivations. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t banish the feeling of his mouth against my skin.
My body demanded that I give myself over to my longing-if I wouldn’t let myself have him, then let me have release at least, imagining that my fingers were his, that he’d made good on his threat and taken me…
But every time I succumbed to my primal urges, my mind would suddenly intrude. Murderer, I’d suddenly remember, and every pang of desire would disappear… until I’d again recall the heat of his eyes as he looked at me.
I was positive I’d go insane from the dissonance. By the time the red suns peaked up over the sand dunes, only one thing was clear. I have to escape. I have to escape now.
My plan had been to spend the entire day compiling and planning my rudimentary escape, but yet again, the commander seemed to anticipate me.
I emerged from my morning bath, thankfully clothed, to find him seated at my small table, sipping a cup of tea that had accompanied my midday lunch. I froze in my tracks at the sight of him, looking even more mouthwatering in dark blue today.
Noticing me, he stood and bowed politely. “You rose a little later than usual,” he observed, all charm and courteous smiles.
“Yes, I-got to bed rather late.”
“Glad to hear it. I was afraid you’d taken ill.”
The kindness in his voice pulled me up short. How strange that this controlling and domineering commander should care so much about my health.
He gestured to the table. “I hope you don’t object if I join you for lunch.”
“Oh no, not at all,” I managed through my shock. He sat, and I slowly sank into the seat opposite him, taking care that I wouldn’t accidentally brush against him.
“I admit. I did have an ulterior motive for visiting.”
My heart pounded a little faster; his words of warning still seemed to hang in the air around us. “Oh?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
“When my ancestors first discovered Earth, they were fascinated by the variety of life there. We hadn’t seen such abundance for nearly a thousand years,” he swept his arm toward the barren terrain out the window, “We started collecting samples and bringing them back, carefully nurturing them on our ships.”
“So that explains the orange juice,” I exclaimed.
Zenon chuckled, “Yes, fruit trees are especially popular. We’ve had success with several species, raising them here. Some, though, refuse to flourish even in the careful environments of our greenhouse vaults. There are even rarer samples, however, that not only somehow survive our harsh world, but have actually mingled with native species.”
From the folds of his shawl, he produced the most exquisite flower I had ever seen. Its vermillion petals opened upwards, curling along a long, strong stem. It smelled sweet, like a cross between honey an
d some citrus fruit.
“It’s beautiful,” I stared at it in awe.
“I believe on Earth, the origin of this flower was called prairie fire. Legend has it that it refused to grow in our ships, but thrived when crossed with one of our native flowers, godblood. I’ve heard about it only by word of mouth. It lives only in the most mountainous regions on our world.”
“Where did you find it?”
“This morning while scouting along our southern border. The mountains there are particularly treacherous, but it seems beauty can grow even in the harshest conditions,” the force of his gaze made the breath catch in my throat. But he didn’t reach forward to touch me; instead, he placed the flower gently on the table between us.
“You don’t send your troops to scout?” I anxiously tried to lighten the sudden intensity of our conversation.
He scoffed arrogantly, “No scout could tell me better than my own eyes.”
“Well, they always say if you want something done right,” I tried to hide my smile. He caught my teasing tone, and his expression softened. Suddenly, urgently, he stood, and bowed. “Thank you for letting me intrude once more. Unfortunately, I have pressing business. I hope you enjoy your lunch-and your flower.” Before I could probably answer, he turned and disappeared out into the silver hallway.
I thought that would be the last I saw of the commander, but the next day, he appeared again, this time with a rock the size of my fist that glowed with an otherworldly light. Once he figured out I had done computer coding back on Earth, he brought me an advanced droid circuit to examine and keep me occupied.
If I hadn’t known any better, I would have wondered if there was something deeper to these curious items. They almost seemed like… love tokens. But no, that was impossible.
A hardened military man like Zenon didn’t seem the romantic type. Besides, he had said that human females only ever came to Dionus for one reason, and it certainly wasn’t love. Maybe a concept like love didn’t even exist on this planet.
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