by Zoey Draven
“Oh my God,” Kate whispered, some of the puzzle pieces finally beginning to shift into place.
Keriva was so matter-of-fact about it all as she continued, “A short time after, the females that remained…we discovered that we were no longer able to conceive. You will not see young offspring here on Luxiria. There have been no birthings since the attack. It has been almost ten rotations since then.”
She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, to see all that death. Keriva had lost members of her family. Vaxa had lost his mother. Kate also knew loss, but not because of death.
“I’m so sorry,” Kate whispered.
Kate’s heart ached because she felt like she finally understood why Vaxa had done what he’d done. Why he’d fought for her. If the virus had killed most of their women and the ones that remained behind couldn’t create new life…then it was the beginning of the end for their entire civilization.
She understood now.
And with that knowledge came a nagging suspicion in the back of her mind.
“No reason for you to be sorry,” Keriva said. “You give us hope.”
Kate’s breath hitched because she knew why Keriva was saying that. “I—I don’t think that Vaxa and I are compatible in that way.” Right? He was an alien species lightyears away from her own planet. There was no way that he would be able to get her pregnant.
Right?
Because if he could…things just became a lot more complicated.
“Oh, but you are,” Keriva said, her tone almost breezy, completely sure. “If you are his luxiva, then you are compatible. The Instinct does not choose a mate that is not compatible on a biological level. Yes, you will bear our Prime Leader offspring, heirs that will continue our species and create a prosperous future for Luxiria. Most are…joyful for this.”
“Most?” was all she could manage, her mind reeling.
Instinct? Pregnancy. What the hell was going on?
Keriva let out a sigh, but she made a chirring sound as she did. “Some, particularly the elders, do not believe in…mixing the Luxirian race with other species.”
Oh God.
“Only some,” Keriva hastily said. “Most believe that this is the only path for the future of our race. This is my belief as well. If we do not adapt and evolve, then we choose death. Our Prime Leader knows this. That is why he sought you out.”
Her presence on this planet was way more involved than Kate had realized. And suddenly, she was hurt that Vaxa had not told her any of this. Obviously, he believed that he could get her pregnant. The question was…would he try to before the month was out? Was that what this mating ceremony was about? Had that been his plan this entire time? Get the human female pregnant so she wouldn’t be able to return home?
Because Kate knew that if she was pregnant, she wouldn’t be able to leave. How would she be able to take care of, not to mention explain, an alien child? What needs would the child have that she wouldn’t be able to provide for on Earth?
Vaxa had lied to her by omitting the complete truth.
And she couldn’t wait until he returned home because she was aching to rip him a new one.
FOURTEEN
Vaxa’an guided his xrellexax—his hovercraft—back to his dwelling. The council meeting had run long. As suspected, he’d been met with opposition from a few of the elders, who had been on the council during his own sire’s early spans as Prime Leader. Frustration rose in Vaxa’an. They did not understand that mating and procreating with humans and other species would be the only way that their race would survive. It was progress. If they remained stagnant, they would be wiped out within less than a hundred rotations.
It was simple logic. It was a simple solution. The only solution for the future of his people.
As Prime Leader, he would set the example.
Vaxa’an felt some of his tension drain at the sight of his luxiva, as he guided his hovercraft down in front of his dwelling. Kat was leaning against the terrace, her arms folded on the balcony, looking out over Luxiria. The twin suns were setting. Tomorrow, at this time, he would be taking his female to the plains of the Ravrax’tor. He resisted the urge to take her there this night.
She stole his breath as he disembarked from the xrellexax. The air was cool, a soft breeze blowing in from the Tervator region. A surge of satisfaction lightened his mood when he saw Keriva’s handiwork. His female was dressed in the traditional female coverings that flowed lightly around her lush curves. Vaxa’an was suddenly very impatient for his nightly bathing with her.
Kat turned her head to regard him as he approached her and his chest puffed out a little, pleased with her perusal.
He was filled with confusion, however, whenever she placed a hand on his chest to prevent him from kissing her in greeting.
“We need to talk, Vaxa,” she said, a hint of anger edged in her tone.
Vaxa’an smiled, already feeling himself readying for another fight. Was it so wrong that he enjoyed their fights? Luxirians liked their females feisty. His Instinct had chosen well for him.
His cock thickened in his leg coverings, the frustrating council meeting fading in his mind.
“Okay, female,” he purred. “But let us talk in the bath.”
Kat bit her lip and he growled when he recognized the flash of arousal that passed over her features. He didn’t need to scent her anymore. He was becoming in tune with his female’s needs.
“This is serious, Vaxa,” she said. “Keriva told me some things. And I need you to tell me the truth.”
Her voice was steady, her tone stern.
“I should not have let her get the language implant. She loves to hear the sound of her own voice,” he said, with some affection. Keriva had been in his life since as long as he could remember. Her mother had been a renowned seamstress across all of the Luxirian outposts. She’d often come to outfit his own mother and Keriva was always with her.
Kat inhaled sharply, reaching her patience level. Vaxa sobered, placing his hands on her shoulders before running them down her bare arms to circle her wrists.
“Okay, female. Let us talk. What has been troubling you?”
“You didn’t tell me about the attack,” she said. A breeze made strands of hair float over her face and Vaxa’an pushed them away. “You didn’t tell me about the virus that killed most of your women, that killed your mother.”
Vaxa’an’s lips pressed tightly together and he released her wrists, backing away. “It was not Keriva’s place to tell you those things.”
“Why?” she questioned. “Because you didn’t want me to know? You wanted to keep me in the dark?”
“Nix,” he growled. “Because those were things I needed to tell you in my own time. She should not have opened her mouth.”
“And when exactly were you going to tell me?” she demanded, her voice rising in volume. “Before or after you had already gotten me pregnant?”
Vaxa’an stilled.
“Well?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s true, isn’t it? You were hoping to knock me up, weren’t you?”
Knock her up? He was unfamiliar with the expression, but he understood her meaning regardless. And yes, that had been exactly what he had hoped.
He backed her against the terrace balcony, the image of her pregnant a wicked tease in his mind. Her generous breasts brushed his taut abdomen and she was glaring up at him with a stubbornness that lit his blood on fire.
“The Fates have blessed me with a very fine mate,” he purred, sliding his hands to her waist and then upwards to cup the sides of her breasts. She batted his hands away but he stole a kiss while she was distracted.
“Mppff,” she made a sound and then pushed him back. “No, I told you I want to talk. We are not kissing.”
“Yet,” he corrected. “Come, female, you are obviously irritated with me. Let me soothe your anger in the bathing pool. I will be creative.”
“Vaxa,” she stressed, giving him a stern look, even though he
scented her faint arousal.
He huffed out a sharp breath of air through his nostrils. His mate was as stubborn as he was so he may as well just tell her.
“Yes,” he said, gazing down at her, his voice nothing more than a raspy purr. “I want to see you heavy with our offspring. I want to plant my seed deep inside you, over and over again, right here,” he placed a hand over her belly, “until there is no question about whether or not you carry my heir.” Her lips parted and her breath hitched. He growled, “I want to fuck you until you remember nothing else that came before us. I want to always feel your sweet cunt wrapped around my cock, wringing my seed from me. I want to give you so much pleasure that all of Luxiria will be able to hear your screams.” Her vaxix was wet, he could scent it. “That is the truth. Now, come, female. I have had a difficult span and I wish to bathe with you.”
He lifted her into his arms and walked into the dwelling. Bidan had already departed for his own home so it was just the two of them.
“Bee-don called you strong-willed,” Kat said, her voice husky. “He was right.”
“You already knew this,” he replied simply, crossing their quarters before settling her down onto the smooth floor next to the bathing pool. It was warm and steamy. The bathing pool drew its water from deep inside the facev. It was like a hot spring.
Vaxa’an wasted no time disrobing her. He drew off the golden clasps of her coverings at her shoulders and loosened the belt across her waist. The material slid to the floor, leaving her nude, her nipples beaded into taut peaks. His mouth watered. He wanted to suck those tips between his lips until her back arched.
He gazed at his female as he undressed, his chest rumbling in contentment, and he found it difficult to peel off his leg coverings given the state of his thickened cock. There was still fire in her eyes, but the lines between her brows had softened.
“Keriva is very nice,” Kat started, her tone innocent, and Vaxa’an immediately narrowed his eyes. “Have you known her for long?”
“Tev,” he said, reaching out to grab her, hoisting her up so her legs wrapped around his waist. He groaned, sensing her heat, but walked into the bathing pool. He hissed in pleasure when he felt the warm water relax the muscles in his body. It had been tense at the council. He’d needed this.
“Oh?” Kat asked. “She’s very beautiful.”
Vaxa’an realized what she was doing and he grinned. “Tev, she is.”
Her lips pressed together but then she smiled, his maddening female. “Why didn’t you pick her as your…mate?”
“I am already your male,” he purred. “There is no need to feel territorial, luxiva.”
She puffed up, a flush spreading to her cheeks. “I am not being territorial.”
“Then why do you care about how long I have known Keriva?”
“Because—because I was curious!”
“Mmm.” He relaxed against the edge of the bath, his eyelids lowering as he gazed at Kat.
“Just…” she trailed off, growing frustrated. “Did you ever have feelings for her?”
“I thought you were not—”
“Just answer the question, Vaxa,” she said, looking miserable and disgruntled, as if she was at war with her feelings, as if she didn’t know why she was asking such ridiculous things.
He took pity on her. “No. She was like a blood sister to me when we were young. Now, it is like we never knew one another. We hardly cross paths.”
“Did she ever have feelings for you?”
Vaxa’an sighed. “Yes, she did.”
Kat stilled on his lap. “And?” she prompted.
“Ever since the Jetutian attack,” he started slowly, his fists clenching at her sides, “I knew my duty lay elsewhere.”
“Your duty?”
“My duty to the future of our race.”
Kat frowned, but a sad understanding dawned in her eyes. “You’re talking about her inability to have children. That’s not a reason to reject someone, Vaxa. What if you were happy with her?”
“I did not return her feelings of affection, luxiva, so it matters not. My Instinct did not choose her.”
“And what is this Instinct everyone keeps talking about?” she asked, letting the topic go. He felt mildly relieved.
“It is a force inside every Luxirian that drives us to breed.”
Her brows rose. “I hate to break it to you, but that’s just called being horny, Vaxa.”
Vaxa’an let out a loud, booming laugh that echoed in the bathing pool. “It is a little more complicated than that, female. It is a voice. A presence that is a part of us the moment we are born. It matures as we age and makes itself known when we are able to procreate. The Instinct led me to you but I knew when I first saw you that you were much more.”
“You didn’t have a choice,” she whispered, realization dawning in her gaze.
“Tev. Our Instinct chooses the most compatible Breeder and drives us to mate with them.” Her pupils dilated. “But you are not just my Breeder, Kat.”
“Oh,” she murmured, suddenly growing shy. “Last night…I thought…I thought you meant that you only chose me because I was there. That I was available.”
His chest rumbled. So that had been why his female pulled away from him…because of his careless words. He’d foolishly assumed that she would understand.
“I should have explained more fully to you, female,” he said. “I did not wish to cause you distress.”
“I—I’m sorry,” she said. “There are a lot of things about you, about this place that I don’t understand yet.”
“There is much that I will teach you, that I will show you,” he murmured.
“It’s a little overwhelming, Vaxa,” she admitted.
“There is time, female, after the ravraxia.”
Kat cleared her throat. “That’s another thing…”
Vaxa frowned, preparing himself for another round. “Yes?”
“Tell me the truth…can you get me pregnant? Are we biologically compatible in that way?”
Vaxa’an told himself that he needed to tread carefully here. “Tev. My Instinct would not have chosen you unless we are.”
“But…you don’t know for sure?”
“I planned on taking you to Privanax tomorrow. He is a researcher in our labs. We will find out ‘for sure’ then, but I already know that we are. I feel it.”
“In that case,” she said, determination crossing her features, “I’ve decided that I will not have sex with you unless there is some sort of protection, Vaxa. I cannot get pregnant.”
“Nix,” he grumbled.
“You don’t have a choice in the matter. It is simple. You either get me on some kind of birth control, or you use some type of alien condom,” she said, looking down at his erect cock poking out of the bathing pool between them, “for that big guy.”
“Condom?” he repeated, his language implant feeding him information about the unfamiliar word. “Human males actually wear these condoms?”
“Yes.”
“We do not have those, female.”
“Then I want some kind of birth control. Do you have that at least?”
Vaxa’an inhaled slowly. “Tev. At the labs.”
She relaxed against him. “Good. This is important to me, Vaxa.”
Patience, he thought, letting go of his disappointment. He would still win her over. Getting her pregnant would just need to wait until she decided to stay on Luxiria.
“I…am very attracted to you,” she admitted softly. A purr started in his chest, his heart pumping a little faster. “You make me feel…” she shook her head and gave him a soft smile. “Even after all of this…I know what I want. And I want to experience sex with you even if I’m here for just a little while. But getting pregnant will just complicate things. You understand that, right? Given our agreement?”
Vaxa ran his palms up her waist, letting the water soak into her exposed skin. He brushed the pads of his thumbs over her plump nipples, hearing her small
gasp.
“Luxirians rank honor very highly,” he started. “We do have an agreement. If you still wish to leave by the end of the lunar cycle, when our moon is full and bright in the sky…then I will honor our deal. But I am the Prime Leader, Kat. I am used to hard work, if it means getting exactly what I want. And I must warn you…I will do everything in my power to convince you to stay, female.” With his other hand, he ran a finger between her thighs, pushing inside of her, feeling her walls clench around him. He growled, “Anything in my power. I mean that.”
“Bring it on,” she murmured, but her voice was breathless and she unintentionally rocked her hips into his hand.
“I intend to bring it all,” he purred.
FIFTEEN
Kate woke before Vaxa for once. Perhaps it was the result of nerves, given that today was the mating ceremony. She still didn’t quite know what that involved, but…she’d find out soon.
The bed was the most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in. And the largest. It needed to accommodate a seven-foot alien with massive bulk, after all. Massive bulk she was currently snuggled up against. She had never been a cuddler with Peter. They’d slept on opposite sides of the bed and kept to their own schedules.
But with Vaxa…she was draped over him like his own personal human blanket. It was like her body subconsciously sought him out throughout the night. Her cheek was pressed against one of his pectorals, using his bicep as her pillow. The metal piercing through his nipple glinted as the first shards of light beamed through their window.
She’d meant to ask him about the piercings, she remembered. Last night, she’d wondered about them, as she watched him bathe after their discussion. Her blatant appreciative gaze led to other, more pleasurable things, and her question had been lost. She lightly touched his nipple, studying the way the light reflected on his skin, its iridescent quality mesmerizing her.
“Female,” he rasped, making her jump in surprise. “Do you need to be pleasured?”