by Luna Hunter
The beast, while terrifying and murderous, is the foe I know. Coming to grips with my feelings, with my emotions, felt like a tougher battle, though now I feel like I can see clearly for the first time.
Unfortunately, it’s too late.
The gigantic beast scuttles forwards, its many feet sounding like raindrops on the stone floor. It pauses, waiting to deliver the killing blow, as if it’s toying with me.
I raise my fists. “Bring it,” I growl.
Let no one ever say Koryn went down without a fight.
“Koryn!”
I hallucinate again, the image of Kelly appearing in the corner of my vision once more. She’s as beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail, her face smudged with dirt, a defiant look on her face. She’s got an axe in her left hand as she charges forward. The image is much clearer this time, as if she’s really coming for me.
My mind is playing tricks on me again.
Two Berans come charging in after her – Bey and Timber. They’re on their hands and paws, running like bears as they circle the Ygg Queen in front of me.
Strange. I haven’t hallucinated those two before. I wipe my brow with my arm, but my vision remains the same.
The Ygg turns, unsure what to do now that she’s surrounded.
“Her belly is her weak spot!” Kelly bellows, her familiar voice having a sense of urgency and command to it that I haven’t heard before. “Bey, Timber, grab her pincers and I’ll strike! Go!”
The two Beran leap forward and, with a complete disregard for their own safety, they each grab one of the Queen’s two pincers, wrapping their claws around them.
Kelly charges forward, doing a ballerina-like spin mid-run to avoid the beast’s acid attack, and plants the axe squarely in the monster’s soft, unprotected belly.
The Queen wails, a harrowing, high-pitched sound that makes the ground quake. She thrashes and shakes, a foul green liquid spilling from her insides, and a moment later, she collapses.
I can barely believe what my eyes are telling me.
Kelly just took down a Ygg Queen?
She runs towards me, her arms flying around my neck. My knees are weak, my body battered. I can barely stand.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her blue eyes staring into mine
My vision is blurred as blood drips down into my eyes, but her radiant, azure-blue eyes shine through the haze.
“You came,” I say, my voice raspy and low.
“Bey, Timber, come help me carry him,” Kelly commands. The Berans comply instantly, and a second later their paws are hooked into my arms, keeping me from collapsing.
Kelly leans in and kisses my forehead, gently running her fingers across my scalp. When she pulls them back, they are dripping with blood.
“Hold on, okay?”
My lips curl up into a smile. I feel my life force seeping out of me. The fight took all my strength, and now that I know Kelly is alright, I feel like I can finally rest in peace.
“I love you,” I growl, and I close my eyes.
I’m lost in a fog. Images, sounds and scents all form loosely, swirling around me. I hear Kelly’s soothing voice, singing me a song. It’s a beautiful, moving tune about a woman who is always on the run, always heading to the next port, running away from all her troubles. I never knew Kelly could sing. I wonder what other talents she has?
I can see the Berans, rebuilding their society.
Bey prepares a feast, using all the different herbs and plants she harvested planetside to create new dishes and new spices. I can almost smell the fish she’s roasting. She’s incredibly talented – her sense of smell rivals that of a Zoran.
Timber gets a commendation for his bravery in the line of duty. He dragged one of the Ygg Queen’s pincers home as proof, and he’s been promoted to General for his valor. Flint tasks him with training more Beran warriors for the struggle to come. Maybe I’ve been too hard on the Beran. When everything you know – everything you have – is utterly destroyed and you face extinction, retreating and waiting for your chance is the most logical option.
Not that it matters now. It’s too late to apologize.
There’s so many things I’ve left unsaid, so many things I’ve left undone.
Kelly.
I can see her running a wet cloth across my face, asking me to wake up. Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun, a few loose strands framing her face.
There’s so many things I don’t know about her yet, or about humans in general. What do their bonding ceremonies look like? And how does her hair look after we stayed in bed till noon? What would her belly look like when she’s pregnant with my child? What name would she want for our children? Human or Zoran?
For the first time in my life, my heart is no longer consumed with unbound hatred for the Ygg, who’ve taken everything I hold dear from me.
There’s only room for Kelly Graham in my heart now. Her intellect, her humor, her ferocity, her stubbornness, her cunning, her strength, they’ve all surprised me. She’s blown away every concept, every belief I held about humans.
In fact, she may very well be the strongest person I know, Zoran or otherwise.
The familiar, potent smell of cuhla tickles my nostrils. The Zoran alcoholic drink has always been my favorite. To take another sip, to feel it sliding down my throat and warm my insides, to taste the spices on my tongue – ah, that would be lovely.
The scent intensifies, clearing up the dense fog that’s in my brain. I can feel my synapses firing, and some semblance of consciousness returning to me.
I’m not dead?
Through a haze I see Kelly, the cup of cuhla in her hands as she looks down at the jet-black liquid wistfully.
“I brought your favorite,” she says softly. She brings the cup to her lips and tastes a small drop, her face instantly turning into a scowl.
The image gets clearer and clearer, the heavy mist lifting, my mind being pulled back into my body.
“Yuck! I still can’t believe you love this stuff, ugh,” she sputters, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Gross.”
“It’s an acquired taste,” I say, my voice throaty and low.
“Oh my god!” Kelly’s eyes grow as wide as two blue planets, pure shock registering on her fine features.
“Are you going to finish that?” I ask, lifting up my hand and pointing at the cup. My arm feels heavy, as if I haven’t used any of my muscles in days.
Kelly hands me the cup, too dumbfounded to talk, and I bring it to my lips. The cuhla is spicy and strong as always, and I feel the warmth spreading through my bones, rousing me from my deep, deep slumber.
“More,” I croak.
Kelly refills the cup, and I gulp it down.
Her bright blue eyes are studying me intently, as if she can’t believe I’m really awake.
Truth be told, I find it hard to believe either. I was convinced my hallucinations were my mind’s dying throes. Now, by the grace of Zora, I’ve been giving a new chance.
“I thought I was dead,” I say.
“You almost were,” Kelly whispers, her eyes twinkling. A tear slides down her cheek, causing my insides to burn with shame. I’ve put her through hell… never again.
I look around to find myself lying on a large, soft bed, wrapped in thick and warm sheets. We’re back in the Beran caves, though I haven’t seen this particular cave before. Large hides hang on the walls, giant wooden desk dominating the room. In the corner I see the steam rising from a geyser.
“Where am I?”
“Flint’s personal quarters,” Kelly says.
“How did I get there?”
She grabs my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine. “Bey found a secret passageway between the two tunnel systems, the Ygg and the Beran one. She could smell the herbs that only grow near Boulder’s Basin. You were losing so much blood, we never would have made it back to the ship in time, but Bey treated you here, with nothing but water and herbs from the lake.”
K
elly’s lips curls up into a melancholy smile. “And it worked. I thought I’d lost you…”
I lick my chapped lips. The evides-infused water and herbs managed to keep me alive?
“How long have I been out?”
“Three whole days.”
“I heard things… saw things…”
“Like what?”
“Bey preparing a feast, and Timber receiving a promotion.”
Kelly nods. “They’ve both come to check on you every day. You probably heard us talk, and the sounds must have triggered your imagination.”
“What about you?” I ask.
“What about me?”
“Did you… sing to me?”
Kelly’s pale cheeks turn a bright crimson. “No, that was a hallucination,” she says.
I try to sit up straight, but pain shoots through my body. Kelly places her flat palm on my naked chest.
“Rest,” she says. “Now it’s your turn to rest.”
Now I see how annoying it is when everyone keeps telling you that. I open my arms up, a crooked smile on my face as I look at Kelly.
There’s nothing I want more right now than to feel her warmth against me.
To my regret, she hesitates, a wounded look in her baby-blue eyes.
“Why did you leave, Koryn?” she asks me, her voice barely a whisper. “Why did you almost kill yourself?”
I close my eyes and rub my temples. She deserves to know the truth – after all, she saved my life.
“It’s… complicated,” I say. “I’ve never told anyone this.”
She folds her hand on her lap. “We’ve got time.”
I take a deep breath. I’ve never opened up about this to anyone…
But here goes.
21
Kelly
“It happened… a long time ago.”
I fidget with a loose strand on my jeans. I want nothing more than to stand up and rip an explanation from Koryn’s lips, but I can feel he needs to take his time. After all, he’s just woken up from a three-day coma.
I need answers, though. Why did he try to get himself killed like that?”
“You remember when I told you about the battle on Cotonia VI, with Vinz?”
I nod. That was less than a week ago, but already that feels like it happened months ago. So much has happened since then.
“That wasn’t the only battle I fought on that planet. My… mother lived on Cotonia. In a town called Bahaan.”
My heart is gripped by ice as I realize this story won’t have a happy ending.
“They took her from me,” he says. “The Ygg.”
He shuts his eyes tight, a flash of pain on his face.
“When I close my eyes, I can still see the rubble where her house stood.”
“It’s not your fault,” I say as I squeeze his hand.
“It is. I’m a warrior. All my life I’ve trained to protect the ones I love, and I couldn’t even protect my own mother,” he spits. “I dedicated my life to fighting them ever since. And then they got to you…” His voice trails away.
“None of that is your fault,” I repeat.
His eyes open, his eyes, the color of the setting sun, staring into mine. I can feel his pain.
“Something broke inside of me,” he admits, “When I saw you get hurt like that. I felt like I failed as a warrior, as a lover, as a Zoran. I felt you… deserved better.”
“Don’t ever say anything like that again!” I say. “You’re the best man person in the entire universe, human, Zoran, I don’t even care. You’re amazing, thoughtful, sweet, strong, funny… I can keep going on. Don’t ever decide something like that for me again,” I say.
He smiles at me, holding out his hand for me. “I won’t.”
With tears welling in my eyes I pounce on top of my man, burying my head in his chest.
I look up into Koryn’s honey-colored eyes. They’re burning brighter than ever, filled with passion.
I can’t even stay mad at him for his reckless suicide mission. I’ve gone through every stage of grief over the last three days and I haven’t left his side a single moment. Now, I’m just elated to have my mate back.
I want to feel him – every part of him.
“Hold on,” I say as I hop out of bed. I throw my shirt across the room and shimmy my way out of my jeans. A moment later I’m back in bed – fully naked – and straddling his lap.
His big hands travel down my back, sending tingles down my spine.
How I’ve missed his touch.
I bend down and press my lips firmly against his. I know he needs to rest, I know he’s still wounded, and he probably has a million questions, but hey, a girl has needs. I need this kiss.
And a whole lot more.
He growls into my mouth, one hand grabbing the back of my neck, the other digging into the flesh of my thighs as he kisses me back, his tongue finding mine. I can taste a tinge of cuhla on his breath, and to my surprise, I like it. It’s fiery and hot – just like him.
His member springs to life – his deep purple, golden-veined cock. It presses against me, between my legs, and a warmth pools in my lap.
I reach down and wrap my fingers around it. His cock is heavy, and throbs in the palm of my hand. I line it up with my entrance and lower myself down. I’m more than ready to take him on.
“Oh my— ” is all I manage to moan as he fills me. He shuts me up with a kiss, his tongue brushing my bottom tongue as I slide down, inch-after-inch of his thickness filling me.
“I’ve missed you,” he growls into my mouth.
I nod. “I’ve missed you, too.”
He kisses me again, harder this time, his teeth grazing me. His hands find my ass, his fingers digging into my soft skin as he pushes me down, forcing his cock deeper into me.
His cock hits the exact right spot, and for a second, I see stars. With a loud, animalistic groan he pushes his hips up. All of him is inside of me now, and I’ve never felt better.
My mouth hangs open, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, while my palms rest on his naked chest. I push down on his taut chest as he thrusts his hips up, his massive cock filling me, the pleasure beyond my wildest dreams.
His mouth finds my neck, sucking and kissing while I bounce on his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck, dragging my tongue across his ear as he fucks me.
All the stress, all the worry, all the shit I’ve been into since we landed on Zenus floats away as Koryn fucks me. The entire world disappears around us; there’s only me, him, and his warm, thick golden cock.
“I love you,” he growls, his mouth pressed against my neck.
I pull back, my eyes searching for his sunset-colored ones.
“What?” I ask, out of breath.
“I love you,” he says again, staring right into my very soul. “I love you. I fucking love you, Kelly.”
A smile spreads across his face as his hands hold my cheeks. “I’ll never leave your side again. Never.”
“Never?” I ask.
“Never!” he growls, his hips rising, his thick cock slamming back into my core.
I moan helplessly as he pounds into me, my breath quickening, pure bliss spreading throughout my very being, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
This is the purest, most intimate moment of my life. I’ve never felt more connected, more in tune with someone than with Koryn at this very moment.
“I love you, too,” I moan, the words coming from my very center. They’re the truest words I’ve ever spoken.
Inside me, I feel his cock grow and pulse with energy.
I arch my back, my entire body moving with every thrust of his hips, unable to stop myself from moaning. An amazing thought takes hold of me, one that I can’t shake.
I want his baby.
I want our lives to be connected, to be forever entwined, to bring new life into this galaxy. I want his Zoran baby to grow inside of me, and to raise it, with him by my side.
“Do it,” I groan. “Give me
a baby!”
His eyebrows are raised, and his wicked smile spreads all the way to his eyes.
“Yes,” he growls. “I’m going to impregnate you!”
His hands go to my waist, holding me in place as he speeds up his thrusting, his entire cock slamming into me now, the sounds of our lovemaking bouncing off the cave’s walls,
“Yes!” I moan. “Yes! Yes! YES!”
My entire body shakes and trembles as pleasure overwhelms every one of my senses. All I see are stars as a wanton moan escapes my lips, intense waves of bliss washing over me, building up into an unbelievable crescendo. My toes curl, mouth hangs open, my eyes are shut tight, and all I can do is tremble and moan as I come on Koryn’s amazing cock.
He groans, low and passionate, and I feel his warmth flood me, his hot, potent load filling me.
Our mouths find each other as I collapse on top of him. We’re a heap of sweaty limbs, the temperature in the cave having gone up a several degrees due to us. Koryn grabs the covers and pulls them back over us, so we can enjoy the warmth a moment longer.
“Did you mean that?” he asks after a moment of silence. “What you said?”
“Every word.” I say, my fingers tracing the perfectly defined muscles of his chest. I can still feel his warmth inside of me, and in the back of my mind, I wonder if I’m already pregnant.
He kisses the top of my head. “Good.”
The hide flap in front of the cave’s entrance is moved aside, and Flint enters.
“Ah, Koryn! You’re awake! Good, good!” he says, striding in enthusiastically.
A second later I pop my head out from under the covers, causing the Beran leader to stop dead in his tracks.
“Err,” he says, “and Miss Graham,” he stammers. “…good…”
He retraces his steps, slinking out, not saying another word.
Koryn and I burst out into laughter, the warm sound echoing off the walls. I snuggle up against my man’s purple chest, the rhythmic beating of his heart soothing me.
I never want this moment to end.
22
Koryn