Out of Darkness

by Anna Carven

  “Of course, Ma’am. I’m sorry to hear about your unfortunate incident. May I please have your current room number?”

  “I’d rather not say,” Jia said defensively. “Do you realize how mortified I am right now?”

  “Of course, Ma’am. We pride ourselves on privacy and discretion. Let me just see what we have available.” He manipulated his datapad as information flowed across the holoscreen. “I’m afraid all our standard doubles are booked, but we do have a luxury oceanview suite available. Would you be interested in booking this room?”

  “I would.”

  “The nightly rate is nine hundred and thirty five credits.”

  Jia sniffed, and wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

  “Of course, I could give it to you as an upgrade, seeing as our standard rooms aren’t available. Therefore it would only cost you three hundred and fifty eight credits per night.”

  “That would be wonderful, Paul.” She smiled sweetly.

  “How many nights, Ma’am?”

  “I’m not sure, yet. May I book for tonight and decide that later?”

  “It’s not being occupied for another week, so that would be fine. Can you please press your palm to the bioscanner here?”

  Jia obliged, hoping there were enough credits in her account. Even at the standard rate, a night’s stay here was the equivalent of one week’s wages.

  Paul glanced down as her information was populated into the resort’s systems. “Thank you, Miss Morgan. You’ll be in room seven-nineteen. The entrance has been keyed to your bio-sig. One of our assist-bots will show you the way.”

  “Thank you, Paul, I really appreciate your help.” She flashed him another smile, relieved that her little plan had worked.

  An assist-bot appeared, small blue lights flashing on its interface. “This way please, Miss Morgan.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Kalan groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking furiously. The fucking sun on this planet was hideously bright. It hurt his eyes and blurred his vision.

  “Here.” Cool, gentle hands were upon him, placing something over his eyes; a pair of dark lenses.

  They shielded him from the brutal ultraviolet light. He looked up and saw Jia beaming down at him.

  She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “You are fine?” he rasped, as he sat up.

  “I am now,” she answered, coming to kneel by his side. She wore a floaty garment covered in bright patterns, but her feet were bare. “Here.” She held something to his lips; a vessel full of cool, sweet water.

  Kalan drank deeply, the liquid soothing his parched throat.

  “Welcome to Earth,” Jia remarked, as she rummaged through a large bag. Something delicious teased Kalan’s nose; it was the smell of cooked meat and spices.

  His stomach rumbled.

  “I have crispy skin chicken, fresh prawns, grilled coral trout, and roast pork with crispy crackling. The people in the restaurant must think I’m a terrible carnivore.” Several packages appeared. Kalan had no idea what any of those things were, but the aroma coming from them was incredible. Jia turned to him, a look of deep relief crossing her face. “You told me you need protein to heal. Your magical nano-whatsits will do the rest, right?”

  “That’s the principle.” Kalan eyed the food with extreme interest as Jia unpackaged everything. “So this is meat from… Earth creatures?”

  “Both sea and land,” Jia said. “I just ordered whatever they could prepare quickly.”

  To his surprise, Kalan began to salivate. He couldn’t help it; the items Jia had placed before him looked so delicious, and he was ravenous.

  As a First Division warrior, he usually thought of food as sustenance, nothing more. They were used to subsisting on military rations, and for the past few cycles, he’d eaten nothing but standard-issue protein-mix bars.

  He hadn’t considered eating as an activity to enjoy, until now.

  “Go on,” Jia encouraged. “Get some meat onto your bones. I don’t like you looking all skinny like this.” She offered him a utensil with sharp prongs on the end, which looked similar to a Kordolian jerduk.

  Kalan didn’t hesitate any longer. He descended on the food, demolishing it with fervor.

  Each and every morsel was absolutely delicious.

  Jia showed him how to peel the creatures called prawns, but when Kalan came to do it, he quickly became frustrated, extending his claws and making a mess of the whole thing. Jia just laughed and kept peeling, feeding him the strange but incredibly tasty orange-and-white things, alternately popping one in his mouth, and then one in her mouth, and so-on.

  They washed down the feast with more bottles of cool water, and when every container was scraped clean, Kalan declared that he rather liked Earth food.

  Jia simply nodded. “Thought you would.”

  The virulent nanites in his system rejoiced as they received an influx of fresh protein. He could feel them working, knitting together damaged flesh and rebuilding the muscle they’d consumed.

  “You look better already.”

  “I feel better.” Kalan regarded his mate with great satisfaction. She had brought him back to life in a moment of great vulnerability. “You have obviously found your bearings, Jia of Earth.”

  “I get around,” she shrugged. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a large white garment, a pair of odd looking flat shoes and a wide hat.

  The clothes looked ridiculous.

  “We need to get you inside,” she remarked. “Put these on.”

  “I am not wearing those,” Kalan replied indignantly.

  “There are other people on this island, Kal. Humans. Most of them have never seen a Kordolian before. If they see you walking around in your scary exo-armor with that intimidating expression, they will freak out. And we don’t want anyone calling the authorities just yet, do we?”

  “I will deal with any Human foolish enough to try and get in my way.”

  “It’s easier this way, my love.”

  Even though he didn’t agree, Kalan could see the sense in her words. “Very well. But it is only for now.”

  “Of course. We just need to get back to our room, so we can figure out what’s going on, and plan our next move. Remember, you guys have entered Earth illegally, and I suspect the authorities will be looking for you.”

  Kalan sighed. Every small planet out there in the Universe had their petty rules and regulations. As a general rule, Kordolians usually ignored them. But since he was on his own, and he didn’t want to jeopardize Jia’s status on this planet, he would comply.

  For now.

  “Very well.” This First Contact business was always a pain-in-the-ass.

  He dressed quickly, pulling on the strange white garment, which was surprisingly soft against his rough skin. The broad hat and dark glasses concealed his features, and provided additional protection from the sunlight.

  But he refused to wear the strange shoes she’d brought.

  “They’re slippers,” she remarked dryly. “Good for the pool.”

  Kalan shook his head, handing them back to her.

  “Suit yourself.” Jia’s smile was indulgent.

  She led him down a winding, shaded path, which crossed over several small, clear streams and through areas of thick vegetation. Kalan heard the calls of numerous Earth creatures, and at one point he saw a brightly colored, feathered thing flying out of a tree.

  This planet’s wildlife was strange and varied.

  As he walked, he opened up his comm. “Lodan and Nythian, can you hear me?”

  They both chimed in instantly. “Was wondering where you’d gotten to, Ugly Eyes,” Nythian said.

  “Thought you might have been distracted by your latest… acquisition,” Lodan teased.

  Kalan ignored them, not wanting to admit to his moment of weakness. “Have you reached the island?”

  “Yeah. This place is whack, Kal. The biodiversity’s insane. We found some tasty animals and bat
hed in a clear stream. It’s the nicest, lushest planet I’ve been to in a long time. There’s a Human settlement over to one side. We scoped it out, but we haven’t approached them yet. Just waiting to hear back from the guys on the freighter, to see how we’re going to proceed. Rykal says they want to sweat the Humans for a bit, wait until the Xargek start destroying things, and then step in with an offer of assistance.”

  “Straight out of the General’s playbook,” Kalan grunted. “It makes sense.” It was the same the Universe over; they had to give the natives a little time to realize how helpless they were against the Xargek before they stepped in.

  At first, people always refused their offers of help. It probably had something to do with the fact that the Kordolians usually took their planets, once the Xargek were defeated.

  “Yeah, so we’ll wait and see. We’re laying low for now, though. Just waiting until this infernal sun disappears, and giving our bodies time to recharge. You found a bolt-hole yet?”

  “Apparently, I have.” Kalan glanced at Jia, who was watching him curiously. Although she couldn’t understand his native tongue, she seemed to be able to pick up certain things when he spoke.

  She was dangerously clever, this mate of his.

  She walked down the paved path, her thin, colorful garment swaying in the breeze, revealing flashes of her pale, shapely legs. Kalan watched her with great interest as she glanced around at her surroundings, alert and vigilant.

  She turned and beckoned for him to follow, her molten brown eyes glimmering with desire.

  “I have to go,” Kalan said gruffly. “We will meet when the Earth turns on its axis and the sun is on the other side. Wait for darkness.” He cut the comm.

  “Come on,” Jia said, as he reached her side. She twined her small fingers with his.

  They wandered through a dense grove of trees, emerging near a pavilion-like structure. From here, Kalan could hear the gentle rush of the ocean.

  Jia led him to a door. It slid open as she pressed her palm to the door-panel. They entered a cool glass-walled corridor, where a gently intoxicating fragrance lingered in the air.

  “So glad they gave me a room at the back of the complex,” she murmured. She guided him down the corridor towards another door. It slid open, and they stepped into an expansive room.

  “This is some kind of… accommodation complex?”

  “It’s a resort, and I’m a paying guest,” Jia informed him. She smirked. “So I can do whatever I like.”

  Unable to wait any longer, Kalan stripped off the ridiculous hat and dark lenses he wore and pressed her against the wall, capturing her mouth with his in a long, passionate kiss.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  He was all over her, frantic and wanting, his rough hands exploring her body through the through the thin material of her kaftan, his mouth hot and insistent as he kissed her.

  “Well, hello there,” she murmured, as he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the super-large bed in the center of the room.

  It was a luxuriously appointed suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, and an extravagant marble bathroom complete with a giant spa-bath.

  Kalan pushed up her kaftan and found her wearing a bikini underneath.

  Before she’d returned to him, she’d made some hasty purchases from the in-room shopping menu. Said purchases were now being torn off her body as Kalan dusted her skin with soft, lingering kisses.

  He rose to his knees and tore off the pool-robe he detested so much, revealing him in all his perfect, chiseled, naked glory. “I want you so badly,” he rumbled, as he pulled her bikini bottoms away. He pulled the kaftan over her shoulders and pulled away the twin strips of triangular fabric that covered her breasts, as if he were unwrapping a scantily clad present.

  Heat surged through Jia as Kalan dropped his head between her legs, licking the soft mound of her pussy. He inhaled deeply and then slowly inserted his tongue between her moist folds.

  She whimpered, and he withdrew, looking up at her as he grinned, his fangs flashing. “You are nicely wet for me,” he remarked in approval.

  “Oh, Kalan,” she sighed, as he dipped his head again. He’d taken her by surprise, like a sudden tropical storm.

  Jia cried out in pleasure as he licked her up and down, finding the exquisitely sensitive nub of her clit. He sucked gently, sending shocks of pleasure through her. He looked up at her as he continued to stroke her clit with his tongue, his brilliant violet eyes meeting hers.

  With his lips still pressed against her pussy, he smiled, and it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

  It sent another wave of heat through her. She bent her legs, arcing her back as he sucked on her clit, applying a little more pressure now. He fondled that sublime bundle of nerves with his tongue, going faster and faster, until Jia closed her eyes and pleasure exploded behind her eyes.

  He slowed, his caress becoming tender and gentle.

  That was all she needed.

  He sucked.

  She came.

  Jia reached out and ran her hands through his short hair as she orgasmed, screaming in ecstasy as Kalan ran his tongue up and down her pussy, again and again. He didn’t stop until her legs quivered and she became still, letting out a deep, contented sigh. Then, he withdrew, moving forwards on all fours like a large jungle cat, gently brushing her hair out of her face as he leaned in and kissed her on her forehead.

  “Welcome to Earth,” Jia murmured, as Kalan smiled, revealing the twin points of his fangs.

  “Indeed,” he said. He ran his fingers through her hair, spreading it out on the pillow behind her. “As I told you before, I am never going to let you go, my Jia.”

  “That’s fine with me,” she sighed, flushed with the afterglow of their lovemaking. She could curl up beside Kalan right now and be content, but that wouldn’t be enough.

  “I’m not finished with you yet,” he growled, as he stroked her pussy with one finger. “You need me inside you.”

  He was right; she ached to feel his hard cock sliding into her.

  “Don’t you, Jia?” His voice was a dark, velvety whisper.

  She nodded.

  Kalan moved forward, parting her legs and entering her, his hard length stretching her, making her squirm with pleasure as he proceeded to fuck her, gently at first, then harder, and harder.

  He wasn’t gentle at all, this powerful, lethal male. He slammed into her, entering her again and again, going deeper each time as he ran his hands through her hair and pulled her head back, making her look at him as he fucked her.

  She watched him the entire time, admiring the fierce, savage expression on his face. He grunted with pleasure, his powerful body moving back and forth as he claimed her.

  Kalan’s cock glided against her wetness, the ridges on its surface magnifying her pleasure, making her gasp and moan as Kalan made sweet, rough love to her.

  She wished it would never end.

  But as they moved together, their bodies entwined in perfect motion, he became more and more tense, his growls becoming deeper, more guttural, more primal.

  He brought her back to that precipice, the place just before climax where her entire body screamed for beautiful release.

  He brought her there and held her there, just for a moment, before thrusting deeply inside her.

  He cried her name as he orgasmed, releasing his warm seed.

  Jia came, curling her legs around his magnificent body and rejoicing in her climax.

  They shared in a moment of pure bliss, their bodies connecting, responding in a way that went beyond anything Jia had ever known.

  It shouldn’t have been possible.

  And yet somehow, it was.

  They were from different worlds, from different ends of the Universe, and they had found one another in the most unusual of circumstances.

  Somehow, they were perfect together.

  Kalan rolled over, bringing her with him, his cock still inside her. She lay on top of hi
m and looked down into his brilliant purple eyes.

  “You are mine,” he whispered, and there was no way she could argue with that.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Jia dusted off her coveralls and tore off her gloves, grabbing a cool-wipe and dragging it across her face.

  Out here in the desert, temperatures could hit forty degrees Celsius in the middle of the day, and she tried to do whatever she could to stay cool.

  “Hey, Raf,” she called out, as she jumped off the platform. The silver body of the SX-12 gleamed in the harsh sunlight. She was just about finished repairing its hull, and it was time to go home. “I’m out of here.”

  No-one worked during the heat of the day, not even the robots, which were prone to overheating.

  “Yeah, see you after siesta,” her offsider called, as she made her way across to the parking lot. She straddled her old-fashioned land-bike, slipped on her helmet and sped off, the big tires raising dust as she headed towards the settlement.

  It had been about a month since the Kordolians had announced their presence on Earth, and since then, there had been plenty of negotiations, tensions, unease and back-and-forth between the First Division and the Federation, until a recent demonstration of their effectiveness against the Xargek had all but silenced the remaining critics.

  Getting the three Kordolians off the island called Mera-Pula had been a dramatic event, but they’d finally managed it, with the help of Sergeant Varga and some surprising public sentiment.

  The flood of testimonials uploaded to the Networks by the mining station workers had helped. After the Superfreighter Hendrix II had appeared in Earth’s orbit, packed with thousands of escapees who’d been saved from Fortuna Tau, the Kordolians had attained a kind of cult hero status in the eyes of some.