“Thank you. That is very thoughtful.” She lapsed into silence as the grand oceans of the planet below came closer until it was all she could see. She was almost climbing out of her seat as the shuttle entered the waves in a slow dive. The seat held her firmly and she squeezed her eyes shut as the water closed around the transport. She panted in panic.
“It’s alright, Ariana. Open your eyes.”
His voice still reverberated with an odd cadence, but she squinted through her lids, then opened them in amazement. The light that managed to reach the depths they approached coloured everything with a blue-green glow. Cities glowed in the dimness and she saw a few of the organic shuttles swimming by. And they were definitely swimming. Long flukes unfolded from their sides and propelled them through the water. They swirled and played in the currents and it was at that moment that Ariana realized they were sentient. They were playing together like whales or dolphins back on Earth, and she found it rather comforting.
As she relaxed, the grip her chair had on her loosened and she was able to turn from one side to the other to look out the view ports at the wonders of this underwater world. They were travelling at a phenomenal speed and, as she felt them slow, her body was released completely from her seat restraint. The kalniv was parking itself next to an airlock adjacent to a charming house.
Javil had left his seat and was holding out his hand for her.
Surprising herself, she took it. She held her breath as the door of the shuttle irised open, fearing that water would surround her in an instant. Her fears were groundless as the airlock he led her to was bone dry. The air rushed from her lungs and she thought she saw Javil smile.
His face was serious as he led her through corridors and to a room that opened at his touch. “These are your quarters until you feel ready to join me in the other portion of the house.”
“How sturdy are the seals keeping the water out?”
He was smiling again. “There are four layers of force shields, all kept in separate areas of the house. This area has been dry since my great-great-grandmother came to Aht-Lantys in similar circumstances to yours.”
“Your great-great-grandmother?” This was weird. She had been told that matches for them were rare. Apparently they had a long history of importing women.
“Yes. That is her portrait, over there.” He pointed to a picture hanging on the wall of the sitting room. It depicted a woman with a pearled headdress, riding a sea creature. The hues of blue that the artist had used were soothing to Ariana’s new sight. Her eyes roamed over it gratefully as it kept her from focussing on her husband standing next to her.
“The creature she is riding is her shenai, its name was Nessy. The transformation process was not as complete then as it is now, her hands and feet lacked the webbing to propel her, so she rode on Nessy to most places and events.” He smiled fondly and gave her arm a light squeeze. “She was also from your planet.”
That astonished her. “I thought that we were declared a protectorate and that other races couldn’t take us.”
“We didn’t take living humans. We took drowning victims, resuscitated them and had them transformed to become citizens of Aht-Lantys. The Alliance was not happy about it, but they hadn’t made any provision for cadavers.”
“Eww, gross.” She thought about it for a moment, taking in the hairstyle of the woman in the portrait. “You weren’t picking up passengers from the Titanic were you?”
“Yes. That is what my grandfather told me. It was the vessel that his mother had been on. Her name was Eleanor.”
“Nessy…” The animal caught the ambient light and Ariana stifled a giggle. “We have myths about creatures that look like that. Larger though.”
“Apparently, that is what she said, which is why she named it Nessy. No one here ever got the joke, but it made her laugh.” He looked fondly at the portrait, then led her through the rooms. “This is your bedroom. It matches specifications that were given to us by the Alliance. You can access clothing in that wardrobe and there is the sanitation chamber.” He let her explore each item that he showed her, explaining the functions of the unfamiliar fixtures matter-of-factly. “This room has a tank in it to allow you to immerse yourself at your leisure. When you are ready, you need only to walk down the main hallway and enter the water lock. It will fill and you can explore the rest of the house.”
“Uh, thanks.” She didn’t know what else to say. Simply stood quietly and waited for him to leave. It caught her by surprise when he swept her into his arms and into a kiss that scorched her toes and left her breathing heavily.
His eyes were shining as he released her. “There is a supply station in that cupboard. I will see you tomorrow.” Javil had a certain strut to his step as he walked down the hall to the water lock. With only a short backward glance, he peeled himself out of the wet-suit and stepped into the tube, completely naked.
Apparently Aht-Lantean males were built more or less like human ones, except for the lack of body hair. There was no pubic hair to distract her from the erection that beckoned to her, and as the water filled the lock, her eyes widened at the enlargement in appearance lent by the liquid. His unrepentant grin caught her by surprise and she was left staring at his departing figure as he swam away through the now open other end of the lock.
“Whew.” Her hormones had her heart pounding and her newly forming gills wanted nothing more than to follow him into the rest of the house so that she could find out what the rest of his body felt like. His lips had been sheer heaven.
Ariana shook her head and looked out the window of her new home. The wild beauty of the water and corals that fill the view satisfied a certain longing within her that she didn’t know she had. She was home. She could feel it.
Her arms wrapped around her torso and she contemplated her new situation. She had agreed to the biological changes, the new location and the new life. When she volunteered to leave Earth, it had not been hard to go. She had never felt right on Earth. Never felt like she had a place that was hers or people who would be there when she needed them. It had been easy to leave. Here on Aht-Lantys, she finally felt right. Her place was assured if she and Javil got along. And it looked like that wasn’t going to be a problem.
Three days passed, Javil visiting each day with a scorching kiss every time he left. It was all she could do to not follow him into the water lock as he disappeared into the blue-green half of his home. He was wearing a style of wrap skirt that left his thighs exposed to her gaze, so she looked at him until her heart tried to escape from her chest with its pounding.
It was after his visit on the third day, her body still screaming at her in frustration, when she stripped off and headed into the tank. She eased her feet into the water, wincing at the cool surrounding her limbs and absorbing into her skin.
As the water crept up to mid-thigh she shook at the wave of sensuality that took her over. The cool caress of the water between her thighs was setting off nerves she didn’t know she had. In fact, she thought she remembered the doctor saying something about her reproductive organs re-wiring during one of the arduous treatments.
She relaxed her grip on the edge of the tank and let herself sink to the bottom. It was true. Her every nerve ending was singing with pleasure as the water closed over her head. She kept her mouth firmly closed, holding her breath. The embrace of the salt water was more than she had imagined it could have been and it was only when her vision began to dim that she struggled to return to the surface of the tank.
Only to find it blocked.
Her fingers clawed at the seal that had covered the top of the tank and her chest tensed as it tried to hold in what little air it had. Blood coloured the water in the tank and her eyes wept into the fluid surrounding her.
This was it, she was going to die on an alien world without even leaving her room.
Her body let its final bit of carbon dioxide out of her lungs and she sank slowly to the bottom of the tank once again. She shuddered and waited for the wate
r to rush into her body and kill her, but it didn’t happen. Instead she felt an odd pulsing in her back and neck.
She was breathing!
Ariana held perfectly still and simply listened to the new rhythm of her body. Her hands flexed and opened, displaying the webbing that she had grown, her muscles realigned to a relaxed pose in the water. She wanted to swim.
A chime rang within the tank and she watched with eyes wide as an iris opened beneath her to flush her into the room beyond. Her head whirled, her hair swirling in a cloud around her as she took in her new surroundings.
Javil was surprised to see her. What the hell are you doing in here?
I fell through the ceiling, or the tank, or my floor. Whatever. Where am I? The mental communication seemed as natural as breathing water. She had been warned about it and had practiced with a few telepaths while still on board the ship.
You are in my study. The tank must have dropped you here. Did it lock on you?
Yeah, how did you know?
It has sensors to determine if your gills are fully functioning, it must have sensed it and forced you to start breathing.
What fun. She floated over to a seat and perched on the edge. I thought I was dying.
He stood and crossed the room to where she was seated in one smooth move. With a twist of his body and a stroke of his webbed hands, there he was. His fingers caressed her cheek as their gazes met. I am glad that you have joined me in my world.
I thought that it was about time. She slowly lifted her arm and smiled at the feel of the heavier water against her skin. Does it always feel like this?
Like what?
His hands traced patterns on her flesh and she remembered that she wasn’t dressed. A lover’s caress. Arms supporting you, a beat of a world that you can feel in your very bones.
He didn’t answer her, simply moved to her and took her mouth with his own. Even the feel of his lips on hers was different in the water. He was so much hotter to the touch surrounded by the cool of the ocean. She lifted her fingers to cup his head as his tongue parted her lips and delved inside.
A moan would not leave her throat, so she let her mental voice gasp with pleasure as his hands trailed over her breasts and settled heavily on her belly. She was leaning toward him, seeking the contact of his chest to hers with a singular purpose—pulling him into her. I want to wrap myself around you and feel you inside me. The mental whisper sounded like a gunshot in the silence.
With a groan of his own, Javil put his hands under her thighs and pulled her to him.
She felt the heat of his erection against her and shifted for firmer contact. He was wearing another of those short kilts and he swept it up and out of the way, granting her the feeling of heated skin that she had been craving.
It was only when she felt herself drifting and holding on to Javil for stability that she opened her eyes and noted that they were floating upside-down in the study. With an impish grin Ariana reached out to touch the floor and used her thighs to grip him as she sought contact on her clit. As her mind shuddered and sighed with her completed quest she thought she heard a chuckle.
It was reinforced when the head of his cock rubbed against her and she parted her thighs wide to invite him. With a grunt of satisfaction he drove his hips forward and sheathed his shaft within her. She squeaked and rocked against him as he set a beat, gripping his shoulders to stabilize herself as he moved within her.
They bounced from wall to wall, floor to ceiling and window to door in their pursuit of pleasure. Well, he was pursuing it. She had stumbled across it a few times and had simply held on for dear life as his body sent hers into spasms. He finally cornered her and his body shuddered and groaned as he came, jetting a stream of heat deep within her.
Ariana felt their bodies sliding down the wall, the wall and ceiling making up the corner where he had found his release. His head had bowed to rest his forehead on her shoulder and she smiled. Can we do that again? Astonishment lit his eyes as he drew his head back. Then a howl of laughter rippled in her mind, almost deafening her to the new voice that tripped through her thoughts.
Javil, you are late for lunch. Mom and Dad are waiting.
A woman who bore a startling resemblance to the man still buried to the balls inside her came through the doorway. Her grace was astonishing and her movements mesmerizing.
Oh. The newcomer froze in place and blinked in surprise.
Hello Siven. I forgot that we had an appointment today. He kept his body between his wife and the newcomer, which caused a small trill of pleasure at his consideration. This is…-
Your import is going to be pissed that you are already fooling around with another woman. Siven was railing at her brother and the noise was giving Ariana a headache.
This is…
I can understand that Pelya wasn’t your type. I mean, she was way too clingy and far too interested in the family money. But it is a little cruel of you to have an air-breather upstairs and to be sporting around in your office. Her arms crossed over her chest and she glared at them both. And what do you think you are doing, fooling around with a married man? How tacky is that?
My name is Ariana Simmons. I am recently of the Alliance protectorate of Terra. Now here in Aht-Lantys as the bride of Javil Ecarn. You are his sister? She smiled and tried to be polite, despite the fact that all she was wearing was her lover.
Javil! Why didn’t you tell me? Hells! Silven muttered, then coloured slightly. I suppose that I should let you get dressed. Call me when you are ready for lunch. She whirled and swam back the way she had come, leaving them alone once again.
I think we need to get you some clothing. He detached himself from her with a sigh. Another time, it won’t be over that quickly. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
Quickly? She kept her amazed thoughts to herself. He tugged her along by his grip on her hand and, in a matter of moments, they were in his bedroom. A flat platform was obviously his bed, gauzy curtains blowing in the currents were lovely jewel tones and they tried to wrap around her as she passed.
Now, I think that a burgundy would look well with your coloring. He was digging through a wardrobe. Moments later, he had pulled a breast band and skirt from the enclosure.
She tugged the fabric on, enjoying the way the skirt floated up and around her calves as she moved. The breast did a good job at concealing her erect nipples as Javil changed his own clothing to match hers. His nude body shouldn’t have surprised her, but the re-occurrence of his erection proved rather distracting.
Now let’s get meeting my parents over and done with. Once again, he held out his hand for her to take it, and with a sigh and a bit of a shiver, she followed him.
Morla and Baldith proved to be quite friendly, Siven was enthusiastic if somewhat embarrassed, and the lunch consisted of fungi and seaweeds. Blech. It was going to take some getting used to.
When his family left, a strange and fanatical light came to his eyes. She was dragged back through his home and to his bedroom. Suddenly uncomfortable, she asked, What are all those straps for? There were a number of metal straps in the wall and on certain portions of the bed platform in sets of two. As she floated closer, she also noticed grooves in the wall.
They keep us from floating around while we are having sex. By us, he meant Aht-Lanteans. But with the heat in his eyes, it was also much more personal.
Hmmm. She smiled at him and removed the clothing that she had so recently clambered into. Standing against the wall, she reached up to grab the highest rungs and posed for him. Like this? Smirking, she slid down the wall to the bed platform and positioned herself on her back with her hips raised and feet anchored, Or this? Giggling now, she stood on the platform and took hold of two rungs at waist height, then bent over and presented her buttocks to him.
It was that invitation he took. Or that. Yes!
The heat of his cock separated her folds and made room for itself within her. His hands dug into her hips as he pulled her back to s
heath him fully. He pounded into her feverishly, her grip on the wall their only stability as they rocked together faster and faster.
Endless moaning ran through her mind. The pleasure drove out all thought running through her until she found her body writhing in satisfaction around him. Her hips bucked against him and a shriek built until bubbles escaped her lips. Her mind rang with the sound of her voice. She winced as she realized that he hadn’t stopped and her body was climbing once again.
Tension shook her as she fought the next wave of release and, when his fingers reached around her to stroke her clit, she almost hit him. In minutes she was screaming and moaning as her body reacted helplessly.
Long moments turned into hours and she wept in panic as another wave threatened to break over her. Her mind had begun to beg and gibber in fear as her clit throbbed and her cunt twitched around him. It was too much. She came, a black whirling starburst breaking behind her eyes. A matching groan came from his mind and she felt that hot spurting within her once again. She fainted.
Waking was an effort. She fought to remember why she wasn’t in her bed and had to give up. She was far too comfortable, which was odd, as she wasn’t wearing anything and there was an arm around her waist.
Arm?
Oh hell. I forgot. It was a whisper in her mind, her lips forming the words without sound. She took stock of her body, slight twinges and a bit of soreness letting her know that her channel needed to become accustomed to that kind of vigorous activity. The arm around her hugged her close and she snuggled against Javil as his body woke.
How are you this morning, Ariana? Do you think you will like it here?
She thought carefully, I think that I may just be home.
He rolled her over and kissed her deeply. Before she returned his kiss she idly watched the fish out the window. With this man in her bed and this planet to explore, she finally felt like she was indeed home.
The Key to Atlantis
Atlantis Allure Page 16