by L P Peace
‘Some pointy faced alien took Nerys,’ Tara said quickly. ‘She was running with us. I was holding her hand. He grabbed her while we were passing the escape pods. There was nothing we could do.’
Nerys. One of the bridge officers. Con operator. A kind, gentle person and a good friend.
Between them, Zoe and Tara went through a list of the missing humans. It was harrowing, not knowing what had happened to most of them. Worse, those humans who had been freed had since been taken back into custody. Their previous owners were given right of return, and if they refused, the human would be sold on.
‘I have people on it already. Tracking them down.’
‘What about Olivia and Addison?’
Thanesh sat forward. ‘Keral and Kadian retrieved the information. Keral sent the full auction list, but we haven’t heard from him since. Don’t worry.’ Thanesh reached out and placed a hand over hers. ‘Keral’s one of the strongest males I know. He’s fine, and he’ll get Addison out. I promise.’ He withdrew his hand as he sat back.
‘He’s a tough bastard, that one,’ Rhona spoke up for the first time. ‘Caras won’t know what hit them. He’ll get her out.’
Sophia held onto his words. ‘And Olivia?’
‘She was sold to a Myardahl businessman.’ Thanesh’s voice was quiet as he spoke, as though he was trying not to spook her.
‘One of the worst races for slaves besides Ulidon,’ Alethia said. ‘They are very abusive.’
Sophia reached out for Ronin who took her hands in his.
‘She was bought on his behalf by a broker,’ Thanesh continued. ‘Kadian is on his way to buy her or rescue her if her owner won’t sell her.’
‘Should we have sent a Tessan?’ Sophia looked at Thanesh, hoping he’d assure her there was at least one on the way.
‘Kadian is like the equivalent of special forces back on Earth,’ Rhona said. ‘He’s a radiant engineer, but he was recruited by his people’s military for special operations involving radiant.’
‘According to my sources, he was one of the best. He will get it done.’ Thanesh seemed confident.
Sophia remembered the Todaal at the launch ceremony. He’d limped across the room as he left, and she wondered if they were talking about the same male.
Sophia let out a deep breath. She felt the weariness of everything catch up with her and sat back in her chair, closing her eyes.
‘I think that’s enough for now.’ Ronin wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ‘I’m taking her to our suite.’
‘Of course,’ Alethia said, putting her hand on Thanesh’s when it seemed he was going to protest.
Ronin got Sophia out of the room quickly. They were entering their suite a few minutes later. He helped her undress, and then a few moments later, he was holding her in the bed. They lay there in silence while she absorbed everything she’d been told.
Sophia’s mind was a whirlwind of all of the things they had to do. All of the people they had to rescue. The charges the IGC were attempting to bring, even as their allies were fighting for a more thorough investigation.
When Ronin began stroking her hair, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.
This wasn’t the first time Sophia had been to Tessa. Still, the view was stunning as it grew in the viewscreen.
She was alone.
Ronin was sparring with Daris and Danithor. He’d be back soon, and in three hours, they’d arrive at the planet.
It took them a total of thirteen days to get here moving only through Protectorate space.
Warrants had been finally issued for all of the humans and for Ronin. The humans had formally requested asylum from the Protectorate, which they had granted. That left the Protectorate allies in a legally stronger position so they could maintain their alliances with the Protectorate and, for many of them, their membership.
Ronin couldn’t return home. As soon as his mother found out, she resigned her position. Even now, Vernaya and her family were on their way to Tessa to join them. If Ronin returned home, he would be arrested, and Vernaya refused to live in her people’s space while that was true.
Thanesh had already offered her a Protectorate position, creating new armour for them, which she had accepted. Meanwhile, Ronin’s father was thrilled at the idea of living and hunting in a new world.
Sophia and Ronin had been offered positions in the Protectorate, but with both of them wanted, their role wasn’t yet clear.
On the quartex, humans were being called terrorists. There had been calls for a full-scale invasion of Earth. Thankfully, the Protectorate’s allies on the council were calling for calm and reason while facts were ascertained.
Sophia’s mind kept going back to Arridis. If she’d only caught him.
Dahnus was using agents to search for sight or sound of the Todaal, but there wasn’t even a record he’d ever been on the station.
There was, however, a record of him being kidnapped from Todaal five days ago. It had shown up this morning. Accounts were vague, but his family members swore he’d been there, home with them for several cycles. They were lying, of course, but whether they knew his whereabouts now was unknown.
Ronin’s voice called out in the hall outside of their room.
Sophia swept all thought aside and turned to enjoy the sight of her mate entering the room. The door opened, and Ronin walked in dressed in black leather-style pants, high boots, and a black leather sleeveless top. He’d taken to training every day with Danithor, Daris, and several Protectorate males, including Thanesh. The outfit was Protectorate garb, and it was supple, allowing him full movement. It also clung to him, showing off every muscle and was the single sexiest thing she’d ever seen him in!
His green skin glistened with sweat, and when his eyes landed on hers, she could already see the heat in them.
He also smelled amazing! The oceanic scent of him heightened with the physical exertion and Ronin knew it drove her insane.
She stood from her seat as he crossed the floor towards her, a grin of anticipation on his face. He snatched her from the floor so that her feet dangled. Her arms were around his neck and his hot lips on hers a moment later.
She was pressed to him with his hand on her rear, his other hand buried in her hair. She drew away, looking down at him with a grin.
‘What?’ he asked. He knew the smile far too well for a male she’d been with for less than a month.
‘Sit on the bed,’ she whispered.
Ronin seemed to consider, perhaps looking for the catch. Finally, he sat.
Sophia wriggled out of his grip and to the floor. There, she dropped to her knees, undoing his pants.
He wasn’t hard yet, which meant his cock was still sitting snug in the cloaca. Sophia ran her tongue along the crease of his slit. A noise, half-shock, half-arousal burst from Ronin’s throat, and his head fell back. She licked again as the head of his cock began to extrude, pushing the seams apart. She flicked her tongue over his frenulum, over the small hole there, taking the ocean freshness of him as his cockhead began to weep pre-cum.
Sophia was utterly aroused now, so when Ronin’s hands slipped once more into her strands and fisted her hair, the sting to her scalp only added to the sensation. Her clit began to pulse, causing her to moan around his cock, which jumped as it entered her mouth in response.
She looked into his face. Those beautiful chartreuse eyes were watching her in wonder. His mouth was open as he dragged in breaths, his hips rocking in time with her movement so that he was lightly fucking her mouth.
‘Sophia, no. I want to vrok you.’ His voice was thick with need.
Sophia dug her fingers into his thighs and increased her rhythm. She flicked and played with all the sensitive parts of him until his continued protestations ceased and his hips increased in pace. She took him as far down her throat as she could, feeling it close around him as she forced him farther and farther down.
Ronin hissed, knowing what it meant. Sophia sped her pace one last time. Inside her mouth, h
is cock began to pulse, and her mouth filled with ocean-fresh cum.
His hissing continued, his fist tightening in her hair and speeding the pulse of her own arousal. He pushed her down him, his hips thrusting hard three times then stilling as he groaned through the height of his climax.
She watched his abdominal muscles contracting hard beneath the leathery vest and ran her hand under the fabric.
The golden spots were returning. Ronin groaned again, his eyes opening and widening in surprise when he saw them.
‘I’m going back into heat,’ he gasped.
And he was taking her along for the ride! No wonder she was so horny!
‘Tevin said you were,’ she pointed out.
Ronin grinned and picked Sophia up, sitting her astride him. ‘You know what that means,’ he growled. ‘I’ll be ready to go again in a few moments.’
Sophia bit her lip and ground against him. ‘Good, I really need you,’ she whispered.
‘I need you too,’ he said, his eyes fixed on her lips.
They kissed until they were grinding against each other, then quickly undressed. Sophia climbed back on top of Ronin, her hands moving over the brightening gold marks on his chest and abdomen.
‘Vrok!’ Ronin groaned. A moment later, Sophia found herself lying on her back with Ronin between her legs, licking and sucking at her clit. She came hard a moment later, then his tongue was inside her, thickening.
‘Oh, fuck! Ronin!’
He brought her to a second climax before she was in his arms again, her back to his front.
The familiar waves of static passed between them as he vrokked her from behind, now completely taken by the heat and nonverbal. He fucked her hard and fast and then they were both cumming.
‘We probably should have waited until we were down on the planet for this!’ Ronin whispered in her ear after.
‘I think we’re just going to have to be here for a few days.’ She laughed. ‘They’ll just have to wait for us to be done.’
His hands roamed over her body, smoothing over her abdomen, cupping her breasts, tweaking a nipple before one moved to her clit and massaged small circles. His other hand moved to her throat, his fingers tipping her face towards him for a long kiss.
Slowly, he began pumping in and out of her again.
‘My mate,’ he whispered. ‘My beautiful, adorable mate.’
‘Oh. So I am adorable?’
Ronin grinned. ‘Beautiful, sexy, stunning, spectacular,’ his pressure on her clit increased and Sophia’s eyes closed. ‘Adorable.’ His voice turned husky.
The static waves began anew, and everything else fell away on yet another wave of ecstasy.
There wasn’t an underwater transport system to the atolls on Tessa, so they bought a boat. They’d laid claim to one atoll in particular.
Ronin, Sophia, Roshan, Karena, and the bump had journeyed out three days previously. This was their family time—their alone time. They lived in a house with all of Ronin’s family, and though they had their own private section, it was still a lot. As a result, they came out to the atoll whenever they had the opportunity.
Ronin’s heats were deadly. They made Sophia super fertile, and after almost four years years together, she was currently cooking baby number three.
If Ronin’s family weren’t there, Sophia and Ronin might have been overwhelmed. Instead, there was always someone there for one of the toddlers.
The babies had a mix of their skin—green with a burnished bronze tint that told of their mother's mixed human ancestry. Roshan had the tendrils of his father, Karena the hair of her mother. Sophia watched Ronin teaching Karena how to swim in the lagoon and felt blessed for her beautiful family.
Sophia scanned the lagoon for a sign of her son. He could spend hacri under the surface if Ronin and Sophia allowed him to. He loved the water. Was obsessed with swimming and exploring. It was hard to keep him out of it sometimes which Sophia had to admit, scared her. He didn’t yet have a sense of how vast the oceans were. Roshan had mastered the art of switching to his underwater lungs at eight cycles old.
On the other hand, Karena was still struggling to learn even though she was quickly approaching two.
Turning back to the task of preparing dinner, Sophia thanked god that carrying the child of a semi-aquatic alien meant she wasn’t sensitive to the smell of fish. In fact, fish was her number one craving.
A few metri later, Ronin, Roshan, and Karena joined her on the beach.
‘Mamma, Mamma, I did it!’ Karena screeched as she ran up the sand. She barrelled into Sophia, who turned to protect her bump.
‘Bueno, Karenito, Bueno!’ Sophia said, wrapping her arms around her soon-to-be middle child. ‘I’m so proud of you!’ She kissed Karena’s face, then again and again until she was squealing with laughter.
Roshan came next, throwing his arms around Sophia and greeting her with a wet kiss.
‘Hola, Carino.’ She pulled Roshan close and held him to her.
It took six cycles to fully cook a half-Kerisian child. Roshan was born exactly six cycles after they arrived at Tessa, so he was heading towards his fourth birthday.
When he was a little over a cycle old, Ronin entered another heat and Karena was born six cycles later. Four cycles earlier, heat number four, their third successful heat, struck. Sophia rubbed her hand over her belly. Inside her, the bump moved, chasing her touch.
‘Oh, can you take over tesoro? Bump needs some Mamma time.’ Sophia looked up at her mate, who was watching her with adoring eyes.
‘Of course,’ he said, sitting in the sand. ‘Roshan, Karena, sit here.’ He pointed next to him. ‘I will show you how to prepare these vegetables.’
‘Can I?’ Roshan asked.
‘Err, no,’ Sophia said. ‘For now, you get to watch.’ She sat back, leaning against the back of the seat Ronin had set up for her and placed her hands over her belly, feeling bump settle against her warmth.
‘Are we really going home tomorrow?’ Roshan asked.
‘Yes,’ Ronin said. ‘We must attend Aunt Catielle’s, err,’ he glanced at Sophia for help, ‘dedication ceremony to Kenion?’
‘Wedding,’ Sophia corrected him. After two years of dancing around one another, Catielle and Makios’s Mvari engineer had finally admitted their feelings and begun courting. The day after tomorrow, they were getting married in the human tradition. Mvari knew little about their original culture. Kerisians had no such custom, so they had borrowed, deciding they needed to formalise their feelings.
Ronin, Ganian, who had decided to stay with Adiette when she asked, and Ronin’s father had worked hard to extend the house and formally welcome the engineer into the family. Catielle, like Kenion, was shy, and the two spent much of their time alone together, but they were happy. In the half-year Kenion had lived with them, they’d never heard raised voices or angry words from either of them.
Kerisians and Mvari weren’t compatible to conceive. But Tevin, the head of Tessan medicine, had taken up their cause and was confident they’d be pregnant within the year—solar!
Sophia looked up at her mate, then her two children who watched their father cut the diamond pattern into the chovra skin. She thought about her friends. Both of them were taking time off due to pregnancy.
When the number was finally tallied, almost thirty thousand people had died in the blast at the IGC. There were calls for war, calls for justice. The Bentari put in a formal request to be allowed to gather a force and invade the human world, taking the populace into slavery. That one had almost passed but for the Amarans and several allies of the Tessans, some old, some new.
Even though Ronin and Sophia were wanted by the IGC, there were ways they’d been able to help, but Thanesh wasn’t happy putting too much on them as their family grew. Ronin worked training Protectorate in the armour his mother created for them. Sophia trained civilians in martial arts in case there was ever an attempt to invade Tessa. But that was the extent of their involvement.
Secret
ly, they were doing more.
Sophia was determined to find Arridis, who still hadn’t shown his face since that day. They had gained information from a source who claimed they knew the slave market where Arridis had been sold. They had yet to confirm it, but when they did, they intended on leaving the children with Ronin’s family and hunting him down.
After bump came, of course.
Even before Karena had finished dinner, she was nodding off. Roshan went a few metri later. Ronin cleaned, and when he was done, he and Sophia laid in each other’s arms and watched the stars. They created constellations. Imagining stories like the humans of the ancient world. Sophia was writing them down as stories for her children, and some of her friends had expressed an interest in getting copies for their own children.
Snuggling deeper into Ronin’s side, her head resting on his shoulder, Sophia turned towards her mate. Ronin’s hands skimmed over the skin of her stomach. The night air was warm on the equator, and she wore only a bikini to keep her modesty. Before the children were born, or on the rare times they got out here alone, Sophia walked around naked.
‘Boy or girl?’
‘Healthy young.’ It was always Ronin’s answer. Sophia grinned in response and kissed Ronin’s chest.
Sophia genuinely couldn’t have imagined a better male. A better mate or father. He was everything to her, him and the children they’d created together.
As she settled down to sleep, her thoughts turned to Rosie. Rosie, who was slowly coming around to the idea of moving to Tessa. Rosie that doted on her niece and nephew whenever she saw them. It had been meeting Roshan over a call for the first time that finally reached her. She stopped trying to take her own life. Stopped believing all aliens were the enemy. Stopped trying to convince Sophia to come home. Just recently, Rosie talked about making the journey with the family and joining them in their new world.
Sophia closed her eyes. She was happy, she was content. Having her family there would make everything complete. Holding onto Ronin as his fingers gently up rubbed and down her arm, she knew even if they never came, as long as they were safe, she had everything she could ever want.