by Sophie Stern
“Just feel, Hayden. There’s no wrong way to do this.”
“I’m worried it won’t be good for you,” I admit.
“Hayden, it’s going to take us awhile to get to know each other’s bodies. You are unlike any person I’ve ever been with before. It’s like the first time for both of us, princess. It’s a journey of discovery, and we’re on it together.”
He smiles, and I can’t help but laugh in happiness.
What a beautiful way of looking at this.
He’s right.
He might be experienced, but he’s never been with anyone like me before. He’s never been with me before, and I am different. I am unique. I am unlike his previous partners. The things they loved, I might hate. The things they hated, I might love. There’s only one way to find out, and Gaz and I are going to find out together.
I begin to grind against him and he starts kissing me again. Every part of my body feels wild, but good. I feel incredible. Alive. Happy.
He touches me, playing with my nipples and pinching them. He kisses me at the same time, and I feel so overwhelmed with sensations that I’m not sure what to do next.
Then Gaz holds my hips and kisses me softly.
“It’s time, baby,” he says. “Tell me you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.”
His cock is at my entrance, nudging me, and I start to slide down onto him. He groans as he fills me, and I let out a deep, feral moan. It feels good. Really good. I feel full and sated, and I hold still for a moment as I get used to it.
“How’s that, princess?”
“Good,” I tell him honestly. “So fucking good, Gaz.”
“I’m going to start moving,” he says, and I nod. He thrusts up into me slowly, methodically, and I hold onto him, riding his movements like a wave. He holds onto my hips as he thrusts, and with each movement, my body moves closer and closer to orgasm.
I can’t quite reach it, though. It’s elusive to me, and I’m not sure how to ask for what I need. Gaz looks at me, watching me as he makes love to me, and I feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.
And in that moment, I realize that if I just ask, Gaz will give me what I want, what I need. If I can be so brave as to ask him, he will provide for me in every way, including this one.
“Please,” I whisper. “I need a little more.” My voice sounds whiny and I know I’m begging, but in this moment, that doesn’t matter.
“Of course, princess,” he says. “Here, baby.” He releases my hips and moves his hand so he’s gently rubbing me. My body begins to get hotter and hotter as his fingers expertly touch me. “How’s that, sexy girl?”
“So good,” I groan.
“You’re going to come for me, Hayden, and it’s going to be fucking spectacular,” he says. “You look so damn sexy like this, riding my cock like a fucking pro. You look so beautiful, baby, so good. You look incredible.”
His comments make me feel like a damn star. He makes me feel feminine and beautiful and free, and as he touches me, I grind harder against him, getting closer, closer, closer.
And then I come for him.
I open my mouth and close my eyes and everything just fades away.
All of the pain is gone.
All of the heartache is gone.
All of my past is gone.
All that remains is a beautiful future with the man that I love, and then I open my eyes in time to see him come, too.
Gaz looks incredible when he orgasms, and he fills me, marking me as his own, branding me as his beautiful mate.
I curl up next to him and drape my arm over him.
“I love you,” I whisper. “Foever.”
“Forever, Hayden,” he says in agreement. “It’s you and me.”
Epilogue
One month later
Hayden
Aliens have a bit of a problem with stealing.
Gaz, in particular, has a problem because he stole my heart, and I know that I’m never going to get it back. That’s all right, though, because as I stare at my Orchidian groom, I know that it’s in good hands. Gaz will do everything in his power to take care of me for the rest of my days.
He’ll do everything in his power to keep me safe, to protect me.
He’ll do anything for me, just as I will do anything for him.
The music begins and Gaz and I are suddenly covered with flower petals from every known planet in the universe. The flower petals drop over us, covering us and our guests as the celebration of our union begins.
The area fills with laughter as guests begin to push the petals off of their shoulders and clothes. I smile at Gaz as he brushes a few of the flower petals off of me and steps forward to plant a soft kiss on my cheek.
“I love you, beautiful,” he whispers.
“I love you, too, Gaz.”
My heart soars as I look at the man I’m about to marry. We’re here, on our wedding day, and the world couldn’t be more perfect.
If you had asked me before if I’d ever get married, I would have said no.
I would have said it was unlikely.
I would have said it was impossible.
I was far too damaged, too broken, for anyone to love me.
That’s the funny thing about love, though: it heals even the deepest wounds. I was scarred and broken when Gaz first met me. I still am in many ways, but each day we’re together, the pain fades a little bit more and my heart sings with joy.
He truly is incredible, and I am so lucky to have found him.
I glance at my brothers, who are sitting in the front row at the ceremony. Their wives are smiling and waving as they watch Gaz and I holding hands in front of them.
The chairs for our guests are set up in a circle with several rows. Gaz and I are standing at the center of the circle in our wedding clothes: traditional Orchidian garb for him and a Sapphiran blue gown for me.
Music starts to sound and we raise our voices to sing promises to each other. We sing of our love and of our future and of our dreams. We sing because sometimes, the strongest thing we have is hope for what comes next.
Sometimes, the most valuable thing we can offer to one another is the understanding that the world might not always be beautiful, but we can make it beautiful.
We can give ourselves to each other and we can love each other so deeply that we heal those dark wounds from our pasts.
And with healing comes hope for a future so bright we can’t help but chase it.
Gaz sings to me and as the words blossom from my heart to my lips, I can’t help but think I truly am the most lucky woman in the universe.
And I am loved.
THE END
About the Author
Sophie Stern writes paranormal romance about dragons, bears, wolves, and princesses. Her work ranges from adult fairytales to cowboy adventures to dragon shifters who live on their own private island. Visit her at www.sexysophiestern.com to learn more.
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Alien Dragon
I'm on the last ship out.
I don't think I'm going to make it, but I do. Earth is dying and there's only one way I can possibly survive: fight for a spot on the dragon planet of Taneyemm.
They don't want humans there.
They don't like us.
They don't know us.
But when I step foot on the ship bound for Taneyemm, I know it's my last hope. I'll do anything I have to survive.
I'll do whatever it takes.
When I finally reach my destination and I see the alien dragons for the first time, I realize I'm in way over my head.
And I don't know if my heart is ready for this.
Want to read more? Get your copy on Amazon or keep reading for a sneak peek!
Chapter 1
What’s that old Earth saying?
Karma’s a bitch?
Well, I must have done some
thing super fucked up in a former life because right now sucks.
The worst part is that there’s nothing I can do about it.
As I make my way slowly through the crowds of people to the herbalist’s shop, I search my brain for one more idea, one more method I could employ to make my life just a little bit better. I just need one more way to try to make my dad more comfortable. I just need one more way to give him a little bit of hope before everything vanishes.
My home planet is dying. The grass is gone and the air is thick. It’s always hard to breathe. Always. When I was a child, we had green, rich grass. That was before the wars. That was long ago. Now things are damaged and it’s all I can do to get through the day.
I just need to make it through each day.
My world has always been broken. There are legends of times past when humans were happy, but to me, those stories are just myths. They’re happy bedtime stories to help children fall asleep, but they don’t fix the reality I live in.
Tonight I have to hurry home to my father, but my mind is focused on the pain, the exhaustion. No matter how hard I fight, the world keeps closing in on me, on all of us. Will there ever come a day when the grass turns green again? Will there ever be a time when the air is clean?
A woman bumps me and I glare at her, tired and angry. I’m frustrated. I’m worn out. I have to fight through a crowd of sick and dying people to get herbs for my father who is also sick and dying. We all just want to survive another day, but the grim reality is that it probably won’t happen. We’re all running on borrowed time and it’s only a matter of when it runs out.
My father is very sick. He’s in constant pain, but when he finally passes, I don’t know what I’m going to do. He’s the only one I have. He’s the only one who cares about me.
The herbalist gives me the jar and I throw my coins at him before leaving. It’s a long walk home and it’s already dark. We’re not supposed to be outside at night, but I don’t have much of a choice. It’s a three mile walk back to our hut and if I don’t make it, my father’s pain will be so strong he’ll pass out.
Things weren’t always so bad. Despite the world dying, falling apart, resting in ruins, my father and I were happy once, at least a little. He wasn’t always sick. When I was a girl, he would tell me stories of times when Earth was full and lively and fun. He used to make me laugh. We’d make plans for the future that always included escaping Earth, but we never had the money.
And then he got sick.
It’s not that there weren’t options. There were. For nearly 10 years, there were ships bringing people to other planets. Oh, you had to see your soul and maybe a few body parts to afford passage, but there were ways to escape.
Not anymore.
The last ship sailed this morning for Taneyemm, and I wasn’t on it. I couldn’t afford what they were asking. The price for simply getting on the ship is more money than I’ve seen in my lifetime.
And the ticket price didn’t even guarantee you’d get to stay on the planet.
Interplanetary relations are a tricky thing. Not every planet wants humans, even rich ones. Some planets super want humans, or so I’ve heard. It really just depends on where you go, and what you can afford, and which ship you can get on.
The rich people evacuated Earth first, heading to planets full of humans. They basically had their choice of planets to run to. The Martians were especially friendly toward Earthlings and took in more refugees than any other planet. Most of the others were a bit more standoffish, though.
Most of the others didn’t quite know what to do with us.
Taneyemm is one of the worst, but I’d still go there in a heartbeat if it meant getting off Earth. Even if the world doesn’t implode like some predict it will, we’re all going to starve to death pretty soon. There’s no food left.
Reslenoau delivered food for years to Earth, but even with Earthlings fleeing to other planets, there was never enough. Soon they couldn’t keep up with the demand and they quit bringing food altogether.
I try not to think about that.
Right now I have to get home. I move as quickly as my feet will carry me. My leather slippers are old and worn and they don’t do much to protect my feet. No, my skin won’t be torn up from the rocky terrain, but I feel every rock pressing against the soles of my feet.
I feel every sting.
It’s well past midnight when I arrive home and slip inside the tiny hut I share with my father. We built it years ago, long after Mama died, and it’s tiny, but it keeps us warm. It keeps us dry.
“Father,” I say, kneeling beside his bed. It’s only a pallet on top of some crates, but for the most part, it’s fine. His poor body is wracked with fatigue, pain, and sickness. I know sometimes he wishes it would just be over. He’s been sick for a long time and unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do.
There was a doctor in our town, but he left long ago.
I reach for my father, ready to wake him and give him his herbs, but when I touch him, his body is cold and stiff. He rolls as I touch him and I see that I’m too late.
I took too long and he’s gone.
He’s dead.
My father is gone.
For a long time, I just sit next to his bed. I don’t react. I don’t cry. I don’t do anything. I can’t. He was all I had left in the world and he’s gone. He’s gone.
When the tears finally come, the sobs are loud and painful. I cry until I have nothing left, and then I sit there. If only our lives had gone differently. If only he’d been able to make it on a ship. Any ship. Anywhere.
Maybe he would have had a chance.
I don’t know much about medical care on other planets, but I know anything would have been better than this. The pain of losing him is only soothed by the realization that he’s no longer hurting. For months, my father has struggled with even the most basic tasks. The last few weeks have been the hardest.
We both knew there wasn’t much time left.
And now?
Now I’m stuck on a dying planet with no hope for a future. What am I supposed to do? Wait around until I die, too?
“Fuck you, death,” I whisper, and grab my father’s hand one last time. I hold it for a moment, then kiss him on the forehead. “Goodbye, Father,” I murmur, and smooth back his hair. He’s covered with a soft quilt and I pull it over his head before I stand.
There’s nothing left for me here.
It’s the middle of the night, but I don’t care. I ignore the fears that rush through me as I step back outside. There are wild creatures roaming about. They’re just as hungry as me, but they’re more vicious.
It’s not like I have anything left to live for, so I just start running.
***
After about ten minutes, I slow down to a walk. My crying has stopped, but I still feel like I’m dreaming. I’m living this nightmare that never ends, reminding me once again that not all dreams are good. I know this better than most Earthlings.
That’s why I hate when people make those weird wishes about their dreams coming true. Who really wants that? Some dreams are nightmares. Even if you think you know what you’re asking for, you don’t. Not always. Not even usually.
My running has brought me close to town, near to where I brought the herbs. I haven’t seen any animals yet, which is unusual. Usually there are at least a few stray dogs running around. Sometimes there are even cats. Despite my tears, I manage to calm down long enough to wonder where the animals have gone.
Why aren’t there any around?
Instead of heading to the city center, I veer around the outside of the village. I notice the lights coming from just beyond the edges of the dilapidated buildings.
There used to be a school and some other things in this area. Maybe even a government office. I’m not sure. Now it’s just used as a landing area when aliens come to Earth. Still, we aren’t getting any of those again, so why is it lit? There shouldn’t be any lights over here.
There shouldn
’t be any people.
Curiosity starts to overtake my emotions. Instead of feeling extreme pain my heart, I’m feeling something else. I’m calming down and now, instead of heading for the village, I’m walking toward the light. I duck under the barbed wire fence that goes around the old school building. It’s falling down and wouldn’t keep a mouse out, let alone an intruder.
Around the back of the building, I have a clear view of a large, hovering spaceship. Lights are shining all around it, although less than there usually are.
What the hell?
Slowly, cautiously, I approach the ship. Why is it here? Is this the Taneyemm ship? Surely it can’t be. I know all about that ship and I know that more than anything else, the Taneyemm ship was supposed to leave yesterday. We all thought it did, so why is it here? All thoughts of my father vanish as I wonder – stupidly, perhaps – whether there’s any chance I could get on board.
If I stay on Earth, I’ll wander around until I kill myself or starve to death. There is no one here to look after me, no one here to care for me. There’s no one here to make sure I’m eating or drinking water or staying alive. Everyone is so busy looking after their own that the best damn thing I can do for my village is to die.
There are people moving between the ship and the ground, loading large boxes and cargo. I peek from around a boulder, my eyes prying into the darkness. There are 10 or 15 humans walking around. One has a clipboard and appears to be checking items off a list as the others move around, taking and giving orders.
I’m about 30 yards from the entrance to the ship. Right now, there’s no chance I’d be able to sneak onboard undetected. Without a plan, without money, without hope, how am I going to get on?