His eyes snapped to the mark on her neck. “When I had the fever?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so sorry I did not remember.”
She smiled through her tears. “It doesn’t matter. Now we both know how we feel and we’re together.”
She took a step towards him, and a clear barrier dropped down from the ceiling, separating them on opposite sides of the room.
Chapter Fourteen
Taraxan pounded on the barrier but it refused to budge. Mr. Tiddles chittered anxiously, also pawing at the clear material.
Jane’s eyes were wide and terrified. “What’s happening?”
“We will not allow you to waste any more time on this foolishness, Commander Bellkandis.” The mechanical voice of his tester echoed in the small room, and this time he could see that Jane understood. “It is time for you to return to your duties. The female will remain here.”
“No,” he growled, and Jane echoed his protest.
“If you do not, you will both be destroyed.”
Jane gave a muffled sob. “You can’t do that.”
“We can and we will.” The voice seemed to soften fractionally. “Once he has departed, you will be released.”
“You cannot expect her to survive on her own,” he protested.
“I… I’ll be fine. And at least I’ll know you’re safe.” Tears still streamed down her cheeks, but she tried to smile at him.
By the Swords, what was he going to do? He had absolutely no intention of leaving her behind. He would rather stay here with her than leave without her. But what if he couldn’t leave…
Would the testers still carry out their threat?
It was a gamble he was willing to take. He would rather die here than exist without her.
He placed his open hand against his side of the barrier, and she mirrored the gesture, her hand impossibly small in comparison.
“Trust me,” he whispered. “I love you, Jane.”
“I love you too. Taraxan.” She carefully pronounced his full name, but he shook his head.
“I will always be Tarax to you.”
He forced himself to draw away. “Stay with her,” he ordered Mr. Tiddles, then took off at a run.
The doors to the hangar were open now, and he paused long enough to examine them. Good. They were standard blast doors, designed to shield the rest of the building from any accidents with a ship in the hangar. A fierce grin crossed his face as he stepped inside and eyed the waiting ship. An Imperial Class fighter—fast, efficient, and deadly. He had trained on one in his academy days, and it would be perfect for his needs.
He climbed into the cockpit and fired up the engine. It responded immediately with a familiar throaty rumble. But instead of beginning the takeoff procedure, he snapped open a small, concealed panel and initiated the self-destruct sequence.
“What are you doing?” The tester’s voice echoed through the hangar.
“I am destroying the ship.”
“Why?”
“Because I will not leave Jane. I would rather die.”
“You will both die!”
He forced himself to shrug. “It would be foolish to destroy her once I am no longer around. I do not think you are foolish.” Or at least he prayed that they were not.
He thought he detected a muffled argument, but the words were unintelligible. At last, the voice spoke again.
“We still cannot allow the human female to leave this planet. You will agree to remain here with her?”
“Of course.” He didn’t even have to consider the matter. His duties, his honors—they meant nothing without her.
“Very well. Terminate the self-destruct sequence.”
“I cannot. There is no option to terminate it once it is in progress.” That was not strictly true, but he didn’t trust the testers. If the ship was still usable, they might try to force him to leave a second time.
“Then leave the hangar. Immediately.”
Triumph roared through him as he climbed down and raced for the doors, slamming them shut behind him and locking them in place. He heard the muffled sound of an explosion from the hangar, but he ignored it as he hurried back to the lab.
Jane was still pressed against the barrier, her face pale. He started to roar his frustration, but then the barrier lifted into the ceiling and Jane tumbled into his arms. He had just destroyed his only hope of leaving this planet, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. Jane was here, and she was safe, and they were together. Nothing else mattered.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Jane smoothed the fur she had cured across their mattress and smiled happily at the results. Every day their house felt more like a home. She knew Tarax felt guilty about having destroyed their only way off the planet—even if he’d had no other alternative—and he worked tirelessly to make a comfortable life for her.
They had decided to build their house at the edge of the jungle. She preferred the life and variety of the jungle to the more sterile surroundings of the open plains. Neither one of them had wanted to be too close to the test lab, but after a few weeks, Tarax had decided to return and see what he could salvage.
They had both been wary of another trap, but he returned triumphantly with some of the supplies they had seen on their first trip—supplies that made their life much easier, despite his skill at improvising.
Since then he had made several more trips. There had still been no sign of the testers, and they had never spoken to him again.
Mr. Tiddles suddenly burst through the open doorway, chittering excitedly, and dropped an enormous—and still squirming—insect at her feet. Her stomach churned as its legs waved frantically and green goo oozed from its middle, and she had to dash for the bathroom.
When Tarax entered the house a short time later, she was still there, clutching the composting toilet that had been one of his most successful finds.
“Jane! What’s wrong?”
She waved a hand weakly. “Mr. Tiddles brought me a present. It wasn’t quite dead.”
Her pet chittered sorrowfully and she managed to smile at him. “I know you meant well.”
“I don’t like this.” Tarax lifted her carefully to her feet, then helped her brush her teeth and wash her face. “You were ill earlier this week as well.”
“It was the fish.” Even the memory made her feel queasy again. “It just didn’t agree with me.”
“You used to enjoy it.”
“Well, now I don’t,” she said crossly.
“I think we need to take a trip to the lab.”
She wanted to object, but it really wasn’t like her to be sick. As much as she hated returning there, the medical unit was extremely useful.
“Oh, all right,” she muttered.
Tarax laughed and drew her into his arms. “I will make sure you enjoy the journey.”
“How are you going to do that?” She smiled despite herself.
“I will make frequent stops to allow you to feast on my cock,” he said solemnly, golden eyes gleaming.
Her nipples tightened as a pulse of desire flickered through her clit. She did enjoy taking him in her mouth. “And you will return the favor?”
“Of course,” he said immediately. “But perhaps we should begin now—to make sure that I am still in practice.”
“You practiced last night,” she pointed out, but he ignored her, lifting her onto the counter and parting her legs.
His talented fingers stroked through her sensitive folds, already slick with desire. “Perfect. Hot and wet and ready.”
“I’m always ready for you,” she said truthfully, but then his roughened tongue swirled around her clit, and she lost the ability to speak.
Two days later, Jane waited anxiously on the exam table as the machine scanned her body. She still hated being here, afraid that they would be separated once more, but she couldn’t deny the effectiveness of the medical bed.
The machine beeped and flashed up the results. Tarax’s eyes
widened as he studied the information, and her heart thudded against her ribs.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” he said quickly, then his fierce grin lit up his face. “You are with child.”
“I’m pregnant?” The room seemed to sway around her and he immediately came to her side, holding her in a reassuring grip.
“You are not pleased?” he asked softly.
“Pleased? I just… I never thought… I mean, you’re Doturan and I’m human!” It had never even occurred to her that getting pregnant was a possibility.
His body tensed. “I am sorry that you are unhappy-”
“No! I’m not unhappy, Tarax. I’m thrilled.” Tears sprang to her eyes as the truth finally penetrated, and she curved her hand over her stomach.
Tarax put his arms around her, placing his hand over hers. They stood locked together in a daze of happiness until he suddenly pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I should try again to retrieve the communication system from the remains of the ship,” he muttered, pacing back and forth.
“Why? Even if you could get it working, do you really want to go back to Dotura?”
He returned to her side at once, lifting her into his arms and kissing her until she was clinging to him helplessly. “You know I don’t. I have everything I want right here.”
Thank goodness. Nothing he had told her about Dotura seemed particularly enticing.
“But they have much more advanced medical care,” he continued. “It would be safer for you and the baby.”
“I’m fine with our own medical machine.” In addition to healing Tarax’s leg, when she had foolishly sprained her ankle, it had healed that as well.
“I suppose.”
He still looked worried and it was her turn to give him a reassuring hug. “It’s going to be fine. I know it is. And you’re going to make a wonderful father.”
“A father,” he repeated, his golden eyes glowing.
Would their child have his eyes, she wondered. It didn’t matter, she knew that he—or she—would be perfect.
“There’s so much to do,” he added. “I need to build an additional room and expand the kitchen. I should hunt for more furs for her bed as well and -”
She laughed and placed a gentle finger over his mouth.
“And there’s time to do all of it. Now let’s go home.”
***
Va’rik’at’char sent a message through his neural network to his fellow scientist, La’tok’at’bron.
It appears that the experiment is a complete success. An emotional bond and breeding capability.
If La’tok’at’bron had been able to communicate verbally, he would have snorted. Instead, he sent a dismissive return message.
In this instance. But you cannot claim success based on such a limited data set.
Va’rik’at’char’s antennae waved gently. Agreed. Did you have another test subject in mind?
Yes. I propose using a Hsslak next time.
But they are a desert species. A human female will have great difficulty surviving in that environment.
Then it will be a more stringent experiment.
Very well. Va’rik’at’char gave his assent, then floated comfortably in his tank as La’tok’at’bron began the preparations. The first experiment had proven most instructive—and enjoyable. He could hardly wait to see what the next encounter would produce…
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading The Naked Alien! I’m having so much fun with this new series – I love it when a hero and heroine are placed in a survival situation and must depend on each other! 2021 got off to a rocky start for me, and this story helped pull me though.
Whether you enjoyed the story or not, it would mean the world to me if you left an honest review on Amazon – reviews are one of the best ways to help other readers find my books!
As always, I have to thank my readers for joining me on these adventures! Your support and encouragement make it possible for me to keep writing these books.
And, as always, a special thanks to my beta team – Janet S, Nancy V, and Kitty S. Your thoughts and comments are incredibly helpful!
Are you curious about Va’rik’at’char and La’tok’at’bron’s plans for their next... subjects? Find out all about it in The Bare Essentials!
Can Janet survive the heat of an alien desert? And the heat of the alien warrior who finds her?
Click here to order The Bare Essentials!
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Other Titles
Exposed to the Elements
The Naked Alien
The Bare Essentials
The Alien Abduction Series
Anna and the Alien
Beth and the Barbarian
Cam and the Conqueror
Deb and the Demon
Ella and the Emperor
Faith and the Fighter
Greta and the Gargoyle
Hanna and the Hitman
Izzie and the Icebeast
Joan and the Juggernaut
The Alien Invasion Series
Alien Selection
Alien Conquest
Alien Prisoner
Alien Breeder
Alien Alliance
Alien Hope
Standalones
Jackie and the Giant - A Cosmic Fairy Tale
Krampus and the Crone - A ScFi Holiday Tale
Cyborgs on Mars
High Plains Cyborg
The Good, the Bad, and the Cyborg
A Fistful of Cyborg
A Few Cyborgs More
The Magnificent Cyborg
The Outlaw Cyborg
Treasured by the Alien with Bex McLynn
Mama and the Alien Warrior
A Son for the Alien Warrior
Daughter of the Alien Warrior
A Family for the Alien Warrior
About the Author
Honey Phillips writes steamy science fiction stories about hot alien warriors and the human women they can’t resist. From abductions to invasions, the ride might be rough, but the end always satisfies.
Honey wrote and illustrated her first book at the tender age of 5. Her writing has improved since then. Her drawing skills, unfortunately, have not. She loves writing, reading, traveling, cooking, and drinking champagne - not necessarily in that order.
Honey loves to hear from her wonderful readers! You can stalk her at any of the following locations…
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