Her Alien Protector

by Siren Allen

  “Please return the concubines to their recovery rooms. Once they’ve healed completely from their enhancements we’ll move them to their permanent chambers in the harem. Seek out the ninth prisoner, the one my sister did not enhance, and bring him to me.”

  “Lark, wait…”

  “Don’t tell me to wait, Lola.” Lark stared over her shoulder to make sure the prisoners were leaving. Her sneaky sister was up to something, again. Once they were gone, she unleashed her anger.

  “What have you done now? Please tell me you haven’t helped another prisoner escape like you did the last one you felt sorry for.” Her sister had the audacity to blush. Why the hell was she always blushing?

  “Are you ever going to forgive me for that?”

  “No, he cost us a lot of currency. We had to pay his home planet a large sum to keep them from reporting us to the Council. That was your fault.”

  “I-I let him go because I thought he was innocent. No innocent person should be punished…”

  “No,” Lark interrupted her. “You let him go because he fucked you real good and you felt you owed him something.”

  “I did not fu… have relations with him.” More blushing.

  “Yes you did. When Galaxy Patrol found him, he told them about all the nasty things you let him do to you.”

  “He was lying.” Tears welled in her sister’s eyes and guilt immediately flooded Lark.

  Why the hell was she taking her jealousy out on her sister? It wasn’t Lola’s fault that Lark wished she too could throw caution to the wind and allow one of the prisoners to touch her. It wasn’t Lola’s fault Lark had secret desires and fears that she refused to share with her youngest sister.

  As Lola ranted on about her reason for allowing a prisoner to escape, Lark scratched her palm. What the hell had she touched that was irritating her skin? She wished she could blame it on something in her sister’s lab. But the itching started before she came here.

  Plus, her sister kept her lab sterilized. However, something was causing Lark’s palm to be inflamed. All morning her hand had been itching. And she’d been feeling a tad bit warm, slightly feverish. She should probably have Lola or one of the medics examine her.

  “Are you listening to me Lark?”

  Lark shoved her hands into her pockets. “I… yes… no, sorry.”

  Lola sighed. “Bottom line is, I didn’t let him touch me, I swear. I let him go because he told me he’d been sent here for stealing food for his starving family. I was trying to help him. No one should be punished for being poor.”

  Purple tears fell from Lola’s eyes. Lark tried to ignore them, she really did. She wanted to be mad at her sister. She wanted Lola to understand that letting emotions get the best of you was a weakness. There was no room for weakness in their line of work.

  Their parents had worked hard to build a great life for them and everyone on Venus. It would be stupid to throw that all away just because you felt sorry for someone. But Lark loved her sister too much to continue this argument with her.

  She didn’t know why she started it in the first place. She was feeling extra moody today. What she needed was a break, away from this place, away from being in charge. That couldn’t happen until her oldest sister returned from her mission. Until then, Lark had to keep her attitude in check and not go around hurting her baby sister’s feelings.

  “Come here.” Lark opened her arms and Lola stepped into them.

  No matter how much of a badass Lark pretended to be, she could never be that way with her family. That was her one weakness. She blamed her mother for that, instilling family first in all her girls.

  “I’m sorry for sending that other prisoner away,” Lola mumbled, voice shaky. “I should’ve known he was lying. I’m truly sorry.”

  “Hush now, I know you’re sorry and I know you want to save the world. But you can’t believe every sob story you’re told. Prisoners will do whatever they can to avoid being punished. They’ll lie, they’ll steal, and some of them would even kill us, if given the chance. Some lie and say they want to work here simply because they think they’ll be able to escape. Those particular beings will try to get you to see them as vulnerable. You can’t do that. Just do your job and ignore them. Don’t chat with them while you’re working on them, okay?”

  Lola nodded.

  “Good, now tell me what sob story this new prisoner has told you.”

  Her sister stepped back, removed her glasses and wiped her eyes. She and Lola looked so alike, yet were so different. It was amazing. Like both her sisters, Lark had black hair and a slender yet curvy body.

  But unlike her sisters, Lark no longer had long hair, though it was in the process of growing back. She now sported a cute bob. She’d had it cut weeks after her parents passed away.

  Another difference between the sisters was their eye colors. While Lola’s eyes were a purplish silver color and Luna’s were a bluish silver color, Lark’s eyes were a ruby color, and turned a bright red when she was mad or extremely irritated.

  Her dad said it was because she was full of fire. Like her dad, Lark had a hot head and a short temper. But she was working on controlling her attitude. It was hard to do. Conversing with Lola without feeling the need to strangle her was a sign of progress.

  It was a sign that she was managing her anger better. And lately, she’d been carrying around a lot of anger, most of which stemmed from the fact that she had too many responsibilities.

  With Luna gone, it was up to Lark to ensure that her people remained safe. Not only did she have to see to her own duties, she also had to attend conference calls with other Rulers to discuss topics she couldn’t care less about.

  Yet, someone had to do it. And since she was next in line to rule, the task fell on her shoulders. It was irritating and frustrating. It made her glad she wasn’t the first born. And it made her wish she was the third born. Speaking of the third born…

  “Are you going to tell me what sob story this alien told you or not, Lola?”

  “Oh uh, sorry, my mind was a thousand miles away.”

  So was hers. It seemed they both had a lot on their plate with Luna gone.

  “No problem. What did he tell you?”

  “Well, the new prisoner didn’t tell me a sob story. He’s not trying to escape or anything. He uh, he simply refuses to let me enhance him.”

  “Refuses? He can’t refuse. He’s ours now. I purchased him.”

  “First of all, you don’t own these people. They live here. They work here. They’re our employees.”

  “I purchased him,” Lark reiterated. “I own him.”

  “You make them sound like slaves?”

  “Of course they’re not slaves. We don’t condone that here. He’s a prisoner who is avoiding prison because I purchased him. His ass can’t refuse anything.”

  “He doesn’t want to be changed.” Lola shrugged.

  “Does he think it’s going to hurt? Did you tell him this is not Earth? We don’t use scalpels and sutures to get the job done.”

  “He knows, I told him the changes are painless. I explained to him that it’s not an invasive procedure and that I use a machine to make all of my alterations and even though there is a day or two of soreness afterward, there are no scars. He still refuses to be touched.”

  “Why the hell did he agree to be purchased then? Why didn’t he take his sorry ass on to Mercury?”

  “I don’t know. I asked, but he ignored my question.”

  “I’ll ask him myself. If he ignores me, I’ll use my stun gun to loosen his lips.”

  “Lark, you may not want to do that.”

  “Trust me, I do want to do it.” Lark was so sick of prisoners agreeing to come there then changing their mind once they arrived. Working in a harem was a hundred times better than being a prisoner on Mercury. The ogres on Mercury were rumored to sometimes eat the prisoners who disobeyed their rules. It was hell there.

  It wasn’t like this was Earth, where having sex for money
was a crime. On Venus, and many other planets, unmated individuals were free to use sex as a form of currency. Beings bartered sex for goods all the time.

  “Uh.” Lola bit her lips. Lark didn’t miss the look of fear that flickered in her purple eyes. “You really don’t want to use your stun gun on this male.”

  “Why not? What aren’t you telling me?”

  “This prisoner isn’t like the others.”

  “What’s so special about this one?” Lark placed her hands on her hips, wishing she could read her sister’s mind because talking this out was taking too long. “What is it, Lola, damn? Just spit it out.”

  “He’s from the Kuiper Belt.”

  Shit. “He’s…” Shit. “The Kuiper Belt, are you sure?”

  Lola nodded.

  Fuck, why was she just learning that there was a vampire on her planet? That type of information should’ve been transmitted to her in this morning’s communication.

  “How did he get here? I didn’t purchase any prisoners from the Kuiper Belt. I would never purchase one of those insane bastards. They’re cold, heartless, they kill for sport. I don’t purchase prisoners like that.”

  “No, you didn’t buy this one. Luna did.”

  “Luna? But why? And why are you just now telling me this? And how the hell did she buy him? She wasn’t even here when I placed the order.”

  “First of all, you don’t have to yell. I’m just now telling you because it was only moments ago that I found out we had a vampire on the planet. I checked the computer to make sure it was legit and it is. Luna logged into the system from her craft and cancelled your order for a Uranian.”

  “She what?”

  “Sorry,” Lola typed something into her E-Pad.

  “What are you sorry about?”

  “Sorry that you and Ana won’t get to play with a Uranian. That is why you ordered one, for you and Ana, right?”

  Lark could feel herself blushing. How did Lola know about that?

  “Look who’s blushing now.” Lola smiled.

  “I am not blushing. And I wasn’t planning on playing with the prisoner.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Whatever,” Lola shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now because Luna switched your Uranian out with a prisoner from the Kuiper Belt. She had the prisoner sent to Uranus where our guards picked him up and delivered him here. She sent a missive with the guards. The message said for us to keep the prisoner’s presence a secret. She doesn’t want to alarm our citizens.”

  “They have every right to be alarmed. The Kuiper Belt is a dark, frozen place. The blood sucking creatures who live there are beasts with no feelings, no souls. They kill and destroy anyone who is different than them. You’ve heard the rumors, I’ve heard them, and so has Luna. Why would she send one of them here?” Lark paced, massaging her forehead. “It’s rumored that even the animals on the dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt have fangs. What the hell was Luna thinking?”

  “She did it for the currency. According to Luna’s note, the Queen of Jupiter is coming here in a few wanings and she’s willing to pay big money for one night with a vampire. It’s a fantasy of hers. When Luna heard there were males from the Kuiper Belt being sent to Mercury’s prison, she decided to purchase a few of them for our harem.”

  “A few of them!” There were more of those things coming?

  “Yes.”

  “Where are the others?”

  “They’ll be here in three wanings.”

  Three wanings, damn. Venus would soon begin its dark cycle, fifty four wanings of limited sunlight. Perfect conditions for vampires to thrive. Hell no. Not happening.

  “I don’t care how soon they will be here. They can’t stay. Is Luna out of her fucking mind? We can’t have vampires here. We’ve worked too hard to build a solid reputation to have it screwed up, just because Jupiter’s Queen wants to screw a vamp. She’s not going to want to fuck one once she sees for herself how vicious they are. They’re violent. They’re known for destroying whole armies, whole worlds. How are we supposed to keep them from killing our people, from killing us?”

  Okay, she was officially panicking.

  “He doesn’t seem vicious. Plus he’s wearing a vampire-slave collar and the guards have the remote to it. Luna’s note said the collar controls him. Right now, he’s manageable and he’s no threat to us. But he still looks creepy, you know, because of the fangs and all.”

  Lola fiddled with the E-Pad she was holding. “Did I mention he has fangs Lark, long fangs? Long, pointy fangs. And he doesn’t want to be enhanced. I’m too scared to force him.”

  “No, don’t force him. You could get yourself killed like that. We’ve never had to force a concubine to do anything and we’re not about to start. When is Luna scheduled to return from her trip to Earth?”

  “In two solar flares.”

  “Okay.” Lark nodded, pacing from left to right. “Since Luna felt we needed a freaking vampire in our harem, we’ll let her talk him into being enhanced. He’s no longer our problem.”

  “Don’t be mad at her.”

  “Too late.”

  “She’s only trying to do what she feels is best for Venus. Since mother and father died, it’s been hard on all of us. She’s still learning how to be the ruler of our people. Cut her some slack. She’s only been at this for six months.”

  Six long and painful months. And during that time her and her sisters had been thrust into the position of rulers. Something they’d thought they would have decades to prepare for. Unfortunately, life wasn’t willing to work around their schedule.

  Lark stared down at her long black nails. They were painted black because she was still in mourning. Lola was right. They were all still hurting from their parents’ death. Luna never wanted to be ruler of Venus.

  But she was the oldest and Venusians were a stickler for tradition. They would accept no one but the eldest Valdese daughter as their ruler, even though some still wished there was a Valdese son to rule.

  There wasn’t, so those who wanted that would have to wait until Luna found a mate and birthed a son. Still, the pressure on her sister’s shoulders was tremendous. Luna was doing the best she could. Lark needed to remember that.

  “You’re right. I’ll try not to be mad at her. But can I at least be a little frustrated?”

  “I guess you can be frustrated.” Lola smiled.

  Lark found herself smiling also. “So, do you think currency wise, it was a good idea for her to purchase a vampire?” Lark asked.

  “I don’t know, maybe. Yeah, he’s scary as hell, but if he would only cooperate, I know we would be able to capitalize on him being here. We need the currency if we hope to build that new theme park.”

  Lola was right. They did need the funds, but a vampire, a fucking vampire… was he really worth the trouble she knew his presence was going to cause?

  “Is he sexy?”

  “Extremely sexy.”

  “Does he have a big dick?”

  There was that blush again. “The biggest unenhanced penis I’ve ever seen. And I didn’t actually see it. But when the guards sent him through the sterilization mist, he bumped the tank and caused water to come crashing down on him.”

  “Damn it, we can’t waste water.”

  “I know, we fixed it. What I’m trying to tell you is, while he was wet, I was able to see the imprint. And it was impressive.”

  Lark sighed. Their clients liked impressive. Impressive was what paid the bills. Being the galaxy’s largest tourist attraction was their parents’ dream. Lark would do whatever it took to make that dream come true.

  “I’ll try to talk him into cooperating. Females love dangerous males with big cocks. He’ll fetch us a pretty penny if we can get him to work in the harem.”

  “If any one can do it, it’s you,” Lola told her. “Just be careful.”

  “I will, I don’t want to be vampire chow today. I need to go.”

  “Wait, I wanted to ask y
ou something.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Did you take my gold and black bracelet from my jewelry box?”

  Really, she wanted to discuss jewelry at a time like this? “What bracelet?”

  “The one I got from that boutique on Earth. The one you asked if you could borrow and I told you no.”

  “Oh, that bracelet. No I didn’t steal your stupid little bracelet.”

  “Well that stupid little bracelet is missing.”

  “Perhaps you misplaced it.”

  “Or perhaps one of my sisters took it.”

  “I’m not your only sister. Add that to the list of things we need to ask Luna about when she returns. I think I’ll have Manuel tap into her tracking device and make sure she’s really on Earth and not out gallivanting around the galaxy.”

  “I’m sure she’s where she says she is.”

  “She better be. I really have to go now. You stay here and finish working on the other prisoners. I’ll go talk to the vampire.”

  “His name is Raynor.”

  “What?”

  “He has a name, its Raynor.”

  “I don’t give a shit what his name is. Just get to work.” Geez, talking to her sister was wreaking havoc on the little progress she’d made.

  “I thought you were working on your attitude.”

  I will not strangle my sister.

  I will not strangle my sister.

  Lark took a deep breath. “Get to work, please.”

  “Better.” Lola grinned. “There’s hope for you yet.”

  “Ugh.” Lola knew how to push her buttons.

  Lark stormed out of Lola’s lab in search of Raynor, the freaking vampire from the freaking Kuiper Belt. She had a feeling meeting with him was going to ruin her day. Who was she kidding? He’d already ruined her day by simply being alive and on her planet.

  “He better have a big cock,” she mumbled to herself as she walked down the corridor. The bigger the cock, the better the sex… or so she’d been told.

  Chapter Two

  “He’s in here, captain.”