by Jane, C. R.
Sorrow flooded his gaze as he stood there, and my anger ebbed. I remembered a classmate in high school who’d suffered from OCD. He couldn’t walk out of a room without tapping the side of the door three times and he had to walk three steps behind someone at all times if he was walking in the hallway. He’d been the nicest guy, and I remember how much it bothered him to have all these things to do to stay sane. If Corran’s mental issues were anything similar to that, I wasn’t surprised he grew so mad when he found me down there.
“I really am sorry for going into the room. My parents always used to tell me I was too curious for my own good.” I smiled, feeling a momentary pang at the thought of my parents. For a second, I was tempted to ask if he knew anything about their disappearance, but I pushed the thought away. I hadn’t seen any sign that they were in the business of kidnapping older humans...only ones they seemed to be sexually attracted to.
Anyway, I did feel like I had the right to ask what was going on in that room. Everything about the gadgets was strange...including the fact that they might be tracking human and Vepar females.
“So, the hologram that I was looking at down there... It looked like it was recording births and deaths of human females,” I asked hesitantly, watching Corran carefully to gauge his reaction.
He sighed and sat down on the bed, turning his face away from me as he gazed out the window. “We came to this planet because our planet is dying and killing off our females in the process. Doesn’t help that Khonsu have killed so many of our females as well. We’ve spent hundreds of years searching space to find a planet that would be similar enough to Vepar for us to relocate. We’d heard about Earth, but we also learned that females were in danger here. Part of my job on the planet was to monitor Earth to ensure the same thing happening to our females is not replicated here.”
“How does the planet dying affect your females?” I asked, my eyes widened with everything he was saying.
He sighed. It was a heavy sigh filled with frustration. “We’re not quite sure. But since the only connection we have to the Vepar woman dying is our planet also dying, we decided that we needed to find other options.”
“Other options like finding new planets to inhabit?” I asked, dread growing inside of me.
He nodded.
I looked at him amazed that he’d so casually told me their plan. Up to now they’d been firm with the message that they were here in peace. But obviously that was all a lie.
He must have seen the growing panic in my face because his eyes widened, and he threw up his hands as if to calm me down. “We’re not planning to takeover. We want to share the planet. All of the rules that have been put in place have been to help sustain the planet and make life better in preparation for the Vepar arrival.”
I studied his face. He seemed to be telling the truth but Corran had always seemed to have that air of trustworthiness about him from the beginning. For all I knew, he could have been the best liar out of all of them.
“You had no problem taking me without my permission, and you’ve pretty much taken over Earth,” I said bitterly. “Why should I believe that you wouldn’t do something else?”
He pursed his lips in frustration before checking his watch. “I have to leave right now on a short expedition I’ve had planned for months, and I’d like you to come with me. We can talk more on the trip. I’m sure you’d like to get out of the house too.”
Corran and I hadn’t had the time together that I had experienced with the others. It still felt awkward between us, and the thought of going somewhere with him made me feel more awkward than anything. But I did want to find out more about the Vepar’s plans and he seemed to be much more willing to provide me with information than Derrial or Thane were. So, I might be able to uncover more secrets, maybe even if my parents’ disappearance had anything to do with them. I decided to go.
Corran was already pulling me behind him before I had even said yes. Evidently the scientist was just as pushy as the others. Before I knew it, I’d found myself standing next to the helicopter pad that had housed the helicopter I’d flown in with Derrial. The helicopter evidently was being used however as the pad stood empty. I looked at Corran quizzically, wondering what we were waiting for, but he was oblivious to my look. He took out a silver contraption that looked like a car fob and pressed a button.
Suddenly, the pad seemed to dissolve and a sleek silver machine that resembled a cross between a car and a small airplane came up on a pedestal like a scene out of Batman. I gasped in amazement, but Corran, unperturbed as always, gave me no explanation as he began pulling me towards the machine. As we approached the contraption, an entryway appeared in the side of the machine and a set of stairs appeared out of nowhere. I stopped abruptly.
“What is this thing?” I asked, needing answers before I got into the machine.
Corran looked at me confused. “Isn’t it obvious? This is how we travel. I guess you could say it’s our version of an airplane if you had to label it, but the term really doesn’t do it justice since it can travel through any terrain including water.”
I stared at him incredulously, then the machine. “Wow.”
He began to ascend the steps, and then looked at me with a raised eyebrow when I didn’t follow him. I was still in shock about the fact that I was about to travel in an alien spacecraft.
“We’re on a schedule,” he said impatiently, jarring me from my thoughts. I tentatively followed him up the steps, stopping on each one to make sure that they didn’t disappear. Once inside I couldn’t help but freeze again.
Everything was black as if I’d crawled inside a licorice jelly bean. The walls, ceiling, seats, and even the controls. Light drenched the inside of the shuttle, and the sleek walls glimmered under the right illumination. No other windows lined the rectangular ship.
Corran took the single seat in the front with the controls, and I slid into one of two available in the back. Buckling up, I couldn’t believe where I was, and what I’d give right now to have my phone to snap photos. I was pretty sure if I shared them, my social followers would leap from a measly thirty to millions.
Anyone who shared images revealing anything about the Vepar went viral because they were so secretive. If only people knew something more dangerous lingered amid them. The Khonsu. Then again, maybe that would just cause unnecessary panic because everyone would be safe unless they were compatible like me. Lucky me.
My thoughts turned to the bomb Corran had dropped on me about their race looking for a new home. That information was massive and could easily end up with us going to war with them because the rest of the planet coming here would be construed as a complete take over. I didn’t know what to do with such knowledge as it was still processing in my head on what it meant. I mean I knew what it meant, but the situation seemed delicate and I could sympathize with them wanting to save their race. Plus, I didn’t want to cause a universal war when I didn’t understand all the facts myself, especially when I was pretty sure that humans didn’t have a chance against the Vepar technology.
I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself.
“You ready?” Corran glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes alive, clear he was in his element right here.
“Let’s do this before I change my mind.” I laughed, but it wasn’t a lie either.
A light vibration buzzed under my feet, followed by a brittle silence, but we lifted into the air with such ease and swiftness that I barely felt it. When we finally took off, the vessel moved as if there was no sound, no wind, and it didn’t even disturb the air. We glided seamlessly through the air, and my earlier worries faded, replaced by a tingling excitement. My knees bounced and I gawked outside, wanting to stand near Corran to see everything, but I didn’t dare move.
Unlike Derrial, who’d talked my ear off during the whole flight on the helicopter, Corran didn’t say a word. Instead, he spent the entire time on a tablet that would have looked like an iPad if it weren’t for the fact that it projected holog
raphic, 3D images much like the tables in that secret room. Numbers and charts all detecting what looked like other aircrafts.
We traveled for twenty minutes before the machine started to drop smoothly out of the sky. My stomach lurched to my throat, and I clutched my seat belt, surprised how fast we’d arrived, but then again, I suspected we traveled quicker than planes.
When we landed, all I could see out the front window was darkness and the bright starry sky as far as the eye could see. Where in the world were we?
The front door opened with a rush of hot air, hissing in the process. And before us stood a mountain covered with tropical looking trees. This didn’t look like anywhere near home.
I hopped out and Corran followed behind me.
“Where are we?”
He took my hand and drew me closer to the mountain. “We’re at the edge of a crater.”
“Wait!” I pulled against his hand. “Like in a volcano?” It did feel hotter here, the heat so intense it was singeing my skin.
He smiled and moved closer, cupping my face. With a kiss that shocked me, he whispered, “Would you have preferred if I took you to a beach?”
I shrugged and nodded. “Actually yes.”
“Well, we might have time after this. We are in Honolulu.”
My feet froze, eyes growing. “Are you kidding me? I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. I could have brought my swimsuit.”
He broke into a laugh, the sound so soft and sweet that I ate it up. I adored the way he laughed. “Then we better hurry up and get this job done.”
14
The grainy sand was almost white, speckled with tiny rocks along the shore. It may be close to midnight in Honolulu, but the moon hung low and was heavy with silver light, beaming off the silent sea like a jewel. Corran had finished collecting samples from the volcano crater, and true to his word, he took me swimming.
“You look spectacular,” he said, and I glanced over at him, still in his jeans and buttoned up shirt looking proper as always. At least he’d removed his shoes.
I looked down at myself in a swimsuit we’d found at one of a handful of stores still open. A skinny black bikini, barely covering the sides of my breasts and so skimpy that I might as well have been naked in the back. Corran had surprised me by insisting I wear it. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t adore the way his eyes glinted when he stared at me, eating me up with his gaze.
“Why do you enjoy dunking yourself in cold, salty water?” he asked.
“Stop analyzing everything.” I grabbed his hand and drew him toward the water lapping across the shore. “It’s such a hot night, and it’s refreshing to go swimming, especially with someone else.” I winked his way. “Especially when the two of us combined should be wearing a lot less clothes than you are right now.” I eyed him head to toe.
“If you’re implying sex, the friction is painful in water.”
I sighed and hauled him closer to the water. “Just follow my direction, okay?”
And to my surprise he nodded.
The water rushed toward us, running up and over my feet. I giggled and latched onto Corran’s arm, while he stood there, the hems of his jeans getting wet. He didn’t seem to notice as he kept staring at me.
“What?”
“Something in your face looks different when you smile today.” He watched me closely, or more like studied me. Corran was always trying to work me out, while me… I just wanted to laugh for a change, stop being afraid.
“It’s called freedom.” And the moment the words fell from my mouth, an awkwardness fell over me because he was my captor and I wasn’t really free. After our time together with him carefully explaining all the data he was collecting on the volcano, I’d foolishly let myself imagine that our situation had changed. All because he’d made me feel incredible in his company, trusting me to help him, taking me to the beach, spoiling me. The hard facts remained however that I remained under his control.
I turned away from him and faced the ocean, my hand slipping out of his grasp. Out in front of me, the dark waters came in gentle waves, proving that nothing would ever tame the ocean.
Corran placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch sizzling hot. “Did I do something wrong?”
When I met his gaze over my shoulder, his lips curled upward, and he reached over cupping the side of my face so tenderly I almost let myself believe he truly cared.
“On my home planet, women are worshipped and adored. We protect them above all else, and we keep them close at all times to ensure they are safe. But you say freedom like claiming you is wrong.”
“Are you listening to what you’re saying?” I said, my mouth hanging open from his response.
“Earth is no longer the place you once experienced,” he retorted. “And it will never be the same. We’ve offered you freedom from what is coming,” he growled, his expression darkening, and in a heartbeat his features schooled, and his words faded as if he’d said too much. “Go, have your swim, we have to leave soon,” he snapped.
I turned and headed into the waters feeling less than a person because the Vepar had this way of giving, then taking away any good they did. Always reminding me of my place. If they revered females so much, why dominate them? My stomach churned with his last words about Earth never being the same again. Something was happening, and it had to do with the test results I found in their secret lab, I felt it in my bones. Regardless of what Corran told me, I wasn’t sure how much I could believe. After all, they’d arrived here, shrouded in secrets, so why would he so easily divulge their information? Nope… more secrets lay hidden, and I had every intention to find them out. If I was stuck with them, hidden from another monster, then I’d at least uncover the truth.
The cool water lapped around my thighs and I pushed deeper into the water, dunking myself into the sea’s embrace, the iciness refreshing. There was an eeriness about floating in water so dark I couldn’t see my hand just below the surface. Who knew what swam around me… but was that any different to being in the company of Vepar?
I stared back to Corran. He leaned against a palm tree, arms folded over his broad chest, watching me. What would he do if I dove under and never resurfaced? Probably drain the ocean to find me. I would laugh if I didn’t believe he’d do exactly that.
I left the water behind, my skin pricked with the cold. Corran hadn’t moved from his position even though the towel he’d purchased lay right by his feet. Instead, he drank me in from my head to toes, his sights fastened on my breasts in the skimpy bikini, at my pebbled nipples. When I reached his side, he picked up the towel and dusted it of sand before wrapping it around my shoulders. He rubbed the fabric over my arms and back to dry me. His moves were smooth and unaffected, but his eyes held a hunger that showed how he truly was feeling.
He leaned down and kissed me, his lips on fire. His breathing escalated and he held onto my shoulder while another hand cupped my breast. With deft fingers, he peeled back the material, revealing one of my breasts. Then he bent over further, collecting it into his mouth.
I gasped, glancing around to see if anyone was around. Finding we were alone I relaxed although the knowledge that we could get caught still filled me with a nervous thrill. His hands fell to my backside and he kneaded my cheeks. The way he sucked on my chest had me swooning, arousal escalating quickly through me, my head fogged with heat. And he wasn’t letting me go either, plucking at my flesh with his lips.
“Corran,” I breathed, fire scorching hot between my thighs. As if sensing my need, his fingers found the edge of my bikini bottoms and slid inside. Caressing me softly, he slowly slid into me. I parted my legs slightly for easier access, only the towel sitting on my back like a cape concealing what was going on if anyone watched. My cheeks sizzled, but nothing compared to the heat I felt that he was touching me so intimately in public.
I groaned, grasping his shoulders, needing him with every fiber of my being. I ought to be pissed at his treatment of me earlier, but as always, his attentive
ness won me over, taking all my anger away.
When he turned me around, driving my back to the palm tree, he ripped the bikini top the rest of the way off. I could barely breathe from need. His mouth latched onto my other breast, eliciting another gasp out of me. His fingers pushed back into my bikini bottoms, and his knee nudged my legs wider.
“We shouldn’t do this here,” I moaned, staring around us, but when his fingers slipped inside of me again, I lost myself. Gone were all my thoughts, the only thing remaining was a desperate desire to float on the clouds. His tongue flicked me and holding out seemed an impossibility. His teeth bit down softly on my flesh, and it all become too much, too fast. I fell over the edge, and a cry of pleasure fell from my mouth, my body shuddering.
Diving into my mouth in a deep kiss, Corran’s tongue slayed me, erasing every thought of the outside world until I was breathless, and we had to break away to drag in air. I writhed, soaking, every last inch of desire throttling through me. It took me a few minutes to settle down. Corran kissed me softly before moving away and pulling the towel tightly around my chest. Embracing me once again, I melted into him.
“Come, you must be starved.” We began to walk along the sandy beach of Honolulu. As I stared up at the stars, I knew I would never forget my brief time in Hawaii.
* * *
Corran hadn’t touched his Wagyu ribeye, only the vegetables, but even those he only picked at. He seemed miles away as we sat in a restaurant fit for royalty. Embroidered curtains, dark oak tables, sandstone tile floor, and meals were served from silver trays. The restaurant was full, each table bustling, voices buzzing, and a delicate piano played throughout the dimly lit room. I was worried if Corran regretted what had just happened when he finally looked over at me with a smile, the worry he had carried moments earlier vanished.