by Lena Grey
Each of us chosen for a Year of Interstellar Education were injected with a powerful symbiont called Terran Enhancement for Adaptation and Survival beyond Earth, or TEASE for short. Microcomputers were implanted in our wrists to communicate with the symbionts, allowing us to monitor physiological and environmental data.
Shortly after our escape pods landed on UD237, our TEASE units initiated something called SPECIES SURVIVAL MODE. We weren’t briefed about this mode, but it’s kicked our sex drives into high gear and makes us horny as hell for the Rakui males. We think our symbionts are encouraging us, hormonally, to procreate with them to ensure the suvival of our species.
“I get that you’re sexually frustrated, but taking out those frustrations on the Rakuis isn’t fair,” I point out.
“Don’t forget that Earth Gov did this to us,” Layla adds.
“How could I forget?” Jade picks up her tablet and waves it in the air. “I’m the one who figured that out.”
Before evacuating from the ship, I accidently downloaded a bunch of encrypted files. Jade transferred the files to her tablet and has already cracked the encryption code on some of them. She discovered that a Year of Interstellar Education isn’t really a college program, it’s a top secret military experiment, and we’re the test subjects. We know our government intentionally dropped us on UD237. What we don’t know yet is why.
“And we’re glad you did,” Layla says. “But, like Vauss said, our search and rescue effort will be a hard journey. Let’s not make it harder by bickering, okay?”
Jade mock salutes. “Got it, chief.”
I nod my agreement. “I need to say goodbye to Kenzie. I’ll meet you two at the fire.”
Chapter 3
Remmel
“Have you claimed the female Jill-ee-un as your mate yet?”
Trauhn’s question grates on my nerves. I have told him many times that the prickly Terran with the thick, golden mane and long, lean limbs is not my mate.
“No,” I say, unsure whether I speak the truth. We did experience what Rakuis consider the mating bond, but Jill-ee-un says sharing furs and justfucking is commonplace on Urth, that she has fuckedotherguys and is still unmated.
Trauhn holds open a satchel so I can fill it with supplies. “She is joining the search party, is she not?”
I nod, my emotions mixed. On one hand, I am glad Jill-ee-un has volunteered to help search for the females; her bravery and commitment to her tribe is admirable. On the other hand, I know that entering rogue territory will be dangerous, and I fear for her safety.
If she is not my mate, why do I feel responsible for her safety? I have no answer to this perplexing question.
“You should use this journey to make your intention clear before another Rakui lures Jill-ee-un away,” Trauhn says. We are as close as blood brothers, yet it is not his place to lecture me about such things.
“What if letting another Rakui claim her is my intention?” The words roll easily off my tongue, although the thought of another warrior planting his seed in Jill-ee-un’s womb makes my gut clench.
Trauhn shrugs. “If that is the case, there is no need to tell you about the enticing Terran mating habit called kiss-zing.”
I know he is baiting me. Still, I am intrigued. “Even if Jill-ee-un is not my mate, it would not hurt to know about this mating habit.”
“Then I shall tell you.” Trauhn grins. “Kiss-zing is mouth-to-mouth pleasure sharing.”
I have never heard of such a thing. “How does it work?”
“It is similar to pleasuring a female’s cunt with your lips and tongue, except you pleasure her mouth instead. At the same time, she pleasures your mouth with her lips and tongue.”
“Interesting.” In my mind’s eye, I replay the memory of Jill-ee-un’s plump, pink lips wrapped around my my length, and I stiffen under my leathers. I wonder if her lips taste as sweet and juicy as the treasure between her thighs. “How did you discover this Terran mating habit?”
“Ken-zee showed me kiss-zing before our first mating, and it made my cock harden like stone. It is very enjoyable.”
I am disappointed that Jill-ee-un did not show me this as well. “Do all Terrans partake in this mating habit?”
“I believe so. Ken-zee calls it foreplay, although gentle kiss-zing with lips only is also used to show affection away from the furs.”
Jill-ee-un had used that word, foreplay, when I put my mouth on her cunt. She said that many Terran males liked to receive oralsex foreplay more than they liked to give it which was a dealbreaker for her. While I did not understand all of her words, I understood their meaning. Why would a male not pleasure their female in this way?
“You should try kiss-zing with Jill-ee-un,” Trauhn suggests. “If it makes your cock hard, she would be a good mate for you.”
I do not tell him that a hard cock is not enough incentive to take the difficult female as my mate. Or that Jill-ee-un does not want to spend forevermore with me. He would not understand because he is blinded by his feelings for his own mate who, unlike Jill-ee-un, is sweet and pleasant-natured.
“We will be busy during the search and must stay alert for danger,” I tell him. “There will be no time for kiss-zing until the missing females are safe.”
“Maybe that is for the best,” Trauhn says as he secures the satchel we filled and opens another. “Perhaps you will find one of the missing females more to your liking.”
For some reason, that idea does not sit well with me.
Chapter 4
Jillian
“Please don’t go, Jilly. I can’t raise this baby without you. If something happens…” Kenzie’s palm cradles her flat abdomen and tears pool in her eyes. She’s resting in the small, cozy hut she now shares with Trauhn, and I sit down beside her.
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I tell her.
“Can’t Reese go instead of you?”
“She and Emily are still recovering from their rough landing.” Their escape pod landed in the trees before crashing to the ground. “It wouldn’t be fair to send Jade and Layla into the wild all alone.”
“They won’t be alone,” Kenzie argues. “They’ll be with Remmel and the other Rakuis.”
At the mention of Remmel’s name, my knees go a little weak, and my fingertips brush against my left wrist. My girl parts aren’t thrilled with the idea of Jade and Layla being around him without me there, which doesn’t make sense. Sure, I fucked him. That doesn’t mean I own him.
Remmel might be a grumpy jerk, but in bed, he’s a golden god with a giant dick and a scaled tongue who eats pussy like a pro. Sex with him was hot and raw and involved multiple, mind-blowing orgasms. I wouldn’t mind fucking him again, even if he doesn’t want me as his mate.
“Any updates from your TEASE?” Kenzie asks. “You keep rubbing your wrist.”
“Nope. Just a little itchy. Might be a bug bite or something.”
I can’t stop myself from glancing at the microcomputer under my skin again. No new updates. The latest alert is still SPECIES SURVIVAL MODE.
Kenzie and Trauhn made a baby the first time they had sex because her TEASE initiated early ovulation. My TEASE must agree with Remmel that we don’t belong together. No fertility boost for me… No baby for us.
“Too bad,” Kenzie says, disappointed. “I was hoping you were preggo like me.”
“Well, I’m not.” My face grows hot, and I look down at my feet, not wanting to meet her gaze. She’s too good at reading the emotions on my face, and I don’t want her to see my disappointment. “Remmel and I don’t have the same kind of connection that you and Trauhn have. It’s good that he didn’t knock me up. I don’t think I’d be very good at the single mom thing.”
Kenzie reaches out and squeezes my arm. “If you give Remmel a chance, he might surprise you.”
I look at her and waggle my brows. “He already did—with his big alien dick.”
“I’m serious,” Kenzie says, although she laughs at my joke. “Personality
wise, Trauhn and Remmel are very different. But they’re both good men who care deeply for their tribe. You could do worse, you know.”
“Look, Kenz, I know you mean well, I really do. But I don’t see Remmel and me being more than fuck buddies, and no amount of pushing from you is going to change that.”
HE. DOESN’T. WANT. ME. AS. HIS. MATE.
She sighs. “Fine. I’m not giving up on the idea, though. How fun would it be to raise babies together?”
“My guess is Emily will be the next one of us who gets pregnant,” I say. “You can raise your baby with her.”
“Emily, really?”
“Well, assuming Stromm pulls through. She hasn’t left his side since we got back last night.” Stromm was attacked by mercenaries and is still unconscious. “It’s time for me to go. You want to walk me out?”
“Yeah.” Kenzie nods, her eyes misty. “Promise me you’ll be careful out there, Jillian. This planet is dangerous, and I need you to come back in one piece.”
I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight. “I promise I’ll be careful.”
When I let her go, she wipes at her eyes. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and we head over to the communal fire where a small group of Rakuis is gathered to bid farewell to the search party. Reese is there, and Trauhn is too. When Kenzie rushes into his arms, a wave of deep sadness washes over me.
Neither of us had a true family growing up. We were both abandoned at a young age and grew up as government wards. Kenzie is like a sister to me, the only real family I’ve ever known, and now I’ve lost her. She’s part of the Rakui family now, and I’m alone again.
Layla waves me over. “You need to eat something before we hit the road.”
“Rykana made pancakes,” Reese says. “Sort of. Maybe they’re more like crepes. She calls them tortua.”
She hands me a thin, round cake that’s filled with some kind of fruit compote and is rolled up so it can be eaten with just your hands. I don’t realize how hungry I am until I take a bite and a burst of flavor wakes up my taste buds. The texture is grainier than an Earth pancake and flavored with savory spices I’ve never tasted before. The fruit filling is sweet and tangy.
“This is so good!”
“Want another one?” Jade asks.
I nod, dropping my pack to take the second pancake, eating as fast as I can so I don’t hold up the group. “Let’s go,” I say with my mouth half full. These things taste like heaven after eating nothing but alien meat, jerky, and processed protein bars for the last few days. “I can finish eating on the way.”
Layla tells Vauss we’re ready, and he talks to Zeleck, Deek, Darht, and Reyzon—the other Rakuis going on the search. With a farewell wave to their tribe members, the guys hoist giant satchels over their shoulders and start walking away from the village. Layla, Jade, and I hug Kenzie and Reese and then dash off after them.
“Shit.” I shove the last bite of tortua into my mouth and nudge Layla’s arm. “I forgot my pack. I’m going back to get it.”
“Want us to wait for you?” she asks.
“No, I’ll catch up.” I turn on a fast heel, ready to race back to the fire. Instead, I smack into a wall of solid muscle covered in soft, golden scales. “Oomph!”
The impact knocks the wind out of me, and strong arms keep me from doing an embarrassing faceplant. Remmel has a heavy satchel over one shoulder and my pack over the other one and still manages to catch me.
I’m tall for a Terran woman, five-foot-ten, yet Remmel is over a foot taller than me. I have to tilt my head up to see his face, and when I do, I see the signature scowl on his too-handsome face. Does the asshole think I smacked into him on purpose?
I plant my palms on his chiseled pecs and push myself away. Mumbling, I say, “I forgot my pack and was going back to get it.”
He stands taller and straighter and puffs out his chest. “Remmel carry Jill-ee-un’s pack.”
I’m strong enough to carry my own shit and don’t need a man to take care of me. “I got it.” I snatch my pack away from him, and he shrugs it off.
“Jill-ee-un weak Terran female,” he says. “Remmel strong Rakui warrior.”
He thinks I’m weak? Well, fuck that and fuck him.
Even as I tell myself that, a little voice inside my head whispers, “You’re stuck on a primitive alien planet and your BFF has abandoned you, just like everyone else in your life. Would it be so bad to let a man take care of you, to protect you? Just this once?”
The little voice needs to shut the fuck up, so I visualize squashing it with my bootie and grinding it into the ground. I don’t need a man to take care of me. And even if I did, I would never let that man be Remmel, even if he does make my panties melt.
I stomp off toward the rest of the search party, wondering why I let him get under my skin.
Chapter 5
Remmel
I fall in line behind the other members of the search party, rubbing the area of my chest that Jill-ee-un touched with her small, soft hands.
She is the most frustrating female I have ever encountered. When I noticed she left her pack behind, I brought it along. She would need the items in it for our journey.
Was she grateful for my gesture or my thoughtful offer to carry it for her? No. Her reaction was just the opposite. She seemed almost angry when I pointed out that I am stronger than her and unburdened by the additional weight of her belongings.
I watch her walk beside her tribe members, admiring her curved shape and the sway of her narrow hips as her long legs carry her forward. She is taller and leaner than the other females, which I find appealing, although I refuse to admit this to anyone but myself.
She wears her thick, golden mane bunched into a messy pile on top of her head. On another female, this might look silly. On Jill-ee-un, however, it reveals the seductive slope where her neck meets her shoulders. I know that the area is a sensitive spot for her. My cock hardens when I imagine her shiver of delight as I nip the area with my fangs.
Jill-ee-un is not Rakui, and the thought of her being my forevermore bond is laughable, yet I cannot deny that my body longs to mate with her again… or that I desire to try kiss-zing with her.
Among Rakuis, pleasure sharing is widely accepted. Yet the placing of a male’s cock in a female’s cunt is a scared act shared only between mates. And even though Jill-ee-un and I shared this Rakui mating bond, the prickly female says she does not belong to me—that she does not belong to any male.
As she explained to me, among her people, the mating act has many names. In addition to justfucking, it is sometimes called justsex or scratchinganitch and does not need to involve a lasting connection.
She says it is common for a Terran male to release his seed inside of her. On Urth, birthcontrol is used to prevent the conception of a kit.
Why a female would want to use birthcontrol is beyond my comprehension. The conceiving of a kit is the most joyous result of the mating bond. Trauhn’s Terran mate, Ken-zee, conceived a kit during their first mating, and he could not be happier.
Jill-ee-un and I did not conceive a kit during our mating experience. Is that how she knows that she is not my mate? Or does that mean she used birthcontrol?
I shake my head to clear away these thoughts, which are more burdensome than the heavy satchel of supplies I carry over my shoulder. If Jill-ee-un says that justfucking does not mean we belong together forevermore, then it must be so.
Lost in thought, I do not realize Vauss has fallen back from the others until he is right beside me. “What troubles you, my Rakui brother?” he asks.
“What makes you think I am troubled?”
Vauss laughs. “It is clear from the look on your face, from the way you carry yourself, and in the fact that you do not lead the search party but follow instead.”
“Someone must guard the rear of the group,” I say. “But you are right. I am troubled.” A long sigh passes through my lips. “Life was much simpler before the Terrans arrived on our planet.”<
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“Ah, so it is the female Jill-ee-un who is the source of your unease.”
“Yes,” I confess.
“I suspected as much. The Terrans’ ways are different than ours, and when they arrived here, their lives were changed in an instant. We must be patient and forgiving while we help them adjust.”
“She is a very irritating female who prefers to fight even when I am trying to help her.”
“Fighting is not always a bad thing,” Vauss says with a grin. “Orla and I used to fight with great vigor and then spend many suns cycles under the furs making peace. One of our earliest fights was an epic battle that led to the conception of our beloved son.”
I remember Orla, Vauss’s mate, and their young son, who were victims of the great sickness long ago. And I also remember their legendary fights, which could be heard throughout the Rakui village.
“Why are you telling me this, Vauss?”
“I am telling you this because, for some females, fighting is a prelude to mating.”
I do not think that Jill-ee-un fights with me because she wants to mate again. I think she fights because she is a contrary female who is ill-tempered. “And for some females,” I counter, “fighting is just fighting.”
“Perhaps you are right,” Vauss says, although he does not sound convinced. “If you prefer solitude during this early stage of our journey, it would be best if you take your place up ahead as the lead tracker for our group. I will have Zeleck fall back to the rear-guard position.”
With a nod to Vauss and a last glance at Jill-ee-un’s shapely backside, I sprint forward.
The twin suns begin to fall from the sky, and I realize we have not covered nearly enough ground. At this pace, it will take two more suns cycles before we reach the pre-agreed upon point where we will spread out in smaller groups.
Traveling with the females is slower than traveling alone. We have already rested twice this day, yet they lag further and further behind. I must continually stop to let them catch up or risk pulling too far ahead of the group.