by Stone, Piper
The gift we’d been given had been unexpected; the Quantum Unit and capacitor safe and in my possession. While there was nothing more I wanted in my life than to return home, the thought created mixed emotions.
“This is beautiful,” Annabella said as she shifted from vine to vine, plucking first a tomato then a green pepper. She laughed as she saw my expression before sinking her teeth into the ripe red vegetable.
“Yes, you are,” I said, desire rushing to the surface. I wrapped my arms around her, glancing up toward the sky. While this wasn’t like home, the realization that we were safe and could find some level of happiness allowed peace.
“Mom! Look at this. What is it?” Tiran’s excited face appeared from another row in the garden.
She patted my hand before breaking free of my hold, her fingers lingering against mine before jogging toward him. “That would be a strawberry.”
“What is that?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
“Try it,” she encouraged, as she had for the last three days.
I’d seen such growth in our... child, his ability to let go of the horrors he must have experienced something I wasn’t prepared to do. Yet I had to. I had to find a way of letting go, if only for my family.
I rubbed my jaw as I watched them, the light in her eyes as she waited until he took a bite.
“Oh! It’s sweet,” he squealed. “Can I have more?”
“Of course you can,” she answered, rubbing his head before he ran away once again. I could see tears in her eyes. He’d only called her by an endearing name that very morning. As she walked back to me, she continued nibbling on the tomato, a shimmer in her eyes. “It’s going to be dark soon,” she said.
“I know.” I hated the darkness more now than ever. Perhaps a reminder of the time spent in a cave would never leave me.
“Do you think I can ever forgive him?” she asked absently.
“The Scorpion?”
“The asshole.”
I chuckled as I tried to find the right words in English. “I was able to learn certain things from some of the soldiers and scientists that I believe were worthwhile. If you want to live a full life, you have to have forgiveness as well as joy in your heart.”
“Hmmm... That sounds very human of you.”
“Perhaps that is so, little human. Do I have you to blame?”
“Maybe you do.”
“Then maybe I need to punish you for that fact,” I said as I grabbed her hand, yanking her against my chest.
“But I’ve been very good these last few days.” She wiggled against me as she slid her hand up the length of my chest.
I swatted her bottom only once. “Tiran. It’s time for bed.”
* * *
She’d told me about what it meant to be family on Earth, a far cry what I remembered. Just watching her with Tiran; the way she smiled when he learned something new and the light in her eyes hearing his laugh was indescribable.
I stood by the doorway to the room that he’d selected, listening as she told him some story. She called it a fairytale, something her mother used to do when she was very young. The memories she’d regained had been both pleasurable and painful, yet I’d been able to see she’d gained the peace that she so desperately needed.
I turned, allowing them private time, walking into the living space and staring at the Quantum Unit. In the dim light of the single fixture, the sapphire glowed, the deep blue crystals mesmerizing. I’d held back from her several details, allowing all three of us time to enjoy being together, but I knew that tomorrow would be a difficult day.
“For a man to stare at a precious jewel, well, I’m not certain what that should tell me.” Her voice was alluring, drawing me in as it always did.
My cock pressed against my pants, my hunger becoming unbridled. “That should tell you that I appreciate beauty in all things.”
“All things?” she purred as she wrapped her arms around me.
“Absolutely.” As she began to crawl her fingers down my chest, cupping and squeezing my already throbbing shaft, I closed my eyes.
“Do you think you could stay here?” she asked as she ran her fingers up and down.
“On this outpost?”
“Yes. The Earth Federation president made a formal offer. This could be ours in exchange for training their officers.”
Sighing, I eased my hands over hers. “And just what do I have to train them on?”
“Working with aliens.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “We shall see, little human.” I shifted in order to face her, shaking my head. “A woman standing in front of me naked. What am I to think about that?”
“That she desires you?”
I brushed my hand down her face, growling as I lowered my head. “One very bad human.”
“And what are you going to do about it?”
There was no hesitation, the thirst and longing erupting intense. I crushed my mouth over hers, dragging her onto her toes.
She slid her arms around my neck, tangling her fingers in my hair, soft mews slipping past the passionate kiss.
The feel of her warm body against mine sizzled every nerve ending, my entire system flooded from the excitement surging through me. I pushed my tongue past her lips, tasting the woman as if for the first time. Sweet and tangy, just like the little human had always been. I could barely contain the beast clawing at the surface and as I rubbed the palm of my hand down her spine, she shuddered in my hold.
I issued several hard smacks against her bottom, savoring the flush of heat as well as the way her ass cheek fit into my hand. Everything about her was perfect.
If only our life could be that way.
She undulated her hips, creating intense friction. My balls were tight as drums, every cell in my body exploding from desire.
I bent her into a deep arc, breaking the kiss and biting down on her lower lip.
“Oh...” She closed her eyes as I nipped her jaw, rubbing my lips on her neck.
With one hand wrapped around the back of her neck, I held her in place, issuing a series of husky growls as I brushed my mouth to her breast. The moment I flicked my tongue around her fully aroused nipple, she moaned, digging her fingers into my arms.
“So bad,” she muttered.
“You are mine.”
I could see the slight smile forming on her face as she relaxed in my arms. I was far too famished to wait any longer, moving her back toward the couch.
“What are you planning?” she asked.
“To devour you.”
I pushed her onto the cushions, forcing the table away and dropping to my knees. As I gathered her legs into my arms, she raised her arms, gripping the top edge of the couch.
“Oh, you are so...” She laughed after saying the words, opening her legs even wider.
“Keep your hands over your head, little human.”
“Yes, sir.”
As I lowered my head, drinking in her sweet essence, I brushed the tip of a single finger around her clit. She was already wet and hot, the scent of her filling my nostrils, embroiling my senses. I teased her relentlessly, swirling my finger then pinching her tender tissue.
She tossed her head back and forth, taking shallow breaths. Goosebumps had appeared along every inch of her naked skin, the shimmer on her face scintillating.
I dragged my tongue up and down as I slid a single finger past her swollen folds.
“Oh. Oh...”
I added a second and third finger, pumping in a slow and easy rhythm, my eyes never leaving her. I couldn’t get enough of watching her as she slipped into ecstasy, but tonight, my hunger was too great. I buried my face into her wetness, thrusting my tongue beside my fingers.
“Yes. Yes...” she whimpered, panting every few seconds as her pussy spasmed, her muscles clamping around the demanding invasion.
I feasted on her pretty little pussy for several minutes, once again sucking on her clit as I thrust my fingers in and out savagely. I knew she was close
to coming, her entire body tensing. I gave her several hard smacks with my fingers then slipped my thumb inside her tight little asshole. The way her body responded to me only fueled the raging fire even more.
Her body bucked, her hands clawing at the fabric of the couch, yet she maintained her position as required. I rewarded her with another lick of my tongue, lapping up her cream.
“I can’t... Please, may I come? Please.”
“Mmm... Hold it, little human. I’m not finished with you yet.”
Moaning, she glared at me with unfocused eyes, clamping down her muscles once again.
I refused to stop, driving her just to the point of climaxing then pulling back, smacking her pussy several more times. When I knew she could take no more, I drove my fingers and tongue inside, pumping in a crazed manner.
“That’s... Oh!” She bit back a cry, her entire body shaking as the orgasm rushed into her, the force drawing her body away from the couch.
I kept her legs wide open, licking up every drop of her cream, only easing back when she stopped shaking. I licked my lips, growling barbarically as she opened her eyes, a smile crossing her face.
“I want more,” she whispered.
“Can you handle more?”
“Try me.”
Her body was limp as I moved to a standing position, turning her over to face the back of the couch. “I think you need a reminder that I own you.”
I smacked her bottom several times, moving from side to side, enjoying the cracking sound my hand made as I slapped it against her skin.
While she moaned, she continued wiggling provocatively.
I gave her six more, once coming after the other, the cracking sound of my snapping wrist floating into the air.
I was crazed with longing, unable to think or focus even as I spanked her several additional times, finally unable to resist the temptation in front of me.
When I straddled her, she tipped her head, giving me a heated look as she arched her back in a blatant invitation. I slid my cock up and down the crack of her ass before thrusting the entire length into her pussy.
“Yes...” she whispered, dropping her head and panting.
I held still, enjoying the moment and the way her pussy muscles wrapped around my cock. As I began to drive into her, she met every hard plunge, pushing back against me. I became a crazed man, wanting more.
Needing more.
Taking her just as I desired.
Flashes of the first time I’d taken her entered my mind, the savage beast I’d become on that day. And the truth was, I enjoyed taking her brutally. I closed my eyes, pushing away the ugliness as I fucked her long and hard, the sound of our combined passion more intense than ever.
The moment she clamped her muscles again, pulling my cock in even deeper, I could take no more. The climax was extreme, the electricity we shared exploding. I threw my head back and roared, unable to stop my primal urges.
And I heard the sweet sound of her admonishment.
“Shhh... Our child is sleeping.”
* * *
Time.
In my mind, time was running out, brutal decisions required to be made. I was sick inside, finding it difficult to handle my upcoming responsibility. I was a warrior, a Volkodan. I was bound by a code of honor and one I intended on following.
Yet my hearts were...
Shattered.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, darting her head in both directions, taking a deep whiff of the late afternoon air.
I shifted the bag over my shoulder as I continued the walk, moving further up the mountain. “I have something to show you.”
“Hmmm... Full of surprises.”
Her lilting laugh was haunting, more so than I could stand admitting. I’d watched her all night, studying the way she slept, listening for the little sounds she always made. And I’d come to a final decision, one that would tear me apart.
“Do you remember the communication device from Bellenia?”
“Yes?” she asked. “The one that didn’t work, another instrument the bastard sabotaged.”
“Before our ship crash-landed on the outpost, I had a private system that was a safeguard, only used by commanding officers in case of betrayal or battle. While the message sent took some time, it would appear that it did arrive on Tretonia.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s amazing.” Stopping short, she gripped my hand.
“Yes. My people knew where to find my ship, but it took some time. I did learn that the communication device was not destroyed, only disabled. When I activated it after the earthquake, a beacon was sent out.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that a shuttle is headed for this planet from Tretonia. With the help of the engineers on this outpost during that week you were not here, I was able to make additional contact, speaking with them directly. They are being escorted into this atmosphere by several of the Federation pilots.”
She swallowed hard, taking a step away. “Okay. That’s wonderful. How is Tretonia?”
“They are in in desperate need of the Quantum Unit, but they have survived.” I could sense the arrival, the shuttle breaking through the atmosphere.
“I’m very happy for you. Do you know who’s coming? Are you excited?” she asked absently, as if she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Several of our finest warriors as well as engineers, who will begin the required process to heal our world immediately. Sadly, our planet has also been under recent attack. This trip for them is dangerous, especially for my father. It is unusual for him to travel.”
“Your father,” she repeated.
I turned to face her, loathing the secret I’d kept from her. “The king.”
Her mouth twisted as she processed what I was saying, her gaze dropping to the bag. “That would mean you’re the... prince of your people.”
I could only nod, my hearts aching.
She took another step away, shaking her head over and over again. “You’re leaving. That is your duty.” When I didn’t answer, she confronted me. “Aren’t you? Have the guts to tell me.”
I took a deep breath as the first wave of Federation planes came into view. Within seconds, the dirt beneath us rumbled. I moved toward her, reaching out.
“Don’t, Draziak. Just don’t.” She pushed away, tears in her eyes. “While I understand what you must do, I can’t just stand here and watch it happen. What about our son? What about our life?”
“You must realize how difficult this is for me.”
“Yes, I do. I just...” She lifted her gaze, shielding her eyes as the shuttle approached. As it came within a few hundred feet, she gripped both sides of my face. “I’m angry, but I have no hold over you, even though we’re... mates.” Her laughter was bitter, hollow.
“I am... sorry.”
“Sorry. I get it,” she whispered, darting a glance toward the sky, backing away even more. “I will always love you and I do understand what you must do, but you will never know how this makes me feel. I only hope that one day you’ll return to us. If not...” The agony on her face was gut-wrenching.
“I love you, little human. Please tell Tiran how proud I am of him and how much I love him as well.”
“That’s something you’re going to have to tell him yourself.”
She stumbled backwards, glaring at the shuttle as it touched down, holding her head high as she nodded. Then she raced away.
And for the first time in my life, my hearts were broken.
Epilogue
Draziak
I stood alone, staring up at the sky, trying to grasp everything that had occurred. While I would never fully understand the reason behind the Scorpion’s brutal tactics, the decisions he’d made, he’d given me one of the greatest gifts of all.
The ability to find love.
“A man who stares at the sky much have nothing on his mind.”
I shook my head, turning around to face Annabella. “I have plenty on my m
ind, little human, much of which I’m not certain you want to hear.”
“Yeah? Try me.”
“How about the rules you’re going to have to follow now that we have a home?” I walked closer, allowing a growl to slip past my lips.
“Rules? Wait a minute. If I’d know there were going to be rules, I’d have sent you on your way.”
My father had been to Earth many years before, an attempt to find another way of repairing our world. He’d met with Sampson O’Rourke, a scientist who’d been considered brilliant. While my father had learned many things, he’d come to realize the level of power hunger on the planet wasn’t in our best interest, but he’d never forgotten the experience. In his way, he’d set the stage for my return, for good or for bad.
As far as the person who’d betrayed the people on my ship, Lieutenant Brozak had other ideas in mind, including the glorified promises made by the Prodkerins if he aided in the sabotage of our ship. Our true enemies had tampered with our systems, forcing the lieutenant to veer off course, a fact he hadn’t realized early on. He’d had no choice but to wake me from my slumber.
The reason for my father accompanying the others to retrieve the Quantum Unit? He was merely saying goodbye, allowing me to forge a life of my own.
He knew me far too well.
I gazed once again at the sky. I would return to my home one day, but it would be with my family.
And with the woman and son I loved by my side.
The End
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