by Ella Maven
Anna
* * *
Pain slammed into my skull and cascaded down my spine. I fell onto my back and clawed at the thing Tark had screwed into my head. “Get it off!” I screeched as the device beeped and then the pain intensified. I writhed on the ground, unable to see Tark through the tears in my eyes, betrayal singeing my nerves. “It hurts! Get it off of me!”
His hands entered my vision, reaching for me, and I batted them away. I snarled at him, even though the pain, as quick as it had come, began to lessen.
“I know it hurts, but it’ll only last a moment. Give it time.”
“Yeah? Well, how long do you consider a moment?” I snapped at him. I froze and realization dawned on me, taking my attention away from the stupid device now stuck on my head. I’d understood him. I jerked upright and stared at him. “Did I just understand you?”
He smiled. “Yes. That’s why we’re here. I needed a chip for your translator implantation device.”
That was why we came all this way back to the ship, why he’d run here with me in his arms, why he’d been banging around at the front of the ship for what felt like ages. To fix something that would allow us to communicate. My heart swelled, the pain in my head merely a dull ache now. I could live with it, if it meant I could finally talk to him. And then it happened. My eyes burned, and I blubbered out a sob.
Tark gathered me into his arms, and I clung to him, wetting his skin with my tears. “Ch-ch-ch, Enna,” he said. “Ch-ch-ch.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, wiping my tears and trying to get control. “It seems like every time you do something nice for me, I can’t help the tears.”
“Is that not normal for humans?”
“Well, usually we cry when we’re sad.”
His brows furrowed as he thought about that one. “But you are not sad about the nice things I do, are you?”
I laughed. “No, it seems like every time you show me kindness, all the scared emotions and everything I’ve repressed since landing on this planet come out. In tears.”
“I plan to show you more kindness, so I guess you’ll be crying a lot.”
I reached up and palmed his cheek. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that we can talk.”
“It is all I thought about since Shep gave me the device.”
“So how does it work?”
“I programmed it so you speak and understand my language. I updated my implant, which I already had, with your language.”
“How… how can it do that?”
“The device translates the words before it hits the part of our brains that interprets language.”
It still didn’t make sense to me, but then neither did Shep’s medical instruments or how I’d woken up in his hut with all my injuries completely healed. “We don’t have anything like this on Earth.”
He nodded. “We don’t know much about humans, but we have heard your technology is primitive to ours.”
I decided not to take offense at being called primitive. “So you know I’m human?”
“I didn’t at first. Shep had to tell me. How did you come to be on this Raghul ship?”
“Rahgul?”
“Those are the species who fly this type of craft. One eye, pale.”
“Ah yeah, I called them Blow Hole aliens in my head, because they looked like dolphins.”
“Dolphins?”
I waved my hand; we didn’t have time to cover Earth species right now. “I’ll explain that another time.” I began to talk about how I’d gone to sleep in my bed on Earth, and I’d woken up on a spaceship with a few other human females, two of them dead. I explained how the crash happened and how I’d managed to survive, which was still a shock to me. He listened with rapt attention, his fists clenching a few times as I went over how close I’d come to dying.
“And then,” I said. “Well, then you and your, uh, friends showed up, and I think you understand what happened after that better than I do.” I shifted in his lap, staring up into his handsome face. “Are we going back?”
He inhaled sharply, and I didn’t miss the way sadness crossed over his features like a cloud. He shook his head. “No, sweet Enna. We will not be going back.”
“Does it have to do with the Ponytail guy?”
“Who?”
“The man who held me…” I wrapped my hands around my throat.
His face darkened, and the corners of his mouth twisted into a snarl. “Yes. Bult is our drexel, and—”
“Wait, what’s a drexel?” I asked.
“Our leader.”
“Oh, okay go on.”
“He started out a good warrior, but time has worn on him, and he’s turned self-serving. I don’t know his full plans for you, but they were not good. He threatened you, and I know he’d either keep you for himself as a pet or sell you to a species who would mistreat you, like the Uldani.”
My gut feeling on Bult had been right. “Who are the Uldani?”
“They are another species on this planet.” His jaw clenched. “And our enemies. Shep and I think that was where this ship was heading. There are rumors they are collecting females of different species.”
“For what?”
He shook his head. “We are unsure, but it wouldn’t be good. They are known to experiment on living beings with zero regard to the lives of their subjects.”
I shuddered. “I take it you know these Uldani?”
With a sigh he picked me up and shifted us. He rested his back against the side of the ship, and I straddled his lap, facing him. The position was intimate, yet comfortable, and I settled against the alien who I’d known from the beginning had tried to save me—who was still saving me.
“We are Drixonian, and this planet we are on now is Torin. We used to live on the sister planet, Corin.” He pointed out of the hull of the spaceship to the brilliant planet I’d seen when I crashed was there with brilliant swirling colors. “Our civilization thrived as our females ruled—they organized our government, our crops, just about every part of our lives. Us males were the warriors. We protected our females and our planet while breeding to continue the species.”
His head drooped, and his eyes closed momentarily. “Until about a hundred and fifty sun-cycles ago, when an unknown virus spread. It killed all our females, and most of our elderly males. The males who were left were lost. The government went to pieces, our crops died. Our females were our purpose and our lives. All we knew was battle. Without them, we just drifted. The Uldani, on our sister planet, swooped in. They told us we could move to their planet and work for them. Be their law enforcement and their protection from invaders. We agreed. And life was okay for about a hundred cycles until we realized they’d systematically begun kidnapping our males and experimenting on them. Killing them.”
I sucked in a breath. “No. That’s horrible. Why?”
“We don’t know. We led a rebellion, and while we didn’t defeat the Uldani, we gained our independence. They hoard the tech on this planet, in a fortress on the eastern coast of the continent, and we are left with scraps.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Thousands. We separated into clavas, each choosing a leader. We are mostly outlaws. We scavenge and raid.”
“So there are more… um… clans like yours?”
He cocked his head. “We are called clavases.”
“Right, so more of these?”
He nodded. “Some we are allies with or used to be until Bult burned those friendships. But organization is historically not our strong suit.” He held up his arms, and his blades lifted slightly from his skin before settling back down. “This is what we know. What we were bred to do.”
“You’re like Spartans,” I said, running my hands over his skin.
“Who?”
“A civilization, from, uh, Earth history.”
“Earth,” he said with wonder, his dark eyes shining. “I wish I could return you, Enna. But we have no ships and no way to travel that far.”
I sucked in a breath at his words and my heat beat a mournful rhythm. No more Earth. I’d never see my townhome or my neighbors or sweet little six-year-old Mara who visited the library faithfully every Tuesday to check out a new dinosaur book. Tears flooded my eyes and spilled over my lashes.
“I’m so sorry,” Tark said. “But the only species we know who has the capability to travel to your home planet are the Raghul, and they are in league with the Uldani.”
I swiped at my eyes. I’d deal with my grief later. “So they’re not your friends, right?”
He shook his head. “And the Uldani destroyed our ships in the rebellion. We have no way to travel off-planet. The Uldani hoard a few emergency ships in unknown locations. We have tried to find them, as some of the Drixonian wish to return to Corin.”
I scowled. “I really hate these Uldani.”
He laughed and sifted his fingers through his hair. “Me too, sweet Enna. Me too.”
Seven
Tark
* * *
As much as I enjoyed talking to Enna, we couldn’t spend any more time at the ship. We were exposed, the heat was too much, and the smell from the few bodies that hadn’t burned up on impact was overwhelming.
With Enna in my arms and my pack on my back, I traveled as far as we could away from the wreckage until we both needed to stop and eat. I settled us among dense foliage to camouflage us against predators and worse—Bult. After we munched on some tein bars and downed some monstra, Enna laid her head against my chest. Her warmth seeped through my skin, and my blood hummed. I could finally speak to her, and she was just as sweet as I’d imagined. Perfect for me, and well worth everything I had to do, and would most likely have to do in the future.
I glanced at my tag, the metal armband with the black blood drops stamped into it which I had worn so proudly at Shep’s side for many rotations. But I was no longer a Black Blood. I flexed my biceps with a sigh. I’d take it off when we reached our new home.
“So what now?” she asked, her warm breath heating my skin. Her fingers scratched at the scales on my shoulder as I rested against a tree trunk with her tucked against my chest. “If we’re not going back… where will we go?”
“We will live on our own. I know some places we can be safe and hidden away. As long as Drix like Bult exist, you will not be safe in a clavas. I will take care of you and protect you.”
She leaned back. I’d expected her to be happy, but instead her eyes drooped with sadness. “But why would you do all that for me? Abandon everything you know… I can’t ask you to do that.”
Her little white teeth nibbled on her lower lip. I reached out and pulled on the flesh, freeing it from the abuse. “You didn’t ask me. I’m honored to be the one to protect you. Maybe another male would be more worthy but…”
She shook her head so violently that her hair swirled, cascading over her shoulders. “No, Tark. I wouldn’t choose anyone but you. Out of all those Drix, you were the one who stepped up when Bult had his hand around my throat. You.”
I cupped her neck gently, rubbing my thumb over the dip at the base. “I’ll do all this for you because from the moment I saw you, I felt drawn to you. When Bult put his hand around your neck, when he scratched you, I felt it. There are rumors we have fated mates, but I’ve never met a human female. I’ve never met a female at all unless you count our animal species.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I was a chit, only just learning to talk, when all our females fell ill and died. The Uldani keep theirs hidden away, and the other species on this planet are either animals or non-humanoid species.”
She blinked at me. “But you… you kissed me, and you…” She squirmed in my lap, and my cock began to take notice.
“I licked your cream?” I said.
“Oh goodness gracious,” she breathed, her cheeks reddening. “Yeah. That.”
“The elder males, like Shep, who survived the virus and have experience with females, insisted we remember our intimate skills. Drixonians are legendary lovers.”
“Legendary love—” She shifted in my lap and gasped when she felt the hard ridge of my cock between her legs. “Oh my. Ooooh my. So you’ve never, uh…”
“Penetrated a female with my cock? No. Some Drix manage to get hard a few times a cycle, but most of our libidos are dormant. We assumed we’d live that way for the rest of our lives, as only Drixonian females—or so we thought—would excite us enough to mate.” My hands coasted down her back. “Until I met you, and my desire for you is unending.” Her lips parted, and her eyes went soft and warm. The green orbs entranced me. “I wish to show you what I’ve learned. Will you let me be your lover?”
My sweet Enna’s lips turned up, and her chest heaved. Her luscious breasts jiggled, making my cock twitch. She shifted on my lap, rolling her hips, and a bit of mischief crept into her grin. “Yes, Tark. Yes.”
With an elated growl, I rolled forward, placing her on her back on a mossy patch of ground. I stripped her out of her clothes until all her pale, naked flesh was exposed to me. She didn’t move to cover herself up, or even look nervous. Her trust in me nearly took my breath away. The pink nipples on her ripened breasts hardened beneath my gaze. I had never seen anything more beautiful, and my mouth watered. Would those pretty peaks taste like her cream? I lowered my mouth and latched onto a nipple, rolling the metal in my mouth around the sensitive flesh. She cried out and gripped my horns, urging me to continue to suckle the bud. I loved on it until the skin was red and wet before moving onto her next nipple. All the while, she moaned beneath me.
“I want to see you,” she whispered as I kissed my way down her stomach. A shudder wracked her body. “Take off your pants, Tark.”
I shucked my boots and unhooked my belt at the top of my tail. After rolling my pants off my legs, I tossed them in the corner with Enna’s clothes. I had no idea what the men of her species looked like, so I rose up on my knees so she could look her fill. Her gaze coasted down my body, and she sucked in a breath when her eyes landed on my cock “Oh Lawd,” she murmured.
She slowly reached out to touch the tip of my cock, which leaked with my libo. Shep said it was warm slick to ease our way into females. “This is… wow,” she said.
Was that good or bad? I began to worry. “Is my cock not to your satisfaction?”
Her gaze shot to mine. “Satisfaction?” Her shoulders shook, and then laughter bubbled out of her. “Satisfaction?” Her voice rose. “Your penis is a work of art. I don’t even know where to start. The head is angled and it’s ribbed, long and thick. To add to that, you have a notch on the top to rub against my…” she blew out a breath and her cheeks pinked. “To answer your question. I’m quite satisfied.” She shrugged as her flush continued down her neck to the top of her breasts. “Not that I have that much experience but I, uh, have an active imagination and a love of romance books.”
I wasn’t sure of much of what she said, but from I could understand, I liked. My cock liked it too, especially when she closed her hand around the shaft and tugged. I tilted my head back on a moan. She squeezed harder, and my hips began to jerk in time with her strokes. “Please Enna,” I whispered.
“Please what?” She said.
“I don’t know,” I stared at her helplessly. “I don’t know.”
She leaned forward and licked at the tip of my cock. My libo glistened on her tongue before she pulled it back in her mouth. “Mmmm,” she said. “How is this possible? You taste sweet.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. Her hands, her tongue, the way she allowed me to touch her. I needed to taste her again. I pushed on her shoulders until she was once again on her back, and then I tugged her legs apart. This time, she opened them willingly, and I sank down to the floor to drown myself in her cream.
I sucked on her pretty hard nub, loving the way she gushed into my mouth on a silky moan. I lapped at her entrance and dipped inside where my cock ached to be. She arched her back and said my name in breathy pants as I spe
ared her over and over with my tongue. I hummed, the vibration a skill that only the Drix had, a vibration of our throat, tongue, and cock. She went wild beneath me, just like she had the night before. “Yes!” she screamed. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop!”
Like I’d ever stop. I’d make my home between her thighs if she let me. I raked the metal in my mouth over that spot inside of her I’d only dreamt about. Her body locked up, her legs shook, and she shouted out my name as shivers coursed down her spine. Her heels skittered on my back, and still I ate at her, unable to stop myself. She was just so sweet, my Enna.
When her body stopped shaking, I rose above her, still licking around my mouth to gather up the last of her cream left on my skin. She swallowed, cheeks red, breasts heaving. “You are so good at that. Legendary lovers is right.”
I needed more. My cock ached and my balls felt like they weighed double, hanging heavy and full between my legs. I spread my libo down my shaft. “I need you, Enna.” I could barely get the words out. “I need you badly.”
She reached up and gripped my cheeks. “You have me.”
With a growl, I entered her, plunging my cock into her warm, wet depths. She screamed in pleasure, clenching her inner muscles around me. My eyes nearly rolled back in my head. My hips jerked, and I couldn’t stop the thrusts. I couldn’t slow down, I couldn’t do anything but mindlessly pound into my sweet Enna, again and again. The need to fill my female and revel to her screams and cries of pleasure was woven into my very bones. I’d thought I’d been bred to fight? Oh no, I’d been bred to do this.
I powered into her until her body slid forward, head sliding close to a rock. To avoid hurting her, I pulled out and hauled her up into my arms. I flipped her onto her hands and knees, gripped her shapely hips, and slammed into her again. She pushed backward, taking everything I gave her and giving it back. My balls slapped against her nub and she arched her back so prettily. I gripped her hair, angling her face so I could see how well my cock made her feel. Her eyes were half-closed, mouth open.