by Luna Voss
“Yes, little one,” he murmurs, pulling me closer. “What is it?”
“Would you have bought me at the auction?” I ask. It’s half serious question, half flirting. “If I had made it to my Auction Day, I mean. Would you have bought me?”
“I would have paid every power cell I had for you,” he whispers. “And failing that, I would have stolen you for myself at sword point.”
I take his hand and kiss it. “That’s sweet.”
“It is truth,” he murmurs.
These words are the last thing I remember before I fall asleep.
* * *
We have breakfast with Cleo the next morning in the great Hall, Karsh’s helmet return snugly to his head. This time, the hall is filled with other Kyrzons. I glance around as we fill our plates, not wanting to seem too curious. I’ve never seen this many of the aliens in one place before, and I’ve certainly never seen them in a casual setting like breakfast. They mill about, talking, laughing, acting more or less like humans.
“How did you sleep?” Cleo asks, winking at me.
I look down at my plate, blushing as I think about my night with Karsh. “Well. Very well.”
“I can imagine so,” she says. Her voice is teasing, but in a playful, friendly way. I get the impression that she has fond memories of her own first several nights as a Kyrzon Bride.
“Chief Drokal has yet to return?” Karsh asks the queen.
“Unfortunately, that is so,” she tells him, looking genuinely disappointed. “I am not expecting him to return until some time next week.”
We continue to talk. I learn, somehow for the first time, that she has two children, one a toddler, the other an infant, and apparently the toddler is quite eager for his father to return home. It seems like the Kyrzons practice some type of communal childcare, because Cleo doesn’t seem overly stressed or tired while in the midst of taking care of two young children.
After breakfast, Cleo lends us a tusk-ox and some supplies for the journey back to Karsh’s home in the Far Territories. She also insists on riding her hover-turret to escort us to the edge of Drokal Territory. I’m thrilled to see her step into the vehicle and lift off the ground.
“Whoa!” I exclaim. “That thing is cool!”
Karsh is also smiling. I can tell by the crinkled corners of his eyes. I don’t get the impression he has much experience with hover technology. He looks at Cleo almost shyly, as though he wants to ask something.
“Can…” He cuts himself off, seeming to think better of it.
Cleo smiles encouragingly. “Karsh? Is there something you want to ask?”
“I don’t mean to trouble you. But would it be possible to see you fire the laser cannon?”
She laughs, and looks at him warmly. “Of course! Just allow me to alert the guards, so they don’t hear the sound and think we’re under attack.”
We make our way out of the settlement, and Cleo lets the head of the guard know that she’ll be firing the laser cannon. Once we’re at the outskirts, Cleo points the turret at the sky and fires a bright blue pulse of energy into the air.
Karsh lets out an excited laugh. His enthusiasm for this seems almost childlike, something that I find incredibly endearing. It’s such a stark contrast to the “masked warrior” aesthetic he has going for him otherwise. I have to admit, it’s pretty cool. I’ve heard that the laser cannon in New Sutter can fire as well, but I’ve never seen it.
Cleo rides with us through the afternoon. We spend the whole time talking, laughing. Karsh starts to open up a bit over the journey, and he and Cleo actually end up getting along pretty well.
“This is where I must leave you,” she tells us as we reach the border of her land. “This creek marks the end of Clan Drokal Territory.”
Karsh nods at her. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, Queen.”
She laughs. “Please, call me Cleo. And if you want to make it up to me, visit me again! I quite like having you both around.”
I scramble off of the tusk-ox (no mean feat considering how big the damn things are) and rush over to Cleo to give her a big hug. I’m going to miss her. I look forward to whatever my future holds with Karsh, but I’m going to be awfully disappointed if I don’t make a friend like her again.
“It was so good to meet you,” she says as she hugs me. “I really hope this isn’t goodbye. I meant what I said. You and Karsh are welcome here any time.” She winks. “Besides, the weather is much nicer here than in the Far Territories.”
I laugh, breaking the hug. “Take care of yourself. I’ll miss you.”
With that, I get back on the tusk-ox with Karsh (maybe with a little help from him), and we ride off, leaving Clan Drokal Territory behind.
Chapter Eighteen
Cleo is right about the weather being nicer in the regions closer to Human Territory. As we ride on, it starts to get noticeably colder. I’m glad for the pack of supplies she sent us with, which I’m extremely grateful to discover contains a human-sized jacket for me to wear.
As we travel, we start to discuss the particulars of our new life together. Karsh’s original mission had been to have me and all the other Brides sold at auction once his party reached their home, but he is quite confident that he’ll be able to secure me for himself once we arrive.
“I know Bover,” he says, referring to the high-ranking Kyrzon who was put in charge of Clan Nerkesh while the chief was away. “He’s a friend of mine, and he’s a good man. He knows that the real purpose of this mission was to bring women home for us to breed.” Karsh strokes my belly possessively, and his voice drops to a low growl. “And Selena, I intend to breed you, believe me.”
I shiver. The thought of him putting a baby inside me is something I desire very much. “I’d like that,” I say.
His hand moves upward, cupping one of my breasts. “You’re fucking irresistible, Selena,” he says. “It’s going to take weeks to get home if you keep making me want to pull the tusk-ox over so I can bend you over and have my way with you.”
I nuzzle him suggestively. “I’d like that, too.”
Karsh does indeed pull the tusk-ox to a stop. He hops off of its back, then scoops me up in his arms and lowers me to the ground.
“Ooh, am I about to get my way?” I giggle.
“No, I am,” he growls, pushing me down to my knees on the soft grass and then bending me forward onto my elbows. I gasp as I feel him bring my pants down to my knees.
“Tell me what you want me to do to you,” he snarls as the head of his cock parts my eager pussy lips.
“Fuck me,” I whimper.
“No, the other thing. Tell me you want me to breed you.”
My pussy twitches with excitement at his words. “Breed me,” I moan, feeling his cock start to push inside me. “Karsh, I want you to put a baby inside me. I want you to get me pregnant.”
“Yes,” he growls, gripping my hips as he starts to thrust. “Say that again.”
“Breed me!” I gasp, pleasure ripping through me. “Please, Karsh, I want you to breed me!”
“Oh fuck yes,” his voice rumbles, and he slaps my ass. “This beautiful little human body is mine the claim and to fuck and to put a baby in. Oh yes. Oh fuck yes. Oh fuck.”
His cock twitches as he empties his seed inside me. A moment later, he pulls out, and I feel it start to trickle down my thighs. Karsh pulls me to my feet, and instead of getting back onto the tusk-ox, he starts to finger me in a standing position. My breathing increases as his cum leaks out of me, coating his fingers and making my folds juicy with him.
“Oh my god,” I whimper, my legs collapsing. He holds me tightly with his free hand, keeping me upright. “Oh, Karsh, you’re going to make me come.”
I moan as my orgasm hits me and the rest of my body turns to jelly. I writhe around in the Kyrzon’s arms.
Finally, I stop thrashing, and my pleasure fades. Karsh pulls my pants back up, gives my butt a little slap, and then pulls up his helmet and kisses me deeply.
/> “I love you, Selena, you know that? I don’t have words to describe how much I’m looking forward to our life together. I’ve always dreamed of having a woman like you.”
He returns his helmet to his head, and we continue to ride.
* * *
“Do you think that my friends will be in Clan Nerkesh Territory when we get there?” I ask Karsh the next day. I’ve been thinking about this a lot as we’ve been traveling.
“You mean the other women who were taken from the solar plant?”
“Yeah.”
“Truthfully, it is hard to say,” he admits. “I’m sorry if that is not the answer you wanted to hear. I believe that Judd and your friends Sam and May emerge safely from the attack. It is possible that they will have made it to Nerkesh Territory before us.”
“What about the other girls?” I’m a little embarrassed how little I’ve thought about Barbara recently, considering how we parted ways. I guess I’ve had my own situation to deal with.
“I wish that I had something concrete I could tell you. I do not believe they will make it to our home. I believe that the warriors who took them intended to sell them, likely at the Clan Burbba auction.”
“Is that what they meant when they talked about getting rich?” I ask. “I remember them saying something about that.”
“Indeed,” says my mate. “A Bride can fetch a hefty sum. If they auction three women and split the proceeds between them, they would have enough to purchase new Brides of their own, and still have a good amount of money left over. I believe they were planning to do this from the start,” he all but spits, his contempt for them clear.
I fall silent. I don’t know what to say. I’m worried about the other women, especially Barbara.
“I wouldn’t be overly concerned about your friends’ safety,” he reassures me. “If they are sold, and I believe that they will be, their fates will be no different than those of of any other woman who goes to the auctions. No different than the fate you yourself spent your teenage years preparing for.”
“Well, I hope they find mates that suit them as well as my mate suits me,” I say, leaning against him affectionately.
“That would be difficult,” he replies, squeezing me.
* * *
We make camp for the night. Midway through the next day of travel, it starts to snow, small, dry flakes that don’t stick to the ground. I make a game out of trying to catch them on my tongue, which Karsh seems to find extremely amusing.
“Try it!” I say, laughing. “It’s fun!”
He hesitates.
“Oh, come on, you big brute,” I tease him. “I didn’t realize Kyrzons were scared of snowflakes.”
He laughs, pulls off his helmet, and joins me in trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. I feel elated. I never would have expected Karsh to have such a playful side to him. He’s really just about the cutest man I’ve ever met, Kyrzon or not.
When we camp that night, the sex we have carries that same playful energy. I never would have imagined that lovemaking could be so much fun, as well as pleasurable. By the time we’re finished, panting, sweaty, clutching each other, I’m amazed at how much affection I feel for him. I didn’t realize that laughter could bring two people closer together just as well as anything else.
“How much longer until we reach Clan Nerkesh Territory?” I ask him the next morning as we set off.
“I believe we will arrive the next afternoon,” he tells me. “Or perhaps tonight, if we make good time.”
“Let’s try to make good time, then,” I say, smiling. “I can’t wait to see your home.”
“Our home,” he corrects me, smiling from ear to ear.
My heart soars all day as we travel. I’m so ready to begin my new life.
* * *
As we get closer to Clan Nerkesh Territory, it becomes very clear to me that we are in a different region of the planet. Already, the trees I’ve seen on Kyrzon have been big, but the ones around here are even bigger. Enormous, thick trunks that tower all the way into the sky, and purple leaves on some of them, too.
“Are all the trees this big in the Far Territories?” I ask Karsh, amazed.
“Not all, but many,” he explains, sounding pleased by my interest. “And you will see more of the purple leaves as we continue to travel, too.”
The snow, thankfully, is gone, although Karsh tells me we may experience more of it. At one point, I hear an animal sound in the distance, and it’s one that I don’t recognize. It’s a high, warbling wail, a little bit similar to a raptor call, but unmistakably different.
“What’s that? I don’t think we have those in Human Territory.”
“That is a raptor. You have those, do you not?”
“We have raptors! That is definitely not the sound a raptor makes.”
He chuckles. “In this part of the planet, it is. They look different, too. They are larger than the ones you are used to. And many of them have fur.”
I shake my head. “Great. Bigger raptors. Any other lovely surprises?”
“You will see soon enough. We have covered ground more quickly than I expected. I believe we will reach Clan Nerkesh Territory by nightfall, in time for us to make camp. And then tomorrow, it will be but a short journey for us to enter the Clan Nerkesh capital.”
We end up making camp next to a river, which flows lazily as we eat our dinner next to the fire. I snuggle him as we eat, reflecting on how far things have come since dinner that first night that he captured me. I remember how scared I felt then, how nervous, how unsure of what the future would hold.
Now I’m not unsure. Now I know that my future lies with Karsh.
As we snuggle up together in our tent, I lie awake, thinking about my new life with Clan Nerkesh.
Tomorrow, I will enter my new home as Karsh’s mate.
Chapter Nineteen
“I like seeing you without your helmet,” I murmur to Karsh, cuddling against him in our tent. It’s morning. I can hear the river flowing outside.
“I like having my mask off around you,” he replies happily, kissing me on the forehead. “You are my mate now. There is nothing that I do not share with you.”
“Nothing?” I say teasingly, moving my hand down to his crotch. I find his cock, and my hand closes around it. He groans slightly.
“Nothing,” he confirms, watching me with dazed eyes. His cock begins to stiffen in my hand.
I kiss him, gently stroking his shaft. His breathing grows ragged.
Suddenly, he freezes.
“What is—” I start to ask, but he shushes me, putting a finger to his lips. He taps his ear. Listen.
I go still, listening for whatever it is that has the Kyrzon so concerned. I don’t hear anything, but I still remain cautious, trusting that Karsh’s instincts are more honed for danger than my own.
And then I do hear something. The unmistakable sound of sticks and leaves crunching underfoot.
Karsh springs to his feet, reaching for his sword, but before he can grab it, the front flap of the tent is thrown open and we’re greeted by a group of helmeted Kyrzons pointing spears at us, one of them clearly in the lead.
Considering the situation they walked in on, I consider myself very lucky to be wearing clothes.
“Warg,” Karsh growls, glaring daggers at the leader.
“Karsh,” Warg says back, his tone gloating. “Without your mask around a female? What heresy is this? This woman is not of your clan, and you well know it.”
“She is of my clan now,” Karsh insists. “She is my mate. I have claimed her, and she wishes it to be so.”
“That is not for her, or you, to decide,” snarls Warg. “Your mission was to obtain Brides for auction, not to claim one for yourself. And certainly not to remove your helmet in front of one.”
“Where is Bover?” my mate demands. “Allow me to talk to Bover, and our disagreement will be at an end. As tribe leader in Nerkesh’s absence, he should be the one to settle this.”
&nb
sp; Warg’s eyes glint evilly. “Talking to Bover will be difficult,” he says, seeming to take great pleasure in delivering his words, “for Bover has said very little since I cleaved his head from his body.”
Karsh snarls, his rage seemingly only contained by the four spears pointed at his chest. “Bover is dead by your hand?”
Warg laughs, taking one hand off the handle of his spear and examining it. “By this very hand indeed. And oh, how I enjoyed it.” He steps forward, lightly pressing the point of his spear against Karsh’s neck. “I am in charge now. And you would do well to remember it.” He turns over his shoulder to his men. “Seize him.”
Two burly Kyrzons stalk into the tent and grab Karsh from either side. The rage that I see bubbling within him is such that I have never experienced, and yet he restrains himself from fighting back, clearly worried about my safety. He turns to me.
“I will never let you go,” he says, looking me dead in the eyes. “Selena, listen to me. I need you to know this. I will never let you go.”
The soldiers drag him out of the tent.
Now Warg walks over to me, and I cower, still sitting on the bed roll on the ground.
“Now, you’re a very pretty little human,” he purrs, eyeing me hungrily. “Come here, girl. Up to your feet.”
I don’t want to, but I know I don’t have a choice. My legs feel shaky as I get to my feet.
Warg stands over me, taller even than Karsh, and looks me from head to toe. His expression is pleased, as though he likes what he sees. He takes one of my hands, and his fingers trace up my arm, caressing my skin.
“If there’s one positive thing I can say about Karsh, it’s that he has exquisite taste in women,” he murmurs, licking his lips as he looks down at me. “We will still need to go through the formality of the auction. But I intend for us to be seeing a lot more of each other. Until we meet again, my Bride.”