Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Aliens of Dragselis Book 1)
Author: Zenia, Zara
Date: 2017-06-05

Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance

Aliens of Dragselis Book 1

Zara Zenia

Illustrated by Natasha Snow

Edited by Teresa Banschbach

Edited by CM Editing

Copyright © 2017 by Zara Zenia

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Natasha Snow Designs

Edited by Teresa Banschbach

Proofread by CM Editing

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination.

Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

Contents

Mailing List

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Epilogue

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Chapter 1

Zaruv

Tick, tick, tick, tick. My eyes darted across the emerald table, meeting those of my youngest brother. The incessant tapping continued, much to my chagrin. Every time the heavy, golden, ring on his middle finger brushed against the table, the noise rang out across the silent ship. He was going to start a fight without ever lifting a fist in anger.

That was Pavar’s thought. He had a way of stirring the pot to his liking. Young and wild, my twenty-five-year-old brother shot me an easy grin. At once, I felt my anger giving way to amusement. It was damn near impossible for me to stay angry at his hotheaded ways. The youngest of five brothers, Pavar always seemed to play on the line between prince and prisoner.

“If you continue to act like this, you will be the death of us all,” I said finally.

He cocked his head and the tapping finally stopped, “Come now, Zaruv. We both know that the Dragselian people are not going to change their ways. The system has worked for thousands of years.”

“It’s flawed and you know it. Hell, I would even venture to say that the other brothers know it too. None of you want to speak up though. Even now, we are all heading to our exile and still, you won’t speak against the old ways.”

“It’s not my place to speak ill of them. Nor is it yours.” Came Karun’s steady voice.

He stepped into the ship’s hull and nodded toward me as a sign of respect. As the second oldest son, I held the honor of being charged with my younger three brothers. We all knew that the day of exile was coming, but now that it was here, old struggles seemed to be flaring up. It didn’t help that we’d been stuck in the small passenger spaceship for the last two weeks. No amount of preparation could ready one for spending so much time in close quarters with their siblings.

Pavar glared at Karun while nodding in respect toward his elder brother. “We are heading to Artax, where we are sentenced to live out our lives away from our home and our people but you still support the rule?”

“I do,” replied Karun confidently. “The system, though flawed, has worked well long before we were here. It will continue to work long after we are gone.”

“You make Artax sound like a prison,” I interjected. “Artax is a resort planet, dear brother. We are going to live out our lives with more Dragselian woman and servants than we can handle. Yet you seem to find a way to make it sound terrible.”

“That’s because it is! I want to be back home on Dragselia, not billions of light years away from it.”

“You are so ready to start a fight when our father has not even been dead a week. You mourn the loss of your comfort, but not the man who provided it. You should be ashamed, Pavar,” Ragal said.

My two brothers sat down at the table with myself and Pavar. Looking around at them I saw the stark differences between them. Each one of them had a different personality that had its flaws, but also its winning qualities. I could think of no better warrior than Karun. His strength, speed, and agility were almost matched with my own. An anger boiled below the surface though. He hated the exile even more than Pavar, though his loyalty to the Dragselian way ran deeper than his disdain.

“We are not far from Artax now, I think you will sing a new song once you see what waits for us there, Pavar,” Karun said

“Karun, you won’t win. I would encourage you to let it go now before a war of our own starts,” interjected Ragal.

“I agree,” I said while nodding to Ragal. “There is nothing that we can do about it now. Pavar, you may voice your concerns among us brothers, but once we reach Artax, there will be no room for that hostility.”

“Why not?” Pavar fumed.

I started to speak, but it was again Ragal who answered. “Because Artax is a haven of Dragselian. To speak against your king would be unforgivable.”

“Maybe that’s what I need to do then, at least I wouldn’t be living a lie.”

Karun sighed and shook his head, “Then we will be forced to live with your death. You will be painted the selfish, spoiled brat that you are.”

Pavar leaped up, but I raised my hand in a command for him to sit. He begrudgingly listened. This wasn’t the first time that he’d tried to start a fight in the close quarters and I knew it would be the last. I didn’t worry about Ragal. His level head and passive nature wouldn’t allow him to partake in such a pointless fight. It was the others that I was worried about. Karun was a fighter and Pavar was an instigator but Ragal only wanted peace to reign out over all others. I smiled at him as he sat silently, looking out at the stars as they flew past us.

“We are close,” Ragal whispered beneath Pavar and Karun’s argument.

I looked out the front window and took in the beauty of the planet. It had been many years since I’d ventured to the area. Everything seemed the same. A small flicker of light caught my eye. At first, I thought that it was a star, but it seemed to be moving. Another ship in this area was common. Artax was a popular resort planet. No chime of the security console came but that did little to comfort me. It was programmed to send a message to all ships in our area, keep track of their level of danger.

Our vessel did not bear the royal insignia of our home planet. It was too dangerous to openly declare that there were royals on board. Throughout the area, there were Infernians lurking and waiting for our capture and eventual death. If no heirs to the throne were alive, they could easily overthrow our rule. I kept a watchful eye on the ship. It wouldn’t take much to fool our system. A false sense of security might blanket those who didn’t know the price on our heads, but it did little to put my mind at ease.

“What troubles you, brother?” Ragal asked, watching the changes of my face.

I shook my head, not wanting to alert the others of potential danger until I was sure. “It’s nothing, just my paranoid mind playing tricks on me. I think that I, too, am getting a little stir crazy.”

Ragal smiled and leaned back, “I believe it's infected me as well. I will be glad when I can again rest my feet on solid ground.”

I snickered, Ragal hated to be on ships. The uncertainty of the unknown did little to comfort him. He was not one for adventure. Left alone with his charts and the stars, he was a very happy nomad. I glanced back at the window, searching for the small blinking light. At first, I thought it had gone, moved onto whatever planet it was destined for, but then I caught it again, this time it was closer and worse, it wasn’t alone.

My heart started to race, wondering if it was enough danger to alert the others. In my hesitation to speak though, a heavy silence fell over the cabin. Karun and Pavar were no longer arguing with each other. The silence had transformed into a heavy fog, waiting for me to speak and lift it. I glanced back at the approaching ships, four in total and knew that I needed to make a decision. They would be on us in a matter of minutes.

“Zaruv?” Karun asked, “What troubles you?”

I looked him in the eyes, dark and brooding as always. We were an incredibly attractive lot by human standards. Our bodies had little to no hair, save for our heads which flowed freely down our backs, mine in waves of deep auburn. My heart was racing; we were not prepared for a fight as we flew in a passenger vessel with no security. Instantly, I regretted my decision to not push for some sort of escort. These were troubling times for our kind, as evident by the unmarked ships now closing in.

Karun saw them before I responded to him, “Are they Infernian ships?”

I shook my head, “There is no way to know. They do not have any markers or colors. I don’t think they are coming to be friends though. Jartex?”

A computer voice rang out over our heads. Jartex was our security system. “Yes, my prince?”

“Can you send them a message please and ask that they identify themselves?”

“Shall I share make your royal presences known?” Jartex asked.

“No,” I whispered. “Do not share who we are with them.”

The four of us stood watching through the window as the ships grew closer. They couldn’t see us through the thick glass, but we could see enough that my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. No passenger vehicle carried the two heavy missile portals on either side, as were the ships that were now hovering a few hundred feet from us. There was little doubt in my mind that they knew who was on board.

“Sir?” said Jartax, “They do not respond to my signal. Should I try again?”

I shook my head and took a step backward, tugging Pavar and Ragal along with me. “No Jartax, it’s too late.”

My three brothers looked to me, then back to the ships now facing us. They saw the same thing that I did, the missiles being lowered by long, metallic, arms as they prepared to fire. I could feel my stomach flipping in anticipation for a split second before I reacted.

“Jartax, drop range now!” I screamed out.

My brothers scurried around and quickly buckled into the seats around the emerald table, but Pavar wasn’t fast enough. Our ship dropped from the dark sky and Pavar was shot up in the air, his back cracking against the ceiling. He quickly recovered, our bones and skeletal structure being stronger than that of humans. In our dragon forms, we were almost impossible to kill but shifting now would rip apart the small craft, sending us floating pointlessly into space.

“Take evasive measures!” I called out.

Karun quickly unbuckled and took the seat next to me as the autopilot engaged and started to dodge the incoming missiles.

“We need to get to the escape pods,” Karun said.

I shook my head, “This far from Artax, we would never make it.”

“What other options do we have? We cannot fight back; we are too far to call for help from home. It’s the only chance that we have for survival.”

An argument rose to my lips, but before I could share, the ship started to shake violently. One of the missiles had made contact, sending everything on the vessel flying through the air as we struggled to breathe through the debris and depleting oxygen. I nodded to Karun. He grabbed ahold of Pavar and I did the same to Ragal, shoving each one into an escape pod.

Before shutting the doors on the pods, I looked over at Karun and yelled, “Make for Vaxivia, I will find you all there.”

Karun nodded, as did Pavar and Ragal before we sealed them in. Within seconds we heard the alarm of an incoming missile and quickly we both dove into our escape pods. Looking around at my brothers, I hit the eject button and was sent soaring into space. Unequipped for long travel, the air in the pod grew thin just as we entered Vaxivia’s thin atmosphere.

The last memory I had before the darkness consumed me, was of my brothers. All I could do was hope that their fates had not yet ended. They were all the family I had left; someone had told the enemy where we were. There was a spy among our kind.

Chapter 2

Jennifer

“Shh, Susan. Just one more and you will be all done,” I cooed to the small girl.

Her pin-straight hair fell in clumps on her cheeks. She was covered in mud. Dark streaks crisscrossed her face from where she had tried in vain to wipe away the tears. The cut was deep, but short, thankfully. She needed a few stitches, but nothing I couldn’t handle. It wasn’t often that I’d come across an injury that my small, but well-equipped outpost clinic couldn’t cover.

“Thank you so much, Jennifer,” whispered Carla, Susan’s mother.

I smiled up at her, covering the new sutures with a bandage. “It’s no problem, Carla. I’m just happy you caught me before I headed home for the day. Otherwise, we would have had to cut it off.”

Susan rolled her eyes at me but smiled, “You wouldn’t do that to me.”

I grinned at the little girl and reached behind me, producing a small, wrapped, red candy. “You’re right. I could never do that to my favorite patient. Promise me you will stay away from the dunes from now on though, okay?”

Susan nodded her head and jumped down, her eyes glued on the candy prize in her hand. I pulled Carla aside while Susan was distracted. The little girl wasn’t out of the woods yet. I couldn’t count the number of injuries I saw because of the dunes. Vaxivia was no place to let your child wander outside of the outpost limits. There hadn’t been a war in decades, but the very planet itself was a death trap unless you knew your way around it. No five-year-old should be wandering alone.

“You will need to watch for an infection. The dunes hold sand that can eat away at the skin.”

Carla folded her hands nervously in her lap, “Okay. I know she shouldn’t have been out there. I will be dealing with Michael when I get home.”

“He’s only eight, Carla. You know he shouldn’t be left alone with her all day. Isn’t there anyone who can help you out?”

She shook her head, “Please don’t tell the guards. I promise I won’t let it happen again.”

I took her hands into mine. Her story was all too common. Work on Vaxivia was hard to find. Often the men of the family left to find work and never came back. Some still sent money back home, but many, like Carla’s husband, were ghosts in the wind. She worked part time at the small diner to make ends meet, but childcare was just too expensive. My heart ached for her and the plight that she was in.

“Why don’t you send her here tomorrow? I have some things she can do around the clinic and I can keep an eye on her wound.”

“Really? She won’t get in the way?”

I smiled at Susan who was still looking at her foil wrapped trophy. Running a clinic wasn’t easy. The last thing I needed was a young girl running under foot. Still, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her.

“She will be fine, I promise.”

Carla thanked me all the way to the door. I knelt to speak to Susan, “Are you going to come help me tomorrow?”

She nodded her head and ran after her mom with more joy in her eyes than I’d ever seen. As I was standing up, I saw Mikey Jones running toward me at full speed. At once my heart jumped. He never ran that fast. Slight in build, Mikey was ten going on forty. Like all the young boys in the community, he had far too much weight on his young shoulders. I turned the clinic sign over to ‘Closed’ and grabbed my medical bag. I met him at the old hoverboard parked on the road.

“Jennifer! Jennifer!” he called to me. “There’s an alien ship crashed outside of the outpost!”

The blood drained from my face at once, as I quickly glanced around. I didn’t see Courtney’s nosey eyes peering through her curtains. The last thing I needed was her running around and telling the guards that we had an alien. Not when I couldn’t be sure that Mike was right. I jumped and covered his mouth with my hand. His eyes briefly shifted to fear before he nodded his head. I winced at his fear. I had momentarily forgotten about the abuse his bastard father had inflicted on him before he skipped town.

“Okay Mikey, we will go take a look but you’ve got to keep your voice down, okay?”

He nodded his head, “Sorry, Jennifer. I’m so stupid. I forgot.”

I winced again, “Mikey, you are far from stupid. I don’t want to hear you talk like that about yourself ever again, okay? I just don’t want everyone to know about the alien just yet.”

“Got it, I will be more careful,” he whispered.

Nodding, I pressed my thumb against the scanner and the hovercraft slowly roared to life. It needed to be replaced years ago, but the money just wasn’t there anymore. It shook and rattled as it lifted off the ground. I waited there for a few more seconds, giving it a chance to warm up. Once it was about a foot from the ground I pushed the handlebar forward and we started to move briskly through the streets. Within seconds we were coming up on the outpost wall. I glanced at the two guards and sighed. This was going to be tricky.

“Mikey?” I asked my passenger. “You are going to hear me lie okay? I don’t want them to know what you’ve found until I know it’s safe.”

He nodded his head and said nothing. I knew that he wouldn’t say anything to the contrary to what I was going to say. He was another good kid tossed into a bad situation. His father wasn’t missing though, he was buried in the small outpost cemetery, a victim of the dunes. With two younger sisters and a working mother, he would run errands for me and I would slip him any payment I could. Whether it was drupees or food, he was grateful for it all the same.

As I slowed to a stop, the younger of the two men sauntered over to me. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face. He was the last person I wanted to deal with knowing how the heavyset man felt about me. My numerous rejections of his advances never seemed to dull his attraction to me. No matter how one-sided it seemed to be. It was the same story with most of the other single men in the outpost. I didn’t want to deal with any of them. The pool wasn’t very deep on Vaxivia.

“How are you doing Zach?” I asked casually.

He winked at me, leaning against the hoverboard. “I’m doing a whole lot better now that you are visiting, Jennifer.”

“Well, unfortunately, this isn’t a social visit. I need to get out to the Jones’ homestead. One of the girls has a bit of the flu. I just want to check on her to clear my mind.”

He glanced around the hoverboard and saw Mikey for the first time. His mood changed at once. As soon as he realized he wasn’t the center of my attention I knew that he was going to be a hard sell.

Zach shook his head, “No can do, Jennifer. We got word today that there might be hostiles in the area. Aren’t supposed to let anyone in or out.”

I gritted my teeth and batted my eyes. Letting my fingers trail off the controls and over to his. He twitched but didn’t move his hand. His eyes lit up and a wide, white grin crossed his face.

“That’s a shame. I was hoping to slip out there real fast, then be back at Sammy’s by quitting time,” I whispered.

He cleared his throat, the smile still on his face. I hated to lie but I knew if he thought I would be at the local pub later, he would let me go. He waved to the man at the gate and they slowly started to open.

“Thank you,” I whispered to him.

He winked at me, “You can thank me later, honey.”

My cheeks flushed red but not out of admiration. I didn’t like having the attention of any man, least of all him. Blushing was my defense mechanism but he didn’t need to know that. My skin felt like it was crawling from where I’d touched him. I was suddenly grateful for the sterilizing solution I had in my bag. I gave him one last smile as I slowly pulled through the gates and let them close behind me. As soon as I rounded the forest and I was out of sight, I pushed the throttle as hard as it would go.

“Where did you see it?” I asked Mikey once we were finally clear.

He pointed to a clearing in the forest, one that hadn’t been there before. It didn’t take me long to realize that the clearing was the aftermath of a large wreck. My stomach started to flutter. I couldn’t believe that Mikey was telling the truth. He wasn’t prone to lying, but your eyes could play tricks on even the most discerning child, especially one with a wild spirit like him. I swallowed hard and followed the trail. The closer we crept to the wreckage, the more I was regretting my decision to bring Mikey with me.

“Whatever you do, stay behind me. Do you understand?” I asked him as we parked.

He nodded his head, ducking between my arms and trying to see the wreckage. I’d never seen a ship like it before. It wasn’t large, maybe a few dozen meters in width without its wings. I briefly glanced around but didn’t see the wings anywhere.

“Why don’t you go find the wings and other wreckage for me. I don’t know what we are going to find when we open the hull, okay?”

Mikey nodded and disappeared off into the woods. The black craft was badly damaged, looking more like an ancient, buried torpedo than a ship. I looked for a door, following a trail of steam as it seeped from a thin seam. Still in shock that Mikey hadn’t been lying, my attention turned to determining if there were any survivors. I was no stranger to aliens, but I kept my small gun close at my side just in case. The ship wasn’t an Infernian vessel, that much was evident.

A low whistle escaped the pod and I stumbled backward, watching in stunned silence as the seam widened as a door opened. In a puff of smoke, the door creaked back on its dented hinges and my mouth fell open. There was someone inside of the pod, and from the small hole poking through the fumes, I could see a man’s chest slowly moving up and down.

“Thank God,” I whispered. He was alive.

When the last of the smoke cleared, I was once again stunned into silence. There wasn’t much blood, less than I had expected. What gave me pause was the alien’s stunning looks. His body was rugged and muscular, with olive-toned skin that I could see where his uniform had torn open. Swallowing back my words, I let my gaze travel up his body to his face. Though his eyes were closed, I could only imagine the beauty that they would behold, if they matched the rest of his figure.

His dark, auburn, hair fell loose down to his shoulders. A strong jaw and thickly lashed eyes rounded out one of the most attractive faces I’d ever seen. When a groan slipped past his lips, I jumped. As his head listlessly turned to the side, I saw the reason he was unconscious. A gaping wound cut through the side of his head. I quickly pushed my fear and wonder aside and reached into my medical bag. Any emotions that I had before were now gone. He was injured and nothing else mattered but keeping him alive.

“Mikey!” I called out.

The child was at my side in a flash. I looked deeply into his eyes, praying there would be enough strength to lift the alien between the two of us.

“We have to get him back to my apartment, and fast,” I whispered to him.

Chapter 3

Zaruv

“I need you and a few of your friends to go and bury the ship. I don’t want the guards to find it just yet, okay? Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes ma’am, I know just the boys to help me.”

“Great, go now. I don’t want you to be here when he wakes up. The fewer people that he talks too, the better it will be okay?”

“I don’t know if I should leave you alone with him. He might be dangerous.”

I couldn’t hide my humor any longer. A grunt slipped past my lips though I kept my eyes closed. I had woken briefly as they were moving me, but my body was not yet healed. My senses were sharp enough that I was easily able to discern my captors were nothing more than a woman and a youthful boy. Both of them humans, which came as a bit of a shock. We weren’t in a military cell, that much I knew. Whatever had happened to my pod I knew that I had this woman to thank for my survival and the lack of bars on the windows. No doubt she had her trepidations about helping me.

As soon as I heard the door and faint sounds of the young man leaving, I moved a little bit. I didn’t want to scare the woman who had helped me. Instantly, the shuffling of feet stopped and I felt her sweet, warm body press against mine as she sat down on the bed I’d been laid on. Her hand brushed across my forehead, pulling back the bandage that had protected my wound.

I opened my eyes and saw her staring back at me for the first time. She was a rare beauty with hair the color of Infernian lava and piercing emerald eyes. I wanted to reach out and cup her round face, to run my thumb along her plump, cherry lips. Instead, I just gazed at her, mesmerized by her beauty.

“Hello,” she whispered. “My name is Jennifer; do you know where you are?”

I cleared my throat, buying time and wondering how much I should share with her. “Vaxivia, if my escape pod was accurate. Tell me, am I being held prisoner here?”

A shocked look crossed Jennifer’s face, “No. Of course not. I wouldn’t go running around town just yet, though. People don’t generally like newcomers around here and with good reason; they normally bring trouble with them.”

“I wish I could tell you that I won’t have trouble following me, but I can’t be sure,” I muttered in earnest. “Tell me, you are the one who cared for me, yes?”

She nodded her head, “I didn’t think you would survive the cut to your head, but now it’s almost gone. I can’t believe it myself, to be honest.”

I grinned at her, “I have sustained worse, but I thank you anyway. I have a feeling it was your quick actions that kept me out of prison, or whatever it is you have here.”

Jennifer frowned, “We have a bunker, but it hasn’t been used in years. Not many people travel to Vaxivia and even fewer aliens. It’s not like we have a booming industry here.”

“It does seem rather,” I paused, choosing my words carefully, “Desolate.”

“That’s an understatement. So, were you traveling alone? I only found one pod, but Mikey is out looking for more.”

My jaw clenched down, I was a good judge of character and Jennifer seemed like a trustworthy human. Still, I didn’t want her to be put in harm’s way. I needed to be careful about what I shared. At least until I knew her better. Letting my gaze fall over her slender figure, I thought about the many ways I would love to know her more intimately. I’d had many lovers in the past, but she was different. There was a fire inside of her that was burning hot.

“No, there were others. I can only hope that they have fared as well as me.”

“How many?”

“Four in all, my brothers actually. We were attacked and had no choice but to take the pods. However, we were not quick enough in our escape. I fear I have no way of knowing where they have landed.”

“Well,” she said with her brow creased, “I can tell you that they aren’t anywhere around here. It’s a miracle that your pod went undetected. More than one certainly would have raised an alarm.”

“I need to find them. They won’t know what to do.”

“You sound like the oldest brother,” she said with a grin.

“Second, my eldest brother wasn’t traveling with us.”

“Where are you coming from?”

It was a question I wasn’t ready to answer. I quickly started to cough and she leaped into action, trotting off to the small kitchen and fetching me a drink. I enjoyed the view of her rear, but I had bigger problems. The second she found out what I really was, she would panic as many humans did. In my current form, I looked like any number of humanoid creatures, if not a little more handsome. The Dragselians could manipulate our form, shifting between a human appearance and our true identities, dragons.

Though we only brought out our dragons when we needed to fight, I still didn’t know what Jennifer would think of me. As she walked back in with a tall glass of water, something changed. I watched her slender hips swaying as she moved; my eyes traveled up to her tilted head and subtle grin. Sucking in a sharp breath, I made the connection in an instant. I trusted her, as much as I would trust one of my other brothers. Somehow, I was linked to this small and beautiful human. It was fate.

I took a long drink, her careful eyes watching my every move. Looking for any reason to avoid talking about myself, I went for the most obvious approach.

“Do you live here alone?” I asked, the words sounding dull to me.

She rolled her eyes at me, “You are avoiding answering my question. Why should I keep answering yours? That doesn’t seem like a very fair approach.”

“You’re right,” I said with a grin. “My name is Zaruv, you were right to assume that I wasn’t from around here. I don’t want to put you in danger though.”

“Danger? I’m pretty sure that ship sailed as soon as I brought you back to my apartment.” She grinned and added, “Where I live alone.”

Our eyes met and a blush covered her cheeks, it was enough to send the heat down through my loins. Jennifer was doing everything she could to put me at ease. Until my brothers were found though, I didn’t think that was going to happen.

“So, where are you from?” she asked again.

I sighed, “Okay, you win. I am from the planet Dragselia.”

Jennifer gasped, quickly jumping from the couch and backing away from me. It was exactly the reaction I was worried about. Her kind didn’t know about the difference between Infernians and Dragselians. To them, we were all strange, alien, shapeshifters who slaughtered thousands without cause. The reality of it was much different but I didn’t know that she was going to give me the opportunity to explain.

“Jennifer, I am not the monster you think I am,” I whispered softly. “My people have long been tied to the Infernians when we shouldn’t be. We do not murder, plunder, and destroy like they do.”

“Then why are you here? Why were you in Vaxivia space?”

“My brothers and I were traveling to Artax when Infernians shot us down. We had no defenses.”

“That’s not like Dragselians to be caught off guard. Sounds like your kind needs a lesson in travel safety.”

I glared at her, “We took every precaution we could, which is why we had no defense, no insignia, no escorts. We were supposed to be undetected, but I suspect there was a traitor among my people back on Dragselia.”

“A traitor? No escort?” she muttered, slowly putting together the pieces.

I didn’t know if I was ready for her to see the truth. The last thing I wanted was more drama. I had no time to coddle her. I needed to find my brothers who, no doubt, were not fairing as well as I was. This planet was a mixture of friends and foes. Some swore allegiance to the treaty between our kinds and some, like Jennifer had, still grouped us together with our nemesis, the Infernians. The link between us and them was long and sordid, not one that I had time to go into with her.

“Just who the hell are you?”

“I am the second eldest son of the late King Patabu, ruler of Dragselia. Per our custom, my brothers and I were going to live in exile on Artax when we were shot down by Infernian troopers. I can only hope that they think they killed us all. Otherwise, they will come here looking for us.”

“Wow, that’s a lot,” Jennifer muttered.

“I know, I need to find them though. I would be able to track their pods through my own if I can get back to it. I will need your help though Jennifer.”

Her eyes grew wide. “My help?”

“You seemed to get me past the outpost guards the first time, I’m hoping that you can do the same. I don’t know how long we will be gone though. I know that it's asking a great deal from you. There is no one else I’m afraid.”

“I don’t know,” Jennifer whispered. “I just don’t know.”

“Jennifer, my brothers are the only family that I have. My father is dead and I have been exiled from my home. This planet is not where I want to live out my days. The people seem less than welcoming to creatures of different races.”

“I know. Most of those who make Vaxivia their home only does so because they don’t know anywhere else. I want to help you, really, I do. I just don’t know that I can. My life here is quiet and simple. At least it was,” she said with a frown.

I reached out and took her hand into mine. I was only looking to comfort her, I could never have known that it would light a spark between us. She gasped and quickly pulled her hand away from mine. My body was on fire, I felt like an Infernian as the desire coursed through my veins. No stranger to romance, I’d never felt such a powerful connection before, especially not with a humanoid.

“This is a lot to process. Do I have to answer you right away?”

The reality of it was that every second my brothers were left alone; their fate became more uncertain. I needed to find them as quickly as possible. Still, rushing Jennifer wasn’t the way. It would only make her mistrust me more. I needed to give her a chance to see that I wasn’t going to hurt her. She needed to first believe that I wasn’t an Infernian sent to corrupt her quiet life.

“Take all the time you need, Jennifer. As you think, though, please remember my brothers’ lives are at stake.”

Silently, she nodded her head and rose from the couch. I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted her to stay with me through the night as I slowly stripped away her clothing and kissed her tender, pale skin. I shook my head, trying to free my mind from the spell that Jennifer had put me under.

“Sleep,” she whispered from the door of her bedroom. “You need time to heal and I need to think.”

“Goodnight, Jennifer,” I replied before she closed the door.

I laid back against the awkwardly small couch, my wounds healed, but still tender. I tried to sleep, but it eluded me as I thought of the enchanting woman just a few yards away from me. I was no fool, she would be the death of me if I wasn’t careful.

Chapter 4

Jennifer

I tossed and turned most of the night, wondering how my quiet life had taken such a sharp turn. When I woke in the early morning hours, it was only to stop myself from having yet another wild dream about Zaruv. I sighed and gazed absentmindedly at the ceiling. I would need to make a decision but it wasn’t going to be an easy one. Leaving the clinic would be a challenge, it was spending, even more, time alone with the alien that scared me senseless. I didn’t fear for my life but I did fear for my heart and every other part of my body.

It had been so long since I had been touched by a man. That realization was not lost on me as I tugged on a form-fitting top and my favorite pair of bottoms. Taking a little more care than usual with my hair, I took one final glance in the mirror and sighed.

“What the hell am I thinking?” I whispered to myself.

A soft knock on the door made me jump. “Is everything all right, Jennifer?”

I cleared my throat, “Of course.”

Pulling open the door I looked up at the dangerously handsome Dragselian. He looked a little worried as he gazed past me and into my bedroom. I stepped in front of him and quickly shut the door. His gazing eyes were just a bit too intimate for me to handle so early in the morning.

“I need coffee,” I muttered as I wiggled past him.

“I thought I heard voices, did you have company last night that I wasn’t aware of?” he asked as he followed me.

I grinned but didn’t let him see. I could hear the faint tone of jealousy in his voice and it gave me a thrill. It was good to know that the attraction wasn’t just coming from me. He was unlike any man that I had ever met.

“If you are going to be staying here, you’ll need to act and look as human as possible. I will need a few hours to get help for the clinic and supplies for us to leave. You sauntering around like some kind of god won’t help things. People in this area aren’t really friendly to…” I said carefully, “Outsiders.”

“You mean aliens?” he asked.

“I mean a race that dangerously resembles the same one that is guilty of slaughtering hundreds of settlers here during the early days. A lot of the men and woman had parents who were murdered by outsiders.”

He placed his large, warm hand on mine and my heart started to race. I gazed up into his eyes, struggling to catch my breath.

“Those monsters are not who we are. They were cast out for their crimes against your world and others,” he whispered softly.

It took me a moment, but I pulled my hand away, pouring myself a coffee with an unsteady grip.

“So, does this mean that you are going to help me find my brothers?”

I nodded, “I guess it does. You understand that I can’t leave for long, right? I have commitments here and people that count on me to take care of their children, elders, and family.”

“Yes,” he said, his tone a promise. “We will only be gone a few days. One of the pods landed not far from here. I do not know this terrain and as you pointed out, I don’t blend in very well on my own.”

“Well, that’s why you have me, I guess,” I muttered.

“And I am so thankful that I do. Now, how can I help you accomplish this list of yours? The sooner we can leave, the better. My brother, Ragal, is not the warrior type. I have no doubt that if he crashed as I did, he will look for civilization. He doesn’t understand caution, as well as one in his position should.”

“Then we should get going as soon as I have my morning coffee,” I promised him.

Zaruv sighed dramatically and watched me as I sipped the steaming hot drink. I could conquer the world, but I needed a shot of paqmov first. True coffee beans had long ago gone extinct. They were replaced by paqmov that was stronger and far healthier for you. I felt the energy as it slowly started to build inside of me. The day was looming over my head like a curse. On a normal day, I would have drunk it quickly and dashed out the door.

Today though, I was taking my time because of Zaruv. The incessant tapping of his long fingers was enough for me to dig my heels into the metaphorical ground. My conscience quickly won out though, as I thought of his brothers’ lives hanging in the balance. I could deal with Zaruv’s impatient tapping later. Setting my cup in the sink I quickly grabbed my bag. I had carefully packed enough medical and personal supplies to last several days.

Looking back at him, I asked, “Well? We need to get out to the Joneses' farm and talk to Mike and his mother. She should be able to watch the clinic while we are gone.”

He frowned, “Can’t you leave a notice for your clients to seek alternate treatment?”

I glared back at him, “The nearest clinic after mine is two days by foot. Most of the settlement doesn’t have any sorts of transportation. Life out here is hard, people don’t wait on a poor farmer hand and foot.”

Zaruv looked stunned, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Yeah, well you did. I told you I would help you find your brothers and I will, but my people count on me and I won’t let them down. I’m heading to the Joneses’, are you coming or not?”

“Yes,” he muttered, looking properly chagrined.

I headed out into the hallway and quietly made my way to the steps. When Zaruv slammed the door forcefully, I cringed and glared back at him. He looked shocked.

“I apologize; your craftsmanship isn’t what it should be.”

I sighed and started to walk down the steps when I heard the sound of another door opening. Instantly, I was on red alert. The last thing I wanted to happen had just occurred. Courtney was awake and no doubt about to make my life a living hell.

“Oh! Well hello, Jennifer. I didn’t hear you come in last night,” she said, not even trying to conceal the fact that she had no interest in me.

Her eyes were firmly glued on Zaruv. To my surprise, his cheeks started to blush faintly as he shot her a sideways grin.

“No, and that is my fault. I kept Jennifer out late last night. I didn’t realize she had a curfew,” he said in a smooth, Vaxivia accent.

My mouth dropped open. I looked back to Courtney who appeared even more shocked than I was. It took her a few seconds to recover, but when she did, I saw the nosy smile come back. Great, now she had some juicy gossip to spread around town. I would never hear the end of this. Before I could diffuse the situation, Courtney stepped forward. Her hands placed firmly on her hips.

“Of course, she doesn’t have a curfew. In a small community though, we keep watch on our own,” she said proudly.

“Well, I assure you that I will personally be keeping a close watch on her,” said Zaruv in a sultry voice. His eyes flicked back to me, “Every part of her. So, you can now focus your efforts on someone else.”

To end the conversation, he turned to me and started following me down the steps. I rushed the last few in an effort to flee from Courtney, though I was still reeling from the entire encounter. When we were safely heading to Mike’s home on the outskirts of the settlement, I sat back and studied Zaruv. There was more to him than met the eye, and my eyes were perfectly content looking at him.

“You’re staring at me,” he said in a casual tone.

“I just can’t believe what just happened! Why didn’t you tell me you could talk like us?”

He shrugged, “I guess I didn’t think about it. All princes of Dragselian are taught to speak in different languages and dialects in case we are ever left in hostile territory.”

“I guess that training came in handy today, but did you have to make it sound like we were, doing that?” I asked, my cheeks flushing.

“Doing what?” he asked, his gaze meeting mine.

I rolled my eyes, “Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”

Zaruv inched closer to me, our arms brushing against each other. Our lips were just inches apart. I could almost taste his sweet skin, feel his firm lips as they pressed against mine.

“Would you prefer if I’d told the truth?” he asked.

I shoved him away from me, cursing myself for falling under his spell again. “No, I guess not. You definitely gave her enough to gossip for a while.”

“Then it will be fun when we get back,” he said playfully.

I groaned. Thankfully the Jones’ farm came into view and I saw Mike and his mother, plus his two small sisters coming to the gate to meet us. The three women looked concerned, but Mike looked thrilled to see Zaruv again.

“Everything okay, Jennifer?” Margaret asked, not taking her eyes off Zaruv.

I smiled and climbed down, “It's fine, I was hoping you could watch the clinic for me for a few days. I will pay you of course.”

“Sure, things are slow at work right now. Where are you headed? Is someone hurt?”

I sighed, looking back at Zaruv. “We don’t know yet, but I hope not. Maybe for now you could just keep this visit between us though. I don’t want to get people stirred up for nothing.”

“Sure, be safe out there, okay?” she said, finally looking at me.

I smiled at my old friend, “I will. I promise to fill you in when we get back, okay?”

Margaret nodded her head and watched us as we pulled away. That was only the first stop that we had to make before safely getting out of the enclosed settlement. It wouldn’t be so easy to get Zaruv past the guards. I could only hope that Courtney and her gossip hadn’t reached them on the radio yet. I was hoping to make it out without having to lie to anyone, but I knew that was impossible. I needed to think of something fast as the outpost wall approached.

“Let me do all the talking, okay?” I whispered as we pulled to a stop.

Zaruv nodded as two men approached us. Thankfully, I wasn’t familiar with either of them as they were both new to the position. I couldn’t imagine trying to sneak past the sergeant two days in a row. I smiled at the man who approached me, obviously, the higher ranking of the two. He seemed to soften at once.

“Hi there, I don’t believe we’ve met. I run the clinic in town,” I said.

“What’s your business leaving town?” he paused.

“Jennifer,” I offered. “There was a salvage accident last night. I’m taking the driver back to meet with the recovered crew.”

“Why don’t you have someone else do it? Seems silly for the only medical professional to be skipping town.”

I raised an eyebrow and set my jaw, “Have you ever seen a wreck salvaged? Men have been known to die trying to get that material out of the ground. If I can save one life over patching a few cuts and bruises than I am going to. Do I need to talk to the sergeant? Are we going to have a problem here?”

The young man looked to the ground at once, turning to the gatekeeper, “Let ’em go! Now!”

“Thank you,” I hissed back.

As we rushed through the gates, I let out a sigh of relief. Now the only thing I had to worry about was the man sitting silently at my side, a dangerously handsome grin playing across my lips.

Chapter 5

Zaruv

I couldn’t stop a grin from playing across my lips as I watched Jennifer begin to relax in the seat next to me. She was amazing! Fearless and strong, I had no doubt that she could hold her own in a fight. It would take us the afternoon to get to the downed pod and I planned on taking advantage of the time with Jennifer. It was an enigma that a human could hold my attention when I’d known all sorts of lovers.

“You know living out here, you learn to watch your back. Is there a reason you are staring at me?”

I laughed, she was so perceptive. “You continue to amaze me. How did you come to be here?”

“On the planet? Or do you mean in an existential sense?” she played.

“I just want to know more about you. You are the first humanoid that I’ve spent any time with. I can’t help it if you intrigue me.”

Her cheeks flushed a deep red, driving my desire into a frenzy. I had to be patient with her. She was different than the other women I’d taken to my bed. I wanted more from her but I had to remember my purpose for being here, to save my brothers. Jennifer would be a welcomed distraction in between though. She vibrated with a passion that I wanted to taste.

“So? Do you have family here or a husband perhaps?”

“Don’t you think if I had a husband, you would have met him at my apartment.”

“Well, it’s my understanding that this planet doesn’t offer much for outpost employment. I thought that perhaps he was away working. A woman as beautiful as you surely can’t be alone.”

She laughed, “You aren’t very perceptive. Don’t you think that if I had a husband my neighbor you met earlier would have said something? No, I don’t have a husband. I didn’t move to Vaxivia to follow some lost love or my family. I moved to help the people.”

“Couldn’t you do that somewhere a little less,” I chose my words carefully. “Desolate?”

“Sure, I could, but then they probably would be dying in droves because no other help would come. I don’t care about the circumstances; I care about the people.”

“That’s very admirable,” I said softly. “So, you don’t have any family?”

“You sound like a serial killer.”

“And you seem to be dodging every question I ask you. This is going to be a long trip, I thought it would be nice to get to know you a little bit.”

She shifted uncomfortably, “I don’t have any family. My parents died when I was little and I never knew them. I grew up in homes for girls. I ran away at ten and vowed to help anyone who needed me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said.

I slid my hand a little closer to hers. She moved away and I withdrew from her. She still didn’t trust me, but at least I was starting to understand her reasoning. My life had been so charmed compared to what she had endured. Exile was even created to be an easy step. Of course, that was before my ship was shot from space.

“I think what you do for your community is wonderful. To make such an impact on the lives of others must be a great feeling.”

She shrugged, “They need me and I need them. You asked if I had family here and I do. Everyone in that town is my family and I’ve seen the destruction that outsiders can bring with them.”

“They can’t all be bad though. Hasn’t anything good ever come from aliens?” I asked, looking for any way to connect with her.

“Sure,” said Jennifer absentmindedly.

I sighed, “Fine. I guess we will just ride all day in silence. Since that’s what you want.”

Her eyes darted over to me, a fire lighting inside of them. “Wow. You aren't used to being rejected, are you?”

“Of course, I am, I’m not the snob that you think I am.”

“Really?” she asked. “Then why are you over there pouting because I’m not falling into your arms like some damsel in distress.”

My heart started to race as my mouth fell open, “On my planet, no one would dare speak to me that way.”

“Well you aren’t on your planet anymore and I’m not under your rule. So, I suggest you get used to not getting your own way. Otherwise, this is going to be one long trek.”

“You know, my life isn’t all fun and games. I have suffered through loss too. My father has been dead less than a month, yet I can’t mourn him. A life in exile, knowing that you are condemned to be cast aside, it’s not a great life all the time.”

“Why do they do that? Send everyone away?” she asked softly. “It doesn’t seem right. If you have a family, you should get to be with them.”

I straightened a little, “I don’t believe I’ve ever explained our customs to an outsider.”

“Is it forbidden?” she asked.

I shook my head, “No, not at all. I’ve just never been around anyone long enough to share.”

“Well,” she said with a smile. “Like you said, we have a long drive together and it would be a lot more fun if it wasn’t silent.”

“Very well, but you have to share with me too. Is that a deal?” I asked.

She nodded, “But you have to go first. Why are you banished from your home?”

“Because Dragselians didn’t always get along with each other. There were wars and factions that would strike before a king was even dead. They would poison and plant spies to try and gain control of the next king. Of course, brothers would turn against each other and war would follow.”

“That sounds terrible,” Jennifer whispered.

“It was. Or at least that’s what I was told. My grandfather was the first to enact the Right of Exile. He cast his brothers from Dragselia as soon as he took the throne. Both of his younger siblings were weak and not cut out for the throne. They posed him no threat.”

“But he still sent them away?”

I nodded, “My father did the same with his three siblings and now my brother has done the same. I don’t know why I struggle to go quietly into the night. My eldest brother is an adequate king I suppose.”

Jennifer arched her brow, “You don’t sound very sure of that.”

“No, I suppose I don’t,” I said absentmindedly. “I never doubted our traditions until I was older and I started to watch my eldest brother more carefully. He is a good man but he’s very easily persuaded. I worry about my people and his ability to rule with a clear mind.”

“And you had no say in leaving?”

“If I had spoken out against the tradition, I would have been sent to Muldoxi, a far worse fate than living my life in exile on an island catered to my needs.”

“What is Muldoxi? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before.”

“You wouldn’t. It’s not well known to outsiders. It’s a moon of my home planet that they turned into a prison for royalty and other high-ranking defectors. My brother, King Mulkaro is an arrogant man. If he heard a whisper of my resentment, he would have sent me there. I believe he thinks that I pose a threat to his rule.”

“Do you?” she asked quietly.

“I will share with you a story to answer your question but only if you answer one for me first.”

“Okay?” Jennifer asked cautiously. “What?”

“Why are you helping me? I am an outsider that is not to be trusted by your outsider standards.”

Her eyes locked onto mine, “Because I know that you are a good person. I can see it in your eyes.”

The air between us grew heavy with desire but Jennifer broke the spell when she looked away. She was fighting to keep her distance from me.

“Your turn,” she said. “Are you a threat to your brother?”

* * *

It was a question that I had often asked myself. I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering and thinking back to the last conversation that I’d had with Mulkaro. The night before my brothers and I left, I went to him in the cover of night. It was a conversation that I’d never shared with anyone. My brothers would have been furious if they’d known that I risked his wrath. My arrogance could have cost not only my freedom but theirs as well.

“Have you come to bid me farewell, brother?” Mulkaro had asked.

I kneeled before him as was the custom and waited for him to tap my shoulder before rising. He took his time, lording his power over me. Arrogance again. He always thought that his world was the only one that existed and it could ruin our entire planet.

“I’ve come to ask for your pardon. Please brother, I mean no threat to your rule. I only want to be here to aid you on your journey of life.”

“Do the others know you are here risking everything for your own personal gain?” he asked, a cold tone in his voice.

“I don’t do this for my own gain. I do this for the good of the people.”

“The good of the people? Then why don’t you renounce your royal lineage and come to me as a commoner and not a man of royal blood.”

I glared at him, “You know that is a death sentence. Our enemies sit in the darkness, waiting for one of us to defect.”

“Fear? From you Zaruv?” he smirked. “I would think that you of all people would appreciate the challenge.”

I took a deep breath, “I am not afraid of my own death, but for my brothers’ safety. The last time a royal defected, the entire house was wiped clean and sent away. I’ve never heard of a ship safely making it away from our planet when it carried defectors. You know the risk I run for our brothers.”

Mulkaro turned away from me and ascended to his throne, looking down at me as he sat. “Because of our old ties, I will overlook your transgressions this once. I will not be so forgiving a second time. I will not see you again, Zaruv. Go live your life in peace and let me do the same.”

“Mulkaro, our brothers,” I tried once again.

He glared down at me and tapped his staff on the floor. The guards that had been lurking in the shadows stepped forward, ready to remove me by force if needed.

“You and your brothers are no longer my concern. The day my father died, I became an only child. You and the others are nothing to me but a threat to my rule. I won’t tell you again, Zaruv.”

* * *

“There was nothing more to be said between the two of us. My brothers and I left the next day and started our journey into exile,” I finished softly. “So, to answer your question, yes. I was a threat to him and I am not sure that risk is entirely gone. I loved Mulkaro but the more time I’ve had to think about it, the more I see that he will be our end if someone doesn’t step in.”

“Won't that mean war?”

I shook my head, “I don’t want to start a war, but the time might come when I have to turn against my brother. That’s not something I look forward to contemplating.”

Jennifer looked at me in earnest for the first time, as if she was seeing something inside me that hadn’t been there before. She smiled and slid her hand across the seat. With a racing heart, I followed suit and our fingers brushed together. Jennifer leaned closer to me and I was unable to stop myself from playing into her hand.

Chapter 6

Jennifer

A shudder ran down my body. His skin seemed to ignite a desire inside of me that was almost overpowering. His lips were so close to mine, all I had to do was lean forward and they would touch. I wanted him, I wanted him like a woman dying of thirst needed water. My heart was racing, I had no control over my body. Just as we were about to kiss, a shrill alarm sounded from the dash and I quickly pulled away, my cheeks red.

“We’re getting close,” I said, recovering from the moment.

He sighed and looked as flushed as I felt. “Great.”

I laughed, “You should be happy we are almost there. Hopefully, your brother didn’t leave the crash site or worse, was found by outlanders.”

“Outlanders?” he asked.

I nodded, “Men who don’t want to live in the colonies. They think the law doesn’t apply to them. Most of the caravans between outposts leave with heavy guards.”

“You didn’t say anything about them when we were leaving.”

“Yeah,” I said as I shrugged. “I didn’t think you would want a big party to look for your brother. It would bring up more questions that I don’t feel like answering. Plus, I have you to protect me. Right?”

He frowned, “I suppose. I would like to keep as low a profile as possible.”

Glaring at him, I was thankful when the crash site came into the clearing. I was ready to rip into him. I’d gone out of my way to make sure that he was kept safe, but he didn’t seem to care about anything but finding his brothers. The threat to my own person didn’t seem to matter as much. The tension was still thick between us as I parked the hovercar and jumped down, grabbing my medical bag and continuing on, not waiting for him to follow.

Zaruv quickly came to my side and pulled me to a stop. His lingering touch reminding me of the effect that he had. “Why don’t you stay behind me? I don’t know what state my brother is going to be in.”

“Oh,” I shot back. “So, now you’re worried about me? I don’t think so.”

I shoved past him and kept walking. The brisk night and strong winds had done a fantastic job of hiding the escape pod. Looking at it from the road, you wouldn’t have thought it was a crash. It looked like another mound of dust covering the ruins of a long-forgotten war unless you knew that there was something more to be looking for.

He stormed past me, his long strides making it hard to keep up with him. I could tell from his posture, that he was angry with me but I didn’t care. He was the one who didn’t give a damn, so why should I? I did my best to focus on the task at hand, making sure that no one was around. I saw nothing but sand and red sky around us. There was no danger except for Zaruv himself.

Zaruv brushed away the sand covering the pod in wide sweeps until he found a flashing keypad. He quickly keyed in a number and the pod opened. Inside, I saw his brother who looked remarkably like Zaruv himself. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought they were twins. He shook his brother gently as I stood watched a few feet away. The man started to move, his eyes opening with a sudden shock.

“Easy Ragal, it’s me, brother. You are safe now.” Zaruv said to him gently as he unstrapped Ragal.

“What in God’s name happened? Where the hell are we?” Ragal asked as he stumbled out of the pod.

“We are not where we are supposed to be. This is Jennifer, she saved my life and now yours at great personal risk.”

Ragal looked me up and down, his eyes lightening and a stunning smile crossing his lips. He approached me, his hand held out in offering. My cheeks flushed red and my eyes darted to Zaruv who was rolling his own eyes. I took Ragal’s hand and shook it gently. His reflexes seemed fine. I’d witnessed two of the crashed pods now and I continued to be stunned by the health of the aliens. Neither of them seemed hurt at all.

“It seems I owe you my life. I don’t believe I’ve ever met a more beautiful humanoid in all my life. Tell me, are all the woman of your planet so breathtaking?”

I laughed, though the noise sounded foreign and shrill to me. “Are you all so charming? Between you and Zaruv, you’d think I was a princess.”

“Oh no,” whispered Ragal as he kissed my hand. “I have met many princesses and your beauty makes them all pale in comparison.”

Zaruv cleared his throat and I glanced over at him. He looked irritated by the exchange and I couldn’t help but feel a little ping of joy. If I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that he was jealous of Ragal. Playing it up, I giggled and let the color flood my cheeks. He’d made it clear I didn’t matter, so why should I care if he was upset. I ran my hand up Ragal’s arm, feeling his muscles as they strained against his uniform.

“We should probably get you looked over, just to make sure there are no lingering side effects from the crash.”

“You mean spend more time with you? Nothing sounds better,” he said smoothly.

“He seems just fine to me,” muttered Zaruv.

I glared at Zaruv, “I would think you would be more concerned with your brother’s health, Zaruv. Maybe you can see if anything from the wreck is salvageable while we go over there.”

Jerking my head to a clearing a little way from the wreck, I tugged Ragal behind me. Zaruv was right, Ragal probably had no lingering effects, but I was enjoying myself. Ragal seemed to like the time alone too, a little bit too much. It seemed like he found a reason to brush against me or touch my hand as often as possible. While it was fun to upset Zaruv at first, I found myself being pulled back to the prince I’d met the day before.

I shoved my supplies back in my bag as Ragal asked, “Done so soon? I was just getting comfortable too.”

I smiled as I would with any other man making a pass at me. “Your vitals are great considering what you just went through. I don’t see any reason we can’t go help Zaruv.”

He took my hand, “I don’t see any rush. My brother lives for adventure. No doubt he’s already plotting a move against the ship that did this.”

“Really?” I said, frowning. “He didn’t seem to care about anything but finding you and your brothers.”

“My brothers!” Gasped Ragal. “Your beauty must have jumbled my mind. Did they not land near us?”

“No,” said Zaruv. “Their pods landed much further away. Since you were closest, we came to you first. Now we must get back to the outpost and prepare for the next leg of our journey. You will be well accommodated in Jennifer’s home while we look.”

“What?” Ragal said with me in unison.

“He’s coming with us?” I asked.

Zaruv glared at me, “I see no reason to put him in any further danger. He can recover at your apartment while we travel.”

“Brother, I believe I should come with you. You don’t know what dangers this land holds.”

“No,” said Zaruv in a low tone.

I could sense the need for privacy. I quickly stepped away from them and made myself look busy by putting away my bag. Zaruv was acting strangely. I’d thought he would be thrilled to recover at least one of his brothers so easily, but he seemed angry. I couldn’t keep myself from listening to the conversation, even though I was further away. My hearing was better than most who lived on the planet. I wasn’t born to the harsh climate and invasive sand.

“I know what dangers you can pose though, Ragal,” Zaruv whispered.

Ragal laughed, “Don’t tell me you’ve already laid claim to the young humanoid. That hardly seems fair.”

“I have no claim to anyone, Jennifer included. She is helping us and that is all. I think you would be best served to stay back while we look for the others.”

“Ahh,” whispered Ragal. “You may have no claim over her, Zaruv; but it seems she’s laid claim to you no matter what. Tell me, are you really willing to risk her life so that she only has once prince to choose from?”

I had heard enough. Slamming down the cargo hold on the hovercar I spun around and glared at the two stunned men. I stomped over to them, standing within inches of Zaruv and assuring myself that he saw just how irritated I really was. He stumbled back a step, Ragal had a playful smile dancing across his face though. I didn’t seem to put the same fear into him that I did Zaruv but in all honesty, I didn’t care. Zaruv was the one acting like a jerk. Or at least he’s the only one I cared about acting that way.

“You two are worse than human men!” I screamed at Zaruv. “I am not some prize to be fought over like a couple of Infernians.”

Ragal scoffed, “We would never come to blows with each other. Please, Jennifer, we are not heathens!”

“Really?” I hissed. “Because right now you are both acting like it. I don’t want either of you okay? I have enough going on in my life that I don’t want some prince trying to get with me. Now, can we please go back?”

“Absolutely!” Ragal said, unfazed by my outburst. “Would you be so kind as to teach me to fly this contraption?”

I rolled my eyes, “You don’t need to drive. I know how to handle it just fine.”

“You drive?” he asked, stunned.

Zaruv cleared his throat, “Of course she does, Ragal. This isn’t like our home. Their customs are strange, but so far I have found nothing too worrisome about a female behind the controls of the hovercar.”

“Still, I am a prince of knowledge. I would be eternally grateful to learn,” he said sweetly.

I saw Zaruv roll his eyes. I knew showing Ragal how to control the hovercar would irritate him, something that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do. After the way he had acted, he was lucky that I was talking with him at all. I grinned at Ragal and stepped aside to show him the controls. As we started to talk, I let Zaruv and my anger slip away. I still had a great deal of time to spend with the handsome prince, I didn’t need to keep watch over him all the time.

It only took a few minutes of talking before Ragal was behind the controls. I begrudgingly sat dangerously close to Zaruv. When he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I almost bit his head off until I felt the reason why. Ragal pushed the hovercar to its limits, sending my body backward, even closer to Zaruv. Part of me wanted to yell at Ragal but part of me wanted to thank him for doing what I didn’t have the guts to do on my own. I nestled down next to Zaruv, avoiding looking at him as my cheeks flushed again.

“I think teaching him was the best idea you’ve had yet,” Zaruv whispered seductively in my ear. “Maybe we should bring him with us after all.”

I shoved myself away from Zaruv but it did no good. The force pushed me back against him and I resigned myself to the closeness. It was going to be a long few days with the handsome prince.

Chapter 7

Zaruv

The trip back to the outpost was mostly silent until we reached the gates. Jennifer guided us through them without any problems, just as she had done before. She was a remarkable woman, it was no wonder my brother took notice of her. I clenched my jaw as we rode quietly through town. Ragal making a pass at Jennifer seemed to ignite a fire inside of me, one of pure jealousy. If Ragal reacted so strongly to her beauty, there was no doubt in my mind that my other brothers would too.

“Here, stop here,” Jennifer whispered.

I looked around, “This isn’t the entrance to your building.”

“No,” she said in a hushed tone. “This is the back entrance that leads directly to the apartments.”

“Why didn’t we use this way before?”

“Because there was no point, now there are three of us. I don’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions.” She dangled her keys in front of Ragal. “The red door, can you open it for us?”

Ragal thumbed the silver key, “My Lord. This technology is ancient. Tell me, do you have indoor water?”

Jennifer glared at him and I reached for her arm, speaking firmly. “Don’t be a dunvib, Ragal. Of course, she has indoor plumbing. Go, before someone notices us.”

Ragal rolled his eyes but said nothing more as he tromped up the steps. I was about to apologize for his behavior but when I turned back to Jennifer, she tossed several bags in my arms. She was in a hurry and I knew why. No doubt the awful woman next door would have heard us arrive. Jennifer was clever to send Ragal first. He would be safely inside before the nosy creature was even to the door.

“Jennifer? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she muttered as she walked quietly up the steps.

When we neared the landing, I set down the bags and touched her shoulder. Something was definitely going through her mind. No doubt I would be stirring more trouble by asking. I couldn’t stop myself. I had to know if there was anything I could do to make her feel better. I didn’t want to be a burden on her but I had nowhere else to go. My brothers and I were at her mercy. I had to know what she was thinking.

“Jennifer, please? You know that you can talk to me, right?”

“And say what? I don’t like you and your brother fawning over me?” she said. “It didn’t seem to work last time.”

I wrinkled my nose at her words. “I don’t believe we were fawning. I don’t even know what that means.”

“You got the gist of it though, didn’t you?”

“How can you blame us? You are a stunning woman! You should take the affections of a prince more heartedly.”

“You should learn to keep your jealous mouth shut!” she shouted back.

I lost it entirely, pulling her into my arms and crushing her against me. Her hands wove around the back of my neck as she gently dragged her nails along my skin. My tongue laid claim to her mouth, exploring her sweet taste as our mouths melded together. Every inch of my body seemed rigid with desire. I could feel the passion as it lit and simmered, begging to be released in a moment of pure pleasure. She pressed against me, her perfect breasts crushing against my chest.

I longed to rip the clothing away that stood between us. When I heard the subtle sound of a door opening, I ignored it. I hoped that Jennifer would too, but I felt her body tense and knew she was going to pull away from me. Against my desire, I let her go. It would do no good to try and keep her within my embrace. She was a strong willed and stubborn woman, qualities that I found most enticing. Immediately she looked to her door, but when I saw her face harden, I knew it wasn’t my playful brother that had interrupted us.

“Damn,” I muttered.

Jennifer straightened herself at once, her aura turning cold. “Hello, Courtney. I see you are up later than usual.”

“A good thing too, you never know what kind of riff-raff might come wandering in.”

Her gaze landed pointedly onto me before noticing my arm still wrapped around Jennifer. During my brief stay on the planet, I’d already formed a strong dislike of Courtney. It was more than her intrusive nature. I sensed a malice in her directed toward Jennifer and I didn’t like it one bit. I wouldn’t let her twisted sense of right and wrong bring harm to Jennifer, not while I was still breathing.

“Come, dear,” I said, hoping the outdated term was still used. “We have other plans and they can’t be fulfilled in a hallway.”

Jennifer blushed and Courtney scoffed. I looked up at her, “Of course, you are welcome to join us too if you’re into that kind of thing.”

I winked at Courtney and she shot me a look that might have very well killed a lesser man. Turning my attention back to Jennifer, I licked my lips seductively. Her perfectly plump lips fell open in shock. I fed into my desire and leaned forward, taking her lower lip into my mouth and biting it playfully before she slapped me away. I could tell from the heat of her body that she loved it. Without another word, she stormed past me and Courtney.

“I guess she wants me for herself tonight, maybe next time.”

I left Courtney standing in shock in the hallway. As I slipped into the apartment, my smile faded at once. Ragal looked shocked as he shrugged his shoulders. Jennifer was in the kitchen. Pots and drawers slammed against each other. With each new shudder of bending metal, I winced. This would not be an incident I would soon be allowed to forget.

“What the hell did you do?” Ragal asked, “I left you alone for five minutes!”

I glared at him and headed for the kitchen. “It’s not the pan’s fault you know.”

Jennifer didn’t seem amused. “Were you planning on inviting the cookware back to my bedroom too? Or is that only reserved for humans?”

“Is that what you are so fired up about? I apologized. That woman infuriates me for some reason and I do not mean in the same loveable way that you seem to drive me insane.”

“I promise that you drive me insane too,” she said. “And I do mean in the most annoying way.”

For a brief second my heart had fluttered, but now it was filled with laughter. As I bellowed, Ragal deemed it safe to enter the kitchen. He looked properly chagrined and I felt as though it should be me.

“I take it everything is better?” he asked.

“Far from it. But we don’t have time to argue. You still have two brothers that we haven’t found yet. The longer they are out there, the more dangerous it becomes. We need a plan.”

“With that awful woman out there, I suggest we refrain from shape-shifting, brother,” offered Ragal.

“Agreed,” I said.

Jennifer’s mouth fell open once again, “Are you kidding me? Of course, you shouldn’t shapeshift! How is that even a thing for you? Don’t you realize what they will do if they discover you aren’t human?”

“Please,” offered Ragal. “No human is a challenge for a prince. We could easily take down a dozen without blinking.”

“And which dozen should that be?” I asked him. “Which of Jennifer’s friends should we so willingly slaughter in the name of boasting?”

Ragal bowed his head, “I did not think. Jennifer, please forgive me.”

She sighed and sat down across from me. Ragal took the seat next to me, both of us looked to Jennifer. She was looking at me in a strange way. I hadn’t thought about it before since shifting was such commonplace among our kind.

“Jennifer? Have you ever seen a shifter change forms?” I asked.

She shook her head, “No.”

“Would you like too?”

“It would be interesting to see. You can’t show me here though, not with Courtney lurking around every turn.”

“Maybe next time,” I offered, a little disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see the splendor of my dragon form.

She cleared her throat, “Actually, there is an old abandoned farm house outside of town. You could show me there.”

I shifted uncomfortably in the chair. I liked Jennifer and I knew that she felt the same. I’d never felt like this about a woman before. I’d had my dalliances and my political relationships, but she was different. What if she saw my true form and ran screaming in the other direction?

“Do you really think we have time for that?”

She shrugged, “We can’t leave until the morning and the longer we are here, the more chance we have of Courtney figuring out the truth.”

“It’s already getting late,” I muttered weakly.

Ragal clapped me on the back, “Come, brother, where is your sense of adventure. The night is young and we are in a strange, new land. Live a little.”

“Come on, Zaruv,” Jennifer whispered.

Her words cut through me, melting me to my very core. How could I tell her no? It was impossible. I would bend the very planets if it gave me a chance to see her dazzling smile one more time. I wanted her to know me and to trust me. Perhaps this was the only way. Still, there was danger involved in shifting, and not just for Jennifer. I didn’t know the depths of my feelings for her. My dragon would sense what I could not.

“So, what do you think? Want to live on the wild side a little?” she asked me playfully.

I couldn’t tell her no, “All right. Fine. But we come right back after you’ve seen. Got it?”

She jumped up and nodded her head, dashing for the door and quietly peeking out. “I think she went to bed. We should go, now.”

Silently, Ragal and I both followed her down the steps. Every board that creaked sounded like deafening nails on a chalkboard. Ragal steadied my hand when I went to start the hovercar. He jerked his head in the direction of the main road and I nodded in agreement. We pushed it down to the end of the road and jumped in as Jennifer expertly maneuvered us through the narrow back roads.

Eventually, we made it to the wall of the outpost and pressed up against it was a small farmhouse. There was no need to cover our tracks. As late as it was, no one would be so far away from the gates. I pushed open the door for Jennifer and we stood silently in the dark. I was stalling and I knew it.

“Well?” she asked, impatiently. “Do you need something to shift?”

“No,” I said looking deep into her eyes. “I have what I need.”

I closed my eyes and felt the heat as it burned through my body. My skin started to sizzle though it didn’t burn. I felt my bones extending and the joints popping. It was hard at first, but after years of shifting, there was no more difficulty. My tailbone pierces through the skin of my back along with the vertebrae of my spine. My entire body expanded into different directions.

Turning my gaze back to Jennifer, I saw wonderment in her eyes. A faint golden glow emanated from her skin, reflecting off my own. My golden eyes poured into her, the very breath that escaped my lungs warmed the room. In that moment, I knew that she was my soulmate. I jerked away from her, letting out a loud gasp as fire shot from my mouth. She was quite literally lighting my fire. It only happened when a shifter found his mate.

“Zaruv!” Yelled Ragal, breaking the spell.

I turned and looked to where he was pointing. Four sets of headlights were quickly approaching us, one of them was already there. In the dim lights of the hovercars, I saw her and my blood ran cold, Courtney had followed us.

Chapter 8

Jennifer

“That’s stupid woman,” I hissed.

I was still reeling from watching Zaruv shift but there was no time to dwell on that now. Courtney had done the worst possible thing. She’d dragged in the militia. There was no way for us to escape, and even if we did, there was nowhere for us to run. It was an impossible situation. I would need to talk to the men, try and reason with them before Zaruv or Ragal made things worse. I’d seen enough of their tempers to know it wouldn’t end well.

“What are you doing?” Zaruv asked, shifting back into human form. “They are going to arrest you if you go out there.”

“They are going to arrest all of us and probably worse if I don’t try and talk some sense into them. You two just stay put.”

“You want us to stay in here while you go out there unprotected?” Zaruv asked.

He shook his head vigorously, “No. Absolutely not.”

I rolled my eyes, “Oh please. They aren’t going to hurt me. There wouldn’t be anyone to sew them back together after a bar fight.”

Without waiting for another argument, I went to the door and jerked it open. Raising my hands up in the air I looked for whoever was in charge. Shit. I would recognize the stocky build of our militias sergeant. He was the last person that I wanted to see. Sergeant Lee Johnson stormed closer to me, his finger dangerously close to the trigger. He was one of the most paranoid men on the force. If you asked him, he would tell you it was to stop the murderous aliens that slaughtered his parents.

“Hey, Sergeant, I think there has been a big misunderstanding. You know how excited Courtney gets over nothing,” I said as I glared at Courtney.

He shook his head, “Any other time I’d be with you on this, Jennifer. She seems pretty sure about it though. Why not just let us in to take a look around? Then we can put this whole thing behind us.”

“Well,” I said, shifting uneasily on the porch. “I have friends in from a few outposts over. They aren’t really social. Can’t you overlook it just this once?”

Lee shook his head and glanced past me. I knew what he was seeing, the massive shape of Zaruv’s human form appearing behind me. I could feel his heat and smell the lightly charred edges of his clothing. He’d shifted back quickly. My cheeks flushed red as the realization that they weren’t humans dawned on Lee. He quickly backed away from me, raising his weapon and pointing it at Zaruv’s chest.

“What the hell are you thinking, Jennifer!” he bellowed at me.

“Please, sir, give me a chance to explain. We do not mean any of you harm,” Zaruv interjected.

I rolled my eyes at how rehearsed he sounded. “Lee, they aren’t like the others okay? They aren’t like the ones who killed your parents. Their ship crashed and they are just looking for the other members of their party.”

Lee shifted uneasily as he weighed my words. In that time, the other members of the militia came closer, with Courtney hot on their heels. I was still enraged with her but there was nothing that I could do about it. Calling her out would only make us look angry like I was trying to start a fight. It wasn’t unheard of, Infernians coming and forcing locals into joining their cause. I wasn’t that type of woman, I just wished the others would see that.

“Come on Lee, you’ve known me for years. Do you really think I would help them if I didn’t think that we could trust them? You know me better than that.”

“Don’t listen to her, I saw her kissing one of them! Can you believe that? She should be tossed in jail with the both of them,” Courtney whispered.

I glared at her, “Then who would help you treat your sores every month Courtney? Or look after half the men here when they drank too much? What about when the kids get sick like they do every harvest? Do you really plan on taking over my duties?”

“Now, Jennifer,” offered Lee, trying to broker peace. “Courtney was just looking out for the entire outpost. Accidents happen, we all make mistakes. You don’t have to worry about facing any repercussions, but the two aliens are going to need to come with us, just until we can sort this all out.”

“Then what? You lock them away for the rest of their lives?” I screamed at him.

Lee tensed. So, did the other members of his guards. At first, I thought it was because of my screaming but then I saw Ragal make an appearance from the corner of my eye. If one of the stunning princes wasn’t enough to make any human man feel a little insecure, then two would get the job done. I felt far more confident than any sane woman should feel as I stood between the two men.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” Lee said. “You aliens are trespassing on outpost sixty-two of the Vaxivia militia. By the power decreed in the treaty of forty-seventeen, we are placing you under arrest until a panel of officers can determine your fate.”

“We could take them, brother,” Ragal whispered

I was standing a few feet in front of them, separating the militia and the aliens. There was no way Lee could hear what they were saying. Still, my heart raced as I watched Lee and tried to listen in on the princes’ conversation. Lee was preoccupied with the other members of the guard; dragging out heavy and outdated handcuffs and shackles. Though, I doubted if the heavy iron would hold the Dragselians.

“Copper,” Zaruv whispered, ignoring Ragal’s comment.

“What?” Ragal asked

“The restraints are all made of copper. They think we are Infernians!”

I huffed, “Of course they do. They don’t know the difference between any of you! Now I suggest you both shut up and cooperate.”

“Jennifer, if we cooperate we will lose valuable time to find our brothers. We can’t risk breaking out once we get back into town, someone could get hurt.”

“Plus,” Ragal said, “Once word spreads that there are two aliens here, people will start digging.”

“Your people will come to help you? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing at this point. We could use a little diplomatic immunity right about now.”

“Jennifer, it won’t just be our people who come looking,” Zaruv whispered.

“Oh no. You don’t mean?”

“The Infernians. Taking all the crown princes of their sworn enemy would be a huge victory alone. Failing to use us as ransom would mean painfully drawn out deaths for all of us.”

“Why would it fail?”

“Our kingdom does not believe in ransom for princes who have been exiled. The only life that matters now is that of the king and his heirs.”

“Great, so any way you look at it, we are screwed.”

“Jennifer, they are coming.”

I turned to look back at him. Our eyes locked and I knew he was waiting for me to make a decision. He was putting a huge amount of trust in me, wondering which direction to guide them. I could tell them to cooperate and I had no doubt that Zaruv would instruct Ragal to listen. Still, I didn’t like the crazed look in Lee’s eyes or that of the other members of the militia. Courtney was just icing on the cake with her bitter sneer.

“Jennifer?” Zaruv asked again.

“We can’t wait any longer,” muttered Ragal.

My heart was racing, “Do what you need to do.”

I closed my eyes, whether out of fear or excitement I don’t know. I felt the cool whoosh of air as Ragal moved away from me. Zaruv grabbed ahold of me and pulled me back into the cabin just as the gunfire started. I hit the ground hard, but my body was protected by Zaruv’s steel-like skin. I felt the bullets break through the thin flooring all around us and ricochet off his body. We were trapped. Even if he was seemingly invincible, I was still very much human.

“You have to get out of here Zaruv, they won’t hurt me,” I yelled over the noise.

“Maybe not intentionally, but they aren’t very good shots. I doubt most of those kids out there have ever seen action. This isn’t the hot zone that it used to be.”

“Fine!” I screamed, “Then what do you suggest since you seem to know it all? I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to die here!”

“Right,” he muttered.

His arms wrapped around me as he started to shift. They transformed into bronze scales covering massive arms that still cradle me carefully. Instinctively, I closed my eyes when I felt the ground moving away from me. I didn’t want to see what was happening. The wind whipped through my hair and the air grew cold the further up into the sky we moved. When Zaruv changed his grip, I held onto him even tighter.

“Trust me,” came his soothing voice inside my head. “You can open your eyes again, Jennifer. Just hold on, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was straddling Zaruv’s back, taking in the entire landscape below us. In the distance, I heard gunfire and immediately crouched down, looking around me for the attackers. It was then that I saw Ragal, his color entirely different from Zaruv’s intoxicating bronze. Ragal looked more like a soldier with his silver scales and pointed snout. Though they looked alike as brothers, their dragons couldn’t have been more different.

“Don’t worry about them, we are too far up for them to actually hit us,” said Zaruv.

“They can still see us though. Shouldn’t we try to fly higher?”

“It’s not worth the risk. The air becomes almost toxic the higher you get. You wouldn’t be able to survive that high. For now, they are just going to follow us.”

“What about resting? Don’t you need to sleep at some point?”

“Yes, but we have a while before that. If they are still following us by sundown, we will have to figure something else out.”

“That sounds like procrastination to me,” I muttered.

Zaruv snorted. “You are more than welcome to start thinking now. I for one though, am going to enjoy the view while we can. The other pods landed a day’s flight from here, we have nothing but time.”

“Zaruv?” I asked coyly. “Why can I hear you in my mind but not Ragal?”

“Because you and I have a bond that goes beyond a friendship. Only those who are intimately intertwined can communicate with a dragon when they are shifted.”

“Hey now, you can tell your dragon mind to cool off. We have not been intimate!”

Zaruv laughed, “It’s not just a physical intimacy. It’s an emotional one. You must feel the bond between us. The physical attraction that burns between us.”

My cheeks flushed and I was grateful that he couldn’t see them. It was true, I had felt it. He drove me wild with everything that he did. I wanted to do things with him that made my body shudder with desire.

“Are you cold? We can move lower if we need to,” he offered.

I grinned, “No, not cold. Just thinking about the, um, bond between us.”

“That is something I would love to explore further with you. You know, if we make it out of this in one piece.”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Even in the face of danger, Zaruv was charming. I could feel the mood starting to lighten. The militia had no effect on us as we sailed through the sky. We were untouchable and it felt amazing.

Chapter 9

Zaruv

We flew and watched the flat landscape pass under us endlessly. My keen sense of direction led us toward the coordinates of the downed pods. The fact that I was being straddled by Jennifer, was not lost on me. Had I been in human form, my member would have been throbbing to get this close to her. With Ragal at my flank, it was easy sailing. I felt Jennifer shift on my back and at once gave her my full attention.

“They are still behind us,” she muttered.

I glanced back and sure enough, I saw the headlights reflecting from my tail. They had a good lead on us and would be difficult to shake. It was starting to get late, but I could see a change in the landscape about a mile away.

“These humans are like dogs with bones as the saying goes,” commented Ragal.

I laughed and Jennifer gripped my shoulders. I’d forgotten that she couldn’t hear the conversation.

“Sorry, Ragal was just being dramatic,” I said as she nestled back into me.

“Do we have a plan?” he asked me. “I don’t want to seem presumptuous, but carrying a passenger for this long isn’t easy. I have done it. Are you looking to the hills?”

“Yes, but I don’t know what to do about the militia. They will follow us into the hills and it will be a confrontation all over again. I know Jennifer won’t be okay with us killing off her friends.”

“What do you suggest?”

I frowned, “I think the only way will be for you to deter them. Make an example out of one of their vehicles, but don’t injure them. Hopefully, that will scare them away.”

“Now?”

I glanced back at Jennifer. She was asleep, curled up on my back. I felt terrible for putting her in the middle of my search. I wished I could have met her at a different time. Maybe she would consider coming to the next planet with me. She was so happy here though, the chances of her ever leaving were very slim. I liked to think that there was hope. She’d changed my life so much in just a few days.

“Yeah, go ahead and go now while Jennifer is still asleep. Once less thing for her to get upset with me over.”

Ragal laughed, “She has a strong will, that’s for sure.”

I sighed and Ragal looked over to me. “Something else on your mind brother? I must say, I’ve never seen you quite so taken with a woman before.”

“There is something special about her,” I said softly.

“Maybe fate has placed us here for a reason then. It’s time that you found someone and settled down.”

“I don’t know about all that. I’ve learned a great deal about her and myself during this trek.”

“That sounds like talk of war, brother,” Ragal said cautiously.

“I don’t want to pull you into it. I would never ask you or the others to risk your life for me and my cause.”

“You don’t need to ask. We would stand behind you no matter what. You, out of all of us, know the perils that face our kingdom. You were trained as the spare in case of a death.”

“And we are taught that it’s an honor to be a crown prince in exile. It is supposed to be a rite of passage and a lesser burden than running the kingdom. Our king though isn’t fit. He will bring our people to war or ruin before his reign is over.”

“There are others who would follow you too, Zaruv.”

I knew that he was right. I had heard the whispers as soon as my father fell ill. Other people among the guard and the population saw the dangers that the new king posed. He didn’t have the level head needed for a ruler. My brother could be bought and that was a fatal flaw that he had. The only way to stop him would be to end his life. Otherwise, the war would continue for centuries as it had done before the Infernians were banished to their fiery home. It was a war that still haunted our kind and humans alike.

“So, I could lead them to their deaths? I don’t think so,” I decided. “If I take on the king, I will do so alone. I don’t need others to die for my cause.”

“And we won’t let you go it alone,” Ragal promised.

Jennifer stirred and sat up. I cursed myself for not sending Ragal away to handle the militia before she awoke, but the conversation we’d had, had been a long time coming. I needed him to know that I wasn’t going into exile after we found our brothers. I would be going back to face our king. I knew Ragal, he thought he would come with me, but I wouldn’t let that happen. I would leave under the cover of night.

“Are we there yet?” she asked in a dazed voice.

“Almost,” I said. “We have a bit of a problem though. The militia and your fearless Sergeant Lee are still following us. The city is just beyond those mountains, if they follow us in we won’t be able to get back out without a great deal of bloodshed.”

“Damn,” she muttered. “Wait!”

I jerked my head around. “They are stopping and turning around! I wonder why?”

“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with the city, but it’s possible they have the same sort of guards here. Maybe it’s just out of their jurisdiction.”

“Then why go all this way? It’s like they planned to follow, but changed their minds. I wonder what’s in the city that they don’t want to deal with?”

“Who cares? We can take shelter for the night in the caves there and look for your brothers in the morning,” she offered.

“Shouldn’t we go in at night, the way we did with Ragal?” I asked.

She sighed and shook her head. “Ragal was in the middle of the wastelands. No one saw him go down. If this is where you tracked the pods to, we won’t get that lucky again. If I had to guess, I’d say they were found and locked away. I can find out more once I poke around.”

“Hold on,” I said as we started to dive.

The militia was long gone. As Jennifer gripped my sides tighter I landed in a small clearing not far from the tip of the mountain. Shifting back into my human form, I realized just how cold it was. I wrapped my arms around Jennifer to try and warm her up. How could I have not seen before that she was shivering so much? Who knew how long she had been so cold without telling me.

I briefly shifted back into my dragon form and blew a smoldering line of fire from my mouth onto a small, but hearty-looking bush. At once it was up in flames before collapsing to the ground and leaving behind the base for a fire. Jennifer went to the fire and started warming her hands right away. I couldn’t stop myself from standing behind her and stroking her arms, trying to warm her up even more. When she leaned against me, I knew that the bond between us was strong. Ragal appeared from a higher platform with a large tree trunk in his hands.

He dropped it down and broke a section off, tossing it into the fire. “I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did. It was cold enough to freeze you to death up there.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I hissed at him.

Ragal shrugged. “She didn’t seem bothered by it. What would you have done anyways? Couldn’t drop down or land.”

“I’d rather have her alive and be in the midst of a battle with those morons than dead!”

Jennifer gazed up at me and the anger vanished. “It’s okay, Zaruv, it wasn’t that bad I promise. I’m just happy we are here. I just wish I could put my finger on why this place feels so familiar.”

“Have you been here before?” I asked.

She shook her head, “No. And there is a reason why I just don’t remember what it is. When I first moved here I talked about coming to the city, but when I told a friend, he told me never to come here. He wouldn’t tell me why though. There is something dark in that city, we just have to figure out what.”

“And we will, but for now you need to rest. We should start walking on foot tomorrow so we aren’t spotted by any other forms of the military.”

“Well, I’m going to take the cave up there. I like being on top,” Ragal said with a wink.

Before we could argue with him, Ragal disappeared into the cave again. I laughed uneasily at his antics as I looked at Jennifer. She seemed warmed now by the fire. I carefully used the log and pushed the fire back into the cave. At once the entire small room was warm. We worked silently, each of us knowing what the other needed somehow. I ripped the log into four pieces as Jennifer spread out the soft, dead grass that surrounded us onto it.

“There’s only enough for one bed,” she said quietly.

I sat down on it, the fire glowing as the sun set in the sky. Gently, I pulled her down onto my lap and ran my finger along her lower lip. It stuck out so perfectly, again it was begging for my tender caress. My shaft started to harden at our closeness, but I couldn’t let her go, not this time. Her chest was heaving, her nipples pressing against the thin white fabric of her top. She wanted me too.

“We shouldn’t,” she whispered.

“Why not? We are both adults who want to,” I said.

“Tomorrow is going to be dangerous. I can feel it. We should have a plan together, some way to defend ourselves and minimize injuries if we need it.”

I wrapped my hands around her waist, pulling her closer to me as she sat frozen on my lap. How long had it been since she had known a man? Was there a boyfriend or husband that had wounded her in the past? I had so many questions for her. I wanted to know about everything that she had dealt with in life. The desire to learn more about her was strong since I knew she was my soulmate, but my body had more pressing needs, ones that I couldn’t ignore.

“Let’s worry about tomorrow when it comes. If this is going to be my last night alive, I want to spend it with you.”

“You are, I’m right here,” she said with a playful wink.

I rolled my eyes but smiled, “I want to be with you intimately. I want to kiss every part of your body and slowly strip away your clothing.”

Her breathing stopped as the flush rose to her cheek. I continued to talk as I leaned forward, my lips brushing against her ear every time I spoke.

“I want to taste your sweet skin and feel you wrapped around me as I bring you pleasure. Tell me, Jennifer, what is it that you want? Do you want to go to sleep now or plan tomorrow? Or instead should we strip each other down and spend the night exploring each other’s bodies?”

She was breathing hard as I posed the question. When our eyes met, she leaned forward, kissing my neck, I thought that I would explode with desire. Her hands trailed up my arm, a painfully delicious sensation coursed through me as she bit my neck. Jennifer had no idea what biting did to me, but she was going to find out.

“Yes,” she said in a hoarse voice. “Take me, I’m yours.”

Chapter 10

Jennifer

I knew what I wanted and I wasn’t going to back down. It had been so long since I’d been with a man and Zaruv was so much more than just a man. His body was at least ten degrees warmer than a human. Every time I pressed my lips against his flesh I thought that I would die from pleasure. He reached up and gently took my chin into his massive hand, pulling my mouth closer to his. As our lips met and I let out a groan of pleasure, his hands dug into my side and I shuddered with desire.

Parting my lips for him, I felt his tongue dive into my mouth. I copied his actions with my own, letting my fingers run through his dark locks. I felt him tug at my shirt and begrudgingly let go of him so he could tug it over my head. I was no longer chilled. Instead, I wanted to strip my clothing off as fast as possible. He skillfully unclasped my bra and watched in wonder as my breasts bounded free from the restraint.

“Stand up,” he begged.

I did as he asked. In one quick motion, his shirt was off and he was kneeling in front of me, unbuttoning my tight pants. Tugging them down over my hips, he gently caressed every inch of naked flesh as he pulled them off. My stomach flipped with anticipation. I felt the heat rushing to my core. My panties were already wet with desire. I blushed as I realized he would see this and know how much I wanted him, how I needed him.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips against my panties. The warmth from his mouth seeped through as I grabbed the back of his head. Shuddering with pleasure I let my eyes closed as my head tilted back. I barely felt it when his fingers tugged my panties down to my knees. It wasn’t until his tongue darted into my womanhood that I felt my knees give out. His strong arms wrapped around my waist to keep me standing as his skilled tongue flicked my pearl back and forth.

“Zaruv,” I whispered.

Calling out his name only encouraged him. The world around me started to go dark when I felt his finger probe into my tight body. As he pumped his finger into me, I felt the orgasmic climax coming. My body tightened around his finger, stretching me as he flicked my clit between each broad stroke. Just as my climax was about to hit, he pulled away from me.

“No!” I gasped.

He chuckled as he swept me off my feet, laying me gently on the makeshift bed. “Don’t worry my love, there will be much more to come. You don’t get release that fast.”

I bit my lip and a low growl escaped his mouth.

“You have no idea what that does to me,” he warned seductively.

Wiggling my naked body on the bed, I smiled at him and bit my lip again. “Why don’t you show me then?”

He didn’t need any more encouragement as he stripped off his pants. I once again found myself gasping but this time, not from pleasure. His engorged cock was huge! Almost as long as my forearm, I had never seen a member so beautiful before. It bounded in the air and I looked up at Zaruv as I blushed.

“Don’t worry, I will go slow,” he promised.

I trusted him to keep his word. He climbed onto the bed as I spread my legs for him. He took in the sight of my body, just as I had done with him. My skin was pale next to his tanned body. He leaned forward and ran his thumbs down my sides and over my hips. One hand fell away from me, grasping his shaft while the other moved back to my throbbing bud. He pressed down on me and my primal nature was unleashed.

I arched my back and groaned for him. Wiggling my body, I wanted to get closer to his cock. I wanted to feel it buried inside of me. Zaruv sensed my need and within seconds, I felt his giant head pressing against my dripping wet entrance. Like the rest of his body, his shaft was warmer and seemed to drive me even more insane with every new inch he pushed into me. I felt his eyes on me but I didn’t care. I was lost in a sea of desire.

His throbbing member filled my core, stretching me open and forcing its way deeper into me. I didn’t mind the slight pain, it intensified the pleasure even more. Still, I didn’t know how much more of him I could take. He laid down on top of me, our eyes locking together seconds before our lips followed suit. Slowly, he pulled out of me before thrusting himself back in carefully.

Screaming in pleasure, I broke away from our kiss as my body throbbed. The slow climax was working its way back up. It wouldn’t be long before I was on the brink of exploding once again. Zaruv growled against my throat, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, forcing his cock deeper into me and intensifying the pleasure. His hips ground against my rear and I knew he was buried to the hilt. I could feel his cock inside of me, pulsing and begging for release.

Zaruv started to move back and forth and a fog settled over us. Nothing else mattered except for that moment. We were joined together as one. My body began to tingle, starting with my toes and moving slowly to my core. The pressure built up inside of me and I begged him for sweet release. I wanted to feel his nectar as it shot into my body. I wanted to be his everything just as he was to me. There was no longer any space between us, we were mated as one.

With a fiery vengeance, the pressure inside of me exploded. Waves of euphoria cascaded over me as Zaruv’s cock became engorged and I felt his hot seed spilling into me. He thrust into me, all caution lost as he sank his teeth into the skin of my shoulder. The pain mixed with the orgasm, making them both feel even more intense. I pumped my body against him like a jackhammer, feeling the slippery result as it dripped down my body onto our makeshift bed.

As we climaxed and found ourselves locked together, the world exploded into a thousand small fireworks before my very eyes. The only thing I could see, the only thing that I cared about was Zaruv. His eyes changed colors as we rode out the passion together, slowly coming back down to reality, but staying locked together. I could hardly breathe but it was a small thing. Never had I known so much pleasure before.

Even after we fell apart, exhausted and spent, I still wanted more of him. His cock bounced up and down in the air, ready for another round. I had to breathe first! My mind was racing at how much pure pleasure I had just experienced and yet I was still hungry for more. It had to be Zaruv. He had to have some sort of alien power over sex to make me come so hard. I was still throbbing with the residual pleasure of it.

“My God!” he exclaimed. “Is it always like that with humans?”

“I was just wondering the same thing about your kind! I’m no virgin, but I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

“I understand what you mean. If I could move at all, I would ask for another taste of your sweet skin.”

Blushing, I rolled over and looked at him. He smiled and leaned forward, gently kissing my lips. I didn’t want the kiss to end, but I knew he had to be tired after flying with me on his back all day. It was a strange thing to be with someone who was only human part of the time. Although I was quickly learning that it had its perks, I still had so many unanswered questions. Until I knew how he felt about me though, I would keep them to myself. How could I know if he wasn’t just passing through?

“Tell me something about yourself,” I asked; trying to keep things light.

“I’ve never been in love before,” he offered.

The admission shocked me. I had thought he would give me some brief history about his life as a prince or talk about his brothers. Love was another topic altogether though. My cheeks blushed and he smiled, running a finger along the left side of my face.

“I love it when you blush. It’s the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen.”

“Please,” I said as I rolled my eyes. “You are a prince. I’m sure you’ve seen all sorts of wonders in this crazy universe.”

“I have,” he admitted. “I have seen the four-headed hounds of Ibez and the deadly water woman of Ventrax. I’ve eaten Tondril with emperors and even witnessed the song of the Harems before they go to rest. Never though, in all my travels, have I seen anything as beautiful as your flushed cheeks.”

I swallowed hard, unable to speak. He hadn’t just flattered me, he had compared me to women who, by anyone’s standards, were goddesses from another realm. I didn’t know what to say to him, but I felt the flattery making my cheeks rosy once again. Whatever was going on between us, I would be sorry to see him leave.

“Are you always so good at this?” I asked playfully.

He shrugged, “I don’t really know. Women where I am from, say that it’s fantastic no matter what. I was their prince, it was their duty, though I never forced myself on them.”

The admission hit me hard, “Didn’t you ever have a girlfriend? Someone that you loved?”

“Love? No, I don’t think so. Love wasn’t something that we were encouraged to find. Actually, it was frowned upon. There is no place for love in a prince’s world, only a dutiful marriage to secure a treaty.”

“And now? Do you still feel the same way about it?” I asked carefully.

He grinned at me, “I think we should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

He wrapped me in his arms and I knew that I wasn’t getting an answer from him. It was fine though. I wasn’t sure if I had an answer for myself yet either. There was something between us, I just didn’t know what, yet.

Chapter 11

Zaruv

I awoke to the strange sounds of nature around me and at once was on edge. Jennifer was no longer lying next to me. Her clothing was gone and the fire was all but out. I bolted out of bed and quickly pulled on my clothing too, setting out to look for her. When I called her name, no one answered. The silence made my heart sink as I thought about the dangers she could be in. I leaped up to the second cave in one smooth motion and saw that Ragal, too, was gone.

The warming sound of Jennifer’s laughter came to me from over the hill. At once, I jogged up the steep mountain to find her. She was sitting around a small fire, Ragal on one side of her and a stranger on the other. The young man was looking at her like she was a queen. Instantly I was filled with rage, she was mine. He saw me approaching before the others. Jumping backward, the stranger had a look of pure fear in his eyes when he saw me. Jennifer turned to see what was wrong and smiled at me.

“We were wondering if you were going to join us,” she said with a wink.

“I told him that the extra weight would take its toll,” muttered Ragal.

I placed a protective hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “The weight made no difference. Who is this?”

Jennifer looked over at the stranger and cleared her throat. “This is Mavic. He comes to the mountains to harvest herbs. He was just telling us about the men who control the city. I think we know why our militia turned back.”

“Doesn’t he fear us like the rest of your kind?” I asked, glaring at him.

He shook his head, approaching me and offered a hand. “No sir, I mean you are a little intimidating, but that’s just because of your size. I couldn’t care less if you are an alien.”

“Huh,” I muttered, a little uneasy. “So, why are you here?”

“I come out here to pick herbs, I’m not a fan of the city, to be honest. You shouldn’t go that way either. There’s nothing but evil there.”

“We have to find the others, I’m sure my brother told you as much.”

Mavic nodded his head. “Yeah, but I didn’t see anything in the city. That’s not something that they could easily cover up. Do you know anything about the area?”

I shook my head, “I don’t know anything about the whole damn planet.”

“I do,” muttered Jennifer. “This place isn’t on our trade route though. I thought we had deals with everyone, too.”

“You wouldn’t have trade deals with them. No one does. No military will touch the place and the government pretends like they don’t exist.”

“My outpost men turned back last night, why?”

“Because of Charles Vega,” said Mavic softly as he shook his head. “The man is a monster.”

“Really?” I asked, intrigued. “A monster? Isn’t that a little strong for a mere human?”

“No,” he said passionately. “No words are too strong for that beast. He came into town and took over, drove out the military and slaughtered anyone in his way.”

Jennifer gasped. “You can’t be serious. How is it that we haven’t heard about him before this?”

“He keeps a tight wrap on things inside the city. The only people who come in and out are those that he lets.”

“So, the entire city is being held prisoner?” I asked.

He shook his head, “Getting out isn’t the problem. He’ll let you walk out of there like it’s just another day. Getting back in is where you hit trouble. Vega doesn’t like outsiders coming in. So, he lets anyone leave who wants too but they weren’t allowed to come back.”

“Why doesn’t everyone flee then?”

Mavic shuddered and looked away from me. I knew that whatever he was going to tell us wasn’t going to be easy for him. I saw the darkness in his eyes; overpowering and sad. He had seen far more than his sunny disposition let on. For a young man, I would have expected to see others around but he was alone. Another sure sign that something wasn’t right with the situation. Humans traveled in packs it seemed, whereas Mavic was alone.

“In the beginning, there were rumors. We thought that it was just the city gossip. People started to leave in flocks when they saw the monster that he was. Then, communications stopped. We all had family who’d left, though some of us chose to stay.”

“What happened to them?” I asked though I had a pretty good idea.

He shrugged, “Your guess is as good as anyone else’s, but they were never seen or heard from again. After the initial first wave left, people started to hide instead of taking the risk in leaving.”

“You think he had them killed?” Jennifer asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you know someone that left?” she asked softly.

He nodded, “We all did. This was about five years ago. My mother fled to find us a new home. She never returned.”

Jennifer gasped softly, “Mavic, I’m so sorry to hear that. What about your father? Do you have any other family?”

Mavic shook his head again, “No. Vega rounded up all the men who were fit. It was simple, work for him or stay out of his way. My father didn’t like the options. He and a small faction retaliated against Vega. He sent me out here through an old tunnel passage and set me up in the hills. Vega’s men don’t come this far on patrol.”

“You’ve been here for five years?” I asked.

He shrugged, “On and off. I’ll go back into the city every few months to get supplies and see if anything has changed, but it never does.”

“Could your father help us once we get inside? We just want to find our brothers.”

“If you can find him. He didn’t meet me the last time I went, I don’t know where he is anymore.”

Jennifer took Mavic’s hand and I felt a rush of jealousy that she was touching another man. The way he looked at her, with adoration and desire made my blood boil. I struggled to keep my temper under control. Her eyes were full of concern for his plight. I swallowed roughly, catching Ragal’s amused gaze. I was territorial over her, even though we hadn’t spoken about the future yet. There was no time between finding my family and our night of passion, though I hoped that there would be much more.

“Mavic, we will find out where your dad is for you, okay?” she offered.

“Jennifer,” I started but she shot me a look that made me pause immediately.

“We will find him for you,” she reiterated. “But we need you to help us get into the city. You said something about tunnels? Do you think you can lead us there?”

He shook his head adamantly, “No, it’s too dangerous. Jennifer, they are bad men. You should just stay here with me.”

I cleared my throat, “I don’t think so. We can keep her safer if she is with us. Plus, I’m not leaving her alone with you or anyone else for that matter.”

Jennifer glared at me but I didn’t care. I had said my piece and it wasn’t going to change. “We need your help, Mavic. Even if you can’t show us the way, maybe you could tell us. If we don’t get in there, we will lose our family too. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”

Mavic looked at Jennifer and she smiled reassuringly. “We will be safe, I promise. Don’t you want us to find your father?”

“Fine, but please stay away from Vega. He will hurt you and I don’t want that.”

“I know,” she whispered. “We will stay away from him.”

I was about to interject, to tell Jennifer not to make promises like that but it was too late. The relief I saw in Mavic’s eyes were enough to silence me. He needed her to tell him she would be safe, even if it was a lie that we all knew. There were no promises after we entered the city. I had a sneaking suspicion about Vega, but I needed to see him firsthand before I jumped to any conclusions. Jennifer pulled away from Mavic and looked back at me.

“Are we ready?” she asked.

I nodded, “Mavic? Why don’t you tell Ragal how to get into the city?”

Pulling Jennifer away from the other two, I found a spot where I knew that we wouldn’t be overheard. “What are you thinking making a promise like that? His father is probably dead.”

“I don’t know, he just looked so sad. He has no one out here.”

“I don’t like the way that he was looking at you. If this town is as dangerous as he says, maybe you should head back to the outpost and let us take it from here.”

She glared at me, “If you think you can control me, Zaruv, you are dead wrong. No man, alien or otherwise will ever control me. Do you understand that, you pompous jerk?”

My temper flared but I kept it under control. “You are infuriating. If you go, you need to listen to me okay? I don’t think this Vega is the only danger in town.”

“Trying to tell me what to do again? Great, just what I need,” she muttered.

I took her arm, softly caressing it and gazing into her eyes. If we weren’t in such a dire situation, I would have dragged her back to the cave and showered her perfect body in kisses once again. As it was, I needed her to understand that I couldn’t lose her, not after everything that had happened. She was the only thing keeping me from losing my mind in the chaos of the past few days. She was my light in the approaching darkness.

“Please, Jennifer,” I begged. “Please promise that you will do as I say in there. I can’t lose you.”

She softened at my words, blushing and reaching for my hand. “I promise you Zaruv that I will follow your lead. But I need you to promise something too.”

“Anything for you,” I said as I tilted her chin up to me, our lips almost touching.

“We have to try and find Mavic’s father. I know what it’s like to be all alone. It’s a rough life. He needs someone else.”

“If I do this, will you stop flirting with him?”

Jennifer glared at me, “I wasn’t flirting with him! He must be five years younger than me. I was just trying to make him feel better.”

“Well, I have no doubt that you did that, but don’t lead the poor thing on. You are mine.”

She grinned, “Feeling a bit protective?”

I nodded and tilted my head down, kissing her gently on the lips. Even the brief touch set my body on fire. I ran my fingers up her arms, pulling her closer to me until we were pressed together in a moment of pure pleasure. I would have taken her again except for Ragal and his noisy coughing. She broke away from me, her cheeks flushed with the same desire that had taken hold of me.

“I know where we are going,” Ragal said. “Mavic is in the caves but he told me the way. Are you two ready or should I find you another cave?”

Jennifer rolled her eyes, “Let’s go get your brothers back.”

Taking her hand, we carefully made our way down the mountain. The silence in the air was heavy with foreboding. I didn’t know what we were walking into, but if my hunch was right, there was going to be more trouble than Mavic ever could have imagined.

Chapter 12

Jennifer

“Yuck,” I muttered.

Ragal grinned from behind me as I spun around, trying to untangle myself from the thick web that had blown from Zaruv’s shoulder. I was no princess, I didn’t mind getting dirty, but this was a whole new level of disgusting. Plus, the web of a perhot spider had a foul odor to attract its prey, rats that fed off rotting corpses in the sewer system. It wasn’t my idea of a good time but I trudged ahead, mostly silent.

“What’s wrong, Jennifer? Not what you thought this rescue mission would be?” Taunted Ragal.

“Says the prince who once sent back an entire fleet of women because their feet were dirty.” Shot Zaruv from over my head.

I laughed and Ragal fell silent as we walked. A faint light could be seen up ahead. “That’s it.”

“It should open up to an abandoned inn if Mavic was telling the truth,” huffed Ragal.

“Why would he lie?” I asked.

Ragal shrugged, “Maybe he was just trying to get lucky.”

“Shut up, Ragal,” I muttered.

He was about to say something else when Zaruv raised his hand. Instantly, Ragal grabbed my arm and I knew to fall silent. There was movement above us even though the area was supposed to be abandoned. It moved in the light and shuffled around. Zaruv’s skin started to glow a faint bronze color and I wondered if he would really shift in the middle of a sewer and risk a cave-in. After several seconds, he let out a loud sigh and climbed the narrow ladder that led to the outside.

After he disappeared, I held my breath until his head stuck back through the manhole and he smiled at me. Holding out his hand, I grabbed ahold of him and let him pull me from the disgusting muck. Then I saw why he hadn’t shifted. A scraggly looking dog stood next to him, wagging his salt and pepper tail while licking the tough alien’s face. We weren’t in the middle of a road as I had suspected.

“Well, it looks like you have a friend,” I said, laughing.

Zaruv grinned and pet the dog behind the ear before reaching down and helping Ragal out of the sewer. As he did, I stood up and brushed off what I could of the dust and stench. We hadn’t arrived in some forgotten alley as I’d expected we would. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the manhole wasn’t one created by the city, but a roughly cut hole in the floor of a house. Someone had gone through a great deal of trouble to create this escape route. It was no wonder Mavic was scared.

“What is this place?” Ragal asked.

“I think it used to be someone’s home,” I muttered as I wiped away the dust from a forgotten desk. “A long time ago.”

Zaruv covered the hole and started to look around. He immediately went to the sink and turned the outdated knob. A ball of black goo dropped into the dusty basin before rust colored, then finally clear water trickled out.

“Huh,” I said, stunned. “I can’t believe that it still works. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here for years.”

“If I had to guess, I would venture to say the system is off the grid which is why it’s still working. Vega probably has no idea this place is even here.”

Ragal has disappeared into a separate room, but now he called for us. “Hey guys, I think I know why it’s off the grid. Look at this place.”

Together, we followed the sound of his voice, passing through a dust covered living room. Once white sheets, now dull and brown, covered various pieces of furniture. Photos hung on the walls, a faded and depressing reminder that the building had once been someone’s home before the monster had taken over. I paused and ran my thumb over the glass of a picture sitting next to the couch on a rickety table. Three faces appeared, all bright and cheerful, unknowing of the danger that would soon rip them from their beloved home.

“Are you okay?” Zaruv asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “How could my government let this happen to an entire city? It’s like they just gave up and left.”

His hand found the small of my back as he kissed my cheek. “We will find out what’s going on, Jennifer. I promise you that.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Let’s go see what Ragal found. Maybe the bedrooms are decent enough to stay here for the night.”

“Aren’t we going to go find your brothers?” I asked.

He shook his head, “Not with night falling, it’s too dangerous. We don’t know enough about the town to go walking around just yet. For now, we will watch and wait. Tomorrow we will venture out.”

Just then, Ragal came sauntering into the room, holding a dusty bottle of wine. “Nothing useable in the kitchen but I did find this. The bedrooms aren’t bad if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

“I don’t care where we sleep,” I offered, feeling far more exhausted than I had in days.

Approaching footsteps made us all turn and jump but it was just the stray dog who’d taken up residence in the abandoned house. I smiled down at him and dropped to my knees, taking his head in my hands and brushing back his fur.

“We could eat the dog,” offered Ragal playfully.

I glared at him, “I’d sooner chop you up.”

He laughed quietly. “Find anything, Zaruv?”

Zaruv had moved to the window, pushing back the curtain ever so slightly. “It looks like a normal city. I don’t see anyone suspicious.”

“If this Vega is smart, his men won’t be walking around with guns,” Ragal said.

“He sounded arrogant,” I offered. “Maybe they just don’t patrol this area. It looks pretty poor.”

“Tomorrow, Ragal,” said Zaruv, taking my hand and leading me up the worn steps, “Tonight you can keep the dog warm.”

“Thanks,” griped Ragal.

As we headed out of his sight, I heard him complaining, but I let it slip away. I didn’t know how much more time I would have with Zaruv. I wasn’t going to waste a single moment of it.

* * *

The urgency was palpable between us. I needed him and he needed me. Our mortality coming to face both of us in the morning was a strong incentive to be wild for one more night. His now familiar fingers tugged at my shirt, our need feverish and strong. I pulled him closer to me and quickly stripped him of his pants, fumbling only slight with the button. Though he tried to kiss me, I pushed him away. I didn’t want romance tonight, I wanted fire.

I slipped to my knees, taking his pants with me as I freed his already engorged cock. I licked my lips, recalling the delicious taste of his skin from the night before. There was nothing that I wouldn’t do for him or to him if only he asked. No man had ever had so much control over me. Looking up into his steely gaze, I saw the desire wash over him as I wrapped my hand around the base of his throbbing member. With a devilish grin, I flicked out my tongue, licking the single droplet of precum that glistened from his tip.

His eyes closed and his head fell backward as he moaned with pleasure. I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to feel him thrusting into my mouth, I needed to taste the sweet nectar of his warm seed. Wrapping my lips around his head, I began to slowly coat his shaft in my saliva as I eased it further into my mouth. His fingers braided through my thick hair, pushing me gently forward until my face was buried against his abdomen.

My body was pulsing, my own wetness evident as my panties became soaked with desire. I let go of his cock, letting my mouth do all the work as the spit dribbled down my chin and slapped against his balls. Carefully, I took his globes into my hand and gently squeezed until he moaned out my name. His shaft grew larger and I knew that he was close. Zaruv thrust into my mouth as I gasped for air.

When his seed spurted into my mouth, I swallowed every last drop of the hot nectar and carefully licked him clean. My body was still on fire though, I needed to feel him inside of me. I had to have his massive shaft buried deep inside of my waiting womb. He sensed my need and quickly grabbed my arms, lifting me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our lips found each other and he pressed me against the thin bedroom wall.

I didn’t hear the knocking until a low growl escaped Zaruv’s mouth and he glared at the door. My cheeks flushed as I remembered that we weren’t alone in the little house. I wanted to scream out his name as he rode me hard but with Ragal around, I didn’t think that was going to be an option. Begrudgingly, Zaruv set me down and kissed me briefly before pulling on his pants and stomping to the door.

“What?” he asked curtly as he jerked it open.

“Sorry to interrupt brother, but I think we’ve got a problem,” Ragal said. He looked past Zaruv and winked at me.

I ignored his knowing gaze and straightened my clothing. “What is it, Ragal?”

“We have company. While you two were in here having fun, I was keeping watch on the road out there. Two men have been watching this place for the last few minutes and now they’ve doubled. I think they are going to make a move.”

“Then we need to go,” I said, looking for another way out beside the sewer; the stench was finally gone and I didn’t want it back.

Zaruv had moved to the window, carefully looking out without moving the threadbare curtain. Even standing there in the dim light he looked like some sort of demigod. No man or alien should be as good looking as him. It was no wonder that he had his pick of women. I just couldn’t understand why he wanted me. It didn’t matter though, at the rate we were going, we wouldn’t live to have that conversation.

“I think it’s a little late for that now, Jennifer. They are coming and there is more than four of them.”

“So, let’s fly like you did last time. We made it out okay.”

“Then how will we get back in? How will we take care of our brothers?”

“What are you suggesting?” I asked cautiously.

“I think you should go back into the sewer and get out of here. Zaruv and I will take care of them and come back for you.” Offered Ragal.

“No way. I’m not going anywhere,” I said, crossing my arms defiantly.

“She’s right, Ragal,” said Zaruv, moving away from the window. “I don’t think she should run, I don’t think any of us should. Think about it. We want information about our brothers and no one seems to have it. If anyone knows anything, it’s going to be this kingpin, Vega.”

“You want to surrender?” I asked in shock. “That wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“Me, neither,” Grumbled Ragal.

“I know that you don’t want to surrender, but it’s the only way. We need answers,” said Zaruv.

“Fine,” I muttered.

Zaruv smiled and took my hand, “I will keep you safe. I promise.”

Just as the sound of splintering wood signaled the men kicking were in the door, I took Zaruv’s hand and smiled back at him. To my own surprise, I trusted every word that he said. I knew that I was going to be okay.

Chapter 13

Zaruv

“This was a great plan,” huffed Jennifer.

“It’s not too late to change your mind about the sewer,” Ragal said.

I sighed, “Both of you be quiet or they are going to hear you. They are taking us right to the man that will have answers.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” she whispered to me. “Let’s say this Vega character does know what happened to your brothers. Then what? I doubt he's the kind of guy who will just hand them over to you.”

Before I could answer her, the guards in front of us stopped short. We’d been taken down a winding alley after a short car ride. To my surprise, they didn’t try to hide where we were going. None of them seemed intimidated by us, though I was sure at least a handful of them knew that we weren’t human. Vega had power and control over them, it didn’t matter who we were as long as they got paid.

We were shoved forward after a booming voice commanded the doors be opened. A towering man sat high on a chair, looking more like an overweight politician than a king. He glared down at me before his beady brown eyes and bald head shifted to Ragal and finally landed on Jennifer. The way his eyes moved over her body, hovering on her breasts made me want to rip out his throat, but I knew that she would be infuriated if I did. Plus, she was a human, not nearly as durable as myself or Ragal. I couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t you a pretty little thing?” muttered Vega as he rubbed his bloated stomach. “Why are you running around with these punks? A woman as hot as you should be in my bedroom.”

I took a step forward, my anger boiling over. All weapons in the room were trained on me in the flash of an eye. Vega turned his attention to me, slowly dragging his eyes away from Jennifer. He didn’t seem shocked by my size or that of my brother. The realization that he had seen men like us before dawned on me and my heart sank. The only others like us were our missing brothers. He had to know where they were.

“You must be full of yourself to come in so willingly. Tell me, what brings you to our humble little town?” he asked.

“We are looking for some friends and thought they might be passing through here,” Ragal said before I could answer.

“Friends, that look like you? You aren’t from around here, are you?” Vega asked.

“No,” Ragal said. “Where we are from doesn’t matter. The missing men are close to us, we are willing to offer a large reward for their safe return.”

Vega started to laugh and again, I felt the urge to lunge at him. Ragal reached for my arm and steadied me as he shook his head. I would never have thought he’d be the one with the cool temper, but it had been a trying few days and in my current state, all I could see was red. It was obvious Vega had our brothers, now he was just toying with us.

“I don’t want your money you fool. You have nothing to offer me. I must admit, this is a wonderful turn of events though. I thought I would only have two of you, but you’ve just doubled my profits.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I hissed.

Vega leaned forward in his chair, his dirty brown teeth showing as he looked down at me. “Dragselians have some amazing abilities, don’t they?”

Jennifer gasped and I felt Ragal stiffen next to me as Vega continued. “You didn’t think a couple of freak aliens could come into my town without me knowing about it, did you? No. You came after your friends, but you aren’t going to get them. Maybe if you are lucky though, I’ll lock you in the same room as them. Once you have been subdued, of course.”

“They are alive,” I whispered.

Vega sat back and shrugged, “They are for now. I don’t know how much I can harvest at once, which is why it’s so great that you two fools came.”

“Harvest?” Jennifer asked.

I didn’t need him to clarify. Without thinking I lunged forward but in the flash of an eye, one of Vega’s men grabbed hold of me and looked back at Jennifer. Another of Vega’s goons had a blade pressed to her neck, a single drop of blood fell from the blade. I lifted my arms in defeat. He knew already that I would never risk her life. By bringing her along I’d given him all the leverage that he needed.

“You don’t know much about your boyfriend, do you, hotness?” Leered Vega. “See, Dragselians are very special. Their organs are just like humans but they aren’t as delicate. A dragselian’s kidney sells for big money on the black market.”

“So, you are going to kill them for their organs? You are one sick son of a bitch,” she hissed.

“Oh, come now. I’m not a monster. It won’t kill them, just ask your friends. No, see Dragselians can regenerate anything that gets wounded or, in this case, cut out. It’s really great that you came by though. Now I can see just how many slices it takes before killing one of you.”

“You won’t get away with this,” I hissed.

Vega’s eyes flicked to Jennifer again, his tongue brushing over his cracked lips. For a brief second, I thought I saw his eyes change colors from the shitty brown I’d noticed before to a deep red. I shook my head, trying to figure out if it had just been a play of light. Each time he looked at her it made my skin crawl. I wanted to rip him limb from limb and make him suffer for what he was doing to us now and for what he had done to the town.

“I think I can get away with whatever I want. You wouldn’t believe how excited I was to see two of your kind dropped into my lap, already in stasis. I didn’t have to fight them at all. It really was great seeing a dragslainan again.”

“Again?” I asked.

Vega shook his head, “I think that’s all I need, for now. Take them down to the dungeons and prepare two more stasis pods for our new guests.”

“What about the girl, boss?” Asked one of the men.

Vega grinned, “Stick her down there with them for now. Give them a chance to say goodbye before we have our own fun with her. Human organs aren’t worth nearly as much as she is worth to me whole.”

“Boss?” asked the man.

“Get them out of here,” he hissed.

He waved his hand and the guards were back next to us, taking hold of our arms and leading us away. I kept my eye closely on Jennifer. Vega had watched her far too closely for my taste. I could see that Ragal was struggling not to fight the men as they led us deeper into the cavern-like hole. Down a winding flight of steps, the air became thick with mold. Then we were shoved into separate cells, though we could see each other in the dim light.

My mind was reeling with questions. A long time ago, humans knew everything about our kind for their own protection. They had to learn to tell the differences between us and our Infernian enemies. Vega knew so much more than a human today should. He knew about our bodies and how quickly they could heal. Who knew what else he was hiding, but I was going to find out. I needed time to talk to Ragal but it didn’t look like I was going to have much of that.

“Great plan,” muttered Ragal.

I sighed, “It’s not going as planned, but at least we know that he has them.”

“What if they are dead and he’s just messing with us?”

“I don’t think so. He liked to see us suffering, didn’t you notice when he said ‘no’ to the offer? If they were dead, he would have taken great pleasure in telling us so.”

“Something is on your mind, brother,” offered Ragal.

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s safe to talk in here,” I told him.

I jerked my head to the corner of the dungeon to where a camera had been trained on our cells and Ragal nodded. They would be watching our every move. I looked over at Jennifer and to my surprise, she didn’t look worried. Instead, she just looked like she was deep in thought. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me, a smile dancing across her face. My heart lifted at the sight of her smile. She seemed to put me at ease no matter what.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Jennifer nodded, “Yeah. Did you see the case he had sitting next to him?”

I shook my head, “No, I was trying to see how many followers he had. I was hoping to get more answers but maybe next time. What was the case?”

“I can’t be sure, it was some kind of medical bag. I need to get back up there and see what’s in it.”

“Jennifer,” I stammered the panic setting in. “No. It’s too dangerous.”

She rolled her eyes at me, “It could help us.”

“It could get you killed,” I shouted.

Shaking her head, she winked at me and yelled for the guard at the end of the room. “I want to talk to Vega.”

The guard looked wary as he approached. He wasn’t like the others. He was older and didn’t seem as cold and calculating. As he walked to Jennifer, he shook his head.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he muttered.

“What the hell do you care? You are just as bad as he is, you pig. Now I want to talk to him.”

“No, she doesn’t,” I interjected desperately. “Just ignore her. She is sleep deprived.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, alien,” he shot back at me before turning to Jennifer. “Look, lady, if you are lucky, Vega will forget all about you. Until then, I suggest you just keep your mouth shut and stay put. You don’t want to be alone with him.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want me telling him how I tried to see him and you wanted to stop me. I bet your king wouldn’t look too kindly on that, now would he?” she shot back.

Ragal laughed and I shot him a glaring look. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, Jennifer? Just listen to the man already!”

She looked past the guard at me and shook her head before turning back to him, “What’s your name?”

“None of your business,” he muttered.

She reached through the bars and touched his arm, “I’m trying to make it my business. Please, just help me out here. What is your name? You don’t seem like the rest of them. I saw you upstairs. You aren’t the same bloodthirsty punk that the others are.”

“I could get into a lot of trouble just for talking to you. If you want to see Vega, fine. I tried to stop you but don’t drag me into this. I’m just trying to keep my head low and my family alive, lady.”

Jennifer backed away from the bars and nodded her head as the man disappeared back up the steps. He was back within a few minutes and to my shock, he opened her door. “All right, you’ve got your meeting so let’s go.”

With one last look, I watched her walk away. My heart raced as I silently prayed for her safety.

Chapter 14

Jennifer

My heart was racing as we climbed the steps back up to where the self-proclaimed king was. I didn’t know what I was doing. The man made my skin crawl every time he looked at me. I considered myself to be a pretty good judge of character though, and the guard escorting me didn’t seem to fit in the with rest of them. He didn’t want to be there, I could almost sense his apprehension. His concern for my safety showed that he was different.

The room was empty as we waited, and I knew I needed to try and get to the case near the ‘throne’ where Vega had been. I casually strolled closer, but the guard shook his head and I sat down on the second of five steps leading to the seat. With a dramatic sigh, I leaned backward and looked at the guard again. He was watching me.

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

He ignored me at first but I kept watching him until he caved. “Davidson.”

“Davidson?” I asked. “Do you have a first name?”

“Anthony, and we shouldn’t be talking. I’m just here to make sure that you don’t run. Vega will be right back, he went to check the assets.”

I snorted, “The assets? You mean the brothers of my friends down there? You know he’s going to torture them, don’t you?”

He winced at my words and turned away. I took the opening and moved up another step. Just one more and I would be able to lift open the case to see what was in it. It was obviously a medical case, not something that someone would just keep lying around unless it had a very good purpose. Anthony turned back to look at me and noticed I’d moved again but said nothing at first.

“Why are you here if you don’t want to be?” I pressed.

“That’s none of your business. Stop moving or I’m going to take you back down there.”

“Your boss wouldn’t be too happy with you then, would he?” I asked. “Come on. We are both stuck here so we might as well talk.”

“I can leave anytime I want.”

“Then, why don’t you? Do you have some sort of sick fetish to watch people get tortured? Is that what gets you off?”

He was about to say something when the large double-doors opened and Vega walked in, his breathing labored under the heavy weight of his obese figure. When his eyes landed on me and saw my proximity to the case, he glared at Anthony. I quickly stood up and moved away from it, cursing my luck under my breath. This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought.

“So, you wanted more of me, sweet thing?” he huffed, dropping into the chair and making the wooden platform groan under his massive weight.

“Um, no,” I shot back. “I know when I am defeated though. I want to strike a deal.”

He laughed at me, “What kind of deal, you’ve got nothing.”

“I’ve got myself. Don’t think I didn’t see how you watched me. You want me, don’t you?” I asked.

Vega snorted. “So? You think that gives you some kind of bargaining chip?”

“I do. I have friends and family, you know. They will come looking for me unless I tell them to stay away.”

“I’m not scared of any of you pathetic outlanders. You are nothing to me. My men could wipe out all of you within days.”

“I didn’t say anything about outlanders.”

His eyes grew wide, “Dragselians? I don’t believe it.”

I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from him, “Fine, suit yourself then.”

“You are bluffing.”

“Are you really willing to risk that? You have what? Like fifty men? That’s nothing for my people. You would be wiped off the planet before you knew what happened.”

“Please, we are over a hundred men strong. So, you are offering yourself for what? To set your boyfriend free? Fine.”

“No! All four of them!” I demanded.

“Over my dead body. Call in the Dragselians then and we will see who dies. I promise your pretty little head will be the first one to roll after I have my fun, of course.”

“You are disgusting. Zaruv and the others will never let you get away with this,” I hissed.

His cheeks flushed and he stood up, “I do not like to be threatened. It looks like you’re gonna need to be put in your place. Davidson! Take her to my bedroom and keep an eye on her.”

“I’ll die before I let you touch me!” I screamed at him.

Vega took another step forward, “You won’t have the chance.”

He raised his hand up to hit me and I stumbled backward, almost falling down the steps before Anthony caught me. I thought I was going to feel the powerful blow of his hand across my face but instead, I felt Anthony let go of me and I opened my eyes. Vega had turned bright red, his face ballooning up. I could tell that he couldn’t breathe and for a brief second, I thought that he was going to die. Then, it hit me. The case must have something he needed in it!

I ran past Anthony who was screaming for help, “Get away from him! What the hell are you doing?”

“Do you know what’s wrong with him?” I asked quickly.

He shook his head, “No! We don’t have any doctors around here. We go into the city to find help!”

“He needs something, quickly! Give me some room, I am a doctor,” I lied.

I quickly flipped open the case and saw two rows of syringes, each one filled with a clear liquid. Without thinking about my own fate, I grabbed two and reached for Vega’s convulsing arm. He couldn’t control himself and in a flash, I was flying across the room. I cradled the syringes and landed on my back. Pain shot through me as Anthony ran to help me.

“No! Hold Vega down!” I yelled at him. “Whatever this is, he needs it and I can’t do it without your help.”

Anthony nodded and helped me to my feet before running back to Vega and wrapping him in a bear hug. By this time half a dozen other guards had heard his yelling and they all rushed in. Anthony quickly told them the situation and they held the large man down as I found a vein and quickly shoved one of the needles into his arm before emptying the clear liquid into his body. Within seconds the convulsions stopped and Vega’s breathing returned to normal.

I stumbled backward and sat down away from the throne on the floor, trying to compose myself while carefully checking that the second syringe was safely tucked into my bra. It seemed intact, though I would have to be careful. There was no way of knowing what was in it but whatever it was, Vega needed it to live. I pulled my attention back to Vega and went to him. His pulse had returned to normal and the other guards were now giving me enough room to work after seeing me save their boss’ life.

After a few more minutes, Vega looked at me in shock. “How did you know to do that?”

I shrugged, “I am the medic in my outpost. It comes with the territory.”

“You could have let me die,” he muttered.

“I still need your good graces. Plus, killing you isn’t my endgame. I just want my freedom.”

“You’ve earned that I think, but not that of your friends. I still have a business to run.”

“Then send me back down because I’m not leaving without them,” I said stubbornly.

He eyed me suspiciously before shaking his head and talking over me. “Davidson!”

“Yes, sir?” Anthony said, still obviously shaken from the ordeal.

“Take her to the kitchen. Get her something to eat and see if she changes her mind. If not, stick her back in the cell and let her stew for a while. You’ve been offered your freedom for saving my life, but I won’t offer it again after today. I suggest you think about it.”

“And I suggest you get a doctor on staff.”

He laughed, “If you don’t leave them behind, then I will have one. For the rest of your life.”

I glared at him as Anthony took hold of my arm and drug me back through the large doors. As they slammed shut I thought about everything that had just happened. I didn’t want to get food, I wanted to get back downstairs and be with Zaruv. Maybe he would be able to offer some insight into what the syringe was. Or at the very least I could stick him with it since apparently not much killed his kind.

“Just take me back down,” I muttered. “I’m not hungry.”

He shook his head, “Sorry, but I’m not risking my ass for yours. He said to feed you, so that’s what’s going to happen. If you want to get back down to your boyfriend, then I suggest you eat fast. Vega isn’t a generous man, I don’t know how long it will be before he changes his mind about sending you to the cell and not his bedroom.”

“Oh,” I muttered.

It wouldn’t do anyone any good if I was taken there. I would die before letting him touch me. As Anthony led me through the mansion I looked for any exits that I could, mentally making a note of the twists and turns that we followed. The kitchen was elaborate, with two people that I could see working in it. One of them, a large and angry-looking woman, dropped a plate of fruit in front of me without another word.

Anthony watched as I ate slowly, “How long is this going to take?”

“How long do I have to pretend to eat before you’ll take me back to my cell?”

He rolled his eyes and nodded his head. Silently, I followed him out a different way than we came and before long, he was locking me away again. Zaruv stuck his hand through the bars and I took it into mine, leaning my head against his through the metal.

“I was so worried about you,” he whispered as Anthony walked away.

“You had no reason to be, I can take care of myself.”

I looked around and pulled the syringe from my shirt, passing it to Zaruv and explaining to him where it came from. “Do you know what it is? Is there any way to find out?”

He shook his head for a second then squirted a small amount onto his finger. One sniff and he jerked away. I saw his eyes change to the same bronze that I had seen before when he was really angry.

“What’s going on?” I asked urgently.

Our eyes met and I knew that something had changed. “Ragal, we have a problem.”

“What?” he asked.

I cleared my throat, “You better tell me what is going on. I’m the one who just got that after all.”

He held up his finger to the cell that Ragal was in and the princely brother jerked away. “Well, son of a bitch! I can’t believe it. I guess it all makes sense now that I think about it. That’s how he knew so much about us, they all do.”

“They who?” I screamed, getting fed up with the lack of information.

Zaruv turned back to me and shook his head, he was enraged. “Vega, he’s more like us than you, it would seem.”

I rolled my eyes, “You better stop talking in riddles or I might take him up on his offer to get the hell out of here.”

“That would be a mistake, Infernians never let any prize go.”

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “What?”

Our eyes met, “Vega is an Infernian.”

Chapter 15

Zaruv

“I don’t understand! How is that even possible? Didn’t you say that Infernians weren’t like you? The humanoid form is natural for you, but not for them, it’s not like he’s running around with horns on his head. If the government knew this, even Vega couldn’t stop them from coming down here and making an example.” Jennifer hissed.

Ragal was pacing in his cell, “I don’t know how he got ahold of this but whatever it is, it's keeping him in his human form. It can’t last forever though. Mavic said he came to town five years ago.”

“So? Maybe he just sneaks off and changes into his other form.”

I shook my head, “No, we would have caught him if that had happened. We have sensors that expand far beyond this place that alerts us when an Infernian is near humans. However, he got this, he brought it with him and has been using it the whole time.”

“How is that even possible? Doesn’t your kind need to shift every once in a while?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m surprised that he’s lasted this long in one form. It’s a wonder he hasn’t slipped up yet.”

“Well, he almost did today,” Jennifer muttered.

We both looked at her in the dim light and she quickly filled us in on everything that had happened. I knew she regretted helping him, maybe if she hadn’t, the others would have seen what he really was and scattered. There was no way to tell when he would need another dose. Still, something bothered me about the whole situation. I found myself pacing the same way I had been before. She watched me as I moved back and forth.

“He wasn’t expecting it and neither were his people. They don’t know what he is,” she muttered, working through what was going on.

“If I had to guess,” offered Ragal. “I would say that his tolerance to the medication is started to wear thin. He won’t have long before he’ll need another dose. We need to get a plan together and fast.”

“What is it that he’s using anyways? I’ve never seen anything like it,” asked Jennifer.

I shook my head, “I guess we have the time now, do we? You know that the Dragselian and Infernians at one time were the same race, right?”

She nodded her head, “Yeah, you told me about that and the war.”

“Good. The planet that the Infernians were banished to forced them into their dragon state. They tried to fight it for many decades. In the end, though, the result was a mutated, but smaller, version of what you saw us shift into the other night. Infernians can’t hold their human form for very long but this serum can.”

“I get all that, but what is it made of?” she asked.

I saw Ragal shudder from the corner of my eye. “It’s not something we talk about, it’s too horrifying. The serum is created from the spinal fluid of sentient beings, with the best coming from Dragselians.”

“Oh, my God, that’s terrible. Is that why he plans on keeping all of you?”

“I believe so. Without the serum, Vega would revert back to the state of an Infernian pretty fast.”

“You don’t think that there are others out there who still do this, do you? You said you keep track of them.”

“Some,” offered Ragal. “But not all of them. This galaxy is too big for us to patrol all the time. We generally only watch certain ‘high risk’ locations.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean that we watch over our own, and those we trade with but even the Dragselians have their squabbles. There are certain colonies that are on the outs with our kingdom. The Infernians have raided many outlying colonies.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. They like keeping their Dragselian captives in stasis and harvesting their spinal fluid, then allow them to regenerate and do it all over again.”

“I see why you want them wiped out now,” Jennifer muttered. “What are we going to do?”

I looked at her, the worry in her eyes, broke my heart. As I reached for her hand, I made her a promise. “We are going to get you out of here and come back for our brothers. You promised that you would follow my orders and that’s what they are. The situation is worse than we ever could have imagined. You aren’t safe anymore.”

To my surprise, she nodded her head in agreement. “So, what’s the plan?”

A scuffle down at the end of the corridor pulled all our attention away from the conversation. The two guards were fighting someone off, but I couldn’t tell if they were winning or losing. After a few minutes of grunting and groaning, we heard a loud crack before the telltale sound of bodies falling to the ground ended the commotion. Silence fell over the cells as we waited to see what had happened. I pushed Jennifer behind me as best I could to protect her as one of the men came into view.

“Lee?” she called to him. “What’s going on?”

My mouth fell open when I saw him unlock Jennifer’s cell. There was the same young guard that we’d met at the outpost at his side. They both seemed less than thrilled to be there as the older man glared in my direction. To my surprise, he tossed me the keys and I quickly freed myself then my brother. The men kept some distance between us, I didn’t know if they were friend or foe until Jennifer threw her arms around the young man’s neck.

“What are you two doing here, Hardin?” she asked him.

He looked warily at me, then to his commanding officer before turning back to Jennifer. “Well, we couldn’t let you go without knowing what was really going on. We heard that one talking about a possible Infernian problem.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes, “That one, as you call him, is Zaruv. That is his brother, Ragal and you heard right. We’ve got a big problem and you just put yourself in the middle of it. You shouldn’t have come, it’s too dangerous!”

I held out my hand to Lee, “Thank you. I don’t know what changed your mind but we could use the help. The Infernian is parading around as a man named Vega. He runs the town and has a hundred men under him. We need to find my brothers and get out of here fast. If you would take Jennifer, I would forever be in your debt.”

Jennifer spun around, “Hell, no. I’m not leaving here without you.”

My mouth fell open in shock. “Two minutes ago, you were fine with leaving! What the hell changed?”

“Keep your voice down,” she hissed. There are five of us now.”

“Yes, but two came to save you, not us,” I retorted.

“I just don’t want to see our technology fall into the wrong hands, so you are all coming with us. If that means getting your brothers out first, then fine. Anything to get you off my planet,” muttered Hardin.

“Hardin!” Jennifer scolded.

I took her hand, “No, Jennifer, it’s okay. Your people have been terrorized by Infernians for far too long. I expect there to be a bit of hostility toward our kind. Many don’t know the difference. Either way, we have to get to my brothers, and standing here fighting won’t do us any good. Stay behind me, do you understand?”

She nodded her head and silently followed behind myself and Lee with Hardin and Ragal at the back. I knew the men were still unsure of us. Their division in numbers was all the proof that I needed. It didn’t matter at that moment though, they were working to help us and all I could concentrate on was freeing Karun and Pavar.

Jennifer tugged on my arm, “This is the way to the kitchen. I don’t know where they are keeping the pods.”

“It’s okay. We will find them but I think it’s best if we split up. It might give us a better chance.”

She looked surprised but nodded her head. I couldn’t tell her the truth as I pulled Ragal aside and talked with him while the others waited a few feet away. I wished we were in our other forms and could communicate without speaking but as it was, we spoke in Dragselian dialect that I knew none of them would understand. It was the only way to keep Jennifer safe, whether she liked it or not. She was too precious to me to lose.

“You have to get her out of here,” I told him.

He shook his head, “I am not leaving here without you.”

“I need to find Pavar and Karun but I can’t risk her life. Please brother, follow me on this one. You take her and the young one. Neither of them is ready for a battle if it comes to that.”

“And what about you? Even you can’t take on a hundred men with weapons. If you get caught, it will mean your death.”

“I would rather my death than hers, can’t you see that?”

His eyes widened as he realized the true depth of my feelings for Jennifer. It was a secret I hadn’t shared with anyone yet, the truth only dawned on me when Vega had threatened her life.

“I need to know that she is safe. My life means nothing without her,” I said softly.

He put his hand on my shoulder and nodded his head, “I will keep her safe. You have my word.”

“Thank you, brother,” I told him.

“Jennifer, you go with Ragal and Hardin. Search for a way out. Johnson and I will find the others and meet you.”

“How will you know where to find us?”

I looked at Ragal, “I can follow your scent, all of yours actually. It won’t be difficult.”

“Zaruv,” she whispered softly, as she cupped my face.

It didn’t matter that the others were watching us. In that moment, there was only her and me. Our bond was unbreakable, as I kneeled down to kiss her softly, praying that it wouldn’t be our last moment together. She kissed me back, pressing against my body and once again igniting the passion inside me. My body burned to touch her but there was no time. We had to separate and flee.

“Go,” I whispered to her, breaking away against my better judgment.

“Promise you will come back to me?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

I nodded my head and walked in the opposite direction, unable to watch her as she left me. Lee was close to me and we trotted in silence for some time before taking a break. The cellar was a labyrinth, but we were getting closer to the center and to my brothers with every turn. I could sense them, even in their slumber. They both seemed well enough, though I had no idea if my read was accurate.

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Lee asked.

I looked back at him and nodded. “More than even I realized until today. She has given me a new life.”

“Jennifer is a good woman. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

“That’s why I sent her with Ragal,” I muttered.

“That isn’t what I meant. Even if we do make it out of here, she could still get hurt.”

“You mean her heart?” I asked, knowing the answer.

He nodded his head, “She is a friend to everyone, a heart of gold.”

“You have no reason to worry about me harming her in any way.”

“Oh yeah? Aren’t you going to leave once you find your brothers? What then? She will be heartbroken when that happens.”

“I know,” I muttered. “I won’t leave her if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Why should I believe you?” he asked defensively.

I looked him in the eyes and told him what I’d wanted to proclaim from the rooftops. “Because I love her.”

Chapter 16

Jennifer

I followed behind Ragal, wishing that I were with Zaruv, but unwilling to be clingy. It bothered me that he wasn’t there with us, even though I knew he had his reasons. He would be going after his brothers. I was no fool. He needed me gone to be the best warrior possible and I wouldn’t stand in his way, though it scared the daylights out of me to let him go. The tunnels widened some and I knew we were getting close when Ragal froze and lifted his hand for silence.

“What is it?” Hardin asked as he pulled out his gun.

Ragal didn’t answer, there was no need. From either side men had materialized with weapons pointed at us. I spun around, looking for an exit, but I could find none. Ragal shoved me behind his back, trying to protect me. I shoved him out of the way and stepped forward, fingering the syringe that was still tucked away safely in my pocket.

“Jesus, Ragal. What are you going to do? You gonna shift and fight them all down in this sewer? I don’t think so.”

“Where’s the other one?” Barked one of the guards.

I shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. We split up after he decided to run for it.”

The man snorted and waved his gun for us to start walking, “That’s what you get for shacking up with a freak like that anyways.”

Ragal looked stunned but said nothing. I realized that lying probably wasn’t the way that they did things back on his home planet, but I was thinking off the top of my head. If I could keep them off Zaruv’s tail maybe he would have time to save his brothers. It could be my parting gift to him I thought grimly. Things weren’t looking very good for us. As the man shoved us into the throne room, I stumbled and fell forward onto the steps.

“Thought you’d make a run for it eh?” Mumbled Vega.

I glared at him, “You are nothing but a disgusting, Infernian pig! We know your secret.”

His eyes grew wide for a second before he pulled himself together. “Well, isn’t that interesting. So, you know who I am. Maybe you can tell me why four Dragselians were traveling near here in the first place?”

“Ha! Like I am going to tell you anything. Are you worried?” I goaded, “Because you should be. You think there are only four of them?”

Vega stood up and walked slowly toward me. I could see Ragal’s color change slightly the closer he got. In my mind, I begged him not to shift, we just needed to buy Zaruv and the others a little more time. The doors opened behind us again and I looked back to see Zaruv and Lee being shoved through them. Lee stumbled and fell to the ground, making all the men laugh. My heart sank as Zaruv shook his head. They hadn’t made it to the brothers. I needed to act.

Ripping away from the man holding me, I spun and addressed them. “Are you really going to let yourselves be ruled by an Infernian? Is that what you have come to?”

“Shut up, you stupid bitch,” hissed Vega.

He grabbed my arm and wrapped a stinking arm around my neck, backing slowly away from Zaruv and Ragal who were now on red alert. I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, least of all, the other humans in the room who had done nothing but follow orders. I had the distinct feeling that Anthony wasn’t alone in his plight. No human would willingly follow an Infernian, not knowing what they did to our kind and what they were still doing.

“One more step and I snap the bitch’s neck,” Hissed Vega, tightening his grip and making it hard to breathe.

Zaruv looked at me as the other men shuffled around. His eyes were filled with fear and rage, but I had a plan. None of them saw my hand slip into my pocket as the small trickle of serum ran down my leg. I pulled it back up slowly, filling the glass capsule with nothing but air. Vega was losing his grip on reality and I needed to make sure that it stayed that way. Once it was full, I started to move again, pulling Vega’s attention away from the others.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Don’t you think the Dragselians will notice when all four of their princes go missing?”

“Princes? What the hell are you talking about?” he asked.

I didn’t need the conversation, I needed him to do just what he had done. His grip loosened ever so slightly as he realized that my compadres weren’t just travelers. If I was going to do anything, it needed to be done now before he regained his composure. I quickly pulled out the needle and shoved it violently into his leg, pumping the air into his body. He shrieked and shoved me away from him.

“What did you do!” he screamed.

“Just gave you a shot of air. Let’s see how well your body reacts to an embolism you son of a bitch.”

Red blisters started to appear on his face and his hands wrapped around his throat. His body started to swell and his eyes began to bulge from his face in a grotesquely unnatural manner. He frantically looked around and I saw what he was going for as he stumbled backward toward his throne. I tried to run and get to it first but Zaruv grabbed my arm. There was no point in fighting him. He wasn’t going to let me put myself in danger ever again.

I gasped when I saw Anthony run to the throne before Vega could reach it. Looking right into Vega’s blood red eyes, Anthony raised up his foot and brought it crashing down onto the delicate medical case. The sound of glass shattering mingled with Vega’s enraged screams. His attention turned to Anthony as he charged at him. The wiry man was too fast for the painfully shifting Vega, though and in seconds, he was out of harm’s way. We watched as the transformation continued.

“Are you going to do something? If there was ever a time to act, it would be now while he’s weak,” I said to Zaruv.

He shook his head, “It was never about him being weak, it was about protecting you. I know you are safe now.”

“So, you aren’t going to do anything?” I asked in shock.

“Of course, I am going too, he threatened your life and for that, he will die. I can’t fight a man like that though, I want no excuse for his loss other than his poor skills. No, I will wait until it is done.”

His chivalry, even after everything that Vega had done was stunning. I alternated glances between watching Vega transform into a grotesque creature and looking at Zaruv in awe. How had I been such a fool before? Zaruv was always protecting me. He had done so since the first time that I met him. The relationship that had blossomed between us was just icing on the cake. He was more of a man than most humans I’d met. I was in love with him.

I’d seen Zaruv and Ragal shift. It was majestic and beautiful, but watching Vega change was the opposite. His skin continued to bubble until it turned an off-putting ruddy reddish brown color. His eyes were blood red. Though he’d thinned out and grown taller, he was still only a few feet taller than a human male. Horns shot out of his head, cold and bent like the devil he was. When the transformation was complete, he turned to me and lunged, surprisingly agile for a beast of such size.

It was then that I saw his wings. They weren’t like Zaruv’s wings that had taken me through the sky. The same wings I’d stroked and admired. No, Vega’s wings were boney and dull brown. The thin membrane stretching out over the tree-like branches of his bones. He had no beauty, there was only ugliness and evil that seemed to seep out of him. How could a creature like that ever be anything but dark? I was stunned that he had hidden his true self for so long.

Vega didn’t stand a chance though, Zaruv shifted within seconds and blocked the attack from Vega. I stumbled away, falling into the arms of Anthony who didn’t even look down at me as he held me up. His eyes, like those of everyone else, were glued on the battle about to take place. Zaruv was larger than Vega but not by much, his dragon form was majestic though, and domineering, not a mutation like Vega.

“What are you going to do now, Vega?” Zaruv asked as he circled him.

“You think that I can’t defeat a pretty little prince? I am a fighter, a warrior!” he hissed.

Zaruv roared, fire shooting from his mouth and clipping Vega’s arm. Vega was unfazed though and laughed at him.

“Fire? That’s your defense? I live for fire, you fool!” he said.

Vega lunged for Zaruv, fighting dirty and knocking Zaruv across the room. I screamed for Zaruv, but Ragal wouldn’t let me go to him. He stood up, shaking off the attack but before he could lunge for Vega again, Lee jumped between them. With a blade in his hand, he quickly slashed at the monster. He made contact with his stomach, but the blow was only enough to further enrage Vega. The Infernian roared and brought his boil-covered limb across Lee’s chest, sending him sailing through the air with a sickening crunch.

“Lee!” I screamed, breaking free from Ragal and running to my friend.

Vega advanced on us but didn’t make it far before Zaruv was on top of him. I watched in horror as his teeth sank into the Infernian’s shoulder. Vega shrieked and spun around, throwing off Zaruv and lunging for him again. The fight continued, but I couldn’t keep watching. I had to trust that Zaruv would bring him down as I shook Lee. His eyes slowly started to open and he gazed up at me, a playful smile mixed with pain crossing his lips.

“So, that’s all I had to do to get some time with you?” he joked.

I laughed, “You scared me, old man! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

He shook his head, “Just my pride.” After he tried to sit up, he winced, “And maybe a few ribs.”

“You did good, but we need to get you out of here before he comes back to finish the job.”

Looking past me to the two fighting men, he grinned. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. It looks like your man has it pretty well covered.”

I turned my attention back to the fight and saw that Lee was right. Zaruv wasn’t lunging for Vega anymore. I saw a glint in his eye and knew that he was just toying with him at this point. Something else pulled my attention away as I helped Lee get to his feet. The guards that had been in the room were all gone, but a commotion outside the balcony doors was growing. I helped Lee to the doors and we pulled them open.

“Oh, my God, are those all his men?” I asked in shock.

The streets were filled with men carrying torches and pounding on the mansion doors. “Are they here for us or for Vega?”

Lee shook his head, “I have no idea and I don’t want to find out. We need to find your boyfriend’s brothers and get the hell out of here.”

I nodded in agreement and looked back at Ragal, “Ragal! We need to find the others!”

He shook his head, “I won’t leave Zaruv.”

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Look at him, you think he can’t handle this himself?”

Ragal watched his brother for a few minutes, seeing the same thing that I’d seen before. Zaruv was going to be just fine without us. With a curt nod, Ragal shifted into his dragon form and burst through the doors with Lee and me following behind him. We needed to get the others.

Chapter 17

Zaruv

The Infernian was no match for me and he knew it. My size and skills had been honed over decades as a prince learning to defend his homeland. Vega, realizing that he was outmatched was looking for an exit and as Jennifer and the others ran through the doors, he found it. I watched them go and Vega bolted in the other direction for the main doors that led to the streets. He skidded to a stop as they flew open. I shifted back into my human form, knowing I could change again as soon as he attacked.

The first man back through the doors was Anthony, having left with the others in what I thought was a feeble attempt to flee from Vega. I now saw that he wasn’t fleeing at all but going to find the others. Riots were breaking out all throughout the city, word having spread that their king was really an imposter. People would follow the rule of a ruthless human but not an alien taking over their town. Anthony pulled out his blade and looked from Vega to me.

“You!” hissed Vega. “Kill that son of a bitch!”

Anthony looked at me again and shook his head, “I don’t think so. You’ve terrorized this town, making us think that we had no other options. Tell me, what did you think would happen when we figured out who you were?”

Rage filled Vega’s face as he wrapped his hand around Anthony’s neck, “I thought you would want to see your family live you fool. I will kill you all!”

“Really? You are running away from one Dragselian! You are nothing but a coward and a bully.”

I winced, making Vega even more upset wasn’t the way that the foolish human was going to live through the ordeal. He was in a bad spot and needed my help. Without waiting another second and risking Vega snapping the man’s neck, I lunged for him. I hated to attack from behind, it made me feel like a coward but I had no choice. As Vega flung me off his back and I once again broke several bones making contact with the wall, I knew that it was time to end it.

Grabbing ahold of Vegas neck with my razor-sharp teeth, I dragged him back into the throne room. He screamed in pain, flailing his arms and trying to escape from my tight grip. It wasn’t until we reached the balcony that I let him go, though there wasn’t much left of him. He had been defeated almost completely. I shifted back into my human form and looked out over the crowd of men and woman that had gathered.

“This is the Infernian that has been running your city as Vega! He sells off people and your crops to his own kind, advancing his race and stalling your own!”

“And just who the hell are you?” Shouted one of the men.

I puffed out my chest with pride, my gaze leveling on Vega. “I am Prince Zaruv of the Dragselian people. We have been fighting to protect the human race and so many others from Vega and his kind for generations. Your city is yours once again! Take this trash and do with it what you will.”

“I’ll come back for you,” hissed Vega.

“Only if you live,” I shot back.

With one hand still tightly wrapped around his neck, I reached around him and ripped one of the boney wings from his back. Blood trickled down as he screamed and thrashed in my arms. You couldn’t grow back your wings, none of us could. I tossed it over the edge of the balcony before doing the same with the second one. Vega went limp in my hand but I knew he was still alive. He opened his eyes and glared at me, spitting at my face.

“You will never get away with this. There are others like me and they will avenge me,” he stammered.

I pulled him closer to me, “Let them come. We will be ready this time and every time after that. Tell me what you know about the crash and I will end your suffering.”

He laughed, “Go ahead and kill me. If you don’t the others will. There will be more. They are probably already on their way here now. What then? You will be back with your own kind and we will harvest every last human alive. Including that bitch of yours.”

I lifted him off his feet and dangled him over the railing, much to the joy of the screaming mob below us. “This is your last chance. They will not be as merciful as I am.”

“Let me go, they will pay for your mistakes, they will all pay,” he said as he closed his eyes.

Enraged, I dropped him from my grasp and let him fall down to the crowd. The last look I saw on his face was one of shock and fear. He had been bluffing, but I had not. As they amassed upon him and the screams of agony slowly died out, I turned away and looked around the mansion. The people would need a leader now, they would need someone to protect them from the threat of more Infernians and we were going to need help.

* * *

When I saw them walking through the doors of the main hall, my heart felt like it was going to explode. Ragal had Pavar under his arm, helping to support him and Jennifer had Karun, doing the same. Seeing them together warmed my heart more than words could express. The crowd outside had settled some but I still had the strong feeling they were waiting for me to return and give them direction, not something I wanted to do.

Karun let go of Jennifer and she ran into my arms. I couldn’t stop myself from claiming her lips with my own and kissing her passionately. The day had been too long unknowing if I would ever get to kiss her tender lips again. Even the catcalls from my brothers couldn’t pull me away from her. I only stopped when I felt her fingers tugging gently through my hair and I knew if we didn’t stop, I would claim her right there in front of everyone.

“I guess that explains why she hit me when I made a pass at her,” muttered Pavar in disappointment. “You know I’m younger and better looking than him, right?”

Jennifer laughed, “Zaruv, you didn’t tell me your brothers were so full of themselves. I’m starting to wonder if we should have left them in stasis.”

“Come now darling, can you blame them for it?” I asked her with a grin, “You are the most stunning woman they’ve ever seen and it’s not often they get told ‘no’. It’s good for them to get rejected.”

“None of us stand a chance with Zaruv around,” offered Karun.

“Well, you do now because I’m taken, for as long as she will have me,” I said to him, my eyes locked on Jennifer. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“You will never lose me,” she whispered.

Her words melted my heart and again I wanted to take her away from everyone else and claim her as my victory trophy. Before we could think about leaving though, Anthony burst through the doors with a few of Vega’s men. Instantly my brothers were on edge, but I held up my hand for peace, surprised that they listened so willingly. Especially the youngest brother, who always seemed to be looking for a fight. No doubt he was enraged when he’d learned that he missed all the action.

Anthony nodded toward them and addressed myself and Lee. “Well, the people have spoken and those who still wanted to follow Vega have been locked up. What’s next?”

I shrugged, “This isn’t my planet, what happens with your people will be up to you, though we are happy to help in any way.”

“Tonight, the city is planning a celebration. We would like you to stay and be our guests of honor.”

“Have you taken over?” I asked warily.

Anthony nodded, “For now. I don’t want to see my city burnt to the ground by another tyrant. I could use the sergeants help though, in establishing this as a trading city again.”

“What about the outpost?” Jennifer asked.

Lee turned to Hardin, who had been mostly silent since my brothers had come in. He still looked uneasy around the aliens. It would be some time before the people understood the difference between Dragselian and Infernians, they would need someone to pave the road to trade routes and a better defense system. There was no way that Vega was acting alone but that was a thought for another time.

“Hardin?” Lee asked, “I would like you to take over my position there, just until we can get this place back to where it needs to be.”

“Yes sir,” said Hardin curtly, though we could see the pleasure in his eyes at the offer.

“Then it is settled,” I said. “My brothers and I will join you for this feast and tomorrow we will make plans to help you in defending the city against any further attacks. I know that my people will support a stronger trade route. We need only to contact them.”

Anthony looked surprised, “Your people would willingly help us? Even after we followed an Infernians rule for so long?”

“They will if Zaruv tells them to,” said Pavar confidently.

Anthony held out his hand to me, “Then I thank you for your support and help. I assume you will all want a little time to get ready for the meal. I hope you don’t mind but we’ve already had rooms set up for all of you. If you want to follow me, I can show you the way.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve been sleeping for the last week,” said Pavar. “I think I’d rather find myself a stiff drink.”

“Then you can follow me to the kitchen, I could use one too,” offered Lee, clapping Pavar on the back.

It was wonderful to see the two races getting along. To my surprise, Karun and Ragal both followed the two men also. I looked at Jennifer to see what she wanted to do and I knew that we wouldn’t be going for drinks with my brothers.

“You can go if you want,” she whispered in my ear.

I closed my eyes as she kissed my neck, “No, there is only one thing that I want to do and it doesn’t involve drinking.”

Her cheeks flushed red as Anthony turned back to wait on us. Taking her hand in mine, I led him lead the way through the house to another large set of doors. When he pushed them opened, I was stunned by the accommodations. They were fit for a king.

“Vega’s room, only the best for our winning warrior,” he said as we walked in. “Don’t worry, I’ve had everything cleared out and laundered.”

“Thank you, Anthony,” said Jennifer before giving him a hug.

Anthony blushed a bright red and looked at me, unsure of how to react. When she finally let him go, he quickly made an exit which I was grateful for. I wanted Jennifer all to myself and now that I had her, nothing was going to distract me from telling her just how I felt. At least that’s what I thought.

Chapter 18

Jennifer

The room was large and the bed was inviting. I needed to feel his flesh against my own. The last few hours had me shaken and exhausted, but I needed him and his love to keep me alive. Without waiting for him, I grabbed ahold of my shirt and dropped it to the ground, my bra following behind. He watched, his mouth hanging open in stunned appreciation. I took his hand and led him to the bed before pushing him down so he was seated.

Carefully and slowly, I unbuttoned my pants and slid them down over my hips, taking my panties with them. As I turned away from him and bent over to pull them from my legs, he got a full view of my wet pussy wedged between my legs. I heard him move on the bed and when I turned around, he was taking off his shirt. I went to him, ready to lie down and let him take me. My body was aching to feel him inside of me but instead, he held me away from where he was standing.

“Not yet,” he whispered as he slid down to his knees.

With one hand resting on my hip, he slid his other hand between my ankles, massaging my skin and moving slowly higher up. Past my calves and then past my knees. I moved my legs further apart for him as he worked his way closer to my dripping core. The tight tendons between my legs ached for him as he continued to massage me. When his thumb brushed lightly against my clit, I moaned out his name.

He was torturing me in the most delicious ways. Taking his other hand from my hip, he slid it between my legs and pushed them further apart until there were several inches between my feet. Now with both thumbs, he pulled back the hood covering my most sensitive bud. A breeze softly blew, tickling my body and pushing my desire closer to the edge. I closed my eyes, waiting for his sweet kiss.

When it came, the fireworks exploded around me. At first, it was a single kiss, his tongue delicately flicking my pearl as his hands massaged my flesh. When his lips closed around my clit and he began to suckle on me like a wild animal, I lost all control and grabbed ahold of his head to anchor myself in place. His hands slipped away from me, one of them forcefully grabbing my hip and tugging me forward while the other slipped again between my legs.

As he slipped one, then a second finger inside my waiting tunnel, I shook with need. His tongue skillfully moved in a rhythm of desire as his fingers pumped into me. I was going to explode; my body tightened around him and gave him a warning. Just as he had done before though, he pulled away from me and picked me up off the ground. This time I was taken to the soft bed where he laid me down gently.

Zaruv’s pants fell to the floor as he climbed over me, towering like some sort of god. I spread my legs for him, my hips moving and inviting him closer. A smile crossed his face as he lowered himself down over me and kissed my collarbone before trailing lower. He claimed one, then the other nipple in his mouth, his playful nips sending little jolts of delicious torture down to my core. My body flexed on the emptiness, begging to be filled by his manhood.

His glistening tip prodded at my entrance as I wrapped my legs around him. My hips moved, trying to force him into me. As he slowly started to fill my core, I dug my nails once again into his back, silently begging him for more. He needed no more encouragement. With one thrust, he buried his enormous cock deep into my womb as I screamed out his name. We stayed locked together, two bodies becoming fused as one for several moments as my tight core adjusted to his girth. He kissed my shoulder, the same shoulder that he had bitten before, I moved my neck, encouraging him to once again lay claim to what was his. Biting down on my flesh, he thrust into me again and all the color seemed to drain out of the world, leaving behind only a blinding, euphoric, white light.

“Zaruv,” I called out. “Oh God, yes!”

He thrust into me again, the pain replaced by an unknown pleasure as we rocked together in a flurry of frenzied desire. His mouth suckling every part that he could reach, my legs pulling him into me with force as I dragged my fingers across any of his flesh that I could reach. We were locked together in a fevered rush, a mating unlike any I had ever known. I never wanted to be away from him. I wanted to die in that bed with him if it meant we would never have to leave it.

“Jennifer,” he whispered. “Jennifer, I love you so much.”

Even in the heat of the moment, I knew that he was telling me the truth. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. I tried to answer, to tell him just how much I cared but his mouth crashed down onto mine, suckling and tugging on my tongue and lip before breaking away as we both gasped for air. I’d forgotten about talking as I kissed his neck. Then, some force overtook me and I bit down, claiming him as he had done to me in a deliciously primal manner.

My body seemed to stretch open, even more, his cock throbbing and growing rock hard. The orgasm reverberated through my body as I felt his hot seed spilling into my waiting womb. Ecstasy washed over me as the blinding light returned, every part of my body tingling with new and wonderful sensations. Locked together, we rode out the waves of desire that never seemed to end until finally, exhausted and spent, my lover collapsed next to me on the soft bed.

His arm wrapped possessively around me as the sleep deprivation set in and we both faded off to sleep. Before I let the sleep take me though, as I struggled to catch my breath I knew there was one last thing that I needed to do that couldn’t wait for another second even though my eyes felt like they were weighted down and I couldn’t move my throbbing body. As I turned to him, his sleepy eyes opened and a smile lit up his face.

As I stroked his hair, I whispered. “I love you, Zaruv.”

* * *

“Hey! We are starving out here, you lovebirds!” came Karun’s demanding tone.

I stretched out on the bed and gave Zaruv a little shove. He groaned and pulled the blanket back over his head. I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. He wanted to get up almost as little as I did. The only reason I was even awake was that my stomach and his seemed to be fighting over whose could growl the loudest. I was surprised we hadn’t awakened the entire house. Karun pounded on the door again.

“We need food! It’s been a week since we’ve eaten!” he called.

“Okay,” I muttered as I got up.

Zaruv grabbed my arm and pulled me back into bed, locking me into place and kissing my neck. “Don’t listen to him, you don’t get hungry in stasis.”

I laughed and wiggled away from him, pulling on my pants and jerking the blanket off him. “I wasn’t in stasis though and I need to be fed, my prince.”

He groaned and got up, following my lead and tugging on his pants. I pulled open the door just as my shirt fell down over my stomach and rolled my eyes when I saw all three of the brothers with the same sheepish grin on their faces that I’d learned to love from Zaruv. They barged into the room and all but dragged Zaruv out to the main hall where food and a couple dozen people were waiting for us.

When we entered, a roar of applause sounded out in deafening numbers. “I think they like you.”

He laughed, his mood picking up instantly, “I think they like being free from that monster.”

Lee met us at the head table and shook all the men’s hands before wrapping me into a bear hug again. As we sat down and started to eat, the conversation quickly turned to business. The town was scared. They didn’t know what was going to happen to them and the rumor mill had taken a turn for the worst.

“They think Vega was like the princes?” I asked in shock.

Lee nodded, “We are working to dispel the rumors, but the people are scared. They don’t know what really happened.”

“What else can we do?” I questioned.

“In the morning, we will hold a public meeting, to tell the truth of what happened and who they are, but we still have questions.”

“Like?”

“Like how did Vega hide for so long? If he was working the black market, he had to have outside help from others like him. How else would he have the serum to keep him from shifting?” Lee said

Zaruv turned to him as we ate, “There is more. I don’t think that we were shot down by a random poacher. I think that Vega knew we were going to be passing through his airspace. Something about it's been bothering me for some time. Our ships patrol this area all the time and never caught wind of him.”

“Do you think he knew when to hide?” Karun asked.

“I think that something more is going on. We need to get in touch with Dragselia. Our king will want to know what happened. I’m sure that there are people out looking for us now.”

I frowned, “I don’t know about that.”

All four princes looked at me in shock, “Think about it. If they knew where you were, why didn’t they send help right away? Wouldn’t the pods put out some kind of distress signal?”

“Yes, you make a very good point. We need to get to a radio and try to reach our home or at least the planet that we were going to.”

“That’s all well and good,” added Hardin, “but you aren’t going to reach anyone tonight. During the riot, all the towers were knocked down. We will need to go back to the outpost to contact people.”

“Then we leave at first light,” Zaruv said with a tone of finality.

“What about the people here?” I asked, not wanting to flee and give them the wrong impression.

“Don’t worry, my love,” he said reassuringly. “We will come back and help to rebuild a system of government for them. However, if there is a spy amongst our people, our king may be in danger.”

I nodded my head and turned back to my food, ignoring the rest of the conversation. I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others but I wasn’t so sure that there was a spy. From what Zaruv had told me, there was another option and a far more likely one. Still, it was a sensitive subject and I didn’t want to ruin the night. I painted a smile on my face and vowed to talk to Zaruv as soon as we were alone.

Chapter 19

Zaruv

I watched Jennifer pace back and forth in the room for a few minutes before grabbing her hand. “Tell me what’s on your mind. You were quiet during most of the feast.”

She shook her head, “I don’t know. I just don’t think that there is a spy. Something you told me earlier has been bothering me.”

“Then talk to me about it, how can we solve this riddle if we don’t work together? What do you mean you don’t think there is a spy? How else would they infiltrate the communications and know where we were?”

“That’s just it. You told me that you helped to design those systems. I don’t think you would make a mistake like that. However,” she trailed off.

I groaned in aggravation, “Just tell me, Jennifer. Please?”

“However, your brother wasn’t happy with you when you left, right? I mean, you said it yourself that he was threatened because he knew that you would make a better king than him. You said that his loyalties could be bought, and that worried you.”

“We need the others, I think, for this discussion,” I muttered, knowing that she was onto something.

We waited in silence as I sent for my brothers, Anthony, Lee, and Hardin. Though I didn’t need the young man there, I knew that he would enjoy being part of the conversation. They were going to be running the show when we left and I wanted to keep them privy to the situation. The men came quickly with Pavar being the last to trickle in, I knew from the look on his face that he’d been enjoying his stature among the human women. He looked less than thrilled to be interrupted, but he would have been infuriated if he’d missed the conversation.

“I think we have a problem,” I muttered to them. “Jennifer has reminded me of a few things that we need to discuss. To start with, the Infernians. They knew to shoot down our flight. Even though it was unmarked they somehow knew that it was carrying Dragselians.”

“But Vega didn’t know that you were princes until Jennifer said something to him,” offered Lee.

“You are right,” I said. “If he’d known that we were princes though, he would have hesitated. No, I think whoever told him we were going to be in the area deliberately left that part out. They wanted to see us left in stasis and treated like any other Dragselians that an Infernian would take captive.”

“Who do you think it was?” Karun asked.

I shook my head, “I think it was the king.”

An audible gasp erupted over the gathering, my brothers seeming less shocked than the others as I retold them the story of the last conversation I had with our king. Ragal was the most upset as I knew he would be. He felt betrayed by his king and with good reason. None of us knew the evil that he could bring onto us until now. The further into the story that I got though, the more I saw that Jennifer was right.

“Either he did it himself or he had someone do it for him, either way, it’s been done,” I said.

“An alliance with the Infernians would mean death for him. Even a king doesn’t have the immunity. Our people would turn against him in an instant,” Karun said.

I shook my head, “Not if they didn’t know. By now Artax will have contacted Dragselia and discovered that we were shot down. Our brother will cover this up as an attack by anyone but the Infernians. We will have a burial fit for princes, then his reign will go unchallenged. As long as he thinks we are dead, then he is safe.”

“If that’s the case though, what about the Infernians that were working with Vega? You said that he had to have accomplices, so what now?” Pavar asked

“We need to keep these people safe. Once they realize the plan has crumbled, they may come down here or go straight to Dragselia. Either way, we don’t have much time. We need to get word to our allies back home and hope that we aren’t too late. This city will need protection and I don’t think we can do it alone.”

Karun shook his head, “No, you are right. One fat Infernian is no trouble, but bring a warship with a couple dozen and we will all be in trouble.”

“What do we need to do?” Lee asked.

“We need to get to the outpost and then get word to a friend back home. After that, we need to get men patrolling the skies. I don’t want anyone interfering with Infernians. They are rash creatures who will shoot first and ask questions later.”

“How long do you think we have before the Infernians know?”

Anthony cleared his throat, “I think I have an answer for you. Once every two weeks, Vega would disappear for a few days. He wouldn’t take anyone with him but he would take a good bit of cargo. I just assumed he was illegally trading with aliens, I never knew it was his own kind.”

“When was he leaving again?” I asked.

“Six days,” Anthony said. “That was when he was taking off again. So, I think we can safely say that’s how much time we have to get hold of some help.”

“This is going to start a war,” whispered Jennifer. “Our people can’t handle another war so soon. The wounds are still fresh. We aren’t prepared.”

I took her hand, “You don’t need to be. None of you do. We will find a way to stop this before it ever happens, you have my word.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Karun asked.

I looked away from them, all of them. They were looking to me for answers and I needed to give them something. This was the role that I had been born for, the position of a leader. If I didn’t get this right, it could mean death and despair for so many humans and Dragselians alike. I didn’t want to see anyone hurt, especially not Jennifer. I looked at her and knew that I needed to keep all of them safe, it was my duty.

“Karun, Pavar, Ragal?” I started. “You need to get to Artax, it's less than a day from here. Tell them that everything is fine, but we stopped off for a little sightseeing, I stayed behind to enjoy the fruitful bounty. You need to make it look like everything is fine just in case they have spies there.”

“And what are you going to do? I don’t like leaving without knowing that we will see you again,” Ragal said.

“I am going to stay here and travel to the outpost with Jennifer and Hardin. From there I will get ahold of Donba.”

At the mention of his name, all three of my brothers smiled. Donba had been my father’s advisor. He knew everything there was to know about the kingdom, but as soon as my brother had ascended to the throne, he’d kicked the man to the curb. Of course, Donba never would have worked with my brother, even if he’d been asked too. Donba knew the dangers that the new king posed. He would be looking for us if anyone was. Hopefully, my rash king hadn’t done something unforgivable to Donba too.

“It will be good to have him on our side again,” Karun offered. “Still, I don’t like leaving you here alone.”

“I am not alone. I trust these humans as much as I trust my own brothers, minus the king of course.”

“Then we will leave you with them, but promise you will come to Artax as soon as you can.”

“I will,” I promised. “I will stay in touch, but for now, you need to go. I wish we had the time to spend together but I think it would be best if you left right away. At least now you have the cover of night to help hide your tracks. We still don’t know if all of Vega’s followers have been caught.”

Anthony cleared his throat, “There is a shipping dock just a few clicks from here. I can take you myself. We have all the gates in and out of town secured but as you three know, there are always loopholes.”

I went over to my brothers and hugged each of them, knowing that this could very well be the last time we were together for some time. Dragselians were not strangers to separations and wars. They seemed to plague the royal family no matter what. To my surprise, Jennifer hugged each of them too, though Pavar lingered a little longer than I approved of.

“It is wonderful to have you as part of the family, Jennifer,” Ragal said. “I think you will keep him in line just fine. I hope to see you again soon.”

She smiled at him, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Be safe, watch your backs.”

“You do the same,” he said before following the others from the room.

“What about us?” Jennifer asked when the others had left.

It was now just her and Hardin with me in the room. “Hardin? Would you give us a moment?”

He nodded and slipped from the room. “I think that you should stay here with Anthony and Lee. They are going to be able to protect you better than anyone else.”

She frowned, “Not better than you. My plan was never to stay in the city. I have friends and a clinic at the outpost. I want to go.”

“But it’s no longer safe for you to go. We are running on a bunch of assumptions. For all we know, everything we’ve discussed could be wrong. There could be an ambush as we travel.”

She rolled her eyes at me and crossed her arms over her chest, “There is always danger here, that’s part of what you sign up for when you live on a planet like this. I don’t know why you still think that you can control me, but that’s not an option. I am going home, Zaruv. Back to my people and back to my clinic. They need me.”

“I need you too though, Jennifer,” I told her, wrapping her in my arms. “I need you to be safe and away from danger.”

She pushed me away, “I won’t change my life just because you are scared for me. You have to let me go, Zaruv. You have to trust that I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” I said in earnest.

Jennifer smiled up at me and kissed my chin. “Then trust that I trust you to keep me safe. I am not going anywhere that you aren’t with me, at least for now. I am going with you to the outpost and you can’t change my mind.”

“Fine,” I muttered.

She cocked her head, “And if you are thinking of some plan to keep me here while you run off and deal with this on your own, then think again. I found a way to slip away before and I will do it again. So, I’m either going with you or without you, but either way, I will be back home.”

I swallowed hard as she stormed from the room. I knew that she meant every word that she said. She was so stubborn that it wouldn’t surprise me if she was already finding a way to sneak out without me. I couldn’t keep her locked away forever. I had to trust that I could take care of her as much as she trusted me to. She was one strong woman and I loved every part of her, even if she drove me insane.

Epilogue

Jennifer

“Stupid men,” I huffed from the back of the armored tank.

Hardin grinned at me through the mirror, “Don’t stay mad at him for too long, Jennifer. He was just watching out for you. Can you blame him?”

“Yes!” I hissed back at him. “I can blame him and I do blame him. When I said I was going back to the outpost with him, I didn’t think it was going to be in the back of a freaking truck.”

A dark shadow passed over the tank and I glared out the window once again. I wasn’t worried, the shadow was from Zaruv in his dragon state flying above us. I had insisted on flying with him, I had put my foot down but when it came time to leave, he hit the air and left me behind with Hardin to travel in the tank. I knew that he was only trying to protect me, but still, it drove me insane knowing that he’d played me.

“Here we are,” said Hardin as we slowed down.

“The gate is still miles away. Why are you stopping?” I asked.

“Zaruv didn’t think it would be a good idea for him to fly so close to the outpost. Most of the people here don’t know what’s going on. They would be scared out of their minds to see a dragon alien soaring through the sky.”

“Great,” I muttered as the door opened and Zaruv climbed into the back seat.

“How is the drive going?” he asked me cheerfully.

I glared at him, “Why do you care?”

“Oh Jennifer, please don’t stay angry with me. I just sent my three brothers away,” he said. “Don’t turn your back on me now.”

I knew that he was just trying to make me feel guilty and to lighten the mood. I rolled my eyes at him. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t stay mad at him if my life depended on it. We passed through the gates and I took his hand in mine, smiling at him to let him know he was off the hook. As we passed the clinic, I saw my friends inside doing my job and it warmed my heart, that they could take care of things when I needed to go but now I was home and so happy.

“Here it is, this is the radio tower. You should be able to reach anyone you need to from this point. I need to go check on my men and fill them in on the situation.”

“Don’t forget we are trying to be discreet about the aliens, Hardin,” I reminded him.

He nodded as he got back into the tank and rolled down the window. “Don’t worry, as far as everyone knows we just helped the city to overthrow a good old fashioned human thug. You guys are in the clear.”

“Thank you again for all of your help,” offered Zaruv.

Hardin smiled and shook his hand. “Anytime. Let me know what else you need, I’ll be back in a few hours.”

I was still shocked by how much Hardin and Lee had changed in such a short amount of time. Zaruv and his brothers had turned diehard, alien-hating men into allies with nothing but charge and a little bit of a show. I followed Zaruv into the dusty outpost and cleared a spot to sit down as he started to mess with the controls. My mind was racing, we had to get hold of help before my planet and my home was overtaken by another alien war. I didn’t want to be caught in the middle.

For thirty minutes, I walked around the structure, reading through old logbooks and watching Zaruv work. I couldn’t hear what he was saying from where I was, but when he finally came over to me, I knew that something was wrong. He looked worried and even a little bit afraid. My heart sank as I thought of the other three princes who should have made it to Artax by now. It wasn’t far from us, but the airspace was a virtual dead zone until you reached the planet’s atmosphere.

“What’s going on?” I asked him with a racing heart. “Are your brothers okay? Do we need to go find them? Please don’t tell me they were shot down.”

He shook his head, “No, they are fine. They made it without even seeing another ship. It’s something else though. They tried to contact Dragselia as soon as they landed but couldn’t reach them. I just tried from here and the line is dead too. Something isn’t right.”

“What do you think is going on?” I asked.

Zaruv shook his head, “I don’t know but it’s nothing good. In all the years that I have been traveling, I’ve never come across dead airspace when contacting home. There is always someone listening.”

“Maybe it’s just Donba’s radio, interference happens,” I offered.

Again, he shook his head, “I wish that was the case, but he was only the first person I tried to contact. After I couldn’t reach him, I tried a dozen others and finally the palace. I was careful to hide the tracking signature on the radio so no one listening would know it was me or even where it was coming from but everything was dead. It’s like the whole planet went dark.”

“Oh, my God, what are you going to do? Can you send one of the others to check things out? I’m sure Ragal is stir crazy by now on Artax.”

Zaruv shook his head as he paced back and forth. My heart was racing as he looked inside himself for answers. I wanted to offer him some sort of help or guidance but I didn’t know how. I knew so little of his home and his people. All I knew was that I loved him and I hated to see him looking so worried. I took him by the arm and pulled him to me, wrapping my small arms around his large chest.

“We will figure something out together okay?” I said reassuringly.

He turned to me and took me in his arms. I listened to the steady drumming of his heart as it raced. Something else was on his mind. “Jennifer, if I send one of my brothers and a spy is on Artax, I could be exposing them to death. I can’t risk that, not when it means that their lives and all of the humans and other aliens there and here could be put in danger.”

“What are you suggesting?” I asked.

“I have to go, I have to get close to Dragselia and find out what’s going on. It’s the only way.”

My heart skipped, “No! I won’t let you go. I can’t be away from you, Zaruv.”

“I know. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I don’t think anyone will be looking for a small, pedestrian pod. Especially not one from a human outpost.”

“Zaruv, what are you saying?”

He looked down at me, his eyes filled with the same love that I felt for him. The very thought of being away from him for any length of time made my heart ache. I still struggled with wrapping my mind around how much my life had changed in a few short days and how much I could never go back to the way things used to be. He was my life now and I didn’t want to spend one more moment without him near me.

“I can’t live without you, Jennifer,” he whispered. “But I can’t stay here. My people and yours are in danger if I don’t stop whatever is happening. I never thought when I left my planet that I would find a love like this, but I have and now I don’t want to ever let it go. Will you come with me, Jennifer?”

My mouth fell open, I couldn’t find any words to offer him. I hadn’t thought about leaving my home, but then again, I hadn’t thought about being without him. The people here were my family. I loved each and every one of them in their own unique way. I thought about them and what I had seen when we went through town. Mikey and his mother working the clinic with smiles on their faces, the girls running around in a safe home.

“I know that I am asking you to give up everything,” he said softly. “If I thought there was any other way, I wouldn’t ask, but there isn’t. I can’t help all of them and know that you might be in danger. The only place I know that you will be safe is with me or my brothers. Together, we are one heck of a great team. Please, don’t keep me waiting.”

“This is big,” I stammered. “This is like, life changing. You want me to go with you? Are you sure? I’m not very good under pressure. I don’t think I’ve even been on a spaceship in the last ten years. What if something goes wrong? I can’t lose you, not ever.”

“You’re right,” he said, looking heartbroken at the ground. “I shouldn’t have asked. This is your home, it wasn’t right to ask you to leave it all behind. I’m sorry. We will find a way to get through this together. I can contact them from here, I just need to work harder.”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “You would stay here? Knowing that everyone else is in danger?”

He nodded his head, “I told you, Jennifer, I love you and I am never leaving your side again, even if that means we stay here.”

I couldn’t believe the sacrifice that he was willing to make for me. My mind had already been made up before he offered. I knew that I couldn’t live without him and that I would have followed him to the ends of the universe if he asked me, but knowing he was willing to sacrifice it all made my heart swell with love even more. He really was a prince among men and aliens alike. I was so lucky to have finally found someone that I wanted to be with forever.

“Zaruv, you don’t need to stay here,” I said softly.

He shook his head, “I don’t care what you say, Jennifer. I am not leaving you. Even if I have to follow you around like a lost puppy for the rest of my life I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”

I tossed my head back and laughed, jumping into his arms and kissing him passionately on the lips. “You don’t have to follow me around at all, Zaruv because I am coming with you. I knew from the moment I met you that you were going to change my life, I just had no idea how wonderful it was going to be.”

His eyes lit up, “You mean it? You will come with me even knowing about the dangers?”

“You were going to stay knowing them, weren’t you? I would follow you anywhere. I love you with all my heart and I never want to be away from you again. So, we are going, and that’s that!” I said playfully.

“I love you so much,” he whispered to me.

“And I love you, my prince,” I replied.

He took me in his arms and lowered me down to the dusty floor but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was that we were going to be together forever. As his lips found mine once again and I wrapped my legs around his waist, I knew that our love story was just getting started. It didn’t matter where we were going as long as we were together. We had a planet to save and a mission to plan but in that moment, nothing else mattered but the passion between us. I had finally found my prince.

Benzen Preview

Preview:

Benzen: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance

Chapter 1-Benzen

I think it’s all working out with our escape plan, everything going as it should. I think so right up until the very last minute, when the engine fails. It comes as a violent shudder, the sound of metal crunching and stuttering, coughing like a dying old man before giving out completely. The next thing I feel is the terror inside my gut as we hit a speed I scarcely thought possible.

We’re tumbling, flying, falling fast down to the nearest planet. I see it come closer, a glowing blue orb the color of lightning bolts and vegetation. For a moment, as we plummet down at breakneck speed, I wonder what the puffy, white substance is that caresses the atmosphere of the world we’re about to land on. I ponder it until we’re right in the middle of its softness and realize they’re clouds. They moisten the sides of the ship as we stab through them, a ball of mechanical fire falling to disintegration.

The ground comes up fast, then faster, then faster still until I hold my breath, certain that we will crumble upon impact. Glancing around at my crew, I see them more terrified than I am. Victorinth, her eyes are ablaze in fear, her gaze following mine out the window as the ship falls sideways. She’s holding onto her seat, gripping it as though it’s the last connection she has to her life before it became a disaster, before we felt the fear of falling.

Our eyes meet over the chaos, panic surging between us like a tangible energy. Horror is etched into Victorinth’s face, and I see her lips twitch as she tries to tell me something, but I don’t hear a word. All that enters my ears are the rapid sounds of the craft cracking up around me and the rush of air as it escapes through the gaps in the falling wreckage. It hits my face, cold and caustic, the force almost burning my skin.

The last thing I see before we crash is a large building on the edge of a city. If I knew of its importance to the crew, I would have feared nothing, but in that moment, I’m stricken with an intense fear, one that grows the closer we get.

It’s right before my eyes, the ground black with symmetrical white stripes, and it’s coming up fast. I resign myself to fate, it will swallow me up and I will live no more. There’s a crunch, Victorinth screams, and the crew falls into a mass of tangled-up terror as the ship splinters at the edges.

Before the blackness arrives, I look up and see the large building beside us. There’s a sign on the wall in an alphabet I’m not familiar with.

RICHMOND CITY MALL

I squint in an attempt to decipher the symbols, but as I strain my eyes, shock takes over my body. Then, nothing but darkness.

* * *

My eyes are stinging, blistering with the pain of unseen molecules. It would seem where we’ve landed has something in the air we’re not used to. It takes a few breaths to adjust to the light. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before. The sky is dark like the blackest onyx, but every now and again, items are illuminated, like buildings or vehicles of sorts. As I glance out the window, I can see there are various other crafts. Some are larger than others and in different colors, but they are mostly of similar length, or at least much smaller than our craft.

“What are you looking for?” One of my team shouts from behind me.

“I don’t know yet,” I answer. “I’m still figuring things out.”

I see something move, another being. They’re tall, slender, ethereal, and calm as they walk across the space in front of me. I see them enter one of the vehicles, then watch as it disappears around a bend.

“What was that? I hear something.”

I can hear the team behind me spruce themselves up and get back on their feet.

“Is anyone hurt?” I turn around to check everyone.

They all look themselves over before shaking their heads.

“I’m scared,” says the youngest, Victorinth.

“Me too,” I admit. “But we’ll be fine if we stick together.”

We all nod at one another to show we’re in agreement.

“But what was that?” asked Victorinth again. “What was that noise?”

She rushes to the window and looks out. Seeing nothing, she turns back around.

“It was a craft,” I explain.

“Like this one?” She runs to her brother, Jarick, and clings onto him.

“No. It looks nothing like this one. It was smaller, much smaller, and did not leave the ground,” I explain.

“It didn’t leave the ground?” Jarick asks, bewildered. “How strange.”

I can see him churn the idea around in his mind, the cogs of his brain whirring as he tries to figure it out.

“Then how did it move?” he finally asks.

“With wheels on the ground.”

“Like… What the primitives used back in the olden years?” He’s aghast.

“Yes, something like that.” I look solemnly to the ground. “But never mind that. We have to formulate a plan for ourselves.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Ethazol says, stepping forward. “We can’t stay here forever, we’re a sitting target.”

“Always the sensible one,” I smile at him.

Walking back over to the window, I look out once more for signs of danger. Every now and again, the beings pass by, but they don’t so much as look over at us. It confuses me.

“I don’t think anyone can see us. Not the craft, anyway. It appears the body work done before takeoff works here too.”

“You mean the diversion worked?” Jarick asks.

“Yeah,” I keep my sight outside the craft. “We’re safe for now, I hope.”

I’m so busy being lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice the human getting closer and closer until it’s too late. It’s striding purposely right to us, as though it doesn’t know we’re here. He’s walking briskly, so briskly in fact that it's only a few breaths until he’s right at the window.

“Look!” I shout at the crew.

They all huddle around the window and gasp as they see him approach, closer and closer until…

“Argh!”

We hear him yell. He’s walked right into our craft, his face crumpling against the metal fragments of our broken ship. He pulls away hurt. There’s a red substance coming out the center of his face. It trickles down into his mouth and covers his teeth.

We all remain silent as we try to figure out what has happened. The human looks to be in a state of shock. He tries to walk again but once again he hits the window.

“What the hell?” We hear him say.

He takes a couple steps to the side and tries to walk again. Yet, just like before, he walks into the craft. He takes another couple steps to the side and repeats and still, he can’t get anywhere. I watch as a look comes over his face. It’s a look of terror, one that shows his ideas of reality tearing at the seams.

“I almost feel as though I want to go out there and help him,” I say as I see him fail over and over again to get to where he’s going.

“You’ll do no such thing.” Ethazol claps a hand to my shoulder. “We are in enough trouble,” he explains. “No use in complicating things.”

Yet we watch enraptured for a long while as the man attempts to get around the ship. At one point, we watch him stop for a little while. He looks exhausted and just stands still, looking down at his body. It’s then that he places a hand on his gut and then examines his fingers.

“Oh my god…” We can hear him muttering through the walls. “What is this?”

As we look at his hands, we see there is a peculiar green substance attached to his fingers. It seems as though his body has come into contact with our jet fuel, and we can only hope that he remains safe with the chemical on his body.

“Don’t go out there, Benzen.” Jarick turns to me. “I know what you’re like. You want to help everyone, but right now you have to focus on just helping us get out of this ship and somewhere safe.”

I nod.

“Very well. It appears you know me too well.”

We’re all silent for a moment as we contemplate what we have to do.

“What were those things on his body?” Victorinth blurts out eventually.

“I’m not sure,” I answer.

“It looked like some sort of body armor, but not for combat,” she says as she bites on her lower lip in deep thought.

“Yeah you’re right,” I agree. “That is what it looked like. I saw the others out there wearing them too.”

“Well then, we’ll have to get them,” Ethazol commands. “Or we’ll be noticed.”

We Orbas wore very light attire, usually a large piece of cloth across our bodies. Unless, of course, we are in battle.

We all stand around looking at one another, trying to figure out how to get these items onto our bodies.

“I have an idea,” I say, glancing out the window and seeing the man still out there, examining the jet fuel on his body. “I need to concentrate, but I think there’s a chance I can do it.”

“What are you talking about, Benzen?” Jarick laughs. “You and your ridiculous ideas,” he shakes his head.

“Me and my ridiculous ideas might help us stay alive,” I explain to him without anger in my voice. “So just bear with me.”

As young Orbans, many of us are trained from an early age to partake in activities that suit our minds and bodies the best. Ethazol’s particular talent, for instance, was being authoritative and intellectual. That is why he was taught from a young age to have engaging leadership skills and a clear thinking mind that could deal with problems in front of him. However, his talent does not extend to thinking outside of usual situations, and so he is only performing at his best in already learned scenarios.

I, on the other hand, inherited my talent. It came from my mother, a being so vastly special that she could create any talent she pleased. Yet she only chose ones that could be good for the planet, ones that would benefit others before herself.

When I came into being, she chose a talent for me that she said suited my personality. She waited until I was old enough to form opinions and congruent thoughts before she sat me down and asked:

“Benzen… What do you want to do when you are older?”

I thought for a second, looking into her opal eyes before I answered:

“I want to be able to move anything anywhere, but with my mind.”

I remember watching her sit back in thought for a moment before she raised her hands and declared:

“Very well,” she held me. “I will give you the ability to have a mind that transcends the body.”

“All of us Orbans are also warriors by nature. We only use our training when our race is threatened by another group of lifeforms.”

Now, inside the ship, I wish that she were here to guide me through the ability she had gifted me. It has been so long since I used it, but I'm sure that deep down, I have not forgotten its inner workings.

“Crew, you must support me for a moment. Stay calm and remain quiet.”

They all look at me as though I am not behaving in the most appropriate way. Yet they're quite used to this, as I'm always the one that strays behind the rest. I’m smaller than they all are, but not by much. I am six feet tall, but they are only a few inches taller. I act in different ways at times, but they now see that I can do something most extraordinary, and that there is a great happiness that comes from being peculiar.

I have been alive for 24 years thus far. Victorinth was born after me, but by only one year. The rest are a few years older than me. I will eventually be as tall as them, but it just takes some more time to grow to their height.

I crouch at the window and look to the man outside. The look of terror has not left his eyes, and I knew that at any moment, it could only get worse.

“Stay calm, Benzen,” I whisper to myself. “You can do it.”

Focusing my mind, I put all my strength into remembering my mother as I look at the man and… transfer his clothes from his body, through the ship and onto me.

“Well done, Benzen!” Victorinth cheers.

“Quite the talent!” Jarick slaps me on the back. “Now all you gotta do is find five more of these creatures so you can camouflage the rest of us.”

Chapter 2-Benzen

It takes a while, waiting for five more people to walk past the ship, but once they do, obtaining their cloaking is easy. However, seeing their unarmored bodies is most peculiar. Once their outerwear is taken away, they shriek and panic, running around in circles in the most confused manner. Of course, we mean them no harm, but… we are pleased we can look like them now.

I glance at my crew and see that we are all covered and more or less look like the same creatures that are outside, save for the dark blue color of our bodies. Yet the people here vary in so many ways. Some are tall, some are short, some are thin like us, and others are wide. They have varying shades of skin color, and no two have the same coverings. This is good for us, as it means our differences will not look so out of place. We can only hope…

“I think I can lead us from here,” Draygus steps forward.

He is a wise member of the crew and has been studying the humans for quite some time. Without question, we follow him out the craft and into the open air.

“It smells so….different,” Victorinth remarks, wrinkling up her nose.

“And it’s cold, too,” I say.

With my feet pressing into the new ground, I feel its texture and the way it feels solid against my toes. Our world back home has a spongier disposition and more give when you walk on it. The ground back home is softer, but this is…harsh.

The most confident member of our group, Voland, is ahead of us all. He’s staring up at the bright lights of the building, his eyes glazed over with wonder.

“I always dreamed of seeing new lands,” he says. “Yet I can scarcely believe we are here.”

“We have made it safely,” I lay a hand on his shoulder. “Let us go inside.”

As we walk in through the door, we see the space is vast and expansive inside and well lit. It reminds me very much of a spacecraft, yet one that is bigger than any others I’ve seen. We all look to Draygus for guidance as we cross the threshold of the building.

“What now?” I whisper, scared that we will be noticed. “What do we do in here?”

“I think I know what is going on,” Draygus says in a deep tone as he walks by my side. “I have read about places like this in books. They are safe places.”

“Safe?” Victorinth huddles by his side. “How do you know this?”

“Because,” he points up towards to sky. “Because there is so much light.”

We gaze up to the brightness raining down on us.

“Why are you so sure it’s safe?” I ask.

“Humans always feel safe in well-lit spaces. It is the darkness they fear. Places with great amounts of blackness are dangerous to humans and are avoided at all costs,” he explains to me in a voice he puts on when trying to make us feel like children.

We nod at his words and look all around us at the many sources of light, trying to cultivate the feeling that they are keeping us safe.

“Very well,” Draygus nods. “We’ll keep moving.”

I have to admit that as we make our way through the building with our new footwear squeaking against the floor, I have a strange and nervous feeling inside me. Everything is so new and bizarre. There are countless things I don’t understand, devices I see people holding, and I don’t know why. There is a great cacophony of smells permeating my nostrils all at once. We pass by one place in particular that seems the worst to me, despite the person outside being friendly.

It is like a building within a building, a place which Draygus explains to me is called a ‘shop.’

“Shop,” I chew the word around my mouth. “It is a word of such peculiarity and explains nothing of what I’m looking at.”

“A shop,” he looks down at me, “is a place in which things can be traded.”

I look inside the window of this shop and see glass bottles. They are everywhere, and it’s as though their smells are trying to entice me through the gap in the door. They are all so strong, almost putrid.

“Why would anyone want these?” I wave my hand at the place.

“From what I can gather,” Draygus scratches his chin, “people buy these tiny bottles and spray the contents on themselves as part of a mating ritual.”

“Oooohhhh,” I mouth as if I understand, although I certainly do not.

There’s a person with long hair and a glowing mouth at the front door. Her lips are red and vivid, her teeth perfectly straight and gleaming white. She has huge and spindly tentacles coming from her upper eyelids.

“Draygus!” I clutch at his arm. “Is that dangerous? That person there?”

“No… I think that is a human woman.”

“Hmmmm…”

She sees me paying her attention and comes forth with a little piece of card in her hand.

“Are you looking to buy some perfume today?” she asks, her mouth twisted up into an unwavering smile.

I’m terrified of her and the way she is so close to me, so eager to engage with me. I shrink away from her and shake my head.

“Well, you can take a sample and come back another time. Have a nice day,” she steps back to her original spot and proceeds to ask the exact same question to another person that walks by.

I look down at the card.

“Is this toxic?” I ask Draygus. “It smells toxic.”

Pushing my nose up to the outer corner of the card, I take a short, sharp whiff of the mysterious substance that coats it. It makes my eyes water, and I recoil away from it.

“Urgh! It’s terrible,” I sneeze. “Humans like this?”

Victorinth, seeing my distress, comes and urges me to carry on walking with the rest of the group.

“It can’t be that bad,” she laughs. “Let me smell,” she takes the card from me and breathes in. “Hmm. I actually quite like it. I think I’ll keep this.”

“Please do,” I breathe a sigh of relief as she takes it from me.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group is in just as much awe as I am, with their eyes wide and staring at all the different colors and textures that are before us. In the center of the building, at various intervals, are metal tracks that glide down to the floor below. I see a sign to the left of each one:

ESCALATOR

“Hey Draygus,” I run to catch up with him. “Have you seen those?”

“Escalators,” he says. “I have.”

“Are they like primitive versions of the ascenders we have back home?”

“They very much are,” he nods. “Except they don’t seem to be powered by the air like ours are. They seem to run on a less efficient fuel.”

“Hmm,” I look at each one as we pass by. “I think they are very interesting.”

While the others are more interested in looking in each shop window, I am more focused on the mechanics of the building. The escalators, as well as the boxes I see travel up to the roof with cables on each end, and the way one human is dealt the task of owning a miniature craft that cleans the floor. He must be a very important human, because everyone else has to walk.

As we reach the end of the building, we find ourselves faced with a shop that is about fifty times bigger than the others. This one is the busiest of all and has a large stock of goods.

“Where are we now?” Voland and Ethazol ask in unison.

“This shop is one for food,” Draygus says, pointing inside.

“Food!” Jarick is so excited at the thought he almost shouts. “I thought we’d never eat again.”

We try to enter the shop via one of the doors, but it does nothing, and I watch as Jarick walks face-first into the glass.

“I don’t understand,” he rubs his head. “Those ones over there open,” he points to the ones further down the shop front.

We all line up in front of the other sliding doors, and to our delight, they glide open.

“It must have been an amalgamation of all our minds,” Jarick says. “There’s no way the humans have good enough technology to have motion sensors.”

“I agree,” his little sister Victorinth nods. “The humans seem ever so primitive.”

As we walk into the shop, we discover it is far brighter than all the others and to me—at least, it smells a lot more pleasant. In fact, it smells so good that I begin to salivate at the prospect of eating all the things I see in front of me.

I reach out my hand and pick up something that is round and red. It feels slightly hard to the touch, but once I grip it, the skin breaks and the fleshy inside is revealed. I take a bite, the juice inside reviving me.

“Don’t do that,” Draygus knocks it from my hand. “You have to trade for the food here. You can’t just take it.”

“Trade?”

“Yes. With money.”

“Money? Is that like the currency of the Rigel Credits back home?”

“It is, Benzen.”

“But we don’t have any human money!”

I’m desperate now. After being tempted by the food I feel I need it more than ever, even if I don’t know what any of it is.

“Hey guys,” Voland steps in. “Let’s not get irate. We're all in shock, tired, and hungry but there must be a way we can bargain with the humans.”

“I agree,” Draygus looks to us all. “I assume, if they weren’t reasonable, they would have attacked us by now, but it seems as though we are blending in, and they don’t see us as a threat. Maybe they'll just accept our money. Let’s put together what we all have.”

“I have nothing,” I shrug.

“Me neither.”

“I also have nothing,” Jarick shakes his head. “We have, after all, just survived a crash.”

“Hmmm….” Draygus pinches the bridge of his nose in thought. “I don’t have anything either.”

“I do,” a little voice at the back comes forward.

Victorinth is clinging onto her brother’s arm with one hand and showing us some Rigel Credits with the other.

“How did you manage that?” I look down at her.

“A girl has her secrets,” she smiles. “I only have seven credits, though,” she frowns. “Will that be enough?”

“I suppose we'll find out.” Voland takes them from her hand. “Let us see what we can do.”

It’s very strange and terrifying as we walk around the shop, picking things up and feeling at them with our fingers. Some things look more like weapons than food, while others look rather appetizing. There is one type of food that I enjoy the smell of more than the others. It comes in a bunch of fingers and is yellow. Looking somewhat like an oversized hand, I wonder for a while if it has been taken from a large, yellow animal that resides on this planet. Yet as I inspect it closely, I find it has no circulatory system or nerve endings.

“Do you suppose these hands can hold things?” I show a couple bunches to Draygus.

“I am just as unsure as you are,” he frowns. “Perhaps they are not even hands.”

“Hmmm…”

Regardless of whether they are real fingers or not, I do greatly enjoy the smell. It is naturally fragrant, with undertones of health, vitality, and strength. I have the feeling that if I eat enough of these, I will be very strong.

In the distance, I see the others picking out foods they think they’ll like. Victorinth seems to have picked up vast amounts of small things in colorful boxes, while Voland, being as sensible as ever, has looked at what the humans have been wandering around with and is copying them.

“This,” he shows me a giant object under his arm. “I think this will sustain us somewhat. Many of the humans are buying these, and look,” he points to the layer of fat around it. “It’s a form of animal, and therefore, will give us protein.”

I nod, fascinated by everyone’s different choices.

“I think it’s time we try to buy these,” Draygus ushers us to a long line of humans who are putting all their items onto a rubber conveyor belt.

“This seems very inefficient, standing around all day waiting to buy things. There are so many people in front of us, we’ll be here for some time,” I complain.

“I hear ya, kid,” a voice comes from behind me.

I spin around and see a rotund female. At least, I think she is a female, because she has sculpted those strange spindles from the top of her upper lid, and also has bright red lips that shimmer and catch the light. She gives me a slight smile.

“I hate shopping,” she agrees, rolling her eyes.

I’m dumbfounded, and so is the crew. It would seem we have blended in so well, the humans have begun to communicate with us.

“Well done,” Victorinth mouths silently to me.

Despite the amount of people ahead of us, their items are scanned through a laser device with tremendous speed, then placed into bags. The human then carries them away to consume them with vigor, I can only assume.

It isn’t long until our items have reached the human who is doing the scanning. I can’t help but worry that she will interrogate us as we approach, but to my surprise, she does no such thing.

“Good evening,” she says as she slides our items over the laser.

It isn’t long until she is finished and she stares at all six of us in turn.

“And how will you be paying today? Cash or card?” she focuses her eyes on Draygus, as he is obviously the oldest.

“Er… Rigel Credits,” he says.

“Uh?” the woman screws up her face. “What did you say?”

“We’ll be paying today with Rigel Credits.”

I can tell Draygus is nervous, but he’s trying his best. I can’t imagine how scared he is. Looking at him, I try to give him a look of encouragement, and he stares back at me with a worried expression on his face.

“It’ll be fine,” Victorinth whispers.

Meanwhile, the female, the gatekeeper of the food, is still looking at us strangely. She glances at the Credits in Draygus’ hand and then looks up at him.

“Sir… can you wait a moment please?” she stands up from her seat. “I need to speak to my manager.” And with that, she disappears behind a door at the end of the shop.

“Are we in trouble?” I ask.

“I think so,” Draygus sighs.

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The Blue Alien’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)

Chapter 1-Urie

“Ok troops, we’re cleared for landing.”

“Roger that,” a crackled voice came through my earpiece. “Brace yourself. It's going to be a bumpy landing.”

Traversing through a planet’s atmosphere is always a tumultuous experience. Often there are vast temperature fluctuations that can create chills across your skin. They are so frigid it can feel as though your limbs could snap with the cold. Other times, the descent to a planet can be raging hot with temperatures so high blisters would form across our bodies if it weren’t for our protective suits.

This landing was not to be any easier. One thing you have to get used to is the speed in which you plummet to the ground. It sends shock waves through your body as the velocity batters off your organs. You have no choice but to grit your teeth and grip your fingers into the armrest to steady your body as it tumbles through the air at the speed of light.

I looked across the craft to the ship’s pilot. As per usual, he was taking it in stride, his face steady and stoic with a grim determination pursing his lips together. He focused on the screen in front of him, ready to maneuver the ship at the precise moment. His eyes were steely and gray with concentration. He turned his head at the last minute and touched his fingers to his temples.

“Ready captain,” his voice came through my earpiece once again.

Up here, in the ship amongst the stars, you can be within an arm’s reach of one another but still not hear a word. Outer space speaks its own deafening language of crashing space debris and chaos. To remove one’s earpiece is to hear nothing but static and jarring metallic chattering. Up here, without our earpieces, we would go crazy.

“I hear ya,” I saluted the pilot. “When you’re ready.”

He nodded at me then returned his eyes to the screen.

“3.”

He pulled the lever beside him.

“2.”

He spun the wheel.

“1!”

His voice bellowed as he swung the ship into a steep decline. It roared downward, the air gushing past the windows with such ferocity, I wondered if the glass would break. But it never, ever broke. I’d traveled to other planets a thousand times with this pilot and never, had a single thing gone wrong. He was the best and that was why he was my pilot.

Wild turbulence shook the ship from side to side as we plunged our way down further and further into the atmosphere. Then, out of the stardust and clouds came the ground. It loomed up at us, red and barren. I could see the force of our approaching ship kick up the arid sand into a dusty tempest as we landed. Then the loud crash came, cacophonous like thunder and at last, everything was still.

The sand drifted across the windshield as I got my bearings. My heart thudded hard in my chest and I held a hand to my stomach, took a deep breath, then unlocked the belt that had been holding me into my seat.

I watched as the dust settled and fell around the ship. It was night time but the stars were bright and they illuminated each particle with a glittering radiance. Through the gritty mist, figures began to form on the horizon. They appeared to be growing, coming closer with every passing second. Then they were upon us, my troops, coming to retrieve their leader.

The side door was flung open and the smell of a new land permeated the cabin. The troops were eager to show me their alliance, saluting me the moment they saw my face.

“Our leader,” the biggest one said. “We don’t have much time. We need to transport you to the battlefield immediately.”

“Yes,” I stepped out of my chair and looked out the open door. “We must hurry.”

As I placed an intrepid foot down on the alien soil, I felt the excitement of a new world with all its new smells and textures. But it was not to be my new home, nor was it to be a place I would have the chance to explore. Rather, I was here to save it from invading forces.

The X’Sorians… The bastards. They are a fascist race, one hell bent on conquering what is not theirs. They arrived on this planet with the intention of invading it, of taking it away from our system but that was not to happen. I had arrived to fight back and with my reinforcements by my side, we would soon defeat them. As I was taken from the ship to the battlefield, my Shocktrooper Elite Force surrounding me, I had fire in my heart, a burning desire to crush the X’Sorians.

“Tell me,” I pointed into the distance as I addressed the nearest lieutenant. “How many are there?”

His expression was grim but honest.

“There are thousands,” he bowed his head. “Too many to count.”

His words sent a shiver down into my gut.

“Ok,” I held a clenched fist to my chest. “It does not matter how many there are, what matters is the quality of the warrior. We are the finest, we are the best. Isn’t that so?” I bellowed.

“Yes!” they roared back.

“We are the best because you are our leader,” said the lieutenant.

“Thank you,” I touched a hand to his shoulder. “Your loyalty will never be forgotten.”

In a convoy, we drove fast across the desert with the sound of missiles and explosions becoming louder as we traversed the arid landscape. The battlefield soon came into view with the bright lights of the bombs blinding me. I held my arm over my face to shield my vision.

“They are desperate,” the lieutenant spoke at my right side. “They are taking extreme measures and if I may be permitted to express my opinion, I would say that means they are scared. They are not confident in their own fighting skills so they have resorted to blustering bombs.”

“You are right,” I turned to him. “They may be scared but I also think they are powerful,” I leaned in closer to him. “Don’t spread the word, but I think… I think, we will need to ready ourselves for a colossal fight.”

He looked worried, pulled back and blinked at me.

“It’s true. This will not be as easy as the others but we are strong and you must remember that every challenge changes you for the better. It makes you tougher, stronger, a more valiant warrior.”

“What doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t change you,” he thought out loud as he glanced at the upcoming battlefield.

“My thoughts exactly,” I slapped the side of his arm. “You have been trained well.”

The truck screeched to a halt on the edge of the field. My gun was by my side with my sword secured tightly in the sheath on my belt and my lucky club secured to a strap around my waist. I thought of everything we had to fight for and took a deep breath. I was ready.

“Troops,” I stood up, hanging from the side of the open door with my rifle hanging from my shoulder. “We must advance!”

The battle cries roared in my ears as we ran. The X'Sorians, mighty people almost twice our size, were fearless and angry. It had been so long since I had seen one in person and there was a flutter of fear in my chest as I looked up at the nearest one and saw the look on his face; dark, twisted, sadistic. He was here for the love of death, for the lust for power. His muscles rippled as he waved his ax above his head, his skin red and glistening with sweat. The ax crashed down on the ground beside me and I rolled to escape it, tumbling across the ground as I fired shots up to him. I swung my club and saw as it connected with the side of his head. He bore his teeth at me in rage. They were sharp, dripping in the blood of his victims but I’d hit him square in the chest with my barrage of bullets and he was wounded, screeching in agony. As he staggered from one foot to the other, he stumbled to the ground, but not before he pulled a grenade from the strap across the chest and yanked the pin out with his teeth.

He threw it at me and I glared wide-eyed as it landed a few inches from my face. I ran, sprinting for my life as it exploded behind me, sending a cascade of X’Sorian parts scattering around me.

“Advance!” I yelled to my Shocktroopers.

Now that my first taste of battle had taken place I was truly ready to fight. I wiped the X’Sorian warrior’s blood from my eyes and ran forward, shooting every red being that stood in my way. No matter their size, no matter their will to win, I tackled them. The fighting was desperate with every X’Sorian slain, a Shocktrooper going down beside him. Manic firing and hand to hand combat plagued the field as our bodies became quickly exhausted.

Soon, we were in the center of the battlefield with no way out but to fight our way to freedom and safety. If we ever wanted to return home, see our friends and families and take a breath of Ura-Than air again, we had to win.

The bayonet of my rifle was deep into X’Sorian flesh when I felt it, the rumble in the ground. Then it happened so fast I blinked and it was over. My fellow soldiers were on the ground, lying damaged and in pain on the blood covered soil. Psionic attacks… I had heard the X'Sorians were capable of such a feat but I had never experienced it before, but then… why wasn’t I affected like the others? As I glanced around in horror I saw I was untouched, unlike my brethren who were pained and near death on the ground. What was left of my Shocktrooper Elite closed ranks around me and we proceeded.

We attacked once more, working as a solid unit but once again, as soon as we neared the X’Sorian Elite Squad, my troops were held back, pushed against the ground with a psionic force. All I could do was watch as I stood tall, unaffected by the mysterious rays of psychic attack.

“Advance!” I screamed.

The troops who could, stood up defiant and we carried on pushing our way through the hordes of X’Sorian slave warriors. But again, there was the force. It rung in my ears and made the ground tremble as it shook the airwaves. My troops were sent flying back, scattering amongst the fallen corpses of other soldiers. Yet again, I stood without being harmed.

All I could do was push through and do it alone. Immune to their psionic attacks, I persevered, running with all my might with my sword drawn, swiping at each enemy that came close. It wasn’t long until I had fought my way through the crowds of brutes that were so intent on seeing me dead. Then the slave warriors were gone and it was just the Elite Squad facing me. Once more, they sent out a psionic attack but I lunged at them, swinging my sword until all their heads rolled and there was no one else but me and the enemy commander.

He looked at me with shock and horror etched across his face. I could see his hand quivering by his side. The man, who I expected to be as intimidating as his soldiers, was shriveled and old, crouched down below me with a meager pistol in his hand. Judging from the fear in his eyes, it looked as though he never fought but rather, left the dirty work to his men.

“Be- be quick,” he stammered. “If you must kill me, do it now.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“With pleasure.”

There was a slicing noise, the severing of his spinal column and then he fell like his troops, headless and defeated. A silence reigned across the battlefield. It shrouded the war zone in an eerie sadness. The smell of blood rose from the ground, soaking into my clothes, my hair, and my skin. The smell of death never left you but at least it faded before the memories did.

The enemy commander’s head lay at my feet. If it weren’t for the fact it wasn’t attached to his body you’d think he was asleep. I picked it up by the dry, bristly, yellow hair and held it in front of me. To be so close up to an X’Sorian was a peculiar experience. I ran a finger over his cheek, felt the red skin with the coarse hair. I looked at his flat nose that was so different in shape and size to mine. I wondered if his experience of life had been so different to my own.

In front of me stood a sand dune littered with rocks and dead bodies. Blood ran down one side of it, viscous and crimson. With the head tucked under my arm, I climbed it, sinking my tired, calloused fingers into the dirt to haul myself up. At the top, I looked down at the battlefield. All eyes were on me as I raised the head up high and yelled.

“This is the end of the X’Sorian rule on this planet!”

* * *

Back home I lay in my bed, exhausted by my injuries. During the battle, I was not aware of all the cuts and bruises, or even of the broken rib, but now they caused me much discomfort. From where I lay I could hear the victorious chants outside the palace that were emanating from the city. They cheered at my chamber, shouted that they thought I was a hero. Somehow, however, I didn’t feel like one.

The psionic attacks had played on my mind since the return. They had injured, even killed so many of my troops but why was I spared? Surely I should have been the last person to be shown mercy. My thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock at the door.

“You may enter,” I announced.

The door glided open and one of my servants entered with his head bowed and his footsteps humble and shuffling.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Sorry to bother you. I just wanted to bring you some libations. I hope this drink will make you feel better. It is crafted from the finest herbs found on the dark side of the Gotan Peninsula.”

“Oh… that is kind of you. Thank you.”

He brought the jug of over and poured me a glass before holding it to my lips. I sipped thirstily, not realizing how parched I was.

“Thank you,” I gasped as I pulled my mouth away. “I feel rejuvenated already.”

“No need to thank me, master,” he waved his hand at me. “It is my honor to serve a hero such as you.”

Hero. That word again. I’d never heard it so much in my life.

“It is my duty to protect all planets within our system,” I explained.

“But you are a hero! All other battles against the X’Sorians have ended in defeat, but you are the first leader to bring us to victory. Your arrival home must be rejoiced, master. It must be!”

I paused for a second, remembering the details of the battle. I remembered the club as it hit the X’Sorian on the side of his head and how his teeth were spat from his mouth. I remembered the sound of the gunfire and the explosions, the screaming and the terror.

“I’m sorry. I’m weary and I feel I must go back to sleep.”

“Yes, master. Sorry to disturb you.”

I watched as the servant scurried away through the sliding doors. The chanting was still continuing outside although the sky was becoming dark. I rolled over and faced the wall. Unable to shake the psionic attacks from my mind, I thought about them in every minute detail. The noise they made as the ground shook and the sound of the force hitting my troops.

“Why wasn’t I affected?” I whispered as I rolled back over and stared up at the ceiling.

At the bottom of my bed lay all my weapons. When I returned home I had torn my suit from my body and left my weapons where they lay. I could see the butt of my rifle standing up against the bed frame with my sword propped up beside it. In the distance, my club was on the floor amongst my strewn clothing.

I remembered the day I carved it myself from the most peculiar of rocks. I’d found it and was immediately struck by its beauty and strength. From the moment I saw it I was enamored with its texture and had carved my beautiful club so I could walk around with a piece of its beauty forever. Often, it had felt like a good luck charm and when I thought back to the psionic attacks, it certainly feels that way more than ever.

With my eyelids growing heavy, I rolled over and pulled the heavy blanket up over my head. For the briefest of moments, my thoughts of the war faded and were replaced with more mundane matters. It was to be my birthday soon. Maybe my family would throw a celebration for the birthday hero.

“Twenty-five,” I whispered into the cold night.

I felt as though I was growing old, faster than I had anticipated.

Chapter 2-Samantha

My legs were burning but I loved it. To me, there’s no better feeling than the pain and invigoration you get from a hard workout. I was jogging on my usual route through the forest at the edge of my neighborhood. The sun was lingering low in the sky, dipping behind the houses as twilight began to descend.

As I entered the dense woods, I reached for my phone to change the tunes. A more natural setting required a more natural soundtrack. Flicking through my playlist I found my favorite Enya song and shoved my phone back in my pocket, making sure not to trip over a fallen branch as I looked back at the trail.

I’m not usually a paranoid person. Actually, I’m the opposite. I love adventure, fear nothing and grab life by the horns. My mom worries about me, though, she’s not like me. When she discovered I was running at night in the forest she gifted me a rape alarm for Christmas. She’s always worrying and fussing over me and I’m always trying to reassure her that I’m ok. Not that she ever listens.

But it was times like this when the air was crisp and the endorphins were pumping that I felt like she was missing out. Life is beautiful when you step out of your comfort zone.

With the music playing softly in my ears, coaxing me further into the woodland I was in a state of pure bliss. The birds were rustling in the trees with the dusky sunlight glinting off the wet leaves. The rain had trailed off an hour ago leaving puddles on the path and I leaped over them one by one, taking them in stride. It was starting to get cold now too and the chilled air lashed against my face as I ran, reviving me and cooling me against the waves of perspiration that were coming over my body.

The most cherished part of my run was the glade that I passed at the halfway mark. It was isolated and although it was only half a mile from the main road that ran through my neighborhood, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the center of a national park. Well, until you got through to the other side and heard the traffic once again.

As I reached it, I took my designated break and leaned against a tree. Pulling my headphones from my ears I took in the surroundings, gulping water fast as I rested. Then something struck me. There was something different, something missing. I couldn’t hear the bird in the trees. The only sound was my throat as it swallowed back big mouthfuls of water. I placed my bottle on the ground and looked around. There was definitely a strange feeling in the air. It was silent, eerily silent with not even the scurry of an animal through the undergrowth or the distant sound of a robin chirping.

I stood still. It was as though time had stopped still. For a moment I cast my mind back to a story I’d heard in elementary school.

“It has been said that animals can predict natural disasters and escape cities days before they occur,” my teacher had told us.

Was that true? Was there about to be an earthquake and all the birds, bees and squirrels had run away? It didn’t feel like that. There was an insidious atmosphere, a feeling of being watched. I was never one for believing in ghosts but this was as good a time as any to start. It felt like there were eyes boring through the back of my head, searing into my soul. I shivered despite feeling hot. It was time to get out of there.

Taking a few slow steps before reaching my natural jogging pace, I made a quick exit from the glade, eager to get away and back to the hustle and bustle of the city. But the feeling only got stronger as I ran. I couldn’t stop glancing behind me, imagining hot breath on the back of my neck as I escaped an invisible attacker. It was so strong it made my stomach flip. I was looking behind me more than in front of me and tripped a couple times as I failed to see where I was treading.

Fuck, what’s got into me?

I gasped as I tried to keep my spirits up and steady my nerves.

You’re probably just tired, exhausted from working and jogging too much. You need to get home and take care of yourself. Think of a hot bath, think of chocolate and a movie, think of your puppy who loves you more than anything.

I started to feel better but the moment of mental respite was fleeting. The feeling was back and even stronger. Something rustled in a nearby bush. It sounded huge, bigger than a fox, almost the size of a human.

Just your mind playing tricks on you. Calm down.

I kept running, picking up a faster pace.

Just calm the fuck down, Samantha!

I was angry at myself. It wasn’t like me to lose my cool, to see or feel things that weren’t there. I was a professional, strong woman, one that wasn’t intimidated by anything but here I was, afraid of a few rustling leaves and a mysterious “feeling.”

But the end of the forest was in sight. I could see the faint electric glow of the distant street lamps. In under a minute, I would be stepping out onto the pavement. Yet, there it was again, the rustling.

“Shit!”

I swerved out the way of a bush and tripped over another branch I hadn’t seen hiding in the darkness. My mom was right. It was insanity to be out here in the dark, jogging like everything in the world was innocent, sweet and lovely. I was being watched and nothing could make me think otherwise.

Just think of the street ahead.

I tried to focus my thoughts on the street ahead. The lamps were getting brighter with orange beams drifting through the trees like warm beacons of safety.

“Just a few more feet,” I said under my breath as I pumped my legs.

I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as the blood and adrenaline rushed through my body. I was manic, my body going into overdrive.

Just a couple more steps. Come on….

The bushes rustled again. I jumped, screamed, felt the back of my head hit the ground.

“What the fuck!” I yelled.

My legs were restrained. There were people on me. I was being mugged, attacked or something worse. I kicked with all my strength, the sweat making me slippery against my assailants. It felt like there were so many of them as our limbs flayed in a tangled mess but I could only see two heads. They were struggling to keep hold of me as I struggled. Through the darkness and panic, I couldn’t make out their faces. They loomed down on me as I saw the stars behind them, the crescent moon high above their heads.

I screamed again, bit down on one of their arms. They yelled and recoiled in agony, a strange strangled voice uttering a dialect I’d never heard before. They argued with one another as they held me down, obviously annoyed that I was putting up more of a fight than they anticipated. Their accents were weird, distorted almost with voices that were low and grumbled. One of them held their hand over my mouth and I bit down again, the acidic taste of his blood running between my teeth. It was then, as his arm was close to my face and caught a sliver of the moonlight that I noticed his color. His skin was blue.

Wide-eyed in horror I struggled to free myself again, but this time, they were angrier and held me down to tie my arms and legs. As they stood up, pulling me up along with them I could see them clearly for the first time. It felt as though there were more of them because they had four arms. Dumbstruck into silence and frozen out of fear, I could do nothing but let them drag me deep into the forest.

My heart was hammering hard in my chest, so fast I was certain I would pass out or have a heart attack. In the moment I prayed that I would die before my captors could do anything to me. As my feet brushed through the long grass and they pulled me through the foliage with their hands clutching at my elbows, I listened to them. I’d seen enough crime shows to know what evidence they needed. It was the little things that mattered like what they smelled like and what their accents were. It was the unassuming physical traits that often got criminals caught like whether they had a limp or talked with a lisp. As I listened to their voices and felt the weight of their four arms, I came to the conclusion that no policeman would believe a word I said. Their voices came from no human voice box and their limbs were... Blue and multiple. I was shocked and in fear of my life, paralyzed as I helplessly became the victim of a kidnapping, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized what was happening. I’d been pushing the thought out of my head since the moment I saw the blue skin but the four arms confirmed it. They were alien.

As I looked up I could see something through the trees. It was large and black, almost invisible in the dark. As we approached, the side of it opened and revealed a sparkling spectacle of modern technology. It was the innards of their ship. Dragged inside, I was immediately hit by the smell of an unknown species. There was peculiar beeping all around and the deafening sounds of machinery. However, I was soon dragged far from the buzzing lights and taken deep within the bowels of the ship.

There was darkness all around and cold metal pressing up against my back. I wasn’t sure if there were other prisoners hiding within the shadows. I certainly couldn’t see them but I could sense their breath, feel their fear as though it were my own.

My captors closed the door behind them. I could hear them chuckling as they walked down the long corridor. Then silence. It seemed to last forever and permeate everything around me.

“Hello?”

I spoke to no one in particular in my desperate longing for human contact.

“Is anyone here?”

There was no response. Then suddenly, when I thought the silence couldn’t last any longer, the rumbling started. I felt it in my gut first, then beneath my bottom as the floor began to shake. The engine was roaring into life, growing louder, then louder again until the walls trembled. Then we were off the ground, weightless and free as we shot up through the sky. My ears popped as we ascended and a deep nausea weighed heavy in my stomach. I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes, praying that when I opened them I would wake up and discover it was all a dream.

Click HERE to continue reading The Blue Alien’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)

About Zara Zenia

Zara Zenia writes steamy, sexy, and suspenseful sci-fi romances! You will find her writing alien romances from intergalactic planets, bionic romances, superheroes and time travel romances too.

Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.

Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Click here!

For more information, be sure to check out the links below!

zarazenia.com
zara@zarazenia.com

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Also by Zara Zenia

Aliens of Dragselis Series:

Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 1)

Karun: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 2)

Warriors of Orba Series:

Benzen: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 1)

Jarick: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 2)

Voland: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 3)

Draygus: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 4)

Ethazol: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 5)

* * *

Alien Gladiator’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)

The Alien Mate's Abduction: A Sci-Fi Alien Abduction Romance

The Blue Alien’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Romance (Celestial Mates)

* * *

Standalone Novels:

Bionic Outlaw’s Baby: A Secret Baby Sci-Fi Romance

Roxy Sinclaire

Zara Zenia also writes steamy, suspenseful romantic stories as Roxy Sinclaire. This includes a variety of different sub genres. Some of these include dark romances, action packed romances, mafia romances, and many more. She currently works in customer relations in New York City, but is trying to fulfill her passion in writing and eventually have her dream job become a reality.

Please see her Author Central Account on Amazon for a full list of her titles.

Sign up for her mailing list and find out about her latest releases, giveaways, and more. Plus, get a FREE book! Click here!

For more information, be sure to check out the links below!

roxysinclaire.com
roxy@roxysinclaire.com

Facebook

Twitter

Also by Roxy Sinclaire

Pass To Win Series:

Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 1)

Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 2)

Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 3)

Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (Book 4)

Game Winning Catch: A Secret Baby Sports Romance (Book 5)

Mafia Romance Series:

Dirty Indiscretions: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 1)

Her Protection: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Book 2)

Deadly Ink: A Dark Mafia Romance (Book 3)

His Revenge: A Mafia Revenge Romance (Book 4)

Standalone Novels

One Night With The Tycoon: A Billionaire Romance

Lethal Seduction: A CIA Romantic Suspense

Dirty Money: A Dark Mafia Romance

Object Me: A Bad Boy Lawyer Romance

Dirty Fighter: A Bad Boy MMA Romance

Fast and Loaded: A Bad Boy Sports Romance

Tempting Me: A Bad Boy Romance

The Devil’s Dream: A Dark Romance

Trapped In His World: A Dark Romance

Deceived By The Hitman: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance