Nara panted, smiling. It was day two of being inside his cabin, and she’d already fed Cathian four times in a row that morning. Now he climbed up her body, pinning her under him.
He seemed to love to cuddle afterward, before he fell asleep. It had become a cycle with him. He fed a few times, until his hunger abated, then nap, waking when Dovis, the wolf-looking alien, brought them a tray of food. One time it had been a muscular blue alien man who she hadn’t gotten a good look at. Cathian didn’t allow them inside his cabin and always went to the door himself.
He surprised her when he leaned in close to her face, glancing at her lips. “I want to kiss you. May I?”
She didn’t have to think about it. “Yes.”
Cathian gently brushed his lips over hers, and she moaned softly. They were velvety soft but firm at the same time. His tongue met hers. She got a good hold on him, feeling the sharp tips of his fangs, but they didn’t hurt. He tasted good, like the meal they’d recently shared. He growled, his chest rumbling against hers. He was a great kisser, passionate, and her body responded.
Eventually, he broke off the kiss. “What made you become a trader by career?”
His question surprised her, especially at that moment. She wanted to get back to kissing but he apparently wanted to talk. He usually slept after feeding, but his beautiful eyes weren’t sleepy looking while she gazed into them.
“I wanted to leave Earth. There were a lot of painful memories.”
“What kind?”
She debated on telling him or not and decided there was no harm. They were intimates, after all. “I was married, but it turned out that he wasn’t the person I thought. It became ugly. He was a cheating, lying, thieving jerk.”
His eyes widened.
“He slept with a couple of my friends behind my back. One of them got mad at him and told me. Everyone knew but me. I was an idiot who’d blindly trusted him.”
“I read up on Earth. Married is a legal contract, correct? It’s where both parties agree to terms.”
“Yes.”
“Was it a love match or business?”
“I thought he loved me but he didn’t. Everything about him was a lie. He scammed me.”
“Scam is to offer a high-quality product, but instead give an inferior one that has little to no value?”
She nodded. “That sums up my ex perfectly. I came with a lot of family money, and it turned out he just wanted that instead of me. He stole most of it, but I had some accounts hidden away. I divorced him and bought my shuttle. It’s not much, a Dorkin Three model, but it got me off Earth and far from him. I didn’t want to go to prison for murder.”
He scowled. “You killed him?”
“No, but I wanted to. That was the problem. I would have if I’d stayed, and then would have been locked up for twenty years. He was mad when he found out I had secret accounts, and he couldn’t touch them in the divorce. His way of retaliating was to harass and threaten me. It was best if I just disappeared where he wouldn’t follow me. He’d never venture into space. It’s too dangerous.”
“You wanted a fresh start. I understand this.”
“Is that why you’re a captain? This seems like a big ship.”
“It’s a cruiser. I’m an ambassador for my planet. I mostly do trade negotiations and keep peaceful treaties active between my race and others. It got me off my planet.”
“What’s it like where you come from?” She felt very curious about him and his race.
“Beautiful but cold.”
“Lots of snow?”
“No. Tryleskian is a warm planet all year round. Heavy in vegetation beyond our cities. The people are cold.” He hesitated. “Most of our life-lock bonds are political in nature.”
“You mean marriages?”
“Yes. I didn’t wish to end up unhappy, the way my father and mother have. There is no love or even like between them. He chose her for her good looks and her family’s history of being excellent breeders. She wanted his status and the perks that came with it. They are vicious and cruel to one another. Growing up with both together wasn’t a happy childhood. I don’t want my sons and daughters to be raised that way. Once I reached full maturity, it was my responsibility to breed the next generation or take this ambassador role.”
“How long have you been doing it?”
“Three years.”
“Do you like your job?”
“I do. Do you enjoy being a trader?”
She wanted to lie but decided not to. “Not really. It’s scary most of the time. I lived in a human-only section of Earth. It wasn’t by choice. It’s just the way it is. Then I left, and suddenly I felt like I was lost out in space, you know? I hired two crew members. One is my navigator; she gets us where we need to go. She also speaks to all the aliens we sell to and deal with. She’s half human and half Barcalon. They’re good at learning languages. The other was the one who got us arrested, and he’s fully human like me.” She was still angry at him. “Derrick used the credits I gave him to buy hookers, instead of the part we needed for my shuttle. Our engine went down where we shouldn’t have been after delivering medicine to a planet suffering Krout.”
“The illness that turns bodies into vegetation?”
“Yes. They’re a bunch of innocent colonists just trying to make a new life on a planet, but the space authorities want them gone. They shut down all travel there, including medical shipments that would cure them and save lives. I heard about it, and they were offering good money for anyone willing to risk getting past the blockades. So much for turning a profit and doing a good deed all at once. We got caught, and I picked being sold at the auction over going to Alto Prison.”
“Good choice.”
“That’s what I was told by my crew. They said people are food there.”
He lifted his chest off hers a little and glanced at her body, his scowl deepening. “You wouldn’t have survived.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I don’t mean to offend you but your body is frail, Nara. You’ve seen other races. Yours isn’t one with good defensive abilities in hand-to-hand combat.”
She’d give him that. “True.”
“You did a great service to me. A Tryleskian weakens from starvation during heat. It can take weeks to months to recover, depending on how sick he gets. There’s also a risk of death if I’d gone into shock and my heart stopped. Thank you.”
“No need for that. I was desperate. It was either say yes to the mouse woman from your ship, or get bought by a really scary red-skinned, horned guy who wanted to know if my blood was red.” She shuddered. “I’m pretty sure you saved my life. I doubt I would have survived whatever he planned to do to me.”
He nodded. “Never compare Midgel to a rodent within her hearing. She’s sensitive about being teased. She’s a sweet woman who prepares food for the crew. It was brave of her to go to the auction with a list of races compatible with mine. It went against her nature. She’s timid, and doesn’t leave her part of the ship. It was done out of pure loyalty to me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult her.”
“I know. You just need to be careful of what you say. I’m an ambassador. It’s my duty to learn about other cultures. I’ve been reading up on Earth anytime I wake before you do.”
“What have you learned?”
“Your people as a whole aren’t liked by most.”
“Fair enough.” She had met a lot of people from her planet in space. “Most of the ones I’ve come across since leaving Earth aren’t our best representatives. There are a lot of human slavers I’ve seen on various stations, selling other aliens. That’s a death offense on my planet. It makes me sick.”
“Because you are kind. You were arrested for trying to save lives.”
“And make a profit.”
He frowned. “Was it a rich colony planet?”
“No.”
“Your profit margin would have been low, correct?”
She sighed. “I could make ten times more transporting slaves, but I flat-out refuse. I’d have probably set them free and earned a bounty on my head from their sellers or the buyers. My crew isn’t happy about my ethics but it’s my ship, my rules.”
He lowered his chest against hers and slid his hand into her hair, stroking her scalp. She liked it when he did that. “You’re a good human, Nara.”
“You’re a great Tryleskian, Cathian.”
He chuckled.
* * * * *
Cathian had finished feeding from Nara and watched her fall asleep. He carefully extracted himself from bed and took a quick shower. He felt healthy and horny. His shaft remained hard and his nuts were uncomfortably swollen. His seed was still trapped in their sacks. It was a good thing. The idea of needing Nara for release frightened him.
He came out and went to his desk, contacting one of the scientists on Tryleskian. It took just minutes to get the expert he needed. Being a Vellar had its privileges. His family was one of the richest and most powerful on the planet.
The scientist stared at him from the screen. “Ambassador Vellar. It is an honor. What may I assist you with?”
“I’ve been accessing the database about our kind and humans.”
The scientist frowned, looking puzzled.
“Earth,” he added.
“Ah. Yes. I know of the planet and its inhabitants. We have done research on some who were arrested in our quadrant for trespassing without permission.”
“Have any of our males been with one during our heat?”
“No. We only had access to their males and one female. She was life-locked to one of the males already. We took blood, fluid, and other samples before they were released. It’s possible they are compatible but it hasn’t been tested.”
There went Cathian’s hope that the database might be outdated.
“What is your interest, Ambassador Vellar? If you don’t mind me being so bold as to ask.”
“I went into heat earlier than planned and am currently sharing my heat with a human. She has strong hormone levels to feed me with.”
Interest flared in the scientist’s eyes. “That is fantastic news! Please have the onboard medic android take samples from her while she’s aroused and freeze them for us. This is exciting.”
The request frustrated Cathian. He didn’t want to bring in the android to take samples from Nara. “In theory, would I harm her if I kept her until I released my seed?”
The scientist turned away, accessing something to the side. A good minute ticked away before he turned back. “In theory, perhaps. Their bodies are not as sturdy as those of our women. I’ve just looked at the imaging we took of the female we had in custody. I’m not certain a Tryleskian shaft would fit inside one, or if it would cause them damage. The female was life-locked to another human, as I stated, but the couple refused any sexual testing. Their males have smaller shafts than we do.”
He ground his teeth together and bit back a snarl. “What about the chemicals we create when we release our seed? Would it act as an aphrodisiac for a human?”
“I’m not certain, Ambassador Vellar. Have the medic android save samples from you as well, when the time comes, and I’ll personally run the tests myself when they are sent to me.”
That wasn’t going to help him. He’d only be able to get samples while releasing his seed. It would be too late by then to know what it would do to Nara if she were still with him.
“I am very enthusiastic about this opportunity. You’re doing a brilliant job as ambassador for our planet.” The scientist smiled wide. “You should take samples from all female races you come into sexual contact with. We will be able to exponentially increase our database.”
“I won’t have sex with different aliens for your research.”
“That is a shame.” He appeared disappointed.
Cathian fisted his hands. “Could I kill the human if I stayed with her through my heat? That’s what I really need to know. You’re the expert on this subject.”
The scientist turned again to the other screen, taking longer that time to study the information he had on humans. He faced Cathian. “It’s possible she may not survive. Her bone structure would be more delicate than that of our females. A Tryleskian shaft could cause internal damage, especially if maximum care wasn’t taken. I’d say out of heat, it would safe. You could stop if you were harming her.”
During his heat, he wouldn’t be in control of his body when the time came to release his seed. That was the problem. He felt sick thinking about how badly he could possibly hurt her.
“I wouldn’t suggest doing more than feeding from her if you care about this female, Ambassador Vellar. Take samples from her and send them to me immediately after your heat. I’ll make it a priority. That way, you’ll know if you can spend your next cycle with her.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else you need, Ambassador?”
“No. That’s it. Thank you for your time and immediate attention.”
“Of course.”
Cathian ended the transmission and walked over to the bed, staring down at Nara.
Her scent called to him. She was all he wanted. Not some other female. But he wouldn’t risk her life.