Chapter Five: Gifting
They managed it plenty, actually. Over the next couple of weeks, they went out more than they didn't. Sometimes Luther had to do his actual job, and Alanna was fine with that, but usually they went out and saw things.
Sometimes when Luther was away, Clio would come by and take her out for lunch or dinner, making sure to tell her lots of stories about Luther and the things he got up to.
Seeing the city with Clio was fun, but it was nothing compared to seeing it with Luther. It was so easy to see that Luther loved his city, his planet. He spoke about each place they visited with such passion and love. He told her about the history of buildings and about the ruins under the sea and how his people had once lived down there, making a whole civilization that thrived under the water.
It was like the stuff of myth and science fiction to Alanna, if she was honest. A race of aliens who could control water and had once lived in an underwater city sounded like a movie that would be made by some high budget studio, starring some hunky heartthrob as the lead alien warrior.
But this was real life. It was Luther's life, and she realized how lucky it was that she was getting a glimpse of it.
At the moment, she was out with Clio, the two of them sitting at an outdoor table outside the bustling market place, a tray of different foods in front of them.
Luther didn't usually like to bring her around at this time of day, when everyone was taking their mid afternoon breaks for lunch, but Clio didn't seem to share his hesitance.
"They all know you're here," she'd said. "What's the point in pretending otherwise?"
It was a fair point, Alanna had to admit, and so she sat there with her, eating some sort of strange, spicy seafood patty, and looking around at all the people coming and going.
The people of Lin-Vayel came in all different shapes and sizes, much like her own people, but they were all very big for the most part. It was easy to spot the ones who were warriors, as they were all built more or less like Luther and had weapons on their backs or hips.
It struck her then that she'd never seen Luther's weapon and she wondered why a people who could make water their weapon needed physical ones.
She took another bite of her fish cake thing and then looked up when she realized that Clio had asked her something.
"Hm?"
"You are not paying attention," Clio said, which was true.
"Sorry," Alanna replied. "Distracted. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that we also appreciate art here. Luther says you're an artist."
"That's right. On Earth, anyway."
"We like art. No one here really makes it. So if there's no one to take you out and you get restless..."
The logical connection was easy to make. "Really?" Alanna asked.
"Why is that surprising?"
"It just seems odd for a race of alien warriors to be into art, I guess. And yes, before you tell me, I know that I'm the alien here."
Clio smiled. "You are, but that's alright. And we also like things that are pretty and well made. Not everyone here is a warrior, and being a warrior doesn't mean you can't appreciate beauty."
"Of course it doesn't," Alanna hurried to clarify. "That wasn't what I meant."
"I know. I'm just giving you something to think about. I'm sure if you asked Luther, he would get you the supplies you need."
And just like that, something she had been missing so much was suddenly within her reach. Making art was such a large part of her life, something she felt like she needed to...well, to survive, as cliché as that sounded.
There was certainly no lack of inspiration here, that was for sure.
Luther seemed surprised when she asked him about it, but he said that he would see what he could do. Alanna tried not to get her hopes up, especially when days went by without her hearing anything more about it.
But then one day Luther came home with a large box that he put on the floor in front of her.
"What's that?" she asked, looking up from the program on Luther's equivalent of a television she'd been trying to make heads or tails of for the last hour.
"It's art supplies," he said. "Or at least I think it is. I haven't opened it, but they said it was what I requested down at the harbor."
Alanna stared at him for a second, then down at the box. "You...what?"
"I remembered the mediums you said you liked to work with," Luther explained. "And we didn't have much here that seemed like it would be what you needed. So I put in an order through a neighboring planet."
She had to fight the urge not to say 'what' again, but she was having a hard time wrapping her head around what he was saying. She'd asked for art supplies, and when he hadn't been able to find what she was looking for on his own planet, Luther had...
"Wow," she breathed.
"Is it not what you wanted?" Luther asked, looking anxious all of a sudden.
That snapped her back to attention, and she realized she was being incredibly rude. "Oh my god, I'm sorry," she said. "It's just. I didn't expect you to go to this kind of trouble for something like this."
Luther looked bashful then. "It wasn't a problem. I'm a warrior, so I get special requests all the time. It was easy to ask for something like this. I hope it's what you wanted."
Like a child on Christmas, Alanna wasted no more time before tearing right into the box. It was stuffed to the brim with colorful items carefully cushioned in clear boxes that seemed to be made out of some kind of gel.
When she picked up one of them, the gel parted to either side, allowing her to lift out a box of what looked like oil pastels. They came in more colors and shades than she had ever seen before, and would have been hugely expensive back on Earth in some specialty art store.
There were more in the box, too, as well as paints, pigments, markers, inks in so many different hues, molds, little tools, and at the bottom of the box several thick lumps wrapped in a waxy paper.
When she lifted one, she realized what it was.
"Clay."
Luther nodded. "That actually came from here. Apparently we used to have artisans who would mold things from a clay made from blessed water. But no one has done that or believed in it, even for a very long time."
"So you're giving it to me?" Alanna asked, stunned.
"Not me, the queen."
Now she was outright shocked. "Your queen is giving me clay made from sacred water? Luther, what the heck?"
"She...has had a change of heart regarding you. She used to think that you were somehow involved in whatever had that ship crashing here, but now she is of the correct opinion that you were just a victim. And I think she feels bad about suspecting you in the first place."
"So she's giving me sacred clay."
"On the condition that you make something beautiful out of it."
Alanna felt like she was in a daze, but she smiled, slow and amazed. "This is wonderful," she said. "This is...this is so much more than I had on Earth, even. I...thank you."
And without fully thinking it through, she leapt up from her spot on the sofa and threw her arms around Luther.
He didn't seem to know what to do with that at first, but then he wrapped his arms around her as well, patting her awkwardly on the back. "I'm glad you like it," he said.
"I more than like it. It's wonderful. It's the best thing I've ever been given, probably." She laughed suddenly.
"What?"
"Nothing, just. Clio was right about you. About you being kind and generous. I can't confirm the part about you being good in bed, though."
And then she realized what she had just said to him and blushed hard, releasing him quickly. "Or, you know, something that makes me sound like less of a creepy person. Anyway. Thank you so much."
Luther looked stunned and then he shook his head, seemingly amused. "You're welcome. I was pleased to help."
It was amazing how much better things were when she had something to keep her occupied. She saved the clay for last, not wanting to rush making something with such a gift as that.
Instead she sketched all manner of things, drawing the water, the waves, and the people she saw around.
She used the oil pastels to make colorful pictures of the way the water looked with the sunlight sparkling on it at all hours of the day, and she managed to get a good portrait of Clio hard at work that made her new friend laugh with delight and then hug her closely.
It was a wonderful feeling, being able to do the thing she loved again and having people exclaim over it like it was the best thing they had ever seen. She felt proud and happy, and for a little while, at least, not being at home didn't feel so bad.
Luther, in particular, was especially impressed. It became something of a ritual, on the days when he had too much to do to show her around, that she would show him what she had done that day.
He looked at her art with wide, astonished eyes, almost like he couldn't believe a person had made something so wonderful. He held his fingers above the sketches and watercolor paintings with reverent awe, like he wanted to touch, but knew he wasn't supposed to.
He even started to look at her like that, as well, which made her heart race and her mouth dry.
Alanna had noticed herself looking at him, too. They were speculative looks at first, just trying to understand this person who she saw every day but didn't really know. He was handsome, but of course she’d thought that since the moment she’d met him. But Clio really had been right about the rest. He was such a good person, genuine and caring and honestly so dedicated to making sure that she was happy and didn’t want for anything while she was in his care.
It was so much more than he was required to do. So much more than anyone would have expected him to do, and she just...couldn’t get over it.
And of course she couldn’t stop thinking about Clio telling her he was good in bed. If the rest of him was anything to go by, he’d at the very least be well endowed, which was, you know, not a bad thing at all.
So yes, it was on her mind. Sometimes he'd come back from training, sweaty and glowing with exertion. He'd strip his shirt off seemingly before remembering she was sitting right there, smile shyly at her and apologize.
"I am too used to living alone," he'd say, rubbing the back of his neck.
And of course Alanna would wave the apology away. It was his house, he had the right to be in whatever state of undress he wanted, she was just a guest, yadda yadda. And it was only when he turned his back to head to the shower that she would allow herself to shamelessly ogle him, watching the way his muscles shifted as he moved.
He didn't even realize how attractive he was, probably, which was one of those things that could be considered a crime because he was gorgeous.
Sometimes Alanna caught herself attempting to draw him from memory. It wasn't even hard. The strong lines of his body were easy to remember, and she sketched them down on paper in increments, starting with his frame and then adding the muscles, chipping away at it the more she saw of him.
His face was the hardest part to get right. When they’d first met, she’d thought him almost expressionless, nearly carved from stone, but now that she’d been here for a while, she had learned to see the soft changes in his expressions and how his eyes lit up or dimmed depending on his mood. It was nearly impossible to get the eyes right, of course, because she’d never seen eyes like that before. Such a vibrant and beautiful color, so clear and open.
He was a masterpiece all unto himself, and Alanna couldn’t help but look.
She caught him looking at her, too, but she didn’t know what it meant. Didn’t want to try for something and end up being wrong. That would be...uncomfortable and embarrassing. The friendship that they had forged over the last few weeks was a good thing, and it made being stuck here bearable, and she didn’t want to do anything to mess that up. She could control herself, of course. She wasn’t an animal or someone who was a slave to their lusts. Alanna could be perfectly content to never have Luther like that, thanks very much. She was doing just fine. And yes, sometimes when she was lying awake in bed she thought about what it would be like to have him touching her, holding himself above her, pressing into her with firm strokes that took her breath away.
But it was fine.
She didn’t need it. He probably didn’t want her to begin with, and she didn’t need him to. She was fine.
And then the dream happened.
She's in the water, she's pretty sure. It's deep and dark, and at first she's just confused. The land can't be that far away, and she'll just paddle to it and haul herself out. Easy enough. She knows how to swim, and while it's not something she practices all the time, it's a skill she can call on to help her out here. Rational thoughts, rational actions. Simple as that.
But then she sees that the land is farther away than she had been expecting. It's miles away. Just a speck in the distance. In the darkness. She starts paddling, trying to keep her head above water, but it doesn't look like she's making any headway.
She can't see. It's getting darker, darker, darker. There are no stars. There is no moon. Thick, heavy clouds blow across the sky, and thunder rumbles in the distance.
The water is cold. She's just noticed that. It's cold and it bites at her through her thin night clothes. Why is she swimming in her night clothes? Alanna doesn't understand what's happening.
She keeps paddling.
Water gets in her mouth, in her nose. She splutters and tries to push her head higher. A wave hits her in the face, and her sinuses burn.
Should she call for help? Would anyone hear her?
Her arms are tired.
Someone is grabbing her. Holding her tightly. A rescuer! She's saved.
A hand goes over her mouth, over her nose, and she can't breathe. She thrashes against the hold on her, trying to fight, but she's so tired. She's so sleepy. The arms hold tight, she can't breathe. Slowly, she's being pulled down, down, down. The water closes over her head, and she closes her eyes. Fighting is so much work. She could just...
No.
NO.
She can't. She has to fight. She has to make it home. She has to keep them from taking her away. She can't die here.
Her thrashing begins anew, and in the distance she hears someone calling her name: "Alanna!"
Someone knows she's out here! They'll come to save her. She just has to get back to the surface. The water is dark and deep, and she twists and kicks in the stranger's hold, willing them to lose their grip so she can get to the air before she passes out.
Her head is already swimming.
"Alanna!"
She can hear it through the water, slightly distorted and very far away, but unmistakably her name.
'I'm coming' she wants to say. 'I'm trying to get to you'.
The voice is familiar, and she knows it means safety.
"Alanna, wake up."
She's not out. Not yet. Everything is going fuzzy and somehow getting darker, but she's holding on to consciousness as best she can. How long has it been since she got air? Too long. She's not going to—
"ALANNA."
She sat up in bed, mouth open in a gasp, chest heaving.
When she looked around, she was not underwater anymore, but in Luther's living room. That made more sense. Once it had become apparent that she was going to be staying for longer than a few days, she’d made Luther take his bed back, and now she was sleeping on the couch, which was more than spacious enough for her.
Standing there, looking concerned, was Luther himself.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Alanna could only gape. She was trying to catch her breath, trying to catch the fleeting images of her dream—nightmare, more like—as they flickered away from her. With her lack of focus she found herself staring at his chest, bare in the night, the scant light from the window striking it in all the right places to show off how defined it was.
That was definitely preferable to the images in her head. Dark water, grasping hands, the sure knowledge that she was going to die. Just thinking about it made her want to be sick, and she must have looked it because Luther came closer, concern written all over his features.
“Alanna, what happened?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head at him. “It was—just a dream. A nightmare, I guess.”
He raised his eyebrows. “About what?”
“Drowning,” she admitted. “Or nearly drowning, I guess. I can’t really remember most of it. I know it was dark and there was water, and someone was trying to pull me under.”
“Who?” he asked, expression darkening. “Who did it?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I didn’t see them. There were just—hands. Around me. They kept trying to pull me under, and I couldn’t breathe. And then there was a voice. Yours, I think? You were calling me, and I was trying to surface, to get to you, but it was hard and I was so tired and I couldn’t breathe.”
Just thinking about it made her stomach churn with anxiety, and she shivered where she sat, wrapping her arms around herself.
“The water isn’t your enemy,” Luther said suddenly, coming to sit down next to her on the couch.
“No?”
“No. It is strong, yes. Powerful, yes. Something to be respected. But whoever was trying to drown you, that is who was your enemy in this dream.”
Alanna nodded. She could accept that. “Guess it wouldn’t have been a problem for you, huh? With the whole breathing underwater thing. You would have been fine.”
“There are other ways to die in the water when someone wishes it,” Luther pointed out. “But I will make you a promise. As long as I’m with you, you need never fear the water or anyone in it. I’ll keep you safe.”
She could tell from the tone of his words that he meant it, and it made her eyes go wide to hear it. “Really?”
“Yes,” he said, as simple as that. “Alanna, you will always be safe with me.”
No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Of course, she’d never been in a position where she needed them to before, but still. Luther’s eyes were serious, and his face was very close to hers, and she suddenly couldn’t help herself.
She was drawn to him, that much was obvious. Everything about him was strong and sturdy, stable and seductive. And he didn’t even mean to be. He was so nice, so kind to her, so interested in everything she did and showing her everything that mattered to him. He made her feel like she could matter to him, and it was so tempting to fall into that, no matter how much she’d been resisting it.
But now she didn’t want to resist. Alanna was shaken up and still fighting down an edge of panic as she sat in the darkness, but being this close to him made everything feel like it was going to be alright.
So she leaned forward and up, breath held, hoping.
And he met her halfway.
It was good. She’d never considered what it would be like to kiss someone who wasn’t human, but she had no complaints. His mouth was firm, yet soft against hers, and he kissed like he knew what he was doing. His hands were large and strong, and they wrapped around her hips, pulling her closer while they kissed.
Everything else faded away. Her dream, the room, the fact that he was an alien and she was on a strange planet. All that mattered was the fact that their mouths fit together so well and she felt so safe when he held her.
Before she knew what was happening, he was pressing her backwards, her back going down onto the couch while he was above her.
He was so much bigger than she was, so much stronger and she could feel that everywhere they touched. If he wanted to, he could snap her in half, but he touched her gently, like she was something to be held onto and savored. It made her tremble, and he looked up from where his mouth had found its way to her neck.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded. She was fine now, better than she had been before he'd started kissing her.
The fear had been replaced with lust, and she wanted him.
"Keep going," she breathed, half worried that this was a dream or that he was going to stop.
He smiled instead, dipping his head in a nod before he went back to kissing her neck.
She arched against him, head tipping to one side to give him more space. "Luther," she murmured, his name spilling off her lips, sweet and begging.
"I want you," he said back, lips moving against her skin.
"I want you to have me," she replied.
Luther looked up again, eyes shadowed in the darkness and with his desire. "Are you sure?"
Alanna nodded. "Yes." She didn't know how much clearer she could make it, other than stripping off her clothes and humping him right then and there.
In the end, that didn't turn out to be necessary because Luther had plans of his own. He got up from the couch, leaving Alanna breathless and concerned for a moment that he was going to leave. Instead of walking away, though, he bent down and scooped her up, pulling her into his arms and carrying her off to his bedroom.
She couldn't help the little giggle that spilled from her lips, pleased with the direction of this.
"Where are we going?" she asked, teasingly because it was obvious.
When he looked down at her, his eyes were serious, deep and dark, but nowhere near as frightening as the sea. "We are not doing this in my sitting room," he said.
Alanna smirked. "Not the adventurous type?"
"The sitting room is not adventurous," he said, and his voice was low, tongue curling around his words with just the edge of a growl there. "If you want adventure, we can pursue that later."
"Promises, promises," she murmured, heat coiling in her. God, he was strong. He carried her like she weighed nothing at all, like she was light as a feather in his arms, and when he tossed her onto his bed and climbed up after her, she felt small and cornered, something that would normally have her hackles up. But now it didn't feel like he wanted to prey on her. Or at least, it felt like he wanted to prey on her in a way that she was definitely completely and totally alright with.
He was already half naked, so she reached out to touch his skin, finding it warm and smooth. His chest was firm, muscles defined so well under her fingers as she slid them from his chest to his stomach as he crawled over her once more.
"You're so big," she murmured, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Yes," he agreed. "I will not hurt you."
"I wasn't worried."
His eyes softened at that, and he dipped down to kiss her again, hands moving so that one was propping him up and the other was unbuttoning the borrowed night shirt she had on.
Alanna supposed that she was also half naked, considering the fact that she had on a night shirt that went down to her knees and nothing else.
Luther had taken her to get clothes, considering she didn't have any of her own with her, but nothing had really fit, and if there was one thing that annoyed her, it was wearing underthings that were too big.
So when Luther got to the end of the buttons and spread the shirt to either side of her body, he was treated to the sight of her bare skin. He sucked in a breath that sounded almost reverent, and Alanna blushed.
"You are beautiful," he breathed, hand gliding over her skin with feather light touches, almost like he was afraid he was going to break her.
Alanna shivered, not from the cooler air in the room but from wanting him to touch her more. He could bruise her easily, she knew. Leave finger shaped marks wherever he happened to touch her, and she was fine with that. She wanted to be able to look at them later and know that this wasn't a dream.
"Luther," she breathed back. "Touch me."
"I am," he said, pulling back to look at her, a bit confused.
"No," she said. "Touch me." She wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled his hand to her breast, pressing down with a bit of force so he'd get her point. She didn't want to be handled like she was a porcelain doll or whatever the equivalent was here. Alanna wanted to feel it. She wanted to feel him without him holding himself back.
Something sparked deep in his eyes, and he smiled slowly, pressing his hand even more firmly upon her breast. His fingers found her nipple and pinched it hard, giving it a twist for good measure, and Alanna was lost.
"Oh," she gasped, arching just a bit.
Luther smirked. "Was that what you wanted?"
All she could do was nod.
Regrettably, he moved his hand from her breast down her stomach to the space between her legs. She kept the area trimmed neatly, even here, and he ran his fingers through the short curls before seeking out her entrance.
She was already wet, Alanna could feel that much, and when his fingers pushed into her folds, she gasped again, spreading her legs for him.
"So warm," Luther mumbled and he pushed his finger deep inside of her, a prelude for what was to come.
He worked her up slowly, taking his time, driving her crazy, and her pleasure grew and built until she was shaking and moaning his name, coming on his hand with three of his thick fingers buried to the knuckle inside of her.
He was grinning by then, and he pulled his hand free to clean his fingers with his tongue, holding her eyes as he did it. "You taste delicious," he said. "So sweet."
Alanna didn't have anything to say to that, too busy trying to catch her breath, but she did manage a whimper as Luther finally, finally undid his pants and pushed them down, kicking them off. He, too, was bare under his clothes, and his cock was magnificent.
It was thick and long, flushed and hard already. Alanna was pretty sure that if she wrapped her hand around it, her fingers wouldn't meet in the middle, and she was concerned about where all of that was going to fit.
Luther didn't hesitate, though. He positioned himself over her once more and lowered until the tip of him was prodding at her entrance.
Alanna sucked in a breath, body still pulsing from her orgasm. "Please," she moaned, heedless of the size difference in the moment. "I want you. Please."
He nodded, but looked like he was concentrating on not just ramming himself into her, which she knew she would appreciate later. Right then she just wanted him in her, filling her up.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he pushed in. The head of him slipped into her, thick and filling, and then inch by inch he pressed the rest of himself inside.
Alanna had to work to keep breathing, gasping as her nerves sparked and flared with the pleasure of being stuffed so full. She gripped at Luther's upper arms, nails biting into his skin as she held on tightly and tried not to come immediately.
It was a hard battle against her own body, to be honest. The pleasure was thick and hot inside of her, and it was already building before Luther had ever started moving.
"Hold on," he murmured into her ear, and she nodded, swallowing hard in an attempt to control herself. And then he was pulling out slowly, and she was crying out for him, heat coiling in her belly.
Luther set a slow, even pace, pulling out and pushing in with deep, measured strokes. It was enough to have Alanna gasping and quivering on the edge of another orgasm, and she had to wonder how it would be if he actually went at her with all the lust he wanted to.
But that was a thought for another time. For now she was losing herself in the sensation of him filling her, him touching her, him kissing and nibbling at her neck and shoulder, and how good it felt to be this close to him.
She came once more, his name on her lips as she shook and writhed under him, but he kept going, using her for his pleasure until he too found his completion with a low growl that almost made her want to go again.
When they were both spent, they laid there in his bed, the moonlight casting shadows on the wall, and the room quiet, save for their breathing.
Alanna was smiling, but she was also sleepy, and she wasn't sure if she was meant to stay here with him or go back to her own sleeping spot.
When he didn't offer an opinion either way, she decided that she was comfortable and stayed put, drifting off into untroubled sleep.