Chapter 3

 

Molly Sandrian

 

“Ugh! The nerve of these aliens. Can you believe this?” I shouted, pacing back and forth in the living quarters.

“Yes, I can,” Betty said grimly. “The key word is ‘aliens’. We know nothing of their kind.”

“I guess you’re right,” I grumbled, sitting down on a bed where Amy was lying down.

The living quarters were actually a comfortable set up considering the circumstances. There were plush beds for us to sleep on, a large table with benches on both sides for us to sit and eat, and a large woven rug on the floor with pillows. There was also a small table in the corner always stocked with food and water.

They weren’t exactly treating us badly, it’s just they weren’t letting us out.

“When do you think it will start? You know, the whole mating thing?” Betty asked. I shrugged, still queasy about the idea.

“I have no idea. I’m trying not to think about it. Maybe we’ll be spared of that fate. Or maybe we’ll be returned to Earth, after all,” Amy said hopefully. I looked at her sadly and shook my head.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s highly unlikely,” I told her. “I have a feeling we won’t have any choice in the matter either. The bright side is they seem to be concerned about Emma. That alien brute took me aside to ask all about her, so I can only hope they’ll be going after her. That’s my main concern right now.”

“Molly, do you always think of others before yourself?” Betty asked with a smile. “Here I am only worried about me, especially this whole mating thing, and here you are thinking about Emma. Your heart is in a good place,” she sighed.

“We grew close on the ship. As I have with all of you, and I feel like I owe it to her to be worried. After all, we’re all human, and we’re in this together, so we need to look out for each other. I think she would do the same for me,” I mumbled, blushing. “I can’t imagine how scared she must be out there on her own. I can only hope those Compier aliens, or whatever they call them, are as accommodating as the aliens here are,” I exhaled.

I moved toward the window overlooking the village. The sound of the door unlocking startled us, and we all stood up together side by side as a Revian male we hadn’t seen before walked in.

“You there. You have been summoned,” he said, pointing his finger at me. My heart dropped to my stomach, and my knees began to shake.

“Me?” I asked, pointing to myself. “Why? What’s going on?” I asked, not moving an inch.

“You can come with me willingly, or I can carry you? You will find out why when you arrive in front of the Captain,” he said impatiently, taking a step toward me.

“I’ll come with you.” I said, as I turned to look at Betty and Amy, clinging to each other’s arms and looking scared. I nodded and tried to give my ‘no worries’ smile before letting them know I would be okay.

The Revian and I walked across the village courtyard to a new area I hadn’t seen before. It was on the outskirts of the village, and it seemed to be occupied mostly by warriors. I could hear them fighting each other while they trained in mock combat, and I realized I was entering some sort of military installation.

I kept my head high as I passed these giants with strange eyes, and a few minutes later, I was standing in a room. There was a very tall Revian standing there with his arms behind his back, while the rest were standing at military attention. He reminded me a lot of Jaider.

“You are the human female Molly, is that correct?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yes, I am Molly,” I said, standing in the doorway. He lifted his hand and beckoned me over.

“Come in. Have a seat,” he said, waving his hand to a chair. I sat down and waited patiently, tapping my foot on the floor. I was worried about what was going to happen next.

“Let me be the first to officially welcome you to our planet, Harpo. Do you know why you’re here?” he asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “No one will give me answers,” I said irately. Instead of being insulted by my lack of respect, he just laughed at me.

“You are a fiery one,” he remarked, nodding. “Exactly what he needs. You’re a perfect match!” my brows furrowed at this.

“A match?” I repeated, not following. “What are you talking about?”

Somehow, I had a feeling I already knew what he meant, I just didn’t want to believe it.

“Do you know why you’ve been brought here?” he asked again. “Why you and all these human females have been brought across the galaxies to our own planet?”

“Please tell me why, sir. Do you not see that abducting us is wrong?” I asked.

“You may address me by my name, I am Captain Katon,” he said firmly, and I blinked, remembering Jaider has the same last name.

“We, the Revians, encountered a very big problem more than a decade ago,” he started to explain. “The females of our own race stopped creating offspring. We’re not entirely sure why, but we think it is due to a virus. We’re still in the most primitive of stages at finding answers, but because of it, we face extinction.”

“It was only when a Revian visiting Earth had mated with a human female and got her pregnant, did we discover it was possible for our race to breed elsewhere. This became the solution to our survival, at least until we can find some answers to fix our own females. So, you see Molly that is the reason why you’ve been brought here.”

“I refuse, I can’t do this, it’s not right” I blurted out immediately, my eyes wide with shock.

“Refusing is not an option,” he said, shaking his head. “You have already been assigned to your mate. I have summoned you here so you may meet him, and the process can get started,” he said, smiling as he moved to the door.

“You summoned me, Father?” Jaider said as he walked in. He turned his head, and his eyes widened as he caught sight of me. He turned his head back to his father with his teeth bared. “What the hell is she doing here?” he demanded.

“The Council has made it official. You have been granted a human female for a mate, and I have chosen this one from the recent arrivals,” the Captain said, clapping his son on the shoulder before waiving his hand toward me. “Son, meet your future wife, Molly.”

“No!” we both shouted in unison. I looked over at Jaider, confused. Wait a minute. Was he denying me as his mate? Wasn’t that the whole point? I thought.

“I have already told you, Father. I’m going to marry a female Revian, and nothing you say or do is going to stop me from being with one,” Jaider bellowed angrily. “I am in love with our females, not this stupid human female from Earth!”

I looked at him and tightened my eyes, his rejection stung.

Why did I care that he didn’t want me? I should be happy about it.

“We have already spoken of this, son. You will do as I say!” The Captain explained.

“I will take a Revian female and leave then,” Jaider vowed.

The Captain was quiet for a few minutes after his son’s outburst, his chest rising and falling heavily as he tried to get a grip of himself. “I can see both of you are very defiant, and you are meant for each other I would say, but if you are to leave, then I will grant your request.” He said finally, and Jaider closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging with relief.

“Thank you, Father,” he said.

“But you must first complete a mission before I will allow it,” the Captain said.

“Anything. I shall accomplish it as easily as I always do,” Jaider said cockily, as I rolled my eyes at his arrogance.

“The Council is concerned about the missing human female called ‘Emma’,” the Captain said, and my ears perked up. “We have reason to believe she is being kept close by. I want you to scout this location, and see if she is being held nearby, but you must take Molly with you to make sure she is correctly identified.”

“What? Take Molly? But she’ll only get in the way!” Jaider complained. “She’ll only put us in danger! She can’t even run without falling. I have seen it!”

“Then you must protect her,” the Captain answered. “We cannot have two missing human females, every single one is of the utmost importance to the continuation of our race.”

“But--,” Jaider started, but the Captain interrupted him.

“You must do this mission, or the agreement to let you marry a Revian female is off,” the Captain decided as he sat back down at the table. His smile was arrogant, just like I had seen on his son’s face. Both aliens were frustrating me, but I was hopeful for Emma’s situation, so I didn’t care if I had to be with this brute to find her.

“Fine. If that is what you want, Father, then I accept your offer,” Jaider said. “Tell me everything you know about where you think this human female was taken,” Jaider said, as his father smiled and laid out a map on the table. The two of them went to work as I listened in, peaking at them marking the map as they discussed the plan.

“We believe the Compiers have established a base somewhere in the Torik Forest, which is located over here,” the Captain marked off a point on the map, tracing a circle around it with his finger. “I want you to approach from these mountain cliffs. You cannot take your ship anywhere near it, or they’ll see you, so it will be a hike. Once you climb to this vantage point, you should be able to look down into their base, if it’s there. Molly can identify the human female from that point as well. The hike will take some time, so I ask you two to be patient. Remember: you are only to scout the location, not to engage it. Gather the information and then come back to village immediately, is that clear?” Jaider and I nodded.

“Yes. When do we leave?” Jaider asked, and the Captain smiled again.

“Right now. Gather your supplies and whatever Molly needs,” the Captain pointed at me. Jaider nodded once more and grabbed my arm, yanking me out of the chair.

“Ow! Why are you such an ass! That hurts, you know!” I cried, but my cries fell on deaf ears. “Let go of me! I am perfectly capable of walking,” I said, pulling my arm away from him.

“Are you sure about that? I seem to recall you keep falling all over the place without anything pushing you off-balance,” he said, raising his eyebrow at me before walking ahead.

“Do you know what an ass is?” I asked sarcastically, walking after him.

A few moments later, we were back in the same ship he rescued us in. Other than the basic plan I overhead Captain Katon discussing with him earlier, I wasn’t sure what else we were going to do, or what the mission would entail for me to do. I turned to Jaider and cleared my throat before speaking.

“How long until we reach the forest?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral and bite-free. I might as well try and get along with this guy if I’m going to be spending a lot of time with him. I just hope he appreciates it and reciprocates in kind.

“A couple of hours,” he answered. “It’s on the other side of the planet, and we must be cautious.” He looked at me from the corner of his eyes. “Strap yourself in. I’m not waiting for you,” he said snidely before turning his eyes back to the console and pushing a combination of buttons in front of him. I glared at the back of his head, and strapped myself in, silently frustrated.

He was arrogant and rude all wrapped up in a very attractive package. I hated to admit it, but there was something stimulating about his presence, despite his big ego. Then again, it made sense for him to possess such a personality. It was no different than my workplace back on Earth. Attractive men who came and went were all so arrogant and rude, so I guess it’s just a common trait across the galaxy.

The ship burst forward, and in a moment, the view outside was just a blur. I couldn’t see a damn thing, but Jaider seemed to know exactly where we were going, so I wasn’t too worried and kept quiet. I just kept reminding myself I was doing this for Emma.

My mind also kept wandering with astonishment at how his own father wanted me to be his mate. I mean, of all the aliens in Harpo, I got the asshole! And to top it off, I get rejected by him too. It reminded me of how I was overlooked and made fun of by men and women at my old job on Earth.

That kind of blow to my self-esteem stung then, and it still stings now.

“We are here,” he said as the ship slowed down and hovered above a large forest. The trees here were so beautiful and majestic, with shades of light purple coloring them from the trunk to the leaves. It looked bizarre and fantastic at the same time.

“This is the Torik Forest?” I whispered in awe.

“Yes, but we are a couple of miles away from the apparent base camp. We need to hike the rest of the way,” he answered bluntly.

“Okay,” I said nodding. He landed the ship on a big patch of soft-looking blue grass before turning off the engine.

“I will get the supply bags from the back,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt and leaving without me. I unbuckled my own, and waited by the door until he reappeared with a large pack on his back, throwing a smaller bag at me. I caught it deftly with both hands and he smirked. “There is water and food in there. Try not to lose it.”

I rolled my eyes and draped the bag across my chest diagonally.

“Stay quiet. It will be dark in about an hour, and we must cover as much ground as we can, so we need to walk fast and quiet. We will set up camp afterwards, and then continue towards the base tomorrow. Now follow me.”

I grew even more amazed at my surroundings the further we walked into the forest. There were so many details I didn’t see from the ship, like how the purple trees had a slight sparkle to their barks, almost like someone blew glitter all over them.

Massive butterfly-like creatures flew in the breeze, their wings decorated in vibrant colors and designs. They were so large I could feel the gust of wind from their wings when they flew by me. It made me smile, but a little frightening at the same time. The echoing and whistling of bird songs also caught my attention, as it was very similar to bird sounds back on Earth. Just then I looked up, and I could see some large red feathers, a bird I suppose, go from one tree to another.

I saw Jaider already a few feet away from me, so I jogged to catch up with him. It was hard keeping up with his long-legged strides, which were at least three times my length, especially when I wanted to look at everything, but Jaider wasn’t in the mood to slow down.

It was almost dark when we reached a rocky area of the forest. The mountains were very close, and we were at the foothills, so Jaider raised his arm up and stopped walking.

“Here. Stop. We’ll make camp here,” he said, throwing his pack to the ground.

I stopped and looked around, the ground was rocky, and I could vaguely hear a bubbling brook nearby. I took my bag off and sat down on a large boulder.

“Stay here. I’m going to check out the area and make sure we’re truly alone,” he said.

“You’re leaving me here?” I asked, becoming a little nervous at the thought. He rolled his eyes at me.

“Only for a minute, don’t be so frightened all the time human. Don’t move,” he said, already moving down a path.

“Lurch,” I muttered to myself.

I waited for about five minutes, and he still hadn’t returned. My feet were hurting from all the walking, and I felt hot and sweaty in this humid forest. I longed to dip my feet in the brook nearby, and I was fed up with waiting for him. I walked towards the water, and then stopped in my tracks as soon as the brook appeared.

Only it wasn’t just a brook, but a deep creek with crystal clear water. It looked absolutely beautiful and refreshing… and someone had already beaten me to it.

There, standing completely naked in the middle of the creek, was Jaider. The bastard looked pretty relaxed, bathing himself without a worry in the world. I was about to yell something, but my eyes focused on his body.

The water was up to his mid-thighs, and everything above was completely exposed. His beautiful colored skin was dripping wet, and my eyes were drawn directly to his manhood. His cock was quite large even in a state of rest. I sucked in a sharp breath of air as my body suddenly overheated.

“Like what you see?” he asked, teasing me as he turned to face me fully. I shook my head and tried to keep my face neutral and unaffected.

“It’s really hot, and I was coming for a swim. I didn’t know you were here. I thought you were still scouting for our safety, not playing in the water,” I said, trying to cover up the sudden jolt of desire I felt for him.

“So, what is stopping you? There’s plenty of room,” he said, spreading his arms and looking around the creek.

My heart began to pound faster at his invitation. Normally, I wouldn’t accept it, but I was really feeling hot and sticky, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of the night all gross and sweaty.

I didn’t like the idea of sloshing around the next day all wet in my clothes either, but I also wasn’t about to go in naked with Jaider in there.

“Turn around,” I said to him, and he chuckled.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he quipped, and I blushed, waving him away.

“Just turn around!” I cried.

He laughed harder but stepped out of the water and turned his back to me. The soft lavender color on his broad back was absolutely striking to look at as it moved into the darker purple on his lower back, and his hard, firm bottom. I tried not to stare at him too much as I began to remove my boots and clothing before quickly waddling into the water, dipping into it until I was covered up to my shoulders.

“Alright, you can turn back now,” I said. He just stood there like some sort of Greek statue, with an arrogant grin decorating his face. I scowled and pulled my eyes away from his naked body, and instead looked up at the rock walls.

“The water feels amazing,” I complimented. “It’s just what I needed after that long walk.”

“Yes, it is. Don’t be afraid to wet your hair then,” he said, walking back into the water and splashing me with it.

I reared my head back as the splashes caught my face, before I looked back at him and snickered. It was amusing to me this giant alien was playing in the water like a little boy. I pushed a large amount of water back at him, but it did nothing as he dove underwater and swam below the surface.

He came up from behind me and splashed me with water again, this time the cold hitting my back and making me shriek. We frolicked in the water for a few minutes, and it was a nice feeling to have some tension between us gone.

I was bouncing up and down in the water, and I had completely forgotten I was naked. As I came to a shallow part of the creek, I was preoccupied with laughing at some silly thing he did, that when I stood up, I fully exposed myself from the waist up. Jaider looked in my direction, and his smile faded from his face. I looked down at my breasts, and my nipples were hard and puckered from the chilly water.

Suddenly feeling very vulnerable, I crossed my arms in front of my chest and looked at him, my cheeks burning red. He said nothing as he took three big strides in the water toward me until we were only inches apart from each other. His arms wrapped around my wet back, and he pulled me up to him as he lowered his head and placed his lips on mine.

I was immediately lost in the warmth of his mouth, and I kissed him back, putting my arms around his neck. The movements made me press my breasts against his strong chest, while his hands roamed up and down my dripping back.

I moaned at his touch.

In this moment, I wanted him so bad, and I didn’t know if I could stop.