The day of the mating dance had finally arrived, and I cast a final glance at myself in the mirror. I was wearing my best suit, though I knew that compared to the other men who would be in attendance, I was going to look remarkably scruffy.
Most of the human females had been assigned to generals and commanders, like Zerk’k Arkti. These men were wealthy and were sure to look dazzling in their attire. Mine was second-hand from my deceased uncle, and its style had been out of use for several revolutions. But I had no choice. I was going to have to put myself on the line for ridicule. With Emily in mind, that was easy to do.
I drove to the camps on Mount Zennith and parked among some of the most elaborate hovercraft models. Several of them I was solely responsible for designing, and yet I would never be able to afford such a craft. It seemed criminally unfair.
Still, that was the way of things. I pushed the thought out of my mind and made my way to the entrance of the tent, standing nervously among the long row of Thressl’n men waiting for the human females to emerge.
Finally, after what seemed like an unreasonably long time, a song began to play over the speakers I had rigged around the tent, and the lights dimmed. (Also my doing.)
The tent’s entrance opened, and a spotlight followed a long line of women as they walked, one by one, into the tent to greet us. Many of the women had looks of horror on their faces, but a large number of them were actually quite pacified. The tent looked magical after the crafty work of the humans, and combined with my lights and the sounds from Earth, a warm, festive environment had been created out of nearly nothing.
My hearts suddenly drummed loudly in my chest and my gaze fixed upon the single most beautiful human of them all. Emily was heading toward me, gliding in a beautiful Thressl’n gown that looked as if it were made of the stars themselves. And that was exactly where I was going to take her.
“Laike, welcome,” she said stiffly. I heard choruses of the same from the other human females and realized that she had been instructed to welcome me in such a formal manner.
“Thank you, Emily,” I said smiling. “Shall we?”
I held my elbow out in the same manner as all the other Thressl’n men; we had been instructed by Jenal’k’s love doctor after watching several of the films from Earth.
The feeling of her skin soft against my hand filled my chest with a warm feeling beyond lust or intimacy. But there was no word for such a feeling on Jenal’k.
I led Emily to the dance floor as a new song began to play. I held her close, the way we had been taught, and was surprised by how easily she moved to the sounds. They were grating and strange to my ears, but she seemed to be legitimately enjoying herself.
“I’m going to take you home,” I whispered into her ear. She pulled away from me and looked at me inquisitively. “I promise.”
Emily seemed puzzled, but soon the song changed once again, and the music was suddenly more fast paced.
“This is my jam,” I said, as I had been instructed.
Emily’s face broke into a broad smile.
“What?” she asked
I laughed sheepishly. “I don’t actually know what that means.”
Emily shook her head, and the smile spread across her face.
“So what do we do after this?” she asked.
“You will see,” I said. “For now, let’s just enjoy the dance.”
Emily nodded, a light smile playing her lips, and I held her close, my chest tightening with that warm feeling again as she laid her head gently against my shoulder. I prayed to the gods that my plan would work. It was what a woman like Emily deserved.
***
“I didn’t know how much I would miss this place,” Emily said, smiling as she walked through the front door.
“Don’t get too used to it,” I said, searching frantically for the bag of food I had packed before the dance. “We’re leaving.”
“What?” Emily asked, the smile falling from her face. “Where are we going?”
“Don’t ask questions; there is no time. Just follow me.”
I held my hand out to Emily. I would have to lead the way through the steep tunnel that I had dug from my closet to my underground workshop. She hesitated for a moment, and my chest burned with anxiety. If she didn’t cooperate now, there wouldn’t be any time left. Everything was ready.
I became nearly giddy with relief when Emily’s warm hand finally pressed into mine.
“All right,” she said with a sigh.
“Great!”
I rushed through the house and into the bedroom. Emily followed silently, though I could tell she was having a hard time matching my long strides. Fortunately, we still had a fair amount of time before the pictures were published. According to the prom tradition on Earth, we had been forced into taking an image with our dates.
“What the hell is this place?” Emily exclaimed as I ducked into the steep tunnel. I didn’t answer her. Instead, I lifted her over my shoulder and carried her through the perilous terrain until we finally made it to the open space of the bunker.
“I told you,” I said, running into the ship I had built. “I’m taking you home.”
Emily’s eyes widened as I powered the ship on, and the ground above us began to quake. The large doors opened up from under the ground, making way for the ship to take off.
“If this doesn’t work, we may both be killed,” I said, glancing nervously at her from the commander’s panel. “If that happens, I am sorry I could not give you the freedom you deserve.”
Emily’s eyes filled with a strange liquid, but I didn’t have time to ask her if she was all right. I threw back the switch to ignite the engines, and a roar filled our ears. I squeezed my eyes shut with one final prayer to the gods, and hoped for the best.
***
“This is unbelievable,” Emily breathed. “I was half unconscious last time I was out here.”
I was filled with pride. My ship had apparently caused quite a stir. Several ships had left Jenal’k, but they were no match for my turbo-boosters. I knew the technology used by the other crafts inside and out, and had taken great pains to make sure my ship was the best crafted of them all.
“I have never been out in space either,” I admitted. Emily looked surprised.
“So this is new to us both, then.”
“Yes,” I said.
We were quiet as I put in the coordinates for Earth. It was difficult for me to imagine leaving her there, but I knew I would be all right. There were plenty of adventures out there for us in the universe, and a lot of friendly planets who enjoyed greeting wayward travelers. I had even made a machine that could sustain us should we run out of our food sources in case it took a while between trips to restock.
I paused. I was still thinking as if Emily was going to stay with me. I wanted to make her my own, but there was no way that I could do that on Jenal’k. and it was clear to me now, after seeing the way she interacted with the other humans, that she wouldn’t be happy unless she was home.
We were mesmerized by the sights and sounds of space for a while longer before Emily yawned.
“I only had time to make one bedroom,” I said, furrowing my eyebrows. “You take it. I will sleep here.”
Emily hesitated and then shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
I could understand how she felt. The universe was so large and vast; it seemed unpleasant to be left by yourself for too long.
“All right,” I said, putting the craft on autopilot and walking Emily to the bedroom.
We sat down on the bed, and she looked deeply into my eyes.
“Why are you taking me to Earth?” she asked softly.
I had a feeling that the way I answered this question would determine my fate for the rest of my life, and inhaled deeply.
“You deserve your freedom,” I said finally. “And if you stay with me, you will not feel free. What I feel for you cannot be returned if you feel like a slave.”
Emily looked down at the bed, smiling privately to herself.
“You should have asked me what I wanted then,” she said with a sigh. “Although honestly, I’m not sure I would have known how to answer that myself.”
“What do you want?” I asked, taking her hand in mine. I wanted to cherish every moment I had left with her. There was nothing more important to me than what she was feeling that moment.
“I want to see everything there is to see in the universe,” Emily said carefully. “And I’d like to do that with the man I love.”
“Love...” I said. I finally had a word that matched the feeling in my breast.
Emily smiled, her eyes shimmering with that strange liquid again, and she squeezed my hand. I held it tightly, and we stared into each other’s eyes.
“I want to stay with you,” Emily said. “Nobody in the universe could ever treat me as well as you do.”
I smiled, and took Emily’s soft face in my hands.
“Then you will stay with me,” I said softly, kissing her sweet lips and relishing in the feeling of her body so near to mine. “Until the end of the universe and back again.”
Emily gasped in pleasure as my tongue slipped into her mouth and caressed hers sensually, and her grip tightened around my fingers.
I laid her down gently on the bed and roamed her body with my hands. She looked more beautiful than I ever could have imagined in the Thressl’n-made gown, but she was stunning without it.
I pulled it gently over her head, revealing her flawless, pale body. She shivered as the air touched her skin, and I lowered my mouth over every perfect crevice. Emily shuddered in bliss as I slowly explored every inch of her body. It had taken on a new meaning to me now, and I wanted to appreciate every moment of her.
My desire was mounting, and I freed my member from the confines of my slacks and laid on top of her, staring into her face. Her golden eyes sparkled as she looked back at me, and we began to move together in unison, our desire and love leading the way for our bodies.
Emily hitched her hips up against me and sighed softly into my ear as I buried my face into her breasts, my mouth tasting the sweet, delicate mounds of her nipples. Her skin was like silk against mine, and I ran my hand through her soft, beautiful hair as I slowly pushed myself inside of her.
Her body opened like a flower for me, and we were both lost in ecstasy as we rocked together to a rhythm only we could hear. My pleasure mounted until a hot, urgent need to release myself nearly made me lose my composure. Emily seemed to have reached her climax at just the same time, and we sighed together in bliss as I released a long stream of the physical testament to my longing deep inside of her.
Emily grinned at me, her hands roaming the ridges of my face and hair.
“Thank you for saving me, Laike Ostra’ki,” she said, love radiating from her body.
“Thank you for staying with me,” I replied.
Emily grinned, and we fell into a deep sleep.