Melinda Jefferson (Daughter of the Prime Minister)
The brilliant suns in the skies of Jenal’k were breathtaking; particularly as the smallest and brightest of them began to set. It left a beautiful red glow over the landscape that made the whole world seem unbelievably beautiful. The sand lit up like a diamond in colors I had never even seen before. I couldn’t help but appreciate every little hill and crevice in the landscape as Aloitus quietly drove the hovercraft above the sandy plains below.
By the time the littlest sun had disappeared from sight, casting a purple glow from the east that was easily dissipated by the brightness of the bigger suns, we were zooming over a lush green meadow that was quickly becoming more and more mountainous terrain. Directly below the craft was a large clearing, with small white tents that were spaced far apart on the compound. Little pink figures were being herded by little teal figures, and I suddenly realized that it was a camp full of human women.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing down at the women. “What are they doing to them?”
“Those are the human women that were brought to Jenal’k. We are getting them acclimated to the world here. When they are ready, they will be able to go home with a mate.”
“You brought them here to breed?” I asked, disgusted. Is that what I had been brought to do? Despicable!
“It was that or fall victim to the Vellreq. It is the lesser of two evils. And it’s not like they’re being forced into it. There is a courting process.”
I mulled this over briefly as we passed above the heads of the other women. They seemed all right, but as far as I could tell, they were still slaves who had been kidnapped and stolen away to a planet that was not their home.
“And what about me?” I asked, frowning. “You just took me from my home to yours.”
Aloitus was silent and continued staring ahead as he drove. I sighed. At least he wasn’t actively trying to get me into bed with him. He seemed too busy for that. At least for now. What would happen if he ever had free time on his hands?
Although the thought should have disgusted me, for some reason a surge of heat pulsed through my body. Aloitus was an astonishingly attractive man. Would it really be so bad to have him as a mate?
I was appalled at myself for the thought. Of course, it would be bad! It was every type of wrong in the book. Just because he wasn’t the worst captor I’d had in the past year didn’t mean that he was the kind of person I should be opening myself up to, even if it was just physical pleasure.
I hadn’t been allowed to date very much growing up. Being the daughter of a politician meant that I was always under strict surveillance. Anything I did wrong could have reflected badly upon my father’s career, so he always had strict rules for me to abide by. The strictest was no dating.
It had left me very curious, and although I’d had a few secret boyfriends that I was smart enough to keep the tabloids off the trail of, I still had never had a good sexual experience with a man I trusted. Most of the men I’d been with had only seemed interested in gratifying themselves, and I’d lost interest in trying.
That is, until I had seen Aloitus ascending toward me from the sky. Now it seemed I couldn’t get him out of my head. As much as he irritated me, I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. There was just something about him that I craved. Even in the dead of night, knowing I shouldn’t be allowing myself to harbor such feelings, I was unfortunately powerless to stop them.
“We will land here,” Aloitus said, his lyrical voice breaking into my thoughts. “I think you will enjoy this place as I have.”
The hovercraft began landing softly in the lush forest surrounding us, into a patch of dirt that seemed a well-worn parking lot for one. Aloitus pressed a sequence of buttons, and the doors of the hovercraft opened, letting in the sweet smell of the jungle. It was unbelievably uplifting, and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
“That smells good,” I said softly.
“Yes,” Aloitus agreed, hopping cheerfully out of the hovercraft. He quickly rounded the craft until he was at my doorway and offered his hand up to me.
I peered down at him as I took it, shocked by how different he seemed already. It was as if this place had brought out a different side of the man, and he was feeling comfortable and lively. The loose smile suited him, and I found myself lost once again in his rich beauty.
I cried out in surprise when he seemed tired of waiting for me to hop down from the craft and lifted me easily, his strong, huge hands wrapping themselves around my waist and sending jolts of forbidden pleasure through my loins. He was unbelievably strong, and I was set down gently beside the craft. Aloitus hummed to himself as he closed the doors to the hovercraft.
“It is this way. Follow me and stay close. It can be dangerous here.”
Dangerous? How?
But Aloitus was already walking forward briskly, and I had to jog to catch up. I wished he would slow down so I could take some time to enjoy my surroundings. I had always loved being out in natural areas, and the jungles of Jenal’k were unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Aloitus looked over his shoulder at me, his purple eyes twinkling. “You are going to like this.”
I couldn’t help but be endeared to him as he led the way, his powerful body stepping over obstacles and holding large leaves and branches out of my way. He was actually quite a gentleman when he set his mind to it, and the desire that I tried so hard to repress came back to me in powerful, unexpected waves.
Suddenly, Aloitus grew rigid and stopped.
“What are you—”
“Shh!” he hissed.
At first, I was hurt and angered by it, but before I could give him a piece of my mind, a dark shadow fell over us, and Aloitus sighed.
“You better hope skipping third meal was worth it,” Aloitus mumbled.
Suddenly his strong hands were on me again, and I was being whipped through the air. I cried out in surprise and fear when I saw that, in the spot where I had been standing, there was now a giant thorn buried in the ground that was nearly as tall as I was.
But Aloitus didn’t answer. He flung me behind his body and glared up into the sky at what appeared to be a giant flower-like monster. It towered above us, its head as high as the tallest trees in the forest, and Aloitus frowned deeply, drawing his weapon. It looked like a gun at first, but when he powered it on, a long beam of bright white light shone from it, and Aloitus charged at the creature.
It threw another thorn down at Aloitus, but he dodged masterfully, his broad, powerful body moving with the finesse of a panther. I was mesmerized by the scene. I had never seen a man so capable. If he could move like this in battle, imagine what he might be able to do elsewhere!
I was shocked out of the thought by the sound of Aloitus’ voice. He had cried out in pain, and I was horrified to see his arm wrapped in what looked like a vine controlled by the creature towering above us. He had dropped his weapon and was tugging his arm, fighting helplessly to free himself.
I couldn’t bear to see him in pain, and without thinking, I ran to him and picked up the weapon that had been cast to the ground. I didn’t know how to work it, but I handed it to Aloitus.
His purple eyes widened in surprise, gratitude, and what looked like fear.
“Get away before you are injured! Go hide in the shade; this is a being that seeks the power of the suns. It will avoid you there.”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to go until I knew Aloitus would be all right. He seemed to sense this and gritted his teeth, slicing the creature’s vine and freeing himself. A high pitched whistling noise filled the air, and the creature lashed out again at Aloitus.
“I said hide!” Aloitus demanded, before tearing his gaze from mine and running straight for the creature. But I was too horrified. I didn’t want to see him injured.
To my surprise, the whistling sound intensified as Aloitus plunged his laser deep into the center of the creature’s stalk, and began running up it, dragging the blade behind him. It was being torn in half as Aloitus ran, climbing it like a tree until he reached the top.
I watched in horror and amazement as Aloitus managed to get on the creature’s shoulders, plunging his blade deep into its neck. A strangled whistling sound was emitted as it collapsed to the ground, and Aloitus held tightly to its terrifying head as it fell forward.
“Look out!” Aloitus called, riding the creature down to the ground. I scrambled out of the way just as it landed beside me, and Aloitus climbed off and grinned. “Are you all right?”
I nodded dumbly, and Aloitus put his weapon away.
“Those guys are pretty destructive. They’re an invasive species from a planet not too far from here. They like to incubate here as seeds, but they completely destroy the foliage. It is partly due to them that the Red Deserts are so vast, though that is a good thing for our people as we prefer the warmer climate. But there are other creatures who are native to Jenal’k that need the jungles to survive. Everybody’s home here is important.”
As Aloitus continued to walk ahead of me, I felt the last of my self-control wavering. He was so handsome and considerate. And, he had just saved my life. My body was on fire, and I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. The feeling was scary but thrilling, and I gripped Aloitus by the hand.
He turned to me, startled, and then his face softened and his four fingers closed gently around mine. “Come,” he said. “We are nearly there.”
***
I stared in disbelief, stunned by the beautiful rivers of Mount Zennith. Aloitus had more than delivered on his promise that I would like the scenery here; in truth, I had never seen a natural landscape more beautiful.
The hills were rolling and beautiful as the suns streamed down upon the water, casting dazzling and beautiful sparkles of color that I had never seen in the waters of Earth.
“How is this possible?” I asked Aloitus breathlessly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
We had sat at the river’s edge, and Aloitus had rolled up the legs of his trousers and removed his stuffy combat boots to dip his feet in the cool water. He had invited me to do the same, but I couldn’t imagine muddying the beautiful sight with my feet.
“This is the source of Jenal’k’s fresh water. We do not need it to survive as humans do, of course, but all the same, it is here. But as it courses through the land and becomes filtered, minerals enter it that are wonderful for humans and Thressl’n alike. But it is an optional source of nutrition as opposed to a necessary one.”
“So…it’s basically a Thressl’n health craze, then,” I said, mulling this information over. Aloitus laughed, a surprising and pleasant sound.
“Yes,” he said. “It is a lot like that.”
We sat in silence for a few moments longer, enjoying the soothing sounds of the water flowing past us. I couldn’t help but feel that it was the most romantic moment I had ever shared with another living soul, and turned tentatively to Aloitus, a question burning on my mind that had been bothering since I had first laid eyes on him.
“Why am I here?” I managed to whisper. “Are you planning to breed with me?”
Aloitus turned to me, his brow raised high in surprise.
“The time is too young to tell such a thing,” he said, turning to face me, his purple eyes boring into mine. “There are so many tasks I must fulfill. My obligations to the planet are more urgent than my obligations to future races of Thressl’n. As much as I’d like to, finding a mate should not be my main priority right now.”
He seemed as if he was going to say more, but he bit the words back and turned away from me, casting his stormy purple eyes back out over the water. I felt a strong urge to hold him close to me then, to try and tell him that he was doing a great job. Although I resented being his prisoner, everybody at the palace was worried about him. Even I had noticed that he was growing thin and gaunt, with a permanent expression of weariness and determination etched on his face.
“You know, this is the first time I’ve seen you look so at peace,” I said quietly. “Maybe we should come here more often.”
Aloitus turned to me, his face bright. “So you like it then?”
I smiled at him, warmed by his handsome features lighting up at my approval. “I love it.”
We were quiet for a few more moments, and then I sighed.
“Thank you.”
“What? Why?” Aloitus asked, taking another deep breath of the sweet air before turning his gaze to me.
“Thank you. For saving my life back there. I don’t know how to…”
Before I could finish speaking, my words were cut off by the soft, sensual thrill of Aloitus’s lips. He kissed me tenderly, sending gentle, tingling waves of pleasure creeping from my lips and deeper and deeper inside of me.
I knew I should push him away. There was no way I could condone being one of Aloitus’s conquests, especially after being abducted from my home.
But with every touch, he awakened a new desire within me, and soon, his gentle kiss had become more lingering and passionate. As his tongue massaged my own, the soft, sensual pleasures had begun to awaken into deep, hot flames with a desperate appetite. They were hungry for something only Aloitus could provide, and now that I had surrendered myself to them, there would be no stopping until they got exactly what they wanted.
***
My body was electrified as Aloitus pulled me close to him, his broad chest heaving and his purple eyes dark and steady upon me. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to get myself to protest; there was no way I should be allowing myself to fall into this trap with him.
But instead of telling him to stop, I gasped in pleasure as Aloitus roamed the curves of my breasts with his hand and buried his lips into the tender nape of my neck, sending deep thrills all the way to my core. Aloitus explored my body tenderly, with a gentleness and precision I should have expected from a man like him. And yet it surprised me just the same.
He pulled away just to examine the look on my face, and I gasped, closing my eyes as his lips found mine again, and he climbed above me. Our middles met, and suddenly I felt the urgency of his desire, firm against me. It sent an overpowering fire through my body, and I gripped Aloitus by the shoulders, bracing myself as he began to lift the fabrics of my clothes and leave trails of fire behind his gentle, exploratory touches.
“You are mine,” Aloitus said firmly into my ear. I wanted to tell him no. I didn’t belong to anybody. But instead, the concept of his claiming me thrilled me deeply, and I surrendered to his unbelievable power.
Aloitus stripped me quickly, careful not to tear any of the fabrics of my clothing from Earth. He studied my naked body, his eyes shining with need. I shivered beneath him, and again, my body was covered in sweet, gentle kisses. I never would have guessed Aloitus to be the type to be so caring, but he surprised me again and again as he generously filled my body with pleasure beyond anything I had ever hoped to experience.
But soon, his desire became apparent, and I moaned softly when Aloitus stripped away the layers of his outfit, revealing his unbelievably powerful body in full. I gazed at him, in awe of the rippling muscles of his abdomen. I gasped suddenly as Aloitus thrust his hips against mine, and I felt his rock hard member press against the boundaries of my middle. It sent a shock all the way through me, and he smiled down at me as if he knew exactly what I was feeling.
It was both embarrassing and thrilling, and he teased me once more with his hips, dragging the length of himself against my sensitive mound, until I was writhing beneath Aloitus in pleasure and anticipation.
I touched his broad chest, letting my hand fall down the pronounced muscle of Aloitus’s abdomen. His skin was surprisingly soft here, but he was dense and tight, compactly muscled even beyond his abs. Even his member was impressive; just the brief sight of it made me hot with anticipation.
I caught him grinning down at me before his mouth closed over mine again. I couldn’t help but moan as I began to feel him pressing inside of me. I could feel myself being pried blissfully open by the power of his unbelievable body, and I sighed in pleasure as Aloitus took his time, studying me and the effects his touch had on me. He seemed to relish in my every little reaction and did whatever he could to provide me with the height of my pleasure at every turn.
Never in my life had I experienced anything even close to this. I’d slept with two other boyfriends, but both had been lackluster experiences. Of course, my body would learn what it was fully capable of with a man from another planet. That figured.
Still, I was in no position to complain as Aloitus moved his powerful hips against me, plunging suddenly inside of me with all of his force. I cried out in pleasure and surprise, Aloitus showing no signs of going easy on me now that his member was buried inside of me. And I didn’t want him to show any mercy. I had been on fire for this man since the moment I had laid eyes on him. And now, only he had the ability to quell the flames.