Tumbling through the air in the hands of the wind, I desperately tried to get control of the flier. No luck. The wings shuddered and shook whenever I tried to turn, and while I couldn't read the control board's displays, the red flashing lights couldn't mean anything good. All I could manage was to keep myself from throwing up, and that wasn't easy.

Thank God Toprak had fastened my harness for me. It held me tight in my seat rather than letting me bounce around the cabin, and that was the only good news.

The pounding rain around me made it hard to see anything, and judging my altitude was near impossible. Lightning crashed around me, thunder shook the cabin, and I tried desperately to think of a plan. Something, anything, I could do.

There has to be a radio, right? One of these switches has to turn it on. I reached out, then hesitated. What if I switched off the engine instead? As bad as I was getting thrown around now, dropping into the sea would be worse. I shuddered at the memory of the sea monster.

There didn't seem to be any other option, though, and the flier seemed to be designed to be as safe as possible. They wouldn't let someone shut down the engine in flight, I told myself, and stabbed a finger at the most likely-looking switch before I could argue with myself.

Lights snapped on outside, illuminating the rain. No help there. The next one brought up some kind of holographic display, possibly some kind of map — the labels were incomprehensible, but there were an awful lot of red-shaded areas. A weather map, perhaps? It wasn't helping me, anyway.

Third time’s the charm, I hoped, and flicked the next switch.

The flier shuddered under me, spinning wildly and making me scream as it flipped over and over. I lost all track of what was up and down for a horrible, spinning moment. Then an awful snap filled the air and the flier steadied a little, still shaking wildly.

"Damage warning," an emotionless voice announced. "Net detatched."

Okay, that's enough random button pressing. Deploying the net in this weather was clearly not a good idea, and I was lucky it had been broken off so quickly rather than dragging me down into the sea. I had no idea what other disasters waited for me, and no desire to find out.

"I'll just have to wait it out," I muttered, tasting blood. I must have bitten my cheek in the spin. If that was the only injury I came out of this with, I'd count myself lucky.

The lights were still on. That was good. It might let someone find me — if they were even looking for me. Maybe Corvax would be glad to be rid of me. He'd wanted me gone as soon as possible, after all. I tried not to think that way, but nothing in this situation made me feel optimistic.

The cockpit rattled around me as I tried to steady the flier, to pull up, to get away from the water. But while the net had torn off, whatever was left of it was still making the flier twist and shake whenever I tried to steer it. And more and more lights on the control panel were turning red. Shit.

"Warning: low battery," the flier's voice informed me helpfully. "Less than four minutes flight time remaining."

"That's just great," I muttered, peering out into the storm. Lightning flashed in the distance, and I thought I could see the silhouette of an island. Or maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to?

Pulling on the stick, I tried to turn in that direction. What I'd do if I reached land, I had no idea, but going down in the middle of the ocean seemed more dangerous. It didn't matter much, anyway. As soon as I tried to turn, the wind pulled the flier into another tumble and I barely managed to straighten out above the waves.

I'm going to die here. The thought was strangely calm, and I almost laughed at it. Gripping the stick so hard my knuckles went white, I pulled hard. If I didn't do anything, I'd go down in the sea. If I tried... well, the result would probably be the same, but at least I'd go out trying to control my fate.

Somehow that seemed important.

Straining at the stick, I pulled the nose round in the direction of the distant island and twisted the throttle full on. No point in saving power for later. The little flier's engine howled against the storm, pulling me up and forwards, and for a moment I dared to hope that I'd make it.

I saw the giant wave just before it hit me. Screaming, I jerked the stick back, but it was too late. The wall of water smashed into the flier and I lost all my bearings, tumbling nose over tail as the cabin disintegrated around me. The disembodied voice of the flier tried to say something, lost over the crashing water, and the straps tore free. Somehow I'd been thrown clear.

My head broke the surface and I gasped for air desperately. Everything was spinning, I had no idea where I was, and another wave crashed over me before I could get more than half a breath.

This was the end. I knew it. Every muscle ached already and the biting cold of the sea sapped my strength.

I swam as hard as I could, breaking the surface again as lightning shook the skies above me. Where was that damned island? It had to be close. That was my only hope.

But I couldn't see a thing aside from the waves, and another one was bearing down on me. The impact took me under again, and I knew I didn't have the strength to make it back to the surface. Everything seemed to fade away as the strength left my muscles.

Just as I thought it was over, powerful hands grabbed me and I felt myself dragged upward, out of the water. I sucked in a desperate breath, consciousness fading, and the last thing I thought before the darkness took me was his name.

Corvax. Somehow he'd found me.

When I came to, the sky was clear and blue above me. Birds squawked and I could hear waves crashing on a beach. And everything hurt. My muscles ached, my head throbbed, my lungs burned.

For a long while I just lay there, looking up at the sky and luxuriating in the thought that I was still alive. Somehow. Miraculously.

No, I remembered. Not a miracle. Corvax saved me. Though perhaps it was a miracle that he'd found me, out on the ocean in that storm. I had to find him, thank him.

Pulling myself up to a sitting position wasn't easy, and it made my head swim and eyesight blur. That wasn't a good sign, though I'd take it over the alternative. Once the nausea had subsided again I risked looking around, trying to get my bearings.

I was lying high up a sandy beach, the warm sun drying me off. And my clothes hung over the branches of a nearby tree. That was when I realized that I was naked. My face heated instantly and I covered myself with my hands instinctively before realizing that there was no one there to see me.

Weak as a kitten I pulled myself to my feet, steadying myself on the tree's odd, alien trunk. The bark was smooth and red, and it somehow didn't feel like a tree. Or my head wound was making everything feel wrong, one or the other. Muttering under my breath, I checked my clothes. Still damp, but not soaked, and I had to wear something. Pulling on my top and skirt, I left the rest to finish drying while I set out to search for my savior.

I didn't have to go far. Corvax was around the curve of the beach, standing waist-deep in the sea with a spear in his hands. I couldn't help staring at his bare torso as he focused intently on his work. He looked so perfectly in his element, his chiseled muscles glistening in the sunlight. Rather than interrupt him, I sat on the sands and watched as he worked.

It was like looking at a statue, he was so still. Like a masterpiece of a statue, for that matter — Corvax looked so perfect that it was hard to think of this as something other than an amazing piece of sculpture. Though I'd never seen a sculpture that sexy before.

Then he moved, striking with a sudden grace. The spear darted out into the water and withdrew again, a huge fish impaled on it. He turned back to the shore, unsurprised to see me there.

I almost looked away as he strode out of the water, but I couldn't quite bring myself to. Not when it gave me a chance to admire his wonderful, perfect, and above all naked body again.

Oh my. He was even more impressive than I'd expected, and completely unashamed. Not that he had anything at all to be ashamed of. I realized I was staring, biting my lip, flushing. Tearing my gaze away, I looked out to sea. The sun was nearing the horizon, and I couldn't see the skystalk anywhere. I hoped that meant that we were on the wrong side of the island, rather than that the storm had carried us too far to see it.

Corvax said something I couldn't make out as he put the fish down on a rock and pulled on his pants. I was torn between disappointment and relief — at least now I could look at him again without my cheeks burning as hot as the sun.

That's not the important thing, is it? I asked myself. This was the man who'd saved my life, and all I could think about was how sexy he was. To be fair, he's sexier than any man I've ever met, but still...

"Thank you," I said, trying to be earnest. Something sounded odd about my voice, and I tried again. "Thank you, Corvax. I thought I was going to die out there."

He looked at me as though he didn't understand, then he replied. Whatever he was saying, though, I didn't understand a word of it. It was as though Corvax was speaking gibberish.

Frowning, I looked up at him, focusing. For a moment I worried that the blow to my head had done something terrible to my brain, but then I realized what must have happened. The translator necklace was still on my neck, but it was silent. Immersing it in salt water clearly hadn't done it any good.

"Oh crap," I said aloud. At least Corvax wouldn't understand my swearing. "Corvax, can you understand any English?"

It was a desperate hope. I certainly didn't understand any of his language, and there was no reason he'd know any of mine. And his expression stayed blank and uncomprehending. Crap. Double crap.

Pulling off the useless necklace I threw it down on the sand in frustration. As if being shipwrecked wasn't bad enough. Tears welled in my eyes and I bit back a sob.

Corvax reached down and, with gentle strength, guided my face up to look at him. Dark, intense eyes stared into mine, and he spoke again. The words were meaningless to me, of course, but his tone was comforting and the feel of his presence made things feel a little better.

I was alive. He was alive. And we were together. That was a lot better than things could have turned out after I flew into a storm. I tried to hold onto that.

Over the next few hours, as the sun went down, we hashed out a basic kind of communication. Mostly pointing and waving our arms in frustration, but it was better than nothing. The island we'd landed on was small, too small for a settlement. No one lived here apart from the birds that colonized the small grove of trees. The trees had made it through the storm surprisingly well, but then they had to be well adapted to the weather here.

Thank god for that grove, though. It meant that there was wood to gather for a fire.

Not that we needed one for warmth, but I didn't fancy trying the fish raw.

It was strangely soothing, gathering the wood while Corvax cleaned the fish. I'd never done anything like this before and being a castaway ought to have been a nightmare. But his confident presence made things feel better. Safer. I could relax, just a little bit.

On my own, I doubted I'd have been able to feed myself. Corvax, though, didn't just know how to fish. He knew which of the local plants were edible, and how to prepare them. By the time the stars were in the sky above us we each had a meal, served on a palm leaf as a plate. We washed it down with fresh water he'd gathered from an inland spring, tasting sweeter than wine. Perhaps it was the setting, perhaps it was the narrow escape from death, or perhaps he really was that good of a cook. For whatever reason, it was the most delicious meal I'd ever eaten.

Maybe this is a chance to start over, I thought. To meet again. If only I knew how to talk with him. I don't know how long we're going to be out here on our own, and it's going to be frustrating if we can't communicate.

I felt my cheeks flush again as I looked at Corvax in the firelight, his muscles gleaming and eyes shining. There were things I'd rather do with him than talk.

Probably it was the simple surprise of still being alive after my experiences in the storm, or maybe it was the setting that did it, but I wanted Corvax more than ever. And the way he looked at me left no doubt that he felt the same way. I bit my lip, breath catching as his eyes focused on my body.

"We don't have to worry about anything," I told him, knowing he couldn't understand a word of it. "Can't we just be ourselves out here on the island? When we get back, it'll be back to the Protector and his guest... but for now, let's be two castaways on an island."

Overhead, the distant stars twinkled. Corvax moved closer, rumbling an answer that I couldn't understand, and his hand brushed my cheek. The electric feeling of that touch made me gasp, and with a trembling hand I reached out for him.

His skin felt weird but good. Not quite like a human's, just different enough to be exotic, strange, wonderful. Gently I traced the muscles of his chest, not breaking eye contact as my fingertips explored the contours of that glorious body.

Corvax bared his teeth, growling a word in his own language. Hard, rough, but somehow inviting. Like him.

I wondered what it meant. A command, a prayer, a request? It could be almost anything. I was sure of one thing, though — he wasn't telling me to stop.

His fingers left my cheek, tracing down my neck and making me whimper softly. Finding the neckline of my top, he stroked along it, teasing me as I felt my skin heat under him. Slow, deliberate, controlled movements that took my breath away.

"Yes," I breathed as he leaned in over me. "God yes, Corvax. Please?"

Our lips met in a powerful kiss that seemed to go on forever. I'd wanted this so badly since the moment I saw him on the space station, and now finally I was going to get what I'd prayed for. His hands pulled me close, our bodies pressing together, and I could feel just how hard he was for me through the thin layers of our clothes.

Eventually we parted, me shaking with need and nerves, him steady as a rock and just as hard. Corvax spoke again, a short word that was unmistakably a command — and at that moment I'd have done anything he told me to, if only I understood.

For a moment I looked up at him, helpless. Comprehension flashed in his eyes, and he repeated the word slowly, carefully. As he said it, his hands moved with a surprising grace and precision, undoing my top. My heart pounded as he pulled it off my arms and cast it aside, and I swallowed nervously.

Without thinking about it, I tried to cover my bare breasts, but he caught my wrists, shaking his head. I licked my lips and lowered my arms again, letting him look at my body. It was an intoxicating feeling. This powerful, gorgeous alien wanted me, wanted nothing but me.

Again, he repeated that word. Undress? Was that what he meant? I fumbled at the fastening of my skirt and he nodded. My fingers wouldn't cooperate, but after a frustrating moment it came undone and I let it fall. Standing naked before Corvax, I let his eyes feast on me.

The happy, hungry look in his eyes as he carefully looked me up and down made me tingle all over, and I ached for his touch. I'd never needed anything more than I did him.

But first, I wanted to see him. Hesitantly, I tried to repeat the word he'd spoken. He grinned, nodded, and reached down to unfasten his pants. There was no shyness to him as he freed himself of the clothing, his erect cock standing proud and strong. I gasped at the sheer size of him, trying to imagine what it would feel like inside me.

I couldn't. But then, I wouldn't have to. Soon enough, I'd know.

Another growled word from him, and he beckoned me closer. With a shiver, I obeyed, stepping back to him. My fingers reached out, almost of their own accord, to stroke his naked body. I shivered again at the feel of him, my eyes going wide as my hand touched his cock. It wasn't just the size of it that shocked me. He was ribbed, a deliciously strange texture.

Nothing had prepared me for this, for him. For an alien lover. I could hardly breathe as he bent over me, kissing my ear, moving downward. His breath hot on my skin. His sharp teeth delicately nipping my neck.

Strong hands pulled me close, caressing and exploring me. I wondered, with the small part of my mind that was still thinking, whether I was as strange to him as he was to me. If so, he didn't show it. His confident strength as he caressed my body sent waves of pleasure through me, and a small moan escaped my lips.

I began to slide my fist up and down his shaft, and he moaned happily. Meeting my eyes, he growled another order. I nodded eagerly. Whatever it was he wanted me to do, I'd do it — he just had to show me what it was.

With a grin, he lifted me off my feet. His strong hands cupped my ass as he pulled me to him, kissing hard and rough, making us both shiver with need as he lowered us to the ground. Without another word he kissed his way down my body, lips and teeth and tongue caressing my neck, my breasts, my whole body until he parted my legs and lowered his head between them.

"Oh!" I cried out, arching my back, as he kissed the lips of my pussy. His rough tongue licked slowly, an achingly teasing sensation, and my hands gripped his head, trying to pull him down.

Corvax didn't need any urging. His mouth closed on my clit and he sucked, his tongue dancing across me in a wonderful movement that made me writhe in pleasure. I could feel the orgasm building in me, my fingers digging into his scalp as he lifted my hips. My whole body shook and I screamed as the orgasm exploded inside me, my voice raw and desperate.

Chuckling, Corvax raised his head, watching me as I panted for breath. His wicked smile made him look even more desirable than before.

"Oh my god that was amazing," I whimpered, relaxing slowly. I felt as though I might melt into the sands, but my alien lover wasn't done with me yet. Whispering something, he pulled himself up my body, kissing a trail over my skin. Gasping, I parted my legs, welcoming him between them.

I moaned again at the feeling of his erection brushing my inner thighs, the tip pressing between my pussy lips. He paused there, his very presence teasing my aching center. I whimpered something, even I didn't know what, and he grinned down at me. Pressed closer. Made me groan with need.

"Please, oh god, please," I moaned, pulling at him. "I need you, Corvax."

At the sound of his name, he thrust into me. The sensation was incredible. With one smooth, hard motion, he buried his huge cock all the way inside me.

My back arched under him, and I dug my fingers into his back as he rocked back and forth. Slowly, then faster, each thrust making me gasp with pleasure. My pulse pounded in my ears and Corvax growled, hungry, eager, our bodies moving together.

"I'm coming," I shouted to the stars above us as he thrust deep, his incredible cock driving me over the edge again. My climax seemed to last forever, an explosion of ecstasy that drove all thought out of my mind. With a roar, Corvax came too, losing control over himself and gripping me hard as he filled me with his hot seed.

Finally, we both collapsed in a breathless heap, holding onto each other as we sucked in the cool night air. My eyes flickered open as I snuggled against his chest, hearing the strong fast beat of his heart.

Looking up at his face, I admired him in the starlight.

"That was amazing," I said, wishing that he could understand. But the smile on his face told me he did. We might not share a language, but some things we had no doubt about.

His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me to him, and he brushed a strand of hair from my sweat-slick face. Meeting my gaze, he carefully spoke another word and waited for me to repeat it. I wondered what it meant. 'Beautiful' maybe? 'Mine'?

This wasn't an efficient way to learn his language, but I doubted anyone had ever enjoyed a language lesson more.