Inferno

KENNA

Seriously? Are we lost in space? It figures. Only something like this would happen to me.

"There must be something we can do," I said, sitting up. He looked at me, then quickly glanced away, and I realized that my breasts were bare. I pulled down my shirt that was bunched up under my armpits. Then I stood and pulled up my pajama pants. I still felt relaxed from the intense orgasm I had just had, which made me less worried about exposure than I would usually have been.

He didn't answer me, only paced back and forth. I watched him and marveled again at how handsome he was. His hair was short — black as the depths of space outside on the view screen. His eyes were so dark that a girl could get lost in them. Under the standard issue pajamas, I knew that his chest was hard and muscled, and I wondered what sort of exercises the king of the Susohnnan did to have a six pack like that. I tried not to think about the other parts of his body that did such delicious things to me.

He had a point when he said we shouldn't be. I agreed with him entirely. When I held the idea of being in a relationship with him in my mind, it was so complicated.

He was the fucking king of Susohn. And I was a nobody human with no education, no job anymore, and no future. I would never fit into his world. Why would he want to fit into mine? Just because we were good in bed together, didn't mean that there was anything else.

"Can't you just look up where we are?" Surely it couldn't be that difficult. We were living in the future!

"I could if I had control of the spacecraft," he said, clearly frustrated. "But this one is pre-programmed..."

He stopped pacing and looked at me.

"I'm going to the bridge," he said. "I'm a pretty good programmer. Maybe I can at least reverse the trajectory so that it takes us back the way we came. I doubt I can get control of the ship, but maybe there's something else we can do."

He left the room muttering to himself.

I stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. I knew I couldn't help him with his problems. But somehow I didn't like the idea of just sitting around like a helpless female either.

I got out a pair of beige cargo pants and a tight black sleeveless top that buttoned up the front. There was no way I was wearing the underwear I had been wearing on Dobu anymore. They were disgusting, and I had thrown them out. After that was when I realized that there weren't any standard issue panties in my size. I guess I could have washed the other stuff, but now it was too late.

So, I was going commando under the pants, and the tight tank top would have to restrain my C cups as much as it could. I hoped I wouldn't have to be doing any running anytime soon.

After several wrong turns, I found my way to the bridge. Dar was bent over a console, tapping furiously and staring at the screen in the air in front of him.

I went and sat down beside him, not wanting to disturb him. I stared out the view screen at the stars. I couldn't believe what had happened to me in the past three weeks. First of all, just leaving Earth in the first place to go to Dobu had been the adventure of a lifetime. And once I settled there, I thought that I could stay there for years just working in the dirt and the sunshine.

But then Dar and his contingent had arrived. And the terrorists. The AEA had spoiled everything — blowing up my new life like that. I could have wished that Dar had chosen some other planet to hold his negotiations. But I didn't. I wouldn't wish away getting to meet him. I wouldn't wish away the wonderful times I had spent in his arms. Not for the world.

Even this situation right now was bearable. I wasn't afraid because I was with him. And even if our relationship never went anywhere, and we parted as soon as we got back to civilization, I would never regret a moment that I had spent with him.

A warm smile lit my face as I watched him work. He must have felt my gaze on him because he looked up. The frown on his face disappeared for a moment, and he smiled back. Then he looked back at the console and sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"It's no use, Kenna. I can't change anything."

"Why?" I had no clue how these things worked.

"Because the code is locked and protected in about a million ways. It looks like Mackeye doesn't trust his lackeys to go where he tells them. He must be afraid of them making off with his expensive spacecraft. And considering the sort of males we saw on Dobu, he's right not to trust them."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means we're stuck going wherever the fuck this ship takes us until we get there."

"But won't it be going anywhere Mackeye wanted to send his men or go himself? So, we're being thrown straight into a den of AEA terrorists? And we can't do a fucking thing about it?"

"Right."

"And they'll probably kill us — or me, at least, — when we get there because Mackeye will have told them to expect us."

"Kenna…"

"So…" I took a breath to keep ranting, but Dar prevented me.

"Kenna, stop. We should prepare for whatever lies ahead. Not begin to panic."

"I'm not panicking. I just have a better idea of what I want to do with my last hours, other than preparing for death."

"What do you want to do?" he said.

I leaned towards him, with fire in my eyes.

"Make love to you," I said, right before I kissed him.

DAR

"Kenna," I said, pulling away regretfully from her blissfully hot kiss. "We have discussed this. There is no possibility of a relationship between.."

"I know that. I'm about to die. I'm not talking marriage here, Dar," she answered. "Just some comfort, that's all. Wouldn't you rather take your mind off your troubles for a while?"

As she said this, she stepped back and started unbuttoning the sleeveless top she was wearing. My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't tear my gaze away. After only a couple buttons had come undone, I began to see cleavage, and soon I knew that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

I swallowed. Shit. In a moment, her full, ripe breasts would come spilling out, and I wanted nothing more than to taste them.

No. I wasn't doing this. It wasn't right.

But it felt right.

It wasn't right when you thought she had a future, a little voice whispered in my mind. Now you both know she's going to die when you get wherever you're going, so what's the harm in taking your pleasure now? She wants you to fuck her. Can't let a lady down now, can you?

I stopped thinking as she undid the button that allowed both soft mounds with their dusky tips to spill out because all the blood in my brain was heading south. I took a deep breath and tried one last time.

"Kenna, think about this," I said, watching her peel away the tank top and start working on the button and zipper on her pants. She never took her eyes off of me. "What if you don't die? We can't keep doing this. It'll never work between us, so we should just stay away from each other."

"What are the chances of me surviving for more than a couple minutes once we land in that den of terrorists?" she demanded.

Slim to none, I thought but didn't say it out loud. The thought gave me pain, but I ignored it, trying to focus on her words and not her nearly naked body.

"Exactly. You know this is it. So, we're talking about my last request here, Dar. Are you saying you don't want me?" She let the pants drop, and I saw she wore nothing underneath — the dark triangle of curls between her legs beckoning.

The Three take me, but I did want her — more than I could say.

She stepped up to me and her nipples, dark with arousal, brushed against my shirt.

"Do you want me, Dar?" she said, and I could smell the scent of sex on her. It was too much.

"Yes," I said, cupping her breast with my palm. "The Three save me, Kenna, but I do."

KENNA

He kissed me then, and I got lost in the whirlwind of his lust and desperation. I felt a little desperate myself, knowing that this might be the last time I'd do this with anyone. I didn't want to think about the fact that it might be the last few hours I would spend with Dar. That thought was too painful to entertain, and so I resolutely shoved it away.

I broke away for a moment to pull his shirt off. Oh yes. I ran my hands over his chest and down his arms. I bent and sucked each nipple until it hardened, then wrapped my arms around him to kiss him again. But I was filled with desire and I needed to suck more than his nipples.

I pulled away from him and began kissing down his chest. When I looked up at him, he seemed dazed. I pushed him until he sat down, and then I knelt between his legs.

"Kenna," he breathed.

I bent over then and took him into my mouth. I took as much of him as I could, and he groaned. I had only done this once before and frankly had found it revolting with one of my loser boyfriends. But with Dar, having him between my lips only fueled my desire.

I began to suck and to move my head up and down on him. Trying to take as much as I could. I felt myself get wet, and my clit was tingling. After only a minute or so, he pulled me away.

"I'll come if you keep going like that," he said. "Come here."

And he lifted me onto the small conference table in the corner. I lay back, and he spread my legs wide.

"Dar."

"Hush, Kenna, hush," he said, kneeling down.

Then his tongue was licking up my slit and flicking my clit, and I gasped. In moments, I felt flushed and so close to orgasm.

"Dar, stop," I managed to croak out. "I need you inside me, now. Please, Dar."

He stood then and pulled my ass to the edge of the table. Guiding himself to my opening, he slowly began impaling me on his straining shaft. He pushed into me, inch by incredible inch, until he had buried himself to the hilt. I was panting when he finished.

"Sit up, Kenna," he said, still holding my ass so that we stayed intimately joined. I pulled myself up and into the circle of his arms. He kissed me deeply and then he began to move. I leaned back on my hands and wrapped my legs around his back as his hot flesh thrust into me. My breasts were conveniently arched up towards him. He took one into his mouth, and I moaned.

Oh God, I wanted him so badly. I had never enjoyed sex this much or wanted any man more than Dar, right now. My body was flushed, and I had broken out in a sweat all over. As his rhythm increased, I felt my orgasm rising. He moved his hand to my clit and made light circling motions. That was it.

I convulsed around him as I arched and cried his name. Dar pounded into me furiously as I continued to spasm, the pleasure washing over me again and again. Suddenly, he exploded inside of me, groaning in satisfaction. He laid his head on my shoulder, and I pulled him to me, noticing that he was hot and sweaty, too.

We clung to each other, breathing quick and shallow as the ecstasy receded gradually. He lifted his head and gazed into my eyes.

"Kenna..." he said, his voice full of pain.

I kissed him and tried not to cry.

"Hush, Dar. It's all right. It's going to be good."

"No," he said softly. And I held my breath to hear what he was saying. "It won't be all right without you."

After we had made love on the bridge, we went and cleaned up, and he took me again in the shower. At that point, I could hardly keep my eyes open. Dar did not forget to set the alarm this time.

We couldn't keep our hands off of each other when we woke up either. It was like whatever had been holding us back was gone — the threat of imminent death freed us from all constraint. But humans and even sexy Susohnnan males can only have sex so many times. And a real orgasm always makes me hungry, so we ended up eventually in the galley making sandwiches.

I carefully spread peanut butter on four slices of bread, and then got a new knife and covered four more slices with a thick layer of strawberry jam.

"You say I will like this?" Dar said doubtfully.

"It's the best thing ever," I said, slapping pieces of bread together and squashing them a little. "You have sandwiches on Susohn, right?"

Dar shook his head.

"Bread is not something my people eat. We have a variety of vegetables and several different kinds of meat..."

"Oh yeah, you guys are the ones who never got into processed food," I said, suddenly understanding his unusual physique.

"Processed food? What is that?" he said.

"You're about to find out," I said, handing one sandwich to him.

I bit into mine with relish, watching as he took a small nibble. He looked at me, apparently not wanting to insult me by not liking the food I had prepared for him.

"It certainly is sweet," he said.

I nodded.

"That's the thing about processed foods. They overload your senses. I usually eat better than this. At least back home I did. I always paid extra for real vegetables. But this kind of stuff is all they had, here. And I have to admit, it makes me nostalgic for the early days when I moved away from home."

"Oh, really? Why?" he said, putting his sandwich down and not picking it up again.

"Because at home, my Gran always fed me the best food ever. But when I moved away, I could eat whatever I wanted and what I wanted was junk food."

"Junk food? Like food that is garbage?" Dar said, trying to understand.

"Exactly. Tastes good. Has absolutely nothing good for you in it."

"Why would anyone eat food like that?"

"Because it tastes good, Dar."

"I don't want to offend you, Kenna, but this sandwich does not taste good."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But that kind of food appealed to me back then. That's where I got a lot of these so-called curves I can't seem to get rid of," I said, slapping my ample butt.

"I like your curves." Dar protested.

"Clearly," I said, smirking a little. I relished that he liked my curves.

"But seriously, Kenna. All joking aside. Can we not make some semblance of a plan for how we will escape when we get there?"

I shrugged with one shoulder and continued to munch on my sandwich.

"I don't see how." There was a feeling of dread in my stomach that I was trying to ignore, but that wouldn't go away. It was the thought of my impending death and what torment might happen before. "We have no idea what's coming. How can we make a plan for that?"

"There must be something we can do to prepare," he said, helplessly.

"How about this, Dar," I said, reaching out and covering his hand with my own. "I promise to try not to die. How's that?"

He closed his eyes.

"Kenna. Be serious."

"Why? It won't do me any good. How about we finish these sandwiches and then go fuck again? When are we due to arrive?"

"There are about five hours left on the countdown to docking," he said, coming behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He put his chin on my shoulder, then kissed my neck. "How about I just hold you, instead?"

I turned to look into his eyes and swallowed my bite of sandwich. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to stop feeling the way he made me feel. And at least for now, I didn't have to.

"If that's what you want, Dar."

DAR

We lay in bed — skin to skin. I had never made love so many times in one twenty-four hour period, but I wanted Kenna in a way that surprised and confounded me. It wasn't even my mating cycle. She would probably be pretty sore tomorrow but since she expected to die, she wasn't too worried about it.

Her head was on my chest, and I had my arms around her. We lay there, not saying anything. Then she sighed deeply, and my heart clenched.

I don't want to lose her.

The thought astounded me. But at that moment, I knew that somehow, someway I would figure out a way to save her. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would live, and I would make love to her again. I had no idea how, but I vowed to myself that I would make it happen, no matter what.

All considerations of the difficulties of our situation had flown from my head, and all that remained was a single thought — I would not lose her.

"Dar?" she said, lifting her head. Her voice was sweet.

"Mmmm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"What to say?"

"I'm thinking about when we arrive."

"Yeah. Should we get dressed?"

"Probably." I tapped my watch, and our approach showed on the view screen. In the distance, still far away, was our destination: the space station. She nodded and laid her head back down on my chest. Her hand was holding mine, our fingers intertwined.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

KENNA

I stood on the bridge, my arms wrapped around myself, watching the space station getting closer and closer. I tried to shut down my brain, but it kept replaying the close call I had when those men had almost raped me on Dobu. The fear was practically suffocating me. I expected that a similar fate awaited me before they killed me on the space station.

Dar was at the captain's console, monitoring our approach. He didn't have to do anything because he wasn't piloting it. The autopilot took care of everything. But I think it made him feel better and took his mind off of my imminent demise. He seemed to be taking it pretty hard which made me feel a little better. He must care about me if he was upset that I was going to die.

I mean, any reasonable person would be upset if someone they liked and had been hanging out with for the past few days was about to die. But I sensed that it went deeper than that. His prejudice against humans seemed to be changing. Something was different. I don't know. I liked it, though. It was like seeing the real Dar emerge.

"Three minutes until arrival."

I shivered. Maybe I could turn off my mind so that I wouldn't experience any of the terrible things. I tried, but I just kept seeing that terrorist's face leering at me as he unzipped my coverall. I started to breathe fast. Too fast.

"Kenna?" Dar said, glancing over at me. "Are you all right? Maybe you should sit down."

I dropped into the nearest seat, still breathing too fast and shallow. Spots appeared before my eyes, and I wondered if I was going to pass out.

"Kenna," Dar was in front of me. "What's going on?"

"I'm freaking out," I said, between gasps.

"Kenna, calm down."

"I think I'm going to pass out," I said as the spots in front of my eyes began to coalesce.

"Kenna," he said, but my head was reeling. I couldn't respond. "Kenna!"

I could feel him shaking me, but nothing could bring me back. The feeling of terror surrounded me.

Then I felt his lips on mine. His arms came around me, and I clung to him, melting. I drew a few more quick breaths through my nose, but I could feel my body calming the moment he touched me.

He pulled away from my lips but continued to hold me close until he could tell I had relaxed. I blinked, surprised that he could affect me so completely.

"I'm sorry," I said, a little ashamed that I had so completely lost it.

"There is nothing to be sorry about," he said, squeezing me tight.

Just then there was a loud clang, and the motion of the ship nearly pushed us off our feet. Dar looked up.

"The ship. We're docking," he said.

We both turned towards the entrance. Dar took my hand in his. I breathed deeply. I needed to keep my wits about me, not turn into a basket case.

"You're not going to die," he said, squeezing my hand.

I wish I could be confident like he was. I stared at the door as it slid open.

Dar and I both stood silently as a man in his forties walked onto the bridge. He had black hair, shot with gray and a hard expression on his face. Ten terrorists followed him, all wearing the same uniform we had seen our assailants wear on Dobu.

"I demand that you return us to Susohn," Dar said, immediately. "We have arrived here in error and would like to go home."

I didn't say anything, keeping my eyes down. The man in command terrified me. Would he give me to his men right here if I even looked in his direction?

"I'm afraid that's not possible, King Shu'in."

Dar watched him, suspicion in his eyes.

"Why?" he said.

"Because you are a necessary part of our plan for gaining control of Wormhole 87." Dar pressed his lips together. "You may go home. Possibly. But not until we get what we want."

"What are you going to do with us?" Dar said. He was trying to stall things as long as he could and find out as much information as possible.

"We will be beaming down to the surface where we will imprison you and execute her. Mackeye's orders."

Dar was squeezing my hand so hard it hurt, but he didn't react to the man's words. They herded us to the transporter, and while we walked, my brain scrambled to figure out how we could get out of this situation.

I was pretty sure we couldn't.

DAR

I trembled with rage and frustration. I had never felt so powerless and at someone else's mercy. Having someone I cared about in danger made it even worse.

They transported us to a bare room. There were streaks on the walls from an unknown liquid running down them, as if the building itself had been sweating. The floor was concrete, and the whole place had a nasty, unwashed feel to it.

The commander and his ten men materialized with us. The men all carried large guns. I had no idea what kind but they looked extremely dangerous, and the men were likely good at using them. There was no way that Kenna and I could just make a run for it. They would shoot us before we could move three steps.

I looked at Kenna. She was frowning and appeared to be sniffing the air. Before anyone could do or say anything, another man in blue came rushing up to the commander.

"Commander Healey, sir, did you hear, sir?"

"Hear what, man?"

"There's a wildfire burning." When he mentioned a fire, I noticed the smell of smoke all of a sudden. "We expect it to get here within sixty minutes, maybe less. We can't put the fire out. This stone building is fireproof, but the other buildings will burn up. The authorities have ordered us to evacuate."

The commander snorted.

"We don't follow the orders of any authority."

"No, sir, of course not, sir. But there is a fire that won't listen to our orders either and..."

"Enough. Thank you. We have an execution that cannot be put off."

The man nodded and walked away from the commander to join the pack of terrorists who had beamed down with us. I saw him frown and shake his head.

He looked at me when he passed by and rolled his eyes as if to say: Can you believe the stupidity? It seemed strange for a terrorist to be disgusted with a superior's decision and expressing his dismay to a prisoner. I had no time to think about it in depth because we were moving.

As we followed the commander down the hall, all of the men we passed seemed nervous and on edge. Most likely they wanted to evacuate but were afraid to until they were given the orders.

The commander stopped another terrorist in the hall. In a soft voice, he said, "We will evacuate with the king to the space station in thirty minutes. Lock on to us and be ready to transport at my signal."

The man nodded and continued down the hall. At last, we came to a door, and our guards escorted us in. It was a plush office decorated with fancy furniture and a large desk. We were on the second or third floor and through the big bay window, I could see a wide swath of smoke that appeared to be moving through the forest and coming our way.

The fire. Shit. It looked close. What would happen if it got here? I had no experience with these sorts of wildfires at all. I looked at Kenna, and she was looking out the window, too, frowning again. I wondered what she was thinking.

"Leave us," the commander said, dismissing all but one of the men, who remained by the door holding a massive firearm in a menacing way. I noticed it was the man who had rolled his eyes.

A glimmer of hope flashed through me. He didn't seem too impressed with his commander. Perhaps he would help us.

"Before I kill you, I'm going to have to fuck you," the commander said, turning to Kenna. "I haven't had a good fuck in weeks, and I'm backed up."

The commander quickly extinguished my glimmer.

Kenna looked terrified. I had been afraid this was going to happen. It would be better if they just killed her.

"If you're looking for a good fuck, you might as well just kill her outright. I've sampled her, and she's not worth bothering to undo your zipper," I told the commander. The words flowed out of my mouth without thought as I desperately tried to save Kenna from a fate worse than death. "It's like fucking a dead fish."

Kenna's expression changed from terror to anger.

He wrinkled his nose at the comparison, then frowned.

"I think you're just saying that to protect her."

"Have you ever fucked a dead fish?" I said.

"No, have you?" The commander was evidently finding the conversation mildly amusing.

"I would imagine it's as unpleasant as fucking her. I hate it when they cry," I said.

The commander gave me a look of understanding.

"I know what you mean. Except I like it when they cry." The cruel look on his face made me sick to my stomach, and I felt paralyzed with fear and helplessness as I watched him push her over the desk.

He didn't kiss her, only grabbed her shirt and tore it open, buttons flying everywhere. I swallowed hard.

"Mackeye likes everyone to be terrified and broken before they die," he said, trying to get at her breasts. Thank goodness she had found that bra in her size. He attempted to rip it, but the sturdy standard issue bra wouldn't tear. He turned her around and put his hands up under her flapping shirt to undo it. I could see that Kenna was shaking.

No. He couldn't do this. I wouldn't let him. But if I got myself killed then I wouldn't be able to help her, and he would do it over my dead body. Was there anything I could do?

He turned her around again, and her beautiful breasts were now bare for his dirty hands. When he reached out and touched one, I saw Kenna flinch and something twisted in my guts. He mauled her for a moment, then turned her around and pulled down her pants.

He fiddled with his belt and zipper, and I could see tears dripping on the desk where Kenna bent over. He got his dick out and pulled down her panties, spreading her butt cheeks in preparation for entering her.

I heard Kenna whisper, "No."

That's when I felt something snap inside of me.

There was no way I was going to let him do this. I would stop him or die trying. I didn't care anymore.

I would not let him hurt her.

I ran at him then, screaming like a madman with rage in my heart.

KENNA

As I waited in horror for the commander to penetrate me, unable to do anything to help myself, I suddenly heard a sound that sounded like an animal. A noise that triggered feelings of fury and death filled the room. I turned around and saw that it was Dar. But it was a Dar I had never seen before. He looked insane with rage, and he was coming straight for us.

Dar ran at him at full speed, making good use of his substantial form. He was much taller and broader than the terrorist, who had been consumed by lust and was completely caught off guard by Dar suddenly attacking him like a crazy man.

Dar hit him and knocked him across the room. The commander was surprised but recovered quickly, stuffing his cock back in his pants and getting to his feet. That was just enough time for Dar to reach him and punch him in the guts, making the man double over.

I quickly pulled up my pants and undies and grabbed my bra. Holding my arm across my breasts to keep them from flopping, I ran across the room to the window. The terrorist guarding the door, with the big gun in his hands, looked unsure of what to do. If I could keep the men between me and the guard, I thought he would avoid shooting. Since he hadn't already fired at the two men, I assumed they had to keep Dar alive.

I looked back at Dar and the commander as I did up my bra and buttoned the one button left on my top. Dar had a black eye, so the commander must have got at least one good shot in, but the terrorist looked like he was in pretty rough condition now. Both the commander's eyes were turning black. He had a bruise on his left cheek and his chin, and his lips were bleeding and puffy. He was favoring his right side as if it hurt him and he had his hands up just trying to protect himself from the barrage of Dar's fists.

Dar was a machine, punching and kicking. I remembered he told me on Dobu that he had trained in martial arts but hadn't done much fighting, only sparring. I had to say that he seemed experienced. He was a demon, hitting the commander until he dropped to the floor. When the kicking started, I had to do something, though.

I moved towards them, being careful not to get too close. Dar was clearly in the zone.

"Dar," I said, still staying out of reach. No response.

"Dar!" I yelled. He didn't react at all.

I pressed my lips together and moved towards him, ready to duck if he didn't realize it was me.

"Dar!" I yelled again, grabbing his arm and trying to turn him towards me. I still made sure that Dar was between me and the guard so he couldn't get a clear shot at me. Dar resisted, trying to kick the commander again.

I pulled hard so that he had to turn. He gazed at me for a long moment, not seeming to recognize me at all.

"Dar, it's me. Kenna."

He stopped trying to kill the commander and just looked at me, with a vacant look in his eyes.

"Dar! Snap out of it. Jesus. He's nearly dead. You don't want to kill him."

That got a reaction.

"Yes. I do," he said, slowly enunciating each word. And I saw the bloodlust on his face as he looked at the groaning man on the floor.

"No," I said firmly. "You don't. You come from a peaceful race, remember? We have to get out of here. The fire?" I gestured towards the window.

Finally, he looked at me like he was actually seeing me.

"Kenna? Are you all right?" he said.

"Yes. You saved me. I'm fine. But we have to go. Do you know anything about wildfires?"

"No. It's like a regular fire, but bigger, right?"

"All you need to know is that they're extremely dangerous, and we have to get the hell out of here, now. That guy said the other one should reach here in under an hour, and that was twenty-five minutes ago."

He nodded, and I hoped the peaceful, disgusted-with-humans-and-their-violence Dar was back. I appreciated what kick-ass Dar had done to save me from being raped, but I think I liked the peace-out Dar a lot better.

Dar looked down at the commander and back up to me. The body on the floor had stopped groaning finally and appeared to have lost consciousness. There was horror in Dar's eyes.

"Did I do that?" he said to me.

I nodded.

"Don't sweat it, man. He had it coming." The guard at the door suddenly spoke, dropping his gun. It hung loosely in his hand. "He's the biggest asshole in the whole organization, and he's beaten many of us worse than that for less."

Dar and I turned to the guard, wary. I looked at him and didn't know what to think. He seemed friendly, which didn't seem possible. He must be faking. But it's hard to fake a look of genuine kindness.

We didn't say anything, and neither did he.

"You'd better get going before the wildfire hits," he said, putting the gun down on the floor and raising his hands. "I won't stop you."

I blinked.

"Hurry," he said. "Turn left in the hall. There's an exit at the bottom of the stairwell. No one ever uses it. It leads right into the forest. You might have a chance."

I glanced at Dar, and he was studying the man, utterly confused.

"Why are you helping us?"

"Because I wish somebody would have helped me when he was doing that to my girlfriend," the man said, his face hard.

Geez.

"What are you talking about?" I said, but he continued as if he hadn't heard me.

"I wish I would have beaten him to a pulp then like you just did so that he couldn't have raped anyone else. Instead, I let him rape her and imprison her. And I let him force me into working for the AEA."

"You didn't volunteer?" Dar said, and I could see his view of humans shifting yet again.

"I would never volunteer to work with these fucking terrorists in a million years. They're a bunch of idiots and bullies. He's kept my girlfriend alive so that he would have something to hold over me. He didn't want me to leave. That's how the terrorists get a lot of their recruits."

"Are you serious?" I said, absolutely aghast.

"Not too many guys with brains are interested in violence as a means of getting what you want. When he runs out of actual volunteers, he forces people to sign up for his cause. Doesn't mean we're loyal."

"Is she still alive?" Dar said, focusing on the important question.

"Yes. She's being held with various other prisoners in the basement. It's a fucking dungeon down there."

"Maybe now's your chance to get her out and escape," I said.

"Where are we going to go? We're on a barren planet with only a few clusters of people living here and there. They barely get by and are extremely hostile to outsiders."

"I don't know where you're going to go," I said, meeting his eyes. "But I can promise you one thing. If I were her, I'd rather be lost on a barren planet with you, than waiting in a dungeon for the next time he was going to rape me."

He looked at me with a shocked look on his face. Perhaps he hadn't thought about it like that before.

"Go get her," Dar said. "You'll never forgive yourself if you abandon her a second time."

"You're right," he said a look of resolution on his face. "Come on. You're going the same way as me. We can pretend I'm taking you to the dungeon. It'll keep them off your back till you get out the door."

We walked out the door ahead of the man, and he followed us. I kept my head down. The whole building was in a state of controlled chaos. Men carried bags and were moving quickly through the halls. They kept their heads down, too, as if worried someone would stop them from leaving if they made eye contact. We heard a snatch of conversation where a superior officer was complaining of deserters to someone on the other end of the phone.

When we got to the stairwell, we dropped the pretense and raced down the stairs until we got to the ground floor.

"This is where I leave you," the man said. "Thank you."

He held out his hand to Dar.

"My name is Dar Shu'in, but you probably knew that," Dar said, shaking his hand.

"And I'm Kenna DeAndrea," I added.

"The name's Jared McKinnley, and it was very nice to meet you both."

He smiled briefly, turned, and ran down the stairs.

"Come on, Dar. Let's go," I said, still feeling the fear and adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream. I needed to run. I wanted to be as far from this horrible place as I could get.

I pushed open the door and looked around. No one. They were all leaving in the vehicles on the other side where the parking lot was. The forest on this planet looked like a jungle back on earth. The jungle worried me a little bit, but I didn't care, not when freedom and relative safety awaited. I'd rather take my chances with the animals in the woods than the beasts inside this building.

DAR

I followed Kenna out the door and into the dense forest without thinking about it. I was trying to process everything that had just happened.

I had nearly killed a man.

I was the king of Susohn, a planet with a peaceful history for more than a thousand years.

I had nearly taken a man's life with my own hands.

Yes, he was a despicable human, but that did not excuse my behavior. I had never felt an urge to kill before. It was contrary to everything I believed. I had never felt so strongly in all of my life before.

The question was, why?

Yes, what he had been going to do to Kenna was wrong and horrifying. And it required action. But the rage and fury that had possessed me had gone far beyond merely doing the right thing.

Ever since I had met this small human woman, I felt as though I had been on the verge of madness. I was making choices I would never have made a week ago. I felt as though I was bubbling over with emotion, and I had certainly run the gamut of feelings. Sadness and regret, happiness and anger, wrath so intense I had nearly killed someone.

Except someone had stopped me.

I remembered coming back from whatever place I had been in as I had beaten the commander. I had felt her pulling on me, trying to get me to wake up from the violent rage that had gripped me. Looking into her eyes had brought me back.

I stole a glance at her now as she pushed through the dense vegetation, holding the branches until I grabbed them so they wouldn't slap me in the face. Before we left the ship, she had styled her long brown hair into two braids and tied them at the end using the elastic, so they hung down her back and wouldn't get in her way. She was moving as fast as she could, probably needing to get as far away from that horrible place as soon as possible.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of what had almost happened back there. If I hadn't come into her life, she would still be happily digging in the garden on Dobu. I felt guilty at what I had put her through since I had met her, and I needed to apologize.

"Kenna," I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

She turned, surprised.

"I'm sorry," I said.

She frowned.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Dar. You saved me. Remember?"

I shook my head.

"No. If you had never met me, you would never have had to go through all of this."

Her face softened, and she swallowed.

"If I had never met you, I never would have had all the happy moments, though, either, Dar. If I had to make the choice all over again to go or not go to that party...I wouldn't do anything differently."

Even after everything that had happened? She couldn't mean that.

"Dar? We have to keep moving. I can't be caught by them again. I might not be so lucky next time. That's twice I've avoided..."

She drew in a deep breath.

"Well, I don't want to come close to experiencing a rape attempt a third time. I'd rather die than have to go through that again."

I studied her face. She was beautiful. And smart. And capable. And her body fit mine perfectly.

"Dar?" she said, trying to understand my silence. "Are you okay? You had to do what you did. Don't feel bad about it."

She reached up and put her hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes at the feeling of comfort the small gesture gave me.

"I don't feel terrible about that. I feel awful about the problems you've experienced recently. It's all my fault." I opened my eyes to look into hers.

"Your fault? Dar. Stop being stupid. I make my choices just as you make yours. I could have decided differently, but that would not have led me to being here. Right now. With you."

I tilted my head and considered her words.

"But I didn't want to make those other choices. I want to be here with you. No matter how long it lasts. For as long as you want me beside you. Okay?"

She pulled me down to her so that she could kiss me. It was a soft kiss with just a touch of longing in it. And when she pulled away, I just wanted more. I watched her back as she forced her way through the brush, thunderstruck by the sudden realization that I would follow her anywhere.

She moved forward into the bush again, glancing back over her shoulder with a smile to see if I was coming. She beckoned to me, looking like a magical creature from the old tales, promising me pleasures unknown to mortals. I knew that there would be a price to pay for sampling those delights, but I didn't care. Wherever she wanted to lead me, I would go.

That's when I knew I was lost.

KENNA

I moved as fast as I could through the jungle vegetation, not sure what had just happened. But my heart was beating fast, and my breathing felt erratic and shallow.

The look in Dar's eyes had scared me. He had seemed dangerous and real. No one had ever expressed their feelings like that to me before.

It had been a long time ago that Gran had last told me that she loved me. And no one had said it to me since then, but I remembered how she had looked when she had said it. There had been a light in her eye and a warmth in her face. She had looked the way Dar did for a moment back there.

I wasn't sure if I wanted him to care about me. That would complicate things considerably.

But hadn't I just told him that I wanted to stay with him as long as he would have me? What had I been thinking, saying that? It sounded desperate, didn't it? I just meant that I liked being with him and wanted to be with him and would stay with him until he booted my sorry human ass back to Earth. But maybe it had come out sounding like I loved him?

I recoiled at the thought. No. I couldn't love him.

That was dangerous.

That was foolish.

That was guaranteed to get my heart broken.

I wished longingly for a machete as I stepped over the big leaves and pushed through the thicker bushes. I shook my head. No use wishing for that which I could never have — and that included Dar.

I sniffed the air that was thick with smoke now, and it reminded me of my childhood. Summers, where we lived, were always a time of danger. Forest fires had burned in my home every year of my life. Sometimes the smoke was so thick that the sun looked like a bright copper penny and people with asthma were told to stay inside.

The authorities evacuated us once. It was the year that the forests were as dry as tinder and nearly a hundred fires had burned all at the same time. Nothing had happened to our place, but many people had lost their homes that year or been forced to live in hotels for weeks because they couldn't go back to their houses.

The current fire reminded me of the past. But I sensed that the flames were a lot closer than I had ever seen before. We needed to get to the water. I wondered if there was any on this godforsaken planet. I had no idea, but I was trying to follow the layout of the land, heading downhill whenever we had the chance. Water always ran to the lowest area. So hopefully, if we kept heading downhill, we might find some water somewhere.

I had heard the story of one family who had been unable to evacuate because the fire had cut off their route. They got into the lake near their house and ducked under the water while the fire passed over. They had all survived though their house had burnt to the ground.

Wildfire temperatures could reach into the thousands of degrees. People were often burned to a crisp trying to outrun a fire, even if they were in their vehicles. I knew we had no chance unless we found water. I swallowed, looking back to make sure Dar was still coming.

He looked kind of brutal, with the black eye and the bruises on his face. His clothing was ripped and dirty from our trek through the jungle. But I knew that underneath all of the dirt and the injuries beat a heart exactly like mine. What I wondered was how he truly felt about me. I did want to be loved by someone. But I wasn't sure an alien was a good choice.

And when did the heart ever get to choose who it loved? I heard my Gran's voice in my head. Kenna, you have a chance for happiness in front of you. Take it, girl.

I shook my head. When she had first died, I had heard her all the time but it had been years since I had heard Gran talking in my head. The question was...Was she right? Should I take this chance to love, even if it was with an alien...a king...a creature prejudiced against my kind?

It seemed incredibly foolish.

And when did love ever make the wise choice, Kenna? Stop thinking and take a chance for once. I wished Gran's voice would go away, especially since I knew she was right. But I was too scared to take a chance, no matter how happy it might make me.

"Kenna, do you hear that?" Dar said from behind me. There was a crackling and popping sound, as well as a dull roaring coming from the direction of the building we had just left. I stumbled a little as the ground sloped abruptly away from me.

I stopped moving to hear better and what I heard scared me. A lot.

"Come on, hurry," I said, grabbing his hand. "It's catching up."

We ran as fast as we dared down the hill that was covered only in small trees and bushes. A minute later, we could see the edge of a small lake.

"Oh, thank God," I said.

When we got to the water, I plunged straight in, dragging him with me, until I was up to my shoulders. Because he was so much taller than me, it only reached his chest.

I ducked under hoping that the water was clean and safe. On most planets inhabited by those descended from the great race, the water was harmless. I hoped that this planet was no exception. It felt good, like water back home.

Besides, we didn't have any choice.

I looked back and saw that the smoke was getting closer. We could hear the sound of the fire louder now. I ducked under the water again, wetting my head. Then looked up at Dar, afraid of what I would see.

"You okay?" I said. He had been through as much as I had, and it was hard to process everything that had happened to us in the past week or so.

He looked into my eyes, nodding slowly.

Oh, boy.

"Yes. More than okay."

I glanced away, nervously and began to talk to avoid whatever was coming.

"When the fire comes this way it will probably blow right across the water. We'll have to wait until the last second and then take a big breath, staying under water for as long as we can while the fire burns over. I know a family that survived that way in a forest fire back home."

Dar stepped closer to me, putting his finger on my lips.

"Kenna."

He took his finger away.

"Yes, Dar?"

"I need to tell you something."

I felt my breathing speed up, and I couldn't look away from his gaze. He took his hands and created a triangle, using his thumbs as the bottom part and his hands to make the other two sides.

He took his hands and touched them to his forehead. I just watched, not sure what to do. I remembered the scar that all Susohnnan had was a triangle. Maybe this was some sign of theirs. I would ask him some time...when he wasn't about to...Well, when he wasn't looking at me like that.

"If we should die in this fire, there is something I want you to know."

"Dar..." I shook my head. "You don't have to..."

He placed his finger over my lips again, stopping the flow of words.

"Yes, Kenna. I do. Since I met you, I've felt things that I never thought I ever would. Never in my life have I felt the desire to kill, the way I did today when that man was going to hurt you. I've never felt such sadness as I experienced before we docked at the space station, thinking that you might die as soon as we got there."

I looked up at him, ignoring the sound of the fire getting louder as it approached the lake. Somehow I couldn't look away from his dark eyes. They held me, and I couldn't get away. I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"And now. When we may be breathing our last breaths, all I can think about is kissing you."

He traced my lips, and I breathed raggedly. I was overwhelmed by feelings that I hadn't known were there just a minute ago.

"Dar," I whispered.

"Kenna," he said, taking my face between his hands. "I know now that I love you. And it doesn't matter that you're human, and I'm Susohnnan. It doesn't matter that we may die in a moment. None of that matters. I just need you to know."

Oh my fucking god. He had said it.

"I swore I would protect you when we made love the first time, and I meant it. I would do anything for you. I would follow you to the end of the universe. I would kill to protect you. I would die to save you. I love you, Kenna, and I always will."

He made the same sign with his hands again and then he took me in his arms and kissed me. I was crying, and I could hardly breathe — what with the smoke and the fact that he was kissing me senseless.

When he finally let me up, I called his name.

"You don't have to say anything, Kenna. If you don't feel the same, that is all right. It won't change how I feel. Nor would I take back my words. Now I can die because I have no regrets."

He looked up then at the approaching fire, then back down to me.

"One regret. I would have enjoyed loving you for a lifetime."

DAR

We could now see the fire at the edge of the forest. Suddenly it moved across the water towards us, fueled by The Three knows what.

"Get ready," Kenna said.

When it was only a few feet away, I saw her drawing in a deep breath and I did the same. We ducked under the water together.

A moment later, I felt the water become warm, then hot. I swam down deeper to get away from the heat. The fire must be right above us. I continued to hold my breath.

Finally, I couldn't hold on anymore. I had to take a breath. But then I thought that the fire might be still up there. The idea that I might emerge from the water into the flames made me hang on a little longer. When I began to feel like I was going to black out, I had to come up — fire or no fire — otherwise I was going to drown instead.

I pushed hard on the bottom, and my head burst out of the water. I drew in deep breaths of cool, clean air. When I could look around, I saw Kenna a few feet away.

"Dar," she said, swimming to me. "Are you okay?"

She wrapped her arms around me, holding me close.

"Yes, I'm all right." I said, into her neck. I squeezed her tightly, taking in her sweet scent. My mind was still processing that we had not died in the fire. It had burned past, and we were safe.

"Now what?" she said, pulling back but still shaking. "There's still the terrorists to get away from."

I noticed she was avoiding any reference to what I had said a few minutes ago. But that was fine. There would be time now to find out how she felt and to win her heart if necessary.

She had said that she didn't regret her choices, that she wanted to be with me, and that she would stay with me as long as I would let her. That had to mean something, didn't it? There was time now that we weren't going to die, as long as we could get away from the AEA. And if we could just get off this planet that The Three had evidently deserted.

Hours later, as the sun was setting, we made our way back to the terrorist base. We had returned against our better judgment, reasoning that it was the only way off the planet.

McKinnley's expectation that the explosion would destroy most buildings was nearly correct, but it missed a small cluster of buildings near the main one. Maybe the fire had jumped it. In the shadows, we made our way towards the closest one. Both of us were unwilling to go back to the main building if we didn't have to. The whole place looked deserted. I wondered what had happened to everyone.

Looking in the windows of the building, we saw computers and other equipment. Maybe we could get some information about this planet and a way off of it. We nodded at each other, afraid to make a sound. We would try to get in.

The second door we tried wasn't locked. It was at the back, and we snuck in as quietly as possible. The place was quiet but as we approached the room with the equipment, we could hear a noise.

It sounded like sobbing.

We both froze, then moved forward, and I wondered what we were getting ourselves into this time. The crying was coming from behind a door. I had never heard such a sound of desolation before. I could see the worry and compassion in Kenna's eyes, probably mirroring my sadness at the sound of that wretched person in there.

Whoever it was, we had to help them. No one deserved to feel like that. No matter what. I opened the door, and we peeked in. On the floor, curled up in a fetal position, and crying as though there was no hope left in the world, was Jared. The man who had been forced to work for the AEA. The one who had been going to go save his girlfriend when we had last seen him. I could only assume it hadn't gone well.

Kenna was already beside him.

"Jared? What's wrong? What happened?"

He looked up at us and scrubbed at his eyes, probably trying for some semblance of dignity. Kenna helped him sit up.

He was a mess. He was beaten up, and his eyes were red. But it was the desolation in them that tore at my heart. This man had been through hell and back. Somehow, I respected him the more for it. These humans were not what I had thought. They were beings that were capable of acting as nobly as the Susohnnan. They were beings worthy of great respect.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

"What has happened?" I said. "You helped us. We will help if we can."

I saw hopelessness on his face.

"It's too late. When I got there, she was already dead."

"No," Kenna said, her eyes filling with tears.

He nodded, his own eyes empty.

"They killed all the prisoners, rather than evacuate them. That's how they work. Now she's gone. I never had a chance to make things right."

He hung his head, dragged down by the weight of his pain.

"You tried. You would have saved her if you could have. She knew that. The Three have set her free, and she watches over you now, just like all the others you've loved in your life," I said. I touched his shoulder, hoping to get through to him.

He just shook his head, not looking up. Kenna looked at me.

"We are trying to escape this planet," I told him. "Do you have any idea how we could do that?"

Jared looked up, and I could see our plight was the last thing on his mind. But he tried. I could see he was attempting to shake off his troubles and despair to help us if he could.

He thought for a minute or two.

"I don't know," he said. "The others are all gone. They evacuated out of range of the fire, so you're safe from them. But passage off of the planet? Good luck. I haven't a clue."

Just then, as if by magic, his communications device came to life, and we heard a voice. Jared pulled it off and was about to smash it against the wall, but I stopped him.

"Listen," I said.

"McKinnley, Commander Healey said we were to lock on to Shu'in and await his orders to transport him up here. We have a lock on the king. But I can't get a lock on the commander. What's going on down there?"

Jared looked at us, and I could see we were all thinking the same thing.

I took Kenna's hand. Jared nodded. As long as there is a transporter lock on one person, others can be taken along for the ride if they are touching the person with the lock. The transporter beam considers multiple people one body as long as they are touching.

"Hey Sean, it's all good. The commander has given orders for me to accompany Shu'in. Lock on to the two of us and beam us up. And remember we're not to hurt Shu'in, under penalty of death. Mackeye's orders."

"Yes, I remember," came the other voice. "I have a lock. Prepare to beam up."

I smiled at Kenna.

She was safe.

We were together.

We were alive.

And we were getting off this damned planet.

I felt the transporter beam and Kenna shimmered before my eyes. When I felt my atoms reassemble on the space station, she was still holding my hand. Good. We were safely off the planet. I looked at Jared, and he seemed a little more together. He nodded at me.

"What is she doing here?" Sean said. He frowned, sensing that something wasn't right.

"Healey used her and wanted to keep her as one of his consorts. He killed the rest of them earlier and needed someone for later when he beams up," Jared said, and I could see it was killing him to remain calm and seem uncaring.

The man looked unconvinced.

"You were never a true believer, McKinnley," Sean said. "Where's Healey? Did you kill him? If I can't get a lock, that means he's probably dead."

I looked over at Kenna. We had a problem.

"When I left him, he wasn't dead. And he only got what was coming to him, Sean. He whipped you within an inch of your life, and you're still loyal to the bastard?" Jared said, incredulously.

"I'm loyal to the cause, Jared. I just want to return humanity to its rightful place in the universe. I don't care about Healey." Though I could see that the name seemed to taste bad in his mouth.

"I have a separate lock on all three of you," Sean said. His voice sounded menacing. "I'm transporting Shu'in to the prison. Unless you can explain yourselves, you two will reassemble somewhere out there..."

He gestured out the view screen at the blackness of space.

"...where you'll die within a second or two."

"Sean." Jared held up his hands, conciliatory. "Give me a minute."

Sean poised his hands above the console.

"I already gave you one."