My mission to Batorlurn had been one of great victory. I was relieved that I was returning to Cardalph knowing that I could tell my people that I had released the grip the Daklins had over Batorlurn. This truth was substantial because it would show the people of my own planet that I’m capable of keeping them safe from the cruel Daklin species. They are dangerous, and I needed to always be on guard against their invasion.

I had to give credit where it was due, to a portion of my army who helped me win this newest battle with the Daklins. I couldn’t have fought them off without the brave souls who agreed to travel to the neighboring planet with me. I thanked our lucky stars that no one in our battalion had been injured.

After several days of being gone, I was eager to return to Cindy. I craved her delicious scent and soft skin. Word had spread around Cardalph by now that we had been successful in Batorlurn and I was ready to return home to people that respected me and had faith in my abilities to be their beloved leader.

I couldn’t help but think in the back of my mind that this vicious cycle was bound to continue until the threat of invasion was expelled from not only Cardalph but from all of the planets in the galaxy. I had a long road ahead of me and an enormous amount of pressure to make sure the foundation my father so intricately built did not collapse and crumble around us. My father lost his life on the Daklins’ watch and I wasn’t going to allow any further bloodshed to happen.

I had been in contact with Drozalia during my time away. She had told me that she and Cindy were getting along famously, and becoming friends. She told me that she had shown Cindy around the heart of the city as I had requested in order for her to better find her way around. I had asked Drozalia to keep Cindy away on the day of my return so that I could arrange a surprise for her when she got home that evening.

If I was going to change my image to fit that of a planet leader and not a bad boy, I needed to prove that to my new love flame as well. While the girls were gone, I worked elaborately to make a delicious steak dinner for Cindy complete with a white tablecloth and candles brightly lit on the table. I wanted Cindy to feel at home and enjoy some of the things familiar to her that she may have loved or considered lavish back on earth.

When she walked into the formal dining room a few hours later, I had expected her eyes to light up with delight. Instead, I was met with a woman with a cautious glare and a furrowed brow. “What’s all this?” she questioned me.

I approached her feeling a little confused about her reaction to my romantic meal. I wrapped my arms around her waist and couldn’t help but feel her tense up. I didn’t know what was going on, so I tried to kiss her.

She let me kiss her lips but didn’t let my tongue slide in to explore her mouth. I pulled away and gestured to the table. “I’ve made you a magnificent meal, darling. I wanted to make you feel special after having been away for a few days. I wanted to make it up to you.”

When I looked back at her, she was smiling, but to me, it appeared to be forced. “Is everything all right, Cindy?”

She hesitated a moment. “Yes, of course. Everything is fine.” She continued to smile and sat down at the place setting I had made for her, complete with her meal already served and a glass of red wine ready for her to savor.

Later that night I kissed Cindy as she went upstairs to freshen up. I purposely lagged behind so that I could call Drozalia for some clues or advice on what could possibly be going on with Cindy. If I went wrong somewhere, Drozalia would be able to detect it with her intuitive radar and help me out.

“Are you sure you didn’t say anything to scare her off?” I accused her into the phone receiver.

“No, you are just being crazy and paranoid. You have a weak spot when it comes to women you care about, Togtulir. You don’t notice it, but I know you too well. You don’t know how to handle love.”

“I do know how to handle love, Drozalia, and what would you know of it anyway?” I was being harsh with her but she was dodging every question I asked about where she had taken Cindy on the tour of Cardalph and what they had talked about during their travels around town. My frustration was crawling up my spine and making me jittery.

“Look, just relax, Togtulir. I didn’t tell her anything. I didn’t say anything bad or take her to any spots to scare her off. If she’s changed her mind about staying here with you then that’s on her, not me.” Drozalia then said she had to go and hung the phone up abruptly. I didn’t know what else to do, so I shuffled up the stairs to meet my future bride and hoped that she would talk to me about what was bothering her.

That night in bed, I tried to approach her with moves that before had previously led to pleasurable heights for Cindy already. I wanted to get a reaction that would bring the woman I was falling in love with, back to me from wherever she’d retreated to inside her mind. I had kept asking her if everything was fine at dinner, and her response was always the same. “Yes, of course, I’m okay. You are being paranoid. Thank you for the lovely meal.” Her voice had sounded rehearsed, but if she wasn’t going to talk to me, I couldn’t do anything but wait it out until she was ready.

I licked and kissed her nipples, teasing her before going down to her belly button and kissing her there. I wanted to send her over the edge. I crawled down and kissed her softly between her thighs. The way she was reacting to my touch was as if she was in pain. It was almost as if every time I touched her it brought her physical discomfort. She was wriggling around trying not to get too close to me.

I was worried, but I continued to try to satisfy her by thrusting in and out of her pussy gently at first, and then faster and faster until I released myself into her. After I had finished, I instantly noticed that she had not cum with me, which up until this point she had been doing. It had been a way in which we bonded during sex, and now that link was missing. She also had not been as wet and slippery as she had in nights’ past.

Cindy fell asleep quickly after we had made love. I stared at the ceiling trying to rack my brain on what I could have possibly done wrong. Perhaps she wasn’t as perfect a match for me as I thought. She could have emotional instability issues that she hadn’t unleashed until now.

When I left her, she had been a little confused, but she didn’t seem hurt or mad. I still couldn’t rule out that Drozalia hadn’t said something to her that would make her fear me. I had tried my best to touch her gently and with tender care during sex tonight, but she still seemed petrified. I had no idea where things began to turn sour, but I wanted to fix it.

After a couple of hours of tossing and turning about in the sheets, I felt as if I were going to explode with restlessness. I was antsy, and I needed to walk to clear my head. Plus, I didn’t want to wake Cindy. I wanted her to be well rested so we could talk this out tomorrow.

I put on protective gear to be able to withstand the brutally cold temperatures that Cardalph had when the sun went down. When I stepped outside, I saw my breath fog up and release into the air, captured by the blanket of darkness. The moon that orbited our planet was not vibrant tonight, and I felt like I was not shining brightly either.

I walked past the palace and through the woods. I hoped there was no wildlife out here that would pose a threat to my safety, but I kept on. I was lashing at the twigs and limbs that scratched and whipped at me through my protective suit.

My mind went back to earlier this evening. I saw Cindy’s face flash in my memory. She was reserved and quiet tonight, not like she had been with me back on the beach. It didn’t make any sense for her to come out of her shell and then recoil so quickly. I blazed on, coming to a clearing in the woods. There was a small valley and I ran up to the top of the hill and looked up to the sky.

There was a trace of scattering of stars twinkling in the distance. They appeared so close, yet so far away. I felt the same way when it came to snagging Cindy as my bride. I hoped that she would come around from whatever was bothering her or at least choose to communicate with me about it. I lay in the middle of the valley with the grass cushioning me from the hard ground.

After a while, I got back up and wandered around until I got to the center of town. There were no people or cars on the streets. Everyone was tucked in warmly in their beds by now, bracing against the cold nights on Cardalph. I roamed on, wallowing in a sadness that was quickly claiming my mind. I tried to shake it off by running, but I couldn’t run fast enough to escape the dawn.