I run to the medical bay, pushing startled troops out of the way. I need to get there before they do anything irreversible to Abbey. The return trip to the Fleet Station took long enough, and time is running out. I can’t afford to let the High Council get their hands on her.

I pump my legs, taking long strides down the sloping corridor. Bloodlust sharpens my vision and makes my heart pound. I’m ready to kill the one who dared to touch my Human.

The pain behind my eyes is still there, but I channel it into aggression.

A distant voice at the back of my mind tells me I’m acting irrationally.

I don’t care. How dare the Council take what’s mine from right under my nose? On my Fleet Station?

Unacceptable.

As I round a corner, I see a group of medics running out of the medical bay, heading towards the lower levels. “She’s headed towards the rec hall,” one of them shouts. I catch up to them easily, overtaking them. They don’t hear me until I’m just behind them.

“Do you want to die?” I snarl, coming up beside the medics. Three Kordolian males. Their eyes widen in recognition and they stop in the centre of the corridor. They’re young, barely old enough to have finished their training.

The problem these days is that all the experienced military medics get stationed off-planet.

Fleet Station, where no action ever happens, gets stuck with fucking recruits.

“Sir?” The male in the lead blinks as slow realization creeps across his face.

“Under whose orders are you acting, recruit?” My question comes out low and menacing. The junior medic unconsciously steps back, fear making his movements stiff.

“I thought these were your orders, General,” he replies, in growing horror. “Y-you mean you didn’t want her captured and restrained?”

“Restrained?” I clench my fist to keep from punching something. The nanites that usually flow in my bloodstream have come to the surface, rippling just beneath my skin. It’s slightly painful and I embrace it. Pain is a gift. It keeps me alert. Sharpens my senses. It’s been a familiar companion for most of my life. “I have not given you permission to restrain anyone.”

“But the Chief Surgeon said—”

“The Chief Surgeon does not speak for me, Medic. Once you’ve spent a bit of time on Fleet Station, you’ll understand that. Now, who are you going to believe?”

“Y-you, of course, General.”

“Good. Now where is the Human?”

Ashen-faced, they all point in the direction of the communal area. I give them a dark look, baring my fangs. “Get the fuck out of here. The Human is my property. You will abandon your pursuit.”

“Understood, Sir!”

As they disappear in the opposite direction, I speed down the hallway, following its slope as it leads me down to the lower levels. I pass by the communal area and find it empty. Several seats are cast aside, and a table is overturned, telling me the pursuit must have passed this way.

She’s heading for my quarters. Smart female.

By now, she will start to discover that her body isn’t the one she was born with. That she’s stronger than before. As a Human, she needed strengthening. They’re such fragile creatures.

Ordinary Humans would not survive Kythia’s harsh climate.

A familiar tendril of scent reaches my nose. It’s unmistakably hers, wild and taunting. But now it’s laced with fear.

And that makes me angry.

There’s something else mixed in with it. Metallic. Sweet and yet pungent. I remember it from the surgery. Human blood. She’s injured again.

This has happened to her because of my species. I should have known that even on my Fleet Station, she wouldn’t be safe from Kordolians. A Human has never been brought to this side of the Nine Galaxies before. To some, she’d be considered a prize.

But never in my wildest dreams had I expected her to be so genetically similar.

It makes her valuable. Her very existence here has become dangerous.

I follow the alluring scent. It sings to me, stirring my most primal instincts. That’s been happening a lot since I found her.

The scent of female, mingled with blood and fear. It has a strange effect on me, awakening something dark and predatory.

I follow my nose as the scent becomes stronger. It’s not leading me to my quarters, but to the entrance of the swimming facility.

As I reach the platform overlooking the pool, I hear a splash, accompanied by an angry yell. “Get away from me, you creepy bastards!”

Mirkel is standing between two assistants, a sedation needle in hand. He’s at the edge of the pool, peering down into the dark waters. “Keep shooting. Aim for the far end. Once the dart hits her, she will be immobilized,” he says, his emotionless voice echoing throughout the chamber.

I’m driven by a sudden urge to kill. As one of his assistants raises a long projectile firing device, I launch myself over the railing, bringing my foot down on the assistant’s skull as I land. The male crashes to the hard floor, unconscious. The weapon falls out of his grasp, rolling into the cold water.

I see a pale human face rise out of the water briefly, before disappearing again. Abbey. She’s submerged, hiding on the other side of the pool.

Mirkel whirls around, his thin face contorted with rage. “Akkadian, the Human is no longer your possession. She has been marked as an official asset of the Empire. You will cease and desist from this madness!”

His white robes are tainted with small crimson stains. Human blood.

“Did you touch her, Medic?” I take a deep breath. “I can smell her on you.”

“Get away from me, Akkadian.” Mirkel’s voice rises a notch. “This is the Empire’s jurisdiction. Interfere and face the consequences.”

I laugh, a harsh, bitter sound. “Is that supposed to scare me? Unlike you, I’m no longer a slave of the Empire.” I stalk forward until Mirkel is teetering at the edge of the pool. My dominant hand twitches, seeking the familiar weight of my sword. But I’m still wearing the ridiculous, stiff dress uniform, and weapons aren’t a part of this attire.

Doesn’t matter. I don’t need weapons to finish off this idiot.

He must see death in my eyes, because he yells at his accomplice. “Get the tranquilizer. Shoot him!”

I glare at the kid. “Try it,” I snarl. “See what happens.” The medic freezes, glancing nervously back and forth.

“Do it, Jerik! This is an order from your superior!”

The kid fumbles around, retrieving the gun from where it floats in the pool. He raises the weapon with trembling hands. I turn back to Mirkel, ignoring his assistant. “You of all people should know that tranq won’t work on me, Chief Surgeon.” I take a step forward. He falls backwards into the water, his long white robes swirling around him. I grab him by the collar and haul him out again. Water streams off him, plastering his pale hair to his face. Mirkel flails against me, but he knows he’s no match for me.

“You wouldn’t dare kill me,” he hisses. “I’m the son of a Noble House. The Empress would have your head, freak.”

“Freak? You made me this way,” I shrug, dumping him on his feet. Water pools beneath him and makes his light robes stick to his thin frame. “And now you want to undo all the good work you’ve done for my Human?”

A faint splash makes me look up and I see her pale face rising out of the water. She’s at the far end of the pool, closest to the windows. She’s staring at me.

I cannot allow a transgression like this to go unpunished. On my Fleet Station? Mirkel has overstepped his bounds. After this incident I’m kicking him off the fleet. Talented surgeon or not, disloyalty has no place here. I’ve only tolerated his presence here for the sake of keeping peace with the High Council.

“You’re right. I wish I could kill you, but I don’t want to deal with the aftermath.” I grab his wrist. He hits me with his free hand, but the blow glances off my cheek without a scratch. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t break out of my grasp.

“Freak,” he hisses. “Savage.”

“Your experiments made me into this, Mirkel.” I twist, and the sharp crack of bones is accompanied by Mirkel’s high-pitched scream. I squeeze his hand, and the fine bones give way under my grasp. He cries out in agony.

“The Empress will hear of this,” he shrieks. “Your days in this ill-advised role are numbered. Ilhan was crazy to appoint you!”

“Shut up.” I twist again, crushing the flesh of his hand to a pulp. Black blood starts to seep from a protruding bone, and Mirkel falls to his knees in agony. “Or I’ll crush your other hand as well. But you know very well it’s nothing a nanograft won’t fix. If you can get the nanites in the critical period. I hear there’s been a shortage lately. Too many wars, you see. I won’t be donating any of mine.”

“Yet you would give them to a Human?”

I throw him to the floor, black blood spraying everywhere. His right hand is mangled and twisted.

“Go back to Kythia and get it fixed. Otherwise your days as a surgeon are finished.”

Mirkel scrambles backwards, glaring at his subordinate. The kid is gaping, but he doesn’t move. He can’t. He’s frozen with fear. I tend to have that effect on people.

“Touch my property again and I’ll cut off your hands,” I snarl. “Harm her, and you’re dead.”

Mirkel glares at me with hatred in his yellow eyes. He’s as poisonous as ever. I shouldn’t have left him on the Fleet Station for so long. He’s never accepted the fact that I, the only subject to survive that particular project of his, am no longer under his control.

The High Council aren’t going to be happy. But then again, our race as a whole hasn’t been happy with anything for thousands of orbits. All is not well on dark, frigid Kythia.

Perhaps it’s finally time for change.

I turn my attention to the ripple at the far end of the pool.

Abbey.

She’s disappeared beneath the surface again, hidden from view.

I have the feeling she may not be entirely pleased to see me.

No matter. I will simply need to convince her otherwise.

* * *

I go back under the water, and all I can see underneath me are blurry stars. I hate to say it, but this pool is freaking amazing. Gotta hand it to those Kordolians, they’ve built a bad-ass aquatic facility. It’s as if you’re actually swimming in space; floating above the stars. Incredible.

Too bad I’m stuck in the middle of a hostile situation.

And the problem with being underwater is that it’s like the cold vacuum of space. You can’t breathe.

Above me, some guy is getting his hand crushed to smithereens by a very scary, very angry General.

Good. I recognized the voice. The thin guy with the creepy glasses and cold stare is the same pervert who tried to feel me up earlier when I was strapped down to the metal table.

That’s probably why I’m not feeling as sorry for him as I should, even though his piercing shrieks are painful to listen to.

I pull the remnants of the silvery fabric around me, and the diaphanous material swirls around in the water like rolling clouds. I sink down to the bottom of the pool, peering through the clear barrier at the stars below.

With the water obscuring my view, the planet Kythia just looks like a big, black blob; an empty hole in the tapestry of space.

Mysterious and hidden.

Underwater, busting my lungs out, for just a moment, I can only pretend that I’m not here. That someone isn’t getting his bones cracked upstairs by the very alien who saved me.

That I don’t find myself attracted to a wild, violent creature, who just happens to be a big, bad Kordolian.

I shiver, because the water is cold, and because I’m not sure what happens next.

I hold my breath for a little longer, distracting myself from the burning in my chest as my body runs out of air.

It’s a bit absurd that I jumped in the pool to escape. But those assholes had cut off the way to Tarak’s quarters, and I’d had no other option. When I’d dived into the water, Mr Creepyhands and his buddies had flailed about at the edge, trying to shoot tranq darts at me.

Does that mean they can’t swim?

For a supposedly superior alien species, they’d ended up looking a bit silly standing at the edge of the pool. While they were arguing with each other, I swam underwater to the far end of the pool, out of reach of their tranq gun. And they just stood at the edge, gaping at me, feebly trying to hit me with their little darts.

They’re totally different to the scary black-armored Kordolians who stormed Fortuna Tau. Tarak’s men are like the freaking Kordolian elite Special Forces or something. I got the feeling early on that the General was in a different class to these medical guys. It seems not all Kordolians are born fighters.

What I know about their society so far only scratches the surface. I haven’t even touched foot on their planet yet. I don’t know whether I even want to. It looks so cold and forbidding.

I close my eyes and try to remember the feeling of sunshine on my face. I miss the sun’s warmth so much, but that memory can only distract me for so long.

My lungs feel like they’re about to burst. I surface again, sucking in air like a gaping fish. This time, everything’s gone quiet.

Creepyhands McPervert and his assistants are gone.

Tarak’s gone.

Where the hell is he? He was here just minutes ago. I look around in panic, wondering if the medics did something to him. But there’s no way they could have. He seems damn near invincible. I don’t think even a tranq dart could put him down.

I kick my legs, the gentle motion keeping me afloat as I peer into the shadows, looking for Tarak. At least the guys chasing me are gone. He came at the right time.

He’s getting better at this rescuing business. Last time, I ended up breaking nearly every bone in my body. This time, I only sustained grazes where the restraints held me down. Did’t break anything, didn’t die.

His timing’s getting better, and I’m extremely lucky.

Thank Jupiter for that.

I start to swim slowly towards the other side of the pool, my strokes awkward and clumsy with the ballooning silver fabric swirling around me. I drag it with me in a half-hearted attempt at modesty.

As I reach the edge, something warm wraps around my waist, sliding beneath the silky material.

“Oh no you don’t,” I gasp, trying to squirm away. But the warm thing tightens, and I find myself pressed against a hard, muscular body.

Uh, oh. I remember the feel of that body. It couldn’t be anyone else. It’s him.

Now how did he get into this dark, shimmering pool without me noticing? Without even a splash?

He’s full of sneak tactics, this one. Always playing dirty.

I’ve just been chased around a giant floating alien space station, doped up, strapped to a dissection table, and shot at. And somehow, I find myself wrapped up in half a curtain and embraced by a whole lot of Kordolian male.

He surfaces behind me, his arms encircling my waist. “I thought I told you to stay in my quarters,” he whispers, his warm breath tickling my ear. I shiver, and not just because of the cold. “See what happens when you don’t follow my orders?”

“I’m claustrophobic,” I reply, going still. There’s no point in squirming half-heartedly when his warmth feels so good. “I don’t do well in confined spaces.”

“Clearly.”

“You need to take me home. To Earth. Your people want to do bad things to me.” I close my eyes as he pulls me against him, holding me tight. “And what’s this business about me being your ‘property’? I mean, that’s very sweet of you and all, in an overly possessive alpha-male sort of way, but I don’t belong to anyone, General.”

“Hm.”

“And what’s with you sneaking up on me in the water all the time? You’re like a shark.” A big, warm, sexy shark. It kinda fits. He is silver, and he’s got sharp teeth.

“Shark?”

“It’s an Earth creature. Extinct now, except for in aquariums.” I shake my head. “Never mind.” We’re getting sidetracked.

“You talk a lot, female.” His hands are devious; large and callused, yet gentle. A study in contrasts. They slide upwards, his fingers caressing the underside of my breasts.

I try again, feebly, to push him away. But the truth is, I’m enjoying the feel of his touch, his warmth, of the smooth, sculpted planes of his chest pressed against my back.

“Why do you fight, Human?” He traces the swell of my breasts, his fingers moving over my nipples. They’re sensitive as hell. I arc my back a little as he plays with them, teasing them. They grow taut under his touch, and I curl my legs up in front of me, weightless in the cool water as desire floods through me.

“Hang on,” I protest weakly. He lets out a low growl of approval in response to my body’s reaction. “I thought you were super pissed off just now. What happened to all the anger?”

“I’m not angry at you,” he murmurs. “Forget all that now.”

“I want to get out now.” I draw the floating folds of fabric around us, foolishly trying to cover myself. From what, exactly? In the dark water, against a backdrop of millions of distant, glittering stars, the scrap of curtain from a medical cubicle is transformed into ethereal, floating gossamer. It becomes something otherworldly, swirling around us like a slow-motion dream.

Tarak lets go of my breasts and tears the material away with an irritated growl. “Stop fussing with that, Abbey.” Even with his annoyed voice, my name sounds good coming from his lips. It’s spoken in deep, resonating tones and rounded by his exotic accent.

The sound of his voice sends a ripple of warmth through me, right down into my core.

The scrap of fabric floats away like a lost spirit, disappearing into the starry depths. Water laps gently around us, stirred by our movements.

Without the fabric, I’m naked, and of course, so is he.

Why am I not surprised?

When Tarak’s hands come back to me, they’re cupping my bare ass, curving over the swell of my hips, gently prising my legs apart. He slides his hands down the insides of my thighs with a satisfied grunt.

Straightening my body, I lower my legs, coming into line with him. He’s standing. My feet don’t touch the bottom. The swell of his cock presses against my skin, hard and insistent, like its owner.

I’m suspended vertically in the water, and he uses my weightlessness to his advantage, exploring the curves of my body.

“I should go now,” I whisper.

“Go where?” He’s tracing the soft skin at the entrance to my pussy.

“Away. From you.” My voice trembles as he caresses me there, sending ripples of pleasure through me.

“Your body is telling me otherwise.” He spins me around slowly, grabbing both my thighs, gently wrapping my legs around his torso. His warmth radiates through me, and suddenly, the water no longer feels cold.

“In terms of anatomy, it seems Humans and Kordolians aren’t so different.” His devilish hands are back, parting the lips of my pussy, and he slides a finger deep inside me, stroking up and down.

“Aah,” I let out a slow, shuddering sigh and look up, taking him in. He’s so different in appearance. I still can’t get over it. His skin shimmers slightly in the faint starlight, and his grey lips are parted, revealing the points of his fangs.

So alien. He’s intimidating; hard-looking. Impossible. It’s as if he’d only exist in one of my wild fantasy novels.

His is a savage kind of beauty.

His deep, red eyes burn with lust. Despite my misgivings, I find him irresistible.

Uh, oh.

I’m at a crossroads right now.

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me after all this, but I might as well enjoy myself, right? Ever since this infuriating male set foot on Fortuna Tau, my life has spiraled out of control, turning into one crazy event after another.

He’s been the source of the chaos, but he’s also been the only constant, and he’s stuck to his word at every step.

Can I trust him to return me?

When it’s like this, with what he’s doing to me right now, I don’t know anything anymore. I can’t even think straight. He’s running his finger over the tender nub of my clit now, fondling it with a satisfied growl. “Even this is the same.” He strokes back and forth, bringing my pleasure up a notch.

A delicious tightness builds in my core; an intense, erotic kind of pressure.

“Oh,” I whimper, wrapping my legs tighter around him as he increases the pressure.

Should you be doing this, Abbey?

An irritating, insistent voice lingers at the back of my thoughts; a shadow of doubt, almost drowned out by these sensations of pleasure. I close my eyes and decide to ignore it.

Fuck it.

I’m billions of light years away in a part of the universe Humans don’t even go to. I’m floating in the water with just a thin barrier separating us from the very fabric of space itself. We’re suspended above the stars. I’m weightless, directionless, without any ties.

The rulebook has been thrown out the window.

And nobody knows me here. Nobody cares about me here. Except for this male, who is bringing me closer and closer to the edge of climax. With just his damn finger.

Urgh. He just happens to be good at both fighting and foreplay.

Not usually my type. But then again, I’ve never encountered a being quite like him before.

I yelp as he disappears soundlessly under the water, leaving me breathless, staring up into the darkness. I’m a bit disappointed when he withdraws his fingers, leaving my clit throbbing with unfulfilled promises. He brings his hands down around my hips, anchoring my weightless body. The surface of the water has gone still, and all around me is silence, save for the sound of my own rapid breathing.

My heart pounds.

The tension in me becomes almost unbearable. I’m desperate for release.

He’s kept me hanging.

He’s taken complete control, and I can’t do a thing.

Something warm slides between the folds of my pussy and I shudder. I reach down and realize he’s down there kissing me, licking me, his tongue deft and sure. And long. It’s longer than a Human tongue.

His lips press against my tender skin, his tongue circling my clit. The vicious fangs I’ve seen do not graze me, do not touch me, even once.

I cry out, glad that he’s underwater so he can’t hear how much I’m enjoying this. I run my fingers through his short hair, tracing the points of his ears, stroking his temples.

There’s something at the edge of his temples. Two raised points. Small, hard bumps. When my fingers come into contact with them, he stiffens a little.

I withdraw my hands as he sucks my sensitive flesh, and the pressure inside me starts to build.

It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

I hook my legs over his shoulders, and he grips my ass with his rough hands, flicking his tongue back and forth along my pussy, my clit, faster, harder, until I can do nothing but close my eyes and see stars.

And with each and every caress, he drags me closer to the edge of pure bliss.

The water swirls around me as I move gently back and forth, my breathing rough and uneven, my soft grunts of pleasure echoing in the giant, black space.

We’re floating in infinity.

I’m quivering, a powerful sensation coiled tight within me, and as he sucks, just a little bit more, that feeling starts to unfurl, like a blossoming flower.

Slowly, at first. He goes again, back and forth.

Then again.

Then, like a torrent of water bursting from a dam, that feeling of insane pleasure spills over and I’m coming, hard, fast, clenching my legs around him, crying out, my voice echoing in the empty space.

We’re fucking in an ocean, suspended above the universe.

And I’m swept up in a powerful orgasm, wrapped around an impossible male who mystifies and infuriates me. Pleasure surges through me; intense, fierce, and I cry out in release.

The water, cold and serene, laps a soft rhythm around us.

I open my eyes, looking down into the depths below. He’s coming up now, rising slowly, unable to keep his hands off my body. I slide down off him, feeling utterly satisfied.

As he breaks the surface, I move back out of his grasp, watching as he regards me with a molten red gaze. He’s gone still, and he’s not saying a word.

I’d expected him to be smug, but he’s looking at me expectantly.

Several glib remarks come to mind, but I stay quiet for once, not wanting to ruin the moment. I’m wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

Too late now.

“Your turn,” I whisper, making languid strokes as I come in close. I bring my hands up to his face, watching his expression closely as I trace those strange bumps I felt at the edge of his temples. He exhales as I circle them with my fingers. They’re definitely there; two slight swellings just beneath his hairline.

They seem to be quite sensitive.

We lock gazes, and I’m drawn into the wine-dark depths of his eyes. There’s a kind of relief there, his hard features becoming somehow peaceful.

Strange, inscrutable male.

I trace my fingers down his sharp cheekbones, down past his lips, which are parted. In contrast with the hard elegance of his features, they’re soft and sensuous. Unable to resist, I kiss him. At first, his lips are cool, but as I part them with my tongue, they become warm. His tongue meets mine, and I taste a hint of myself and the fresh water of the pool.

Warmth rushes through me all over again.

I run my hands over his bare back, feeling rippling muscle and the soft irregularity of the occasional scar. Again I bring my legs up around him, grinding my hips, enjoying the feel of our bodies connecting, buffeted by the water’s embrace.

I kiss him, enjoying the sensation, running my tongue over the sharp points of his fangs.

I don’t know what purpose they serve, but that little detail turns me on.

His erection presses against me, and I bring my hand down, my fingers curling around his cock.

Oh, my.

He’s nothing short of impressive.

I run my hand along its length. There are small, raised ridges along the top of his shaft. A sigh escapes me as I wonder what it would feel like inside me.

I close my fingers around his erection and move my hand back and forth, drawing a satisfied growl from him. He pulls me close, his strong arms curling around my waist. Slowly, he guides himself inside me, thrusting deep as I let out a satisfied groan.

The ridges at the top of his shaft rub against me, against my clit, feeling so good, and as I rock my hips back and forth, that sweet sensation builds again.

He lets me fuck him for a while, running his strong fingers through my hair, grunting in pleasure. I lose myself in the rhythm, enjoying the feeling of having him deep inside me. I let my body take over, going deeper, faster.

Then all of a sudden, he takes over, reversing our roles, bringing his feet off the floor, our bodies buoyed in the water. He dips below the surface, taking me with him, pulling me close.

I lose air and I lose sound.

Submerged.

He fucks me with his hands wrapped around my ass, thrusting his hips and pounding harder as I find myself in a breathless, quiet wonderland, surrounded by the galaxy.

The cold water wraps around us, but he’s warm.

Our bodies move together. I can’t breathe, but I don’t care. It feels amazing.

He fucks me underwater, fucks me hard, fucks me deep until I’m coming again, and he’s coming, holding me close. We’re hidden together in darkness, wrapped in a cold, depthless cocoon. We shudder together as release comes, and I cry out, my voice distorted by the water, pale bubbles of air rising sinuously to the surface.

He holds me there for a moment afterwards, and everything is silent and still, but I can feel the pounding of his heart beneath my fingers, telling me that he’s real, and he’s alive.

He may not be Human, but he’s definitely a living, breathing male who has needs.

I savor the sensation of the afterglow, holding him against me until I can’t take it anymore. Deprived of oxygen, my lungs are about to explode.

I shoot for the surface, pulling him with me, drawing in sweet air. I’m breathless.

For a moment, we just stare at each other, and it’s as if something unexpected has happened between us.

Then, he turns, and without a word, hauls himself up out of the water, liquid sluicing off his magnificent body, highlighting the ripples and contours of his muscular physique.

I half expect him to leave me here, but he’s standing at the edge, holding out a hand. I place my small hand into his large one, and he pulls me up out of the water in a single effortless movement.

He’s too strong for his own good.

Goosebumps instantly appear on my bare skin, drawn out by the cold air.

I look around in panic for the curtain thing, but it’s floated off somewhere and probably sunk down into the depths. It’s nowhere to be seen.

Tarak bends down and picks something up from the floor.

It’s his dress jacket, neatly folded.

With all that drama, when did he have time to fold his suit up into a neat little pile?

“You Humans seem to tolerate low temperatures poorly,” he remarks, draping the jacket around my shoulders. The fabric is thick and soft, and it smells of him. It feels good after being in the pool. I’ve been in the water for so long my fingers have become wrinkled, like little prunes. He fastens the gleaming black buttons at the front. The sleeves are too long, covering my hands entirely, and the entire thing falls to about mid-thigh. At the back, the long tails of the coat cover the backs of my knees.

It looks ridiculous, but it feels so good. Warm. Familiar.

Meanwhile, the General is still stark naked. “Uh, thanks.” I wrap my arms around my chest, comfortable in my little cocoon, not caring that it’s an oversized Imperial Military dress uniform.

He picks up his pants, throwing them over his shoulder and gestures to me to follow. “Come. Now we can return to my quarters.” He shoots me a pointed look. “Where you were supposed to remain in the first place. All of this could have been avoided.”

“Even that last part?” I tease him, but he simply stares back at me, stone-faced. I roll my eyes. “You could have warned me about the mad scientists. Maybe if you’d explained things a bit better, I wouldn’t have gone out,” I’m unable to take my eyes off his gleaming, naked body. It’s far too distracting. “And General?”

He raises a pale eyebrow.

I point at his pants. “Aren’t you going to, uh, wear those?”

“What for?” He really doesn’t seem to get it. “Does my body offend you somehow? Even after we’ve mated?”

“No,” I begin, shaking my head. Quite the opposite, actually. “Never mind,” I sigh. “If you ever decide to visit Earth, remind me to go through a few cultural things with you first.”

At least I’ve got a fine view of his taut, toned ass as I follow him back to his quarters, wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.

* * *

She’s quiet on the way back, this small female. She follows me soundlessly and I wonder if I’ve upset her somehow. We pass through the common area where several of my soldiers are now seated, eating or playing games or watching the Imperial Broadcast on the large holoscreen.

Some of them glance at us in surprise, but they quickly turn away when they see me.

Of course, they will talk with one another, but they know better than to invade my privacy. The High Council already knows of my transgression, anyway. Mirkel will go running back to them like a pathetic wounded Xargek larvae returning to its queen, but my soldiers will never sell me out to the Nobility.

There’s nothing unusual about taking a female on the sly in one’s leisure time, even though it’s frowned upon. Males have needs. A Human is unexpected, though. Some of my soldiers probably don’t even know what a Human is.

As their leader, I should be setting an example and following the High Council’s edict discouraging inter-species mating, but I decide I don’t care anymore.

With so few Kordolian females left, we have little choice but to look outside their race for pleasure and companionship.

However, I had never thought it was possible to have offspring with another species. This Human female is truly a revelation. And her body is a source of deep, unfettered pleasure.

So responsive. She seemed to enjoy the mating as much as I did.

But I have no idea of Human mating rituals. I don’t know what she expects. Did I please her enough? Was I adequate?

We enter my quarters, the Qualum door unfusing as I stand before it. A thought occurs to me and I turn to her. “How did you manage to open this door?”

She blinks, not seeming to understand. “I don’t really know. I was stupidly trying to pull it open, then I tore a nail,” she shows me her finger, where part of the fingernail is torn, revealing raw pink flesh underneath. “Then somehow it came apart.”

“Did you bleed?”

“A little, I think. Just a drop.”

“Ah.” The traces of my biological signature in her blood must have been enough to activate it.

“What do you mean, ‘ah’? Care to explain a little more? You have to be one of the most secretive guys I’ve ever met.”

I keep quiet, and she does that funny thing where her eyes roll up into her head. It seems to be a Human expression of frustration. I don’t want her to know, just yet, that the nanograft she was given came from me. She’s received my blood, and under ancient Kordolian Law, that constitutes a blood-bond. But after what that idiot Mirkel put her through , I don’t think she’d process the concept very well.

The door fuses behind us and she closes her eyes, letting out a deep, shuddering sigh.

There are dark circles underneath her eyes, marring her pale, otherwise flawless skin. She seems drained; tired. Of course she’s tired. She’s just survived a nanograft and an abduction attempt.

“Did they harm you?” I ask darkly, pushing the sleeves of the jacket back to reveal her delicate wrists. There are bruises there, and the skin is broken in several places. At some point, she’s bled. Her ankles are also marked, and there’s a faint line along her forehead. They’re marks from restraints. I know them all too well.

“Not really,” she replies. “Don’t worry. You’ve made that creepy doctor suffer enough.”

“Did he touch you?” I’m going to break Mirkel’s neck. Fuck the High Council and the Twelve Noble Houses. If they provoke me, I’ll set into motion the plan the Prince and I have been assembling for so long and I will raze their Empire to the ground.

“Tarak.” She pulls herself from my grasp, placing a hand on my bare chest. “Enough. I’m fine, thanks to you. But you need to tell me what you want. You look like you still want to kill that guy. You look as if you want to kill a whole bunch of guys. But why does it bother you so much that I was captured and almost experimented on? I’m not your property, General, no matter what you think. And according to you, I’m inferior.”

I open my mouth to argue. Under Kordolian Law, she is my property. But seeing the expression on her face, I remain silent. Telling her that would only anger her.

“So I’m asking for the truth now, General. Do you plan on keeping me here? Or are you going to be as good as your word and take me back to Fortuna Tau?”

“You want to go back so badly?”

“It’s my home, General. And they need me in the biomeric plant. As much as I appreciate your efforts to have me healed, I get the feeling your species aren’t really going to accept me. And frankly, that scares the shit out of me. Kordolians in general scare the shit out of me. I’ve actually enjoyed our short time together, and believe it or not, I don’t think you’re really all that bad, but I don’t think I’ll survive here.”

She’s right, of course. On Kythia, she would never be accepted as my mate. I’d have to register her as a slave and keep her in an authorized household.

And she, as free and fearless as she is, would be utterly miserable.

But some indisputable facts remain. She’s biologically compatible with our species, and I’ve blood-bonded her and mated her. We could possibly have offspring together.

And for the first time, with her, I reached ecstasy. I’m calm now, more at peace than I’ve been in longer than I can remember. The headache has dissipated completely.

Mating with her felt incredible. It was everything I’d been told about, and more.

Perhaps she didn’t feel the same way.

“Did you not enjoy it?” I ask, watching her closely.

“What?” She blinks, seemingly confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The mating.” I’m starting to feel, more strongly than ever, that I can’t let her go. “Was it not as good for you?”

“The sex?” The way she looks up at me, with her pink lips slightly parted, makes me want to do it all over again. “Oh the sex was amazing and you know it. Stop trying to distract from the issue. I mean, you’re obviously experienced when it comes to, uh, pleasuring women, but that’s not going to convince me to stick around. I’m not going to be your concubine, General.”

Experienced? Concubine? What nonsense is she babbling now? I narrow my eyes in annoyance. “What are you talking about, Human? I have not been with another female.”

“I mean, what do you expect me to do, hang around in your quarters all—” She stops mid-sentence, looking at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. “What did you just say?”

“I have not been with another.” I shrug, turning to retrieve food from the internal delivery chute. There’s protein mix and the Veronian food I ordered earlier. I detest the over-sweetened, cloying desserts those strange Veronians make, but I have the feeling they might be to Abbey’s taste.

When I turn, she’s staring at me with a shocked expression.

“Why does that surprise you so?” I summon a table from the side wall, tapping a command on the small holo-panel. It slides out, and I place the food upon it. A pair of seats slides out after it, and I gesture for her to sit. “Eat.” I nod towards the woven Veronian package. It’s brightly colored, just like its makers.

She looks at me, then at the package, her eyes green and wide. Underneath our dim blue lights, her eyes appear green. In the light of that star called the Sun, they’re brown. I’ve never heard of eyes that can change color before.

She’s still wearing that shocked expression.

“What?” I growl, taking a bite of my protein mix.

“Pants,” she snaps, gesturing to the garment beside me. “Put them on.”

I shrug and pull on the trousers. If it makes her feel at ease, then fine. I could as easily draw out my exo-armor, but it doesn’t seem appropriate in this situation.

So my appearance offends her, and she’s surprised I haven’t been with a female before. I’m confused. What’s her problem? They say on Kythia that Kordolian females are complex creatures, but this Human would certainly be a match for them.

Females. I suspect I will never fully understand what goes on inside their heads.

* * *

Thank Saturn he’s put his pants back on. I mean, I was enjoying the view and all, but it was becoming too damn overwhelming. And we’re about to eat. And he still doesn’t have a shirt on. I’m sitting opposite a shirtless General with magnificent abs. He’s chomping on one of those uninspiring meaty seaweed bars, and I’ve got a colorful package sitting in front of me.

I stare at it for a moment, trying to process what I’ve just learnt.

So let me get this straight. Before we made love in the pool, he was a virgin? And the admission doesn’t seem to have bothered him at all. Most Human guys would be getting a bit awkward right about now.

It doesn’t add up.

He takes another bite of his food, looking at me with a calm, scrutinizing gaze. It’s as if he wants to gauge my reaction to this strange little package.

“So I’m your first?” I still don’t quite get it. He seemed to know his way around the female body all too well. He was confident as hell; he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Yes.”

“Oh.” I blink, trying to look for any clue that he’s messing with me. “So how did you know what to do, if you don’t mind me asking?” I run my fingers over the package. It’s covered in a wrapper made up of thousands of tiny, interwoven hexagons. The pattern is all kinds of colors; pinks, purples, blues, greens.

It’s exquisitely beautiful.

Tarak frowns. “Know what to do? Of course I know. We learn when we reach maturity. It’s a rite of passage for all males.”

“You get lessons?” My jaw drops. “Like an initiation of sorts?”

“There is a Sendar, a scholar of female pleasure. All males who reach maturity see the Sendar for training.” He takes another bite of the gelatinous brick, looking at me quizzically. “You Humans do not have something similar on Earth?”

“Not at all,” I reply. “So you’re telling me all Kordolian males have to learn this stuff? How to, uh, please a woman?”

“Of course. If the skill is not acquired, one has no hope of gaining a mate.”

“That bad, is it?” I fiddle with the multicolored package, trying to get it to open. “So I imagine the women also go through some sort of training.” I suddenly feel a little insecure. How would I compare to a Kordolian female?

Tarak laughs then, and it’s a surprisingly warm, rich sound. I’ve never heard him laugh before, let alone seen him smile. For a moment, he looks kind of adorable, his white fangs flashing in his dark mouth. “Why would a female need such lessons? They can take their pick of the males. Most end up with multiple mates.”

I try to digest that information. “Sounds like there’s an imbalance.”

“Only one in a hundred Kordolian males ever has hope of being selected as a mate.”

I dig my nails into the hexagon-patterned wrapper, trying to tear it open. But really, I’m trying to process what the General’s telling me. “That’s quite a serious shortage of ladies.”

Imagine women on Earth with that kind of power. With their own personal harem. I think we’d all go a little bit drunk with sexual power. What kind of life do these Kordolian females lead?

Shit. I’ve just been transported to a planet of horny, silver-skinned alien males who happen to be tutored in the art of pleasure.

What’s a girl not to like?

Apart from the fact that some of them seem to want to take my organs. For science.

Fuck that. Hands off the ovaries, bitches.

Tarak takes the package from me, a flicker of annoyance crossing his elegant features. “If you do not know how to do it, just ask.” He presses something on the side, and the little hexagons all seem to fold into themselves, sliding off the package and forming a tight little ball.

Before I can protest, he tosses the thing into a little garbage chute. I would have kept it. It seemed too beautiful to throw away.

He slides the package across to me. It’s a box with a transparent lid.

“There have been no females born on our planet for the last hundred orbits. And it’s common knowledge that a female cannot become pregnant if she does not climax. So we try our best to make conditions right, but there hasn’t been any success yet.” He shrugs. “Maybe it’s just the way of things. Perhaps it’s a sign from the Goddess that we are not meant to survive another era.”

“That’s a bit fatalistic, isn’t it, General?”

“Eat your food, Abbey.” He ignores the question, gesturing towards the box.

I look down and see neat rows of little squares.

Sweets of some sort? They’re like little chocolates or something, but each square is different, covered in some kind of design.

I look more closely and realize some of the squares are transparent. There are tiny glittering specks inside. The specks look like stars, and they’re interspersed with colorful nebulas. The other squares are solid, etched with pictures of distant planets.

They’re miniature works of art. “Is this really food?”

“Try one.”

I pick up one of the squares, take a deep breath, and pop it in my mouth. I’m starving again. I don’t know what this stuff is, or whether it’s even good for Humans, but I don’t really have any choice. I can’t afford to waste away here. Especially if I’m going to have to figure out how to escape.

An explosion happens. It’s a burst of pure flavor, complex and sweet.

It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. I can’t equate it to anything I’ve had on Earth.

It’s fruity, I guess. A bit like a combination of lychee and mango and pineapple. But those things don’t even compare. It’s as if those crazy minuscule nebulas I saw inside it are blossoming on my tongue.

Surely something that tastes this good can’t be bad for me. I hate to say it, but it’s as good as chocolate. Maybe even better. No way. That last thought makes me feel like a traitor to my own species.

Tarak’s watching my reaction carefully. He seems rather pleased with himself.

“What is this stuff?” I ask in wonder.

“Veronian food.” As if that explains everything. He finishes the last of his protein bar thing and taps a panel on the wall. Moments later, two steaming cups of some sort of drink appear in the hatch. He passes one across to me. “Drink.”

I sniff the stuff cautiously. Smells okay, if a little bitter. I sip. It’s pungent and herbal, but the distinct flavor contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the cubes.

I’m contemplating these culinary wonders and pondering the nature of a race that’s overwhelmingly male and generally unfriendly towards every other species in the universe when a sharp beeping sound fills the room. Tarak’s on his feet in an instant and he’s armoring up, the black nanites appearing all over his skin like tiny liquid droplets. They coalesce and form the hardened outer exo-suit I’m familiar with.

The dress trousers he’s so graciously put on start to tear at the seams.

“Into the sleeping pod with you,” he snaps, taking my food and the cup of bitter tea. “I have visitors. Do not come out.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he holds up a hand. That little vein on the side of his temple is twitching again. “Do not argue this time, female. You have had enough danger already.”

“Fine,” I sigh, not looking forward to being locked up in that little room again, but feeling as if I have no choice. I don’t want to be at the centre of a shitfight in the General’s quarters.

I follow him through, and he places my food on a little table beside the bed-pod thing.

“Eat and rest,” he says, his voice unexpectedly gentle. “And do not worry. You are always safe with me.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I reply, eyeing the rest of the Veronian sweets. At least I can munch on those while I try not to get claustrophobic, wondering how the hell I’m going to get out of here. Am I ever going to see Earth again? Am I going to feel the sunshine on my face again?

There has to be a way. And maybe it involves convincing this stubborn musclehead to come with me.

Because I don’t know if I can fight through hordes of hostile Kordolians on my own.

And underneath the scary armor and bossy attitude, he’s not all that bad, really.