“So, what do you think is going to happen now?” Georgia peered at me on our evening stroll, her eyes full of weariness.

I shrugged, trying to reflect courage and bravery. “Everything will be all right.” I didn’t want her to have a new set of issues to worry about.

It wasn’t exactly an honest answer, but it was a response at least. I could figure out how to keep her pacified in the meantime.

“I’m not sure how I feel about the Dolarians.” Georgia kicked a pebble in the mud. She had changed her demeanor about them from earlier when she kept giggling with amusement. She had finally seen the light.

“You and me both.” I chuckled. “They are mainly innocuous. A little roguish, yes, but I think they are not as big of a hazard as you might think.”

“Can we stop here?” Georgia looked up at me, visibly sweating and panting. She propped her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths.

“I’m sorry.” I rubbed her back. “Sometimes, I forget that our stamina is different.”

It was no surprise that humans and Mixians were very unique in their varying physiques. Most of the Mixian natives were extremely athletic.

Not to say that Georgia was in inadequate physical shape or anything. She was gorgeous and slender, albeit curvy in all the right places. The body structures between the two species were certainly different.

Even staring at her under the soft glow of the descending sun, her body made my cock tingle and my muscles tremble.  I appreciated and respected Georgia’s beauty.

“Why don’t we sit down over there?” I pointed to a cluster of rock formations near the slope of an inactive volcanic slope.

“That sounds great to me.” Georgia huffed as she slumped down onto the rock with a sigh of gratitude.

“I’m not really indolent.” She chuckled with a flicker of apologetic embarrassment.

“I don’t think you are.” I tossed her a warm smile and retrieved two bottles of water from the pack I was carrying. “Here, have something to drink. You look thirsty and it’s important to stay hydrated.”

Georgia gratefully grabbed the bottle from me and began drinking it with zealous enthusiasm until she’d guzzled nearly all of it without coming up for a breath.

“You were thirsty.” I laughed.

“Yes.” She smacked her lips and made an ‘ahh’ sound. “That was very refreshing. Thank you for bringing it.”

“Is it hot where you live?” I asked her, curious about how life was for her on Earth. I hoped that she wouldn’t feel too homesick talking about her home on a different planet.

“Sometimes.” She shrugged and glanced out at the horizon. “Mainly in the summer time.”

“Do you miss it?” I dared to ask. Maybe this would be good therapy for her.

She looked up at me and studied my face. “I came here with the intention of staying a while,” she said assertively, as if she was unperturbed.

“So, you are enjoying your time on Mixis then?” I held my breath and waited for her answer.

“I am so far, aside from the Chad problem.” She laughed reflectively.

“We will come to a solution,” I reassured her. I hadn’t forgotten about her asshole prank-inducing brother.

“Are you going to have to leave?” Georgia’s eyes looked sad with her question. It made my heart gallop to think that she’d miss me.

“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brow. I needed more information on what she meant.

“For the water thing.”

“I might have to.” I sniffed and scratched my head and looked off to the right, beyond the distance.

“What will I do while you are gone?” Her voice sounded sad. I hated the loneliness in her tone.

“You can come with me, in that case,” I told her with a beaming smile.

It was an idea I’d been mulling over already. If she was going to be too distraught after my departure, I’d just bring her along.

“Really?” Her spirits instantly lifted as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Yes.” I nodded as confirmation. “I will need to contact the Crown Prince of Dolaris first.” I knew I’d need permission to bring a human to their location, especially if I was to keep the peace with the little rats.

Georgia stood up to stretch. “How far away do they live?” She was innocently curious.

“Just a slight ship ride over,” I responded and gazed up at her with admiration. “Are you ready to go back to the palace?” I rubbed her shoulders with adoration.

“Not really.” Georgia glanced around the vast, wide open spaces. “I’m having fun just talking and exploring with you.” She seemed peaceful and content. I loved the serenity of her demeanor.

“I appreciate your remarkable ability to adapt and shift emotionally to conform to your new environment,” I admitted to her, even though I already knew she’d come to Mixis with the plan to stay a while.

“I always said I wanted to travel when I had the chance.” She chuckled with nostalgia. “I don’t really have anything to go home to, anyway . . .” She trailed off softly as an afterthought. “I’d be lonely there. At least here, I have you.” She gazed up at me with a fondness that warmed my insides.

The lingering problem with Chad was thick in the air. “I promise, we will get him back for what he did to us. We don’t have to necessarily harm him, but giving him a good scare might do the trick.”

My heart raced at the idea of embarking on revenge and actually getting the sweet reward of vindication from it.

“We’ll see.” She scoffed bitterly. “What are we going to do about Katie?” Georgia addressed the elephant in the room.

“I’m still debating on that one,” I told her. “I won’t harm her either. I feel like it’s good for her to do some self-reflection while she’s down there.” Katie was a tough nut to crack. She was stubborn and stupid, but she’d come around.

“No kidding.” Georgia snorted with a little laugh. “I don’t know why she just won’t admit that Chad is poison for her.”

“He’s poison for everyone.” I flicked a glance at Georgia as she met my gaze. “I have hope that Katie has the potential to turn her life around.”

If only we could convince her that she was with the biggest moron in the universe and he wasn’t doing her any favors.

“I’m really glad I met you.” Georgia gazed fondly up at me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it close to her tiny body. She made me tremble with desire.

“It was a fateful meeting, for sure,” I agreed with delight. I grinned at her because her joy was infectious.

We walked along for a while more, until Georgia’s legs grew too tired to press on. She wasn’t used to this endurance, but she’d build her stamina. It was hot here on Mixis too. She wasn’t used to the scorching temperatures. The adaption would eventually happen.

“I can carry you back to the palace,” I offered.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to do anything like that.” She waved her hand dismissively as if she didn’t want to be a burden for me.

“Are you sure?” I gave her a concerned look. I didn’t want her health to suffer.

“Yes, absolutely.” She nodded steadfastly. “I’m not that puny, just a little drained, that’s all.”

“We can walk back.” I pointed over our shoulders. “The palace is back that way.”

Georgia spun around to follow me back. “Hey, Kylin?”

I turned around and gave her a smile. “Yes?”

“Thank you.” Her eyes were warm and genuine as she returned my smile.

“For what?” I asked with puzzlement. She always kept me guessing.

“For being so kind to me. You have really shown me how a true man should behave. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.” Her voice cracked, and I wondered if she was going to cry, but she seemed to keep her composure.

“You don’t have to repay me.” I shook my head. “You have been through enough. I’m on your side, remember?” I was truly touched by her sincerity.

I leaned down to stroke her cheek and planted a tiny kiss on her cheek that was filled with a million volts of sexual chemistry. The connection we shared was unmatchable to anyone else.

“Right,” she whispered as she grinned up at me. Her eyes flashed with attraction and my cock roused in my pants. I was sexually drawn to her and wanted to run my hands all over her body.

I wanted to fuck her, right here and right now. I needed to wait. I wanted to make sure she needed me with the same burning compassion. I could visualize her naked in my mind now, though, and the thought thrilled me.

I didn’t want her to feel like I was forcing her to do sexual acts that she wasn’t comfortable with, but in my memory, she had enjoyed every minute of intimacy we’d shared together during that incredible, sweaty night.

For now, I would relive in my mind the first time we made love, and I would be patient until it happened again. When she finally did wrap her legs around my waist again, it would make it even more special.

* * *

The next morning, Georgia slept late, so I took the opportunity to head downstairs to my office lair to discuss the pressing water matters with the crown prince of Dolaria.

I sat down at my office table, fit for a true king. I rubbed the beautiful wood of the desk and heaved a huge sigh. I was grateful for where I was in my life, and now I had a beautiful woman to stand by my side.

I didn’t necessarily want to talk to Prince Jerren of Dolaris. He was a youthful leader, only seventeen years of age. I felt like I was more knowledgeable than he was on business affairs and running a planet. Nevertheless, I had to hold my tongue and remain cordial with him.

His role did not require him to partake in any serious endeavors regarding the rulings of his people. He was just a boy, in my opinion. He’d never known what it was like to be worried about anything.

The Mixian moon of Dolaria was where prince Jerren dwelled, and he hardly ever traveled to Mixis unless he was forced to by some astronomically imperative reason.

One good thing about Jerren that worked out in my favor was his ability to be hospitable to the Mixian race. We shared a common and true goal of keeping our species blended and docile toward each other.

He was always willing to embark on trade efforts and wasn’t stingy with his water supply, for the most part.

His sole function until his accession was to oversee the Dolarians’ many celebrations, feasts and holidays. He played the part well because every shindig he threw was elaborate and amazing.

The Dolarian folk would make a holiday out of anything if they could, and they were always trying to come up with reasons to have huge banquets and revelries. They never wanted to take life seriously. In some ways, it was a flaw, and in some ways, it was a gift.

They partied more often that worked, which was why they needed our outsourcing of technological advances that we could provide them with easily. As much as I hated to admit it, both of our worlds needed each other in order to function and survive.

I sighed again, knowing full well that I couldn’t delay the inevitable. I had to contact Prince Jerren and it had to be today.

I already knew that he was charismatic, cheerful, and generally quite harmless, but he was still rather annoying, to say the very least. He had an arrogant flair to him that was obnoxious and made conversations with him tedious.

I had to give him some credit, however. He had a touch more of a polite character than a lot of his people, but that was probably due to the fact that he’d had a keen upbringing with training to become the king one day. Royal predecessors always helped with that kind of favor.

He could be reasonable when he wanted to be, but he wanted me to grovel for it first, which for all intents and purposes bugged the living shit out of me most of the time. I hated the way he took pleasure in making me beg when I needed something.

He was slightly larger than the rest of his race, standing proudly (for him) at five feet tall. He was fuzzy, long-bodied, and bright-eyed, mostly coming from his zest for life. He still reminded me of a little weasel who was on a power trip.

He had big, bushy whiskers that I wondered if they would be tickly to the touch. His voice, much like his other Dolarian race, was quite squeaky and irritating. The pitch of their voices was something you just had to get accustomed to over time.

He wore more jewelry than clothes, taking great pride in his collection of some of the finest jewels, gold, and crystals that the galaxy could provide.

He wanted to fit the role of crown prince, and he thought the best way to conquer that ideology was to wear pounds and pounds of flashy accessories.

I hit my computer screen and dialed his number. After a few seconds, I saw his face and he greeted me with a smile along with a friendly wave of his little webbed hand.

“Hello, Prince Jerren,” I addressed him with a polite smile.

“Good morning to you, Prince Kylin.” He cast me a slight bow. “What brings you up on my screen on this fine and lovely day?”

There he went again, being jovial with a triumphant personality to boot. The only problem was, I could never tell whether he was being sincere or sarcastic.

“I wanted to discuss the recent water trade developments with you.” I cleared my throat and gave him a stern glance.

“Sure.” Prince Jerren’s lips curled into a playful sneer. “Anything for you.”

I couldn’t be certain that he wasn’t trying to make fun of me or to be sarcastic, so I chose to ignore his comment and press forward with business as usual.

“Some of your advisors met with me yesterday and we reached a trade deal,” I recounted, in case the Crown Prince was not yet aware.

I never knew what to expect of those meetings and thought that probably at least half of the time, the advisory team went back home to their moon and splashed in the water, too distracted to rehash the meeting agenda to Jerren.

“Yes, yes, I am aware.” Jerren nodded his head in understanding.

“Good,” I said with relief that I wouldn’t have to hit every point deliberated yesterday.

“You want more water.” Jerren continued to grin like a fool.

“Yes.” I nodded curtly.

“Are you sure?” Jerren raised his eyebrows and giggled as if he was holding onto a huge secret that he was barely able to contain. The Dolarian folk weren’t exactly good at withholding information.

“What kind of trick do you have up your sleeve now, Prince Jerren?” I brashly asked with impatience.

“Oh, nothing at all.” He laughed and held up his webbed hands defensively.

His whiskers moved as his cheeks grew with his smile. He was devious and really crawling under my skin. The worst part was that he knew it.

I extended an effort to intimidate Jerren, but it was all in vain. “I need you to tell me what’s going on,” I boomed in a demanding voice.

“Nothing!” Jerren squeaked through his obnoxious giggles. “Well, there is just one thing . . .”

“What is it?” I sighed and rubbed my temples, waiting for the kicker I had expected from the beginning.

“Our water freighters are carrying pests these days. Big ones.” Prince Jerren snickered and hit the side of his desk with his hands, bouncing up and down with his enormous secret.

“Are you saying that you have Chad detained?”

I questioned him, knowing that this would mean I would have to meet with Prince Jerren in person in order to release Georgia’s estranged brother.

Jerren continued to cackle and twitch his whiskers. He wasn’t going to be intimidated by me or anyone else, for that matter. He remained stoic.

We needed water, and Jerren knew I would always be at his mercy in order to keep my planet and my people alive with the outsourcing of the one element that was substantial to life as we knew it.

I hung up swiftly from Jerren, telling him I would need to call him back after I figured everything out. I ran to Georgia, who was in the room we now agreed to share.

“What is it?” she asked me with huge, fearful eyes after gauging my expression.

“We have to go to Dolaria,” I panted after running up the stairs. “I think the Crown Prince has captured Chad.”

Georgia gasped. “Are you certain?”

“Not yet, but I know there’s only one way to find out. We have to travel to the moon and approach those water rats personally.”

“I’m ready.” Georgia nodded as if she were well-equipped to join my army. She was a solider inside and out.

“That’s my girl.” I winked at her. She had more bravery and spine than half the people I knew.