Kane

“You,” I say.

She’s the one.

The virgin.

The only one in this entire group.

I can smell it on her. So innocent, so naive, so… powerful. Virgin human females are rumored to possess mystic powers. Their blood can stop aging, their juices are exquisitely tasty, a lock of her hair can ward off evil spirits…

And whoever takes her virginity will earn her eternal love and devotion, and grow immensely powerful.

Those are the superstitions at least. It’s what makes human virgin females one of the most sought after goods in the entire universe. The Federation keeps most poachers at bay..

But not these Ganon. They took the humans by surprise and slaughtered them.

The humans were getting cocky, passing through deep space with just one vessel. A big one, but still, only one.

These girls are paying the price for their mistake.

The blonde girl in front of me trembles with fear. I lean in and sniff her again.

Her scent fills me. My heart pounds and aches, my fingers aching to grab a tighter hold of her. My cock hardens, pressing against my slacks.

To say that I’m surprised is an understatement. I’m shocked. Absolutely nailed to the floor.

I’ve never felt anything like this. My head is overflowing with emotions, like a sweeping storm, like an entire dam has been broken. I thought the stories on human females were just lies, something the slavers told each other… but as I stare into her bright, blue eyes, I know they’re true.

All of it is true.

It must be.

For why else would my heart be pounding?

What other force could grip my throat and force it shut?

What other power can make shivers run down my spine, make my throat dry, my stomach flutter?

It’s got to be her virginal powers.

I feel blessed for being able to free her from the Ganon’s grasp. They would have taken her to Vagreon’s Slave District and auctioned her off — making a fortune in the process.

Vagreon has never seen a human female as fair as her, I’m sure.

She will serve the Sahr clan. She will help bring peace and justice to Vagreon. In time, she will thank me.

I grab her wrist. A jolt passes through me, and I’m sure she felt it as well. I turn to leave — the clan awaits. Every minute we wait is one wasted.

I’ve spent too much time gazing at her otherworldly beauty already.

“Let her go, you brute!”

I register a faint tap on my left shoulder. I turn to see a brown-haired woman scowling at me, her fists raised.

“You give her back to us, right now!”

“Rose, please,” the virgin stammers. “Don’t risk your life for me!”

Risk her life?

These humans have got the wrong idea about me — but I don’t have the time to explain myself. I simply throw the door in her face, the lock falling back into place.

“Hey! You can’t leave us! Hey!”

I pull the virgin along, but she can barely keep up with my large paces. Frustrated, I pick her up, resting one hand on her bottom as I use the other to open doors. I can feel the softness of her skin through the thin fabric — the bodysuit she’s wearing is the only thing separating my fingers and her curvy, shapely behind.

My cock hardens, pressing right against her. She must feel it. My cheeks burn with shame. This is not my place, yet I cannot stop myself.

She’s frozen in place, like a deer caught in headlights. The human breathes in sharply when she sees the dead bodies of the Ganon littering the hallway.

They fell easily before me.

I head to to bridge of the ship and set the ship on an automated course towards Federation space. Within a day the captured women will be picked up and rescued.

The virgin has a greater destiny.

Her sweet scent surrounds me. It’s stronger than the stink of the ship, stronger than anything I’ve ever experienced before. I almost feel a tinge of regret once we reach my vessel. I don’t want to let her go. She is not mine to have, though — I shouldn’t be so presumptuous.

I lower her down to the floor, and she scampers towards the corner of my ship, pulling her knees up to her chest. I sit down in my seat and pilot us out of there. Once we’re out safe and sound, I send a encrypted message to Ragh. He replies instantly.

Very good! Take her to these coordinates. Look for Melkov.

I plug the codes into my machine, set the ship to run silently, and turn around.

The human female hasn’t moved an inch.

“Where are you taking me?” she asks.

Her voice as beautiful as she is.

“Somewhere safe.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Kane.”

“Did you kill those men?”

“The Ganon? Yes. Are you hungry?”

She nods, not taking her eyes off me for even a second. I feel sorry for her. The Ganon are despicable, a bunch of vultures and leeches… they are a scourge. I’m glad that they haven’t touched her.

The thought fills me with a strange, strong emotion.

Jealousy.

If anyone is to touch this human female, it’s me…

I shake my head.

That can’t be right.

I am to deliver her to the clan. They have plans for her, they will use her powers. For good. If I intervened, if I took her power for myself… I would be as bad as the Ganon, or Grotto, or the lot of them.

And yet, I can’t put the thought out of my mind.

“Follow me,” I say.

I lead her from the cockpit to the kitchen. My ship is small and cramped, but for her smaller frame it’s more than adequate. I, however, keep bumping my head. A problem all Zoran encounter, I imagine.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Anything,” she says.

“Did the Ganon feed you?”

She shivers. “I’d rather not talk about that.”

“That’s a yes, then.”

My knowledge of human culture and customs is next to none — all I know is what Ragh told me, and what I picked up on the streets of Vagreon. I might have been an expert on humanity in my past life, a diplomat or ambassador, but all knowledge of my past life is now lost to me. I set the food-replicator to spicy kmua.

“Here.”

She stares at the plate. “What is this?”

“Food. It won’t kill you. Eat.”

“Do you have…”

“No,” I say, cutting her off. “Where you’re going, they won’t have anything you want. Better get used to it. And eat.”

She pushes the plate away.

“You have to eat,” I growl, my frustration growing with the second.

The human looks up at me, her blue eyes filled with tears, and it cuts right through me. Why am I such a boor? She’s gone from one trauma to the next, and here I am, yelling at her.

I’m doing my best to help her, but my best is woefully inadequate.

“Are you cold?” I ask. I take off my coat and place it around her shoulders. It’s way too big for her, but she snuggles into it.

“Why are you being nice to me now?” she asks. “Didn’t you just leave the other girls to die in that cage?”

I shake my head. What does she think of me?!

“No,” I say. “I plotted a course to Federation space. They’ll be picked up and rescued soon enough.”

“Then… why did you take me?”

“Because of your powers,” I say. “You are meant for something more. Something great.”

“My p-p-powers?” she stammers. “What powers.”

“Your powers,” I say matter-of-factly. “Now eat.”

“I can’t eat when you’re staring at me like that.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, and I turn my seat to the side. It’s incredibly hard to tear my eyes away from her for even a moment, but if that is what she needs, I will obey.

She eats in silence. I’m happy that she’s cooperating.

“What is your name?” I ask.

“Piper,” she answers.

Piper. Unusual, but a beautiful name.

“Tell me about yourself, Piper.”

“I don’t have much to tell you. I’m afraid I’m not very interesting.”

She couldn’t be more wrong. There’s no one I’m more interested in.

“What about you?” she says. “I’d like to know who you are… and what your plans are with me.”

“You are in good hands, I can assure you. The clan will take very good care of you.”

“The clan?” she says. “That sounds… ominous.”

“They are a force of good. Have you heard of the Vagreon sector?”

She shakes her head, which I catch from the corner of my eye.

“Be thankful for that. It’s a dire place.”

“So why are you taking me there?”

“Because you can change it,” I say, turning my body back to her. “You are the key, Piper.”

She throws up her hands in frustration. “I’m a nobody! I’m nothing! You’ve got the wrong one! Please, I’m telling you, let me go! Please!”

“I can’t do that,” I say coldly.

She is the one. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Just looking at her makes my body brim with energy, with power. And yes, with lust — but I fight it.

I’m her guardian, here to protect her innocence, not sully it.

“Then you’re just as bad as those pigs,” she says, her cheeks red with anger.

“You take that back,” I growl.

My calm demeanor has slipped away. I will not be compared to those criminals.

“Why would I?” she says. “I’ve gone from one cell to the next!”

I place my hands on the table and lean in, my forehead nearly pressing against hers. Piper’s blue eyes are narrowed in anger, and I match her fiery gaze.

She has spunk, this human female. I can’t deny that.

“Those Ganon rape, murder and torture for fun,” I growl. “You should be thanking me on your knees for saving you from them. I just spared you a world of hurt.”

“Well, excuse me for not throwing you a damn parade, Zoran,” she bites. “I liked you better in the simulation!”

“The simulation?”

Her eyes widen, and she clasps her hand in front of her mouth. Her angry scowl has turned into an embarrassed stammer in the blink of an eye.

“Nothing,” she says. “I didn’t say nothing.”

“But you—”

“Nope. You misheard. Anyway… do you have like, a bathroom or something?”

“Down the hall and to the left.”

She excuses herself, and I watch her hips sway as she walks away.

The tiny human female is an enigma. She feigns ignorance and innocence, yet I sense great power. Her mere presence has me burning as bright as a supernova. Piper resists my help… and it drives me mad.

And why?

My mission is simply to deliver her to Melkov. The clan will take it from there. They will use her power to free the Vagreon sector from the Seven Lords, and I will finally receive the answers about my past that I’ve been looking for. We all benefit.

She doesn’t have to like me for it. She doesn’t need to be thankful.

And yet, when she scowls at me, when she curses my name, I want to rip my very own guts out. It’s pure torture.

I just pray I can resist her power.