Savage Planet Embrace, page 1
part #1 of Savage Planet Series
Savage Planet Embrace
Savage Planet Series
Book 1
Kassie Keegan
Copyright © 2022 by Love Planet Publishing
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author.
Book Cover & Character/Place Illustrations by Gleiver Prieto, Artist-Illustrator
www.gleiverprieto.artstation.com
Savage Planet Series Logo by Maria Sarmiento MASS, Graphics Designer
Instagram: mariasarmiento_mass
Titles and Branding designed by Deranged Doctor Design
www.derangeddoctordesign.com
Editing by Amy Briggs, Editor
www.editsbyamy.com
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Dedication
Thank you, Mr. K, for your unfailing love and encouragement.
You are the model of affection, devotion, and desire for all my heroes because you are my hero. And my very own sexy beast. Rawr!
S, K & T, your love and support mean the world to me.
Alana, phenomenal friend, what a delightful ride this journey has been! Thank you for everything.
GP, you bring my vision of this world to life in beautiful style. Thank you.
Sharon, Kristin & Annalee, thanks for reading as I dreamed and crafted. Your advice is golden!
Chapter 1
Daniel
Gaze riveted, mouth dry, Daniel Shaw’s heart pounded as the space transport’s gaping maw of a bay door slowly opened, announcing their arrival on Lio HomeWorld with pops, screeches, and hisses.
The familiar smell of filtered air ripe with the scents of mechanical fluid, ozone and the travelers around him was now washed with delicious fresh aromas Daniel, a SpacePort “rat” with newly enhanced Lio boosted senses, had not experienced.
Daniel had wanted this moment for most of his life. Growing up and surviving on SpacePort Arata with his mom had been a struggle. Holographic videos, holo-vids, broadcast from all over the Known Galaxies had kept him sane, but his favorites had always been the Lio holo-vids.
The Lio were a race of bi-pedal lion-like alien beings who, it turns out, had seeded the Known Galaxies with the beginnings of life, allowing it to develop according to the evolutionary presets of that world. On Earth, lions and humans had developed into entirely separate species.
All this was revealed when “Earthers” advanced into the Space Age a few millennia ago, being sponsored into the Galactic Coalition by the Lio people. Earth was still a protectorate of Lio HomeWorld and their Fleets. Since then, humans had become very important to the Lio, because without Earther men and women boosted with Lio genetics, the Lio would no longer exist.
The Lio Cataclysm happened when Lio stopped having female young. The Galactic Coalition rallied to find the reason and cure it, only to be thwarted at every turn.
In generations past, Earthers had been hesitant to break social and cultural barriers to be altered genetically and join in Lio families despite the Lio’s desperate need for mates.
They found a solution through miraculous happenstance, some called Fate, when a pair of scientists, a Human man and woman boosted with Lio genetics to survive on Lio HomeWorld, soul-bonded to a Coalition of male native Lio Nels and produced the first Lio Nessa female young born in years.
The Lio people had male native Lio Nels and female native Lio Nessas. Human men and women altered with Lio DNA were Honored Nels and Honored Nessas. “Honored” differentiated them in title from the obviously native furred Lio and also expressed the Lio people’s deep regard for Earthers who changed themselves genetically to become Lio mates. The Lio remembered and respected the commitment their Honored Nels and Honored Nessas made to their species.
As a kid, tales of adventure and valor depicted by the Lio and their Honored mates in Lio holo-vids captured Daniel’s imagination. Those stories gave him hope for a family of three strong Lio Nel males of his own who joined with him and a special woman, a woman they all loved and adored, a woman who loved them back. He could have a family of his own and be in a Pride where he was not alone again.
Lauren Shaw, Daniel’s frail mom, knew his hopes, saw his avid interest, and encouraged him. Before her sick, worn-out body took her away from him, Lauren insisted he apply to the Lio Inquiry Office, which amusingly shortened to L.I.O. They had laughed about it, as they laughed at everything together. She taught him to find joy and keep it despite hardship.
Many applied for selection but did not meet the Lio’s mysterious requirements, making Daniel feel like being chosen was a long shot. Still mourning the loss of his sweet, delicate mother, it had shocked Daniel when tall, statuesque, golden-furred and golden-eyed Abassa Itakah from the L.I.O. arrived at his home on SpacePort Arata seeking him out.
Abassa Itakah gently and kindly instructed him on the basics of Lio culture and stayed with him through his genetic alteration on SpacePort Haddou, where most Earther men were genetically enhanced. They usually enhanced Earther females on SpacePort Lina in a different Galaxy.
Daniel had been sedated during his gene-altering injections which boosted his genetics and the insertion of his mimetic metal shield disc. He had woken up literally a new man, his skin a light gold; thicker and tougher than it had been. He didn’t need glasses, and his human body hair, although still not furred like native Lio, was velvety soft.
Daniel was stronger and faster, even though his body appeared mostly the same. His sensitivity to energy sources around him grew exponentially. The Lio had helped him get used to his new body and taught him how to use his shield.
When he was ready, Abassa Itakah had sent him on his way to Lio HomeWorld and his new life as an Honored Lio Nel. Daniel felt the weight of this moment, this turning point. He had worked so hard and endured so much to be here. The failed hopes of his parents to live in a new land made it more poignant. He was about to step foot on an actual planet for the first time in his life. A world he chose. It was exhilarating!
Taking a deep cleansing breath, Daniel shivered as he stepped out of the cool, dark internal dock of the space transport onto the Arrivals platform on Lio HomeWorld. A promise to himself fulfilled.
He felt the pull of gravity on his body differently. Heavier. He walked slowly, feeling the precision and weight transfer of each step. Looking up at the intensely blue sky, golden sunlight blazed across his awareness and warmed his skin, his eyes drinking in everything he saw as fast as he could process it. Two moons.
So, here’s what an actual cloud looks like.
Daniel squinted briefly into the sun, then peered down at his own exposed arm and hand, alternating making a fist and extending his fingers while rotating. His newly hybrid skin shimmered in the sunlight, soaking in the warmth. He had wondered if actual sunlight would hurt, but it was pleasant. It felt necessary. He would not give this up.
As a SpaceBorn, Daniel was light-skinned, but this was the rich sheen which announced him an Honored Lio Nel. His skin was shimmering pale gold in the sun.
Ah, well, no fur for me.
Sadly to him, Lio boosted Humans did not develop fur, fangs, or a tail like the native Lio had.
A tail would be amazing.
Suddenly a delicious unfamiliar scent registered on his senses, then heat hit him like a blast. This heat blazed deeper than the sun warming his skin. It came from inside him, the burn starting in his chest then zinged upward, sizzling through his body from the crown of his head all the way to his toes.
This is different.
Daniel swallowed as the warmth surrounding his heart deepened, pulsing outward through his limbs, clouding his thoughts as sensation overwhelmed him. He could not walk any farther, stopping close to the rail of the platform, facing a sea of fast and trendy land transports parked on the field.
Daniel reminded himself to breathe. The heat burned hotter.
Am I dying? Did something go wrong when I got boosted? Is the planet killing me? If this is it, then at least I made it here.
Daniel relaxed into the flow. He clenched, then released his fists, his head dropping back as he surrendered to the sensation. As he relaxed, the burning eased into a manageable, pleasurable warmth throughout his body.
This must be what coming home feels like.
He stopped trying to make sense of the overwhelming feelings as his body eased and let them flow over him, however one part of him stirred to life.
I’m popping a hard on! What the actual fuck?
Daniel moved his short, cape-like Chalel further forward to cover the evidence of his arousal because the rest of his lightweight clothing would hide nothing.
Daniel chuckled to himself.
Guess I’m happy to be here!
Breathing deeply, trying to get his body back under control, his mouth watered at the lingering delicious scent. Its fleeting notes were complex and enticing, overwhelming all the other smells invading his senses. He wanted more.
He turned toward where he perceived the source was, his eyes searching to no avail. The burn in his heart flared back to full intensity, and this time did no
Daniel ignored the bustling crush of other travelers around him, wanting to take action. But doing what?
What am I going to do? Leap off the platform and make an utter fool of myself for a smell?
He wanted to do the right thing here, to respect his new home and their traditions, so off to Arrivals he would go. Still, he lingered a bit, rubbing the ache in his chest, hoping to catch one more hint of the intriguing scent. Maybe it was a flower.
I have got to find this flower!
He looked forward to discovering what kind it was. Lio HomeWorld wouldn’t be boring. All these experiences in his first few moments, despite being uncomfortable and different, only confirmed to him he had made the right decision. He was home.
Chapter 2
Aubrey
Aubrey Newton froze when the blast of attraction hit her. It was a casual, incurious glance up at travelers on a raised ramp angling down to Arrivals several hundred feet away, that captured her. She was wholly unprepared for the impact.
Tucked up under the wing of the latest, most fashionable, high-end land transport in Capital Maituri, the capital city of Lio HomeWorld, Aubrey was in her happy place. She and her fellow transport-enthusiast buddy Stealth took all opportunities they had to see the sleek new vessels. His attention captured by a flashy one, Stealth was much farther down the line.
Aubrey was inspecting the beauty’s newest features and, maybe, drooling a little at the idea of getting her eyes on its yummy power core when she peered up.
Despite the distance between them, she was keenly aware in painstaking detail of everything about the man who transfixed her. The teeming travelers surrounding him disappearing from her awareness like smoke. His presence spoke to her, resonating as clear as a bell.
Emerging from the shadowed exit of the sleek space-to-land transport, the male glowed to her eyes. His light gold skin gleamed in the sunlight. He was an Honored Lio Nel, whose pale golden sheen created a stark contrast to his soft-looking short, wavy brown hair, a few shades lighter than her own, and close-cropped mustache and beard.
He was tall but not lean. He had “meat on his bones” as her friend Talia would say. Sturdy. He moved with the ease and confidence of a man right where he wanted to be.
Oh, I like him.
She perceived a pearlescent shimmer around him, making her blink. A hum of attraction swelled within her. She licked her lips.
Hmm, I want to taste his shimmery skin.
Aubrey basked in the moment of attraction, then mentally shook herself.
What is this?
These were not feelings she was used to having. She hadn’t ever taken one glance at a male and started panting, not even for her three native Lio Nel male shadows, Léandre, Jovian, and Commander Ferrand.
What is happening? My body is on fire!
Unable to stand, an audible hum overtaking her hearing, Aubrey slowly dropped to her knees, concentrating briefly so her mimetic shield protected her flesh from the rough ground.
Breathe.
She intently focused on the compelling stranger as he paused at the lip of the transport exit to take his first step onto Lio HomeWorld. Aubrey could tell it was his first step ever on a planet. She recognized the moment, as it echoed her own experience.
Deeply attuned to him despite his distance from her, Aubrey saw his body shiver slightly as he moved forward, and she saw the slow, careful movement of his limbs as he acclimated to planetary gravity, his face wondering, his eyes darting from one thing to the next.
He seemed happy, which pleased her. She felt herself smile, watching his open enjoyment of his surroundings.
The man wore common Lio male attire; airy, light-colored, loose-flowing vest and trousers with comfortable sandals which left his beefy, muscular arms visible. He had a half-length, cape-like Chalel draped loosely over one shoulder. It was green with gold shapes and designs.
He squinted up into the sun briefly, a small smile on his face shifting into a full grin as he stared down at his own arm, turning it this way and that, clenching and unclenching his fist.
He sees the shimmer.
Aubrey remembered her own first moments in the Lio HomeWorld sun.
I wonder if he sees the surrounding glow too.
His grin turned rueful. She wondered what he was thinking.
What a fascinating man. So authentic, open, and expressive. Show me more, handsome.
Abruptly, a different deep heat burned through her body, starting around her heart then shooting outward like a starburst throughout her entire body, centering in her core in a way she had not experienced. Aubrey ached, her body humming with arousal. It was overwhelming and a little scary.
Even at a distance, she watched her Honored Nel’s throat work with a swallow, realizing she was swallowing at the same moment.
Are we connected? Can he feel this too?
If he did, it weirdly comforted her.
He stopped short, mid-stride, near the railing facing her direction, then took a deep breath. She could see from the movement of his chest their breathing was becoming synced; hers slowing down and deepening to match his. She saw his fists clench and release, his eyes close, then his head tilt back with a deep shudder.
What happened? Is he alright?
She watched as his head came back up, and he adjusted his cape.
Her gorgeous glowing Honored Nel opened his eyes and turned his head in her direction, his eyes searching across the myriad land transports surrounding her. She knew he would not see her in the privacy of the deep shadows she knelt in. However, he seemed to sense her as deeply as she sensed him. She felt him seeking in the hum of her special senses.
Intriguing.
The crowd of travelers surged around him, urging him forward. She watched as he resisted the flow and lingered, searching, then reluctantly walked to Arrivals.
Aubrey watched him the whole time, barely blinking, frozen on her knees, his glow undiminished in her eyes, her body burning brightly. When she lost sight of him, it did not release her from the burn.
Chapter 3
Aubrey
“Aubrey.”
Crap!
Stealth was here so they could talk about transports, like they usually did. And there she was on her knees, immobile.
“Aubrey, what’s wrong?”
Stealth’s smooth, deep voice was right beside her. She couldn’t move or acknowledge him. All Aubrey could do was blink her eyes and burn with arousal.
She felt him crouch beside her, hearing the subtle grind of soil shifting beneath his weight, knowing he watched her closely. Stealth didn’t touch her, but she felt the hum of his attention in her awareness and heard his concern for her in his tone. In her peripheral vision, she knew he tracked her locked gaze to the Arrivals entrance.
“Are you hurt? I don’t scent blood.”
Stealth growled thoughtfully as he sniffed deeply.
“Hmm.”
She knew he was taking her scent in and breathing it over his tongue and the glands at the back of his throat, to taste the air, as native Lio often did.
“No, blood, but oh, Abah-sah, do you scent of…”
He stopped.
When she lost sight of her Honored Nel, she could no longer catch her breath. Aubrey realized her hands clutched the front of her coveralls. She felt helpless, making tiny mewling sounds in her distress, her body caught in deep arousal. She bowed forward, eyes closed, overwhelmed. Burning. The unrelenting hum of sexual need threatened to take her under.
I’m going to die from need.
“Aubrey. Listen to me. Can you hear me? Nod if you can hear me.”
She nodded the tiniest bit.
“Aubrey, I will help you. You are locked into your Calling. This is natural, as it should be.”
