Alien Bride, page 4
part #2 of The Alien Series
“Yes, of course,” I repeat.
“Any union you enter will be the same. No married pair will take you in, it would be scandalous. And I would like to remind you that you will not find a better husband than me.”
“Says the guy with a dozen divorces…” I roll my eyes, but he just smiles with a calculating gaze that soon has me shifting on my feet. I am all fueled up with anger and fight right now, but this guy is one of those über-pretty boys who make you a little nervous to even be around. It’s like my brain and mouth are barely connected in his presence, and the longer he stares at me the harder it is to sound smart and collected.
When he still doesn’t speak I try to fill the silence, “What makes you so sure I can’t do better than you anyway? You act like I should be pleased by this arrangement.”
He stares into me with the hint of a smile teasing at the corners of his lips, before he suddenly closes the distance between us. Involuntarily, I step back until I hit the table. He stops inches in front of me, and before I can flinch or duck away he grabs me by the face… wait, but that isn’t right. It’s more like he rubs the spines on his wrists against my cheeks before he leans in and nuzzles my neck. I feel the spines on his jawline rubbing my skin. They aren’t sharp like I thought they would be… they’re more like… but my mind goes into a daze and I’m hit with a wave of… of… horniness? Humiliating and out-of-place arousal that nearly makes me double over in orgasm in front of this horribly annoying and utterly attractive alien. My panties become soaked between my legs and my pussy throbs with a terrible hollow sensation. The thought of Kye bending me over the table and filling that void doesn’t seem like all that bad of an idea.
I shake my head and struggle to snap out of it. It’s his bullshit, cocky smirk that does it. I lean back against the table, fighting an urge to wrap my legs around his waist. I instead lift up and plant my feet right in his stomach and kick him away from me. He did this to me! On purpose! It’s like a roofie or something.
“What the fuck was that?” I shout, furious. He holds up his wrists and motions to his jaw.
“Pheromones, between this… and well, me,” he says, indicating his body as if it’s some sought-after prize, “none of my wives have ever had any desire to dissolve our union.”
“Well, call Guinness, asshole, because I’m not interested! And if you ever pull that shit again I will make you regret it,” I shout as I back away, moving to get the table between us. He makes no move to pursue me… and pathetically, I realize it’s not him, but me that I don’t trust in this moment.
I just need the pheromone roofie to wear off. I grab a drink from the table, assuming it’s water, but when I take a swig the burning sensation of liquor fills my throat and nostrils.
“Ack!” I cough and sputter, while the jerk across from me just smirks like he knows some great secret, or like he can read my mind. My horny, slutty, mind… because I’m still feeling a hot and lonely sensation that I’m pretty sure only Kye can help me with. My cheeks blaze with embarrassment and I clutch my robe tight around my neck.
“You must be tired,” he says suddenly and walks out of the room. I stand there dumbfounded until he pokes his head back in, still smiling, and waves for me to follow. Apparently, the demonstration of his desirability has come to an end. Thank goodness… So, I follow him into the bedroom.
“You’ll find all your clothing here.” He points to a large wooden cabinet and drawers.
“Oh.” I look down at the robe Ara gave me. “Actually, this is all I have. I didn’t really have a chance to pack before my abduction.”
“A new wardrobe has already been arranged for you. While you are in my care, Alessandra, you will have all your needs met. That is the purpose of arranging unions for you and your fellow refugees.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” I force myself to say politely, even though I don’t particularly care for this man. I side step to maintain a safe buffer zone between the two of us. “I don’t want to be a burden, though. If I just had a T-shirt, a nice sturdy pair of pants, and some socks and shoes I’d be fine,” I say, not wanting him or his people to think I’m some greedy mooch. But Kye just tilts his head and gives me this obviously condescending look, like I just said the most absurd thing ever. Whatever. I roll my eyes, exasperated. Why am I even trying?
“This is where you will sleep.” He shows me around the bedroom and its adjoining bathroom. The bed looks like heaven, and I can’t wait for Kye to leave so I can get some rest.
“Thanks, I would really appreciate a good night’s sleep,” I admit, eyeing the pillows and fluffy blankets. When the silence drags on between us I look up at Kye and catch his purple eyes assessing me. I shift on my feet.
“Perhaps tomorrow you can tell me more of your human mating rituals,” he says with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.
“If it ever becomes relevant, sure,” I say through gritted teeth. Cocky little brat, I think to myself before I let out a long sigh. I hang my head in my hand and try to collect my thoughts. “Look, thanks for taking me in and thanks for the food and the bed,” I tell him sincerely.
When I look back up at him, his expression is suddenly serious. “If you really would like to dissolve the union, we can discuss the process tomorrow as well. But the same arrangement would have to take place with another man or woman onboard—that would not change,” he tells me.
I huff out a breath, frustrated. “What does our marriage entail exactly?” I ask. “Do we have to… um…”
“Have sex?” he finishes for me. I nod. “Only if you ask nicely.” He raises an eyebrow expectantly.
“Hah!” I laugh out loud. “Don’t hold your breath. It won’t happen, not even in your wildest dreams, Kye Amara.”
“Hmm. We’ll have to see, I suppose. Go ahead, begin your rest cycle. I have things to attend to and will return later.” He moves to leave the room.
“Hey, seriously though. Thank you, Kye,” I tell him, and he performs a fluid half bow before shutting the door on his own smirk. “Cocky son of a bitch,” I whisper to myself.
Chapter 6
Kye
“This is going to be a shit storm,” I tell Anu.
“Not if we have anything to do with it,” she comments.
“Psh.” I blow out a huff of air, but I don’t argue. She’s right. I won’t let anything get in the way of these negotiations, and neither will Anu.
An alliance with the Makaan means too much to let a social taboo disrupt all of our hard work. Granted, kidnapping sentient beings and passing them along as slaves is a fairly significant social taboo, but the Makaan can hardly be vilified for it. In their minds, they have done nothing other than act generously. And while I would not allow for such a mistake to be made by the Islerian colonies, the Makaan are still quite new to deep space travel and, for the most part, still adhere to the old ways of their culture.
Once word gets out, though, many will demand punishment. I’m going to have to call in a lot of favors to sweep something this big under the rug.
One of the most significant hurdles is going to be the legal rights of the women… Legally, they are each afforded the right to have their testimony against the Makaan heard in court. If it’s held in an open courtroom the media will have a field day. My only chance is to attempt to secure a private hearing.
I leave comm messages with all my judicial contacts, and Anu does the same. My biggest fear is not how Islerians will react to the story—because they will be incensed. I worry instead about my people offending the Makaan. Islerians as a whole can be so shortsighted. The entire planet will be focusing on slavery while the larger issue of the alliance will be ignored.
Anu types away at her station, working diligently. My Deputy Ambassador. Though, by all accounts, she is qualified for my job. She’d probably be better at it, too. Luckily for me, my friend does not enjoy working in the limelight. She much prefers orchestrating from behind the scenes. Anu is one of the few people, like myself, who have a vision for the future of our people and a plan for our legacy in the galaxy.
The Makaan are crucial to that vision. If we are not the ones to help guide them through their infant years of space travel, they will be left to their own devices… or taken under the wing of a less peaceful culture. Then one day, we might find that we have an enemy at our border, rather than an ally.
Gaining their friendship now will not only shape their progression as a culture, but it will strengthen our galactic community for centuries to come. So, obviously, I cannot let one cultural misunderstanding interrupt our negotiations.
I let out another pained sigh. Trafficking sentient beings is a high crime. It will take every inch of my political sway to ensure the Makaan don’t get punished for what they perceived as a very gracious gift.
“Just think, you’ll have even more enemies come morning,” Anu laughs. “Has there ever been an Ambassador so hated by his colleagues?”
“There will be many angered by this.” I shrug, proud of the ripples I cause among the other Ambassadors.
“The United Planets, for one,” Anu adds, and I grumble. Our neighboring mega government.
“Are we just delaying the inevitable?” I rake my hands over my face. Word will get out. The media will be hounding us to get interviews with our new guests. The Ambassadors will lose their minds, Islerians will rage in the streets, the United Planets will surely be at our doorstep, and that will just be the beginning.
“We are shaping the inevitable, Kye. We can spin it. I think there is a woman in the United Planets Governing Core whose pet project is trafficking,” she suggests. “If we seek her out it might paint our efforts in a light that the people will respect.”
“Hmm, it’s worth thinking about. As long as the Makaan don’t get painted as the villains here.” I eye the clock on the comm monitor. “It’s late. Let’s call it a night. All this work will be waiting for us after rest cycle… and then some.”
“I’ll stay for a while longer. I’m drafting a formal statement, in case everything does go to shit. I’m going to include this bit about you personally taking on one of the slaves as a wife. That was a good idea, by the way. It might help your public image some… make you look sympathetic. Heroic even.”
I can’t help but laugh in response. “Since when have I cared about my public image?”
“You may not, but all of us underlings work our asses off to make sure you aren’t stoned to death for being such an asshole.”
“You know as well as I do that getting the job done rarely makes friends.”
“Hah!” Anu scoffs. “This is about more than not having friends, Kye. If you’re not careful the public is going to crucify you.”
“Hmm, impossible. Not everyone will turn on me,” I challenge. “I always have the women’s vote…”
“That’s right, the women all love you now, but they won’t if they think you condone sex slavery.”
“Some still might,” I tease, but Anu doesn’t even crack a smile. “It’s a shame you’re impervious to my charms, Anu. You’re the only other asshole with as much vision as me. We would make a powerful union.”
“It’s a shame you don’t have a pussy then,” she jokes. “Face it, you aren’t my type.”
“I acquiesce,” I tell her, bowing low.
“Get out of here. You’ve left your poor wife waiting half the night.” I smile at Anu’s words and imagine the primitive little human waiting for me back in my bed. “For the life of me, I can’t imagine why you chose that strange-looking creature for your bride. You could have chosen any of them.”
I stumble a bit at Anu’s appraisal of my wife. I have always had nothing but the most beautiful women on my arm. I am dismayed to think that anyone will view Alessandra as less than stunning. Alien as she is, the thought hadn’t occurred to me. “You would have chosen differently?” I ask.
“Easily,” she tells me, typing away at the comms. I stare at her until she finally looks up to meet my gaze. “The purple one.”
“Ah! It isn’t that mine is unattractive, but that you have your own favorite! Why didn’t you take her as a bride?”
She shrugs. “We can’t all sit around screwing pretty aliens. One of us has to do some work around here.”
“Well, I’d hate to fall short on my end of the bargain then.” I bid Anu goodnight and head toward my quarters, smiling to myself at the thought of Alessandra waiting up to screw me. On one hand, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was. She did react strongly to my pheromones earlier, but on the other hand, the little human is not without her pride. She seemed to be fiercely offended at her own arousal, I chuckle.
I am suddenly curious if human culture has any strange or primitive mating rituals I have unintentionally usurped. I’ll have to scan our systems and see if the computer can tell me anything about human customs. Based on Alessandra’s behavior, humans seem to be somewhat wild creatures. I wonder if she will be able to acclimate to a culture more advanced than her own?
For some time now, I have been searching for a wife to bond permanently with, and a human may not be the best candidate for that. Particularly with my life under the constant scrutiny of the public eye. I recall the untamed look in Alessandra’s eyes, her fierce words and actions, the altogether shocking way she declared she wished to dissolve our union… I can’t help but laugh to myself. She is so very unlike Islerian women. No, if she were Islerian she would have enjoyed a dozen sessions of retreat before crawling into my bed, begging for the slightest graze from my pheromone producers… and that is precisely the type of woman that continually fails to hold my interest.
From the moment I saw her, it was obvious. Alessandra is not like Islerian women. Her features alone are a shock. Her pink flesh, her small and shapely frame, her dark green eyes—all oddities when compared against the Islerians. But it was her hair that stood out to me the most. Islerians have hair exactly like my own: pale, silken… contained. Alessandra’s hair is like an entity in and of itself. Her curls likely weigh more than her curvy, little body, I marvel.
Truthfully, when I saw the women that the Makaan had brought to me, it was more than a shock. It was a horror that made my gut wrench, but I have had many years to learn to curb my reactions while under the scrutiny of watchful eyes. I could hardly fathom that such a cruel tradition was still being practiced. I inspected them first, to make sure there were no obvious signs of injury. If there had been I may have cut ties with the Makaan then and there—treaty negotiations be damned—but they all seemed to be in fair enough health. And so, it just gave me all the more reason to link our people with the Makaan. I truly don’t believe they are an intrinsically evil race, but clearly, they require guidance in certain matters.
And when I saw Alessandra among them I knew I would make her mine. Her appearance was… Suddenly, I think back on Anu’s words. My first impression was that Alessandra was a rare and unique beauty, but I wonder if my people will view her as ugly? It’s odd because, on my planet, a woman whose looks do not conform would be considered less attractive, but I find Alessandra’s features highly appealing, and her untamed hair is quite likely her most attractive feature. Her locks fall down to her waist, curling and spiraling where they should lie flat, and instead of being the cold color of ice, it shines golden like the rays of a sun.
I contemplate her form more deeply as I continue toward my room. She is far shorter than any of my people, and the curve of her hips is much more substantial. It is an intriguing deviation from all my past wives. Regardless of whether or not my people find her attractive, I find myself eager to get back to my room and share my bed with her. I wonder if she will begin to act more appropriately now that she is getting over the initial shock of her situation.
A smile spreads across my face as I swipe the entry pad to my room. I am surprised at how ardent my desire is to join her in bed. I feel an excitement I haven’t felt since I was still wet behind the ears.
When I come into the bedroom I see her sprawled across the sheets. She is wearing one of the sleeping gowns I personally chose for her. In the past I always allowed an assistant to acquire personal items for my wives, but when I requested that Alessandra be joined in union with me I found myself scrolling through my handheld even before I left the Makaan ship, choosing pieces I thought might please her. Well, that is not entirely true. I chose items I thought I would find pleasing to see her in.
The gown she wears is typically worn on the first night of a new union. Perhaps she knows more of social etiquette than she has let on thus far. But, as I near the bed, I am dismayed at how much of it her petite body takes up. She lies on her stomach with her arms and legs spread wide in all directions. Her hair engulfs her face, and a light sound of snoring comes from beneath it. I watch her for a while before I gently nudge her—an attempt to move her to one side of the bed. She only snores louder in response.
I give up and undress. It’s clear we will not be consummating our union tonight. I perform my nightly rituals, and when it’s time for me to squeeze into the bed I have to position myself on the very edge just to fit. Tomorrow we will discuss more functional sleeping protocol, I think to myself, as she slings an arm over me. My body warms in response to her touch. This is a little better, I muse. I still don’t have enough room, but I am pleased we are sleeping as husband and wife already, despite her earlier irrational protests.
