Alien Shield, page 15
As Zerena packed a small bag to take with us – her pen and notebook among them – I ate a quick meal to replenish myself after working all day. Once that was completed, Zerena finished her preparations by slipping into her cloak.
“It’s crazy how cool it gets here at night,” she said, reaching to do up the cloak’s zipper. I stepped in, doing it for her, just as she’d taught me. The whizzing thrum of the connection could be felt in my fingers as I pulled the zipper up.
After that, we were ready. We headed to the edge of the settlement. Though I confess I had not thought ahead to this part, and we were stopped by the guards there. It was a well-established rule by now that no man was allowed to take a new woman from the settlement alone without chaperones from the other tribes. Unless that woman was his mate.
One of the guards present was of my tribe, and he called to me by name.
“Xyan, you know the rules. You cannot take a new woman from here alone.”
“I can if she is my mate,” I countered, wrapping a protective arm around Zerena’s shoulders. Hadryan, the guard who’d spoken, flicked his sight stars between my face and Zerena’s.
“He’s telling the truth. I’m his mate,” Zerena said loudly, pressing harder into my side. Hot pride and gratitude exploded from everywhere she touched me. She had not only declared herself to be my mate when alone with me, but now in front of these other men, too. Soon, the whole world will know she is mine and mine alone.
“If this is true, then you may leave. Where are you going, in case Gahn Baldor asks?”
“We’re going to the human ship,” Zerena answered. My tail flicked on the sand behind me.
“It is as she says. We are going to complete some of her human work there.”
One of the other guards piped up from the side. “Gahn Fallo and his Gahnala are there now, as well as the half-Bitter Sea warrior and his mate.”
I jerked my tail in acknowledgement of his information and they let us pass. Beyond them was the new line of tents recently constructed out here, including my own.
“On the way back, we will move my tent back into the settlement,” I said, squeezing Zerena a little tighter. “I refuse to spend another night without you in my bedding hides.”
She made a huffing little sound that sounded very happy indeed. And that, in turn, made me happy too.
As we passed my tent, I paused.
“What is it?” Zerena asked, looking up at me questioningly.
“I need to collect a few more weapons,” I told her. She looked surprised.
“You need more? You already have, what, two swords back there?”
“I have three blades on my back right now. I would add one more and collect my spear, too.”
“I’d say that sounded like overkill, but knowing this planet, it probably isn’t. Let’s do it,” she said.
I held the tent flap aside, allowing her entrance before me. I did not need to light a candle in the darkness. I could see well enough, and besides – I knew where everything was by touch alone. Everything in its place.
I strapped one more long blade to my back. But before I grabbed my spear, I turned to Zerena in the darkness. It was obvious she could barely see me right now, if she could see me at all. The dakrival hide of my tent blocked out any sliver of the evening glimmers cast down from the stars and moons.
A deep, primal need pulsed through me. I stilled myself, listening to the melody of her hot human breath. In the silence, I could hear her breathing grow shallower. Quicker.
It was a small tent. There was not much distance between us. I took one step, then another, prowling closer to her in the blackness. Her breathing hitched, her body heating and making her scent pour off of her as I took the last step.
With a bit-back growl, my hands shot forward, capturing her face in my grip. I felt her gasp more than I heard it as my mouth descended, sharp and silent, to hers.
Her sweet lips opened with a choked mewl as my tongues invaded her. Already, I was dying to have my tongues between her legs again. I wanted to have them everywhere, all at once. My hands grappled with her cloak before sliding beneath it, my fingers digging into her curved waist, her rounded hips. I knew we had to go, and I knew I did not want to keep her out on the open sands for longer than necessary. But having her so close to me in the pressing darkness of my tent made my hunger for her deep and insatiable. She was in my tent. My territory. My darkness.
My mate.
I forced myself to pull back from the temptation of her mouth just as Zerena looped her arms around my neck to keep me there.
“We must go,” I said, fighting to keep my breathing steady. And fighting to keep my cock from grinding viciously against her.
“I know,” Zerena panted. She took a small step back, letting her silken hands stroke down my chest before falling to her sides. I bent and finally retrieved the spear I’d come here for in the first place. That, with my four other blades, had me feeling at least a little better about taking her further out from the settlement.
I took her little hand in mine and together we stepped out of the tent. Grunting, I used the hard shaft of my spear to adjust my erection, keeping Zerena’s hand clutched in my other. I called out, high and sharp, my tongues clicking to summon my irkdu. It did not take long for the creature to appear, lumbering towards us from further down the cliffs. As the obedient creature neared, it occurred to me that I did not have a saddle ready for Zerena. She tried to tell me that this was alright and that I did not need to worry about it, but that would not do. I would not have her precious, perfect thighs pained on the journey.
Placing my spear on the ground, I ducked into my tent again, grabbing up my bedding hides and some hide rope. Once the irkdu was before us, I fashioned a cushion for her, strapping it all to the irkdu.
“As soon as we are back, I will construct a proper saddle for you,” I promised, annoyed with myself that it had not already been done. “Whatever you need, I will always provide it, Zerena. I hope you know that.”
“Xyan, I do know that! I just watched you turn your own bed into a seat for me!” She offered me one of her stunning smiles and patted my chest. “This looks perfect. Let’s go.”
Zerena reached for the makeshift saddle as if to try to pull herself up onto my huge mount.
Certainly not. I may not have had a proper saddle for her, but I would at least get her seated on the thing without her having to do it herself.
She let out a small cry of surprise as I gripped her waist, lifting her up above my head and onto the beast. She shouted, then laughed as she landed, grabbing the irkdu’s back to steady herself. Taking up my spear from the sand, I leaped up to join her. As I seated myself, she removed her pack from her back, then looped her arms through its fabric handles once more so that she held it at her front. Then she wiggled backwards, pressing her back into my chest.
I would need to do a lot more than merely adjusting myself to deal with the wave of hot blood pulsing in my cock. Curse me, I’d need to smash my whole spear upon it now.
Almost as if she had heard my thoughts, Zerena gestured to the spear I held ready at our sides.
“I haven’t seen this before. It looks different from most of the other spears around here,” she said.
No doubt she was referring to the zeelk spur tip of my spear. Zeelk spurs made excellent spear tips. They were large barbs, naturally pointed and stronger than ablik. And they were the only thing deadly enough to actually pierce a zeelk’s own armour. You could kill a zeelk with blades, as I myself had done, but it was much more difficult. And you were much more likely to get skewered by one of its legs or its tail before you completed your task.
“Our spears have zeelk spur tips,” I began. Zerena made a sound of distaste, a shudder running through her form.
“Ugh, zeelk. Not a fan of them, I have to say.”
That’s right. When her people had first come to this place, many in her party had been killed by desert zeelk. My claws tightened on my spear’s long bone handle so hard that my knuckles cracked as I thought about Zerena in danger from zeelk without me there to protect her.
It will never happen again. I will always be there to shield her.
“The desert zeelk, as you know, are black. Thus most of our spears have black tips."
I hefted my spear, letting its ghostly white tip catch in the silvery light.
“I killed more than one zeelk while out in the Death Plains. I took many spurs such as this one.” The others were safe in my tent even now, ready to replace this one should I have a need.
Or ready to be placed upon the spears of my future cubs.
The thought of our future cubs dispelled the darkness created by thoughts of zeelk. A deep contentment settled in my chest as I drew Zerena harder against me with one arm, raising my spear again with the other.
I clicked my tongues once more. Zerena gave a laughing whoop as the irkdu sped into action beneath us, its many legs churning over the sand.
This was what life was meant to be. Racing over the plains of your world with your woman at your side. Wind in your hair and weapons in your claws and heat and night. Stars and moons. Zerena’s face among it all, the centre of everything. The anchor to which I bound all meaning.
I could not believe that I was to experience joys like this forever, now. And even greater joys. The bliss of sheathing my cock in Zerena. The pure creation of our cubs joining this world. Beauty, all bare before me. All mine. And all hers.
I raised my spear even higher, feeling it slice through the night. The wind whipped at my loose hair, sending it backwards in tangled strands behind me. Zerena’s own hair was bound with a small little tie at the back of her head, but her hood was down, so I knew she was feeling the wind as I was.
We were together. She felt the wind on her face as I did. She felt love for her mate, as I did. She had chosen me.
She made me feel stronger than I ever had before.
A stray sharp stone churned up by my irkdu’s legs caught on my shoulder, scratching the skin, reminding me that I was not invincible.
But with Zerena, I almost felt as if I could be.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Serena
“Is this useful?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But no more talking!”
Xyan went dutifully silent in the MRI machine. He looked absolutely massive in the big tube, and I smiled and shook my head at him. When we’d arrived at the ship, we’d pretty much come straight here after poking our heads in to say hello to Chapman, Zoey, Kor, and Gahn Fallo, who were all in the security room, watching the scanners.
I looked at the images produced by the MRI so far, chewing on the end of my pen as I studied them. Many of Xyan’s organs, from what I could see, were similar to human ones, except larger and in slightly different configurations. The heart and lungs were particularly noticeable in their size, which made sense considering they had to power an organic machine as huge and powerful as Xyan’s body. The bone structure was even more interesting – so much of it similar to a human’s, but so much of it different, too. The way the shins bent into those high ankles with the long, clawed feet was especially cool, as well as the fact that Xyan’s spine extended into his tail.
Fascinating.
And to think, this guy is my mate.
I still couldn’t quite believe it, but I would figure out a way to make it more real to myself. Because the alternative – that this might not be real? That was something I would never be able to accept now.
“Alright, come on out,” I said, opening the MRI machine and directing Xyan out of it.
“That was the strangest tunnel I have ever been in,” Xyan said, looking at the MRI suspiciously. “I am happy to help you with your work. But I am equally happy to be finished with that part.”
I snorted at this hardcore alien fighter looking so wary of a simple human machine. But then again I couldn’t really blame him. We were the aliens here. We were the ones doing the poking and prodding and probing on our foreign spaceship.
“What is next?” Xyan asked, turning to me. I felt a goofy smile unfurl on my face as I gazed at him. Even under the harsh and unflattering fluorescent light of this room, he looked like a god. His skin shone like burnished metal, his hair swept regally back from his face, tumbling in wind-swept waves behind his shoulders. His many straps that held his blades at his back gave him an almost blood-thirsty appearance, which was contrasted by his calm, steady expression.
“Next?” I hadn’t exactly planned anything else. I’d spend more time studying the scans I’d just taken later. Right now, I wanted to shift gears a little. Namely, I wanted to be with Xyan, not just doing work stuff.
That gives me an idea...
“Well, one thing I really should do is continue with my illustrations,” I said. I knew my cheeks were positively glowing red, which I tried to distract from by picking up my nearby notebook and flapping its pages in the air.
“Of course. How do you want me?” Xyan asked. “If you need me to pose a certain way, please let me know.”
Jesus Christ. Posing, like some nude male model. An artist could not have asked for a more perfect or more gracious subject.
“One thing we’ll need to really learn about is how our two species copulate,” I said slowly. Suggestively. “You know. Mating and all that. So I really should get some diagrams of the Sea Sand male sexual organs.”
Xyan tilted his head, then his sight stars pulsed slightly.
“Ah. Of course.”
I hid my giddy smile behind my notebook as he immediately whipped off his loincloth. Good fucking golly. Talk about a work of art. He stood, a full seven feet tall, massive and muscled with that huge, delicious cock already thickening under my gaze.
“You would do well to start,” he said stiffly. “I do not know how long it will be... like this.”
“Like this?” I asked.
“It will be hard soon. I suspect that any time you get close enough to draw it, it will become hard. So work quickly if you need your drawing as things are now.”
“Right,” I squeaked. I looked around, spotting a rolling chair tucked into a corner of the room. I snagged it, dragging it across the metal tile floor, bringing it to a halt in front of Xyan. I sat down, pretty much at the perfect level to stare at his junk. Which, for my purposes, was exactly what I needed.
I placed the notebook on my lap, leaning forward and beginning to sketch. My gaze flicked between my book and Xyan’s cock. He was right – things down there were, ahem, changing rapidly. His cock was now half-hard, jutting out towards me. I licked my lips, making sure to capture the exact lines of a particularly prominent vein running up his shaft.
By the time ten minutes had passed, instead of having one detailed drawing, I had about eight sketches. His cock was hardening too fast for me to draw it perfectly in one go, the angles and the size changing every moment.
“You know a model is supposed to try to stay still, right?” I teased.
“I cannot help it. You are too near. And every time you lean forward to draw, your breasts...” He grunted, the words choked off. I looked down at myself. My jacket had been abandoned on the floor by the door into this room, and I had to admit, in this tank top, even with my ill-fitting bra, my cleavage was pretty damn impressive. Feeling just a little bit wicked, I pressed my arms against the sides of my chest, making my cleavage all that much more apparent.
“So you’re saying this is distracting you?” I looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, and he groaned.
“Yes,” he bit off. As he spoke the word, his cock bobbed, lengthening further until he was completely hard. I let out a low whistle, admiring what I was lucky enough to get to see so up close and personal. And I didn’t just get to see it. I could do more if I wanted to. This fantastic man, this warrior, was my mate now.
“I suppose that’s alright,” I drawled. “I can still draw you like this too. As long as you promise not to move,” I added, casting a teasing smile up at him.
“I will not move,” he huffed, his shoulders heaving as he released a heavy breath. He cleared his throat, widening his stance and pressing his hands behind his back. I snorted, clapping my notebook to my face as I dissolved into giggles. He looked like he was standing in front of his army commander or something. Like he was waiting to get assigned a dangerous mission or receive some kind of punishment. That image was only strengthened by the look of dogged determination he wore on his face, his jaw set tight, his gaze serious.
“Very good,” I replied with mock seriousness, lowering my notebook once more.
Apart from the occasional twitch, his member was mostly held in one stable (very impressive) position now, which made it easier to draw. I started a new illustration on a fresh page, inking the lines of his heavy, velvety balls, the cock spears, and the hard, hefty shaft at the centre of the whole package. I chewed on my lip as I worked, squeezing my thighs together, trying to ignore the tension thrumming between my legs. I could totally understand why Xyan had gotten that hard just by looking down at me. Because I was now getting all squirmy and wet just from drawing his erection.
But Xyan, bless him, kept murderously focused, his sight stars pinned to the wall behind me. I honoured his efforts by actually focusing on the job I’d started. My pen flew, black ink creating a brand new Xyan cock on my paper. I was a pretty accurate illustrator – I knew I was skilled at rendering things on paper that I saw in front of me, even things that were complex for others, like faces. But I had to admit, even though I was pleased to say that this was some of my best work, it paled in comparison to the real, hot, meaty appendage right in front of my face.
Unable to continue scrawling on my paper, I flipped my pen in my hand so that the smooth button at the top was forward. My heart plummeting to my pussy, I dragged the smooth button at the end of the pen over Xyan’s engorged tip.
There was no foreskin. The whole cock was smooth and dark, with that fat tip now glistening from an unseen bead of moisture I’d just smeared. Xyan’s pectoral muscles jumped, his spine straightening.
