Page 6

Chapter Six

Retmor

Fuck. My Little girl has had a very strange life. It’s hard because I don’t fully understand. Zack said she must have been in a cult. I don’t know much about cults, but she was obviously not exposed to the modern world.

The most mindboggling thing I’ve learned is that she had no idea there was a spaceship hovering above Earth. That was such a red flag that now I’m beginning to realize there are many things she has no knowledge of, and the things she does know are mostly lies.

“Did you ever leave the compound, Little one?”

“No, but one of Marcus’s wives did. She was gone for two weeks. She eventually came back because she said it was too hard to live out in the real world. She was punished severely for her sins.”

“Did she tell you anything about the real world?”

She shakes her head. “No, but I eavesdropped on her one day when she was speaking with a few of the older women who weren’t born in the compound. I shouldn’t have listened. It was wrong. It was a sin. But I couldn’t help it. They didn’t realize I was nearby, so I sat very still.”

I stroke her fingers, wondering if I should pierce their tips again. “What did you learn, Baby girl?”

She bites her lip for a moment before releasing it. Every time I ask her something new, she seems hesitant to tell me as though I might be angry with her. I need to remember to remain perfectly calm at all times. I’m beginning to suspect that she doesn’t have the ability to lie or even withhold information.

“She was crying, and the older women were comforting her. They kept telling her she needed to forget what she saw. They said the world was not a safe place, and she was better off back in the compound where the elders could protect her.”

I nod, encouraging her to continue.

Eden sniffles. “She rambled on about cars and lights and noise. She said there was no way she could get a job because she had no skills and no paperwork. She was hungry and scared. She thought perhaps we were the strange ones instead of them. So many people living a different life while just a few hundred of us were hiding in a compound.” Eden looks at me. “I began to question if our life was truly better or even safer, especially if Marcus was regularly going to beat me. I knew if I ran it would be hard. I knew I would need to find work and a place to live, but I had to try.”

I run my palm up her back, tangling my fingers in her hair. “You’re right, Little one. You had to try. I’m so damn glad you did because if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found you.” I hold her chin with my fingers, wanting her to listen carefully. “Though Eleadians have similar physical features to humans, our way of life is very different. It will be challenging to you for a while as you learn our ways, but I promise in time you will thrive in your new environment.”

She licks those fully pink lips again. “You’re really going to take me to another planet?”

“Yes, Little one.”

“The elders won’t be able to find me there?”

“Never. They will never even know where you disappeared to. There is no record of you.”

That idea pleases her. I can tell by her pulse, but she’s still scared out of her mind. “What if you decide you don’t like me? I don’t have many skills. I can barely read. I don’t know math. The only job I could ever do would be cleaning.”

I let my fingers thread deeper into her hair. “Eden, you will not need skills to be my mate. You will not clean. Not ever.”

“What will I do?”

“Play, read, learn new things, enjoy life. You’ll always be by my side. Our bond will grow stronger by the hour and the day. You can feel it growing already.”

She nods slowly. “I don’t understand it.”

“I know you don’t, Little one, but you will over time. You were fated to be mine. Fate does not make mistakes. She led you to Club Zoom tonight and put you in my path. The moment I scented you even from one floor up in the club, I knew you were mine. Our bond is permanent and unbreakable. We will be together for centuries.”

She gasps. “Centuries? I won’t live nearly that long.”

I smile. “You will, Little one. Our planet is cleaner. The environment is healthier. Our water, air, and food are pure. Your body will stop aging at the same rate as it has on Earth. You will grow very old with me.”

Her mouth drops open. “This can’t be real.”

“I know it’s hard to process. It’s difficult even for regular human females, but doubly so for you because you’ve been so sheltered from the real world. I’ll do everything in my power to help you learn and understand.”

“Could I learn to read better?” She sits up taller in my lap, eager. There’s an excitement in her I haven’t seen until now.

“Baby girl, you may learn anything you want. I promise. I’m actually a historian on my planet. I research our history and write about it. But I also research the history of Earth and write about it, too. It unnerves me that I know so very little about the way of life you’ve come from. I will dig into cults more extensively while you’re in stasis on the ship.”

“Stasis?” She tips her head to one side and frowns.

“You’ll be asleep during the six-month journey. Your body is not capable of withstanding that length of travel through space. I will keep you asleep, and you will awaken when we arrive.”

She searches my face. “I’m struggling to believe there are other planets.”

I chuckle. “Well, you’re not alone in that regard. We only arrived a few years ago. It took time to develop a relationship with the many governments on Earth before they permitted us to remain in Earth’s atmosphere and use these clubs all around the globe so that our citizens can find mates.”

“Why don’t you just marry women from your own planet?”

“We don’t have any. There was a disturbance in the atmosphere about a hundred years ago. All of the females died out, leaving only males. It took us many years to find a planet with compatible beings living on it. Making the year-long journey to and from Eleadia to find a mate is a serious commitment. When we find our mate, we cherish her in every way so that nothing ever happens to her. You will be coddled by me in ways you’ve never experienced. I will smother you with my love and affection because our bond will be so very deep and powerful.”

“It’s confusing,” she murmurs.

“I know it is, Little one.” I pick up her hand and bring it to my lips again, piercing her middle finger before she can protest.

“Ouch.” She tries to pull her hand away. “Why do you keep doing that?”

“It’s helping our bodies align. Even without the prick of my quill, we’re becoming one. You can feel it just as strongly as I can. The serum I inject into your body is helping you feel closer to me.”

She stares.

It’s time to move to the next step, and I fear she’s going to balk. I need to remove her clothes, bathe her in Eleadian water, and feed her. I’m concerned about her modesty.

“Tell me about the clothes you’re wearing. Do all of the females in your compound dress this way?”

She nods. “Yes. I didn’t know other people dressed differently until tonight. I’m shocked by what I saw while I stood on the sidewalk outside of the club. The women in line were wearing so very little. My people would be appalled. It’s sinful to dress so provocatively. They were trying to attract the attention of men.”

“We do not practice an organized religion on my planet like those on Earth. You may not know this, but there are many religions on Earth. They worship many different deities.”

She gasps.

I nod. Her shock is going to intrigue me for years. I’m going to enjoy teaching her the ways of both her people and my own. I never expected to find a mate who knows so very little about her own planet. After a few weeks on Eleadia, she will know more about my planet than her own. I will have to use pictures and books to teach her about Earth. Educating her will be my pleasure, assuming she’s as eager to learn as I am to instruct.

“My planet is a peaceful place where nature is at one with the beings residing with her. We do not mistreat our people, our animals, or our land. We do not worship anything.”

Her eyes are huge and round.

I take a risk in telling her, “God is a human construct we simply don’t have.” I don’t want to upset her on this issue further, so I guide the conversation back to her clothing. I pluck at the itchy skirt on her lap. “I’ve studied enough to know that some religions on Earth are more modest than others. I’ve never delved into the sort of cult you belonged to, but I’m gathering you’ve kept your body covered most of the time.”

“Always. Women do not show their ankles or wrists.” She tugs at the sleeves of her blouse as though realizing I might have glimpsed more skin than I should.

This is going to be challenging.

“You take your clothes off to bathe, though, right?”

She shakes her head. “No. We still wear a shift over us when we bathe.”

Oh boy… “And when you were with your husband? I assume he undressed you?”

She gasps, her face turning bright pink. “Never.”

I frown. How the hell did they… I picture her husband lifting her skirt and sinking into her without touching her or seeing her. He probably kept the lights off, too. What an asshole. I bet she’s never known the kind of pleasure I will show her. That fact pleases me.

She takes a deep breath and her lips part.

“You may ask me anything at any time, Eden. Always.”

“How many wives do you have?” she blurts out.

This Little girl is going to shock me often. “None, Baby girl. Only you. We do not have multiple mates on my planet. Most of your planet does not either. In fact, on Earth, it’s not even legal in most places, including where you live. Men may only have one wife. Your cult is breaking the law.”

Her wide-eyed, stunned expression is going to happen over and over. Her heart rate increases. “It will only be me and you?”

“Yes, Little one. Always and forever.” I can’t emphasize that enough. “Eden, I’ve never been this close to a female before. Like I said, we don’t have any on my planet except for the Little girls who’ve been claimed and returned to Eleadia from Earth with their mates.”

“Oh.”

I lift her fingers and pierce three of them again, pleased when she doesn’t try to jerk her hand out of mine. Her heart rate calms.

“Eden, there are no specific rules about how long we may stay here in this apartment, but it’s best that we take care of everything that must happen so we may leave for Eleadia soon.”

She looks toward the window. “I’m scared.”

“I know you are, Little one. I will do everything in my power to keep you calm. I will hold you at all times. The closer we are to each other, the calmer we will both feel. Eleadians thrive on physical contact. The more of our skin is touching, the stronger our bond will be.” I cover her entire hand with mine. I need more of her.

Her breath hitches. “You’re already touching me more than anyone ever has.”

I hate that for her, but it changes now. And how the hell was she married for five years without having more skin-to-skin contact than this? Her husband must have been a real dick. Granted, he was fucking old. I’m not certain about the sexual abilities of human males in their late sixties, but surely they can still have sex and please their wives.

I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’s going to panic at my next words. “I need to undress you and bathe you in Eleadian water, Little one. It will wash off the impurities from your planet. You will feel much better after you’ve been bathed. Then I will feed you. When was the last time you ate?”

She inhales sharply. “You can’t give me a bath. It’s not…done.”

“It is done on my planet and among my people, Little one. I will always bathe you.”

“But my shift… It will cling to my body, and you will see my…my…my sinful curves.”

Heavens. My Little girl. My stomach clenches. I bring my face to her neck. It’s hard to get contact with her skin because her blouse goes all the way up her neck, leaving almost no skin to nuzzle, but I manage to rub my nose behind her ear, inhaling her personal scent and tickling her skin.

She whimpers but doesn’t push me away. She can’t. She’s under the same spell I’m under. I love the soft sounds coming from her.

As she softens, I swipe my tongue over her skin and then prick her with my quill. This time, my serum isn’t meant for calming. This time I give her a bit more aphrodisiac. I need her to feel the connection deeper and crave what I’m going to take from her.

She flinches and grabs my arm. “Retmor…”

“Papi.” I pull back. “Call me Papi, Baby girl.”

She swallows. “Why do you call me Baby girl?”

“It’s a common endearment among my people. I will cherish you and nurture you as my Little girl.” I’m leaving out so many details she isn’t ready to hear.

Her heart rate increases and her cheeks pinken. My serum is working as it should. I rise, holding her in my arms, and carry her into the attached bedroom. There’s an enormous bed in here that I’ve never slept in and never will. Before long, we will move to the mothership and begin the departure process.

But first things first. I need to get these clothes off my Little girl. I’m practically shaking from the need to have more contact with her. She feels it, too, but she doesn’t understand the sensation, and she’s fighting it.

I lower her onto the bed, leaving her feet hanging over the side. I thread my fingers with hers and lift her hands to place them above her head, holding her down as gently as possible.

“Papi…” Her voice is breathy, and she’s finally calling me Papi.

“Your body is aligning with mine. It’s natural. It would happen on its own no matter what I did or didn’t do, but my quill is helping you understand.”

She squirms, squeezing her legs together and arching her chest. Her arousal fills the air, increasing with every inhale. “What are you doing?” she whispers.

“I’m going to take your clothes off, Little one, and then give you a bath.”

She shakes her head, whimpering. Her pulse increases. If she were any other human female, she would be shredding her clothes off for me at this point, but her teachings have led her to believe it’s wrong to be naked with me.

I will quell that nonsense, but it will take some finesse. “Look at Papi, Little one.”

She arches her head back, moaning. She’s totally covered with so many layers of scratchy material that I can’t even tell how large her breasts are. I can’t see her puckered nipples either. It’s killing me.

I nuzzle her neck again. The other side this time. I will use my quill in my favor even though I’m coercing her. It’s necessary.

She tips her head to the side, offering her skin to me. She’s probably unaware. She can’t help herself. “Papi…”

I kiss her neck behind her ear and then pierce her again, lingering, letting even more of my serum enter her bloodstream.

Eden moans louder, writhing now. “Too hot…”

I release her hands and move mine to the front of her blouse. Her head rolls back and forth as I unbutton the coarse material, starting at the top. The first glimpse of her neck makes my cock hard. It’s red and splotchy from her arousal. She has no idea how unbelievably sexy she is.

Suddenly, she grabs my wrists. “Papi, no. It’s wrong. You can’t…”

I kiss her briefly on the lips, startling her.

She gasps, eyes wide. “Why do you do that? You made that noise against my forehead earlier.”

Noise? I’m confused as I stare at her. “My kiss?”

Her face turns a darker shade of red. “Kiss…”

“Have you not been kissed, Baby girl?”

She slowly shakes her head.

My girl is so very innocent. It’s mind boggling. How has she had sex without ever doing any of the fun parts?