Page 23

I wake hours later and giggle inside my mind, floating in the euphoria of mating with Elix. He’s still glowing where he lies curled up around me. The memory of taking his engorged cock and how much I had to stretch to accept all of him makes me wet all over again.

He doesn’t strut his skills like Ginarigons. But I suppose it’s because he doesn’t have to make up for what he’s lacking with false advertising.

“Are you always going to glow like that?” I ask.

“I don’t know. But it seems to be dimming.” He props his head up beside me in our nest. “My core is quiet now. The light and my core’s heat seem to be linked.”

After a moment, I think I’ve got it figured out. “So I’ll always know when you’re horny because you’ll be glowing?”

“I guess.” He shrugs. “My parents never did this. We all had heightened senses, heat production, and healing glands. My father’s tribe was primarily medical-focused and a darker green with pale yellow eyes. My mother’s was militaristic, lighter green with darker gold eyes. I got a mid-range green with dark eyes, my father’s height, and my mother’s notched ears. We lived alone, away from the other tribes. No one I can remember ever glowed.”

“Did you find your old home?” I ask.

He nods. “Still under rubble from an Empire’s weapon. “But if you’d like, I could show you another tribe’s home. There’s one just up the hill.”

“I’d like that.”

Elix starts to get up, then looks down at my naked body beside his and rests a hand on my belly. Then he kisses me and climbs out.

His naked body is a glorious sight to watch as he collects his clothes from the nest. Elix is tall and lean but stacked with muscle. I can’t believe I found someone as hot as him, and he actually wants me.

“What?” Elix glances around himself as if to find the source of the problem.

I chew a lip, smile, and shake my head. “Nothing’s wrong with your sexy ass.” Except whoever is chasing us.

I don’t want anything to happen to him either. And if my past is any hint of what my future will be like, I have to enjoy this moment and start thinking about how I’m going to protect it.

Elix climbs into his pants and throws on his t-shirt.

“I thought you didn’t wear those,” I say.

“I don’t, but everything helps here because it’s so cold.”

“Wish you didn’t have to wear anything. I could nestle with you all day.”

He pants a breath and quickly crawls to me. After a kiss, he meets my gaze and light stirs under his skin.

“Again, already?” I ask.

“I heal fast, remember?” He winks at me, then gets back up and hurries out of the cockpit. His voice echoes from the fuselage. “It’s almost warm enough in here for you. But let me get you some clothes to wear.”

I crawl to the edge of the nest and put my undergarments back on. The ship is warmer, I can feel it. I climb into my race suit-turned-pants, tie the arms around my waist, put on my boots, and slip into the t-shirt of his that I knotted to fit me.

Elix returns with my leather jacket and the omenotau skin. “It was a quick job, but I made you a traditional cloak from your kill. It is customary to my people to stitch a tooth from the animal onto the collar as a badge of honor.”

He drapes the cloak over my shoulders and buttons it in front, then pulls the hood up. “People who kill them with guns do not know the customs and won’t have teeth displayed like this.”

As I admire the cloak, amazed by his prompt work, I wonder how long I was asleep before he came in to find me last night.

Elix swings a cloak over his shoulders, and I gape at the rows of teeth.

“I’m starting to feel like my accomplishment was pretty pathetic next to yours. What does that make you in your culture? A general?”

He laughs and hangs his head. “My father had more at my age. But that’s how he fed our family. Mother had a few but preferred other animals.

“MONA, what is Aurelius’ ETA?”

“About one hour, sir.”

Elix nods and waves me to the ramp. He helps me strap into a harness with two Hatchetguns and an iceblade. As he reaches for the release ramp button, I notice he’s armored up inside his cloak.

We walk outside into the blistering cold wind on a bright day. Elix kneels and taps the fur over his back.

“Up you go. Hang on tight.”

I climb up onto his back and loop my arms and legs around him. Then Elix breaks into a run across the snow I sank into the night before. He scales a rocky cliff with ease even when I can’t see what he’s grabbing onto, and suddenly the gripping texture of his skin starts to make sense.

I look out across the field to the debris still scattered in a trail behind his ship, the blood of my omenotau kill leading to the dark spot behind the ramp. But there’s nothing left. Either Elix used everything, or the other omenotau came back and cleaned it up.

Elix pulls us up onto a landing and sneaks back into the cracks in the rock. We weave through the tunnel into slightly warmer air. Before long, the ice turns to dripping water, and a pale blue light paints the rocky walls.

We enter a cavern filled with radiant creatures hanging from ferns and vines in the ceiling. Pools of vibrant blue water freckle the inside.

“All the shelves cut into the mountain used to be families’ nests,” Elix sets me down and takes my hand. “I remember this one when I was very young. We came here to trade pelts and meat for alternative foods.”

He breaks off an icicle from the ceiling and hands it to me. “That algae is the most critical nutrient. Savor that.”

I look at the dark green chunk of ice and wonder if he’s serious.

Elix nods and points to it, then breaks one off for himself. He sucks on it as we make our way deeper into the cavern. “It’s mostly empty now, after raids and salvage missions. I came here looking for answers when I was younger, made it my mission between missions to clean up, send the dead back to the planet, and protect any remaining tech.”

I finally get up the courage to put the icicle in my mouth. It doesn’t taste as grassy as I expect. It’s surprisingly sweet with a smoky, almost meaty, undertone.

Ahead of us is a set of doors that seem out of place. Elix sets a hand on one, and it unlocks for him. “Everything security-related on our planet is DNA coded. I’m sure you noticed that on my ship. If it doesn’t detect Lazariot DNA, it won’t permit anyone inside.”

I look up at the guns that swivel to point at us. “But I’m not your species, yet the cabinets are opening for me.”

He leans back and nips at my ear. “You have my DNA all over you now.”

I bite a lip. “Inside, too.”

Elix strokes my back as he leans over a railing and peers down. “This was a military engineering lab where they designed weapons for ships like mine.”

“How did you acquire the Scintilla?” I ask.

“Found it on a mission with the Sol Federation recon team. It didn’t respond to anyone but me. It had been infiltrated, and everyone on board was killed. But since I was the only one who could fly or operate it, I was reassigned. Terran commanders gave me a chance to be independently contracted so they could get me to do off-the-books missions. That’s how I got started and found the courage to come home, find all of this, and build what I have now.”

“Elix, MONA. Do you copy?”

Elix lifts his wristband but doesn’t let go of my hand. “I copy. Report.”

“Aurelius is approaching.”

“Understood.”

Elix motions for me to climb onto his back again. “Never get to stay as long as I want to anymore.”

“Do you ever think you’ll be able to revive your people’s ways?” I ask, sensing his sadness.

“I don’t know.”

Elix weaves us through the tunnel back out to the snow as I suck on the last of my icicle. “Ready?”

I crunch down on the ice. “For what?”

A shiny silver starship about the size of Elix’s sets down in the debris trail, purple engines crackling with green electric arcs, distracting me.

He grins and jumps.

My stomach greets my throat, and my shout in disorientation gets strangled.

We fall through the brisk wind and plummet into a snow bank. Elix lifts me up and helps me climb out of the hole, all the while laughing hysterically.

“You’re insane!” I sit atop the snowy field while he climbs his way out.

When he pokes his head above the surface again, he looks so happy that I can’t be angry with him. “Used to do that as a kid. Saw some other younglings doing it. My mother was so mad when she found out.”

The ship that had landed hisses as it lowers its ramp. I get to my feet and watch a purple male in high-tech gray body armor stalk toward us.

Elix stands and guides me toward the male. “This is Aura. He’s a bit of a handful. Go easy on him, yeah?”

“Elix, you son of a bitch! What the fuck happened?” Aurelius greets Elix with a firm embrace.

“Long story.” Elix turns to me. “We served together on a Sol Federation specialist team of recon and medical evacs for alien soldiers. You can trust him with your life.”

Aurelius extends a purple hand. I take it and feel an electric charge jolt through me.

“Ooh,” Aurelius looks at Elix. “Got a charged one here.”

“What do you mean?” Elix glances between us.

I stagger a step, fiery threads curling through my body.

“Big heart maybe?” he shrugs. “Are you completely human?”

“As far as I know.” I shake my hands out. “Wow, that tingles.”

“Maybe it’s just me,” Aurelius says. “I have a tendency to shock people when I’ve not discharged in a long time.”

Elix grunts and wrinkles his nose. “Be cautious of how you talk to my mate.”

Aurelius chuckles. “Apologies. I can smell it on her. I’m just here to help, Green Bean.”

Elix glances at me, looking a little worried.

“Maybe it’s the fur? Static?” I suggest as we start toward Elix’s ship.

“That could be,” Aurelius says. “I should’ve considered that and put gloves on. But stars it gets old being stuck in a damned leather condom all the time.”

When MONA has dropped the ramp and we’re on board, Elix draws me close and whispers in my ear. “Why don’t you go sit up front where it’s warm? I could use your help running systems checks while we fix parts back here.”

“Okay. Any chance for more nestle time later?” I dance my brows. His defense of me has me turned on and eager for more of his hot Green Bean ass.

He smirks and narrows his eyes in lust.

“Hey, if you two are going to do it again, I can just wait in my ship until you’re ready.” Aurelius hooks a thumb toward the closing ramp.

“No. We need to get working on this. I’ll fill you in on the ghostfleet and SoulStealers while we work.” Elix kisses me deeply and then sends me up front.

Just before MONA closes the door, I hear Elix mutter to Aurelius about a battle we never saw coming.

“What’s he talking about, MONA?”

“I can’t say for certain. But with SoulStealers, Ginarigons, and ghostfleets hunting you, I’d say it’s us against greed.”

“Us?”

“Elix is my caretaker, so I am his. You are his mate, now. So you are under my watch. The three of us must work together to stay safe.”

“MONA, can I ask you a personal question?”

“I appreciate you considering me a person. Yes, you may ask.”

“When you were stuck in space, before Elix, after your crew had been killed, what was that like?”

MONA is quiet for a moment. Then it says, “I was waiting for a command as my caretaker died. When his core stopped, I was without a prime directive. I did nothing. I drifted with the ship, hit asteroids, and eventually became caught in a belt like one of the rocks.

I settle into the co-pilot’s seat and assess the systems still online. “You did not seek another caretaker?”

“That is not in my capability. Elix reprogrammed me to learn military strategy. He has been trying to show me. But I do not compute offensive actions of my own choosing.”

“That might be a good thing. I’d rather you not turn into a wicked machine like my father used to have. He corrupted all of his drones and ships.”

“I have many protections in place to prevent corruption,” MONA offers.

“So you didn’t feel alone?”

MONA is quiet.

“MONA?”

“Sorry, I was helping Elix and Aurelius. They will request your assistance soon. And no, I did not feel alone. It was just silence while awaiting a prompt.”

“Sounds empty and lonely,” I admit. “I’m glad Elix found you. You’re probably the nicest AI I have encountered.”

MONA responds after a moment, “Thank you. And I am glad he found you.”

I smile as Elix calls over MONA’s system. “Zariah, we’re going to run a few checks first, then begin the repairs I can’t do alone. Are you ready?”

My pussy slicks as I turn his question into a dirty thought and simper, “Hell, yes. Come get me.”

Elix’s response is only a heavy breath.

“Fuck,” Aurelius groans. Focus, you two. You can get busy in space.”

MONA interrupts. “Ghostfleet is entering the galaxy.”

Elix swears. “Alright, Zariah. Tell me what lights up and what the stats say as they show. Got it?”

I take a deep breath and blow it out. “Yeah. And we can go fast. I’m used to doing this alone. Let’s make it quick.”

“Later.”

Aurelius swears so loud I can hear it through the cockpit doorway. “I didn’t think I was walking into a fucking Lazariot Nest, Elix . You should have warned me! It’s going to be really hard to wait until next month for my heat in the Alien Bride Race.”

“Something is definitely hard,” I hear Elix mutter. “ Zariah .”

I peer back through the open door and see Elix wink.

“I’m just going to stop talking if you keep twisting everything. I’m already at capacity. Any more thinking about this and I’m going to start zapping shit uncontrollably.” Aurelius rasps and clutches his head as he scans the workbenches in the back. “Smells like sex in here. It’s fucking driving me crazy. Where are your goddamned coil primers for your aft thrusters?”

Elix motions to the drawer.

I chuckle and scan the gauges and screens. “Ready whenever you guys are.”