Nicole Krizek (2 page)

Lacy knew she shouldn’t, but she felt immediate relief that these men had won her; better them, and whatever they planned to do to her, than the other foul creatures assembled in that place.

The man took the device back from the auctioneer and input some commands. Rat-Bastard’s several eyes lit up after being shown the screen and was apparently satisfied because he went across the stage, grabbed ahold of Lacy’s arm in an iron grip, and started to drag her towards the men. She couldn’t help but let out a whimper of pain as his nasty, claw-like fingers dug into her bicep.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the leader take one large leap onto the stage, bare his teeth, and growl in Rat-Bastard’s face. “Do not touch our Earther again.” He said in a calm, but menacing voice.

The bastard immediately dropped her arm and backed away from her, retreating across the stage. Lacy was overwhelmed by the waves of aggression flowing from the male in front of her, who was still staring at Rat-Bastard’s retreating form.

Up close, she realized that he was quite handsome. She hadn’t noticed the color of his eyes before, but she realized that they were a startling green. She had expected them to be brown, like the darker-skinned people from Earth, but his were a green color that seemed to slightly glow.  They were another reminder that these were not mere human men. 

She was still standing, her eyes fixed on his face when she heard another voice. “Come here little one.” She looked and saw the man with compassionate eyes holding out his arms to her.

Lacy knew that she had no reason to trust those men, but instead of running away, found herself walking quickly to the edge of the stage and allowed him to help her down and cradle her in his arms, against his solid chest. She wrapped her fingers in his uniform just in case he had any ideas of changing his mind about buying her, and planned to give her to the other aliens.

The other male jumped down from the stage, took a long look at her and his companion, and then motioned for them to walk out of the auction house ahead of him. Lacy could hear him walking close behind them as she rode in her savior’s arms. She hoped that they were her saviors, and that she wasn’t going to be that night’s dinner.

Ty could think of nothing else but getting their little Earther to the shuttle and to safety as he navigated the city back to their docking bay. He could hear Kor behind him and knew that his mate was on the alert, constantly scanning their surroundings to ensure their safety.

Finally the docking bay came into view and Ty walked straight to their shuttle’s rear hatch. Kor placed his hand on a control  panel and the large door opened. 

“Ty, go inside and take care of the little Earther. I need another minute here and then I’ll get the ship ready to embark.” Kor instructed him.

“And where are you going?” Ty asked.

“To finish our mission here as quickly as possible so we can get off this
Godsforsaken hunk of sand and rock.”

Ty nodded and carried the precious bundle into the shuttle. Kor closed the door behind Ty and the Earther and walked away.

Ty walked quickly to the Medical Center, which was equipped with the latest in Arathian technology, including a new Medical Unit that was able to scan the entire body to assess injuries and illnesses.

When the doors to the Med Center came into view Ty suddenly felt anxious. He entered and carried the little Earther towards the examination table. After placing her gently on the table he moved to stand up, but was forced to stop.

Her hands were still clutching the material of his flightsuit.

He smiled as he reached down to unlock her fingers from the fabric. It took the Earther a moment to realize what was happening, and she quickly dropped her hands, looking down in embarrassment. Ty couldn’t help but smile at the little
Earther’s reaction. He didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, but he had liked that she had clung to him as if he had been her lifeline.

Arathian males were biologically hard-wired to protect those weaker than themselves, and seeing the little female on that stage, trembling in fear, had undone something inside of him. All he had wanted to do from the moment he had seen her was to take her with them and keep her safe. He wanted to erase that frightened look and replace it with one of bliss.

The instinct had been so powerful that it had nearly overridden his common sense and he had barely managed to keep a tight rein on his self-control.

Ty gave his head a shake to dislodge those thoughts. It didn’t help anyone to dwell on the past, and now, with her sitting in the Med Center, he set his mind to what needed to be done to ensure her health.

Ty noticed that the Earther was looking around the room with wide eyes. He made sure his voice sounded calm before saying, “I’m not going to hurt you little one. We won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

She just sat there, silently looking at him, and he wondered if she was trying to decide whether or not to believe him. She must have, because she gave a small nod.

Feeling relieved, Ty turned to grab the laser-cutter to remove her cuffs. She watched him closely, but didn’t make any move to stop him when he gathered her wrists in one hand and began cutting off her bindings. He was extremely cautious to avoid marring her soft and delicate skin.

“Thank you.” she said once the bindings were off her wrists and had been tossed down the garbage-receptacle so she’d never have to see them again.

With the task completed, he focused on checking her health. He could see the numerous bruises and scrapes on her skin, but he needed the Med Unit to check her for any other type of injury.

“Would you lie down, please?” He tried to keep his voice as non-threatening as possible. 

“Why? What are you going to do to me?” Her voice was shaking slightly.

Ty understood her reluctance, but hated the thought of her being afraid of him. It went against his nature to hurt a female, especially since she was hope for his species.

He gave her a small smile and explained, “I want to check you and make sure that the Blattarian that stole you from Earth didn’t hurt you on your voyage here. I also want to check if he gave you all the vaccinations necessary for space-travel.”

He took a step back and turned away to give her some privacy as she arranged herself into a laying position on the exam table. He could hear her shifting and tugging on what she was wearing, presumably to cover herself as best as she could. He took a deep breath and tried to will away the arousal he was beginning to feel from thinking of the barely-there outfit. He’d been trying to ignore her attire and knew that he
need to find her some other clothing soon…
Immediately isn’t soon enough
, he thought.

He hadn’t been intimate with a female since he boarded the Adastra and left Arath nine years ago. Females were allowed to serve as crew members aboard ships, of course, or any other job they chose, as Arath didn’t have laws limiting females like other planets, but most chose to stay close to their home-world instead of traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy.

Now, in the same room as a very attractive Earther, he couldn’t stop his body’s reaction. He tried desperately to think of a topic that would distract him.

“Do you remember the trip from Earth?” he asked quickly.

“Yes, the past two days were awful.” She replied. “So… are you a doctor?” She asked nervously.

“Yes I am. I’m a geneticist, but I’m also the lead medical officer on our ship, so I’m quite qualified to check your health.” He began inputting commands into the Med Unit’s control console.

“But, I do have to admit that I’ve never treated an Earther before. I will make sure to be very thorough before giving you anything.”

“Okay.”

“Try to lie very still for the next few minutes while the Med Unit is working. It will scan your body and check your health.” Ty explained.

Lacy was trying to remain calm and immobile as a large machine lowered out of the ceiling above her and began making a soft whirling noise. Some sort of clear monitors appeared in front of the doctor and began throwing up data…
Lots of data.

She tried to
look, while not turning her head and she caught glimpses of must have been an alien language. She didn’t understand the language, but she recognized the images of her body as it was being scanned. The doctor scrolled through what seemed like an endless amount of information.

After a while the machine overhead stopped its low hum and retracted back into the ceiling. She felt vulnerable,
laying on the table, so she sat up and tried to be patient while he studied the scans. She couldn’t stay quiet for long with the hundreds of questions that whirled around her brain.

“So, you mentioned vaccines earlier. Did that bastard give me any?” She suddenly blurted, louder than she had wanted to be.

He chuckled at her outburst but said nothing for a moment longer. After double-checking her scans, he replied while barely masking his disgust. “No, I do not see any of the protein structures in your system.”

Lacy sat, shocked at what she had just heard. It only took a moment for her shock to turn into anger.

“You mean that asshole stole me from Earth, brought me through space to a nasty-ass planet, full of nasty-ass aliens, and if that wasn’t enough, he didn’t think his investment important enough to keep healthy?” Her voice was little more than a shriek by the end. The doctor looked at her and it appeared like he was in full agreement.

“But you’re here now, and I’m going to take care of you.”    

Heaven help her, but she believed him. She knew that he’d do everything to keep her safe, though she didn’t know why. Her anger dissipated and she suddenly slumped forward, her face in her hands. The exhaustion that she’d been keeping at bay for days had found her.

She heard him take a few steps away from the monitors and come towards her. “It will take me a while to go through all this data. Would you like to get some rest until I’m finished? I tend to get engrossed in my work so there’s no reason for you to wait here.”

“Yes.” She said with real relief. Sleep sounded divine after the horrifying experience of the last few days. “I’d love to get some sleep.”

He held out his hands to help her down from the examination table. Lacy watched him for a couple of heartbeats before holding out her hands.

Instead of taking her hands he reached forward and picked her up by the waist, gently lifting her off the table. He removed his hands after a moment of holding her in front of him, but then took her right hand in his left and guided her to the door, as if he couldn’t bear to sever physical contact.

The doctor led her down halls, all painted in varying shades of boring gray, past several doors, until he stopped at one in particular. He opened the door and led her inside, allowing her to examine the sparse décor. She found a large bed and an adjoining door, but that was all there was.  There were no personal touches at all.

“You can sleep here for as long as you wish.” He said, stepping away from her and opening a closet. He picked out some clothes and held them out to her. “Anything I give you will be too big but, I’m sure you’d like to change out of that… those… clothes.”

“Yes, I’d love to change,” she said with enthusiasm while taking the offered clothing. “Do you also have a place for me to wash up?” she asked hopefully.

He pressed his right hand on another panel, opening a door that led into a smaller room. She looked inside and saw vaguely familiar things: something that looked like a toilet and a stall with a touch panel. There was no shower-head. He walked in after her and showed her how to use, what he called, the cleansing stall. After they stepped back out into the main room he surprised her by bowing deeply.

“I will leave you to rest now little one.” he said. Then he left her alone in the room.

She took a moment to stare at the bed. It was huge, the biggest she’d ever seen. “I know they’re big boys but sheesh! This bed is as big as my entire bedroom back home. He must like to sprawl.” she muttered as she walked into the bathroom, still carrying the clothes she’d been given.

She felt no remorse as she removed the garments she’d been forced to wear, and took delight in kicking them into a corner of the room. She promised herself that she’d burn them as soon as she could. After stepping into the cleansing stall, and fumbling with the controls a bit, she was delightfully clean and wearing clean clothes.

She felt like it was getting harder to stay awake. It was almost as if the bed was calling to her and she gave in eagerly, crawling under the blankets in the center. As she put her head down on the pillow, she caught a wonderful scent and she found it comforting. She dimly registered a second scent on the sheets, but she drifted off before the thought could take hold.

Ty had to keep himself from sprinting back to the ship’s Medical Center after he closed the door to his, and Kor’s, bedroom behind him. Just in the small amount of information that he had been able to review, he had already determined that, not only were Earthers much closer cousins to his race than previously thought, but that they were the greatest chance for the salvation of his race. He was more than eager to dive into her DNA and the mysteries of her body.

In more ways than one.

He thought about her sleeping in their bed and found that he was very pleased with the thought. He had considered taking her to one of the guest quarters to sleep but couldn’t stand the idea of her sleeping anywhere else but in their bed. He wanted her scent on their sheets and he wanted her to snuggle into their pillows and blankets to find peace and rest.

His mind drifted to thoughts of her pale skin and wondered if she’d be that color all over, or if her core was a darker shade of pink. He immediately felt blood rush to his cock and had to force himself to focus on the scans on the screens. There was a chance that she was the key they’d been searching the galaxy for, and his race couldn’t wait around while he had erotic fantasies about the softest skin he’d ever touched.

*****

Not long later, Kor got back to the shuttle and worked quickly to depart. The shuttle departed the space-port and followed the course that would rendezvous with the Adastra.

He’d had some worries about leaving his ship in the hands of his second-in-command,
Simdon, but the male was eager to prove himself and Kor needed to give him his chance. Now, another challenge had presented itself. The little Earther that he and Ty had purchased.

It was estimated that the Arathians had about another 100 years before they went extinct.
Unless, of course, they were successful in their hunt for a compatible species. Since no one was allowed to interact with Earthers on their planet, they had never been tested for compatibility. In a way, Kor and Ty had been very fortunate that there were no rules against buying them from auctions on other planets.

And the money he had spent? She had been very expensive, but the government would almost certainly support his decision to take advantage of the opportunity.

Potential extinction was not the only reason he hadn’t hesitated to buy the Earther. There had been something about her standing on that stage, looking more frightened than any female he’d ever seen, that had driven him. Something deep inside of him had rebelled at the very thought of her fear. The truth was that he would have paid double what he had to take her away from there, and he knew that Ty would have agreed.

As the shuttle left
Vox’s atmosphere, Kor thought about the three-day journey to meet the Adastra. It was plenty of time for Ty to go over her scans. He thought about how lucky he was to have such an esteemed mate as Ty.

Ty was the leader in the field of Arathian genetics, and together they had been traveling through the galaxy testing every species they could find to discover a solution that would save their race. He couldn’t even imagine what his life would be like without the easygoing male. The years of being mates had been the happiest of his life, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was something missing in their lives. He had thought it was because they had spent so much time away from their home-world, but he was beginning to think it was something else.

He had a sudden urge to see his mate.

Kor quickly walked to the Medical Center and found Ty engrossed with whatever was on the
vid-screen in front of him. Data flashed by and Ty seemed to be processing everything as quickly as he could.

Ty spoke without looking up. “Did you come to see if I had results? I only scanned her a few minutes ago and haven’t been able to go over everything yet.”

“Actually I came to see you,” Kor said as he moved to stand against Ty’s back and bring his arms around Ty’s chest to bring them closer together.

Ty stilled for a moment but Kor knew that as much as Ty was dedicated to his work, he could never say no to his mate.

“You came to see me? Did you bring me something? Maybe a present?” Ty asked as he pressed the firm swells of his ass against Kor’s erection, causing it to ride his crease.

All Kor managed was a grunt before Ty spun around in his hold and pressed their mouths together in a demanding kiss. Kor took over the kiss by lacing his fingers through Ty’s long hair to hold him still as he began sucking on Ty’s tongue. He was imagining doing the same thing to his mate’s cock. He loved Ty’s cock. He loved taking it down his throat, and the sounds his mate made when he rubbed his tongue along the vein on the underside before sucking him to the back of his throat.

It was always like this between them, a need for one another that shred all hints of self-control and turned them into primal animals.

Ty must have been able to read his thoughts because he groaned, low in his throat, and began rubbing his cock against Kor’s. There was nothing hesitant about the move, there was nothing but need.

Kor broke off the kiss to nuzzle the side of Ty’s neck where he smelled the strongest. He kissed and nipped while unzipping the front of Ty’s flightsuit to reveal his sculpted torso.

Kor dug his hands under the material, trying to touch him everywhere at once while Ty struggled to get his arms free from his sleeves. Once Ty was able to, he started tearing at the closure of Kor’s suit muttering, “Off. Off. I want it off.”
Then growling, “Get it off, Kor!”

He was taking too long.

Kor chuckled as he stopped touching Ty long enough to get his own flightsuit off, finally freeing his own cock, which he could swear was hard as steel. The second it was free, Ty was on his knees and had sucked Kor’s length down his throat before Kor could support himself with something. He quickly grabbed ahold of the Med Unit’s table as Ty hummed along his length, sliding his mouth back up to the tip.

“Fucking hell Ty, are you trying to kill me?” Kor demanded, practically cross-eyed.

Kor looked down and saw a twinkle in Ty’s eyes, right before he closed them and dropped his mouth back down Kor’s cock until his nose rubbed against Kor’s pelvis. Up and down he went, before adding a hand to Kor’s balls, rubbing them roughly just as he knew Kor liked.

When Kor really started to pant, Ty broke off his attentions with his mouth. He wrapped his fingers around Kor’s shaft and kept stroking as he said, “Imagine what it will be like when we get her in bed, naked, and spread for our pleasure.”

“Ty! Shut up or I’m going to blow all over you,” Kor said frantically. Ty knew that Kor loved to talk dirty during sex, and he knew just how to rev him just right.

“What do you think she’ll be like? My scans tell me nothing about her color or taste.” Ty continued showing no mercy. “Do you think her nipples will be brown like our skin, or a sweet pink? I can’t get my mind off them.”

Ty kept stroking with one hand while the hand on Kor’s balls traveled back, and started a barely-there touch, right behind his sack, nearly driving Kor insane.

“Do you think she’ll take us in her mouth? I hope she will. Imagine how good she’ll feel.”

“Ty!” Kor didn’t know if he was asking for more or for him to shut up, but he was nearly there with that perfect pressure and the picture Ty’s words had created in his mind.

“Close your eyes and imagine she’s doing this to you.” Ty caught Kor’s cock in his mouth again and sucked him down to the base while rubbing Kor’s sweet spot, behind his balls, with the other hand.

Kor didn’t stand a chance, not with Ty going down on him like he was and the image of the naked Earther in his head. He tensed for a second then roared his release down Ty’s throat. Ty took him deep and sucked every drop out of Kor’s cock before releasing it. He gave it a few last licks before nuzzling and kissing Kor’s groin and hips, and looking up into Kor’s eyes.

By the Gods, Kor loved his male. As furious as their lovemaking always began, it always ended with them in each other’s arms, cherishing one another. But the lovemaking was not over yet.

Kor bent to grab Ty under his arms and yanked him to his feet before fusing their mouths together in a gentle kiss that quickly heated. Kor could feel Ty’s hard cock pulsing between their bodies so he reached down and wrapped his fingers around it.

Ty gasped and began kissing Kor frantically. Clearly he had little control after talking about the Earther.

Kor used Ty’s natural lubrication to stroke him firmly until Ty’s hips were swinging uncontrollably to meet his downward strokes. Then Kor backed off, slowing the pace and easing on the pressure. Ty let out a groan of frustration and let his head drop forward on to Kor’s shoulder.

“You’ve been thinking about the color of her nipples, but I’ve been thinking about her sex.” Kor said in Ty’s ear. “What do you think it looks like, wet and glistening with her juices? What will she taste like? I can’t wait to see her naked and spread out on our bed, waiting for us to taste every inch of her creamy skin, like a perfect dessert.”

Ty gasped, obviously liking Kor’s words.

Kor decided they’d both had enough of the torment and tightened his grip on his mate’s hard cock, stroking and rotating his wrist at his head.

Ty tightened his arms around Kor’s shoulders and when his breaths became moans Kor caught Ty’s shoulder with his teeth, unable to stop the show of possession, as Ty’s warmth shot all over his hand and their stomachs.

They stood there for a while, catching their breath, and supporting each other. Finally Ty lifted his head to gently kiss Kor. He smiled then stepped away to grab cleansing rags. He cleaned both of their torsos and Kor’s hand. Neither talked about the fact that the Earther had obviously slipped into their minds quickly, and neither seemed troubled with the result.

*****

Lacy emerged from sleep slowly and opened her eyes. She stretched languidly on the bed as she was greeted with darkness.
This is not my room
, she thought.

Her memories came flooding back to her as she sat up in the bed: being abducted right out of her car, waking up in a nasty cell to laughing evil aliens, being slapped, and yanked by the hair to a stage where she was sold.

Then she remembered dark men, taking her to safety. The doctor had said that she was safe and she had believed him, now she was having doubts. What did she really know about these men? How were they going to treat her?

Before she could think herself into panic the door to the room whisked open and in walked the doctor with the other man. One of them turned on the lights.

Holy mother of muscles she thought. They both looked good enough to eat in their form-fitting, long sleeved shirts and snug pants that left little to the imagination. And damn that imagination for conjuring up images of how much better they would look without the uniforms. She had to give her head a little shake to get her mind back on track and look them in the eyes.  

“Good morning little one.” the doctor said with a large smile. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a log!” she replied, without thinking. At their questioning looks, she amended herself. “I slept very well, thank you.” She gave him a small smile in return. She made a mental note to keep human colloquial terms to a minimum. Apparently the space-translator-thingy that was implanted in her ear had its limits.

“We realized last night that we haven’t been properly introduced. My name is
Tyrelian dan Menes and this,” he held out his hand to indicate his companion, “is Captain Kor’ijak dan Rubis, captain of the science ship the Adastra.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Kor said while giving her a formal bow, which made her feel strange since she was sitting up in bed clutching the sheets to her chest, and wearing
Tyrelian’s shirt as a nightgown. “Please, call us Ty and Kor.” he said once he straightened. “May I ask your name?”

“Lacy Woods.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Lacywoods.” Kor said with a smile.

“Just Lacy is fine.” she said shyly, and a little amused by his confusion. “It’s nice to meet you too.” It sounded a bit thin, so she added, “I can’t thank you enough for what you both did for me yesterday.” She faltered. She wanted to add more but couldn’t find the right words to convey her feelings.

The men seemed to ascertain her thoughts because they both smiled broadly. “You’re very welcome. Now that you’ve had a chance to rest would you like something to eat?” Kor asked.

To her horror, the mention of food caused her stomach let out a huge rumble and Ty chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Shyly, she smiled back at them and moved to get out of the bed. They both stepped forward and held a hand out to assist her. After a moment’s hesitation she accepted and allowed the men to help her in climbing out of the huge bed.

Once she was standing she remembered that she wasn’t wearing any bottoms. Even though the shirt she wore nearly touched her knees, she felt a blush creep over her cheeks as she tried to tug the shirt down further.

Kor noticed what she was doing and smiled at her. “Why don’t I get you something else to wear?” He brought his hand from around his back to reveal a bundle of fabric.