Текст книги "Wed To The Alien Prince"

Автор книги: January Bell

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CHAPTER SIX

OceanofPDF.com

KANUZ

This is going to hurt.

Still, I would much rather bear the brunt of the fall than allow my mate to absorb the impact with her soft human flesh. I barely know the female, and yet I find the thought of any injury to her body completely abhorrent.

I refuse to let it happen, so I cradle her to me. Her body is tense with terror at first, a normal reaction to falling suddenly, but then she goes loose and soft against me.

Good. It will be better if she’s fainted.

“Fuck,” she says, and surprise widens my eyes. “This is gonna be bad enough without whiplash.”

Brilliant female.

The ground slams into us. Pain jolts up my tail at the impact. Water splashes in the dark, and then we’re sinking fast.

It was a trap door. It wasn’t ground at all, but another flowing pool. My relief is short-lived, my need to get out of the water and breathe warring with the worry of what else might be in this pool—in this ruined temple.

There is no telling.

With one arm around Gen’s chest, I kick, and for a horror filled moment, I pray to the mother goddess that the direction I’ve blindly chosen is indeed up, and that I’m not driving us further into the deep water.

Finally, air breaks around us, and Gen gasps, then coughs, wriggling against me like a caught fish. “What the fuck was that?”

“Trap door,” I say automatically. I tread water with her pressed against me, and my body responds to her nearness, the adrenaline melting way to something much more pleasurable.

“Trap door?” she repeats.

Exhilaration courses through me, despite the seriousness of our latest dangerous predicament.

“Did you understand me?” I begin swimming, carrying her on top of me, knowing that the edge of this underground pool is somewhere around us. The ancients did not construct their puzzle boxes of worship as death traps. Well, not all of them, at the very least.

I send up another quick prayer that this temple is not one of those. But the goddess is called many-faced for a reason, and it is just as likely this temple pays respects to one of her more violent aspects as it is to be dedicated to a motherly one.

With all the violent imagery on the walls above, the latter is much less likely.

“You said trap door?” she asks, her body tense once more. “I thought this place was a temple. A ruin. How the hell can there still be a functioning trap door? Not to mention, why would they even put one in a temple?”

“I cannot believe you understand me now, my flower. I have so much to tell you.”

She tugs at her earlobe. “I mean, I can mostly understand you, but I’m not sure why you’re calling me a flower. My name is Gen. Genevieve. Maybe that doesn’t translate. Is Gen a type a flower here?”

“It is now,” I tell her earnestly.

“Huh. Still some kinks to work out, I guess. What kind of translator is this anyway? It reminds me a little of the time Bex tried to bore me to death explaining machine learning and AI. From what I understood of it anyway.” Her voice trails off, contemplative.

Truly, I cannot believe how this female accepts things. Any of the other alien species I’ve taken to bed would have been screaming or crying now at being tossed into a dark, water filled pit, not to mention the Crigomar attack.

Gen simply soldiers on, tougher than many Suevan warriors I’ve fought beside. She will make a fine queen of my planet one day.

My quickly inflating pride bursts at the thought, replaced by self-loathing. If the separatists can be brought to heel, that is. Because at this point, if I do not figure out a solution to my planet’s political troubles, all I’ve won for Gen will be war and strife.

Maybe my father is right. Maybe I am not strong enough to rule. A low growl rips out of me, and Gen’s body goes taut against mine.

“What is it, Kanuz? Fuck, I wish I had my gun. Stupid diplomatic protocols.”

“We will find you a weapon,” I tell her. What I will find for her, I do not know. Another false promise. Another reason I’m not enough for the Suevans to unite behind.

“You will find me a big stick?” she replies, confusion lacing her tone.

I cannot help the chuckle that comes out of me. “Big stick? Is that what your translator says? When we reach my hometown of Perzivor, I will be having a long talk with our scientists about making improvements to this technology.”

It makes sense though, that they wouldn’t work correctly right away, considering we hold the secrets of our native tongue closely, the sacred truth-telling words something we do not share freely with other species.

Now though? Now, I wish we had spent more time on improving the symbiont that my entire world hinges on. Because, if I do not have my people united, I will have my Gen. And now that my wife can understand me, our quandary does not seem so very terrible.

Finally, my feet touch solid ground, and I heave a sigh of relief. “We’re at the shoreline.” I swing her up into my arms, the chamber we’ve fallen into so pitch black I can hardly make out her features, even with my excellent eyesight.

“Can you see in the dark?” I ask her, unsure about human vision.

“I wish,” she snorts. “No, I’m more than happy to have you use your big muscles and carry me around. The last thing I need is a broken leg. I’m not too proud to realize that.”

“Do not even joke about it,” I tell her. I flex my muscles, pleased she’s noticed their size. “I would not have any of your petals crushed, my flower.”

“Damn, just when I think this translator thing is working, it spits out the most random shit.” Her tone is resigned. “Unless you are, in fact, calling me a flower.”

“Why would I not call you a flower?” I ask. The water laps around my thighs now, and a shiver wracks Gen’s body. “You are the most stunning creature I have ever seen,” I tell her earnestly. It is true, too. “As Prince of Sueva, I have had my choice of consorts. All kinds of species, all considered beautiful. You eclipse them all, and I am truly proud to have selected you as my wife.”

She clears her throat, her fingers gripping my forearm more tightly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I have tasted the delights of females from across the galaxy, but your nectar is all that interests me now, my flower.”

“My what?!”

I frown, irritated that the translator seems to be malfunctioning again. “Your honey. Your nectar. The juices of your pleasure. The sweetness between your legs.”

“What the fuck?” she whispers. I can barely see her face, but her eyes are wide and shining. She squirms against my grip, pushing against me.

I loose a low growl. “Do you want me to put you down and chase you? Is this the way of mated humans, my sweet wife? You enjoy the chase?”

“Wait. Wait.” She pushes her hand against my face.

Perhaps she wants me to lick it. Humans are strange. I press my tongue against her palm, and she lets out a small squeal of surprise.

“Stop,” she says. “Put me down.”

Confused, I do as she asks. In the dark, I can see her place her hands on her hips, a stern expression on her face at odds with the delectable scent of her arousal.

“I can smell you are ready to mate,” I tell her.

“Why… Why would you—” She holds up a hand. “You know what? I don’t want to know. What I want you to do, my fine scaled friend, is get us the hell out of here.” Gen plunks down on the ground, the water licking around her boots. She takes them off, dumping the liquid that’s pooled there out. A small fish wiggles free of one, but she appears not to notice.

I boggle at her, turning her words over in my head.

“What do you mean, you do not want to know? You do not want me to tell you of how I will bury my head between your legs and wring screams of pleasure from you?”

“Did you not just tell me all about how many other women you’ve had sex with? That’s not the compliment you think it is, my dude.”

“I do not know what this dude is you speak of. If that is what you want me to be to you, I will be it. And why would that not please you? I have practiced until I am very skilled with many kinds of females. I have never known a human female, but I am confident in my ability to lick your cunt.”

The perfume of her mating scent grows stronger. I smile to myself, my tail lashing behind me.

“A dude is just a word. A saying. Uh, kinda like friend. And I am not saying, ah, what you’re suggesting is a complete no,” she says thickly, “but we have several things we should discuss first, and I’m not doing any of that in the dark, in a ruined temple, with dinosaurs and prehistoric snake monsters lurking about.” A small laugh erupts from her. “Snake monsters.”

She mutters something about a one-eyed purple monster under her breath.

Disappointed but determined to do as she asks, I trudge up the gravelly shore, wracking my memory of what I was taught years ago about the ancients. There should be a light source around here. A glassy-textured wall looms before me, reflecting the dark and my own silhouette.

I trace the tips of my talons over it, searching for a clue as to what will illuminate the space. The ancients wanted their peers and heirs to marvel at their creations, trap doors and all. There will be a way to light this pit, I only have to find it.

“Do not worry, my wife, my sweet flower, I will find a way to bring light to this place, and then I will look upon you as you scream my name in hedonistic desire.”

“Wife?” Gen asks loudly from behind me, a note of something unfathomable in her voice. “Wife. What the fuck? I thought that was a translation fail. The fuck?!”

“We will,” I agree, pleased she’s decided to succumb to my mating overtures already. “You will be a treasured princess among my people once I am able to rescue you from this situation we find ourselves in.”

“Princess?” she asks, a weary note to her voice. “Is this like the flower thing? A cute name for your pet human? Can you just call me Gen? I’m trying to roll with the punches here, my dude, because frankly, there’s not a whole lot of other options available, but call me Gen.”

“Princess Gen of Sueva, the Light of Perzivor,” I agree. “My bride and chosen, my human flower.”

“Fuck.” Then, a beat later, “You’re a prince. And you’re telling me we’re married.” Her voice is flat, and I turn away from the wall and my search, frowning into the darkness at her.

“Of course, we are married. That is what happens after a mating ceremony, after all. You chose to come here as our brides, a token of good-will from your Earth Federation in exchange for our technology. Was our communication unclear?” I chuckle at her obvious joke. “You ate from my hand, I ate from yours, you danced with me. We are wed. Now you are a princess of the Suevan people, and I—”

I stop talking, familiar shame filling me as she remains silent, the only sound the gentle lapping of water against the shore and her sharp, uneven breathing.

“You did not know?”

“No, my dude, Prince of Sueva, I most decidedly did not know. The Federation left that tiny piece of information out of our mission briefing. Did Niki know? She couldn’t have known. She would have told me. I’ll kill her if she knew.”

“I find your bloodthirstiness most alluring,” I tell her, my cock rising immediately.

“That’s messed up,” she says, “but thanks, I guess.”

“Would you like to appreciate it with your hand?”

“Can you not? Now is not the time,” she sputters, and I frown.

“So there will be a time?” I cannot keep the hope out of my voice, and sudden wonder fills me. Have I ever been as besotted with a female? Is it because she is mine, my mate, and I long to claim her as the goddess demands?

A weary sigh sounds. “I tell you what, buddy. If you can get us out of this pit, I will blow your damn mind.”

“My dam mind?” She would seek to let the tide of my passions loose, surging forth from a burst dam? I was already motivated to find a safe exit for us, but now? Now I would move the skies themselves for a chance at what she has promised.

She is my wife, and I will enjoy every morsel she deigns to give me.

Finally, my talons scrabble over a familiar surface, one every Suevan worth his quarn knows as soon as he can stand. A smug smile curls my lips, and I strike my talons across the rougher surface of the wall. Sparks fly and briefly illuminate Gen’s enticing figure, before igniting the tinder inlaid inside the wall. A line of fire rapidly consumes it, racing along the glossy surface. I blink against the sudden light.

“Did you light that fire with your fingers?” The firelight flickers across her stunned features, and she trudges closer to the wall, wet and shivering slightly.

“How else would I have done it? Do human males not know how to do this?”

“They probably couldn’t find the spot to hit if they wanted to.” She laughs at this, and I frown, confused.

“You think it is funny that your males do not know how to make fire?”

Gen doubles over, and alarm fills me, until a hoarse wheezing noise chokes out of her. When she straightens up, her eyes leak and her shoulders shake. With laughter.

“Oh,” she finally gasps. “Don’t worry, we’ll just pretend they did.”

“Wife, why do I feel as though there is something to this joke that I do not understand?”

Her laughter dies as quickly as it started, and I narrow my eyes, concerned about her rapid change in mood.

“Please… just don’t. Call me Gen. Not… not the other.”

Her hair glows gold in the firelight. Disappointment winds through me, tightening my scales and making my tail lash erratically. “Are you so displeased about it?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She gapes at me for a moment, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I didn’t know I was marrying you. None of us knew. It has nothing to do with you, so don’t go getting all weird.” Anger flits across her face, chased off by sullen resignation.

“So you would choose me as I chose you?” It pleases me to think that out of all the warlords, she would pick me, the ‘spoiled’ prince of Sueva. My molars grind together, and one of my fangs pricks against my lower lip.

She pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply. “Kanuz. Can you focus on getting us out of here? That would make me want to choose you.”

“You promised to blow my dam when we leave. Do not think I won’t remember.”

“What?” Her jaw drops open, her eyes wide with surprise. “Blow your dam? Oh, god, you mean when I said I’d blow your mind…” She starts laughing again.

“I will remember.” Annoyed and amused by her giggles, I turn back to the wall. Everything the Suevan priestesses taught me about the ancients and their temples says the key to getting out of this trap lies somewhere on this glossy wall.

“What are all these markings? Is it a language? This is different from the hieroglyphs with the snake statue.”

“It’s ancient Suevan.” I cross my arms, standing back and picking out a few choice phrases. “I learned it from the priestesses charged with my education at a young age, but it has been many, many years.”

“They teach everyone ancient dead languages?”

“There is no such thing as a dead language,” I tell her, confused. “If it has been spoken, if there are still records of it, then it is still alive, is it not? How could a language die?”

“I just meant, since no one speaks it anymore—”

“The ancients still speak it,” I tell her, pointing to the wall. “Do you not see their words written here, same as I do?”

“Right. Sure. Okay, fine. Not a dead language. So then, Mr. Smarty-pants, what does it say?”

I gawk at her, the ancient Suevan melting from my mind as I try to make sense of her words. “Why do you think my pants are smart? Do you find them attractive? I can promise you, they will look better off than on, if only you—”

“Stop.” She holds up a hand, but her lips are curved in a smirk, a small laugh erupting out of her again. “Can you focus?”

“It is very hard to focus when you are near, Gen. But I will do as you wish.”

I squat next to the first string of words, squinting at the text etched in the tablet wall. A strange rattling sounds behind me, but I ignore it, focused on doing what my stubborn mate insists.

I would like her to blow my dam very much indeed.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER SEVEN

OceanofPDF.com

GEN

I stretch my hands out toward the fire that burns in a strange spiral on the wall, casting odd shadows. It’s weird as fuck, but it’s hot. And right now? Hot is all I care about. After our impromptu dip in the ice-cold pool, I need all the warmth I can get.

And I need to figure out what the fuck I’m going to do about my new husband. I always knew the Federation was squirrely as all hell, and my constant disagreement and butting heads with the top brass is one of the reasons I’ve been stuck as first officer instead of moving up the ranks.

Still.

Marrying us off to aliens as a price for tech?

That’s some fucked up shit, even for the Federation.

I cross my arms over my chest, grinding my teeth together to keep them from chattering. I haven’t had enough calories today, and I can’t afford to expend much more energy. I creep closer to the fire, watching Kanuz.

The Prince of Sueva.

My husband.

Making me, Genevieve Durand, the princess of this alien planet. I don’t know whether to laugh or scream, so a weird, choked noise comes out of me instead, my teeth rattling against each other as a shiver wracks me.

The heat from the fire in the wall seeps through my clothes, and I’m grateful that Kanuz is, at the very least, not a Roth.

The enemy of my enemy is my husband, I guess.

I might come off like a blunt asshole most of the time, another fact that’s kept me from moving up the ranks and likely why the Federation jumped at the chance to throw me to the Suevans, but I’m also a realist.

The reality here is twofold:

Firstly, I have myself an alien husband. As far as aliens go, I could be much, much worse off. Kanuz is… hot. Like, super buff. For a human, that kind of musculature would be impossible, and I like sex and men too much not to appreciate it. His face is handsome, even by human standards, though his features are sharper and more rugged than any human I’ve ever seen.

Heat runs through me, despite the soaked clothes and my dripping hair.

Secondly, I need him. I’m stuck in an alien jungle with no weapons, no knowledge of this place, and he’s kept me alive pretty much single-handedly.

It should irk me. Usually, it would.

It’s a sign of how fucking exhausted I am that I can’t muster up more than gratitude and relief that he’s on my side.

At least he’s not a Roth.

I peel off my sodden tank, wringing it out, yet again.

At least, I’m clean.

At least, I can finally fucking talk to him. The amount of relief the thought gives me has me sagging as the weight lifts. I may have had him as a companion for the last week and half, but not being able to communicate has made this week a lonely hell.

“Why human women?” There are hundreds of alien species out there, and that’s just the ones Earth knows about.

Kanuz huffs out a breath, turning to glance at me over his shoulder before facing the wall again. “Because you can bear our children.”

My stomach flips. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. “Bear your children? Babies? Why can’t you do that with your own people?”

“There are no Suevan women, not anymore.”

“But there were Suevan women at the welcoming,” I choke. “Marriage ceremony.”

“They are elders. There have been no females born in generations.”

“Babies,” I say again, light-headed. “You want to breed us.”

“My wife, if you keep speaking of breeding, I will not be able to control myself. Your beauty already tempts me beyond all reason.” His voice is a low, husky growl, and the promise in his words sends a thrill through me.

Which it absolutely shouldn’t! Sure, I can’t help feeling slightly delighted by his obvious fascination with me, but…

I don’t want babies.

Well, that’s not entirely true. My mouth twists to the side, and I scooch as close as I dare to the flaming wall. I’ve always wanted a family, always wanted little sassy kids and fat toddlers to squish.

Until the Roth came and destroyed that dream, just like they destroyed so much of Earth.

“My mate,” Kanuz says, “I can smell your arousal.”

“You can do what now?!”

“Does the thought of me rutting you and making you swell arouse you as much as it does me? Your body tells me it does.”

“You can smell me?” I don’t even know what to do with that information. Frankly, we went from zero to sixty on the communication scale. Sixty is a little too fast.

And I should not be thinking about sixty-nine.

“Your scent is the most delectable thing I have ever experienced.” His diamond pupils expand as he watches me from over his shoulder, his translations forgotten. “Say the word, and I will gladly bury myself in your eager cunt.”

“Whoa,” I say, my eyes wide. “Listen buddy, I’ve had my share of dirty talking partners in bed, but I can’t say anyone’s ever told me that.” And I’ve always loved dirty talk, and even now, knowing that this alien wants to get me pregnant, that that’s why he married me… I’m turned on.

This is… a lot.

He stands up, towering over me, and I swallow hard. “Do you want that, my flower?”

My stomach growls, and I blink, the spell of attraction suddenly snapped.

Kanuz’s lip curls, disgust clear on his green features. His tail whips behind him, and he mutters something to himself before turning back to the wall.

I sink to the floor, crossing my legs and putting my face in my hands. What am I doing? Am I seriously thinking about fucking this massive alien?

Yeah, yeah I am. Yep.

Maybe it’s a combination of dehydration and hunger and exposure.

Or maybe I want him. Maybe I, the most stubborn, meanest person I know, likes the idea of someone else shouldering some of the burden for a while. Of being protected by a huge dude.

Of not having to worry about when the Roth will attack again, because I’ll be here, away from the reality of their assault.

Or maybe I’m losing my mind. A memory of the Roth attack surfaces, and bile fills my throat, my pulse quickening. The smell of burning buildings, so many on fire that the sky rained ash for a day after. The sound of screams. The frenzied run from Houston down highways packed tight with cars that would be incinerated by the Roth in the coming hours.

“I was right,” he says suddenly, and I flinch, slamming the door to those memories shut.

“About what?”

“This temple. This is no ordinary temple.” His voice is full of excitement, the words tumbling over each other.

“Is that a good thing? Does that mean we can get out more easily?”

“It is the best thing, my human flower.”

“That sounds… gross. Don’t call me that.”

He frowns at me, then beams, flashing fangs in a boyish grin that’s so charming I can’t help but smile back a little. “What would you have me call you, then? My starlight? My soft moonbeam? My little mate? Tell me, so that when I bury my cock inside you, I know what you want to hear me moan.”

“Gen is fine,” I croak, face heating. “Let’s just get out of here before we worry about that.”

“No, I will think of something perfect for you, my Gen.” He steps closer, his chest brushing against my breasts. “I will be the only one to call you this name, so that when you hear it, you perfume the air with the scent of your arousal, and I’ll know you long to have me inside you.”

“For crying out loud.” I scrub a hand over my face. “Just tell me what the damn wall says.”

“Dam wall? No, it is just a regular wall. There is no water behind it.”

Ugh.

“This is the temple of the snake goddess. One of the many faces of the mother goddess.”

“Ooookay,” I say slowly. “Tell me more.”

“This is the temple where the true treasure of Sueva is hidden.”

“Is that treasure food?” I say, arching a brow at him. “Because we can’t eat treasure, and your wife is hungry.”

“Hungry for food or cock?” he says, smirking at me. “I can still scent you.”

“Fucking hell,” I say, shoving him away from me. “For food.”

“Food will not be a problem.” His eyes shine in the firelight, his third eyelid blinking open and shut as he stares at me. “The pool behind us is full of fish and fresh water. It’s filtered, too. I could feel it pulling on my toes as I swam with you soft in my arms.”

“So we’re safe in here.” I narrow my eyes at him. There’s something he’s not telling me. “Because treasure doesn’t fucking matter if we die trying to get it.”

“Eh,” he says, shrugging. “We are no worse off than we would be in the jungle with the separatists and Crigomar after us.”

“Separatists… That’s why we’re in the jungle?” I have vague memories of an explosion, of blinding pain, before I woke up in a downpour with Kanuz’s worried mug swimming overhead. “They attacked the welcoming ceremony.”

“Marriage ceremony,” Kanuz corrects, and I blow out an irritated breath. “But yes.”

“They would attack the prince?”

“They have many reasons to despise me, but the most important of them is that they do not approve of our choice to blend our species, even if it means the survival of Suevans. They believe the mother goddess disapproves, too.” His tail smashes against the stone wall, his expression tight with displeasure.

“Riiiight. So… I’m not safe here, then.” Fuck. Talk about bursting my bubble. He skewered it.

“I will keep you safe, my flower. I will keep you safe, and happy, and treasure your every breath. You are the most enchanting female I have ever seen. I like your spikes as well.”

“My spikes?” I say, confusion overriding my many questions.

“You are angry and mean, and I find it most charming.”

“Oh,” I say. That’s a new one.

“The treasure of this temple is not like most,” Kanuz says, his eyes alight with sudden zeal. It’s infectious, and a little thrill of excitement goes through me. “This treasure could reunite Sueva under my rule.”

“What is it?” I ask, interested despite myself. If the way to treasure is just as dangerous as a jungle full of angry Suevans and dinosaurs, then maybe I should take my chances on it. Why not?

It’s not like I have anything left to lose, anyway. Go big or go home.

Or, you know, never go home. Whatever.

I snort.

“It is the symbol of the many-faced-goddess herself. A symbol that will reunite all of Sueva. No one would contest my rule if I had it in my possession.” A muscle ticks in his forehead.

“What is it? Gems? A crown? A scepter? Some kind of technology?”

He shakes his head, a crazed look in his eye. “That is the best part, my cunning diamond. I do not know.”

“Cunning diamond?” I scowl at him, then shake off his new weird nickname. “How is that the best part? How would your people even know it’s supposed to reunite them? Isn’t that the whole point of a symbol? That people recognize it?”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” He gapes at me, his head tilted to the side. “The mysterious nature of the symbol is the important part.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. “You’re literally making no sense.”

“You dare tell a prince of Sueva such a thing?”

“Yeah, absolutely, you big idiot,” I say, annoyed beyond reason. Hangry and cold do not my best moments make, but I can’t stop myself. I poke him straight in the chest. “While I am not opposed to a treasure hunt—because from the looks of it, we’re stuck in here unless you can figure out a way to get us out of a hole fifty feet up—and I’m all about why not? adventures, I fail to see the logic of a symbol nobody recognizes.”

“What you fail to see, my angry flower, is that the symbol will be instantly recognizable. What the symbol is, however, is a mystery, so that only the worthy may find it.” He takes my fisted hand from where it presses against his chest. His hands are so big his talons curl all the way around mine. Slowly, fire blazing in his eyes, he brings my hand to his lips, and when he kisses the top slowly, sensuously, desire rushes through me. “I like when you are like this. I like when you are testy and challenging and that you do not care about my title.”

“I only just found out about your title, so don’t get any ideas,” I grump at him, my irritability headed off by his surprising kiss. I yank my hand away, much too late to have any real meaning.

“You can pretend all you want, my mean little flower, but I can scent how you really feel.”

“I honestly don’t know how to feel about that,” I tell him, amused by his tenacity in spite of myself.

“You like it,” he tells me, his lips curling back in a wide smile. “And you will agree to find this treasure with me, because I can tell you like the idea, and while we hunt for this treasure, you will slowly succumb to my lust for you. When we leave this temple with the blessing of the many faced-goddess, you will be swelling with my child and all of Sueva will bow at your feet.”

“That’s a whole lot of talk, Prince,” I say, scowling at him. “You know what they say about people who make assumptions.”

“I’m a prince, as you so rightly remembered. I don’t make assumptions. I make the rules.” His grin is so cocky and self-satisfied that I can’t help laughing again. “I like that sound, my princess, my flower.”

“Gen,” I say, rolling my eyes again.

“I cannot wait to learn every sound that those pretty red lips make, my Gen.” Kanuz leans close, brushing his mouth over my forehead.

I step backward, trying to gather my scattered wits about me. This alien is irrepressible. He might be more stubborn and cocky than me, and that’s saying something.

“I like this game,” he says suddenly, licking his lips.

“I’m not playing a game,” I say.

“You are. You act like you do not want me, but your body tells the truth. It will be very fun when I finally have my way with you, Princess.”

“Don’t call me princess. Just call me Gen.” A tiny thrill goes through me, though. This alien would hand me safety. A crown. His attention, which I find more and more that I don’t mind.

A family.

“See?” he says, eyeing me with amusement. “Your little fights are such fun.”

“Well, you better catch me some fish or show me how to, because your little flower is fucking hungry.”

“I never thought I’d want a female who was so bossy and stubborn. But I find that I quite like this. My cock has never been so hard. My xof already sings for you.”

I stare at him, my translator giving me nothing for that word. “I can’t with you.”

“You can and you will,” he says cheerily. “And you will blow my dam.”

With that, he pulls his leather-like pants down, and my jaw drops.