“No you’re not. You’re everything. You’re our future.”
I’ve been through a lot today. My ship crashed. I fought the wreckage and flames to save a bunch of people. Now, I’m stranded. On a desert planet. With a crazy alien whose muscles are starting to look more lethal than sexy. In the dark.
And we’re alone.
It’s just too much. All I wanted were some damn strawberries and a quiet part of the beach where I could read some books! Tears prick at my eyes, threatening to fall, but I refuse to cry in front of him. Instead, I blink harder, looking out the car window.
Was it safer by his side, or in the wilds?
I cough. “I need to, uh, relieve myself.”
He frowns. “Fine. Use the bushes over there.”
“Thanks,” I whisper as I jump out of the vehicle. It takes everything I have to not race for the bushes, but I don’t want him to be alerted to what I’m doing.
Hopelessness sweeps over me. I should never have left earth. I knew this vacation sweepstakes sounded too good to be true. Now, I’m stuck in the desert, and I have no idea what to do.
Will he find me if I run?
Probably.
Will he be mad?
Most likely.
Fuck. I just want to get out of here!
I look around. We haven’t been driving that long, and have been going in a straight line as far as I can tell. Finding the ship shouldn’t be too hard. Once there, I can throw a potato sack over my head and... I don’t know. The captain was nice, maybe he or one of the other survivors will help me. Anything is better than being stuck with this guy.
I pass through the bushes and just keep walking. As I move further into the darkness, my eyes adjust to the light, and soon I can see the tracks of our vehicle. The stars and moon are bright in the sky. Surprisingly, even though I’m in the desert, the place is teeming with life. Neon lizards crawl along spiky flora and fauna. Dark flowers bloom on the ground, committing a sweet and gentle fragrance. I can even hear the clicking of insects in the distance. Earth deserts were once beautiful too, but even they have been ruined. Now, they are just full of death.
I’ve been walking for less than an hour when I hear a scraping sound, followed by a rustle. I freeze, balling my bare hands into fists.
Shit.
I came out here with no weapon. No comms. Nothing. There’d been no time or inconspicuous way to grab something. I’d only thought of escape — I should have been thinking about survival.
“Fuck,” I mutter. The nearby rustling starts up again. I can’t tell if the bushes are moving from the wind...or from something hiding in them.
I move faster, passing the rustling and leaving it behind, but I’m kinda freaking out. I’m capable of defending myself, but I didn’t bring a weapon. I didn’t even bring water. Why did I run away again?
Oh yeah, alien psycho hunk. Now that I’m out here in the wilds, I wonder if he really was so bad.
Then I remember what he said about me being some sort of irreplaceable hope for his people and kingdom. Yeah, it really was that bad.
I keep going. Two more steps, and I hear the rattling again. I don’t know what kind of trouble this is, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to have to face it.
I roll onto the balls of my feet and crouch, ready for anything.
All of a sudden, the area is filled with light and the shouts of two Talrakian men. I almost rush forward and thank them for help — until I see their faces.
They don’t look like they’re going to help me. I can see them both checking out my body with so much purposeful intent that I slither back a few steps.
“Ah, going somewhere, sweet thing?” One of them says. The other one laughs.
“You sure do look lost, cutie. What’s a nice piece of ass like you doing out here?”
They look at each other and grin, then leer back at me with fierce eyes. They move towards me and I brace myself, feeling my adrenaline kicking in. I’m used to this. I’m trained for this.
Time for fight or flight.
4
Irriuth
I pace back and forth outside the rig, kicking sand and feeling useless. I’m a total dick. Should I march over there and apologize?
No, she’s relieving herself in the bushes. Now is not the time. It’ll have to wait.
Still, it’s hard to hold back. I can’t believe I made her cry.
Maybe it’s better if she hates me. Just being close to her is torture. I can smell her, and every part of her is entrancing. I want to feel her under my hands, hear her moaning and see her shining with our shared sweat. The images are so real I almost moan.
God, my brother is a lucky bastard. I never wanted anything of his. I never wanted his life. But now I’m jealous. I can’t hand her over to him. She is mine. The moment I saw her, I knew it. She doesn’t even have to touch me for me to get aroused. Just one look makes my cock pulse so hard my head feels like it will explode.
Fuck!
I want to smash things. Unfortunately, the only thing around to smash is my rig, and I can’t do that. Nor can I ruin her things, or the supplies that are vital to our survival. I’m just going to have to sit with all this horny rage, but I can’t seem to get my head straight. I’ve only been doing this a few hours and I’m already going insane.
God, when I helped her into the car and felt her soft body crush against mine, my cock almost shot through my pants. Lust raged through me. For a moment, I actually saw red. I was obliterated by the sensation.
I’m not the kind of man to get worked up about a woman, but something about her calls to me deep inside. And it isn’t just my dick. I feel something warm deep in the middle of my chest.
My heart, or something. Fuck!
I decide to be productive and light a tiny fire with a few dry twigs. I have plenty of ration bars that don’t require cooking, but I heat up two small dinner packs. They are just rice and vegetables, but I think she might appreciate a bite of real food. I get out my little tea kettle and crumble leaves inside, hanging it above the fire.
I don’t think she’s had a decent meal or a hot drink since the crash and I berate myself for it. No wonder she’s on edge. She’s probably hungry and thirsty with low blood sugar. I prepare the food with care, using a flat rock to place the foil-wrapped dinners on. They should heat up slowly and the little teapot will be ready about the same time.
I scowl at the flames, trying to forget her. God damn, every man in the kingdom will be fantasizing about her soon. Growling, I toss a small rock. Where is she? She can’t still be relieving herself in the bushes.
“Simone?” I put the fire out with my feet, grab my torch and a small pack, and head into the bushes.
Not here.
A surge of panic seizes me, but I stomp it down. I sweep my torch through the thick branches, looking for any signs of a struggle or a clue as to which way she went. I see the dark depression of her footprint and hurry over to it, quickly assessing the size and shoe type. It's hers.
There is no sign of a struggle and her steps seem to lead out into the desert at an even pace, following the tracks of my rig.
I tug my hand through my hair in frustration. She walked off. That headstrong, stubborn, ignorant woman! She’s going to be the death of me, one way or another.