Page 1 of Taken By the Alien Merrow King

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ASTRA

As their capsule set down on the planet Sanos, Astra Jakobson rolled her shoulders and mentally prepared herself for what she needed to do. The fate of Earth, of humanity itself, rested on the shoulders of the seven women on board this little vessel. Their orders were to convince the planet’s inhabitants to allow humans to settle there, no matter what it took. If humanity was to have any chance of long-term survival, failure was not an option.

Astra didn’t want to be there. If she had her way, she’d be back on board theUSS Legacy, working with her team on a natural filtration system design that could help reverse some of the damage generations of pollution and misuse had done to Earth’s hydro-ecosystem. Hell, she’d be happier back in cryosleep than here on this island on a freaking alien planet, trying to convince the inhabitants to give humans a chance and a place to live. Personally, if she lived here and some people who’d already trashed their own planet showed up and wanted to move in, she’d send them on their way right quick.

But she’d do what needed to be done for the sake of her younger siblings, if for no one else. That was the deal she’dmade with the higher ups to secure what remained of her family a spot on the generation ship. No matter what happened to her down on this water-covered rock in a galaxy far from Earth, her brother and sister would be safe. They’d have a future.

Whatever it takes. I’ve got this, she told herself, nervously cracking her knuckles as the capsule settled onto alien soil.Maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe they’ll agree to humans moving into their territory without requiring anything in return. Like, out of the kindness of their hearts.

She huffed out a laugh at her atypical burst of optimism. There was no point in sugar-coating this. Of course the aliens would have demands, and it was the duty of the seven women representing the humans of Earth to give the handful of leaders who’d agreed to meet with them whatever they wanted to make it happen.

Smoothing out the wrinkles of her form-fitting uniform, she exchanged nervous glances with her fellow crew members and followed their captain out onto the beach.

A benefit of being nearly six feet tall was that she could easily see over the heads of her fellow sacrifices… er, expedition members. And what she saw was an endless expanse of beautiful, uncontaminated water. Waves crashed and burbled as a soft sea breeze caressed her face, bringing with it the crisp, clean scent of salt, ocean, and sunshine.

Tilting her face towards the bright sun overhead, she inhaled deeply, infusing her lungs with the fresh oxygen, letting it permeate every last red blood cell.Was this what Earth’s oceanside beaches once smelled like? Because it’s utterly… “Magical,” she breathed out, her entire body tingling in response to its first sample of unpolluted, non-recycled air.

Samantha, the team’s botanist, gave Astra a nudge and tipped her chin towards the groups of aliens that had formed in a half-circle in front of them, watching their every move.“Showtime,” the botanist whispered as one of the massive beings escorted their captain into a large military-style tent.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she swallowed hard to keep the protein bar she’d made herself eat earlier where it belonged. She wiped her damp palms over the moisture-wicking black fabric of her pants and pasted on a fake smile as she turned her attention to the aliens.

From here, they looked similar to humans. They stood upright, had two arms, two legs, and a head. In a departure from human evolution, many of the aliens shifted into water-breathing creatures. A necessity, she supposed, considering the majority of the planet was covered in water. According to the team’s extensive briefings, there were land-dwellers, but most of Sanos’s population lived beneath the waves.

Interestingly and despite evolutionary variations, the sentient inhabitants shared DNA eerily similar to the human race. But what got theLegacy’s scientists most excited was that the aliens appeared to be compatible in other ways as well.

Like when it comes to sex, her brain helpfully supplied. Her brow wrinkled as she pondered the idea of sleeping with one of the massive aliens prowling around on the beach. Would other bits of their anatomy match their size? What about the ones with tails or tentacles? Did they use those during sex? She bit her bottom lip, her cheeks heating as her imagination ran amok.

It was too overwhelming. She dropped her eyes and focused on the ground. The crystalline quality of the sand beneath her feet. The sprawling patches of bright pink and yellow flowers determinedly clinging to the dunes. The intriguing piles of rocks she’d never seen before.

A glimmer of something green winked up at her from a band of gravel curving around the base of some tall grasses with fluffy, waving fronds. Attention diverted, she walked over and hunched down to pick up the rock, dusting away the sand and dirt. A layerof rime covered its surface. She gave it a quick lick, the sharp tang of salt coating her tongue, and pulled a small hand lens from her pocket to get a better look at the stone’s structure. It reminded her of a piece of precious jade her geology professor proudly shared with the class ages ago.

“Fascinating,” she said to herself as she admired the green rock nestled in the palm of her hand. It would make a worthy addition to her collection.

“Find something interesting there, little human?” a deep voice asked from far over her head.

Startled from her inspection of a really cool stone, she nearly dropped her treasure. She looked up. Up over long legs and powerful thighs encased in leather pants dyed a green so dark it was practically black. But her gaze got stuck on the sizeable bulge in said pants just above eye-level. “What?” she asked the bulge.

A huff of laughter drifted down to her as a large hand appeared in front of her face. “I asked what you found there.”

She blushed, her gaze shifting to his proffered hand, taking in the pale webbing between the proximal phalanx of his fingers and his thick, claw-like nails before her brain caught up to the reality of the situation. Here she was, crouched on the ground like some rock-obsessed goblin when she should have been politely greeting the aliens and making a good impression.

Oh, god. Did he see me lick that rock? she thought, her cheeks flaming. Her rock-licking, while not the smartest move on an alien planet, was instinctual, a habit she’d picked up from her grandmother, who’d harbored a rock obsession and passed it and her collection along to Astra. Sadly, she’d had to give most of the collection up when they boarded the generation ship.

Clutching her rock and hand lens in a fist, she slid her hand into his and rose to her feet. Her fascinated gaze took in the light, white shirt covering muscled abs and impressively broadshoulders to a face that made her breath catch in her throat. The alien still towering over her despite the fact she was finally standing was perhaps the most gorgeous male she’d ever laid eyes on.

How is it our species look so alike? I mean, just because our DNA is so similar doesn’t mean we should look the same. Could this be panspermia in action? Astra pondered the hypothesis that life was carried through the universe via a comet or space dust as she studied him.

A small smirk played over his lips. Eyes as dark and mysterious as the depths of the ocean stared back at her. A thick fringe of black lashes brushed against his high cheekbones as his gaze traveled down her body and back up again. Wavy-curly dark green hair brushed against his neck. And the longer she stood there staring at him, the deeper his smirk became. At least he was amused by her distraction rather than annoyed.

Don’t irritate the aliens, Astra, she reminded herself. “Who are you?” she blurted out.

He cocked his head, his hair sliding to the side to reveal a spray of green scales edged in gold. They traveled down his neck and disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt. “I am Merrow,” he said, the honeyed lilt of his voice making her knees go a little weak. He stroked a thumb over the back of her hand.

“Merrow? That’s your species, right? Not your name.” Her skin tingled beneath his warm touch. She gave her hand a discrete tug, trying to free it. “My name is Astra Jakobson,” she said, pointing at herself.

There hadn’t been much in the briefing about the Merrow. Their ruler didn’t reply to his invitation when this whole meet-and-greet-and-beg-for-a-place-to-live gathering was set up or send along any of the requested information. Any data they did have was from the other attendees.

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