Page 19 of Her Alien Beast
Chapter 11
AMIRA
I stareout the large window in Vlann’s sitting room as the sun rises over the tree line, a hot mug of tea between my hands. Two glorious days have passed since my time with Vlann under the falling star tree by the lake. I’m trying not to think about the future right now, trying not to think about what will happen in several days, when I’m supposed to return home.
Instead, I try to focus on the here and now, the pleasurable days I’m spending with my handsome alien captor. Whatever happens in the days to come, at least I’ll have the memories of the stern bounty hunter.
Yet the whole situation is unbelievable. I ran away from Gregory only to fall straight into the arms of a stranger who incites more passion in me than I believed possible. I can’t imagine returning to the La’tkk human settlement to resume my regular life. I can’t imagine leaving Vlann, and yet I must. I can’t allow my family and friends to worry about me forever.
I pull my nightshirt to my nose and take a deep inhale, because it carries Vlann’s masculine scent. He’s insisted I sleep in his bed every night since that first time he claimed me. I like sleeping with him, enjoy lacing my legs through his while he spoons me from behind. Sometimes, he’ll wake me in the middle of the night for a quick session of lovemaking.
But is it lovemaking?
I enjoy the intimacies we’re sharing, but he hasn’t given me any indication that he’s developing feelings for me. I try to push away the sudden sinking feeling that fills me. We come from different worlds. I come from a world where I’m expected to be the good girl, marry the man of my parents’ choosing, and work for my father’s company, all the things for which I’ve been groomed my whole life. While Vlann, he’s free. He doesn’t answer to anyone, he makes his own rules. I envy his life, in a way, but I’m not sure how I could possibly fit into it. But God, how I wish that wasn’t the case.
The sound of footsteps approaching draws me out of my trance, and I turn around as Vlann strides toward me, his presence dominating the room as it always does. He’s already dressed for the day, wearing a pair of black pants and a gray shirt, his biceps bulging under the sleeves. It’s difficult not to stare.
“Good morning, Vlann,” I say. After calling him sir and Mr. D’Zorr for several days, using his first name feels a bit strange, but last night he ordered me to start using his first name, and even though it feels weird, I don’t want to disappoint him.
He approaches me and places a kiss on my cheek, his lips warm and firm. I melt.
“Can I make you breakfast this morning?” I ask. I feel guilty that he’s done all the cooking since my arrival. Sure, there’s not much I can make, but perhaps I ought to take the initiative. I’ll never learn if I don’t try, but I could at least fix some toast or some pancakes.
He snorts and his eyes twinkle. “Are you telling me you know how to cook, but not how to use a dishwasher?”
I narrow my eyes at him, but I don’t respond.
“I’ve already got some eggs going,” he says, wrapping an arm around my waist to guide me toward the kitchen.
Breakfast takes over an hour, because neither of us stay quiet for more than two seconds. I realize with a pang of sadness that talking with Gregory has never been so effortless, or enjoyable. Vlann seems to value my thoughts and ideas, and not once does he interrupt or berate me for anything I say.
We talk about everything—politics, science, travel, and even music. To my surprise, I learn he’s a fan of the Eastern Horrtch Orchestra and regularly attends their concerts. It’s funny to imagine him dressing up for such a formal event, as I’ve only seen him in casual attire. In the back of my mind, I make a secret wish that one day we’ll attend an orchestra concert together.
The remainder of the day is spent much like the others. After breakfast, we take a long walk through the forest and around the lake. He reluctantly permits me to make vegetable sandwiches for lunch. To my delight, he eats the whole thing and claims it’s the best sandwich he’s ever tasted. Though I suspect he’s fibbing, I’m not about to turn down such a nice compliment.
When a thunderstorm rolls in shortly after lunch, we decide to spend the afternoon in the bedroom. As if we need an excuse. Vlann is very much in charge in that department, dominant to the bone, claiming me roughly and frequently, with barely a pause in between sessions. He particularly enjoys spanking me until I squirm over his lap in an effort to escape, then he settles me on my hands and knees and takes me frantically from behind. Other times, he captures my wrists above my head in one hand, then lightly smacks my breasts before raising my hips to claim me again.
I love every moment. Sex with Gregory had always felt like a chore, something I consented to in order to keep him happy, to keep his insults at bay. But it’s not that way with Vlann. With the handsome alien, I feel as though I’ll burn up with need if he goes too long without touching me, without claiming me. I crave his touch, both gentle and rough.
In the evening, we sit on the front porch steps with glasses of wine. The night is alive with the sounds of nocturnal insects, singing and chirping and screeching to their hearts’ content. The lingering storm clouds have finally blown over the mountain, so the stars twinkle bright and lovely around the high crescent moons that are lined up in an arch over the sky, three guardians of the night.
With the day finally coming to a close, I find myself reflecting upon my current situation more and more. I glance briefly up at Vlann and decide he must be doing the same, because he appears pensive and distant, though I don’t dare ask what’s bothering him. I’m too worried about what will happen when our week together ends, too worried over facing reality after saying good-bye to this temporary, perfect world that only contains the two of us. Is Vlann brooding over the same problem?
My heart aches when I imagine him turning me over for the reward money. He says the reward has increased to fifty thousand galactic credits. More than my fancy designer wedding gown. I try to push my negative thoughts away and simply enjoy Vlann’s company, but it’s difficult when the clock is ticking.
I rest my head on his shoulder, wondering if I should tell him how I feel about him. I care about him and can’t imagine being parted from him. Sometimes, I think I even love him, though the logical part of my brain sniffs imperiously at the prospect. We’ve only known each other for a few days.
He pulls me closer, and my heart flutters. He kisses the top of my head and softly runs his fingers through my long locks. I listen to the beating of his heart for what seems like hours, a steady thump against my ear that’s louder than the noise of the nocturnal insects.
Later in the evening, Vlann astounds me by claiming me gently, slow and soft, silently holding my eyes in his magnetic blue gaze for the duration until we both climax at the same time. When he gathers me close and holds me, I feel at peace, at home.
As I drift to sleep, I pray for the courage to confess my feelings to Vlann, and I pray that he cares for me too. I think of the time at the bridge near the La’tkk Mountains, shortly after I ran away, when I promised myself I would be brave. God, please let me be brave now.
I awake frequently during the night, my mind too restless to sleep for more than a short spell at a time. I watch the steady rise and fall of Vlann’s broad green chest as a dark thought occurs to me. Vlann is older than me by at least two decades, I know this because he worked as an Enforcer until retirement, a period that’s typically twenty to thirty years, though he doesn’t have a wife or a mate. Perhaps he likes his solitude, likes being alone on this mountain.
Uncertainty eats at me. How can I be brave and tell Vlann how I feel about him, when there’s a very good chance he’ll reject me? Having been matched with Gregory my whole life, I don’t have any real experience with relationships or men. Maybe Vlann’s simply having sex with me because I’m a female and I’m here. Maybe I’m just a convenience.
My heart sinks and just before I fall asleep, I decide I’ll keep my romantic feelings for Vlann to myself for the time being. If he really cares for me, he’ll tell me before returning me to my family. Won’t he? As confident a male as he strikes me, I can’t imagine him doing otherwise. God, how I hope that’s true.
As the night continues, my dreams are haunted by images of my worried family. I see my mother and father crying, but when I speak to them, they disappear into thin air. This same dream repeats over and over, until I awake with a start to find the first rays of morning sunlight spilling through the bedroom curtains. I snuggle against Vlann and practically feel our time together slipping through my fingers.
The next two days pass the same as before. I enjoy my time spent with Vlann, particularly our time spent in the bedroom, or wherever we are when he decides to claim me, but neither of us talks as though we might have a future together. I’m starting to worry, because I think we’re both avoiding the inevitable—the fact that I’m soon to return to the human settlement.
