Alien Prince: (Bride of Qetesh) An Alien SciFi Romance (40 page)

“
Are you all right?
”
I asked as he went about constructing our tent. The sun was getting low; the temperature was dropping and we had not started our fire.

“
I
’
m fine,
”
he said.
“
Go fetch me some dry wood.
”

“
I just mean, you seem
— ”

“
I
’
m
fine
.
”

I had no choice but to take him at his word. So I swept my curls into a high ponytail, secured it with a leather thong, and set off to fetch the wood he had requested. I hadn
’
t wandered very far when I heard some noises in the distance. I ducked down behind a crag and peered around the jagged edges of stone that were my cover, only to lay eyes on another member of the Qet, and his human companion. Glancing behind me, I didn
’
t see Odrik, so I clutched my collection of branches tight to my chest and watched the pair as they passed.

This Qeteshi was long and lean, thinner than Odrik, reedlike in stature. He had skin like brushed nickel and horns that were black at his temple and curved up in front of his forehead, ending in elegant silver points. The lady that followed close behind him was a beauty, with a blond bob that made her look like a 1920s starlet. She was chatting with him as they moved up a lightly trodden path; he had a pack on his shoulders, and she carried nothing, except for where she lifted her gossamer skirt daintily off of the ground so that it wouldn
’
t get dirty.

She said something that made the Qeteshi laugh, and he had to pause to set his pack down, his body wracked with the force of his mirth. His laughing made her laugh, and she fell into his arms. This was nothing like the first girl I
’
d seen, who had turned her face away and spread her legs for the satisfaction of her mate. No, this girl
…
she seemed quite fond of her companion, and he of her.

The laughter evaporated between them, and it was she who stood up on tiptoe to press her lips to his. He hoisted her up into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his torso. It was she who hiked her skirt up, who reached back to spread herself open to her lover, who moaned gracefully when he lowered her down onto his manhood.

I felt no shame in watching them; in fact, I couldn
’
t look away. He bounced her up and down, holding her easily aloft despite the soft, fleshy curves of her body, and he fucked her without bracing either of their bodies against a tree or a rock
—
he simply stood with his feet planted hip-width apart and moved his lady up and down until she threw her head back and cried out in ecstasy.

He clutched her to him and trembled as his own orgasm overtook him, clinging to her, her face turned away, his face buried in her now-mussed blond hair.

They breathed together, like one animal, before they devolved into a fit of giggles and he set her gently back upon the earth. She kept her skirt hiked and wriggled her butt at him, no doubt to indicate her need to clean up, and he grinned, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. They headed in the direction he indicated, chatting happily all the while, and it dawned on me: perhaps not all of the girls who
’
d been sent here would want to leave.

Was it possible that some of them had known ahead of time where we were going, and why? Was that why the first girl had given her, however begrudging, consent? Or was the one I
’
d just seen, like me, just very taken with her Qeteshi companion?

When the pair did not return, I stood up and hoisted the dry wood into my arms, limping back the way I
’
d come until I reached our little campsite. Odrik had erected a small tent and had laid our packs and the sleeping furs inside. He
’
d dug a hole at the mouth of the tent, and when I dropped the wood at his feet, he began to build the fire.

“
I saw someone,
”
I remarked. He froze for a moment before continuing to handle the task at hand.
“
A girl, like me. And a man, like you.
”

“
What did he look like, this man?
”
Odrik asked, suddenly alert.

“
Tall, silver in color, with black-and-silver horns at the front of his head.
”

Odrik considered my description for a moment before he nodded his head.
“
Belys, most like,
”
he mumbled.
“
A proud hunter. A good member of the Qet.
”
He glanced back at me once he
’
d gotten the fire going.
“
And the girl?
”

“
Happy to be with him,
”
I said.
“
Like me.
”

Odrik uncoiled to his full height and stared down at me.
“
Don
’
t say things like that, Novalyn,
”
he growled.
“
I thought we had an understanding, you and I.
”

“
Yes,
”
I quickly rejoined.
“
We did. I
’
m sorry.
”

He regarded me coolly for another moment before he headed into the tent. I, a shamed pet, followed close at his heels. We sat together on the furs, as far away as the constrictive size of the tent would allow, and Odrik did not undress as he used to before climbing into bed.
“
Rest yourself now, Nova,
”
he murmured, turning on his side to face away from me.
“
For tomorrow, we shall reach the village.
”

Part Four

Neither Odrik nor I slept well that night. We thrashed about under the cover of the heavy animal furs, trying not to brush up against one another as we moved. I would wake up too warm and throw off the cover of the furs, then drift off again until the bone-chilling cold roused me. Odrik had a similar experience, and I realized that our previous arrangement had been as much for our comfort as it had been due to our mutual desire for one another. I missed the feeling of his arms around me, missed the feel of flesh on flesh, missed the sound of his steady breathing in the night.

When day finally broke, we rose groggy and irritable, breaking down the camp in agitated silence. He hoisted me
—
rather begrudgingly, I thought
—
onto his back and we headed in the same direction I
’
d seen the other pair go, tromping along their lightly trodden path.

After a time, Odrik planted me on the earth beside a small green pond. I dipped my hands in the water to drink, but Odrik was stripping off what little clothing he wore and bounding into the ice-cold water. I watched him from my spot in the wet grass and crossed my arms in front of me.

“
You
’
re stalling,
”
I shouted as he ran his fingers through his hair and wiped droplets of water away from his face.

“
I
’
m bathing,
”
he countered.
“
And you might consider doing the same.
”

I scoffed.
“
What
’
s
that
supposed to mean?
”

He dipped down low in the water and waded a few steps toward me, angling his black eyes up at me with a bemused little smirk playing on his lips.
“
You kept me awake all night with your tossing and turning,
”
he said, his tone low and sly,
“
and your tunic is nearly soaked through with sweat. I just thought you might want to clean off a bit.
”

I felt the apples of my cheeks color slightly. He was right, I needed a bath.
“
Fine,
”
I spat and undid the beaded belt he
’
d gifted to me before tugging the tunic up over my head. He turned his back to me then to give me some modicum of privacy, but I smiled my own smug little smile to catch him peering at me from his periphery. I swayed my hips gently from side to side as I moved into the cool waters of the pond, clutching my arms in front of me in a way that indicated I was cold but squeezing my prominent breasts together, highlighting every curve he could not touch.

“
So, what
’
s our plan, then?
”
I asked, once I had fully submerged myself in the water. He turned back to me then, splashing water on his face.

“
Go to the village. Don
’
t be seen.
”

“
Don
’
t be
seen
?
”
I echoed, eyes wide.

“
Yes,
”
he confirmed.
“
Did you miss the part where I told you I was exiled
…
?
”

“
No, but
— ”

“
What, did you think we could just
…
waltz
back into my village?
”
A darkness clouded his features, his brow furrowed over his depthless eyes.

“
Certainly you have
some
allies,
”
I protested, allowing myself to drift closer to him.

“
None that would stand against Fegar,
”
he muttered.

“
Well
…”
I sunk low in the water, dampening some of my curls.
“
But how am I supposed to get the other girls who want to leave, if we have to do all this sneaking?
”

“
I didn
’
t agree to help the other girls,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m only interested in helping you.
”

“
But, Odrik
— ”

“
I don
’
t
care
about anyone but you, do you understand?
”
he snapped, silencing me completely. I stared at him, frozen in place, but he wouldn
’
t look at me. Finally, I moved as quickly through the water as I could until I reached his side, lifting a hand to his cheek to gently turn him toward me. He was stiff as a statue as I leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek. It was meant to be a soothing gesture, but I think it betrayed how badly I wanted him, how much I missed the nearness of him.

“
I care about you, too, Odrik,
”
I murmured. And he curled his fingers around my wrist and lowered my hand away from his face.

“
But not enough to stay with me.
”
I was startled by his raw vulnerability, startled by how close he
’
d come to simply asking me to stay.
“
It doesn
’
t matter,
”
he said before I
’
d had the chance to say anything in response.
“
Let
’
s get going.
”

He moved away from me and climbed up onto shore, and I watched the rivulets of water run down the sinews of his body, like a million tiny little intersections. His skin looked almost golden in the daylight, and the scales down his left arm shimmered as the water ran over them. He was a stunning creature; my desire pulsed between my thighs as he turned to face me, his cock engorged if not fully erect. I swallowed hard and looked away, moving slowly through the pond until I reached the bank. I didn
’
t want to dress in the dirty tunic, so I rifled through our overstuffed pack, producing the gossamer gown we
’
d found in the pod. I tugged it on and let it flutter around my feet as I fastened Odrik
’
s beaded belt just below my breasts. My nipples were pert and prominent, easily visible beneath the flimsy fabric of my gown. Yes, the black linen tunic was dirty, but I knew why I had put on the gown instead: I wanted him to want me. I wanted to see that look of hunger in his eyes again, and I thought, maybe
…

“
Climb on,
”
he said, without sparing me a second glance, and I suppressed a sigh, sweeping my dark curls high onto my head before I climbed once more onto his back.