Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The rest of the Auction passed in a flash. I'd retaken my seat after sliding my dress back up and around my body. With the Collector's last triumphant call of "sold" and a thank you to the assembled aliens, the human females on stage shuffled to exit down the stairs. There was no reason to hurry or dawdle. I simply moved with the small sea of women. At the top of the stairs, I hesitated. Unlike on stage, here I could see the knot of alien purchasers waiting below to claim their purchases.

My gaze searched among the throng, uncertain how I would know which male had purchased me. I watched a red-skinned alien with a small beak nose take Olive's hands in his. She must have sensed me staring because she glanced over her shoulder. When our eyes met, she beamed at me. Her pleasure heightened my displeasure.

Where was my purchaser? I assumed male, but I supposed it could be a female, or a member of a genderless species like the Collector.

My heart stuttered and confusion flared when I saw Krake off to the side as I reached the last stair. What was he doing here? He'd seen the conclusion of the Auction. He knew I'd been purchased, that nothing unusual had happened.

"Bailey," he called out.

"I need to find my male," I responded flatly, my gaze downcast while my feet moved toward him of their own volition.

He reached out a hand to lift my chin to meet his intense green eyes. "I am your male."

"No. That's not how this works. Whoever purchased me?—"

"I am your male," he repeated with more intensity.

"You? You purchased me? What about your finder's fee?" I asked the inane question.

Krake chirped a laugh. "The Collector discounted my bid by the finder's fee."

"That's good." I didn't know what to say. Part of me didn't believe this was real. With a shock, I acknowledged that I didn't think I could stand the crushing disappointment if it wasn't real. I wanted to stay with Krake. Did I fall asleep on stage and this was a dream? "Why?" I asked instead.

"I did not want to let you go." He rested his hands on my shoulders. "I never want to let you go."

I blinked back tears of hope and relief. "You could have just asked me to stay."

"I could not. You were a stowaway. This was the way."

Understanding dawned. Stowaways were not allowed. The only way for me to safely stay was as a potential Obedient. He couldn't just tell the Captain he wanted me. "Ah. That makes sense." I stumbled over what to say next. "Thank you."

"I knew you wanted me too. Even though, for me, you chose the Auction."

"I don't understand."

"In my room, I smelled your mating interest."

"Oh."

Krake caressed my upper arms. "Like now."

I offered a sly smile. "You can smell my mating interest right now?"

"Yes, I can."

His sincerity almost made me laugh, but I remembered the time before. I didn't want to hurt his feelings if he misunderstood my laughter. Instead, my arms encircled him. "Let's go to your quarters."

We practically jogged the length of the ship to return to his quarters, barely making it to his bedroom before we stripped off our clothes. I finished while he was still removing the ever-familiar tighty-whities.

I threw myself onto the bed, my body throbbing in response to both the bed's luxurious contouring to my body and the need for Krake to join me. He didn't make me wait long, his lean form molding itself to me as he lowered his face toward mine. I lunged up, my mouth capturing his. His lips crushed against mine while his hands explored my body. My hands enjoyed the silky texture of his bare skin as I returned the favor.

With a low growl, I pushed him over and straddled him. My gaze found the gills in his neck and I hesitated before asking with a motion if I could touch them.

Krake gave a tight nod and closed his eyes.

My fingers moved over and around the slits. His head tilted back in apparent pleasure at the touch. I increased the pressure, enjoying his reaction. One day, I hoped to see him using them underwater.

My hands drifted over his supple chest before sliding my body lower to take his cock into my mouth. I doubted I would ever get used to the feel of his member. I was optimistic that I could learn to love the unusual taste of his cum. At least I wasn't allergic to fish! My tongue lapped up his pre-cum while my hands stroked and fondled, enjoying the feel of his penis and clasper growing taught with desire.

Krake flipped me onto my back, then paused to lift a hand to my cheek. I wrapped my fingers around his hand, my heart swelling with the intimacy of our shared moment.

After that quick caress, he pinned me to the bed with his dick. His hips rose and fell with his in-and-out motion. As before, the fullness of him created a growing need within me. His clasper grasped my clitoris this time, and I cried out at the almost animalistic hunger that sparked. As my craving multiplied exponentially with each thrust, he buried his head in my neck, nuzzling my skin.

I heard him sniffing and then?—

He bit me!

Before I could cry out, I realized that the bite didn't hurt. There was a tight pressure against my skin, the scent of the sea in the air, and then my neck tingled. My entire body vibrated with sexual tension.

Krake increased the tempo of his hips. I rose to meet him, the sound of our flesh hitting somehow heightening my pleasure. When I didn't think I could rise higher, with a final slam into me, the cool yet warm feeling of his cum releasing pushed me over the edge. I screamed from the strongest orgasm I'd ever experienced erupting within. I panted in time with the waves of the orgasm as they rolled over and through me, slowly subsiding.

Krake lay on top of me, our hearts beating together.

Would sex with Krake always be like that? Damn. Who'd have thought hiding in that storage container would result in this? Earth girls didn't know what they were missing!

When our breathing returned to normal, Krake rolled off of me and we faced each other. I stroked his cheek, enthralled by his oil-slick skin and bright green eyes. "You liked when I played with your gills?" I teased.

"You know I did," he growled back, but with a smile.

A hand lifted to touch the area on my neck where he'd bitten me. It still tingled. His hand covered mine and he fingered the area.

"It did not hurt, did it?" he asked, his eyes anxiously searching my face.

"No, it didn't. Why didn't it?" I asked with genuine curiosity. "It feels all tingly. In a good way."

Krake tweaked one of my nipples. "Much like I can smell your—" He thought a moment. "I believe the word is pheromones. Much like I can smell your desire for me, my kind shares other characteristics with your planet's sharks."

"The clasper!" I exclaimed in delight. "I knew it reminded me of something."

"It reminded you of something?"

"I saw a shark documentary that mentioned their, um, mating process," I said, the tips of my ears burning.

Krake smiled. "Exactly. Your sharks use their… claspers… much the same way. It grabs onto the female. To help with fertilization."

I felt the blood drain from my face, remembering my earlier rambling thoughts. "Wait, I'm not about to be pregnant with an alien baby, am I?" The last part of the question squeaked out.

"No," he assured me with a chirped laugh. "Our species are not compatible."

"I'd beg to differ," I joked. "I think we're quite compatible."

Krake kissed me. "Yes, we are."

"What about the bite?" I asked, bringing us back to my original question.

"Sharks also bite their mates. They do it to hold her in position. We do it to express desire. Which is why our excretions create a pleasurable experience for the female."

My hand moved back to the spot on my neck where he'd bitten me. The tingling had subsided to a dull, but pleasant, ache, not unlike residual sensitivity from orgasms. Real-world questions crowded my mind. "Now what?"

"You are an unexpected diversion," he admitted. "The Collector is stopping at Klaxon, my home world. I wasn't planning on staying long, but perhaps…"

"I can see where you're from."

"Meet my family."

"You're already taking me to meet your parents," I teased.

"I will need to return to work soon," he warned.

"I can travel with you, right?" Anxiety shot through me at the thought of being left alone on an alien planet.

"Yes. You will travel with me as my assistant."

"Partner," I corrected.

"Partner," he agreed.

"To new adventures."

With my pronouncement, Krake pushed me back into the bed, the bulge below his waist informing me of his intentions. "Later."