26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Astra

I'm roused from my sleep by a distant hum of engines. Opening my eyes feels like a chore but I'm curious, so I squint around before settling back against Tareq's chest. He's so warm I want him to keep holding me forever.

The ATVs look more like tiny planes than cars. They hover over the rocks kind of like a hovercraft. Despite the terrain being anything but flat, the three vehicles approach smoothly, parking near the escape pod.

The former captives are startled and only Nikolai's calm voice keeps them from running away. That and the fact that there's not really anywhere to run to. Nikolai himself is probably scared too, but he's hiding it well. I should go and help him, but it feels like all the energy has been drained from me. Plus, Tareq doesn't seem willing to let me go.

More aliens jump out of the ATVs. A big red guy with a hammer slung over his shoulder. A hammer, of all things. Not a rifle or some kind of futuristic weapon, but a hammer. He's grinning, bouncing up and down with excitement as he looks over all of the aliens gathered around the escape pod. I get the feeling he's the guy who asked me about the fur.

There's a beautiful woman who I assume is Lyriana. She has tiny horns poking through her dark hair and three boobs. Other than that, she's pretty human-like, just like she'd said.

A tall, slender man with insect-like antennae on his head pulls out a handheld scanner and waves it over each of the former captives. His antennae move and glow as he works. Nikolai follows him closely, his attention on the device rather than on the alien's strange appearance.

A big hulk of a male covered in gray scales approaches Tareq. He smiles over the plethora of dead spiders around us and shakes his head. "Subtle, Tareq, very subtle. I thought we were just coming here to retrieve the primitives, not massacre the locals."

His words are stern, but I can sense a teasing tone to them. He's just pulling Tareq's leg. Hopefully.

Tareq grins. "Well, Captain, since we're already breaking the Non-Interference Directive, I thought, why not do it with style? Besides, I wasn't the one to start killing people. It was her!"

I gasp in outrage when he points at me. "They attacked us! We were fighting for our lives, you jerk. Your fucking directives can bite my ass," I snap at him, then hesitate.

What I said was true, we were just defending ourselves. But we did kill a lot of these beasts. Am I a criminal now?

Tareq chuckles, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I know, Myále. I was just teasing you. I'm proud of how you handled things."

"Tareq is right," the big scaly guy says. His voice is like rolling gravel, but not completely unpleasant. "You did well, Miss Astra. You can rest now. We'll take care of your companions."

"Take care of them?" To my tired mind, it sounds a little ominous.

The captain smiles. "In a good way, don't worry. We'll tend to their injuries and take them to a UGC embassy so that they can be returned home." He blinks and I notice that his eyes have vertical slits and a third, transparent eyelid. It's a little unsettling, but since his general demeanor is polite, I decide to toss my ingrained xenophobia aside and give him a chance. After all, I was afraid of Tareq at first, and now I'm snuggling with him like my life depends on it.

"Is it safe?" I ask. "I mean, the UGC guys will wipe their memories, right?" That can't be good for the brain.

"Yes, the procedure is safe. I'm afraid it is necessary for all those that wish to return to their original homes. The UGC has experience with repatriating stolen individuals. You do not have to worry." He pauses, glancing at Tareq, then back at me. "I assume you do not want to return home?"

"I don't." I look up at Tareq, suddenly insecure. "If I can still stay?"

His smile is tender as he brushes a lock of hair away from my face. "Of course. I would very much wish for you to stay with me. Please," he adds, the word little more than a breathless whisper.

"I'd love to," I answer earnestly. "I just don't want to be a problem." I know nothing about the galaxy. I don't have any applicable skills to support myself. Perhaps I could be a waitress again? Provided that robots haven't taken over that job completely.

"You'll never be a problem, Astra. We'll figure everything out later. My…our situation has changed too," he says, exchanging serious looks with the captain. "But I'll always take care of you, I promise. First, let's get you checked out to make sure you aren't injured. D'Aakh!"

The alien with the head antennae approaches, scowling. "What?! I'm busy."

"Well, be busy checking my mate over, please."

D'Aakh mutters something unintelligible but points his scanner at me. "She's fine," he grunts. "Just get her to rest and drink some water."

"Excuse me," I say, glaring at him, " She is right here and she can understand you just fine." Does he think I'm just some stupid monkey that wouldn't understand him?

Tareq laughs, patting my shoulder. "You have to excuse him, my dear mate. He's not very good with people."

"Oh, that's a brilliant trait for a doctor," I snicker.

"I'm not a doctor!" D'Aakh scowls. "I'm a technician. All I know how to do is point this thing at you," he waggles the scanner before my eyes, "and it says that you are fine. So, you are fine. Bye."

I watch him stomp off, worried that my stupid mouth has gotten me in trouble. "I'm sorry," I tell Tareq. "I should probably apologize. I didn't mean to offend him. It's just, sometimes I talk before I think and—"

"It's not you, Astra," he interrupts me, his smile growing sadder. "We used to have a medic. A great one. But…she died." There's so much pain in his voice I hug him tighter, offering what little comfort I can. "D'Aakh was the closest to her, and he's not taking it well. This situation reminds him of her. It's not your fault. Let's go back to the ship."

He helps me up into one of the ATVs. The inside of the vehicle looks like a cargo van with a joystick instead of a steering wheel. Several of the former captives are already waiting inside. My breath hitches as I see Lizardman sprawled out on the floor. "Oh my god, is he alright?" I don't particularly love him, but he's proven a loyal companion and a fierce protector.

"Yeah. He got a dose of sleeping venom," Tareq assures me, leading me to a seat on the side and strapping me in. "He'll be awake in a couple of hours."

More aliens board the vehicle until it's positively crowded. I don't mind. I'm happy to see everyone alive and mostly uninjured. I worry when we take off and I don't see Nikolai, but Tareq assures me he's in another vehicle.

As he steers the ATV, I try to look over his shoulder as much as my seatbelt allows. I never learned to drive, but I think I could learn this. It doesn't seem that complicated and we could have fun with Tareq giving me lessons. I'm sure we could find interesting ways to motivate me.

The ride is smooth, and before I know it, we're approaching the ship. It's huge, I realize as we enter through an open hatch at the bottom and Tareq parks the ATV in a large open hangar that looks like it could house one of those Airbus airplanes. Maybe more than one.

There are two smaller spaceships inside the hangar. Tareq's friends are already there, milling around the smaller one. I yelp at the sight of them dragging several spider people toward one of the ATVs. The spiders look unconscious, or maybe dead? An involuntary shudder runs through me. Did they attack the ship? Are we safe here?

Tareq pulls me against his chest. "It's all good," he soothes. "The Genixarians kidnapped these guys just like they kidnapped you. We're just going to drop them off, collect the escape pod, then leave this planet. You're safe." He says it with such confidence I have no reason not to believe him.

After Tareq assures me that the others are in good hands, I let him lead me away. He's clearly excited about being alone with me, and so am I.

Walking through the ship's corridors feels a little eerie, especially after I remember how the guards dragged me around on my way to be examined and probed, but with Tareq by my side, I'm not afraid.

We end up in a room with several bunk beds. There's a fine layer of dust on the surfaces, as if the room has been abandoned for a while. It's a good thing, I decide. I don't want to have sex on the same bedsheets where one of those creepy gray slavers slept. And we're most definitely having sex right now, concussion or not.

The moment the door swooshes closed behind us, my exhaustion vanishes, replaced by pure lust.

Tareq sets me down on the bed, leaning over to press a kiss to my forehead. "You should r—"

"Nope." I grab his hair and pull him closer, slanting my lips against his.

At first, he doesn't react, clearly torn between the desire to let me rest and the need to kiss me back. I flick my tongue against his mouth, coaxing him to open it, and that does it. Before I know it, his tongue dances with mine in a delicious battle for dominance.

"Astra…" he whispers as he kisses down my neck. "You really should be resting."

I probably should be, but for now, I'm too energized to fall asleep. "I can just lie back," I suggest, giving him a sultry smile. "I distinctly remember someone promising to lick me all night long. Perhaps it was one of your squadmates? The red one, maybe? Or that hot, blond angel?"

His ferocious growl sends a delectable shudder through me. "Mine," he rumbles, nipping at my neck. "Just mine. They shouldn't even be looking at you. Say it, my Myále ."

"Yours," I moan. "Just yours. Oh, please, Tareq."

While I was resting in his arms earlier, he'd wrapped a new blanket around me so I wouldn't be cold. Now, his claws rip at it, tearing it to shreds and leaving me bare before him. I have nothing to wear but I couldn't care less. I'm not planning on leaving this bed any time soon.

He hovers over me, watching, memorizing every inch of my body. Purring resonates in his chest. I feel a tinge of self-consciousness, causing me to wriggle uncomfortably, but he pins me down. "Stay still," he growls, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "I want to see you. All of you. You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."

Well, he surely knows how to flatter a woman. I whimper needily, my core clenching around nothing. I need him inside of me, now, but he just watches. "Tareq… Please!"

"Not yet. I want to take my time with you."

Now, he's just being unreasonable. "Can't you take your time later and just fuck me now?" His determined look wavers, and I know I've hit the right note. "I really need your cock right now," I continue, hoping a bit of dirty talk would push him over the edge. "I'm just so empty, and I need to be filled by your thick, hard cock. Please, Tareq. My Tareq. My Myále ?" I'm not sure I got the right pronunciation of the word and I'm even less sure it's something females call their males, but it works.

He groans and I can almost hear his control shattering. He doesn't fuck me, but does the next best thing—yanks my legs open and buries his face between them. His tongue laps at my pussy and I can't stop the moans from escaping me.

His fucking tongue! It's so long and so flexible and so…everything. It's everywhere, sliding between my pussy lips, circling around my clit, delving deep inside. It feels like he's doing all of those things at once. Plus, his fingers are there, too, and it's all just too much.

I scream out as my pleasure crests. Tareq doesn't stop his ministrations, teasing me over and over until one orgasm flows into another and I shatter under him once more.

"Oh…my…" I manage, completely spent. Oddly enough, my head doesn't hurt. It might be the painkiller shot his grumpy friend administered to me earlier, or Tareq's magical tongue. I'm leaning toward the tongue option. "Fuck…" I breathe out, feeling completely boneless.

"Later," Tareq chuckles. "You need to rest now."

I want to protest, but I really am so spent that I don't think I'd survive another orgasm. However, there's one more thing I need to do before closing my eyes. I reach between our bodies to where his cock is magnificently tenting his uniform. It's a rather form-fitting body suit, which means that his erection is almost obscenely outlined beneath the material. I stroke it, reveling in the small gasps and moans he makes.

"Take it off," I command, my free hand tugging on his collar. There aren't any buttons or zippers and the whole thing seems to be made of one piece of material, which is infuriating, because I can't sneak my hand into his pants.

"Astra…" he protests.

I shush him. "We'll not be having sex. I just want to touch your cock. Now, take your clothes off or I'll find a knife and cut them off."

Laughing, he stands up and begins to peel the uniform from his body. "I'd rather keep it intact. These battle suits are rather expensive."

"Oh, please. It looks like a latex coverall one would wear to a fetish club," I retort, rolling my eyes.

Tareq lets out an indignant snort. "It regulates my body temperature based on my surroundings and partially deflects laser shots and projectiles."

"So…it's a really cool latex coverall?"

"You're such a tease, my Myále ." He grins as he settles next to me. The bed clearly wasn't meant for two people, so we have to snuggle closely to fit in. No complaints from my side, though. "You really should rest, Astra," he tells me even as I reach for his cock. "I can wait. I can—"

"You can shut up and let me do my thing," I interrupt him, stroking his cock up and down. It's hot against my palm, pulsating already, the tip leaking pre-cum on both our stomachs. I tighten my grip and Tareq gasps, pulling me even closer to him. My breasts rub against his smooth, hard chest, my nipples tingling and tightening.

I rub his cock against my stomach. It would be better if I sat astride his lap and rubbed it against my pussy, but that would require me to move and my muscles protest against such a blasphemous thought. Besides, Tareq is holding me so tightly I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

I settle for squeezing his cock between our bodies, adding pressure with my hand and working him over. The tiny bumps on the bottom of his shaft tickle at my palm and I shudder with need, wanting to feel them inside me again.

His purr grows stronger, and he moans into my hair. The cock in my hand jerks as he spills his seed all over both our stomachs and chests. We end up a sticky mess, but I couldn't care less. He's mine and I'm his and that's all that matters.