Chapter 1

Chapter

One

BEHTU

T he powdery pink sand of Pryt's beach slips between my fisting fingers as I sit, staring out at the vast expanse of the ocean. Waves collide with the shore, a soothing rhythm that does nothing to ease the turmoil raging within me. My sivot, the ancient slumbering beast inherent to every Kaul male, stirs and roils, simmering just beneath my skin.

While the world around me slumbers in this place of tranquility, I struggle with the urge to lift my face to the moon and unleash a primal scream at the twinkling stars above. My emotions ebb and flow like relentless waves, foaming as they crash over my raw nerves, threatening to burst forth and break the stillness of the night.

"Bliking sivot!" I curse my misfortune under my breath, gritting my teeth until my jaw cracks.

First Navik and then Qhix! This wasn't supposed to happen to me. Ever! I never wanted a mate. I pride myself on variety, never having been foolish enough to seek pleasure from just one female. Now all I can think about is spreading Jules' thighs and sampling her human cunt before sinking in deep and trapping her on my knot to fill her full of my mating seed.

Life as a Star Maverick is all I've ever craved, to break the confines of my royal birth and explore the stars at my leisure. The wild, rebellious spirit of a space pirate courses through my veins, driving me to venture wherever I please and seize whatever I desire at my leisure.

Now all I crave is the juices of a female with a verdant gaze and silky, dark hair.

Jules Verenne, I inwardly growl.

Just thinking her name sets my pulse racing, and her presence ignites a fire in my groin that I've never felt before. Even now, my weft stands erect with a low vibration, ready to pleasure her.

The vexing human awakened my sivot the second I spied her trembling and huddled together with the other females when Qhix and I, along with five Ziarian males boarded the Lizordian vessel where she and seven other females, including Qhix's mate, Tasha, had been held captive.

The Lizordian reaver named Rex already had Jules and two other females aboard his craft, having rescued them from a nasty race of Orcs known for keeping exotic sex slaves. Then he had tracked five more humans to Croa where they were living peacefully with their respective Ziarian mates.

He swore he was delivering them to Valose where it was safe. That a Moktian had placed bounties on every lost Valosian and human he and his reaver brothers could find. I knew the Gretolics were out of control, abducting humans from Earth to sell on the seedy trading port on Tirius. But a Moktain on Valose? Preposterous!

I flop back on the soft sand, struggling to maintain control which has never been a problem for me before. My cock pulses with a heartbeat of its own. I should take myself in hand and rub the edge off the burn, but that hadn't worked the last three times I pleasured myself. The images my mind had conjured of sheathing myself with Jules' weeping slit had only made shit worse.

So, here I am on the beach with the constant breeze washing my face but not for the tranquility of it, but to keep her scent at bay. Even sleeping under the stars on the deck of Qhix's beachfront abode was too close to the scent of Jules' ripe cunt. Her arousal was as constant as mine, and I knew she would welcome me between her thighs. My sivot roared to claim her, to knot her, and I feared if I gave into my carnal lust, I would lose all control.

For as long as I can remember, I've prided myself on my fierce independence, relishing the freedom to navigate the vast Universe on my terms. Yet, her very presence threatens to unravel and dismantle my entire way of life. The alluring sway of her hips and the fire in her intelligent, verdant gaze haunts me to distraction.

I sit up, clenching my fists as I try to quell the raging storm within. I didn't ask for these feelings, yet they consume me. It's not just my sivot who wants to claim her. The little human is strong, intelligent, and undeniably captivating.

"Roaming the Universe, taking what I want, answering to no one... That's all I've ever desired!" I grouse to myself, hoping the words will somehow silence my raging beast. "I don't need a bliking mate!"

My sivot growls in protest.

Jules stirs the feral beast within me. The instinct to protect, to claim, to possess is undeniable to my sivot. And as I sit here on this alien beach, it becomes increasingly difficult to hold my beast at bay.

As I grapple with these unwelcome emotions, a part of me starts to wonder if maybe, just maybe, there's more to life than the solitary existence I've chosen for myself. Navik and Qhix have both found their fated mates and settled down. Could it be possible I want the same for myself?

"Impossible," I scoff. But even I can't ignore the nagging doubt that creeps into my mind as I stare out at the horizon, wrestling with my inner beast.

The moonlight casts a silvery glow over the pink sand as lapping waves echo my racing heartbeat as I struggle to rebuff my sivot. The beast inside me grows restless, hungry to lay claim to the female who has awakened me.

My sivot roars with impatience. My muscles grow tense with a barely restrained urge to sweep Jules into my arms and lay claim to her fragrant cunt.

I squeeze my eyes shut, determined to push thoughts of Jules from my mind and focus on something, anything else other than her.

The crunch of approaching footsteps sets my temper on edge. Qhix's hideaway is far from secret now that five Ziarian males and their respective human mates line the beach in makeshift huts along with Qhix's bungalow filled with him and his mate plus the single females.

My eyes snap open. A low growl already percolates up my throat, readying me to berate the intruder who dared disturb my solitude.

The object of my carnal cravings appears before me, her dark tresses cascading over her shoulders like a silken waterfall. My breath catches in my throat as I lose myself to her verdant gaze, brimming with unspoken yearnings as if she knows she holds the power to bring even a hardened renegade like myself to my knees.

JULES

"Behtu," I say, surprised to find him parked on the beach in the middle of the night. "I didn't expect to find you out here."

"You should be sleeping," he replies coolly.

"So should you," I counter, undeterred by the space pirate's scowl.

Behtu doesn't scare me, not for a second. I remain unfazed, having seen his gentler side when we first met. I was shaking like a leaf when we'd been boarded by Behtu, Qhix, and five Ziarian males.

As an ER nurse, I'm not easily shaken. I pride myself on my cool, calm, and collective demeanor. But after being snatched from my bed by little gray creatures, sold to the highest bidder which happened to be a giant orc along with two other women, Lena and Elle. Then flown to the orc's home world, stripped naked and cuffed to a wall as the orc prepared to rape each one of us.

Lucky for us, a Lizordian named Rex rescued us at the last second, clothed and fed us, and outfitted us with language translators, yet held us captive onboard his ship. Then he'd stopped to collect more bounties in the form of five human women, claiming he was taking us to some world called Valose where we would be safe. But the five women he captured had alien husbands, mates as it were who came after them and saved us all.

Now here we are stuck on an alien tropical beach until we can figure out a way past the Yulineon patrollers guarding Earth, and me lusting after a bad boy alien pirate with a sexy smirk and a body built for every sin I can imagine.

Behtu isn't smirking now, he's growling and staring up at me with a glacial blue gaze that should send me running but instead sets my core on fire. As fierce as the marauder appears, I know he won't hurt me. The male had held a canister of water to my lips while I sat trembling on the floor of Rex's spacecraft. He'd spoken in soft tones reassuring me I had nothing to fear from him. For once, I had given myself over to his keeping and let someone take care of me. So, he can stomp around and growl all he likes, but I know it's all for show.

My pirate lounges on the soft sand. Muscles ripple beneath his glossy, blue skin, long legs stretch out before him. Thighs as thick as tree trunks. The evidence of his desire for me lies the length of one thigh, yet he's determined to deny me the massive erection squeezed inside his tight, black pants that are painted on. Every vein and ridge out on full mouthwatering display.

"Go back inside, Jules," Behtu snarls, jutting a hard cut jaw up at me.

Damn, he is beautiful with pale blue eyes, long flowing rockstar hair, and chiseled features that speak of wild and rugged charm. His fierce stare holds me captive with an allure that reeks of danger and feral lust.

I should heed his warning, unsure why he's holding himself back from what we both want. Down to the marrow of my bones, I want him inside me and I'm gonna keep pushing his buttons until he gives me what I want. Maybe I'm an idiot after what all I've been through to want a big, blue alien to fuck me, but ever since the first time I laid eyes on the Kaul, all I can think about is tunneling my fingers through his silky, white tresses while he fills my pussy with the thick length of his massive cock.

"Your eyes," I whisper, curious how his blue irises are now white and glowing like flashlights. "They're... bright."

"Are they?" he rumbles in a deep, husky voice that is not his own. "It must be a trick of the moonlight."

I step closer and sit on my knees before him. "Behtu," I murmur, reaching out to smooth my hand down his cheek.

"Jules," he warns, his voice gone rough with restraint. "Don't…"

My eyes widen, but I don't pull away, dropping my fingertips to trace the intricate pattern covering his right biceps. Curious how it's like a thick tribal tattoo only in a matte blue the same color as his skin. "Why not?"

"You know not the beast you tempt," Behtu hisses as his muscles tighten beneath my fingers.

His body seems to expand and grow before my eyes and I don't recall him having fangs. How could I have missed his dental hardware?

I brazenly drop my hand to land over the ridge of his erection. "I can clearly see you want me."

The dam within him breaks, and he surges forward, taking me to the ground to roll me beneath me. The sand under me acts as a cushion as Behtu nicks the waistband of my pants with one gleaming fang and rips open the crotch of my pants with claw-tipped fingers.

When had he grown claws?

"This cunt is mine !" With a feral snarl, Behtu shoves his hands under my ass and lifts my pelvis to his mouth.

All rational thought scatters at his declaration. My heart pounds like a siren's call and I stifle a moan when his lips meet mine in a slathering kiss. He slurps and sucks at my needy flesh as I writhe on a bed of sand. With a primal hunger, he devours me with each flick of his hot, wet tongue against my throbbing clit. I swallow my cry of pleasure not wanting to alert the entire planet of what we're doing.

Lost in a vortex of sensations, my body trembles with an impending climax. I hold onto the knife edge of an explosive release coiling tight in my belly until the thick probe of his undulating tongue plunges deep inside my passage and sets off an explosion that renders me trembling and gasping for air.

My head thrown back, eyes squeezed shut, Behtu crawls up my body. Hot breath bathes my throat before I'm seared with a long lick from collarbone to earlobe. I shiver despite the tropical heat, spreading my legs wider as the tip of his magnificent cock glides through my wetness.

He presses forward and I try to relax. He's big, really big and this is going to take some shoe-horning to fit all of him inside.

Behtu's growl rumbles through my core as his tapered tip breaches my folds. The sensation of fullness is astounding and that's just his freaking head! As he surges inside in a single, controlled stroke, my eyes fly open to find a very different Behtu nestled between my thighs.

You know not the beast you tempt, he had warned.

Behtu is more beast than male, his eyes ablaze with piercing white light, a feral snarl baring wicked fangs, and his muscles bulging and expanding in size and strength. Shocked, I drag in a breath but I don't scream. I know from talking to Qhix's mate, Tasha, that Kaul males have a beastly alter ego. She's hinted at how amazing the sex is with her Kaul's beast.

Something teases my sensitive clit like tiny, massaging fingers, vibrating and stroking until the breath filling lungs rush out in a guttural groan. My back arches and my hips roll. At this moment, I could care less what Behtu changes into as long as he doesn't stop fucking me.

"I can't hold the sivot back," Behtu grunts, rending my top in two with the flick of his claw.

The ocean breeze caresses my feverish skin, causing my nipples to harden into tight buds. He looms over me, eagerly devouring my sensitive peaks with his mouth as he thrusts deep into my dripping core, and I swear with every thrust, he stretches me further, filling me close to bursting.

When he rears back to grip my hips, the Behtu I knew is gone replaced by a monstrosity with bulging muscles, flashing white eyes, and skin that flows like liquid metal. His once silky mass of hair now whips wildly about his head and shoulders. And his cock has grown larger if that's even possible. My pussy is stretched tight around his impossible girth but it's a sweet surrender to be so completely taken. Claimed and rutted with a cock so huge is pure pleasure and I know no man will ever compare.

Drunk on the pleasure ravaging my body, I gaze up at the wild creature driving into my core with a dazed adoration. The slick noises of our bodies moving together and the slapping of his balls against me threaten to overwhelm my senses. As my muscles start to tense around his pounding shaft, he suddenly stops. A new bulge forms, a knot, near the base of his cock, and pushes against my stretched opening. There's no way it will fit, I'm already filled to capacity.

"It's too much," I moan, but my hips instinctively rock against him, seeking the friction I need to reach climax.

"Mine," he snarls possessively and tightens his grip on my hips, determined to bury his bulbous knot inside me.

The intense pressure pushes me over the edge, and I spiral into ecstasy as his knot sinks deep into my core. My head falls back and I cry out as my body is filled to bursting, and I come so hard the stars in the night sky seem to rain down upon my head.

"Yours," I choke out as the fingerlike projections at the base of his cock latch onto my clit, vibrating with an almost punishing force.

My head thrashes against the sand as I ride out wave after wave of pleasure, unable to do anything but moan in blissful surrender. And just when I think it couldn't get any more intense, he releases hot splashes deep inside me, filling me with his seed.

The knot slowly shrinks as the beast within Behtu retreats, leaving him panting heavily above me. His eyes, once glowing with primal intensity, now return to a glacial blue glazed over with the heat of lust. The weight of his body presses against mine, his chest rising and falling in sync with my own rapid breaths.

As he leans down to capture my lips in a searing kiss, I arch into him, loving the feel of Behtu's cock nestled deep within my core. Every inch of my skin feels electrified by his touch as his hands roam my body with purposeful intent, igniting flames wherever they touch.

Behtu breaks the kiss, his gaze meeting mine with a ravenous hunger. In one smooth motion, he pulls out and thrusts back inside, filling me with his hard length. The sensation is electrifying, sending fresh waves of ecstasy spiking through me.

My legs wrap around his tight waist, and I cling to his thick biceps as he sets a brutal rhythm, every forceful drive propelling me toward another shattering climax. His guttural growls only stoke my craving. I clench around him, urging him to take me harder and faster.

Behtu's perfect rhythm falters as my inner walls convulse, milking his driving cock as we both reach our climax. Our breaths are ragged as he gathers me in his arms and rolls onto his back with me tucked into his side. My head rests on the muscular pad of his pectoral.

Lost in the blissful aftermath, I close my eyes and listen to the crashing waves. The fragrant, tropical breeze sweeping over our sweat soaked skin. Perfect sex on the beach, just like in the movies.

"Sorry about your clothes," Behtu gives me a little squeeze, "but I did warn you about my beast."

"You did," I agree, a spark of electricity dancing across my skin where his arm holds me against his side. "Do all Kaul males turn into beasts during sex?"

I'm fishing for answers, afraid to come right out and ask if this means we're officially mated. Tasha mentioned Qhix could transform into a beast called a sivot whenever she was in danger to protect his chosen mate and I wondered if the same were true for me and Behtu. Was I special to him since I triggered his beast, or was his transformation only about sex?

"Not all," Behtu answers vaguely. "Not until recently."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

I scoff at the finality of his abrupt answer. "Seriously? You're not gonna tell me what that was all about. I mean, I did have my pussy pummeled by a giant beast with fangs and claws. Not that I didn't enough the hell out of it, but you could at least tell me?—"

"Sivot."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Sivots have lain dormant for millennia. They ceased manifesting when our females transitioned into warriors, no longer reliant on male guardianship," Behtu recounts what sounds like science fiction. "During the unending conflict between my home world of Klaxis and the neighboring planet of Cret, our females grasped weapons and battled alongside males in epic conflicts that endured for years. Once treasured as beings in need of safeguarding, our females surpassed even the males in ferocity. The sivot, a Kaul male's capacity to transform into a protective beast for the explicit purpose of defending the females, became quiescent."

His explanation leaves me feeling wanting as if he's leaving out some important tidbit.

His gaze intensifies with a flicker of emotion I can't quite identify. His eyes betray an inner conflict. A ripple of tension courses through his frame, the silent turmoil brewing beneath the surface of his glossy blue skin. But then, his expression softens, and he reaches out to gently caress my cheek.

Just as I anticipate affectionate words, he rises abruptly and offers me his hand. "Ready to go inside?"