Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

BEHTU

T he red horizon of Ritk bleeds into my vision, a stark reminder of the desolation that I have chosen as my refuge. Rivers and lakes of lava carve through the landscape, their molten glow a pulsing heartbeat against the scorched earth. The heavy black ash of the atmosphere swirls in a menacing dance, casting eerie shadows across the jagged terrain.

My oasis amid a sea of red-orange desolation with lava rivers coursing through the cracked earth like veins pumping molten blood.

I engage the shields with a practiced flick of my hand, the ship responding to my command like an extension of my own body. A low hum vibrates through the cabin as we descend, cutting through the thick air with precision only Lizordian engineering could achieve. I've flown through a thousand skies, but Ritk's unforgiving embrace always tests my skills, and secretly, I relish the challenge.

The landing dock, a massive square structure designed for behemoths like my freighter, comes into view. Its surface is blanketed in the same oppressive ash that chokes the sky—a constant, if not unwelcome, companion on this forsaken planet.

With a deft command, I remotely open the roof to the landing dock. It retracts sluggishly, groaning under the weight of accumulated detritus. The ship glides into the gaping maw with inches to spare, and I bring her down gently next to another vessel, a second Lizordian craft that seems almost out of place in its sleekness amid the grime of Ritk.

"Welcome to my hideaway," I say to Jules as I power down the engines, the soft hum fading away.

"Are we inside a volcano," Jules turns to me with wide eyes as we release the straps from our seats.

"No. We're landing on an inert mountain, although Ritk has many active volcanos. The planet's core is in constant turmoil, the air unbreathable. Nothing can survive here."

"Except for you, apparently," she smirks.

My eyes devour her movements as she tightens the sheet she's been wearing wrapped around her lush frame ever since our last romp.

"Makes for a perfect hideaway," I smile and take her hand, leading her over to the hatch.

"Wait," she says with my hand hovering above the release panel. "Are you sure it's safe to leave the ship? The air is choked with ash."

"The surface is deadly, but we're enclosed inside a biodome." I give her hand a reassuring squeeze and open the ship's hatch. The transparent walls of the dock showcase the harsh landscape beyond.

Jules hesitates at the bottom of the ramp, her gaze sweeping over the unforgiving terrain, a blend of fiery reds and oranges, a cacophony of cracking lava that flows like rivers in the distance. The heavy ash-laden atmosphere cloaks the sky in an eternal twilight, defying the very notion of breathable air. But we're safe, enclosed within the invisible shield, impenetrable against the inhospitable world outside.

"Feels like stepping into the belly of a beast," she murmurs, her curiosity piqued even as her body tenses.

I lead her through the dock and the entrance of my biodome cave. My home is a spartan extension of myself with an open layout, minimalistic, nothing more than what's needed for survival and the occasional pleasure. I've never brought anyone here before, but with Jules, it feels right, necessary even.

I crave solitude… or, used to. Her presence fills the space, making it seem less sterile, more alive.

A Star Maverick's whereabouts require secrecy. My vocation puts me in danger, I just never thought another would be harmed because of my actions. Now that Jules is a part of my life, maybe it's time for a change.

"Quite the bachelor pad," she teases, verdant eyes dancing with mirth.

I chuckle as my translator implant interprets her Earthly remark, the sound rougher than I intend. "Bliking mess is what it is." Both my home and my life. Neither is good enough for my chosen mate.

I begin to tidy up the disorder, snatching up tools and gadgets strewn across the floor. I've never felt the need to impress a female before now. "I was in a rush to collect the zorite," I begin, glancing at her over my shoulder. "Talrut's forge is two galaxies away and time was ticking."

"Good thing for me you have a fast ship." Jules quirks an eyebrow and moves toward the clear membrane that separates us from the deadly embrace of Ritk's surface. I follow her gaze as it travels across the hellish landscape beyond the barrier. "Are we inside a cave?"

"Of sorts. The biodome is nestled inside a lava pocket that cooled long ago."

"Isn't it risky? Living inside a bubble on a planet that could erupt at any moment?" She's closer to the biodome wall now, almost touching it, her breath fogging the transparent material with every exhale.

"Risky?" I echo, treading closer until our reflections overlap in the barrier between us and annihilation. "Life is a series of calculated risks, Jules. But this," I tap the dome, "is reinforced with an alloy mesh, interwoven with energy fields strong enough to hold back the fury of a thousand suns. We're safe inside."

Worry etches her pretty face. "Still, it feels like being inside a giant's snow globe, with a raging firestorm instead of a flurry of snowflakes." Her voice lowers, a whisper meant only for me as she watches a volcano in the distance belch plumes of smoke and fire into the sky.

"Trust me," I say. "You're safe here with me." There's a certainty in my voice, a promise I should have already made.

"Safe," she repeats softly, a word filled with more hope than a question. "Safe is good, especially after all I've been through in the past few weeks."

As I watch her silhouette framed against the backdrop of a world too harsh for the likes of someone as precious as her, I understand that safety isn't just about shielding ourselves from the elements, it's about finding shelter in each other.

My hideaway, a place of solace and strategy, now shelters more than just my solitary existence. The still air within the biodome is charged with her presence, each breath she takes seems to stir the very atmosphere.

"Any chance I can ditch this sheet for some real clothes before we go back to Pryt?" Jules turns to me and plucks at the thin fabric tucked across her breasts.

"Pryt?" The fierceness I always wear like armor melts away under her request. "You wish to return to Pryt? I... I thought you could stay," I confess, my voice barely above a whisper. "Here. With me." The admission feels like a surrender, but not of defeat, but acceptance.

"Stay?"

The word hangs between us as I hold my breath, watching a myriad of emotions play across her face — surprise, contemplation, uncertainty. My heart, a rogue comet, finds its orbit around her. In this moment of vulnerability, the Star Maverick, the lone space pirate who roams the galactic wilderness, finds a reason to yearn for companionship.

"Behtu," she starts, her voice steady yet filled with emotion, "I wasn't sure you wanted me."

With my sivot slumbering, I can concentrate solely on my own feelings and not be plagued by primal instincts overriding my rational thoughts. "But you have awoken my sivot..." I trail off, unsure of how to put into words the powerful connection that has formed between us, unbidden but undeniable.

The air inside the biodome is still, but the space between Jules and me vibrates with unspoken words and untamed cravings. The heaviness of our shared experiences, the dangers we've faced and defeated, meld into an undeniable force.

"You're mine, Jules," I murmur, my voice thick with the emotion I've held at bay for too long. "You belong to me. A mate I never knew I wanted but can't live without."

Her lips part slightly as she peers up at me, her smart eyes reflecting the lava's glow from outside our safe haven. "Should I be flattered?"

"I'm no good at this." I gesture between us. "Relationships and words are not my strong suit. I just know something within me has shifted and the life I once led no longer holds the same appeal."

"Behtu," she breathes out, and the way she says my name stirs something primitive within me.

I close the distance between us, my hand reaching out to gently caress her cheek. She leans into my touch, and the simple act sets my body ablaze with a hunger only she can satiate. Without another word, I pull her to me, and our lips meet in a kiss fueled by all the pent-up longing and fervent emotions that have simmered beneath the surface.

I deepen the kiss, tongues exploring and tasting as if we are two souls starved for the very essence of each other. Jules' hands tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, sealing the space between us until nothing else exists but the electric heat of our bodies pressed together.

Without hesitation, I lift her and carry her to the bed. There's an urgency in my movements, a frantic need to claim her as mine as I tear the sheet from her body and unfasten my pants to release my pulsating erection.

Knees bent, her legs fall open in welcome. Her sweet cunt glistening for my entrance. Her dark hair is a wild cascade around her shoulders, and I revel in the sight of her uninhibited passion as I press into her slippery embrace. The sensation of entering her tight sheath engulfs me in pure ecstasy. Her soft moans are like music to my ears, urging me on.

"Jules," I growl as I move within her. My weft erects, vibrating against her, eliciting cries of pleasure that drive me to the brink of madness. Our rhythm is frenzied, a dance of primal need and mutual desire.

This time, I don't hold back and when my knot swells, locking us together, I know there's no going back. With a roar that echoes through the silent dome, I spill my mating seed, claiming her as my own.

"Mine," I growl the word, a sacred vow spoken amid the aftershocks of our union.

"Yours," she whispers back, clinging to me as if she never intends to let me go. Her hands smooth down my back, fingertips brushing over a small lump at the small of my back. "What's this?" she murmurs.

"Something I'm going to need your help with."

JULES

Inside the medic bay on Behtu's Lizordian freighter, a chill runs through me as I fixate on the sinister-looking device clinging to Behtu's spine like some sort of parasitic leech. It's dark against his glossy blue skin, a stark contrast of malevolence that shouldn't be there.

"Behtu," I begin, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to steady it. I smooth sweaty palms down the loose pants and top Behtu found for me to wear. "I may be an ER nurse, but I've never dealt with alien, er... Kaul anatomy. And that thing," I point shakily at the device, "looks like nothing I've ever seen."

"You're a smart female." He turns to face me, his confidence undiminished by my apprehension. "I believe in you, Jules."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm not a surgeon either. Why can't you go to your planet and see a doctor there?"

"I'm a wanted male on Klaxis."

"Of course you are," I sigh and rub at the headache setting up shop behind my eyes. "Okay, but before I agree to do this, I'm gonna need to read up about that device stuck in your spine and study Kaul anatomy."

Behtu turns on a large flat screen. Using voice commands, he summons detailed information about the anatomy of his species. As the screen illuminates, intricate holographic diagrams materialize, and I get my first look at an otherworldly being's physiology.

"The ship is connected to the universal network, and the monitor has a translator like the one implanted in your ear. Use voice commands to tell the computer what you want it to show you."

"Alien internet?" I muse, a million questions race through my mind, but first I need to help Behtu.

He pulls out two counter-height stools and we settle in, studying the anatomy of Behtu's spine and then the design of the neuroblocker and how it's inserted at the base of his spine.

I lean in closer, my gaze drinking in the sight of the vertebrae of another being—so similar, yet so vastly different from a human's. The device itself is a meshwork of metal and pulsing lights, intricate and terrifying in its design. I reach out, half expecting to feel the cool touch of metal beneath my fingertips, only to meet empty air.

"Remarkable," I breathe out, my eyes wide as I commit every detail to memory. "This internal imager," I point to the hologram of the machine projected off the screen, "works just like ultrasound except more high-tech. You wouldn't, by chance, have one?"

"Right over there." Behtu points to a sleek machine off to one side of the room.

"What about the surgical instruments I'll need to extract the device?"

"Everything you need is in this cabinet." Behtu stands and crosses the room to a sleek, pristine white cabinet. Its surface gleams under the artificial lights, reflecting a sterile aura that hints at its purpose. The cabinet is adorned with rows of numerous drawers, each meticulously labeled in alien script and neatly aligned.

He pulls open several drawers, and a glint of polished steel from within reveals an array of surgical instruments resting in their designated compartments.

"Can you show me how the internal imager works?" I trail after him, a blend of wonder and awe enveloping me. "I'd like to take a look at the device stuck in your spine."

Behtu rolls the machine over to one of two gurneys. He hops onto one and rolls over onto his stomach. Reaching over, he switches on the imager and hands me a wafer-thin square. "Hover the scanner over the area where you want to look."

I do and—"This thing is amazing!" I can hardly believe my eyes when a three-dimensional image, better than any X-ray of Behtu's spine projects onto the machine's, sleek screen. It reveals the intricate details of his anatomy with astonishing clarity. I see his bones, muscles, tendons, and nerves laid bare beneath his glossy blue skin as if I had performed a surgical incision myself and peered inside. The image highlights the neuroblocker piercing through his spine, showing how the device is embedded between two vertebrae and protruding through to the center where it touches a webbing of nerves.

"So, it looks pretty straightforward like a needle stuck in your back, but it's gonna take two people. I feel confident I can guide the device out, but I'll need someone to hover the scanner over the area so I can see what I'm doing on the internal imager. I'll have to go slowly, and you'll need to be asleep when it's done. If you move even a little during the procedure, I'm afraid the device might damage or sever the nerves. That could mean paralysis for you, but I'm no expert."

The thought of performing such a delicate procedure after only a few hours of studying his anatomy chokes me, the responsibility of Behtu's outcome in my hands weighs heavily on my shoulders.

"Qhix can help." Behtu swings his legs over the side and hops off the gurney. "Come on." He grabs my hand and heads for the command deck. "We're going to Pryt."

My pulse thrums like the hum of a spacecraft's engine as I strap into my seat and consider the task ahead. The thought of working in my chosen vocation sends a thrill racing through my veins. It is a siren call to my dormant medical skills, and I can't help but respond with an eagerness that surprises even me.

As we lift off and soar out of the landing dock, fear and excitement build as we break free of Ritk's fiery atmosphere.

The cockpit's panels cast an ambient glow, illuminating the contours of Behtu's face. His eyes meet mine, their glacial depths holding both the coldness of space and the warmth of distant suns. He's magnificent, terrifyingly so, and I'm caught in the gravity of his presence yet again.