Together?

  I paused, surprised by my own thoughts. Why did I think about Kur’tok as if we were married or something? I did promise him I’d stay, but I didn’t mean forever...

  Did I?

  Kur’tok grunted impatiently. “You stopped.”

  “My bad,” I said, getting back to business. I didn’t bring up my weird internal chaos, since I had a feeling it’d send Kur’tok into a frenzy.

  Instead, I ran my palms along the sides of his throbbing shaft. His flesh twitched at every touch. The exotic, visceral feeling of his cock turned me on fiercely. I was entranced by him.

  I tried to touch the entire thing but I couldn’t reach the tip, even when I stretched my arms up to their limit.

  I grunted with effort. “Geez, how does this thing even fit inside you?”

  Kur’tok shot me a smug grin. “So, the human doesn’t know everything about Maeleons after all.”

  “I didn’t say I did. And are you really sassing me while I jerk you off?”

  “You are the one who is always sassy with me,” Kur’tok countered. His mouth curled into a toothy grin. “But I like that about you, pet.”

  I shuddered at the nickname. He knew how to rile me up.

  My breath came out in trembling puffs as I ran my hands along Kur’tok’s erection. Its scent was alluring, as if bypassing my nose and shooting straight to my brain’s base instincts. The more I touched him, the more the hot arousal between my thighs flared to life. Jerking off his alien cock made me hard as fuck.

  Kur’tok’s red eyes darted down my body. My lower half was submerged underwater, but his calculating gaze remained there like a predator stalking a fish.

  Slowly, one of Kur’tok’s tentacles flowed towards me. My heart skipped a beat as the fleshy limb slipped under the pool’s surface. Every time Kur’tok touched me, I felt like I was in a dream, and this was no different.

  I sucked back a gasp as his tactile tentacle-pad stroked my cock. His warm touch felt amazing beneath the cool water. I swallowed hard, trying to focus on pleasuring him, but it just got a lot more difficult.

  “Hey, you’re distracting me,” I huffed out.

  He smirked, fangs flashing. “I can do whatever I want with you,” he stated in a gravelly voice.

  Arousal thrummed in my blood like a plucked string. He was right. I was naked and collared, trapped in his remote alien lair, completely at his mercy.

  And weirdly enough, I was okay with that.

  Kur’tok’s eyes flashed and he regarded me closely. “Why do you stop?”

  He didn’t ask out of impatience—well, maybe a little—but out of concern. Worry stained his expression. For all his tough talk, he really did care about me, and he was terrible at hiding it.

  I stifled a grin while moving my hands again. “No reason.”

  Appeased by my answer, Kur’tok grunted and sat back. He spread his legs wider as the pleasure between us built. Low, husky growls vibrated in his wide chest. His feelers buzzed with bright colors. I licked my lips in satisfaction as I watched his reactions. He was seriously the hottest alien I’d ever seen.

  I ran my fingers down the pulsing vein on the underside of his shaft. Kur’tok growled in delight. My heart pumped faster every time he made a cute sound. Was it weird that I thought he was cute when he was horny?

  “More, human,” Kur’tok demanded lazily.

  A shudder ran down my spine. I obliged right away. I shuffled closer so his cock rested against my chest. My strokes quickened, as did my breaths. My mind emptied of all thoughts except being here and now, having strangely intimate sex with the alien who’d captured me.

  “I’m close,” I murmured.

  Kur’tok pinned his cobra-like gaze on me. Without speaking, he lowered his second tentacle beneath the water to join the first. I gasped loudly, overwhelmed at the twin tentacles teasing my cock.

  “Fuck,” I whined.

  All the blood in my head rushed south. Feeling dizzy, I leaned forward, clutching Kur’tok’s cock to brace myself. It was tall and rigid enough to support my weight, and his sensitive flesh twitched against my bare skin. It all felt so deliciously obscene.

  Kur’tok snorted out a laugh. “You look good like that, human pet.”

  As he spoke, his tentacles worked my erection faster. I shuddered as ecstasy roiled through me. A moan slipped from my lips, long and languid. My hips moved on their own. They jerked forward, chasing the pleasure from Kur’tok’s silky tentacles. The sensation was divine.

  “Can’t, Kur’tok, I’m so close,” I whimpered.

  Kur’tok hissed in pleasure, then tensed. A visible pulse jolted his cock. Suddenly, Kur’tok roared louder than any beast I’d ever heard. The sound echoed off the waterfall’s curved walls, seeping into my bones. The raw, guttural noise sent shockwaves of pleasure across my skin.

  And it wasn’t the only thing shooting across my skin.

  As Kur’tok roared, he came. Huge jets of honey-colored cum erupted from the tip of his cock. They striped against my hair and back, as if claiming me.

  The warm, thick feeling of it sent me over the edge. White-hot ecstasy crashed into me. My cock twitched violently as my sensitivity reached its breaking point. With Kur’tok’s tentacles wrapped possessively around my erection, I came hard enough to see stars.

  I forgot to breathe for a few moments, then gasped for air. As I came to, I realized I was still wrapped around Kur’tok’s spent cock, clutching it like a body pillow. I blushed. He was probably hyper-sensitive since he’d just finished, but my bones felt like jelly. I couldn’t let go.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, embarrassed.

  A rough chuckle rumbled in Kur’tok’s throat. His tentacles released my limp cock, floated to my midsection, then gently wrapped around my waist and lifted me from the pool. I shuddered as the cool air touched my wet skin, but I wasn’t cold for long.

  Kur’tok withdrew his cock. It reminded me of a snail retreating into its shell, if the snail was really sexy. I still didn’t understand how it was physically possible, but hey, I was a diplomat, not a biologist.

  With his dick tucked neatly away, Kur’tok placed me in his lap. The heat radiating from his chest enveloped my small frame. An instant feeling of coziness and safety pulled over me.

  I sighed in contentment, leaning against Kur’tok’s muscular chest. I felt so at ease that I closed my eyes, ready to drift off to sleep.

  A moment later, I felt a smooth, cool sensation against my cheek. It was Kur’tok’s face pressed to mine. He was nuzzling me.

  Then I felt large hands on my body. My eyes fluttered open. I glanced down to see Kur’tok touching my chest in gentle, soothing strokes. My cheeks warmed. Kur’tok was petting me, but I didn’t feel like an actual pet, not like Kookee. I was something different to him.

  The way Kur’tok touched me reminded me more of a lover. And since we just had sex, I guess we technically were lovers.

  Why did I like that idea so much?

  10 / Kur’tok

  The human must’ve been weaker than I realized. After releasing his pollen, Paz fell asleep again.

  Right in my lap.

  I stared down at his prone, delicate body. He was so fragile, yet he trusted me enough to pass out in my grasp.

  Either that, or he was deeply stupid.

  No, Paz was not stupid. I banished that brief thought from my mind forever. I wouldn’t tolerate anybody insulting my pet—not even me.

  As I watched Paz sleep, a wispy feeling swarmed in my chest like vine tendrils. I ignored it, whatever it was.

  A purple wash stained the sky overhead. We’d spent a long time fooling around in the waterfall pool. I needed to put Paz to bed properly.

  Gingerly wrapping my arms around him, I carried my limp pet back to the den. His soft, rhythmic breaths puffed against my chest. Those fuzzy tendrils knotted between my ribs again. I swallowed hard, attempting to dislodge them, but they didn’t budge. That was annoying. Had an insectoid gone up my nostrils without my noticing?

  On the way to the den, I noticed my domain was oddly empty. I’d lost track of my underlings. Then I noticed I didn’t feel a flare of annoyance at the thought of them. Maybe having a new pet distracted me from their incompetence.

  It was when I reached the mouth of the den that I saw them. Arr’tow and Haz’rull stood meekly beside the entrance, their eyes gleaming with curiosity. Instinctively, I held Paz closer to my chest.

  “What do you want?” I demanded, keeping my voice low so I wouldn’t disturb Paz.

  “We wanted to see the human,” Arr’tow said.

  I lashed my tail. “I’m taking him to sleep. Do not disturb us.”

  I strode past them. After a beat, Haz’rull asked, “Is he going to live here forever?”

  My shoulders bristled, and my feelers flashed violent red. “Of course he is!”

  The pair exchanged furtive glances. That angered me more. What had they discussed behind my back—and about Paz, no less?

  “Does the human know that?” Haz’rull ventured.

  My feelers jolted like they’d received an electric shock. I turned slowly to face Haz’rull.

  “It is not up to the human,” I growled, enunciating each word so it’d get through my underling’s thick skull. “It is my choice. He stays. He is mine.”

  Arr’tow balked at my anger, but Haz’rull stared back at me in defiance. They looked tense, as if about to argue, until Paz roused in my arms with a muffled sound.

  “What’s goin’ on?” he mumbled.

  Had he heard our conversation?

  “Nothing,” I reassured him, still glaring at Haz’rull. “Get back to hunting.”

  The pair lingered for a moment, then took off. My muscles relaxed when they disappeared from the den and left the two of us alone.

  “You sound annoyed,” Paz pointed out sleepily.

  I grunted. “I’m not.”

  Paz let out a soft snort. “Liar.”

  His comment activated some weak spot within me. I trudged deeper into the den where I could put Paz to sleep peacefully. I placed him on the panthar fur blanket and wrapped him up.

  “Are you comfortable?” I asked.

  He nodded lazily. “Are you gonna stay with me?”

  The tendrils in my ribs tightened. I put a hand on my chest, but it did nothing to dispel that twisty, novel feeling.

  I spoke past the nervous lump in my throat and asked, “Do you want that?”

  Inside, I was hesitant. I was afraid of his answer—nobody chose to be around me of their own free will.

  Paz rubbed his eyes and yawned. “It’d be nice...”

  I sucked in a breath. He wanted me to stay.

  I had never been wanted before. It was intoxicating, like cool water on a scorching day.

  “Then I will stay,” I said gruffly.

  A smile brightened Paz’s face. Whenever he made that expression, my insides felt ticklish and strange. I was still wary of his claim not to have powers. I needed to learn more about Paz—about all humans.

  I sat down carefully beside Paz. I’d never been so aware of my bulky body, and how it interacted with others. The tiny human forced me to think about such things.

  Paz blew out a breezy sigh as he rested his head on my arm. I kept still so I didn’t disturb him.

  I cleared my throat. “Your powers. Describe them.”

  He snorted in amusement. “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t have powers?”

  “I don’t believe you,” I stated. “Humans are a gifted species. You’re not telling the truth.”

  Paz arched one of the two furry lines on his forehead. “Humans can do a lot of things, but unfortunately, mystical spells are not one of them.”

  “Then what is this feeling?” I demanded, slapping a hand to my chest.

  Paz glanced at my chest, then back to my face. “What kinda feeling?”

  I huffed an irritated breath through my nostrils. “I don’t know. It’s different.”

  “Is it bad?”

  I paused to think about it. “No,” I grumbled.

  Paz watched me closer. “Is it a good feeling?”

  I went quiet. It was difficult to put into words. Everything felt too jumbled and raw and strange. But it was not bad. Could it be good instead?

  “Maybe,” I admitted.

  A mischievous light glinted in Paz’s eyes. “Kur’tok, have you ever liked someone before?”

  “No,” I spat. “Everybody is stupid. They annoy me.”

  Paz nodded towards the opening of the den. “C’mon, what about Haz’rull and Arr’tow?”

  “I already told you they are not my friends,” I snapped.

  Not anymore, I thought with a surge of guilt.

  The little human didn’t blink. He stared right back at me. “Now I think you’re not telling the truth.”

  “What?” I roared.

  “I don’t think you’d keep two people around if, deep down, you didn’t like them a teeny, tiny bit.”

  I stared at him incredulously. He was wrong.

  “They are my underlings,” I ground out. “They live in my domain to do tasks. That is all.”

  “They’re not your siblings?” Paz countered.

  His statement jolted me. He said the word with a decent Maeleon accent, the way others referred to their fellow Maeleons. Others who weren’t me.

  “How long have you lived in that village by the Sweetfields?” I asked, my tail twitching irritably.

  Paz tilted his head. He made a gesture with his fingers. Was he counting?

  “Hell, I dunno anymore,” he said eventually. “Maybe a little over half a year?”

  Half of a full cycle. No wonder they’d affected him.

  “Before the village, where did you come from?” I asked.

  Paz tilted his head, like my sudden curiosity intrigued him. “I’m from Earth originally. New Earth, if you want to get technical about it.”

  The word was difficult to pronounce. “Earth,” I said, trying out the weird sound on my tongue.

  Paz grinned. “That’s it.”

  His expression made my chest tingle again.

  “Why did you come to Eukaria?” I asked.

  Paz snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh, boy. I love this story. Okay, so, we weren’t supposed to land on Eukaria, but our captain seriously screwed up and crashed our ship here.”

  What was a ship? I wanted to know, but didn’t want to ask.

  I grunted. “He sounds like a fool.”

  Paz grinned harder. “Oh, he is. But I like him anyway.”

  I tried to imagine crashing a “ship,” whatever that meant. The act sounded unpleasant, even dangerous.

  “Were you hurt?” I asked.

  Paz’s eyes softened as he smiled at me. “No, but thanks for asking. That’s sweet of you.”

  My stomach fluttered. I cleared my throat loudly to get rid of the sensation, but it didn’t work.

  “You’re my pet. I don’t want you to get hurt,” I growled.

  Paz chuckled and rubbed his cheek against my arm like a panthar demanding attention. I treated him the same way I’d treat Kookee if it did the same thing—by petting Paz’s head-fur. He made a small contented noise. Then he suddenly sat up. “Wait, I just realized something. Do you already know what a ship is?”

  My mouth soured into a frown. “No.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask?”

  My nostrils flared. Asking questions meant a lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge was a weakness. And weakness was not to be tolerated.

  Paz searched my face. When I didn’t reply, he said, “You think asking questions is for weaklings, don’t you?”

  My gaze snapped to his. How did he know that? Yet another reason to doubt his power-related claims...

  Paz laughed. “Oh, don’t give me that incredulous look. And before you ask again, no, I’m not magical.” He put his small, soft hand on my arm muscle. “You’re not that hard to read, Kur’tok.”

  The warmth of his hand dispelled my annoyance.

  “Yes, I am. Nobody understands me,” I grumbled. “You are special, Paz.”

  Paz’s eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed a deeper color. It reminded me of the way Maeleon feelers flashed with emotion. Perhaps humans weren’t so starkly different than Maeleons after all.

  Out of nowhere, I recalled what Paz mentioned about his human friends—that they’d become impregnated by Maeleons.

  It was ridiculous. And stupid. And flat-out impossible.

  But this fragile, intelligent creature came from another planet. He hadn’t lied about that. And if that was possible, what else could be?

  “Tell the truth about your human friends,” I warned. “Did they truly get pregnant by Maeleons?”

  An unreadable emotion flashed across Paz’s face. After a beat, he nodded slowly. “Yeah, they did.”

  My heart skipped like fluttering insectoid wings. Paz felt deeply close, even closer than our touching skin, almost as if he’d burrowed into me. A burning question hung at the back of my throat, creeping forward to my hesitant tongue.

  Could he possibly...

  No, I couldn’t ask him that. It was idiotic to even entertain the thought.

  Paz the human was my captive. A pet against his will. Even if he promised to stay here, it couldn’t last. He’d want to leave eventually. He would return to his human companions and the stupid village, leaving me behind.

  In the end, there was no way he could love a brutish Maeleon like me.

  I wrangled myself away from Paz and stood with a grunt. “You should rest,” I stated. “It’s been a long day for a weak human like you.”

  Paz blinked. I ignored the disappointment that washed over his face. “Oh. Yeah, sure. I am pretty tired.” He bit his lip. “But you said you’d stay with me. Are you leaving?”

  My heart fought tooth and claw with my brain. More than anything, I wanted to remain here with Paz—but it wasn’t the right choice. I couldn’t imagine any way for it to end well.

  “I must hunt,” I said, turning away so I couldn’t see his expression. “My underlings haven’t returned yet. I’m hungry.”

  A dense silence hung in the air. Then Paz muttered, “It’s not nice to lie, Kur’tok.”