Wrax Read online

  It doesn’t take me long to find the stalls for food. The fruits and vegetables that grow on Paxia are on average bigger than the ones on Earth. Many of them have spikes or even fine hair, which weirds me out a little.

  “Ah — Cara! There you are.”

  I spin around, confused and holding something bulbous and hot pink in my hand. It smells divine but I can’t figure out which food goes with what.

  Through the crowd pushes the two ambassadors from the day before and I smile wide up at them. “Kivak,” I greet, “Fello. How are you both?”

  Fello shakes my hand again, firm and fast, and making me laugh with his eagerness to please. Kivak gives me a bored half-smile. He’s still obviously not interested in humans. I wonder how he ever got a job as an ambassador.

  “We are to keep you company on this planet. The AI informs us where you go. You’re too important to the future of our species to travel alone,” Fello informs me. I nod, but I don’t think I agree. I’m fine on my own. I don’t mind it.

  “Well, I think you need to help me with this. I’m supposed to choose dinner but I don’t know what any of this is. Will you help me pick out ingredients for Wrax and I?”

  Fello jumps into the role immediately while Kivak trudges along. Eventually even he begins to give suggestions and make comments about the different flavors and combinations that can be had. And by the time we’ve swept across the food stalls, I’m weighed heavy by delicious-smelling fruits, vegetables and smoked meats.

  “What now?” I ask, breathless and flushed from exertion. There is something extra exhausting about a normal everyday chore when it’s in a world that you have no experience with.

  “Well, Wrax is still in training, so whatever you’d like to do for another hour or so,” Fello says, turning to Kivak for inspiration.

  “Females like animals, do they not?” he says with a shrug. I raise my eyebrows.

  “Yes, females often do,” I agree.

  I crane my neck to see where Kivak is pointing. There’s a nearby tent filled with a strange combination of noises. “There are animals for sale in there,” he says.

  “Awesome!” I gasp. I wonder if they have tousorin. They are the only non-humanoid creatures on Paxia I have really seen so far. I imagine that the rest of the galaxies have more of a combination of sentient species, but Paxia is out of the way and kept to itself by all reports.

  I lead the way into the tent, pushing aside the fabric and hesitating as the smell of strange animals hits my nose. When my eyes adjust to the lower light I smile in greeting at the Mahdfel who sits in a chair awaiting customers.

  “Welcome.” He looks at me with interest and presses the back of his hand to his forehead. The Ambassadors nod but they don’t do the same thing. When I do, Kivak nudges me and I stop.

  “It’s a sign of respect,” he says, leaning in close to my ear. Does that mean I am not supposed to do it to shopkeepers? What kind of a futuristic backwards-ass place is this?

  I can’t think about it for too long though because I am drawn instantly to a large cage filled with chattering creatures that are possibly the sweetest things I have ever seen. I press my face to the cage like a child and gasp. The animal looks back at me with big eyes and brings its huge puffy tail up over its head.

  “What is this?” I point to them. They are gorgeous. The best comparison would be a huge squirrel with a thick bushy tail with black and white rings, and big emotive eyes, with a short canine snout.

  “The quibbins interest you?” the shopkeeper asks, stepping forward. “They were a Firosan favorite. Do you know much about them?”

  “No!” I cry. The creature chirrups and nuzzles against where my hand is, from the other side of the mesh.

  “They are the most common pet on Paxia,” he tells me. “They have evolved to depend so much on Firosan affection that they can die of stress and loneliness without it.”

  I stifle a squeal with my hand. I’ve always wanted a dog or a cat, but I was always too busy. The quibbin paws at my finger and tilts its head at me.

  “Come, Cara,” Fello says, eyes flicking from Kivak to me. “Wrax has not approved this use of credits. We simply wanted to show you around, not make a large purchase and life decision like this.”

  “Are they expensive?” I allow them to lead me away, assuming they’ll get in trouble. “Are they easy to care for? I’ll come back for you!” I call dramatically as the ambassadors hail a hovercab and haul my shopping into the seats between us.

  “Wait, where are we going?” I ask, looking out as the city fades away. We’re going in the opposite direction to the apartment.

  “To your lifemate,” Kivak says like I’m stupid. “His training will have ended moments ago. Don’t you wish to see him?”

  “Oh.” I feel my spirits rise quite considerably at the thought of seeing Wrax again. It’s irrational since he has never treated me well, but he feels a bit like my port in the storm that is this foreign land. The Ambassadors are cool people, and Aphrodite will do in a pinch, but I find myself craving the company of a certain infamous warlord for some reason, instead.

  I can’t explain it, so I choose to ignore it.

  “Were there other landmarks you were interested in seeing? We do not have to go straight to the arena,” Fello says, clearly feeling a little guilty about how they had panicked and pulled me away so quickly from that adorable expensive squirrel-fox thing.

  “I don’t know about any other landmarks,” I say with a small shrug.

  “There’s…” Fello begins, but then I’m almost certain that I see him scrunch his face up for just a split second as if he is wrestling with internal indecision. He trails off and doesn’t speak again. Kivak says nothing.

  I shrug again, because I’m easy. Easy breezy. Look at me just chilling on a foreign planet like nothing even phases me.

  We land at the arena and Fello gestures for Kivak to descend the winding stone steps down to the stadium, and beyond, into the preparation areas and waiting rooms. As the grumpy ambassador goes out of sight, Fello silently holds out an arm and I walk into it and then stumble back, giving him a frown.

  “Cara,” he says quietly, “have you been yet to see the Tree of Varrasque?”

  I have literally no idea what he is talking about, so I shake my head no.

  “Paxia, I’m certain, would be dying to meet you. She only communed with Firosans, you see. I ... I think that you are biologically similar enough that Paxia would be able to commune with you, if you tried. Especially since you are a high biological match with the King. As is tradition, you see—” He clears his throat and shakes his head, clearly excited. “Is that something you would like to do?”

  I’m torn. On one hand, having the chance to sit and chat with an ancient planet goddess sounds like a pretty cool way to spend an evening. But on the other, I don’t know how much I believe in any of this. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up and then disappoint them. I also know that, right now, what I want to do is see Wrax. I’m overwhelmed from my day of alien food shopping and I want to see a familiar face that isn’t scared of offending or harming me, like the ambassadors seem to be.

  “Fello! Where is the girl?”

  Kivak’s yelling reminds us where we need to be, and I scurry down the steps after the ambassadors as if we were right behind him the whole time.

  Why doesn’t Fello want his colleague to know that he recommended I visit the Tree of Varrasque, or whatever it is? Might there be people on this planet who aren’t keen on the idea of having a direct line to their goddess again?

  I can’t even imagine what kind of things I’ve stumbled across by coming to this planet, but I hope that I can choose to make the right decisions, whatever they might be.

  There’s got to be a first time for everything, after all…

  When I step into the bath house that adjoins the arena, flanked by two tall purple alien ambassadors, I have to stop short and avert my gaze almost immediately.

  Wrax is right
there, and for that I am strangely grateful — it has only been a few hours since I saw him last but it feels like longer. But he’s sitting in a clear pool of water in this strange Paxian version of a bath house — half outdoors and natural and half artificial — and he is completely naked. Not a stitch on him.

  I clear my throat and avert my eyes, not out of politeness so much as necessity. Because hanging between his muscular purple legs is a thick purple cock, and I don’t know if I can look at his face without my eyes dipping down to drink it in.

  It’s huge. And it’s perfect-looking. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I’ve never seen anything quite like him, ever.

  I clear my throat. “Um, Wrax?”

  “Cara,” he says, as a greeting. He seems in a good mood. I wonder if his training went well. He makes no move to cover himself or even look embarrassed. “How was your day?”

  I look everywhere except for him. I look at the bright green trees that shade the crystal clear pool from the sun. I look at the artificial jets in what could otherwise be a natural pond. But I don’t look at him.

  My cheeks are burning.

  “Join me, will you? I think you’ll enjoy it in the water.” He glides his fingertips over the surface of the pool, sending ripples in every direction.

  “I, um.” I cough.

  “Humans have a rather different sense of modesty,” Fello explains, completely uninterested in the perfect Mahdfel body right in front of his eyes. I nod in agreement, because clearly we do.

  “Ah,” Wrax says, and then he lets out a laugh. “That would explain her coloring. Wouldn’t you say she looks rather Firosan right now?” The men chuckle amongst themselves. They’re saying what? That I am blushing so furiously I almost look purple-skinned? “I like you like that,” he adds, and one half of his mouth upturns in something of a reluctant smile.

  He is coming around to me, it seems, and I am ashamed to admit that my stomach does some tiny backflips at the sight of him smiling at me.

  “Join me, Cara,” he says again. Though his tone is commanding, it doesn’t strike me as unpleasant. It’s just a man who hasn’t had anyone say no to him in a very long time. “There’s no reason not to.”

  I glance over at the ambassadors who are pleasantly unaware of all the feelings coursing through me right now.

  “Oh, well, we shall take our leave,” clever Fello says, and they turn and leave the Paxian bath house. Leaving me and the warlord who brought me here, unwittingly or not, alone in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

  “The water in this pool is treated,” Wrax says finally. I don’t know how long I have been standing there trying not to stare at his formidable member and his bulging, tired muscles. “It’s especially good at working out kinks in muscles and moisturizing the skin.”

  That would explain why the Mahdfel all look so perfectly smooth. How Wrax looks so … lickable. Yeah. I said it.

  I am finally convinced. Why not? There’s no one around and I assume that our relationship will eventually progress beyond cohabitation if we are to raise a family together. I might as well make some effort to do some things he likes together with him. And if they have different ideas about modesty, that means I have nothing to be awkward or embarrassed about.

  I pull off my blouse and then my skirt, and stand there in my underwear. The ambassadors helped me choose a couple of traditional Firosan outfits, which, along with the food I picked out, are being speedily delivered right this minute by Aphrodite and her hovercabs. So at least I’ll have some clean clothes tomorrow.

  I unclip my bra and let it fall, my blush not letting up, and then I step out of my underwear too. Completely and utterly exposed, I make my way to the pool and down the steps to join him in the water.

  The temperature is perfect and it’s difficult to explain but the water feels … soft, and smooth, in a comforting way that I’ve never encountered before. It definitely is treated with something. I can feel it softening up my skin already.

  I notice something else pretty quick too, especially now that he’s so close to me that I can practically feel the heat radiating from his naked skin.

  Wrax can’t seem to take his eyes off me.

  I swallow, and turn to him with a faux frown. “Are you looking at me?” I ask. I can see an intricate pattern of silver begin to emanate light in beautiful patterns that intertwine and wrap his thick limbs. I follow the glowing, silvery images down the length of his torso and … then I am looking at his cock again.

  It’s definitely bigger than it was when I first walked in. Much bigger. I try to tear my eyes away, and when I finally manage it, his eyes are still boring into mine.

  “No,” he answers, his voice a determined growl, that sends shockwaves right to my core. If I were wearing any clothes, they’d have been soaked through in that instance; by that one forceful syllable. “I have no interest in your small, weak human body.” His words rumble through me. The hair on my skin stands on end. I feel my heartbeat quicken.

  Above us, the leaves shelter us from the harsh beams of their sun, but we can still feel its heat, even as it descends to make way for the moons, and for nighttime. The artificial water jets pound against the small of my back in a way that works out all the knots I didn’t even know were there. I sigh, and tilt my head back.

  My breasts are fully exposed, my nipples hard and pointing, and my embarrassment has passed.

  Having Wrax, as handsome and distant as he is, unable to rip his gaze from my naked body, and seemingly furious about that fact, is the most erotic feeling I have ever experienced.

  I am vibrating with arousal, and I have to let my eyes flutter shut, because I know that if I turn around to look at him, I will lean forward and try to find out what his full lips taste like.

  Or, you know, his big purple cock.

  Chapter Seven

  Wrax

  The Lottery cannot be faulted.

  She is mine, plain and simple. She is exactly what I have always wanted; what I have always felt I deserved.

  I look at her now and I cannot even pretend that I am not stupefied by her presence, and the perfection that is her delicate, pale frame. The tips of her golden hair brush the surface of the water, and her pink nipples, glistening just above the pool, point straight forward. I struggle to contain myself.

  She is mine; I shouldn’t have to contain myself.

  But I can’t. I have made my decision. As much as Firosa needs more warriors like me in its next generation, I can’t do this to her. She is so vibrant and full of life. I cannot impregnate her and have her raise my offspring, alone, without me, in this foreign land. She should have the chance to be whatever she wants to be.

  It is an impossible decision to make, but I will stick to it. As hard as it might be. I will not fill her with my seed, even though right now my cock twitches and aches to push inside her.

  I can’t even imagine how tight she is. How wet she’d feel.

  I can’t stop imagining how she would whimper my name when she felt my thickness enter her — when she took all of me in.

  She is talking, I think. I try my hardest to tear my gaze away from her perfect breasts and from thoughts of her pussy. From the knowledge that my tattoos are glowing almost a fluorescent white, in a way that they never have before.

  She is talking about the things she has seen today, her gaze averted from my body. About quibbins and exciting new fresh fruits that I take for granted. I wonder if she feels the same things that I feel, but refuses to make the first move. I am glad, but regretful, of this fact. It’s taking all the willpower I have in the world not to quiet her musical voice, her excited anecdotes, by pressing my mouth against hers. By pushing my tongue through her lips; invading her.

  I must gather myself and be strong. I must. My biggest challenge in the arena is coming up and I know that I won’t walk away from a cheater with everything to lose with my life intact.

  “Wrax?” she asks finally, her voice gentle, sweet and uncert
ain. I want to cover her body with mine, but I settle for a single nod that signals her to continue. “Um … when were you thinking that we would…”

  She trails off and I wonder if I know where she is going. Her cheeks are pink again and my cock is begging me for release. But I listen to her.

  “What?” I prompt, and my voice comes out harsh and demanding again. I can hardly help it; I know the way I sound. Too many years of being in charge of many people in life or death situations. To curtail the rudeness that she might hear in my voice, I reach out and lightly press my palm against her upper back. She sucks in a breath through her teeth; our contact did not have the effect I intended it to.

  She is nervous about whatever she is about to say. “Are you going to want to consummate our marriage, or whatever? Um, soon?” Although I can smell desire on her, her question is uncertain. It’s like she is having two completely opposing thoughts on the subject. Cara has gone from drinking in my body, less surreptitiously than she thought, to trailing her fingertips across the surface of the pool and looking thoughtful.

  Looking at her being so open and so nervous makes me feel terrible, for some reason.

  Before I can think of a way to answer that question — because it is difficult for me to figure out how to succinctly word my feelings on the subject — she speaks again, surprising me. Her pink-tinged cheeks highlight her porcelain skin, and the deep, perfect pink of her full lips. My cock twitches under the water again and I wonder if she can see her effect on me out of the corner of her eye.

  “...it’s just that, I know that we have a contract together. I know that my species owes yours our lives, and I’m happy, I think, to fulfill that contract. I can tell that you don’t want me here, and that’s fine with me. I just wanted to say that it’s alright with me if you want me to go back to Earth after I have your kid.” She cannot look me in the eyes while she speaks.

  There is much to unpack from those words. Many feelings that she has been having, and many secret thoughts churning around in that pretty head.