GalacticInferno Read online

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  She jerked awake with a gasp, her skin clammy and heart thudding. She sat upright, pressing a hand to her forehead and only half-aware of the brightness of the morning outside that’d long ago chased away any chill in the air.

  Oh, god. Was that how her husband, the supposed love of her life, had treated her? Was that why something in her subconscious had been so ready to leave it all behind? Needed to leave it all behind?

  Bonnie’s tail thumped on the floor beside her, her black and white head lifting. Deciding her mistress wasn’t about to combust with emotion, she dropped her head back on to the floor, her eyes closing.

  If only my life were that simple.

  She started at little at Renate’s sudden touch. Shadows of sleep, of her past, faded as his large hand moved up and down her spine, soothing her—even as something delicious built and built, a desire to replicate what she’d experienced the night before.

  No. Last night she’d succumbed to some kind of sexual madness, a desperate yearning to be with someone else after so long alone. That. Was. All.

  His hand moved around to her front, beneath the tender swell of a breast. She froze. The pads of his fingertips skimmed over her nipple. She shivered involuntarily, arching just a little.

  She heard his faint groan a nanosecond before he circled around the puckered base of her nipple, then suddenly plucked.

  The mewl of need was all her own as fragile nerve endings burst into life. She arched right into the palm of his hand, wanting more. Much more.

  You hate aliens, remember? a little voice whispered.

  Ally stiffened. The sleeping bag rustled as Renate shifted forward. At her front, his hand trailed downward from her breasts. At her back, his lips were warm and his tongue wet as he pressed open-mouthed kisses halfway along her spine and then headed south.

  She bowed into his touch, trembling with need and defying the voice of reason.

  When his tongue swirled at the indent on the small of her back, she gasped at the shudders of sensation rippling deep into her belly and ever outward. His hand stilled between her thighs, cradling the outer folds of her pussy with its crisp, dark hairs.

  Damn, what I’d do for the luxury of a wax…a Brazilian.

  With a throaty growl Renate parted her labia. When he strummed her clit, all self-conscious thought fled and sensation descended, reawakening a burning desire that demanded to be sated.

  And suddenly making love to this alien was imperative, suddenly being joined to him felt all too right, the connection with him all too real.

  She twisted to face him, their sleeping bag bunching around them. She cupped his smooth face in her hands, drowning in the possessive glint in his stare. Her head lowered slowly, their gazes holding. Then her mouth sank onto his, flesh on flesh, lips scraping lips, their tongues meeting and dueling. She closed her eyes for a moment, giving into the sensation of lust rippling through her like an ever building wave.

  When her eyelashes flicked open she was halfway on top of him. And as their mouths parted and he reclined all the way back, she moved astride him, feeling so gloriously alive and yet so small and delicate to his largeness, his power. But it was a feeling of rightness, a feminine knowing that with him she would always be safe, protected.

  Her sigh came out on a quivering breath at the smooth bunching of his torso muscles beneath her thighs, at his adept hands cupping her butt and guiding her over his quickly thickening cock.

  God, it was so liberating to be naked and astride him while the green of his slumberous eyes awakened into the animalistic glow of a predator’s stare, hungry and shameless with need.

  Holding the base of his cock, she parted her thighs and lowered herself toward his thick staff, her cunt muscles clenching the second his cock nudged her silky-wet heat.

  She threw her head back—“Oh, god,”—and sank slowly on to his shaft, inch by glorious inch, muscles gripping him the whole way down.

  His breath abruptly whooshed as her pussy swallowed his cock right to its very base. She looked down at him, snaring his gaze. His eyes fairly burned and she smiled a wicked smile then arched her back and began to rhythmically move up and down, her breasts swaying, her wanton juices lubricating his cock.

  And then his outspread hands were on her hips and he was meeting her thrust for thrust, faster and harder. Just when she thought she’d fall from the precipice of sanity, his hands tilted her hips downward so that she ground against his cock, her clit sliding along his shaft. When the head of his cock hammered into her G-spot, he paused.

  She whimpered frustration, so very close. And he’d deliberately stopped at that point! She stared at him, aware he’d read in her expression something between entreaty, anger and shameless lust.

  He looked triumphant, knowing.

  Her breath abruptly hitched. Her eyes widened then squeezed shut. She cried out, jerking back as an electric charge blasted directly into the sensitized flesh deep inside and zapped every nerve ending she had into life.

  What the hell?

  Spasm after spasm rocked her from the inside out, pure voltages of pleasure that had her come like a bomb detonated, falling to pieces around him and making her only half aware of his release as he came in great, shooting spurts.

  His eyes glazed. He cried out her name, baring his razor-sharp back teeth.

  She slumped forward, the force of her climax leaving her sated but also drained. “You did that—that electric jolt thing?” she finally asked, voice breathless.

  His smile betrayed his satisfaction. “Apparently it’s something your human males lacked.”

  “You could say that.” She squirmed a little, aware his cock was already hardening inside her.

  It seemed endurance was yet another thing her male counterparts lacked.

  She closed her eyes, so very tempted to go for round three.

  Renate’s sudden bark of laughter was rich with humor and deep satisfaction. “As much as I want to indulge, my greedy little kitten, your human body can only take so much.”

  Her face heated. She couldn’t ever forget he could tap into her emotions. “Yes. Of course. I…I guess I should clean myself up. All I can smell is sex.”

  “And that’s a bad thing?” he drawled, one dark brow raised.

  She giggled, giving into her see-sawing emotions, the surreal sense of hysteria. “I don’t suppose anyone is going to call in and notice—”

  Her breath caught at the serious mask settling into place over his face. Her voice cracked. “Will they?”

  “If the other males should happen to come near, you will experience something we call trans-alien hypersensitivity. Their thoughts are centered on you now, and the closer they get to you the more heightened their awareness of you—and you of them.” His nostrils flared, hands curling into fists. “And the easier they will find you.”

  He cared enough to want her as his alone?

  She swallowed back a whole load of hope and grasped practicalities as though a life preserver in a churning sea of emotion. “This hypersensitivity…is that what helps you to exploit my mind?”

  “To a degree. Although many would argue it’s your emotions we manipulate. We feel what you feel.” He shrugged. “And if you’re terrified, angry, ashamed…we can absorb the worst of it.”

  Bonnie clambered to her paws before stretching her forelegs out in front for all she was worth. She trotted over to them as Ally retrieved her clothes.

  “Then I have to make sure your alien ‘friends’ never find me.” Denim shorts halfway up her thighs, Ally paused, throwing him a look of dawning comprehension. “This hypersensitivity is what I felt with you, wasn’t it? Even before I saw you I had this unsettling feeling I wasn’t alone.”

  He nodded and stood. Her mouth watered. His tall body was built like an athlete’s, rolling in tough, sinewy muscle. Everything was hard…

  She looked away and concentrated on securing her shorts’ button. As he tugged his pants up his thighs and over his coc
k, she dragged her tee over her head, her breasts.

  God, she’d never been this aware of anyone. Aware of a man’s body, her own body. It was as though every one of her senses were heightened—no, consumed at the very sight and touch of him.

  Bonnie sat, her eyes moving from Ally to Renate and then back again. She whined, and Ally crouched low. Bonnie went straight into her arms. “You’re hungry, aren’t you, girl? I’ll get your bowl and food—”

  “Allow me.” Renate riffled through her backpack before he discovered the bowl then pulled out a large can, its label revealing a picture of a happy pooch. He handed them to her and she pulled back the can’s ring pull and poured the contents into the bowl.

  Bonnie gulped the meaty chunks whole, and there was a smile in Renate’s voice as he said, “You will need to eat too and keep up your strength. I found some liquid I think you human’s drink in a busted-up machine.”

  “A vending machine?”

  “Vending machine,” he repeated, his expression becoming even more amused.

  He went to obtain whatever was left inside the vending machine, and she couldn’t help but admire his easy, graceful stride as he moved through the shop, the long muscles in his back shifting and flexing with his every movement.

  Poetry in motion.

  She snapped her eyes away. What is wrong with me? Yes, they had a connection that went beyond unearthly, but the reality was, he was an alien, one she barely knew. She’d evidently fallen for the wrong man once already, with Luke.

  And she shouldn’t forget, she’d be leaving here soon…alone. Just her and Bonnie.

  She pressed a hand between her breasts. The thought had cut like a knife. Sharp. Painful. Irrefutable.

  He returned with some cans of cola and three packets of crisps as she busied herself by pouring a little of the bottled water into Bonnie’s freshly licked-clean bowl.

  Get a grip. I’ve gone through a hell of a lot worse than leaving behind the man I just fucked.

  She accepted the cola with a remarkably steady hand and cracked it open, taking a long sip. The shockingly sweet, warm effervescence slid down her throat. She closed her eyes with a long sigh.

  Renate’s husky chuckle caused her eyelids to flutter apart. He gestured to the packet of crisps. “Please, try one of those next. I like watching you partake.”

  She grinned and tore the packet of barbecue crisps open. “Only if you try one too?”

  He put his hand into the proffered packet and pulled one free, frowning at its bland appearance. Then he took a bite, grimacing. “Perhaps it’s an acquired taste.”

  She bit into one, sighing with utter bliss as the smoky, salty flavor hit, reanimating her taste buds. “How can you say that? These are the bomb.”

  “The bomb?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a saying. Slang. It means something is really cool.” At his raised eyebrow, she added, “Really great.”

  “Ah. You’re the bomb to me, kitten.”

  She suppressed a smile even as her eyes burned a little, her throat thick as emotion threatened. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had any idea how saying as much meant to her, especially with her shorn hair and bedraggled looks. Couldn’t help but wonder if he knew how the thought of leaving him had just become that much harder.

  Clearing her throat, she threw one of the crisps to Bonnie. The dog caught it mid-air, crunched it once and then swallowed. With a wobbly smile Ally asked, “So what do you eat on your planet then?”

  “Everything we consume is in its natural state. Even our hot food is cooked by a plant called a sylak. It uses naturally occurring electromagnetic waves to bake its food.”

  It felt surprisingly good to talk about a neutral, safe topic. “So, you don’t use fire, electricity?”

  He shrugged. “Though we have many times greater technology and knowledge than your earth people, we respect the health of our planet and keep to the old ways where we can. As for fire, it is rarely used on Carèche. Our three suns keep the night away and most of the land is unbearably hot, with many deserts.”

  Bonnie abruptly growled. She raced toward the broken window and leaped outside. Above the frenzy of her barking, Ally heard the approaching whine of a UFO.

  She stared, for a moment too shocked to react. Oh god, no. “Bonnie!”

  Before she’d even moved, Renate had shouldered the backpack and held out his hand. “We have to leave.”

  She shook her head, heart fairly bursting from her chest. “Not without my dog.”

  His jaw hardened fractionally, but he relented with a nod. “There’s a door near the vending machine. Head that way. I’ll get your dog.”

  She swallowed. “Okay.”

  Her breath caught. Please hurry.

  Standing beside the back roller door, which would once have been the service entrance used for unloading goods, Ally heard another dog bark somewhere in the distance. She shivered. Please let the other dog distract the aliens from Bonnie.

  After what felt like hours, and would have been a few minutes at best, Renate returned with Bonnie. Her tongue lolled, her tail wagging as if she’d done her very best to please her mistress.

  Ally twined her arms around her doggy friend. “You know you have to stay with me at all times.”

  Renate waited for her to re-gather her composure. She’d wasted valuable time and yet he seemed to sense her need for reassurance.

  When he handed her the leash, she whispered, “Thank you.”

  He nodded understanding before turning his attention to the roller door. Unlocking its circular latch, he carefully rolled it upward and peered outside, into the heat wave of mid-morning. The whine of the UFO was still close and he turned to her, frowning.

  “We need to get out of here now. The mother ship is getting closer. The promised males on board will be able to pinpoint where you are through their trans-alien hypersensitivity if they get any closer.”

  Oh crap.

  His nostrils flared, and he searched her face. “Are you feeling something from them?”

  She stared back. “Nothing.”

  “Good.” One of his hands took hold of hers, his fingers squeezing reassurance. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Four

  Renate felt the tension coil between his shoulders, in his gut. The feeling was much like the springs of a trampoline he’d seen on television, which human children had once used.

  Once used.

  He glanced over at Ally, wishing they could have met in any other circumstance. How she must hate him for what he and his kind had done to her race—if unwittingly. And now that he’d promised not to use mind manipulation, he had to trust that whatever she felt for him, would come to feel for him, would have to be enough.

  Yes, they were destined mates, but she was…different. She’d not succumbed so easily to him. Not until she’d been ready and willing.

  Somehow it made him desire her all the more. Made the promise that he’d not let the other alien males touch her that much easier to keep.

  Shame struck him in the guts like a sledge hammer. When it came down to it, he was a selfish bastard, looking out for his own self-interests instead of the good of his race. But in the end, wasn’t love the only thing that really mattered?

  And since Ally hadn’t left when the storm died out, maybe…just maybe, she was beginning to feel something for him too.

  He moved cautiously outside, pushing back the thousand and one thoughts plaguing him to focus on the reality of their situation. If he wasn’t more careful, their capture would be imminent. He glanced back at Ally, who was gripping his hand and following behind with a now subdued Bonnie walking alongside. He swallowed. He couldn’t allow that to happen, couldn’t let her fall in his alien comrades’ hands.

  Not now.

  In fact, he just might kill any male who touched her.

  Get a grip. Right then, the strange earth saying had merit.

  He looked skyward. Though the smoke had made the air outside a little hazy, the s
un’s glint on the mother ship as it slowly revolved in the sky and turned back toward them was all too obvious.

  Bloody hell.

  He turned to Ally, surprised by her courage as she forced a smile. His belly twisted almost painfully. “You ready?” And at her nod, “Run!”

  He didn’t let go of her hand as they raced along the street, rounding corners, dodging stationary cars and even a couple of buses. But all too soon he could hear Ally’s gasping breaths, was aware of her slowing steps, her struggle to keep going.

  When he scooped her into his arms, she clung to Bonnie’s leash as tightly as she did to his shoulders. She was almost sobbing in his ear as he charged even faster down the different streets, deliberately scouting out the more densely housed estates to better lose themselves in.

  Smoke filled his lungs. Ally wheezed out a cough. He frowned. Although fresh air would be appreciated right then, the denser and thicker smog gave them a much more effective concealment.

  He paused only when he came to a narrow street, lined with huge old gum trees and dilapidated houses with handkerchief-sized yards. In front of a wooden, single garage that jutted out almost to the street, he placed Ally carefully on her feet. “We’ve lost them.”

  For now.

  He didn’t tell her that if they’d been seen, they would never have gotten away. Or perhaps they had been seen, and his alien brothers were even now deciding what to do about his defection. He had no doubt Ezra, one of the alien’s three kings, would have quite a bit to say, and not in a positive light.

  He held Ally’s hands as she swayed for a moment, looking like innocence itself. His heart clamped tight. He knew all too well many of the horrors she would have witnessed. But she was a survivor in more than just the physical sense. Beneath her insecurities beat the heart of a proud warrior.

  He brushed back a longer strand of her hair, which seemed out of place against the rest of her brutally short, reddish dark mane. She was so beautiful. So courageous and strong. And she was…his.

  Undeniably. Categorically. His.

  She just didn’t know it yet.

  “I…I cut it myself,” she admitted in a small voice. She frowned a little. “It used to be really long and quite…quite beautiful. But without running water to wash it and keep it clean, it seemed silly really—”