Chapter Four

The more she kissed him, the more she liked it, Jess thought to herself as Val’s lips danced over hers before changing the tempo to one that was deeper and slower. She no longer found his sweet taste unusual. In fact, she was starting to crave it.

Perhaps it was simply the pregnancy starting to make itself known, because she was craving all kinds of things that were terrible for her, including glazed donuts and pumpkin spice milkshakes. Given the time of year, those are almost impossible to find, so she had to make her own. Valkor had proven adept at learning exactly the amount of pumpkin filling to put into the ice cream and milk, and he often took over milkshake duties for her when the craving called.

Her reaction to him could be simply because he tasted so sweet, and she craved sweet things, but she was certain there was more to it than that. They had spent most of the last week together, and it was getting harder and harder to see him leave every night to return to the armada still orbiting Earth.

She knew he hated to tear himself away, and he would gladly take her to bed, but she wasn’t quite there yet. Having been raised by conservative, traditional parents, it had taken her a long time to get over the notion that virginity was reserved specifically for her husband. She had been lovers with Baljal, but he had been the only one until now.

The actual act was a bit daunting too. Val’s size intimidated her, as did the prospect of figuring out their future. Though time was ticking away much too rapidly, she still wanted to be sure they were forming a relationship built on something besides convenience due to the fact they were having children together.

Tonight, she was questioning that as she lay on the sofa in his arms, his lips repeatedly pressing against her own. Other than holding her tenderly, with one arm behind her shoulders, and the other one cupped over her abdomen, where a slight bump was forming from the triplets, whose accelerated gestation put them around nine weeks, he didn’t make any move to touch her. She appreciated his restraint, even as she found it slightly maddening.

He broke away from her to scoop up a handful of popcorn, which he shoved into his mouth with enthusiasm. He’d told her they had nothing like it on Dazonia Major, and he was quickly becoming addicted to the organic brand she bought. He had also consumed a large quantity when they’d gone to a theater a couple of nights ago to see a movie, which also enthralled him. Apparently, movies and literature had fallen to the wayside in his culture in the pursuit of survival and seeking out a compatible species.

When he kissed her again, the contrast of his own sweet flavor with the salty, buttery popcorn made her mouth water, and she plunged her tongue inside, exploring his depths as she enjoyed the mingled flavors. She could feel herself hovering on the edge of suggesting they go to her room despite her remaining faint doubts.

The TV chimed an alert, and she pulled away reluctantly, silently sharing Val’s sentiment when he groaned his protest. They were awaiting the beginning of a presidential announcement, one that had been scheduled last-minute, and though she didn’t usually bother listening to the pack of lies that came out a politician’s mouth, this time she was tuned in.

She was fairly confident the press conference had been arranged to announce the existence of the Dazon Empire. It was sure to be a historic moment, and she was also curious to see if they would tell the truth or put the usual spin on it.

It wasn’t long before the camera zoomed in on President Saunders. She looked as cool and unflappable as ever with her wavy brown hair, subtly streaked with gray, and her lips that always appeared to be pursed tightly in disapproval. Jess found herself leaning forward slightly as she waited for the president’s speech.

Evelyn Saunders got right to it. “It’s my monumental and historic pleasure to announce we are not alone in the universe. Aliens have made contact with us, and they’re from a unique and complex society known as the Dazon Empire.”

The screen flashed a picture of a random alien, at least one she hadn’t met, and she didn’t think they had picked the right specimen. He was handsome enough, she supposed, but he lacked the imposing aura of Val, along with his ruggedly sexy features. Then again, perhaps they had chosen a less intimidating alien to present to the humans for the first look.

The president continued speaking, briefly outlining points about the Dazon that Jess already knew, along with casually referencing the fact they required resources that were unique to Earth, and negotiations were in progress.

Jess snorted. “Resources, that’s rich.”

Val frowned at her. “Surely you didn’t expect them to tell the truth?”

She snorted again. “Hardly. They’re politicians. They’re never going to tell the truth.”

He shook his head. “I simply meant it would cause a panic if the president of your United States announced my species is here to acquire willing mates.”

She shrugged. “I suppose, but I still don’t think it’s right to hide the truth, or the Dazon agenda. I also don’t think it’s right to bury what Jorvak Ha did to myself and all the other women he captured.”

His arm tightened around her. “I admire your forthrightness and your honesty, Jess, but sometimes information must be revealed a kernel at a time to avoid mass panic. I suspect they will handle it thusly—first with the announcement that Dazon has shared technology with the humans, and then space it out a bit and announce, in a positive way of course, that we seek egg donors, along with offering a large financial reward. I’m not a politician, but I would assume that’s how things will proceed.”

She snuggled closer to him, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing over. She simply said, “I hope you’re right, and it’s as simple and straightforward as that, but it seems a bit naïve to me. I suppose they could use the ‘sell your eggs and all your dreams will come true’ angle, but things never work out that neatly.”

Shaking her head as she thought about her own babies, she added, “I still think if it goes that way, they’ll be overestimating the number of women who will sell their eggs to create a life in which they won’t be involved in any way. Perhaps I’m being naïve though by assuming most women would want to know their children.”

“We shall have to see how it plays out. Either way, it doesn’t matter to you or me.”

She arched her brow at him as she turned slightly in his arms to look more fully into his face as Saunders droned on in the background. “How can you say that? It’s affected us deeply.”

Val inclined his head. “It has, but you and I are establishing our family in a way that works best for us. Our children will be here in a matter of weeks, and at some point, I will claim you as my mate, meaning I have no further interest in other human women, and as my mate, you’ll certainly never be in a position where you would consider selling your eggs. If you want more children, I’ll give them to you in a much more pleasurable fashion.”

She shivered at the note of seduction in his tone, unable to resist the urge to lift her hand and run it through the thick tuft of hair on the top of his head before stroking the bristly sides, where only the shortest hardscrabble hair grew. “How will you claim me?”

“I don’t have practical experience, but I’ve researched the issue, and I’m confident I’ll be able to meet all of your expectations, Jess.”

She grinned at him. “I have no doubt.”

He took her hand from his head and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips to her palm as his hand curled around the outside of hers to hold her against him. “I hope you will yield soon, my sweet little human, because waiting is killing me.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously? Are you at risk if you’re turned on without release?”

He shook his head, grinning. “I would like to claim that is so, but when you find out the truth, you would be angry with me. I was simply using an Earth colloquialism to verbalize my frustration. I’ve wanted you from the moment I touched you, and it has been a long week waiting for you to feel the same. I’ll wait as long as you need, but it grows increasingly difficult not to do more than kiss you.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, considering her options and the idea floating through her mind. “Is sex like that bond-mating thing you were talking about? Does it bind us forever?”

He shook his head, but his eyes were haunted. “I can’t bond more tightly to you than I already have, sex or not, but my species wasn’t built for monogamy without the mating flare.

“Before problems of recent generations due to the biological weapon, sex was more casual and recreational on our world until we experienced the mating flare. I didn’t experience that time, of course, but it’s written in our history. Men and women didn’t have to be bonded, and they weren’t always interested in procreation when they engaged in mating.”

She nodded slowly. “And if we engaged in mating, are you going to take that as a sign that I’m yours forever?”

He looked wary. “What would you like me to say?”

She bumped him lightly with her shoulder. “The truth, of course. I need to know what I’m getting into.”

He looked hesitant, and his words were slow to come for a moment. “I suspect you wish to reassure yourself that having sex with me won’t bind us tighter, and that I’ll be able to treat it casually. That isn’t the truth, Jess. You already belong to me, and I belong to you. Mating will reinforce the bond between us, and I would find it impossible to release you, I fear.”

A rush of relief filled her, which was surprising, because she had begun probing with exactly the intent he had guessed. She’d wanted to know if sleeping with him would make him even more possessive and determined to claim her. Intellectually, that sounded appalling on such short acquaintance, but emotionally and physically, the rush of relief and the tingling in her body revealed her true reaction.

She wondered why she was still fighting it, or why she had resisted for so long the past week. She still wasn’t entirely certain about spending the rest of her life with him, since they had barely gotten acquainted, but she was willing to take the chance and explore where things might lead. “Would you take me to my room, Val?”

He bounded off the couch quickly, with her in his arms a second later. He didn’t let go of her until he had strode down the hallway and pushed open the door to her room, pausing briefly for her to turn on the light before laying her on the mattress. “You require rest?”

She allowed her smile to blossom slowly, certain he could see a hint of wickedness in her eyes and hear it in her voice when she said, “No. I need you.”

His eyes did that fog thing, where they went dark and swirled with different shades of brown and gold as he touched a button on his neck, making his black jumpsuit disappear.

She hadn’t seen him completely bare before, and the package was appealing, if a little strange. Her eyes went straight to his penis, and she examined it with interest and more than a little hunger. He was perfectly cylindrical and smooth, with no visible ridges, and the only thing interrupting the flow of his contours was a narrow slit across the tip of his cock.

His anatomy was similar to human males, but different enough to firmly illustrate he was alien. Rather than being off-putting, it simply fueled her desire, and she reached out a hand to stroke down his length after pushing herself to a seated position.

His liquid coated the palm of her hand when she grasped his shaft to pump him a couple of times before bringing her palm near her face, examining his seminal fluid with interest. It was thinner than a human man’s, and when she brought it to her lips, she was surprised to find it was even sweeter than his kisses. It was a complex flavor, and she couldn’t precisely identify the sugary aftertaste, but it was delicious.

“Touch me, my mate.” As he uttered the words, Val twined his hand in her brown hair, pulling her lightly toward him for a long kiss as he knelt on the bed in front of her. Then his lips moved lower, exploring her neck and her chest before homing in on one of her nipples.

She moaned and gritted her teeth to keep from making a louder show of pleasure as his tongue twirled and traced around the tip of her nipple before he sucked lightly on the sensitive bud. Pregnancy had made her even more sensitive than usual, and she was shocked by the quaking in her core that heralded an orgasm, rocking her hips as he sucked slightly more firmly on her nipple and sent her over the edge into a climax.

It wasn’t an intense or earth-shattering release, but it was the first she’d had for a couple of years, since she’d lost her sex drive and any interest in finding a partner or even turning to her vibrator. It left her weak and shaking for a moment, and she slumped against him to draw support from his strong arms around her.

“That was amazing,” she whispered softly, her forehead pressed against his shoulder. “I’ve never come just from someone touching my nipples before.”

“It was pleasurable for me too, my mate. I would like to continue tasting you now, if I may?”

She nodded, taking a moment to strip off her shirt and bra before laying down on the bed. She realized he had sucked her breast through the thin satin, and she hadn’t even noticed the barrier between them until that moment. She wondered how it would feel with nothing between them, and then found out a moment later when Val flicked his tongue over her other nipple before sucking lightly, until she twitched and shifted impatiently.

He let out a chuckle as his mouth drifted lower, moving from her pert breasts down to the slight bulge of her abdomen, where he pressed a light kiss on the center of the bump. She threaded her fingers through his hair, touched by the gesture, but soon distracted from the tender action by the arrival of his mouth against her slick folds.

He moved with precise, controlled motions, as though he had done this a thousand times before. She knew from information gleaned over the last week that he was relatively inexperienced, never having so much as kissed another Dazon female, so his technique must come naturally.

His tongue stroked her clit, moving around the base before flicking right under her hood. She arched her hips and groaned, whimpering his name a moment later when he sucked lightly on the taut bud, coaxing another orgasm from her.

“Val,” she said in husky voice, barely managing to form the syllables in her current strained state of pleasure.

“My beautiful mate. I’ve waited so long, never daring to hope I would have a woman like you.” He interspersed his sweet words with kisses all across her body as he moved upward again. The last kiss he placed on her chin before he said, “There is no better match for me in all the galaxies, sweet Jessminda.”

Then his mouth settled on hers again, this kiss firm and demanding and clearly full of pent-up arousal. On both of their parts, she realized with a small shock, as he parted her thighs and lifted her pelvis to angle her better for his possession. They had only known each other for a week, but it felt like it had been far longer.

Perhaps the Dazon had accelerated dating time in addition to gestation time, she thought with a small chuckle against his lips. His mouth swallowed it, and he didn’t break the passionate kiss to find out what had amused her.

Slowly, his shaft slid into her, and she appreciated the ergonomic design. He was big, but not so large that it was frightening or physically impossible to accommodate him. It took her body a moment to adjust to his intrusion, since she hadn’t made love with anyone for years, but she soon picked up the familiar rhythm, and any discomfort faded in the face of pleasure as he fully penetrated her, sinking all the way inside her.

“This is the most amazing feeling ever, Jess.” As he spoke, Val slipped his hands under her buttocks and cupped them in his hands as he lifted her higher, while pushing deeper into her pussy. His cock encompassed every inch of her insides, leaving her certain she would form only to him after this, and no other man would ever be able to satisfy her the same way.

He had started slowly, probably to ensure it was pleasurable for both of them, but he was soon gasping and bucking his hips forcefully as he entered and withdrew at an erratic pace. She curled her fingers into his buttocks, and he hissed through his teeth when her nails dug into the sensitive skin of his cheeks.

She pulled him down to meet her each time he pulled her upward, and they moved simpatico in a blissful dance that was completely new to him, and new to her in a way as well. It had never felt like this with Baljal, and she was certain it never would with any other man, human or Dazon. He had ruined her for anyone else, but as her orgasm flared, igniting her lower body and spreading outward in waves of pure bliss, she was enchanted rather than dismayed by the idea.

Perhaps there was something to this mating flare stuff after all, she conceded, as he twitched inside her before his warm fluid filled her. She still didn’t know if she believed in the actual existence of a mating flare, but she certainly understood why Val would if he was feeling anything half as intense as she was.

Afterward, they lay together, bodies entwined, and speaking softly about various topics. She let her thoughts wander along with her hands as she stroked and touched her alien lover, soon coaxing him hard again for a repeat, which was even more intense than the first release. Then she lay with her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his chest and his back, and let sleep claim her under the welcome, almost too heavy, weight of her mate.

Slipping off to sleep, the word resonated with her, and she felt no fear at the idea of embracing a life with Val Tosh. She might change her mind in the morning, when the euphoria of amazing sex had faded, but right then, she was content to be with him and thrilled to have him even under the strange circumstances.

They didn’t really discuss it, but Val just sort of moved in. He stopped leaving at night and stayed by her side throughout the days and heavenly nights that followed.

More than a week after their first night together, she woke to a twinge in her abdomen and carefully disengaged herself from Val’s protective embrace so she could scoot from the bed. She had been reading about pregnancy and assumed it was round ligament pain, brought on early by the rapid growth of the babies, and the fact she was carrying triplets.

That theory flew out the window when she turned on the light and saw blood on her leg, along with a small pool on the bed. Panic seized her, and she struggled to breathe deeply and sound calm when she called Val’s name.

He woke quickly, and his posture suggested he was on the defensive, ready to protect her from any danger. A lump appeared in her throat, and she tried to swallow it back even as the thought that he couldn’t protect her from this danger, and he couldn’t stop a miscarriage, brought tears to her eyes instead of abating the emotional response.

“Do you know how to get hold of Dr. Wy? I’m bleeding.” Her lips trembled as she said the last word, and a sob escaped her before she choked it back.

He hurried from the bed, pressing the button on his neck to restore his jumpsuit before rushing to the bathroom to grab a robe for her. “I’ll take you right to him, my love.”

She nodded, unable to speak for fear of crying again. She clung to him, sensing he planned to fold, and it was a disorientating experience that left her head whirling and her stomach churning with nausea as they appeared with several flashes of lightning back in the facility from where she had escaped more than two weeks ago. She was actually relieved to be there this time, assuming that if anyone could save their babies, it would be the alien doctor with all his technology.

Val swept her into his arms and strode down the hallway, taking her straight to the medical section before going to a button on the wall. He pressed it, and his voice boomed over the intercom system. “Dr. Wy, come to the medical facility immediately. There’s a problem with Jessminda Patel’s pregnancy.”

Silence fell as he stepped away from the intercom, and she reached out a hand for him, needing his warmth and reassurance. When he stepped to her, putting his arms around her, she laid her head against his chest. “I’m so scared.”

Until she had seen the blood, she hadn’t realized just how much she wanted this pregnancy. It hadn’t been her choice, and there had still been a trace of tentative reluctance even after she had decided to proceed, but seeing evidence that she was losing her babies had given her the sharp insight that she desperately wanted to keep them.

“As am I. I’m fearful for our little ones, but I couldn’t bear to lose you too, Jessminda.” He stroked his hand through her hair while the other one patted her back in a soothing gesture. “Even if we can’t sustain viable offspring, you’ll always be my mate.”

Tears flooded her eyes at the words, and she took comfort from them. Considering how little time she had known Val, they had been through a gamut of experiences and emotions already, and quiet, calm knowledge filled her. She was in love with her unexpected alien mate.

The arrival of Dr. Wy prevented her from telling him of her epiphany, and it was poor timing anyway. As soon as the doctor appeared, her attention turned fully to the pregnancy and the threatened loss of her children. “I’ve been bleeding for about an hour, I think. I fell asleep, and when I woke, there was blood, and I’m still bleeding.”

Dr. Wy looked sympathetic as he approached her. “Please lie down, and we’ll do a scan and go from there.”

She did as he asked, reassured when Val came to stand on her other side, not releasing her hand though he remained out of the way of the machinery and the doctor. She lay perfectly still as the scanner moved over her, starting with her feet and working its way upward. She closed her eyes when the flashing bar passed over her face, remembering from last time that it was bright enough to give her a headache, and then opened them a moment later when the machine whirred down.

Dr. Wy extracted the data to his tablet, examining it for a moment before looking up with a hint of sorrow. She clutched Val’s hand as tears welled in her eyes.

“I’m afraid you’ve lost one of them, Ms. Patel. Your daughters continue to thrive, but the little boy didn’t make it. The embryo wasn’t as strong as his sisters.”

A mix of grief and relief swept through her. She had lost one of the triplets, but the other two remained. It was a bittersweet moment. “And the tw…twins?” It was difficult to say that word when it should be triplets, and she stumbled over it as a pang shot through her chest.

“They appear to be doing well, and perhaps they will do even better now. Humans didn’t evolve to gestate multiple pregnancies, and the greater the number of babies, the more likely they all are to have complications.”

Val squeeze her hand, and his cheeks were damp with the signs of his sorrow. “He did a noble thing and sacrificed himself so his sisters could thrive.”

She nodded, though she took more comfort in the cold, biological fact that he simply hadn’t been able to survive, rather than ascribing motivations to the fetus. Fetus. The word was jarring, but it was far easier to think of him as the fetus now, knowing he was gone, than to dwell on the idea that she had lost one of her babies.

Tears suddenly gushed from her, and she buried herself itself against Val’s chest when he lifted her into his arms, holding her tightly. She hadn’t realized how much she could love someone she had never even met, and now never would.