Freed By the Alien Prince by Tori Kellett

Chapter Five

What am I doing? One second she was talking about maybe dating, and the next moment, he was kissing her again. But these two kisses were like comparing a light breeze to a Cat 5 hurricane. She had to drag her mouth away for oxygen, tried to speak, but he just murmured “yes” as if she had, then sucked and nibbled down the V between her breasts. She shuddered, her thoughts splintering into a million pieces as sensation after sensation rushed through her. N’ameth seemed to be everywhere at once. His lips, his hands, his presence was exhilarating, consuming. She vaguely registered her clothes coming off, even though they’d barely moved from the entrance.

She wrenched her mouth away. “I need—”

“Yes, my Sas’ka.” And he walked with her in his arms, alternating between kisses, nips, and sucks on more and more of her skin as it was revealed. She knew she should try and slow this down, even if her reasons why seemed to be getting harder and harder to remember.

She’d barely blinked and N’ameth had laid her on his bed, and she opened her eyes in time to see him step back. Her protest caught in her throat. He was stunning. Sleek, hard plates covered his chest and upper abdomen until they paled into smooth skin, where a patch of silver hair started to match his head. His cock that she’d thought was big when he had stood naked at the door was even more impressive, jutting out from his body, a pearly white luminescent drop of desire glistening on the wide head.

Her insides clenched with a heady mix of arousal and fear. What was she doing? Sex outside of her books had simply been pleasant. Even her toy at home had never made her feel like she was on the cusp of orgasm simply by looking her fill. He smiled lazily and returned the heated stare. “You are beautiful, my Sas’ka.”

“Why do you call me that?” She knew he could pronounce her name. She had heard him say it.

“Because it is the Ishtaan version of your name and as beautiful as you are.”

She stared into his heated, lust-filled eyes, and emboldened, she trailed one hand between her breasts all the way to her thatch of curls. She gasped as her sex immediately throbbed at her own touch. N’ameth inhaled sharply, and his cock jerked in response. “You like that.” She knew he did. The way his chest heaved with hurried breaths, that his pupils expanded and fixed on her fingers. The drop of precum expanded and trickled down his shaft. She slid one finger lower and arched at the heady sensation. The power it gave her, knowing she was having this effect, was indescribable. For the first time, she was confident in her naked body.

“I want to do that,” N’ameth whispered, and she panted a little as she continued to stroke herself, knowing that her own touch was magnified by N’ameth’s reaction.

“Hold me,” she commanded, and in a kind of blur, she was suddenly leaned against a massive warm chest, her knees drawn up and legs parted. One of N’ameth’s hands touched her breast and fingered her nipple until she almost cried out from the zing that went straight to her core.

“Your breasts are gorgeous,” he said.

“Too big,” Sascha managed to get out, but he simply balanced one in his large palm and arched an eyebrow. Then his thumb circled around her nipple, and she shivered in delight.

“Touch yourself, my Sas’ka,” he growled, but Sascha was almost hesitant to stoke the ache inside anymore because she knew it would take barely any touch to make her come. “More,” he demanded.

Slick, swollen, she was helpless not to circle a finger around her clit. She moaned, and N’ameth answered it with a rumbling that seemed to come from deep inside his chest. “Pinch yourself. Slide another finger lower and feel how wet you are.”

Sascha gasped but did as he ordered. Her head was swimming with pleasure. The ache inside her deepened, and her sex pulsed in time to her frantic heartbeat. He brought his other hand beneath hers, and the sudden shock of a finger scraping around her perineum made her gasp. When he covered her own hand and forced her to slide a finger inside, she thrust up and fell headlong into an orgasm that hit her with the force of a Mack truck. N’ameth moved while she was still in the throes of bliss, and before she knew what he’d done, he was thrusting inside her. Her mind spun as more sparks of pleasure exploded from her core, as she moved seamlessly from one orgasm to the next, and he went with her, holding on and crying out his own pleasure.

She vaguely felt him gather her close while he waited to soften, her mind still splintering with thoughts and emotions. How utterly amazing it had felt. Bone-deep satisfaction closed her eyes, and she drifted, barely feeling him slide out and then tenderly cleaning her.

He slipped back in bed and pulled her close once more, kissing the top of her head as she was pillowed on his shoulder. “My mulaa,” he whispered, satisfaction and ownership clear in every syllable. She opened her eyes as his words sank in. N’ameth was gorgeous, but she’d come here with two objectives in mind, and one of them was dating. Her father had treated her like a possession to be used and discarded at will, and her mother never stuck up for her or thought it was wrong. She’d promised herself she would never be “owned” again.

“I want to go with you to the mining camp in the morning.”

She felt every muscle on N’ameth tense. “Absolutely not.”

Pushing back the first words she could think of, she tried to be reasonable. “I know you’re going to try and look for the second Azteen crystal vein, and I think I can help.”

“What makes you think that’s what we’re looking for?”

“Really? Like there weren’t a dozen people who heard your father say that when you rescued Callie?”

“You weren’t one of them,” he bit out, and she frowned.

“It doesn’t matter how I know, just that I can help. I can supply the diversion—”

N’ameth’s face changed to one of horror. “I will not allow you to put yourself in danger. You are my mulaa.”

Sascha took a breath, trying to remember that the way the Ishtaan had been taught to treat their females was different than she was used to. Except it wasn’t. It had been a long time, but her father would never listen either. He was just as dismissive of every suggestion she made, and there was no way this was going to continue here. “But my ankle doesn’t hurt anymore.” So long as it was wrapped anyway.

“No,” N’ameth clipped out. “Absolutely not. As my mulaa, I forbid it.”

Barely hanging on to her own temper, she lunged out of bed and strode to the entrance, picking up her clothes as she went and pulling them on.

“Sas’ka? What—”

“It’s Sascha,” Sascha interrupted. “Sascha. Not Sas’ka, and absolutely not mulaa.” Discomfort pricked at her as she saw N’ameth’s stricken look and knew the hit had landed, but if anything, that made her angrier. She wasn’t prepared to marry version 2.0 of her father. Been there. Done that. And a small part of her brain told her at least she had found out before it had gone too far. No matter how great the sex was. She opened the door without another word and closed it behind her. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or hurt when he made no move to follow her.

She stormed back to her room, trying to ignore her slightly sore reminder of what they had done, with no protection. She knew the only threat was pregnancy, not disease, but she also knew at this time of the month, the chances of her getting pregnant were miniscule. Rounding the staircase, she nearly ran right into Voren. He put out his hands to steady her, then frowned. “You are upset.”

Sascha nearly rolled her eyes at the direct way all the warriors had of speaking. No casual “How are you” for the sake of politeness.

She processed where they were. The only place these steps led was to the suite she shared with Rachel, Lexie, and Madison. Isobel, thankfully, had her own suite. He was hurrying. She narrowed her eyes. “He called you, didn’t he?” That was why he didn’t follow her.

If it was possible for a warrior to look sheepish, he did right then. “My prince wanted to make sure you were safe.”

Sascha nodded and, completely unable to face any of the other three, especially Lexie, sank down on the steps where they were. Voren followed, which quite frankly surprised her. He tended to seem uncomfortable not to be on alert at all times. “Why won’t he listen to me?” She looked up and watched puzzlement, then discomfort chase over Voren’s face. “You need help tomorrow at the mines. It doesn’t matter how I know,” Sascha continued without waiting for the denial or the question. “I just think I might be able to supply the smoke screen you need.”

He frowned. “Why would fire—” She waved a hand to stop him.

“I mean a diversion. You have the miners there from N’olaan. I’m betting if they don’t know already, you wouldn’t want them to find out.” She stood. “I need to see the king.” And preferably Callie, but she had a feeling because of Callie’s influence, Zak would at least listen, not dismiss her.

Voren nodded and also stood. “Come, then. I will escort you.” She followed Voren into the suite on the opposite side of the palace. She crept past the rooms she knew contained all three boys and smiled to herself. She was ridiculously happy for Callie, having been denied a family for so long and suddenly acquiring a large one. Voren nodded to the two guards on duty outside both suites and tapped the communicator fastened to his uniform. “My king? The female Sascha wishes to speak urgently to you both.”

He opened the door. “I will accompany you.” Checking she wasn’t crazy, probably. Zak met them in the seating area of their suite and poured water for them all. Callie rushed out of the room a moment later, tying a robe around her.

“Are you okay?”

Sascha returned the hug and nodded. “I have an idea, and it ties in with the mining camp.”

Callie nodded and patted the couch next to her, and Sascha sank down gratefully. Callie looked at Zak and Voren, arching an eyebrow. Zak huffed but obediently sat. Voren copied him.

“You need a diversion tomorrow. As I understand, you can’t look for the second vein in case the N’olaans understand what you are doing.”

“Officially, we are searching for graves,” he sighed. “But there is the likelihood they already know,” Zak acknowledged, and Sascha agreed.

“Except I may be able to provide doubt.”

“How?” Voren asked, but she noticed it was with curiosity, not doubt. But then he had been hanging around with Xena, so she imagined Rachel was blowing all his assumptions about females out of the water.

“I grew up in the desert. My parents had little cash, and my mom grew a lot of herbs she used to make homemade sunscreen with. This is a big problem for you in the Dry.”

“A screen for the sun?” Zak queried, but Callie nodded excitedly.

“Something you rub on your skin to stop it from getting burned,” Sascha explained. “It isn’t a problem for the warriors, but it is for us, and I’m willing to bet it may be for the generation that isn’t affected by the genome editing.” She grinned. “Neela told me they have a lotion, but it isn’t strong enough for humans. I’d like to go out in a pair of shorts.”

Callie chuckled.

“How will you grow this herb?” Voren asked. “You had no seeds with you.” He should know.

But Sascha waved her resentment away. “The small plants at the side of the road? They give off a mild onion smell.” Callie wrinkled her nose, but the warriors looked blankly at her.

“I didn’t notice them until the larger bushes started dying off. They’re aloe vera plants. Or that’s what they’re called on Earth.”

“Really?” Callie gasped. She put her hand up, and they high-fived. “That’s amazing.”

“And not just for sunscreen,” Sascha said, excitement creeping into her voice. “I need to find a substitute for coconut oil, but the actual juice is good for immunity and body health. I’m betting Azlaan would be interested.”

“We need to tell N’ameth,” Callie said immediately, and Sascha scoffed.

“Been there. Tried that.”

Zak looked over at Voren, then back to Callie. “N’ameth didn’t like this idea.” It wasn’t a question, more an understanding acknowledgment.

“I don’t see what the danger is. You took Callie.”

“Because we are taking Xar’ta there tomorrow. He has agreed to show us where the bodies of the missing children are, as well as the Azteen vein, although I doubt he truly knows that. He is dangerous and desperate. We may still have people loyal to my sire who haven’t been found, and I am critically short of warriors. I will have problems securing Xar’ta, as well as the prisoners here, and providing security for you.”

Sascha swallowed down the immediate nausea. She hadn’t known. “Why didn’t he say that, then?”

“Because he was brought up to protect just about everyone before himself,” Callie put in. “It’s the way they are. I’m betting he just said no and probably some comment about you being female.”

“No, we didn’t get that far.” He had called her his mulaa. But she wasn’t going to repeat that. She understood his reaction. The horror in his voice. She didn’t like it, but she understood it.

“There is also the argument that you could use the plants around here,” Callie said reluctantly as if she was trying to be fair to everyone.

“Yes, that’s very true,” Sascha acknowledged, “but for the sake of that same argument, didn’t you tell me one of the problems with the mines is flooding?”

Zak nodded. “One of the biggest.”

“Even in the Dry?”

He nodded, looking surprised. “Not as often, but it has happened.”

“I’m no scientist, geologist, whatever.” She waved a hand. “But doesn’t that mean you have some sort of close underground water source or a high water table? Which means there is an argument that the adjacent land could nourish certain types of plants that couldn’t be grown elsewhere.”

“She’s correct,” Voren acknowledged, and Sascha basked briefly in his admiring tone. She just wished it had come from another person.

“And it’s not like I want to spend a lot of time there, but no one’s going to believe this is a farming project if I arrive, have a quick scout around, and then leave. I have to at least look like I know what I’m doing, and to give you time to search.” And thanks to her childhood, she had a grounding in what type of plants you could grow with little water. She just had no experience with Ishtaan ones. “I’m pretty sure I can be convincing for a few days.”

Callie looked at Zak in consideration. “I think you could use a separate shuttle for Sascha. Take supplies. Make it look like she will be there for a while. Have Xar’ta there and back in the same day.” She tapped her lips. “We could really do with one of the villagers to help her. Any of the farmers would have experience. I’m guessing you may have poisonous plants we wouldn’t know about.”

“Brey,” Voren said immediately. “She has experimented with her own medicinal herbs for some time. It would lend credence to our argument, and she would be willing to help.”

“And with so much going on, the miners will just assume we are there to retrieve the bodies,” Zak said bleakly.

Sascha put a hand over her mouth, and Callie shared a desolate look. The news had been heartbreaking.

“Good,” Sascha said and stood. She couldn’t believe it had been that easy. “I don’t want to go back to the life of my childhood, but while we are all experimenting with our roles, this seems a small thing to do.”

Zak turned to Voren. “The security of the site is your responsibility. Take Lam’saak with you.”

“Prince N’ameth has already sent Lam’saak ahead as soon as we spoke to Xar’ta to warn the other guards of our arrival. The story is, as we said, to retrieve any bodies.”

Callie took Sascha’s hands in hers. “I know you are capable, but please let Voren protect you.” Sascha remembered the Veerlash with a shudder.

“I’m in no hurry to get anyone else hurt.”

Both warriors fell silent, and then Zak spoke. “Sascha, I owe you an apology. I made a grave error of judgment.”

“As did I,” Voren acknowledged.

She smiled, and a weight she didn’t know was there lifted. “Let’s call it even. I shouldn’t have left the palace.”

Callie squeezed her hand and giggled. “Isobel is gonna be so mad.” Sascha grinned. Maybe. Isobel wasn’t earning herself any friends with her attitude. She’d been very dismissive and resentful—understandably—when she got here. But her holier-than-thou attitude wasn’t helping. Isobel liked to think she was superior and she was still furious because Zak had chosen Callie. It was only because the vice-regent of Vedur wanted to make her his queen, and seemed just as full of his own self-importance, that she had unbent a little. Sascha being front and center of anything would be unforgivable. When she got back to her suite, she was glad all the other women were asleep. Sascha went straight into her bedroom and sat on the bed. Images of what she’d done, shared, came to her in stark relief. She could feel the taste of his lips on hers, smell his arousal, and knew it would take barely anything before she was wanting more.

But he had been just how she feared. My way or the highway. Wouldn’t listen. She needed to walk away. She just wasn’t sure if it was already too late.