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  “Well it’s a good job I’m nannying and not fucking then,” I said.

  Evelyn’s mouth dropped open as the woman made a loud snort of irritation. She stood, rummaged in the inside pocket of her lab coat, and removed two small gun-like contraptions.

  “What are those?” I asked.

  “The translators. One is embedded in your skull here,” she pointed to just behind Evelyn’s right ear, “it’ll translate the Draax language into English for you instantly when they speak to you. The other one is injected here,” she touched the spot above the hollow of Evelyn’s throat, “and it will translate your English to Draaxan when you speak.”

  “Right,” I said. When I had applied for the program they had given me a little packet of information. It had explained how the translators worked and at the time I was relieved I wouldn’t have to take a crash course in Draaxan. Of course, watching the woman press what looked like a silver gun to Evelyn’s skull was making me wonder if learning the language might not have been the way to go.

  “Is it going to hurt?” Evelyn asked in her soft voice.

  “It’s not going to feel like kisses, sweetheart,” the woman said.

  Evelyn flinched, her face drawing down with pain when the woman pulled the trigger on the gun.

  “Lift your head,” the woman said as she reached for the second device. Without ceremony, she injected the second translator into Evelyn’s throat. A trickle of blood slipped down her throat and the woman held a piece of gauze against the entry point. “Apply pressure for a few minutes.”

  She left Evelyn pressing the gauze to both her throat and behind her ear and approached me. As she readied the translator guns, she said, “So, don’t panic if these don’t work right away. Sometimes it can take a day or two for the chips to start working and translating properly.”

  I stared at her as she pressed the gun behind my ear. “A day or two? Seriously? We’re going to be on a strange planet where we won’t speak or understand the language for like forty-eight hours and you’re just mentioning it – ow! Fuck, that hurt!”

  I rubbed at the spot behind my ear and glared at the woman.

  “Lift your head,” she said.

  I lifted my head grudgingly and winced when there was another sharp pain in my throat. Already I could feel blood seeping into my hair and I took the gauze from her with a scowl before pressing them against my head and throat.

  “Seriously?” I said. “A day or two? Why didn’t you implant the damn things before we left Earth then?”

  “Not my department.” The woman pointed to the far door. “That’s the bathroom. You’ve got five minutes and then I’ll be back to take you to the ship.”

  * * *

  I held the bottom of my seat on the ship in a death grip as we hurtled our way toward the ground. Across from me, Evelyn was the colour of a Draax male, and she had already vomited twice into the little plastic bags tucked into the side of the seats.

  “It’ll be okay,” I shouted at her over the wailing noise of the wind.

  She nodded and closed her eyes as I leaned forward and strained to see past the pilots. I wished immediately that I hadn’t. It was pitch black outside of the windshield of the ship and as I watched, hail the size of golf balls began to ping off the windshield and metal hull of the ship. The sound was deafening, and I clapped my hands over my ears as the pilots hollered instructions at each other through their headsets. The ship dipped and then dropped with terror-inducing speed. I clung grimly to my seat and tried not to pee my pants as Evelyn made a soft shriek of fear.

  “Almost there, ladies!” The pilot shouted.

  Why the hell was he laughing?

  Oh God, I was going to die.

  I really should have emptied my browser history on my tablet. Maybe I’d get lucky and like me, it would be splattered across the countryside on impact and no one would see the Draax porn I’d downloaded.

  There was another sharp drop that made my stomach heave up into my throat. I swallowed down terror-induced bile as we hit solid ground with a teeth-rattling thud. If I hadn’t been strapped into the seat, even my oversized ass would have gone flying.

  As the pilots slowed to a stop, hail continued to ping off the ship, making it impossible to hear anything. I smiled reassuringly at Evelyn as the outside doors opened. A blast of freezing cold air whipped the dark strands that had escaped my braid, around my face. I squinted at the two Draax males who boarded the ship.

  I’d never been this close to a Draax male before and I stared wide-eyed at the one who unbuckled my seatbelt and helped me to my feet. He said something I couldn’t hear past the sound of the hail. The second male had helped Evelyn to her feet and he brought her over to me as three more Draax squeezed into the ship. They were all well over six feet tall and all of them had broad chests, narrow hips and short black hair. I tried not to stare at the tails I could see waving back and forth behind them. Without speaking, Evelyn and I put our arms around each other and huddled together as the five Draax males stared at us.

  One of the males was obviously older. His body was bent with age, his black hair graying, and he wasn’t as muscular as the others. He said something into the ear of the one standing next to him and the Draax shrugged. The old man pulled a thin silver box from his cloak before approaching us. We allowed him to pull us apart and Evelyn didn’t resist when he pushed up her sleeve and scanned her right arm. The screen lit up and he read the information before pushing a button and making it disappear. He scanned my arm, reading the information that appeared before nodding and pointing to me. The Draax who had unbuckled me took my arm and led me toward the door.

  Oh good, the stray dog microchip worked.

  “Wait!” I shook myself free and hugged Evelyn impulsively. She winced and made a soundless gasp of pain before returning my hug.

  “It was nice to meet you, Evelyn,” I shouted into her ear over the sound of the hail. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

  “You too!” She shouted back.

  The Draax took my arm again and gently tugged me to the door. I couldn’t understand them, so they probably couldn’t understand me either, but I tried anyway. “So, uh are you my new employer?”

  He cocked his head at me and said something that was lost in the sound of the storm. He was rather handsome for a green-skinned alien, and I felt a little tickle of heat deep in my lower belly when he put his hand around my bare arm. I stared at those long fingers, more heat burning in my belly, before raising my gaze to his. My breath caught in my throat. The alien had gorgeous copper-coloured eyes and as he scanned my face, they slowly darkened. He pulled me a little closer until I could feel the heat of his body.

  “I really hope you’re my employer,” I said. “Because I just might rethink my whole ‘no fucking the boss’ stance if you are.”

  I blushed as soon as the words were out of my mouth. What was I doing? What if the translators had started working the minute I said that? If this surprisingly hot alien really was my employer, I’d be mortified. Hell, I’d be mortified no matter what. I wasn’t here for breeding.

  The alien leaned down and studied my cheeks before tracing his fingers over them. His touch lit up my nerve endings. He was close enough to me now that I heard the low groan that escaped his mouth when I licked my lips. My own groan slipped out when he brushed his thumb along my lower lip.

  The older Draax spoke sharply to him and the alien straightened. The skin on his cheeks was darkening and I figured that was his version of a blush as he gave the older Draax an apologetic smile.

  I squeaked in surprise when the Draax turned back around and picked me up. “Holy shit, you’re strong.”

  He cradled me against his massive chest as the other Draax draped a cloak over him. It covered both of us completely. As he raised the hood to cover his head, I had one final glimpse of Evelyn smiling nervously at the two remaining Draax standing in front of her. I wondered if one of them was the Draax she would be breeding with and hoped desperately
that he was sweet to her. She looked like she would bolt and run at the slightest sign of irritation.

  The Draax stepped out into the hail and I squealed and buried my face against his thick throat to protect it. He jogged through the storm to a large silver land vehicle. He dumped me in the back seat and climbed into the driver’s seat. I sat up and looked around as the older man sat beside me. The third Draax was carrying my trunk over his shoulder and he tossed it into the cargo space behind us before he climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door.

  The sound of the hail was not as deafening but my ears were still ringing. The old man said something as the vehicle moved forward with a jolt, but I barely noticed. I was staring in delight at the Draax who was driving. The vehicle reminded me very much of the old Earth vehicles. They were powered by gas and people actually steered them themselves. The gas-powered cars were obsolete long before I was born, and I had only seen the old vehicles behind thick protective glass in museums. I watched in fascination as the Draax gripped the steering wheel with his big hands and squinted out the windshield as he drove through the storm. I wondered again if he was my new employer. It wasn’t the old man sitting beside me, he was much too old to have a child as young as the one in the picture, but the other two looked young and healthy.

  There was a tap on my arm and I turned to see the old man staring at me. He said something that was complete gibberish to me and I shook my head. “My translator isn’t working.”

  He pointed to the spot behind my ear and the base of my throat with a questioning look. I nodded and said, “But they’re not working. Translators not working yet.”

  He scowled and rolled his eyes. Although he couldn’t understand me, I was pretty certain he had figured out what I was saying. I settled back in my seat as he pulled the silver box from his pocket again and studied the screen.

  I wanted to ask them how long it would be to get to my new home but there was no point if they didn’t understand me. I stared out the window of the vehicle and hoped like hell that my translator started working soon.

  Chapter Three

  Quillan

  I tapped my foot against the cold stone floor. The storm was growing worse by the moment and I was regretting not going with Teo, Galan and Faro to pick up the human female. Galan could handle the vehicle in the storm but still, I was worried.

  I paced back and forth in the great hall of the palace. Various employees scurried in and out. I nodded to each of them when they made small bows before hurrying on their way. The palace was always full of people and I wondered if I shouldn’t wait for my new mate in the guest quarters. Our first meeting might be best done in private in case she was ugly. My people didn’t need to see my disappointment, it would make them fearful that I would not fulfill my duty as king and produce an heir.

  Before I could message Teo and tell him to meet me in the guest quarters, the front doors opened and the three of them staggered in from the wind. Faro strained to close the doors behind them as Teo pushed back his hood and bowed.

  “Good evening, my King.”

  “Teo, are you all right?” I asked.

  “Yes. But the storm has descended earlier than we thought. I am afraid the vehicle took a beating from the hail. We will not be going anywhere for the next moon.”

  “I do not care about that.” I gripped Teo’s arm and looked him over. “You are certain you were not injured by the hail?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” I breathed a sigh of relief before peering around him. “Where is she?”

  “Here, my King,” Teo said.

  He turned to Galan and pulled his cloak off with a flourish. Galan was cradling the female against his chest and her face was buried in his neck. Her dark hair hung to the middle of her back in a thick plait and I stared at the soft curves of her body. My cock twitched, and I felt an uncharacteristic thread of anger toward my best friend as I stared at the way his hand gripped her thick thigh.

  It was hard to tell with the way she was resting in Galan’s arms, but she looked a little thinner than I liked. But I wouldn’t know for sure until she was standing. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Galan’s neck, and an involuntary growl of irritation escaped my throat. She shouldn’t be clinging to Galan. She was my mate, not his.

  “Show me your face,” I said.

  “Her translator is not working yet, my King,” Teo said.

  My sigh of frustration turned into a sharp inhale when the little female lifted her head and turned her face to me. Krono help me, she was beautiful. I studied her pale skin, so different from the purple of the females of my race, but still oddly appealing. Her eyes were a clear light blue and they widened when I studied her full lips. Her round little cheeks flushed red with colour and I watched the red creep down her neck. Did that delightful flush of red cover her entire body? I suddenly, desperately wanted to find out.

  “Put her down,” I barked at Galan.

  He glanced at Teo before carefully setting the little human on her feet. She was taller than most human females, but she was short compared to my nearly seven feet. Still, she was delightfully curvy with heavy breasts that I couldn’t wait to cup in my hands. What colour were her nipples, I wondered. How big would they get when I sucked on them?

  I wanted to take her back to my private quarters and find out.

  I realized that she was staring up at me with a look of apprehension. She hadn’t curtsied or bowed, and I frowned at her. Did humans not know how to properly greet royalty? She was staring at me like she didn’t care that I was the king.

  My frown deepened, and the little human took a step back before staring anxiously at Galan. She actually pressed her body against him, like she thought he would protect her. Fresh irritation flickered through me. She was mine to protect.

  “Come to me.” My voice was harsher than I intended. She hesitated and glanced at Galan again when I held my hand out.

  Galan gave her a gentle push forward and she made an adorable little squeak when I took her hand and pulled her into my embrace. I studied her face before leaning down and burying my face into her neck. Krono, she smelled good. I inhaled again as my hand dipped down to grip her full ass.

  She squeaked again and tried to wiggle out of my grip. I scowled and wrapped my hand around her thick braid before tugging her head back. She was staring at me anxiously and I smiled at her before brushing my lips against her cheek. Had I ever felt skin that soft?

  “Do not be afraid,” I told her. “This is what you are here for, remember? I will breed you tonight and you will see that you have nothing to fear.”

  I traced my thumb over her trembling bottom lip as Teo said, “Perhaps you should give her an evening to rest, my King.”

  “No,” I said. “I want her now.”

  “Her translator is not working yet,” Teo reminded me. “You know it often takes a day or two before -”

  “She does not need to understand what I am saying to fuck me.”

  “At least let her eat and have a hot bath. Her stomach was grumbling on the ride here and it is freezing out. I fear the humans cannot hold their heat as well as we do,” Teo said.

  “Fine.” I ran my thumb over her lips again. “But first I want to taste her.”

  She was talking to me and making hard jabbing motions with her tiny hands. I couldn’t understand a word of it, but I did like the sound of her soft voice. Still, I didn’t want to listen, I wanted to taste, so I dipped my head and pressed my mouth against hers. Her lips closed abruptly, and I pressed my tongue at the seam of them until she parted them again with a low noise in the back of her throat. I wanted to kiss her hard, wanted to show her who she now belonged to, but her entire body was vibrating against mine, and her little hands were gripping my arms with fear not desire.

  I kept my mouth gentle, ignoring the fact that Teo, Galan and Faro were standing behind us, and urged her tongue into my mouth. I sucked on her tongue and growled with satisfaction when her pelvis bucked against me. I
put my arm around her waist and lifted her – she weighed next to nothing – until her pussy was notched against my thickening cock. I rubbed her against my cock and she made a sweet little moan that lit my blood on fire. I deepened the kiss as I cupped one heavy breast with my other hand and kneaded it. Her back arched and I could suddenly smell her arousal. She was wet for me already and it sent an answering surge of lust through my large body. I couldn’t wait to fuck her.

  I was just about to pin her up against the wall and yank her pants down so I could sink my cock into her pussy, when Teo cleared his throat. I had forgotten completely about the three men and I pulled my mouth away from my mate’s as she made a small whimper of need.

  “Shh, my mate.” I set her down and stroked her hair. “You will have my cock soon. I promise. Teo, take her to the guest quarters and make sure she is fed and has a bath. I will be there in an hour.”

  “Yes, my King.”

  Teo and the other two bowed, but my mate just stared up at me with a dazed look on her face.

  Her refusal to bow or curtsey was actually kind of cute, and I pressed another quick kiss against her mouth before pushing her toward Teo. “Go on, mate.”

  * * *

  Sabrina

  I stared at the woman in the mirror. I touched my red, swollen lips and the woman in the mirror touched her red, swollen lips. Behind me, steam rolled up from the tub in lazy swirls. The bathroom was starting to become downright muggy.

  “What just happened?” I whispered.

  The woman in the mirror stared silently at me, and I turned abruptly and stripped off my clothes before unbraiding my hair and climbing into the tub. I was freezing cold and the hot water felt amazing. I took a deep breath and slipped completely under the water, staring at the wavering ceiling as I listened to my heart beating in my ears. My head ached dully from where the translator was inserted and so did my throat. I held my breath until my lungs were screaming at me and then sat up and gasped for air as the water streamed over my body.