7. Very Nice to Meet You
Chapter 7
Very Nice to Meet You
Isabella
I sa relaxed as she laughed along with the alien men joking about sex. She had let herself get worked up over this new and wholly unexpected situation. When meeting a foreign culture, she needed to stay calm and objective. The aliens had accepted her into their hive, which she assumed was similar to a clan or a tribe, if she was understanding this strange telepathic language correctly.
Being accepted is a good thing. She nodded to herself. Well, in most cases it is, she amended.
She didn’t know the aliens’ laws, and prayed they weren’t as harsh as her own culture. Her people would’ve institutionalized her for the free love fest that just happened. Although, she had a feeling that wasn’t the case here. The aliens got upset by the suggestion that harm would come to her. In fact, they said such caring sweet things, they were hard to believe. They were willing to protect and care for her, but they didn’t even know her. A part of her was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Isa blinked as it occurred to her she’d heard them say their names.
“Oh my gosh.” She choked and covered her mouth. They had sex and they hadn’t even shared names. Her mother would be truly mortified.
“Was I that bad?” Diamond’s brow furrowed, looking hurt and horrified as he sank backward.
His lack of confidence was shocking. The men of Earth were always cocky about their performance, finding every reason to brag, when it was taboo for women to do the same. Caleb used to talk about how good at sex he was when he came over to hang out with her brother. That man had no reason to brag, though she verbally stroked his ego, fearing he’d tell her family what happened between them. It made her sick every single time she was forced to play hostess to the bastard.
“No!” She quickly grabbed Diamond’s large hands, halting his retreat. “You were very good. The best ever.” She couldn’t believe she was saying this. It was the god’s honest truth, though, and she refused to let him think otherwise, no matter how insanely improper the encounter was.
Diamond sat up straighter and smiled.
“I just realized I don’t know your names. That would’ve been very wrong where I’m from, but I’m not on Earth anymore,” she reminded herself as voices from her past tried to make her feel ashamed. “My name is Isabella, but I prefer Isa,” she added.
“Queen Isabella,” Diamond brought both of her hands to his mouth.
Oh, Queen Isabella. She liked the sound of that and couldn’t help but sit up straighter, letting a hint of pride course through her.
“I am Phara, Consort Alpha of the Tumulus Hive.” He kissed her knuckles, his long tongue doing a serpentine flick across the back of her hands.
Phara wasn’t human, he looked animalistic with his striped purple skin, large angled eyes and broad mouth full of sharp teeth. The alien man definitely had sex like a wild beast, pounding her from behind until she forgot anything else existed. Her pussy spasmed at the bold way he kissed her hands and the sensation of his talented tongue snaking across her skin. Phara’s voice was deep and majestic as he said his name and title. He didn’t say he was king, but he did say he was alpha of his hive, so that meant he held a position of influence. She then caught the part about him being a consort. Where she was from that term was only used for women, and it wasn’t flattering.
Did I just have sex with some sort of alien prostitute? Her cheeks heated. No. They were just saying Phara didn’t know what he was doing. I am jumping to conclusions again.
The thoughts quickly filtered through her mind and then she remembered her manners. She was about to reply to Phara when the gladiator, the one she called Vee, captured her hands, effectively stealing her attention from Phara.
“Queen Isa, I am Bellator, Legionnaire Alpha of the Tumulus Hive.” He smiled as he too kissed her hands.
Bellator had a gentle touch for being a soldier as legionnaire implied.
He is definitely a teddy bear , she decided.
Although, she’d never sucked her teddy bear off. Actually, Bellator had been her first blow job, despite all the men who had propositioned her in the past.
As she opened her mouth to speak, Chevron cupped her cheek, turning her focus on him.
“I am Artifex, Servitor Alpha of the Tumulus Hive, my queen.” He was the wiry one, but like his companions had abs for days.
Isa grinned at the way the men interacted, each trying to steal her attention. She wondered if that was because they all had alpha in their title and were actually competing. Again, she opened her mouth to say nice to meet you.
The triplets who’d massaged her leaned into the circle, cutting her off. “And we are Gregis, Rego, and Galis, Consort Betas of the Tumulus Hive,” Rego spoke for the trio.
Her smile broadened when yet another face popped into view. It was one of the men who held the bowl of fruit and cheese. “I am Operar, Servitor Beta of the Tumulus Hive.”
Isa glanced around, but that was all who were in the room. “It’s very nice to meet you,” she finally managed to say. “Phara, Bellator, Artifex, Gregis, Rego, Galis, and Operar.”
She looked at each one, attempting to memorize the differences in their builds and the striped patterns on their faces. The symbol on their chests was the easiest for her to quickly use to differentiate between them, though. She wanted to ask about the marking, but she had so many questions all fighting for dominance.
“We are honored that you have accepted our hive.” Phara bowed and the others followed.
“Thank you for healing me.” She studied her wrist, which showed no signs that it had ever been injured, and a more pressing issue popped into her mind. “You said you found my egg. Were there others?” Her anxiety rose as she asked about her fellow colonists, her friends. She’d been hurt, and they probably were, too.
“Your egg was the only one nearby,” Bellator replied, and her stomach dropped. “There was a great deal of debris raining down in the sky, landing in the western territories. Are you saying there are more eggs?”
“Yes.” She nodded, her eyes burning as tears threatened.
Phara swiftly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. “Please, Queen Isa, we will do anything for you. Do not make the rain. Do not be sad.”
It was odd how she heard his voice in her mind, but also heard him purring to soothe her. Surprisingly, his vibrating purr was soothing.
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I am worried my friends are hurt or dead and that I won’t see them again,” she explained.
Abruptly, Bellator lifted his chin and howled. The sound resonated through the stone chamber, making her jump in Phara’s lap.
“Crass!” Phara glared at him, covering her ears. “Sorry, my queen.”
She grinned at Phara’s reaction on her behalf. It was sweet. It was also cute the way Bellator grimaced in regret.
In ran another alien with a vee-shaped marking on his chest similar to Bellator’s mark.
“Invicta, send runners to the western territories. Let them know that the meteor shower contained mechanical eggs holding people who may be injured,” Bellator instructed, confirming he was in charge of the aliens with the markings like his.
“Have the runners take whatever you think is appropriate from the storeroom as gifts. You know the custom when crossing another hive’s territory,” Artifex interjected.
“Understood,” Invicta replied.
“Do not mention we found our queen in one of the eggs. I do not wish to be overrun,” Bellator added.
Isa’s brow furrowed at the odd comment. “All the eggs have women in them, females, queens I guess you call them.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at her, their mouths dropping open.
“What do you mean all the eggs contain queens?” Bellator asked, his head tilted in confusion. Again, it was strange to hear him speak, because his mouth was still agape.
“I don’t understand how to explain it any differently. The eggs, the pods, they all have women like me in them.” She shrugged, not sure how to simplify that.
“Invicta, go. Still, don’t mention we found our queen, and do a thorough search of our territory, too,” Bellator instructed, without taking his eyes off her, his hairless brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of what she said.
“Your hive had more than one queen emerge?” Artifex asked.
Isa blinked in confusion at the odd question. By emerge she assumed he meant born. She then recalled them saying something about their hive not having a queen for four generations. Several things fell into place and more questions arose.
“Wait.” Isa waved her hands dramatically. “Earlier you said your hive hasn’t had a queen for generations. That means no women, I mean females?”
“Yes. We are the fifth generation since the Blight that killed all the queens in all the Vorto hives,” Phara confirmed.
She made note of what they called themselves as she processed what he said.
“I’m so sorry.” She frowned as she hugged Phara. The death of all their women must’ve devastated their society. It was no wonder the Vorto were shocked that a bunch of women had crashed on their planet. It also explained why she’d been fucked so thoroughly. Except something didn’t add up right. “But how could you have so many generations without a female?”
“Ah. You are a smart queen.” Artifex pointed at her and smiled approvingly.
For a moment she was thrown by the compliment he so easily gave out that she almost missed the explanation.
“They are not true generations,” Artifex continued. “Our queen mother passed before we emerged from our amnio sacs.” He gestured at everyone in the room. “The chrysalis chamber caretakers stopped tending all of our amnio sacs, so only some of us emerged.” He made a hand motion, like he was rubbing a ball, and she imagined an alien massaging a sac with a fetus in it. “We’re calling that the first generation. Toward the end of their life, they only allowed a percentage of hatchlings to emerge, and that’s how it continued, until you get to us. We really are all the same generation, just stretched over time.”
Amnio sac. Chrysalis chamber. Hive?! It sounded like the aliens were similar to bees or butterflies. The fact that they somehow slowed their unusual birth was strange and shocking. It also sounded like they were all siblings. Then again, the Vorto could turn to goo, so this new information wasn’t really any stranger than that.
“You look distressed again, my queen.” Bellator gripped her hand.
“I’m trying to understand everything.” Isa nodded, agreeing with his assessment. No doubt she looked confused as hell. “You probably noticed, I’m not like you.”
“We know.” Phara leaned down and kissed her shoulder. “Your features are very different, but attractive. Our queen mother was from the Nemus Hive, our neighbors. They are different. They blend in with the trees of their territory, instead of the mountains the way we do.”
The easy acceptance in Phara’s voice and the way he tenderly kissed her shoulder nearly brought tears to her eyes. The Vorto truly had accepted her into their tribe. It emboldened her to share more, even though spelling it out might change their minds about her.
“I don’t come from a distant territory on this planet. I come from a world far, far away,” she admitted, then held her breath, bracing for their reaction.
“You come from one of the moons?” Bellator looked at her in awe.
“No.” She shook her head. “Farther, much farther. Where I am from, there are a lot of females, one for every male.”
“You are teasing us.” Phara gave her a little squeeze.
“I’m not kidding you.” She shook her head.
“There is only one queen per hive,” Artifex said in disbelief.
“Not on my planet. They don’t think females are so precious. In fact, they weren’t kind to the planet, either. My world has too many people and they’re wearing out the resources of the plant.”
The aliens’ eyes widened, but she continued. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“So, the people in charge, rather than fixing our planet, decided to find a new one. They built a ship, put us in it, and sent us traveling in space to your world. They said this planet was uninhabited, but their research was as flawed as the ship they built,” she growled. “Something damaged our ship just above your planet, and we fell in the mechanical eggs, along with a bunch of other bits of our ship, I imagine.” She pantomimed falling to the ground with her hands, though she only remembered part of it.
“This ship was like a sky hive full of queens?” Bellator tried to understand what she was explaining.
She was as foreign to them as they were to her, and both sides were trying to find common ground with their culture and physiology.
“Long voyages are always dangerous. I can’t imagine a voyage among the stars. I am relieved you made it this far. You must have been very afraid as you fell.” Artifex took her hand and gently squeezed it.
She nodded. It was a miracle the ship made it this far.
“I hate that you are shaking. You are safe now.” Phara held her tighter, kissing the top of her head.
She didn’t realize she was shaking, but she was practically vibrating. Just talking about this made her mad, and sad, and betrayed, and many more emotions she couldn’t name.
“You said you were cast out,” Phara recalled as he held her close. “You did not choose to join the hive ship, did you?” He placed another gentle kiss on her head.
“No.” She breathed faster as she recalled how it all transpired. She refused to cry, though, she already cried so many times during this emotional roller coaster, and the poor Vorto didn’t need to be subjected to it yet again. “On my world, I study ancient people. I dug up a very old weapon. I was taking it and other really old things like cups and bottles to a place where people could study them.”
“You are part of the servitor caste?!” Artifex excitedly asked, a hint of pride in his voice.
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “I’m not really sure what that is.”
“The legionnaire caste guards, fights, keeps the rules, and deals with aggressive creatures.” Bellator rubbed the symbol on his chest. She was right about the marks and his occupation.
“The servitor caste is the largest because we are the caretakers of everything the hive needs. We grow, hunt and forage food, cook, build, heal, and many other skills,” Artifex explained.
Based on his description, she would be considered part of his caste.
“And then there are the consorts, like us.” Phara gestured from himself to the triplets. “It is our privilege to breed the next generation with the queen.” Phara buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath.
Isabella stilled at his comment.
I’m such a moron. I’m their new baby maker.
She’d been trying so hard to understand Vorto society, the obvious went right over her head. Isa stiffened further as the weight of what she overlooked landed. Women on Earth were defined by sex and their ability to make babies, both praised and ridiculed for it in the same breath. After being slut shamed for kissing a boy, the incident with Caleb, and a barrage of other slights, she’d chosen a career over a family. It was a decision her parents hated because it meant they’d failed, though they sure enjoyed the extra income she brought home. By the skin of her teeth she’d avoided being pigeonholed back home. Then she was forced off her world, traveled to a whole new one, only to discover that yet again her value lay in making babies.
At least the sex was good. Really good. She couldn’t believe the naughty little voice that popped up unbidden.
Suddenly, Isa was painfully aware that she was sitting on Phara’s lap. His cock was trapped between her lower back and his abs. It wasn’t erect, but it was stiff. Isa bit her lip as a frisson of electricity shot through her, making her nipples pucker.
Would it be so awful to be Phara’s queen?
The Vorto had been very good to her. She would’ve had a family back home if she’d been treated decently. Here, the Vorto made her feel truly desired in less than a day, when she felt like nothing but a burden back home. And how often was someone given the chance to save a race of people?
Just as Isa was getting comfortable with the situation she found herself in, reality intruded. A cruel little voice in the back of her mind screamed they might not be compatible.
And then what good would I be? She frowned.
“My queen, you were telling us why you were sent here.” Bellator rubbed her knee.
“Yes. Sorry.” Isa shook off the thoughts. “My people said I broke the law by having the ancient weapon, even though it would never work again. I was sentenced to join the one-way mission here, along with other women like me. They decided we were disposable, while secretly believing we might succeed in building a colony if we actually made it here.” Her stomach twisted with anger at the betrayal.
“Isabella,” Phara said softly and slowly, using her name rather than the daunting title. “You are not disposable.” He angled her face and placed a kiss on her cheek. The sincerity and sorrow in his voice made a lump form in her throat. She didn’t understand how someone could be so sweet, yet he was.
“I do not like the alphas of your hive,” Bellator angrily hissed. “Do you think they perished in the crash? If not, I would very much like to hunt them down.”
The sneer on Bellator’s face with his big dark eyes, sharp teeth, and camouflaging stripes was scary as hell, and yet she smiled. He wanted to seek vengeance for her. She’d never had anyone want to do that. It made her feel better.
“No. The alphas stayed on my home planet. They were pretty sure we were going to die.” She reached over and rubbed his knee. “Thank you, though. That’s really sweet.”
“It is my honor to guard and protect you. If they come, I will teach them how to respect my queen,” he assured her.
“We are your hive.” Phara growled possessively and squeezed her tight.
Isa’s eyes widened, suddenly feeling a different kind of pressure. “Um, I need to empty my bladder.” She prayed the Vorto went to the bathroom, otherwise this was going to be an awkward discussion.
“Phara, release the queen so I can show her the cascade,” Artifex insisted as he stood, reaching down to help her up.
“Of course.” Phara gripped her hips and helped her up as he stood. “My apologies, we didn’t think to ask earlier.”
To her surprise, all the men stood. She smiled at them. They were such gentlemen, in the truest old-fashioned sense of the word. As Artifex took her hand and led her out of the chamber, she couldn’t help but look fondly back at them. The Vorto were growing on her.
They’re not so scary.
Maybe being cast out was the best thing that could’ve happened to her.