Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Ethan
From what Goldie explained, a Twiffer sounded like a tornado.
But, like, an extended one. That lasted for weeks.
The druble were prepared for them and had systems to monitor the weather patterns.
She said some of the crops might not survive, like the numba, so it was even more imperative we collect what we needed and leave as soon as possible.
By the time we gathered our belongings from the suite and returned to the main cavern, I’lly had a package of numba waiting for us in a clear pouch.
I shoved it into my pack and rearranged my shirt.
I’d taken something clearly made for a Kaluma male and had to cut the sleeves off because they were way too long.
I wasn’t convinced the druble had ever warmed to me. They still seemed to regard me warily, but that didn’t matter much now.
As we left the druble cave, the wind whipped at Goldie’s hair, and one gust nearly took me off my feet.
The valley was like a wind tunnel. After we crossed the river at a narrow bridge, we scaled the grassy mountain to the top.
The wind there was less wicked. I glanced down to see the tall stalks of the numba bent nearly sideways from the wind.
I grabbed Goldie’s hand, and then we weren’t talking much as we focused on getting as far away from the valley as we could. As we covered the distance, the skies above us cleared and the wind dulled to a mild breeze.
I glanced at my watch. When I had the numba in my possession, I was to head back to the pod and ping Holmes to notify the rescue cruiser in orbit to make their descent.
And I felt sick about it. Sick about giving that asshole anything from this precious planet.
Sick about going home. Sick about leaving Goldie.
I’d never forget her taste. I hadn’t accomplished much good in my life, but making Goldie come was the absolute peak.
It was only downhill from here. I’d never do something as great as that again.
Her little moans, her sweetness, her trembling body—it was all imprinted in my brain now. Nothing would compare again. Not ever.
We walked until my stomach growled so loudly that Goldie huffed a laugh. In a small clearing, we ate provisions that the druble had packed for us—jerky and dried fruits, as well as some crackers and a hard cheese that tasted like provolone.
“You think some of your Kaluma are looking for you?” I asked her as I leaned back against a fallen log.
“Probably,” she sighed. “Right after I found you, I called home and lied that I’d be gone a little longer because I found a stash of fungus that was good for the human females after they gave birth.”
I held up a hand. “Wait, you’re telling me there are human and Kaluma babies?”
“Yes,” she chewed a piece of jerky. “Several.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that. I didn’t know these human women mated to Kalumas, and I was no hero, but the thought they were being forced into anything, and then having babies on top of that, didn’t feel right. “I see.”
She cocked her head. “You seem angry.”
“I’m not angry. It concerns me these women are being taken advantage of.”
She bobbed her head. “I understand why you would think that, especially from what I told you. But they are happy. They chose their mates.”
I believed she believed that. But I still felt uneasy. “Okay.” And because I needed the confirmation, I asked, “You don’t have any human males there, do you?”
Her head dropped. She didn’t meet my eyes. “No,” she whispered.
A chill washed over me. “They’d kill me on sight, wouldn’t they?”
Her shoulders drew in, like she wanted to make herself as small as possible.
I didn’t like that. “Goldie—”
“Yes.” Her head came up. Her voice trembled. “Yes, they’d probably kill you. I…” her big eyes blinked, so bright and blue. “I can’t take that chance.”
Meaning, we were in our final days together. I’d leave, and she’d return home. My chest hurt. My eyes burned. I looked away.
She shifted toward me. Just an inch. Then another. Until she was pressed up against my side. She laid her head on my shoulder and snuggled in. Her fingers twined with mine where my hand rested on my thigh. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to.
And I couldn’t, not without bursting into tears like a fucking child.
We didn’t move. We didn’t get up and keep walking.
We didn’t really speak either. I had so desperately wanted to talk to Goldie, but now that I could…
the sorrow choked me. I didn’t want to leave this planet even though it had an infinite amount of things that could kill me.
Not if it meant being apart from the beautiful alien at my side.
Although, she wasn’t alien to me. Not anymore.
Now, her features were familiar. Perfect. Just as they should be.
As the sun set, Goldie fell asleep, and I remained where I was as she curled in a ball at my side.
I stuck another piece of jerky in my mouth and chewed the end as I dug in my bag.
I pulled out the package of numba and turned it over in my hands.
A light-yellow powder, like pollen, coated the inside.
I didn’t want Holmes to have it. I didn’t want him to have anything from this planet.
But if I didn’t return the plant, he’d hurt Malcolm.
And if I never signaled for the recovery cruiser, Holmes would just find some other sucker to send here.
Someone who could hurt Goldie or another like her.
I didn’t have much of a choice but to deliver this plant to Holmes, but that didn’t make me feel any better about it. Was there another way?
I opened the package and sniffed. The scent was a little sweet. I touched the powder and rubbed it between my fingers. I sniffed again and inhaled too big of a whiff. The powder burned the inside of my nose, and I sneezed.
I wrinkled my nose as a heat bloomed behind my eyes. My skin itched.
Well, shit. Probably should have left the alien plant alone.
I wiped my fingers on the grass and leaned back, waiting for the itching to calm. Except… more symptoms began to break out all over my body. My ears rang, and my head spun. I felt a little nauseous low in my belly, and I groaned as I placed a hand there.
The sound woke Goldie, who sat up with a stretch. She noticed my wince immediately. “Ee-than?” Her eyes slid to the open package of numba at my side. “Wait, you didn’t—” her eyes went wide. “What did you do?”
Fuck, I felt hot all over, and the heat just kept spreading lower and lower— “I just wanted to look at the numba closer.”
“No,” she rose to her knees at my side, and her hands hovered over my body without touching me. “No, this is—”
“Am I going to die?” I asked, just as the heat slammed into my groin like a punch.
I heaved forward and doubled over. In a split second, my dick hardened.
Like a spike. It felt like an entire third leg.
I reached for it, but that one touch felt like I’d doused my cock in lava.
I screamed. Because that was the only possible reaction to my dick being on fire.
I looked blearily at Goldie. “What did I do? Why does it hurt so bad?”
“It’s a phrodesia.”
“What the hell is that?”
“To aid in… mating.”
“You mean to tell me,” I gasped as a cramp rocketed through my gut. “That I just snorted alien Viagra?”
“I don’t know what that is!” Her voice rose in pitch. She was beginning to panic. That couldn’t be good.
I tried to breathe through the pain. I felt like I could fuck a tree.
“So I just… need to come a few times.” I shoved my pants down, not caring about dignity.
My cock bounced up like it was spring loaded.
The shaft was huge and swollen, and the skin stretched so tightly, I was worried it would split.
My balls were like softballs. I reached for my dick, but once again, as soon as my fingers closed around my shaft, white-hot pain short-circuited my brain.
I collapsed onto my side with a gasp, past the point of screaming. When I could finally make a sound again, I said, “Why can’t I touch it?”
“You need…” she rolled her lips between her teeth. “You need other body fluids.”
“What other body fluids?” Nothing was making sense. My balls were going to explode. I couldn’t think straight.
She shifted toward me on her hands and knees. She made to straddle me. “M-mine.”
Despite the pain, despite the absolute inferno in my groin, I shoved her away. “Oh, fuck no. You’re not doing this.”
“It’s the only way,” she insisted.
“I’ll figure something out,” I moaned as I rolled onto my side. “I can’t let you do this.”
“You could die.”
“Then I die,” I growled at her, feeling feral. “Because I would rather cease to exist than cause you harm, Goldie.”
“Ee-than.” My name was a sob.
“No,” I forced myself onto my hands and knees and began to crawl.
I was out of my mind with the need to plunge into something hot and wet, but that something would not be Goldie.
Would never be her. Just stab a stake in my heart now, because that was preferable to making her relive a single second of her abuse.
Hara
He didn’t get it. I wasn’t upset about what I had to do.
I was upset because he was in pain. He was going to die.
Normally numba was heavily diluted and used sparingly among Kaluma.
His fingers were stained with the powder.
Pure, concentrated numba. He wouldn’t survive until I helped him through this.
I was a healer. I healed. That was my purpose. And if my cunt was his medicine, then I’d use it. I’d use whatever means necessary.
I didn’t feel afraid. I didn’t think of anything from my past. Because Ethan needed me, and I wanted to help him. I held the power here.
“Let me use my mouth, then,” I said. “Will you compromise?”