Chapter 5 #2
There was quiet shuffling behind her, and she realized the other Threns were leaving. They were leaving her alone with him. A wave of fear threatened to breach, but she pushed it back as he spoke to her with that deep, penetrating voice.
“You are from Earth,” Screl asked, though again it was more of a statement than a query.
“Yes,” she breathed, unsure of what else she was supposed to say.
“Why did you come here?”
That one actually sounded like a question, but again, Lena didn’t know how to respond.
“I… I saw the advertisements. I don’t know. It just felt like the right thing to do. It’s not like there was any reason for me to stay on Earth. And… weirdly enough, I felt like this place called to me.”
Why in the world would she say that? To him, of all people. She’d hardly even admitted it to herself that, no matter how much she tried to forget about Henios, she couldn’t stop herself from looking at the ads over and over again, like it was an obsession.
“Called to you, hmm. It is an intriguing place, but such a long way from home. What about your mate… or mates?”
Was he really trying to ask if she was taken?
“I’m not married, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Screl narrowed his eyes, though his mouth was still curled into a smile.
“Such a beautiful female like you without a mate? I can hardly believe it.”
Lena’s breath caught in her throat, and she tried to ignore the way her skin tingled with each brush of a tentacle. Was he mocking her?
As a middle-aged human, there were many far younger and more spry than she. Women who a strapping alien like Screl would likely be eager to mate with.
“Very funny,” she muttered, rolling her eyes until a tentacle gripped her chin and jerked her attention back to him.
“I would not joke about that, little human. I’m certain if I knew exactly how many you’ve spread your legs for, it would fill me with an envy that knows no bounds.”
Somehow the threat coiled a knot of tension in her core, the possession in his voice intriguing her when it should have scared her.
It did scare her, the way she so quickly accepted it despite every alarm bell in her screaming at her to leave.
Not that he had given her much choice, with his arms and tentacles encasing her.
“Oh, you only want me spreading my legs for you?” she asked, the question coming out before she could stop it.
It was a natural tendency to play along with the flirting—if you could call this flirting—one she’d honed after years tending bar. But this was far too much, like she’d tossed her sense of self-preservation right out the airlock.
The tip of a tentacle traced along her collarbone, sending a shiver down her spine.
“Lena, I would do anything to own every part of you. To know that no others would ever touch you again.”
Every one of her muscles strained, desperate to escape.
She was alone with this… no. He wasn’t a monster.
He might appear monstrous to her, but he was just a different species.
One who clearly thought they had weird claims over bartenders they barely knew.
She needed to get away, but it was difficult to concentrate with his tentacles caressing her, a shiver of pleasure running through her entire body.
“Why are you here?” she asked suddenly, trying to pull herself out of the strange reverie.
Anything to get her mind off the sinful thoughts spinning in her head, of Screl parting her folds and pushing one of those tentacles inside her. Yet another thing she didn’t need to be imagining as she trembled in the commander’s lap while he talked about owning her.
“Perhaps I was called here too. Though I did not expect to meet such a pretty little pet.”
Now she was sure he was mocking her, and why did he keep calling her pet? Clearly, he thought of her as an animal. The Thren equivalent of a cat or dog. Which sort of made sense as she sat on his lap, quivering under his sweet strokes.
“I’m not your pet, Commander Screl,” Lena said with brazen annoyance, trying to shrug off the pleasure of his touch.
He made that weird laughing noise again.
“Of course not,” he said, though she couldn’t help but wonder if there was an unspoken not yet lingering on the tips of his dual tongues.
“Are all Threns as bold as you?” she asked, her eyes squinting into a glare.
That earned her another laugh.
“I do not consider myself bold, though there are certain perks to being a prince.”
“Oh? What kinds of perks?”
Lena wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer, but curiosity got the best of her. Perhaps she was no better than a cat.
“I can take whatever pleases me, and no one can do anything to stop me.”
The answer sent ice through her veins.
Her skirt was riding up uncomfortably, and she tried to pull it down without making it obvious. Screl noticed her movements and brushed one of his tentacles across her legs, a jolt of lightning shooting straight through her.
“Of course you can,” Lena said finally, hand clasped on the edge of her skirt, trying to ignore the appendage that was writhing back and forth against her bare skin just as it had done last night.
Last night when she’d let him pleasure her while on the dancefloor.
“Come with me. I have a ship. I will not be on the station long.”
Screl cocked his head slightly, as if waiting for an answer.
Go with him? Was this guy serious?
“Oh… I would love to see your ship, but I can’t leave work,” she sputtered.
Of course, he wanted to show off his fancy ship. Probably got it from his daddy, the wealthy Thren sovereign. There’s no way she’d be getting on any ship with him.
“I wish you would come with me, Lena. We could enjoy each other’s company like we should have enjoyed it last night.”
His words were playful, but he sounded serious.
Come with him? Did he mean, like, actually leaving Henios permanently? She had assumed this was a poor attempt at getting her into his bed—or whatever Threns slept in—like he’d done last night.
Panic clawed at her chest, and she tried to stand, struggling against his grasp. He held her still for a long moment before releasing her.
“Commander Screl. Your invitation is very kind, but I can’t leave the station. I enjoy it here. If you need more service, I can help you. Otherwise, I will leave you to your drink.”
He made a humming sound, then stood up, following her. He was so tall that she had to strain her neck to look up at him, and he grabbed her hips, tangling his tentacles into her hair once more.
Lena sighed deeply, a strange calm enveloping her. This man was threatening her, wasn’t he? Why was she okay with this?
“Come with me, Lena. I will take care of you.”
Every time he said her name, she felt a twinge of pleasure. This wasn’t right. She needed to get out of here. Now.
“This is entirely inappropriate,” she breathed, even as she herself didn’t fully believe what she’d said.
His words and actions were arrogant, sure, but she didn’t dislike it, didn’t want him to stop. The tentacles were oddly sensual, the way they swirled around her body and caressed her, making her feel safe and comforted.
Surely, she was safe with the prince of a powerful planet.
He’s toying with you. He’ll fuck you and leave you like everyone else. He has a perversion for humans, just like Ochin and Adrax said.
Lena shuddered and tried to push him away, though that only made him tighten his grip.
“Do you want me to stop?” Screl asked, those glowing blue eyes staring down into hers.
“Yes…” she said, desperate to get away, yet dreading losing contact with him.
There was another humming noise, and he released her, forcing her to stumble back a few steps.
“I will return with another round,” Lena said, then quickly left the enclosed area.
She couldn’t breathe, stifled by whatever weird tension was going on between them and eager for air.
What the hell was he doing to her?