Alien Rights (2 page)

Chapter Two

“Shall we transport the Earther back to the
surface now, Commander?” Elon Tanes, second-in-command of astrocruiser
Neimus
,
awaited orders.

“No.” Kalgron Rodar bit back a sigh. “She
stays.” The
Neimus
would continue to orbit Earth until he determined how
to proceed.

Due to advancements in medicine and
technology, his home planet, Ralos, had become overpopulated. They’d had such
high hopes that Earth, inhabited by beings similar to Ralosians, would be
suitable for settlement. But extensive study of Earth’s society and people had
proved otherwise. The inhabitants of Earth had little tolerance for their own
cultural differences, which often resulted in horrific wars. They certainly
wouldn’t tolerate the Ralosians.

The male subject they’d recently returned
to Earth had been more accepting than most yet his fears had been profound.
When the exomed discovered precancerous cells in his prostate, the man should
have been overjoyed to receive treatment that would prevent the disease from
attacking his body. Instead he’d screamed and acted as if the anal probe caused
injury.

No, Earth wouldn’t accept the superior,
peaceful people of Ralos as their neighbors. He needed to remember that and
move forward with his primary mission.

Difficult when all he could think about was
the Earther woman held in the cruiser’s stasis chamber.

Emma-lee, with her creamy skin and luscious
body. So wonderfully responsive and vocal in her pleasure.

Flarken nishet
, he inwardly cursed.

The image of Emma-lee extending her arms
and calling out to him would be forever burned into his memory. From the first
moment he’d seen her, Kalgron had been captivated.

Kalgron, take me away!

He’d lacked the will to resist her
impassioned invitation. Orders issued for travel to another possible host
planet were forgotten, cast aside. One imperative drove him, to the point all
else ceased to exist. Kalgron had to have the exquisite woman. The very idea of
letting her go created an unbearable ache at the center of his chest.

The crew, confounded by his strange
behavior, cast surreptitious
glances his way. How could he explain his actions to others when unfamiliar
emotions overruled rational thought? He’d never shown interest in the subjects
or any desire for a mate, not that it wasn’t well within his right and power to
take one. But Emma-lee was different from the others.

Normally when subjects were brought onto
the cruiser for study, they were scanned by a medic utilizing a computerized
exomed unit. Brain activity and stored memories were analyzed and any detected
anomalies in the subject’s genes were repaired. The whole process took mere
minutes. Only Kalgron hadn’t allowed a medic anywhere near Emma-lee and had
performed the scans himself, spending countless hours in the chamber with her.

He didn’t know what had possessed him to
implant a translator in her brain during the scans. There was no need for
subjects to understand the Ralosians, who had mastered simple Earth phrases,
the only communication necessary during the brief interactions. But the strong
impulse to talk with Emma-lee had been undeniable.

Her physical appeal had drawn him in but
her inner beauty was what held him enthralled. Unlike other Earthers, she had a
keen intellect and believed life on other planets probable. Her desire for
astral exploration made Kalgron wish to take her with him—keep her as his
lifemate.

An instantaneous connection had snapped
into place between them when he’d entered the stasis chamber. And the way she
responded to his voice… Gads! He’d never encountered any being capable of
reaching sexual release from nothing more than auditory stimulus.

He should return the woman to her planet
and complete his mission. Return Emma-lee to her life and leave her in peace.

Nishet.

Kalgron shot from his chair at the command
console. The idea of leaving her behind compelled him to act. He hadn’t learned
the texture or taste of her skin or how it would feel to drive his erection
into her woman’s warmth. He would not give her up until he had exhausted his
lust for her and satisfied the intense sexual ache that drove him to
distraction.

“Continue to orbit Earth.” He barked the
command, unable to hide his impatience.

“Yes, Commander. And the woman?”

The inquiry shouldn’t have bothered
Kalgron. Shouldn’t but it did. His muscles tensed and he fisted his hands at
his sides as his blood boiled. Commanding the cruiser and all its occupants in
Kalgron’s absence was one of Elon’s duties. That made Emma-lee the other man’s
responsibility, no matter how much Kalgron hated the fact.

“I will be in the stasis chamber.” He
scowled at his second-in-command. “I am not to be disturbed. Not for any
reason.”

Disbelief shone in Elon’s amber gaze and he
visibly bit back a reprimand. His old friend would not challenge a superior in
front of their crew but Kalgron knew there would be an eventual confrontation.
Later. After he’d sated the dark needs consuming him. He turned and left
without another word.

Picturing Emma-lee’s naked body suspended
in the darkness, writhing under his verbal and mental assault, produced a
predictable physical reaction. Blood rushed to fill his cock, which lengthened
and hardened beneath the synth material of his uniform. Kalgron quickened his
pace.

Flat-panel trillium doors slid open with a
quiet whoosh. He nodded to several crew members who moved about the corridors.
Those who attempted to engage him in conversation were ignored. Kalgron had one
thing on his mind and no patience for further delays.

Entering the anteroom, he keyed in a code
to seal the doors and stripped off his uniform. A quick glance at the monitors
showed Emma-lee resting well and comfortably. He made a slight adjustment to
the room’s temperature to accommodate for his higher body heat before slipping
into the chamber.

Ralosians had enhanced visual capabilities
and were able to see in all ranges of light, due to slit-like pupils that could
expand to fill the entire globe and reflective lenses. His sharp golden gaze
took in Emma-lee. Overall the two races were very similar in appearance, with
the primary differences being the Ralosians’ significantly greater stature and
luminescent eyes. For some unknown reason the Earth subjects became hysterical
upon seeing his people, hence the lack of lighting in the stasis chamber.

At no time had Kalgron appreciated his
enhanced vision more than when he gazed at the nude body restrained vertically
in suspension for his gratification. She had rich brown hair cascading in waves
over slender shoulders to the middle of her back. Emma-lee was taller than the
average Earth female, yet smaller and more delicate than Ralosian women. And
softer. By the stars, Emma-lee’s creamy white skin looked softer than the
petals of a rare
eliligan
, a beautiful yet poisonous flower native to
Ralos.

He hungered to caress her skin and taste the
dewy moisture that glistened on the lips of her sex when aroused. That was
another big difference between their races. Earther women’s sex lips swelled
and darkened as the fluid flowed and, at the top, a tiny pulsing organ peeked
out of the pink flesh.

A search of Emma-lee’s mind provided the
word clit-or-is, which the computers informed him was the equivalent of a
miniature cock. More than anything, Kalgron wished to examine the small organ
and discover how it worked.

Enslaved by her beauty, it took some time
for him to realize Emma-lee’s body had tensed. Her pulse accelerated as she
tugged at the staticuffs and breathed deeper. Turning his attention to her
face, he found her nostrils flared and her light-green eyes searching the
darkness near where he stood.

“Emma-lee,” he softly sighed.

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s one word,
not separate. Emily.”

Getting the alien pronunciation correct
took several attempts, which brought frustrated sighs and much eye rolling from
the bound woman. But he finally managed, earning a nod of approval.

“Mind telling me how you know my name and
where the hell I am?” She scowled in his general direction. “And why the hell
am I naked? Not that my pink polyester uniform is much of an improvement but
it’s better than nothing.”

She struggled in vain against the
staticuffs again then huffed out a hard breath. The diagnostic display
monitoring the woman indicated a spike in her heart rate. She breathed in
shallow pants, her body trembled and her skin became damp.

“Emily, all is well. You must calm yourself
or I’ll have to administer a sedative.”

“I knew it. You bastard! You drugged me.”

Kalgron didn’t want to use a medication
that would dull her senses. Instead he used the exomed to stimulate the release
of hormones that generate feelings of lethargy and tranquility. The effects
were immediate. Emily calmed and her body relaxed yet she still managed to
scowl at him.

“You asshole.”

Her meaning was unclear. Their study of
Earthers indicated the word referred to the anus, an orifice through which
waste materials were eliminated from the body. He could not understand how this
could be related to him, even as she continued to complain.

“Take my clothes… Drug me… Tie me up in the
dark…”

Her words trailed off and Kalgron thought
she’d fallen asleep but then she began muttering again.

“Use that damn sexy voice… And that
delicious scent…”

Her head bobbed weakly. Kalgron adjusted
the staticuffs, turning her until Emily reclined. She needed to sleep but her
irritation kept her from surrendering.

“Hiding in the dark… Must be butt-ass
ugly.” Her head snapped up and once again, her gaze seemed to focus on him,
which was impossible. Earthers couldn’t see in the dark. “What’s your name?
Seen me naked, made me orgasm—could at least tell me your name.”

“You know my name.”

She shook her head drunkenly.

“Yes, Emily. You called me—invited me to
take you.”

She snorted. “No freakin’ way.”

He tapped a panel and a recorded holostream
projected before her. Emily’s eyes widened as she watched herself reach toward
the
Neimus
and call out to him.

She shook her head more urgently. “That’s
from a commercial, an ad for bath stuff. I don’t know your name.”

“You do, it’s Kalgron.”

“I said
Calgon
, not Kalgron.” Her
mouth closed, opened, remained that way as her face scrunched up in thought.
“Oh my god. The customer,” she gasped. “He wasn’t crazy. He
did
get
abducted.” She glared at him, again sparking the odd sensation that she could
actually see him. “By you!”

Emily renewed her struggles against the
cuffs and, despite the hormones, her heart rate spiked. “Holy shit. I didn’t
invite an alien abduction! I just wanted a break. You can’t go around snatching
humans off the street and probing them. It violates basic human rights.”

“Emily, calm yourself.”

She went completely still, shocking him.
Her concentration seemed to be turned inward for several nanoseconds before she
sputtered and yelled, “If you probed me, I’m going to kick your ugly alien
ass.”

Kalgron had the exomed deliver a dose of
sedative, sighing as Emily’s body went lax. Considering her dramatic reaction,
he’d never be able to reveal himself to her. She wouldn’t accept him and the
shock could damage her mind. He’d have to return her to Earth and find a way to
forget the enticing woman who already had a firm hold on him and wasn’t letting
go.

Chapter Three

A drum line pounded out a steady rhythm in
her head and Emily’s mouth was dryer than the Sahara. Her sluggish brain
provided a slow recap of her current predicament. Abducted by aliens, stripped,
drugged… Christ, she was in deep shit.

Her body hummed with banked sexual
awareness from the lingering masculine scent. She sensed the weight of his
stare, her nipples pebbling in response.

Kalgron hadn’t left her alone in the dark.
She should still be pissed as hell yet somehow the idea he’d stayed with her
had waves of warmth flowing through Emily. She wished he’d say something in
that seductive voice of his.

Hey, wait a minute. How the hell did an
alien speak English so well?

“How long have you been snatching people
from Earth?”

“My crew and I have been studying Earthers
for two of your moon cycles.”

“Two moon cycles? So what, about two
months?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not very long to learn a language.
Did you just take people who speak English? Because we speak a variety of languages
on our planet.”

“I don’t know your language well. When you
were brought onboard an aural translator was inserted, although there are still
some slang words I don’t understand, as there are no comparable words for them
in my language.”

Emily forced herself to concentrate on what
he said and tried to ignore the allure of his voice as it stroked her body.

“Aural translator.” She rolled the phrase
around in her mind, trying to decipher what it could be. “You stuck a hearing
aid in my ear?”

“Um…not exactly.”

She’d never seen him but Emily suddenly had
a clear mental image of someone evading eye contact by staring down at his feet
and scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe. He was guilty of something.
Her gut churned with the knowledge it was something that he thought would upset
her.

“What exactly did you do so we can
understand each other? And Kalgron…be very clear in your explanation.”

“I used a remote exomed unit to fit you
with a translator.”

Fit me?
“Uh
huh. And how does the medo thingy do that?”

He sighed. “I am Kalgron Rodar, commander
of astrocruiser
Neimus
. I am trained in space travel, not medical
procedures.”

“Guilty and evasive. What the fuck did you
do to me, oh lofty Commander Rodar?”

His voice changed, taking on a gravelly
note that heightened the sensations spreading across her sensitive skin.

“The exomed inserted a slender probe into
your auditory canal and implanted a translator within the part of your brain
responsible for language. I speak to you in Ralosian but you hear Earth English.”

Emily silently called him every curse she
knew and made up some new ones when she ran out. The list of ways he’d violated
her basic human rights kept growing longer. And yet she still wanted him,
craved the sound of his voice, yearned to experience his touch and to have him
fuck her into oblivion. Maybe if he fucked her it would take the edge off her
outrage?

Or not.

When she spoke, Emily used a syrupy-sweet
tone—one a man on Earth would realize indicated trouble. The alien had no clue.
“So you abducted me from my home, stripped me naked, performed brain surgery,
toyed with my body using that pheromone-laden alien voice and you continue to
hold me hostage in restraints. Did I miss anything?” She had to be forgetting
something. “Oh yeah, and you keep me in the dark because you’re a troll.”

“A troll?” He paused briefly. “No, I don’t
live under a bridge or in a cave. I am Ralosian, commander of this cruiser.”

Out of her long list of complaints, he’d
responded to only the last one. She groaned and fisted her hands. “Yeah, numb
nuts, we’ve established that. Riddle me this, Batman? How far have you taken me
from Earth?”

“
Flarken nishet.
”

Umm…okay, that definitely was not English.
In fact, it sounded suspiciously as if he’d cursed at her. Was the poor alien
abductor getting frustrated with the stupid little Earth girl?

Good! Serves him right.

“The
Neimus
orbits your planet.”

Really? He hadn’t hit her over the head and
dragged her off to deep space? She could go home?

“Then take this shit out of my head and
beam me back to the diner.”

A loud bang sounded, followed by a metallic
reverberation. Holy crap, had the big bad alien just punched the wall?

“Emma-lee.” He snarled her name—screwing up
the pronunciation again—and shock waves rippled along her nerve endings. Her breasts
grew heavy, her nipples tingled and cream gushed from her pussy to coat her
thighs. The alien took a noisy breath and she wondered if he smelled her
arousal.

“You are not going back to Earth. I have
seen your thoughts and memories. I know your desires. You do not—”

“You what?” she screeched. “How the hell
could you have seen my memories or know what I want?”

“We must scan each subject we bring on—”

“Scan? What does that mean? How was I
scanned?”

“Emily, you must calm down.”

“Fuck that! And don’t even think about
sedating me again or I’ll…” Bound on an alien spaceship, helpless, what the
hell could she possibly threaten him with. “I’ll never forgive you.” Okay, lame
but she didn’t have anything better at the moment.

“You
have
to forgive me. I am your lifemate.”

Lifemate?

She decided not to ask and figured she
probably didn’t want to know what that meant. And judging from the way he’d
said “lifemate”, she’d pushed him into a rash decision. Emily huffed out a
breath and jerked at her arm, wishing she could rub her fingers over her aching
forehead. To avoid being drugged again, she forced herself to temporarily set
aside her anger and instead attempted to reason with Kalgron.

Of course, not being able to see him put
her at a huge disadvantage in any negotiation. She needed to see his facial
expressions, read the emotions in his eyes and pick up any nonverbal cues.

“The least you could do is turn on a light
and let me see you.”

“Fine but the exomed will first administer
the sedative.”

“What? No, don’t sedate me. Jesus!” she
groaned. How was she supposed to make the pain-in-the-ass alien understand.
“That stuff messes me up and leaves me groggy.”

“There are differences between our races
and your people do not react well. The medication is necessary.”

“Look,” she grumbled. “I promise not to
freak out, okay? And if—
if
—I do, then I give you my blessing to sedate
me.”

She’d given him permission? Had she lost
her mind?

Emily blew out a hard breath and sought the
words to reach him, make him understand. “You have no idea how bad this sucks,
being kept in the dark, literally. I’m a very visual person. What I see is a
big part of how I communicate. When you leave me in the dark it’s frustrating.
I can’t relate to what’s happening. Can’t get a grasp of the situation.”

He remained silent for so long she began to
wonder what he was doing. She knew he hadn’t left the room. The strange
connection between them assured she remained aware of his presence.

“Kalgron?”

“I like the way you say my name, Emily.”

His voice had softened, turned husky, and
had an instant effect on her. She wasn’t the type of woman to use sex in order
to get what she wanted. Not normally. In this unusual case, she made an
exception. When she spoke again, Emily almost didn’t recognize her own lusty
voice.

“Please, Kalgron. You’ve seen me completely
naked, seen my body succumb to ecstasy. Now let me see you.”

He didn’t speak again and the frustration
got to her. “So you’re hideous then, right? One huge blood-red eye in the
center of your misshapen head, green reptile scales instead of skin, not even
tall as my knees and you have clawed feet? Because otherwise, why would you
hide in the dark?”

She sensed movement before he spoke,
confirming he’d walked around to her side.

“There are more similarities between us
than differences.” He continued to move and when he spoke again, his voice came
from behind her. “But those differences are pronounced. We will go slow, Emily.
Your eyes will need time to adjust.”

The alien was being very kind and
considerate. Emily could image how hard this must be for him, revealing himself
and facing possible rejection. She decided to make a concerted effort not to
freak out if the alien really
did
look hideous. After all, he had given
her the best orgasms of her life. In her book, she owed him.

And deep down inside, she wanted to like
Kalgron, regardless of the many human rights violations he’d committed. As a
child she’d dreamed of soaring among the stars, discovering new planets and
people. Emily never believed she’d actually get the chance to meet an alien or
ride on a spaceship, even if it only orbited Earth. Now, as an adult actually
facing the realization of her dream, she was determined to keep an open mind.

The first muted yellow glow of light had
her blinking and made her eyes water. She began to get a vague impression of
the room’s dimensions, close in size to her one-room apartment above the diner.

Kalgron had stopped talking and she missed
his voice, feeling almost lonely and bereft. “Are you still here?” She really
didn’t want to be alone.

“Yes, I’m here.”

Hearing him soothed nerves she hadn’t
realized were on edge. He seemed to understand and continued talking to her.

“This room is called a stasis chamber.”

As he spoke the light rose in slow, steady
increments, allowing her to make out more details. The walls weren’t the
gunmetal gray she’d expected but a pale blue. And the floor appeared to be
covered in a light-gray material.

“It’s equipped to provide medical care and
evaluate people from the different planets we visit, to determine compatibility
of our races.”

The words were inconsequential. He could’ve
talked in his own language and she wouldn’t have cared. Listening to Kalgron
eased her anxiety over what she might see.

“As your eyes adjust, the exomed will
gradually increase the light but tell me if you experience any pain.”

She glanced around the rather stark room.
There were colored buttons in various locations along the walls and directly
across from her was a navy-blue lounger. She wondered if Kalgron had sat there
and watched her body twist and thrash as she was overcome with pleasure.

He remained behind her and Emily speculated
that perhaps her alien was shy. Why else wouldn’t he let her see him, which had
been the whole purpose of turning on the lights?

Soon a warm glow illuminated the room. Her
eyes stung and if her hands were free, she would have scrubbed them over her
eyelids. Why the heck hadn’t he removed the restraints?

“Am I a danger to you, Kalgron?”

His laughter flowed over her, seeping
beneath her skin, easing Emily’s lingering anxiety and keeping her arousal
high. “No, sweet Emily. You pose no threat to me.”

Her gaze ran along the length of her arm to
the shiny black cuff circling her slender wrist. The cuff looked similar to a
bangle bracelet. To her dismay, the restraint wasn’t attached to anything yet
somehow managed to keep her immobilized.

She didn’t have to ask. Kalgron must have
noticed where her attention was directed because he offered an explanation.

“The staticuffs are controlled by the
exomed. They exert imperceptible pressure that immobilizes the wearer. With a
simple command I can adjust your position to suit my requirements.”

Emily gasped as she began to move, floating
from a somewhat reclined position, cushioned by air, to fully upright. She stared
down at her feet, which hovered an inch or two above the floor, black cuffs
also adorning her ankles, holding her aloft.

“Wow, that’s really cool.” The cuffs were a
simple concept yet far beyond any Earth technology. Her mind spun in crazy
circles as she wondered what other amazing advancements the Ralosians had over
Earth’s inferior technology.

The light touch of a warm hand to the small
of her back brought an abrupt halt to thoughts of scientific marvels. Shivers
of need raced along her spine.

“So soft and delicate, like the petals of a
rare flower.”

Delicate? Me?
At six feet tall and lushly curved, nobody considered her delicate.
At least, nobody on Earth. She had to remember the rules in space were
different.

Warm air wafted over her neck a heartbeat
before firm lips kissed the tender spot behind her ear. She moaned, tilting her
head to the side, an invitation for more. Kalgron didn’t disappoint. His lips
brushed over her, slid to the curve of her shoulder and parted for an
open-mouthed kiss. The damp tip of his tongue teased her skin, tasting her.

“Oh Emily,” he groaned. “My need for you is
so strong.”

“Then take me.” She wanted him so much,
nothing else mattered. She didn’t care what he looked like as long as he eased
the fire burning in her veins. “Kalgron, please.”

His fingers flexed before gliding across
her back and over the curve of her hip as he moved to her side. The hand
touching her felt large, easily spanning her lower abdomen. And considering
he’d reached her ear with his lips, he couldn’t be short. She held her breath,
anxious for her first glimpse of the alien who touched her with such tender
care.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered.

She didn’t want to but felt compelled to do
as he asked. Kalgron moved again, placed both hands on her hips, his long
fingers gently stroking the upper swells of her ass. She breathed deeply,
drawing his heady scent into her lungs. A whimper escaped her lips as she
sensed him stepping away from her.