Power: BBW Alien Lottery Romance (Chosen by the Karal Book 3) (10 page)

A shudder passed through her, that would be terrible. It was hard to understand that was what had happened to all the present populations’ mothers. To be rounded up, kidnapped from your planet with no real understanding and brought here simply to breed. To be raped and forced to carry your oppressors’ baby, only for the same thing to happen again.

Vanessa lay back down, trying to sleep, but the visions haunted her and so she got up, tackled the waterless shower, just as Okil had kindly shown her, and then dressed. Gathering up all of her drawings, she made her way to the seated area of her rooms and ate the rest of the food that had been brought to her, wondering how she was going to fill her days if she wasn’t allowed to leave the tower on her own.

It was some hours later that a knock at the door woke her; she hadn’t remembered falling asleep, so she was totally disorientated as she opened to Okil.

“Hello,” she said, still trying to focus.

“Vanessa. The Hier Ruler asked me to come and visit you, he said you wanted to see more of Karal.” Okil smiled, looking genuinely amused as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

“That would be fantastic. I’m a little bored.” She stepped back to allow Okil to come into her rooms. “Let me grab my shoes. What should I wear? Do I need a coat?”

“No coat. I have some food and water in my cruiser. So, just yourself.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve had any luck with those paints, have you?” she asked, as they were walking out to his cruiser, the fresh air making her feel revitalised. “I will never get used to how clean the air is here.”

“I thought that’s what we could do today. I can take you to an artist friend of mine. He works in the mines, but he paints in his spare time. He should be able to give you what you need.”

“I don’t have any coins to pay him.”

“Don’t worry. My treat. I have several thousand credits I never get round to spending. Going to Earth pays handsomely.”

He opened the door of his cruiser and she got in, settling back in the seat. This cruiser was a smaller version of the one they had travelled through space in. Their technology astounded her. But right now, she wasn’t going to ask him all of the mundane questions in her head. She was just going to sit back and admire the world around them.

He drove fast, but the engine was quiet and there didn’t appear to be any other cruisers on the road. Soon they were passing out of the small built-up area around the tower. Only when she looked back, did she realise how vast the complex was that surrounded it.

“The building houses our universities and libraries; anything of importance is here.”

“Under the watchful gaze of the Hier Ruler?” she asked, not realising until now how much power he held.

“His role is another that has been passed down from generation to generation. On Earth, you live in a democracy. In that you are further evolved than Karal.”

“Not that there’s a lot for our Presidency to rule over. Generally there are no wars because we have nothing left to fight over anymore. Most people are too busy trying to put food on their plates.” She smiled. “To think Earth was once so filled with abundant life like Karal.”

She watched the birds in the sky, wheeling around and around and then swooping down after insects. It had been so long since she had seen a sky so clear, and only when she saw the two suns was she firmly reminded that this was not Earth.

“So where are we going, Okil?” she asked as the cruiser left the ground and flew. She hadn’t been expecting them to leave the ground and she tried to calm her nerves.

“I am taking you to Grenvet. That is where my friend lives.”

“And that is the island where humans will go, if they don’t stay with their Karalian mates?”

“Exactly. I thought you might be interested in seeing it. To know that it isn’t some desert in which you will all dry out and waste away.”

“Very thoughtful.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and then plucked up the courage to ask him a question that had burned in her brain since she had met him. “You like us, don’t you?”

He looked at her and grinned sheepishly. “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes, but I don’t know why? I can understand the others, who have female mates. But not you.”

“I enjoy your music, your art.” He dipped his head in acknowledgement of Vanessa’s paintings. “I like the way you dance and laugh and don’t take everything too seriously.”

“You mean you like pretty much everything that’s wrong with the human race. Apart from art, and music, of course.”

He laughed. “You remind me of when I was a child, when everything wasn’t so serious. Our species is a sad collection of orphans, and I, along with others, think we need to change. We haven’t always been like this, but the last generation, the way they treated the females they brought here to breed. It was wrong, and we hope that if we can nurture at least a few thousand of your species, we might be able to bring a more sustainable life here to Karal.”

“And Lytril?”

“He is still in flux. That was why it was so important for you to come here, Vanessa. Thank you. And this is my way of saying that in more expressive terms.”

Ahead of them, the wide valleys were lush and green, but beyond that, there was a bright ocean, sparkling in the suns’ rays. They went lower as they approached, skimming the surface. Vanessa surged with joy as big dolphinlike creatures leaped into the air in front of them.

“Fushkil,”
he said, smiling with her. “They gather in large groups along the coast, basking in the heat. But there is where we are heading, that is the jewel we call Grenvet.”

And a jewel it was. Green, vivid hues blended together to emphasise the lush vegetation. “Wow, I didn’t realise he was promising us something so beautiful.”

“When he did, I knew there was hope, because I cannot see him handing this over to you, but he has put it before the council, so he will carry out his word. However, I think he instead wishes for your species to live side by side with ours.

She watched as they came in to land. Trees gave way to steep swathes of grass where herds of some kind of cattle stood grazing. “It’s wonderful.”

“The place we are heading for is three miles south. We will be there shortly.”

“Take your time,” she said, as she watched the variety of animals and vegetation passing her by. One day she would come here and sketch them all, but as a visitor, Okil was right, they all needed to learn to live together. Not an ocean apart.

“This is where Palu lives.” They stopped outside a small building made out of natural rock. It blended into its surroundings perfectly.

As they exited the cruiser, a door opened. A man, large, toned, and with dark features, the standard for Karal it seemed, stood smiling at them. As she approached, she could imagine him being a swarthy pirate, living here so close to the shore.

“Okil, hello. And you must be Vanessa. Okil told me you like to paint.”

“Yes,” she said smiling back at him. “And you do too?”

“Yes. Yes. Come this way. I have set some paints and paper out for you to take, but first let’s have some cold
jeweto
and you can look at my work.”

Jeweto turned out to be a kind of fruit juice, served freezing cold. Her first sip was too big and she got brain freeze, something she had never experienced, making anything this cold on earth required too much energy. The men laughed, she joined them, and a sense of being at home covered her. Yes, she could live here quite happily. If only Lytril could learn to loosen up.

“These are stunning,” she said, leafing through Palu’s paintings. “And all of these animals and plants are real, alive?”

Palu looked confused. “Of course.”

“Vanessa has painted from dreams and pictures for many years. All abundant life has gone from the Earth.” Okil smiled with sympathy at Vanessa and she felt foolish, like a child who had broken all of its toys.

“I can’t wait to paint the things I have seen on Karal. I did some sketches last night, but I have no colours.”

“Then let me give you some, Vanessa, and next time you visit you can show me what you have used them to create.”

“Thank you, Palu.”

Tired and irritable, he went to her rooms, only to find her absent. It had been a hard day working through the backlog of mundane reports that had been filed while he was away. That, coupled with reports from Torac about grumblings within the rest of the Hier Council had left him on a short fuse.

To Lytril it was a constant reminder of why he always kept his moods and emotions under control. A thing he had found impossible since last night. Being with Vanessa had left him craving her more and more. It was as if the more he had of her, the more he needed. It was also the reason he had chosen to abandon his duties early today and spend some more time with her.

“Rahcol.” He summoned a tower guard. “Do you know where the human is?”

“She left with Okil earlier. I assumed she had permission.” Rahcol kept his emotions under control, and Lytril was glad to see one of them still had their senses and obligations intact. Because the Hier Ruler was in danger of losing his.

“I asked her to be back early,” he muttered. “Ten lashes is what she needs for disobeying me.”

“Hier Ruler,” Rahcol said as Lytril marched back out of her rooms. He intended to find out exactly where she was. Okil would be sorry for keeping her away so long. His temper bubbled like uncontrollable lava, hot and all-consuming.

Heading to the control room where the tower surveillance was situated, he was surprised to see Okil coming towards him. All his anger dissipated, to become a broiling mixture of concern and fear. What if something had happened to Vanessa? What if the Hier Council had done something with her? Great, now he was becoming paranoid.

“Okil,” Lytril said, making him look up from the photograph he was looking at.

“Hier Ruler,” Okil answered, quickly putting the photograph in his pocket.

“Where is Vanessa?”

“Vanessa? She is painting. I thought you wouldn’t mind if she used one of the disused rooms with a balcony. Apparently the light is better if it’s natural.”

“Where?” he snapped, and then took a breath, realising his colours were starting to dart in streaks along his skin. “I am sorry, Okil. Thank you for accompanying her today. I take it you found some paints for her. That will keep her occupied while I catch up on things here.”

“Painting will work for the short term, but she will want to explore, to fill her mind with the sights and sounds of our world.” Okil looked as if he was going to add more, but he didn’t.

“And are you volunteering to be her personal guide, Okil?” Lytril asked suspiciously.

“No, I think it would mean a lot to Vanessa if you took the time to show her our world, Hier Ruler. Get to know her. Let her learn about our world and our customs from the one who will be the father of her child.”

“Thank you, Okil. Wise words.” Lytril ran a hand through his hair, his breathing ragged, and he could see the colours flashing along his wrist. He lowered his arm, pulling the sleeve down to cover it. “The last few days have been fraught with such strange emotions. My body is struggling to reconcile them. But reconcile them I must. Our world is changing and we must change with it if our species is to survive.”

Okil smiled. “Wise words, Hier Ruler. We need to move forward and not be stuck in the past. Only a man of great courage can see that and not be afraid to act.”

Lytril laughed bitterly. “For once, I do not feel wise. I feel like a child once more.”

“And that is the blessing we have been given. To feel emotions and live with them as we did when we were children. The humans on Earth do not try to quell their emotions, sometimes to their detriment. But we have grown unfeeling.”

“Because we never had mothers,” Lytril finished.

“I believe that both parents are needed for a well-rounded child, Hier Ruler.”

“Thank you, Okil. You have been a great ambassador for Karal.”

“I wish for us to find a way forward. That is all.” Okil bowed and left.

Lytril stood alone for several minutes, thinking about what Okil had said, and his conclusions were the same. The Karal were not meant to have only one parent. A painful twist of fate had left them bereft of females. Maybe now it was time to reverse that change. Tomorrow he would consult with their geneticists.

But for now, he wanted to be with his own female. He wanted Vanessa.

With a sweep of her brush, she had finished the painting she had started only two hours ago. It was amazing, as if she had been possessed. At least her brush was possessed. Maybe it was having all the wonderful colours to utilise in her work. She didn’t know, but a sneaky suspicion was that her feelings for Lytril had awoken something inside her that had died when her father was killed.

“Vanessa,” Lytril’s voice came from behind her.

Spinning around, she grinned at him before stepping back to show off her work. “It’s the island of Grenvet. Okil took me there today; he had a friend who paints, and he gave me all of these colours.”

“I am happy to see you enjoying my planet.” Lytril sounded different, but a good different, he had come here with his emotions open for her to see.

“There is one more thing I would like to enjoy today,” She came to him, her hair tied back in a scruffy ponytail and paint still on her fingers, but she wanted to feel his lips on hers.

Threading her arms around his neck, she pressed her body against his and felt the hardness of his arousal. Kissing his neck, she tasted his skin, feeling the buzz of electricity as she woke up his deepest desires. Lytril fisted her hair, kissing her roughly. She gasped against him, wanting him more than she had ever wanted anything. She owed him so much. If he had never chosen her; she would never have the opportunity to help humankind and to see the wonder of a living world.

“Take me to bed,” she whispered against his ear.

Pulling away from her, he glanced once more at her painting and said, “You have a talent. Will you paint some of the rooms downstairs, and the hall the Hier Council use? I think a mural will remind us all of what we are working to preserve.”