Thrust into the Alien's Arms (Lords of Astria) (3 page)

The next day three large coffees were not enough for Shauna. She dragged her ass into work, bags under her eyes, and was barely able to keep upright. She supposed the high of her delusions had peaked and now she was paying the price. Adax didn’t exist, and if he did he was a cruel bastard; or, her mind was playing tricks on her and she couldn’t trust even herself.

Her coworkers began to snark behind her back. “What’s up with Shauna?” muttered one. “Has she been on drugs this whole time?”

“I think so!” said another. “After all, last couple weeks she’s been the best performer, showing us all up, but now she’s looking like something the cat dragged in.”

“Totally. I always suspected she was an addict of some kind. Either that or completely loony.”
“Yeah, she might have some serious mental problems. Who else goes from that high to that low?”
Shauna overheard some of them as she was standing by the door to the backroom, but didn’t have the energy to confront them.
What does it matter anyway? They won’t believe a word I say if I do tell them. I probably
am
loony.

The day was going by as slowly as Shauna’s pace. And what’s more, she couldn’t seem to make a sale if her life depended on it. Her spark was just extinguished. Part of her heart was, well, maybe not breaking, but at least dented.
I can’t even trust the men I make up,
she thought.
Some part of me really did feel he was real though. And the sensations, they were real for sure.

“Shauna,” came Jennilee’s voice. “You need to come into the back room. We have to have a talk.” Just then she felt it again. That sensation of being touched, almost invaded.

“Get out of here,” she yelled aloud, unconsciously. “I told you, this isn’t appropriate. What are you doing?”
“Who are you talking to, Shauna?” hissed Jennilee, pulling her behind the curtain into the office area.

“What? I’m sorry. I don’t know. I think I have to go home.”
Jennilee’s face switched back and forth between anger, fear and concern. She didn’t know whether she should fire Shauna on the spot, or commit her. She settled on agreeing to her request and sending her home.
This time. If it happens again, then the girl is out on her ear.

“Look Shauna, I need someone here I can count on. If you have issues you need to deal with, get them sorted and then we can talk about you coming back. But I can’t have you scaring the customers.”

Shauna had stopped listening to her boss. The scraping sensations were getting closer to her center, and she was starting to panic.

“Get away from me!” she yelled, and Jennilee hand furtively reached over to the security button under her desk.

A voice piped up between her ears: “Say that you’re sorry, but you need to go home. Either that, or take off your top. One or the other!”

What the hell? Adax always gave me good advice before,
Shauna thought, shocked.

“I’m not Adax
,”
came the voice, quickly. “I am much better than Adax. I am Jag.”

Who the fuck is Jag? She thought furiously. She almost yelled this last question aloud, but was able to keep it under control.

“I’m sorry Jennilee,” she finally sputtered. “I perfectly understand what you’re saying. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I think I need to go to the doctor!”

She had said the magic words. Jennilee was mollified, and her hand slowly returned to her lap. “Ok Shauna, you do that. Let me know if you can continue work. But for now, just take care of yourself.”

Shauna practically ran out of the store. Her coworkers watched, whispering and laughing behind their hands.
The best worker had finally lost it! Now it was time for them to shine.

Safely in her car, Shauna decided to drive to a nearby park. It was always a haven for her, the way it abutted both the beach and the forest. She was just pulling into the parking area when she heard Adax’s low, rumbling, sexy voice in her head.

“Hey there Shauna!”

“What the fuck,” she snarled back at him. “Where have you been?”

“Calm down, what’s going on, what’s wrong?”

“Who the fuck is Jag?”

Adax’s blue Prince’s blood turned cold.
Jag!
That was the name of one of the Dark Nebulans.
Certainly she couldn’t be talking about him! Don’t panic, Adax
, he told himself.

“Why do you ask that question?”

“Someone named Jag has been invading my thoughts and hurting me. At first I thought it was you. Are you pretending to be nice to me or what?” She pulled the keys out of the ignition, got out of the car and slammed the door, running down to the beach area. It was fortunately deserted. She wiped angry tears from her eyes. “He hurt me, Adax!”

“He touched you?” Adax cursed himself
and
the silly party he had been at.
Why had he spent so much time celebrating with the council, when the thing hadn’t even been accomplished! And now somehow a prominent Dark Nebulan knew about his plan to marry this earthling. This gorgeous, and beautiful earthling.
In a moment of unusual consideration for Adax, he realized that instead of helping the earth and the federation, his actions had ended up putting this beautiful creature in danger. That should be a crime in itself! He was kicking himself.

But what to do? How to solve the problem? Would he have to go down to earth? Snatch her up himself? Would she even choose to go with him?

Shauna sat on a log on the beach and looked out at the beautiful water, it’s calm waves lapping against the shore giving her some sense of peace. She loved nature.

“Hello Adax,” she heard in her mind. The voice was low, taunting. “I’ve found your earthling.”

“Jag – leave her alone. I am warning you,” Adax’s voice growled.

“You think I am frightened by a prince in a pretty-boy colony of a tourist destination? B3-6 hardly has the firepower to defeat us. And besides, I’ve taken a liking to your little princess here. Isn’t that right Shauna? And soon you will love me and what I have to offer as well.” She could almost sense him stimulating himself as he said that last, the curl in his voice somewhat unmistakable.
“No, I am definitely not interested. Get away, Jag!” The feel of a languid finger drifting up against her thigh. The feel of it being swatted away. “Why can’t both of you leave me alone!”
 

“Don’t say that, Shauna, please. I love you, and I can offer you everything. You can be a princess in my land. Your every need will be taken care of. And it is the most beautiful land in the galaxy!”

She could hear the laughs of Jag echoing in her thoughts as Adax spoke.

“Look I am coming to get you right now,” said Adax, “if you’ll come with me. If you don’t, I’m sorry, but you won’t have the protection of the Federation, and you’re going to need it.”

“You’ll come? You mean this is real, and not something I’ve just made up?” Shauna asked. “When will you arrive?”

“You need not go with him Shauna. I will take you places you could only imagine. Come with me,” Jag’s voice wheedled. “Besides, if you go with him, once we destroy his planet, you will also be destroyed. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’ll be there, in earth time, well, right now,” said Adax’s voice. He hit the controls of the particulator beam, locking on the coordinates of the beach where Shauna was taking refuge.

In seconds, there was a bright light, on the surface of the water. Then, coming out of the foam, a very tall, very well built, lavender-skinned, dark haired man. He was naked save a small robe. Shauna gaped. This was the creature that had sent his image. This was the person called Adax. And he was gorgeous. Was he really there? She ran down to the place where the sand and water met. Adax smiled at her rakishly, desire in his eyes.

“Shauna, my beautiful princess,” he called as he strolled out of the surf, revealing the rest of his body inch by inch. “You need to come with me, and quickly. Will you be mine? Will you be my princess?”

I don’t have much choice at the moment,
she thought.
Either I go with him, and trust that he makes me safe, or I risk my life with Jag coming after me. Or I end up in the lunatic asylum, because this is insanity.

He reached her, put his hand out to touch hers, and enclosed it in his large, lavender palm. His touch filled her with longing, with peace. This was the touch she had been used to all these nights of bliss. This was the creature she had begun to love.

“Adax, am I crazy? Do you even exist?”

“No you’re not crazy, you’re wise, beautiful, kind – just the perfect princess for my people. The one that will make our planet whole, and who will cement B3-6’s place in the federation treaty. But most of all, the one who will make me very, very happy.” He took her in his arms, slid a finger under her chin, tipping her face up to his. “And yes, I exist.” His lips were parted, and just as they were about to touch Shauna’s waiting kiss, there was a crack in the air and another bright flash, this time on the beach.

It was Jag.

After the flash, the sky seemed darker. Reddish. And contrary to the fantastically beautiful reveal of Adax, the more of this creature that appeared the more she felt as if she might throw up or faint, soil herself, or worse. She shivered.

“Hello Adax,” said the creature, in its preternaturally booming voice. “Fancy meeting you here. I have come to collect my princess.”

“Your princess!” sputtered the lavender-skinned Adax. “She is my princess.”
“Wait – are you talking about me?” Shauna stomped her foot in a display of bravado. “I am nobody’s princess! Not until I decide to be, anyway.”

Adax looked at her
. Of course she was correct,
he grumbled inwardly,
as badly as that might turn out for her. And for him
.
There was no way the council on B3-6 would consider a forced marriage valid. The law on the planet would forbid it.
But still, this was the one earthling he wanted, and Adax was not used to having to fight for anything at all, much less for the affections of a simple earth creature.
And the very same one that he was charged with protecting! She couldn’t go with Jag, she just couldn’t!
He wanted to stamp his own foot, but was afraid he’d look twee.

“You are the prize. Prizes don’t have opinions,” said Jag, with a malevolent chuckle. “If I want you, you will be mine. Come over here,” he ordered. “Leave that lavender ninny where he is and come to your commander.”
“Commander!” Shauna tossed her hair in indignant rage. “How dare you?” She quivered, but she was too proud to show her fear. The voices that were in her head were finally instead out in the open, and she was starting to feel more herself. Her strength was coming back in proportion to her fear.

“How dare
I?”
The pale creature looked at her incredulously, contempt shining in his beady eyes. “You are amusing, little one.” He advanced on them, closing the distance.

“I don’t have time to explain, Shauna,” whispered Adax as he kept his eyes trained on the hideous alien, “but you need to marry me. I know it sounds crazy. If you marry me you will be under the protection of the treaty. Earth will be that much closer to being saved. Trust me, little one. It’s our only hope.”
“Right now? How am I supposed to marry you, there’s nobody here to perform the ceremony!” Her head was reeling, that this was her only real objection – she had such little choice.
 

“You need to just pledge to me, and then the marriage is legal on my planet.”

Shauna thought a moment, biting her lip. The sky darkened ominously. “But I don’t know you!”
“Know me!? I’ve been in your mind for over a month! How could you know anyone more!”

She looked into his eyes, seeing worlds she had never seen in the blue orbs. But there was also trust, love, and devotion.
Well there may not be not much choice, but at least with him, there’s hope.
Jag was getting closer to them, and she could smell his putrid odor even from where she was standing.  His clawlike hands, his clear arousal evident from the erection in his pants. Adax quickly spoke as he was drawing near.

“Say, I pledge myself to you Adax the commander,” began the lavender alien.

She repeated quickly as possible, while Adax said the same to her, substituting “Shauna the earthling,” for his name and title.

“I will join you, honor you, and love you for the good of ourselves and the greater good of the federation.” Shauna almost stumbled over the last few words, but got them out.
“Auuughhhh!” Jag cried in frustration, as his hand had been just about to close around Shauna’s delicate wrist. “You watch yourselves, Federation slime!” he roared. “We will be victorious over you and your weak planet!” He shook a fist in the air.

“Adios,” said Adax, pulling Shauna to his side. Jag fell into nothingness, his body disappearing particle by particle into the mists of surf, into the atmosphere. The skies lightened as the sun came back out, once the specter of the Dark Nebulan had dematerialized.

“So, finally, you are my princess, my love,” said Adax, turning her body toward his. He took in her beauty, her hair blowing in the wind, her eyes glowing with relief and hope. He didn’t hesitate this time, his mouth claiming hers, searching hers, the trill of his tongue sending chills to her center.

As the wind whipped around them, they kissed wildly, as she leaned into his strong embrace, tangling her hands into his dark hair, until she felt the familiar feeling of probing inside her.

“Not here cowboy!” She admonished, smiling at the handsome prince in front of her.
“But you are so hard to resist,” Adax said, biting his lower lip in desire. “You are so sexy. All of B3-6 is going to go wild when they see you.”
“B3-6?” she asked.

“Well of course, my home planet.
Our
home planet,” he corrected himself, happily, delighted that he was able to achieve his objective on the Shauna mission. He didn’t want to lose face in front of all the revelers and the federation.

“What? I can’t leave Earth! What are you saying! What would Professor Meowington do?”

“Ah yes, your companion animal!” Adax furrowed his brow. “Well he’ll have to come along.”
 

Just then she felt a funny feeling in her stomach.
“Don’t worry, that’s just the particulator beam,” said Adax, reassuringly, as his image began to swirl in front of her. Then there was nothing but light and sound, and a long drawn out wail of protest – one that Shauna immediately recognized as the unmistakable cry of Professor Meowington.