Intergalactic Desire (10 page)

Chapter 7

Six days after her run-in with Crev, Sia insisted Q let her return to work. She wouldn’t put it past Gary to ignore her loyalty and give her job to someone else. Initially, Q refused, citing fears of a possible ambush.

After some persuasion Quell finally agreed to let her return so long as he accompanied her. Sia wasn’t sold on having an alien bodyguard, but after talking to the Khans about the Stratans’ habit of making human kebabs, she reconsidered.

Not only did Gary not give her a hard time about bailing on work, but no Stratans were within spitting distance.

Q sat in his usual spot and slurped loudly on his chocolate milkshake through a red bendy straw. Sia swiped the straw out of Q’s mouth mid-slurp.

“Get it together, bro. People are watching,”

“What??” Q whined.

Sia suppressed laughter at the chocolate rim around the alien’s mouth. She wiped the mess away with her thumb.

Q remained secretly enthralled by the warmth of her brown eyes as she focused on cleaning him up, her taut breasts straining mercilessly against the cotton confines of her uniform.

“I think you got it,” he quipped, which threw Sia.

She masked her disappointment and grabbed his empty plate, stalking back through the swinging doors of the kitchen.

The moment was forgotten hours later when Sia clocked off work and she and Q spent the late afternoon catching a flick (a viewing of
Last Action Hero
with Arnold Schwarzenegger where Q spent all 130 minutes making fun of the Austrian’s accent) then walking around town together and eating corn dogs. They reached Q’s place close to 7 p.m., just as sunset approached. They were in the confines of the purple force field dismounting Q’s bike, laughing about one thing or another when the alien suddenly grew rigid.

“Dude, what’s wrong?” Sia laughed.

Q looked dead ahead of him. Sia followed his gaze and finally noticed a dark spot on the horizon that remained unflinching against the desert sun.

“It’s him,” said Q.

Quell’s jaw hardened when he spotted the Stratan standing a long way off. It was as if Crev had known where they’d be all along. He saw red when Crev sneered at him before disappearing.

Sia’s heart sunk into her stomach. “He found me.” 

“I’ll go.”

Sia put a restraining hand on Q’s broad arm. “No, we’ll both go.”

Q didn’t want to agree, but he saw the determined look in her eyes and relented.

They left the dusty roads far behind and travelled over dunes that rose and fell like golden clouds, showering sand over Quell and Sia’s shoulders. Crev and Turk were waiting for them; Sia noticed they were wearing the same clothes she’d seem them in a few days ago—maybe they were the only clothes they owned?

“I see you’ve brought your pet, Ku’ait,” Crev smiled insolently.

Quell didn’t like the way the Stratan’s eyes flashed over Sia’s voluptuous form as he helped her off of the bike. He would’ve liked nothing better than to beat the smirk right off of his smug face. But he was honor-bound as a Ku’ait to see it through. Crev tried to catch Sia’s eye, as though he really cared about her opinion of him. But Sia refused to look at him, simply clinging tightly to Q’s hand.

Both parties still stood a good 300 feet apart. “Why aren’t we moving closer?”

“This is how the Ku’ait and the Stratans negotiate. It is a sign of disrespect and aggression to move closer,” Q answered. “My name is Quell Forx of the Ku’ait. What are your names, Stratans?” he boomed, startling Sia.

“I am Crev Mort of the Iltara Clan. This is Rah Turk.”      

Sia found it faintly ironic that Q and Crev were talking to one another in such a formal and civilized manner, considering Quell had tossed Crev through a
sixth
floor window mere days before.

“Rah Turk, you are a Stratan Science Officer?” Q queried. Turk nodded.

“That makes sense, since he tried to probe the shit out of me…” Sia grumbled.

“Turk is a genetics specialist; we’ve been assigned to this area,” Crev supplied.

“What exactly is your mission, Mort? I doubt it’s to treat humans like cattle to use and exploit.”

“It’s not for you to decide which of my people’s customs are wrong or right, Ku’ait,” Crev snapped.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Stratan. As a Ku’ait, it is my duty to ensure that no harm comes to any species. If you persist, then you will have to answer to me.” Sia was impressed by the maturity with which Q spoke.

“You’re mistaken, Quell Forx, son of the great Protector, Plin Forx. I have no quarrel with you, nor with your people. We just want the girl.” Crev smiled sweetly.

“She will remain with us under Ku’ait protection until she chooses otherwise,” Q vowed.

The wind picked up, blowing sand in Sia’s face. She spluttered, tasting gritty salt on her tongue and rubbing her eyes vigorously. The aliens held their stance, giving no indication the wind even bothered them.

“There are two choices,” Q went on. “Either leave us alone, or we fight and one of us dies. Does that seem fair to you?”

“You can’t ask me to leave the girl alone. You know exactly what’s at stake! She has what we need to survive! Are the Ku’ait so petty that they would see their brothers destroyed just to save the humans?”

“The Ku’ait do not delight in the death of any species.” 

“Then give me what I need! What do you value more: the precision of Science or the fallacy of Humanity?!” Crev
bellowed.

“If you believe that Science trumps Humanity, then you don’t know what’s at stake.”

Q laughed extremely hard (which Sia
thought was extremely unwise) and this incensed Crev all the more.

“Then we’ll do this the hard way,” Crev sneered.

Just when Sia
was about to fire back that they weren’t going to cut any deals with creepy alien girl-jackers, Q
clenched his fists at his sides. “I guess so. Meet me on top of Coachman’s Knot tomorrow night. The last thing we need is for the humans to see our duel.”

Crev
nodded slowly, his forehead lined with forced concentration. “Let us meet at midnight.”

Quell took hold of Sia’s arm and led her away. Sia
turned around, shuddering at the predatory look on Crev’s face.

When they were finally out of earshot, Sia
began ranting at Q
for his hasty decision.

“Are you insane?! Am I supposed to magically be ok with you two bartering me off like a prized mule?!”

“No one’s getting bartered off.”

“So what’s the plan? Or do I have to first call Dionne Warwick on the Psychic Friends Network to find out?”

“You’ll wait with the Khans at the bottom of the Knot.”

“And you really think I’m ok with that?”

Q sank down into a rocking chair with a cold can of beer he’d swiped from the fridge. “Are you done?”           

“I’m really not! Do you think an alien death match is supposed to be rad or something? Because it’s not. It’s stupid! You shouldn’t be risking your life for me—I’m not worth all of this!”

She had definitely hit a nerve this time and Q let his chair fall to the side as he got up swiftly. He backed her against the wall. In all the time she’d known him, she had never seen him look so angry.

“You think this is just about you? The whole world could suffer if I don’t fix this. Wake up! This is real! Stop second-guessing me and let me make sure this isn’t all for nothing!”

He slammed his fist hard into the wall, seething from head to toe.

Sia forced herself to exhale.

“Are we really going to die?”

His anger ebbed away the second he saw her tears. He clasped her cheeks firmly in his calloused hands.

“I’m going to keep you safe. You can trust me.”

“I’ve always trusted you,” Sia whispered. “You’re the only person who’s earned it. But you can’t do this because…” She bowed her head.

But Q tilted her chin upwards. “Because what?” 

“Because…I fucking need you.”

And because tomorrow could be their last day on Earth, their hesitation evaporated. Sia pressed her fingers into the sides of Q’s face and kissed him. His hands dropped to her shoulders and gripped her so hard she wanted to hiss with the pain that coursed through her bones.

This time Q ripped her shirt with such vigor that Sia gasped in poised arousal as the buttons of her favorite plaid shirt spilled and rattled all over the floor like Skittles. She arched her neck as his right hand hovered an inch over the bare skin of her stomach and he drew some of her wanton urgency from deep within her body, pulling it to the surface of her consciousness with crude intensity that made the space between her legs pool with liquid desire. And it was all she could do to cling to him helplessly as he grazed his teeth roughly over her collarbone where her pulse point was located, soothing the pink marks a moment later with his tongue as he drew circles on her tender flesh.

She wasn’t a virgin but she never experienced such extravagant foreplay with anyone, ever. And if he wasn’t going to exist after tomorrow, she wanted him to have something of hers that she’d never had the courage to give to anyone else. She wanted him to have her heart.

The pleasure he wrought all over her body soon became too much for Sia. She pulled imperceptibly out of Quell’s
steel grasp and hastily began pulling his T-shirt over his head. Even though she’d caught a brief glimpse of him in the shower, Sia marveled at the chiseled muscles of his chest. She traced her fingers deliberately over them, pleased when she heard a guttural moan rip from his throat. Her lips quickly moved to Q’s side and swept over the tattoo on his left arm before moving lower, teasing him as her tongue licked a crude line over his exposed skin.

Q roughly dragged Sia back up to his ravenous mouth, swept her up and carried her to his bedroom.

Her back hit the soft, green duvet and the fabric rippled like a sea of tranquility. Q covered her body with his, kissing her lips with resolute sweetness that stilled her breathing. Sia first felt blazing hot, then painfully cold in one fell swoop as her hands swept around Q’s stomach and caressed the hard lines of his back. 

And when the time for waiting was finally over, Sia deftly flipped Q onto his back so she was straddling him now. His breath caught in his throat when he heard the soft click of his belt being undone by her shaky hands. But her gaze was steady as she fastened her lips on his and their moans enveloped them, racing to the hour of fruition.

Chapter 8

They awoke at dawn with the sun peeking through the curtains in Q’s bedroom, illuminating their naked flesh with golden amity. Sia would’ve loved to have stayed like that in Q’s arms for the rest of the day, to have told Crev where to shove his frigging duel. But she knew there was more than her safety at stake. And whatever happened tonight would be the culmination of things to come—good or bad.

Q reluctantly got out of bed and went to fix them breakfast. After eating mostly in silence and trading a few chaste kisses in-between, they took a shower together and got dressed.

They headed over to the Khan farm to inform the family of the duel. The four aliens took the news stoically enough, but Khin and Dax exchanged a look and Sia knew they were just as worried about Quell facing Crev as she was.

Khin remedied this by helping Q practice his dueling skills. According to Ariana, alien duels consisted of three rounds of fighting: first, a type of fencing was engaged in using a metal “ferrule”, a rod that emitted bolts of electricity when it struck something; second was a demonstration of their own specific abilities; and third, if a clear winner was not determined by the end of the second round, both aliens had to use their bodies to fight in hand-to-hand combat, to the death in extreme cases.

Before she could blink, the sun had set and the appointed hour descended. She, Quell and the Khans set off all too soon for Coachman’s Knot, which led all the way to the highest point in Halley’s Peak 20 miles away from town.

When they came to a stop, Quell removed his helmet and faced Sia. “I know you’re scared and worried about my safety. But everything’s going to be fine, I promise.”

“Liar,” Sia caressed his face. They’d finally found each other and Q was probably going to die tonight. Life sucked sometimes.

Q’s heart was just as heavy. “Please promise me just one thing.”

“What?”

“Promise you’ll remember me.”

Sia’s eyes swam with unshed tears. “Quell, I couldn’t forget you even if I tried. You’re tattooed on my heart.”

Crev and Turk appeared out of the thin veil of mist covering the mountaintop. She saw something glowing on both their necks and Sia remembered what Quell had told her about Stratan tattoos lighting up before important battles. She looked at Q’s left arm and saw that his Ku’ait tattoo was glowing as well.

“These are the rules of the duel: we will adhere to the general Ku’ait and Stratan conduct: ferrule combat, showcasing abilities and finally use of brute force. If there is no concession, we duel to the death. If you win, we cannot touch the girl. But if I win, I do as I please. Agreed?”

Q’s grip tightened on Sia’s hand. But his voice was steady nonetheless.

“Agreed.”

Sia watched as both he and Crev retrieved metal bars the size of flash lights from their pockets, extending them to form a long metal pole thinner than a baseball bat. While Q’s rod crackled with purple electricity, Crev’s sparked with red lightning.

Turk came to stand in-between them while they tried to out-glare each other. He drew a line in the sand with his boot, which Sia understood symbolized the line both fighters must cross in order to oppose one another.

“Begin.” 

Both aliens uttered loud war-cries as they charged forward. The metal rods collided, sending a dull, clanking noise rocketing through the air as red and purple lightning crackled and fused as one.

She wondered if anyone from town was looking at the sky with their telescope at this moment. If so, they might just be able to catch the multi-colored flashes currently exploding on Coachman’s Knot. She could tell at once that Crev Mort was a natural at the art of ferrule dueling; whenever Q launched himself at him, Crev dodged with a swift movement, crisscrossing his feet and angling his shoulder out of harm’s way before holding his hands above his head with the rod pointing down as he countered the intended blow.

Q was quick, but leaving his body vulnerable made it easy for Crev to attack each time. He clumsily avoided a thrust to the head by inches only for Crev to change tack rapidly and land a heavy blow to his ribcage. Sia screamed as Q was thrown back into the sand. Crev advanced on him and swiped again at his head. But Q rolled out of the way and raised his ferrule to parry a second blow. He feinted to the right and aimed a low blow at Crev’s right ankle. The Stratan howled in pain and rolled onto the ground before the fight resumed.

Even though Sia knew she should feel terrified, a thrill of amazement stole through her while watching Q and Crev fight. At one point, a genuine palpitation stilled her heart when Crev aimed his deadly red lightning at Q and sent him rocketing into the air. But after spinning several times mid-air, Q landed squarely on his parted legs, sliding backwards for a few feet until he came to a skidding halt. Then, before Crev could defend himself, Q emitted a strong gust of wind from his outreached palms, hitting his foe square in the chest and sending him falling onto his back.

When both aliens seemed to have exhausted most of their powers, they fought head-on with their fists and feet instead in the final round of dueling. Q fell to the ground after another of Crev’s brutal barrages, clutching his chest with one hand and spitting blood from his mouth, staining his perfect teeth a brownish maroon. But he wasn’t beat just yet as he aimed a powerful kick at Crev’s kneecap, breaking it and sending him onto his uninjured knee with a shout of mingled agony and fury. That left both aliens rising awkwardly onto their feet, limping with broken limbs and eyeing each other with fatalistic scowls.

They circled one another and Q knew it was now or never—he must finally end this. His body was racked with pain and his breathing was heavy and labored from his cracked ribs that clattered precariously in his chest. He could feel his right eye swelling up, closing rapidly; he wouldn’t have another chance to finish it if he didn’t act now. He thought back on everything his dad had taught him about fighting. Only one thing came to mind in the moment that he wasn’t sure he could do:

“You must let him hurt you beyond your endurance,”
Plin Forx had said, gripping his son’s scrawny shoulders with every vestige of strength in him.
“He will mistake your vulnerability for weakness. And so it will blind him to a greater truth: pain will set you free from arrogance.”

Q closed his eyes briefly, focusing on every memorized contour of Sia’s beautiful face and skin just in case he failed. Crev shouted in his own language and sprinted head-on toward Q, his handsome face streaked with blood. He felt the Stratan’s bruised knuckles make sharp contact with his chest and shatter the cracked ribs. The pain shot through him like razor blades, sending a strong dose of pure adrenaline rushing to his brain. He roared with anguish, rage and defiance as he took hold of Crev’s right arm and twisted it so the bone snapped cleanly in two. With Crev’s torturous diversion, Q wrapped both hands around his neck in a steely grip and pulled with all his might. His hands rotated to the right and with a quick motion, he snapped Crev Mort’s neck. The Stratan’s eyes widened in furious horror before they stilled and he pitched forward.

Turk fell to his knees before his fallen comrade. Q was now hunched over, clutching his injured chest as Sia rushed to his side. She watched as Turk raised his hand over Crev’s face, trying to revive him. But Crev’s crystal blue eyes were frozen in place and his bloodied jaw had gone slack with inertia. He was dead.

Sia wrapped her arms around Q’s neck and hugged him tightly, crying convulsively. He was bleeding and broken, but he was alive. That was all that mattered to her. Q wrapped his good arm around her back and felt tears sting his own eyes. He had beaten Crev and Sia was safe. They could finally be together.

They forgot completely about Turk kneeling next to Crev’s corpse as they looked steadily at one another. Q smiled and ran his bloody fingers across Sia’s warm cheek. “Do you still think I’m your bitch?”

Sia laughed through her pools of tears. “Yes, but I like you better that way.”

Q laughed too and their lips melded together in a rush of joyful passion. “You are my family now,” he whispered against her hair.

Sia said nothing, but hugged Q tightly. Deep down inside, she felt the same way.