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Chapter Text

Clawed, dexterous fingers flew over the crimson interfaces as deafening alarms ringed in his ears. Fires erupted all over the hull and inside the cabin from the explosions. Blown out jagged metal from fissures and tears in the plated walls slithered like serpents through the interior structure. Suspended, exposed wires dangled from the ceiling and busted terminals, the crackling ends of the coils creating sparks every time they swung onto the railings. Red lights blindingly flashed in frenzied panic as water seeped steadily from the vessel's oxygen pipes, creating dangerous puddles so close to the angry, snapping electricity.

The fully armored yautja recoiled with an anxious bark as another blast rocketed over the ship, barely missing the main engines by a few meters. A display of blue and white lights flashed, illuminating the cockpit in a deadly spectacle. With shields at only forty percent, there would be no way the hull would hold against another direct hit. He took the helm and banked sharply from side to side, releasing debris into the vacuum of space to try and throw off his assailant’s targeting systems, but it was unsuccessful. The significantly larger clanship remained right on his tail, its cannons firing without restraint.

The furious voice of the Elder echoed throughout the control room from the comms, calling the fleeing yautja a traitor, a defector, a fugitive, demanding that he surrender and return for retribution or be obliterated. He ignored these threats, certain that if he did return, he would be executed mercilessly. He growled at the speaker with a sneered, “Pauk-ui!” and smashed the communications terminal with a closed fist, causing a whine to screech from the damaged computer, silencing the irate shrieking of his former leader. He resumed his concentration on priming the main thrusters, keying in the sequence of numerals to activate the charges for the jump through space, all the while trying to maneuver the ship out of the way of the plasma missiles hurtling towards his commandeered vessel.

His once revered and respected Elder, Ha’Kuth, had lost it, the older yautja consumed by a blinded rage and a voracious desire for power and synthesized evolution. He had become obsessed with creating the perfect hunter, the perfect killer, the perfect predator which was absolutely ludicrous. There was no need for it. His people were already the prime species of the universe. Even as a born and bred member of the Apex Clan, Ni’Kotam had always known that what his seniors were doing was wrong and unnatural. The gene editing, the splicing, the upgrading. It was not right, it was not honorable. Where was the pride felt in one's achievements if the target did not stand a chance against such an advanced adversary? What point was there to the hunt if one is already stronger than the prey they pursued?

Even when faced with the opportunity to upgrade himself after he was Blooded, he outright refused, but doing so exacerbated his already maverick status in the clan. He only relented because of the societal pressure from his brothers, deciding to inject human DNA for it was far less dangerous and manipulating than what others had done to themselves. That choice would further isolate him, the homosapien genes providing him with deeper emotions and a more philosophical intellect. Those new traits made it even more difficult to witness many of his fellow clan members become abominations, monsters even in his own eyes, as a result of the experiments. They were praised for the courage and devotion to develop and grow into what they would consider to be better and stronger yautja. He had been disgusted by it.

Ni’Kotam could not stand another minute of Ha’Kuth’s ramblings, belligerent talks of progressing the species, of abandoning traditions and essentially turning their backs on the rest of society. Becoming outcasts. Becoming Bad Bloods. It was the most dishonorable and shameful course of action the Elder had taken, and the clan just followed him without objection, the population addicted to the upgrades, enhancements, and ‘improvements’. The others did not see that their leader had been plagued by the Rage sickness. The illness caused uncontrollable wrath that twisted and gnarled his mind and clouded his judgment that would only lead to irrational decisions and the inevitable destruction of the entire tribe. They called his new ‘teachings’ the Exaltation, the next stage in yautja evolution.

They did not realize what had been done to them, how far they had fallen. Ni’Kotam had watched helplessly as each of his fellow brothers and sisters fell victim to those horrendous modifications, not all of them coming out alive. Some had paid for this unnecessary affliction with their lives, their bodies too perverse and mutilated as the DNA that was injected into their blood contorted and marred them indefinitely beyond recognition.

Instead of showing them mercy and ending their misery quickly, their broken forms were kept alive. Their agonized screams and tortured cries resounded through the entire ship, their sole purpose now only for dissection and research. Ni’Kotam did not know or want to know how gravely they suffered, how painful it must have been to be taken apart piece by piece, to be studied and inspected like an insect, all for a futile and meaningless endeavor to advance the species.

It had been what humans called a nightmare, to witness those who had survived the Exaltation become vicious and brutal thugs, no better than their beastly cousins that occupied entire planets to hunt game they had kidnapped. Fights between brothers were now a common occurrence, most ending in bloodshed and death. Breeding for genetic purposes had been all but forgotten as the dynamic between the genders had flipped entirely. Most females could not bear pups any longer, their bodies too deformed to carry a pregnancy to term. Females that refused an advance from a male were raped and executed often. Many had been killed already, and the ones left had either become as twisted as their male counterparts, or were nothing more than sexual slaves.

All were possessed, fixated on an unworthy goal that had poisoned the minds of each yautja. At the forefront of this demise was a leader who not only approved of this new way of life, but aggressively enforced it.

Less than a cycle ago, the clan was called into the large foyer, a communal area where announcements could be made for everyone to hear. It was usually only used in emergencies, but lately it had become more and more frequent as Ha’Kuth’s mental state continued to decay. The Elder stood on a platform above them all, in his withered, ceremonial garb and his ki'cti-pa that had seen countless battles at his side. Standing there amongst his people, observing their malformed bodies and snarling maws with disdain, Ni’Kotam hoped that whatever the Elder had to say, it would be quick so he could retreat back to his bunk. It would more than likely be just another hunt to be organized. Perhaps he would finally be able to get off this ship and claim a trophy. Something he had not done in a long while.

Ni’Kotam could vividly remember what the Elder spouted so passionately about on that altar. His words were filled with hatred and venom, the vile sermon resonating throughout the atrium of the clanship and clawing its way into the lost souls of his brethren. He shouted of his loathing for humans, that the lesser beings had become too arrogant and haughty as many of their kind had been able defeat more than a few hunters before. He had alleged that they were weak, insignificant, too much of a nuisance and not worthy of hunts any longer. Ni’Kotam wanted to scoff at that statement. What did the Elder know about worthiness?

But there was something different about that rant-filled speech, something more ominous behind his poisoned words. To Ni’Kotam’s absolute shock, the Elder had proposed a plan to destroy the humans and take over their planet, “Ta wyiat thsik R’ka, thwei yi thei-de ket vi s’yuitde ooman n’ithya!”

The crowd around him thundered and roared in rage fuelled agreement, beating their chests and thrusting their spears in the air in solidarity, bellowing over and over, “M-di h’chak!” and, “Thei-de ket vi oomans!

” Ni’Kotam looked on in horror as his family raised their weapons to the Elder, as if Ha’Kuth was the great Paya himself, preparing his servants for war.

War with the humans. As if the warm-bloods stood a chance against them. It would be like crushing zabin under their feet. No honor, no hunt, no sport. Just annihilation and eradication.

Extinction.

M-di h’chak…

That was the reason why Ni’Kotam stole this ship and was now on the run. He would not stand idly by any longer as the insanity of his clan persisted. He had always been an outsider, keeping to himself and only interacting with others if he had to. Even before he was altered with the human DNA and received its emotional benefits, he was not one to socialize and preferred a life of solitude. Though he managed to blend in enough to not to cause a disruption.

Ha’Kuth took his vision for the future of the species too far, his personal crusade against the humans now obvious and his plans to invade revealed. There was nothing Ni’Kotam could have done to stop it. One lone yautja rising up against the entire clan of his genetically mutilated brethren would have been foolish and only meant certain death. They would never see reason, most too twisted and perverted, dependent on the rush of alien blood coursing through their veins.

He did not recognize them anymore. His brothers, his sisters, his entire clan, all now horrifically mutated creatures with no other purpose than domination.

He had no other choice than to leave, to escape the madness that had infected them all. He had to get to Earth. To find the little human that he had been in constant contact with for the past several years. A human that had become his only friend in the galaxy, that had not only occupied his thoughts but had taken refuge in his heart.

He had to get to her.

He needed to warn her about the upcoming invasion of her planet, and to get her out of there before it was too late.

Just as he entered in the coordinates for the jump to her homeworld, a projectile hit the ship, causing the distracted yautja to lose his balance. He toppled over, tumbling with the momentum of the shaking vessel and landed violently on fragments of the jagged steel that protruded out of the blown vents below the deck. A piece of metal pierced through his side, making him howl, “C’jit!” He grabbed at the injury and quickly tore away from the wreckage in the floor, wobbling unsteadily to his feet. The air in his lungs expelled in a forceful gust as he bent over with a grunted trill. The elicit, throbbing pain migrated up his spine and soaked into his brain, pounding and curdling his fluorescent blood that now oozed freely from the open laceration on his abdomen. The mesh armor on his torso was frayed and ripped, the skin and muscle underneath torn to shreds. He held the gaping wound closed, gritting his inner jaw and grunting out expletives at the movement.

Ni’Kotam managed to pull himself together and stumbled back up to the main console, propping himself up by one bloodied hand on the dash. He performed a diagnostics check to the thrusters and the hull integrity. Luckily, there were no exterior breaches, so a portal would still be possible to achieve. After a few beeps and whirls from the computer, the readings come back complete. He sneered at the results. Only a few units of power left. The blast must have ruptured the main fuel tanks, depleting most of the energy needed in order to create the wormhole.

He would only get one shot at this.

Without wasting further time, he smashed his palm on the activation terminal. The ship stuttered and trembled, generating intense heat and pressure all around him as a penetrating buzzing wriggled in his ear canals. His eyes darted up to look through the window just as a beam of bright white light ripped from the vessel. A violent hole was created that tore through time and space, enveloping the visible stars in a serrated fracture of pure, crackling power. He quickly slammed on the thrusters for that last push he needed and the ship marginally slipped into the portal before the fissure closed behind him, the fuel now exhausted and pinging its irritation at being overexerted.

Ni’Kotam breathed a sigh of relief, leaning his head back and letting his shoulders drop, the tension easing from his stiff muscles. He made it through, alive. He did not believe he would get this far, but this was no time to celebrate and relax. He still had to find a way down to the little blue planet without being detected, and he had to plot a course for the closest safe area to land near to where his human resided.

He did not know how much time he had, but he must try. He only hoped that she would come with him when he found her and that this journey had not been in vain.

Chapter Text

Muscles burned and ached as tired lungs gasped desperately for air. Clouded eyes from salty tears blinked rapidly to see how to move through the trees and vines and shrubs as the hollers of angry, snarling beasts thundered their way toward her. The thick, treacherous jungle did not impede their pursuit in the slightest. What little sunlight that had seeped through the dense canopies beat down on her sweaty face, her skin scorching in the heat as if to liquefy at any moment. The clothes she wore were shredded and filthy as her bare feet trampled through the muddied ground. Jagged rocks and sharp branches sliced into her flesh like shards of glass, leaving trails of bright red markers for the monsters to track.

She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. They would catch her, they would torture her, do to her what they did to them. She would scream. She would writhe. She would beg for an end that would never come, an absolution from all the wrong she had done in the world to deserve such a horrific punishment. But there was no one to listen to her prayers, no one to save her from her gruesome fate that she herself had brought upon them all.

She stumbled over the same log she always did, never able to recall exactly where it was. The location always changed, always shifted, never in the same place she remembered it to be. The tinder caught her foot and caused her to tumble down through the fallen leaves and collide through the thick brush. Every muscle, every tendon, every bone screeched in agony. She was too weak to move, too exhausted both mentally and physically, no longer holding onto the will to keep running. Lying there, defeated, and with nowhere to go, she curled in on herself and she cried.

She cried for her mother, cried for her father, cried for their forgiveness for her stupidity that preceded their horrific deaths as she screamed her misery into her bloodied hands. She prepared for the monsters that were undoubtedly about to grab her at any moment. To rip her flesh from her bones and do unspeakable horrors to her body as their talons tore away her skin to get at the meat inside her, shredding her very soul into pieces. There would be no escape from their torment but for the sweet release of death.

But she did not feel their biting teeth and sharpened claws.

There was a shift in the air around her. The small hairs on the back of her neck prickled against her flesh as she felt feather light steps upon the grass and mud like a flutter of wind. She could sense an unknown presence that stood before her, unmoving and insidious, looking over her, observing. She barely mustered the courage to open her eyes, slowly letting her strained, emerald orbs breathe and blink away the moisture that continued to pour. She only managed to lift her head and scan the area around her, still holding her knees tucked into her chest. She could not see anything but thick jungle and endless wilderness. Her jaw trembled and her heart thrashed loudly against her ribs as her muscles tensed around every broken bone.

Cold, unadulterated terror shrouded her body when she heard it, the clicking trills that emanated from this invisible entity. She swallowed thickly as shimmering lights and fizzy static filled the stifling jungle air. Strange, metallic beeps sounded from somewhere in front of her, until the bended and distorted light shaped and reformed to reveal her hidden stalker.

Frozen in fear, her gaze rose up its massive body. Its thick leg muscles were covered in armor on the outside, but bare on the inside. The heavy, metal plating continued from its torso to its chest and shoulders. Its biceps were exposed as the wrists were covered in hefty gauntlets. An intricate mesh grid of what looked like fabric enveloped its body underneath its armor, exposing pale grayish yellow skin with speckled, dark spots similar to the scales of a snake. Black, tubular extensions rested upon its shoulders, emerging from the side of its head like dreadlocks with two beaded jewels encasing each tendril. Her eyes reached the mask upon its face, or what she believed to be a mask, and the eyes flashed a bright, yellow pulse as the being let out inquisitive clicks, tilting its head in curiosity.

For reasons she could not begin to fathom, the panic, the terror and the pain all melted away from her body and mind as the creature slowly kneeled in front of her, its large, alien form enormous to her small, trembling stature. The beaten, frail woman was in awe of the imposing being as she let out a despairing, pleading whimper, blinking away the tears that fell. It extended its hand gently toward her, ebony claws of its own resting at the tips of its fingers that should install fear into her.

But she was not afraid as she reached out for it.

For he would not hurt her.

She woke with a gasp of breath, sitting up and clutching her racing heart as it beat wildly in her chest, the muscle still lost somewhere deep inside her mind. Panting, shaking, and squeezing her lids shut, she tried to drive away the terror that still haunted her dreams every time she closed her weary eyes, her sheets tangled around her legs damp with her perspiration. It always felt so real, so pliable in her hands, a tangible fear that she could reach out and touch and hold. In reality, she could not let go, could not release the demons that swirled inside her head and taunted her with their very existence, forcing her to relive the memories over and over again.

Gritting her teeth, she managed to ease the tension in her bones as she took deep, steadying breaths just as she was taught to. Letting out one final gust of air, she opened her eyes once the panic withered and was under her control. She glanced over at the clock on her night stand, the red lights staining her otherwise black surroundings with the time of three am. She sighed and dropped her head into her hands, gathering her thoughts and chasing away the last few remaining remnants of her reoccurring nightmare.

It had been over two years now, and she still could not think about that day without a lump forming in her throat and her lungs refusing to work. The horrid screams and paralyzing fear. The smell of sweat and gunpowder and the heaviness of the jungle air thick with humidity and dread. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth and dirt caked on her skin. Time will never heal the wounds inflicted on her in that place no matter how many pills she took or how much alcohol she drank to forget and move on with her life.

She ran her hands down her pale face, wiping away the tears that clung to her cheeks, combing through her long, brunette hair to rid the knots that formed in her unconscious struggle. Every day for her was a mental and physical battle. The crippling symptoms of PTSD and the piercing loneliness was only made worse by the way she isolated herself from the outside world. She didn’t know how else to cope with the constant, throbbing ache in her heart that sabotaged all her attempts at a normal life.

She barely remembered what normal was anymore. Normal was not shutting herself inside her apartment like a hermit. Normal was not severing all ties with family and colleagues, never answering her phone or the door when someone came to check on her. She didn’t care for them, or any human for that matter, not after what had happened. Paranoia had gripped her, sank its claws deep into her when she even considered reconnecting with old friends.

There was only one person in the universe that she cared about anymore, one who she was not afraid of, one who she had come to love.

The alien that had saved her life that day.

Her mind drifted to her unusual friend. He hadn’t contacted her for a while and because of that, she was getting anxious. It would explain the severity of the nightmares lately, and her restlessness. The last time she had spoken with him, he sounded agitated. A young female had been killed in training by her teacher and it sounded like it was not a normal occurrence. He said that he was going to request another hunt on Earth to come see her, but that was a few weeks ago. Thinking of him in some kind of danger put a knot in her stomach, which was ridiculous because all he did was put himself in danger. Still, he usually at least contacted her every few days, but it had been too long and the foreign device that he had made for her lay silent on her nightstand.

Forming a relationship with a human-hunting extraterrestrial was not something she had predicted for her life. After he had saved her and mutilated her evil captors, he had carried her home, nursed her wounds and stayed with her until she had recovered enough for her to be on her own. At first he could only understand her, having been to Earth many times and studied the language. It was a bit of a struggle to finally find a way to communicate before he constructed the machine to help her understand his speech. He had created the little mechanism that would let them keep in contact when he had to leave and return to his clan.

He visited her between his hunts on Earth and they had formed a bond unlike anything she could have imagined. She could easily say he was her best friend, and if previous encounters with him are anything to go by, maybe even something more. The spark in his olive green eyes, how they had gazed at her and lingered on her body, as if both in awe and wonder, had turned her cheeks red many times.

After some time of friendly companionship, they had grown closer. They were unafraid now to be in each other's arms and forget that they were from completely different worlds. Even though he was as alien as they came, with his hulking body nearly twice her height, scaly textured skin, and menacing mandibles that encased his carnivorous mouth, she could look past all of those corporeal differences that should be terrifying and see who he really was; a sweet, intelligent individual, with a dorky sense of humor and a gentle heart. Gentle to her, at least.

She shook her head and smiled, biting her bottom lip as she remembered the last time he was here with her. They were laying on the floor of her apartment, as he was too heavy for the bed, his armor and mask scattered about her room. His body was mostly bare except for his leather loincloth. He was holding her tight against his side while he lightly traced his sharp claws on the skin of her shoulder as she stroked the flexible quills that protruded from his naked chest. Their usual light banter took an intimate turn as he started to ask her questions about previous ‘mates’ as he called them.

She had giggled at his strange choice of words, but she knew what he meant. Selene had never had a boyfriend or anything like that, too focused on school and graduating from college. She could tell it pleased him to hear that as his constant rumbling purr grew louder and deeper. He didn’t go into any further detail though, and changed the subject rather quickly. She wondered if maybe he was only indulging in curiosity, or if he was planning to take their relationship into new territory. Not that she would be against it by any means.

They would do that often, lie together and talk for hours on end, about her life before her parents were killed, about his life aboard his clanship and the rising tensions between him and his people. He had revealed to her that he couldn’t imagine his universe without her. She had been so shocked by his confession that she curled up into his arms with a tearful smile, professing that she too felt the same about him.

Here, in her little home, it was just him and her. Two beings that had found each other in the worst way imaginable, only to become each other’s focal point of comfort, peace and tranquility.

She sighed in disappointment as she was brought back to the worrying reality that she still hadn’t heard from him for some time. She reached for the prescription pill bottle next to her, turning on her lamp on top of the nightstand and laying back on the pillows, the little orange container a heavy weight in her hands. She read the prescription label ‘Whitmore, Selene’ as her eyes scanned lower to the letters ‘Clonazepam for anxiety and insomnia’. She rolled the bottle in her hands, huffing through her nose. She shouldn't take more, but she was so desperate for any kind of sleep without dreams, needing to get some rest before her appointment tomorrow with her psychiatrist. Dr. Shelby was nice enough, but he did not tolerate tardiness.

Just as she was about to open the safety lock cap, the high pitched crash of shattering glass reverberated like a bomb went off beyond her bedroom, the near silent night wrecked by the explosion. Her eyes widened and she froze, dropping the bottle onto her lap as all the air was sucked out of her lungs and her muscles tensed up.

Someone was breaking into her apartment.

She remained still as a statue, unable to breathe, her limbs refusing to move as her ears listened intently for any movement or hushed voices outside her door. She waited, and waited. An unnerving stillness settled over her as she expected to hear at least something, whispers or footsteps, but nothing broke through as the silence engulfed her once again. She was on the third floor, how in the hell would anyone be able to break in through the sliding glass door?

Her eyes slowly moved to the bat she kept by her bedside. At the sight of the aluminum weapon, she snapped out of her stupor, leaping out of bed and grabbing the bat without hesitation, testing the weight of it in her hands that began to tremble. She had never played baseball in her life, but she needed some kind of home protection system, and she was too afraid of guns to handle one or keep one in the house. A young woman living alone, especially one who had the issues that she did, needed a way to protect herself. She never thought she would actually use it, but she was certainly thankful that she had it now.

She silently crept up to her bedroom door, laying her ear against the wood and listened for the intruders. The only thing she could hear was her rapid heartbeat. It was at this point that she looked down at her attire and was grateful that she was wearing something more concealing than her usual shorts and tank top due to the colder weather. When she didn’t hear a sound, she gently turned the brass knob, easing the door open slowly, so as not to make any noise and alert whoever was in her home to her presence. Taking a deep breath and swallowing down her fear, she noiselessly stepped out of the room and down the hall, gripping the bat steady in her hands. She peeked around the corner into her living room.

A huge figure was kneeling on the floor, grabbing at his side and breathing heavily, a raspy gruff in his voice. She squinted into the darkness, unable to make out any of his features, only that he was a very large man. She swallowed in trepidation, unknowing if her actions would have any effect on him, or just piss him off. Staying hidden behind the corner, her eyes landed on the shards behind him and followed the wreckage to her sliding glass door, now shattered and open to the frigid cold air. His breathing suggested that he had been injured from the break in. Good, she thought. It would make it easier to incapacitate him. Hopefully. She looked back to the intruder, blood pounding in her ears as she readied her weapon, aiming for his head.

She was about to run and swing as hard as she could but then the trespasser lifted his head to show her his face and her strike stopped midair. She was greeted with the familiar yet alien mandibles, thick dreads, and large crest. His lime green eyes focused on her as he clicked the syllables she had come accustomed to over these past two years. She stood their slack-jawed in astonishment.

It can’t be.

“Niko!” Immediately, she dropped the bat by her side with a loud thwack and flipped the switch on the wall, the overhead lights revealing her alien friend hunched over in the middle of her living room. His mask laid on the floor next to him and glass was scattered all around his body. She scurried over to him, quickly landing on her knees. She paid no mind to the serrated debris and put her hands on his forearms, her eyes darting back and forth frantically over his face. Her mouth was permanently open, unable to produce any words or sounds other than indignant sputtering. Her eyes scanned down to where he held his side, fluorescent blood oozing through his large digits. She gasped as one of her hands covered her mouth in shock, unable to form a coherent thought from all the panic that was coursing through her veins.

Selene could not stop the demands that tried to pour from her mouth. A thousand questions wanted to spill out all at once. How did he get hurt? What was he doing here? Why had he not contacted her? Why did he break into her house? But all she could do was gawk at him in disbelief, speechless, her body not responding to any of her commands.

She watched his mandibles move up and down, making a flurry of clicks and growls, looking at her pointedly. She just sat there absolutely dumbfounded and asked lamely, “What?”

Irritated, he barked a gruff and lifted his claws to tap the side of his head where his ear was purposely, his brow raised in obvious expectation.

Oh, her translator!

She put her hand on his armor covered shoulder, “Hang on, I’ve got it here somewhere.” Jumping up to her feet, she dashed to her bedroom, snatching the earpiece from her nightstand. She fiddled with the buttons, remembering the sequence of red numerals that he had taught her and activated it with a metallic beep. She slid it in her ear like a Bluetooth headphone and rushed back into the living room. He was no longer hunched over but was sitting with his back against the wall and his legs out in front of him, still clutching the angry laceration on his torso. It looked like a fresh injury, but he couldn’t have gotten hurt from crashing through her sliding glass door. What the hell happened!?

She kneeled down next to him as he asked her, “Can you hear me?” Through her left ear she could still hear the garbled mess that was his native tongue, but in her right ear, she could understand him perfectly.

She nodded her head frantically, trying to control the volume of her voice so as to not sound as panicked as she felt, “Yes, yes I can hear you!” She took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts, “Niko, why are you here?” She waved her hand at his wound, “What happened!?”

He tilted his head, “Oh you know,” he rasped, clutching his injured side with a grunt, “Thought I would drop in, say hello.”

She scolded him, “This isn’t time for your jokes, Niko. You’re hurt, “ she went to stand, “Stay right here, I’ll go get - ”

He cut her off with a strong grip on her forearm, forcing her to remain seated. She winced at the weight behind it, “Wait. You must listen to me.”

She stared wide eyed at his commanding tone, one he never used with her unless there was something serious he had to say, and that was a rare occurrence. She gave him her full attention, remaining seated and grabbing his hand and holding it to her chest, anchoring him to her so that he may continue, “Something bad has happened, Selene.”

A perplexed fear coursed through her and she shook her head, “What do you mean?”

He grunted, shifting his position, “Do you remember me telling you about my clan, how we are different from the others of my people?”

She looked back through her memories and recalled that conversation. He had told her that his clan had been experimenting with DNA reconfiguration, a concept that flew way over her head at the time. It was the reason why he was so different. Not that she would know, she had never met another of his kind so she had no one to compare him to. He said that it was not normal for his species to be manipulating their genetics and he was getting concerned that the experiments were becoming too intense and destructive. His clan leader was also showing symptoms of being sick with something serious, but she didn’t understand what he meant.

She answered him with a hesitant nod, “Yeah. I remember.”

“Then you remember me telling you of Ha’Kuth, my leader?” The name was familiar. Even though she could not pronounce his words, she recognized the syllables. She nodded once again and his demeanor changed from anger to unease, “It is worse than I thought it to be. He has lost his mind.”

She swallowed nervously as he continued, his brows drawn in a ferocious frown, “He is ordering hunting parties to exterminate entire populations. He is testing with DNA he should not be, morphing everyone into abominations,” he huffed, “Though they still follow him. They do not dare refuse his orders and now he has done the unfathomable.”

His lower mandibles flared out briefly before returning, “He has severed all communications from Prime and has gone rogue, effectively marking them all as Bad Bloods.”

She had heard him speak of that before, recalling the term he had used when conveying his hatred for those who didn’t follow the path of honor.

He inclined his head in a very human gesture, “But that is not everything.”

Wary of what could be worse than that, she asked him nervously, “What is it?”

His hand that was still encased in her own squeezes it gently and he leaned closer to her. She didn’t breathe as a cold chill slithered down her spine at the implications of what he was about to tell her, but nothing could have prepared her for the words he said next.

“He plans to invade Earth and eradicate humanity from existence.”

All the color drained from her face, bile wanting to rise into her throat and her eyes widened into saucers. Her hands fell to her lap, her skin breaking out into a sweat and her blood pounding through her veins, drowning out all noise from her ears. Her mouth ran dry and she was unable to feel her limbs. Time stopped and all she could do was repeat his words in her head over and over again.

A full scale invasion of Earth? She couldn’t even comprehend…how that could be possible. The magnitude of such a thing was just, not even in her ability to understand. She swallowed down the urge to be sick and she managed to squeak out, “…why?”

He lowered his voice to a calmer tone in an attempt to soothe her racing heart, lifting his paw to rest on her thigh, “I do not know. He returned from a hunt on Earth and has been agitated ever since, raging about humans and their insignificance to the universe or some other nonsense.”

She shook her head in fearful confusion, dumbstruck and completely at a loss for what to do or say, “I don’t understand. If your clan is going to attack Earth, then…why are you here, Niko?”

The hulking yautja leveled her with the sternest gaze she had ever seen from him, “I’m here to get you out.”

“You mean leave?” She asked in alarm, “Leave Earth?”

“Yes.” He answered, finality in his voice, “I do not know when he plans to invade, but I cannot let you be down here when it happens.”

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, begging to ask the questions he didn’t have the answers to. This was too much, she couldn’t handle this bombshell of information and then be expected to go flying off into space with her alien friend as his people invaded her planet and destroyed everything she knew.

Just saying that out loud was beyond ridiculous.

She couldn’t keep her words from stuttering, “I…I need some…this is…I can’t…”

He lifted his hand to her cheek, engulfing her face and tilting her head to look at him. An intimate gesture from a being such as he would be comical to anyone else.

“I know this is unexpected, but we do not have much time.”

Her eyelids fluttered closed as she took a deep breath, holding his hand to her face, the scaly skin warm against her flesh. She licked her lips and opened her eyes, the rims pooling with moisture from terrified tears. A purr began in his throat that she could feel through his hand, “Can I…can we please just, take a look at that,” She pointed to his injury, her fingers shaking as she sniffled.

He wanted to argue with her, she could see it in his penetrating gaze, but the pleading look she gave him stopped his protests and he sat back against the wall in acceptance, “Yes.”

She nodded her head solemnly and stood, walking slowly to her bathroom and retrieving her medical kit, her movements robotic. It was not as advanced as the equipment and technology that he possessed, but it will suffice for now.

As she assisted him in attending to his wounds, she tilted her head up and looked through her broken glass door into the clear midnight sky. Flashes of images entered her mind, the skies clouded in dust and destruction and death, the planet engulfed in ever burning flames. A heavy weight settled in her heart, one she couldn’t possibly shoulder alone. She was the only one on Earth who knew of this imminent invasion, this upcoming war.

A war that her people would never be able to win.

Selene may not know it now, but she had just become humanity’s last hope for survival.

Chapter Text

“You broke my door.”

Ni’Kotam looked up from addressing his wound with an apologetic click. Her eyes were attempting to be stern, but he could sense a bit of mischief in them. He had gotten better at noticing when she was being serious or jesting. It was hard to tell with humans without the subtle undertones in their voices and the lack of mandibles, but he knew his Selene.

He clicked his tusks together, “Sorry.”

He watched her brows narrow as she asked him, “Why didn’t you just call me instead of breaking in here? You scared the shit out of me.”

He grunted as she applied a topical antiseptic to his open wound, his abdominal muscles clenching and rippling at the sensation. It must have been worse than he had thought. Stumbling his way to her place of dwelling was difficult, but he probably made his injury worse by not tending to it himself right when he landed. His urgency to get to her was not going to be thwarted by a measly cut, which in reality was more like a spear through the gut.

He answered her inquiry, “My ships communications may have been a bit…incapacitated.”

“Meaning?”

She raised a brow in perceptive suspicion. His human appeared to know him as much as he knew her. He looked down, sheepish, and muttered, “I smashed it.”

She snorted a laugh and shook her head, pressing a temporary bandage on the wound to close it off from infection, “Of course you did.”

There was humor in her voice, but he could see the strain in her eyes as she attempted to hold back the tears. He knew he had not contacted her for some time, but only out of concern that his brothers would discover their correspondence. They were becoming skeptical of him and his odd human behavior. He could not risk them finding out about her. He would explain it all to her in due time. It mattered not at the moment because they were leaving soon anyway.

“You have no idea how irritating Ha’Kuth can be when his ire is directed toward me.” He gruffed out, “He would not shut up. Besides, I needed to get here as quickly as possible.”

“Is that why you didn’t take care of this sooner?”

“Yes.”

She nodded her head slowly, “Right.” She taped the bandage in place, leaning back on her heels and admiring her work, “There. That should do for now.” It was a temporary and primitive solution for now until he could get back to his own medical kit.

He inclined his head toward the door, “My ship is in its usual spot, outside the city. I was able to land without your people becoming aware of my presence, but the ship is damaged and will not remain cloaked for long. We must leave quickly to avoid detection.” He shifted away from the wall to stand. He straightened and looked down at his little ooman, who had not moved and was staring at the floor, white teeth chewing on her lower lip.

“Selene?” he asked, tilting his head curiously.

She raised her head, and a look of determination appeared on her face, “I’m not leaving.”

“What?!” He barked, unable to hold back his surprise.

She got to her feet slowly, remaining stoic, undeterred by his loud outburst. She folded her arms across her chest, a position that he knew projected defense, “Niko, I can’t just leave. I’m the only human that knows about this invasion and leaving would be incredibly irresponsible.”

He purred at the nickname she had given him since she could not pronounce his full name before he registered the rest of her words. The purr stopped. She could not be serious. She wanted to stay after everything he had told her?

Ni’Kotam scolded her for her stupidity, “Then what will you do, hm? Tell your people? Your leaders? Try and convince them of an alien invasion and attempt not to sound crazy? I know how you humans are.”

She uncrossed her arms and waved them around, “I don’t know, something! I could…” Her eyes flitted about in her search for a rebuttal, “I could call the CIA, somehow. You could come with me! We’ll prove it to them!”

He rolled his eyes in a very human gesture, “Oh yes,” the sarcasm dripped like venom from his words, “Good idea. I shall expose myself to a bunch of humans that will certainly incarcerate us both,” he took a step toward her, “We would be separated. You would be killed and I would most certainly be torn apart for examination.”

“You don’t know that.” She countered.

“Even if they did listen, how do you expect the humans to be able to defend against an entire clan of genetically modified yautja?” He shook his head, “Your people do not have the technology that we do. We would not need to set foot on the planet in order to eradicate half your population.”

Moisture pooled in her eyes and his anger subsided marginally, replaced by guilt. He was not trying to scare her for malicious purposes. She needed to understand that this fight was unwinnable, and it would be foolish to try.

But his human was a persistent one, “Well I have to do something because I am not leaving my species to die!”

He glared at her, growling low in his throat, “Stubborn…” He turned his back to her with a huff, his feet crunching on the glass that still remained on the floor as his lower mandibles clacked and twitched with irritation. He paced toward the broken door, hands clenched into fists. How could he make her realize that the only solution was to flee? He could just take her against her will, but she would hate him for it. Would that be better than watching her die trying in a futile attempt to beat the odds stacked against her?

“What if it were you?”

He looked over his shoulder at her tiny voice, seeing an intense frown on her lips, “What?”

“What if it were you?” She said with more confidence, “What if you were the only one who knew of an invasion of your planet that would kill everyone and destroy everything you’ve ever known. Would you run?”

He scoffed with an annoyed click, “Do not be ridiculous. No species would ever be able to-”

“Just pretend then!” She yelled, surprising him with her boldness, “Niko, please. What would you do if you were me? Would you run? Would you hide?” She walked closer to him, careful of the shards of glass, her eyes intense, “Would you cower?”

He lightly snarled at that statement, but paused, mulling over the complete asinine idea that another species would even dare to attempt such a thing but, he would humor her questioning. In the event that another more powerful race threatened his species' existence, he would fight, even if it was folly and would only result in his demise. He could not deny that.

He stood straighter, olive eyes stern as he flexed fingers, “No, I would not run.”

“Then how can you expect me to?”

“You are not yautja,” he reiterated, “You will die.”

She shook her head, not wavering in the slightest, “I don’t care.”

He stared at her slightly dumbfounded, letting out a series of clicks in contemplation. He momentarily prided himself in his chosen human for her bravery, however foolhardy it might be.

Perhaps there was a way to keep her safe and actively try and help her species. An idea struck him, one that was wholly improbable and would more than likely end with both of their deaths, but what other choice did he have? He did not care for other humans, but she did, and he cared for her, therefore, he must suggest a solution.

“I have an idea.” He proposed, reluctantly, “It is not a very good one, but it may be our only chance.”

She gestured for him to continue, “I’m all ears.”

Ni’Kotam wanted to sigh at her odd human expression, but let it go, “You leave with me,” She opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a hand to stop her, “And we go to my home planet, Prime, and inform the Council of my clan’s treason and Ha’Kuth’s agenda.”

She narrowed her brows in confusion, “You don’t think they already know?”

“I would be surprised if they were unaware of the clan’s exploits. If they are not, then we go to them and tell them. Perhaps we can convince them to step in,” though he doubted it, “My people do not tolerate disobedience, and we are not in the habit of destroying entire planets, especially those that we deem honorable hunting grounds.” If the Council already knew, then it was fortuitous that he left when he did. He would not be absolved of his involvement in the clan just because he did not agree with them. He would have been punished and executed along with everyone else.

He could see her biting the inside of her cheek in thought, a quirk that he found endearing, “And you think this could work? Getting an audience with your leaders and asking to help?”

Ni’Kotam shook his head, his dreads sliding across his shoulders, “I do not know, but it is worth a try, I would say.” He would not even begin to ponder on how having a human on Prime was going to unfold.

“How long would it take us to get there?”

That would be problematic, “Considering the fuel for the jump through space I required to get here has been depleted, and with the ship’s damages, I would be able to get us there in about a month in Earth time.”

“A month!” She shouted, “The invasion could start by then!”

He walked up to her and put his paws on her biceps to soothe her, “I realize that, but we may be able to make it in time for the council to take initiative and stop them.” He gently squeezed her arms, “It also gets you out of harm’s way, which is my only concern.” He gazed into her emerald eyes and not so subtly pleaded with his own, though he would never admit to it. This was the only chance she had to survive.

She stepped closer to him, “I don’t have much of a choice then, do I?”

He tilted her chin up to look at him, her neck straining at his great height, “You always have a choice, Selene. I would not take you with me by force. But if you decide against this plan and stay, then you leave me with no choice but to remain with you and protect you for as long as I can.”

And he would, but he knew that it would not last long. He was a fugitive now, marked for death by all of the clan. He would be actively hunted, and in the process, so would she. Knowing Ha’Kuth and his fanatics, he would make Ni’Kotam’s death a painful one, and if they found out about Selene and his infatuation with her, she would be tied to the same fate. He would not let that happen. If he had to, he would end her life so that she did not suffer at their hands, not after everything she had been through. He could give her that much, and he would meet his death with relief and pride.

Her delicate hands landed on his chest. He wished he could feel the warmth of her fingers on his hide, “So you’re leaving this up to me?”

His paws traveled to her small waist, nearly touching his fingertips all the way around, “Yes. Whatever you decide, I will honor it.”

She sighed heavily, “If asking your people to help us is the only thing I can do,” she paused and stayed silent for longer than he was comfortable with, making him nervous. He did not like these human emotions sometimes. It clouded his judgment and made him think irrationally but he was relieved when she finally answered, “Then that’s what I want.”

“So you will come?”

She took in a deep, steadying breath, and then replied, “Yes.”

He brought her to him the rest of the way, wrapping his big arms around her tiny middle and lifted her. She nestled into his arms as he held her close, purring his happiness into her hair as the strands got tangled in his mandibles.

They stood like that for a while, her grip on him tight. This must be painful for her. To leave her entire race behind for even a sliver of a chance to save them was a difficult decision, even if it meant certain death. Not that death was a deter from any worthy goal, but she was right. Were it him in her place, he would do whatever it took to save his people, even from themselves. It was exactly what he had done when he left his clan. He needed to expose how twisted they had become under Ha’Kuth’s leadership.

This only served to solidify his infatuation with her. Before the clan leader had announced his absurd proposal, Ni’Kotam was planning on expressing his true intentions with Selene during his next hunt. He needed to tell her, these ‘feelings’ for her reaching a tipping point. It had taken some time and patience to understand human emotions since he was configured with their DNA, but with her guidance, he was able to become accustomed to their intensity. Although he could do without feeling fear or sadness. That was not a welcome addition.

His human, his Selene, was a strong and honorable female. Her willingness to leave her world behind and travel the stars in search of answers made him proud. His declaration would have to wait, for now.

“Then gather what you need for this journey. It will be a long one.”

Ni’Kotam let her down gently. The tear tracks down her cheeks were fresh but she scurried off down the hall to her bedroom before he could stop her. He could hear her rummaging around and throwing things about, but he paid it no mind, bending over to grab his mask, mindful of his injury. He may be able to survive on Earth for a week without his breathing apparatus, but his wound has made it more difficult. He checked the inside of it, assessing any damage and noting that he would have to reprogram some of the applications that assist with ship coordination, but it was otherwise unharmed.

Selene emerged from the back room, a pack over her shoulder, “Should I bring any food or water?”

He shook his head in the negative, “That will not be necessary. We have plenty of rations on the ship to last for more than the allotted time.”

Selene went to a hook on the wall and removed an item of clothing, pulling it on and closing the front of it. She pulled on her black boots and took a deep breath. She looked behind her one last time with a look of longing and trepidation. He did not have time to decipher what she was thinking before she lifted her eyes to his as she said, “Okay. I’m ready.”

He reattached his mask, fastening the tubes and tethers into place. He nodded and took her hand, leaving the sanctity of her home and leading her to his ship.

Chapter Text

Selene didn’t have time to question her decision or weigh all of her options. She just acted. She didn’t stop and think about what she had agreed to, leaving that line of pondering for later when they were on Niko’s ship and on route to his home planet. Jesus…just saying that in her head left a deep pit in her stomach, but it was too late to change her mind now. It wasn’t as if she had anything keeping her here. She had no friends and what was left of her family were are all busy with their own lives and had moved on. She had no real connection to anyone, not unless she counted the large alien currently dragging her through a forest to get to his spaceship. She sighed inwardly. That will never not sound insane.

She hadn't been this far out of the city in a long time. Being around other people spiked her anxiety to unbearable levels. Just leaving her apartment would send her into a panic attack. This was the first time she had been outside in over a year. With his much longer legs, Selene had to run while he briskly walked. It was a bit frustrating, but she needed to remain focused and stay close to him.

Arriving at one of the rivers cutting through their path, it was clear that the jump would be too far for her. There was no way she would be able to cross without help. She stopped him with a hand on his arm and pointed at the rushing water, “You’re crazy if you think I can make that.”

Niko scanned the river and nodded, crouching so that his shoulders were level to her head, “Climb on.” She hoisted her bag further up her shoulder and awkwardly wrapped her arms around his thick neck and her legs around his even thicker waist, mostly holding on with her thighs. They had been this close before but her crotch was right up against his back and she couldn’t help but feel a spark in her core at the contact. She chastised herself. Now is not the time, Selene.

She unlatched her translator from her ear and stowed it inside her coat pocket, just in case it became dislodged and fell out. She couldn’t risk not having a way of communicating with him if he needed to say more than a few words. She hung on for dear life as he took a running start and leaped, clearing the river and sprinting the rest of the way, much faster than she could have ever kept pace with. She hung onto him tight, clenching her muscles as hard as she could. She was astounded that a creature with such brawn was able to move as fast as he did. He wound through the woods as if it were nothing but a walk through the park, navigating through the pitch blackness as they traveled further away from the city lights.

They entered a clearing in the trees and he went to let her down gently. With how tight she was squeezing her legs against him, she wobbled as she let go and he spun around to catch her, holding her upright by her shoulders as her hands automatically wrapped around his forearms. Her breath left her at his large hands essentially swallowing her arms as he kept her steady, and she was thankful of his hold or else her knees would have given out on her.

Once she was stable, he pulled back, albeit slowly and tilted his head slightly in that cute manner he did when he was confused or curious. She cleared her throat, “I’m good.” She stepped around him with a fake smile, looking out into the nearly impenetrable darkness, “So…where is it?” She was trying to be tough, but the tremble in her voice gave away just how nervous she was.

He made a series of clicks and opened his wrist guard, typing a sequence on the red numerals. An electrical pulse resounded throughout the valley, lifting the hairs on the back of her neck straight up. The crackling of bended light dissipated, illuminating the forest unnaturally and revealing the spacecraft. Her eyes widened. It looked almost exactly like how an alien ship would look, odd shapes, huge turbines and unusual metals encasing the hull. It was massive, about the size of a two story house and Selene swallowed thickly at the sight.

She had been in this ship before.

She was in a daze as the heavy bay doors opened and a wide ramp slid out for them to ascend into the vessel. Niko grabbed her arm and gently led her in, the doors closing behind them. He took her through the halls into the common room, with a long communal table and oversized chairs all around it. He stopped her with a hand on her lower back and he pointed to the table with a click. She blinked at him in question. He removed his mask and set it down, pulling out a few small tools from his gauntlet, looking intently at the interior of the helmet. Ah, she thought, he needed to make some adjustments.

Leaving him to do what he needed to do, she wandered around the room, eyes scanning over the machinery that lined the walls. Being back on this ship felt odd, like it was from a dream. She couldn’t remember most of what had happened when she was here, she had been unconscious for most of the time. Her black, suede boots tapped against the metal grating of the floor as she walked around the familiar space, hands in her pockets to keep from touching anything. The last thing she needed was to break something with her inability to keep her hands to herself.

Standing at the other end of the circular table, Selene placed her backpack on the surface, watching Niko tamper with his mask. The device made beeps and whirls, and ever so often a hiss that she presumed was a bad sound if his annoyed grunts are anything to go by. Her eyes lowered to the table he was working on, the steel shining with the overhead lights, spotless of any debris. She swallowed, lying her hands on it, the smooth surface cool to the touch…

Pain. All she could think of was pain. Sharp, throbbing, pulsing pain. She could barely breathe, ribs cracked and flesh torn. She was carried by strong muscle and dense metal. The beating sun vanished from her skin and was replaced by smooth vibrations, artificial light blinding her already blurry vision. She was laid upon a surface. Solid, cold, unyielding. She could not lift her body, could not move her head from where it rested. She licked her dry, cracked lips, trying to scream for help, but her voice croaked and she could only manage a faint cry, a tear escaping down her dirty cheek.

A dark figure blocked the light, a large hand turning her head this way and that. It was gentle with her as it poked and prodded at her broken body. She wanted to ask what it was and why it had saved her, but it shushed her, a purring emanating from somewhere inside the shadow. Her muscles relaxed and she closed her eyes, the deep rumbling lulling her into serenity.

Selene pulled her hand back as if burned with a gasp, holding a clenched fist to her chest, the memory flooding into her mind in a rush. Niko looked up at her reaction, tilting his head with a trill. She tried to smile but her eyes must have given away her anxiety. He set down his helmet and walked around the table to her. He hesitated, but grabbed her hand, engulfing the fist into his own and covering it with both of his hands. He rumbled deep in his chest as his tusks clicked softly. Niko emitted his soothing purr, letting it flow through her arms and into her body, trying to calm her down.

Selene took a deep breath, “I’m fine. Really.” She waited until the tremble in her voice dissipated before she murmured, “This is the same ship, isn’t it.”

She could see his left mandible lifting in affirmation, his beady eyes watching her closely, unblinking. She barely remembered that day, or what had happened after he had found her in that jungle knocking on death’s door. She had tried to repress all the painful memories, using medications to control her symptoms of PTSD. She made sure to bring them along, just in case.

She turned toward him, overcome with emotion, wanting to just burrow into his arms and never leave. His purring caused her to shiver and she was able to settle her racing heart. She focused on his presence, lifting her eyes to his and holding them there. His eyes were small, but vibrant and expressive. She didn’t know if that was due to the gene manipulation or if it was just him. She was captivated by him. A creature that housed immense power and brutality but had such bright and dramatic eyes.

Breaking her out of her trance, he inclined his head toward an open archway with a questioning click, his dreads falling off his shoulders as he moved. Selene had known Niko for over two years now; she hardly needed her translator for the little things, able to differentiate between his various clicks and growls. She understood what he was saying. Are you ready?

She took a deep, steadying breath, and said, “Yeah, let’s go.” He grunted and turned on his heels heading for the doorway. She followed right behind him out of the common room and through another set of halls and doorways, all lined with giant pipes, wires, and machines that softly glowed with red and blue lights. She glanced up at him and had just a moment where she again noticed their incredible size difference. For a being so large, he sure was sweet with her and she found herself shyly smiling behind him.

Entering into what she thought was some sort of control room, she stopped dead in her tracks at the carnage before her. Niko headed to a set of terminals on a raised platform in the center of the room, unfazed by the destruction. Exposed wires hung from the ceiling still snapping with electricity. There were cracks and fissures in the steel walls and a few busted mechanisms with the insides completely torn out. She was surprised he was able to get the ship down here in one piece. This place is a wreck!

Her eyes were drawn to a particular jagged piece of metal sticking out of the grating below the command station, coagulated green blood coating the steel. Her head whipped around to him as she pointed to it, “Is that where you got hurt?”

He nodded his head with a growl without looking up from his terminal, tapping away at the keys. She looked back at the serrated piece with a knot in her stomach, thankful that he had not landed on it in a more vital spot. That would have easily killed a human.

She shook her head and walked onto the little catwalk where he was standing, watching him as his large digits expertly maneuvered over the controls, listening to him mutter to himself. She could catch some words like pauk and mi, but the rest was a jumbled mess of grunts and clicks. She studied the screens he was looking at and could only see those numerals that were his written language, baffled at the amount of scrolling and coding that appeared on each one monitor. A few more beeps and hisses from the terminal and Niko let out a sigh of relief.

She looked up at him, emerald eyes bright and curious, “So, are we good to go?” He nodded his head with a click, typing a few more times on the computer before straightening. He placed a hand on her shoulder, pointing out the front window.

All around her, machinery powered up, letting out a loud whirring similar to how a plane sounded when it was about to take off. The floor began to shake and she grabbed his armored bicep for support, which he gladly gave her, using his other hand to hold her hand to him. She watched in astonishment as the shutters covering the large blacked out window opened, showing her the darkness of the forest. A bright white light blinded her as the ship prepared for ascension.

A loud implosion of energy rocked the ship as it began to slowly lift off the ground. The land below got further and further away as the engines became louder. From her experience with flying, her ears should be popping and her stomach should be rolling, but she felt none of that, the earth below her continuing to get smaller and smaller.

The ship pushed through the atmosphere easily, the loud engines then reverting to a low hum that reverberated throughout the room. All she could do was stand there slack-jawed at the view. She was in space. Holy shit, she was in space! She let go of Niko, springing toward the window and placed her hands on the glass. Her eyes could not stay in one place as she attempted to take it all in. It was even darker than she thought it would be, but the stars were brighter and filled the entire void with little, twinkling lights. To her utter shock, she spotted the International Space Station, a tiny dot about ready to disappear behind the Earth.

And Earth…it really was! She was in space. She was…

Selene dropped to the floor and landed on her knees painfully, but she didn’t feel it. She put her head in her hands, rocking back and forth as Niko rushed over and crouched next to her, purring loudly and rubbing her back. She was in space. How many times had she said that to herself? And each time, it was even more unbelievable. She was in space on an alien spacecraft headed to the alien’s home planet to try and convince his people to intervene in a full scale invasion of her entire species. This can’t be happening…

Next to her, Niko trilled anxiously. She didn’t know exactly what he asked but she could guess. She sighed into her hands, “I just need a minute.” She swallowed thickly, trying to keep the bile down that threatened to rise, “Is there somewhere I can lay down?”

He nodded his head, and stood, scooping her up bridal style all while purring deep inside his chest. She held onto him and squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing her face into his neck. Niko carried her back through the common room, grabbed her bag off the table and headed into a side room that she hadn’t seen before. She couldn’t help but reminisce on how he had carried her when they met, just like this, whisking her to safety. Always looking out for me, big guy.

With her eyes still shut, she could only hear a door sliding on its rails and she cracked a eyelid open. It looked like a small hotel room, fit with a bed, a smaller table and a weapons and armor rack in the corner. The bed was bigger than a king size, easily able to hold two, possibly three of his kind. He laid her down on it gently and she took off her coat and boots, throwing them to the floor hastily. The furs, or what she believed to be furs, were soft against her skin. She lay back, closing her eyes once more against the dizziness that had overtaken her.

Niko leaned over her, a hand on the bed next to her shoulders and he chuffed at her. She opened her eyes fully this time, gazing into the small, olive ones that were filled with concern and worry. She raised a hand and placed it on the side of his face and his purr increased at the contact.

“I’ll be fine,” she said gently, “you go do what you need to.” He lifted his tusk into her palm, using his own large hand to caress the hair away from her face, an action that made her chest constrict with nerves.

They remained that way, just staring, and she couldn’t help but want to pull him down with her, drag him into the bed and…

A beep echoed from his wrist gauntlet. He growled and glared at it, but huffed a sigh. He clicked and leaned back to stand, pointing at her and then to the bed, “Ssstay.”

Selene smiled, though it was forced, and nodded her head. She watched him leave the room as the doors swished behind him.

She threw her arm over her eyes, blocking out the fluorescent light beaming down from the ceiling. She had better get herself together. But looking out that window into the void of space… it had shaken her. This was not a dream. This was real, this was happening.

At least Niko was here with her. Just saying his name in her head grounded her. She would need him more than ever. Hell without him, she wouldn’t even be here. Humanity would be screwed if it wasn’t for him, really, but now that burden had fallen onto her.

The undeniable fact was, all of humanity was now dependent on one really messed up person who could barely handle just opening the door to her apartment without panicking. She sniffed, her eyes watering as her chest tightened painfully. She couldn’t do this, the fuck was she thinking? How in the hell was she going to convince some alien species to help save her planet from genetically mutated monsters? Monsters that were originally the exact same aliens that she was trying to get help from. She groaned and turned over on the bed, her face smothered in the furs.

Humanity is fucked…

Chapter Text

C’jit.

Ni’Kotam sighed heavily as he left the room, leaving an anxious Selene lying on his bed. The message from his gauntlet was to inform him of the maintenance check of the cooling systems and was grateful for the distraction. His head was muddled with guilt, confusion; annoying human emotions that he still had difficulty processing. She brought those feelings to the forefront of his mind, always challenging him and always baffling. There was another emotion that she brought out of him as well, one he had tried to dismiss as nothing but fascination at the beginning of their friendship, but he was beyond denying that part of him now.

He wanted to stay with her, he wanted to climb into the bed with her and just hold her on his arms. The look in her eyes as she lay below him set his blood to boil. She had never looked at him like that before, as if she wanted to mate with him. Her eyes were lidded and her lips parted to reveal that flat human tongue. And her scent…it was intoxicating. It led his mind into a frenzy. He wanted to bury his nose in her neck, strip her down and take her.

But she could not have known. She could not have known his true intentions with her, what his plans were. He had asked her once, long ago, about any of her previous mates. The way he had asked was humorous to her, but his infatuation with her was growing into something much more than he expected. He wanted to be with her. When she had said that she had never had any sexual encounters with any males, he would not deny that it greatly pleased him. He would be her first. The question was innocent enough and he had quickly diverted to another topic, but the seed of courting had been planted.

They had known each other for a while, and she had become his most trusted friend. She had been an incredible asset with helping him understand his human side and he would be forever grateful to her for her council. But now…when he looked at her, at her sparkling emerald eyes and her long, flowing hair…he could not help but see something more in her. Something beyond friendship. Something that caused his heart to stutter and his cock to stir behind its sheath.

Would she ever see him as anything other than an alien? Other than a friend?

He went to the table in the common room and laid his hands on the surface, tapping his claws irritably, glaring down at his mask as if it was the sole reason for his conundrum. The adjustments he had made to it will work, the coordinates to Prime already synched into the ship’s navigation system. All he had to do now was monitor where they were in the galaxy and be on call in case he needed to take the controls. He could go down into the kehrite, train with the glaive that he prefered to use, but even that did not sound appealing.

No, he was destined to have the little human female occupy his thoughts and torment him with their vulgarity. He growled low in his throat, his mandibles spreading as his purr rumbled in his chest involuntarily. Images of her writhing in pleasure below him was etched into his mind and would not leave. Her soft human body, pliable in his paws and her beautiful face in the throes of ecstasy that he brought her was all that he could see when he closed his eyes. His cock hardened at the thought of taking her on the bed, sinking his knot into her cunt and pumping her full of-

Ni’Kotam shook his head with a frustrated groan. He had to get under control. He had to be careful with her. She was fragile and in a vulnerable state. He could not risk hurting her. But this undeniable urge to make her his mate and keep her forever was strong indeed. Did Paya himself have his hand in this? Did the divine have nothing better to do other than to torture him with these desires? He had half a mind to go back into his room and tell her how he felt and to accept whatever her response may be. But he would not.

He wanted to leave her be. Let her process. He needed a meticulous task to distract him and to attend to his still lacerated wound. He grabbed his mask and headed to the control room.

He needed to think.

-

He was slouching in one of the chairs on the main deck, glaring at the diagnostic reports of the ship. It had been nearly an hour since he had sat down to analyze the damages of the hull and he needed to work on repairing what he could with the supplies he had. The exposed wiring would be his first priority, making the ship safe for Selene to wander freely. Thoughts of his desire for her still lingered in his mind, but focusing on the task at hand at least made his emerging erection relax inside his sheath.

He snapped his head around and stood at the sound of her boots tapping on the metal grates, his dreads whipping around on his shoulders. Selene shuffled into the room, her head down and hugging herself. Her eyes were red and puffy. She had been crying again.

Ni’Kotam went to her, his purr automatic as he took her hands into his own. She avoided his searching gaze, keeping her eyes down. He chuffed at her, coaxing her to look at him. She did so slowly and she attempted a smile, but he knew it was forced and disingenuous. He would try to remedy that. He tilted his head, clicking to her, “G’kaun-yte.”

Selene snorted a laugh, a real smile, though faint, forming on her lips, “Hi.”

He chuffed again and leaned down, pressing his much larger forehead against hers, nuzzling her gently in his unique way of affection. She pressed into him with a hum and he used his tusks to tangle in her hair and caress her cheeks. She giggled at him and tried to pull away enough to be out of reach of his mandibles. He let her, tilting back to look down at her, satisfied with his ministrations to make her smile.

She sighed, squeezing his hands in the way she did when she searched for his comfort. They were so much smaller than his own, “I’m sorry.” He frowned in confusion, watching her shake her head in self-depreciation, “I’ve been an absolute wreck this entire time.”

He rumbled, “Ki’sei.”

He did not expect her to be able to handle this quickly, or even at all. She was human, and this was entirely new to her. He would be able to adjust immediately to different scenarios, the benefit of still being yautja in spite of his genetic modifications. She was the only human to have ever ventured this far out into her solar system. The weight on her slender shoulders was astronomical. She was responsible for the salvation of her entire species, undertaking a voyage no other human had, and going to plead her case in front of a vastly superior race. Alone, with just him by her side. Although, seeing as he had altered his DNA and had human genomes in his body, whether he would be a benefit or a detriment to her case remained to be seen.

“I’m okay, for now.” He could tell she wished to speak more, so he stayed silent. “This is just so…” She stopped midway with a sharp breath then leveled him with her gaze, “I’m having a hard time with this.” Letting go of his hands, his female began to pace across the deck, “One minute I’m in my bed having a nightmare and the next minute,” She waved her hands around dramatically, “I’m in a fucking space ship flying across the galaxy with my alien boyfriend.” She muttered to herself, her eyes snapping to him quickly before she looked away, a pink tinge coloring her cheeks.

He tilted his head at her odd behavior. He knew this to be a sign of embarrassment, but he did not understand why or what she was saying. Boyfriend? He was unfamiliar with this term. What did it mean? He continued to watch her intently.

She sighed and turned toward him again, “Well,” she said, “We have a whole month together on this ship, right?”

He nodded his head with a trill, “Sei-i.”

“Then I guess…can you show me around?” She pointed in the direction of the common room, “I don’t remember the layout from the last time I was here.” Yes, because the last time you were here, you were near death. Ni’Kotam despised thinking of that day, remembering how she looked, broken and limp in his arms. He mentally shook the image away.

He extended his hand to her, palm up as he clicked, “Div’ra.”

The blush spread on her cheeks at his invitation and a sweet smell entered his nose that caused him to start purring again. It was the same scent that she had released when he was leaning over her in bed. There was no mistaking it this time. He was sure of it now. It was her arousal. She wanted him. Perhaps as much as he wanted her.

He tampered down the urge to just take her right then and there. He would have to tread lightly. He did not know how to court a human, so he would have to go with his instincts. Taking her around the ship, showing her that she was safe with him and he could fulfill all her needs was going to be the first step in his plan to make her his mate.

He grabbed his mask from the terminal desk and led her back into his personal chamber. He carefully laid his mask on its own stand by the far wall opposite the bed, the eye guards flashing bright. He began shedding his black armor and laying it on the table, prepping it for repairs. The injury on his abdomen was nearly gone, having used the salve from his medical kit. Yautja healing was fast, and Selene did well with patching him up. His armor, however, would need some maintenance.

He removed his insulated netting, well aware of her eyes on him and left only his leather loincloth over his groin for modesty. He turned back to her and puffed his chest out a bit as he caught her biting her plump lower lip, clearly ogling his partially nude form. The interest she showed in him was obvious now that he was paying attention, and he would be taking advantage of that.

He pointed to himself and then motioned to the room. “So this is your room?” she asked. He nodded and took her to the other door tucked into the corner.

Entering the door, he went to the wall of the smaller room and pushed a button, the large, deep well in the center beginning to fill with water. He motioned to it and rubbed up and down his arms. “Oh, this is the washroom?” He nodded again and stepped up to a spout located above a small table, cupping his hands underneath it. Cool, filtered water instantly flowed out into his hands and he took a drink. He turned to her, “Ju’dha.”

She grinned and bounced on her heels, “Water.”

He rumbled in affirmation, shaking the droplets off his hands. The spout immediately shut off when he moved his hands away. He then led her out toward the common room, pointing down the corridors at the other closed doors and then pointing to his own. “Do those doors lead to rooms like this one?” she asked, observant as ever. He wanted to laugh. The language barrier was hardly between them anymore. That would make this much easier. She still possessed her translator, though it seemed she had caught on to simple words and phrases.

He clicked, “Sei-i.”

He had a passing thought that she would want to stay in another room away from him and he hid his mental panic as she walked back into his chamber. He followed behind her anxiously. Was she getting her belongings to settle elsewhere? He hoped not, he wanted her in his room with him.

He clicked his tusks in relief when he saw her unpacking on the bed instead. He stepped into the room with her, the door closing behind him with an audible swish. She looked up at his presence, “I’m staying in here with you, if you don’t mind.” Her eyes lowered to the ground, sheepish, “I don’t want to be alone.” He nodded his head to her when her eyes returned to his. This would work well for him, he could protect her and satisfy any needs she may require of him.

Ni’Kotam could not contain the purr that rumbled in his chest, now a frequent occurrence with his female so close to him. He walked up to her, towering nearly two feet above her, and put his hands on her arms to stop her from pulling out more items from her bag. She ceased immediately and looked up at him. He pulled her hands into his and turned her so that she was facing him. He attempted to say her name in her human tongue, “Ssselenne.”

Her eyes widened and she said timidly, “Yes?”

He held both her palms in one of his paws and used the other to lay it on her shoulder, careful not to put too much weight on her. His taloned thumb rubbed against her neck and he could see her shiver, those odd bumps appearing on her flesh. He pulled her to him, his hand tangling in her hair at the nape of her neck, laying her head on his chest. She went willingly, eagerly, curling into him.

Her hands lay flat on his chest, her fingers delicate against his tough hide as his arm wraps around her tiny waist. She hummed in content and he shut his eyes, embracing his female. The top of her head barely reached the middle of his pectorals and he had to crane his neck down to hold her against him. A necessary discomfort he bore with yautja fortitude.

She shuddered and he could sense the stress of the situation melting away from her as he continued to purr. That his purr worked on human females as if they were also yautja was a happy coincidence he discovered long ago when he saved her in that Earth jungle. It was the only thing he could do to comfort her before he was able to get her on his ship for medical treatment.

With her in his arms, he felt...powerful. More than that, it was difficult for him to explain, to really comprehend the magnitude of which she occupied his every waking thought. He wanted her as his mate; he wanted her as the mother of his pups, no matter the impossibility of it. His body did not understand that she was human, but he was a primal being, and his feelings for her were borderline feral.

Mating for life was uncommon for his species, but not unheard of. Most encounters were of a singular nature. The male would impress the female enough through his trophies and posturing and if he was lucky, she would accept him as a sire for her pups and they would mate. That would be it; he would have no part of the female’s life afterward. That was not what he wanted from Selene. Far from it. It may just be his human side interfering, but he wanted her with him forever.

He had to tell her, he had to show her. He had never needed anything in his life, but he needed her.

Ni’Kotam pulled her back, still holding her close as he laid his hand on her cheek once more, watching her shining emeralds shimmer with curiosity and hopefulness. Her human face was now a comfort to him, her scent a reminder of their connection. He did not know what to call this emotion. His heart felt as if it was skipping beats, his breathing stuttered and his mind going blank of anything intelligent to say, and she was waiting for him to do just that.

Trophies. That was the first thing that popped into his clouded mind. He would show her his trophies. They were still down in the display room. With this being the ship he used for his hunts with his brothers, he had never taken them onto the clanship. He never felt the need to. He was not a recently Blooded yautja, he had had many battles in the past, but he was quite young compared to most of the other yautja that were stationed on this ship. Ni’Kotam personally had acquired a serpent’s skull, a zin’tska’s skull, and a few others from different worlds she had never heard the names of.

And three human skulls. She would know who they belonged to. He hoped that she would be proud that he had them.

His paw slid down her arm to grasp her hand and he trilled at her with enthusiasm, “Div’ra.”

She grinned up at him and followed.

Chapter Text

Her heart hammered away in her chest as Niko led her through the halls. Steam billowed out of the pipes and red lights twinkled from the multitude of machinery, the air becoming warmer the deeper into the ship they went. He could surely hear it; the pounding of the muscle against her ribs giving away just how nervous she iswas how nervous he made her. He held her hand tighter in his bigger paw, taking her down steps and around corners, all while she was in a blissful daze and unaware of where he was taking her.

She was still trembling from their intense encounter. The way he had said her name, the way he had held her and looked into her eyes, as if she contained all of the answers to the universe. She had held her breath, waiting for him to move, to act, to say something - anything. The silence had been deafening. If he had had lips, she would have taken the initiative and kissed him without hesitating like she had been wanting to do for a while now. Though with his lack of lips, and really much of a mouth structure, she didn’t know how to progress and could only stand there and stare back at him. She could see it in his gaze, those expressive, olive green orbs that she had come to love, that he wanted it too. She guessed there were some things that span across all species of the galaxy. Was he just as nervous and clueless on how to move forward as she was?

Selene needed him to say more. She desperately wanted him to pick her up and carry her to the bed. She would have wrapped her legs around his waist as he laid her down and simply ravished her. Though she knew nothing was ever simple when it came to Niko. She suspected that he had the right parts for them to be compatible, even though she had never seen his genitalia. Just the thought made her blush, her cheeks tinting red. Seeing him shred his armor, his smooth scales and tough hide, bulging muscles and thick thighs…her breath caught at the image now burned into her brain. He had such power inside of him, such strength, but he was so sweet and gentle with her despite his intimidating physique. As silly as it sounded, she felt special, like the beautiful maiden in one of those sappy TV romances that she would usually roll her eyes at, but really, secretly crave.

He stopped in front of large, rust colored double doors and keyed in a passcode into the numerals on the lock. She leaned her cheek against his warm hide as he typed and he pulled her closer to him with a rumbling purr. The door let out a mechanical hiss and slid open, revealing a large, empty room. A blast of hot air hit her face as she noticed a dense fog covering the floor, licking up the sides of the hull. He led her inside and went up to the far wall, letting go of her hand, much to her playful protests. He turned around to look at her, standing up straight and puffing his chest out. She smiled at him, wondering what made him so excited, “What’s this?” She asked.

Niko clicked his tusks and pushed a button. Hidden shutters on the wall rise, revealing a trophy display full of bright, white lights and shiny skulls. Her eyes widened. She was taken back by how many there were, the case at least four meters in length along the wall. Sections of the wall were labeled all with red lettering under each display, all of which she couldn’t read, at least not yet. He points to the far left one and then to himself.

“Oh,” she realized “these are yours?” He nodded his head and waved his arm to them expectantly. All were his. She didn’t miss the air of pure eagerness that rolled off of him, causing her to giggle at his enthusiasm.

Not wanting to insult him, she took a step forward to the display and examined each skull closely, her brows narrowing in concentration. One was very long, with a frightening face and a wicked set of teeth that looked surprisingly human, besides the long canines on each end. Another one was broader, with intricate ridges and patterns parallel to its mouth, or what she assumed was a mouth. She couldn’t really tell. There were two others that she couldn’t even begin to describe, all equally terrifying and monstrous. She swallowed audibly with a sick realization. All of these skulls came from real creatures in the galaxy, creatures that no human had ever laid their eyes on. Thank god for that, she thought. No way would anyone be able to handle this. Selene was barely able to comprehend it herself.

Humanity really wasn’t the only species in the universe. She snorted to herself with a shake of her head. Again, NASA would be sojealous.

She looked over at him, seeing him standing anxiously waiting for her reaction, “This is quite a collection, Niko.” He let out a flurry of clicks as his eyes lit up, “I never thought I would see them up close like this.” He growled happily, mandibles flaring as he flexed his claws, holding his head up high as Selene giggled at his antics. He had discussed with her before about the ways of his culture and how they hunted big game for sport and claimed their skulls as a prize. She was never a hunter on Earth and didn’t really like guns or violence in general, but she knew this was important to him, so she humored his attempts to impress her.

Turning back to the case, her eyes wandered over each individual skull, polished and as pristine as marble. She inadvertently spotted three familiar shapes right in the center of the display and she hid her instinctive reaction to be horrified.

Human skulls. Three of them.

She was not naive enough to think that Niko wasn’t hunting humans. The only reason why he was able to come see her on Earth was because of his hunts. Hell, he hunted down the people that kidnapped and tortured her so it was no surprise that he had the skulls of her species with his collection. It was still unnerving though, seeing the remains of humans presented proudly like this.

But there was something about these three that were a little too familiar.

She looked closer at the one in the middle, something shining brightly on two of its teeth.

Gold. Two gold canine teeth.

Her eyes widened into saucers as her heart fell into her churning stomach. She knew exactly whose skull this was.

The sharp sting of the slap still pulsed on her skin, the flesh of her cheek red and abused. She coughed up more blood, the crimson liquid mixing with her saliva and oozing from her mouth onto the dirty floor. She was unable to get up from the chair, restrained by her wrists and ankles with dingy ropes, tethered to the wooden support beams. Tears poured down her face and she watched with squinted eyes as the native men talked amongst themselves a few yards away from her.

She tried weakly, to move, to break the binds, to do anything, but the intense burn from the woven threads digging into her skin kept her from struggling too much, the ache excruciating. One of them looked over at her whimpers of pain and flashed her a sadistic smile, filled with malice and ill intent. Her body filled with fear, a cry escaping her lips. The blinding sunlight descended from the broken ceiling reflected off of something glossy inside his mouth.

The tall man with the shiny teeth marched over to her and she renewed her fight to break free, but he grabbed her face roughly, digging his blunt fingers into her cheeks and forcing her to look at him. His breath was rancid as he spoke in his native tongue, then turned her away from him and licked up her cheek. She cried out a broken sob at the slimy touch, her stomach rolling and feeling as if she will be sick. He laughed in her face, and then released her, letting her head fall to her chest. She shut her eyes tight as she shed more tears and she listened to his footfalls become quieter. She could do nothing as she once again fell unconscious.

She gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth as a tear escaped her eye. She took a few steps back, her heart racing. She started shaking uncontrollably, the evocation of that day flooding back and overtaking her mind. Her wrists started to burn and her ears began ringing. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even feel the humidity permeating the room. All she could do was stare, motionless, her eyes watering with the overwhelming sense of dread as she was thrown violently back into her memories.

She didn’t notice Niko striding over to her, concern written on his face, but she was unable to look away from the skulls that belonged to the men that ruined her life. Her alien friend leaned down, taking her hands from in front of her face into his own, his loud purr emanating from his chest trying to help her relax. She took a few deep breaths, trying her hardest to regain control of her emotions. She wasn’t expecting to see the remnants of her past like this. She wanted the memories dead and laid to rest. She had been trying to move on with her life, to forget the horrible events that led her to become an isolated, broken woman, but something always had to push her back into that day, whether that be from her therapist or her dreams. And now, now she was face to face with the bones that once supported the most evil creatures she had ever encountered.

Selene’s eyes shot to Niko’s when he trilled at her to get her attention, his quilled brows narrowed in a frown. She didn’t blame him for this. It was not his fault. He took pride in the fact that he killed those men and rescued her. If not for him, she would be dead, or worse. But seeing the evidence of what was supposed to just be a bad dream, along with everything else that had happened in her life, she couldn’t handle it. She had tried to be strong, tried to keep it together. But she just couldn’t anymore.

She completely broke down. Falling forward, unable to hold herself up, she collapsed on him and sobbed into his chest. Her walls that she had built up to keep herself from falling came tumbling down and her inner flesh was laid bare, raw and inflamed, the exposed nerves of her frail emotions throbbing and painful. She held onto him for dear life, clutching at his bare hide as he wrapped his arms around her immediately, crushing her against him and letting her cry. In the back of her mind, she was embarrassed that he had to see her like this, but his purr and his warmth were a beacon of hope to her, and she tried to concentrate on his efforts to comfort her.

She attempted to regain her composure, barely succeeding. Selene remained leaning on him, unwilling to leave his soothing embrace. Not that he minded. She took a few shaky breaths and leaned back slightly to look up at him. His mandibles were fluttering and his eyes flicked back and forth between hers. She was right. He was at a loss of what to do. She wanted to laugh at how preposterous it was for a creature so fierce and intelligent to be so confused, but she just sniffed and apologized to him for what seemed like the hundredth time, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see…” She looked back down, trailing off, and didn’t finish the sentence. He knew what she meant though, nodding his head slowly in understanding.

Niko’s purr rumbled louder and he said something she didn’t understand. She lifted her bloodshot eyes to look at him and croaked out, “What?” He inclined his head toward the doors with a series of clicks and she glanced back, realizing he was asking her if she wanted to leave. She turned back to him sheepishly, “Yeah. Please.” He released his hold on her and grabbed her hand, gently leading her out of the trophy room, but not before closing the display shutters.

Selene took one final look at the human skulls as the metal came down to shield them from her view.

She went with him willingly, though her legs were a bit wobbly as her knees buckled from the phantom pain still coursing through her veins. He took her back into the common room, sitting her down on a chair clearly too big for her at the long, metal table. He took a seat next to her, continuing to hold her hand in his large paw, his black talons gently tracing her skin. She glanced down at their entwined hands, so different from each other. She had gotten used to them, finding them more of a comfort than any human hand would. She turned her hand over to fully grasp his and bring her other hand to lay on top. He did the same, moving closer to her and pressing his forehead against hers, a sweet scent entering her nose that always soothed her anxiety.

Selene is a little embarrassed, having broken down like that. She is on an impossible journey to save humanity, and one little skull sends her into a panic induced nightmare. She knew this was going to be difficult, and she has been mentally trying to cope with everything else, but seeing those…things, had completely blindsided her.

Now that she had calmed down and was holding onto him like an anchor, she could let her memory resurface, of that day that changed her life forever. She remembered most of it, though her escape was still a little hazy. She remembered the smoke, the screaming, and the gunfire. Horrific did not even begin to describe it. Her heart ached as she reluctantly remembered her mother’s face as it twisted in agony, her father’s furious yells and threats to bring hell on earth for hurting his family. When Niko rescued her, she was too upset, more like hysterical, to even try and talk about it. She was also just a bit distracted by how an alien found her in the jungle and carried her to safety. Her knight in shining armor, as it were.

Maybe…maybe talking about it would help. Dr. Shelby always did try and get her to open up, but she refused, unwilling to relive the memories. But perhaps in letting it all out to Niko, who was actually there and could put the pieces together with a clear vision, she could finally learn to move on and let go. She needed to move past it because with the journey ahead, there would be an astronomical amount of fights and challenges that she could not run away from.

Her voice was quiet when she broke the silence, “I never told you…what happened the day you found me.” He nodded his head solemnly, his dreads falling off his shoulder to lay on his chest but he did not take his eyes off of her.

“I just…didn’t want to face it.” She continued to look down, examining his paws more closely, noting the different shades of yellow and patterns of black spots dotting his long fingers.

He tilted his head in that cute way he expressed confusion, his top mandibles flicking. She huffed, using her shoulder to wipe away another tear falling down her cheek and gathered her courage, “I think…I’m ready to tell you.” Her emerald eyes looked up to his olive ones, piercing and attentive, “I’m ready to tell you what happened.”

Chapter Text

"Selene Whitmore" />

Two Years Prior

Taking a deep, calming breath, Selene let the warm, salty air drift over her tongue and flow down into her lungs, the briny wind wafting from the ocean below a calming flavor in her mouth. Chatty seagulls tweeted and cooed above her, circling the decks and scouring for discarded morsels left over by the many guests on the enormous ship. The rising sun casted a rainbow of colors throughout the morning sky, reflecting off the lapping water and creating an ethereal glow around the bilge of the vessel.

She had always loved the water, the ocean in particular. The fathomless depths of the unknown were one of life’s greatest mysteries, and one of her many fascinations. The vastness of the sea, along with the empty void of space that lined the horizon were two sides of the same vacant coin, ripe with new discoveries to be made. She couldn’t reach the boundaries of the stars, but she could at least travel along the surface, skirting the edge between the life writhing inside the oceans below her, and the twinkling of lights promising of life above her. She was not a philosopher, or an explorer but it didn’t stop her from dreaming.

A Caribbean cruise was not on her schedule a few weeks ago when her parents surprised her with the tickets after her graduation. She thought she would be applying for hospital jobs after receiving her nursing degree. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to the long shifts and rude patients that she encountered during her years in school, but she loved to help people, and knowing that she could give back to the community and hopefully make a difference in someone’s life would make it all worth it. Selene had a big heart, maybe a bit too big. Her friends, if she could call them that, always said that she was naive and gullible, too willing to trust others, even strangers. From her perspective, she wanted to believe that people were honest in general and always had the best of intentions. Growing up a bit sheltered did that to a person.

She smiled to herself as she remembered how her parents had presented her graduation gift to her. Her mother could barely contain herself.

Walking with her class was the hardest part of graduating college. Selene was not one for fancy celebrations or large gatherings of people, but her parents had insisted. She would have rather had the thing mailed to her and skip the ceremony all together, but there was no getting out it.

“Selene, honey, you will never get a chance like this again!” Her mother had exclaimed, “This is the only time you will get to do this and we don’t want you missing out on anything!” Her father, a tall, imposing man with thick glasses and black hair, had nodded his head absentmindedly, always agreeing with his wife no matter how eccentric she was being. Though he was a man of few words, he loved his family and doted on them any chance he could get. Selene knew he was proud of her without him needing to say a thing.

The young woman had huffed in annoyance as her mother adjusted her black graduation robe around her, pulling it tighter around her shoulders and fussing too much for Selene’s patience, “Mom, you just want to take pictures and embarrass me.”

She had looked her dead in the eyes, “Hey, I went through sixteen hours of labor to bring you into this world, so let me have this.” Selene had tried to hide the smile, but she lost the battle and grinned with a snort, unable to hold back the laughter at her mother’s ridiculous attitude toward her graduation. So, she did as she was told, sitting with a bunch of people she didn’t really care about, pretending to listen to speeches she wasn’t really listening to, and hoping that the whole ordeal would be over soon, all the while smiling like an idiot as her mother took pictures from the stands. It was a good day.

Once the alumni had finished their posturing and caps were thrown to god knows where, Selene was eager to run out of that giant auditorium and get some fresh air. Crowded spaces were not her favorite places to be. Too many people always made her nervous. Which was ironic, knowing that she had chosen a profession that would require her to deal with vast amounts of the population.

Just as soon as she had finished catching her breath from the pressure in her chest, a white envelope was shoved into her hands. She looked it over, turning it this way and that, all while watching her mother bounce on the balls of her feet, “What’s this?” She asked.

“Open it!” she exclaimed.

Selene had ripped at the paper and unfolded the letter inside. She looked up to her parents, her jaw hanging open in shock.

“Congratulations!” her parents said in unison.

She couldn’t believe it! She didn’t know what to say. Three tickets to a Caribbean cruise! She had always wanted to go, having seen videos and pictures of how beautiful it was down there, the water so clear she could see straight to the bottom of the sea. She wasn’t exactly the most popular person in school and didn’t have any close friends, so she never thought she would make the trip by herself, but mom and dad want to go with her! She finally had the chance to take the trip of a lifetime!

She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her lips at the memory. It might seem strange to some people but she had always been very close to both her parents. Being an only child had its benefits. She wouldn’t say that she was spoiled, but she understood that she had a better upbringing than most, her family only having to worry about her than a number of different siblings. Her parents had difficulty conceiving and when Selene was born, there were complications and her mother was no longer able to have children. Her mother called her “her miracle baby.” Selene didn’t think she was much of a miracle. She has had to work hard for a lot of the things she had in her life, but she didn't go a day without being thankful that she was alive.

Selene looked out further over the balcony of her suite, her eyes scanning down the side of the ship towards the beaches. They had docked at Margarita Island in Venezuela not that long ago, and to be honest, Selene couldn’t wait to get her feet on dry land. The captain had warned about straying too far from the port and that most of the tourist activities were closed for the day. The country had been going through a bit of a rough time, so she and her family will stay well away from any suspicious people. Not that she’s concerned. She was more interested in laying out on the beach and reading her favorite book. Maybe even taking a nap, lulled to sleep by listening to the waves as they crash onto the shore? Absolute heaven.

A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts. She turned around and saw her mother entering her room. She was dressed in her daisy spotted sundress with the most absurdly big hat Selene had ever seen. She had to stifle the giggles at her mother’s expense when she closed the balcony door behind her, entering the air conditioned room.

Hands on her hips, the older woman narrowed her brown eyes in Selene’s direction, “Now just what are you laughing at?”

Selene gave her a deadpan look, “That hat. Looks. Ridiculous.”

She straightened the large brims that were flopping over to cover her face, “Humpf, you won’t be laughing when you get a nasty sunburn.” She went to the mirror sitting on the dresser and adjusted the uncooperative flaps, “Weather says it’s gunna be hot this week. Heat wave rolling through.”

The young brunette sighed, “Great.” Selene grabbed her backpack that she had stored her sunscreen, books and money in, hoisting it over her shoulder. She was never one to like the heat all that much, but she wouldn’t complain, especially in the presence of someone who lives for the beach. Besides, maybe getting a tan wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Her usual porcelain skin could use some vacation color.

Her mom chuckled, “Come on, kiddo.” She swung her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and squeezed her against her side, smacking a kiss to her temple. Selene tried to try squirm away, “Dad’s waiting upstairs.”

-

“Hey there.”

Selene jerked out of her seat with a yelp, her sunglasses sliding off her face. Her arms flailed trying to catch the book she had been reading that jumped out of her hands. The romance novel that she had been eagerly absorbing landed cover first in the sand, the pages bending at a weird angle. She huffed. Damn it! I’ll never be able to find that page, who the hell…?

She glared in the direction of the person who startled her, only seeing a pair of hands held up as a low, southern accented voice exclaimed, “Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare ya.”

She squinted toward the bright, midafternoon sun at the intruder while retrieving her fallen glasses from her lap, trying to put them on without poking herself in the eye. Once she was able to see without being blinded, her tongue immediately froze inside her mouth. The most gorgeous guy she had ever seen was standing right next to her, with short, fluffy brown hair, chiseled tan abs that seemed to glow with water droplets cascading down the muscles. His lips adorned a striking smile with perfect white teeth that made her swoon. He was wearing blue swim trunks and had a necklace with a leather cord and a strange symbol around his neck and a pair of black, expensive looking Oakley’s pushed up into his hair. He was the epitome of male beauty in Selene’s eyes.

The young woman chuckled awkwardly, brushing loose, brunette strands away from her face and behind her ear, “N-no, it’s fine.” She sat up straighter in her chair, trying to not look flustered as she smoothed out the cover up she was wearing over her pink polka dot bikini. She turned her body toward him, attempting a smile that didn’t make her look like a dork, “Can I help you?”

He laughed, a little breathless, and she felt her cheeks heating up at the sound, “Sorry, I uh, I’m Thomas.”

‘Thomas’ held his hand out for her to take. She did so, feeling the rough calluses on his palm and shook his hand in a friendly greeting, “Selene.” She answered hesitantly. Why in the world is this guy talking to me?

The young man looked down shyly and she watched him kick at the white sand and put his hands in his pockets, “I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I was just uh, I saw you at the pool yesterday. On board?” Oh, he was a passenger? That’s strange, she hadn’t seen him around, but that was probably because she had been too preoccupied with exploring the ship and relaxing rather than meeting any guy or hooking up with anyone on this trip. She was with her parents after all, that would just be weird.

She caught his eyes and they are a striking silvery blue. She was a bit mesmerized by them, “I couldn’t help but notice that,” He cleared his throat, “That you’re very pretty.”

Wow. Okay. She ducked her head, a large, goofy grin trying to spread onto her face, but she bit the inside of her cheeks to keep it bay, “T-thank you.” she stuttered. She wasn’t used to such attention from boys. Being an introvert, she never really got around to dating much in high school or in college. A few boyfriends here and there, but nothing too serious. She was too preoccupied with her studies to really pay any attention. Plus, she didn’t think she was that pretty, but she would take a compliment from a handsome guy like this ‘Thomas’.

“You here with your folks?” He asked conversationally.

“Yeah,” she nodded her head, feeling much more comfortable knowing that he was also just a guest here and not one of the locals, “For a graduation present.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” He used a thumb to indicate behind him, “I’m here with my brothers and my dad.” He got quiet for a moment, and Selene tilted her head, about to ask what was wrong when he said softly, “My mom died a few years ago and we go on vacation on the anniversary of her death.” He took a deep breath then let it out, “To celebrate her life, ya know?”

“I’m so sorry.” Selene couldn’t help but grimace at his confession. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to lose a parent, and hopefully, she won’t have to worry about that for a long time, “That’s wonderful you guys still honor her like that.”

“Yeah.” An obstinate silence settled over them, only the sounds of children running through the waves and music blaring from the open bars further up the beach filling in the gaps. He coughed awkwardly, “Hey, listen,” he scrunched his face up as if in pain, briefly looking over his shoulder before returning to her, “I was just wondering if, maybe you and your family wouldn’t mind joining me and mine?” He wrung his hands nervously, flicking his eyes back and forth between hers and the ground, “We have a reservation to take one of the National Park tours and I would love for you to join us.”

Wow, again. Those were expensive and had to be booked way in advance! But, she did remember an announcement earlier that day about warning passengers not to go off the reservation. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, “I thought the captain said there were no tours today?”

He nodded his head a little too enthusiastically, his bouncy hair flopping around his forehead, “Right, there were no tours available today, because they were all booked.”

“Oh,” Well, that seemed reasonable, “I guess that makes sense.”

“So, will you come?”

Well, why the hell not? This guy seemed harmless enough, and a free National Park tour? How could she pass that up? Besides, he sounded like he was from the US, not to mention the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous and flirting with her of all people. “Uh, yeah!” She started to rise out of her sunken beach chair, “I’ll go ask my parents, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

He moved closer to her and grabbed her around the arm to help her up. She had to crane her neck a bit to look up at him. Boy, he was tall, much taller than her five foot three petite frame. She swallowed nervously with a mumbled “thanks” as he let go of her bicep.

“Great!” He clapped his hands together, “I’ll meet you by the Tour Shack at seven?”

She cocked her head to the side, “Wait, at seven? That seems pretty late for tours hours, it’ll be getting dark by then.”

“Oh yeah! It’s awesome!” He beamed, nearly jumping up and down in his excitement, “We scheduled the last one. We get to see the stars and the mountains when it's dark out, everything glows and it’s much more beautiful.”

She didn’t have time to ponder the inkling of doubt and suspicion that wedged its way into head, her mind already made up that no matter what, she had to spend more time with this guy. He seemed so perfect, maybe she could get his number when they got back on the ship after the tour? Start a long-distance romance like the characters in her novels? Come on, Selene. You’re getting ahead of yourself. “Well, okay!” She laughed, “That sounds great!”

“Alright! See you then!”

“Bye!” She winced at the squeak laced in her voice, waving as he turned around.

Selene watched him jog down the beach toward a gathering of a few people, pointing in her direction and smiling when he reached them. They waved in her direction politely and she returned the gesture. There were three older gentlemen with him. They must be his brothers and his dad! So he was telling the truth. She breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment there, she was beginning to question if maybe this guy was just messing with some poor, defenseless girl alone on the beach. It wouldn’t be the first time a guy had humiliated her like that.

Pushing those thoughts out of her head, she picked up her chair, shaking off the sand and gathered her belongings, stuffing them into her backpack. Once she had collected all her things, she sprinted over to the outside bar where her parents told her they would be, most likely having a few too many drinks. At least she knew her mom would be. The woman could never hold her liquor that well, no matter how many times she denied it.

She spotted them deep in conversation and decided to sneak around the booth to where they couldn’t see her and listened to the last bit of their discussion, “Jeff, I can’t believe our little girl is all grown up.” Selene smiled softly at the worried tone, “She’ll be getting a job soon, a career. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“It’ll be fine, Ali.” The deep baritone of her father said, “She’s smart. She’ll figure it out.”

Not wanting to eavesdrop any longer and feeling guilty for having done so, she darted around the corner, “Hey guys!” She said cheerfully.

Both her parents turned to her with big smiles, “What’s up kiddo?” Her mom asked while stirring the fresh margarita in her hand, “Thought you were lounging today.”

Selene plopped herself on the other side of the booth, laying her pack on the seat and leaning her chair against the table, “I was, but guess what! I met a guy,” She saw out of the corner of her eye how her dad shifted uncomfortably, but she ignored it. She was an adult and he needed to get used to the idea of her dating, “He is really cute and so nice.”

“That’s great, honey!” Her mom placed the straw in her mouth and took a big sip of her drink. She was still wearing that ridiculous hat.

“Aaand,” Selene drew out, “He’s invited us to go with his family on a free tour through the National Park!” She wanted to laugh out loud at how they both reared their heads back in unison at her proclamation, “It’s cool.” She assured them, “They’re tourists from the cruise, like us.”

Her parents looked at each other skeptically, her dad speaking up first, “Really? He just, offered it to you?”

“Yeah!” She cheered. What’s the big deal? He was just being nice.

Her mother set down her drink, now watching Selene intently, “And you’re sure he’s a passenger?”

“Definitely. He mentioned that he saw me at the pool yesterday.” She would admit, it was a bit odd how she’d never seen him on the ship. With the way he looked she should have spotted him really easily, “If he was a local, how could he have seen me? We weren’t even docked.” She could see that they want to say no, but she would not let this opportunity slip through her fingers, “Please? It’s free. Did I mention free?”

Her father chuckled and wrapped his arm around his blushing wife, “Alright alright, we believe you. Sounds wonderful.”

“Great! Tour’s at seven!” She wiggled happily in her seat, beaming at her loving parents, absolute joy blossoming in her heart. She would have to be sure to bring her phone so she could take pictures. This would be the best trip of their lives and she wanted to remember it forever.

-

“Honey, are you sure this is where he said to be?”

“Yeah. He said the Tour Shack at seven.” They arrived at the destination that Thomas had told her, but there were no vehicles outside the little building. It was getting darker by the minute and she had to use her phone’s flashlight to see anything. The building itself looked empty, there were no lights on, and there was a big sign on the door that read “Tours Closed.” Weird, he said that they booked the last one. Maybe her phone hadn’t readjusted time zones and they were too late? Her chest tightened at the thought. She hoped she didn’t screw this up.

She shined her light over her surroundings, seeing nothing but shrubs and trees. Finally, she spotted a figure pacing on the other side of the structure and she recognized the floppy hair of Thomas. Her anxiety ebbed and relief washed over her. Good, they hadn’t left yet! She yelled for him excitedly, “Thomas!”

He turned at the sound of her call and she noticed he was talking on a cell phone but he put it away when he saw her. He gave her a big smile and waved her over. He was still in his blue swim trunks but he had put on a blank white t-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes.

“Guys, I found him!” She shouted back to her parents, pointing in his direction, “Over here!”

Selene didn’t wait for them as she jogged through the sand, now turned dirt, kicking up dust as she went. He met her half way, enveloping her in a surprising hug, one she gladly accepted and returned, “Hey you made it!”

“Yeah!” She let go and pulled back, beaming up at him, “We were worried that you had left without us.” She looked around at the seemingly abandoned road. There weren't any tiki torches or street lamps illuminating the way, and the light from the bars down by the beach had faded. But, there were not any vehicles in the vicinity either. She tilted her head, “Where are the Jeeps?”

“Oh, it’s just up this way.” He indicated behind him, “Follow me.”

She eagerly strode up next to him, nervousness fluttering in her stomach. She’d never been the best flirt, she didn’t know how to approach a guy like this! Hopefully there were two cars and Thomas and her could have one to themselves. Maybe then he would make his move. She calmed herself with a deep breath. You’re getting ahead of yourself again!

Once they cleared the hill, Thomas abruptly stopped, and Selene nearly crashed into him. She righted herself and looked up to him, “What’s wrong?”

He swung around to face her and his expression turned her heart ice cold.

“You dumb bitch.”

“Wha…” She barely had time to comprehend what he had said before she heard a high-pitched shriek.

She whipped her head at the sound of her mother’s scream. She watched in horror as both her parents were tackled to the ground by the same men that she saw on the beach with Thomas, the attackers springing from the trees that lined the trail. The men tied their hands behind their backs and jerked them to their knees, gagging them in the process, their eyes wide and fixed on her. What is happening?!

The frightened woman attempted to run down to them, to try and do something, but Thomas grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back violently into his chest, his blunt nails digging into her biceps painfully, a stark contrast to how he had held her earlier.

She yelled, struggling against his grip, “What are you doing!?”

He whispered in her ear and her stomach lurched at the malice in his voice, “It was just too easy.”

Tears began streaming down her face as she continued to try and break free only to stop dead in her tracks when one of the men holding down her family marched over to her and removed a pistol from inside his jacket. She was frozen in place as the man, who up close, now definitely looked like a local, smiled down at her. He was wearing black cargo pants and a tight fitted black t-shirt, a machete attached to his belt. The contents of her stomach threatened to expel as he stared down at her and she had a sickening realization. This was a trap. She and her family were led out here, out of the way of all the guests and security.

And it was all her fault.

The last thing she remembered was the sharp pain of when the grip of the pistol smashed into her face, malicious and evil laughter echoing in her ears.

-

Swimming through the obscurity of her empty dreams, she was awoken from the throbbing inside her head, wincing at the pulsing pain. Disoriented and woozy, she attempted to open her eyes. The room was dark, she couldn’t see much past the blurriness that had infected her vision with its haziness.

She held back the urge to be sick as she let her squinted gaze fall on the few torches along the wooden walls. A lamp was set on a long table with what looked like surgical equipment and a lot of guns. The ceiling was patched with holes dotting the interior and only one open door that she could see leading to the outside, the night sky dull and lifeless.

Not a dream. A nightmare.

Moving her limbs was not an option as tight ropes bound her wrists behind a sturdy wooden beam. She was rooted to a rickety chair, her legs tied at the ankles, rendering her immobile. She hung her head, trying to fight back the nausea that continued to plague her, blood dripping from her broken nose, her mother and father nowhere in sight. She let out a quiet sob.

This can’t be happening…this is all my fault…

She jumped with a sharp inhale when loud bangs and heavy footfalls resounded behind her. Multiple men spoke with heavy accents, barking orders in Spanish and some in broken English. She didn’t recognize any of the voices. She tensed her muscles, expecting the worst. Any one of them could come around the side of her vision and begin whatever it was they had in store for her, but what followed will be branded with a searing hot iron into her memory forever.

She grit her teeth and cried as she heard the desperate screams of her mother, her father shouting and cursing at their assailants. Selene had a flash of relief enter her body. They were alive, and just behind her, but she was too disoriented to try and crane her neck to look back at them. She wanted to yell, to call for them, but her voice couldn’t push through her throat, stuck behind her frozen tongue.

The shouts and screams became louder, nearly deafening. The commotion escalated at a rapid pace. She could hear the slapping of skin and the scooting of wood on wood, but just barely over the grunts and growls of different men wrestling and tearing into each other. She found her strength when her mother called for her husband, pleading with those around her to let them go or to at least let their daughter go.

A gunshot rang out. Selene finally lost the battle with her body, and heaved onto the dirty floor.

A high-pitched wail pierced her ears unlike anything she had ever heard and she stopped breathing, continuing to empty the contents of her stomach. She couldn’t hear her father anymore.

She squeezed her eyes shut as her mother shrieked for her. Her name, Selene, being repeated over and over again, a mantra that would continue to haunt this waking nightmare. Her mother’s cries became distant, far away, as if drifting across the ocean and over the horizon, until all was calm once again with the echo of a door slammed shut.

She kept her eyes closed, wishing, hoping, praying that she would wake up.

But she didn’t.

They came to her, these creatures that contained no humanity, no mercy. They beat her across the face, smashed their fists into her jaw, burned her with their cigars, broke her ribs and tore at her flesh with knives, all while laughing and enjoying seeing her cry out in unimaginable pain. Eventually, she stopped feeling all together, the physical agony rolled into one massive cavern of despair and hopelessness.

One of them grabbed at her shirt and yanked her forward, the muscles in her arms burning in protest from the strain. Her stomach rolled once more at his sickening breath as he sneered in her face. He reached behind him and pulled out a switchblade, unsheathing the dagger. He cut at the ropes holding her to the beam and threw her onto the dirt covered ground.

She flailed as she struggled to crawl away, her wrists and ankles still bound. All the breath was knocked out of her when a heavy weight landed on her back, her head bouncing off the floor. She yelped as her clothes were torn to shreds, leaving her bare, shivering, and humiliated. To her absolute horror, he turned her over and inspected her body, rough hands grabbing at her modest breasts and crudely palming his way down her skin. He reached her center and she desperately held her thighs together, but he pulled them apart easily, nearly twisting her ankles in the process.

A dry finger was inserted into her most private areas and she shrieked at the painful intrusion, endless tears leaving trails down her dirty cheeks. She closed her eyes tightly, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. He wiggled the digit around inside her body, scratching at the muscles.

The man laughed, excited at what he had found, and informed the others of his prize. She heard a zipper.

No, no, no!

She tried to kick out with her bound feet, use her shoulders to dislodge him, but he didn’t budge. She watched helplessly as he undid his fly and pulled out an erection. She begged through broken sobs, “Please, p-please no!”

Before he could grab her again to steady her, his head exploded, and she let out an ear-splitting cry. Warm, sticky blood sprayed all over naked skin, covering her from head to thighs. His lifeless body fell on her, the remainder of his brain falling out onto her breasts. She coughed violently and turned her head to the floor, vomiting up bile as there was nothing left inside of her.

The dead man was lifted off of her as another kneeled down to inspect her body for himself, smearing the blood along the inside of her legs. His finger was harsh as it probed her, and when he found resistance, he stopped and snatched his hand away. His smile was sickening as the sunlight reflected off the upper two canine teeth that were painted gold. “Good girl,” he whispered.

They strapped her to the chair, leaving her naked and battered. They kept her there, periodically coming back to check on their ‘merchandise’, as they put it. Her stomach constricted with the lack of food and her mouth dried out from thirst. She begged them for mercy, begged for any kind of reprieve, but they ignored her, and her begging only made the beatings worse.

She drifted in and out of consciousness after that incident, but they did not attempt to take her again, her virginity having saved her from that form of torment, though that did not stop them from using her body in other ways. Time didn’t seem to pass normally. Days could have gone by, weeks, months. It was all frivolous anyway. Nothing mattered anymore. She was alone here, in this dirty shack, covered in scars and blood, surrounded by the wolves that teased their prey before pouncing and ripping her apart.

After some time had passed, she didn't know how long, she was left alone, her head hanging limp with a constant drip of blood flowing from her busted lip. She hadn’t received any thrashings in a while and she watched the men at the open door through swollen, bloodshot eyes, paying special attention to the one with the gold teeth. He was particularly cruel. They were chatting amongst themselves, but she didn’t really care about what. He came over and grabbed her roughly by the cheeks, making her flinch and jerked her head up to face him, speaking to her in broken English, “You will make a pretty price, yes?” He released her and moved behind her to untie her ropes, but before he could, the others shouted for his attention. The men leave the building, and Selene heard gunshots outside, more muffled yelling, more explosions. It sounded like a warzone.

This was her chance.

She grimaced as she tested the ropes, and they gave way to her wriggling. Finally. She jerked harder, the threads coming loose and falling to the floor. She quickly untied her feet and attempted to jump up, but she fell immediately. She hadn’t used her legs in a long while. Some of her toes were broken from when they had smashed them with their steel toed boots. She crawled to the opening of the building she has been imprisoned in, the sun blinding her eyes.

The minute her eyes adjusted, she scanned the jungle outside for any of her abductors. She saw none. The adrenaline kicked in and she used every bit of her strength to get to her feet, and she ran.

Muscles burned and ached as tired lungs gasped desperately for air. Clouded eyes from salty tears blinked rapidly to see how to move through the trees and vines and shrubs. What little sunlight that had seeped through the dense canopies beat down on her sweaty face, her skin scorching in the heat as if to liquefy at any moment. With her bare feet on the muddied ground, jagged rocks and sharp branches sliced into her flesh like shards of glass, leaving trails of bright red markers behind her. She tried to suck in more air so that she could keep running, but with her broken ribs, the snapped bones stabbed into her muscles and intense, throbbing pain circulated through her body like electricity.

She stumbled on a log, catching her foot and causing her to tumble down through the fallen leaves and collide through the thick brush, unable to see past the images of her dying parents. The agony of her broken appendages shot up her legs and she wailed. She was too weak to move, too exhausted both physically and mentally, no longer holding onto the will to keep running. Lying there, naked and defeated, and with nowhere to go, she curled in on herself and she cried.

Twigs snapped behind her, but she just didn’t have the strength to care and she sobbed into her bloodied hands. Just kill me.

She took a last stuttering breath before darkness surrounded her in a warm, comforting embrace, a strange clicking the last sound she heard…

Chapter Text

“…And you know the rest.” she finished quietly, sniffling and using her shoulder to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. Sharp, ebony claws ran up and down her arm, trying to soothe her subtle trembling. His piercing eyes watched as she picked at her blunt nails, a nervous tick he had noticed she did when uncomfortable and he squeezed her against him.

Ni’Kotam had coaxed her to come and sit on his leg as she dove deeper into her memories, wrapping his firm arms around her tiny waist as she recounted her story. He had released his dai-shui in the air to try and calm her, nuzzling into her temple to alleviate some of her discomfort. She snuggled closer to him, holding onto him and taking unsteady breaths as his purr rumbled softly for her.

It physically pained him to hear of how those revolting humans had taken her, violated her. His mandibles spread at the images she described. His desire to make those humans live again was overwhelming, if only just for him to ensure that their deaths were even more excruciating. His bloodlust for their suffering was only pacified by Selene’s warm body against him. She was here with him, safe and unharmed.

He remembered the events of their first encounter clearly. At that time, Ni’Kotam had just landed on the blue planet with his new upgrades and augmentations. The injection of human DNA still coursed through his veins and he had felt the effects of the change greatly. He had been to Earth a few times for hunts before, but this was the first venture since the alterations and they interfered with his mind almost instantly. He found himself thinking more, using emotion rather than logic and rationality for many of the decisions he had made. It confused him to no end, distracted him. He doubted himself more, his judgments compromised.

The newly Blooded yautja had decided to pursue easier prey to get used to these new developments. It would not do to question himself on a hunt with a more challenging foe. He had been pursuing a human trafficker in the southern islands of the northern continent. The human’s savagery had caught his attention when he had scanned the area for possible targets. He had already been over the main continent, the largest one, and found nothing to his liking.

He had observed the golden toothed creature and his crew for weeks, learned their routines and behaviors, and stalked them relentlessly as they planned another kidnapping. He was cloaked, high in the trees as he watched three humans being escorted down the path where he was perched. The male leading them had betrayed the others and took the unsuspecting family against their wills. He had tilted his head curiously as he watched, his vision changing to detect rapid heart rates. Deception, a shameful tactic.

The silent hunter had followed them to a run-down building deep within the jungle and settled nearby to study his prey and calculate his movements. This unfortunately led to Ni’Kotam being subjected to the screams of those his target had taken. He listened and watched for days as they had tortured the younger female. The older one had been shot and disposed of on the first day, the metallic stench of human blood was heavy in the air. It disgusted him, how these humans could treat a small female in that manner, and he had wanted to intervene, to save her. He wanted to step in with every broken cry and shriek of pain she let out, but he could not risk losing sight of his prey. Yautjas did not interfere with matters not of their concerns, and she was no exception.

But the sounds of her agony grated on him, touched a nerve that was twisted deep inside him that he hadn’t known he possessed. He had not been able to endure it and at the first opportunity, he had created a distraction and sprinted through the trees, killing every foul human in the vicinity until only the three males that had tortured the female were left. He was still young and finesse was not his forte at the best of times, but he wanted to generate as much chaos as he could, sending the humans scurrying around like scuttling zabin.

The Blooded yautja had hunted them, made them scream and beg as he mutilated them, one by one, leaving the leader for last. As his prey watched his men fall, he had attempted to attack Ni’Kotam with a long blade and a pitiful war cry, but the hunter was too quick and pierced his flesh with his ki’cti-pa, wrist blades, disemboweling him, his guts falling out on the jungle floor. He roared in victory as he pulled the spine and skull from the body, warm blood splattered everywhere. Ni’Kotam gave his head a shake, sending his tresses whipping about his shoulders, satisfaction cooling his ferocity.

After he had dealt with her assailants and secured the skulls in his trophy net on his belt, he went in search of the female and checked the building she had been in. He growled in frustration when he saw she was gone. The stench of fear and blood left a trail that he followed easily. He spotted her a few minutes later, the dto, jungle, too thick for her to navigate through. A shivering, naked female hunched in on herself. She looked so helpless, vulnerable. His yautja mind revolted at the picture she presented. Pathetic.

As a yautja, his instincts and training had told him to leave her to her fate. She was not his responsibility. Survival of the fittest, laws of nature, that was their way. She was not part of his hunt, but seeing her lying there, covered in blood and body broken…he couldn’t. She was innocent. She was a victim, undeserving of such a gruesome end. Other humans would never find her out there, she would be dead soon from her injuries and lost to the jungle. There, Ni’Kotam knew he had to do something uncharacteristic of his species.

He interfered.

The alien hunter had picked her up, as gently as he could, listening to her unconscious whimpering, and carried her back to his ship. She was so soft and warm in his arms. He laid her on the very table where they sit at now and assessed the damages. He was surprised that she was still alive, her lungs were filling with blood from the splintered ribs, some ligaments were bent at awkward angles, but her injuries were no match for his advanced yautja medicine. He had easily corrected all the broken bones, cleaned off the dried blood and administered antibiotics that would prevent infection. He had nodded to himself when his work was over. She would make it.

Other than healing her wounds, he had no idea what to do with her. He had a naked human female on his shuttle and was expected back at the clan ship in a few days. All he could do at that time was wait until she regained consciousness and then, perhaps he would have a plan. It still surprised Ni’Kotam that when she did finally wake, she was not frightened of him.

Pulling away from his thoughts so that he could focus on the distressed female in his lap, he stood slowly, sliding her off of his leg to set her on the chair next to him. Her large emerald eyes looked up at him in alarm that he was moving away, but he reassured her with a louder purr and a few chirps. He raised his paw and held up a finger to her, forming the foreign letters in his mouth, “Ssstay.”

She nodded her head tentatively, crossing her arms and grabbing at her shoulders. He could feel her watching him as he went to his personal chamber, spotting her discarded outer layer, her jacket, on the bed. He retrieved the garment and dug through the pouches in search of her translator. She would need it.

Ni’Kotam returned to her and held up his outstretched hand with the device in his palm. Her eyes flicked from his face to the translator and she took it from him after a moment of hesitation, as if he had ill intent toward her. He wanted to scoff at the notion that he would ever hurt her, but he stowed those thoughts and remained stoic and inert. She pulled her dark hair out of the way and placed the device in her ear, turning it on and returning his awaiting gaze. He nodded and held his arms out for her to come and sit with him again, and she did so, shuffling into his embrace. He settled her against his bare chest, petting her hair back from her face as he rumbled, “I have more to say than what you can understand.”

She nodded her head with another sniff, hunching in on herself in his lap, mirroring her position from when he found her nearly dead in that jungle. He detested seeing her this way, distraught and fearful. It grated on that exposed nerve again, and his instincts rose to push away the unwanted sensation of it being prodded and inflamed. He huffed a growl, his lower tusks spreading, “It angers me to hear you describe what those oomans did with such detail.” Her watery eyes rose to look up at him and he was momentarily stunned at the helplessness in those shimmering jewels, “But, if it helps you heal and move forward, then I am pleased that you told me.”

She visibly swallowed and his purr deepened for her, her voice strained, “It does help. It feels like,” She let out a long breath, sitting up straighter, “It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Like I don’t have to carry the memories around with me on my own anymore.”

He hummed idly, tracing her bicep with his claws, “I will help carry any burden you have, Selene.”

She smiled briefly at his words, another tear falling down her cheek, “I wouldn’t have gotten out of there alive if it weren’t for you.” She turned toward him, leaning her forehead against his and he returned the intimate gesture devotedly, “I don’t think I ever really thanked you for it.”

He nuzzled against her, shutting his eyes and enjoying the affection she offered him, “There was no need.” He did not require gratitude.

“There is, though.” She leaned back abruptly, and he did the same, her gaze intense, “For the longest time after you got me home, I resented you for it.” He was taken aback by that statement. She had never told him this and he did not know how to feel about it. She looked down at her fidgeting fingers and bit at her plump lower lip, “I wanted to die out there. My family was gone,” he could see her jaw trembling again, “I had nothing else to live for.”

Ni’Kotam mulled over her words silently. His chest tightened at her confession of desiring death, but he could not make any sense of it. Her behavior that day did not match those wishes, it must be a misunderstanding. He shifted in his seat, “If that were true, then why did you run?” Her brows came together at his inquiry and she glanced at him, waiting for him to elaborate, “You could have remained there, waiting for them to return. But you did not linger when you saw the opportunity to escape.” He clicked his mandibles together in assurance, “You still had fight left in you, a will to live.”

Selene shrugged her shoulders, and her eyes dropped away, “I guess,” she trailed off, getting lost in her own thoughts. He watched her face for any sign of acknowledgment, but found none. She continued to fidget in his lap, and he could sense that she was not satisfied with the way the conversation was going. Though it was difficult for him to sympathize with her, he could feel her pain and he wanted more than anything to take it away.

“I will not pretend to understand how you are feeling, Selene.” He took a claw and pulled her hair behind her ear that had fallen in front of her pale face, “Yautja, we…” he paused, seeing more tears fall down her cheeks silently. He must think of a way to explain without upsetting her more, “We do not put great emphasis on our sires, our family units consist only of siblings and bearers.”

He huffed, frustrated with his inability to express what he was thinking, a fight between his yautja side and human side combating for dominance in his head, “We…care for them, yes. Respect and commemorate them. We wish for them to live, but we grieve quickly when they die and depending on the nature of their deaths, revere them for their strength and honor in life.” Seeing no reaction from her, he switched tactics, hoping to garner some sort of response, “But losing ones you care for in such a way would be disturbing.”

His eyes widened when she let out a small cry, hiding her face in her hands and trying to pull her knees closer to her chest, “It was all my fault.”

Pauk. He had upset her more. He chirped at her, increasing his musk and purring louder. More so to settle her, but also for his own distress at her seeing her so unhappy. He took her hands away from her face, grabbing her chin with his thumb and fore-knuckle gently and lifting her head up, her large, emerald eyes shining with tears, “You were led astray. It was not your ‘fault’. The fault lies on those that deceived you.”

She shook her head angrily, her cheeks turning a tint of red, “It doesn’t change the fact that if it wasn’t for me,” her voice cracked and she stutters in a breath, “They would both be alive right now.”

“Would they?” He questioned, cocking his head so that his tendrils fell off his shoulder, “You do not know that.”

She licked her lips and his purr faltered at the motion, “What do you mean?”

He tilted his head the other way, “We cannot predict the future, Selene, as much as we would like to. There are many things that could have transpired that would have taken their lives. Take the situation we are in now, for example.” He stopped and pondered his next statement carefully, trying not to sound callous, “If it brings you any comfort, the events that led you here were necessary.” His paw moved from her chin to hold her cheek in his palm, “You now have the opportunity to save your planet from my clan destroying it.”

She leaned into his cradling touch, “Are you saying you wouldn’t have helped if we hadn’t met?”

“I would have no reason to.” He brought their foreheads together again, and she went willingly. A small victory. “I am doing all of this for you.”

She blinked rapidly a few times and her lips turned up in a small smile again, but quickly faded away. They remained silent for a few moments. It pleased him that he could calm her down, ease her stress. Yautja musk truly did work on human females. She grabbed the hand at her cheek and held it, bringing their clasped limbs down into her lap so that she could grip onto him. He allowed it, knowing that she needed the security and solidarity of his presence.

“So,” she began hesitantly, clearing her throat, “You weren't really close with your parents?”

He looked away from her, his chest expanding with a deep breath and considered the question, “With our bearers, or mothers as you would call them, we are. They teach us how to live and survive until we can start our training for the chiva, our trial.” His arm around her small waist tightened and she leaned into him further, “We know of our fathers, but they are not involved. The females prefer they stay away from the communal housing that the pups are all raised in.”

He recalled an incident where his mother and other females had to shoo away a male in search of his own suckling. Now that Ni’kotam was grown, he could remember Ha’Kuth being the one that barged in on the young ones. The behavior was odd and was never explained. Males usually never bothered with the females and their pups, but he did not think anything of it at the time. He was too preoccupied practicing with the small spear his mother had let him play with.

“Then,” he continued, “We are trained by fathers and uncles to prepare for the life of a hunter.” At the mention of training, Ni’Kotam developed an idea that might help her understand, and to distract her from her sorrow. It was not anything substantial, but perhaps it would show her that she was not alone in experiencing loss and grief. He has had many in his lifetime.

His head gestured toward the door in the back of the room leading to the kehrite, his tendrils tickling her shoulders, “Come. I have something I wish to show you.”

As he moved her off his lap gently, she grimaced, “It’s not gunna be more skulls, is it?”

He chortled, stifling the laugh, “No, this is something different.” Her face remained pinched and he winced at his reaction. It was not meant to be humorous. He turned to her, his olive eyes down and apologetic, “That was my mistake. I did not realize that those would bring forth such painful memories for you.”

She smiled timidly as she got to her feet next to him, the top of her head barely reaching his pectorals, “It’s not your fault, I know what you were trying to do.”

He rumbled a purr with a series of clicks and put an arm around her slim shoulders, leading her to the training room. It was not far, just down the hall of the main common room that he and his brothers and sisters had shared. The doors opened at his presence, the warm air hitting his hide, causing the spines along his chest to stiffen. The lights flickered on, illuminating the large space used for combat training and sparring. He has had many fights in this room with his brothers, many times he had been bested and times where he had drawn the blood of another. Some to boast about, but none he wanted to disclose to the female next to him. He may be young and impulsive at times, but he was not arrogant.

Ni’Kotam let Selene examine the room around her, watching her head turn this way and that, her eyes darting around excitedly. He clicked in amusement at her inquisitiveness. So curious, his little human. There were several mats along the floor, weapons lockers and armor stands sitting on the far wall and silver metal tables for cleaning and repairing. He preferred to have his own armor in his room, close by, but most had decided to store them down here. A strange feeling of guilt entered his mind when he recalled all of the weapons and gear he had stolen, not to mention the trophies still hung up in the display room that were not his own. It was not intentional; his only purpose was to commandeer the ship and escape, he did not think of all the possessions still stowed away on the vessel. He shook his head. It did not matter. Most of those skulls were acquired through unworthy means anyway. “Where are we?” Her voice echoed off the metal walls.

His arm gestured to the room with a wide ark, “This is the kehrite, the training room, where we…train.”

She glanced back at him with a smirk at his snarky answer, snorting a laugh, “Thanks, captain obvious.”

He clicked his tusks at her good naturedly, poking at her ribs with his claws to make her giggle and squirm, and she batted his hand away. He chuckled, relief washing over him at seeing her smile again. He guided her to the back wall where all of the weapons were stored and he tried to ignore the flashing red lights of the other storerooms, indicating that they had not been in use for a while.

Ni’Kotam showed her his assigned locker, punching in the six digit code for entry. It beeped in acknowledgment and slid open with a mechanical hiss, revealing his personal inventory of weapons. He did not have as much as the others did in their storage units. A ki’cti-pa, combistick, a sivk’va-tai, plasma caster, and a bhrak-chei, spear gun. The usual for a Blooded hunter. But what he was searching for was the gleaming silver and grey spear in the middle of his arsenal.

He reached in and pulled out his most prized possession, circling around carefully to show her, “This was my mother’s glaive.” He announced, caressing the long weapon fondly. He admired the twin-headed spear, with serrated blades perched on the ends that were forged of the bones of the quatza-rij, the fiercest and most formidable creature on Prime. His mother had killed it herself with no assistance from others, which was a rare feat for any yautja to accomplish. Golden beads and sharp teeth clinked together from the cords that wrapped around each end, a peculiar medallion dangling off the handle grip. He still did not know the significance of such a trinket. The weapon was hefty in his paw, the import behind the ownership of this glaive a heavy burden on his heart.

“Wow.” She breathed, looking it over but not attempting to grab it and hold it for herself, her eyes wide. For that he was grateful, knowing that it would be too substantial for her human hands to carry. Her gaze returned to his, “Was your mother’s?”

He nodded his head solemnly, backing away and twirling the spear easily in the open space, the movements precise and practiced, his words bereft of emotion, “Yes. She was killed on a hunt and passed this on to me.”

He could still remember the day the news arrived of her death. It was an honorable one, according to those that were there to witness it. She died in a glorious battle against a challenging prey. A death worthy of respect. When one of the clan members presented this weapon to him and told him that she wished him to have it, he had been surprised to say the least, but no less privileged. He huffed a laugh, a tusk lifting in amusement, ceasing his movements and admiring the blades. “I’d like to think I was her favorite.” He said absentmindedly.

Selene’s eyes lit up, “You have siblings?”

He glanced down at her, wondering why this would excite her, “By blood? Yes. A brother and a sister.”

“Where are they?” She asked even more eagerly.

If she was expecting a positive answer, she would be disappointed. He lowered the weapon, setting the tip of one end on the floor, “Bakuba died during his chiva, killed by a serpent.” His blood brother was nothing like Ni’Kotam, with his bronze and khaki hide and bulkier frame, nothing like Ni’Kotam’s pale yellow and black speckled skin. He was always too zealous, too hot-headed for Ni’Kotam’s liking. He never spent too much time around him unless it was for training, and even then, they rarely spoke. His mother had always tried to force the two males to hunt together, but Bakuba branched out to his own circle of hunters, leaving Ni’Kotam behind to hunt on his own. It had not bothered him and he believed it better honed his skills as a result.

“And Mirahli, she…” He blinked, his mandibles flaring with a sudden jolt of grief entering his heart causing his throat to close momentarily, “She was killed when she declined to breed with one of the clan members that was heavily augmented. He was enraged that she refused him and he cut her down.”

Mirahli was a worthy female; her hide colored yellow and jade, but with a shimmering shade of silver spotted along her shoulders and forearms. He was closer to her than Bakuba even though she and Bakuba were of the same age and had the same sire. Along with his mother, she had nurtured and trained him, forming him into the hunter he was today. Mei’hswei-tou-di, little brother, she would call him.

There was nothing that Ni’Kotam could have done to save her. He was not there when it happened and when he tried to reconcile the travesty by challenging the one who killed her, he was stopped by Ha’Kuth and his elites, Ni’Kotam’s own life in peril for going after the one responsible. He would never forget that abomination's name. Veka’tull. His gray and red scales, broken tusk and nearly white eyes would forever be burned into his memory.

Selene ducked her head to catch his empty, far off stare, a fretful hint in her gaze, “You mean she was murdered?”

He nodded his head somberly. He blinked a few times before turning around to lie his prized weapon gently on its allocated rack. He answered her, taking a step back and closing the locker door, “Yes, she was murdered.” He attempted not to dwell on the past, but the death of his sister had greatly affected him , and that was before human DNA was introduced into his bloodstream. His own blood family was dead, and he resented the remaining clan for straying so far away from tradition and expectation. He was an outcast long before he ran.

She laid a hand on his arm, and he purred at her touch, “I’m so sorry.” Her pity was not necessary. He had grieved for his siblings, but he appreciated Selene’s attempt to ease him all the same. She turned away to the weapons bench, resting her hands on the metal and whispered more to herself than to him, “I guess we’re both alone in this universe, huh.”

He cocked his head at her statement. Alone? They were not alone, they had each other. He understood what she was implying, but he disagreed. A yautja without a clan, and a human without a home. An unlikely pair, yes, but one he would not trade for the universe. He had become so attached to this little human female that no clan could offer him the same amount of comfort and acceptance that she had. He stepped up behind her and laid a gentle paw on her hip, “I would not say that.”

She slowly turned around to face him, and he took his other hand to her opposite hip, flexing the digits. She looked up shyly, and he was unable to read what she was thinking, the expression on her face almost apprehensive, “Did you love them?”

He bristled a bit at the human term awkwardly, “We do not ‘love’ as you oomans do. It is more, we respect and care for the wellbeing of each other. We honor them when they are worthy of it.”

She inched closer to him, laying both hands on his pectorals, his hide tingling at the soft touch. He knew that she understood the intimacy of such a gesture, and yet, here she iswas close enough for him to hear her rapid heartbeat. He could not help the steady purr that rumbled from his chest, the vibration now an involuntary reaction when it came to her smooth skin against his hide, “So instead of loving someone, you honor them?”

He nodded, the cuffs along his tendrils clinking together. His hands traveled to hold her flush against him, one paw remaining at her hip as the other moved to the small of her back. The air was heavy with his musk and the tension between them was palpable, “Yes. If that is how you would like to put it.” A scent hit his nose that was all too familiar, making his head spin and eyelids flutter subtly. A sweet aroma that emanated from her. Is that…her arousal? There was no mistaking it.

Her throat bobbed with a visible swallow and she whispered, “Would you ever honor me?” The intent behind her inquiry was not lost on him, but it surprised him. She had not been so bold in the past. He could see it in her eyes, the longing, the desire. She found her courage and gazed directly into his eyes, her blunt teeth biting her bottom lip again. She was giving him an opening, an invitation, and he did not plan on wasting it this time, nor letting anything distract them.

The hunter craned his neck down substantially, his crest bumping against her forehead, his eyes heavy lidded and soft, “Of course I honor you, Selene.”

There was a long pause between them, the air permeating with hunger and lust, and trepidation. Perhaps this was her way of distracting herself, but he did not care. He did not want to wait anymore. He would not consider himself over zealous or reckless, but impatient? For her? Absolutely. He craved her.

He bent at the knees and grabbed his female around the backs of her thighs and lifted her. She gasped and gripped onto his shoulders as he settled her on the table, slotting himself between her slim, open legs. His cock stirred excitedly behind his sheath and he pushed his hips up into hers with a purring growl, garnering her reaction, hopeful that he had not stepped over any boundaries. He was ready to back away if she was not receptive. She moaned breathily and it was all the acceptance he needed, running his hands up and down her back roughly, his tusks tangling in her hair as he nuzzled the top of her head. She laid her lips on his speckled shoulder repeatedly, circling her thin arms around his neck and his musk was now saturating the air around them, nearly suffocating.

He had never mated before, he was Blooded well after Ha’Kuth ordered the clan initiate the augmentations. Most of the females were already dead or were no longer available for mating, they were either enslaved by the males or had their heat cycles altered or permanently removed. None were interested in a newly Blooded male that had refused to conform to the clan’s ideals. He was thankful for that now though, as he did not have any pups that he had left behind. He saved that honor for the little human currently grinding her pelvis against his sheath and writhing in his arms. He would rather fill her with his pups and he intended to do just that.

“Niko…” He raised his head at the pet name she had given him. Her pupils were blown and she was panting, unadulterated need clear in her beautiful emeralds. She gripped onto his tendrils and his purr stuttered into a low whine, his claws flexing into her squirming hips, “Take me.”

He snarled deep in his throat at the request, the demand, and quickly lifted her off the table easily and cradled her protectively against him. Her legs wrapped around his waist instantly and his paws gripped onto her ass. With desire and absolute need clouding his thoughts, he carried her to his chambers, more than ready to finally claim her as his mate.

Chapter Text

“…Of course I honor you, Selene.”

The air was stolen from her lungs in a whispered gasp, leaving her breathless and dizzy. He could certainly hear her heart beating rapidly, her blood rushing through her veins, her palms sweaty. Her emerald eyes were wide and glossy as she gazed up into the familiar yet alien face of her most beloved friend, her hero, her savior. Selene still had difficulty deciphering what he was feeling based on his facial features, even with all the time they had spent together. His piercing, beady eyes were genuine, his tusks tight against his mouth, and the muscles where his nose would be twitched, scenting the air that was soaked in her arousal. She could never hide that from him.

The young woman squirmed in his grasp as he lifted her up on the table, all sensation pinpointing on the way he was touching her. His paws on her body, the rough scratch of his claws on her waist through her shirt, his mandibles nuzzling the top of her head. Her eyelids fluttered as her hips undulated against him, grinding her core against his covered groin. She had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like a lifetime, too embarrassed or too stubborn to admit her feelings for him until now. He had taken the first step, no longer denying the carnal tension between them that had now boiled over into a raging storm of love and lust. She couldn’t help the words that spilled from her mouth as he all but claimed her right there on the table, “Take me,”. She didn’t fully understand what the implications of such a demand would mean, only needing more of him.

With her brazen words and the grip of her thighs around his abdomen, Niko wasted no time and hoisted her up with a growl. He whirled around and proceeded to carry her through the metal halls back to the safety and privacy of his room. Selene couldn’t keep still, wiggling in his strong arms that held her like she weighed nothing, laying kisses on every inch of his speckled hide. His skin was rough against her lips and fingers as she explored his shoulders and neck. His purr deepend, his gait faltering when she nipped at a sensitive spot on his throat.

The doors opened and closed to his personal chambers, but she barely noticed the change in surroundings, too focused on the alien that was hugging her tight to his large form. He stopped at the foot of the bed and gently pulled her away from his neck. His eyes that were once a duskier yellow had darkened to an intense jade, his pupils blown and expanded to condense the brilliant colors, matching the desire and need swirling around inside of her. She took in a stuttering breath at the site, her body trembling.

He crawled onto the bed with her, taking great care not to crush or drop her. She laid back against the furs with his guidance, keeping her legs spread for him to settle between them. His middle was so wide that her thighs stretched uncomfortably, her jeans tight against her skin. Her arms encircled around his neck, as much as she was able. His long dreads formed a curtain around them when he leaned down, his forearms caging her head in. She visibly swallowed down the nerves that were threatening to become too much for her to handle, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

She had never had sex before, nor had she been in any intimate relationship worth noting. The men that had kidnapped her did many horrible things to her body, but they never penetrated her, never took away that special part of her. She squirmed, trying to force away those memories. They did not belong here.

However, looking at Niko’s body, with the size difference between them and his heavy weight on top of her, it caused the same unpleasant sensations to resurface. But this is Niko, she told herself in her head, trying to focus on the here and now, he would never hurt me.

Niko, unaware of her internal struggle, moved to slide his paws under her shirt and tear it off in his excitement. His long claws cut at her skin by accident, drawing blood. She hissed between her teeth in the sudden jolt of pain. She snatched the hem of her shirt away from him, covering herself on impulse and clutching at the small wound. It wasn’t substantial and normally she would not be bothered by it, but it was enough to send her into a slight panic, her breathing becoming erratic for a different reason entirely.

He reared back at her unexpected reaction, sitting up on his knees and finally picking up on her discomfort, his purr a constant rumble vibrating through his chest. That musky scent that emanated from him was thick in the air, the same one that he used to soothe her when she was upset. It was intoxicating, and she breathed deeply, letting the aroma drain away her apprehension. She could tell that he was reigning in his enthusiasm, his limbs were shaking with his restraint as he trilled nervously. He tilted his head, his leathery dreads falling off his shoulders, “Are you alright?”

Selene snapped her eyes up to his own, his thorny brows pulled together in a frown. He hadn’t realized that he had cut her. She lifted her white shirt to show him the wound on her ribs and he let out a flurry of clicks, his mandibles twitching as he looked down at his claws, examining them closely, the tips stained crimson, “I did not…I…”

“It’s okay,” She reached out and grabbed onto his hands, swallowing down her anxiety and trying to smile, “We’ll just have to be more careful.”

He clenched his fists around her fingers and nodded his head, his neck muscles straining, though beyond that, he didn’t move. She attempted to ease his mind further when she pulled off her shirt and dropped it off the side of the bed, her bra now the only piece of clothing on her chest. She reached behind her and unhooked it, sliding it away and revealing her modest breasts to his piercing gaze. She was not about to have the bra discussion with him right now. The thrill of his eyes on her bare chest shot another wave of arousal to her center. This is Niko, she repeated in her head firmly, I want this with him.

Selene wasn’t sure if female yautja had breasts, but the look in his eyes as he stared at her chest was more than enough to make her blush, her cheeks turning red. She ducked her head shyly at his unwavering scrutiny, but he still hadn’t moved to touch her any further.

This enormous alien hunter that had killed and maimed so many creatures in this universe, that had the strength of more than ten men and the ability to tear her apart, was now treating her like a fragile doll. She wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all, but that would more than likely kill the mood, and he already looked like he was about to bolt from the bed.

“You can touch me.” She whispered, and it was like she flipped a switch in his head, her verbal consent the last line he was waiting to cross. He immediately leaned over her with one hand on the bed to support his weight, the other going to cup one of her breasts, holding the small globe in his massive paw, squeezing it gently. She gasped at his rough, calloused palm against her smooth skin, biting her bottom lip as a clawed thumb scraped across her nipple.

“So soft,” he rumbled. At hearing his voice come through the translator still attached to her ear, Selene got an idea. If they were going to do this, there was one thing that she would need to request of him. She lifted a hand to her ear, and his eyes followed the movement, “What are you doing?” He asked, tilting his head in that adorable way he did when he was curious or confused.

She pressed the button on the device, deactivating it with a series of beeps. She pulled it from her ear and tossed it in the direction of the table beside the bed. She returned to him and laid her hand on the side of his mandibles, encouraging him to lean down, “I want to hear you as you are, Niko. Nothing between us.” His eyes softened and his purr deepened as he spoke in his language, the points of his tusks stroking her cheeks lovingly. She couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but she didn’t need to, smiling up at him.

For two painful years, this extraterrestrial had been her constant source of comfort ever since her family was ripped away from her. Ever since her life was completely and utterly destroyed. She could never imagine her life without him now. She never thought that she would want to experience any form of intimacy, not after the horrors she was forced to endure, but she wanted this with him, desperately, and she couldn’t bear the thought of waiting any longer.

Her eyes flicked down to his alien mouth, the sharp teeth within menacing and threatening. She bit her bottom lip in consideration. How was this going to work exactly? No, she was thinking too much. She needed to be more assertive. He liked it when she was more aggressive. She lifted her legs higher on his waist, squeezing him with her still covered thighs and encircled his neck once more, forcing him down to her. His mandibles spread to allow her closer and she laid a gentle kiss against the soft, pink flesh inside.

He chirped as his purr stuttered, his snake-like tongue slithering out to touch at her lips. She gasped, opening her mouth and tilting her head, meeting him halfway with her own appendage. She let out a breathy moan when she tasted him, exotic and earthy with a hint of metal and entirely not human. His tongue was much longer than she thought it was and it put images in her head of Niko between her legs, wiggling that tongue inside of her.

Niko’s paw moved up along her side, his claws scratching against her skin, mindful of the now coagulated wound. She shivered as he cupped her breasts again, massaging the globes in his hands and craning his neck down to lick around the rosy buds, switching from one breast to the other. Selene tilted her head back, carding her hands through his rubbery tresses gently as he continued to lavish attention to her breasts. With each rasp of his tongue, simmering sparks traveled across her heated skin and down into her pussy, causing the muscles to contract around nothing. Her panties had become wet and uncomfortable against her labia, and she wriggled her hips against him with impatience.

Without warning, he lifted onto his knees again, leaving her feeling cold. His chest expanded rapidly as his fingers clenched into fists, looking at her as if he wanted to eat her. His mandibles spread as he slowly moved his hands down to his leather loincloth, unbuckling it and letting it fall onto the bed. He grabbed it and dropped it onto the floor next to them, letting Selene see him for the first time, never breaking eye contact with her as he went to grab his fully formed erection.

Her jaw tensed as her eyes widened further at the site of his bare cock, another gush of wetness rushing through her core. His dick was huge, massive compared to her tiny body. It was a pale yellow, just like the hide on his abdomen, with a slightly green tint running along the veins. The head of his cock was tapered, ridges and bumps lined the sides of his thick girth, curving upward. The shaft led down to a bulbous ball of flesh where it met his groin, centered between what looked like petals that had opened up to allow his cock to emerge. It twitched in his grip, almost like it had a mind of its own. Selene swallowed nervously, trepidation now surging through her. How the hell is that thing going to fit inside me?

The hunter grabbed her hips and began to tug down her pants and panties roughly with an impatient snarl. She jumped with a yelp as he yanked them off, taking her boots with them. She shivered as the warm ship air hit her naked flesh, sending goosebumps across her skin. She instinctively moved her hands to cover up her most intimate areas and closed her thighs, feeling extremely vulnerable at suddenly being disrobed completely. His forcefulness startled her and she scooted back further onto the bed as he tried to pull her towards him. He pumped his cock a few times, a clear liquid coating the rigid shaft and if Selene hadn’t been so alarmed, she would have melted at the erotic site of him pleasuring himself.

He gripped her right thigh and started to spread her legs again when she held up a hand, struggling in his grasp, “Wait, Niko. Stop!”

The young yautja’s head snapped up to hers, his tresses whipping around his shoulders. She was taken aback by the wild look in his eyes, primal and full of need. His mandibles flexed outward and a growl left his throat, sending a chill up her spine. A small hint of fear tinged at the edge of her mind, but she quickly threw that thought away. He is just as excited as I am, maybe even a bit more. I have to calm him down.

Selene pushed him to his knees again and he watched her intently as she slowly opened her legs to lay on either side of his thighs. His nose muscles twitched as his purr grew louder and he licked the outside of his inner teeth as he slowly stroked his stiff member. His gaze jumped down to her now glistening center, and he flexed the claws on his other hand. I trust him, she reminded herself.

“See the problem?” She indicated to the opening of her pussy with a heated blush, then pointed to his massive erection.

Niko nodded his head slowly, his natural voice a series of clicks and trills, “Sei-i.”

She ducked her head, giving him a sultry smile, “I might need a little help getting ready for you, big guy.”

He groaned, but it came out as more of a whine as his eyes shut momentarily. She couldn’t help but giggle at him, holding her hand out for him to take. He did so, the other hand still fisting his cock, almost as if he couldn’t help himself. She led his free hand to her lower belly, letting him feel the softness of her skin with his fingertips. She pushed his digits down, showing him where to touch her, biting her bottom lip as she guided his hand to her eager center.

Selene was not new to masturbation. She had pleasured herself on more than one occasion to this very scenario. She had seen enough TV shows and movies to understand what was supposed to happen, but all the porn on Earth could never have prepared her for sex with her alien boyfriend. She knew it would hurt, there was no doubt about that with such a big difference between them, but they could at least work her open to the point of it being physically possible. He was more than three times the size as her and his cock was about as thick as her wrist. It would be a tight fit, but she was more than determined to share this with him. She wanted to give herself to him completely.

She had him cup her excited mound, encouraging him to skim his fingers over her sensitive folds. She let go of his paw to let him explore, laying both of her hands on the bed and craning her neck down to watch him, her cheeks now sporting a permanent blush. He took initiative, using his fore and middle finger to trace along the outside of her labia. He moved his fingers up and down, causing her breath to stutter as he teased her. He swept over the little nub of flesh hidden between her lips and she jumped at the sudden contact with her clit. His eyes flicked to her face with a questioning trill, and then lowered back down to her center, gently swiping at her pearl again and again, more than eager now that he had found the pinpoint of her pleasure.

Niko alternated between rough strokes and tender slides. His fingers dropped lower and discovered her opening, swirling the moisture of her wetness that had seeped out of her and pushed in one digit cautiously. She tensed when she felt the tip of his claw, hissing between her teeth, “C-careful.” He growled and clicked his tusks, sounding like a mix between a laugh and gentle reassurance. She gasped at the intrusion of his finger entering her body, spreading her legs further. He sank the digit in, pulling it back out and then repeating the motion, the rough texture of his hide against her pussy walls adding new sensations, her cunt clenching around the steadily thrusting finger.

He snarled softly as she unconsciously squeezed him. He added a second digit, stretching her open more than she ever could with her small, nimble fingers. Selene moaned, the burn fading into a dull pleasure that built higher and higher the more he pumped his fingers inside her, curling them up until he hit a spot inside her she had never reached before. She cried out when he found it, her back arching slightly off the bed. He clicked a few times, adding a third finger and that made her wince. He reduced the pace and slowly picked back up as she thrashed around on the bed. She gripped the furs below her, her breasts rising and falling rapidly as a small sheen of sweat made her body shine in the lowlights of his room.

His thumb circled back to her pearl, massaging the engorged nub back and forth, up and down, never using the same technique twice. He learns fast. He used his other hand to pull back the hood hiding her tiny clit from him. His eyes zeroed in on the swollen flesh and used his hunter's precision in his movements. He fucked her with his fingers as his thumb continued to swipe against her little pearl and her hips bucked against his hand.

Selene looked down and gasped when she saw him staring at her as he manipulated her body, his eyes intense and nearly glowing. The site alone sent her hurtling toward that razor edge, her hips now humping against his paw uncontrollably. The tension in her abdomen became taut as the string was pulled tight, ready to snap. Selene shut her eyes as the familiar swooping sensation inside her pussy dipped, expanded and then shattered.

The young woman threw her head back as she came on his fingers, wailing her pleasure and convulsing around the still pumping digits, a gush of wetness coating his paw. She could barely breathe as the waves of ecstasy traveled throughout her body, her skin tingling as all the nerves inside her fired off at once, the multitude of stars racing by the ship now danced inside her vision. Her creamy thighs trembled as she rode out her high, attempting to close her legs around his hand, but he forced them back open with a low growl of warning, slowing his movements.

As she gradually came down, she felt him cover her body, his massive weight pushing her further into the bed. She opened her eyes and came face to face with Niko, his back arching so that he could be eye level with her. He licked her cheek with a trilling purr, pulling back with a question in his eyes that were filled with a desperate lust. She looked further down and watched as he stroked his heavy cock, the appendage twitching and eager to be inside her. She had no idea a dick could look eager. His mandibles flexed and flared, his voice coming out jumbled and erratic. She didn’t need a translator to know what he was asking, practically begging her for.

Selene rapped her trembling arms around his neck, nodding her head vigorously, more than ready for him. He bent his head to watch what he was doing, guiding his stiff cock to her opening, coating the pointed head in her slick. He pushed inside of her, just the tip and that already was bigger than his two fingers. The stretch was immense, and she grit her teeth as he continued to slowly pump inside her body, an inch at a time. She jumped when a sudden pressure released inside of her, allowing him to slide deeper. She could barely breathe as the thickest part of him popped inside her, the lips of her pussy stretched to the limit around his throbbing member.

Once he was nearly fully seated within her, or at least as much as he could be, she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Fuck, it feels like he is splitting me in half! With all their preparation and the amount of her slick and his lubrication, it wasn’t enough. She concentrated on relaxing around his twitching girth, breathing steadily through her nose and letting it out through her mouth slowly. She buried her face in his neck, her entire body tense as she waited for the burning pain to recede. For Niko, he stayed as still as possible, petting her tangled hair and nuzzling the top of her head, purring loudly. He lay motionless on top of her and allowed her to adjust to his size.

When she was finally able to catch her breath, she wriggled her hips against the intrusion experimentally. The pain had now waned into a dull ache and she squeezed her thighs around him to signal that he could move. Not needing any more encouragement, he retreated from her body, slowly, until just the head of his dick remained inside of her, then forced his way back inside, burying himself completely. He repeated the motion, in and out, the pain fading with every thrust until finally nothing but blinding pleasure overtook her body. The air was so thick with his scent that she was nearly drowning, only adding to the sensation of Niko’s cock thrusting between her legs.

The hunter growled, gripping onto her hip with one paw as the other held the top of her head to keep her from sliding away from him with every pump, his claws digging into her flesh without breaking skin. Niko started fucking her roughly, pounding into her cunt. His rigid cock scraped along her walls, her pussy fluttering around him. He changed the angle, snapped his hips in order to hit that one spot inside her that made her eyes roll back.

Selene wailed, “Niko! Mmm, fuck! Niko, please!”

She didn’t know what she was begging him for, but he answered her plea with a vicious snarl. She yelped when he lifted up, cradling her to him with both of his paws on her ass. He got to his knees, pulling her with him, her legs falling on the outside of his thighs. She settled onto his cock, the position forcing him to go even deeper. She looked down and was momentarily stunned at how she was able to take his massive cock inside her body, her sore pussy lips gaping wide around him. He distracted her from the site, bouncing her on him, now able to pummel her sweet spot over and over again. Her blunt nails dug into his shoulders, her cries of pleasure no longer restrained. All she could do was let him have his way with her, dragging his cock along her walls and taking him as deep as she could, his tip kissing the entrance of her womb with each drive into her body.

“Huh! Uh! Oh, fuck! Nnnniko …I can’t…” She couldn’t form a coherent sentence, She grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut against the overwhelming sensations between her legs. His talons dug into the globe of her ass, pulling her onto his cock as he drove his hips up. He was ruthless, the ridges and bumps lining his shaft slid against her just right, her cunt inflamed and swollen. A second orgasm built inside her pussy, faster than the last one. The hood of her clit was pulled back, the little nub grinding against his scaly abdomen. It only took a few more snaps of his hips before she was pushed over the edge once more, fluid gushing from her to soak them both.

She screamed, throwing her head back as he continued to pound inside of her, a rough growl of satisfaction rumbling through his chest. Her pussy fluttered around him, tightening and convulsing, the lewd, squelching sound of his member entering and exiting her body echoed in her ears. Her arms were limp as they encircled his neck, trying desperately to hold onto him.

Niko increased the intensity and rhythm of his hips, the low growl in his chest developing louder as his movements became more erratic and uncoordinated. His cock grew harder, driving into her at a relentless pace. She winced when he attempted to pull her onto the bulbous flesh at the base of his dick. She was too tired to fight him and she cried out when it popped inside her, pressing against the walls of her pussy. She squirmed in his lap as his base started to expand, her cunt stretching impossibly wide.

She could feel his dick twitch once, twice and then Niko let out an ear-piercing roar of completion, a flood of his seed entering her womb. She hummed happily as she felt him coating the inside of her cunt with his warm cum, his entire body tense and shaking. He continued to lazily thrust inside her, ensuring that all of his hot, virile seed was emptied into her still quivering pussy.

He held her close as they both finished, the aftershocks coursing them, his cock still jerking within her. His muscles trembled, struggling to hold them both up. Selene was exhausted and remained limp against his chest. He shook her once with a clicking trill, gently pulling her back from being buried in his neck. He pushed her sweaty hair out of her eyes and behind her ear, examining her face for any signs of distress. She smiled up at him blissfully, giving him the reassurance that she was very satisfied. She leaned up and laid a kiss on his inner mouth, his tongue snaking out to lap at her lips. He craned his neck down and pressed his forehead against hers with a rumbling, loving purr.

He gathered her in his arms and laid down on his back, letting her rest on top of him as his cock remained nestled inside her, his purr vibrating through her body. He pulled the furs over them both, his claws rubbing up and down her back, the hum of the ship’s engines lulling her to sleep.

She was unaware if she was in a floating dream or still awake and she snuggled further into his chest, whispering, “I love you, Niko.”

Selene fell asleep before she could hear his response. His purr deepend in his chest, his musk permeating around them, settling on them with warmth and comfort. He clutched her to his chest protectively, his claws running through her hair as he trilled softly to his newly claimed female, “Ki mei’din se non-co.”

Chapter Text

Ni’Kotam roused from his slumber, stirring with a groan as his muscles ached with soreness. He blinked a few times to rid himself of the remnants of sleep. The lights had dimmed inside his chambers, indicating the night cycle had begun some time ago. He turned his head with a quiet rumble toward his gauntlet that rested on the table next to the bed, observing the status of the ship and their ETA to Prime.

At first glance, everything seemed to be in order. No alarms had been raised and no issues that required his immediate attention had come up. If he was not needed anywhere on the ship, then he refused to rise for any reason other than for an emergency. He turned away, resting his eyes once more and squeezed his newly mated female closer to his purring chest, a sweet hum of content escaping her lips.

His mate. That was what she was now. He could hardly believe it. The pure joy in his heart was near overwhelming, his mind flooded with absolute bliss like he had drank too much of the fiery brew c’ntlip. A strong sense of possessiveness and pride welled up inside of him, a herculean force unlike anything he had ever felt before demanded that he protect her and tend to her every need. It was now his duty as a mated male.

Last night was… indescribable. Her shrieks of pleasure, her warm, soft body, the feeling of her tight cunt enveloping him and stretching to accommodate his thick girth… it was all too much. He was inexperienced and it showed in his clumsy movements and eagerness. His clanmates had spoken of mating before, but the actuality of it was nowhere near what they had portrayed.

It was depicted as an act of necessity, to procreate or to relieve stress. Unfortunately toward the end of his time with his clan, it morphed into a way to dominate and control. The mutated males considered mating their right no matter if the female had consented or not.

But this, what he had shared with her was more… powerful. Raw. An unbreakable link was forged between them in a fervent, desperate act of passion. Perhaps that was just his human side interfering with his thoughts again, but he had felt a connection with her on a deeper level that transcended species and galaxies alike.

Selene had accepted him, given him permission to enter her body and lay claim to her. Finally letting him achieve his desire to sink his knot into his chosen female and tie her with him, filling her with his seed. She belonged to him now. She was his.

He had to hold himself back from hurting her, but his restraint only held for so long. The pads of his fingers traced lightly along the raised scarring on her ribs where he had cut her with his talons. He had not realized that he had injured her in his haste to strip her bare. Ni’Kotam hated to admit it, but it unnerved him, how easily he could kill. His mate was fragile, and he would need to take great care during their coupling.

He would never tire of hearing his name fall from her lips like litany as he pumped within her, holding her small body close to his as he sent her over the crest of pleasure. He purred at the memory of her wanton cries, her little cunt squeezing around him, his member twitched and stirred to life once more.

His cock had slipped out of her and had retreated behind his sheath sometime in the night. Their dried, mixed fluids clung to his hide, marking him with their combined scent. It was making him itch, but he dared not wake his sated female. She would need her rest, for he planned many more encounters such as this. He knew logically that his essence would never take root inside of her womb, but it did not stop him from wanting to try.

And try he would. Again and again.

The fantasy of watching her swell with his pups was too irresistible to ignore. His yautja instincts demanded for him to take her as many times as necessary to ensure she was properly bred, disregarding the impossibilities of it. His primal need for her to carry his offspring was irrationality intense.

The purring yautja could not stop touching his mate, lightly tracing his claws down her back, over her plump rear, down her creamy thighs. She was sprawled out on top of him, with one leg thrown over his middle, her core settled right up against his side. Those strange bumps appeared on her skin, the little hairs standing up and brushing his scales. She shivered. She must be cold.

He pulled at the furs that were covering them from the waist down, up over her shoulders. An attempt to not to wake her was made, and failed. Her breathing pattern altered and she stirred, stretching over his chest with a yawn. He craned his neck down to look at her. Her silky hair fell like a curtain over her eyes and he brushed it back gently, revealing the dear face of his sleepy mate.

Selene sighed drowsily, her eyes still glossy and tired. She smiled timidly, her voice a bit hoarse, she blushed as she realized it was probably due to the night before, “Hi.”

Ni’Kotam increased his purr and chirpped, “G’kaun-yte.”

She giggled at their usual playful greeting and buried her face between his pectorals, her breath ghosting over his hide. He chuckled at her shyness, stroking the top of her head and unsure as to why she felt the need to hide from him.

She lifted her head, her shimmering emeralds bright and full of affection. She crossed her arms and laid her chin on her forearms, looking up at him. He continued to run his talons through her hair, combing through the delicate strands. It fascinated him, the softness of the threads, how they tangled around his fingers easily. He could spend a lifetime here, just the two of them drifting through the stars with nothing to do but explore each other. He wanted to map out every inch of her skin, discover all the places on her body that made her sing with pleasure.

His female closed her eyes with a pleased hum, “That feels nice.” He clicked his tusks together, swelling with pride. He would continue to make her feel good as long as she permitted him to. It was his duty as her mate.

“So,” she began, opening her eyes to look at him, “Last night was…” She bit her bottom lip, her flesh tinting red. She ducked her head into her arms. Was she embarrassed? What was there to be ashamed of? Had he done something wrong? He brought a paw to her cheek and stroked her skin with a few clicks, encouraging her to face him.

Selene peaked at him from under her eyelashes and he tilted his head curiously, his dreads sliding off his shoulder. “Sorry,” she said bashfully, “I guess I don’t know what to say,“ her head lifted from her arms, “Which has been happening a lot lately.” She added with a laugh, though he did not think she meant it to be humorous. He waited for her to gather her thoughts, continuing to purr. He would not push her, though he was a little confused, and was beginning to suspect that she had regretted mating with him.

She huffed, trying again, “Last night was… incredible,” she took a deep breath, and smiled longingly up at him, “Best night of my life,” she finished on a whisper.

The odd tension in his gut dissipated at her confession, he was unsure why, and his heart beat increased uncomfortably. His purr rumbled louder and he leaned forward to press his forehead to hers in a show of affection. She nuzzled him back, humming happily. He felt lighter, more at peace with his new mate in his arms. His mate. That would require some getting used to. Was this what humans experienced as ‘love’? He quite enjoyed it. A lot.

She pulled back with a giggle, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, “I didn’t expect things to end up like that,” her eyes flicked down and she shook her head, “especially after what we talked about.”

Ni’Kotam clicked in agreement. He had every intention of escorting her through the ship, and showing her all the ways that he would take care of her, just how a proper courtship should have been conducted. She had been in a vulnerable state after telling him of her experience with those vile oomans. She had needed security and assurance rather than having him paw at her like a rutting Unblooded. It was her that had taken the initiative of their coupling. He had not planned on claiming her so soon, and after his claws had cut into her skin… he had begun having doubts. It was the fire in her eyes, and her enthusiastic consent that had set those concerns to rest. An uncharacteristic thought had crossed his mind, as long as she was happy, then that was all that mattered to him.

He peered into her eyes, letting his hands roam over her back lazily. He narrowed his brow as she bit her lip in consideration, recognizing that as a sign of distress. She seemed anxious now, a lingering question brewing behind her eyes.

One of her delicate fingers began to draw circles on his chest, “I wanted to ask you,” He stilled completely, his fingers freezing against her, “What was that thing you did at the end? You got a lot,” she cleared her throat, the red color deepening, “bigger.”

Ah, she was asking about his knot. He chuffed, his shoulders shaking with his laughter at her innocent inquiry, he resumed his stroking. Humans males did not possess the ability to tie with their females. He wondered briefly how humans were able to reproduce as much as they did without the requirement of locking semen within the womb. He contemplated how to properly explain it to her without needing her translator.

He lifted her gently so that he could scoot back and lean against the wall with her in his lap, her legs moving to straddle his waist. Her pussy rested right on top of his sheath and he had to invoke his yautja fortitude to not grind his hips up against her. The furs fell onto his thighs, revealing her naked torso to his eyes. Her breasts were rounded and soft, and he fought the urge to cup them in his palms. Yautja females only had full breasts when pregnant or nursing sucklings. They were not used for sexual stimulation, but on humans… Selene enjoyed him touching them, especially the rosy peaks in the center.

Once situated, he raised a paw and pointed a clawed tipped finger at her, then back to himself. She nodded her head, following along. Ni’Kotam then motioned to his groin, grabbing her hand and holding it in his own. He linked their fingers together and simulated pulling them apart, but tightened his grip when she tried to separate them. His other hand pressed gently on her lower abdomen where her womb lay, and he purred, gazing into her eyes.

The realization flashed on her face and she smiled, “Oh, I think I get it.” She lowered their joined hands to rest against his chest, but kept them linked together, “It’s a knot, kinda like what dogs have, right?”

He bristled at being compared to the canines from Earth that were usually kept as pets, clicking his tusks together with an offended huff, but he let it go. If it was the only reference she had, he would not take much offense to it. He nodded his head, the talon on his thumb carressing the soft skin of her hand, “Sei-i.”

“Huh,” she said, examining their entwined hands with wonder, “That’s kinda sweet actually,” one corner of her mouth lifted softly, “Romantic, in a way.”

Selene nibbled at her bottom lip with her teeth, that blush rising to her cheeks again. Ni’Kotam tilted his head, wondering what she was thinking that was causing her such anxiety. She was being especially shy. She had not been this timid since their first few times spent together in her home. Perhaps this was normal after human bonding? His eyes searched her face, his heart constricted in his chest uncomfortably. She was so beautiful, he could not help but want to touch her. He did not realize he was staring at her intently. He wanted to taste her again.

He released his dai-shui into the air and slowly unlaced their fingers. Selene’s eyes lifted up to his as he carefully cupped her cheeks in his paws. He gently pulled her toward him and she went willingly. He could hear her heart begin to race as her breathing accelerated, her arousal spiking.

Ni’Kotam flicked his tongue against her lips, coaxing them open. She breathed out a sigh, he delved into her mouth. Her head tilted, and she closed her eyes, easing his exploration of her. Her tongue tangled with his longer, prehensile one, pulling it between her blunt teeth and lightly sucking on the appendage. He rumbled deep in his chest, his hands traveling from her cheeks to her shoulders and down to grip onto her biceps. He bent his knees, cradling her against him.

Her hands braced on his chest, scooting further up his lap to get closer, but she pulled away with a hiss when her core scraped against the rough hide of his sheath. He jerked his head back, worried that he had hurt her or that she did not want his affection.

Selene gritted her teeth as she tried to cover her sex, her legs attempting to fold up, “Sorry,” she grimaced, “I’m kinda sore right now.”

That did not surprise him. He had not been gentle with her when he had picked her up, and forced her to take him deeper so that his knot could tie them together. It was his doing that had caused her this discomfort, he needed to rectify that.

He held up a finger, and motioned for her to wait. He slid her off his lap, and rose from the bed. His limbs moved of their own accord as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders automatically, the joints popping loudly. He turned and gathered her up in his arms with one hand under her knees and the other beneath her shoulders. She weighed less than his armor.

She grinned as he lifted her easily, his chest vibrating against her body as he clutched her possessively. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Where we going?” she asked, holding on tight.

He nuzzled her cheek and carried her to another area where the bathing chamber was. The door opened automatically at his presence and closed behind him. He went to the keypad and activated the well in the deep pool, filling it with water.

Yautja water contained regenerative properties that would heal almost any ailments, ease muscle aches and pains; things she might have received during their rigorous mating. He used it often, particularly after grueling hunts.

Once the pool was filled, he gently eased them both down into it, sitting on the stairs leading into the well as the warm water enveloped them in its calm, soothing embrace.

Selene hummed, curling into his chest as the tepid water came up to just below her breast. He cupped the liquid into his paws and poured it over her shoulders, massaging her muscles and rubbing her sides, his musk permeating the room blanketing them in its heady aroma. The sounds of content she made spurred his actions, pushing his need to take care of his mate, ensuring that she was properly tended to. He would prove that he was worthy of her.

She sighed as he rubbed up and down her back, shifting in his arms so that she was straddling his hips. She laid her head against his chest and turned her cheek to press a kiss against his hide, “This is amazing,” she moaned, snuggling closer, one of her hands fingered the spines going down between his pectorals.

His purr increased of its own volition. Ni’Kotam shut his eyes and enjoyed the comforting affections of his human female, these unfamiliar stirrings were… pleasant. Once they reached Prime, they would not have the opportunity for these quiet moments, he planned on enjoying them for as long as he could. He has not yet told her of the many tasks he would need to prepare her for, what she must do in order to be able to even set foot on his planet. This has already been very overwhelming for her, he would do it the yautja way: carefully.

His eyes snapped open when he felt her tongue drag across his chest, the sensation sending a small spark down into his sheath and up his crest. Moving his paws up to urge her to face him, he was greeted by the hazy emerald stare of his mate, her eyelids lowered. He tilted his head in question and she laughed breathlessly, shifting around so that her core was centered right over his groin, her legs spread over his pelvis.

He grabbed her waist with a firm shake of his head when she began to gyrate her hips, “M-di,” he admonished. She was in pain and sore, he did not want to make it worse for her. He would admit that he wished to take her again. She was being cruel, testing his resolve with every little sigh and moan that fell from her lips. He growled faintly, he kept his urges in check. He would never forgive himself if he were to injure her.

She hitched herself up his large body and kissed the side of his face, dragging her tongue over his mandibles, “Please, Niko,” she pleaded, his purr stutterd at his nickname, “I want you,” she breathed, encircling his neck and grinding her pussy against his loosening sheath. The desperation in her hooded eyes caused his scales to tighten across his hide. He eased his grip, her demand of him eroding his discipline as though it were sand. Her little tongue licked her fleshy red lips and it was all over for him. C'jit. Who was he to say no to his mate? He could never deny her, and his cock was already hard and eager for her.

Ni’Kotam growled lightly, planting his feet at the bottom of the pool, the muscles along his thick thighs tensed. He steadied her directly over his groin. The petals of his sheath softened and parted, his cock sliding out to lay on his abdomen, thick and rigid. He pulled her closer, pushing her cunt against his cock, the glans stroking against her clit as it emerged. She jerked forward with a gasp, her hips circling, her breasts pressed up against his pectorals. She braced herself on his chest, her small fingers pressing on his hide.

His rumble dropped an octave as he parted the curtain of follicles, and tucked the locks of damp hair behind her ears. He wanted an unobstructed view of her expressive ooman face. He liked that her eyes darkened with lust, the deep greens of her iris consumed by need.

Her hips started to gyrate sensually over his cock. His grip on her tightened as he aided her in her primal dance, teasing the soft lips of her enticing pussy. She tried to impale herself on him, but he would not allow it. He wanted her to squirm. Selene whined in frustration and he growled, long and low. She tilted her hips to try and lure him, he chuffed at her, easily angling his cock away from her movements. Ni’Kotam enjoyed seeing her so desperate for him.

Her breath came out in little pants as she glanced down and watched his cock stroke on the outside of her cunt. Their size difference excited them both. His dick twitched and he growled when she pressed down further. The weeping tip caught on her opening, but not long enough for her to pauk herself on him, he had flexed his muscles and deflected. He was not finished with his languid teasing.

“Niko,” she whined, the carnal desire in her voice whittling away his yautja control.The teasing had gone on long enough, he clicked with satisfaction and finally acquiesced with her unspoken demands. He squeezed her waist and lifted her up so that the head of his cock nestled at her entrance. Ni’Kotam paused and chirped at her, to get her attention. He wanted to be looking into her eyes as he possessed her.

Their eyes met, hers clouded and wide, his predatory and narrow, and deliberately, painfully so, he pushed her down onto him. She visibly winced at the first stretch, her breath catching in her throat as her hands balled into fists. She gritted her teeth and nodded to him. His purr increased in both pitch and speed as he continued to sink into her gently, pulling her down as he pressed his hips forward. The air hissed from between her teeth as he methodically lifted her at about halfway. She had gasped, and he, not wanting to hurt her, had pulled her back up. He chirped before he pushed her down again, slower than before.

Her tiny pussy stretched to accommodate him. He wanted to watch, but the water obscured his vision, so he marveled at the elasticity of her alien body. Her mouth hung open in a silent moan as she struggled to breathe. He pushed deeper.

She let out a whine when he finally seated her fully into his cock, her eyes widened and then clenched shut. Ni’Kotam leaned his head back, basking in the tightness that was Selene before he started bouncing her slowly up and down on his cock. The sweet scent of her arousal, diluted by the bath though it was, still filled his nose. His lower tusks flared as her channel contracted around him, milking his cock. She felt exquisit, warm and wet and tight, suffocatingly so. His talons gripped the globe of her ass, pulling the cheeks apart to drive deeper into her velvety cunt. He liked making her squeal.

He forced himself to move slowly this time, forced himself to be more gentle than the quick, voracious fucking he had subjected her to the night before. He heard the deafening sound of her heart thudding in her chest. She pulled away, her arms straightening against him. Her back arching to angle him perfectly to hit that particularly sensitive spot he knew she had. He was entranced by the bouncing of her breasts, he wanted to squeeze them. He knew she liked it.

He pumped up into cunt and her moans rose in pitch, her nails dug into his hide. The water sloshed around them, rising up over the lip of the pool to splash onto the floor. She lifted her head and grabbed onto his black tendrils. He barked in surprise, and just barely refrained from fucking her harder. Selene lurched forward and tangled their tongues together, rocking her hips faster. She was close. He redoubled his efforts, wanting to push her over that edge, make her scream.

She buried her head against his chest and shuddered with a lustful whine, her little pussy milking him rhythmically. He growled, his sounds animalistic as he increased the tempo of her bounce. Ni’Kotam grunted and with one forceful upward thrust, he popped his knot into her, the bulge swelling as he filled her womb to the brim with his seed. His dick twitched with every pulse, making her jolt with every throb.

She was trembling, her breathing haggard as she sagged against him with a blissful sigh. He clutched her to him and shut his eyes, rubbing her back and purring his affection for her. He was content to remain in the water and savor the way her cunt squeezed around his shaft, struggling to accommodate his knot. The time for preparation for Prime could wait. He wanted to stay here with his newly mated female and enjoy her body so close to his, uninterrupted by the harrowing journey ahead of them.