"You are cold." Logan frowned when he saw her cheeks flush with the chill. He brushed his finger over her cheek.
"It's fine," Ellis argued, unwilling to leave the market. She was learning so much about their culture from this trip to the market.
Logan grabbed her wrist and led her away from the market. "We will get you inside and warm. Don't worry, you will enjoy it."
The buildings they passed were tall but the walls were surrounded by decorative plans and grass, making a vertical wall garden on each building. She remembered her home town and how crowded and polluted it was and had to marvel at this well-planned city. The only litter on the floor were the fallen leaves.
They finally reached their destination after walking for a few minutes. "It's one of our libraries," Logan informed her as they went into a set of doors.
The man behind the desk didn't look up as he instructed them, "Please leave your Koln outside." Logan glanced t
"We have a council meeting after this. I would like for you to join me," Logan told her when they stopped at their apartment. She was made to change into a more formal looking tunic and Logan matched her. Logan even put a matching tiara on her head.Ellis felt very much like a Disney princess. She looked at herself in the mirror and had to appreciate how good she looked.Through the winding hallways they walked, Logan told her about how the Council representing different ministries came to a decision and then presented it to the Emperor for him to sign or discard."The political framework seems easy but the relationships are difficult. Most of these people have been members since my parents were on the throne, so they consider me a youngling. It's hard to earn their respect.""I understand," Ellis replied. She meant to observe and say nothing. She had no power at the moment, so she couldn't voice her opinions.Nin strode forward a
“Get up,” a female voice called. Ellis swam out of sleep and pushed herself upright, glaring at Laurel. Every morning, Laurel would barge into their room and wake her up for the daily bath. Ellis and Logan usually played a very complex game somewhat like chess late into the night and usually spoke about their childhood and education, all small talk, and went to sleep so late that Ellis was barely functioning any longer.“I hate you,” Ellis muttered. “Why are you so energetic so early in the morning?” She made a face of disgust.The nest was warm and soft and sleeping beside Logan was a novelty. Every morning she would fake sleep for a few more moments to listen to his heartbeat and his body shaking with his purrs before waking up fully and facing the world. Usually, in his sleeping state, he would stroke her back and hair.He was fascinated by her hair for
Ellis lay limply in the hot bath, staring at a woman who was clearly pregnant. As she stared, a sudden thought passed her head. Her period had yet to come. A sliver of fear passed through her that she was pregnant before her rational brain reminded her that she had not had sex for a really long time.Then she remembered that she had been taken by aliens. So, nothing was impossible."Laurel?" she whispered. The other hummed. "I haven't had my period yet. Am I pregnant?" Laurel turned to her with a peculiar look."Do I have to go over the birds and bees with you?" she asked."Well, maybe you should," Ellis hissed. "Did they plant a baby in me or something?" She probed around her body to check for any newly formed bumps."No, it is the same insert pendrive in Slot A thing. Your period won't come. Something about genetic coding. Some earlier women get their period every four or five months, but apart from that, the new com
Ellis couldn't help but wonder how she ended up in this odd situation. Laurel was on her knees in front of Ellis (who was as naked as the day she was born), painting designs on her body."Why are you drawing?" Ellis whispered, feeling somewhat awkward. They were buddies who shared the same pool but this was beyond her comfort zone."It's a tradition," Laurel explained. "Zotheans lick off every single stroke of paint before getting to the real business." Ellis looked at her reflection in her mirror and felt a rush of embarrassment evade her."It sounds so lecherous yet lewd at the same time," she whispered."Oh, that reminds me. They don't understand the whole kissing thing." Ellis chuckled."Don't tell me... they bite." She was joking but Laurel just nodded. Ellis gulped as she remembered Logan's sharp teeth. They were wicked sharp."Don't worry about it." Laurel grinned. "Their bodily fluids act like hero
Warning: R-18 Content ahead. Read at your own risk."My mate," he whispered as he traced a finger over her face. "Come, let us dine." The ribbon had to stay on until they went to bed, so Logan took delight to take her over to the rarely used desk that had already been filled with plates of food. Ellis had been so nervous that she hadn't realized she was starving.She tried to pick up a piece of vegetable, but Logan stopped her. "It would be my pleasure to take care of you." He picked up a bite of food and placed it to her lips. She accepted it and chewed with enthusiasm."Delicious," she affirmed. She took bite after bite until her stomach was full. "Now, I will take care of my mate," she declared with a smile. Logan's tail flickered playfully as he opened his mouth. As he took the food from her, he gave her finger a little nibble. When she giggled, he pounced on her, knocking her back against the cushion."Not hungry?"
Safe to say, Ellis got mildly addicted to the high of her orgasms. She became so bad that Logan and she rarely ventured out of their nest. In the next ten days, they only separated to go to the bathroom and retrieve the platters of food given to them. It was only when Laurel banged on their doors demanding Ellis come out did Logan untangle his limbs from hers.The outside world existed. Ellis and Logan had an empire to govern. Without them, the citizens would be in a lurch.Ellis shame-facedly put on her clothes and hobbled down to the door. When it opened, she found Laurel grinning at her."Thank god. I thought you were going to starve in there." She rolled her eyes. "It's a wonder Logan let you out. Twelve days, seriously? You horny bastards." Ellis couldn't help but give a sly grin. It was nice to have a girlfriend whom she could joke around with. As she hobbled down the hallway, she saw Nin giving her amused smirks. Laurel was no better.&nb
A week later, Ellis woke up, curled up against Logan. It was too early. Logan was fast asleep so it was not his purring that had woken her up. She wanted what it was when a wrenching feeling shot through her.Nausea hit her and she scrambled out of the nest and ran to the bathroom. She barely made it in time. Logan was right behind her. He always woke up if she left, afraid that she was going somewhere without him."What is it?" he asked, worried.She answered by vomiting against, heaving until her stomach was empty. Yet, she just couldn't stop. Logan leaned down beside her and brushed her hair away from her face. He gently rubbed her back as she shuddered.When it seemed to be over, he reluctantly left her to get a glass of water. She sighed and took it gratefully from him, her throat burning. She couldn't even speak. She took a sip and swished it around to rinse her mouth. Thereafter, she took a small sip. No sooner had the cool
Laurel worked like clockwork. She came right on time to accompany Ellis to the bath but found her curled up against Logan, groaning. Logan stroked her hair, hoping he could comfort her."Come on," Laurel coaxed."I'm turning inside out. Leave me alone..." she groaned."Oh, you're pregnant," Laurel commented, surprised. She didn't say any more about how it happened and what not and left it to Ellis to explain later."Yes, any other disease could be cured, apparently," Ellis snapped. She felt horrible immediately. "The nausea is making me cranky," she explained."Don't lie. This is your real personality. You have been holding for so long. It is finally coming out!" Laurel burst into laughter.Ellis glared. "Go without me. I don't want to go...""Come one," Laurel insisted. "You need to.""Do I stink?" she whispered. She surreptitiously smelled herself but found nothing wrong. Were her senses da
Technology had advanced, but Ellis and Cristine still waited for the day when they could travel to their timelines and see their parents for one last time. To ensure them that they weren’t in a hopeless state, dead or have run away from home.But the technology never allowed it. There were basic rules of the planet that couldn’t be breached.So, they plotted.Cristine had used all her free time to learn how to operate Zothean ships. She was adept at aeronautics and engineering and negotiation, so Ellis and Logan had leaned heavily on her in their negotiations. It could be said that the Empire was in a time of peace under their rule.One day, Cristine came up with the idea.“These jumpers travel to the universes all the time without breaking the fragment of the universe. The only rule is to not meet yourself or members of your own family after you have been pronounced dead, right?” she asked.Ellis nodded. “Yes,
He hadn't seen her again until it was over until the city was in ruins and the palace itself was leveled to the ground. The underground city had been hit; Mitch must have known that Logan would try to send his family there. As he made his way to the ruins of the temple, he hoped and prayed that Ellis had disregarded his directions.So many had perished. So much had been lost.The Goddess lay back and propped her head on her hands as she looked up at the stars. "Perhaps someday, I'll show you Ellis's memories of it. She never told you the entire story of what she went through that day. I'll just say that she made me proud again for being so brave and resourceful."His mind was drawn back to the moment he had found Ellis in the rubble of the temple, his relief at finding her safe so deep and intense that he couldn't even form a proper prayer of gratitude.He had wanted to give her a shake when she told him of sending Laurel and the babies away in the escape
Isabella drove out the Council members and the cameras, her manner so brisk and officious that no one dared question her, and shut the door firmly. She sat down beside Logan and drew him into her arms, just as she had done when he was a little boy and hurting from his parents' neglect. He was too large now to snuggle into her as he once had done, so he laid his head on top of hers and wrapped his tail around her arm."It can't have been him," he said. "It can't."She pulled back to look up into his face. Her eyes were soft with compassion. She said nothing. She didn't have to.Logan buried his hands in his hair and tugged. The pain was the only thing that felt real. But Isabella gently reached up and tugged his hands away. He wanted to scream, to attack something with his claws and shred it to bits. The pain was swelling within him to the point where he thought he might burst if he couldn't let it out in some way.Isabella pulled him back into her arms an
He was twelve and Isabella had taken him to the market with her to buy herbs. Logan wandered over to the next stall, which sold jewelry. There was a set of jewels that his eyes kept being drawn back to as he examined the merchant's wares. It was a headband of red-black stones with a matching bracelet and ring.He imagined giving that set to his mate. Would she squeal in delight the way his mother did when his father presented her with jewels? Would she throw her arms around him and press her mouth to his? (The latter Logan thought was a bit disgusting, but Micheal had said humans liked "kissing.")Last night, he'd asked Micheal, his voice low and shy, for this question meant much to him: "Micheal, what will my mate be like?" He knew she'd likely be human. Though Earth had been one of the later additions to the database, the majority of their matches now came from its people."She will be the most beautiful creature you've ever seen," Micheal said, and his eyes t
Despite Laurel's reassurances, Ellis didn’t leave Logan’s side until the doctor arrived. Laurel held her, gently stroking Ellis's back, murmuring soft, soothing nonsense."He has it, doesn't he?" Ellis asked the doctor after he'd run his reader over Logan's prone body. Logan's tail twitched at the sound of her voice, but he didn't react otherwise. He mumbled unintelligible words."Yes, Empress, he does," the doctor said. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were kind."Oh, my God," Ellis whispered. Hopelessness set in."There's no reason to panic," the doctor said firmly. "As long as we can keep his fever under control and keep him hydrated, he will be fine. Zotheans rarely die from this."It was all reassurance.Ellis nodded. She knew that. Logan had explained it to her when the outbreak first began, and the talk videos said the same. Just like the human common cold, there was no cure for it, and it simply had to run its course. Bu
The king brought Izzy breakfast in bed the next morning. She sat up groggily and accepted a cup of tea. She had to admit being impressed by his courtesy and thoughtfulness. She really needed the tea. She had stayed up late into the night and was no closer to an answer than she had been when she first lay down.She spent the day with the king, taking him to see some of Zothea's museums and cultural institutions. She was pretty sure that it was Drake who was following them all day. Once, she saw him duck behind a tree, and a tail with light hair poked out to the side. The bodyguard knew that Drake wasn't a threat and the king's bodyguard seemed to have decided to ignore him. The king, for his part, seemed to agree with them and didn't question the very large man trying to hide behind fence posts, but it made Izzy's heart ache. If the king was the one she chose, this would be Drake's life, lurking on the periphery of hers.The king was as he described himself: easy to get
Drake was already gone when Izzy and Ellis came back to the dining room and her heart ached that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to him, but maybe Micheal and Isabella had decided that Izzy would only get more upset. She gnawed on her tail as they passed through the room to where the king was waiting for her in the hallway outside. He had been seated on a bench and he stood politely when she joined him. Another of his kind stood behind him, his skin as green as the forest leaves."This is my bodyguard," he offered. The bodyguard in question ignored Izzy, but sized up her female bodyguard and apparently wasn't impressed with what he saw."Follow me," Izzy directed. The king walked down the hall beside her and Izzy noticed that she was at least a foot taller than he was.She arrived at her nest room to find that all of Drake's things had been cleaned out already and she felt a piercing ache in her heart. She sat down on a cushion beside her table, despondent.
Logan put out an announcement that tonight would be a state dinner and so the temple dining room was packed with people, all of them speculating as to the cause. He and the empress rarely had them and when they did it was usually for a special announcement. The last had been to announce the empress was expecting Prince Edward and the one before that, to announce that Nessie was being appointed to the emperor's Council.Izzy ate mechanically. She wasn't hungry, but Aunt Cristine was right: she had to make sure the baby got what it needed. Drake was alight with excitement and impatient for the meal to end. The entire extended family was seated around the table, all of them wearing their finery. Her mother wore the glow stone tunic she'd worn to her own mating ceremony and Aunt Laurel was dressed in a purple tunic so bright that it hurt the eyes to look at it. Leo kept flirtatiously tickling Cristine's neck with his tail and then looking away innocently whenever she looked up fr
"I saw a doctor less than an hour ago." Izzy unwound her tail from her leg with effort and gnawed on the end of it anxiously.Her father stood and without a word, headed for the door."Daddy, wait, please!" Nessie pleaded. "I'm so sorry! Talk to me.""I can't." Logan's eyes were on the door and his tail lashed in either agitation or anger; she couldn't tell which."Please," Izzy pleaded. "I need to know what you're thinking. Do—do you still love me?""Of course, I do," Logan said tightly. He twisted the doorknob."Don't leave," Izzy begged."Sweetheart, your father just needs a little time," Ellis interjected. "Let him go, and we'll all talk over this later."Goddess, didn't her mother understand that her anxiety was increasing exponentially every moment? She wouldn't survive a wait of a few hours. "Daddy… please.""You want to know what I'm thinking?" Logan turned from the door and marched back to stand in