ALIEN SEDUCTION

Ever wondered what really happens in strange cosmic places? Seductive fantasies don’t always take place on Earth anymore.

Blue Eyes, Leigh Ellwood

Sergeant Chuck DuClay's first day on base proves to be cosmically passionate as he’s seduced by a strange woman in love with his blue eyes.

Hellion, Mae Powers

Tyrant Tyrah Tyranus wants to dominate the known galaxy. Agents from H.A.R.E.M. must thwart her diabolical plans. Hellion intends to kill the bitch.

Tigre Moon, Jenna Leigh

Tael searched for years to find his true love to set him free of the blood curse of the Tigre Moon.  Is Neri the one? 

He Comes in Peace, Megan Hussey

Preparing for an intergalactic mission, Muriel yearns for the solitude of space; her handsome alien copilot has other, more exciting ideas to occupy her with.

EXCERPTS

Blue Eyes

by

Leigh Ellwood

Chapter One

The desert hid little. Amazing that Patton had succeeded during his campaigns on this godforsaken continent. How in the hell did he blend?

Sergeant Chuck DuClay stared out across the expanse of sand. Steam caressed his face, and the immense heat wiggled distant objects in his vision. Even with his eyes narrowed to slits, he could still make out the base—his home for the next twelve months—blatant in the distance, like a scab exposed. All that was missing was the giant red target painted around the perimeter, indicating to enemy forces exactly where the bomb should be dropped. Beyond that, he swore he could see Europe.

The next twelve months…

Knowing the war raged elsewhere hardly inspired confidence of an eventless tour of duty, guarding the nearby seaports of Djibouti, which he couldn’t see from his vantage point. Vigilance was a virtue well learned in his time with the Army since voluntarily enlisting after 9/11. Then, a more idealistic Chuck had yearned to defend his country and wave his flag in the face of oppression; one tour through the Middle East quickly cured him of any future inclinations toward combat. Right now, he just wanted a break.

Why anyone would think to send him here as his duty contract was about to expire… Chuck clutched his lurching stomach and tried to discern, as he had since getting assigned here, whom he had pissed off.

An invisible bump along the sandy floor jolted the Jeep, sending Chuck and his driver momentarily airborne. Private Dewayne Anderson, a blond, darkly tanned man with large, sweating hands, appeared unfazed and kept a firm grip on the wheel. Chuck, by contrast, yelped and grasped whatever was available for support, in lieu of the missing seatbelts. Beneath them, tires continued to spit light dust as they neared their destination.

Dewayne crooked his head closer, his mirrored shades still fixed on the filmy windshield. “First time?” he yelled over the noise of the engine. His accent was distinctly Southern, thickened by a tongue that seemed to extend beyond normal limits. Chuck could only nod and wonder how the soldier didn’t inhale a bucket of sand as he talked.

“Yeah.”

Dewayne grinned a wide block of brightly white teeth, a daring gesture given how the sand pelted them fiercely. To Chuck, it felt like a million needle pricks tickling his face and arms. Dewayne, however, seemed impervious, as though his wicked smile shone forth to provide a force field.

Chuck squirmed in his seat, suddenly embarrassed, as Dewayne let out a deep guffaw. It was as though his driver had interpreted his answer as an admission of virginity.

“Who’d you piss off?” Dewayne asked.

“Not a clue.”

Another braying chuckle.

Chuck attempted to join in, but didn’t have it in his heart. He averted his eyes from Dewayne, his discomfort increasing. He saw something more in his companion’s shaded gaze that spoke hidden words of interest. He could swear Private Anderson sized him up from behind those sunglasses, evaluating Chuck’s sexual flexibility and prowess. Chuck didn’t doubt men experimented with the absence of women in these isolated bases and, to be honest, the idea didn’t wholly repulse him.

Don’t ask, don’t tell. Definitely don’t ask me.

Not right now, anyway.

Chuck shook his head. The heat was really getting to him, playing on his discomfort and taunting his forced celibacy. He had no right to think ill of his escort. He’d only just met the soldier, and he couldn’t be certain Dewayne straddled the fence, much less played for the home team exclusively.

Chuck, for one, was hardly one to hop from bed to cot and back. He wasn’t like his faithless ex-girlfriend. Whatever Dewayne did, on base or in town, was not his business.

“Just to warn you now, you gonna be bored shitless,” Dewayne told him as the Jeep slowed to the guard station. “Djibouti ain’t what you call a tourist trap, so don’t be expecting fuckin’ Branson. Nightlife is one casino that amounts to watered-down rum drinks and somebody’s grandmother running a fixed roulette wheel.”

Chuck nodded, thankful for the portable DVD player packed away in his sack. His body jarred with the vibration of the Jeep and its ensuing abrupt stop before a pair of unsmiling guards. “So, what does everybody do for downtime?”

There was that wall of white teeth again, gleaming in the African sun as Dewayne held his right hand high and waggled his fingers. The formerly stern statues surrounding them broke out in laughter, and Chuck felt his face flush from something other than the dry heat. He tried his best not to make his facial expression a question, lest any of the men volunteer further information. Do the men jack themselves off, or each other?

Unconsciously he squeezed his thighs together, anticipating an ache for want. His cock had been given enough manual workouts since he broke it off with Rita. Twelve long months…would he have anything left to work with when he got back to the States? Assuming he would find anybody?

“It’s low fat and don’t cost nothing, and you don’t have to worry about getting tested later on. Ain’t that right?” The question was directed to the nearest guard, who checked them in with snickering salute. One sharp jerk brought the Jeep back to life, and into the base they cruised. Chuck focused on the new scenery—bland tents and sandy sidewalks, soldiers sweating in desert camouflage—and tried not to picture the passersby with their cocks hanging out, waiting to yank or be yanked.

Cocks. Everywhere Chuck looked he saw men. His heart sank. He hadn’t expected to enjoy much carnal activity on this tour, but just the sight of a lovely feminine form on occasion—three-dimensional, preferably hourglass-shaped and brunette—would have boosted his spirits. With his two-year engagement to Rita dissolved, he knew he didn’t even have the clandestine e-mailed nude photo to look forward to while here. He imagined the base Internet system blocked all the fun sites.

Twelve months. If the war didn’t kill him, boredom was certainly a contender.

* * * *

He found it odd Dewayne chose to hang around while he acclimated himself to his new living quarters. Though he would serve his tour as a Military Police officer, keeping order in a place that seemed to have enough of it, he had not been offered special provisions. Eight cots cramped the tent he now called home, leaving barely enough room for each soldier to keep a footlocker. Chuck positioned his just so it didn’t collide with the one next to his. The last thing he needed at the beginning of his stay was an accusation of denting somebody’s property. He would be the face of authority here, but Chuck knew sometimes passion gave way to violence, regardless of who was on the receiving end.

He would keep his cool, however. Somebody had to in the heat of the desert.

Dewayne appeared nervous now, glancing out the tent flap as though playing the watchman. Chuck suddenly felt like a criminal, prepared to sift through blankets and pillowcases in search of contraband cookies and letters from home.

“What I talked about earlier,” Dewayne said, grimacing, “you didn’t…that didn’t offend you, did it?”

Chuck shrugged and slowly shook his head. “Human nature, is all. If nobody’s getting hurt, it’s none of my business.”

He relaxed, then, “What if somebody made it your business?”

Chuck frowned. “I don’t follow you.”

“Yo, it’s like this,” Dewayne began, his face all serious now. Chuck watched the young man’s face soften as a strong, dark hand raked over a thin layer of buzzed blond hair. “There’s a group of us that’s gets together here to…watch movies.”

“Okay.” Chuck drew out the word in more syllables then necessary. Where was this going? Was he expected to make himself scarce while Dewayne partied with his friends? Not tonight, though. He’d just come from a twenty-hour flight and wanted to get some sleep before reporting for duty.

“Call it a group tension release, whatever. We got a guy who brings in movies to help us…” Dewayne’s mouth twitched and his eyebrows bent upward to his high hairline. Years melted from his face, and Chuck now saw the giddy mirth of a schoolboy looking forward to the last bell, when he could fly home and dig underneath his brother’s bed for Playboys and cigarettes.

“These movies,” Chuck said, “wouldn’t happen to be Disney features?” He lay back on his cot, crossing his ankles and resting his head in his hands. More comfortable than the standard Army pillow issued him, plus it allowed Chuck to tilt his head upward for a better look at Dewayne.

Out of the Jeep, he was lean and tall. Hardly a model, but Chuck doubted the young man was ever wanting for the company of women. Or men.

Don’t ask, don’t tell. Chuck imagined this base held many secrets.

“Whatever the opposite of Disney is, times a million.”

Chuck laughed. Dewayne’s childlike candor was endearing, he had to admit. The private had to be quite green to reveal to an MP that somebody had smuggled in porn. “Your secret is safe with me,” Chuck said. A few dirty movies he could overlook in a place that had little else to entertain the troops.

Dewayne slouched against the main tent pole and offered a casual salute. “Thanks, man. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t at least have that to look forward to.”

Masturbate in private? The question was best left unsaid. Dewayne was a mystery—cocksure one second and skittish the next. Small comfort, knowing that they had twelve months to get to know each other better.

“We’re getting together around twenty-one hundred hours, you can join in if you want,” Dewayne said.

Did he have a choice? “I don’t know. It’s been a long day for me and I kinda want to get some shuteye…” Chuck doubted he could sleep in the same space as a group of men pumping their own cocks in full view.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” Dewayne broke it, his voice now small, “you telling that soldier back at the airport about your DVD player.”

Ah. So that was the game. Entertainment was provided, just no current means of enjoying it. Pick on the new guy with the goods. Make plans concrete so he has to say yes so he won’t look like the base jackass. Nice.

Chuck sighed. “You don’t have a player?”

“We use Doug’s, er, Private Dougherty’s laptop, but the screen burned out.

“I can imagine why.”

“Not like that,” Dewayne laughed. “It was old.”

Chuck now noted the desperation lining the young soldier’s strained smile. Could it be the release was needed that badly for the soldiers on base? He inhaled the desert air deeply, thinking it best not to make enemies so soon upon arriving.

“Sure, why not?” That would prove to be an interesting orientation. Chuck sighed. He’d be here by default anyway, he realized as his eyes fluttered shut. He was bone tired, apt to tumble into the slumber of dead. The tinny moans of a lesbian orgy squealing through tiny pinhole speakers wouldn’t be enough to rouse him.

Bony fingers prodding his ribs, however…

“What the fuck?”

He bolted upright. Time had clearly lapsed, he could tell by the position of sunlight beating down on the tent and the shadows crossing the desert floor. Dewayne, he presumed, had long since gone. In his place was an ancient African woman with a shock of white scouring pad hair. Dressed in rags and curved by what Chuck guessed was a combination of curiosity and osteoporosis, the wrinkled woman inspected his torso and thighs. He grew uncomfortable with the way her wizened face stretched into a leering grin. Wrinkles flattened but hardly took away the age from her coal black skin.

Lips parted to reveal blackened stumps that had once been teeth. Chuck sensed his skin curdle at the sight of it.

“What are you doing?” He flinched when her forefinger came to hover over his fly, air-tracing the bulge. “Watch that.” How did a civilian just walk into camp? Granted, there might be local townspeople in the base’s employ, but certainly none with the authority to access private quarters without an escort.

The old woman’s age betrayed her abilities. With the dexterity of somebody much younger, she had Chuck’s duffel on his outstretched legs and was quickly rooting through its contents. She was one elbow deep when Chuck managed to wrest it away. “No!” he shouted, deep and slowly, hoping No was universal. “You do not touch this.”

High-pitched nonsense spilled from her toothless smile. Beady black eyes shone and haunted him. Chuck felt his heart throb to his stomach and his ears ring with her foreign chiding. Everything sounded like nacknacknack, a worn tongue clicking against her upper plate. She was a human alarm.

Thankfully, Dewayne was the first to respond. The young soldier bolted through the flaps, waving his hat like slapping away a fly. “Hey, git!” He shooed the old woman out of the tent.

Slowly, she turned, acquiescent. With one endearing smile aimed at Chuck, she tottered away as though voluntarily taking leave.

“Shit, sorry about that. She knows she’s not supposed to come in here when the tent’s empty.” Dewayne looked at Chuck and realized his error. “Er…I meant to say, when somebody awake…”

Chuck held up his hand and lay back down. “I get it. I take it she works here?”

“She does laundry, and some alterations. I heard too she sells home remedies to some of the guys looking for hangover relief after liberty, but I ain’t into that voodoo. There’s a daughter who brings her here. She speaks English, but the old lady, forget it. She makes those weird clicking noises and shit.”

Chuck smiled, his eyelids suddenly heavy again. He felt confident the old witch wouldn’t return unbidden. There wasn’t anything in the small duffel worth stealing, and she had to have seen that.

“I won’t worry about her,” Chuck said. “It’s probably best, though, that she has a soldier squire her around when she makes her rounds?”

“Good idea.” Dewayne’s voice sounded uncertain, as though confused by the word squire.

“It is.” Chuck began to drift.

“We still on for later.”

Later? And Chuck remembered his movie date with the guys. “Sure. She isn’t gonna be there, is she?”

HAREM, Episode One:
Code Name Hellion

By
Mae Powers

Chapter One

(Planetoid Alpha-12, Nearly six years earlier)

Someone—something—wanted to destroy her.

A tingling apprehension numbed her mind. She opened her weary eyes to the gloominess of a thin space between two concrete buildings. Her gaze alighted on a square of light coming from one of the structures. The eerie flickering from it beckoned her downtrodden soul. A light she felt she’d just escaped from.

Escape. The word echoed in her weary mind. Awareness crept into her consciousness. Then a grim foreboding told her exactly what she needed to do. Get away—as quickly as possible.

Though a stressful, weighty throbbing drove all ease from her brain, an instinctive urge compelled her to flee. A needle-sharp twinge of pain shot through her arm as she raised a hand toward her head. Gently she touched her forehead. Caked blood made sickening designs on her skin, some still slithering slowly down the left side of her face.

Her hand dropped to her right side. She felt a rip in the clothing at her waistline. There too, blood hardened. Some one or something had definitely tried to kill her. No doubt, they would try again and again until she was permanently dead. No other tangible thought stayed long enough in her fragile memory.

Laboriously, she turned her head, glancing first one way then the other. In one direction, there was total darkness, the other…the dreaded light. That way meant only certain death—definitely a trouble she didn’t need right now. She wondered if ever before she had wanted to find a safe haven within the gloomy darkness that usually foretold of menacing things to come, but never safety.

Hoisting herself up from the rough ground, she half fell against a small structure behind her. She stayed there for a moment, struggling to gather herself for an effort. She had to get away. Again, she touched her waist, this time as if in recollection of something. Rubbing just below her mid-section wound, was a belt, which had once held something. Weapons. She realized she no longer had any. Man-made ones that is.

Painfully she balled a fist and released it quickly. Though some other ebbing memory flashed images of her defending herself against several blurry attackers, she knew she was in no shape to assert herself now. She could barely stand or support her weight. Still, the pain and need to escape drove her on.

She scrunched her eyes, trying to focus in the darkness. That way, and only that way, was her sole hope. Alarms would probably go off soon. They, someone, had waited for a reason. If only she could remember.

Wavering in intoxicating pain, she stared irrationally to the left and right. The pathways around the two large buildings were empty. With dire urgings and little strength, she started towards the beckoning darkness. She had no idea where she was going, only that she needed to leave this place. Beyond the two larger structures were smaller buildings, but she went in the wake away from the edifices. Buildings soon became sparse. Then she felt the ground beneath her feet soften. Grass, tall grass, sloping downwards slithered around her feet and ankles like snakes waiting to strike. Just for a brief second, she stopped, gathered her breath and dared to look over her shoulder. No one was in pursuit, and for whatever reason they weren’t chasing her, or the alarms hadn’t gone off, she was thankful.

She trotted on, her reasoning deadening with the thrashing pain she endured with each miserable step. Jumbled thoughts raced through her mind. A fight with another woman. Soldiers of war even. A large room where people were being beaten, like her. Then blankness and the images stopped.

Suddenly her foot hit against something hard. Before she could balance herself, her body flailed helplessly forward. She slid and twisted downward, within a mudslide. The darkness enveloped her like a deeply dug grave.

With a shocking, torturous thud, she finally hit the bottom of the muddy chasm she’d been thrust into. Tiny motes of light dazed her eyes and thunderous waves of agony kept her immobile on her back. She fought to breath, and even that felt like horrendous punches being dealt her.

Then she heard them. Threatening voices looming way above her. She sucked in her swollen bottom lip and forced her breathing to slow. Every bone in her body could be broken and she may be paralyzed for all she knew, but she couldn’t let them find her. The heavy voices drifted downward, but her sore ears still picked up phrases of what they said.

“…she couldn’t have gotten far. That’s if she’s still alive. We scoped the trail of blood with our infrared detectors from the place where she escaped to this spot. Nothing but that small trickle. We’re lucky to have picked that up. If she staggered out here in the Pits this late at night, there sure isn’t anything left of her.”

“She’s a tough jez, Murb. Even General Kronuss mentioned he’d never known a female to take such a beating and still manage to escape.”

“He’s still not going to like it that we couldn’t find her. Nor is that new bitch of his. Maybe we best tell them she’s dead. I’m not stepping further into this murky soil, Perd.”

“There’s no way I am either. I don’t see how she could have survived a fall down into them bottomless bogs. She’s definitely dead…”

Then their voices faded away, and she was left feeling as if she were going to do just that – die. Her irregular breathing resounded in the black emptiness around her. And for long, torturous minutes, she lay there listening to her breaths echo the pain her whole being felt.

Once she was sure her enemies would not return, she dared to breathe outwards more heavily. Though an excruciating effort, she turned her head to one side to see if she could determine her surroundings. Her tired eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, she soon realized she lay at the bottom of a cavernous pit.

Above her, where a shorter wall of the cave met the roof, she could barely make out the darker hole she had fallen through. Her eyes then focused on the rest of the cavernous ceiling. Sharp, faintly luminous stalactites loomed above her, with several lethal projectiles pointed right down at her. An earthquake or perhaps any ground shaking movement could easily loosen one, she thought. She then wondered what morbid thoughts made her think that. She shivered and the shots of pain she derived from her own body quaking gave her the necessary momentum she needed to force herself from her lying position.

Gingerly she tried to move her arms. With an aching, horrendous effort, she pushed her upper torso into an upright position. Stopping her movements to rest, she regulated her breathing and began glancing further into the darkness. Around her were small debris of rocks, stalagmites, and rocky pathways that led further into her subterranean prison. She saw two larger openings of darkness; she could only assume, let further into this underground world of mystery and danger. She had to believe that one of those rocky doorways would be the pathway to her salvation.

Slowly, she made an effort to stir her legs. After several agonizing attempts, she wearily managed to stand upon her feet. She took several more deep breaths and half stumbled, half walked blindly towards one of the openings. At the entrance to the nearest one, she stopped and held on to a wall to catch her breath. Then with painful determinations she trudged onward. For what seemed like tortuous, drawn out hours, she plodded exhaustedly through twisting, winding rock-hew corridors.

The afflictions and exhaustion increased with every excruciating movement she took. She dredged further on, knowing she had had to keep going. To keep finding a way to freedom. A way to get her body healthy again; and to find out what had happened to her back there above ground. But mostly, she needed to find out who she was and why the hell those creatures…or people had tried to kill her.

What trouble had she gotten herself into? Moreover, what was it she had found out that made her life expendable to those murderers anyway? The need to know, along with her painful determination, kept her going. To where she struggled to go, she wasn’t sure. Only somehow, she would get out of this damp, dark world and resolve the mysteries and madness that had thrown her down here in this dreary hell.

Abruptly she heard other noises than the shuffling of her feet against the rocky flooring or pebbles flying against rock. Stopping quickly, she propped herself up close against a cavern wall. Her heart pounded in fear as she listened carefully to what the sounds might be.

Something heavy and enormous shuffled sluggishly just around the bend in the rubbly tunnel. The vibrating boom of big rocks splattering aside a stone wall, startled her even more. Especially as the quaking thuds were coming closer and closer. The slithering crunch became louder and louder.

She backed slowly away, hoping that whatever it was, didn’t come her way. Then she felt something slick and cool wrapping its way around her legs and shoulders. A slug-like creature, ominously huge and black, imprisoned her frightened form lifting her towards its huge red mouth. A mouth open and ready to suck her in.

“Put her down, Boggin.” An eerie and thunderous voice exploded out of nowhere.

With slow movements, those monstrous tentacles release her, letting her slide down them with a soft thud to the ground. She backed away from the blobish, grumbling creature, turning her head towards the bend in the corridor. There a dark and large shadow of substance emerged before her. It came closer and closer, until it loomed just over her shivering form.

“What the hell are you doing down in my domain?”

The sound of his booming voice drove what sanity she had left into hyper drive. She leaned her head back and inhaled deeply. Though the effort, like the deep breath, pained her, a lopsided grin spread over her swollen lips. These creatures, whatever or whoever they were, didn’t seem to want to kill or eat her. Whatever language he was speaking, something made her understand him. Or he spoke her language. Whatever that was.

“You know...if I could remember, I’d figure that’s the dumbest statement I’ve ever heard.” She forced her self to speak as clearly as she could. “I’m bruised and weary, caked with mud and blood, and you ask me what the hell I’m doing down in this stinking kingdom of yours! Mr., I’m supposed to be the one with loose screws right now, not you.”

He took a step away from her, and when he did, she noticed he wasn’t a great blob like the other thing, but a tall man in dark robes, the hood of which concealed his facial features in shadowy mists. At a snickering, rumbling sound, she turned her attention back on the blob-like thing the shadow-man called Boggin. The giant creature seemed to be laughing at the other entity. Pain or not, delirium or not, for some weird reason she found that aspect amusing. She chuckled as best she could.

The shadow-man folded his arms within each other and stared down at her. “It’s been too long since we had company, Boggin. Take this creature down to the laboratory and we’ll get her cleaned up. Then we’ll try to make some sense of this situation. And stop that inane laughter of yours!”

Boggin seemed to slither backwards a little as if hurt, and when the shadow-man left the creature to do his bidding, it slumped lower to the ground and stared at her with its bright red opening. For some inner reason that did not quite register, she was not afraid of the creature anymore.

“Never knew a…being like you that had a sense of humor, I believe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Boggin. If I could move right this moment, I’d shake your tentacle. I take it not every one puts that buffoon out of joint?”

The ironical rumbling came back just before his tentacles stretched outward and slid around her worn body. Gently it…he lifted her off the ground, and cradled her close against him. He made some mulling sounds. They were soothing, almost relaxing to her nerves. She almost felt like a child being cradled by its mother. Could a creature this ominous and huge be so naturally gentle? Her distraught mind lost reasoning of her thoughts as it began to crunch-glide in the direction the shadow-man had taken.

She tried to stifle the groans when Boggin picked her up, but knew that her body and mind had reached their limits. There was nothing she could do but let the huge, gentle creature do as its master had bidden. The rocking, comforting sensation she suddenly felt at being held in Boggin's massive tentacle arms began soothing her, and her whole being rapidly gave in to the darkening numbness that quickly overwhelmed and engulfed her.

Tigre Moon

by
Jenna Leigh

Chapter One

New Earth 2350 A.D.

Neri stood at the end of the line waiting for someone to buy her. She had been with her mother up until her death earlier this year. She was now twenty-one seasons old, much too old for the slave market. But her mother had been much beloved of her owner and had been allowed to keep her only child with her. That love did not extend to the daughter, however. Even though he was her father, he had no qualms about selling her.

Neri kept her head down, looking at the dirt floor beneath her leather slippers. She wore the gauzy dress of ladies of the night. She was ashamed to admit that she had no idea of the role they played. Her mother had sheltered her most of her life from the seamier side of their existence. Neri sighed as she listened to the auctioneer droning on about the girl ahead of her. Apparently, her assets were much more of a commodity than Neri’s were as he expounded on both her virtue and knowledge of bed games.

Neri wondered how one could be both innocent and knowledgeable at the same time. Her attention drifted, but when the auctioneer began to speak again, she realized he was selling her now.

The auctioneer’s assistant prodded her. “Look up, girl. Your eyes are going to make us a mint.”

Her eyes were unusual in this land of dark haired dark-eyed people. She stood out like a sore thumb. Her hair was brown with streaks of red and dark gold, just like her mother’s. But her most arresting feature was her eyes. They were a clear turquoise, shining in her lightly tanned face. Her lips were full and red, and her nose was straight. Otherwise, she didn’t think too highly of her features. However, the slaver had rubbed his hands together when he first saw her.

“This is Neri of Salvador. Note the eyes—she is rumored to be a hybrid human, her ancestors are from the legendary world of Maurania. The women there are said to be the most skilled of lovers in the known universe.” This was news to her; she had lived in the village down river all her life. If she were from this other planet, surely she would know it.

“Who will start the bidding?” The auctioneer began to call out amounts and hands went up quickly. Neri stood as still as stone, her heart pounding in her ears as she awaited her fate. She was so afraid, she thought she might lose the meager breakfast she’d eaten earlier.

“Turn around.” The handler pulled on her arm when she didn’t obey immediately, turning her first to one side then the other. When she faced front again, she noticed someone staring at her. He was tall with golden brown hair; he was frowning at the platform. Had she done something wrong?  He held her gaze as he made his way down to the front.

“I will give you twenty thousand dachas for her,” he called out in a deep baritone that vibrated from the soles of Neri’s feet through the top of her head. The other bidders took a collective breath at the price he offered.

The auctioneer rubbed his hands greedily and rapped the gavel on his podium. “Going once, going twice, sold to the gentleman down in front for twenty thousand dachas. You have made a wise purchase, sir.” The man ignored the auctioneer’s oily smile and held his hand out to Neri.

“Come along.” He waited until she put her hand in his larger one and let him lead her down the steps in front.

“Please pay at the front, sir. Enjoy.” The auctioneer laughed, and the other men in the crowd leered at Neri. She stuck close by her new owner’s side as they walked among them; all moved aside for his larger bulk.

Her head barely reached his shoulder; she felt dwarfed by him. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach while she watched him pay for her. She now belonged to this stranger. Where was he taking her, and what did he expect when they reached their destination?

He Comes in Peace
by

Megan Hussey

Chapter One

Muriel Stone needed a little peace and quiet in the sanctity of a distant refuge. Since her favorite day spa was booked for the weekend, the far reaches of outer space would simply have to do.

Not a bad destination, she supposed, considering her stance as the captain of a starship that explored the far corners of the universe. This mission in particular promised to further her career and, more importantly, to quench her constant thirst for knowledge and new discoveries.

On a recent mission, her husband Wade had discovered a new planet; a small but exquisite gem of the cosmos that boasted rich foliage and ebullient waters, the clearest of skies and the most bountiful of flowers.

Radiant and unsoiled, this virgin land was discovered by Wade and his first mate, junior officer Stacey Germaine. While they explored this ethereal realm, they also explored one another. Now Wade’s first mate in duty was poised to become his second mate in life; Wade took leave of his career in space to enjoy an early retirement.

Fitting, as he also has taken leave of his senses. Muriel sniffed as she made her way to the office of her commander, Phillip Morrow.

The further exploration of the mysterious pleasure planet, while a formidable and even potentially enjoyable mission, seemed like a consolation prize to Muriel. Even so, she graced her long-time commanding officer with a serene nod and beam.

“I thank you for this mission, Sir,” she shook Morrow’s hand as she took a seat beside his desk. “I look forward to exploring in full this fertile, beautiful planet. I also relish the opportunity to get away for a while, alone and unbothered.”

Morrow frowned and shifted uncomfortably.

“Muriel, I’m afraid there’s been a slight change in plans.” Folding his hands tightly before him, the commander leaned forward to look her directly in the eyes. “It seems that another planet in our solar system has expressed an interest in the exploration of this planet.” He shrugged uneasily. “We’ve agreed to coordinate a joint mission with the planet Eternia. When you go to the pleasure planet, Muriel, you will be accompanied by a first mate, an Eternian space explorer named Jaron Ken.”

Rolling her eyes, Muriel folded her arms and released a long, frustrated sigh. “The one time I need a little space¾literally, I guess¾I must share my mission with a total stranger.”

Philip grinned and clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“I know, Muriel, and I’m sorry. Even so, I think you’ll enjoy Jaron’s company. He hails from an enlightened planet and will add much knowledge and insight to your joint mission.”

Muriel thought a moment, then shrugged. “Okay, I’m game. So when do I meet this enlightened alien?”

ALIEN SEDUCTION

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