“Ouch!” Aphrodite hissed, tenderly prodding at the healed scar.
“Agreed, ouch. Much puss, much blood, ouch.” Grooug spoke with a display of hands and a look on his face that said he was none-too-pleased. He dropped the flowy fabric back down his leg to where it met his heavy boots.
“How did you kill it back then?” Aphrodite furrowed her brow.
He scowled, staring ahead as if he were revisiting the memory. Then the hunter smirked as he returned his attention to her, “I blew up the cave.”
Xexis motioned for them all to continue across the bridge. Aphrodite dropped the subject, seeing it was a sore one for the hunter. Though, she made a mental note to ask Xexis about more of it. She wasn’t sure humans had records of Brexzkit or if that was another thing they never told their scouts.I’m not a biologist, I make explosive darts and fix drones!Aphrodite always had her suspicions there was more they didn’t teach her. Damn human education system.
They stepped into an actual command center and her eyes widened. Xexis dropped his arm as she stepped closer to the control panels. Three people loitered around the glittering desk full of crystal screens and buttons, comparing information on their data pads. As impressive as the controls were, it was the shipAphrodite gawked over. She stepped up to one of the many panels at the side and gasped as the glass slid open, exposing a colorful dashboard.
She wasn’t ashamed; she geeked out. Spinning to face Xexis, she clutched her drone and data pad to her chest. “You aren’t using crystal or fuel switches, there’s nothing for combustion! You’re completely past fuel! You’re a self-charging ship, aren’t you?”
Xexis beamed, but his mouth hung open. Like he wanted to be excited but she could see the words she lobbed at him go right over his head. However, one of the three people in the room turned away from the group to face her. Dressed in familiar engineer overalls but black fabric much like all the other suits, a being much like Xexis. An Om-Nom...er, a Vroskrowz.Fuck, you can’t say that out loud. Get it out of your head. Out! Out-out-out!The Vroskrowz engineer wasn’t bulky like Xexis, and their face was rounder. A deep teal and spotted emerald color, their pincers were longer and they stood another six inches over Aphrodite. They pushed round goggles off their eyes. “You’re correct, how did you know that?”
“Rexna, this is my mate, Aphrodite.” Xexis stepped away from Grooug, toward Aphrodite. “Rexna is engineering technician for the ship.”
“Ah!” Rexna put a fist to their chest and bowed at the waist. “Mphronatch.”
“That’s what they call me,” Aphrodite laughed, offering a hand. Rexna eyed it with marvelous wonder before putting their own hand out to Aphrodite. The engineer clasped their hands together and shook. “Nice to meet you, Rexna.”
“This is a handshake, yes?” Rexna squealed, bouncing from foot to foot and clenching their fists. “I’ve heard about them! Humans usethem as a sign of endearing greeting, yes? That means you enjoy my company.”
Aphrodite giggled, a hand clutching her mouth. She didn’t have the heart to correct them. With a nod, Rexna pumped two fists into the air. Xexis cleared his throat, and the engineer flushed a deep, indigo shade across their sea tinted skin. Dusting off their hands on their overalls, Rexna motioned to the panels, “Apologies, Kannatch, Mphronatch, it truly is an honor. And you are correct; we are a fully self-sufficient energy system. One of the first for the Vroskrowz, no more burning through crystals or fuel or tanks. We soak in solar energy from the stars as we pass them and store it for use. When we are at rest, the vessel recharges its batteries.”
“Amazing!” Aphrodite gripped one of Xexis’ arms. “I was working on making my scout shuttle into a self-charging, but that was maybe one fifth the size of this! I’d love a tour sometime of the insides.”
Rexna nodded vigorously. “I would be honored,Mphronatch.”
Xexis pulled Aphrodite against his side and motioned with one arm to the rest of the individuals in the command deck. They all snapped to their places, including Rexna, who bowed once more before bolting to their position. The main pilot took their place behind the center chair. In quick succession, the ship roared to life, they slipped up above the trees, and the pressure of blasting off knocked her fully into Xexis’ side. She stole a glance at his face, finding it jovial and entertained. But the grip he had on her side, the tension on her arm, said something completely different.Had it been something she said?
The second they hit the stars, Xexis turned to Grooug. He whispered something to the hunter before hoisting Aphrodite up onto his hip. She clutched her drone and offline data pad to herchest once more as she was whisked out of the room without another word. He passed through the doorway and stormed across the bridge.
“Xexis, was it something I said?” she squeaked.
“My mate, I did warn you,” he sighed playfully, but she was missing context for the puzzling expression on his face.
“Warn me? About…oh,” it became obvious as he stopped, mid-step what he meant.Aggressively attractive.Right.He studied her with a raised brow muscle.
“If you do not wish-”
A wheeze of air escaped her, “do not threaten me with a good time.”
“I would never threaten you? Even if it was into having a good time.”
She snorted, “We’re going to need a whole lot more healing goop.”
“Aphrodite,” his tone hardened, his voice strained. “Yes or no.”
Aphrodite might have been playing games with him until she realized Xexis was still reeling from their miscommunication. He wanted permission. He wanted consent. He wanted her desperately but was still asking.Well, talk about aggressively attractive.His little march away, ‘I did warn you’ tease, all of that started a warm tingle in her core. His hard ‘Yes or no’ and stare deep into her eyes so that she knew that she could say no and he’d put her down immediately? That started a fire in her belly that couldn’t be doused even with gallons of water.
“Yes.” She answered with a sharp, hungry nod. “Yes, very much, yes.”
Xexis charged forward, clearing large chunks of space within the ship. He stopped at the first door beyond the labs. The tall doorway hissed open. Xexis stepped inside and the door lit up red. It shut behind them and there was a loud, definite click that told Aphrodite it was locked. She had mere seconds to scan the narrow room. There was a large glass-like table at the center of the room. The walls were all sensors and screens, not an inch was blank space. Chairs lined the outside of the table that Xexis dropped her onto.
She grunted from the force. Two of his hands removed the objects in her arms while the other two grabbed her by the waist band of her leggings. Aphrodite scrambled to sit up only to be shoved back against the table. She scoffed, “Rough, much?”
“I’ll just have to apologize to my mate and the technicians later for my roughness,” he growled hungrily, tugging her leggings and underwear off her hips like they were a tablecloth. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the fabric over his shoulder. They fluttered to the ground. Heat exploded over her face as he hooked his arms behind her knees and yanked her across the tabletop. Her hips were in the air, legs draped over his shoulders. Aphrodite choked on her tongue as Xexis took a long, slow swipe of his own tongue through her exposed cunt. Like she was his last meal, he grabbed her with all four hands and dove in face first.
