If Khan was possessive before, it was nothing like now. Time no longer has meaning—he fucks me until I fall asleep. I wake to him bathing me and pressing me to eat and drink, and as soon as I’ve eaten, he fucks me again. My only reprieve is during the dark, dreamless moments halfway to sleep. Half-answered questions gnaw at me.
What if Khan is wrong, and one of the kings does try to kidnap me? Aurus, or the Hunter or the Stone King? Or one of the others—the ones represented by glowing orbs? I didn’t see them but I didn’t really want to. What does a Demon King even look like?
And if the serum doesn’t work on Ulfarri, they’re planning on taking human females from Earth to make them into Omega mates. Human women—like my sisters, cousins, friends—condemned to a lifetime here on Ulfaria, reduced to no more than breeding machines. Like me. What if the Beta experiment fails—I hate myself for hoping that it won’t—and they succeed in getting humans?
I have to stop it from happening somehow. But how? I know nothing of this planet. Of the magicians or the serum or the portals. My only ally is Khan, and he’s more interested in fucking me. He never leaves my side—not to eat, sleep, or bathe. We do everything together. He takes me with him everywhere. His purr scrambles my thoughts.
He didn’t let my feet touch the ground once throughout the entire council meeting and even now, as we’re heading to his own kingdom, he’s constantly touching me, either with a possessive hand on my arm, or carrying me as if I were a small child. It’s infuriating—I’m an adult, and able to walk by myself. For all his denial, he seems worried some other Alpha will infiltrate the ship, and snatch me away when he’s not looking.
That thought is my personal worst nightmare. Khan may be huge and terrifying and gruff, but at least he’s familiar now. He also shows glimpses of a caring, tender side, which is reassuring. He won’t hurt me. Sure, the way he fucks me is brutal, animalistic, and violent, but I always preferred rough sex anyway. My gigantic masochistic streak is what got me interested in BDSM in the first place.
Which might also explain why I get so damn wet when he manhandles me.
Whatever effect these weird serum hormones are having on me, Khan seems to be feeling the same kind of way. Even though I’m still covered in his cum from the last time we fucked, his gigantic erection digs into the small of my back as we spoon. My pussy aches from the ferocity of our sex, but also with need. We fucked during basically the entire journey from Aurus’s kingdom, but my clit is taut and throbbing, and I crave Khan again. It’s only a matter of time before his scent turns decadent and chocolatey, and I can’t stop myself from rolling over and licking his neck.
I’m addicted to the way he tastes. Smells. Feels. Sounds.
“Here,” Khan rumbles. I’m half awake, and he’s rolling me into a blanket. He lifts me and I surrender. Khan carries me everywhere—to the bathroom, to the king’s council, then back to his ship where he fucks me endlessly. This is my life now.
We leave the cool of the ship, and a sweet humidity hits my face. A breeze is blowing, ruffling my hair.
“Emma. Look.”
Opening my eyes, still sleepy from the rocking motion and warmth of the blanket I’ve been cocooned in, I lift my head and look around.
“This is Altrim,” Khan says gruffly, the note of pride unmistakable in his voice. “My kingdom.”
We’re suspended on a grey platform, hovering over the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen in my life—postcards of the most beautiful places on Earth included. A green expanse of thick forest sprawls between a coastline and a mountain range. Rolling hills and valleys slope to mountains bigger than the Rockies, with white caps that rise above the clouds. There are shining expanses of lakes and streams everywhere, all an amazing turquoise blue.
We’re zooming over a massive lake, the airship’s shadow reflected in the still water. There are dark clusters down by the lake’s edge—dwellings of some sort, I’m guessing. The platform glides up, heading towards a forest-blanketed mountain. Giant waterfalls gush from rocky cliffs, but as we get closer, I realize they’re not cliffs. They’re carved platforms jutting out from the mountain—some made of rock to blend in with the natural granite, some of glass to reflect the sky.
“My palace.” Khan points to the mountain. There are more rocky platforms jutting out from the cliffside at gravity-defying angles. The palace is built right into the mountain, layers and levels of polished rock and glass alternating with thick outcroppings of trees and gorgeous waterfalls. Frank Lloyd Wright-style architecture with an alien spin. There are several waterfalls created by the different layers of platforms. Water cascades over the edge of the highest platform and crashes onto a second platform below, then to a third, a fourth, a fifth—until the side of the mountain is covered with waterfalls. There’s a sweet tang in the air. A cool mist rises from the falls.
“It’s breathtaking,” I murmur. The suns are setting, leaving pale lilac streaks in the sky. The low light turns the surface of the water luminous.
“My home. Your home now, too,” Khan says, squeezing me tighter.
Shit.I bite my lip, unwilling to start an argument right now even as a pang of fear clutches my heart. What if I never actually get to go home?
I’ve emigrated before, from England to the States. But there’s a difference between the cultural shock of going from one small English speaking country to a bigger one, versus going from an Earth home to an alienone. No matter how beautiful this planet is. The sky is purple, for fuck’s sake. A really pretty purple, but still.
The closer we get to the mountain palace, the more pride emanates from Khan. It’s like there’s some invisible bond between us, and I can almost sense what he feels. But alongside his glowing feelings of triumph, my feelings of trepidation and worry are growing.
I clutch Khan as we zoom up to the mountain face. An invisible driver docks our ship at the edge of the platform, hovering right over the endless waterfalls. Khan still hasn’t put me down but for once, I’m not resenting how he takes charge. I’m relieved.
All this is way too much for me to deal with on my own. I’m too busy trying to comprehend the enormity of everything that’s happened and I’m so exhausted that right now, even walking feels like a chore.
If Khan wants to carry me, I’ll let him.
For now.
FOURTEEN
Khan
Emma isquiet in my arms as I carry her into my palace. My ship docked briefly to drop us off on the platform that leads to my chambers. My crew will not linger here—they will head back to the main port, and then space, to collect Ogsul for the Omega Objective.
I have more important things to tend to. My Omega needs to be soothed, and introduced to her new home.
