Epilogue
As she soared through the inky blackness of space, it was hard for Kat to believe this was real. She was stuck on a ship with three aliens, her best friend, and her best friend’s little sister—it felt like a nightmare. Kat needed to stay calm, but it was easier said than done. She was an ordinary person with a boring life until she met Ferrix. Kat considered herself a free spirit, but now they were heading towards Erion, a planet completely unknown to her. Kat didn’t even have any clothes besides the ones she was wearing. The only thing she was sure of was that she wanted to go home. Earth was the only place Kat had ever known. Kat worked hard to build a successful business, and she had Rick. All of those things felt so far away now. She clutched the ship’s railing, trying hard not to be sick. Everything felt like it was spinning out of control.
Ferrix’s voice was low and calm inside her mind. “Don’t worry. It will be okay,”
It made her jump anyway. Kat didn’t think she’d ever get used to the psychic, telepathic alien thing.
Kat turned around and glared at him. “What?”
“You want to go home.”
“What makes you think that?” Kat asked.
“I know you.”
“You don’t know me at all,” Kat spat. “You’ve only known me for a few days!”
“You’ve been important to me since the beginning.”
Kat gripped the railing tightly and tried to ignore the feeling of vertigo. She could feel the anger radiating off of Caprice, who was yelling at Xavi about how he ruined her wedding. Xavi was unbothered and more concerned that he still hadn’t tried those infamous Philly Tacos. Kat rubbed her temples and tried blocking the sound of their fighting. The only light came from the controls in the cockpit, illuminating the ever-growing darkness engulfing them.
Her stomach dropped, and her mind began to spin. She leaned over the railing and watched as the planet below them shrank and disappeared. She was going to be sick.
“Oh no!” Kat held onto the railing and swayed in place.
“You’re going to be okay.”
Kat blanched. “No, I’m not. I’m going to throw up.”
She turned to lean over the railing and throw up, but all Kat could do was dry heave. She grabbed onto Ferrix’s arm, and he steadied her. “I just need a minute.”
Ferrix held her upright. “I’ll hold onto you. You’re not going to fall.”
Her face paled. “I know. I’m just feeling sick.”
“I keep forgetting you’re not used to space travel.”
“What’s going to happen to me?” Her brain was spinning, but she could feel the ship thrum, and the light coming from the dashboard was comforting, a familiar light in an unfamiliar place.
Ferrix regarded her evenly. “Nothing is going to happen to you. I’ll protect you.”
She shook her head and felt sick again from the motion. “I don’t want your protection.”
“Don’t you?”
“I can take care of myself!” Kat insisted, but the planet was getting smaller, and everything was getting further away.
“I know you can,” Ferrix wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him. “But I have wanted to protect you for a long time, and you are my chosen mate.”
Kat tried pulling away from Ferrix, but he held her closer. She could feel the heat of his fingers against her waist, and she had to fight the urge to lean back into his arms.
“I am not your mate.” Kat tried to keep her voice steady. She stared out into the vastness of space, trying not to think about how far away from home she was. Kat closed her eyes and tried to think about anything else, but it was hard to resist the comfort of Ferrix’s embrace.
“You look exhausted.” Ferrix’s voice was soft and gentle. “Let me take care of you. I’ll keep you safe.
Kat turned to him, her eyes hard. “I don’t need you. I can take care of myself.
Ferrix’s brow furrowed. “Really? You have nowhere to go and no one to turn to.”
Kat pulled out of his arms. “I don’t need anybody. I’ve managed on my own for a long time.”
Ferrix shook his head. “Yes, but you can’t do this alone.”
“I don’t need anyone! I can take care of myself!”
“Look around you. Where are you going to go? What will you do when we get to Erion?”
Kat knew she was being unreasonable and stubborn but couldn’t help the anger from being trapped on the ship. It was like being in prison, a floating cage where she was the only bird. “I want to go home. I’ll get my own place, a dog, a cat, hell even a bird if I have to, but I don’t have to stay with you!”
The walls were close, and the air was thick, and she could feel Ferrix’s eyes watching her, judging her, not understanding why she was so angry. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to do something to make him understand how she felt, but that would only make things worse.
“It’s too late for that now. What would you tell those men with the guns? I’m sure they would have questions for you.”
Kat huffed. “I’d tell them I was your hostage like I am now! I’d tell them it was your fault. If it weren’t for Xavi’s dumbass, I wouldn’t be stuck on this ship.”
Ferrix crossed his arms. “Xavi made a mistake, and Caprice is cross with him, but he saved our lives.”
Ferrix reached for her again and wrapped her in his arms. His touch was gentle and comforting despite the anger that coursed through Kat’s veins. She wanted to push him away, scream and hit and hurt something, but she couldn’t find the strength. So she stood there, rigid and unyielding, as Ferrix’s arms tightened around her and his warmth seeped into her cold, angry body.
“I don’t care!”
Ferrix searched her eyes. “Yes, you do. You know that I’m right.”
Kat tried to push him away, but he only held her tighter. She struggled against him, but it was no use. Kat knew he was right. There was nowhere for her to go, but that didn’t mean she would be his mate. He couldn’t kidnap her and take her to another planet. She had a boyfriend. Rick. Lately, he’d been more into hot, sweaty threesomes than her. Although, that was none of Ferrix’s damn business. Maybe that was what Kat wanted. Ferrix scowled. She could tell he’d read her thoughts about having a threesome from the look on his face. And he was not happy about the idea of her fucking Rick and another woman. He couldn’t make that choice because she wouldn’t be his mate. She wasn’t going to let him take her away against her will.
His grip around her tightened. “You’re mine, and you’ve always been mine.”
“I’ve never been yours, and I never will be!”
Kat turned toward the galaxy of stars spreading out in front of them. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t let go of her anger. Kat was mad at Ferrix for making her feel like she didn’t have a say in the matter. Even though the stars were calming, she needed to hold onto her anger to fuel her. It was the only way to survive and escape.
Ferrix watched her fight against her feelings. “I’m just trying to keep you safe, and you are my chosen mate whether you believe in fate or not.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to be with you.”
Ferrix smirked. “You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do! I had a life on Earth! I had a home and a successful business, and you took that from me. You took that when you wouldn’t let go of me, and I could have escaped!”
Ferrix shook his head. “You don’t know that, Kat. They could have caught you and hurt you, and I couldn’t handle it if something bad happened to you. I can take care of you and give you everything you want.”
“I don’t want anything from you.”
“I know you’re angry with me now.” Ferrix kept his voice slow and steady. “But you will want me. You’ll want to be in my arms and feel me inside you. I can sense it and hear it in your thoughts even now. You’re mine, and you belong to me.”
Kat yanked out of his arms again. “I don’t belong to anybody.”
“You are mine. Your mind, body, spirit, and every part of you belongs to me.” His mind was inside her, his telepathy touching her, stroking her with desire.
Kat’s knees were getting weak. She envisioned turning and wrapping her arms around him. Kat could almost feel her hands touching his skin and the warmth of his body as she imagined giving in to her desire, but she wasn’t going to give in to that fantasy. She loved her life on Earth; he’d taken her against her will. Kat was conflicted because she craved him but didn’t want to ache for him.
Her lips pursed together, and her mouth formed a thin line. “No. I’m not going to agree to that.”
“Why not? You’re willing and eager. If you’re willing, what’s stopping you?”
Kat fought against her desires but wasn’t sure how long she could hold out. “You’re wrong. I don’t want you and don’t care about you.”
Ferrix laughed. “Yes, you do.”
Kat leaned against the railing and remembered why she was trying to push him away. She was his captive. Kat thought about how easy it would be to give in, to let him take her, but then she thought about Rick and how much she missed him. She thought about her life on Earth and how different it was from the life Ferrix offered her. No, he’d trapped her on this ship with no way to escape.
Kat tried to push away the overwhelming feeling of despair. Kat didn’t know how to get home, but she had to try. She was lost and scared but clung to the hope that somehow she could figure out a way back. Kat didn’t know how things worked on Erion, but on Earth, you couldn’t proclaim that a woman belonged to you like she was property. Kat wanted love, but she was pretty damn sure he was incapable of it.
Taking a mate was about procreation. She wasn’t his love, his soul desire. The only thing he wanted was a womb to bear his offspring. She’d been captured and manipulated by him. Ferrix had held her tight as the door to the hatch was closing, even as she struggled to get free. Kat didn’t want to give herself to him, but she didn’t have any choice. The hatch closed, separating them from the outside world. She was trapped and heading to Erion with him.
Kat took a deep breath and tried to forget about him. She needed to find a way to get him to let her go, but she didn’t know how. Kat pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She didn’t know what was going to happen to her.
“Come with me,” Ferrix commanded, grabbing her arm and guiding her down a set of stairs. They walked past a closed door where she heard Rae’s moans. Her friend was probably locked in a pair bonded embrace with Nin.
“No, I’m not going with you,” Kat protested.
Ferrix opened a door and dragged her to the bed. “You need to get some rest.”
Kat yelped as Ferrix pushed her onto the bed, his hand pressing into her shoulder. She writhed beneath him, trying to get away from his touch. The bed was soft, but he positioned himself behind her in a stance meant for claiming. She fought against him, but his grip was firm. His breath on the back of her neck was hot, and his hand tightened on her shoulder as he tried to keep her still.
Kat clenched her jaw. “I’m not going to be your mate.”
“You can’t stop it. You can’t deny me, not when I can feel how much you want me and I can smell your desire. If you don’t give in to me, you’ll be left unsatisfied, and it’s a long way to Erion.”
Ferrix wasn’t wrong because of her hunger for him. It would require a cold shower if he didn’t make her come, but that was beside the point. Kat always gave in and fell for men because of chemistry, but it was never enough. Rick made her feel things she’d never felt that day beside the pool. She deserved better and wouldn’t let Ferrix have her just because they were stuck on this ship together.
“I don’t want you,” Kat tried to deny what he was saying was true but found it hard to resist.
Kat didn’t want to feel the desire racing through her body, the need for his touch, his kiss. No matter how much she tried to fight it, she couldn’t deny that she did want him. Kat wanted him so fucking bad. He was sexy and gorgeous and made her feel things she’d never felt. She also knew how wrong it was to take away her choice by holding onto her while the hatch was closing. Kat couldn’t be with someone who would do that to her. Her body betrayed her. The wetness that pooled between her legs was proof of that, and she hated herself for it.
Ferrix stroked her back and leaned his body against her. Her body was drawn to him. She could feel his thick cock pressing against her, and she ached to have him inside her. Even as she thought it, she knew it was wrong. She didn’t want to be a broodmare, to be taken by someone who wanted to breed her. Fuck her like an animal.
“You can’t say no, can you?” Ferrix asked, his voice husky and seductive.
The bed sank deeper as Ferrix shifted his weight behind her. She was trapped beneath him, his hips pressing into hers and his hard cock pressing against her sex. Her breath caught as the bed creaked under his weight and the heat of his body pressed against her. She wanted to give into him, to feel his cock inside her. Kat resisted him, no matter how good it felt, because she refused to be bred.
“I don’t want you.”
“Kat, lie to yourself but don’t lie to me. You want me, and you need me.”
Ferrix spread her legs. He was hard, and she could feel every inch of him pressing against her. The only thing separating them was the thin fabric of their clothes, which only served to produce more delicious friction. His cock was like a brand against her, and she ached to have him inside her. She wanted him to fill her up and make her come undone.
“I don’t need you.” Kat turned her head with a heated gaze that would have lasered into him if she had that power. She focused on the headboard and blocked out the passion burning inside her but was pulled back by his hand on her chin.
Ferrix tilted her head back so that she was forced to look at him. He was so close to her, and his body was so strong and beautiful. She wanted so badly to touch him, kiss him, feel his skin against hers, and feel him deep inside her.
“I know you want me. I will make you mine.”
“No.” Kat shook her head, but her voice held a note of pleading that begged him to keep going. He groaned. She knew he’d seen the images in her mind as clearly as if she’d spoken them out loud. It was embarrassing and hot as fuck that Ferrix could see the thoughts in her mind that betrayed her. He saw her imagining him naked, his cock hard and throbbing, begging for her touch. He saw her imagining herself wrapped around him, her legs tight around his waist as he pounded into her. He saw her imagining the two of them coming together, their bodies trembling and sweaty.
“Yes.” His hand slid into her hair, and he kissed her shoulder. “You can’t stop yourself.”
“Yes, I can.” Kat crawled up the bed and away from him, but his fingers dug into her hips, holding her in place.
Ferrix scoffed. “You’re so turned on. Why is that? You’ve been trying to deny it, but your body is mine. You can’t resist me. You want me to touch you and kiss you. I can feel it, and I know you can feel it too. I can feel how wet you are, how much you want this. You want me to take you, to fuck you until you beg me to let you come.”
Ferrix was everything Kat shouldn’t want, but she couldn’t help it. She was drawn to him, even though she knew he wanted her womb and needed to breed her to save his species. Kat wanted to be loved but didn’t want to be owned. She didn’t want to be his fuck toy. She didn’t want to be a breeding tool for an alien, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. Even though she knew it was wrong, Kat wanted Ferrix to take her and make her his.
“I don’t want you.” But at the same time, her hips rocked against his cock.
Nin leaned close and traced her earlobe with his tongue. “Oh, but you will, and you’re going to scream my name when I make you my fuck toy. Even if I don’t know what your human words mean, I can feel your heat and know that’s what you want.”
Kat couldn’t get him out of her head. His hands gripped her, holding her close as he whispered dirty things in her ear. Things that made her skin heat up and her pussy wet. Things that made her want to beg him to take her. He’d heard her desire, and damn him for it. Damn him for everything. Damn him for making her want to be a fuck toy for an alien.