a pool of water surrounded by the barrenness of the desert landscape. While we were close to the city, wealth afforded untarnished views. I didn’t remember the room to be so large although anything was expansive after the tiniest of bathing rooms on my ship.
It was this… this excess that I’d abandoned. But now I was back.
With a human. No, with a Trion bride.
Even though I’d seen every inch of Zara, I retreated, allowing her some privacy.
“Um, I have no idea how to use that.” She pointed at the shower tube when I turned back to face her. “And the tub is like a swimming pool. I’m so tired I might drown.”
She was small and fierce, but I continued to forget she had yet to settle anywhere in space. She’d moved from Trion to The Dome to Transport Station Zenith and then back to Trion. The entire time, she’d been in danger. She still was, until we heard otherwise from Zenos.
I took my time and showed her how the bathing tube worked, steam immediately beginning to fill the room. I pointed out the other features she might need then left. It was my job to see to her needs were met, even the most basic ones.
I used a second bathing room—fark, I had enough of them—to wash the travels from my own body. I thought of Zara naked and wet, using my scented soap over her pale skin. My cock stirred to life, it seemed a constant thing whenever I thought of the female. She’d responded so beautifully, albeit prickly, to my commands on the ship. I’d begun to master her body. Her mind was another challenge entirely. One I ultimately planned to win. She just didn’t know it yet.
By the time I returned to my chamber, naked and beyond exhausted, Zara was in my bed, asleep. I climbed in behind her and tugged her close. Pulling the fresh sheets up and over us, I called out. “Blinds close.”
Yes, someone had been maintaining the property, for the house responded by immediately completing my simple command. The room quickly darkened, and I slept, knowing this peace was short lived. Bertok had to be dealt with—Cerberus was Zenos’ problem—and then there were my parents. I could handle ion fire and even rogue asteroids, but I wasn’t sure I could survive seeing the pain in my mother’s eyes.
I awoke to Zara’s face looming over me. Sleeping deeply, I hadn’t felt her shift in my arms or rise up to her elbow. I blinked, took in her refreshed face, the curious gaze, even in the dim lighting. I had no idea what time it was or how long we’d slept, but I felt better. Perhaps it was the naked body pressed against mine. My cock certainly rose because of that.
“Blinds open,” I called.
Zara looked about as the room brightened, the strong Trion sun cutting through the room’s windows.
“Being rich has its perks,” she murmured.
“You are fixated upon wealth,” I replied drily.
“Says the guy who’s got voice activated curtains.” She pushed her hair back.
It had been wet when she’d fallen asleep, and now it was a wild tangle. I itched to touch the wild strands, so I did.
“I told you I grew up poor. My entire apartment could fit in that bathtub of yours.”
“This house is part of my family’s wealth. Not mine. I haven’t earned it.”
“You were born into it. What’s wrong with that? It’s not like you stole it from people.”
I frowned then shook my head. “No, my family is not bad.”
“Then why walk away from them? I mean, you said you were gone four years. That’s a long time.”
My family dynamics weren't simple. Even if I explained everything to Zara, she still might not understand, just as my parents still didn’t. We were from different planets, different cultures, even if she’d been matched to Trion. She found my wealth interesting. No, she found how I turned my back on it intriguing. Perhaps even insulting, to have access to such lavish things and not take advantage. And for reasons I could not explain, I needed her to understand.
“Remember, it was four years for me, but it’s only been about a month to them.” I sighed. “I did not come into this world alone. I had a twin brother. Malik. He was born first and became my father’s heir.”
I paused, expecting Zara to interrupt with questions, but for once, she remained silent. Patient. Waited for me to find the words I needed.
“Malik was beautiful.