STORY EXCERPT

Hunter Wilkes expected the official summons to be something spectacular. Not marching band and parade spectacular, but something grander than the thoroughly understated way he found out his life, as he knew it, was over. Rather than fanfare and trumpets, the command came in a plain white envelope. It wasn’t even festooned with a fancy script. It was just an utterly boring number ten envelope with his name, address, and social security number in the most standard typeface in the universe. For some reason, Hunter found it odd that the Eoeans used something so mundane for their hideous lottery.

There wasn’t a stamp on it because they didn’t use the postal service. Hunter thought they didn’t trust that the orders would be delivered. Or if they were received on time by the right man, he might claim that he never got it. So they sent an official. Hunter had seen the pale-blue van in his neighborhood before. Whenever anyone saw one they all stopped, stared, and prayed to whatever god they believed in that the van wasn’t coming to their house. Hunter hoped his mother hadn’t been at the window when the van had come. Although, as soon as she opened the door and saw the man in the crisp, white uniform with the light-blue trim, she would have known. Everyone knew. She would have confirmed that Hunter Wilkes was her son, that he lived in the house, and that he would present himself according to the instructions inside the envelope she’d been given. Hunter didn’t have to see her perform those actions to know that was exactly what she would have done. Because if Hunter knew nothing else about his mother, he knew she was a law-abiding citizen.

“It came today.” His mother clutched her hands together and held them to her chest. She was struggling not to cry. Worse, despite the fact she was terrified, she was forcing herself to smile. In her determination to appear positive, she looked maniacal. Had he not known her, Hunter would have thought her crazy. But he did know her, and he loved her. He realized she was desperate to appear unaffected even though she was losing her only son. “I didn’t touch it. I mean I did to put it there on the table, but I haven’t—only you can open it.”

Actually, anyone could open it. From what he’d heard from other guys, the envelopes weren’t booby-trapped or anything. But no one wanted to open them. Not even the man the summons was intended for actually wanted to open the envelope and read what it contained. But the men always did. Because that was the deal. The Eoeans saved Earth from a deadly virus, and all they wanted in exchange was a few young men. Desperate, the powers that be decided it was a fair trade. Without the Eoeans’ help, everyone would have died, so giving away a few hundred men every year seemed like a bargain.

Seemed like.

Hunter wondered if any of those powerful people had asked what happened to the young men who were sacrificed. Someone probably had. But the Eoeans didn’t answer. Even now, after all the men they’d taken, no one knew what happened to them. The only thing anyone knew was that once a man left, he never came back. There were no calls, e-mails—nothing. It was almost as if the young man had never existed at all. Except for the shattered families left behind. Too bad they didn’t have some kind of a cure for that.

Hunter and his mother stood in the surprisingly bright and cheerful kitchen looking at the envelope. The table it sat on was old pine that his father had stained a dark brown. So many birthdays, holidays, and everyday meals had happened on that surface. It was as if all of those times before were to give him some kind of strength for what was on the table now.

“Is Dad home yet?” Hunter didn’t know why he asked. Whether his father was home or not would have no bearing on what would happen next. Just last night Hunter and his friends were talking about the odds of one of them getting the summons. Hunter figured his chances were less than the other guys. He’d had a terrible fever when he was a kid. The doctors thought for sure it was a variant of the virus, but they were wrong. Erroneously, Hunter had assumed that the Eoeans would only want the healthiest adult males possible. He was wrong.

“Your father will be home in an hour.” His mom turned away and pretended to do dishes. He knew she was just desperate to give herself something to do when she washed the same bowl repeatedly. “There’s leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

“I’m good. Thanks.” Usually when Hunter got home from class he was positively ravenous. Finding out he was going to die sucked the appetite right out of him. “I’m going to go call Dalton.”

She spun away from the sink, spilling water on the floor. The dots looked like tears against the light-blue area rug. How strange that he’d never noticed the patch of carpet was the same color as the Eoeans’ van and their strange alien skin.

“Dalton?” she asked, clutching the bowl so tightly it was almost as if that piece of ceramic could stop what was happening. “That’s good. That’s a good thing to do.”

“Yeah.” Hunter stood there in the kitchen he’d known since the day he started having memories. He’d spent his whole life living in their house on Charles Street. Twenty-four twenty-six Charles. He’d probably remember the address until the day he died. He swallowed hard. That was apparently coming at him far faster than he wanted to consider. Nineteen years old and he’d not even finished his first year of undergraduate studies. He remembered turning nineteen and thinking he was mature because soon he’d be out of his teen years altogether. Twenty seemed so very adult.

Seemed so.

Until he was looking down the long tunnel of his life and realizing he was barely an adult. In legal terms he was, but in life experiences he really wasn’t. Hell, he couldn’t even buy booze yet.

ADULT EXCERPT

“You think I am a joke?” Kian took two steps toward him with a slowness that was almost hypnotic.

Hunter had to crane his head back to keep looking up. Quite suddenly he realized that by attempting to look Kian right in the eye, even though his gaze was hidden behind a shield, he was inadvertently showing aggression. This wasn’t a joke. And whatever was behind the gleaming faceplate wasn’t human.

Before he could open his mouth and stammer out an apology, Kian grasped Hunter by the neck. He didn’t squeeze, just held his massive hand there, letting Hunter know that all Kian had to do was draw his fingers and thumb together and he could mangle his neck even easier than he’d destroyed his smartphone.

“You belong to me.”

Since he was too afraid to speak, Hunter nodded. His progress up and down was impeded by Kian’s grip, but he was pretty sure he got the message.

“You will do what I say.”

Again, Hunter nodded ever so slightly.

“Should you displease me, I will kill you.”

Hunter was so terrified he couldn’t even nod. And then, the absolute worst thing that could happen did. To his utter shock, he got hard. He couldn’t believe that his body was reacting to Kian’s control the exact way it always had to Dalton’s. The difference was, this was no rough interlude or stress-relieving scene. This was a life-or-death situation that Hunter realized he had absolutely no control over. But his body didn’t see the difference. His body got off on surrendering to power and control, and Kian exuded plenty of both. Somehow, even the idea that he could kill him almost effortlessly turned on some twisted part of Hunter. It seemed the more Kian restricted his movement and his ability to breathe, the more aroused he became. He was so shockingly stimulated he thought he was going to climax if Kian didn’t release him.

As Hunter stood very still, trying desperately not to do anything that would further his bizarre and utterly inappropriate excitement, he realized he was leaking pre-cum like crazy. He could feel the slick liquid wetting his briefs. Soon, it would make a wet spot on the front of his jeans. Dalton had always teased him that he seemed to make enough pre-cum for six guys. But where Dalton would tease him with words and the power of one probing finger, Hunter had no idea what Kian’s reaction would be.

He knew the precise instant when Kian noticed because his head tilted to the side in that familiar and utterly human gesture.

“You have wet yourself.”

Hunter shook his head, but he couldn’t get enough air to explain. To his simultaneous shock and delight, Kian reached down with his other hand, cupped Hunter’s bulge, and squeezed just hard enough to push him over the edge and make him climax.

* * * *

Kian had never thought he would enjoy having command of another being, but there was something about Hunter that instantly called to him. When Hunter laughed and thought the situation was a joke, fury sparked so strongly inside Kian that his pain actually abated. Something about this creature, this pale and oddly beautiful creature, engaged him so completely he forgot all about his illness. Hunter’s lack of fear had prompted Kian to terrorize him, and to his surprise, he found the sensation pleasurable. He didn’t want to injure him, not grievously, but he wanted to make it clear who was master and who was slave.

When he thought he’d gone too far and made Hunter wet himself, he realized just as he cupped his hand to Hunter’s genitals that rather than fear causing him to urinate, he’d aroused the Earthling to the point of climax. Stunned by the turn of events, Kian kept his hand around Hunter’s neck and the other against his quivering cock until his release ended.

Gasping, Hunter kept his head up, exposing his neck, but his eyes were closed. Long brown lashes rested against his cheeks, making him look vulnerable. Yet by his very stance, head up, neck so fully extended, he showed a curious kind of strength. Hunter seemed to innately trust that Kian would not go too far. After witnessing what he’d done to the handheld computer, Hunter shouldn’t want Kian’s powerful hand anywhere near his tender neck, yet he’d not fought at all. Instead, he’d submitted and found pleasure in doing so.

What made the encounter even more astonishing was the fact that Kian found his cock pressing hard against the unforgiving metal of his protective suit. He’d gotten aroused before, but he rarely had the chance to enjoy his stiffening member. Pain always came and made the sensation depart before he could find completion. Even when he had the cycle-long break from agony, he hadn’t been able to take his arousal to a natural conclusion because he feared the pain coming back right at the moment of release. But now, Kian was standing in sharp agony, hard, and ready to have his first release.

“You will now satisfy me.” Kian freed Hunter from his hold and slid back the front panel of his suit. The device was to make the process of urination easier, but now it would be used so that he might experience his very first climax. Instead of telling Hunter what he wanted him to do, Kian simply grasped his hand and cupped his fingers around his shaft. It took all his will not to utter a cry of relief. Pain was still pulsing through his body, but where Hunter touched him he was miraculously free of agony. The only sensation he had on his cock was one of pleasure.

Without prompting, Hunter stroked up and down, twisting his fist around the base then the crown. He seemed to intuitively know how to please. Perhaps the information he’d gotten was wrong and Earthlings were built remarkably similar to Koronians. Or there was something to the rumor about Earthlings being intuitive. Regardless, Kian let all his concerns evaporate. All he wanted was release. The pain was there, just like it always was, but somehow, Hunter’s touch sublimated his agony to bliss.