KEK: An Alien Romance (Pleasure Invaders Book 2) Read online

  Copyright © 2020 by Rebel Moon

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Also by Rebel Moon

  Prologue

  Kek

  Handon appeared before him, snapping into existence in the blink of an eye, and Kek dropped his spoon, the cold mash that was their main sustenance through light years of space travel splattering all over the table.

  “By the ancient gods,” Kek muttered. “You have two good legs. Use them.”

  “This is much more amusing,” Handon said as he flicked a bit of mash from Kek’s arm.

  His brother’s red skin and dark red eyes always made him look rather disagreeable, but in truth, Handon was the jokester aboard the Pleasuros Intergalactic Orbiter. His favorite game? Appear out of nowhere and steal food or pull out someone’s chair at the last second.

  “Only to you.” Kek lifted his spoon again and sighed. “I hope this watery planet that Xav found has more interesting sustenance. I tire of this slop.”

  “Better than burning to death on Pleasuros.” Despite the long moon cycles of travel and close quarters, Handon had remained the eternal optimist. Kek, on the other hand, had not managed a single positive emotion in longer than he could remember.

  “I will believe that when we land.”

  As he was about to take another bite of mash, the ship lurched, and his bowl slid off the table. Pushing to his feet with his spoon still in his hand, he tensed when his commander’s voice boomed over the communications system.

  “Harden. Now!”

  Kek raced for the navigation bay, not bothering to look to ensure Handon was behind him, but the ship started to shudder, and a section of the hull folded in on itself, the metal hitting him in the shoulder and sending him sprawling.

  Frigid air rushed into the passageway, and Kek could do nothing but follow his commander’s order.

  His skin tightened, the soft, deep blue turning darker, almost brown as his bones shattered and his internal organs shrank and compacted. Their people long ago had been given a gift. One bestowed on them by the ancient gods. They could harden into impenetrable vessels with only a single focused thought, and though the process caused great pain, it had saved Kek many times during battle. But the gods had a sense of humor, for the vessels were the size and shape of the Pleasuros males’ cock and balls. The females of their species took the form of a hard ring, larger than a male’s palm.

  The strobing lights of the ship faded away as Kek continued to harden, and he fell to the ground, his flight suit billowing around him, as the hardening process completed.

  His metallic vessel bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floor of the ship, and Kek screamed as the sounds approached painful, almost deafening levels. But no one would hear him. Not trapped inside as he was.

  He had little sense of his surroundings, other than the sounds of metal shearing, the frigid air, and of falling.

  Brothers! We will survive and find one another again.

  All of the warriors had a unique ability—passed down from generation to generation—to sense one another. And as Kek fell, his brothers’ fear pressed in on him. But there was more than simply fear. There was also determination. They would find each other, and when they did, they would complete their mission—to find a new world that would welcome them and allow their race to survive.

  He was not certain how long he had been trapped in his vessel. He remembered the hard impact with the planet’s surface. He’d tried to break free from the confines of his metal prison, but the energy here was wrong. Not like the suns of Pleasuros. Or the energy converters on their ship. He was too weak.

  At the peak of each moon cycle, he tried again. Straining. Desperate to see, to hear, to feel something other than pain and loneliness. Before two dozen moons had passed, he gave up. He could sense the pull of the celestial body as it waxed and waned, but little else.

  On occasion, he heard what he thought were other creatures, but their sounds were not speech. More like…the wildlings that used to roam his planet. The large transport beasts that were used to haul goods and beings from settlement to settlement. The smaller creatures that glided on the air and would swoop down to pick at the land.

  Thousands of moon cycles passed him by. The ground rumbled, and his vessel started to roll, then fell a short distance, and rolled again. Kek did not know up from down any longer. His mind started to wither, his thoughts too scattered. He could not sense his brethren any longer. He was alone. Always alone.

  Warmth surrounded him. Low grunting vibrated the exterior of his vessel, and a small spark of energy infused his being. Could he break free? Emerge and see where he was?

  Please. By the gods, please let this work.

  Sending all of the meager energy into the shell, he screamed as the metal cracked and stretched, thinned, and then he burst free. Naked. Sprawled on long, thin reeds, and with a large, lumbering creature nearby making an odd noise that sounded almost like a moooooo.

  This was not the pure energy he needed. He had only moments before his vessel would consume him again. Pushing himself up on one elbow, Kek blinked in the bright lights, but he could not make out any details around him. He had heard stories of other warriors being damaged in battle, protecting themselves inside their vessels, and emerging unable to see or hear or walk. Was he…losing his sight?

  He blinked, hard, and a diffuse dark shape moved in his periphery, but he could remain free no longer. With a mournful wail, he shrunk back into his vessel, alone and resigned to an eternity of nothingness and pain.

  Sorrow overwhelmed him. Not his, but another’s. The being was close, and as Kek focused, he thought he could make out words. He’d spent much of his time on the Pleasuros ship learning the various languages of the galaxies they hoped to visit. This was the Earthen language. One of them, anyway. Something called English, he thought.

  A small trickle of energy permeated his vessel as moisture coated the exterior. This was not atmospheric moisture, but something warm and soft and full of sadness.

  “I cannot go on. Every time we fail, the look in Winston’s eyes…it breaks my heart.”

  A sharp lance of pain cleaved Kek’s heart in two, and he burst from his vessel, sprawling on something soft and cool and green. His eyes stubbornly refused to focus, but colors…he still had colors.

  An Earthen being hovered over him. Pinkish skin, drab clothing, and dark hair. “What…are you?” she asked.

  He could not speak yet. He was too weak. But as she caressed his arm, a small burst of strength infused his limbs. “Kek,” he whispered.

  “What is a ‘Kek’?”

  “No. Am called…Kek.” He blinked up at her, wishing he could see her face clearly.

  “I am Ruth.” She helped him to sit up and lean against her. “Where did you come from?”

  “My vessel.” Kek felt stronger and more lucid than he had in thousands of moon cycles. “I have been here for a very long time.”

  “In our fields? Winston has not been plowing well enough, then.” Ruth clucked her tongue
. “You realize you are not wearing any clothes, do you not?”

  “I cannot bring anything but my body inside my vessel.” Kek reached up to rub his eyes. “You are…human, yes?”

  “Yes. What else would I be?” She laughed. “I suppose whatever you are. But…you can’t tell?”

  “I cannot see very well, kind Ruth. My sight has been damaged by all the time I spent trapped. And by the fall from my ship.”

  “Oh.” She caressed his cheek, then traced her fingers down to his chest. “Oh, my. You are…quite big.”

  A flood of emotion infused Kek with strength, and he sat up. “Why are you sad, Ruth?”

  The human sniffled and scooted away from him a short distance. Without her touch, he started to weaken, but he had a few moments before his freedom would be taken from him once more.

  “Winston and I…we want to have a family.” Ruth stifled a sob. “But I cannot. I am…broken.”

  Kek tried to sense the female’s energy. “Ruth? May I…touch you? Where you would carry your young?

  “You want to touch my belly?” She sounded shocked, but Kek saw her hazy form move close to him, and she took his hand and placed it against one of her soft curves. Kek let his own energy seep into her, and she made a small, surprised sound. “It’s…warm.”

  His vision—what little he had left—faded into shades of gray, then nothingness as he gave of himself, gave Ruth his unique gift, that of fertility. On his planet, he had been both a warrior and a healer.

  “I…must…return to my vessel soon,” he rasped as he crumpled against her warm body. “Healing you…has taken all of my strength.”

  “Healing me? Kek, what did you do?”

  “Lie with your mate. You will have…a family.” He groaned, curling into a ball with his arms around himself tightly. The pain had already started crackling over his skin, and he knew he had only moments before his bones started to break.

  “Kek, look at me!” Ruth cried, and warm hands cupped his cheeks.

  “I cannot, sweet human. I gave the last of my sight to heal you.”

  “Why would you do that?” She scooted closer, and her presence gave him one last moment with her. Free. To breathe the air and feel the sun on his skin. To smell the freshness of this world, and to feel…something other than pain.

  “You freed me. If only for a short time. And you showed me kindness, not knowing who or what I was. That is a gift that should always be repaid. Be well…Ruth.”

  His vessel consumed him again, and his thoughts slowed, the near stasis taking over. Except, before long, he was moving. Then, he lay on something soft. Something that smelled clean and fresh. Like Ruth.

  Many years passed. Kek learned much in the short hours Ruth would give him her energy and release him from his vessel. The first time he’d emerged inside her bedroom, he’d been so confused. But she’d wrapped him in something soft and told him she was making him a sandwich. He did not know what a sandwich was, but he let her care for him. The sustenance was pleasurable, filling, and he asked her how she had freed him.

  “I love you, Kek,” she’d said simply. “Not like I love Winston, of course. No, my Winston is a fine man.” A hint of embarrassment had infused her tone then, but she’d laughed it away. “I think that is what you need. Love. Winston went to town. He will not be back until sundown. And I…well, I tried for hours to get you out of that darn thing.”

  “I am grateful to have a few moments to be in my true form. But I will not be able to stay long.” His sight had not returned, and Kek wished he’d been able to see Ruth’s face just once.

  “Well, then…there’s someone you need to meet before you go.” Ruth walked away, and when her footsteps returned, there was another sound. A tiny noise, almost a sigh. Then something warm rested in his arms. Warm and…moving. “This is William. My son. You healed me, Kek. You gave me and Winston a family.”

  Ruth kissed his cheek, and Kek smiled as the baby wriggled in his arms. “I am glad to have had the chance to meet…William.” He grunted as the first hints of pain hit him and offered her the baby. “I must return now. I will never forget the kindness you have shown me.”

  Kek met all of Ruth and Winston’s children. Ten total. After each one, she’d release him, and on occasion, her closeness gave him several of what she called “hours” free. Once, he instructed her on a new way to please her Winston, and though she did not release him for many moons after that, he sensed her contentment.

  Another long span of time passed, and then Ruth spoke to him once more, but he could not escape his vessel to be with her.

  “Kek? I don’t know if you can hear me. I have to say goodbye. Winston passed on two years ago, and now…it’s my turn to join him. I wish…I wish I’d been able to free you for good, young man.” She laughed. “Young. Ha. You’re probably twice as old as I am…really. But every time I saw you, I swear you looked younger. Probably just that I looked older. I love you, you big blue miracle worker. I begged the nurse to give me a few minutes with you before she sends my children back in. When she does…well…I’m going to let go. I’m tired. I won’t see you again. But maybe…someone else will find you and they’ll be able to do what I couldn’t. Kek, I think you need to find someone who’ll love you like I loved my Winston. That will free you for good.”

  Ruth’s voice faded away, and Kek’s vessel was moved somewhere too far away for him to feel her. Until the moment she passed on. A brief spark of Ruth’s spirit wrapped around his vessel, and if he’d been able to, he would have smiled. She was at peace.

  Chapter 1

  Julia

  The old farmhouse was aged but meticulously well-kept. Memories of all sorts lined the walls. Handcrafted frames held moments frozen in time spanning decades, and Julia couldn’t help but feel attached as soon as she walked in. It felt like home—something she missed dearly since her own parents had passed.

  She had read the owners’ obituaries after she received the call. Ruth and Winston Johnson had worked the ground their entire lives, giving back more than they received. They were a kind couple with a horde of good-natured children and they were cherished as family by their entire community until they passed two years apart. Ruth was the last to go, and her death hit the hardest.

  Their eldest son, William, had left Julia a very flustered voicemail requesting immediate assistance. His sister, Alicia, had been tasked with hiring a company to run the estate sale and the first interview had crushed her. The pompous prick had shown up two hours early, then strutted around unimpressed. She’d tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, attributing her distaste for the man’s demeanor to her vulnerable mental state. But when he blatantly asked if they actually had anything of value, she’d nearly burst into tears on the spot. As if their family needed more pain...

  Even the thought of someone asking such an impersonal and asinine question boiled Julia’s blood. Of course, they had things of value. Every single item was worth something to someone, and though the Johnsons weren’t the type of people who lived lavishly or stored away silver and gold, their things had value. Especially to the people who’d lost them.

  Alicia rushed into the room, brown hair a mess, and shoved her phone into her back pocket. “I’m sorry, Ms. Rusic, please forgive me for keeping you waiting. I had to check on my dog, Bruno. He’s terribly sick and…” A sheen of tears shone in her eyes, and the torment on her already distressed face made Julia want to hold her. Grief always marked people in different ways, and it had been a while since she’d seen it worn so heavily.

  “It’s fine, really. Don’t think twice. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve been put through.”

  She sniffled, wiping her puffy eyes. “That’s awful kind of you, and thank you for coming on such short notice.” Alicia’s gaze landed on a pile of Civil War books stacked in the corner. “I know there isn’t a whole lot here, but they worked so hard for what they had, I can’t bear to give it all away or risk it being thrown out.”

  Unab
le to resist the urge to offer her some comfort, Julia grabbed Alicia’s hand. “Your parents have a beautiful home, full of all sorts of lovely things. The sale will do well, and I apologize if anyone’s ever made you feel otherwise.”

  “I hope so. I know most of it is old and worn, but they don’t make things like they used to. Or women like my mother, for that matter.”

  “You’re right, they don’t, and that’s exactly why these sales do so well. Your parents’ treasures are in good hands with me. I swear I’ll treat them like they were my very own. Now, let’s get down to business so you can rest and go be with your family. I will handle everything, start to finish. All I need from you is how you want the final amount distributed, and where you’d like anything remaining to be donated.”

  For the first time in their conversation, a glimmer of hope sparked in Alicia’s eye. It was almost as if Julia could see the wheels turning in her mind as she watched whatever happy memory played out.

  “Pops really loved the local FFA. It puts on a silent auction every year around this time, and my siblings and I would love to donate the proceeds and whatever’s left over. But first, I’d really like to give you a token of our appreciation. Please, take a look about and grab something that speaks to you. Mom and Pop loved to collect odds and ends, maybe there’s something here that you’ll love as much as they did, and after meeting you…I can’t think of another person more deserving of something they cared for.”

  For the first time in a long time, Julia was speechless—taken aback by the generous and slightly uncomfortable offer. Should she refuse on the basis of it being unprofessional? Or accept and just leave? No, that felt too dishonest. “I don’t know what to say…”