Chapter 2

I didn't feel like myself when I woke up. I felt, strange. I looked around but I couldn't see anything or focus. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't move. I began to panic.

"Zylen! Zylen!" I screamed.

Nothing. I was alone. "Zyana! Zyana!" I cried.

An odd, three-dimensional image of Zyana appeared that was fuzzy and oddly colored. "What is it Phoebe?" There was an odd tone to her voice, almost ethereal.

"Something's wrong!" I exclaimed. "I can't move! I can't seem to focus! Help me!"

Zyana shook her head. "I warned him. I told Zylen this could happen."

"What?"

"Well, to save your mind, I had to remove it from your body."

"Excuse me?"

"The reason you can't move is because I had to separate your mind from your body."

It was now that I could see a body lying in a bed. My body. "What the hell?"

"Don't worry Phoebe, once we repair the damage to your brain, we should be able to put your mind back into your body."

"Where's Zylen?"

"He's here with me."

"Why can't I see him?"

Zyana moved and Zylen's face took her place. Like hers, it was oddly colored. "Oh Phoebe, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Like Zyana, his voice had that same, mysterious, ethereal tone to it.

"I don't understand."

"Last night, you asked me to fuck you with my mind, and I did. It was so amazingly hot I didn't realize I was losing you until it was too late."

"I did? No I didn't! That was your idea!"

"Yes Phoebe, you did."

"Why are you lying?" I was frustrated with my husband and angry with his lies.

Zyana appeared again and asked, "Are you telling me it was his idea?"

"Yes!" I cried.

"Um ... well ... maybe," stammered Zylen.

"I warned you about that!" snapped Zyana. "How can you claim to love her when you do this shit to her?"

Zylen and Zyana argued and I began to cry. I looked over and saw tears fall down my cheeks. "Why is my body crying?"

"You are still somewhat connected," explained Zyana.

"And I do love her!" snapped Zylen. "You told me she was strong enough for the mind connection. Had I known this would have happened I never would tried?"

Zylen and Zyana fought while I helplessly watched myself cry. In frustration, I began to scream. I saw my mouth open and go through the motions of screaming.

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" screamed Zylen.

My eyes popped open. I was sitting up in our bed, naked, soaked in sweat, and shaking. Zylen had his hands on my shoulders, his green face was pale, and his green eyes were practically glowing. I looked around, realizing my body was intact and I was fine.

"Zylen?" My throat hurt.

"You were screaming. I couldn't get you to stop."

It took me a moment to remember why. I threw my arms around Zylen and wept into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight as I cried. He didn't say a word, he didn't need to. He knew I'd tell him once I calmed down. I always did.

This wasn't my first nightmare by a long shot, and to be honest, I doubt it will be my last. They were triggered by our experimenting with the mind connection during sex. Ever since Zylen and Zyana told me I risked going insane by doing this, it's been a real fear deep in my soul. Yet, tonight we didn't use any mind connection with sex, so I wasn't sure what triggered this one. I knew I'd have to tell Zyana in the morning, but for now, I needed to calm down. This was one of the downsides of being married to the amazingly loving alien that was my husband.

"I need a drink," I croaked.

"Of course," said Zylen.

He quickly got me a cold drink. The advantage of the ship, a few buttons gets you pretty much any food item you want, or need. Zylen got me some icy cold water. I drank it down quickly.

"Thanks."

"More?"

I shook my head no. "It was the computer dream again."

"Hmm, you usually only get that when we-"

"Yeah," I interrupted, "I know."

"Promise me you'll tell Zyana."

"I promise."

"Want to try to sleep again?"

"Yeah."

Zylen and I snuggled into one another. He pulled my head onto his green chest where I could hear his heartbeat. It only took a few beats before I was asleep. When I woke up again, it was time for us to get up. I bathed quickly as I was still sticky and sweaty from my nightmare, then dressed. I now had my own uniform issued to me so I blended in with the crew better. After a quick breakfast, Zylen and I went to see Zyana before I had to report to work.

"Again?" she asked, seeing us walking.

"It was the computer dream again," I said.

"Did you two mind fuck again?"

"No," said Zylen.

Zyana checked us both, the said, "Zylen, may I have a moment alone with Phoebe?"

"Sure. I'll see you later baby." With that, he gave me a quick kiss and left.

"Why haven't you told him?" she asked.

"What?"

"What you're so worried about?"

"I figured he knew."

"Phoebe," she said in that maternal, big sister voice.

"What?" I whined. "I have a right to be worried about this, don't I?"

"I keep telling you, you'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say."

"True. Now, the other issue that's upsetting you."

I sighed. "Go on."

"I spoke with Rhys and he feels that it is possible."

"What? Really? Does Zylen know?"

"No, not yet."

"Why not?"

Zyana sighed. "It will require preparing you for the ultimate mind connection."

"And Zylen won't go for that as the risk of my mental health."

"Exactly."

I sighed. "Could you help prepare me? The way you taught me to control things before?"

"Phoebe, you're are my brother's mate. He loves you."

"But will you help me?"

Zyana took a deep breath, then said, "Yes."

I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight. My green sister-in-law was going to help me get pregnant. The trick was, how to get Zylen to make that level of a mind connection when we are having sex would be the challenge.

From here, I went to where I work. Of course, the commanding officer wanted to see me first thing. I went to his office, as he wanted to talk with me alone.

"Greetings Phoebe."

"Greetings Vlad."

Vlad is what I call him because I can't quite pronounce his real name, and this is a close as I can get. Like most of these creatures, he's tall, seven feet even, with green skin, black eyes, and black hair. He's handsome, polite, forceful, and by far the best boss I've ever had. We sat at the small table in his office, in his hand was a tablet.

"You are aware we will be landing soon."

"Yes."

"Are you concerned?"

"Why should I be?"

Vlad looked up from his tablet. "Phoebe, I'm well aware of your nightmares."

"How?"

Vlad smiled that strange, alien smile. "Really Phoebe, you think I don't know what all occurs on my ship."

"Everything?" I asked, nervously.

"Relax. I'm the only one who knows."

I smiled. "Fine, I'm a bit nervous about meeting ... them."

"I would be too if I were you."

I smiled again. Vlad might be a tough boss, but he was also a great friend. He worked hard to help me transition to their way of life. Well, him, Zylen, and Zyana actually.

"Vlad, do you think they will like me?"

"That is difficult to say. Zylen is their baby, their youngest child. And yet, he is the first to pick a mate."

"Youngest? You meant there is more than just the two of them?"

"I take it Zylen hasn't told you much about his family."

"No. To be honest, I don't bring it up much. When we are alone, we tend to focus on ... one thing." I could feel my cheeks burning.

Vlad laughed. "I understand. Try talking with Zyana. Trust me, she is a wonderful lady."

I smiled. "Ah, and you have met the family?"

"Once. They are good people. I met them when Zylen and Zyana joined my crew. And there are two more. Just so you know."

"And Zylen is the first to pick a mate? Excuse my confusion but do you know why?"

"I have my theories, but it's not my place to share them. What I can tell you is this, we mate for one primary purpose. I'm sure a smart Earthling like yourself can figure that out. Zylen went against this and picked you for love. There is no doubt in my mind he loves you deeply. But, to his family, the proof must be more ... real."

I bit my lower lip. This tied in with what Zyana and I had been talking about. "I think I understand."

Vlad gave me that strange, alien smile. "I'm sure when the time is right you'll do fine. Now, you'd best get back to your station. You have plenty of work to do before we land. I'm going to miss having you on my ship Phoebe."

"That sounds like I won't be coming back," I said, nervously.

"Well, my dear, that really depends on many factors. You are always welcome to be a member of my crew, but I fear you won't be able to join me for much longer."

"I'm not sure I understand."

Vlad leaned in closely and said in an almost whisper voice, "We don't allow women who are with child to leave the planet's surface. It's for her sake as well as the child. And I know that if you can't leave, I will also lose Zylen and Zyana."

If my cheeks had been burning before, it was nothing to how much they were burning now. "It can wait, you know."

Vlad shook his head. "No, Phoebe, it can't. I'm well aware of how you Earth woman have greater difficulty having children as you get older, and I'm well aware of your age. Getting you with child will be tough enough. And trust me when I say, it may become a factor with ... them."

I looked up at Vlad's face. There was a seriousness that I had never seen before, but I knew, he was telling me this for my own good. "I understand."

"Promise you'll keep me informed."

"I promise."

"Good, now off with you before the crew thinks I'm doing things with you that only Zylen does."

I giggled. "They wouldn't think that, would they?"

Vlad ran his fingers through my hair and I felt that same feeling I get from Zylen. Passionate, loving, creating a warmth between my legs and a hardening of my nipples. "What do you think now?"

"I ... think ... I'd better ... bye."

I scrambled to my feet and left. As I got to my station, there was a message from Vlad. It said, "Don't worry, I won't ever act on my feelings. Zylen has great taste in a woman and is a better friend. You are his mate, not mine. I can respect that. Just know, I'm not the only one who feels the way I do."

To be honest, it had never occurred to me that anyone except Zylen even found me attractive. I deleted Vlad's message and went to work. He was right, with our return to the home planet there was so much more I needed to do. The nice part is that my work was so easy that time always flew by. Ironically, their ability to affect time, only applies on certain worlds like Earth. Here, not so much. It might be the ship's design, or the fact that I'd be the only one who would be affected. I'm not really sure.

At what I would call my lunch break, I went back to our room. Zylen was there, waiting for me. "Greetings my wife."

I smiled. I knew the moment I walked in, I was going to have a late lunch today. "Greetings my husband."

"You look ... delicious."

I bit my lip. "Oh?"

Zylen stepped up and kissed me softly. "Oh yes."

Clothing never lasts long at this point, and today was no exception. We were naked in a matter of minutes. I climbed onto our bed and asked, "Want to do something we haven't done in a while?"

Zylen smiled wickedly. "Do tell?"

"Remember when I taught you the classic sixty-nine?"

I swear Zylen nearly jumped on the bed. He fed me his delicious cock as his lips latched on my pussy. I moaned on his cock as I began to lick and suck his growing member while he tongue fucked me. Oral sex was one of the few times Zylen would use his mind connection with me during sex because the connection was never as strong. Though we were doing the mind connection more and more, he was still hesitant to do it. The fear of my insanity was something we both dealt with.

His tongue probed my inner walls, one finger teased my anus. He told me when we still lived on Earth he had learned to extend his tongue and thus, he could hit my g-spot with it. I held his ass as is cock slide down into my throat. It took me a bit of time to master a deep-throat blowjob but once I did, it was amazing for us both. I licked an sucked his cock, occasionally letting my teeth drag along the shaft. He licked inside my pussy and sucked my clit.

I felt my body tense up as my orgasm hit. Just like clockwork, my mouth was filled with the thick, sticky sweet substance of his cum. We devoured each other, moaning and drinking. Then Zylen pulled his still hard cock out of my mouth, spun around, and entered my pussy. It took a moment for the tentacle appendage to enter my ass. This double penetration was so amazing, but it always was.

"Connect with me," I gasped.

"What?"

"Please, connect with me."

It was rare for me to make such a request, especially on the heels of my latest nightmare, but deep down I knew it was the right call, though if you asked me why, I couldn't give you an answer. Zylen rarely refused my requests, so he made the connection. The sensation was amazing as always. My orgasms were more intense, more powerful, and more incredible. Zylen fucked me harder than he had in a long time. The mind connection allowed me to see inside his mind the way he can with me. I saw his hopes, his fears, and so much more. I also saw, we shared a common fear.

Zylen pushed my legs further back. In my mind I was sucking his cock under his desk, being fucked by his cock vaginally while I was pinned against a wall in the bar we first met in while the band played in the background, and anally with me bent over the table in my old apartment back on Earth. This triple mental penetration was like nothing I had experienced before. I knew it was a sample of what Zyana had warned me about when it was time to get me pregnant, but I didn't care. Zylen was trying to give me the greatest sexual experience of my life, and he succeeded.

My orgasms were non-stop now, my pussy pulsed on his cock, and my mind was starting to spin. I was losing focus faster and faster with each thrust. These images in my mind began to melt. My vision was starting to warp, the room spun and grew dark. I heard the angels singing hymns of praise, devils were chanting my name, and I was burning up with the fever of lust, desire, and passion. Sweat covered my skin adding to the amazing sensation of our fucking. I held Zylen as close as I could, feeling his chest rub against mine, then occasionally he would lean down to suck and bite my nipples. That added sensation made the sex even more amazing. Suddenly, Zylen roared and I felt his cock pulse within me just as everything went black.

I opened my eyes to see my husband lying next to me, stroking my hair. "Welcome back."

"What happened?"

"Side effect from the mind connection. Zyana warned me this might happen."

"Am I in my body?"

Zylen laughed. "Yes baby. You've only been out for a few minutes."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be? The mind connection during our love making is something I enjoy. I just worry how it will affect you."

"Zylen, why could I see inside parts of your mind you've always hidden? I've never experienced that before."

Zylen smiled what I would call a guilty smile. "Zyana spoke with me today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It didn't occur to me that we'd one day want to have a child or two. Then she reminded me of who we would be seeing soon."

"And?"

"And, your parents were hesitant to accept me at first. Remember?"

"Yeah. I remember."

"But they did accept me."

"What did you and my dad talk about?"

Zylen chuckled. "Nice try baby." He kissed my forehead. "But I'm not telling you. That's between me and him."

I smiled. "Can't blame a girl for trying. And we'd best eat and get back to work. I don't need to piss off Vlad."

"Are you going to meet with Rhys?" he asked me, in that serious tone I hated so much.

"Yes," I whispered. I felt like he was reprimanding me.

Zylen took my face into his hands, softly kissed my lips, and said, "Then I'll meet you there. We're doing this together."

My eyes welled up with tears. I wrapped my arms around Zylen and cried. He held me tight until I calmed down. Then, we got up, bathed, fucked again without the mind connection, got dressed, ate, and went back to work. My coworker, Arti, giggled when I returned. I knew I was late, and I didn't want to get a lecture. I figured the giggle was because my hair was still damp from the bath I shared with Zylen.

"Have a nice lunch?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, getting back to work.

"Smells like it," she said.

Damn it! I was so used to the aroma of us, I forgot others could smell it as well. "Oh," I said, my cheeks burned.

Arti, like most of the women, was tall, green skinned, and beautiful. "Don't worry hon," she said, "Zylen is an amazing guy. Trust me."

Now I felt sick. Did she just tell me my husband had mind fucked her? "Oh?" I squeaked.

"Don't worry Phoebe, we didn't do that. Not that I didn't want to, though. But he always turned me down. I do know a few of his former lovers, but I won't point them out unless you want me to."

I sighed. "Sorry Arti. I guess ... I never thought about the fact he had other mental lovers. He told me I was his first physical lover."

"Is that what I can smell?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, is physical sex good?"

"Amazing," I said, smiling. "Zylen has spoiled me so rotten. He is able to make me feel ... so incredible. The mind connection makes it ... amazing."

Arti's eyes lit up. It was like telling a child Santa Claus was real and coming up the walkway. "I hope I find a mate like Zylen."

"I hope you do too."

I stayed late to make up for my afternoon delight. Arti made sure I had plenty to do as my penance, but in truth, she knew I didn't mind. Zylen was waiting for me at Rhys's office when I finally arrived. The discussion went as I expect it would.

Rhys was certain I could conceive a child with Zylen, the real question was could I survive the process, mentally. Zylen and I had to abstain from being intimate for the next few days while Rhys ran a series of tests on us. Zyana worked with me daily to strengthen my mind so I wouldn't become insane. To keep Zylen from being tempted, I would sleep in a t-shirt and panties. The tests lasted longer than I had expected and I fell behind in my job. Luckily, Vlad knew what was going on and supported it.

After several days, Rhys told us it was time. Zyana kissed my cheek at our last session, and wished me luck. I was nervous like the first time we made love. I bathed in our private bathroom and tried to look as sexy as possible. Zylen came into our room, and it was clear he too was nervous. We hated that our love making was now scheduled.

In fact, it was a huge bust. Neither of us enjoyed the sex. The mind connection failed miserably, and Zylen only climaxed when he pulled out in an attempt to change my position. We won't mention it was the one and only time I didn't orgasm at all. Zyana said it was normal and offered to help me for the next time, but I turned her down. I said if we were meant to have a child, it would happen.

A few nights later, Zylen and I were lying in bed. "Zylen?" I said.

"Yes Phoebe."

"I'm sorry about the other night."

Zylen chuckled. "As am I, my love."

"We've never had a session that was so ... bad."

We both laughed. "Do you remember our lunch date?" he asked.

I smiled. "Oh yes. That was wonderful."

"I agree. That is what I was hoping we'd experience again once Rhys gave us his clearance, but unfortunately that wasn't the case."

"I know," I sighed. "I think ... we put too much pressure on ourselves to conceive and well ... you know."

"Yeah," Zylen said, stroking my hair. "It was pretty bad."

"You've never had a problem connecting with me before."

"I know. I don't know why this time was so bad."

"Maybe we were trying too hard. My mom always told me when you try too hard, things don't always work out."

"Your mom is a smart lady."

"Yeah, I really miss her."

"Would you like to see her again? Would that make you happy?"

"How? We left Earth so long ago."

"If I could make it happen, would it make you happy?"

"Yes! It would make me very happy."

Zylen wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head. "Then you will see them before you meet my family."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

I almost couldn't sleep. The thought of seeing my family again brought forth a joy that I hadn't experienced since our lunch date. It seemed that Zylen couldn't sleep either so we made love without the mind connection. We each achieved an orgasm, then drifted off to sleep. The next day we met for lunch in our room and instead of seducing me, he handed me a tablet. On the screen were my parents' faces.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Hello Phoebe!" exclaimed Mom.

"Hey Princess! How's married life?" asked Dad.

I looked up at Zylen, and smiled. "Thank you," I mouthed to him.

"You're welcome," he mouthed back as he prepared our meal.

We chatted for my entire lunch break. It was hard to not start crying near the end, but Zylen assured me this would not be our last chat. Seeing my parents again was something I never expected. I didn't mention our failed attempt at getting me pregnant, instead I just shared how happy I was, that I liked my new life, my new job, and some of the friends I had made.

My parents shared the normal daily business, and how my missing person case had closed. It turned out my coworkers got worried when they couldn't get ahold of me, they contacted the police. Mom and Dad told the police I wasn't missing, I had moved away with my new husband to a remote place and I was fine.

When our chat ended, and my screen went black, I burst into tears. Zylen wrapped his arms around me, kissing my head and telling me that it was all fine. He assured me this wouldn't be our last chat, but it couldn't happen too often for fear of my government picking up on the transmission and putting my parents at risk. I had no problem with that, just knowing I could talk with and see my parents from time to time was a blessing to me.

The remainder of the journey was uneventful. We resumed our normal lovemaking and decided to wait a bit longer before really trying again. Arti and I were working like crazy with the pending landing and Vlad kept us all hopping, even Zylen. The crew had to be healthy when they landed or we would all end up quarantined, which no one wanted.

Vlad called me in for one last meeting. I sat nervously in his office and waited. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long.

"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Phoebe," he said as he flew into his office.

"You're welcome," I squeaked out. I was nervous about what he wanted to tell me, especially after out last meeting.

"Phoebe, have I ever told you about my mate?" he asked as he sat down.

I looked up at him. "No sir."

He handed me a tablet where I saw a picture of a tall, green-skinned woman with emerald green eyes, and long, curly black hair. "Her name was Nia. She was beautiful beyond words and gave me two amazing children."

I bit my lip. I could tell this story wasn't going to have a happy ending. "What happened to her?"

"As much as we have worked to extend our lives and improve the quality, accidents still happen. Nia was killed in a freak accident that killed several others as well, including my own sister. I was devastated to lose two people so close to me at once. To be honest, I only survived thanks to my children. Even now, they won't let me leave the planet without one or the other on the ship with me."

"So, your children are part of your crew?" I asked as I handed the tablet back to him.

Vlad smiled. "The fact that you didn't know tells me I'm doing much better. Yes, my daughter is part of the crew. If she finds her mate, then my son might take her place. He's with his mate now as she is carrying their first child."

"How exciting!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing my family grow."

"But aren't you worried that at some point neither of your children will be able to join you?"

"No. I'm looking forward to that day, actually. Just as I am looking forward to the news that you and Zylen will be expecting your own blessing."

I sighed and bit my lip. "That news might not come as soon as we hoped."

"Oh?"

I blushed hard. "We sort of didn't have a successful mating like we had hoped."

"I see," said Vlad. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Would it make you feel any better if I said Nia and I were nearly separated because I couldn't seem to do the same with her?"

"Really?"

"Really. Nia's family didn't care for me. Being a pilot and working assignments that take me away from the planet meant taking Nia away from them. Don't get me wrong, they loved her deeply and only wanted what was best for her. Her death ... hurt us all."

"I understand that. Leaving my parents to come here hurt us all as well."

"I know. It's why I make your chat possible."

"You?"

"Zylen told me you were sad, though not the reason for your sadness, and said you needed something to help you feel better. When he told me what he wanted, I had to make it happen. I know what I would give to see and speak with Nia just once more."

A tear escaped my eye before I could stop it. I wiped it away quickly then said, "Thank you."

Vlad smiled, then said, "Now, when we land, it is very possible that you and Zylen will be separated as we depart by stations. Medical is one of the last to depart so I want you to stay with Arti until either Zylen or Zyana collect you. Arti knows the drill and I know she'll make sure you're all right."

"Okay. Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Just listen to Arti. Check your messages as you and Arti have a lot of reports to finish up and the clock is ticking."

I giggled. Vlad had worked hard to learn Earth idioms and loved that I was one of the few on the ship who understood and appreciated them. "Aye, aye, Captain!" I gave a mock salute and left.

Vlad wasn't kidding, Arti and I were up to our eyeballs in reports that had to be completed before we landed. Zylen and I hardly saw each other during this, but we still found ways to keep things fun. I would leave little notes for him telling him how much I loved him, and he would little gifts and surprises for me in our room. One in particular was a small broach that I could wear on my uniform. It was a small flower, like a pink rose. Arti loved it and told me the flower was called Culus, and is one that grows wild on their planet. I nearly cried. I was very excited and couldn't wait to see my new planet.

The landing went smoothly and soon it was time to see my new world. Arti was so excited to escort me off the ship. Zylen and Zyana were still finishing up when we headed off. I wasn't worried as I knew Arti would show me around. We headed out and walked into a large hangar or bay. I was disappointed because I was hoping we'd head right outside, but I figured it was like going to an airport where you go from the plane to the terminal.

All around, I saw so many people working. It was now that I realized how short I was compared to most of these people. Arti led me through the bay and into a well-lit hallway. People or creatures walked pass us, a few looked our way, but most just kept moving on. In fact, they tended to swing wide as they passed us. I didn't think much of it at the time, but maybe I should have.

Two very large creatures blocked our path. Both had to be over seven feet tall. The taller one had forest green skin and thick black hair. The shorter one's skin was a shade or two lighter, with longer, black hair. Both appeared to be very muscular and I got a real bad vibe from them. To be honest, I was very nervous to the point of being scared. If this had been Earth, I would have described them as thugs.

The taller of the two thugs said in a deep voice, "You two need to come with us."

"Why?" asked Arti.

"We have our orders," said thug two, whose voice wasn't deep.

"From who?" questioned Arti. Her tone was harsh and it told me things were not going as planned.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you," thug one said. My nervousness had now become pure fear when he put his hand on my arm.

Arti shoved thug one away from me, and screamed, "Run Phoebe! Run!"

I didn't hesitate, but started running. I had no idea where I was going, but I was hoping I could find a place to hide. Unfortunately, a third creature appeared from out of nowhere and I slammed full force into him, knocking me to the floor. I tried to scramble to my feet, but I was flipped onto my stomach and handcuffed. Creature number three picked me up like I was a rag doll, and I saw Arti was cuffed and between thug one and thug two.