The Transfigured

Gwen slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by late morning sunshine streaming through the windows of a strange room. She frowned and then turned her head to see the man lying in bed next to her.

“Adrian.” She mouthed his name, making no sound, and his eyes remained closed. He was lying on his back, a hand resting on his chest. His breathing was shallow, and his face was flushed despite only a thin sheet covering him from the waist down.

Gwen vaguely remembered what had happened the night before. She’d been so troubled by all that Adrian had revealed to her, and sleep seemed like a mercy. But then one of those dreaded yet blissful dreams had overtaken her.

She had awakened from that dream in a strange state, feeling unfamiliar to herself. And she had begged Adrian to touch her, to fuck her and make her come.

She recalled his look of helplessness as he finally succumbed to her pleas. She remembered his fingers working between her thighs, his touch almost rough in its urgency. And he had brought her to climax, so easily.

Thinking of it now, Gwen trembled with longing as she gazed at Adrian’s face. She knew she should be horrified by the way she had behaved toward him last night; she should be panic-stricken by the fact that her thoughts, and her actions and desires, weren’t hers at that time.

But her yearning for the man beside her was stronger than her fear of what she was becoming. Lifting a hand, Gwen pressed it to his cheek, feeling the coarseness of his beard beneath her fingers.

Adrian’s eyes snapped open, and he turned to look at her with something like trepidation. “Gwen,” he said, covering her hand with his own.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s me.”

His eyes searched hers, and he swallowed hard. “I’m sorry about last night. I’m so sorry. I was weak, and…”

“Adrian, I begged you for it,” Gwen murmured. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” She dared to move a little closer to him. Breathing him in, she inhaled that sweet scent. Or was it coming from her now? She couldn’t tell.

“But that wasn’t you,” Adrian protested. “You looked and sounded different. I knew it wasn’t you in control, asking me to do those things. And yet I couldn’t resist.” A look of sheer self-loathing crossed his face.

“You’re only a man,” Gwen said. “And all you did was touch me, even when I was throwing myself at you. It’s a little hazy in my mind, but I remember wanting you so much. You were all I wanted, and I felt I would have done anything to have you.” The memory of his stricken expression as he touched her, as he pleaded with her to quickly orgasm, came rushing back. “From what I recall,” Gwen went on, “you didn’t seem to enjoy it very much. It was something you had to do, to get me to stop acting that way. Maybe I should be apologizing to you.”

Adrian stared at her in disbelief. “You honestly believe I didn’t enjoy touching you? Unlike you, Gwen, I was in my right mind last night. I wasn’t even drunk. Don’t you remember me jacking off after I touched you? I wanted to fuck you so badly that I didn’t trust myself to be near you.”

Her eyes widened, and a shiver coursed through her at his words. She didn’t remember any of what he was describing; after her orgasm, she’d quickly fallen back to sleep.

Gwen couldn’t bear the thought of Adrian hating himself for what he’d done. “Well, I’m in my right mind now, and I promise you I’m not angry or upset about what you did. I’m sorry I put you in that position.”

“We’re both different, even now,” Adrian said softly as he stared up at the ceiling. “Since we met on the street yesterday, there’s been an undeniable attraction between us. That’s not our choosing.” He turned to face her once more. “Don’t get me wrong, Gwen. I find you very attractive, but I’m a fucking mess. The last thing I was looking for was a relationship of any kind. And I know you’ve never had any interest in me until now.”

Gwen dared to snuggle up against him and rest her head on his chest. “So if we’re being influenced by outside forces,” she said, “then we can’t blame ourselves for what we might say and do.” The realization that both she and Adrian were rapidly losing control of their free will made her shudder. “What’s happening to us?” she whispered, her lips trembling. She was terrified, and exhausted, and still desperately wished things could go back to the way they once were. That she could.

Adrian stroked her hair. “I don’t know, baby. I don’t know what the outcome of this will be. I so wish you didn’t have to go through this. Maybe it would be better for you–safer–if you weren’t around me.”

She lifted her head and stared at him in alarm. “You can’t send me away!” she wailed. “You’re all I have.”

His gaze softened. “I told you last night you can stay here as long as you want, and I meant that. I’m just worried about you. And I’m worried about what I might do.”

Gwen took his hand and brought it to her lips, planting a kiss on his palm. “We’ll fight this, Adrian. We won’t let those things win.”

He gave her a sad smile but didn’t argue. Instead, he slowly sat up, throwing back the sheet. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

“No,” Gwen replied. “But I could use a shower.”

“Of course. My wife left a lot of her clothes behind. They’re probably a little big for you, but they’ll do for now. I’ll find some clean clothes for you to wear.”

Gwen thanked him and climbed out of the bed, making no effort to conceal her half-naked body. She noticed Adrian averting his stare, and then she noticed the outline of his erection beneath his pants.

The sight of it made her stop short, and she sucked in a breath. Her stare was riveted to his hard cock, and all she wanted was to strip him naked. She wanted to straddle him and sink down onto him, taking every inch…

“Gwen.” Adrian’s voice was sharp, almost a reprimand. She tore her stare away from his aroused state and looked into his eyes. His gaze was full of heat. “Go take a shower,” he ordered.

She nodded once and hurried out into the hall, practically running to the bathroom. Once she had the door locked, she took off her bra and panties, trying to slow her fast breathing and racing pulse. Was Adrian stroking himself now? she wondered. Was he aching for her as much as she ached for him?

In the shower, she scrubbed at her skin, as if she could wash away all traces of last night’s desire. Closing her eyes, she could so vividly see Adrian in the grip of his lust, and it made her tremble for him despite the hot water cascading over her body.

As she washed between her thighs, she felt her pubic hair matted with her dried juices. She’d always become easily wet when aroused, but nothing like this. Fantasizing about Adrian, and being touched by him, made her absolutely soaked.

After she was finished showering, Gwen reached for a clean towel, and as she was drying off, she detected the unmistakable sweet scent emanating from her body. “No,” she whispered, her eyes growing wide. She scrubbed herself with the towel until her skin was pink, and yet the odor remained.

She returned to Adrian’s bedroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bottle of bourbon. His expression was nonplussed, and for a moment, she forgot about her own panic.

“What is it?” she asked, holding the towel tightly around her.

Adrian looked up at her, and then down at the bottle. “The first thing I do every morning is take a drink. But today…” He shook his head and placed the bottle on the bedside table. “I can’t tolerate the stuff. One swallow made me feel ill.”

“But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Gwen said.

Adrian gave her a cold smile. “It might be a good thing, but it’s not my doing.” Before she could reply, his gaze slid over her body. “Did you have a good shower?” he asked, his voice husky.

“I can smell that sweet scent on me now, the way I can smell it on you,” she told him, her voice shaking. “I guess you were right, Adrian. I am changing. We’re both changing into something awful.” Tears shredded her words until she was struggling to hold back a sob.

“Hey,” Adrian said, standing and approaching her. She didn’t resist him when he took her in his arms. “It’s going to be okay, Gwen. I’m here.”

She knew he could make no promises to protect her, and he couldn’t stop the transformation occurring within her any more than he could stop his own metamorphosis. But she took comfort in his assurances, in his touch.

“I found some dresses, and a few pairs of pants that might fit you if you use a belt,” Adrian told her, nodding toward the clothing he’d laid out on the bed. “I think you’re out of luck with undergarments, though.”

“This is fine,” she said, moving toward the bed and picking up a blue dress. It was simple, not at all showy, and though it would probably hang loosely on her, Gwen figured it would be comfortable.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” Adrian said from behind her. “I’m going to grab a quick shower.”

Gwen looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”

Adrian returned her smile and started to speak, then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Gwen pulled the dress over her head. It was definitely roomy, and if she leaned too far forward, she would end up revealing her small bare breasts. But she was glad for clean clothes. After she put the other clothes away, she found a comb on top of a dresser and used it to untangle her wet hair. Then her gaze drifted to the bed, and to the place where Adrian had slept.

Without thinking, she gravitated toward that spot and sprawled facedown on the bed, inhaling his scent from the pillow. Beneath that cloying sweet smell, she detected a trace of his personal scent, and simply breathing it in made her hips rock as a moan escaped her lips.

The dress rode up her legs while she moved with a rhythmic motion. She was desperate for Adrian’s touch, for his tongue and then his cock between her thighs.

“Please,” she groaned as her hips moved faster.

It was then that she caught a glimpse of a figure in her peripheral vision. It lingered near the bed, close to the door. Gwen let out a scream and scrambled into a sitting position, her head whipping around in search of the intruder, but she found no one else in the room. Her breaths were coming too fast in her panic, making her feel lightheaded.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she cupped a hand over her mouth to muffle more cries. Everything Adrian described was true, she realized with horror. She could no longer deny that like him, she was also a test subject for these visitors. And now she knew for certain that she was never really alone. No, those… things were always nearby, ready to make themselves known.

Ready to control her.

The scent wafting from her own skin, and her feral lust, made her weep. She was overcome by a wave of grief for the person she used to be, the person she was no longer.

* * *

Adrian was just stepping out of the shower when he heard Gwen’s scream. Still dripping wet, he ran from the bathroom and toward his bedroom, then threw open the door. “Gwen, what’s wrong?” he cried.

She sat on the bed, her face drained of all color. “I… I saw…” Tears choked off her voice.

Adrian rushed to her. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “I’ve got you, baby.”

“I saw one of them, just like you said I would!” she said through a sob, clinging to him. “I got just a glimpse of it, but I know it was here in this room with me!”

He sat next to her on the bed and rocked her gently back and forth. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this, too, Gwen.”

Though he was wet and stark naked, she slid onto his lap, her arms around his neck. “I’m so scared,” she whispered.

“I know.” He rubbed her back, wishing there was something he could say, something he could do, to ease her anguish.

Adrian held her close for a long while, and they didn’t speak. He felt her shudders subside, but he wouldn’t let her go. Not until she was ready.

He felt her lips against his neck, and her hand on his chest. Immediately he was overcome by a surge of arousal, and Gwen seemed to sense it, for she looked down and smiled at the sight of him growing hard for her.

“Do you know I fantasized about the way your cock would feel deep inside me even before I showed up at your door?” Her voice was thin and reedy, weak with longing.

Adrian groaned, and his groans grew louder when Gwen dared to wrap her fingers around his cock.

“Touch me. Please touch me,” she begged as she began to stroke him.

“Gwen…” His voice shook as he spoke her name. “We shouldn’t. It might not be safe for you.”

Her hand grew still, but his erection pulsed in her grasp. She looked up at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Adrian sighed heavily. “Whatever outside force is controlling us, and changing us, clearly wants us to have sex. I’m no scientist, but I wonder if your body might absorb some of my DNA during intercourse. The being that visited me made it clear that my DNA has been manipulated. So if you and I were to have sex, would that be the final step to make your transformation inevitable? I have no idea what it would do to you, or to me. We have to be careful.”

Gwen’s eyes widened, but then she nestled against him once more. “Maybe we should just give in,” she murmured, and her hand began to move tentatively up and down his shaft. “We can’t fight it forever, Adrian. And I want you so much…”

He grabbed her by the chin, a little more roughly than he meant to. “That’s not you talking, Gwen. I saw the look on your face last night when I explained that you might be changing, the same way I am. You were terrified. You don’t want this.”

Gwen whimpered but held his stare. “I need you,” she whispered. “I feel like I need you more than anything.” She writhed on his lap, spreading her legs wide. “You don’t have to fuck me,” she went on, turning so she was facing away from him. Her head rested on his shoulder, and she reached behind her so she could bury her fingers in his hair. “Just rub my clit, the way you did last night. Please, please!”

He gritted his teeth in sheer frustration as he watched the skirt of her dress riding up her thighs. The bodice of the dress had slipped down, revealing most of her small breasts. He caught a glimpse of a hard pink nipple and swallowed hard.

Adrian shook, trying to resist the urge to touch her. God, he wanted to feel her wetness on his fingers again! He wanted to smell and taste it.

“Gwen, I don’t have the strength for this,” Adrian told her through clenched teeth. He knew it wasn’t rational, but he couldn’t help but feel angry with her for pushing him, for tempting him this way. “If you keep asking me to play with your pussy, I’m going to end up fucking you. Is that what you want?”

She gasped at his words, and a semblance of who she once was seemed to return as her cheeks reddened. Yet she didn’t avert her gaze when she nodded resolutely. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want.”

“Goddamn it,” Adrian swore. Still he grabbed at her dress, yanking the skirt higher until she was exposed from the waist down. As she clung to him, he used one hand to massage her clit and the other to finger her.

His touch was rough, too rough, and Gwen released a plaintive wail that almost made him stop. But then her hips began rocking, and he felt her muscles clenching around his finger.

“Is this what you want?” he growled in her ear.

The expression on her face was almost pained, with her eyes squeezed shut and her lips parted. “Yes, make me come!” she cried.

Adrian was so hard for her, and even as he pleasured her with his fingers, he thought of lifting her up and then settling her right back down on his cock. He wanted to bury it all the way inside her.

Her clit was swollen and slick beneath his merciless fingers, and she began moaning. “I’m close, so close!” she gasped. “Please don’t stop!”

“I’m not going to fucking stop,” he promised her in a guttural voice. Sheer lust gripped him, driving him out of his mind. Gwen was right: he was only a man. And she was on his lap, writhing against his cock, begging and pleading with him.

The first spasm seemed to seize her without warning. Her cry caught in her throat, and her back arched. Adrian could feel her rhythmic contractions around his finger. At any other time, he would have slowed down and given her a chance to catch her breath.

But not this time. Not when he was wild with his own need. Part of him wanted to punish her, to make her think twice before she did this to him again.

Gwen began squirming on his lap, panting and sweating. “Wait, stop, I can’t…” She tried to free herself from his embrace.

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere,” Adrian told her. “I’m going to get this out of your system.” He rubbed her clit slowly and then sped up to a relentless pace as he worked a second finger inside her.

“Please stop!” she shrieked. He knew she simply needed a few minutes to come down from the orgasm he’d given her, and yet he wasn’t willing to grant her that reprieve.

“Am I hurting you?” he demanded, his fingers plunging deep inside her. She was so wet, they made a squelching sound.

“No,” she said, and the word sounded like a sob.

“Then I’m not stopping until you come for me again.”

“Just fuck me!” she shouted, trying to clench her thighs together, but his hands kept her open for him.

Finally she seemed to surrender, slumping back against him. As he looked down at her, drinking in the sight of her body so intensely aroused, Gwen pressed her lips to his. Adrian let her kiss him, and he couldn’t help but moan when their tongues met.

His fingers were coated with her wetness, and he knew her clit would be tender from his constant rubbing. Still, she was close. Her cries were muffled by their kiss, but she was shuddering, right there on the edge. He curled his fingers inside her, and Gwen pulled away from him so she could let out a scream.

As she came hard yet again, he felt more fluid trickling on his fingers, but it was thinner than her lubrication. “Oh, God,” Adrian breathed, realizing just how much he had stimulated her.

Gwen’s mouth fell open while she quaked on his lap. He stared down at her, transfixed while witnessing her in the grip of such a fierce climax.

Her head lolled to the side. Even as she whimpered, she opened her mouth wider and sank her teeth into the tender flesh of his upper arm, near his shoulder.

Adrian hissed in pain, and Gwen quickly released him before she drew blood. It was a kind of love bite, he realized, another effort of hers to spur him on, to make him give in and claim her.

As soon as Gwen’s shaking subsided, Adrian grabbed hold of her roughly and lay her down on the bed. She was exposed to him now, with her dress bunched around her hips.

He climbed onto the bed and rested his weight against her, his hands seeking out hers. Their fingers interlaced, and he pinned her down.

“Yes…” she whispered. With her head turned to the side, her eyes were closed, and a blissful smile danced on her lips.

But Adrian didn’t enter her. Instead, he slid his erection between her spread thighs, her wet folds providing him with stimulation.

“Put it in me!” she wailed.

He leaned down and nipped her neck to silence her. His thrusts became more frenzied, and he moaned at the sensation of his cock sliding over her hot, slick skin.

“God, I want you,” he growled. “This is fucking killing me!”

“Then take me,” she insisted, trying to rock her hips toward him, but he held her fast against the bed. “Give me what I want! You can’t fight me, Adrian, and you can’t fight them. We ARE them!”

He released a helpless cry, terrified by her words. This wasn’t Gwen beneath him. No, she was well on her way to becoming something else, something unrecognizable.

Just as he was.

“Baby, stay with me,” he pleaded, his breaths coming fast as his muscles tensed. His rutting against her grew even more fervent. “Gwen, I’m so sorry…”

“Adrian, come!” she commanded, and he felt her trembling. “Come inside me. Just this once!”

The mere thought of guiding his cock to her entrance and thrusting deep brought about his climax. He grew completely still, then drew in a sharp breath as the first spurt of semen struck her lower belly. Gwen moaned, and that smile returned to her lips. He could have sworn she was lost to her own orgasm, with little quakes traveling through her body as he spilled more of his seed upon her skin.

When Adrian was finally spent, he released her and got up from the bed, unable to look at the mess he’d made of her. Gwen lay motionless, but he could hear her fast breathing. He grabbed a shirt and used it to wipe her skin clean. That mere touch made her moan for more.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, gently pulling her dress down in order to cover her.

“I’m not,” Gwen responded, her stare holding a challenge. “I loved it.”

Adrian tossed the soiled shirt aside and then quickly dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. “I need to take you back to Helen’s,” he told Gwen. “I need to keep you away from me. I came so close to fucking you–”

Gwen sat up, her eyes widening with fear. “I can’t be without you!” she cried. When he started to protest, she grabbed his hand and brought it to her face. Her skin was unbelievably hot, just like his own. “I won’t leave you. No matter what happens.”

He stroked her cheek, craving contact with her even as he feared it. “Gwen, I can’t protect you.”

“You never could, Adrian. I was changing long before you met me on the street.” She gave him a sad smile, and he saw that she was fighting tears.

Adrian shook his head, refusing to accept her words. He had never felt so helpless. Not when his faith had crumbled, or when his wife had left. Not even when he realized he was being transformed by those unknown visitors.

He grabbed Gwen’s wrist. “You’ll be safer at Helen’s,” he insisted while she struggled in his grip. “I might not be able to protect you, but I’m not going to be a part of whatever those things have planned for you.”

“No!” she howled, fighting as he pulled her up from the bed and dragged her from the room. “It’s not safe for me at Helen’s, and it’s not safe for her with me there, either!”

Her anguished cries felt like a knife in his gut, but Adrian hauled her toward the front door, stopping only to retrieve his keys.

Gwen dropped to her knees, refusing to go with him. Swearing under his breath, Adrian shoved his keys in his pocket and then leaned to grab Gwen under her arms. Though he was thin, he was still strong, and it took little effort to lift her and toss her over his shoulder.

The room darkened, as if heavy clouds had moved across the sky, and Gwen pummeled his back, writhing like a wildcat. “Gwen, stop it!” he shouted. “If you act like this when I take you back into town, everyone there will have plenty to gossip about!”

“I don’t give a fuck!” she shouted back. “I don’t care about any of them. I only care about you!”

Adrian set his jaw in determination and threw open the door, not even bothering to put on shoes. He’d drive her to Helen’s and leave her there. If Gwen returned, he’d take her back again and again until she realized her efforts were useless.

Adrian stepped out onto the porch and started for his car, but the huge object looming over his house made him freeze.

It wasn’t a layer of clouds that had blocked out the sun. It was a spacecraft, silent and still.

Gwen let out a startled yelp, and Adrian quickly set her back on her feet. They held onto each other, both of them trembling, as they stared up at the craft.

“They’re not going to let you take me back to Helen’s,” Gwen said, her voice hoarse from all her screaming.

Adrian looked from the craft to Gwen, and the terror he saw in her eyes, along with the resignation in her slumped shoulders, made something deep inside him, something still human, snap.

* * *

Gwen watched in horror as Adrian charged out into the yard, his face contorted in rage while he screamed at the sky. A stream of curses poured from his lips, and he ranted and raved, appearing like a crazed man.

“Adrian, stop!” she pleaded, but he paid her no mind.

“Leave her the fuck alone!” he shouted up at the object, his arms spread wide as if inviting the wrath of those beings. “Whatever you want, use me instead, goddamn it!”

It was then that the craft emitted a staccato burst of sound; it reverberated through Gwen’s entire body, and she cupped her hands over her ears. Adrian sank to his knees, reeling from the effect of that horrible noise, and she hurried to him, grabbing his arm.

“Get inside!” she ordered. “Get up and come with me right now!”

Wordlessly he obeyed, struggling to his feet. With an arm around his waist, Gwen led him back into the house, slamming the door behind them. Then she grabbed Adrian by the shoulders, staring up at him in alarm. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Adrian, talk to me!”

He looked dazed, all his fury drained from him. “I need to lie down,” he murmured.

Gwen walked with him to his room and helped him onto the bed. He collapsed against the mattress with a moan, curling up into a ball. She rushed to the other side of the bed and crawled onto it so she could hold him in her arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his hair. He shook in her embrace.

“I’m sorry I tried to send you away,” Adrian whispered back. “I only wanted to protect you…”

“Shh. It’s okay,” Gwen soothed him.

Slowly his trembling subsided, and his eyes closed. She watched as his features grew more relaxed, and a wave of relief washed over her. As he slept, she nestled up against him, taking comfort in their closeness.

Gwen had just managed to doze off when she heard a familiar voice say her name. Opening her eyes, she lifted her head and looked around.

The sight of Helen standing at the foot of the bed made her gasp. The older woman smiled at her.

“Helen, what are you doing here?” Gwen cried.

“I’ve always been here,” Helen replied, still smiling.

And Gwen realized it wasn’t Helen standing before her.

“No,” Gwen said. “Please leave us alone!” She tried to shake Adrian awake, but he didn’t stir.

The being taking on Helen’s form emitted a kind of ethereal glow, and Gwen remembered Adrian describing the holographic image that had appeared to him.

“What do you want?” Gwen managed to ask. Her fear made it feel as if she were suffocating, and she struggled to draw in a full breath.

“I want you to know that you and Adrian are very special to us,” the being replied. “Your DNA is changing even as we speak. There is no way to stop the transformation occurring within you, and within Adrian.”

Gwen released a moan of despair. “What do you plan to do with us? What are we turning into?”

The being appeared pleased with her questions. “You’re turning into something better, Gwen. Don’t fear–you won’t be rendered inhuman. Instead, you will be a perfect example of a transhuman. You are the future.”

Tears spilled down Gwen’s cheeks. “This isn’t better. This is torture!”

Helen’s image took on a pitying expression. “All change is difficult,” the being told her. “But you will find the end result to be well worth your current suffering, I promise you.” Gwen started to speak again, but the being held up a hand. “Don’t fight us, Gwen. For in fighting us, you’re fighting yourself. I know you care for Adrian, so fulfill your role as his companion. Ease his pain by convincing him to accept the changes occurring in you both.”

Gwen looked down at Adrian’s face, so peaceful in sleep. The sight of him relaxed and free from worry made her smile softly, and she wished, more than anything, to relieve his suffering.

When she looked up again, the being was gone.

Gwen slumped back onto the bed, her mind racing as she stared at the ceiling. While pondering what the being had told her, she realized she had far more questions than answers.

A short time later, Adrian moaned softly and then opened his eyes. Gwen stroked his cheek. “How do you feel?” she asked gently.

His eyes were full of tenderness as he regarded her. “I’m okay.”

Gwen drew in a deep breath, then related what had happened while he’d been asleep. Adrian was silent, listening to her speak, but his brow furrowed with worry.

“There has to be a way to stop them,” he finally said, yet his words lacked conviction.

Gwen held him tight. “We’re powerless against those beings, and we’ve already changed far too much.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “I’m tired of fighting.”

“Don’t say that,” Adrian pleaded.

Gwen released him and turned on her side, facing away from him. “It’s true. Whatever they have planned for us, we may as well accept it.”

She heard him sit up. “I can’t accept that,” he told her in a hard voice, making her wince. Then he climbed off the bed and left the room.

Gwen closed her eyes, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears. Every time he was angry with her, the effect on her was devastating. When she recalled his cold eyes and voice as he dragged her from the house, a cry of pain worked itself from her throat.

Finally she got up from the bed and sought him out. She found him in the back yard, sitting on the ground. Glancing at the sky, Gwen saw that the spacecraft had vanished. The sun was shining, chasing away the chill of the October afternoon.

Gwen approached Adrian slowly, then rested a hand on his shoulder. He covered her hand with his own, and she sank down onto the ground beside him. Woods surrounded Adrian’s house, and with no neighbors nearby, she could almost convince herself that the world consisted of just the two of them.

“Whatever happens,” she finally spoke, “I want us to stay together. I can bear anything as long as you’re with me, Adrian.”

He turned to meet her stare, and in that moment, she felt like the woman she used to be, and Adrian wasn’t at all strange to her. No, his familiarity, his humanness, was comforting, and simultaneously arousing.

Maybe he felt the same way, for he lowered his mouth to hers, and she kissed him back eagerly. They both released quiet moans as the kiss grew deeper, and Gwen dared to slide a hand between his thighs, stroking him through his jeans.

“Just let me touch you,” she murmured against his lips. “While we’re both ourselves…”

He quickly nodded, and Gwen sensed how much he needed this from her. She guided him back so he was lying on the ground. Then she went to work on unfastening his jeans and freeing his hardening cock.

Kneeling at his side, she brushed her hair back from her face, then leaned forward to give the tip of his cock a gentle kiss. She heard his sharp intake of breath and knew he was watching her pleasure him. Grasping his erection, she moved her lips and tongue along its sensitive underside. As she did, she inhaled to draw in his unique scent.

“Gwen, oh, baby,” Adrian groaned.

Her mouth was already watering, and she used the saliva resting on her tongue to coat the head of his cock as she sucked it gently. A tremor went through him, and he tenderly stroked her hair.

Gwen licked and sucked along the length of him, taking her time, exciting herself while she listened to his pleasured moans and rapid breathing. When she took him deep enough so that her nose reached his pubic hair, she couldn’t hold back her own moan.

Fondling his balls, Gwen felt them tighten, and his cock grew even harder between her lips.

“Gwen!” he cried. “Gwen, I’m getting close…”

Yet he reached to yank up her dress, and his fingers slid between her thighs. She cried out when he rubbed her still-tender clit.

Drawing back to take in a lungful of air, Gwen looked at him pleadingly. “I want you to come in my mouth,” she said, her voice guttural.

But Adrian only shook his head even as he massaged her clit. “Finish me off with your hand,” he said.

Gwen thought he was being far too careful, and she realized how much she wanted to taste his essence. Ignoring his order, she took him in her mouth once again, her head bobbing up and down as she worked to bring him to orgasm.

This time, he didn’t fight her. No, he gave in and let her continue, even as the tip of his cock reached the back of her throat.

He called out her name as his fingers worked faster between her spread legs. She felt the breeze caress her wet folds. “Gwen, I’m gonna come…”

She gave a moan of encouragement. Adrian grunted and thrust a little deeper between her lips. She heard his gasp, followed by a loud groan.

His semen struck her throat and landed on her tongue. Gwen eagerly swallowed, her body shaking with arousal. Gulping down his seed, she reveled in the taste of him, and even when he was finished, she licked him clean, not wanting to waste a drop.

By now Gwen was so wet, she could easily hear his fingers moving between her thighs, and she was on the verge of her own orgasm. Yet he withdrew his hand, making her whimper.

“Come here,” he said in a low, firm voice. At first she worried he might be angry with her for not listening to him before, but then she saw the unbridled lust in his eyes, though he’d just climaxed.

Gwen didn’t speak as Adrian took hold of her, guiding her on top of him. She tried to nestle against him, longing to rest her head on his chest, but he kept pulling her upward, working her into the position he wanted until she had a knee on either side of him. Her sex was so close to his face, she knew he could smell her.

“Lift up your dress, Gwen,” he said. His gentle voice contrasted with the heat in his stare.

She did as he said, gathering the skirt of the dress and drawing it up around her waist.

For a long moment, he stared up at her, licking his lips. Only when her thighs began quaking with an excitement she couldn’t hide did Adrian grasp her and pull her down onto his face.

As soon as his mouth pressed against her, she released a wild cry. Then Adrian’s tongue began lapping at her swollen inner folds, as if he wanted to gather up every trace of her juices.

Gwen let her head fall back as she moaned for him. “I never dreamed it could be like this,” she whispered, staring up at the flawless blue sky.

Her moans became wails when he easily cupped her bottom, holding her aloft as if she weighed nothing at all. She didn’t even have to move, for he extended his tongue and slid her over it, moving her back and forth so he could stimulate her clit with a gentle but persistent pressure.

“Oh, oh!” she mewled, already shaking.

His beard was a little rough, but the friction wasn’t painful to her. Gwen wondered if anything could cause her pain right now. Could anything override her need for this man?

Adrian groaned, feeding off her excitement. When he pressed her firmly to his mouth so he could circle his lips around her clit, Gwen didn’t resist him, though the sensation was exquisite, almost too intense. She knew he wouldn’t let her go until he’d made her come.

And she was so close now, her entire body quaking as he brought her to the brink of ecstasy. Looking down, her eyes locked with his. While his tongue moved against her with a relentless speed, his gaze was full of tenderness.

She succumbed to the orgasm, and to him, her muscles growing taut and then spasming with each blissful contraction. All the while she stared down at him, letting him see the way he’d made her come apart. Low, guttural sounds issued from her throat while she bore down against his face, using his mouth for every last bit of pleasure he could give her.

Finally Gwen grew quiet and still, barely able to hold herself up. Adrian gathered her in his arms, weaving his fingers through her hair.

“You’re mine,” he murmured.

She smiled, still breathing fast. “And you’re mine.”

For a long time they lay in silence, completely sated. Gwen wanted to stay like that forever, safe in Adrian’s embrace. But eventually they climbed to their feet, straightening their clothes.

When he turned to give her a smile, Gwen basked in the warmth of it. He slipped an arm around her, and they made their way back to the house.

“Maybe we do have the strength to resist their control,” Adrian said, and for the first time, he sounded hopeful. “I mean, we just did resist them, didn’t we? We gave each other pleasure without having sex.”

During the sacred moments they had just shared, they had indeed resisted those outside forces, Gwen told herself. They were a man and woman who had grown to care for each other deeply. She knew that in the brief interlude of peace amid the torment of their new existence, the man she’d pleasured, and from whom she’d received pleasure in return, was the man Adrian once was.

Yet she had a sinking feeling that this peace wouldn’t last. The thought that they were being toyed with and manipulated filled her with dread.

Still, she smiled and nodded, trying to share Adrian’s hopefulness.

In the kitchen, he poured her a glass of water. Though Gwen wasn’t at all thirsty, she drank it. Swallowing sips of water, an act that had once been vital to her survival, now felt strange and completely unnecessary.

As Adrian scanned the contents of his cabinets, looking for something they might find appetizing enough to eat, Gwen felt a twinge of pain in her lower left side. It was a familiar sensation to her, one that she experienced every month. She was now ovulating, she realized, as it was the middle of her cycle.

Adrian froze, then slowly turned to face her. His stare dropped to her hand clutching her abdomen. “Are you all right?” he asked. His voice was strange, and his expression was suddenly unreadable.

“Yes,” she said, but the word carried a tremor of uncertainty. “It’s nothing.”

His eyes locked with hers, and the smile pulling at his lips gave her a chill. “Oh, it’s far from nothing, Gwen,” he said. He took a step toward her, and she quickly stepped back.

“Do you want to hurt me?” she asked, her pulse pounding at her temples, in her throat. Just a few minutes ago, Adrian had shown her so much tenderness and affection. But now there was a hardness to his features that made him almost unrecognizable.

“No, of course not,” he said quickly, his voice soothing. He closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands. “I don’t want to hurt you, Gwen. I want to fuck you.”

Then his mouth was upon hers, his kiss fierce as he yanked at her dress. She heard the fabric rip.

Understanding dawned on her, along with a growing horror, as she realized just what the alien beings intended for her and Adrian.

Gwen bolted from him, taking off at a sprint. She knew he could easily catch her, and yet he didn’t give chase. Maybe a remnant of the man he once was still existed within him, for he let her go.

She ran to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, trembling as she locked it. Gripping her hair in her hands, she tried not to sob. Instead, she sank downward, her back against the door.

Gwen sat on the floor, rocking back and forth as if to give herself comfort. Then she heard him slowly approach.

She grew completely still, fearing he would try to break down the door. Yet he simply waited outside in the hall.

“Don’t turn me away, Gwen,” he said softly. “Don’t fight me. Please.”

“You don’t want this!” she shouted through her tears. “I don’t want it! Don’t you understand what they’re trying to do?”

Adrian was quiet for a long moment, and she prayed he was considering her words. “You do want this,” he finally said. “We both do. You told me that we’re powerless against them, and you’re right.”

Gwen shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as she began to weep harder. She was so tired, and even in her abject fear, she craved Adrian’s closeness. She felt lost without him.