Page 15 of Fated to the Alien Hero (Warriors of Tavikh #7)

Evren

I do my best not to be offended that the Bohnari and his mate thought for even a single beat of my heart that I had been the one to break Astrid’s arm. As if I were that dishonorable to hurt not only my keeshla , but a female in general. No matter how difficult it might be, I will forgive them, because I do not want to be the reason for any strained relationship between us and our allies.

The strange machine Astrid lies in makes me nervous. Not that I believe she will be hurt, but I do not trust technology. It is not natural. There is a slight hissing sound, and the top of the machine lowers, enclosing her within. It is followed by a sharp click. There is a small clear section in which I can see her face. She appears calm, so I try to be as well. A light colored similarly to the bloom of the nenuphar flower—blue, Jodah calls it—moves down Astrid’s body. Along with it, there are chirps of some kind.

Many beats of my heart pass before the blue line runs over her again. A single chirp sounds, then hissing, a click, and the top of the machine slowly rises. I coax it to hurry, but it moves with increasing slowness until, finally it opens fully. Astrid shifts to sit up and I reach for her to help.

“That thing was so cool,” she says the moment she is upright. “I can already tell the difference. My entire body feels different, actually.”

She carefully rotates and bends her arm in different directions as well as her wrist. Wiggling her fingers is next. She twists and turns her upper body as well. A large grin appears on her face.

“If you would push against your mate’s hand, please,” Vornak instructs.

Our palms align, and Astrid presses firmly against mine, adding more pressure until she eases off.

“Any pain?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “None whatsoever.”

“Good.”

I help her down off the machine, and Vornak approaches. He taps his fingers on a different piece of technology and makes a soft grunting noise.

“What?” Astrid cocks her head.

“I am just looking over the list of injuries that were repaired. They were extensive, and several of them are old.”

My mate’s coloring changes. “Let’s just say my arm isn’t the first bone I’ve had broken.”

“The abusive husband?” Vornak’s mate comes to stand beside him.

“Yeah.”

Her answer makes the rage I’ve managed to squash at the mention of her former mate rise to the surface again. I cannot imagine the pain and suffering she had to deal with.

“How long?” Johnna asks.

“Almost three years.”

“Are you sure we can’t make a stop on our way out?” she wants to know again.

Astrid smiles, but there is a sadness behind it. “No, but thank you. Truly.”

Johnna breathes out heavily. “Fine.”

“If there’s anything you need before we leave, you’re welcome to return,” Vornak says.

“You have my thanks.” I fist my chest and he returns the gesture.

“You have mine, too,” Astrid tells him. “I appreciate your help.”

“Of course.”

“We’re heading to the village to see Eloise now. Care if we walk with you guys?” Johnna asks.

“Not at all,” my mate replies.

The four of us leave the healer’s room with Vornak and Johnna in the lead. As grateful as I am for the Bohnari’s assistance in healing Astrid, I am glad to be leaving the ship. It is too enclosed and confining. I do not like that I cannot see the sky or the trees. The smell is unnatural as well. It has the scent of metal and other substances I do not know the name of and cannot identify. We have only been inside for a short time, and already I miss the fresh fragrance of the forest and the village.

On our way out, we pass the Bohnari who first greeted us. His gaze follows us as we exit down the the ramp, leaving the ship behind.

“Do you mind if I ask how you got out here?” Astrid asks Johnna once we have reached the ground. “Were you originally from the human colony?”

Vornak’s mate chuckles. “I was a crew member of the terraforming spacecraft, Helios 3. We were on our way to another planet when our ship was attacked by space pirates. Eloise, me, and a couple other crew members ran to the escape pods. We’d just been jettisoned out when the ship exploded and sent us careening in different directions.”

“That’s awful.”

“Yeah, it was scary as hell.” Johnna nods. “I crashed on Bohna and nearly died. Vornak saved my life.”

“It was both the best and worst day of my life,” he says and takes her hand in his. “I worried I would lose you just as I found you.”

“Wow. You got lucky,” Astrid says.

“You have no idea.”

“So if you were on Bohna, and Eloise is here, does that mean she crashed on Tavikh?”

“Yep. I had no idea though until the last time we visited,” Johnna replies. “Zara had a broken arm Vornak fixed and she recognized my name from stories Eloise had shared. I’d never been so relieved to find her after months of believing she might have died in the explosion. She’s my best friend.”

“I’m glad you found her then.”

“Me, too.”

We reach the entrance of the village where we say our farewells and separate so Johnna and Vornak can visit Eloise and Zedam. I turn to Astrid.

“Would you like to walk to the river with me?”

“Sure.”

I take her hand and love how she immediately laces her fingers with mine. Before my keeshla , I would not have understood how lovely it is to do something as simple as hold hands with a mate. Of course, there is mating and I anxiously await the time when Astrid and I lay in my—our—furs and I explore her body. But the closeness that comes with feeling her five, tiny human fingers clasped together with my four is far more satisfying that I could have imagined.

Thankfully there is still enough heat of the day despite the first moon having already crossed the horizon that I do not need to go get the luani fur from our hunt for my mate. Unless she indicates being cold and then I will provide her with whatever warmth I can.

We arrive at the riverbank and settle onto a bench with our legs touching. To my delight, Astrid leans into me and places her head on my arm.

“It feels so weird to not have these little aches and pains everywhere,” she says after a moment. “I’ve had them for so long I no longer paid any attention. But now that they’re actually gone, I realize how much I was always hurting before.”

“Then I am glad for the Bohnari and their technology.”

Astrid lifts her head and studies me. Perhaps she sensed my unease. “You don’t like tech, I take it?”

“I do not believe it is so much that I do not like it, but more that I do not understand it so I am wary of it.”

“That makes sense.” She rests back against me. “We had all sorts of technology in our house back on Earth, including something called a food replicator. All I had to do was push a few buttons and the machine would spit out a perfect replica of anything I could ever want to eat. It was either piping hot or ice cold depending on what I chose.”

A machine that creates food is beyond anything I can picture in my head. It is no wonder the humans are terrible hunters, although several of them are improving quite a bit. But if all they ever had to do before was wait for a machine to give them food, then it is no wonder they lack the necessary skills.

“It amazes me how different your planet is from ours. It also makes me wonder why some of your people would give all that up to come to Tavikh. It is clear they came unprepared.” I have questioned some of the other warriors and none of them had an answer either.

“Some of us didn’t have a choice,” Astrid says quietly. “But I also know the things our government tells us is never the whole truth. We are shown only how great something is, even if that greatness is entirely manufactured. But when you’re continuously fed lies and led to believe those lies are truth, it’s often hard to spot the real truth when it’s being told. Especially if someone else is doing the telling. People have been brainwashed to think they’re leaving Earth for some far off, magical place that gives them everything they already have and more.”

Her words bring me pause. “You did not choose to come to Tavikh?”

Astrid snorts. “It was decided for me by Grady. He made a lot of mistakes back on Earth, most of which I came to find out, after it was too late, were illegal. When my dad uncovered the crimes…Grady ran and forced me to run with him. He’d made me so reliant on him that I didn’t have any other choice. Although I don’t understand why he didn’t leave me behind when I’ve clearly been useless to him. I mean, he did try to murder me after all.”

I can tell she is trying to make light of what happened to her, but behind the soft laugh there is pain. My tail twines around her.

“Although the path to get here was difficult, and I am sorry you had to travel it in such a painful way, I truly feel as though Deeka led the way, because you were meant to be on Tavikh. I was meant to find you out in that forest and bring you back to the village to heal not only your body, but your heart. You were meant to touch me and trigger both my mating marks and my soul light.”

Astrid straightens upright and turns to face me. Our gazes meet, and she studies my face for several beats until a determination settles in her eyes.

“I want to be your mate,” she announces.

“You are my mate. Just as I am yours.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to go back to the healer’s tent alone, and I don’t want you going back to the one you share with the other warriors. I know it’s late in the day, but I want to be with you in our own place. Just you and me.”

I cannot speak for several beats of my heart, because I do not trust that I heard correctly. Finally, I am able to form words.

“Are you sure? I know you have not received this divorce you sought yet. As much as I want to make you my mate in all the ways, I do not want you to have any regrets about it. I am willing to wait for as long as I have to.”

“I’m positive,” Astrid says. “I don’t want to waste another minute of my life by not doing things that will make me happy. You, Evren, make me happy. It’s been far too long since I’ve done something completely selfish and because I wanted it. And I want you.”

I do not know which of us moves first, but my mate is in my arms and our mouths meet in a fierce kiss. Our tongues glide against each other’s. Tasting. Teasing. Pleasuring. Every one of my mating marks tingles and my flesh feels on fire even though it does not burn. My soul light is blinding and the heat within me grows and spreads.

Astrid gasps against my lips and for a moment, I fear I have hurt or scared her until she deepens the kiss and clutches me tightly to her. The feel of her soft body and large chest mounds is the most wondrous thing I have ever felt. It is the first time I have had them fully pressed against me or both of her arms wound around me. There has always been a barrier between us, but no longer.

My cock is achingly hard and already the mating fluid leaks from the tip and my nodes tingle in preparation of opening and releasing more of the fluid that will enhance Astrid’s pleasure. I want to learn her body and know it better than I know my own. I want to explore every hill and valley so I know where she loves being touched the most.

The kiss goes on and on until at last, we both take in a desperately needed breath. I wish for nothing more than to lay my keeshla down and sink deep inside her cunt, but this is not the place for it. Once we are settled inside a tent of our own, I do not plan on leaving for several turns. I will worship Astrid’s body as it was meant to be worshipped.

“I love you, my keeshla , and I cannot go another beat of my heart longer without telling you.” I cradle her face between my palms. “You do not have to say it back if you are not ready or if you truly do not feel it yet. I only want you to speak the words when you know, without a single doubt, in your heart that you love me as I love you.”

Astrid opens her mouth, but I place my finger over it gently to silence her. “I will wait.”

She nods and I lower my arm.

“Come.” I stand and reach for her. “We will go and get a tent for us to share before it gets too late.”

“Okay,” she says quietly and takes my hand.