Page 13 of Her Alien Soldier (Asterion Station #1)

M aggie lay in bed, just as he’d left her.

Naked, her body still thrumming from his kisses, from the feel of his mouth on hers after the night they’d shared with her friends.

She took a second to pull herself together, or try to, and then she forced herself out of bed, mechanically pulling on a pair of cozy, loose-fitting pants and a soft sweater.

She selected hot cocoa from the beverage station in her kitchen, then brought it to her reading chair. She took a deep breath, then brought the cup to her mouth, letting the soothing smell and taste of creamy hot chocolate do what it could to calm her frayed senses.

She felt like she’d been taken apart and left to put the jumbled pieces back together again.

Those warning bells she’d tried so hard to ignore, knowing they were true, smugly sat silent now. He’d never claimed to be anything other than what he was: a man on a mission, and that mission came first. She understood that.

And she’d still opened herself up to all of it. She hadn’t expected everything to be so intense. To trust him and willingly hand herself over to him.

She knew better. This wasn’t the kind of place for that.

Everyone who didn’t work at the station was temporary.

It was more like living in a huge hotel, watching people come and go as they went about their lives.

And she loved that about working there, living there.

She’d been smart, until now. She’d kept things casual and fun and light and it had worked.

But from the moment she’d looked at Xarek, there had been nothing casual or light about it, and she wanted to kick herself for being so foolish about him.

If there’d been any doubt about his priorities — and there never had been, since he’d been up front about it — it was evident now.

He’d left her, needy, aroused, ready to give him anything he wanted from her, without a backward glance or even a word of regret.

That last part… yeah, that pissed her off and hurt probably more than it should. Like she was nothing. That part wasn’t okay, no matter how important his mission was.

She took another deep breath and sipped her cocoa.

Well, that was that. She wasn’t going to be caught by surprise with her boobs hanging out again. And she sure the hell wasn’t going to pine over him when he left.

Screw that.

Xarek strode into the bar, the scent of Maggie still clinging to his skin, the taste of her kisses still on his tongue.

All he wanted was to get this done so he could get back to her.

His gaze searched the bar, and he spotted the Paraxian sitting to the side of the stage, where the accursed Tilesians were playing, loud, their lead singer wailing like a wounded animal.

He would never cease to be surprised by the appearance of the Paraxian people.

With their reputation for the ability to cause technological destruction and get into places they had no business in, he always expected them to be diminutive, thin, wisps.

But the Paraxians were built like warriors, just as much as his own people and the Bellarians were.

This one had a warm tan complexion and stark white hair.

He was dressed in plain, serviceable clothing that, Xarek assumed, had as many hidden pockets as his own.

As he approached, the Paraxian gave him a nod, then lifted the mug of ale he was holding to his mouth. “Well met,” he said as Xarek sat down.

“Likewise. You are late.”

The Paraxian smirked. “Good work takes time, Altarian.”

“And is the good work complete?” he asked, leaning back in his chair as he watched the Paraxian.

“It is indeed. Planetary defense will fall the instant one of your ships is in range, and a self-replicating virus will make it impossible for them to get those defenses back with any speed,” he said in a low voice, both males leaning forward now, resting their forearms on the table.

“I recommend having your entire strike fleet arrive at the same time. A fast, devastating barrage will render them helpless for quite a while. Our quadrant can finally have peace,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment, almost as if he was praying.

“They will likely have defense ships nearby,” Xarek said, thinking it through.

The Paraxian nodded. “They will. When I was there, I observed a regular patrol of light, fast cruisers.”

Xarek nodded. They would have a secondary team of fighter ships focused on the patrol and any other ships they sent out to fight them back.

“Will your people be joining the fight?” he asked after a few moments.

“My people are intelligence, not brawn,” the Paraxian said with a smirk. “We open the way so your big impressive battleships can do what needs to be done.”

Xarek watched the Paraxian. “If you have played some kind of game here — ”

“Why would I do that?” The Paraxian asked in a dismissive tone.

“My people stand to lose much as well. As much as the Redlian empire values our skill, they would just as soon destroy us. We’re of little help to them when it comes to military might, but still pose a threat, due to interactions like this one. ”

He nodded, then talked with the Paraxian more, gathering any other details he would need.

Thoughts of Maggie crept into his mind, soft, seductive whispers, to return to her.

But he knew better. He had a mission and the sooner they were able to strike, the better.

As much as she called to him, the future of his people rested on the success of this mission.

Deities willing, he would make his way back to her someday and they could pick up where they left off.

After he finished his meeting with the Paraxian, he sought out the damned Bellarian he’d just finished playing cards and eating pizza with to update him.

He still didn’t entirely trust him. Spies were not to be trusted, ever.

But he knew that the Bellarian people’s future was just as much in the balance as that of his own.

He found the Bellarian running the corridors, just as Maggie said he often did. He joined him, keeping pace with the spy as they ran, filling him in on what he’d learned.

“My people will be ready. Yours won’t be standing alone this time,” the Bellarian vowed, and Xarek clamped a hand on his shoulder in thanks. They discussed a few more details, and then it was time for Xarek to leave.

He made his way to the shuttle bay. The urge to find Maggie, to tell her he was leaving, to thank her for everything, was nearly overwhelming. But he also thought that it would make all of this more difficult.

He already didn’t want to leave. Seeing her, touching her… if she asked, he would find a way to stay. And that was not acceptable. Not now. Not when his people needed him most.

So, he got on his ship, and he communicated with the hangar, and then he was off, his shuttle pulling away from Asterion Station, taking him away from the one thing he’d wanted for himself in a very, very long time.