Page 3 of Krin (The Protectorate Warriors Alien Fated Mates #3)

Riley

I STEPPED OUT OF THE viko and slung my bag over my shoulder. The expansive space port lay before me, covering a vast swath of land. It was already bustling with activity, and I nervously chewed my lip.

This is way bigger than I remember.

Thrusting my shoulders back to project an air of confidence, I smoothed my hands down my sides.

Alara’s morning sky was filled with hues of pink and orange. The air was energizing as I breathed in the delightful combination of crates of fresh fruit, and an assortment of other aromas.

Filled with a rush of excitement, I hurried past the sounds of people coordinating the transfer of crates and cargo into the waiting spaceships.

In addition to the merchant trading vessels and freighters, shuttles buzzed around, flying goods and people to the larger ships waiting at the space dock above the planet.

True to my nature, I had spent a great deal of time learning about life on Alara, and had gone to great lengths to gather information about traveling within Alaran space.

Which included questioning multiple warrior guards stationed around the palace. Many had chuckled with amusement at my constant barrage of questions, but they always took the time to answer them.

I quickly checked out the shuttle bays to see if the Chetok’s shuttles were there. After walking past half a dozen ships, I had a mini panic attack when I thought I missed them.

Then I spotted the familiar spacecrafts. There were two, just as Krin mentioned, there would be.

I sighed with relief as I admired the sleek, polished metallic gray ships shimmering before me. I recognized the Protectorate shuttles because it was one of these that Avery, a fellow abductee-tried to steal, back on the slave planet.

The memory of my time with the Zinids seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had happened since being abducted.

My life was now better than I could have ever imagined. If someone had told me a long time ago I’d be here, about to go into space as an explorer, I would have laughed my ass off.

All I needed now was for Krin to accept me, and maybe even make me a member of the ship’s crew.

With that thought, my eyes darted around the crowd of fit, bare-chested warriors, searching for even the slightest glimpse of Krin.

A pleasant shiver ran up my spine when I spotted him talking to a few members of the crew.

His gaze suddenly shifted to me, meeting my eyes.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I smiled at him.

He nodded, and gave me a quick smile before turning back to continue his conversation.

A group of approximately twenty or thirty warriors were gathered around the ramp to the shuttle closest to me, chatting and laughing among themselves.

Gathering my courage, I forced a smile, adjusted my ponytail, and took a step towards the ship.

I reached the ramp, heading towards the shuttle’s open door, looking back for another glimpse of Krin. As I scanned the area, there was no sign of him, and a wave of disappointment washed over me.

As I hesitated at the entrance to the shuttle, an unfamiliar warrior approached, avoiding direct eye contact.

Chuckling at his awkwardness, I noticed how he moved cautiously, as if afraid of brushing against me.

I came to a halt upon entering after him. On my left, there were two seats in front of the cockpit. Avery and I had sat in those very seats when she tried to steal the shuttle all those weeks ago.

One of the seats was taken by the pilot. As he prepared for takeoff, his hands swiftly moved across the control panel. Thankfully, he didn’t look my way.

A corridor stretched towards the rear of the ship in front of me. I opted for a seat near the door so that I could watch the viewscreen in front of the pilot.

It had nothing to do with wanting to see Krin if he entered the shuttle.

Warriors briskly strode past me, chatting to one another. The door closed, but there was no sign of Krin. Knowing he probably opted for the second shuttle was disheartening. I hoped he wasn’t trying to ignore me.

With my heart racing, I buckled in, and held my breath. Relieved at not being asked to leave, I pretended not to care as the crew ignored me.

BIG SPACESHIPS COULDN’T land on the planet, so they stayed docked above Alara. I couldn’t stop staring at the incredible sight as we approached.

From different areas of the expansive oval-shaped structure, ships could be seen arriving and departing, creating a constant ebb and flow of activity.

Nestled within the outer ring were the hanger bays, awaiting the arrival of incoming ships.

We received instructions over the comms to make our way to a particular hangar bay.

With precision, the pilot navigated us towards two immense hangar doors, and they smoothly parted as we drew closer.

Before us, inside the space dock, the Chetok loomed like a giant metal beast.

The spaceship’s immense size left me questioning where I would find my place among the crew.

I started to wonder if I was being realistic about wanting to work on a vessel this huge.

An overwhelming wave of uncertainty washed over me.

The reality of the moment hit me, and my stomach filled with anticipation.

The little voice inside my head, nurtured by years of independence and self-reliance, reminded me I was more than ready to venture into space this time, and it would be incredibly mind-blowing.

I’d figure out how to fit in. No doubt about it. I always did.

WHEN WE DOCKED INSIDE the Chetok’s hangar, I unbuckled my seat belt and headed out of the shuttle.

Once more, the air was filled with many male voices and the heavy stomping of boots on metal flooring.

Without a clue of where to go, I decided to follow the crowd into one of the ship’s main corridors.

I roamed the corridor for a while, hoping to find someone to ask about Krin’s whereabouts.

The engines started up, and the hallway got quiet. The Chetok was leaving, and I still hadn’t caught up with Krin.

Eventually, a warrior I didn’t know approached, telling me he would show me to my new quarters.

“Where is Krin?” I asked. Was he afraid to be alone with me? Or did he just not care that I’d shown up?

The warrior stared down at me with a scolding look that said I had no business calling him Krin, or asking about him.

“Captain Krin is in the command center. He is busy.”

I grimaced. My plans to seduce Krin and request permission to stay on the ship were off to a poor start.

The warrior began to pick up his pace, strolling down the hall.

Not speaking, I hurried to keep up.

It was a strange feeling to be back on the Chetok after my time on Alara. I was glad to find myself in space under much better circumstances. The possibilities were endless out here.

I hope, I thought to myself.

I brushed a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. “Remind me again, how far are we from the human colony?” I peered up at the turquoise warrior walking a couple steps ahead of me.

“It will take five rotations to reach Novara. It is on the way to our patrol route,” he stated plainly.

Uh oh. That meant I had less than a week to convince Krin to let me stay.

I sighed and pushed him out of my thoughts for a moment, as if my entire future didn’t depend on a decision outside of my control.

“Do you think there’s a chance I will be able to stay on the ship, instead of being left at the human colony?”

I was determined to find a task on the ship that would give me a sense of purpose.

Despite not being a formidable warrior like the rest of the crew, I was committed to earning my place here through hard work.

“I am unsure,” the warrior who didn’t give me his name responded without emotion.

His lack of communication made me laugh out loud as he kept walking.

“You are a chatty one, aren’t you?” I joked. The palace guards were way friendlier than this guy.

Thankfully, he wasn’t walking fast anymore, and I was able to keep up. He looked down at me with a brow cocked, his shoulders back. His face didn’t crack a smile.

“Whatever,” I muttered, shaking my head.

Finally, we stopped in front of a sliding door in a corridor I didn’t recognize.

“These are your quarters.” He helped me program the door panel to my DNA, then quickly left.

I stepped inside the room, shrugging half-heartedly. “I sure as hell hope they warm up to me or this isn’t going to be a fun journey.”

If it were only up to me, I would stay on the Chetok, but that was up to Captain Krin.

He had served as my guard at the palace, even though he was a Commander at the time. The guy was both humble and easy on the eyes. Not to mention, he made me feel really safe.

I hoped he would allow me to stay. That was, when I finally got to speak to him.

My mind was consumed by thoughts of the attractive warrior while I was at the palace. I never considered myself someone who needed physical affection, but meeting Krin changed that.

I longed to be wrapped in his arms like Trex did with Grace. Witnessing Trex’s love for my friend made me wish for something similar. It soon became clear I had serious feelings for the sexy warrior.

This wasn’t just a teenage crush.

Each glimpse of Krin ignited a spark within me, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The question was, did he sense anything between us, the same way I did?

Whenever I looked at Krin, he seemed to avoid meeting my eyes, as if he couldn’t bear to look at me for too long. I initially sensed a potential mutual attraction, but he seemed to shy away from it.

There was something about him that drew my thoughts to places they hadn’t ventured in a very long time.

Like being in an actual long term relationship.

I frowned. What is wrong with me?

I wasn’t the type to chase after people or become consumed by thoughts of them.

In fact, it was the opposite of how I’d behaved back on Luna base.

There, the men weren’t worth my time or trouble.

Since women outnumbered men on Earth and the Moon, guys insisted on keeping their options open. Falling in love was considered a foolish pursuit.

Not that I was in love with Krin, of course.

Yet there was an undeniable longing to be close to Krin. It was so strong; it sparked like an internal blaze, carnal and untamed.

My hands were balled up by my hips. Damn, I really wanted him naked in my bed.

There was no other way to say it.

I craved him desperately.

Krin’s biceps tattoos, what Alarans called mating marks, shimmered with hues of red and navy-blue when he was near me.

Yet Krin refused to acknowledge it.

I shrugged. Who knows, I might have imagined them getting darker and changing color around me. Wishful thinking and all.

Chuckling to myself, I wondered if I’d read one too many alien romance books.

Back on Luna, I spent far too much of my free time reading them. In fact, I focused more on alien romance books than human men.

Men had not been on my radar and hadn’t been for a couple of years.

Perhaps that was my problem now. I had nothing to distract me from my thoughts, or to put it more bluntly, my urges. Like my urge to grab hold of Krin and kiss him while he ripped off my clothes. I sighed, giving my head a shake.

I looked around my assigned quarters. It was smaller than the space I’d shared with Grace and the other women when we were rescued from the slave planet.

The bed looked comfortable enough, but I doubted it was as nice as those at the palace.

Not that it mattered, since I was pleased just to have my own space.

Back at Luna base I shared barracks with a dozen others and we slept on bunk beds. There wasn’t much privacy.

Against one wall was a desk that looked out over the only window in the room. I also had my own private cleansing area, and toilet.

Aside from a bed, a couple of inset shelves and the desk, the room was nothing special.

That didn’t quell any of my excitement. As I adjusted my ponytail, a hopeful feeling began to grow inside me, prompting a sigh.

The experience of being in space was a dream come true. Things would be even better if I could just talk to Krin.

Lost in my thoughts, I sat down at the desk and stared into space. Amidst the dark expanse, the stars transformed into blinding streaks.

I propped myself up on my elbows, chin resting on my hands, contemplating what the upcoming days might hold.

One thought kept swirling in my mind as I nervously chewed on my bottom lip.

What’s the best way to persuade the handsome Captain to let me stay on the ship?