Page 2 of Lorrd: Intergalactic Dating Agency (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides Book 8)

Seated at a desk in his home library, Lorrd stared at the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides application on the glowing screen. He’d filled out the form hours ago, yet he hadn’t clicked the ‘submit’ button yet.

What was he waiting for?

A sudden noise outside the window made him grow tense, and he automatically reached for his blaster.

But he wasn’t armed, and his fingers only grazed the waistband of his pants where the weapon would have been affixed during times of war.

He growled and slumped back in his chair.

When he heard the thumping sound outside again, followed by children’s laughter, he forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

His people, the Vaxxlians, were no longer at war.

That noise? It was just children playing.

He cursed inwardly. Would the echoes of battle ever fade? He glared at the illuminated screen. How could he apply for the VAMOB program when he hadn’t fully returned from the war?

He feared he was too battle hardened to claim a female, yet he had a responsibility to his people to help their new settlement on planet New Vaxx grow and prosper.

Now that the war was over and his people were starting over, all Vaxxlian warriors were expected to claim human females as mates. Not only was Lorrd expected to claim a human female, but he was expected to procreate with his new mate as soon as possible.

Children. Just as he couldn’t fathom taking a mate, he also couldn’t fathom having children.

Would he be a good father? He had warm memories of his own father, but just as he feared he wouldn’t make a good mate, he worried he wouldn’t make a good father.

What if he was too cold and distant? Children required nurturing, patience, affection, and understanding, and he wasn’t certain he would be able to provide any of those things.

There was no denying that he was lonely, however, and he couldn’t help but glance at the VAMOB application on the screen again. All he had to do was hit the ‘submit’ button and a human bride would eventually be assigned to him.

The doorbell suddenly reverberated through the house, and Lorrd clicked over to the security footage on his screen.

Balarr and Warrin, his two closest friends, stood on the doorstep.

Lorrd sighed and pushed away from the desk.

He departed the library and navigated the long corridors of his house until he reached the entryway.

He opened the front door and shot his friends a questioning look.

They typically didn’t come calling in the middle of the day, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like whatever news they were bringing.

“Good afternoon, Balarr and Warrin.” He stepped aside and gestured for them to enter his house, the very house he’d recently finished constructing.

The massive house that contained twelve bedrooms—enough space for a large, growing family—yet he was hesitating to take a mate.

He suppressed a growl as he waited for his friends to announce the reason for their visit.

After Balarr and Warrin stepped inside, Lorrd pressed the button to shut the door, and it promptly zipped shut behind them.

The two males wore strange expressions and regarded Lorrd warily.

“Is this about me skipping warrior training this morning?” Lorrd scoffed.

“I informed Commander Baxx that I would be absent today, though perhaps he failed to tell you.” He’d spent the morning helping several neighbors install solar panels on their newly built homes.

The same neighbors had helped him during the construction of his abode, and it only felt right to return the favor.

“No, no,” Balarr said. “Commander Baxx told us the reason for your absence. That’s not why we’re here.” He pressed his lips together and exchanged a look with Warrin.

“Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides recently matched Balarr and me with human females,” Warrin blurted, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “We are planning to depart for Earth tomorrow morning, and we were hoping that you would decide to join us.”

Warrin elbowed Balarr and gave him a pointed look, clearly expecting him to contribute to the conversation.

“The unrest on Earth has been increasing lately, and more human females are signing up for VAMOB than ever before,” Balarr said with obvious reluctance, as though annoyed Warrin had dragged him along.

“If you submit your application right now, you’ll probably be assigned to a human female before the night is through.

” He didn’t appear as happy as Warrin about the prospect of finally taking a human bride, making Lorrd wonder about the circumstances that had led to his participation in the VAMOB program.

Lorrd turned and stared out the nearest window.

The battle raging inside him intensified.

Though he was thankful his people had defeated the Irrcons—that dreadful alien race that had destroyed their home planet, Vaxxlia, killing nearly all their females and children—there were times he lamented that the war was over.

Because the urge to kill still simmered inside him. Constantly.

There were still some Irrcons left, though they'd been driven far from the sectors surrounding New Vaxx. It would likely take many moon cycles of full-speed travel in a Vaxxlian cruiser just to reach the nearest Irrcon.

“Lorrd?” Warrin’s voice penetrated his thoughts. “We must all take human mates. You know this. You know it’s expected of us.”

“I know what’s expected of me,” Lorrd said in a sharp tone.

His hands curled into fists at his sides.

“I’m happy for you Warrin, as I know you signed up for the VAMOB program a while ago and you’ve been eager to claim a human female.

However, I am surprised by the news that you, Balarr, have also been matched with a mate.

I didn’t realize you had also signed up for VAMOB. ”

“Commander Marrx, the meddling old gurruva , signed me up for the program without my knowledge,” Balarr said with a growl, “and though he signed up on my behalf, I am now honor-bound to travel to Earth and claim the human female who’s been assigned to me.”

Lorrd pressed his eyes shut for a moment. He was shocked to learn of the circumstances that had led to Balarr being matched with a human female, and now he was suddenly worried a commander might do the same to him. What if he truly wasn’t given a choice about claiming a human mate?

“As I’ve already told you, I am sure Commander Marrx meant well,” Warrin said in a cautious tone.

“That’s easy for you to say. You’ve been harassing me to sign up for the VAMOB program for several moon cycles.

” Balarr released another growl. “Still, I’m glad you were finally matched with a female, Warrin.

I’m furious on your behalf that a glitch in the Intergalactic Dating Agency’s database caused such a long delay in your application. ”

A glitch? Lorrd had wondered why the frequency of Vaxxlian warriors getting matched to human females had slowed recently, but that would explain it.

When the program had first launched, it was believed that the number of human female applicants would soon surpass that of the available Vaxxlian warriors.

“I was angry about the glitch at first,” Warrin said, “but now that you’ve also been matched with a bride too, I’m just glad we’ll be traveling to Earth together to fetch our mates.

” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps you’ll consider signing up for the VAMOB program yourself, Lorrd?

The glitch has been fixed, and if you register now, as Balarr already said, you’ll probably be matched with a female before nightfall. ”

Lorrd considered his friends’ proposal. The three of them had always done everything together. School. Warrior training. Battle. It only seemed fair that they should travel to Earth at the same time to collect their assigned mates.

Fluxx . Lorrd resisted the urge to comb a hand through his hair in frustration. He also found himself resisting the urge to pace the entryway. Suddenly restless, he wasn’t sure what to do with the unease spreading through him.

Finally, he turned to face Balarr and Warrin. “I’ve already filled out the application,” he admitted. “But I haven’t submitted it yet.”

His friends shared a hopeful look, and he could only imagine the conversations they’d been having about him behind his back.

Clearly, they’d been worried about him. They knew he was struggling to adapt to life after the war.

He wished he could forget the rage he’d felt as he battled the Irrcons.

He wished he could enjoy the peacefulness of New Vaxx.

“I’m pleased to hear you’ve already filled out the application,” Warrin said.

“That means you’re thinking about acquiring a mate.

That is a good sign. Perhaps your spirit is finally starting to heal.

A mate might help you heal even more. Once you have a female to care for, and eventually, children to raise, I am confident that you’ll find contentment in having a family. ”

Lorrd narrowed his eyes at Warrin. “Shouldn’t I heal myself before I even consider taking a mate? It doesn’t seem fair to claim a female when I’m not… quite myself.” But would he ever feel like himself again? He wasn’t certain. There were days he felt like a stranger in his own skin.

“I’m not saying this to downplay your suffering, Lorrd,” Warrin continued, “but we’re all carrying the darkness of war in our hearts.

Every single Vaxxlian warrior. Yet we must try to move on.

We must try to rebuild our society in this beautiful new place that the Star God has blessed us with.

” He made a sweeping gesture toward the window, where the city of Starzzia—the main settlement on New Vaxx—stretched toward the snow-capped mountains.

Lorrd glanced between his friends, though his gaze lingered on Balarr, who had undoubtedly endured the worst pain imaginable because of the war.

“Most of the human females who sign up for VAMOB are desperate to escape Earth for one reason or another,” Warrin said, apparently still eager to convince Lorrd to join them.

“Conditions on the humans’ home planet are deteriorating, and many of the women who arrive in Starzzia are traumatized from their experiences on Earth.

But the new mating pairs are making it work.

Take a look around. Most Vaxxlian-human couples seem very happy and even in love.

Because they needed one another. Because they helped one another heal. ”

Lorrd didn’t want to admit it, but Warrin’s arguments in favor of signing up for VAMOB were starting to make sense.

Perhaps he could find happiness with a human female.

He didn’t believe he would treat a female with cruelty; he only worried that he might not be as warm and loving as the female expected.

He didn’t want his bride to be dissatisfied with their mating union.

He drew in a deep breath, and he peered at his friends—brothers in all but blood.

The only sons in their families, they’d grown up on the same street in a remote Vaxxlian village called Herrton.

When the Irrcons destroyed Vaxxlia, each of them had lost their families.

Warrin had lost his parents and three sisters.

Lorrd, his parents and two sisters. And Balarr—most tragically of all—had lost his mate, their two offspring, his parents, and five sisters.

Lorrd was thankful that he’d been stationed in the same warrior unit as Balarr and Warrin during the war.

He was also thankful the three of them had survived.

Fluxx . He couldn’t let them down. He glanced toward the library, suddenly anxious to submit his VAMOB application.

“I’ll do it,” he found himself saying, and a small spark of hope ignited inside him. “I’ll submit my application, and I will go with you tomorrow and collect my human bride from Earth.”