Page 32 of Seized by the Alien Space Warrior (Alien Romance #8)
Chapter Thirty-Two
A va sighed as she rested on the banister that framed the veranda of their rustic home. A swath of manicured lawn led to a massive beautiful lake that was spread before a snow-tipped mountain range. The air was crisp on her face, but it was always like this right before the sun made a full appearance from behind the tips of the mountains.
Strange six-legged creatures grazed the grass and were treated very much like horses, although they didn’t resemble them at all. The gentle animals were ridden every day by the children who lived at the Sanctuary.
This planet was rich in minerals. It was that they traded, as well as locally made goods that the rest of the ten Quadrants couldn’t get enough of. Apparently no alien within the enormous universe here had tasted jam, of all things. Go figure. And as industrious as everyone here was, they had planted ten orchards of various fruit trees that were soon to be harvested.
When she’d arrived a couple of weeks ago, Katie had introduced her to everyone, including three couples. A beautiful young woman called Sophie who had smiled shyly was mate-bonded to the largest blue-skinned male Ava had seen. He was one of three brothers who lived here with their human mates. Not only were they massive, but they’d had cybernetics installed into their bodies, effectively turning them into unstoppable lethal machines.
Sophie had held a little bundle of blue skin and a patch of fluffy hair close to her chest. The male hadn’t been able to stop touching their child, a beautiful little girl they’d named Michy.
She’d also met Rase and Lexi and their little boy Soval, who couldn’t sit still, and baby daughter Aalaya, and Crysta and Veri’s little girl, Bria. There’d been a team of other women, who had dragged her away from Aekon for far too long even though she’d enjoyed their human company like nothing else.
Some of the women had mate-bonded with other Dhasu. Military types, all of them. Huge males, stoic and controlled, until it came to their mates. Then they would soften and share a moment, often disappearing inside their homes or down one of the many secluded places this wilderness had to offer.
Not only was this place a haven for abducted women who Ava had learned had all been taken by the Reptiles, it was fast becoming a second world for the displaced Rasidians—or what there were left of them. With their muscles upon muscles, lethal tails, horns, and blue skin, they were formidable. Even though she’d become used to Aekon and his forbidding looks, the Rasidians were another thing altogether, although when it came to the women and children, they were complete softies.
Their population was expanding with immigrants as well as hybrid children.
Ava rubbed her stomach absently, wondering.
She’d lost track of time and thankfully hadn’t had her period since being abducted. It would have to come soon, although she wasn’t sure. The stress of everything might have put it off, or…
She could very well be pregnant. The idea brought a rush of warmth through her. She could be pregnant with Aekon’s child. She would have a hybrid child with him, of which there were already a few running about and keeping their doting parents busy.
The children either had a mix of blue and the human skin of their mother, or a lighter charcoal colour. The alien DNA seemed to be dominant, although the children seemed to have a mix of both parents. The children of the Rasidians didn’t have tails, but the eldest grew gorgeous little horns from their temples that wound about their heads. The children of the Dhasu had charcoal skin with tiny nodes that flashed all day with their emotions. Apparently it was a skill they had to learn to control. Even though they were different than pure human children, each and every one of them was adorable and acted just like any other child.
Their child would be the same.
God knew Ava and Aekon had been insatiable and they hadn’t used protection. She didn’t even think any of the males here knew what protection was. They didn’t operate at the same level as humans did. There wasn’t any recreational or casual sex, and when they found their bonded-mate, there was no hesitation. That was it for them. Fate gifted them with a bond-mate and a family and that was all there was to it. The concept was so far different than on Earth, that many males shook their heads in wonder when any of the women tried to explain the concept of dating. To them, such things didn’t exist. Nor did the concept of a non-alpha, possessive mate. These boys took protection to a whole other level.
Because there were so many matches of women and males, the Mercenary Division had chosen to set up headquarters here. She had yet to hear Katie’s story, but as the bond-mate of the Commander of the Mercenary Division, she was so busy it was hard to pin her down to hear it.
Strong arms wrapped about Ava’s waist as Aekon came up behind her. He pressed a kiss to the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She smiled, tilting her head.
“I didn’t hear you come back,” she said.
That wasn’t unusual. For such a large male, he just seemed to prowl everywhere he went thanks to his years of military training.
“You should still be in bed,” he said.
“I didn’t want to miss the dawn.”
And he hadn’t been beside her. She never slept if he wasn’t there, his huge body warming hers. She was so used to sleeping wrapped in his arms that when he wasn’t there, she usually made herself busy with other things.
Aekon tightened his grip around her. He buried his face against her skin and breathed in deeply. “Since you’re up early, would you like to go to the spring?”
When Aekon had called this place a sanctuary, she’d had no idea how fitting the name was. She didn’t know what she had imagined, but in her mind the reality was more a paradise. Even in this idyllic setting, the little spots of nirvana were awe inspiring. Her favourite was the naturally occurring heated springs that were only a short walk away from the village. The pools were formed by smooth rock and nestled within a pocket of lush flora. The water bubbled up from deep below the planet and then trickled off and joined a river that eventually ran into the lake.
It was particularly popular with the children, and everyone else here, but as the sun cracked the top of the mountains and golden light poured over the peaks, they would have the whole thing to themselves.
Ava smiled and turned in Aekon’s arms. She wound her arms about his neck and kissed him deeply. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. That was another thing she’d discovered about these males. Because of the mate-bond, their relationships never faded as they did on Earth. No matter how long a couple had been together, they still acted like they’d just found their bond-mate.
They had spent hours in each other’s arms last night, and yet she was insatiable again. Aekon’s growing desire became hers, feeding off each other in a boundless loop. She couldn’t say she was upset by it.
She drew back, laughing. “If you keep that up, I don’t think we’ll make it past the front door, let alone get to the pools.”
Aekon growled, the low-pitched sound making her abdomen flutter. “Then I will make love to you here before I make love to you there.”
His followed up his promise with a deep kiss that curled her toes. Her fingers tensed on his shoulders as she began to melt from pleasure. She pulled back, breathless. “You make a tough argument.”
Aekon ploughed his fingers through her hair. His claws scraped her skull in the most delicious way, making her shiver. She knew just what those claws could do to the rest of her body and she tingled in anticipation.
This whole place was idyllic, but she knew the underlying worry that plagued Aekon. He’d come back from speaking with Treega about his friends – his warrior brothers – who he was close to. Part of her felt responsible considering they’d gone missing right after she’d been sold on stage, even though she knew her worries were completely illogical. They’d also yet to locate the stolen antimatter component somehow taken off Venturi during the Mercenary Division’s rescue and all leads had gone cold.
“Was there any word?”
Aekon sighed, concern seeping into their mate-bond. “There has been reports of an Ixod craft breaching the Zaloria. Somehow, Idren has ended up there. A human female is with him from the auction. There is still no word from Kil.”
Her mind tripped over that. “What of the other women sold?”
Her mouth went dry just thinking of that day. She’d tortured herself wondering what had happened to all of the other women who had been brought out of cryo-sleep. There had to have been at least twenty of them. If they were all still alive. Especially the poor terrified teen.
Aekon brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Treega has issued more warriors tasked with finding all of them.”
Ava nodded. She understood Treega was doing everything he could, but…She shuddered. Those poor women. She’d been terrified and it was only Aekon who had saved her from a fate where death would have been a kindness. She had a future, a blindingly happy and bright future thanks to the male in her arms. A future that hung on the whim of an insane dictator.
Baxklet, the Ixod dictator, was also missing. The one glimmer of hope was that the Interspecies Council had liberated Venturi from him. Brenur had been injured but was recovering, and both he and Krono were helping to locate the antimatter device with help from the scientists Baxklet made work on it.
“Many craft left Venturi after Baxklet demolished all evidence,” Aekon said.
Ava gasped. “I can’t believe he ran. The coward.”
“He had this all planned out, my Ava. He used his people for his own ends. He is an evil being,” Aekon said.
“He’s completely insane ,“ Ava said.
“He’s been that way for a long time. His mind has gone. Unfortunately, he has those loyal to him.”
It stunned Ava that beings could follow someone like that. That was unless they thought he was right and that annihilating the universe for their ultimate gain was a good thing. Maybe they were just that power hungry.
It wasn’t merely Baxklet that worried Aekon. He’d told her of Idren and Kil. They fought side by side for many years. It was his friends who had helped him when Onda had been murdered. He considered them family.
“They’ll come back, Aekon. They’re skilled warriors,” Ava said.
Aekon nodded, although his worry was still a palpable force. He was worried for them and he was worried for the safety of the known universe. She was worried too, but right at this moment, there was nothing she could do about that. They had a moment of peace, just for now, and she was going to make the most of it.
She linked his fingers with hers and kissed him gently. “Take me to the spring, my Aekon. Let’s forget about the universe for a while.”
He cupped her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers. His warm breath caressed her skin. He banded his arm about her waist and pressed his body against hers. She closed her eyes as a sigh washed though her.
“You are my whole universe, my Ava.”
With Aekon at her side she didn’t need anything else, whatever the future might bring. “And you are mine, my bond-mate. My love. My life.”
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* * *
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Thank you for joining me on this unforgettable adventure. I truly hope you have enjoyed every pulse-pounding moment and every scintillating twist. Your presence in this world means everything.
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Fear not, for the universe of steamy action and out-of-this-galaxy romance beckons once more. In Secured by the Alien Space Warrior, the stakes soar higher, the passions burn hotter, and the mysteries grow deeper. Prepare to be swept away by new enthralling encounters and unexpected alliances as our new hero and heroine defy destiny and uncover secrets that could change their worlds forever.
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Ready to strap in for another exhilarating ride? Then turn the page and immerse yourself once again in the thrilling cosmos where love and danger collide like never before. The adventure of a lifetime continues in Secured by the Alien Space Warrior —waiting just for you.
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I’ve been abducted by Reptile aliens and sold to the highest bidder. My saviour is in the form of a ruggedly handsome alien with claws and fangs and lethal fighting skills. Not my usual type.
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He tells me I’m his bond-mate. That I’m fated for him. From the moment I saw him fighting to save me, an undefinable spark erupts within me. But I’ve been down that track before. Had the boyfriend from hell. Don’t need to drive that road again, no matter how much my body yearns for my alien saviour.
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He says he will take care of me. Protect me, but how can he do that when we crash land onto a hostile planet and he’s made to fight in a gladiator pit as a slave. Every day his life is at risk, and if he fails to come back the aliens who made him fight will come for me.
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But we have bigger problems. A dictator from another planet is going to use us for target practise. If we don’t break out of here soon, the whole universe will be at risk. I’m losing the battle to keep my shattered heart intact. The thing is, he’s the only being in the universe that has the power to put me back together. To be whole for the first time in years. If I lose him, I’ll lose everything.