by Sue Mercury
“You’re coming with me,” he snarled, grabbing her arm. He withdrew a strange device from his pocket and pressed a button. It caused the air to shimmer around them and to her horror, she realized it was some kind of transportation method. He was trying to beam them both off Myadd’s ship.
Screaming, she used all her strength to knee him in the groin as she pushed away from him.
His hold on her slipped and he dropped the device. The shimmer disappeared.
“Bitch!” He kicked at her but she rolled to the side just in time.
She placed a protective hand on her stomach and glared at him.
“I’m not going anywhere with you. Fuck off.”
His nostrils flared as he retrieved the transportation device from the floor. He knelt before her and smirked. His foul scent assaulted her all over again. He had her trapped against the wall, though he didn’t reach for her yet. Instead, he simply stared at her, his gaze raking over her in a lazy but salacious manner.
“Haven’t you missed me, doll?”
“Don’t call me that.” She’d always hated his pet name for her.
He growled. “You’ve been a bad, bad girl,” he said. “Running away from your husband.”
“You’re not my husband,” she said, revolted by the very idea. “We were never married.”
In the background, drawers and cabinets opened and closed rapidly. Sienna glanced around Brett for a moment and saw Skylar was tearing the room apart. Likely looking for something she could use as a weapon. It was no use though. Unless she found a blaster.
“We will be married soon,” Brett announced with a smug grin. “Alien Combat wanted to kill you at first—that’s why they attacked your apartment building in Houston—but I made them an offer that’ll save your life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Marriage, doll, I’m talking about marriage.” He reached for her and caressed a hand through her hair. “What have you done to your hair?” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Never mind, we’ll fix it soon. Before the wedding. We’re going to get married after I win my next cage fight. It’ll be a large event with thousands of spectators at the Drossian Outpost. I’ll propose to you after my win and you’ll accept. The crowd will go wild and we’ll get married on the spot.” His grin turned evil. “We’ll also consummate our marriage on the spot. The Drossians are perverts, in case you didn’t already know. They like to watch.”
Horror fell over Sienna. She knew Brett was an awful person who only cared about himself, but his plan was worse than anything she could’ve ever imagined. She felt like throwing up.
Her mind raced for a solution and she eyed the transporter device in his hands. Perhaps if she lulled him into thinking she was considering his offer, he would loosen his hold on the device and she could kick it out of his hands. Or better yet, destroy it.
Oh how she wished Myadd were here. Macy had gone to find him, and she hoped he was able to tear himself away from the fight against Alien Combat’s fleet.
Please come soon. I need you.
Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn’t let Brett make her cry ever again. She blinked fast and focused on her anger toward her ex, though she tried to soften her expression.
The more compliant and willing she appeared, the greater the chances of Brett letting down his guard.
His eyes danced with victory, as he seemed to notice the change in her demeanor.
“That’s the girl I know,” he said with a chuckle. He set the transporter on the floor next to him and cupped her face in both his hands. Her skin crawled at his touch and she fought the urge to shrink away from him.
“Brett,” she whispered. “I-I can’t believe you’re here.” She was acutely aware of the transporter device on the floor, and she shifted forward to place her hands on his chest.
His breath hitched and he smiled wide, revealing a missing tooth. Though she wasn’t sorry she’d left him, she was a bit sorry she’d missed the cage fight during which he’d lost this tooth. It must’ve happened recently, otherwise he would’ve gotten it fixed already. He’d always been vain about this appearance. Ironic, considering how disgusting she thought his over-bulging muscles and purple veins looked.
“I’m going to get you out of here, doll, and we’re going to get married.” Just as he lifted her from the floor, she drew her foot back, preparing to kick the transporter across the room. But a thunderous voice rang out and she faltered.
“Step away from my mate.” Myadd stood in the doorway, a menacing growl rumbling from his throat. His eyes were narrowed at Brett and darker than she’d ever seen. Holding his blaster high, he took a few steps into the room.
Skylar gasped and ceased rummaging through the cabinets. Sienna tried to step in her friend’s direction, but Brett grabbed her shoulder and squeezed, keeping her in place. Trapped against the wall. Her pulse spiked and her stomach twisted.
“Your mate?” Brett asked with a sneer. He gave Sienna a slight shake. “You mean this woman?”
“Yes. Sienna is my mate.” Myadd growled louder this time. “Step away from her now or I will kill you.” He lifted the blaster higher, aiming straight for Brett’s head.
“Is it true?” Brett shot her a furious look. “Have you mated with this Vaxxlian?” He spoke the last word with disgust.
“Yes,” Sienna replied, lifting her chin higher. “We’ve already mated, and Vaxxlians mate for life.”
Brett snorted, turned to Myadd, and gripped Sienna’s shoulder harder. He drew her closer in one rapid movement, forcing her to stand in front of him. The bastard was hiding behind her, though given his huge size, she doubted her body would provide much protection if Myadd decided to shoot him.
“Whether she’s mated to you or not, it doesn’t matter, for I intend to marry this woman. She is carrying my baby.”
All the air whooshed from Sienna’s lungs. She hated Brett. Hated him. She had planned to tell Myadd about the baby soon, when the time felt right, and Brett had ruined everything.
The shocked expression on Myadd’s face tore at her heart. Oh God.
Brett snickered. “Oh man, you didn’t know, did you? Poor fellow.” Brett’s voice dripped with mock pity. “Don’t you worry though. I’ll take her off your hands, even if she is damaged goods.” He lowered his voice and whispered into Sienna’s ear. “I’ve done a lot of thinking since you ran out on me and I’ve decided I’ll let you keep the baby, even if Alien Combat isn’t happy about it. You’ll just have to work hard to get your figure back right after giving birth.”
Sienna’s eyes burned and she saw red. She ducked down and elbowed Brett in the stomach, then kicked the transporter across the room while he was hunched over. She rushed away from him and Skylar grabbed her. The two women stood against the wall beside the bed, out of the way.
Myadd still had a blaster aimed at Brett.
“Is it true?” Myadd asked, his eyes catching hers. “Are you carrying this human male’s child?”
Sienna’s throat closed up so tight, she couldn’t speak. So she simply nodded and tried to keep from breaking down in tears. Her lips quivered.
She wished Myadd didn’t appear so shocked. She also wished she could find her voice so she could convey just how sorry she was for keeping this secret. She would’ve had to confess all to him soon, but he shouldn’t have found out like this.
Her face burned with shame.
“It’s going to be okay,” Skylar whispered, reaching for her hand.
“I-I’m not so sure,” Sienna whispered back. “Myadd doesn’t look happy, and you know how much he wanted to start a family soon. But now it’s all ruined.”
They watched as Myadd approached Brett. Shock reverberated in Sienna when he placed his blaster back on his belt. Oh God no. Was he about to hand her over to Brett? But the words Myadd spoke next shocked her further.
“I’ve decided,” Myadd said as he glared at Brett, “that I will kill you with my bare hands. A
quick blaster shot to the head is too good for you. You deserve to suffer.”
Chapter 18
Dark fury coursed through Myadd. This poor excuse for a living creature was the male who had harmed Sienna. He growled and charged at the human male. They clashed in the center of the small room. Brett was large for his species, but he was no match for Myadd.
As they fought, Myadd landed blow after blow to the side of the human male’s head, as well as several to his throat. Brett clutched at his neck and his face turned red as he gasped for air.
Myadd tossed the human against the wall and he collapsed on the floor, still struggling to breathe. “Go to the guest quarters,” Myadd said, pausing to look at Sienna and Skylar. He’d already sent Macy there after running into her in the corridor. She’d informed him of Brett’s presence on the ship and begged him to hurry, to save Sienna.
He tried not to think about the fact that Sienna was carrying this man’s child. He wished it weren’t so. Star God, how he wished the baby inside her belonged to him. He would dwell on this dilemma later, he decided. First, he must kill this dishonorable human male.
“I’m sorry,” Sienna whispered as she headed for the door with Skylar. “Myadd, I am sorry I didn’t tell you.” Tears glittered on her eyelashes. She stepped into the corridor and her friend guided her away. He was glad they were gone. He didn’t want either of the females to see what he was about to do to Brett.
The human male was still gasping on the floor and holding his neck, making Myadd suspect he’d severely damaged the man’s windpipe. He almost wished he hadn’t punched him so hard in the throat. If he suffocated before Myadd had a chance to inflict real pain upon him, it was almost as merciful as a blaster shot to the head.
Myadd nearly laughed when Brett finally crawled to his feet. The human male flexed his muscles in a strange manner, beat upon his chest, and motioned for Myadd to come at him again.
As Myadd approached Brett, the man continued to behave in an odd manner. He kept flexing his muscles and making weird noises that weren’t quite a scream. Perhaps Brett was suffering brain damage from the punches he’d taken in the head.
It suddenly occurred to Myadd that this must be how Brett acted in the fighting cages, flexing his muscles and making weird sounds for show.
Myadd grinned. “Would you like a mirror so you might admire yourself better?”
“Fuck you.” Brett grunted loudly and flexed again. “You’re in for a world of pain. I’m going to make a meat sandwich out of you and feed it to your mother.”
During his travels around the galaxy, Myadd had interacted with many different alien races and he’d met quite a few who were prone to insulting an adversary’s mother. He found the practice distasteful, however, and added it to Brett’s list of transgressions. The human male would soon die a violent, painful death.
Sienna paced the guest quarters, wondering what was taking so long. Surely Myadd would have no trouble killing Brett. Worst case scenarios rushed through her mind. What if Brett fought dirty and pulled a weapon on Myadd?
At least the battle against Alien Combat was over. Sienna had figured out how to open the viewscreen in this room shortly after their arrival. The current view out the window showed all but two Vaxxlian ships were still in the air, hovering in formation, while every last enemy ship had been blasted to pieces.
Wreckage dotted the otherwise white icy landscape below. Fortunately, the two Vaxxlian ships that had been shot down were mostly intact. They’d witnessed several Vaxxlian males disembarking those two ships while another cruiser briefly landed on the ice to retrieve them.
“Something’s wrong,” Sienna said with a glance at her companions. She couldn’t stop worrying about Myadd and prayed no harm had come to him.
But if Brett had wounded him—or worse, managed to take his life—why hadn’t he arrived to collect Sienna? Not that the asshole could easily get away now. Not when all the Alien Combat vessels were destroyed. Still, something wasn’t right. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Skylar said.
“Yes,” Macy echoed. “He’ll be here soon. Don’t worry. Come sit with us.” She patted the spot beside her on the bed, but Sienna shook her head and walked toward the corridor.
“I can’t wait for another second. I must go see what’s happening.”
She departed the room and jogged down the corridor to the safe room. The door opened to reveal a brutal fight scene in progress. But Myadd was clearly winning. He still appeared alert and his face remained unbruised. Brett, on the other hand, barely looked like himself. Blood poured from his nose and his eyes were nearly swollen shut. And for every ten blows Myadd landed, Brett only managed to land one.
Myadd noticed her hovering in the doorway and glared at her. “I told you to wait in the guest quarters, my mate, I do not wish for you to witness this fight.”
My mate. He’d called her my mate. Her heart lifted with hope.
“I thought something was wrong,” she explained. “The battle outside is over, all the attacking vessels have been destroyed. But you’re still here fighting, when you clearly could end this fight and win it at any second. Why-why are you prolonging this?”
Brett swayed before Myadd and tried to land a kick to his stomach, but Myadd ducked back in time, then moved in on his disoriented opponent and punched him in the throat. Brett grasped his neck and forced out, “Kill you, meat sandwich, mother, kill you,” in between gasping breaths.
Myadd looked at Sienna. “You ought to leave. Females should not witness such violence.”
“You forget I spent years with Alien Combat, attending brutal cage fights.” She’d seen Brett severely beaten before, but never this badly. She recalled all the times he’d lost a fight and shuddered. He wasn’t a gracious loser and he’d always blamed her for his losses, claiming he’d lost a particular fight because he’d spent too much time with her during the days prior, rather than training and preparing for the match.
“Go, Sienna,” Myadd said in an adamant tone. “Go and I will kill him quickly, if that is your wish.”
But just as Myadd turned to face Brett again, Sienna saw the glint of a knife. Horror washed through her when Myadd’s face twisted in pain. Oh God. Oh God no.
Myadd roared, gripped the knife, and tore it from his body. The rest of the fight happened fast. Myadd dodged another kick from Brett, then he jumped upon him and slit his throat. Blood spurted outward and Sienna’s stomach heaved at the sight.
The knife clattered to the floor and Myadd sat back against the bed, his chest heaving as blood soaked through his shirt. With a sorrowful cry, she ran to Myadd and knelt at his side. She placed her hands over his heart and applied pressure, trying to stop the flow of blood. Tears coated her face and she kept shaking her head and murmuring, “No, no, no,” and “Please, please, please.”
Myadd smiled at her and grasped her arm.
She wanted to ask if the nanobots would heal him or if this was a mortal wound, but she feared the answer. So she kept pressing upon his heart, kept praying to anyone who would listen. She’d only known the huge alien for a day, but she was already starting to care for him. And they had mated. She belonged to him and he belonged to her. For life.
She pushed aside her lingering worries about whether or not he would accept her baby and continued praying for his recovery. Please please please.
Chapter 19
Myadd couldn’t feel his limbs. He also couldn’t seem to take in enough air. His head swam with dizziness, but when he saw Sienna at his side, he tried to remain conscious. He believed the nanobots would heal him, though a direct stabbing to the heart might take longer to heal than other wounds. Sometimes the nanobots would cause the body to fall asleep during the healing process. The sweet promise of a pain-free oblivion tugged at him, but he kept his eyes open and fought it.
He wanted to stay awake for Sienna’s sake. If he fell asleep, she would likely worry.
; “I can feel myself healing,” he said. “You need not worry, little human.”
Her face crumpled and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Oh Myadd, I am so sorry. For everything. This was all my fault. If I would’ve told you everything from the start, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
The fatigue started to leave him, and his breaths came more steadily, his lungs filling up with precious air. The pain in his chest also began to subside. He grasped Sienna’s hand and waited until she met his gaze. “Listen to me, little human. I do not blame you for what’s happened.”
“Even so, you must be terribly angry.” Her bottom lip quivered. “And disappointed about-about the baby.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were already with child?” he asked in a gentle tone. “Why not disclose such information on the mail order bride application?”
“I needed to get off Earth. I needed a safe place to live where Brett and Alien Combat couldn’t find me. I-I wasn’t even supposed to be on Earth. I’d chartered a private ship to take me to Eufromma but the crew dropped me off in Houston, claiming it wasn’t safe to complete the journey to the tourist planet. I was desperate to escape Earth and remain hidden from Brett and Alien Combat and when I saw a commercial for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, I thought mating with a Vaxxlian was my only hope. Forgive me for tricking you into mating with me.” She released her hand from his chest and started lifting his shirt up to better look at the wound. “It’s nearly healed,” she said. “You’ll truly survive this and make a full recovery?”
He cupped the side of her face and leaned closer. The scent of her surrounded him, bringing him comfort. He had been so worried when he’d arrived in the safe room to find Brett threatening her. The fear in her eyes had gutted him. “Yes, Sienna, I will make a full recovery. I promise. I can sense the nanobots working and I’m already feeling much better.” He straightened and reached for her, this time managing to wrap an arm around her. He gathered her close and hugged her tight.