Tonight, they were supposed to meet their alien fiancés for the first time. By tomorrow, they’d be flying toward their new lives and new homes on the planet, Crakair.
Instead of dancing and drinking champagne, or whatever the Crakairians did to celebrate occasions like this, they’d gotten lost. Something about Julia being convinced the ballroom was at the bottom of a stairwell, at the end of a long hallway. Who would put a formal reception area in the hull of a spaceship?
In fifteen minutes, Gaje, Thea’s intended, would be waiting in the ballroom, eager to sweep her off her feet. Sorta sweep her off her feet. They’d actually go through a formal courtship before he could propose marriage. No hot stuff between the covers until she’d agreed. So said the rules decided upon by Earth and Crakair when the mail-order bride arrangements had been negotiated.
“We’ve got to get to the ballroom,” Thea said, gaping around the dark, dimly lit gray metal halls they’d been rushing through for so long even Thea couldn’t tell which way was up and which way was down. “Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”
“At this point, who knows?” Julia cringed. “I’m sorry. I messed up. They’re going to be pissed off when we don’t show up.”
“They’ll wait for us.” While Thea said this in complete confidence, her belief was eroding fast. What if they never made it to the ballroom? “Who else would they marry?”
“Other Earth women.”
A twinge of jealousy she had no right feeling shot through Thea. While she hadn’t met Gaje, she felt like he was hers already.
“Ours are two of the first five matches,” Thea said. “If we don’t show up, would it cause an intergalactic war?”
“Ugh,” Julia said. “Leave it to us to be responsible for something like that.”
They reached an intersection and Thea peered around, trying to decide where to go next.
A year ago, a mysterious disease had swept through the galaxy, killing most of the women on Crakair and the men on Earth. Eager to continue their species, the Crakairian council had sent messages into the stars, seeking brides. One of their pings had connected with Earth.
Earth women laughed when the matchmaking proposal was introduced to the public. Until pictures of the Crakairian men arrived.
Despite the appendages jutting off their heads that resembled thick dreadlocks, and their scaly green skin, a match with a Crakairian male was a chance for an Earth woman to have a family other than through artificial insemination.
A clang behind them sent Thea skittering forward. “What was that?” she whispered, her wide-eyed gaze meeting Julia’s.
Julia revealed a small knife in her hand. “Don’t worry. I brought protection.”
“Do you know how to use it?”
“Let’s hope I don’t have to.” Julia snagged Thea’s arm, and they hurried forward.
Shivers crept up Thea’s spine when more bangs rang out, stomping her way. Who knew if other creatures lived on the spaceship? For all she knew, something was hunting them right now.
With fear bolting through her, she kept pace with Julia, rounding a curve and racing down another ramp.
They turned a corner and smacked into two alien mechanics—if their grease-stained clothing was anything to go by. Each hulking green male grabbed one of them by the arms and held tight.
“Holy hell,” Thea said, gaping up at the guy towering over her.
He bared his fangs, lethal-looking things that hung halfway down his jaw. The dreadlocks on his head—called naanans—flared up before settling around his shoulders like thick, living bands of hair.
After dipping forward in a short bow, the alien holding Thea spoke. “Dreafillar.” He murmured something else, but her translator had only been implanted a few days ago. It would need time to acclimate to their speech patterns before they could fully understand each other.
Julia struggled with the alien holding her while Thea did the same, shrieking and kicking, but she couldn’t break free.
The alien who’d grabbed Thea revealed his fangs again as if he found her struggles amusing. With a soft grunt, he stooped forward and tossed her over his shoulder. She landed on his rock-hard muscles, releasing a woof.
His big hand slapped down on her ass.
She squirmed and beat her fists against his back because hell, no, she wasn’t up for an alien abduction, especially if it came with probes. But he chuckled and his fingers bit into her butt. His long strides ate up the corridor, taking her away from her friend.
“Julia!” Thea cried as the other woman was lifted and taken in the opposite direction.
“I’ll find you,” Julia shouted, her voice echoing through the corridor. “Hang on!”
With her hands braced on the guy’s back, Thea couldn’t miss the alien’s tight butt shifting as he walked. She growled. Why the hell was she checking out his ass?
She flailed, bucking and hitting, but the alien only tightened his hand on her butt.
He turned a corner and pushed a button beside a door, making it open. Striding forward, he took her through a series of halls before reaching another door on the outer wall. A few clicks and the panel opened. He stepped into a narrow hall that ended at a hatch that hissed open when they approached. Inside, she spied a chamber as small as an elevator. Two chairs sat in front of another window.
Holy fuck, the whole universe waited through the glass.
The alien sat on one of the chairs and shifted Thea around until she faced him with her legs straddling his hips and hanging down between the armrests. This was a rather intimate position.
Something big stirred beneath her…
Crap, crap. He was getting a frickin’ hard-on!
“Met we have,” the seven-foot tall, hulking alien said. When he bared his fangs, a delicious shiver shot up her spine. “Mate we shall.”
Wait, wait. “Mate?” she gulped out. “As in we’re going to have sex?”
He scowled, making her wonder about her translator. Nevertheless, she persisted.
“You should know right now,” she said in her best kindergarten teacher’s voice. “I’m engaged to another man. I don’t do the horizontal tango with strangers.” Her gaze drifted down to the bulge growing in his pants. Oh, shit, was something down there humming? Who the hell carried a vibrator around in his pants? Unless… Her eyes flashed up to his, and heat climbed into her cheeks and settled in for the long haul. “Does your cock vibrate?”
He dipped his head and showed his fangs again, and his attention remained centered on her mouth.
Flames pooled in her belly and dove downward. “Fuck,” she moaned. “I can’t even imagine how that would—”
“Yes, fucking,” he said matter-of-factly.
“No.” She shook a finger at him, trying to gather her scattered wits. “There will be absolutely no fucking.”
“Yes, fucking.”
Heaven help her. She’d been abducted by a horny caveman alien if his one-track mind was anything to go by.
Reaching around her, he pressed a button on the panel. A pop and her belly dropped. No, they dropped. Stars blurred past the window.
“Hold on a second,” she spun around to take in the view through the glass. “You just…disengaged from the spaceship.”
“Mate we shall,” he said.
“Yeah, hold that thought.” She flicked her hand in his direction. “If this is a kidnapping attempt… If you’re some kind of space pirate… I want to formally object to your methods.” Scrambling off his lap, she stood in front of him. Her hands smacked on her hips.
His tongue dipped out, thick and long, and forked at the tip.
Double holy hell.
“Don’t even think about the variety of uses you could find for that tongue,” she whispered to herself.
Grabbing her hips, he tugged her close, his legs separating to allow her nearer. He leaned down and his fangs grazed across her neck.
“As I said…” Her voice came out breathy for no good reason. O
kay, she had a very good reason. A hot alien pirate had kidnapped her and was trying to seduce her. “I have an alien intended already. A groom I’m supposed to marry. Do those words translate?”
His tongue glided along her jawline, teasing the skin all the way to her ear, where he nipped with his fangs.
Delicious shivers dropped down into her belly.
“He’s gonna be pissed off when he hears you’ve stolen me.” Her voice came out weak.
The alien’s fingers traveled up her back, and he dragged her fully against his rock-hard body.
“His name is…” She blanked but shook her head to clear it. “His name is Gaje. Maybe you know him. He’s gonna whip your ass.” A brave thing for her to suggest when she’d yet to meet the guy, but anything to stop the imminent ravishment. “Get it? Gaje is gonna kill you for this.”
Leaning back, the alien bared his fangs and poked his chest. “Gaje.”
“Not falling for that one,” she said with twisted lips. “You can’t do this. You don’t understand.”
“Understand,” he grunted. His naanans rose and stroked her shoulders, reaching around to cup the back of her neck. Her body aflame, she tried to maintain control of her brain before it dove over the cliff and into his arms.
“Like…” What was she saying? Oh, yeah. “You can’t just march onto the ship and grab a woman, haul her to a mini spaceship then say, hey, I’m your fiancé, let’s fuck.”
“Yes, fucking,” he growled against her throat. “Much fucking.”
As heat pooled between her legs, she struggled, giving one last attempt to break free from his heady seduction. “Please. Let me go?”
Head lifting, the alien gently tapped where her throat met her chest. His fingertip trailed down the exposed skin of her engagement dress until it nestled between her breasts. “Thea.”
“How do you know my name?”
“Gaje.” Another poke at his chest was followed by a tap on hers. “Thea, Gaje. Mates.”
Her breath caught.
Holy fuck, this sexy alien pirate was her future husband.
Chapter 2
Gaje’s translator might not be fully functional, but enough of Thea’s words came through.
She was confused about who he was.
She thought he was kidnapping her.
She already wanted him.
Heille. After he’d been chosen in the first Selection, he and four other Crakairian males had made the long journey to Earth to claim their human female brides.
Per the agreement his government had made with Earth, rules must be followed. They each must first court their intended mates before proposing marriage. Assuming she accepted—and he couldn’t imagine his sweet little Thea saying no—they would then commence with the fucking. Like every Crakairian male deprived of female companionship for a very long time, he was eager to get to the end goal.
But as much as he ached to carry her to his sleeping chamber and solidify their matebond, he must first court her.
Leaning around his mate, he pressed a few more buttons, programming the shuttlecraft with the coordinates for Crakair. Once set on autopilot, he would be free to pursue other matters.
It would take three days to reach their destination, and he intended to be fully mated with Thea by the time they arrived. They could proceed with the marriage when they’d landed, after which, he’d take her to his small estate on the outer boundary of the palace, located in the city of Tri’Arteele.
As vizier to Crown Prince Axil, he would then continue his work at Axil’s side, and his mate could raise their children, of which there would be many.
“I can’t frickin’ believe this,” she shrieked. “You’re the guy I’m supposed to marry?”
He nodded; thankful he understood most of what she’d said.
“Then where the hell are you taking me?” Her hands flicked to the gown covering her curvy form. “Reception, remember? Meeting up politely over cocktails that I’d overindulge in because I am a frickin’ wreck right now. You’d bow and greet me, maybe compliment me on my hair or whatever. We might dance—”
“What dance is this?”
She blinked before her face cleared. “You do know what dancing is, right?” Her hips shifted back and forth while she hummed a discordant tune. “Dancing.”
She wished to dance? This was not one of his skills but he would give a valiant effort if it pleased her.
“Plans of change,” he said, wishing he could make himself better understood. Damn translator. “Leave Crakair now.”
“So we had to shift plans?” she said. “I mean… I knew we were leaving tomorrow but… I guess I’d get to say goodbye. What about my mom?” Wetness filled her eyes, a new occurrence for him. Seeping. Was that the word he’d read for this eye dripping? No…weeping. Humans did this when they were happy but also when they were sad.
He winced and lifted his hands, though he was unsure what to do with them.
Tugging her close, he pressed her against his chest. Hugging, he did understand; the gesture had to be universal.
She sniffed and seeped—weeped—wept—a bit more before leaning back in his arms. “Thanks. I’m sorry I got your shirt wet.” Her fingers traced the dark spots on the material.
Lifting it, he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside.
“Lots of, um…scales you’ve got there.” Her eyes drifted across the segments that spread across his upper chest and shoulders then down across his pecs to his… “Holy abs.” She covered her lips with her hand. “You, um, planning to put on a dry shirt?”
“Time later.” Right now, he was more interested in drinking in the appreciation shimmering in her brown eyes. While emotions between them would come later, he was encouraged by her obvious attraction for his male form.
Perhaps if he made things clear between them, she would feel more settled. She would relax and allow him to proceed with the courtship.
“Leave Earth,” he said.
“Kinda obvious, don’t you think?” Her hand flicked to the stars streaking by outside the shuttlecraft. “Why now?”
“Duty.”
“Ah.” She nodded slowly. “So you had to leave early and when you ran into me in the hall, you decided you might as well get things underway.”
While he wasn’t confident of the meanings of all her words, he got the gist of what she’d said. Thankfully, his translator was beginning to function as it should. “Now leave. Sorry, am I goodbye not.”
She stared past his shoulder a minar. “Oh. I get it. We had to leave and you’re sorry.”
He nodded.
A soft sigh tugged down her shoulders. “It’s okay, I guess. I was going to be leaving soon anyway. I just thought…” she gulped, “that I’d have one more chance to see my family.”
“Family again see.”
“How is that possible? Unless I decide we’re not compatible during the ten-day trial period and opt to take the next ship back to Earth.”
“Compatible us,” he insisted. There would be no backing out of this mating. She was his and he would keep her.
Her lips curled up slightly. “I do believe you’re right about compatibility, but still.”
He placed his hands on her hips, grateful she agreed because… while it was sudden, the emotions swirling inside him suggested he would want more from his mate than just fucking.
“Family see.” He pressed his fist against his chest in a vow. “Gaje promise.”
Her mood visibly lightened, and her lips curled up fully. “Okay, cool. Thank you.”
Since mating protocols still needed to be followed, he must make his intentions clear.
“Courtship,” he said, taking her hand. He kissed it, something he’d read human females enjoyed. Since he’d been selected in the matchmaking program, he’d studied this species as much as he could. Earth had sent manuals detailing Earth customs and outlining ways to win the emotions of human female mates. While Gaje was eager for the fucking, he also now hoped to win her af
fection.
“Yes, courtship is supposed to come first,” she said, and he read the wryness in her tone. “Not abduction.”
“Abduction courtship is.”
She snorted. “Maybe in your eyes but not in mine.” Her brow creased. “Although… I guess this hasn’t been a horrible first date.”
“Flowers there will be,” he said. Something else mentioned in the win-your-mate’s-heart manual.
“Ah, yes.” Her delicate brows drew together. So strange, these human females. Crakairian women had no hair at all and certainly not on their faces. Yet on Thea, the small fluffy lines above her eyes added distinction. Beauty even, despite her differences when compared to women from Crakair. As he studied her form, his heart thumped once. Twice. Then faster than it should. He was enthralled by his little human already.
Now to ensure she felt the same.
“Flowers are nice,” she said softly.
See? The manual had been correct. While he did not have flowers aboard his small spacecraft, they flourished on his estate.
The manual had also mentioned a friendly touch would be welcome.
His naanans drifted forward, as eager to taste her skin as his fingers.
She reeled back as they approached. “These…naanans.” Her lips twisted but he read curiosity, not distaste in her expression. “They’re like hair but they’re not, correct?”
“Not hair. Touch. See.”
“You mean I can touch them?” At his nod, her fingertip trailed down one thick band to the tip that was not only highly sensitive but could stimulate him to arousal. The end latched onto her fingertip and the inner strands fluttered.
She yipped but her gaze went languid. “Do they… Shit. I shouldn’t even be saying this. I mean, we just met.”
“Tell.”
“This…fluttering thing inside your naanans. Do you use them during…sex?”
“They are for defense.” His thick, scaled brows drew together. “Where would they be used for intimacy?”
“Ho, boy,” she sighed. “One of these days, you and I are going to have to talk about multipurpose body parts.” She tugged her finger away from the pulsing flutter and ran it down another naanan.
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