His mate lifted her chin to catch some sun on her face.
His heartbeat quickened, and his mouth became instantly dry. She was beautiful. The most fascinating female he’d ever seen. Her skin was softly flushed and her hair, her hair was fantastic. He wanted it wrapped around his fist while he took her from behind.
Luckily, he was wearing clothing that went to his thighs, because he needed to hide the throbbing erection that tented his trousers. He would soon need to break off from the group and find a secluded location to quickly self-administer the transformation antidote. He detested the antidote. It would turn his extremities numb, give him a migraine the next day. But this violent need to mate with his female was already beginning to consume him. His skin was tingling and he knew he would soon start the painful flush. If he didn’t get his dosage soon, he’d begin behaving like a raving youth in his first flush—a regrettable situation.
He’d take the antidote, leaving him a reasonable R’Etor, and he’d later consummate with his truemate while in his right mind, when he could treat her with the respect she deserved.
He continued to hold her hand. And she hadn’t pulled away.
She glanced around. “Where’s T’Antor?”
Heriot snorted. That asshole had exited from the vehicle in a flash, hiding amongst the humans and disappearing. Heriot was unconcerned. He had a vise-lock on T’Antor’s bio-signature. A cloaked drone was flying in the space above this domicile, relaying information to Heriot’s ship. All of which was easily accessible via his tablet.
Heriot & Jadzion always invested in the best tech, some of which they bought, and some they crafted specifically as needed. Heriot and his brother were unmatched when it came to stealth tech.
“He slipped away when the humans exited,” he told her.
“Slipped away? To where? Did he need to use the bathroom?”
“No, he’s hiding on the grounds of the castle. I’ll find him soon. He won’t escape.”
“Escape? What are you talking about? And why would he be hiding? He can’t do that, we’re on a tour. We’re supposed to stay with the group. Wait. Humans…?” She blinked and looked up at him. “Why did you call them humans?”
He smiled down at her but didn’t answer her question. Now wasn’t the time. He planned to tell her everything, there was no reason to hide from his truemate. But he needed to step carefully. He didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily.
“Where are you from?” she asked. “I can’t place your accent. And what did you tell him on the bus, when you two were talking? What language was that?”
Thankfully, the tour guide began loudly instructing the humans to walk up the steps and rejoin at the top terrace. As they climbed together he lowered his voice. “I told him that you are mine,” he answered truthfully.
Well, he hadn’t said it quite that way. He removed a few key parts from his explanation. Like how he’d hissed in R’Etor-speak to T’Antor, warning him to keep his hands off of Hannah, his truemate, or he’d murder him right there, in front of the humans, laws be damned. T’Antor had told him to fuck off but also carefully leaned away from Hannah for the rest of the trip, acknowledging Heriot’s ownership of this human female. It was enough concession to allow Heriot’s blood to cool and keep T’Antor alive while they both maintained a forced quiet while surrounded by humans.
“What? Why do you keep saying I’m yours? We just met…”
“Please, gather around…” the guide announced.
Heriot bent down and whispered in his female’s ear, “I’ll explain everything to you later.”
She nodded, her brow furrowed, and stepped forward with the group of humans to listen to the human guide. “…William Randolph Hearst began building this fabulous estate on his ranchland overlooking the village of San Simeon in 1919. By 1947, this hilltop estate included the twin-towered main building, three guesthouses, and 127 acres of terraced gardens, fountains and pools…”
Heriot immediately ignored the human-speak and continued to stare in wonder at the profile of his beautiful female. All his carefully laid plans for this mission disintegrated the moment he’d seen her face and inhaled her enticing pheromones. He’d found his truemate on the planet Earth. This was supposed to be an in-and-out mission, and instead he’d be returning to R’Etor with his truemate. A human.
He’d have to get a human off this planet and onto R’Etor.
He let out a heavy sigh. This should not be that difficult, right? She would be able to understand instantly that R’Etor was far superior to Earth. He couldn’t possibly stay and live on this planet with her when his mission was complete. Humans were primitive and did not know of the existence of other species. On R’Etor other beings lived and worked amongst them. This was normal and accepted. In fact, there were thriving hubs of communities of various species all over his planet. But no humans. Humans were rare and primitive.
It was, in fact, illegal for T’Antor to be here. Heriot and Jadzion were only allowed due to their work permits. He glanced down at his tablet. The gate at the edge of the solar system that had delivered his ship here was set to deconstruct in two planetary rotations. The exact same time limit as their permit.
And why would she want to stay on Earth? Earth was filthy.
His female turned her head. She met his gaze, then stared intently at his features. “Your eyes,” she whispered. “They’re changing. Turning…red or something. And your skin is…flushed. Are you okay? I saw the same thing happening to T’Antor back on the bus. Do you have pinkeye? Are you guys both allergic to something here?”
Heriot cursed under his breath. Pigment transformation. He could feel it. That burning on his skin as he changed from neutral to flushed. As time progressed his symptoms would only get worse. The R’Etor mating imperative was a painful condition. Everywhere the pigment changed felt like fire. Being in the vicinity of his truemate was causing this disruption within his body. His skin would change, and pigment would flood his system. The only way to relieve this pain—and to not shock the primitive humans with a flaming skin condition that was not seen within their species—was to mate. Or to administer the antidote.
“I am allergic,” he responded, mimicking the word she used, although he had no idea what it meant.
“Oh no, sorry about that,” she responded, her eyes watching him with concern. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“No, it does not hurt. I will be fine,” he lied. Because his cock was aching, his chest was burning. And this was only the beginning.
The transformation hadn’t hit him until now because he hadn’t desired any of the other females in the initial gathering area the humans used before transferring to the hilltop. But now he was in close proximity with his truemate, which was ten times more affecting for a R’Etor male than any desire felt for a pleasure mate.
His female looked away, listening to the tour guide. Heriot glanced again at his tablet. His target would be having the exact same problem with proximity to desirable females that Heriot was having, which would slow him down, too.
The humans began climbing another set of stairs. Heriot followed his mate and watched as her perfectly rounded ass moved underneath her clothing. He stifled the moan that rumbled in his throat, forcing himself not to touch.
Once they stepped onto the higher terrace he noted a large unnatural formation of water surrounded by statues. The human guide referred to it as “The Neptune Pool.” Hannah was gaping at the structure, looking everywhere, listening to every word the tour guide had to say.
Meanwhile, Heriot was concentrating on willing his hard cock to stand down, glancing around for a private location to self-administer his antidote. He would need it very soon, despite the side effects he hated.
Later, when he mounted his truemate and released his seed into her welcoming heat and her pheromones entered his skin, his blood, she would prove to be his ultimate antidote, his cure. Only unmated males erupted in pigment transformation.
But his mate was hum
an and not R’Etor. She would not understand his need. Finding one’s true mate was a relief. Having a pleasure mate was effective because the pigment transformation could be abated by regular mating and relieving of seed. But only by mating with one’s truemate could pigment transformation be “cured.”
A half-smile that he couldn’t stop formed on Heriot’s face. He’d often thought it would never happen. That he would be one of the unlucky few who died of old age, alone, never having met his truemate or formed a family unit. He just wished he’d met his mate under better circumstances. Rushing through a mission while trying to keep her safe was not a proper format for introduction.
He pulled out his tablet and checked on his target’s status. Heriot knew T’Antor had been able to verify that Illibrium was on this hilltop but was unable to pinpoint its exact location. He was going to need to check every nanco of this domicile with a hand-held scanner. T’Antor would need to visually inspect areas for a crystal-like artifact and then scan it to confirm it was indeed Illibrium. This would take time. His target would be lurking around this hilltop domicile for quite some time.
And there was always the possibility that Heriot would find the Illibrium and destroy it before T’Antor found it, because of course Heriot had a scanner, too.
His mate continued to gasp at the grandeur of the pool and the view. He smiled indulgently. If she liked this, she would love R’Etor. His species was renowned for their art and architecture.
He glanced around for a good location to self-administer his antidote. The pain from the flush surging across his skin was becoming uncomfortable. And soon it would alert the humans. A shot to his neck was necessary. He needed a clear mind and body to get going and kill his target. T’Antor was a threat to humans as well as R’Etor.
There, behind the row of columns. He left the group and walked around to a secluded alcove. He pulled out his shot gun and was about to reach for the vial of antidote. And then two small winged animals suddenly burst out of the nearby foliage. Startled, he tripped backwards and slammed sideways against a hard surface. He heard a crunch and felt liquid draining from his jacket. His checked his pocket and saw the vial flattened.
His antidote!
He’d crushed his only solution to pigment transformation. He hadn’t brought more, thinking originally that humans were not sexually compatible with R’Etor. This was the vial he always kept on him, out of habit.
Heriot stood still, taking in the enormity of this mistake.
He shoved the empty shot gun back into his jacket, turned and looked at his female standing at the edge of the group. Watched her movements. Dread formed in the pit of his stomach. He was a male with more testosterone than the average R’Etor. In full transformation he was a raging, rutting beast. Not something for a fragile human, who had no knowledge of any species beyond their own, to witness.
He’d wanted to wait to mate properly with his female. He’d planned to continue this tour, which seemed important to her and coincided with his own plans—and eventually kill T’Antor and crush the crystal. He could do both easily. And at the end of this diurnal rotation he’d steal her away to his ship and they’d leave Earth together. He’d been prepared to put up with the side effects of the antidote, the numbness and the migraines, he’d done it before. He was a male ready to do whatever was necessary to not harm other females.
On his ship, in the privacy of his quarters, he’d planned to mate with his lovely female. And he’d soon have her on R’Etor in his own domicile, in his own room there on his spacious bed. The antidote’s side effects would wane, and he imagined stripping her of all of her clothing and exploring that enticing human body, plunging into her welcoming heat and filling her with his seed.
But instead he’d now be forced to complete his mission with his cock raging and the pain increasing exponentially, which would leave his mind clouded. And his skin would begin to shift from pink to red, alarming the humans—and his mate.
He reached up and ran his hands through his hair, releasing a heavy sigh. This had never happened on a mission. He’d always had his antidote or was in a situation without unmated females in the vicinity.
He had no idea how he was going to make this work.
5
Heriot turned and strode back to the group, slipping back behind his female. He carefully adjusted the swollen cock in his trousers and grimaced.
His lovely mate glanced over at him, her blue eyes filled with innocence and desire, completely unaware of the impending doom. The guide began walking again, moving the group around a bend, toward a large domicile called a “guest house” on the edge of the grounds. Heriot grabbed his mate’s hand again and squeezed, trying to decrease the storm raging inside of him with her calming touch.
“Do you think T’Antor is coming back?” she asked as they walked at the edge of the crowd.
“T’Antor?” he growled, anger at himself and the situation growing inside. Was she actually concerned about the welfare of his target? He shook his head. “T’Antor is searching for Illibrium,” he answered in a low voice. “He won’t be returning to our group.”
He hadn’t yet seen anywhere the Illibrium could be hidden. He imagined it was not out in the open. For instance, the crystal couldn’t be kept stable while embedded in one of the statues displayed in the gardens. The elements could cause it to destabilize. It had to be inside one of the domiciles. From what he could tell there were five structures built on this hilltop. He would have to search all of them. T’Antor was probably inside one already.
“Illi…what? What are you talking about?”
“Do not be concerned about T’Antor. He is not worthy of your attention,” he answered sharply, aware that the pain in his cock was increasing exponentially.
“But I came up here with him…he’s a friend of my friend Ron.”
“No, he wasn’t. He lied to you. You were about to go on a tour of this domicile with a criminal.”
“What?” she squeaked.
She stopped walking and jerked her hand out of his grasp. He allowed it.
“No, I wasn’t!”
He crooked an eyebrow. Her scent continued to entice him, unraveling his sanity, increasing his possessive instincts. He realized he was already, in such a short time, tired of hiding himself from his truemate. His patience was long gone.
“You’re saying T’Antor is a criminal? That’s not…that’s not right. How would you even know that? You said you didn’t know him.”
“I don’t know him. But I’ve researched everything about T’Antor because I’m here to kill him. He’s my target.”
She sucked in a breath. “You’re here to kill him? What are you talking about?” She took a step back. “Who. Are. You? I don’t even understand why I’m trusting you. I don’t even know you. We just met. And you look…look…” She waved her hand up and down, gesturing at him.
He crooked an eyebrow. “How do I appear to you?”
“You’re dressed like you’re here to kill someone,” she hissed.
He grinned. She was adorable.
He stared into her wide, blue eyes. They had been walking slower; the group was in front of them and they were trailing behind. They’d stopped on the curve of a path with hard, flat squares under their feet to walk along. Foliage grew large and dense on either side. None of the humans could hear their conversation.
Heriot knew he had zero skills when it came to speaking with unmated females. He’d only had a few pleasure mates in the past. Quick, fumbled couplings—females witnessing his pigment transformation predicament and indicating they would enjoy providing relief. But due to his later self-selected isolation, he’d been celibate for many planetary cycles. The only female he’d spoken to regularly was his mother.
His mind searched for the right words to say to the female who would be his constant companion, the mother of his younglings, whose body would finally cure his pigment transformation… His voice softened. “You know me,” he said. “I am your mate.”
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Even though she was human, he knew she felt it, too. He could smell her desire in the breeze.
“What?” she exclaimed, her eyes bright, glorious color blooming on her cheeks. “Stop. Just stop. I don’t know you. We’ve only known each other for maybe an hour. And no, you aren’t my…mate or whatever. And…why are you telling me you’re a killer? Do you want me to be afraid of you?” She glanced at the retreating group.
“I’m an assassin,” he answered. He was proud of his profession. He and his brother were the highest-paid assassins on R’Etor. Jadzion was better at undercover work and infiltration, but Heriot was the best at long-range precision shots. He’d once shot a target, within a crowded community, at a distance of one thousand nanco. It was a universal record within the assassin society. Still unmatched. “But you have nothing to fear from me. I will protect you until my last breath,” he vowed.
Her lips twisted and her eyes sparkled, like he was telling a good joke. “An assassin?” she questioned, obviously not believing him.
His jaw clenched. The pain in his chest had migrated to his throbbing cock and down his thighs. “What do you think I am then?” he asked.
She looked him up and down. “That’s a good question. You’re hard to figure out. I can’t place your accent and I don’t know what country you’re from because you keep avoiding my question about that, which makes me think you’re hiding something. And for some reason you’re dressed like a guy from a violent action movie… So, either you’re dressed like an assassin,” she said, using quote marks in the air. “Or you’re an undercover agent from some European country?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m not Earth law enforcement, and I’m not dressed like an assassin, I am an assassin. I’m here on a mission to kill Fucyu T’Antor. Do not feel sympathy for Fucyu. I did my background work prior to accepting this hit. He is worthy of elimination. I followed his movements from my ship as he arrived. He almost killed two humans prior to stepping inside of the visitor center. He stole their small tablets and took the male’s glasses and his jacket and shoes. He placed them on as a disguise before walking inside the visitor center and meeting with you.”
The Alien Assassin’s Stolen Bride Page 3