Alien Romance: Astral Mates Complete Series (Book 1 - 4): Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Invasion Romance, Alien Romance)

by Chloe Joel

  She looked up at his smiling face felt herself melt.

  “Now, let’s get some food in you, then get you back to resting. You’ve let your emotions get the better of you, and that is going to do more harm than good.”

  Ashley nuzzled further into him, unable to look at him again, but equally unable to let go.

  He began coaxing, “Come on now, I know you must be hungry.” Her stomach growled in response. She felt his chest move as he chuckled. “Exactly.”

  Like an impertinent child, Ashley grabbed onto the front of his shirt, buried her face into his neck, and murmured, “I’ll only eat if you promise to sleep beside me afterward.” She felt him tense. “Just rest. That’s all. Just lay beside me until I’m asleep.”

  His body relaxed a little, but still he did not respond.

  “Please Martin. Please.”

  Finally, she felt him rest his head on top of hers, “Alright, I’ll stay with you. But you have to eat now. No more delays or fighting.”

  She grinned as she moved back and settled on the bed. He smiled at her and shook his head before getting up and sitting back in the chair. She wolfed down the food in record time. As soon as it was gone, she threw herself back on the bed and patted the space next to her.

  He turned his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. Still, he was smiling, so she knew he wouldn’t go back on his promise. He took his time putting the tray down, but instead of lying down next to her, he began to straighten a few things on the dresser.

  “For heavens sake Martin, are you going to break your promise?”

  At the sound of his name, the man froze, a sly grin covered his face as he turned around, but he didn’t say a word as he moved over to the foot of the bed.

  Placing both hands on the bed, he began to crawl toward her, and Ashley’s heart began to race as she thought of a jaguar stalking a deer.

  He shifted his position at the last second and settled in the space beside her. When Ashley turned to look at him, he stopped her. “None of that. I promised to stay by you, but you aren’t ready for that in your current state.”

  Ashley blinked at the wall as he pressed up against her back and put an arm around her. She leaned back into him and was almost content with the feel of his body against hers.

  Several times he moved to get up, but all she had to do was murmur, “I’m not asleep yet,” and he would chuckle ever so slightly and wrap his arms around her again. The last time he tried to get up, she mumbled again, and he sighed. When he was finally settled back in behind her, he whispered in her ear, “Since you seem unwilling to sleep, let me give you something to think about. I never told you my name, but you know it.”

  He kissed the back of her head and pulled her close to him. She could tell that he was having to fight against his instincts, but he had been right about his name. The question sent her mind off in a completely different direction, putting her desire further back in her thoughts as she tried to figure out how she had known.

  Too distracted by this revelation, all she could do was stare at the wall and try to remember how she had learned his name. When she woke up from that first dream, she had known it. Unsure how that had worked, but considering that a decent stopping point, Ashley closed her eyes.

  She was only satisfied when she felt his breathing slowdown and his arms relax. With a mischievous smile, she rolled over, rested her head under his chin, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Chapter 4

  This time, her dreams were mixed. Martin was there saving her, but her step-father and Darren were always waiting on the edges of her sight. Every time she tried to turn to see them, they moved just out of her vision, back into the shadows. Martin continually put himself between her and the men, but he looked wrong.

  He was bigger than she remembered him. At one point when he turned around, his green eyes seemed to be sizzling with fire. She screamed and began running away from him, but there was something that was drawing them together, so no matter where she went, she couldn’t get away.

  She shot up in the bed, sweat beading on her forehead. Martin sat up quickly, “What’s wrong? What happened? Have the nightmares started again?”

  Panting, she turned to look at him, “How did you know I was having nightmares?”

  He reached behind her and pulled a kitchen cloth out from under the tray. Martin wiped her brow, then held it out as if to show her.

  “I mean how did you know that I was going to have them?”

  He pushed her down, “Calm down, you are going to hurt yourself if you keep getting worked up. Of course, you are going to have nightmares. I was able to help draw out a lot of the drug, but it will take a bit to work the remainder out of your system. The nightmares will get worse for a while, and I don’t think that my being here is a good idea.” He began to stand. Part of her agreed, but Ashley couldn’t stand to the idea of him leaving.

  She reached up and grabbed his shirt in both hands, “Please don’t go.”

  He turned around and brought a hand up to her cheek. Slowly yet firmly, his other hand took her wrists and put them in her lap. He swallowed hard as he looked at her. He nearly stumbled over the next sentence as he looked at her. “Please,” his eyes seemed almost panicked as he spoke, “…please you need rest.”

  It was obvious that this was not a man who was used to asking for anything. Ashley sat back in shock. Briefly, he closed his eyes and sighed.

  “Thank you,” he murmured and turned his back to her. He began cleaning up the dishes and prepared to leave the room.

  Before he left, Ashley spoke up, “You never did answer my question.”

  He lowered his head to his chest with another sigh, then turned around. “You’ve been more demanding than inquisitive. What question would that be?”

  “I’m sorry, I…” He held up a hand and Ashley stopped her apology. Starting again, she looked him squarely in the eyes, “How did you kill them? There was no blood, no wounds, but they were dead. I got a brief glimpse of the weapon you had, and it wasn’t like any weapon I’ve ever seen before. And you never made a sound. How was any of that possible?”

  Martin was unable to keep the side of his mouth from twitching into a smile. “More accusations of super human abilities?” Ashley could hear movement just down the hall. Martin stepped out of the room. She was about to call out to him, when she saw him offer the tray to…someone. She couldn’t see the person who took the tray, but Martin came back without her having to ask.

  He pulled the chair a little ways from the bed and sat down. The amused look was on his face as he looked at her, “Are you going to accuse me of being a superhero? A superman? I certainly wouldn’t mind the comparison, but I think that you will only end up disappointed in the end if you think of me that way. Would you really want a superhuman who wasn’t actually human?” His smile was disarming, but there was something in his tone that was calm, almost sad.

  Ashley couldn’t help but giggle, “Did you ever hear Ms. Lane complain about the fact that her man wasn’t human? No woman in her right mind would be put off by someone that good looking and good hearted.” A beautiful smile stretched across his face as that seemed to cheer him up.

  Perhaps this wealthy rancher had a soft spot for comic books. “But when you put it like that, it does seem silly. It’s not like anyone like that would stay on this planet. There really isn’t much to stay for.” She cleared her throat, “But I do remember it pretty clearly. And it seems a bit…off?” Ashley gave him an apologetic smile as she said it.

  Martin rubbed his forehead, then ran his hand round his face, finally resting his clean-shaven chin in the palm of his hand. “Let me see if I can get this straight. You saw me use some kind of futuristic weapon to kill two men after using certain superhuman skills?”

  Ashley began to squirm a bit. When he said it, the whole idea seemed preposterous. Something was certainly off about the events, and no matter how hard Ashley tried to brush her worries off, something continued to bother her.r />
  “I think that what I remember best were your eyes. They didn’t look…like any human’s I’ve ever seen…” her voice trailed off as she watched the smile fade from his face.

  Martin watched her for a minute, not moving, not blinking, she could barely see him breathing. There was deep concern in his eyes as he looked at her, “You realize that you were hallucinating, don’t you? With that much of the drug in your system, your brain was starting to shut down, and you were seeing things that weren’t there.”

  He looked out the window, “I almost…I wasn’t sure whether I should help you because you tried to get away afterward. I had thought it was because I killed those two…” he nearly spat as he said “men. I didn’t realize that you were scared of me for other reasons.”

  Watching the hurt expression on his elegant face was almost too much. Ashley moved forward and put her hand on his cheek and turned his head back to look at her.

  “I’m not trying to upset you. I just-I don’t…I’m trying to figure out what happened. I’m not just physically injured, and I’m hoping to piece it together so that I can move on. The problem is that your role is still unclear. The images of you keep running through my mind. The way you weren’t there when I fell, but were there seconds later. I would have seen you. I would have…”

  Martin stood up and moved away from her. He stopped in front of the window and ran his hand through his hair.

  Ashley began to get out of bed, but he was at her side, pushing her back onto the bed before she could get anywhere.

  His voice was a little colder, a bit less friendly than it had been, “Don’t push yourself or there will be nothing anyone will be able to do to help you.” The way he said it was almost threatening.

  Ashley moved away on the bed, pulling the covers up to her mouth. The man pursed his lips and returned to stand in front of the window. He leaned forward, resting his forehead on the glass. From where she was, she could see his breath start to fog up the window pane.

  “I’m only what you see before you. I built this ranch up by myself, a…ha…self made man you could say. I was only in the town – your town - on some rather dull business errands that I couldn’t send anyone else to manage. I was heading home when I heard someone shouting fire in the woods.

  I didn’t see any flames, but at night you would be hard pressed to see much until you are close by, smoke or fire. Unless it was a raging fire. I thought it best to see if there was anything I could do. It wasn’t my town, but that shouldn’t matter, should it?” He turned his face to her, and there was a look of pleading there that pulled at her heart.

  He turned back to the window, “I ran into the woods toward the sound where the shouts had come from, and that’s when I came across one of the most terrible things I’ve ever seen. Who could just stand by and watch something like that? I’m always armed, and I have to admit they weren’t the first men I’ve killed.

  Money attracts the wrong kind of people, so it is best to be prepared for things to go wrong. My weapon is certainly more refined and sleek than the kinds of weapons most people can afford because I have people working on the next generation of weapon. Something that won’t fire unless it is held by the person who owns it, and it won’t fire if there isn’t danger around.

  It’s almost like a…I don’t know what you would call it, kind of like a robot that can gauge the situation and only allows you to use it when the situation demands it. Most people won’t even get a good look at it for another 20 to 30 years because it is too costly to mass produce.” He turned to face her again, “I can go get it for you if you want to check it out. Would that help you feel more at ease?”

  Ashley opened and closed her mouth, uncertain how to respond. When she finally was able to say something, it wasn’t at all what she had planned. “You don’t have it on you now?”

  Martin gave her an amused look, and when he spoke, his voice was definitely less warm than before. “Do I need to be carrying a weapon in my own home? This place is far too secure for anyone to break in. And you are the only outsider currently within the walls. Are you saying that you could be a threat?”

  Her eyes widened at the idea, “No, no! I just-I have no idea why I asked that.”

  Martin moved to the door, effectively ending any further discussion. There was no hint of a smile and his tone didn’t sound anything like it had before, “You need rest. Clearly having me around is only exacerbating your fragile condition.”

  With that, he was gone.

  For the next hour and a half, Ashley felt terrible. She tried reading one of the many books left near the bed, but she couldn’t get into any of them for the turmoil of emotions. The realization was sinking in that Martin was right.

  She had been seeing the world through a strange haze, her vision had been going, and and there were so many other things going on that none of them would have noticed if someone had approached. After everything he had done for her, this was how she repaid him? And she had literally been all over him twice. He must think she was some sort of psychopath at this point.

  The whole thing made her feel nauseous, and there was no way to distract herself form the guilt and shame she was feeling. As much as she wanted to leave out of embarrassment, Ashley found that it was difficult to cross to the dresser, forget getting out of the house.

  She was going to have to figure something out, but now was not the time. Deciding that rest was the best idea, she lay down and tried to clear her mind. When Ashley was able to get back to sleep, her dream quickly became a more terrifying nightmare than what she had previously experienced.

  She woke up drenched in sweat and she must have screamed because seconds after she woke, Martin was in the doorway. For a brief moment, there was a look of fright and concern on his face. However, it did not last long. It was as if she blinked and there was a completely different man in front of her. Folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the door, Martin made no move to come near her.

  “Awake now. Good. Since you’re up, you might as well be making yourself useful.” Ashley was frozen, unable to react as the man was nothing like the man who had gently taken care of her earlier and slept beside her.

  He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. “There you go, she’s on her way. Her name is Joanne, and she’s been quite insistent that I call her that, so I give you permission to call her that as well. She’s one of the best physical therapists in several states, and she’s here to help you with your ankle so that you won’t have a limp or anything.”

  Ashley’s heart began to plummet as she realized there was now another woman in the house (how long had she been asleep?). A woman who was trained in medicine. A woman who would be able to move freely around the house.

  But it was his last words that shook her out of the deepening unhappiness, “A limp? You said it was just a sprain.” It felt like whatever they had shared that morning had completely disappeared, but she knew she could apologize later for everything she had said or implied. But that would have to come later. Not right now while someone else was about to enter her room. Besides, the idea that a sprain could result in a limp was worrying enough. That much she would be able to focus on without too much trouble.

  “It’s a bad sprain, which you should have noticed by now. With the way you don’t listen, you’ll probably end up with a permanent limp because you’ll insist on doing things that will harm it. Being such a stubborn creature, I’ve no doubt you will put aside healing just trying to get your own way.”

  Ashley was taken aback by the way he was talking to her. He pushed off of the doorframe. “Ah, here she is.”

  A woman appeared in the door, her eyes completely fixed on Martin.

  “Hello Mr. Batair.” She held out her hand. He looked her in the eyes, reached out his hand, and shook hers. Ashely thought that the woman had gone weak in the knees. And there was no doubt that she giggled afterward. Martin looked her up and down before extending a hand toward Ashley.

&nb
sp; “This is your patient. I believe you have all the details you need to get started so I’ll leave you to it.”

  The therapist reached out, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving, “Don’t you want to stay and help? I’ll bet you would be instrumental in the young woman’s recovery. I mean, sticking around to help your little sister is what you had in mind, right?” Ashley was offended at the way the therapist referred to her because clearly the therapist was trying to suggest she was too young.

  Judging by the amused expression on Martin’s face, there had never been a word mentioned about them being related either. The therapist’s prying was sly and underhanded, not at all what Ashley would expect from someone in the medical profession. For heavens sake, the woman had only just met the man! Ashley was about to speak up when Martin responded instead.

  He gave the therapist one of his best smiles, “My dear Joanne, Ashley and I are no more related than you and I. I place all of my faith in your abilities. You come highly recommended, so I leave this in your lovely and capable hands.” He lifted the therapist’s hand to his lips and kissed it.

  Ashley could have sworn he was watching her from the corner of his eyes. The therapist was too stunned to respond, a fact that Martin used to slip away.

  Ashley watched from the bed, a smirk on her face. There hadn’t been even a trace of interest in the woman, something that was difficult to believe. Ashley believed the man to be around 28 or 29 judging by his behavior, although he looked like he could have been her age.

  The therapist looked to be in her mid twenties with wavy red hair that framed a rather exquisite face. Of course, he wouldn’t be attracted to someone like Ashley. Her step-father had been quite adamant about her lack of beauty over the years, and Ashley certainly didn’t have anything real to offer. The therapist though, she was gorgeous and was a healer. Any straight man would feel something toward her.