Alien Lords' Captive (Celestial Mates Book 6)

by Marla Therron

  “There is always a choice.” The old man corrected.

  “No – not this time.” Halden reaffirmed. A movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. As Halden turned, so did Tajka. Matrise stood framed in the archway leading into the hall. She must have heard them as she had taken the time to wrap one of the bed sheets around herself.

  A breath hissed out between the ancient War Lord’s teeth as he stared at a woman obviously not R'kowe. He then turned and looked Halden up and down, noting his nudity. Suddenly, the Tajka nodded sagely.

  “You are correct. There was no other option. I can see hej between you. It practically sparks the air.” Tajka focused on Matrise’s marked arms, noticing why the Kings would have become fixated on her. “They found her superior. I couldn’t comment as I had an R'kowe mate, but I understand their reasoning.” Suddenly the man jerked back to stare at Halden.

  You have the Power!” he declared.

  “Some.”

  “No – great quantities! What is your cycle,” Tajka demanded.

  “332,” Matrise answered from the doorway.

  “And still you are so young!”

  *

  “Hah!” Matrise crowed from her vantage point. When Halden sent her a repressive look she shrugged at him. “What I knew looking the way you do at 332 had to be out of the norm.”

  The elderly little man turned to Matrise. “Indeed it isn’t,” he commented. “Only those blessed by the Power have lifespans beyond two-hundred cycles - and while I, myself have been blessed by the Power I was neither as youthful, nor as powerful in my 332nd cycle.”

  Matrise pondered that for a minute, while Halden continued to stand on the other side of the room, flaunting everything he had for anyone and everyone to see. I have to admit – he is a mouthwatering eyeful.

  “What is the hej you mentioned a moment ago?” Matrise asked.

  “It is how the R'kowe refer to a deep connection between two people – between a pair.”

  “Friendship?” Matrise asked, though she suspected that she already knew the answer.

  “No,” Halden interjected. “Not friendship. Hej is deeper than friendship.”

  “Yes,” the old man continued. “It is most frequently found in a true bonding – as the hej is blatantly obvious, I would be happy to serve as makhej for the both of you. I have enough of a tie to the Power, still, to perform the bonding.”

  *

  While everything inside of Halden desperately wished to accept the offer – he knew he couldn’t just make that decision. He had already learned in their time together that Matrise had been raised differently.

  There were no mating or bonding urges, as found among the R'kowe, on her Earth. Women were much more independent and pursued lives of their own. Things were different there. Things were different for Matrise – she had to choose.

  “Woah! What are you talking about? What do you mean perform the bonding?” She demanded.

  Before Tajka could explain, Halden laid a hand on the other man’s shoulder to silence him. “Matrise,” he began. “Things are different with the R'kowe, than they are on your Earth.

  Here, the path of one’s life is guided by the Power. Even if one cannot grasp it, cannot claim it, cannot use it, they are still guided. With the Power, R'kowe mates are able to find each one with certainty.”

  Halden could tell that she was about to interject, “Wait! Let me explain completely.” He was relieved when she crossed her arms over her chest and pressed her lips together in barely managed restraint.

  “The hej is the purest manifestation of the Power’s guidance – it becomes visible to those who can claim, grasp, and use the Power. Tajka is one such R'kowe. He can see the hej between us.” Halden took a deep breath and continued to the most challenging part of the explanation.

  “I have felt the hej, I have known that you are my destined mate since the first day I met you. It was the deciding factor when I agreed to help you escape bonding with the King. I couldn’t stand the thought of you bonding with another.”

  “You never said anything. You never gave me a clue that you were interested until last night!”

  “No, I could not. I had hoped until yesterday to find a way to return you to your home world, to free you from the dangers that face you here. I could not act because I knew that I had to let you go. But the longer we are here, the greater the chances of discovery by the King.

  I will doubtless die. I will perish, but I could not face that either, not knowing that you had no hope of escape from Rodnekow'E, not without touching you. I have doubtlessly made things harder on both of us, but the connection, the pull of the hej was impossible to ignore anymore.

  Tajka is a makhej, a binder of hej. His connection to the Power allows him to pull forth the means to perform a bonding ceremony.”

  “Bonding ceremony – that is what the gold jerks wanted.”

  Halden heard Tajka release a raspy chuckle at Matrise’s nickname for the Twin Kings. He ignored it and instead answered her, “Yes. However the bonding would have been forced as it would not have had a foundation in hej.”

  *

  Matrise stared at the two men in dumbfounded silence.

  Is hej love? Does this Power, they speak of lead soul mates to each other? That is what this terrifyingly sounds like. Is that what Halden is telling me? That it has been love at first sight for him? I mean, I found him incredibly compelling from the get-go and I have definitely come to care for him. I can even see myself coming to fall in love with him – it might not even take much for that to happen. But holy shit! These people confuse the hell out of me with all of their supernatural magic stuff that is simply a part of everyday life to them.

  Judging by the way Tajka is looking at Halden, he is waiting for an answer on his offer. But if I am reading this right, the way Halden is looking at me, means that as far as he is concerned, the decision is up to me.

  No pressure…

  Well, what do I want, all things considered? Not the least of which is that there is no chance of me getting back to Earth, much less off this planet.

  I know what I don’t want. I don’t want whichever of the Royal Assholes is now the singular King. I know that much for sure.

  But – Do I want Halden?

  The way things have been these last few weeks, I am not sure I can imagine life on this planet without him…

  Shit. I suppose there isn’t much of a decision here – Power, if you can hear me, you need to work on letting people figuring things out too – a subtle nudge here and there to keep them on the path, but seriously, you don’t have to present them with a very straight path. Some people like to take the scenic route.

  Matrise released a gusty sigh. “How does this thing work?”

  *

  As he stood there waiting in a courtyard that had become one of Matrises favorites in Sidel, Halden could barely believe that she had consented to become his bonded mate.

  Tajka had insisted that the bonding be performed at sunset, the traditional time for such a sacred rite to the R'kowe. Halden had hunted as he normally did, but for the first time he had company on this hunt.

  Tajka had slipped silently through the heavy foliage of the jungle, despite his withering form. The man’s excellent skills spoke to his ability to survive in the Lower Jungle for more cycles than Halden had been alive. Now he and Tajka waited for Matrise as the sun dipped low toward the horizon.

  Halden had offered to help her dress in the costume, but she had refused, and told them she would be along shortly.

  “I consider it a blessing that the air still cools at night.”

  “Yes, if it didn’t cool for even then, life would be much worse.”

  “Yes, yes it… Ahh.” A smile lit Tajka’s ancient face and Halden turned to find his mate slipping into the courtyard.

  The costume looked nothing like it had when Halden had dressed her. It seemed to flutter in the wind freely the way Matrise had folded and tucked the fabric. It also
looked blissfully cool. Significantly more of her skin was exposed now – in fact, the garment Matrise had fashioned left her entire back, arms, and shoulders bared to the Jungle evening.

  She had woven her hair and twisted it up to rest just above her right shoulder. Matrise had even found a couple of blossoms to thread into the woven locks of pale gold. She was a glimmering vision under the setting sun. Halden reached out and took her hand and drew her to stand in front of him as they faced Tajka, so that he could begin.

  *

  The ‘ritual’ had been incredibly minimal in Matrise’s estimation. Tajka in his role as makhej had said very little – according to him it had always been a waste of a perfectly good evening to wax poetic about the beauty of the hej and to offer praise to the Power.

  Apparently the old man liked to think that the beauty of the hej was understood and the Power knew the R'kowe appreciated how easy it made finding their mates.

  Tajka claimed that the bonding ceremony would be better served to just get it over with so that the newly mated couple could get to the part of the evening that was on their minds and their guests could enjoy a night of eating and drinking with abandon.

  After the ritual had been completed, with a final murmur from Tajka for the Power to cement and protect their bonding as mates, a crackle of static in the air, and a soothing breeze, the old man had bid them a pleasant night and had wandered to hunker down in whatever building he had claimed as his shelter in the ruins of the city.

  Halden had led her back into the sprawling space they had been calling home for weeks.

  “Are you hungry?” he inquired.

  “Not particularly,” Matrise replied.

  Halden fidgeted. It was fascinating to Matrise to watch the otherwise composed man shift awkwardly. She allowed it to entertain her for a few seconds before taking pity on her mate.

  Mate – that is a new feeling. Is this how marriage feels? I wonder, because this feels rawer – more primal than I ever expected marriage to feel.

  *

  “Halden…”

  At his name, Halden jerked back from his lusty imaginings and focused on his bonded mate.

  “Would you just like to skip to the second main event, according to Tajka?” Matrises lips curved in a teasing smile. The smirk was contagious and Halden felt his lips tilt to mirror hers.

  “You do not mind?”

  “Well, what else is there to do?”

  Halden considered her question and realized with a jerk that with her dismissing a meal. There was nothing but the activity that had been circling his mind ever since Matrise had agreed to become his mate. He noticed her watching him. She cocked one of her amber brows, blue eyes shining and reached her hands up behind her neck.

  She gave the fabric two quick tugs and the next thing Halden knew, the costume was slipping down her body, fluttering over her curves to land on the floor. He had his second electrifying shock of the day after her acquiescence as he stared at his mate.

  She had been nude beneath the simple coverings of the silver and smoke swaths of material. Nude save for the fantasy he had been entertaining himself with ever since he had helped her dress that first day.

  The bracers were snug on Matrise’s upper thighs where their straps dangled to catch the latches of the gray boots that covered her legs from just over her knee to her toes.

  The vision was everything he had hoped it to be – even more than, as it was real instead of some lust-filled imagining. Halden nearly dropped to his knees in delight, but he fought to maintain. He crossed the short distance between them and reached out the trace his fingers over her skin just above the bracer.

  “This is an interesting look.” He managed to murmur the words without them tangling on his tongue – barely.

  Matrise gave him a brilliantly troublesome smile, “Well I am nearly certain that you have been fantasizing about this look since you failed to tell me that they were supposed to go over the leggings. You seemed to almost double over then when you realized”

  With an anticipatory grin Halden simply lifted the woman he had claimed as his mate and strode for the bedchamber. He couldn’t wait to seal the bond between them. And judging by the way Matrise shifted against him to wrap her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, she couldn’t either.

  Halden squeezed the rounded globes of her backend and tumbled them both to the bed. As he lifted over her, Halden put his lips to the delicate arch of her ear and whispered, “Let me show you how I have been fantasizing about these bracers and boots.”

  “Good,” she murmured back, “I was afraid you were going to have to talk about it first. I am glad that you are going to skip right to the showing.”

  Not willing to disappoint his mate, Halden did just that.

  *

  Matrise stretched on the bed. The sheets were a riotous tangle after Halden had kept her awake until nearly dawn. Apparently that little spark of static electricity had caused him to be insatiable Matrise thought with a grin.

  Shaking her head, she climbed off the giant bed and found the light pants and top she had grown fond of wearing. Tugging them on, Matrise wandered from the bedchamber, deciding whether she was going to look for Halden or breakfast first.

  As she passed through the main room of their home in the ancient city, Matrise grabbed a dūdol fruit from the tray and decided she could do both. As she trotted down the broad steps toward the main ‘street’ of that section of the ruins, Matrise heard the buzz of voices.

  Wondering if she might be able to sneak up on Halden for once, Matrise crept along the wall of a nearby building and peaked around the corner into a large square within a circle of buildings.

  The sight that awaited her froze Matrise to the spot.

  The square was full of armed men, only two of which did she recognize. The bulk of the warriors surrounded the two men Matrise knew. To one side, Halden stood tall – his sword free in his hand. To the other side one of the gold-toned kings stood.

  When the King’s voice filled the square, his rage palpable, Matrise realized that the smarter of the twins had won their duel. Unfortunately, that twin had been the more malicious of the two.

  “Halden! You are a traitor! You have stolen from me! Tell me where the woman – my Queen is and you will die quickly. It is more than you deserve for your betrayal. However, if you refuse to tell me her location, I will slaughter you slowly.”

  *

  Halden refused to speak – when he had sensed the threat of the King and the warriors he had commanded into the Lower Jungle, Halden had hoped to get further from the bed in which he had left his mate.

  He could only hope that Tajka would sense the trouble and get Matrise away from Sidel. Now that the ancient city had been found, she would no longer be safe within its low walls.

  Unfortunately, Halden’s hopes were dashed as two of the newer warriors drug Tajka into the square. The old man put on quite the show; he squawked and shrieked like a letnap and behaved quite mad.

  The King – Ediskrad had won the duel as Halden had anticipated – turned toward Tajka and his distraction.

  “What in the name of all the Power is that?” the King demanded of the men gripping each of Tajka’s arms.

  “Sorry, Highest Majesty. We found him during out search – curled up, and taking a nap on the ground. He keeps screaming that he is Akt – he is quite mad.”

  Ediskrad turned back to Halden, ignoring Tajka as the old man continued to screech and struggle and – ick! – spit on the warriors that had hold of him.

  “Where is she?” Ediskrad demanded once more.

  “Gone.” Halden answered simply. “The Power sent her back to her world.” Halden hoped that his lie would hold long enough for Matrise to get away or hide. The things that the King would do to her when it became apparent that she had already bonded with another were enough to make Halden’s blood run cold through his veins.

  Through his barely masked terror on behalf of his mate, Halden heard Ta
jka’s voice drift, unheard by any other on the whisper of a Power infused wind.

  Remember what I told you - it is time for Rodnekow'E to stabilize. It is time for this world to have a good ruler again. The conversation from the courtyard the evening before, as they awaited Matrise’s arrival for the bonding ceremony, came back to Halden.

  “Young – not-so-young War Lord – you have more power than I have seen in any non-royal born man. And more than I have seen in many royal borns. You have a hope of defeating the current Eon and taking the Power. I can see in your eyes that you would happily live your life without such a burden. However, there might come a time – and soon – that running will no longer protect that woman you will claim tonight. You will likely have to fight for her safety. The only way to assure her safety is if you hold the highest Power.”

  It seemed the old War Lord was right. All Halden had to do was figure out how to manipulate Ediskrad into accepting a duel before the warriors.

  *

  Matrise watched in horror as Tajka was drug into the midst of the King’s warriors. He was quite good at creating a smokescreen, of convincing both the King and his warriors that he was nothing more than a crazy old man. She would have thought so herself, if Halden hadn’t borne Tajka such respect the day before.

  The King ignored Tajka’s screeching and focused on Halden and demanded Matrise’s location again. When Halden lied, Matrise felt a tingle at the base of her spine. She turned and found a pair of warriors behind her.

  Twins – they were another identical pair, or would be if one didn’t have a long scar running horizontally across his face. Despite the scar, both men were handsome – they existed on the pretty-scale somewhere between the golden jackass playing up center stage and her mate.

  Matrise braced, ready to fight the men, but the twin with the scar held up his hand and stepped around to use his body as a shield in front of her. The other bent and whispered.