KRAL: A sci-fi alien romance (Mail-Order Brides of Crakair Book 4)

by Ava Ross

  He spun and took all of her in.

  His mate was petite and curvy. Lush and inviting. Her hair, the color of rich tricar wood, was still damp, but it gleamed. Her blue eyes sparkled. Tiny spikes outlined her eyes, and she fluttered them. Eyebashes. Yes, that was what they were called. And she had thin bushy lines above her eyes that begged his touch.

  So much hair. Someday soon, when he had finished courting her, they would be full mates, and he could touch her hair. Touch her.

  He’d never dreamed a human could be this appealing.

  The smile she gave him made his chest ache. “So, let’s get this rescue started. I’ve been looking forward to something like this but was afraid I’d be hiding out here for the next ten years before it happened.”

  He winced. “I arrived as soon as possible.”

  “Oh, you don’t hear me complaining.” She snickered. “Interesting arrival, but we’ll work with it.”

  What did that mean?

  Kral had never been a person who believed in instant attraction for another. Yet here he was, eager to do whatever it took to please Mila.

  His mate.

  “I will need to hold you while we transfer back to my ship,” he said gruffly.

  “Cool.”

  He blinked. “I promise my arms are warm.”

  “It’s another phrase.”

  “Oh, yes. I understand. Cool means delightful—“

  She laughed. “Yup, sure.”

  “The opposite would be warm?”

  “Hot.” Her word came out breathy yet she had not been exerting herself. “That’s the opposite of cool.” Her gaze skimmed down his front, and she fanned herself.

  “If hot is the opposite of cool, it means…”

  “You.” The word came out of her like she was admitting something she preferred to hold back.

  He tilted his head, trying to scent her meaning in the air. He caught a hint of lust, but that was to be expected with the matebond blood.

  “You are attracted to me as you should be,” he said with a nod.

  “Arrogant much?”

  “It is true, is it not, my mate?” He advanced toward her.

  She backed up a step. “Maybe.”

  “You are.” He knew it.

  With redness staining her cheeks, she huffed. “Now hold on a—”

  “I am grateful you feel this way because I feel the same.”

  Her shoulders deflated. “You do? I mean…” Her hand fluttered at her sides. “This is all so sudden, and we sure got off to a weird start, but I guess we are matched. It’s expected we’ll get along. That’s what the computers say.” Her face got redder.

  This…bloosh. He liked that his human female gave him signals, because he was beyond perplexed by much of what she said.

  “Just, um…” She flicked her hand through the air. “Hot is good.”

  “I am good?” He strode closer to her, and his voice deepened. “I would like to be better than good. I would like to be cool.”

  “Then get me out of this rust bucket and proceed with the courtship. We can talk about how hot and cool you are after that.”

  He would never understand his mate.

  She advanced until they almost touched. Her scent, sweet yet with hints of cinter, teased his sense. Heat poured through him, fed by the matebond blood. He would need to be patient until he had completed the courtship and proposed.

  Fuck that, his body growled.

  “Fucking. Yes,” he whispered.

  She winked. “So soon? You just got here.” Her laughter pealed, but she sobered when he didn’t join in. He wanted to, but he didn’t know how. His stoic side competed with a spark deep within him that shouted he should laugh along with her. “Are you okay?” she asked. Her fingertip rose to tease one of his naanans, and he froze. His eyes closed against his will, and he groaned. “I’m sorry. Did that hurt? I shouldn’t touch you without asking first.”

  He captured her hand in his and held it in place. “It feels…good.”

  “You like it,” she said with awe.

  “Naanans are highly sensual.”

  “Ah.” She winced. “So I just groped you.”

  “Groped…?”

  “I guess it means I touched you in an inappropriate manner. Kind of like when your hand slid between my legs and your naanans…touched my nipples.” Her breath caught. “For what it’s worth, I’m looking forward to your courtship.”

  His gaze caught hers. “Truly?”

  “Truly,” she whispered.

  “Then let us get to my ship.” He held out his arms, and she stepped into his embrace. It felt good. Right.

  No, it felt hot. Cool. Whatever.

  “Kral,” she said, her voice slightly muffled against his chest.

  “Yes?” He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her in his arms. Could he hold her forever?

  “Kral.” Her voice came out more insistent.

  His eyes opened. “Yes?”

  “Should my arms be around you, too? Is that why we’re still in my hidey-hole and not on your ship?”

  “If you wish,” he breathed.

  “You’re the one in charge of the situation.”

  Was he? Or was she?

  Her arms went around his waist, and she snuggled closer. “You’re damp, but you still smell good.”

  Heille. He was coming undone by a tiny wisp of an Earthly woman. He liked it. But he needed to get her to safety, and could not be found here in her hole of hidey.

  With a tap, he engaged his com, initiating the transfer sequence.

  Nothing happened.

  Mila shifted in his arms. “Is this a time-delayed thing?”

  He tapped his com harder, but they remained inside the metal box.

  Seven

  Mila

  “We will need to leave your hole of hidey and venture into the main part of the ship,” Kral said with complete seriousness.

  Hole of hidey. The way he twisted English was cute and sexy, all at the same time. Should she correct him? She’d never enjoyed it when someone pointed out her mistakes. It made her face heat up; as if she should be well-versed in something she had no knowledge of. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel silly when he was trying to be a hero and rescue her. Sometimes, guys were as fragile as newborn deer. Was Kral one of those guys?

  He came across beyond arrogant, but she sensed a softer side that was highly appealing.

  When his hand had slid between her legs. And his naanans had landed on her breasts…

  She growled. It was best not to think about him stroking her body.

  While an Earth guy might have taken advantage of the moment—they’d been wet and she was naked!—she’d found it oddly appealing that he’d mostly behaved.

  She needed to forget the feel of his fingers between her legs and think up a plan to get them out of here. This was the weirdest rescue she’d ever seen—on TV, that is. Who started a rescue by passing out on the girl they were trying to save?

  He squinted at the silvery steel walls and ceiling that made up her tiny home. “The material must be blocking the signal to my ship.”

  “Were you trying to hail the ship I saw out a window earlier?” she asked.

  “This is possible.” His thick brows drew together, the scales seamlessly shifting with the movement. He had no hair there, just prominent ridges. Plus his naanans, thick, dreadlock-like appendages encircling her shoulders like his arms still did her waist. One of the naanans teased along her nape, and she swore she felt a subtle vibration. She must be mistaken. They were thick strands of moveable…sort of hair; nothing else. She couldn’t forget he’d said they were sensual. Jeez. Could she get her brain off the idea of steamy stuff for even one second?

  “When you looked out the window, did you see an Adire Class Star Cruiser?” he asked.

  “I’m no better at identifying star cruisers than airplanes. It was a ship. Silver. Shiny. It appeared, like in a sci-fi movie. It was invisible, and then it wa
sn’t.”

  “We de-cloaked.”

  Oh, cool. “Like Star Trek.”

  “Yes, we will trek across the stars, my mate,” he said, all burly and gruff. By the way he spoke, he almost sounded shy. Did he worry she might not like him? If she’d been in his position and had passed out on top of someone she hoped to impress and then groped the person, she’d be hiding her head in a corner. Her face would be so hot, she would be able to fry an egg on it.

  Aw. She liked seeing this inside peek into Kral. It made him even more appealing than he already was. Yeah, he was as sexy as an alien god, but inside, he appeared to be a regular guy meeting a woman he’d been matched with and maybe—like her—hoping something wonderful could come from it.

  “Take me to where you saw the ship,” he said. “With an unfettered view, we might be able to transfer on board.”

  “Beam us up, right? That’s the Star Trek way.”

  “Yes, beam us up.” His dark eyes sparkled, and he bared his fangs. Some girls might find the two-inch fangs scary, but Mila found them an incredible turn-on, like she was dating a vampire who’d be careful not to drain all her blood. She did hope he liked to bite, because that would be hot. When they’d grazed across her breasts earlier…

  Do not think about this now!

  “I’ll take you there,” she said as seriously as she could. When his arms tightened around her, she peered up at him. Man, he was tall. The top of her head came to where he’d have nipples, if Crakairians had them. “Do we need to be hugging until we get to the window?”

  His arms loosened, but he didn’t release her. “No.”

  He sounded reluctant to let her go, which was flattering for a short, slightly overweight—okay, plump—woman. Back on Earth, she’d yet to meet a guy who wanted to hold her all the time. Or any of the time, for that matter.

  “Stay close,” he said, taking her hand.

  Their symbols touched, and sparks flew through her, centering between her legs.

  She gaped at him. “What did you do? Do you have magical pheromones you dispense when our hands touch?”

  The flash of his fangs suggested he was devilishly satisfied. His chest puffed. “This is our matebond blood speaking to us. We will need to proceed with the courtship, marriage, and fucking soon, or it will overwhelm us.”

  Heaven help her, but she liked the idea of being overwhelmed.

  “Hold the latter part of that statement, Kral, and back up a second. I don’t think human women have matebond blood. It’s regular old O positive on my end.” Courtship, marriage, fucking. Talk about speaking plainly.

  Lifting her hand, he kissed her knuckles. “We are mated. This is how it will be between us always. Soon, you will not be able to resist me.”

  She could barely resist him now. But she hadn’t read about this endless craving she’d have for him. She’d been told this bond thing might happen and if it did, it meant they were fated mates or something like that, but she hadn’t heard about feeling an overwhelming urge to fuck him.

  Which she did.

  He dipped his head, almost colliding with hers again. “This is how it will be. I am Vikir, a very old race. The blood surges strongly in my race. It has been transmitted to you.”

  “Urge for what?” She shook her head before he could answer. “Never mind all that.” She knew. Jeez, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. His fingers, the uninhibited feelings that had poured through her. “We can talk about this when we’re not facing a great escape.”

  “We will leave now.” His gaze scanned her small room as if seeking threats before he tugged her toward the door. “Tell me what is outside the entrance of your hidey.”

  “A big pile of wood. We’ll have to turn sideways and shimmy along to get out from behind it. This compartment is in the back of a long maintenance supply room. That means you’ll find tools, construction equipment, and barrels filled with miscellaneous building supplies. No clue what they’re doing with it.”

  “They are building a colony on Yarris.”

  Okay. “That’s the planet I’ve seen out the windows?”

  “Yes.”

  “So it’s habitable. Does anyone live there already?”

  “No biped species anyone is aware of.”

  “You mean beings that walk on two legs.”

  He frowned. “From what I have heard, there are plenty of other…creatures roaming the planet, but no bipeds.”

  “Yet they’re settling on the surface.”

  He shrugged. “The planet has many natural resources.”

  “It’s always about money, isn’t it?” Just like on Earth.

  “Many times.”

  She reached for the door. “If we’re in luck, everyone has left the station and is working at the construction site on Yarris.”

  “We know that is not true, but I will protect you.” He placed his clenched fist against his heart. “You will be safe soon.”

  A smile curled her lips. “Thanks. How long will it take to get to Crakair once we’re on your ship?”

  “The equivalent of five daelas.”

  “Five days isn’t long.”

  “My ship has hyper drive.”

  “Do you travel a lot? I ask since you have a ship.” Would he be gone a lot, leaving her with people she didn’t know? That might be unsettling.

  “I borrowed the ship from Commander Vork.”

  “I don’t know him.” She frowned.

  “He is a Crakairian mated to an Earth female. Evelyn. Evie. I met her before I left Crakair, as well as other Earth women.”

  She worried her lower lip. “Are they happy together?”

  “They seem to be. When we arrive on Crakair, I will arrange for you to meet them and you may ask them yourself.”

  That eased her concern somewhat. Sure, it was intimidating to travel to a distant planet to marry a man she’d never met, especially an alien dude she hadn’t met, but she wasn’t scared or she wouldn’t have volunteered for the Extraterrestrial Matchmaking Service. This was an adventure, a chance to start a new life. She was like the women who had traveled out west in the 1800s, not knowing what might await her around the next bend in the trail but boldly striding forward to meet it.

  As she pulled the board away and grabbed the latch, his free hand rose to his sword, and he pulled it from the sheath.

  Definitely Conan.

  “They have black sticks that work like Tasers,” she said with a shudder. “One touch and you’re out like a light.”

  “I have seen them.” He hefted his sword, and an edge of steel gleamed in his eyes. “They will not touch us.”

  “Easier said than done.” She gave him a curt nod. “Stick with me, and I’ll get us where we need to be. After that, it’ll be up to you to get us off the station.”

  “You will remain safely at my back.”

  He was cute, if a bit arrogant. Stern and stoic, yet bumbling. Such a strange combination. It was endearing. If such a thing was possible in a seven-foot-tall scaly green guy sporting muscles on his muscles. She liked the mix. Given time, and she could maybe love it. Love him, which was a weird notion considering she’d just met him.

  On Earth, she never would’ve dared approach a guy like him. He was hot, unbelievably sexy, and he made her heart flutter. When he’d held her, butterflies flung themselves around in her belly like bumper cars. She wanted to stroke her fingertips across his skin to see if the scales were flexible or rigid. His naanan had been lightly furry yet solid, a segmented, flexible band. But she wanted to touch them again, too.

  “Maybe I should lead,” she said. “Since I know where we’re going.”

  He bowed slightly. “For now, I will follow.”

  “And cover my back, right?”

  His gaze darted to her ass. “I will watch your back at all times.”

  Her face heated. He wasn’t looking at her big butt.

  Was he?

  Oh, God. Did he think it was too large? She wouldn’t ask. She’d never be able
to ask. But still.

  Please don’t let him look at her thighs.

  “We’ll have to be very quiet once we’re out of the room,” she said. “I haven’t seen anyone in the storage section during the daylight hours, but I’ve heard them moving around at night, packing things up, and bringing new things in.” The hall was even busier, with traffic flowing almost 24/7. She’d almost been caught multiple times.

  Too many nights, she’d lain on her pitiful bed shivering, hoping they wouldn’t discover that the steel cabinet in the back had become her Hilton hotel suite. If they’d investigated, they would’ve caught her. Poked her again with needles. Then sold her to the highest bidder.

  “I’ve lived here in my little hidey-hole for three days, and I’m desperate to keep them from discovering it.” Her gaze met his, and the understanding there made her knees weaken. When he squeezed her hand, she knew. He recognized how she was feeling. Best of all, he didn’t mock her for her fear of revealing her location.

  “I will not speak when we cross the outer room,” he said softly.

  She nodded, biting her lower lip. Damn, her eyes were watering.

  “Mila.” He said her name in a sigh.

  “What?” She couldn’t look at him, because she knew where this was going.

  “I am sorry I did not arrive sooner.”

  “Better late than never, right?” Jeez, she’d been strong for a week and, once she’d escaped, she’d survived on her own. Why was she falling apart now?

  “We have one moment before we must leave, do we not?”

  They did. As long as they stayed here, they were safe. Mostly. This had become her sanctuary, the only place she could retreat to where she could let down her guard for one second. When she was foraging or out on the floors looking for her friends, she had to remain on high alert.

  “Sure.” She glanced up at him, biting back tears. Why did she feel like she needed a good cry? Her chest ached, and her throat had choked off. She hated that she was giving in to her feelings.

  He gathered her into his arms. “Mila.”

  “Don’t say it,” she said.

  “You are safe now.”

  There it was. The thing is, she might never be safe again except here at this moment and in Kral’s arms. It humbled her. It gave her hope. And it terrified her. Since her mom left, she’d relied on herself with Dad as her only backup. And then he’d died. No fault on his part. He’d succumbed to the disease like ninety-nine percent of the men on Earth. He’d fought it, told her he’d make it through, but it had sucked him away like life had her mom.