The Alien Bounty Hunters Complete Series: Books 1-8

by Mills, Michele

  “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “How did you know they were Bounty Hunters?” his Bride asked.

  “They were wearing black suits with the Bounty Hunter insignia on their chests, plus they were carrying blasters.”

  “Oh.” She darted a glance over at him and met Daxon’s gaze, her cheeks growing pink. He knew she loved those black suits. She’d made him put his on just so she could see what it looked like on him.

  The human male turned and swung his legs over the edge of the med bed and stood up. He stepped forward, meeting Daxon’s gaze and this time he put out his clawless hand. Daxon stared, wondering what this gesture meant.

  “You are the male I placed my sister with,” Hector said. “I appreciate you for treating her well. Many thanks.”

  “Take his hand and shake it,” his Bride whispered. “It’s a human custom of greeting and thanks. Tell him ‘you’re welcome.’”

  “Oh.” He grabbed the other male’s smaller hand and moved their joined arms up and down. “You are welcome,” he responded.

  Then their hands dropped.

  Hector gave him a warm smile. “I can take over her care now,” he said. “You do not have to be burdened with this any longer. If you could drop us off at the nearest space station Darcy and I will both leave this ship immediately. I apologize for this inconvenience.”

  Darcy burst out laughing. Daxon stared at his Bride, loving how her features brightened when she was happy. His cock thickened in his trousers at the deep, throaty sound of her laugh. The sound of her voice was enough to trigger his mating response.

  “Hector, I’m not leaving. I’m staying right here, with Daxon.”

  “Daxon?” Her brother frowned.

  His Bride moved and stood next to him. Then she put an arm around his waist and tucked herself under his arms. Daxon bent and kissed the top of her precious head.

  “Yes. Daxon of Seven is my mate,” she announced.

  Hector’s jaw dropped. “Your mate?” His eyes darted between the two of them.

  “Yes,” Daxon confirmed for him. He pulled his Bride tighter into his side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, needing to mark her with a symbol of possession. “The moment she stepped onto my ship the security system evaluated her and knew she was my mate and she was then allowed full access to my ship. She ended up falling asleep on my bunk. I found her there and scented her and knew she was my Bride.”

  A dark cloud formed over Hector’s features. “And then you immediately took my sister to your bunk?”

  “No—” his Bride started.

  “No,” Daxon cut her off, wanting to explain this to her brother himself. If the situation was reversed and this was his own sister, he’d want to be assured of her safety and honor. “No, I scented that your sister was my Bride but this only meant that I requested her hand. I formally gave my honor to her before mine and then I requested her hand for testing of mating compatibility. She rejected me…”

  Hector gave his sister a sharp glance. “You rejected him?”

  His Bride crossed her arms and proudly lifted her chin. “Of course I did. I didn’t want to marry anyone, especially after I’d just run away from two different marriage ceremonies.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, of course you did.” He shook his head, “Go on…”

  “I told her I’d take her with me to the Bounty Hunter station,” Daxon explained, “and she’d be free to go to the Omega 9 station, if she chose.”

  “But I decided I wanted to test with him before that…”

  “Wait, you did?” Daxon placed his claws on her small shoulders and turned his Bride to face him. “You’d decided to test with me? When did you decide this?”

  “Well, when I was alone and running that diagnostic before the engine went off-line I was thinking about you and how much you’d done for me and what you meant to me and I decided it was only right to try. I couldn’t leave you without testing. It wasn’t right.”

  He crossed his arms. “You only wanted to test with me out of a sense of obligation?”

  “No. No, I…I wanted…”

  “What? What did you want?”

  “I wanted to test with you because I thought you were right, that you were my mate. And then the engine room exploded, and I needed to grab your hand—”

  “And you were forced to test with me, even though you had doubts?”

  “Stop saying that. No. I had no doubts, you big idiot. I had already decided that you were going to be my husband and I liked that idea and that we’d test the moment we got to the Hunter Station. I was going to tell you my decision that night, but then the engine went off-line and everything went to hell.”

  “And now we’re mates.”

  She grabbed his hand, lifted it to her lips and kissed the back of his claw. “And now we’re mates,” she agreed, with warmth in her gaze.

  He swallowed against the lump in his throat and stared down at his Bride with all the love he felt in his two hearts.

  After Daxon, his Bride and new brother-in-law broke their fast in his quarters, Daxon’s Bride expressed sudden weariness, saying she needed a nap. He understood her need for additional sleep—after all, she was now carrying their offspring. Daxon tucked his sleepy Bride into their bunk with a kiss upon her head.

  Then he invited this new human member of his line into the holo deck. Daxon initiated a Xylan tavern setting. Now the two of them were comfortably sitting on ebony chairs, in front of a blazing fire hearth, talking and drinking tankards of Xylan ale.

  This was turning into Daxon’s second full diurnal without work and it was the most time he’d taken off in his entire adult career. He was finding it strangely enjoyable. He’d heard that other beings took time off regularly and they called it “vacations.” He thought he might need to try this again in the future.

  The male explained his original plans for his sister’s safety, how he’d known that Gurpreet Singh was an asshole in need of a Bride—and that Darcy fit his exact specifications. Hector had worried that Gurpreet might have scouting spies who could relay information to him about Darcy’s youth, beauty and virginity. So he’d planned to have her marry his best friend. This way he’d know that Darcy would be married to an honorable male and therefore safe from Gurpreet’s possible machinations. And he’d tried to keep her isolated on the farm and away from the eyes and ears of the Bridal Tour, only to have Darcy sneak into town and get swept up into the line-up for presentation.

  “You did all you could,” Daxon said. “And in the end, you sent her to me. It was smart of you to send her off-planet with a Xylan warrior. Even if she hadn’t ended up with me, a Xylan would not have harmed her.”

  “She told me you said that if she hadn’t been your Bride you would’ve put her in lockdown stasis.”

  Daxon chuckled. “True. But I still would’ve delivered her to Omega 9.” Then he took another drink of golden ale and let out a large belch. “Where are you going after this is all over?” Daxon asked.

  “I’m returning to our family farming unit. I’m needed there. I co-manage all farming operations with my father. I assume Darcy is staying with you.”

  “She is. She is carrying the start of my line.”

  The human crooked an eyebrow. “She is? I’m going to be an uncle?”

  “You are.”

  “Does Darcy know she’s going to be a mother?”

  Daxon tilted his head. “No, she might not. We haven’t spoken of it. I still forget she is lacking in Xylan biology and customs. I will tell her this evening.”

  “You should, women like to know things like that. Also, congratulations. If I’m going to be an uncle that means you’re going to be a father.”

  Warmth blossomed in Daxon’s chest. It was true. He was going to be a father. He’d legally claimed his Bride and planted his seed in her womb.

  16

  Daxon spent hours with his new brother-in-law. The male was surprisingly easy to talk to, very much like Darcy, and he could handle Xylan ale a
s well as a miner. Daxon liked this human’s honor and his work ethic. Hector wanted nothing more than to be left alone by the powerful, corrupt idiots in charge so that he could do his job without harassment and provide for his line. Daxon understood this value to the bone. It was the Margol way.

  “And then I bent on one knee and formally told Darcy of One that I was placing her honor before mine…” Daxon said, retelling Hector the story of what happened when he’d found his Bride in his bunk. The best day of his life. “And then she…”

  “Vid message from Trax,” the computer cut in pleasantly.

  Daxon slammed down his tankard and blew out a breath. “Not again.” Those two had the worst timing.

  “Who is Trax?” Hector questioned.

  “One of the Bounty Hunters who captured you off New Earth and brought you in.”

  “Oh.” A muscle ticked in his brother-in-law’s jaw.

  “I’m certain it’s both Trax and Rengeli. The two of them work together. Don’t worry, they aren’t here to recapture you…Computer, open vid in this location.”

  “Affirmed.”

  A small holo vid popped up in front of them and Trax came into view. “Aah, Daxon,” the Creekan hissed. “Just the male I wanted to see. We have another present for you.”

  “Another present?”

  “Yes. You will enjoy this one too. Where is your Bride?”

  “My Bride? She is asleep in my quarters. I am drinking Xylan ale in the holo deck with my new human brother-in-law, Hector of One, the male you incorrectly targeted.”

  “Ah yes. Well, tell Hector we’ve fixed that error. We found out the illegal bid was initiated by a Gurpreet Singh from New Earth. Hector will now be able to see what we do to individuals who think they can place faulty bids, trying to turn Bounty Hunters into mercenaries.”

  “We do not…put up…with that shit.” A deep voice bellowed in the background, punctuating each statement with thuds, followed by sharp screams of pain.

  Daxon chuckled with delight. He liked these males more.

  Trax turned and looked behind him. “Push him onto the disk,” he yelled out. Then he glanced back at the screen. “Get ready. We’re on our way.” And then the vid went out.

  “Well, sounds like our party is over.” Daxon stood, readying to leave.

  “Do you think they’re going to…?” Hector asked.

  “Oh yes, they are.” Daxon grinned, rubbing his claws together with eager anticipation. “Computer shut down holo deck.”

  “Affirmed.”

  The setting returned to plain black grid, with the doorway rimmed with light. The two of them walked out the lit door, turned down the hallway and went directly into the cargo bay. They arrived in time to see Gurpreet Singh standing bloodied and surprised on the transporter disk. Daxon walked up and yanked the male off as the machine began to hum with another arrival. Trax materialized on the disk and stepped off, then Rengeli arrived directly after him.

  Daxon let go of the lazhul and stepped back, and the four of them now stood in a semi-circle in front of the human prisoner. The male’s head lifted. Blood dripped from his nose. The two Bounty Hunters had left him unrestrained. Good.

  The lazhul looked around, his eyes landing on Hector and then on Daxon. He became visibly angered at the sight of Hector. “There,” he screamed, pointing at the other human. “That’s your target. That’s the man you should be delivering to me. And this other one is the asshole who stole my bride. Why am I being punished? These two are the ones who are criminals. And where is my bride? I want her back.”

  Hadn’t this male learned his lesson yet? Apparently not.

  Hector stepped forward. “My sister is not your bride,” he snarled. “You are under arrest for the murders of women and of children from your own loins. But after today you will never be allowed to hurt anyone else again.”

  The lazhul’s face turned red. “Who do you think you are, you—” and Gurpreet rushed forward and took a swing at Hector. The human easily ducked the blow and Hector slammed a powerful fist into the other male’s midsection.

  Gurpreet doubled over, groaning from the pain. “All of you will pay for this,” the lazhul spit out, blood spraying from his mouth. He managed to stand upright and raged, “My father will—”

  “Your father will do nothing,” Daxon affirmed, placing a claw on Hector’s shoulder and moving him back. “You are now in the presence of Xylan judgement and you will pay for your lack of honor.”

  And then Daxon stepped forward and swung a mighty fist which connected with Gurpreet’s face. He felt the crunch of bone underneath his claw. The male’s head bend back at a sharp angle lifting him off the ground, then he crumpled to the floor of the cargo bay. It was most satisfying.

  “Ooh, good one,” Trax cheered.

  Rengeli let out a sharp whistle.

  Daxon bent and checked on the lazhul, verifying that he was still breathing, because Daxon wasn’t finished. At all.

  “Damn, I wish I had a swing like that,” Rengeli commented. “Did you see that fucking fist? His fist is the size of an asteroid. That target is going to be drinking out of a straw after Daxon’s done with him.”

  The two males chuckled and clapped hands together in agreement.

  “Daxon’s on my team. I want him with me whenever we try to—”

  “Now we move to the next step,” Daxon growled, keeping the two Hunters on-task. “I will retrieve my beheading ax from my Cabul,” he said. “And I will return to the cargo bay to formally remove this lazhul’s head.”

  “Ooh,” Rengeli breathed.

  Trax smiled brightly. “While I love a good beheading as much as the next Bounty Hunter, actually you can’t do that because we have a better plan.”

  “A better plan?” Daxon asked, confused. “What is better than a formal beheading?”

  “I know…but we actually thought of something. We were going to kill this male as you originally requested, but then we decided that was the easy way out, so we brought him here first so you two could partake of some good old-fashioned retribution. And now, we’re going to make his life a living hell by sending him to the worst prison in the four sectors—Detention Center: Zeta 149. He will stay there for the rest of his life, or until he’s eaten by cannibals, whichever happens first.”

  Daxon paused. He glanced over at Hector for his reaction. The male met his gaze and nodded with agreement. “Sounds pretty terrible to me,” he agreed.

  “You’re certain this facility will be sufficiently cruel?” Daxon asked.

  “Oh, we’re certain,” Trax smirked.

  “We’ve been there before,” Rengeli said. “We know that place like the back of our hands. They will treat him with the care he deserves—none.”

  Daxon crack his knuckles and nodded. “Sounds like a perfect plan.”

  “We’ll make it happen.”

  “Daxon?” Hector asked.

  “Yes?”

  “What is this ‘Cabul’ you were referring to? What is this exactly?”

  “A Cabul is where a Xylan warrior keeps all of their ceremonial weapons.” He answered as he clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder.

  Trax and Rengeli each took an arm of the passed-out lazhul and dragged him over to the transporter.

  “I would be happy to show you how to correctly use these weapons,” he continued. “Now that we are of the same line and you will be in proximity to my future offspring you will need to learn essential Xylan customs.”

  “Okay…”

  “Hey…Human,” Trax shouted over the hum of the transporter.

  Hector twisted to look back at the Creekan. “Huh?”

  “Human…you were a difficult target to catch. You kept your head clear, told us important information and put up a good fight, despite your lack of weapons.”

  “Yes,” Rengeli nodded in agreement. “This human was a worthy adversary.”

  Daxon’s ridges lifted in surprise. This was the highest honor a Hunter could bestow on a civ
ilian. He hadn’t expected this from these two. They’d both been in this profession for a long time and were as jaded as they came.

  Trax stepped onto the disk, lifted his chin in acknowledgement and disappeared.

  Rengeli stepped on after Trax left. “And human,” he said, “there will be zero retribution from the Singhs towards you or your family. But, if you ever find yourself in need of help ask Kayzon, your Xylan Ambassador, to alert us and we will take care of it immediately. We owe you one.”

  And then he disappeared.

  Hector turned back toward Daxon, surprise evident on his face. “Did they mean that?”

  “Believe me, those two never say anything they don’t mean…Now, how about we go and check out that Cabul?”

  Hector nodded, a smile on his face.

  That night Daxon walked with his Bride to the med bay. “I have to show you something,” he told her.

  “What? Are you sick? Am I sick? What’s going on?”

  “No, no, you’re fine. You need to see something. You’ll like it,” he explained.

  “I will?” she asked, skepticism in her tone.

  He kissed the top of her head. “You will.”

  And then they walked inside the tiny med bay with only one bed. It wasn’t fully stocked for every eventuality, but it would get him or his Bride healed enough to then go to the extensive medical facilities on the Hunter station. This room was definitely equipped to show his Bride the good news.

  “Lay down,” Daxon ordered.

  “Why? What is going on?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “Like the surprise where I learned my brother had been captured by Bounty Hunters?”

  He laughed. “Yes, like that.”

  Darcy lay down on the white bed, her feet not reaching the end and her head barely touching the head rest.

  “Computer, give Darcy of One a complete medical evaluation.”

  “Affirmed.”

  The bed whirred to life and then a wand moved up and down her body.

  “This is so weird,” she whispered. “We don’t have stuff like this on New Earth. Well, we’re starting to, but as of right now only the rich can afford medical facilities like this. Computerized med bays are only in Singapore and Paris, not out in the country where I lived.”