by Sadie Carter
Copyright
Sadie Carter
Alien Mine
© 2016, Sadie Carter
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
This story contains explicit sex scenes.
Cover Design: No Sweat Graphics
Editor: Christie Giraud: EbookEditingPro
Proofreading: Ave’s Editing
Chapter One
He was jealous of a dog.
Ridiculous. Foolish. Yet the urge to race down the hill, pull that ridiculous looking dog from her arms and take his rightful place in her arms burned in his gut. It should be him she laughed at with that warmth in her eyes. Him she hugged so freely.
Not some woolly, dumb beast that ate from garbage bins and smelled worse than a rotting zeeca carcass left out in the sun.
Thor knew he was being irrational, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He now understood why Dex acted so strangely when he met Zoey. Why he’d nearly gone insane when his mate denied him.
That same insanity ate at him.
After all, a sane person would not feel the urge to challenge a dog to a duel.
Possessiveness swirled through his body, making his chest ache. He hadn’t realized finding his mate would feel quite this intense. As though he’d been viewing the world in black and white and she brought color. The need to claim her plagued him, hounded him.
Mate her. Make her yours.
He wanted to take her. To steal her away to his home. Keep her there, loving her over and over, until she knew exactly who she belonged to.
Zoey would call him barbaric. Human women, he had discovered, did not like being told they belonged to someone. But Lucy was his.
The only thing holding him back was Lucy. He detested the look of fear on her face whenever a male, himself included, grew near. His mate should not fear him. She should look to him to protect her. He wanted nothing more than to take care of her. Cherish her. There was a haunted look in her pale blue eyes that he didn’t like. He longed to wipe away her fear, to make her smile. To see that fear ease from her face.
He’d tried to talk to her. Tried leaving her gifts, offering her his help, but he had barely managed to get a word out of her. Then last night, she had searched him out during Darac and Willa’s mating ceremony.
At first he had worried she was ill as she stood before him, her thin face pale, her chest heaving for breath. He had nearly touched her. One touch would start the mating process, although they wouldn’t be fully mated until they joined. Touching her might help ease the ever-growing ache inside him and start the mating process, but she wasn’t ready.
He had to go slow. Even if going slow tortured him.
Lucy watched the children playing, smiling as they laughed. Zuma flicked a hoverbee out and they chased it, trying to catch it as it turned in the air back towards him and he caught it again. Norman let out a high-pitched squeal that sounded more goat than dog.
She winced, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe they had to pretend Norman was a dog so as not to hurt Darac’s feelings. Darac had to be over seven feet tall and at least two-hundred and fifty pounds. The only time he didn’t scowl was when he was around Willa.
And Willa worried about hurting his feelings? Darac had gotten Willa the dog, something she’d always wished for as a child. Willa hadn’t had the heart to tell Darac that Norman wasn’t a dog. She’d warned everyone not to tell him either. Whatever he was, though, he was certainly fun to have around. And he made the kids happy.
Zuma laughed as he swung the hoverbee out again. She wasn’t sure who was having more fun, the kids or Zuma. He grinned as he jogged past, kissing his hand and blowing it to her. Lucy rolled her eyes. Zuma would flirt with a statue if it had breasts. She knew he didn’t mean anything by it. There was no way he would ever be interested in her. The handsome, easy-going man could have any woman he wanted.
And he pretty much had. Slim, curvy, short or tall, blondes, brunettes, redheads. Zuma simply loved women. And they loved him. But despite how hot he was, Lucy felt nothing. She didn’t feel any sort of attraction towards him. Or any man.
Liar. Liar.
“Why did he just blow spit at you?” a husky voice asked from behind her. She jumped, turning to scowl at the huge warrior towering over her. Had thinking about him conjured him up?
No, that was stupid.
More like he’d been watching her again. She knew he watched her. It should have felt creepy. Scary. When she’d first arrived here it had completely freaked her out. But after she’d managed to push past the fear, she’d noticed how careful he was around her. He never tried to invade her space or touch her. He’d been nothing but polite and sweet, offering to help her if she was carrying something, even leaving gifts of food on her doorstep.
She kept expecting him to make a move, but maybe her interest in him had her imagining something between them that wasn’t there.
Thor was different from the rest of the Zerconian warriors. He had an almost calming presence. Probably because he was a healer. He had a way of putting her at ease that she’d never felt with anyone else. Not even Rye, who she trusted more than anyone else.
But she couldn’t trust him. No matter how calm and reassuring he appeared, it could all be one big, fat lie. She couldn’t afford to trust the wrong person again. She wouldn’t even let herself trust Rye’s family, who had been nothing but kind to her.
She wouldn’t trust this warrior she barely knew. She wouldn’t give in to the urges of her body to let him get close. To touch him. Taste him.
The road to hell was paved with temptation. She knew that better than most. Thor was just another temptation she couldn’t succumb to.
She’d never thought she’d be attracted to a large, muscular man. Those rippling muscles, his tanned skin and sexy-as-sin smile might appeal to other women, but she knew better. The bigger they were the greater harm they could inflict.
She rubbed her stomach worriedly. “You have really got to wear a bell or something. You’re going to give someone a heart attack.”
He immediately scowled then sat beside her.
Don’t inch away. Don’t show your fear.
Men were like wild beasts in some ways. Some fed off fear, thrived on it. Logically, she knew Thor wasn’t like that. She’d never once seen him lose his temper.
But still, she couldn’t take the chance.
“There is something wrong with your heart?”
He reached out to touch her then drew his hand back. Her breath caught. Why did he watch her all the time? Was he a few fuses short of a full circuit? But he was a healer and the few times they had spoken he’d seemed perfectly normal. No one had a bad word to say about him.
These Zerconian warriors didn’t act like normal males. Zerconians mated for life. They were devoted to their mates, the bond unbreakable. If one died, often the other followed.
That took happy ever after to a whole other level.
Lucy had moved to Zerconia with the rest of the Joyadan refugees a few weeks ago. The assimilation into life on Zerconia was slow for some of the Joyadans. Life here was different. Easier in some ways, they had plenty of shelter, food and indoor plumbing. Hallelujah! But she knew many of them were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The Zerconians had opened up their lives to them, offering them a
place to live when their village was destroyed by Coizils. A new start, homes, food.
But it wasn’t just out of the goodness of their hearts. They wanted mates for their males. Zerconian women were few and far between and their race was suffering. If males didn’t find their mates, eventually they succumbed to mating madness.
It had caught Darac, would have killed him if he hadn’t met Willa.
Overpopulated, Earth had sent many of its people to Joyadan over the years, so even though they now considered themselves to be Joyadans, they were all descendants of Earth and could be Zerconian mates.
“No, I’m fine,” she explained. “It’s just a saying. You made me jump.”
“I apologize. I tried to make noise so you would hear me coming.”
Normally, her senses were much better. They’d been sharpened through necessity. Maybe she was growing complacent living here. It would be very easy just to let these Zerconians take care of her. The males were extremely protective of their females.
But she couldn’t afford to grow complacent. Once they realized she had no intention of mating one of their males, they could decide she wasn’t welcome here. So she couldn’t settle. Couldn’t make friends she might have to leave.
Even though she desperately wanted to.
“Why did he blow spit at you? Was it an insult?” Thor demanded.
Blow spit? What was he talking about? Oh, the air kiss. She supposed that would seem strange to someone who wasn’t human.
“Zuma wasn’t blowing his spit at me. He was blowing me a kiss.”
Thor stiffened and a noise emanated from him. Was he growling?
“You are involved with him?”
She laughed. “Involved? No, I’m not. Zuma would chew me up and spit me out.”
“He would bite you?”
Okay, he was definitely growling now. Good job, Lucy. You’re going to single-handedly destroy the peace between the Joyadans and the Zerconians.
“No, it’s a saying. Zuma is a flirt. He flirts with anyone with boobs, it’s just who he is. One day he’ll probably find a woman who will knock him on his ass. I hope she leads him on a good chase.”
She wished the woman luck. She would need it to tame that scoundrel.
“You wish him to find a woman who will push him over?”
Her lips twitched despite the nerves making her stomach jingle. She told herself she was nervous over his size, and that was part of it. But she was also nervous for a whole other reason.
Because she was attracted to him.
Lucy let out a deep breath. “Another human saying. Sorry.”
“Humans are difficult to understand. Although your Zerconian is excellent.”
Admiration filled his gaze and she had to turn her gaze away. Do not fall under his spell. He was like a banquet after a year of starvation.
She wanted to feast until she passed out.
“You are nervous. I have frightened you. I apologize.” His body stiffened. His speech growing stilted. Great, she’d insulted him.
“Don’t take it personally. I scare easily.”
He glanced down at her then flicked his gaze over to the laughing boys. “Somehow I believe you have reason to be afraid.”
She sucked in her breath. What would she tell him if he asked? She never told anyone her secrets. Only Rye knew everything. Lucky for her, the Joyadans mostly kept to themselves. They all had their own secrets and didn’t pry into hers.
“Do not worry. I will not pry. Not yet anyway.”
Norman bounded back towards her, growling and squealing. Maybe he was part pig or goat. A few feet away from them, he stumbled, tripping over his own feet then rolling towards them.
“Look out,” Thor yelled, stepping in front of her. He grunted as Norman slammed into him.
“Norman! Are you okay?” She raced around to check on the dog, whose feet scrambled back and forth in the air for a moment before he righted himself. He shook himself with a low growl.
“Is he all right? I am the one he slammed into.” Thor glared down at the dog.
“It’s not Norman’s fault he’s clumsy. Is it, Norman?” She patted the dog, whose tail wagged enthusiastically in the dirt, sending up plumes of dust right into Thor’s face. She buried her face in Norman’s fur to hide her smile.
Oh God, did he need a bath.
Norman crawled into her lap, and she grimaced as she got a face-full of Norman breath. “Have you been eating garbage again?” she scolded.
He poked out his yellow tongue, panting. She swore he smiled at her.
“Get off, dog.” Thor reached for Norman who turned his head with a growl.
“Norman! Stop that. He’s fine,” she told Thor, giving him a sympathetic smile.
Thor shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face. “He is too big for you. Plus, he is filthy. Darac should be training him.”
“Do you guys have doggy obedience classes?” Zuma asked as he grew closer. Crouching, he patted Norman’s head, avoiding the curly horns rising from his head. “They going to teach you to roll over and give a high five, Norman? Like an actual dog.”
“Actual dog?” Thor asked, looking back and forth between them.
She glared up at Zuma who rolled his eyes. “Willa can’t keep this a secret forever.”
“Secret? What secret?”
She sighed. “It’s nothing bad. It’s just that Norman is not really a dog.”
“Not a dog?” Thor frowned with confusion. “But Darac said he was.”
“I might try to sell Darac some magic beans. What kind of price do you think I could get?”
“Zuma, you’re confusing him.”
“Someone explain.”
“The traders sold Darac, well, I’m not exactly sure what Norman is but I do know he isn’t a dog. Dog’s don’t have horns or yellow tongues and they don’t make that weird squealing noise Norman does. I don’t know where they found him but he’s nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“Why did Willa not say?”
“Because my sister loves the big mutt.” Zuma patted Norman. “And she loves Norman too.”
She snorted, rolling her eyes. “Willa didn’t want to upset Darac. So she asked us not to tell him that Norman isn’t a dog. It was a sweet thing that he did for her.”
“But about time she told him the truth. Don’t know that he’s going to be impressed when he finds out we all kept something from him.” Zuma patted his leg. “Come, Norman. Let’s get you home.”
Norman crawled off her and she gave a silent sigh of relief. He really did weigh a lot. Thor reached out to help her up then pulled his hand back at the last moment. Zuma sent him a weird look then stepped towards her, but she scrambled up. She’d rather help herself, anyway.
Although it did hurt that he didn’t seem to want to touch her. She knew she wasn’t the most attractive person. Her pale blue eyes and frizzy white hair tended to freak people out. Which is why she often wore a scarf and glasses. She’d grown more complacent lately.
But while she might look different, she didn’t have some disease. She didn’t smell. At least, she hoped she didn’t. She resisted the urge to give herself the sniff test.
Norman turned and gave Thor a snarl, his top lip trembling. “Norman!” She patted his fur until he settled.
“Come on, Norman,” Zuma called again. “No eating garbage on the way, understand? You’re already in trouble for that mess you made earlier.”
Lucy glanced up at Thor as an awkward silence developed. Was there something else? Did he expect her to do something? What the hell did he want?
Irritation filled her as he just stood there, staring at her. She did have other things to do today.
“Why do you watch me?” she asked. He stiffened and turned his gaze away from her. She wondered if he was ever going to answer her when he turned back.
“I worry over you. You are too thin. Weak. You could easily succumb to illness.”
The blow to her pride went deep.
Damn, she was glad she hadn’t asked him if he was attracted to her. He’d been watching her because he worried about her health. She guessed he took his job really seriously.
She should be grateful he was so conscientious. She should be. Only thing is she felt more irritated than grateful.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to watch me. I’m not going to fall sick. I’m not some damn walking plague.” Although sometimes it felt like everything she touched turned to hell.
“It is my job to care for your health.”
“Well, watching me isn’t going to keep me healthy it just creeps me out. So stop it, will you.” Turning, she walked away from him. Inexplicably, she found herself blinking back tears.
She was just exhausted. She felt relieved. She should feel relieved. The last thing she wanted or needed was a man in her life.
Yep, these were tears of relief.
Liar. Liar.
Thor watched her walking away. Every instinct screamed at him to stride after her, to tell her the truth. To tell her that she was his.
But he let her walk away. This was for the best. She had to trust him first. He could not just spring this on her. He had seen how badly that worked out for Zoey and Dex. They had nearly killed each other by denying what was between them.
It was for the best that he not begin the mating process until she was ready to accept him. Once the mating process began it was impossible to ignore until it was completed.
No, better she think he was merely concerned with her health. It wasn’t a lie. Her frailty worried him. He determined that once she was his to care for he would take better care of her than these humans were doing. She would be pampered and cherished. Her every whim catered for. He would ensure she had everything she needed and more.
“What did you say to her?” a male voice spoke up from behind him.
Thor spun, reaching for his weapon, shocked that someone had managed to sneak up at him. Behind him stood Rye, Willa’s oldest brother. The other male watched Thor warily.
Thor breathed heavily, trying to keep himself under control. “You should not sneak up on me.” He could have easily killed the other man.