by Susan Hayes
“And now?”
“Now I know where my home lies.” He smiled down at her. “It’s with you.”
Lisa was sure her feet weren’t touching the floor as she quickly donned another shirt and finger-combed the worst of the snarls and bits of grass out of her hair. Vadir’s words had her walking on air, and every time he looked at her with those golden eyes, she floated a little higher.
Instead of the tiny communicator, Vadir activated a screen on a wall of his quarters and stood with his arm wrapped possessively around her waist as they waited for the Firebrand to respond.
“Where the Flames have you been? You’ve been untraceable for days!” The question roared out of the speaker before the visual component kicked in.
A second later, an image of a dark haired man with golden eyes and a scar slashed across one cheek appeared on the monitor. Everything about him, from his carefully trimmed hair and beard to the perfect symmetry of his posture, told her that this was a military man.
“Do you have to bellow like that?” Vadir demanded before turning to gesture to Lisa. “Commander Kash Denza, I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Lisa Woods. Lisa, the big male roaring like a wounded brashi is the commander of the Firebrand and the head of the prince’s private guard. And to answer your question, my ship is currently in an impact crater on a mountain outside of the city. You couldn’t locate us because we had to shunt what little power we had to life support and maintaining the shields to avoid human detection.”
“Hi,” Lisa waved at the monitor.
“Hello.” The big man cracked a tiny smile. “I’m pleased to know you’re alive and well, Lisa. I have someone here who is going to be very happy to hear it.”
“Is Maggie there already?” she asked.
Kash shook his head, but before he could answer Vadir leaned in closer to the screen. “By the Flames of the First One, you found your mate. How?”
She didn’t know if it was wishful thinking or a flash of clairvoyant insight, but Lisa was sure she knew what had happened. “You’re Gwen’s mate!’
This time, Kash actually broke into a proud smile. “I am. May the Gods be blessed for their generosity.”
Lisa squealed and bounced in place. “Where is she? Is she with you? Where’s Maggie? They’re all okay, aren’t they? Holy shit, I can’t believe it. I am totally taking credit for this. Signing up for Star-Crossed was all my idea and look how well this turned out!”
“Gwen is fine. She’s resting at the moment, but I will wake her with the news that you’ve been located. She’s been worried. Having both of her friends disappear on the same night…”
“I wish I could have let her know I was okay. Please tell her that, will you?”
“You can tell her yourself when we arrive in the shuttle.” Kash turned his attention to Vadir again. “I take it the Redshift is not flight capable?”
“Not yet. Cas has managed most of the repairs, but I’ve got a short list of parts and supplies we’ll need. After that, it will be a matter of hours. Less if you and his royal highness are willing to get your hands dirty.”
“Joran will help, or I’ll kick his ass from here to Pyros. His parents want him home so that they can welcome his mate into the family and confirm his right of ascension. The sooner, the better was what the king told me. Our mates will not have long to say their goodbyes.”
Lisa piped up. “Vee and I have figured out a way to get around the Council’s stupid rule about first contact. If this works, we won’t have to say goodbye, because we’ll be able to come back.”
“Is that so?”
Vadir’s arm tightened around her waist. “It was Lisa who figured it out. I just need to find a way to sell it to the council.”
Kash snorted. “You could sell a Romaki snow dragon its body weight in ice cubes. I have no doubt you’ll manage.”
“He’s not that charming,” Lisa chimed in. “If he was, we wouldn’t have crashed.”
Kash’s eyebrow arched quizzically, but Vadir cut him off with a swipe of his hand.
“Don’t ask. I’ll explain when you and Joran are here, so I only have to tell the story once.”
Chuckling, Kash nodded. “I can wait. Is there anything else you need me to bring?”
“Clothes. I need fresh clothes and a few things from home. I don’t suppose Gwen brought anything with her?” Lisa asked.
“Nothing that survived the Scorching,” Kash replied with a trace of a blush on his cheeks.
He glanced away from the monitor, then turned back with a satisfied smile. “Joran is now in contact. He’s with Maggie, and they are at your residence. I’ll have him bring some things for you and Gwen and meet you at your coordinates.”
“Perfect, thank you. And tell Gwen the cookies were the perfect energy food.”
“I will tell her.” Kash’s eyes gleamed brighter for a second. “And I agree about the cookies.”
After that, Vadir and Kash lapsed into Pyrosian, and a few minutes later the conversation ended.
The moment they were alone, she squealed with joy and threw her arms around Vee’s neck, jumping up to wrap her arms around his hips. “This is great. Gwen and Maggie are fine, and we’re going to Pyros together. Kash seems really nice. I can’t believe he’s Gwen’s mate. I can’t wait to meet Joran, too. This is going to be amazing.”
Vadir laughed and walked over to the bed, his hands already busy removing the shirt she’d just donned. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you are happy like this? You’re glowing right now.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. The only one who has ever made me feel like this is you.” She brushed her lips across his. “Do your people believe in love?”
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, his eyes staring into hers. “We believe that love grows from the slow-burning embers left after the Scorching has passed. I never expected to feel it, but now I do. I look forward to falling in love with you for the rest of my life.”
Light and joy bubbled up inside her, overflowing her heart and making her soul sing. She opened the link between them, letting him feel all that was in her heart. She’d always dreamed of travelling the world and finding places to inspire her art. The Gods of Pyros had given her so much more. Instead of seeing just one world, she was going to travel amongst the stars with the man who would inspire her for the rest of her days.
* * *
THE END
KASH
Star-crossed Alien Mail Order Brides #3
What do you do when your planet runs out of women? Send for takeout, of course.
Kash knows he’ll never be allowed to claim a mate. A lifetime of military service has left him too battle-scarred and broken to be considered for the off-world mating project his rulers have created to save their people.
His job is to make sure the more fortunate males get to Earth to retrieve their mates. All he has to do is pilot the ship, stay undetected, and keep an eye on things from orbit. It should be the easiest mission of his career…until he lays eyes on the one thing he never expected to find. His mate.
This book contains a hopeful romantic who is giving up hope and a soldier who is about to discover that love doesn’t obey orders, and it can’t be bound by rules.
Buy Kash Now
* * *
Keep Reading for a peek at Kash and Gwen’s story.
Kash - Chapter 1
“This was supposed to be an easy mission!” Kash muttered to himself as he drummed his fingers on the edge of the control console. All he had to do was maintain orbit, keep the Firebrand off the humans’ primitive tracking systems, and wait for his charges to acquire their mates and return to the ship. It should have been simple.
Simple had taken a steep dive into the heart of a star shortly after the mission started. Joran, heir to the throne of Pyros, Crown Prince, and a royal pain in the ass, had decided to leave his ship early, ditching his contingent of bodyguards along the way. The future king was currently
wandering the city of Vancouver alone and unguarded because apparently, he couldn’t tell the difference between the royal gardens of Pyros and the threat-infested streets of this primitive world.
He slapped a hand down on the console and opened a communication channel to one of the prince’s guards, audio only.
“Yes, Commander Denza?” Guardsman Tarjen answered almost instantly.
“Tell me you’ve found him.”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
The drumming started again, faster this time. “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
“No, sir. He teleported out and then programmed the system to erase the coordinates once he re-materialized. We’re currently scanning for him, but it would appear he’s switched off his locator.”
“If he deactivated his locator, then scanning for him is not going to do a damned thing. Where do you think he might be headed? It’s not like he’s ever been to Earth before. We’re not even supposed to be in this part of the galaxy. His only reason for being here is to locate his mate. I suggest you start by figuring out where she is right now and then ascertain if the prince is with her.”
“Keth is already looking into that. We believe she is at her place of work, but we have been instructed not to approach her until contact has been made. Additionally, her workplace is in a heavy traffic area. There’s nowhere nearby that we can teleport to without being seen.”
That was one of the many problems with this simple mission. They didn’t have permission to be here, and they were operating in total secrecy. The humans had no idea they were being visited by aliens, and it had to stay that way.
“Find the nearest safe location and then make the rest of the journey on foot. I’m going to attempt to contact the prince again. If he doesn’t respond soon, I’m going to come down there and kick his royal ass myself.”
“Yes, sir!” Targen didn’t bother to hide his amusement at Kash’s statement.
They had all served with Joran, his guards as fellow soldiers, and Kash as their commanding officer. Targen knew Kash meant every word of his threat. If the prince didn’t report in soon, he’d be wearing Kash’s boot print on his ass.
He hit another button and opened a channel to his second charge, Vadir Rahal.
“Checking up on me, Commander?” Vadir owned and ran an intergalactic corporation. As one of the richest and most powerful men on the planet, he wasn’t used to reporting to anyone. Not even if it was for his own safety.
“That’s more or less my entire job for this mission. What’s your status?”
“My match has responded to the email, and I’m communicating with her now. Things are progressing. I have every reason to believe she will meet me for the evening meal at the designated location. Everything is going according to plan.”
“That’s good to hear. Do us all a favour and keep it that way.”
Vadir chuckled. “Judging by your tone, I’d hazard a guess that Joran is already doing his own thing?”
“Something like that.”
“This is why you should have taken me up on my offer to work for me instead of the royal family. I actually listen to the people I employ. Not to mention, I pay far better.”
Kash snorted. “Ask me again after this mission is over. If anything happens to the prince, I’m going to be looking for a new job.”
“Joran can take care of himself, and so can I. Don’t worry so much, Commander. We’ll be back on board with our females before you know it. It’s really a shame we can’t initiate formal contact with this species. I could make a fortune just selling them environmental regulators and weather control satellites.”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Vadir sighed. “I know. I know. Stick to the plan. I still haven’t forgiven her Highness for doing this to me. I don’t have time for a mate right now. I’ve got deals to make and a business to run.”
“Not even you can ignore a royal decree, Vadir. When the king commands us, we must obey.”
Vadir signed off, then, and Kash was left alone with his thoughts. His fingers started drumming on the edge of the console as he wondered what he’d done to make the Gods hate him so much. It’s not that his life was all hardship or despair. He had his duties and the pride of knowing he held the trust of the most powerful family on Pyros. But pride was a poor companion, and duty was no replacement for a mate and a family.
He’d accepted that there was no mate for him on Pyros. It was a realization that many males had faced. With seven males born for every female, the odds simply were not in his favour. But then, when the scouts had discovered that compatible matches existed elsewhere in the galaxy, he’d dared to hope again.
He should have known better.
Only the males from important and influential families were even considered for potential matches with the human females. Logically, it made sense. Those families had the means to fund this endeavour, and the power to keep the attention of the Inter-planetary Council focused elsewhere. Logical or not, it had still been a bitter draught to swallow.
Even if the mission was successful and the matches were later opened to other males, he would never be considered. He was past his prime, and no female would want an aging, battle-scarred veteran when there were so many handsome young males to choose from.
The Gods had chosen another path for him, one of solitude, loyalty, and the quiet honours that accompanied a life spent in service to the crown. It was enough. It would have to be.
Gwen pulled the last batch of brownies out of the oven and then looked around the kitchen in dismay as she realized she was out of room. Every inch of counter space and even her small kitchen table were already in use. She popped the brownies back into the oven and scrambled to transfer the chocolate chip cookies from their cooling trays to an old-fashioned cookie tin that had once been her grandmother’s.
As she stacked the cookies in tiny towers inside the battered and dented tin, she recalled the countless times she’d done this with her Gran. Back then, baking had seemed like magic. Carefully combining ingredients, watching them come together in the ancient mixer, then the pouring of batters and the careful placement of each ball of dough so that none of the golden, crispy edges would touch when they were done.
When she was feeling down, Gwen baked. It comforted her. The familiar scents, the routine of it. If she closed her eyes, sometimes she could almost hear her Gran quietly humming and feel the old woman’s warm, loving presence. It soothed her, and for a little while, the world would be a good and peaceful place again. Today, she needed that.
The rain pattered against the kitchen window, loud enough to make her glance up and wonder how her two friends were faring. Hopefully, wherever they were, their dates had them out of the weather and were treating them like queens.
When there was enough space cleared, she popped the lid onto the cookie tin and went back to the oven to rescue her brownies. Without thinking, she reached in and grabbed the glass pan with her bare hand.
“Shit! Ow, shit, dammit,” she yelped in pain, dropped the brownies, and dashed to the sink to run cold water over her burn.
“Good job, idiot,” she scolded herself as she waited for the stream of cold water to ease the sting. It was a clear sign from the universe that it was time for her to stop baking and go to bed. She should have stopped hours ago. In fact, she had…for a little while. Lisa had come home from work and found her baking up a storm. Like the dear friend she was, she’d done what she could to cajole Gwen out of her dark mood. The levity only lasted as long as Lisa’s presence, though. When Lisa had headed out to meet her mystery date, Gwen had falling back into her funk.
Still holding her hand under the tap, she selected one of the still-warm cookies from its rack and munched on it while surveying the damage. The floor was strewn with chunks of brownie, and the glass pan was sitting upside-down with a massive crack showing across the bottom. She’d have to toss the whole mess out. The pan was a garage sale find, and the aged materi
al hadn’t been able to withstand the abuse.
She started to cry, hot tears scalding her face as she looked at the mess on her floor and it struck her that it was a perfect metaphor for her life at this moment. The ruined pan might as well have been named Gwen. She was as old and broken as it was, and she was being tossed aside, too. Her boss had given her the news today. The second-hand bookstore she’d worked at for years was closing down. The books she loved would be sold off, and the job she’d held for ten years would be gone.
On top of that, the same dating service that had provided her two best friends with their dates for the night had sent her a rejection email. She hadn’t wanted to sign up in the first place, but Lisa had insisted, and between the wine and the ice cream, Gwen had given in. The Star-Crossed dating site specifically said it was for young women, though, and at thirty-five, she worried that she wouldn’t make the cut.
Sure enough, at the same time her friends were being matched with drop-dead gorgeous guys, she’d been sent a politely worded letter informing her that she wasn’t a match for anyone in their database, which was geared toward a younger age bracket. Just like the glass pan, her best days were behind her.
Maybe she should have agreed to go out with Shane, a customer who had been hanging out at the bookstore for months while he was ‘between jobs.’ He never bought anything, he just thumbed through the books, one hand in the pocket of his faded, too-tight shorts that puckered across the front and left nothing to the imagination.
He kept asking her to have a beer with him, but she’d always declined. Maybe it was time to stop fooling herself. Maybe Shane, with his nicotine-stained fingers and his awkward ways, was the best she could hope for.
How the hell had her life come to this? She’d always dreamed of having a family someday. Of sharing her life with someone who thought she was beautiful despite her curves. Yet, here she was, standing in her kitchen eating cookies alone on a Friday night with nothing to show for her life but an almost empty bank account and a job that was about to disappear.