by Zoey Draven
How crazy and insecure was that?
But she’d never had any luck with men. She’d always been on the quieter, shy side. Her cancer certainly hadn’t helped in her early twenties. And there she was…getting all hot and bothered by an alien player with a silver tongue.
Terrific.
She cleared her throat, her spine straightening, even though her body ached a little from her long visit to the labs. “My name is Cecelia.”
“Ah,” Kate said, shaking her head with an amused smile. “Yes, well, Sessela sounded quite exotic. I was wondering if he’d gotten it right. They pronounce my name like Kat instead of Kate.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” she replied with a small quirk of her lips. She tried not to look at Rixavox, still hovering in the doorway. She didn’t want to give him any ideas because she certainly wasn’t interested in being another notch on his bedpost, even if she was crazily attracted to him. Besides, she had other more pressing problems. Those were the things that should be occupying her thoughts.
Kate patted her hand again and said, “I heard you had a little fall in the hallway. Would you like to rest more before we talk?”
This was her chance to finally get some answers. There was no way in hell she’d miss out, even if she was tired. Cecelia shook her head and said, “No, I’d like to talk.” She couldn’t help her gaze straying to Rixavox this time, wondering if he would be standing there the entire time. His nipples piercings glinted in the light, catching her attention, and she swallowed hard.
Get yourself together, woman, she chided herself.
Kate noticed her gaze and looked over her shoulder. “Thank you, Rixavox. I can take it from here. I’m sure you must be tired after your time away.”
“I will stay,” Rixavox grunted.
“It’s unnecessary,” Kate said, insisting. “Vaxa is just down the hall. Get some rest. That’s an order, Ambassador.”
Rixavox was clearly torn. He didn’t move an inch for a moment, as still as a blue-toned marble statue, his eyes never straying from Cecelia. His attention made her squirm a little. She was unused to such focus.
Finally, however, he jerked his head before bowing his head slightly and said, “Tev, lavrix’an.”
When he met Cecelia’s gaze again, there was something in his eyes that made her skin prickle with awareness. She suppressed a pleasurable shiver and quickly glanced down at the furs covering the bed. She didn’t look up again until she was sure he had left and she counted his heavy footsteps down the hallway until she couldn’t heard them anymore.
“They are all a little intense, aren’t they?” Kate murmured, smiling lightly. “That’s exactly how Vaxa is. It was intimidating at first, but they are all just really big softies inside.”
Cecelia almost snorted. There was nothing soft about that Luxirian. Instead of commenting on Rixavox, Cecelia questioned, “Vaxa?”
“Yes,” Kate said, touching her hand to her stomach. Cecelia started, almost forgetting that the woman in front of her was pregnant. She looked like she was five or six months along. “Vaxa’an, they call him. He’s the Prime Leader. And my mate.”
“Your…mate?”
“It’s a long story,” Kate said, that soft smile touching her pinks lips again. “But one I think we have time for.”
* * *
Rixavox tried to suppress a scowl as he strode further and further away from his mate. His Instinct yowled inside him, urging him to return to her side, to ensure her safety, to feel her touch. He could physically perceive the distance between them growing, an unsettling sensation and one he’d never encountered before. But Kat had ordered him to leave. And if he disrespected the lavrix’an, he disrespected Vaxa’an, his leader, his brother in war, and his friend.
Sometimes his duty clashed with his desires. He didn’t like it, but he accepted it, as any trained warrior would.
You will see her again soon, he reminded himself. Rixavox would escort her to the northern lands, his true home, where he felt most at peace with himself. He would take her there to help restore her health and strength. He would do everything in his power to win her over. He would not think of the possibility that when she was cured of her illness, she would choose to return to her home planet. For now, he would think of the immediate present. As a war general and Ambassador to his people, his strength lay in his ability to form and execute plans efficiently and effectively. In courting his mate, he would do the same.
The mating dance was like war. One either lost or won. One was either ravaged or victorious.
Rixavox would do everything in his power to ensure their outcome was the latter.
FIVE
“That…” Cecelia started to say, her lips parted, her gaze straying to Kate’s stomach for the millionth time. She licked her lips, struggling to process everything that the pretty, curvy brunette had just told her. “That’s…”
“Unbelievable?” Kate finished for her.
“I didn’t mean—”
“That’s okay,” Kate said. “Trust me, if I was in your shoes listening to my crazy story, I’d probably have the same exact look on my face too.”
“Just to get this straight,” Cecelia murmured slowly, rubbing her brow, “Vaxa won you in his fight at the Pit and took you here, where you’ve become his queen. And there’s this thing inside him, this force called an Instinct, that basically binds you two together as, as mates. And now you’re pregnant with his child?”
Kate let out a little chuckle and despite the insane situation Cecelia found herself in, laughing felt like the only response.
“Essentially, yes,” Kate confirmed.
“Okay,” Cecelia murmured, letting out a quick breath. “Okay.”
“I explained to Vaxa that his participation in the Pit was wrong. That was why Vaxa ordered a rescue mission for you and the others. You see, they value women. They believe that crimes against women are the worst crimes that a male could possibly commit. Even more so now.”
“Why now?” Cecelia questioned, her mind reeling from the influx of information.
“Because of the Plague. Their enemies, about ten years ago, or so I gathered, unleashed this virus into Luxiria’s atmosphere. Many of their women died. The rest were rendered infertile.”
She took in a sharp breath.
Kate looked down at her stomach and a sad smile crossed her features. “It was why Vaxa felt he had no choice but to participate in the Pit. He’d heard a rumor that humans were compatible breeding partners. He felt it was his duty as Prime Leader to try to save his race from dying out. It doesn’t make what he did right, but all the same, I’m glad he found me. And I’m glad that you were all taken from that horrible place, that they reached you in time before…”
Cecelia sobered. She’d tried to block out her experiences in the Pit. She hadn’t been there very long before they’d been rescued, but thinking about spending another moment in that dark, filthy room, as they waited to be led into that blazing hot arena, like cows for slaughter, made her feel sick to her stomach.
“So we can trust them?” Cecelia asked softly. “Because I’ll be honest…I haven’t exactly made up my mind yet.”
“They are trustworthy,” Kate said, serious. “You will not be mistreated here. And you will all return home if you wish, I promise.”
“If we wish?” Cecelia asked. “You think some of us will want to stay?”
Kate let out a soft breath and lifted her shoulders in a very human gesture, a very comforting one. “Vaxa gave me the choice to leave. I chose him. I chose to stay. Anything is possible.”
Cecelia went quiet, thinking over Kate’s words. For some reason, her mind flashed briefly to Rixavox, to that intense look on his face that had made her shiver with awareness. But awareness of what?
And why was she thinking about him?
“It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?” Cecelia said, with a small laugh that filled the room. “That this is all real, I mean. It is real, isn’t it? I’m not completely crazy?�
��
Kate leaned forward and placed a warm, soft hand on her forearm. “I can guarantee you, that your time here will be like nothing you could have imagined.”
Cecelia blew out a breath and squeezed Kate’s hand. “I truly believe that.”
“And, of course, I’ll explain this to the other women, that they don’t need to worry about their future here,” Kate continued. “I just wanted to come see you first since I understand that you will be leaving shortly with Rixavox.”
Cecelia nibbled on her lip, her heart stuttering at his name and because of her nerves for her impending ‘treatment.’ “Yes. Possibly tomorrow, I think.”
Kate stood from the bed, righting her weight carefully. She smiled mischievously. “I meant what I said. Watch out for him. Unless you want to end up like me,” she joked, placing a hand on her stomach. “Luxirians are…potent.”
Cecelia was struck speechless for a moment as she stared at Kate’s swollen belly. The intense longing she felt surprised her, because she thought that she’d accepted her body’s limitations.
“I don’t think I have to worry about that,” Cecelia murmured, trying to infuse some lightness into her tone. “I can’t have children.”
“Oh,” Kate murmured, eyeing her.
“It’s okay though,” Cecelia said carefully, with a well-practiced smile. “I doubt I’d be a good mother anyways.”
It was one of many excuses she’d always given if the subject came up. One that rolled off her tongue effortlessly, as though Cecelia herself had even begun to believe it.
Kate studied her closely and Cecelia felt herself squirm a little bit. But Cecelia didn’t see pity, which was what she always prepared herself for. Instead, she saw something like understanding.
Softly, Kate said, “Like I said…anything is possible here.”
Cecelia drew in a sharp breath, the words unexpected. They sparked something in her, something that she hadn’t allowed herself to feel fully for a very long time. Hope.
Was it possible that she was meant to be in this place? That everything that had happened to her had led her there for a reason?
No, that was crazy.
Wasn’t it?
Tears welled up in her eyes and Cecelia blinked them away, hoping that Kate wouldn’t see.
It’s just exhaustion, Cecelia told herself. And feeling overwhelmed.
It took her a moment to compose herself but when she did, Cecelia looked up at Kate and gave her an honest smile. It was probably the most honest smile she’d given anyone in the past few years.
“Thank you,” was all she said.
Kate nodded at her, holding her gaze for a second more, before turning to the door. “Now, rest, sweetie,” the woman told her. “The northern lands are quite far and you’ll need your strength for the trip. I’ll go speak with the others right now and then check on you before I leave, okay? You’ll be able to sleep better in here.”
“Okay,” Cecelia said, licking her lips.
Sleep sounded wonderful. And sure enough, after Kate left and closed the swooshing door behind her, sleep claimed Cecelia quickly.
Her last coherent thought was about Rixavox and that look he’d given her. It was a look that had made her feel like she was the only woman in the entire world.
Hell, the entire universe…
It haunted her dreams.
SIX
Rixavox woke early the next span. It had been a restless sleep, tossing beneath the thin furs. Stolen, disjointed images of Sessela had infiltrated his dreams and more than once, he’d reached out for her, half asleep, only to feel frustration and disappointment and eagerness fill him, knowing that she wasn’t resting safely beside him, but knowing that soon he would be near her again. He’d dreamed of her voice and he swore that he’d been on the verge of cumming in his sleep more than once.
It was possibly the longest night he’d ever experienced.
He padded to the generous washroom off his sleeping quarters, completely nude, his cock erect and throbbing. He had heard tales of newly awakened Instincts within Luxirian males. From those accounts, he knew his cock would be in this state until matehood was consummated. Briefly, he debated releasing some tension himself, but knew it would be no use. He wouldn’t fill the aching void until he was joined with his mate, his luxiva. Rixavox knew this with certainty.
Quickly, he bathed away the night and dressed in his leg coverings and a thin tunic. His blood had thickened over the rotations in the northern lands. The heat of the Golden City no longer soothed him, as it did most Luxirians. Instead, he felt like he was being slowly suffocated. He longed for the cold bite of Velraxa, her frigid, bracing winds, her silver frosted mountains.
Would Sessela like it there? Or would it be too harsh for a human female?
He frowned, not liking that he didn’t know. He would bring up all his extra furs from storage and purchase more for her, if needed. Velraxa excelled in large game hunting, being so far north, so their furs were highly prized by all Luxirians. But Rixavox would purchase the absolute best for his luxiva.
And he would line their sleeping platform with the warmest and softest of furs.
He grit his teeth as desire washed over him, anticipation making him antsy. But then he felt ashamed in himself. She was sickened with hellixaxava. His only priority at the moment was to see her healed. Only after she restored her health would he actively pursue courting her for matehood.
Of course, he might slip every now and again. Even in that brief, stolen moment at the command center, she’d made him lose all reason. Would he really be able to keep his hands to himself while she healed?
I must, he resolved, steeling his mind. He’d been weak the last span, caught unaware by the power of his Instinct. He would never dishonor her again by acting on his lusts without her encouragement.
Crossing over to a hidden drawer in his sleeping quarters, he popped it open and took out the only personal item he’d brought with him to the Golden City from Velraxa. The small carving fit easily in his large palm and he curled his fist inward, feeling the smooth edges dig into his flesh. It was a miniature privixi, carved from the stone of a facev. Its ears were long and the carving somehow managed to capture its long, soft fur, and its elongated eyes.
His blood brother had given it to him when they’d been youths. And he kept it to remember. Grief and horror and longing and happiness swirled within him, as confusing as it was maddening.
He cursed and slowly unclenched his fist, seeing the stone animal carving lying in his palm, as innocent as his brother had been the day he’d given it to him. Rixavox slipped the carving into the pocket in his leg coverings, tucking it out of sight.
He’d spent the majority of the past ten rotations trying to distance himself from his brother’s past sins, sins that had effected their entire family. Yet, he still had the memory of his brother, always close.
Looking around his quiet sleeping quarters once more, Rixavox knew he hadn’t left anything else behind. He would be back to the Golden City soon, to return his luxiva to Privanax for the next stage of her treatment. He already felt changed, altered, since seeing her. He wondered how different he would be the next time he stepped foot in his dwelling here. He wondered if his dreams would come to fruition. He wondered if when he reached out for her in the night, would she be there, next to him?
Fierce longing made him growl, knowing that he shouldn’t fantasize about things that might never come true. It would only set him up for disappointment.
He couldn’t help it though. Not many Luxirian males found their fated mates, the rarest of all mating partnerships. The Fates had blessed him, for whatever reason.
Rixavox left his dwelling shortly after, boarding his hovercraft on the terrace outside, before shooting it up into the sky with a gentle hum. He set his destination towards the research labs, knowing that he would need to meet with Privanax once more before he escorted Sessela to Velraxa. From the compartment on his hovercraft, he pulled out his heavy
fur coverings, readying them for his human female so that she would be warm enough for their journey.
Privanax was waiting near the entrance of the labs, as if expecting his arrival. His face was grim, but then again, it almost always was, so Rixavox paid him no mind. When he landed his hovercraft, black sand billowing out beneath it, covering the healer’s dark boots, Rixavox hopped down and nodded his head in greeting.
“Is she ready?” he asked, trying to keep his voice level. The healer already suspected that Rixavox’s Instinct had awakened for her. No need to give him full confirmation.
“Tev. She is at the command center with the Prime Leader and Kat. She wished to speak with the other females, to say her ‘goodbyes,’ whatever that means,” the healer said, eyeing him closely.
Rixavox immediately craned his head in the direction of the command center, not far from the research labs, as if he would be able to see her from there. “I will go to her then.”
“Ambassador,” Privanax called, stopping him from returning to his hovercraft. He held up a tool he recognized, one for scanning the body. It had been used on him many times so that the healer could monitor his health, especially after a prolonged battle off planet. “Once a span, you will use this on her and send me the findings through the Coms. Remind me which healer is based at Velraxa.”
“Kirzalla,” Rixavox replied.
Privanax scowled and Rixavox almost smirked, wondering if the rumors were true about the two healers once being pleasure partners when they’d been younger. If they had been, it seemed that their partnering had not ended well.
“Fine. I will make contact with her after you depart with the human female. I will tell her what to expect and send over my findings. She can aid you if you need assistance.”
Rixavox took the scanner from Privanax and placed it safely in the hovercraft compartment, packing it in so it would not get damaged from their journey.
Rixavox boarded his hovercraft, revving the power. Before he departed, however, Privanax caught his attention when he pulled a small bracelet from his tunic pocket. The healer seemed slightly uncomfortable as he handed it up to Rixavox.