Celestial Mates Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) (Alien SciFi Romance)

by C. J. Scarlett

  Linking his handheld to the ship’s computer, he retrieved the data. “You ladies must have started as they first began arriving. This information will save our team a lot of time.”

  Madison smirked. “At least you didn’t say young ladies.”

  Lar almost smiled. “I learned my lesson about that, Miss Madison.”

  Madison was thrilled that he didn’t immediately send her away. He’d been a little more accepting of her as of late. It gave her hope. They got to work processing the women who were standoffish at first but relaxed under the gentle care of the clones.

  Everything was going great until the last shuttles arrived from Earth. Madison watched with a practiced eye, intending to greet the last few females. What she saw literally blew her mind. Grabbing Kaylee’s arm, she exclaimed. “What the hell do you call that?”

  They watched as Gov soldiers poured out of the shuttles. There were at least thirty of them. These huge burly men were the most aggressive males the military had to offer. Real bad asses were distinguished with brutal facial tattoos running along one side of their faces. They got a new addition to the intricate design for every kill. They looked to her sharp eyes like a Special Forces strike team. Where they went, death followed. They were the only units in Earth Gov military that were still predominately male. Most soldiers in the general ranks were female these days, due to the chronic shortage of males.

  They unloaded trunk after trunk of equipment, ignoring all else going on around them in their rush to unload their cargo. Madison’s stomach twisted to think of what those crates might be concealing from their view. She hoped it was just their clothing and gear; fear snaked its way through her gut as she realized it could be munitions of every shape, size, and lethality.

  Stark fear overrode every other emotion as she watched the primitive display of raw power. What in God’s name were Earth Gov soldiers doing on their ship? The ship Kaylee was coming to think of as her new home. Glancing around, she saw the women, frozen in place as they watched one of the men moving toward the group of clones processing the women. Madison and her sister instinctively moved closer to Lar and Jacob.

  Whoever the man was, he wore death and destruction on a leash. He didn’t walk, so much as stalk towards them, roughly shoving several women aside to reach them. Lar stepped immediately in front of her. His stance felt protective. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jacob do the same for Kaylee. She saw Lar flick something on his wrist com and everyone’s com bracelets glowed with a white ring.

  As the man approached, he stated gruffly. “My name is Sergeant William Stevens. Who’s in charge here?”

  Prying Madison’s hand off his bicep, Lar stepped forward to greet the man. “I am Lar Jalon. These are my medics. Do you have urgent medical needs?”

  “Of course not. I need you to scan me and my men so we can proceed to our quarters.”

  “This is a medical triage in progress. We work from the most seriously ill to the least. Our procedure ensures the safety of our new brides. Since you and your team have no medical issues, you will be processed last.”

  “That’s unacceptable. We have important operational planning to work on. Our needs should come before that of your… cargo.”

  Lar opened his mouth to speak and before he could get the words out, Korban spoke up, drawing attention to the three princes as they entered the bay. Madison’s eyes moved from Korban, whom she’d met once to Shar Jalon whom she spoken with on many occasions to the new face. The Candorian must be the one they call Koal. Together, they made up the ruling elite of the alliance. “Lar Jalon, you sent an alert about a crime taking place.”

  Looking at the Sergeant, he explained. “Mr. Stevens had his hands on our females.”

  “Is this true?”

  “Who cares? I didn’t strike any of your dirty little scruffs.”

  Madison spoke up to verify Lar’s report. “He may not have hit them but he was unnecessarily rough and shoved them around. The newcomers are weak and in no position to defend themselves. If showing so little regard for human life is not an actual crime, it should be.”

  The belligerent male glared at her. “I don’t know who in the hell you think you are, lady. You don’t seem particularly smart, so let me break this down for you. My team members provide a valuable contribution to Earth. They should be prioritized before women who chose to whore themselves out to aliens.”

  “Spouting that kind of garbage may be all kinds of amusing on Earth. Have a look around. You’re on a freaking alien vessel. Here women have value, even scruffs.”

  The man stretched his neck as if trying to exercise his last bit of patience with her. “As a representative of Earth Gov, I’m warning you not to interfere in official military affairs. It is a treasonable offense.”

  “Do not threaten Miss Madison for speaking out against your poor treatment of our new females. She is correct in her belief that females have value aboard this vessel. Speaking one’s mind is every person’s right. All these women are beyond the reach of your government now. When you threaten and mistreat them, you disrespect the alliance between our worlds.” Lar’s voice carried a note of fury Madison had never heard from the gentle doctor and his body practically vibrated with anger.

  Shar Jalon spoke. “Enough. Computer, play holographic projection five microns prior to Lar Jalon’s alert.” A large holographic image came up and they watched as the sergeant shoved several females, sending one careening into another.”

  “It appears that my physician is correct. Recommendations?”

  Koal jerked his head towards the bay doors. “Vent him and let us break orbit.”

  Korban sighed. “I’m inclined to agree.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  Shar Jalon sighed. “Since we have not broken Earth’s orbit, I say we send him back with a message to Earth Gov.”

  “You cannot be serious. You’re going to blow your treaty with our people all to hell over a bunch of scruffs?”

  Ignoring the irate soldier, they continued to debate the point. After a few moments, the princes turned to the man. “We’re giving you one opportunity to get back on the shuttle voluntarily.”

  “This is an outrage.”

  A loud thump sounded and the man went flying back, landing on his back.

  Shar Jalon replaced the laser pistol into the holster at his hip. The room was totally quiet until Madison spoke up.

  “You’ve been carrying that around with you every day? All this time I thought it was a multi-function tool.”

  Curious eyes turned on her. “It doesn’t have a grip. It… never mind.”

  Another of the soldiers stepped forward. “I think we got off on the wrong foot here. Our sergeant is a good guy. A bit high strung but… look he’s like that with everyone, not just women.”

  “Well, thanks for clearing that up. He’s definitely unfit to command. Who’s your second in command?”

  “That would be Captain Sterling. He’s…”

  “A coward for not stepping forward. What’s your name?”

  Sighing, the soldier replied. “Captain Douglas.”

  Korban made an imperious slashing motion with his hand. “You are now in charge. Put Sterling and the idiot on the floor in one of the shuttles and send them back down to Earth. We break orbit in sixty microns and I want my shuttle back. Let your men know that among the alliance, the females are our priority. You men will not approach them, touch them, or expect preferential treatment. Have your soldiers wait by the landing bay doors. Our medical team will get to them once they are finished seeing to the women and their young.”

  The captain responded politely. “If there is anything we can do to assist, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

  Madison noticed that though the new captain was cooperative, some of the other members of his team were openly tossing them annoyed looks. A brief image of her sister’s attack flashed through her mind, leading her to speak out of turn.

  “Do they ha
ve to stay aboard our vessel?”

  Lar turned to her. “Do they make you feel uncomfortable?”

  Koal answered, “I’m sure they will make the females on every ship uncomfortable. We could put them into stasis until we arrive on the Sylon home world.”

  Shar Jalon glanced at the group which was almost exclusively male. “Leave them on our vessel. We have secluded them in a little-used area of the ship and restricted their access. On your ship, they will constantly have access to your advanced technology. Our ship is low tech and our warriors will ensure they do not interact with the females.”

  Koal lowered his voice. “What of the female soldiers? Are they safe?”

  “We are mixing them with a group of our warriors. Eyes will be on them at all times.”

  Korban nodded. “I suggest that both Koal and I send warriors to mingle as well. We should make it clear that we stand united, will tolerate no mistreatment of women, and we expect them to uphold the spirit of the treaty with Earth Gov.”

  Koal jerked his chin towards the soldiers still dragging their sergeant to the shuttle. “This is not a good start.”

  “I agree, Koal. Earth Gov is not to be trusted until they prove themselves. We must stand united and show them the way. Shar Jalon is to be commended for volunteering to house them aboard his vessel.”

  Madison liked the princes and felt some measure of safety with them in charge. They looked kindly upon the huge assortment of ragtag women. Though she had no idea why Earth Gov military was aboard the ship, she was inclined to trust Shar Jalon.

  The doors separating the loading bay from the rest of the ship slid open. Selene and her mother, Elaine, stepped forward.

  A cross voice rang out for all to hear. “Hells bells, Korban. You’ve never locked me out before. What’s going on in here?”

  Korban held out his hand and Selene stepped immediately into his embrace. “A little trouble with the human soldiers. Nothing to worry about, my little Fire Princess.”

  They watched Elaine come to Koal’s side and he slid his arm around her. When she looked up at him, she shared a brief knowing smile. It was clear to Madison that both couples were securely bonded.

  The three princes stepped to the front of the room. Korban moved forward and spoke first.

  “On behalf of the Sylon Alliance, we welcome you. We are pleased to have so many beautiful faces. The gods have favored us with children as well. I need to first ask anyone who did not volunteer to come on this venture to step forward.”

  Everyone looked around but none came forward. He motioned for the shuttle to take off. Madison was shocked that he apparently intended to send back any who were forced or coerced into the brides program. These rulers were very different from the ones on Earth.

  He continued his welcome speech. “We are grateful that you have chosen to live on our world. Sylon is now ruled by three families. We have upwards of a million people who reside in several large and modern cities. I rule the largest and most established continent with my mate, Lady Selene. She and her mother have been instrumental in advocating on your behalf.”

  Selene smiled at everyone. Waving her hand around, she explained. “Believe it or not, we actually have a plan in place to manage all this. There are too many of you for any one ship, so we’re going to divide you up evenly between the three ships. It’ll take around three months to travel to our home world, but it’ll be worth the trip. It’s a beautiful world. The air is clean, the beaches are beautiful, and the sun is pink. I loved it there and can’t wait to get back. You’ll see a lot of me if you end up on our vessel.”

  Shar Jalon stepped forward and spoke with an understated elegance that Madison loved. “My name is Shar Jalon. The Shardon have accepted Prince Korban’s generous offer of joint leadership of his world. It gives us a place of respite in this sector. Our people are looking forward to establishing a modern settlement on one of the larger continents. We are without females and pray that you will consider us as worthy mates.”

  The alien with a fin on his head stepped forward with the more mature redhead at his side. “My name is Prince Koal and this is Elaine. She is the human female who stole my heart. My water is now her water. The Candorian people are an aquatic species. We have joined the alliance with the hopes of finally having a home world. We will establish large underwater dome cities. Whether or not you are interested in mating with our people, please know we will ferry you safely to your new home world.”

  Elaine spoke to the crowd of women who were now totally enthralled with the conversation. “Welcome to the alliance. You should know that the Candorian people are the only member of our alliance not in desperate need of women. Their females are plentiful, kind, and intelligent. However, every now and then Candorian males do select brides from other worlds. I was fortunate to capture the notice of one such man. He accepted both me and my two young daughters. If you come with children, do not think yourself a burden. The alliance welcomes them as well their mothers. Whatever male you choose will only think better of you for having a child at your side.”

  The visitors stayed for a couple of hours, meeting and getting to know everyone. Madison noticed that Kaylee stuck with Shar Jalon, introducing him and smoothing the social interactions for him. She prayed every step of the way that he would find a woman who drew him. No matter how many he spoke to, his face didn’t light up even once. As they finished up, the newcomers were escorted to their quarters aboard the three vessels.

  Madison learned something important. She truly enjoyed working at Lar’s side. Just handing him equipment, holding children while he examined their mothers, and keeping the line moving for him made her feel useful. She’d watched Kaylee from across the room as she worked. There was something about having them both close that felt right. It felt like a wonderful dream. One that she hoped never to wake from.

  CHAPTER 8

  ~Madison~

  Madison slid into Lar’s lab as he scribbled notes on his personal tablet. For some reason, the room was dimly lit and the screen cast a soft glow against his handsome features.

  “Are you well, Madison?” He spoke without looking up.

  “Am I in trouble for speaking up in the loading bay?”

  “Of course not. I was quite serious about you having the right to speak your mind whenever you like. Every member of the alliance would fight to protect that right.”

  “Hopefully, it’ll never come to that.”

  “You did really well today. If not for your hard work, I might still be there.” His voice was softer and warmer than she could ever remember it being before. It made her feel appreciated and valued.

  “You did all the heavy lifting. I love being your sidekick.”

  Smiling, he continued to scroll through information on the little screen. “You were more helpful than you realize.”

  “It really worried me when you stepped out to talk to that butthead of a sergeant.”

  Still not looking up, he commented, “I noticed that. What were you so concerned about?”

  “You getting hurt. I didn’t want anything to happen to you. Earth Gov soldiers can be aggressive animals sometimes.”

  Looking up, his eyes landed on her. “Interesting that you think I can’t.”

  “You’re nothing like that crazy Sergeant Stevens.” Embarrassed by the veracity of her own words, she looked away. “You’re a gentleman. I like that about you. You have a nice way about you.”

  “All clones are trained in warfare first. Then we are chosen for a specialty. I doubt he could hurt me.”

  “Guess I don’t have to worry about leaving bruises on your arm from grabbing onto you. I let my anxiety get the better of me.”

  Putting down the tablet, he walked over to her. “Few people worry about the safety of clones. We’re often seen as expendable because we’re so easy to replace.”

  Madison stepped forward and grabbed the front of his shirt. “You matter to me, Lar. If anything happened to you, I’d be heartbroken.”

>   Bringing his arms up around her, he pulled her close. “Stop thinking about it. We are a resilient breed. He could have shot me at close range and I probably would have survived.”

  Moving closer, she nuzzled her face into his neck. “That’s a handy trait to have. Will our children inherit it?”

  He froze beneath her for a brief second before bringing his hand up to stroke her back. “My genes are very dominant and you are very stubborn. I suspect that if we had children, they would be not only hard to kill but too stubborn to die.”

  “Not if we had children, when we have children.” She corrected gently. “I called dibs on you today with the new human women. They all know you’re mine.”

  Lar snorted a laugh. “I can almost believe you did that.”

  Looking up into his dark eyes, she smirked. “You better believe it. I wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

  Bending down, Lar rubbed the side of his face against hers before capturing her lips. Getting kissed by the sexy doctor was like winning the lottery for Madison. Suddenly, they were moving. Turning her head out of the kiss, she realized they were heading for the door to his office. That was the place where he kept all his personal belongings. The Holy Grail of understanding her sweet, sexy clone lay just beyond that door. Hitting the door pad with his elbow, he gently kicked the door open.

  “That’s what I call talent.”

  She felt him smile against her skin. “I believe it is more eagerness than talent.”

  Excitement thrummed through her chest. “So, we’re really doing this? Cool. What changed your mind?”

  “You have spent weeks aboard our vessel and talked to an effective sampling of males. You have not kissed any of them nor did you respond positively to the human men who came aboard our vessel today. Logic tells me that your attraction must be cueing off some personal characteristic I possess. Thought I cannot figure out what that characteristic might be, I accept that you care for me.”