The Beast's Chosen (Astral Heat Book 3)

by Hunter, Ashley

  His race of aliens had invaded her planet, killed her people and her family, and taken her home and job from her. Not only that, but the memories from before she’d passed out were coming back to her. And with that, she started to feel every punch, hit, and pull on her skin.

  As if the alien could sense that pain, he reached out for her.

  “Do you feel pain?”

  “Stay away from me,” she hissed, wrapping her arms around herself. It was hard to see him clearly, but she managed to see his jaw tic. From frustration? She narrowed her eyes on him, and opened her mouth to—wait a second. She can understand him? “You speak English?”

  “No,” he said, staring at her intently. He didn’t supply anything else. Just that one word, and then he stared at her like she was a bug he’d never seen before.

  “Then…then how can I understand you?”

  He reached forward, and she flinched. She expected to feel pain, but all the alien did was pause, wait for her to calm down, and then continued reaching for her. She held her breath, heart pounding. Was he going to rip off her ear? Yank her hair out?

  “This device helps...” He continued speaking, but when he touched her ear and pulled something out, she suddenly couldn’t understand him. When he put it back in, she heard him finish off with, “…us understand each other better.”

  “But why bother?” she asked, holding the sheet up over her neck. The chill in the room was starting to get to her, and she shivered. “If you’re just going to kill me, why bother help us understand each other.”

  “I have no plans to kill you, human.”

  She snorted, barely able to speak. Her teeth would chatter if she unclenched her jaw, and she didn’t want this alien to know just how week she was. Was it getting colder?

  “I speak truthfully.” He almost sounded offended that she didn’t believe him. His eyes narrowed on her.

  “You are cold. Why did you not say anything?” The alien stood quickly, crossing the room and going to a cabinet. The whole room was white. It almost reminded her of a hospital, but it was way more advanced and sleek.

  The light above them was blinding and white, just like all of the strange equipment that was backed up to the walls. When he stood in front of its doors, it opened before him without his help.

  She refused to look at him while he covered her with blankets. This had to be some kind of joke. His kind were killers. They knew nothing of kindness, nothing of mercy. There was no way this wasn’t a game to him.

  “Human,” he said quietly as he covered her, “I mean this when I say it. I have no plans to kill you. You will relax now.”

  She bit her lip. Was it common for his kind to boss people around? Or was he doing it because he felt she was inferior to him? The latter was probably a better guess.

  “Lay back, please.” She ignored his request, staying with her back against the wall and her arms over her chest—even though he couldn’t see that because of the blankets he’d tucked around her, it still feel good to be so stupidly rebellious. “Human.”

  There was nothing short of a warning in that deep voice. Now she understood why the other aliens had ceased attacking her when he’d commanded it. He had an imposing voice. It was so deep and strong, that even with one word it had her shivering. Something inside of her told her to listen, but she didn’t listen.

  “You will lay back, Human,” he said. It sounded like a threat. Well, she thought with a grimace, he could threaten her all he wanted. This was only a game for him. She was eventually going to be killed by this alien or his people.

  He sighed, then stood by the end of the cot she was on. Before she could do anything, he was grabbing her feet and yanking her down so that her back was on the bed, and she was laying like he’d requested—or rather, demanded.

  “You will listen to me, Human. I will not hurt you. I only want you to heal so that I can send you away. The more you listen to me, the sooner you will be gone.”

  “What?” She couldn’t have heard him right. He wanted her to heal? “If your kind hadn’t tried to kill me, I could be on my way already.”

  “They do not share the same views as I,” he admitted, sitting next to her. He picked up a remote from a nearby table. When he pressed a button, the back of her bed elevated so that she was reclining enough to make eye contact with him.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, watching intently as he swiveled in the stool. He picked up a bowl and spoon, then handed it to her.

  Even if she could trust what was in that bowl, she wouldn’t have been able to take it. Her hands were too swollen to hold anything.

  “The killing of innocents. I do not condone it. I fight the war for the brothers I have lost and because I am commanded to, not because I agree with it. If I can save one human who does not deserve to die, then I have done good.”

  What an odd thing for an alien to say, she thought.

  He seemed to realize she couldn’t take the bowl from him, and dipped the spoon into it. When he held it up to her mouth, she turned her head around. Who knows what that could be! Some sort of alien slime made to kill her? No way. She wasn’t eating any of it.

  “It’s oatmeal,” he said, bemused. “We have grown to like some of the human effects on this planet. I myself enjoy the oatmeal.”

  She eyed it dubiously. “Is there anything else in there that you’re not telling me about?”

  “No. I have been giving you injections to help the healing process. From our calculations, humans take a significantly longer time to heal than us. If not for the shots, you would be held here for a few months.”

  “A few months? How bad am I?”

  The alien set the bowl in his lap, then picked up a tablet from the same place he’d grabbed the oatmeal. As he scrolled through it, his lips pressed and dark brown brows furrowed.

  “You suffered from a broken rib, internal bleeding, and your kidney was severely damaged.”

  She reeled. In all of her life, she had not had so much as a broken leg. The worst that she’d gone through was nose bleeds every once in a while, and that was because of dry air!

  “I have taken care of most of your injuries,” he assured her. “Unfortunately, broken bones taken the longest to heal. We have medicine that took care of everything else.”

  “Why are you doing all of this for me?” she asked quietly, staring right at him. “No one would waste their resources on the enemy, no matter how much against ‘killing’ they are. Why are you really doing this?”

  The alien slowly set down the tablet. For a while there, she thought he wasn’t going to answer her—but he did.

  “I will be honest with you, human. I have been curious about your kind since the war began. I have not had this close of an interaction before, and I am simply…curious,” he repeated.

  “I do not mean to cause you harm. I will take care of you. And you, in turn, will tell me about your kind.” This time, when he held out the bowl and spoon, she grudgingly took accepted it. It tasted just like normal oatmeal. If only they knew about brown sugar oatmeal, or even strawberries in cream.

  Still, she wasn’t going to complain. It had been a while since she’d had anything other than canned veggies.

  “What makes you think I’m going to go along with that? Why would I tell you, my enemy, about my people? You’ve destroyed my town! My home, my life! What makes you think I’ll blindly tell you about us?”

  “If you give me information about humans and some things I’ve acquired, I will make sure you are taken to a safe place once you’re fully healed. I have a list of locations that we’re attacking—some towns are not being touched so that we can study your kind once we win the war. I can ensure you go to one of them.”

  “And the alternative?”

  “There is none. You will go to a safe town, whether you aid me or not. But you will at least look at the things I’ve collected, human. I assure you, nothing I have will compromise your people.” She took another bite of the oatmeal.

  �
��I’ll think about it,” she said, although she already knew she wasn’t going to tell him anything. His kind didn’t deserve the knowledge. His kind were nothing but killers, regardless of what he was trying to sell her.

  “I will also keep you safe from the rest of my kind. They would not approve of me keeping you here, alive.”

  “Well, that’s nice to know,” she murmured, starting to relax with the more food she had in her stomach. He fed her in silence, eventually scooting the swivel chair closer to her so that he could lean over her.

  He really was tall, she thought as he fed her another spoonful. Tall and large. He wore different clothing than the aliens who had attacked her, and unlike them, he also wore badges on his shoulder. The pitch black jacket had a high collar, and it folded down to blend into the lapels. His pants were black as well, and the hem was tucked into military style boots.

  Unlike the aliens who had attacked her, he looked human in that getup. Or he would, if he weren’t so gorgeous. Now that she was a little more comfortable, with food in her stomach and warm blankets covering her, she had time to really take in the man who had saved her.

  He had dark olive skin and flowing brunette hair that, if they had both been humans and not enemies, she would have been able to run her hands through. It made sense that his kind was so much darker in tone—planet he came from was reported to be closer to their sun than earths was. He looked almost Italian, but ten thousand times more gorgeous.

  She could only image what he looked like under the clothes. His body was probably defined, with even his veins looking like they muscles.

  “Do you want more?” he asked. By the deepness of his voice and the concentrated look on his face, it was clear to her that he’d been studying her just as she had him. Had he liked what he’d seen? Did it really matter to her?

  She shook her head, turn relaxed into the cot and turned her face away.

  Amber had to remind herself that he was an alien. Hot or not, savior or not, he—was—an—alien.

  Chapter Four

  Branton, second commander of the Asirian Rainar fleet, strode down the hall. The Lord Commander had called the alien warrior to his quarters a while ago, but he’d been preoccupied with the earthling.

  The guard at the door nodded him in, obviously expecting him.

  “I called for you an hour ago, Branton.” The LC was standing at the window, and didn’t turn around for his guest. It was not required—the LC was the one person who did not have to show respect to his people. If it had been reversed, Branton would have been obligated to bow.

  “I am aware. I had to take care of something pressing.”

  “Either way. How has the docking been going?” The LC didn’t take his eyes off of the window. The town they had destroyed—or rather “city”, as the earthlings called it—was still simmering. The vessel was large enough that he could overlook the burning city with pleasure. Flames and smoke filled the sky.

  Branton kept his eyes on the LC as he spoke. He didn’t approve of the useless killing and destruction of this planet. Many others deserved it, but not this one. He had learned the truth of their communications from the beginning a while ago, and knew it had all started with a young male.

  But alas, their race was a violent one. His kind craved the destruction, the flames and smoke and dying screams. It was all a game for them. A way to spend their time. A way to have some fun with weaker species.

  “Docking was successful. Warriors only found one earthling and they’ve since taken care of her.”

  “Good,” the LC murmured. “Listen. I have received a communication request from a peace ambassador of this planet. I am not sure if I want this to end or not. What say you?”

  As the second in command of the head fleet, he was often asked advice when the LC wasn’t sure on issues.

  “This war has been going on for nearly twenty earth years. I think we’ve ravaged their land and killed enough of their people. When would this meeting take place?” He thought back to the earthling he’d saved, to the fear in her eyes when she’d first noticed him. Yes, it was time for all of this to end.

  “In two weeks. I am not sure that I’ve had my fill of it here, though. Everything is so flammable,” the LC pointed out, chuckling softly. Normally, he would laugh with the male. But not now. Not after he’d seen the rage in the earthlings eyes when she’d said his kind had taken her people, his kind had destroyed their planet.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the thoughts. It was not because of the female that he wanted this to end. It was because it was time. Branton had to ignore the feeling in his gut that told him it was mostly the latter.

  “We have better ventures to finish out, my lord. Better and bigger ventures. I know the H’raia people has been sending threats to us in the past several years. Their planet is much more bountiful.”

  The LC nodded, finally turning away from the window and facing Branton. “You are correct in that. I have always valued your mind, warrior.”

  Branton bowed his head respectfully. “And I have always valued your leadership, my lord.” He paused, debating whether he should follow through with his request. “Once we are finished docking, do I have your permission to stay on my vessel? Or would you prefer me to stay in my quarters here.”

  The LC waved his hand. “When we are finished, you may go. I do, however, need you to assist me at this peace meeting.”

  “Of course.” He’d known his request would be accepted. It was all a matter of weighing the risks. If the LC found out he was harboring an earthling, he would surely feel the flames of their afterlife’s inferno. But then, the LC rarely left his quarters.

  Branton finished giving him updates, and then left the LC to return to the earthling. Because of the fact that his men would love to kill the female, he had changed the access codes to the infirmary so that only he had access. Once the female was in his quarters, he would chance it back to general. It was only a matter of getting her transported to his quarters without being noticed, he thought wearily.

  And he would have to figure it out tonight. He could only have the access codes changed for so long before someone took notice and brought it to the LC’s attention. Branton headed to the infirmary now, hating what he was about to do to the earthling—but it had to be done, if she wanted to live.

  Quickly typing in the access key and letting the biometric system scan his eye, once he was through doors, he headed to the infirmary. She would probably still be asleep—he had left her only moments ago. As much as she needed the rest, she needed to be in a safe place more. The infirmary wouldn’t stay safe.

  He made one other stop before going to her room, and was not surprised to see that she was still asleep.

  Branton hesitated, then gently took her shoulder. He had not lied to her when he’d listed off her injuries. Luckily for his medicine, she only had a broken rib to worry about, and even then it would be healed by tomorrow. He had, however, lied when he had said she had to stay for a few weeks.

  He wanted to know about her kind, and this was his last chance at learning before the peace treaty.

  The female took a while to rouse, but when she came to, the first thing in those blue eyes was fear. Something about that look on her face made his teeth grind. He didn’t understand why—nor did he care to dig deeper into it. He just knew that her fear of him made him uncomfortable, even though it wasn’t uncalled for.

  “I need to move you, human,” he said, setting down a pile of clothes. They were the medic clothes that his kind wore. No one would question them while he took them to his quarters. No one would suspect that she was a human.

  The warriors that had attacked her were required to reside outside of the vessel, to protect it in case there was an attack. Only the commanders and medical personal were allowed to stay in the vessel.

  She narrowed her eyes on him.

  “I don’t understand,” she said. “Why can I not just stay here?”

  “Because,” he said, w
ishing she would just cooperate. “Others cannot know you are here. If you stay in my quarters, you will be safe.”

  “’In your quarters’?” she echoed, eyes widening. “You mean, I have to stay with you?”

  He paused. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Yes!” she answered, scooting up and holding the blankets to her chest. “I want to stay here. Just lock the doors on your way out—or, better yet, send me to that place you were talking about.”

  Branton shook his head. “I cannot. Get up, human. You are coming with me.”

  “And if I don’t want to?” she said, chin tilting with attitude.

  He raised a brow at her. “You remember what happens when you do not listen, don’t you?”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “Oh, I would. And I will. So either you get dressed while I step out of the room, or I help you. Which do you prefer, human?”

  The female eyed the clothing with distaste, then sighed angrily. “Since I don’t have a choice in this, I’ll dress myself.”

  “Good.” Without another word, he strode to the door—but that didn’t stop him from involuntarily looking back at her just as she gingerly pushed the blankets off of her. With just that small glance at her, something happened to his body. Something almost painful, hot. Like someone had shoved a red-hot blade into his gut.

  Branton forced himself to walk out, and the pain went away just as quickly as it had come.

  What had happened to him? Why had it happened? He rubbed his stomach, thinking back to the phantom pain. Surely, he hadn’t just felt the mating burn?

  He hadn’t felt it when he had first undressed her—but then, he had been careful to avoid looking at her body out of respect and guilt. And he had also not known how entrancing it would be to watch her eat the oatmeal. He had not known that her lips would be plump around the spoon, either. Nor that when her face wasn’t lined with fear, it was actually…beautiful, in a way.