Assassin's Mate: A Xeno Sapiens Novel (Genetically Altered Humans Book 9)

by Rena Marks

  ASSASSIN’S

  MATE

  Rena Marks

  Asassin’s Mate

  A Xeno Sapiens Novel

  Rena Marks

  Zealish has finally found his mate—only to wake in the hospital to find out he was dreaming. The whole thing—sneaky caresses, possessive touches, caring for the one person meant to be his and his alone—vanished. A figment of his wandering imagination.

  Angela will do anything to protect her twin sister. But when she meets Zealish, who loves Everly and can’t have her, she refuses to be the substitution. His second choice. The wrong twin.

  But when Zee comes after her to save her life? Angela wonders if she’s the wrong twin after all.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  Xeno Sapiens

  Alien Stolen

  Abducted

  Space Babies

  Artificial Intelligence

  Stargazer Series

  The Hunter

  Also by Rena Marks

  Chapter One

  Zealish:

  T he lines between wake and sleep blurred for someone like Zealish. Thanks to what humans called the alien portion of his DNA, he was unihemispheric, meaning the right and left sides of his brain didn’t sleep at the same time. He was able to control slumber, have one half of his mind sleep while the other watched for predators.

  Except this time, something went incredibly wrong.

  He remembered the episode like a muddled dream. Normally, he could tell the difference between dreaming and the awake portion that happened while his other half slept. This time, it was all too heavy and he couldn’t tell the dreams from reality.

  He recalled a telepathic message about Thane, one of his Xeno Sapien friends, bringing a human into their city. And that’s where everything jumbled.

  In his dream, he’d been sitting under a tree, having dug a trench to trap his prey. The winds picked up, sending the most magnificent scent his way.

  Female. Sexual prime. And so very turned on.

  His.

  The word came across faintly in his mind, but it was enough that he picked up on it. How Thane managed to find Zee’s mate—the one being meant for him—was a miracle in itself. And because this was his dream, he could do anything he wanted.

  Including killing Thane for her.

  There was no hesitation over what he had to do. Not when he could see them approach, hand in hand like lovebirds. The female laughing as Thane tenderly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. As he helped her over a large tree stump that had rolled over the path. It wasn’t that he minded Thane being attracted to Zee’s newfound mate, of course.

  It was that she stared at him with the same bedazzled look in her eyes.

  When the jealousy cleared, he realized this was indeed the female meant for him. She looked at Thane—who was huge, green, and glowed with the subtle conduction of electricity—like he was the only male on Earth-Ground. That was the way she should be looking at Zee instead. Without judgment. Without fear. With love and lust.

  The more he thought about his appearance—the colors that swirled in his skin and would deny his human percentage—the more enhanced those other differences became. He could feel his muscles swell, rolling as though they’d explode. His limbs grew to absorb the difference and his skin color deepened even more, mottled shades of deep blues, grays, olives, even black.

  He looked down at his hand. The growing muscles seemed to rove underneath the layer of skin, giving him power as he flexed his fingers. His weight would take some getting used to, since muscle weighed so much more. The only thing that seemed to stay the same was his hair—the hair that all others, humans and Xeno Sapiens alike, coveted.

  His hair was long and bottomless black, with thick streaks of deep blue. It was shiny and dropped down his back like a sleek waterfall. Females everywhere stood slack jawed when they got a glimpse of his hair.

  That and his eyes.

  Someone referred to them as melted gold. Unfortunately, the color interfered with his other abilities which had a primary goal of hunting. It was hard to hunt when golden eyes lit the path like headlights.

  Now, as his body changed, he felt his teeth sharpen. His mouth felt fuller, as if his jaw elongated. But that could be because another row of teeth emerged, dripping with a viscous fluid that, by the tingle in his glands, could very well be poison.

  And since this was his dream, he leapt across the fields to watch Thane drop into one of his pre-dug traps. Then he set forward to greet his new mate.

  Thane’s widow.

  * * * * *

  Something was wrong. His dream had taken a dramatic turn. His new mate, Everly, whose name was twisting on his tongue as his changes grew, was terrified of him. The sweet, subtle tang of her lust had morphed into the sour taste of fear. Of revulsion. Definitely not the way his mate was supposed to feel.

  He roared in frustration.

  He would take her and force her to be his. In time, she would decide he was the better option. Dimly, he was aware of agreeing to let the others retrieve Thane, who lay broken and bloody in the pit, and allow him to be alone with his new mate. He only agreed to this because a brief moment of sanity poked its head through his dream and made him realize Thane was his friend.

  Then he was attacked from behind and put down like a dog.

  When he woke next, his cognizant brain was diminished. All that was left was a snarling mess of instinct and emotion. Animal urges like hunt. Feed. Kill.

  Hunt. Find. Smell.

  Breed.

  Where was the tantalizing mate he’d smelled? There were just brief traces of her lingering in the air. Mixed with the cloying scent of Thane.

  Anger curled his lips as he howled his frustration. He couldn’t stand the smells together. For a brief moment he received a reprieve as raw, juicy meat was thrown at him. Snarling, he bit into the tender, flavorful chunk and the new aroma saturated the happy center in his brain. He wolfed down the meal, lying replete in the sun afterward.

  A breeze caught his attention.

  Something sweet and tantalizing—but stronger than that of his mate. Oh, no. Now his animal senses knew the difference from what his human brain had told him. This new scent—as similar as it was to what he’d thought was his mate—was much, much more on the mark. It was the other half of him.

  But where was it?

  He jumped from his spot, ignoring the males that walked upright and armed themselves with the darts that made him sleepy. He ran to the area where the breeze came from—and was knocked flat on his ass.

  “Cool it, man. You can’t get past Robyn’s electrical field. You know this.”

  The twang of human language meant nothing to him. He roared in anger and tried again.

  Zaap.

  The field weakened him and left his limbs twitching uncontrollably.

  “Zee, stop, man. Stop torturing yourself. You have everything you need in there.”

  He tried one more time. He’d continue to try until the day he
died because the field was one step between him…

  And his mate.

  The electricity penetrated him with another painful zap, leaving him barely able to breathe in the dirt.

  “Tranq him before he kills himself.”

  The next time he woke, the soreness in his body reminded him of what he couldn’t have. The painful rod between his legs. He roared, shrieking for the mate that was just beyond his reach.

  That was when they began to muzzle him.

  But at least they left him alone, unless it was dawn and his meat was brought. Just when he thought nothing would change, she came to him.

  She ran, the wind kicking up her dark hair, lifting it from her face. For a time, he was confused. She looked just like the one he’d thought was his mate. But, no. As her hair continued to fly in the wind, he noticed one marked difference. A pink slash of skin from the top of her cheekbone and across her temple that buried in the thick hair. She ran right toward him, the electricity that kept him caged never even touching her.

  All his animalistic urges could accept was that this was proof she was his. Surely the one meant for him could beat all odds to get to him?

  She stopped short when she saw him, her eyes rounded. “Jeezus.” She fell to her knees.

  He was so relieved she’d beat all odds and made it there that he dropped his head, the muzzle shackled around his mouth suddenly heavy. A whine emitted from his throat.

  The dank tang of fear that had erupted from her upon first sight was thick in the air. Like he’d done previously with the other female who had swiftly become a distant memory, he dropped to all fours to appear smaller, fought against snarling, and slunk toward her, the muscles of his upper back bulging heavily as he moved.

  Only the fact that she’d twisted an ankle kept her from bounding up and running, for his mate was fierce. Proudly, he lifted his head…and then dropped it into her lap, letting her know he was hers to do with as she pleased.

  At first she petted his head. It was comforting, this touch. This soft, soft hand that trembled against his skull. Her strokes became bolder, her fingers working through the snarls in his hair. The hair that once made him proud, but he couldn’t remember why.

  He squawked, a rather unpleasant sound that showed his pleasure at her acceptance of him.

  But then, his mate became agitated. “Oh, no. Men are coming. I have to get out of here, to hide. Maybe they’ll be distracted by you.”

  His head thunked on the ground when she slipped away, beyond his reach again where the fields of sparking lights kept him bound. He roared after—as best as he was able considering he couldn’t open his jaws.

  “Zee, calm down, man,” someone said. “We’re bringing you some food. Both kinds this time, raw and cooked.”

  “Why bother?” Another voice said. “Look at what he’s done to the tent we just erected. It’s shredded. He’ll do the same to the uncooked food.”

  The first voice sighed. “Because Robyn wants to prepare him for a return to human life. She wants him to get used to having both. If he destroys it, he destroys it. But he’ll get used to seeing it.”

  For the first time, his out-of-control urges organized into some semblance of thought. Humans brought human food. His mate would need human food. He would tempt his mate with this gift.

  Chapter Two

  T he mate lingered on the outside of the pen as it grew darker outside. She looked bewildered, as if she couldn’t understand the reason for the darkening clouds.

  Did she not understand the water that would fall from the skies? That it would cool the weather, moisten the ground? She needed him to care for her, obviously.

  Thankfully, they’d taken the muzzle off him so he could eat. He tried to form words—the same words the others used—but nothing would come out between the shape of his jaw, the newfound teeth in his gums, and the thought processes of his brain.

  He slunk lower on the ground, making himself as unobtrusive as possible. Her teeth chattered, but he forced himself to hold still. To gain her trust. It took several long minutes before she would cross the lines of light that would shock him, but no one else.

  He tamped down his overzealous glee at having her within his forced territory. It would not do to frighten her now. Not when she’d been outside away from him for hours since he’d seen her last.

  Very slowly, he inched up from his belly, cowering on all fours. He nudged her with his head toward the grove of trees, where the canopy of leaves might protect her from the soon-to-be falling rain. The rain that would water their crops.

  Crops?

  Where did that thought come from?

  He shook his head to clear it, whining softly. Her palm petted him again, sending a shudder through his body.

  She yelped, pulling her hand back. He held stock still, trying not to scare her. After a bit, she allowed his nudge to the right direction. Seeing that he brought her to a large tree, she sank down just as the sprinkling of water from the skies erupted.

  He raced away, eager to bring the meal that would feed his mate.

  He headed back to the perimeter of the fence, where the strange-speaking males had left it earlier. A huge slab of bloody meat for him, tied in some sort of twine. And a bag of separately boxed foods for her.

  He opened his mouth to grab the bag and then paused. Surely it might scare her to see his razor-sharp teeth? He worked his hands, flexing to try and straighten the tight muscles of the digits that curled when he walked on all fours. Carefully he reached for the bag, trying not to jar the contents with his clumsy grasp. Then, when he was sure his grip was tight, he opened his jaws to grab his own meat, already forgetting the danger of scaring her with his teeth.

  He raced back to his mate, eager as a pup to present her meal to her.

  Again, she stank of shock and fear. He’d have to do better at exerting himself. He’d have to do better at mimicking the human-speakers.

  He spat his twined bag of meat at the ground and dropped to one knee, presenting her with the bag of human food. Her shaking hand reached out, taking it from his hold but not touching him in the process. He couldn’t help the whine that came from his throat, but she didn’t understand. Or didn’t crave his touch the way he did hers.

  Not yet.

  His appetite renewed, he tore into the meat, spitting out the twine that held the tender piece in place. She ate slowly, avoiding him with a curtain of hair that moved forward when she did. Finally, he understood the reasoning behind Thane reaching out and tucking Everly’s hair behind her ear. He wanted nothing marring the perfection of her face.

  An image of Everly’s profile struck his memories. She’d held herself still, staring into the pit where Thane lay, trying her best to ignore Zee. Her perfect, smooth skin.

  For as beautiful as his true mate was—her skin was not smooth. No, a pink scar added dimension to her profile—a line that bisected the top of her face and disappeared into her hair.

  That and their scent, as similar as it was, was what marked the differences between his true mate and Everly.

  Thane could have that one.

  He finished his meal long before she was done. In the future, he’d have to eat as slowly as she did so she wouldn’t have to hide from his concentrated stares. But for now, she was protected within his territory and protected from the falling rain. He regretted ripping apart the contraption they’d set up to protect him from the nightly rainfall.

  Shelter.

  That was what his mate would need next. Now, while the ground was soft and muddy, he’d begin his digging. His sharp claws would loosen the dirt in the crevice of the hills up ahead. And his mate would be able to watch him and not have fear that he’d abandoned her. He took off running, leaving her to her meal.

  He continued to dig even after the rain stopped, his attention split between his task and his mate. She’d finished eating, though he noticed she ate faster when he left her, which signified that she held back from satisfying herself in his presence for some
odd reason.

  It made him…sad.

  She’d curled into a ball and had fallen asleep under the tree where he’d left her. The position was indicative of the cooler temperature since she was wet. He knew this—he’d shivered enough each night, but he only cared when he thought.

  Like now.

  Dripping mud from his claws, he loped toward his new mate and sank down behind her, curling her into his body heat.

  He woke her at first dawn, knowing that in a couple of hours, the human-speaking males would arrive with more food. They’d be pleased to see he had delved into the boxed food for humans. Perhaps they would bring him another contraption to keep the rain off his mate.

  He fought a growl down. No, that wouldn’t do. He didn’t want anyone to know he had a mate. Hell, they helped the last one escape with Thane. No, this one would have to hide from the curious eyes that kept him trapped in his own territory.

  “Is the sun out already?” she asked, stretching herself.

  He purred. She was beautiful, this amazing creature created for him.

  “What were you digging last night? And who’s been leaving you food?”

  His jaw was tight when he tried the speech-language the others used.

  “’aales,” he gargled.

  “Are you trying to speak?” she asked.

  He grunted.

  “Let’s try again,” she said softly.

  “’ale.”

  “Ale? I don’t know what you mean.”

  His frustration level grew.

  “It’s okay,” she said, stroking his jaw. He turned his head to cup his cheek in her warm palm. Her touch calmed him.

  Much as he hated to break her touch, he sensed others approaching through that dimmed mental communication that the others linked with the strange speech. He had to get her into the freshly-dug den and away from prying eyes.

  Using his hands gently, he held one out to help her up. She raised an eyebrow, but rose. He nudged her toward the den.

  Her feet trudged through the mud. “What is this? What are you digging?”