Claimed By The Alien Warrior Kezon

by Eden Ember

  Kezon’s jaw tensed. Blaire hadn’t talked about her plans since their close calls on Arthexei. Neither had he brought anything up since. The time quickly approached when they would be forced to talk about it. Premier Vorta’s keen eyes would see his glowing uxormea and then it would no longer be a secret.

  Clearing his throat, Kezon decided to broach the subject. “Premier Vorta will give me the option of where I will go for my next mission. That’s how it works in the Vada system.” He kept his eyes forward, waiting on a reaction from Blaire. She sat on the seat beside him, a small smile etched across her face.

  “Interesting. On Earth, we don’t pick our missions. Well, at least I didn’t get to. I’m in the lab no matter what.”

  Thinking about the future, a wave of anxiety washed over Kezon as he kept his eyes straight ahead, his hands on the controls.

  “Moving back into hyper-speed,” he said with clenched teeth. The stress of not knowing had him wanting to pound something to relieve it. Too bad the cyborgs had fallen already. He would have enjoyed beating one to a pulp right now.

  “This space travel stuff gets easier,” Blaire observed as she smiled.

  Kezon grunted. “Yes, I suppose it does.” If Blaire noticed his apprehension, she gave no sign. Instead, her eyes cut to him and quickly back to the window as a small smile stayed on her beautiful face.

  Finally, Blaire spoke. “Have you given any thought to the possibility of coming back to Earth with me?”

  Kezon’s heart seized for a moment. At least she brought it up, but not in the way he had hoped. “Mmm, a Hjott on Earth amongst all the frail Terrans. I’m not sure how well that would work out,” he replied as he tried to make light of it.

  “Why not? Aren’t you curious about how we do things there? They’d treat you like royalty,” Blaire said.

  Kezon doubted that. They’d want to put him under a petri dish and research his genes. He’d heard about their rabid curiosity for any form of intelligent life other than their own race. No thank you.

  “Um, I don’t think that I would feel very at home there,” he said as he gave Blaire a sideways glance. A pained expression flashed across her face before she returned to her pleasant smile.

  “Oh, you wouldn’t know until you tried, now would you?” she commented. Her soft hand playfully batted at him as he gripped the controls. The commander was uncertain whether she was toying with him or being serious.

  Kezon’s heart ached too much to joke about parting from the lovely Terran who he had claimed as his mate. With her by his side, his uxormea burned brightly. He was proud of this fact.

  “Humph,” he uttered, not giving voice to the fears deep within him that he could lose Blaire forever. A long distance relationship wasn’t in a Hjott’s nature as he had heard that it was in a Terran’s nature.

  “What, darling?” Blaire’s hand came to rest on Kezon’s lower arm as he gripped the controls. He didn’t need to grip them so tightly, but it comforted him and allowed him to focus on something other than the fact that he could lose his mate.

  “Darling?” he asked. His translator didn’t work too well for that word.

  “It’s a term of endearment. It means that I’m fond of you. I like you,” she said with a brilliant grin.

  He couldn’t bring himself to return the sentiment of a happy smile, not when his entire life teetered on the verge of destruction. Never before in his life had Kezon come this far in a relationship. Never had his uxormea even flickered, let alone burned so hot that he wanted to scream. The thought of living on Earth as an alien didn’t appeal to him one bit because he knew that while there he couldn’t be who he wanted to be. Blaire was right when she referred to Hjotts as savages. Intelligence aside, Hjotts had a savage nature and the only way to expel that energy was to burn it off during their traditional fights. Earth could not contain an alien such as him. Not for long, anyway.

  The smile he mustered didn’t fool Blaire. Her sweet expression turned downward as she peered into his eyes. He’d give her the universe if he could. “I am conflicted. I need to think about this,” Kezon told her.

  That was all she needed to hear for now. Blaire nodded and turned back to watch the blur of stars from the window. At hyper-speed, the stars were indistinguishable. Just the occasional blur of light in an immense dark space was all she could make out.

  Two days later, after spending time with Blaire, Kezon came to an understanding with his situation. He could not see himself apart from Blaire, even if it meant that he’d be an alien in her world. Just having her in his life was worth the sacrifice and somehow he’d make it work. They came in closer to Jatra and after talking with Kedun and Aryn, he knew his home planet held the promise of peace and a good life, something that he’d always dreamed about for his family.

  “Blaire, I will follow you to the ends of the universe, if that’s where you want to go. I cannot live without you. I’d rather live on Earth with you by my side than here without you, no matter how at peace my home has now become,” Kezon pledged to her.

  Blaire’s eyes filled with tears as she blinked rapidly. Her arms came around his neck so quickly that it took him by surprise. “You really do not understand how happy you’ve made me,” she said as she showered his face with kisses.

  The Hjott commander sighed heavily as he pulled her closer to him. Jatra came into view. They’d be arriving soon, and once the celebrations were over he’d take her back to Earth and learn how to live as a Terran in a strange land.

  Epilogue

  Blaire

  Meeting King Thras and Queen Chera of Jatra had to be the highlight of the trip for the Terran scientist. Blaire smiled and bowed her head in the same way as those she watched at the celebration. King Thras embraced Kezon as if he were an old friend. It made her heart swell to see the alien she loved so highly regarded among his own people. Blaire didn’t feel as worthy, though. Though she had designed the virus that ultimately destroyed the cyborgs, she felt inadequate in the presence of such large, powerful beings. She could see that they held her in high esteem as well, but Blaire felt differently about it all.

  Queen Chera, a human, had been kidnapped and sold into slavery before she came to work at the royal palace as a personal maid to King Thras’ sister. In the amazing tale of how Chera became the mate to King Thras, she glowed within her role. Human to human, Chera smiled at Blaire.

  “Your majesty,” Blaire said as she bowed her head slightly.

  Chera grabbed her hand and held onto it. “You know, these Hjott men are something else. Relish Kezon’s love. You’ll never feel such joy anywhere else,” she said wisely. Her hand moved protectively to her swelling belly.

  “So it’s true, then? But is it wise to match our genes with the Hjotts?” Blaire trembled with giddiness at this new understanding for her.

  “Yes, we are. And this child will be the heir to the throne of Jatra, half human and half Hjott.” Chera’s reassuring smile gave Blaire what she needed.

  “And living on Jatra, it’s not too unlike Earth?” Blaire asked.

  “Well, considering the landscape is quite different and the food takes some getting used to, I would say that it was well worth the tradeoff.” Queen Chera winked at Blaire before turning to Kezon.

  Blaire patiently waited throughout the celebration to speak to her mate. Kezon was right; Premier Vorta’s keen eyes beheld the glowing uxormea behind his tunic. He kept it quiet though, probably allowing Kezon the opportunity to announce this in his own time.

  “I need to speak with you, now,” Blaire said as she pulled Kezon away from the festivities.

  What Kezon said to Blaire about going to stay on Earth with her caused her to think hard about her love for him. She had felt similarly about living on Jatra, but after speaking with Chera and Aryn she knew she could do it. She pulled him away from the crowd and into a secluded corner.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly.

  “For the first time in my life I’m in love. I never
in a million years thought that I’d fall in love with anyone. I thought my career would be my everything as I had dedicated my life to the laboratory. But I can’t imagine living another day without you in it, not since we’ve connected like we have. Kezon, I’ll stay here on Jatra with you. I won’t ask you to come to Earth where you will not feel as at home as I will here.” Blaire smiled at him as he gathered her into his arms.

  “Are you certain? Because I will follow you across the galaxy, Blaire,” he said into her hair.

  “I’m sure. Besides, your brother has a human, er uh, mate and I rather like Aryn. And Chera seems nice too,” Blaire said.

  “Kezon, are you going to let us know about your new mate?” Premier Vorta said as he stepped closer to the couple.

  Blaire smiled as she blushed, the premier towering over her and smiling down at her with his deep violet eyes.

  “Yes, Premier. This is Blaire, the Terran who made my uxormea burst and glow. It took me as much by surprise as it did her,” he said.

  “I gather that. So my plans for bringing in the female Qetesh team has worked well for my warriors,” Premier Vorta said.

  “But sir, Premier, I’m not a Qetesh agent. I’m merely a biologist with a speciality in AI.” Blaire corrected him.

  “Yes, and I hear that you are the best in your field,” Premier Vorta replied.

  “Thank you, sir...Premier,” Blaire stammered. She wasn’t sure what to call him and blushed all the more while speaking to him.

  “Premier, she has accepted my invitation to stay here in the Vada System as my mate. I am most humbled by her presence, as she completes my life, giving me a greater purpose,” Kezon said. The words surprised Blaire.

  “I have a brilliant idea,” Premier Vorta said. “We need someone to head up a lab in creating an army of cyborgs to help guard the Vada system. I am certain that I know of the perfect biologist with a speciality in AI to do the job for us. What do you say, Blaire? Would you work for the Jatra military in this capacity?”

  Blaire’s hand came to her mouth as she peered up at Kezon, who grinned at her while nodding. “I suppose that I could…”

  “Yes, brilliant! I will put you in touch with my advisor and we can start the plans on a brand new laboratory for you. Kezon, you’ll be one of my advisors. I know King Thras wants to come back to the palace and take up residence again. We need H-jo’s like you here to restore Jatra back to her glory.” Premier Vorta beamed at Blaire and Kezon.

  Blaire slipped her fingers into Kezon’s as she continued to mingle later at the celebration. Her willingness to stay on Jatra seemed to finalize the understanding she had about being Kezon's mate. Now her mouth watered at the thought of designing a brand new lab with the technology of the Hjotts and her expertise combined. With a bit of sadness, she thought about those she had worked with back on Earth. She had no doubt that they could take over where she had left off. Perhaps they knew deep inside that she may never return. Her heart dictated her life now and with someone as strong and capable as Kezon by her side, she had no reservations of staying on Jatra with him. When he claimed her as his mate, it meant the same thing as a marriage ceremony on Earth. Blaire happily took up the position as Kezon’s mate, the female Terran who made his uxormea burst. She had a feeling Premier Vorta would send for more Terran females from Earth to help give his able-bodied male Hjotts fated mates, much like she, Chera, Treasure, and Aryn had become. They were the start of a new race, a new existence for the Vada system.

  True to Premier Vorta’s word, Blaire helped in designing the brand new lab. Three very bright Hjott scientists also worked with her during the process. With glee, she taught them how to operate a Terran computer and she also had the top-notch Hjott computer network at her fingertips. Though at first Blaire had trouble stopping her work by the late afternoon, knowing that she would come home to Kezon helped.

  One evening, Kezon came in from a jaunt around the Vada System and pulled Blaire onto his lap. “What do you say? What if we have a baby?”

  Blaire smiled into the face of the person she loved the most in the universe. “Beloved, I’m not trying to prevent it,” she told him. On Jatra there was no such thing as birth control, not like on Earth.

  With the birth of the royal Prince Chaxx, the entire planet was abuzz with the possibilities of bringing in more female Terrans with hopes of finding mates for the vast population of lonely Hjott males. They even started an intergalactic dating service and took time to send Hjott males to Earth to search for mates. Blaire was happy to have found hers the way that she had, as if by fate. Fated mates came to her mind every time she and Kezon came together.

  “They invited us to the palace to meet Prince Chaxx. Queen Chera had the invitation hand-delivered,” Kezon said as he produced the parchment that was written in the native Hjott language in Queen Chera’s handwriting.

  “I love how she’s embraced this life,” Blaire mused as she gazed at the invitation.

  “Do you regret being here? Because if you ever do, I’ll happily go back to the Terran system with you,” Kezon told his mate.

  “You wouldn’t be happy living there,” Blaire said as she smiled into his face.

  “But for you, I’d do anything,” Kezon replied.

  “For you, I’d do anything. I might want to visit again. You know, take a vacation to my home planet,” she said.

  “That can be arranged. We’d secure you in a sick bay during the wormhole jumps, though.”

  A surge of excitement rushed through Blaire as she looked forward to a trip to Earth. “Maybe when we have a little one?” She smiled. Lately her belly felt tender, just a little more than usual. Being a scientist, she kept up with her body’s quirky changes.

  “Really?”

  “I’m not sure, but maybe,” she said.

  Life had taken on a different path for the Terran than she ever thought it would. The small smile stayed on her face as she thought of helping to replenish Jatra with citizens. Even if just by one child at a time, it would make a difference.

  The trip to Earth happened a month later, with no sign of pregnancy. It had been a false alarm. Blaire took time to close the Earthly chapters of her life, giving her blessing to the co-workers in her old lab.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to settle here, Kezon?” Lawson asked.

  Kezon smiled as he put his arm reassuringly around Blaire’s shoulders. “I’m leaving that up to her, sir,” he replied.

  Blaire peered at the two and smiled. “Sir, if you could see my lab on Jatra, you’d be envious.”

  “I trust that you’ll send reports to us via the intra-galactic courier system on your experiments. You know how we counted on you to lead us through the cutting edge advances before, Blaire,” Mr. Lawson told her.

  “I will,” Blaire said as she grinned. Honestly, being on Earth for the visit gave her such peace about her decision to make a life with Kezon on Jatra. She couldn’t wait to travel back and start earnestly on trying for a family.

  6 Months Later

  Blaire stared at the pregnancy test she brought back from Earth. Even Aryn and Treasure hadn’t beat her to it by having young with their mates, and she knew they were trying. Being the second female human to do it gave her great satisfaction.

  8 ½ Months Later

  Blaire sat up in the bed at the palace. Being the second pregnant human on Jatra, Queen Chera invited her to stay where she’d receive top medical care. Little Chaxx ran around the halls, padding his tiny feet and calling to the royal durup, the equivalent to a Terran dog. His six tiny fingers curled through the silky locks on the pooch gleefully. The palace sent out a goodwill message to all of Jatra on the first human-Hjott daughter to enter the Vada system.

  Blaire looked at their new daughter, little Blezona, who blinked back with her daddy’s violet eyes. Ten perfect fingers and toes graced her and the Hjott doctor assured her the baby girl already was more robust than the Hjott females. The hope was that they would replenish the population wi
th an equal number of healthy babies. Very few Hjott females remained, with King Thras’ sister, Pari, being one of the last. Considering that she was a full-blooded Hjott, King Thras would not allow her to have children, hoping to save her life. The girl, now a delightful teen, was small and frail compared to her older brother.

  Blaire and Kezon brought their healthy baby girl home, where Blaire kept her safely by her side. Kezon had a home built in the beautiful countryside of Jatra, just outside of the royal community, where the view to the indigo mountains framed the lovely deep blue and green grasses and even Jatra’s sea in the distance, giving it a greater hint of blue. The golden Vada sun shone down over the land, giving Blaire a sense of renewed hope for a bright future.

  Aryn and Treasure both became pregnant soon after, with a half-dozen more Terran females coming in and finding their Hjott mates. Jatra would soon experience a new generation, and a race of beings that promised to keep the world populated. The births of both males and females, equally numbered, renewed the faith of the people of Jatra. Blaire was happy to be a part of the new history in the making.

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  If you liked The Vada Wars series, you will love Eden Ember’s book, The Alien Reindeer's Escape! You will also love Zara Zenia’s Alien Prince Charming!

  About Eden Ember

  Eden Ember found her passion in writing sci-fi romance. She spends her days either pounding on the keyboard or dreaming up the next stories. Her active imagination never lets up and the perfect outlet comes through in her books.

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