Alien Warrior’s Treasure by Sue Mercury
Chapter 8
Molly crept through the house,the stunner at her side, hoping she could return it to Khann’s study before he noticed it missing. Voices and the clattering of dishes drifted down the hallway from the kitchen and dining room. Everyone was probably at breakfast or on their way downstairs.
Holding her breath, she snuck into the study and placed the stunner into the cabinet where it belonged. Tears pricked at her eyes. She was exhausted and hurt and angry, all at once.
Who the hell did Gavvin think he was?
He’d been so gallant, saving her from the bear. Endearingly sweet, too, when he’d insisted on tending to her wounds himself. And then there was the delicious dinner he’d prepared, after he’d heard her stomach rumbling. He’d flirted with her a little too, and stared at her with hunger gleaming in his sexy green eyes. It didn’t make sense.
How could he come across as so caring and gentle, only to turn around and snap at her and claim he never wanted to see her again? Had she done something wrong?
Maybe she’d bothered him. Maybe she’d talked too much, or he found her annoying. Her face flamed with humiliation and burning anger.
He’d turned cold on her the minute she’d started gushing about how much she’d enjoyed spending time with him and how she hoped to visit him in the future.
God, she felt like a fool.
I’m not going to cry… I’m not going to cry… I’m not going to cry.
She gulped hard and sucked in a deep breath, determined to stay calm and make herself presentable for breakfast. She hurried upstairs to change her clothes, opting for her favorite flowing blue gown that always made her feel pretty. After a quick glance in the mirror, she decided she didn’t look so bad for a person who’d run from a bear and then stayed out all night.
She visited the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and ran a comb through her long blonde locks. Go downstairs, act normal, eat breakfast. You can do it. She tried giving herself a pep talk, but it didn’t help with her mood.
Gavvin’s rejection still burned. It was a white-hot pain in her chest, a tightness that made her want to scream and kick the wall, just to release some of her pent-up frustration.
With a sigh, she exited her room and headed for the stairs, following the sound of voices and clattering dishes, as well as the delicious scent of bouscho, a traditional Vaxxlian breakfast pastry that tasted like iced pound cake.
She entered the kitchen and found the counter covered with bowls of fresh fruit and several loaves of bouscho. Skylar stood at the counter preparing a plate for herself and looked up with a smile.
“Good morning, Molly. How did you sleep?” She added a large spoonful of berries to the pastry on her plate.
“Not so great,” Molly replied with a yawn. “In fact, I might need a nap soon.”
Skylar smirked and leaned over the counter. “Does your fatigue have anything to do with that handsome warrior who walked you home this morning?”
Molly’s head shot up. “You saw that?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” Skylar mimicked zipping her lips. “What’s his name? Are you going to see him again? And how did the two of you meet?” She lifted her eyebrows and her gaze shone with interest.
A quick glance toward the dining room door showed no one was eavesdropping. The chatter beyond the door also continued without a lull. Molly returned her gaze to Skylar, trying to decide how much to reveal.
But what did it matter if she told the truth? She wouldn’t be sneaking out again—at least not to see Gavvin—and soon she would visit Vaxxlian Matchmakers and her night with Gavvin would become a long-forgotten memory.
“His name is Gavvin and he lives in the forest,” she whispered. “I snuck out for a walk last night and we met when he saved me from a bear, if you can believe that. Afterward, he took me to his home, healed my injuries, and even cooked a late dinner for us to share. At first, I thought he was nice, and we even flirted a little. But then, just before he dropped me off at home, he told me he never wanted to see me again.” Molly shrugged and blinked fast when the burn of tears returned. “I guess he didn’t like me. But it doesn’t matter, because I’m going to tell Khann I want to visit Vaxxlian Matchmakers very soon.”
“Oh, Molly, I’m sorry,” Skylar said, compassion flaring in her eyes. “He sounds like an ass. Don’t waste your time giving him a second thought. You’re kind and charming and beautiful, and you deserve someone who likes you for you.”
“Don’t waste your time on who?” came a soft voice from the doorway.
Molly spun around in alarm, but was relieved to see Skylar’s younger sister, Macy, entering the kitchen, a wary look in her eyes. Macy always appeared on edge, as if she feared something bad were about to happen. Though neither of the sisters had spoken much about their reasons for leaving Earth, from what Molly had gathered, they’d been on the run from someone who’d wanted to kill them and they’d lived in hiding for years, though she wasn’t certain of the exact details.
“No one,” Molly finally said. “Just a guy whose name I intend to forget by the end of breakfast.”
“You met a guy?” Macy whispered with a cautious glance at the door. “As in… an unmated warrior? How? When?”
“Yes, an unmated warrior,” Molly replied with a sigh. “I met him last night after I snuck out.” Not wanting to scare Macy, she decided to omit the part about the bear, even though Skylar would likely tell her later.
Macy paled. “Did he claim you by force?”
“No, nothing like that. We didn’t even kiss. I worried he might claim me, but he promised not to hurt me, and I trusted him. We enjoyed a nice evening together—it felt like a real date and a wonderful one at that. But then at the end of the night, he walked me home and said he never wanted to see me again.” She hated that she had to repeat the story for Macy. Saying it aloud once more caused her chest to tighten with grief.
“Why would he do that?” Macy asked in an incredulous tone. “From what I’ve seen and heard, unmated Vaxxlian warriors will mate with anything female and human that moves. They aren’t picky in the least.” Her eyes widened and she briefly covered her mouth. “Please don’t take that the wrong way, Molly. It’s just so odd. I mean, I’m glad he didn’t claim you against your will, but isn’t it strange that he wouldn’t want to see you again?”
“I agree,” said Skylar. “There must be something seriously wrong with Gavvin. You should forget about that douche bag and find someone else. Are you really thinking of visiting Vaxxlian Matchmakers soon?”
Molly flushed. “Yes, I am. Even before I met Gavvin, I was thinking I’d go soon. I’ve been here a month and feel like I might be wearing out my welcome. Poor Khann is always chasing unmated warriors away who linger outside my bedroom window and I know he’s nervous about my safety.”
“I assure you that you’re not wearing out your welcome,” Macy said. “Khann and his brothers have all told us there is no pressure to visit Vaxxlian Matchmakers immediately.”
“Macy is right,” Skylar added. “Our guardians aren’t jerks and they aren’t going to pressure us into taking a mate until we’re ready.” A shadow crossed her face as she exchanged a nervous glance with her sister, a telling look that made Molly suspect they were both still recovering from their experiences on Earth.
Before Molly could respond, six-year-old Amie popped her head through the doorway. “Good morning, Molly! Are you eating breakfast with us? I saved you a seat right next to me!”
“Good morning, Amie,” Molly said with a smile. She hurriedly grabbed a slice of the pastry and added some berries to her plate, hoping the inquisitive child hadn’t overheard any of their conversation about sneaking out or Gavvin or Vaxxlian Matchmakers. The last thing Molly wanted to do was answer awkward questions over breakfast. “Okay, I’m all ready. Thank you for saving me a seat—that was very thoughtful of you.” Just as she exited the kitchen, she shot Skylar and Macy a pleading look that said let’s keep everything we just talked about a secret, please please please.
Luckily, no one at the dining room table commented on Molly’s fatigue. She was pretty sure she had bags under her eyes. Fortunately, there was plenty of coffee on the table, and she quickly consumed two large cups.
As she ate her breakfast, she peered around the table, feeling lucky that she had a place to call home, yet knowing it was temporary. She couldn’t stay unmated forever. Neither could Skylar or Macy. It was simply unheard of. Single human females didn’t arrive on New Vaxx and remain single, and if she ever wanted the freedom to walk the streets or the forest paths without a guardian at her side, she would have to mate with a Vaxxlian warrior. The scent of her mate on her would protect her from unmated males—like those she could see gathering outside the house at this very moment.
Khann followed her gaze and then growled. “I can’t believe those idiots are back already. I told them if I saw them again, I’d tie them up and leave them on the mountain for the bears and wolves to feast upon.”
“Daddy Khann,” Amie said with a gasp. “That’s not very nice. They’re just standing there in the street. I don’t understand why you keep chasing people away from our house. I think they want to be our friends.”
The adults at the table exchanged amused glances. Amie, young as she was and new to this planet and culture, didn’t quite understand the urgency that unmated Vaxxlian males experienced when in the presence of a single human female. The men outside knew Molly, Skylar, and Macy lived here and likely hoped that if they visited enough times, maybe one of the women would agree to mate with one of them. It was a tactic that had worked on other human women in the settlement, or so Molly had heard.
“I suppose it’s my turn to chase them away today,” Myadd said with a weary grin. “Perhaps I’ll have better luck than you, brother. I think I can manage to be a bit more terrifying.” He tensed and made a faux-scary face that made Amie erupt into giggles.
“Amie, muffin,” Belle said, smiling down at her daughter, “the males outside don’t want to be our friends.”
“Then why do they keep showing up?” the child asked. “And why do they bring flowers and presents and leave them on our doorstep sometimes?”
Belle sighed and looked to Khann for help, but before he could reply, a collective gasp went up in the dining room as one of the males outside ripped his shirt off and released a ferocious growl.
“Well, would you look at him?” Skylar said with a chuckle. “I do believe he’s showing us his colorful peacock feathers.”
“Huh? What’s a peacock?” Amie asked, her face wrinkling with confusion. Though human, she’d spent most of her childhood on an alien outpost with her mother and therefore wasn’t familiar with many references to Earth plants and animals, as well as human culture in general.
“A peacock is a bird native to Earth,” Skylar explained, “and a male peacock has a colorful tail of feathers that he spreads and shows off to attract a female—you know, to convince a female peacock to become his bride.” She tapped her chin as a thoughtful look came over her. “Although, if I’m remembering correctly, male peacocks try to attract as many partners are possible, so during mating season they make lots of special lady friends, if you know what I mean.”
Molly started coughing when her coffee went down the wrong pipe, and Belle reached over to smack her on the back several times. A few chuckles rose from the table.
“Skylar,” Belle said in a scolding tone, still whacking Molly on the back. “Maybe we should talk about something else. How about—”
More growls resounded from outside, and to Molly’s shock, she saw yet another Vaxxlian male was in the process of tearing off his shirt. But instead of ripping it off quickly, he was tearing it off slowly, piece by piece, as if he were part of a strip show. Molly couldn’t help but wonder where he and the other shirtless male had gotten the idea to strip. She took a few large gulps of water in an effort to keep from breaking into another coughing fit.
“Well, look at that,” Skylar said, sitting taller in her seat to get a better look out the window. “Dinner and a show. Or, breakfast and a show. And we didn’t even have to pay for it.” She laughed at her own joke and took a sip of coffee. Beside her, Macy inhaled a shaky breath and peered nervously outside, as if she feared the shirtless males would attempt to crawl through the dining room window.
“Well,” said Sienna, smirking at Myadd, “maybe you should go out there before they take more than their shirts off.”
Myadd shot Sienna an affectionate look, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then rose to his feet and departed the dining room.
“I don’t understand why they just don’t go to Earth,” Macy said.
“There’s now a waiting list for warriors applying to Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, otherwise I’m sure they would have already left for Earth,” Axall said as he wrapped an arm around Rachel.
“Oh,” replied Macy with a sigh. “I hadn’t heard. Well, what about Vaxxlian Matchmakers? They could go there.”
“Most of our unmated males have already visited Vaxxlian Matchmakers,” Axall said, “however, visiting the matchmaking service isn’t a guarantee that one will find a mate. There simply aren’t enough single human females living on New Vaxx to meet the demand of our unmated warriors. I’ve heard that the psychic matchmakers, Heather and Carmen, are overwhelmed with requests from our warriors. Most warriors who visit the women are told that their future mate hasn’t registered with the matchmaking service yet.”
Molly only half-listened to Axall’s explanation. One of the males in the street looked like Gavvin. In fact, she’d had to do a double take when he’d first arrived. So much for pushing him out of her thoughts. I do not wish to see you again, Molly. His rejection still burned.
Myadd soon appeared in the street and shouted what she suspected were Vaxxlian obscenities at the males. Some of them yelled back at Myadd, but eventually, all of them turned and drifted down the street, likely on their way to another house that contained single human females.
After breakfast, Molly returned to her room, mentally and physically exhausted. She stripped off her clothes and crawled into bed, but despite her exhaustion, sleep didn’t come easily. She kept thinking about Gavvin. The one Vaxxlian male who apparently wanted nothing to do with her.
