Possessive Alien’s Mate by Luna Hunter

Chapter Three

Viliana

I havethat same damn feeling again. Like he’s watching me. I peer into the distance and pull my coat shut. The winter’s air is cold and frigid, the putrid smell of Seattle nestling in my nose.

I haven’t been home in a long time. Nothing has changed. The cityscape is still littered with buildings that tower into the sky, giant structures of glass and granite that separate the haves from the have nots. The air still stinks.

They say it didn’t use to smell this bad, but I can’t remember the surface smelling anything but acrid. Not that the Deep smells like roses, mind you. Down there, the air is musty and stale.

Everything is musty and stale in the Deep.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts out of there. There’s no silver alien with flowing white hair, draped in black leather that seems molded to his perfectly sculpted body anywhere in sight.

That’s all in my mind.

Returning to Earth, to my familiar surroundings, should have stopped the dreams. Instead, they’ve only gotten more vivid with time, and I find little comfort in being back on my home planet.

Not now that I know it’s all built on a big lie. The Sol Alliance, the Interstellar Union, the promise of galactic peace and prosperity for all… it’s a joke. Riley and Kayi are in grave danger, because in their bellies they carry the hope for an entire alien race.

With that in the back of my mind, the slush puppies just don’t taste the same.

I pull my hoodie down low and check into the subway system with my hacked transit-chip. I’ve got no time to dwell on all of this today — I’ve got some lucky girls to meet.

The subway car is packed with commuters. I keep my head low, avoiding the face-scans as much as possible, and prepare for my upcoming meeting.

The dating app has been a huge success. With the help of Dhauk and Tyonn, I’ve thrown something together that works. Thousands of people have already downloaded it in the last few days, and I’ve been sifting through the pile, looking for the right people.

Of course, the app just promises an otherworldly romance. There’s not a word in there about eight-feet-tall alien warriors who desperately want to be fathers. The truth will come out eventually, but not quite yet.

I do feel a little guilty about the deception, but a little subterfuge is needed. I shudder to think what the Uttux would do if they knew we were here.

They’d raze the entire city to the ground. They’d call it an asteroid strike, a freak accident. And they’d get away with it, too.

For the occasion, I’ve rented a small office in one of the many towers in downtown Seattle, and wired the girls a small sum of credits so that they can make the journey topside.

It’s a risk, spending counterfeit credits, but I want to appear as legit as possible to these women. If I told them to meet me in some alley in the docks, none of them would show up — and wisely so.

I’m just about done setting up the presentation when the first girl arrives. She knocks on the door, shyly.

“Is this the place for Galactic Romance? Ugh, I feel so stupid saying that out loud.”

“No, you’ve come to the right place! You must be Aliyah, right? Welcome!”

I shake her hand and offer her a seat. She’s perfect: single and destitute. Just like I was when the Uttux ensnared me with a fake dating profile.

I’m using those four-armed bastards’ own tricks against them, and I’m not ashamed of it either.

Two other girls trickle in, Skylar and Naomi, both of them obviously out of their element.

“Is this your first trip to the surface?” I ask.

The trio nods. That explains their nerves.

“Don’t worry, you are not being pranked.”

“How can we not be?” Skylar says. “The app was free, the trip topside was free... Nothing is free.”

“Still, you came.”

“Yeah, because I’ve literally got nothing else going on,” Skylar snorts.

I know that attitude like the back of my hand. Pretending to be cool, bold, flippant. It’s an act to hide something, some deep pain. Skylar is running from something. All these girls are.

I hope I can give them what they need. Or, that the thirsty Dohan males can.

“Okay, I’m going to level with you girls. This is not the dating experience that you’re used to. Galactic Romance has a very… exclusive clientele.”

Naomi chuckles. “Good. I’ve had my share of awful dates — anything new is welcome!”

“Good, keep that open mind as we move on to the next slide!”

I’ve prepared a small presentation, because even though I’ve got a big mouth, I’m not much of a public speaker. Presenting slides is what I was taught in school, and it’s all I’ve got to fall back on.

A pixelated image of a yellow-brown planet fills the screen. The war-ravaged planet of Doxhar.

The girls all squint at the screen. “What’s this? I can barely afford to travel topside. There’s no way I can afford space travel,” Aliyah says.

“Credits won’t be necessary, believe me,” I answer.

Your uteri will pay the fare, girls.

“None of this makes sense,” Skylar says. “Are you sure this is not a prank? I think I’m going to leave and enjoy the topside air before my journey down.”

Crap. My slick presentation isn’t working. Time to shift gears! I rush to the door and block the exit.

“Aliens need your help!” I blurt.

The girls exchange a look. I know that look. It means this bitch is crazy.

“Aliens?” Naomi hesitates.

“Aliens,” I insist. “Their women are barren, their species are on the verge of extinction, and they need our help. I know I’m asking for a lot, and I’m sounding like a crazy person, but please hear me out.”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Skylar says. “Let’s get out of here, girls.”

Suddenly I am flying through the air, the wind knocked out of me as I crash against the table. The door lands next to me, or what’s left of it. I roll over in horror. A huge, reptilian figure fills the doorway. It raises its long snout filled with sharp teeth and snorts.

For a moment it feels like a dream, but then the beast’s putrid stench hits me and I’m wide awake.

“Human!” The reptilian beast roars with a voice that sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Aliyah, Naomi and Skylar scream in terror and huddle up in the corner of the room as the alien approaches me.

And then he appears.

The man of my dreams. Literally.

The silver-skinned, white-haired Thaana warrior materializes out of thin air. His curved blade glitters in the fluorescent light for a fraction of a second, and then the reptilian alien drops to the ground gurgling dark blood. The Thaana sheathes his blade and turns to me and the moment his ink black eyes, so dark there’s not a pupil in sight, land om me, my breath falters and I find myself rooted to the spot. His leather armor suits his impressive physique even better than I remembered.

“Farlin, it’s not safe for you here.”

His voice has a musical quality that resonates deep within my chest.

“What happened?” I stammer. “I was so careful!”

Thiray th’Rasda Di’ylian shrugs. “I do not know, farlin. More are coming. We must move. All of you, follow me.”

Aliyah, Naomi and Skylar have all gone pale with fear. What have I gotten these girls into?

“It’s okay,” I say as I struggle to find the right words. “He’s here to help us.” I pray that’s true. I feel oddly safe in Thiray’s presence, but my instincts have gotten me into trouble before. My taste in men is not exactly bulletproof. Jury’s still out on this white-haired stunner.

Saving my life for the second time is a good start, though.

Skylar shakes her head furiously. “No way, I’m not going anywhere with him!” Naomi and Aliyah nod in agreement.

“Your choice,” Thiray says coolly. “I came here for Viliana.”

He reaches out to grab my hand. I pull away just in time.

“You can’t leave them!”

I turn towards the girls and point at the dead reptilian.

“Do you really think you’re better off with them?”

Aliyah looks like she’s about to cry, a gut-wrenching sight. This is not how this was all supposed to happen, damn it! I’ve traumatized these poor girls. They’ll never trust me now.

“She’s got a point,” Naomi says. “I’d rather go with Viliana and him.”

Aliyah joins as well, and Skylar shakes her head. “Damn it, okay, but you’ve got some explaining to do, Viliana!”

“All in due time!” I say, overjoyed.

Thiray leads the way to the stairwell, guiding us up the stairs instead of down.

“The exit is the other way!” I pant.

“And swarming with Crokkals. Trust me.”

While we race up the stairs, panting, gasping and struggling, Thiray hardly seems to break a sweat. He glides up the steps with his long powerful legs effortlessly.

“You’ve been following me. I wasn’t going crazy; you really were watching me!”

“That is correct, farlin.”

“Why?”

“You need my protection.”

Can’t argue with that right now. Behind us I hear screams, grunts, and boots hitting the ground. I’m angry at the gorgeous alien for his stalking — and thankful at the same time. If it wasn’t for him, that reptilian alien would have crushed my head like a melon.

How did they find me?

I rack my brain, replaying my whole day in my mind, but I can’t remember making any mistakes. Maybe that’s life. You do everything right and you still lose.

“What about the Dohan?!” I pant. My knees are protesting heavily, my muscles are cramping up, but there seems to be no end of stairs to climb. “Are they okay?!”

“They are fine,” Thiray answers.

I breathe a sigh of relief — and gulp in a big breath at the same time. If we don’t reach the top soon, I might just have a heart attack.

“Wait, how do you know?”

Thiray taps his ear. “I’m plugged into their feed. I have sent them a warning — they are leaving right now.”

“Good. Wait, what about me?”

“You are coming with me, farlin.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine. Packed together on a ship with him is the last thing I want, but I don’t have a choice.

Finally, the stairs end and we plow straight through a door. We’ve made it to the top! The girls all collapse, gasping for breath, while I rest with my arms on my knees, my throat aching like hell.

“Are you okay?” Thiray asks.

“No!” I scream. “I’m not fucking okay!”

Thiray’s dark eyes seem to flicker for a moment. “My apologies, farlin. I will carry you in the future.”

“Don’t you dare.”

The harsh, cold, winter wind whips our bodies. The view of Seattle is amazing from up here, a hundred or more stories up high, but I don’t have the time to enjoy it.

“There’s nothing here?” I say. “How are you going to save us?”

“Your human eyes deceive you.”

Thiray taps his neck, and instantly an entire spaceship materializes right in front of me. I can see myself in the reflective surface, looking dumbfounded. I also spot how a dozen terrifying reptiles spill out onto the roof mere feet behind me.

“Enter the ship!” Thiray commands.

A walkway extends automatically, and Aliyah, Naomi and Skylar scramble into the ship as the Thaana warrior jumps between us and our attackers. I’m nailed to the ground in fear, my legs refusing to move. I have to see if Thiray survives.

“Stand back!”

Thiray holds his curved blade up high. I didn’t even see him unsheathe it.

“The human belongs to us, Thaana,” one of the reptiles croaks. “Stand aside.”

“You’ve made your choice, then.”

Thiray closes his eyes for a moment. And then, in the blink of an eye, he’s gone — appearing twenty yards away instantly, weaving his way through the crowd of reptiles, slashing, cutting, killing.

He’s a blur. Glimpses of white hair and dark blood are all I see.

A sharp pain suddenly sears through my arm. I turn around, horrified, only to see that one of the gator-like aliens had sneaked up on me and bitten me. Blood gushes down my lower arm as I stare at the wound in shock. The beast licks his lips.

Thiray flashes behind the alien and he slits his throat. He sees my wound and his dark eyes seem to burn with rage. A strange silence has fallen as all the reptiles lay on the ground in a sea of blood. All I hear is the cold, winter wind beating against me, and my own blood pounding in my ears.

A burning pain travels through my arm, emanating from the gaping wound.

“It’s okay, farlin,” Thiray says as he gently turns my arm towards him. “I will save you. Do not move.”

The pale alien leans in and kisses me right where it hurts. Reflexively I want to pull away, but Thiray’s grip on me is far too strong to allow that.

I expect pain, but instead I feel… nothing. No, scratch that, I feel good. A calm washes over me as the pain recedes. For a brief moment my stress fades away and my doubts are silenced. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have this peace of mind. It’s blissful.

When Thiray pulls his mouth off my arm, I’m annoyed that the moment is over. I wanted to linger on my cloud for another moment.

“How does it feel now?”

I look down at my arm. To my shock the wound is gone. Just gone. My skin has healed completely — like the bite never even happened.

“Wh-what?! How?!”

Thiray spits a foul, black liquid on the ground, and I recoil involuntarily. “I will explain later, farlin. Come.”

I try to move but my legs don’t cooperate. Thiray doesn’t hesitate and scoops me up into his powerful arms. I rest my head against his chest and close my eyes. There’s something about his powerful grasp that makes me feel warm, and safe. Sleep washes over me in powerful, unstoppable waves.

Before sleep takes me, I can’t help but chuckle.

I’ve run half-way across the galaxy from Thiray, only to end up back in his arms.