Alien Warrior’s Promise by Sue Mercury
Chapter 1
A dark figureappeared in the hallway. Macy backed against the wall and gasped as his features came into focus—a large, muscular man with wavy black hair and a sinister smile. He advanced on her with a sense of purpose, ice blue eyes gleaming with violence.
Oh God no. This can’t be happening.
She spun around, desperate to make an escape. Heavy footsteps sounded behind her, coming closer and closer. She tried to run, but fear weakened her legs, and panic clutched her. Heart racing, she managed to escape the cabin and stumbled into open space—the wilderness of Alaska to be precise.
Curses and violent threats followed her.
She didn’t spend much time wondering about the man’s identity. A well-paid henchman hired by her late father’s political adversary, no doubt. Who else would track her down in the middle of nowhere? She’d been so careful.
Run. Run and hide.
The forest beckoned her, and she took off into the trees.
She ran blindly, as the sharp, sweet scent of spruce trees filled her lungs. The morning air was cool, but sunlight pierced through the canopy, bathing her with rays of warmth. If she weren’t running for her life, she would’ve paused to appreciate the beauty of the summer day.
The man’s ragged breathing drew nearer. She pumped her arms and legs as fast as possible, but in the end, she couldn’t outrun him. Strong hands grabbed her, and she was roughly thrust against a tree. The bark scraped her flesh as she struggled in the stranger’s grasp.
Cool metal pressed to her temple.
Please, noooooo!She tried to scream, but the plea caught in her throat.
Just as a shot rang out, she bolted up in bed, drenched in sweat.
A dream. The same fucking dream she had every night.
Even as her heart continued racing, relief washed through her, because she wasn’t in an Alaskan forest running from a gun-toting thug. She was safe. Wasn’t she?
She crawled out of bed, donned a robe, and slipped into the darkened corridor. When she passed a window, the twin moons of New Vaxx drew her gaze and reminded her of her location.
I’m not on Earth. I’m not on Earth and they can’t get me.
I’m safe, I’m safe, I’m safe.
She paused at the window to stare at the brilliant night sky, but movement in the street below soon caught her attention.
Four tall figures stood in the road, their massive bodies bathed in moonlight. Her stomach flipped. Unmated Vaxxlian warriors. All four of them were staring up at the house, likely eager for a glimpse of Macy or her older sister, Skylar.
It never failed—almost every time Macy glanced out a window facing the street, she would catch sight of at least one unmated Vaxxlian warrior hanging around. It was well known in Starzzia, the main settlement on New Vaxx, that two single human females currently lived in this residence.
One of the males stood taller and waved at her, and she instinctively retreated into the shadows of the corridor. The attention of the males not only made her uncomfortable but reminded her that the clock was ticking—she was supposed to choose a mate from among the single Vaxxlian warriors in Starzzia soon. This was an expectation of all human females who sought refuge on planet New Vaxx.
“Slow night, huh?” came Skylar’s voice from behind her. “Only four of them down there tonight.”
Macy sucked in a quick breath and placed a hand over her heart as she turned to face her sister. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
Skylar gave her a cheeky grin and put her hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry, sis, I didn’t mean to startle you. You weren’t in your bedroom, so I came looking for you. Thought maybe you could use some company. Us insomniacs need to stick together, right?”
Macy crossed her arms over her chest and gave a reluctant nod. A shiver coursed through her at the memory of why she’d left her room in the first place—the recurring dream had terrorized her once again. “Sure, I could use some company. Want to visit the rooftop garden?”
Skylar’s face brightened. “Yes, but let’s raid the kitchen first. Myadd recently programmed the food replicator to make chocolate cake.”
“You had me at raid the kitchen,” Macy said with a chuckle as her sister looped an arm through hers and they took off down the corridor.
They replicated one large slice of cake to share, along with two glasses of milk. The perfect midnight snack, as far as Macy was concerned. Once on the roof, they sat on a bench in the middle of the garden and enjoyed their dessert in companionable silence.
The stars gleamed bright in the sky above, and the moons illuminated the garden, making it unnecessary to turn on a lantern. Huge lightning bugs flitted around the tops of nearby trees, and nocturnal insects hummed and screeched a tune that was starting to feel familiar.
“This reminds me of home,” Macy eventually said with a nod at the cake. “You know, home before everything.” Memories assailed her, most of them dark.
Everythingalluded to their presidential-nominee father’s death by poison, subsequently watching his supporters fall one by one, and barely surviving an attack on their own lives. Everything also included Macy and Skylar’s year spent in hiding, both uncertain if the other was alive.
“We’re safe now,” Skylar said in a gentle tone. “I-I know you’re having nightmares, and I know you’re nervous about mating with a Vaxxlian warrior, but this planet is safe and its people are welcoming. New Vaxx is our fresh start.” She shot Macy a comforting smile. “Everything is going to be okay, sis, I promise.”
Shame settled over Macy. She wished she could be more like her sister—optimistic about this planet and eager to find a mate—but the year she’d spent in hiding on Earth had changed her. She’d endured heartache, witnessed and suffered unspeakable violence, and feared for her life on multiple occasions.
“Look, logically I know we’re safe here, and also that pretty much all Vaxxlian warriors are honorable males who treasure their females, but I feel… broken.” She whispered the last word, then inhaled a deep breath and met her sister’s gaze. “How can I take a mate when I’m broken?”
I’m lost. I’m on edge. I’m fucked up.
I’m not like you.
Skylar placed a hand on Macy’s shoulder and squeezed. “I know you went through some serious shit on Earth, and I still feel terrible that we got separated during an attack and we couldn’t be together for so long, but think about the average Vaxxlian male. Most of them lost their parents and other family members during the war against the Irrcons, and some even lost mates and children. The mate you end up with is probably going to be broken in his own way. But you’ll have each other, and you’ll no doubt be a comfort to one another.” A dreamy look came over Skylar.
“If you have such an optimistic view of human-Vaxxlian mating unions, why is it you’re still single? Why haven’t you visited Vaxxlian Matchmakers yet, or picked one of the males who visit the house regularly?” Macy thought she knew the answers to these questions, but she wanted to hear Skylar confirm it. She needed to know for certain if she was holding her sister back from finding her own happiness. Guilt plunged through her at the prospect.
Skylar fidgeted and appeared suddenly uncomfortable. “Oh, I don’t know. I guess the time just doesn’t feel right yet.” She took a huge bite of cake and made a moaning noise deep in her throat. “Oh man, how about this cake? Myadd sure knows his way around a food replicator. Maybe his next project can be programming it to make apple pie. Oh, or strawberry pie! Yum. Remember how we used to pick strawberries on Nana’s farm when we were kids? God, it feels like yesterday and a thousand years ago all at once.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.” Macy set her fork aside and glared at her sister. “You haven’t taken a mate yet because of me. You don’t want to leave Myadd’s home until I’m happily mated. Am I right?”
Guilt flickered in Skylar’s eyes. “Okay, maaaayyybe. But I’m your big sister. It’s my job to look out for you.”
“You’ve done a fine job of looking out for me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be on Earth, likely starving and freezing my ass off in that cabin in Alaska where Myadd’s people found me. But I’m safe now—you said so yourself—and I don’t want to keep holding you back. You’re ready to take a husband, I can see it in your face every time you watch the unmated warriors gathering in the street outside. I can see it when you watch Myadd and Sienna making lovey eyes at one another. You want what they have.”
To Macy’s surprise, tears abruptly shone in Skylar’s eyes. “What if I visit Vaxxlian Matchmakers and learn my matched mate doesn’t live in Starzzia? What if he lives elsewhere on the planet—or worse, on an outpost in space? I can’t imagine leaving you and not seeing you every day. You’re the only family I have left.”
“Oh, Skylar, dammit you’re going to make me cry.” Macy wiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry I’m not ready. I wish I had the courage to march straight to Vaxxlian Matchmakers and—“
“Don’t you dare apologize. Even though I think being mated to a Vaxxlian warrior might help you, I don’t want you to feel rushed or pressured.”
“And I don’t want you waiting around on me. The time to take a mate is obviously right for you. I say you ought to visit Heather or Carmen soon,” Macy said, referring to the two psychic sisters who ran Vaxxlian Matchmakers. “Promise you’ll at least think about it.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll think about it,” Skylar said, then promptly shoved another forkful of cake into her mouth.
But Macy knew Skylar better than anyone, and she knew her sister well enough to realize Skylar wouldn’t go through with visiting Vaxxlian Matchmakers until Macy herself had taken a mate.
Was Skylar right? Would entering a mating union with a Vaxxlian warrior help her heal? She gave an inward sigh and lifted her gaze to the moons as the sound of nighttime insects swelled louder. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, bringing with it the fragrant scents of the garden.
When a shooting star zipped across the sky, she indulged in a wish.
I wish I weren’t broken, and I wish I truly felt safe here on this planet.
Please let me feel ready to take a mate soon.
