Alien Warrior’s Promise by Sue Mercury
Chapter 11
Macy’s eyes fluttered open,and she stretched underneath the soft, warm covers. Confusion spread through her seconds later because it was morning. Sunlight streamed in the nearby window, and a light breeze ruffled the curtains.
Wow. She’d slept through the night for the first time in ages.
Peering around the room, she looked for signs of Dakk, but noticed the bathroom door was closed and heard the shower running. Her face heated at the thought of him naked in the shower with water cascading down his muscular body.
Though she was alone, she pulled the sheet up to cover her nudity as she took stock of herself. She wasn’t in any pain. In fact, she wasn’t the slightest bit sore, even though Dakk had claimed her three times last night. Perhaps she had the nanobots to thank for that, though her mate hadn’t been too rough with her, even when she’d insisted he didn’t need to treat her so gently.
Her pulse quickened at the memory of all that had happened between her and Dakk last night, and heat pulsed in her womanly core. She inhaled deeply and sat up against the pillows, her mind reeling with the events of the last twenty-four hours.
She’d slipped away to Vaxxlian Matchmakers, met Dakk—the dark, handsome stranger who was supposedly her soul mate—and eventually went to bed with him. Of her own free will. She’d wanted him, desired him, and she didn’t regret a thing that had happened last night.
Wrapping the sheet around her body, she slipped out of bed and padded to the window, the stones warm beneath her feet. Going by the placement of the sun in the sky, she judged it to be late morning.
Not only had she slept through the night, but she’d slept in rather late.
She gasped as another realization struck her.
The nightmares. She hadn’t had any last night. At least not that she could recall. The bad dreams always woke her up though and made it impossible to fall back asleep, so she must’ve gone a full night without a single nightmare.
Hope rose inside her. Maybe Dakk had something to do with her respite from the bad dreams. She’d felt safer than she had in ages as she’d fallen asleep in his arms. More than once, he’d promised to protect her. In her heart, she believed him, but she prayed he never had cause to come to her defense.
Her spirits sank somewhat, however, when she considered the fire. Dakk had an enemy, and as far as she knew, that enemy was still on the loose. How long would it take until Vaxxlian authorities discovered the person responsible for attacking Vallis and starting the fire?
“Good morning, yummiska,” came a deep voice behind her.
“Good morning.” She turned and smiled at her mate, her heart doing a flip at the sight of him wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair was damp, and when he reached her, she stood on her tiptoes and ran her hands through the wet locks, though he had to bend down slightly. He grabbed her and pressed a firm kiss to her lips, then a softer one to her nose, his manner playful. She beamed up at him, deciding she liked this side of him.
How strange that they’d known one another for about a day, yet she felt entirely comfortable in his presence. It was as though they’d known one another for years.
As they’d mated last night, there had been a moment when she’d felt as though both their souls were soaring side by side into the stars, though she hadn’t said anything to him about it, for fear that she’d imagined it. But this closeness… she liked it and could get used to it.
He gathered her to his chest and she settled into his embrace. They stood at the window as the rays of the morning sun bathed them in warmth. She inhaled his familiar scent, wishing this sweet moment could last for hours. But she knew he probably had a busy day ahead, one that would involve him leaving the house. No doubt he would wish to visit his shop and check in with the investigators.
“Oh!” she said, a sudden thought striking her. “I-I can walk around the settlement freely now.” She pulled back to stare into his eyes, but was disheartened to see him with a wary look. “You know, since I’m no longer an unmated female, it’s safe for me to go wherever I want now.” Your scent is on me. No other males will dare bother me.
“I wish I could allow you to leave my house—our house—and venture around Starzzia, my mate, but I do not want you going anywhere without me until the male who started the fire is caught. While I still have no idea who is responsible, I can’t say for certain that they might not bother you. Word that I’ve found a mate has likely spread around the settlement by now.” A serious glint entered his dark gaze, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to change his mind.
She tried to hide the disappointment that swept through her. She understood his reasoning and couldn’t be angry that he wished to protect her, but she still couldn’t help longing for freedom. “I suppose I understand, and I’ll try to be patient. Again, I’m really sorry about your shop. Did you lose a great deal of work in the fire?”
He guided her away from the window and they sank down on the bed next to one another. He wrapped an arm around her and nodded. “Yes, I lost many moon cycles’ worth of work. But I hope to finish cleaning up the shop today and conduct interviews for an apprentice. I recently posted a call for an apprentice and have already received several applications.”
“Sounds like a busy day.” She wanted to ask how long he would be gone but didn’t wish to seem needy or clingy, so she smiled up at him and stroked a hand down his arm. “I hope all goes well with the cleaning up, and the interviews too.”
His wrist comm beeped, and he glanced down at it with a frown, though his eyes soon lit with amusement. “It’s a message from Myadd. Apparently, he has tracked my comm numbers down.” Dakk chuckled. “He is requesting that you contact your sister as soon as possible.”
“Skylar. Oh man, I bet she’s being a handful right now.”
“The message also says she has tried to escape and go looking for you three times already.”
Still clutching the sheet around her, Macy jumped to her feet. “Where is your video comm?” she asked. “Could I please call her now? I-I don’t want to cause her undue worry.”
“My video comm is located in the library downstairs and you are free to use it whenever you wish, yummiska. Get dressed and then I’ll show you how to work it.” He rose to his feet and headed for the closet.
She followed him and grabbed one of her dresses off a hanger. Unsure if she should get dressed here or escape into the bathroom, she watched as he unabashedly dropped the towel from his waist and started gathering his clothing for the day.
Oh my. Her heart fluttered.
Until now, she hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of his butt. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. His ass was deliciously firm and flexed with his every movement. And when he accidentally dropped his shirt and had to bend over to pick it up, her lips parted on a rapid inhale that she was certain he must’ve heard.
“Like what you see, my sweet mate?” He straightened and turned around, looking far too pleased with himself. If she didn’t know better, she might think he’d dropped his shirt on purpose.
She flushed and fled the closet, deciding she would get dressed in the bathroom after all. She donned the purple dress she’d selected, then realized she hadn’t grabbed any undergarments. Fortunately, the dress contained a bodice that supported her boobs, as most dresses in the Vaxxlian style did, but she still usually wore underwear. A lot of women wore leggings under their dresses, as it was the Vaxxlian style, but she preferred to go without. Panties though—she didn’t think she would be comfortable without those.
When she returned to the closet, she found Dakk fixing a weapons’ belt around his waist and slipping a blaster into a holster. He hadn’t been wearing one yesterday and she supposed it was a new addition, on account of the fire, though it wasn’t unusual for a Vaxxlian warrior to walk around Starzzia while armed. Though the settlement tended to be peaceful—well, at least when random assholes weren’t starting fires—many warriors wore blasters or knives on their belts. In fact, Myadd and his brothers often carried blasters.
“I’m going to prepare a quick breakfast for us while you finish getting ready,” Dakk said, stroking a hand through her hair as he passed her. “Take your time.”
“I’m pretty much ready,” she said. “Just need some panties.”
Before she could reach the drawer where she’d stored her undergarments, he opened the drawer and peered inside. He glanced at her dress with a critical eye, then pulled out a pair of purple panties.
“Here,” he said with a serious look. “These match your dress.”
Face heating, she accepted the pair of underwear, not having the heart to tell him that she didn’t always coordinate her undergarments with her clothing. “Um, thanks.”
He waited in front of her, watching, and she started to feel awkward as she stood there holding her panties.
“Do you need help?” he asked, an eager look entering his gaze. He moved closer and took the panties from her hands before she could protest.
“I am perfectly capable of dressing myself,” she said, “including putting my own panties on.” She tried to yank the undergarment from his hands, but he held them out of her reach.
She shot him her fiercest glare and jumped, trying to snatch the panties from his hand. He stunned her by grasping her by the waist and lifting her to sit on a tall dresser. The height of the dresser prevented her from easily hopping to the floor, which left her at Dakk’s mercy.
Still wearing a playful look, he pushed her dress up, then drew the panties up her legs, until they stopped mid-thigh. She arched an eyebrow at him, waiting to see what he would do next, as a giggle built in her throat. He stepped closer and wrapped an arm underneath hers, lifting her briefly, just long enough to finish pulling her underwear up the rest of the way.
His fingers skimmed her inner thighs, and he nudged her legs open wider. He bent down and placed a gentle kiss right there, directly atop the crotch of her panties.
Oh God. She jolted at the touch, sensation sweeping through her.
All at once, her breasts felt heavier, and her hardened nipples chaffed against the material of her bodice with each rapid breath.
He lifted her off the dresser and placed her on her feet, warmth gleaming in his eyes as he stared down at her.
“There,” he said, sounding much too satisfied for her liking. “Now you’re all ready.”
“Thanks for your help,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve only been putting my own panties on for, oh I don’t know, my entire life.”
“Did I put them on backward?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking her up and down.
“No.”
He grinned. “Then I don’t know what you’re complaining about, yummiska.”
