Alien Warrior’s Promise by Sue Mercury
Chapter 5
The truth. He wants the truth.
Macy’s mind raced. Should she be honest? It seemed wrong to admit she’d only visited Vaxxlian Matchmakers because she no longer wanted to hold her sister back. But as much as admitting the truth felt wrong and awkward, lying didn’t appeal either.
“Why don’t we sit,” he said, with a nod down the wide corridor. He moved as if to touch her, only to drop his hands at his sides once again.
“O-okay.” She accompanied him into a living room that contained a huge window with a view of a sparkling blue lake. Beyond the lake, rolling hills, endless forests, and snow-capped mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. She hadn’t known the views from Starzzia could be so beautiful. Even from the roof of Myadd’s home, which was situated on the edge of a lush forest, she’d never seen views like this.
An hour. I have an hour.She thought of Skylar and her resolve strengthened. If it weren’t for her sister, she would still be stranded in Alaska, all alone and scared out of her mind. She appreciated all that Skylar had done for her, but Macy didn’t want to hold her sister back from her own happiness any longer.
Dakk motioned for Macy to take a seat, and she sank down on a plush blue sofa. Knowing she didn’t have much time, she summoned her bravery and met her soon-to-be mate’s dark gaze.
“I visited Vaxxlian Matchmakers today because of my sister,” she began, hoping her confession didn’t cause him to reject her. “You see, Skylar is super protective of me, and she didn’t want to take a mate until I did—she didn’t wish to leave me alone.”
Understanding lit in Dakk’s gaze as he settled into a chair facing her. His knees rested but inches from hers and she felt the pull of attraction between them. His presence was a magnetic force she found herself unable to resist. She leaned closer.
What would it be like to kiss him? She flushed at the thought.
Once again, she was struck by his massive size and his otherworldly beauty. Even the scarring on the right side of his face was beautiful to her. It followed the path of his high cheekbone and ended beside his eye, three thick, jagged lines that gleamed white against his tanned skin.
She’d seen similar scarring on other Vaxxlian warriors in Starzzia and had heard it was the result of the Irrcons’ weapon of choice during hand-to-hand combat—a metal baton that contained three sharp blades on the tip.
Dakk stared at her for a long moment before clearing his throat. “So, you sneaked off to find your mate so that your sister would finally feel free to take a mate of her own?”
She nodded. “Yes, and we have an hour. An hour before Heather delivers the letter to Skylar. I-I have no idea if she’ll come here—my guess is she’ll at least try to stop me. But I don’t want her to stop me. I want to do this. Mating with a Vaxxlian male is inevitable anyway—all human females who seek refuge on New Vaxx are expected to mate with a Vaxxlian warrior.”
His lips curled with a half-smile. “I doubt Myadd will allow Skylar to visit us anytime soon, you don’t need to worry about your sister showing up and trying to stop us from mating.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Vaxxlian warriors don’t like to be interrupted while they’re mating for the first time. Out of respect, Myadd will likely keep Skylar from visiting for several days.”
Macy laughed. “You’ve never met my sister. She can be very persuasive, and I wouldn’t put sneaking out past her.” Her smile faded and she studied Dakk’s expression, trying to determine if her confession offended him—she’d admitted she wasn’t here because she truly wanted a mate. To her relief, his eyes still gleamed with humor, though she didn’t get the sense that he was making light of her situation.
“If you would like, I can put the house into lockdown mode, my little yummiska. No one, not your sister, and not Myadd or anyone else, will be able to breach these walls.” He lifted an eyebrow at her in question. “Then we can take our time with the mating process. I do not wish to rush. I intend to take my time with you, particularly while we are exchanging our mating vows, and I can assure you it will take longer than an hour.”
Her breath left her in a rush. Heat shot straight between her thighs, and she resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. A second later, his nostrils flared, and she flushed at knowing he likely detected her arousal—Vaxxlians possessed heightened senses.
But she was still nervous, incredibly so, and she couldn’t imagine jumping into bed with Dakk anytime soon. He might be her soul mate—well, maybe—but he was still a complete stranger to her, and the feelings he provoked within her left her increasingly conflicted. She trembled with fear at the thought of mating with him, even as heat flared between her thighs and her pussy clenched.
“What does that word mean?” she asked, deciding to change the subject. “Yummiska?” He’d called her this word several times now, his voice always brimming with affection.
He reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers, his grip anchoring her in the moment. Her heart picked up speed as his eyes gleamed with warmth.
“It means ‘blessed wife’.”
“Oh. That’s actually kind of sweet. Thank you.” She offered him a shy smile, and her pulse quickened and the heat surging between her thighs intensified. No man had ever used an endearment with her before. Well, except for the man she’d briefly dated in college who’d jokingly called her babycakes.
Blessed wife. She liked that one much better.
But she wasn’t technically Dakk’s wife, or his mate, just yet. They still had to get down to business. That meant going upstairs, getting naked, exchanging mating vows, and joining their bodies as one. It was the Vaxxlian way.
“Tell me about yourself,” she blurted, then added, “please,” in a much softer tone. She stared at their clasped hands and flushed all over. How could she be so nervous, so frightened, and yet drawn to him at the same time?
He moved to sit beside her and tightened his grip on her hand. The feel of his thigh next to hers left her deliciously unsettled. He leaned closer, and she thought he meant to kiss her, but he began to speak instead, his deep masculine voice vibrating through her and leaving her mesmerized. She mused that she could listen to him talk all day. He had the sexiest voice she’d ever heard. Her pussy clenched again.
“As you can probably imagine, I was born and raised on Vaxxlia. I was an only child, which is quite rare among my people. My father was a skilled woodworker and he taught me how to make furniture, and much of my childhood was spent helping him in his shop. When I came of age, I entered warrior training, as all Vaxxlian males do. The unit I was eventually assigned to traveled from outpost to outpost, monitoring Irrcon activity in the sectors surrounding Vaxxlia.” A shadow crossed his face, and Macy started to regret asking him to tell her more about himself. Such questions would inevitably lead to tragedy, as nearly all the Vaxxlian males living on New Vaxx had lost loved ones during the war against the Irrcons.
She squeezed his hand. “Did both of your parents perish when Vaxxlia was destroyed?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m so sorry.” She gave his hand another gentle squeeze, suddenly overcome by the need to comfort him.
“Thank you.”
She couldn’t help but wonder if the loss he’d endured, as well as his experiences during the war, had left him feeling broken. Was Skylar right? Were all Vaxxlians broken, or grieving, in their own way, just like she was? The war had been brutal. Millions of Vaxxlian females and children had perished when the Irrcons attacked planet Vaxxlia. It was so heartbreaking to think about that she found herself blinking back tears, and she looked down at her lap to hide her emotions from Dakk.
She was no longer shaking. At some point, as she’d sat beside her soon-to-be mate, she’d started to feel more comfortable around him. Could she and Dakk truly find solace, perhaps even healing, in one another’s arms?
“My parents are dead too,” she said after a long silence. “My mom died when I was younger, and my father was assassinated by a political adversary a little over a year ago.” She shuddered at the memory of watching her father’s skin turn black as the poison quickly worked its way through his body, leaving him disfigured and barely recognizable. He’d struggled for breath and flailed on the floor, his eyes bulging with panic as medics tried to save him.
Dakk cupped the side of her face, his gaze flickering with compassion. A sense of mutual sorrow built between them. They both understood pain and loss.
“I am sorry about your parents, too,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Did your father hold a political office on Earth?”
“He was the governor of Maine, and he was running for president of the United States at the time of his assassination. He was leading in the polls, but two weeks before election day, he was poisoned. Shortly after that, many of his staff members and supporters started turning up dead.”
Dakk tensed and looked her up and down, as if searching her for injuries. “Were you hurt by your father’s political adversary? Is that why you and Skylar had to leave Earth?”
She blew out a breath. “I’m supposed to be learning more about you right now,” she said. “I didn’t mean to turn the conversation back on myself.”
“Tell me.”
“Skylar and I were being transported to a secret location when we were attacked, and then…” Her voice trailed off, and her arm ached suddenly, even though it was no longer broken. She stared at Dakk, unsure of what else to say. I was hurt badly, and I feared for my life. I ran and I ran and I ran, and almost everyone who helped me ended up dead. I dream about being chased every night and it feels so real.
Dakk drew her closer as he shifted to cup her face in both of his large hands. During their walk home from Vaxxlian Matchmakers, he’d promised to protect her when a random warrior in the street had looked at her with too much interest. Did he mean it? Would he truly protect her from any danger?
She was supposed to be safe on New Vaxx. Logically, she knew her father’s enemies couldn’t reach her here, even if they knew exactly where she was. But the almost certain knowledge that her father’s enemies couldn’t reach her didn’t help chase her fear away. She’d been on New Vaxx for two moon cycles and the nightmares still visited her. She was always on edge, always looking over her shoulder and expecting the worst.
“Did someone hurt you, Macy?” he asked in a gentle, patient tone.
She couldn’t make her voice work, so she simply nodded as all the terror she’d experienced on Earth came rushing back. Not all the so-called safehouses she’d stayed in had been very welcoming—many of the residents had demanded an exorbitant amount of money and became enraged when she couldn’t pay.
And some of the men she’d encountered… she couldn’t complete the thought. She didn’t want to admit out loud the terror she’d endured. Even Skylar didn’t know the full truth.
The cabin in Alaska had been Macy’s final stop. A former Secret Service agent had promised that Skylar would meet her there one day. But after months spent alone in the cabin, she’d started to lose hope her sister was even alive, and not long after the agent had ceased all contact, she had begun running dangerously low on food.
But the prospect of starving didn’t compare to the constant fear that had plagued her. For months on end, she’d jumped at every little noise she heard, certain her father’s enemies were finally coming to put a bullet in her head.
Thank God for Myadd’s people. They’d found her just in time, helped her reunite with Skylar, and then whisked them both away to the safety of New Vaxx.
Dakk peered into her eyes, his visage growing serious as he continued stroking her cheek with his thumb. His next words, as well as the sincerity that resonated in his voice, filled her with hope and made her feel a little less broken.
“I swear on the Star God, as well as the souls of my ancestors,” he said, “that no one will ever hurt you again. I will protect you always. You are safe with me, yummiska. I promise.”
