Epilogue: Koriv’n

 

I stood in front of the makeshift altar, waiting for my mate to arrive. I’d thought I wouldn’t be nervous. Nikki was, after all, already my mate; the bond had spoken.

Krux, was I wrong!

I rubbed the back of my neck for the hundredth time this minute.

“Breathe, Koriv’n. You’ll survive this.” Calvin nodded to me solemnly from behind the altar. “I promise.”

Everyone I ever cared about was here, even Roger, Curtis, and Terrance, who’d come over from their new home. It was winter now, and the group had just moved into the other part of the same industrial complex, the side farther out from the nest. They were close enough now to come by foot.

Meghan sat awkwardly on the side with Mal’k next to her. She hadn’t given in to his advances yet but had stopped trying to push him away.

I’d never been the center of attention before, not like this. I discovered too late that I had what the humans called stage fright. I hadn’t even known what stage fright was until today. I had no problem professing my eternal love for Nikki when we were alone, but with so many eyes on me, I was suddenly a jittery mess.

It didn’t help that I hadn’t seen Nikki since this morning when the other mates whisked her away to prepare for the ceremony. Seeing and touching her would have helped calm me.

I knew what to expect—I’d read about it in my research—but that didn’t stop my jaw dropping when I saw her. She was stunning, and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

I’d seen the white dress hanging around the compound before, but it had just been a dress then. I hadn’t understood why she had to wear the restrictive gown; it didn’t protect her like armor, and the layers would get in her way. But it was tradition.

Seeing her in it, I understood the appeal. It was her but exaggerated. She was taller than the other mates, but in the dress, she was regal, magnificent. It took her natural beauty and magnified it. Still, I wanted to peel it off her as soon as I could.

It was going to be a lot of work to get us both naked in my sleeping nook. I saw how many buttons were on that dress, and I myself had every piece of armor on. I was in full gear since, according to the humans, it was the equivalent of our formalwear.

Nikki walked down the aisle, each step bringing her closer to me and our future together. When she was finally in front of me, I breathed again.

With Nikki and I holding hands, Calvin spoke, going through the ceremonial words, but I couldn’t pay attention to much of it. I was lost in Nikki’s eyes instead. With her here, I calmed. As long as she was by my side, I was alright.

Calvin cleared his throat and said the words I was supposed to repeat again. Right. I’d forgotten about that. Aware of our audience again, I tripped over and mangled most of it, but we got through to the end of our vows.

Jorg’k walked in with a very annoyed-looking Tooth in his hands. The poor squirrel was dressed in a cute outfit with a small box strapped to his back. They’d gotten Tooth to be the ring bearer. Whose horrible idea was that?

Calvin tried to hide a guffaw, and Nikki giggled while I gawked at the rodent. The rest of the crowd went “aww.” But Tooth—Tooth was not impressed. Jorg’k would need to sleep with one eye open tonight. I hoped he and Connie had a big collection of nuts to beg for forgiveness.

The ring box looked like it had seen better days, with one corner chewed right off and nibbles on every edge, but Calvin picked it up, freeing the little creature of the burden. After we exchanged rings came the part I most looked forward to.

“You may now kiss the bride.”

That I could do without messing up, no matter how nervous I was. I lifted Nikki off the floor; it was easier than hunching over to reach her lips. She squeaked and threw her arms around me, her eyes twinkling with delight. I captured her sweet mouth with mine.

Through my research, I knew it was supposed to be a short kiss—an outward symbol of our union. But I couldn’t help but devour her mouth with the passion I felt every time we touched. She clung to me as if weak in the knees. No matter, I’d stand for her and be her pillar for the rest of my life.

The crowd broke into applause, reminding me that we were not alone. When our lips finally parted, Nikki’s cheeks were pink and flushed.

“I love you, my hero,” she whispered.

“I love you too, Kitten.” I held her to my chest until she struggled to be let back down onto the floor.

“Congratulations, you two,” Calvin said with a smile. “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives.”

I didn’t correct him. The first day of the rest of my life was the day Nikki had shut herself into a storage room with me. My entire life had changed since then.

We kept the rest of the celebration casual, meeting with our guests as they congratulated us on our union. I knew this too was customary, but all I wanted to do was go back to the shuttle and spend time alone with my mate.

Rajiv’k brought out his liquor collection. If we ever wondered who’d cleared out all the liquor stores in the area, we wondered no longer. While the rest of us had tried to convince the local leaders to let us help them, Rajiv’k was piling all the booze into his shuttle.

He poured drinks and handed them around. Tarv’k handed me a drink, and I took it. When he held one out to Nikki, she politely declined.

“I’m not supposed to drink anymore. It’s not good for the baby.”

It took a moment for the words to sink in.

“Baby?” I searched her face, but all she did was smile back at me with a big goofy grin.

“I was wondering when you’d catch on. That’s why Noah and Natalie have been calling it a shotgun wedding. They and Rajiv’k are the only ones who know. I went to Noah first since he’s the human doctor, but he borrowed Rajiv’k’s equipment for the exam.”

Suddenly we were the only two in the room. I tried to speak, but my mouth moved, and no words came out. Forget words; who needed them anyway? All I needed was right here in front of me: my mate and my offspring—my family.

I knelt on a knee to put myself closer to her belly. My baby was in there. I gazed at her still-flat belly in wonder.

“I think he’s in shock,” said Natalie, sounding extremely far away. “Did you just break the news?”

“Yeah, I did.” Nikki turned back to me, a look of concern on her face. “That’s a good shock, right?”

“Yes,” I managed, wrapping my arms around her and putting my face to her belly. I inhaled deeply. She’d smelled different lately, sweeter and more like me, if that was possible. I hadn’t realized why. I’d thought it was because we spent every day and night together.

Now that I knew, it made sense. She smelled more like me because she carried a piece of me inside her.

My whole life, I’d been nothing but a weapon. I was more now. I was a mate, a husband, and soon, I’d be a father. Nikki’s hands landed on my horns. I looked up into her eyes, and I saw my entire future there.

A sudden sharp, repetitive clinking sound had me turning my head. Terrance grinned back at us, clinking his glass with his fork. More people joined him, and soon we were serenaded with dozens of clinking glasses.

Nikki pulled me back up to my feet. “They want another kiss.”

I grinned. That, I could provide, even now when I was too shocked to do anything else.

I drew my mate into my arms and kissed her. Surrounded by the applause of all the people we cared about, I had no regrets, no doubts. I’d come to Earth to find my destiny, and I’d found her. My mate was right here in my arms, and I was ready for whatever the future held.

THE END

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Looking for more from Lynnea Lee? Check out this excerpt from A Deal for Zeylum

It was a rookie mistake. Someone with his experience should have known better, but here he was, about to be thrown into the cargo hold of an enemy ship. Taking a slow breath, Zeylum took stock of his surroundings. Two oversized holding cells took up most of the room, and both were filled with slaves bound for the market. Humans. They were far from home. It seemed the Galactic Dominion had their fingers in all corners of the galaxy, the greedy bastards.

The Dominion guard shoved him roughly into the opened pen. Zeylum saw her as he fell. She was small even for a human, with dark, wavy hair to her mid-back and a heart-shaped face. She sat with her knees tucked into her chest, so small and vulnerable. His stomach sank when he realized he was going to land directly on top of her.

Shit! I’m going to crush her!

With his hands manacled and legs hobbled, all he could do was twist sharply to the side. She scrambled away just in time to avoid the bulk of his weight. He grunted as he landed with a hard thud, on his shoulder.

Zeylum wasn’t the only one who noticed the pretty female. Her quick movement caught the guard’s attention. The female’s eyes narrowed, and she backed away as if trying to melt into the metalwork of the ship. The guard licked his blubbery lips, his gaze slowly turning lecherous.

“We deserve a little reward for our work today, don’t you think?” He winked at his buddy, and the other officer cracked a lustful grin.

The officer reached for the female, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her out of the cage. Quiet and unassuming until that moment, she sprang into action, kicking and biting. Despite her short ineffective claws, she scratched viciously at her assailants.

Zeylum raised his eyebrows as the little human, who was barely tall enough to reach his chest, lashed out against two fully grown Tallean males. What a hellion! If this was typical of humans, the Galactic Dominion would have their hands full trying to control their new slaves. The sweet, cloying scent of her panic radiated from her.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” she bellowed as her knee made firm contact with the officer’s crotch.

“You little bitch!” he yelled. He drew his hand back and landed an open-palmed slap across her cheek.  Her head jerked to the side violently, her hair whipping across her face as she stifled a gasp. Zeylum felt the slap like a punch in his gut.

“Torf!” The low voice rumbled through the chaos. “If you damage the merchandise, it’s coming off your pay. I told you to lock up our guest, not give him a show.”

The brute’s face turned redder despite already being flushed with anger. “Sir! She—she was causing trouble.” He threw the female back into the cage. “I was just teaching her some manners. Some of these humans are incorrigible! No sense of their place as slaves.”

The newcomer dismissed the lower-ranking officer’s babble with a wave of his hand.

“Ah, if it isn’t Captain Zeylum of the Defiant, the monster behind the infamous pirate vessel terrorizing the frontier. You’ve got quite a bounty on your head.”

Zeylum knew. He also knew that the imposing figure preening in front of him was Captain Ulrek of the Stellar Fortune, the poster child of the Dominion’s fleet. He’d known Ulrek was planetside when he made the error of dropping into town for a quick supply run on his own. The port was one of the only places on this side of the galaxy to deal in misappropriated medical supplies. More specifically, they sold chemicals needed to run the state-of-the-art med beds required to keep his crew in tip-top shape—a necessity, considering their propensity for taking dangerous missions.

It was supposed to have been a quick in and out, but an old lover had ratted him out. Selene had been only interested in him for his infamy. She’d been known to be heartless. Despite agreeing to a purely physical temporary liaison, she’d nonetheless felt jilted when he returned to his ship without her. That was two galactic years ago. She sure knew how to hold a grudge!

“Imagine that! The great Zeylum of the Defiant, reduced to begging for scraps with the slaves.” Ulrek eyed him, his sense of triumph oozing from his pores.

“How is Selene?” Zeylum taunted, unable to hold back. The word in the port was that Selene had taken up with the Dominion captain. He couldn’t resist taunting the captain, even if he had to stoop low to do it.

A low growled sounded, and the last thing Zeylum saw was the side of Ulrek’s boot before blackness overcame him.

Ashe was surprised to see the alien slowly come to. He’d taken a pretty nasty blow to his head, and Ashe was impressed he still lived. In fact, if the captain’s boot had been angled just a bit off, he would have had his face clawed open by those scary talons these aliens had sticking out the fronts of their boots.

He blinked a few times, and their gazes met. She stifled a gasp at the intense emerald green of his eyes. Every Tallean Ashe had met so far, which weren’t too many, had various shades of green eyes, but his were the most intense by far. A deep green ringed the outside of his irises, fading in a jagged pattern to a bright, vibrant emerald near his pupils. When the light hit his eyes at certain angles, a glare reflected off, reminiscent of nocturnal predators. His eyes were framed with thick, inky black lashes. The same blue-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. A few wisps of hair fell loose to frame his tanned face.

His mouth was lined with thin but shapely lips. She knew his canines were elongated, like all his species. It wasn’t noticeable unless they grinned or bared their teeth. Like the others of his kind, a crease of skin ran parallel his jawline across his cheek. This cheek crease and the presence of the light-reflecting membrane in his eyes were the most obvious facial indicators that he was not human. Unlike the guard who’d attacked her, the prisoner’s skin forming the creases lay flat against his face rather than sagging with excess fat. It highlighted his high cheekbones and his chiseled jawline, which was completely free of facial hair—a ruggedly handsome specimen by any standards, despite not being human.

Even crumpled against the wall, he looked tall to Ashe. He was at least a few inches taller than the guard who had grabbed her, and she’d barely reached the guard’s armpit. He wore a black tank top that showcased his broad, well-built shoulders and thick biceps. His hands barely showed at his side due to the short chain that manacled his wrists behind his back, but from what she did see they were large and rough with faded scars, showing a life of hard work.

The most alien parts on his body were his feet. They were massive and beast-like. Instead of toes, each foot was tipped with four sharp claws. He wore the alien equivalent of heavy-duty combat boots; they opened at the front to show his claws. The soles were super thick so his curved talons were raised above the ground when he stood. Like on his wrists, metal cuffs wrapped around his ankles over his boots, the chain in between just long enough for him to hobble.

How he’d managed to direct his momentum to avoid barreling into her while manacled and hobbled was beyond her, but she was grateful he had. The guy was massive, and Ashe doubted she would survive being crushed under his weight.

The dinner bell pierced the din of the cargo hold, interrupting her visual exploration of the new alien prisoner. The first time they’d handed out food, Ashe had gone for the food first and hadn’t managed to grab any of the packaged water. She’d spent the time until the next meal parched, her tongue dry and rough as sandpaper. She’d learned her lesson well.

Pushing through the throng of people, she grabbed several packages of water and a portion of something that looked like flat, hard bread. Being smaller than the men, she usually failed to nab any of the meat portions. Taking a quick look over at mister buff alien, she stuffed another ration of food into her shirt and headed toward him.

Ashe hesitated a moment, unsure about helping a criminal with a bounty on his head. When he’d first been shoved into the cage with them, a few of the men in the hold had wanted to waste him, if only because he was the same alien race as their captors. But the captain had made it plenty clear that if his special prisoner met his end by human hands, all the human males in the hold would find themselves castrated, regardless of who’d made the kill. The men lost interest rather quickly.

Ashe bit her bottom lip as she contemplated what she was about to do. The alien was intimidating, but so was a life as a slave, and that was all that awaited her at the end of this journey. She looked around at her fellow unlucky earthlings. There were only a few types in the hold. Many of the men were big, tough-looking men wearing prison uniforms. Some were not so big or tough but wore orange all the same. Their Tallean captors had raided a penitentiary and rounded up the men most suited for hard labor.

While the women came in all different skin tones and sizes, they were all attractive. She didn’t kid herself what the young women in the hold would be forced to do. The guard’s interest in her body was proof enough.

At first, Ashe had been terrified. But the time for tears and hysterics had passed days ago. She’d read once that the flight or fight response only lasted so long before fizzling out into oblivion. She understood that now. She felt strangely calm. She just wanted out.

Ashe wanted off this boat—er, ship—and her gut instinct told her this alien was her ticket out. He was in the cage with them and was, therefore, in the same boat, at least for now. It felt awkward for her to approach him, but she had nothing to lose. She cleared her throat, hoping that his translator was up to date with Earth’s languages.

“How’s your head?” Her voice sounded out of place, and a few fellow prisoners stared strangely at her. She ignored them.

He looked up at her, holding her gaze with his emerald stare. He eyed her appraisingly, perhaps because she was the first in the holding cell to approach him.

“Probably not much worse than your cheek.”

Ashe put her fingers to the bruise on her left cheek where the guard had hit her. She looked and smelled a mess. There were no showers in the holding pen. There was, however, a partitioned area for natural functions and limited running water. She’d used her t-shirt to sponge off the crucial areas. Her hair was a hopelessly tangled mess, and she was pretty sure there were bags under her eyes. And now she was black and blue too.

“Are you hungry? I didn’t manage to get the good stuff. Tastes like shit, but fills you up. And water’s pretty crucial too. You don’t want to drink what comes out of the tap.” She held a piece of food up to him, arms extended as far as possible to keep her body at a distance, ready to bound away if he pounced on her.

“Why don’t you come a little closer? I don’t bite.” There was a twinkle in his eye, and a corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing smirk.

“I don’t think so, buddy!”

He was massive and strong and a criminal to boot. She wanted his help blowing this joint, but she wanted to get a feel for him first. If he decided to take advantage of her, she’d be screwed. Ashe doubted any of the men in the hold would jump to her rescue. In fact, the less morally inclined men in the next cage over had assaulted some of the women on the first day. None of the other men had helped the victims.

Ashe had kept herself safe by staying quiet and drawing little attention to herself. It had worked until the big alien was practically thrown on top of her.

“I guess if I’m going to be hand-fed by an exotic beauty like you, I might as well enjoy myself, regardless of how far away you intend to stand.” He leaned casually back against the bars.

Ashe rolled her eyes as she ripped the corner off the bagged water and took a sip for herself. Setting her water to rest upright against her crossed leg, she held the drink to his mouth and gave it a soft squeeze to get the liquid to his lips. Next, she held the stale bread-like substance to his mouth.

“So, does the exotic beauty have a name?”

Ashe scoffed at his continued referral to herself as an exotic beauty but answered his question anyway. “Ashley. But you can call me Ashe.” Her full name always reminded her of her ex-fiancé. Mike always insisted on calling her “Ashley baby,” and it was all fine and dandy until he walked out on her with her best friend five days before the wedding. “And I’m going to venture that you are Zeylum.”

He tilted his chin down slightly, which Ashe recognized as the alien equivalent of a nod. “My friends call me Zey, and you can too. You seem the type I would get on a nickname basis with.”

The man was a shameless flirt, and in such a grim situation to boot. She knew better than to be interested, but her body did what it wanted. Ashe tried to ignore the innuendo but couldn’t stop a small tingle from starting in her belly. She changed the topic.

“The captain’s after you for a bounty, right? What they got you pinned for?”

“This and that. I’m a part of a mercenary crew, and we get paid to take on dangerous missions. Recently, it’s been mostly smuggling goods. My crew specializes in getting things where they need to go. People, weapons, medicine, you name it.”

Well, that’s got to be better than rape and mass murder, Ashe decided.

“The captain called your ship a pirate vessel.”

He shrugged noncommittally. “Brings in a good profit.”

“So, your crew, they going to come after you?” She might as well dig for info while he was feeling conversational.

He shrugged again. Wanting to keep him talking, she tried again.

“Any idea where we’re heading and how long before we get there?”

“We’re at the edge of Dominion space. I believe your planet is just outside their newly acquired territory, and they are on their way to supply the freshly instated government-friendly monarchs with slaves and workers.”

He paused as if debating whether to continue. “I’m going to be honest. The outer edge of Dominion space is a wild zone, mostly lawless. Most living here are rough males with blood on their hands. Criminals. Even those working for the Dominion. In fact, they are probably the worst of the lot. Females are few and far between.” He paused to study her face, and Ashe felt heat rise to her cheeks. “A pretty little thing like you…” He trailed off.

“Yeah, I figured as much already. If the officers aboard this ship are any indication, either I’ll become some toy for a rich sadistic asshole, or I’ll be dumped in a whorehouse somewhere. Assholes are assholes the universe over.”

She paused to pour some water in his mouth and thought back to the news reports she’d watched on Earth. The group of humans on this ship weren’t the first taken. Until recently, the aliens had only targeted prisons and brothels. Like everyone else, she had been so sure it wouldn’t happen to her. But here she was.

“The Dominion considers the males replaceable, dispensable. They are meant for the mines and manual labor, and they prefer them strong. But the females need to be healthy, fit, and pretty to bring in good profits.”

To avoid thinking of her possible future in too much detail, she turned her focus back to the alien. “What will happen to you?”

“Ulrek will bring me back to the inner territories to claim his prize. A well-known smuggler such as myself won’t get a trial.”

“Shit, that sucks.” Ashe got to the meat of the discussion. “Do you think there’s a way out of here?”

“Who knows? Ulrek is as corrupt as they come and will probably make a few stops while in the outer territories, to line his pockets. Every delay is an opportunity.” His eyes lit as he spoke, and Ashe couldn’t help but be reminded of how attractive she found him.

The lights in the cargo hold dimmed, signaling the start of the simulated night cycle. Ashe quickly fed him the rest of the stale bread and water. She felt the programmed drop in temperature and rubbed her arms as she settled down for another rough night. The alien ship was kept slightly too cool for human bodies at night, and she usually woke up shivering on the hard metal floor of the cage.

“You can curl up next to me if you are cold, gorgeous. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. Not that I have much choice in the matter.” He rattled the chain of his manacles. All this technology for space travel, but they still used good old-fashioned metal cuffs, she mused.

“Yeah, no thanks,” she quipped but gave him a wink. Now, what had possessed her to do that? But the image of the large alien pressed up against her, warming her, was already seeded in her mind, and her body reacted to the idea against her better judgment. She sighed to herself. It was going to be a long night.