Alien Warrior’s Second Chance by Sue Mercury

Chapter 14

What in the hell am I doing here?

Karla stood across the street from Vaxxlian Matchmakers, staring at the yellow-roofed building, as she tried to work up the nerve to go inside. The fragrant scent of the huge purple flowers that were planted around the white-stone structure carried to her on the breeze. The sky was growing darker by the minute, and thunder rumbled in the distance. She needed to make up her mind soon or she would get caught in the impending storm.

The door to VM swung open and a petite blonde emerged. She was alone, which made Karla suspect she was one of the psychic matchmakers—Heather or Carmen. Karla knew their names and that they were sisters, but she hadn’t met either matchmaker yet. Their mates were friends with Axall and his brothers, however, so she’d caught the occasional tidbit about the sisters from conversations at home. They hailed from Canada and had both come to New Vaxx early on, during the first days of the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides program.

To Karla’s surprise, the blonde peered straight at her and waved. Karla awkwardly returned the greeting, and finally she found the courage to cross the street. She approached the woman and offered a polite smile.

“Hi, are you Heather, or Carmen?”

“I’m Carmen. And you are?”

“Oh, I’m Karla. I was just standing over there admiring the pretty purple flowers that surround your building.”

A look of amusement crossed Carmen’s face and she lifted an eyebrow at Karla. “Admiring the flowers? For a full hour? Hm. I saw you standing there from my office window, and I was hoping you would come inside. You wish to speak with me, don’t you? You wish to learn the identity of your Vaxxlian soulmate?”

Karla’s face heated and she fumbled for words. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. She felt as though she were standing on a precipice of sorts and there was no turning back—either she would learn Zorras was her soulmate, or she would discover he wasn’t.

Both possibilities scared her.

What would she do if the psychic gave her the name of another warrior entirely? Or, since she was far too old to have children, maybe Carmen would inform her that she didn’t have a Vaxxlian soulmate at all. Thinking about all the potential outcomes left her in a tizzy.

“I think I want to talk to you,” she finally replied. “I-I think I would like to know if I have a Vaxxlian soulmate.”

Carmen gave a knowing smile and guided Karla inside.

“Come right this way.” The psychic matchmaker led her to a cozy room decorated in blues and greens and gestured for her to take a seat. They sat facing one another at a small table and Carmen immediately reached for Karla’s hands. “Shall we get started?”

“How exactly does this work? Do you need to ask me any questions?”

“You just sit there and let me hold your hands. The rest of the work is up to me.” Carmen winked at her and settled deeper into her chair with a sigh.

“Okay, sounds good.” Sounds terrifying. What am I doing here?

Carmen gripped Karla’s hands tighter and all at once her eyes flashed pure white. Whoa. Karla stared in awe. The matchmaker’s eyes remained white for several seconds, then she blinked and her normal blue shade returned.

“Good news. You do have a Vaxxlian soulmate and I know his name. Would you like me to tell you?” Carmen shot her a playful look and appeared quite pleased with herself.

“Yes, just tell me his name. Please.” Karla shut her eyes and braced herself to be disappointed. At this moment, she realized she very much wanted to hear Zorras’ name. If the matchmaker gave her another name, she would be utterly heartbroken. She wondered if it would be foolish to pursue a relationship with Zorras even if Carmen gave her the name of another warrior. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wonder for long, because after a dramatic pause, the psychic finally blurted out a name.

“Zorras. It’s Zorras. He is your soulmate. You have met him before—I can sense it. I can also sense that you are reluctant to marry again, but I would like to assure you that Zorras is an honorable Vaxxlian warrior. He would not hurt you in the same way as your first husband did. Forgive me, but I sensed that too. Zorras would treat you well and the two of you would be very happy together.”

Karla finally opened her eyes, and Carmen gave her a comforting smile.

“Would you like me to call him? I have his comm number and I’m sure he would come right away to collect you,” Carmen said. “You could mate with him this evening and become husband and wife.”

Relief surged through Karla, even though she was still a little nervous about the whole Vaxxlian mating-for-life thing.

Zorras.

Zorras was her soulmate.

Thank God. Or thank the Star God. Whoever.

“No, you don’t need to call him, but thanks for the offer. I-I’ll just go to his house. He showed me where he lives the other day as we were walking.” Heart racing with excitement, she rose to her feet. “Thank you for speaking with me, Carmen. It was very nice to meet you. I hate to chat and run, but I-I’m kind of eager to see Zorras again. If I don’t hurry over to his place while I’m still feeling brave, I might lose my nerve and chicken out.”

Carmen grinned and made a shooing motion. “Go! Go! Please give Zorras my best. And good luck!”

Karla rushed outside and hurried for Zorras’ large house that rested on a hill above Starzzia. Oh man, her legs were about to get a workout. She swung her arms and hustled up the street, already winded from her exertions.

When she finally reached the bottom of Zorras’ walkway, she paused to catch her breath and she suddenly worried about her appearance. She was wearing one of her nicest dresses today—she adored colorful gowns in the Vaxxlian fashion—but her hair was probably a mess thanks to the wind, and, oh Lord above, were her armpits getting sweaty?

She frantically worked to smooth her fingers through her hair, which she’d worn down today, and she also tried to brush out the wrinkles in her gown. She stood next to the large bushes that separated Zorras’ residence from his nearest neighbor’s property and stared at his house. But when she heard voices approaching from the other side of the road, she slinked into the bushes to hide.

Weird. Why was she hiding?

She wasn’t doing anything wrong. She wasn’t trespassing—Zorras would be happy to learn she’d come for a visit.

She tried to push away the wave of self-consciousness that had prompted her to hide in the first place. But just as she prepared to step out into the open, she saw two figures walk by—an older Vaxxlian male and a young, beautiful human woman.

Remaining hidden, she observed the newcomers as they ambled up Zorras’ walkway. They weren’t walking too close to one another, which made Karla suspect they weren’t a mated couple. She moved through the bushes, working her way closer to the front door, following from what she hoped was a safe distance—she didn’t want to be discovered.

How would she explain her reasons for hanging out in the bushes if she were caught? Nerves rose in her stomach, and she felt downright antsy. Oh, and a little foolish. Sixty-two years old and she was hiding in the bushes while spying.

The older Vaxxlian knocked on Zorras’ door. A few seconds later, Zorras opened the door and stepped onto the front porch to greet his visitors. He inclined his head at the woman and then at the warrior.

“Director Yorrsan, welcome to my home,” Zorras said. “I did not know you were coming to New Vaxx anytime soon. Is everything all right?”

“I was called here for a meeting that our leaders wished to conduct in person. But yes, everything is all right. I do, however, wish to reward you with a gift, as a thank you for your service to our people—sign ups on the VAMOB website keep increasing every day. If you hadn’t helped us fix the problem, our unmated warriors would be suffering.”

“A gift? What kind of gift?” Zorras shot a strange look at the woman who was standing quietly next to Director Yorrsan.

“The gift of a mate—a young, beautiful, fertile human female by the name of Hannah. She is yours.”