Alien Warrior’s Second Chance by Sue Mercury

Chapter 5

The next day,Zorras approached the house Axall shared with his two brothers. It was a massive, white-stone structure that would no doubt be teeming with offspring in a couple of years. Zorras knew Axall and his brothers had signed up for the Vaxxlain Alien Mail Order Brides program several moon cycles ago. The three brothers had gone to Earth to collect the willing human females who’d been matched to them as mates.

Since the wait time for VAMOB was now years-long, Zorras had recently put his name in with Vaxxlain Matchmakers, praying it would be the quicker option. Besides, he liked the idea of being matched to his soulmate—the human female meant for him. The concept of soulmates was new to Vaxxlians, but from what he could tell, the couples matched by VM were all happy and in love.

His heart swelled at the possibility of mating with Karla. He hoped she would agree to become his wife soon, but he would try to be patient until she came around to his way of thinking, even if he was used to taking what he wanted.

Drecc claimed Zorras had behaved in too forward a manner yesterday and likely scared Karla off with his talk of mating. Apparently, many human females liked to get to know their potential husbands better before agreeing to enter a mating union. According to Drecc, human women also liked to be romanced—a concept that was strange to Zorras, but he’d spent the previous evening researching human dating customs. He was eager to put the tips and skills he’d learned to work on the pretty silver-haired woman known as Karla.

He walked to the door and rang the bell. Anticipation hummed through him. He could not wait to see the sweet beauty again.

The door was suddenly flung open, but Zorras didn’t see anyone. That was, until he looked down. Standing before him was a small human child.

“Good afternoon!” the girl said in perfect Galactic Common as she smiled at him. “I’m Amie! Who are you? Are you friends with Daddy Khann or one of his brothers? Or are you that handsome older warrior from the marketplace that Aunt Karla has been talking about all morning? You know, the male who saved her box of donuts and has muscles for days?”

Happiness filled Zorras upon learning Karla had been talking about him and in a positive manner. That had to be a good sign. Perhaps he had made an impression on her. Perhaps he plagued her thoughts as much as she plagued his. Star God knew he’d barely gotten an hour of sleep last night, as he’d been unable to settle while thoughts of the sweet human sped through his mind.

“Well?” Amie asked, looking him up and down. “Are you going to tell me who you are or not?”

He cleared his throat, then bent down and offered her his hand. “Hello, Amie, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Zorras.” She reached out and shook his hand. Such a strange human custom—shaking hands—but Zorras wanted to make a good impression on the family with whom Karla lived. “So, Karla has been speaking about me, has she?” He couldn’t resist asking, even if he was prying a bit. But the exuberant young girl seemed eager to keep talking and he thought there was no harm in indulging her.

“Oh yes, Karla asked Daddy Khann and his brothers all sorts of questions about you over breakfast this morning. She wanted to know where you lived, how many children you have, what happened to your first mate, and whether you are an honorable warrior. She also asked if you were a career soldier or if you had another job among your people.” Amie’s expression grew overly thoughtful, and she tapped at her chin while making a loud humming noise. “That’s about it, but if I remember anything else, I will be sure to let you know.”

Joy resounded within Zorras. Karla was curious about him. That meant she’d been thinking of him and perhaps even imagining what it would be like to become his wife.

“Amie!” called a familiar voice. “Who was at the door?” A short while later, Karla stepped into the entryway. She stopped in her tracks and her eyes went wide when her gaze landed on Zorras.

He smiled and waved. “Hello, sweet beauty.”

“Zorras. Um, what-what are you doing here?” A blush stained the lovely human’s cheeks, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a nervous fashion. She also stepped from foot to foot, fidgeting in place.

“I came to see you,” Zorras replied.

“Your eyes are glowing, Warrior Zorras,” Amie said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Does that mean you’re in love with my Aunt Karla?”

Karla’s eyes widened further. “Um, Amie, honey, I’d like to speak with Zorras alone, please. Why don’t you go finish your homework? We’ll bake those brownies I promised you we’d make once you’re done.”

Amie gave a disappointed sigh and her shoulders slumped, but she turned and started walking away. “I’ll see you later, Zorras!” she called over her shoulder. “It was nice to meet you and I hope we can be friends!”

“Goodbye, Amie,” he said. “And yes, we can be friends. I would like that very much.” He smiled at the little girl as she skipped around the corner of the entryway, but he soon returned his focus to the silver-haired beauty.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” Zorras asked, his heart racing faster at the prospect of spending time alone with Karla.

“That depends. Are you going to try to kidnap me?”

“Not today,” he said, then winked at her.

This time, she laughed when he made the gesture, and his spirits lifted to see her eyes sparkling with humor. When she smiled and laughed, her whole face lit up. But during the times she wasn’t smiling or laughing, there was a serious gleam to her eyes that made him wonder about her past experiences.

Had something bad happened to her on Earth?

He longed to gather her close and hold her, to promise her that whatever horrors she had suffered on her home planet would never happen again. He would protect her and do everything in his power to ensure her happiness. As her mate, it would be his honor to take care of her in every way.

“Well?” he asked. “Will you go on a walk with me? I know the perfect place—the newly built skywalk.”

“Okay, I will go for a walk with you, Zorras, but let me just make one thing clear—I’m not looking for a mate. We can only be friends.”

“Friends for now,” he said, recalling from his research that many romantic relationships among humans start out as friendships.

Karla sighed deeply and for a moment he worried she was about to change her mind. But she eventually nodded toward the street. “Well, Warrior Zorras, are we going to take that walk, or are we going to stand here and awkwardly stare at one another all day?”