Alien's Innocent Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Paranormal Shifter Romance (Mail Order Human Book 1) (4 page)

Best of all, before she’d drifted to sleep, she had smiled at him, contentment brimming in her eyes without a hint of her prior sadness. He hoped to never see the sorrow in her gaze again. In the coming days, he would get to know his little human mate better. He planned to show her around the mountain range and take her to the cities to visit his friends and family members.

He glanced at her one last time before falling to sleep beside her, holding her snug against his chest, his animal calm and his spirit content for the first time in ages.

Chapter Four

Tara awoke to the sound of birds chirping. She opened her eyes and realized Sev still held her to his chest. Careful not to wake him, she extracted herself from his embrace and sat up in the bed. Morning light poured into one of the windows, and she smiled at the sight of the sun rising over the distant mountains. The sunrise spilled through the trees in an array of gold, orange, and pink waves. She couldn’t recall having ever witnessed anything so beautiful.

On Earth, she’d rarely had time to observe what little beauty remained around her. She had stayed indoors during the day as much as possible, in an effort to stay hidden from Magino’s men. The houses she cleaned were on the more prominent side of town, and she slipped in and out of those houses through the servants entrances, always with her cloak pulled over her head. Once she had completed her cleaning duties, she waited until nighttime to gather and chop firewood for extra money, always dressing like a man and hiding her hair underneath a hat while she worked at this more masculine endeavor.

A woman chopping wood in the middle of the night would’ve drawn attention, but as a man no one batted an eye. Once a week, she smudged her face, drew her hair under the hat, and dressed as a man while she delivered the firewood to her customers.

She wondered if anyone would miss her. She doubted it. All of her childhood friends had succumbed to illnesses or childbirth complications, and because of this she had felt alone even before her parents’ death.

She glanced over at Sev’s massive sleeping form. He snored lowly, occasionally growling in his sleep. The growls had startled her at first, but now she found them sexy. Her center pulsed hot with need each time he growled, the inhuman noise stirring her desires.

Shifting on the bed, she evaluated her soreness. Her muscles ached, but not terribly. Her womanhood felt tender, but not abused. True to his word, Sev had been gentle with her and considerate of her inexperience. She flushed. He had brought her to orgasm twice, once with his mouth pressed to her center, his tongue working magic, and the second time with his cock pounding in and out of her.

Sunlight crept across the bedcovers, and she brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the glare. But she stopped in the middle of her movements and stared down at her arms. Strange markings covered both her arms, from her wrists up to her shoulders.

She moved from the bed, searching for the tattered remains of her dress. Sev had lied to her. He had told her disease had been eradicated from his planet, but he had obviously given her
something
. There was no other explanation for the strange markings on her arms. Her heart pounded with terror.

As a child, she had lost several friends to a disease that caused body parts to become black, wither up, and fall off. Had she caught something similar from Sev?

She had to get away from him. Not only was he a liar, but there was no telling what other sorts of diseases she might contract if she stuck around. She had already accepted that she would never return to Earth, but maybe she could find her way to one of the cities he had mentioned. She had to make her way down the mountain before he awoke.

She slipped into her dress and tiptoed downstairs, where she tied her shawl around her waist to keep her dress from opening to reveal her breasts. She found her shoes and opened the front door slowly, deciding to leave her backpack behind so she could make a faster getaway. Once she made it outside and shut the door behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she rushed down the mountain as if she were being chased.

She stumbled and scraped her hands and knees a few times, but luckily there was a worn path that contained wooden steps during the most treacherous parts of her journey. She would have to leave the path Sev had obviously created soon, and once the mountain’s steepness lessened, she did just that, veering off into the trees and zigzagging through the woods that covered the base of Sev’s mountain.

Her heart ached. How could he have lied to her? For the first time in her life, she had dared to trust a man, dared to believe he might want more from her than sex, only to have her heart broken into infinite pieces.

She would never have the loving husband and family she had dreamed off. She would never have a marriage even half as happy as her parents’. She cried as she ran, and her terror increased when she noticed the markings on her arms sparkled in the sunlight. Oh God, was she going to die?

She reached the bottom of the mountain, breathless and with scratches all over her body. Her hair blew wildly in the wind, and she felt frantic as she looked around, trying to decide which direction to run. The tall grasses or the huge, exotic forest she had ventured into yesterday evening?

The forest would provide more cover, she reasoned, and she set off, running at full speed and hoping Sev never found her. Perhaps if she made it all the way through the forest, she would find herself in a grand alien city. Maybe she could seek medical assistance and find a job. Did rich Zaxxumians employ housekeepers? She pushed thoughts of her future aside and focused on her present circumstances. If she slowed down, Sev might catch her.

He obviously thought nothing of lying to her, and she suspected he wouldn’t take kindly to being abandoned after he’d paid for her. If by some freak chance she did make it back to Earth, she planned to warn every woman on the planet that Mail Order Human wasn’t a trustworthy business.

The forest grew louder the deeper she ran into it, the calls from strange animals frightening her, and the buzzing of what she assumed were alien insects echoing through the trees.

Suddenly, above all the unfamiliar noises of the forest, came a roar that filled her veins with ice water. She froze and leaned against a tree, her head tilted to the side as she listened for signs of the beast’s approach. The roar lasted for several long seconds, and after it ceased it reverberated around her, until the forest went completely silent.

No birds chirped. No insects buzzed. No animals called out in any form. The only sound came from the faint breeze ruffling through the trees.

The eerily silence made her heart pound faster and thump in her ears. Whatever had made that noise sounded angry. Or hungry. Maybe both. She wished she had a weapon.

Knowing she best keep going, she set out at a brisk walk, trying to keep her footfalls as quiet as possible. She pushed through the thick underbrush in her path and stumbled down into a dip in the ground. When she went to get up, her gaze locked with two large green eyes.

She tried to scream, but her throat clogged with terror and she couldn’t even take a breath. A massive catlike creature stood in her path, staring at her unblinkingly. It bared its teeth with a fierce snarl.

* * *

Sensing Tara was in imminent danger, Sev shifted into his bear form and bounded through the forest. He roared again, hoping his approach scared off whatever creature was bothering Tara, if it was another animal. Fear gripped him. What if she was afraid because she had taken a fall or gotten wounded? But the scent of an
egrra
cat reached him in the wind, and he realized she must have come face to face with one of these deadly animals.

Following Tara’s scent, as well as the snarls of the
egrra
cat, he burst through the thick underbrush and into a small clearing in the forest. He ran on all fours and put himself between Tara and the cat. Ruffling himself up to intimidate, he released a deep growl that had the cat immediately shrinking back into the forest, retreating slowly before turning to run away. The creature disappeared into the trees, and after a few moments, Sev no longer detected the scent of the cat in the breeze. He only smelled Tara. His mate.

Behind him, he heard her erratic breathing. He turned to face her and transformed back into his Zaxxumian form, then rose up on his feet. His clothing had torn off his body during his shift, and he stood before her completely naked.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, muttering to herself that she must be dreaming, before her eyes fluttered shut and she started slipping to the forest floor. He caught her before she hit the ground, swept her up in his arms, and began the long journey back to his abode.

Anger bubbled up within him. When he had awoken to discover her missing from his bed, he had only been consumed with worry for her wellbeing. But now that he’d found her and she was once again safe under his protection, it riled him that she’d tried to escape him.

Hadn’t they shared an enjoyable night together? She wore his markings on her arms now, and nothing would erase them. They marked her as his mate, his woman, and yes, his property. But being owned by a Zaxxumian male, especially one as wealthy and respected as Sev, was considered an honor. Her rejection stung and shattered his hopes.

He ground his teeth together as he carried her through the forest. Even if she didn’t like him, they were still mated and she wouldn’t be permitted to leave the mountain. He had bonded with her and now that she bore the markings of his family line, it was his sacred duty to keep her as his mate, safe and happy for the rest of their lives. The keeping her safe part he could handle. After her little escape stunt today, he planned to lock her in his abode until he trusted she wouldn’t run off again. But the happy part? Worry moved through his heart, making his chest ache.

How did one make a female human happy? He thought of his relatives and friends who had taken human mates and frowned. He hadn’t met any of their human females until months after they had been mated. Perhaps there had been a reason for that. Perhaps happiness with one’s mate took time and patience.

She stirred in his arms as they entered his abode. Not putting her down, he slammed the door and locked it with his handprint, making sure she wouldn’t take another foolish run through the forest by herself. Yesterday, before he’d chased her through the woods, he had patrolled the area for the entire day, making sure no dangerous animals lurked nearby. Today was different. If he hadn’t reached her in time, the
egrra
cat would’ve made breakfast out of her. Foolish human female. His jaw clenched and he sat down on the sofa with her still in his arms.

Tara blinked up at him, her gaze full of questions and fear.

“All Zaxxumian males can shift into the animal of their family line. My ancestors have always shifted into mountain bears. Other Zaxxumian family lines shift into catlike creatures or large, fierce dogs.”

Some of the color returned to her face, and when she attempted to sit up, he placed her next to him on the sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?” She shook her head and held a hand up. “Wait, never mind. It doesn’t matter. You lied to me. You gave me some sort of Zaxxumian disease! And after you were so nice to me last night. I dared to believe the shit on Earth happened to me for a reason, dared to believe we might actually have a happy life together, especially after you talked about having children, and then I wake up this morning to find these rashes on my arms!”

Perplexed, Sev looked at her markings. Sunlight streamed into the windows and left the intricate wavy patterns glowing beautifully. They were the same markings his mother had had, as well as all the females mated to the males in his family before her. “Those are not rashes, and I have not infected you with a Zaxxumian disease. I have not lied to you in any way, Tara, and I had planned to tell you of my shifting abilities today. I believe in keeping no secrets, and that goes both ways. I will never lie to you, sweet Tara. I give you my word.”

“Okay, if these aren’t rashes, what are they?” She held her arms up and her lower lip quivered. Her whole body shook.

Reaching for her, he stroked his hands up and down her arms, until her trembles ceased. “Look closely at the markings, Tara, and you will see that they form a wavelike pattern. My mother got the same markings after she mated with my father. It marks you as mine, and it also indicates you belong to my family line. All women mated to males in my family have identical markings, Tara.”

“Again, you couldn’t have told me this last night?”

“Telling you of the markings slipped my mind. Forgive me. I should have told you what to expect.” He felt like a fool. Humans didn’t always mate for life, nor did their females become marked with any sort of pattern indicating they belonged to their husbands.

Tara sighed. “I’m sorry. Wow, talk about a misunderstanding. I thought you’d lied to me and given me some sort of freaky disease.” She flushed. “Thank you for saving me from the beast in the forest. You saved my life, Sev.”

He smiled. “Think nothing of it, Tara. I promised I would protect you with my life, always, did I not?”

She nodded.

“Zaxxumian males treasure their females. I realize we haven’t known one another for long, but I promise I will treasure you for as long as we shall live. I will strive to be a good mate to you, Tara, and if you promise not to run away again, I won’t keep you locked in our abode. I must confess, I thought you ran away because you were rejecting me, and when we returned I sealed the locks and didn’t intend to let you outside until I could trust you again.” He stroked her hair and she leaned into his touch. “Can I trust you, Tara?”

“Yes, Sev. I won’t run again. I promise.” She peered into his eyes, her gaze filled with wonderment. Perhaps his shifting abilities surprised her, or perhaps she felt joyful about their future. As time went on, he would be able to read her moods better. For now, he could only detect her fear and sense her location. Such powers enabled Zaxxumian males to keep their mates, and eventually their offprint, safe from most dangers.