Mate Her (4 page)

“We can adjust the temperature,” Brawn said.
“If it’s too uncomfortable for you.”

She shook her head but didn’t turn around. “It feels
nice actually. That planet was colder than normal, and more times than not I
had to huddle with the humans…” She stopped talking and curled her fingertips
against the glass.

They would need to talk about where she had
originally come from, and how she had gotten on the planet in the first place.
Brawn looked at
Thorque
, who watched her with this
intensity, and the scent of his brother’s need for this human female was just
as strong and potent as his.
Lukin
was chewing on a
Monel
stick, which had calming properties and an almost
euphoric sensation after the person ingested it. His eyelids were at half-mast,
and although that was most likely from the
Monel
and
the drugging effect, Brawn could also see it was his brother’s arousal that was
taking control. He shouldn’t have taken the
Monel
,
although Brawn knew he probably thought it would help curb his desire for
Minka
. Clearly it was having the opposite effect.

“How did you get on
Arambria
?”
Lukin
asked.

She had yet to turn around, but she did answer. “I
was taken off of Moira-Ten by a slave trader ship.”

Fuck
.
She had been going to the auctions, but somehow landed on the planet of
Arambria
. Humans were a dwindling race because of their
weakness and their lack of intelligence and technological advances compared to
the rest of the galaxy. But because of the thinking of some species—most
really—that humans were inferior, there were aliens that searched for them,
took them away, and sold them as cattle, slaves, even breeder pets.

“The auction ship went down on
Arambria
,
and when some
Razzora
Beasts attacked a handful of
the humans escaped. We had found a cave to live in that was remotely safe, but
the day you found me was when I lost the only person I cared about.” She
glanced over her shoulder at them. “He died saving my life, and when I needed
help the others just went back in the cave and forgot about me.”

There was no hatred or sadness in her voice, but
there was this tightness that he recognized well. She was hurt deeply, but
trying to hide it.

“Anyway, that is my story, and if not for you being
at the right place at the right time I’d be little pieces inside of that damn
beast’s stomach.” She faced the window again and straightened her shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” Brawn said, but the words felt strange
coming from him. He’d never said those words to try to comfort another person.
He was a warrior, a male of the planet of Hades. He apologized and bowed to
know one, defeated his enemies because they were weaker and a less advanced and
brutal species, and made sure that the Hades name was feared amongst all. He
was
alpha
all the way, used his strength to crush his
opponents, and never showed emotions. Yet here he was, saying those two words
to
Minka
because she hurt and he couldn’t stand that
fact. She may have only been in his presence for a short time, but because he
had already bonded with her, recognized that she would be their mate, and the
mother of their sons, something shifted inside of him.

“Were you on that planet for supplies, or to take
us?” she asked without turning around.

“The only reason we were on that fucking wasteland
of a planet was because of a busted engine,”
Lukin
said.

Brawn snapped his gaze toward his brother. “
Lukin
,” he said on a growl.

“He’s right, it was a wasteland,” she said and faced
them. “Is that where you’re from?” She pointed over her shoulder at the red
planet of Hades that was in the near distance.

 
“It is,”
Thorque
said and took a step closer to her. “We should be
arriving in the next few hours as we were not that far from home when the
engine gave out.”

She swallowed after his brother spoke, and then
nodded. “So, Brawn said that I am to be…” She lowered her head, but looked at
them with just her eyes. It was this little look, one that had this lust
pounding through Brawn’s body like a ship about to crash. He wanted her now,
wanted his cock deep inside of her, but he needed to play this safely. “I am
your mate?”

“You are.”
Thorque
answered first.

“Our breeding need has made us these mindless Hades
warriors that need to implant our seed into a female,”
Lukin
said, his voice slightly slurred from the
Monel
sticks. He was acting out of line, and although
Lukin
was the youngest out of them by fifty years, often spoke out of turn and without
thought, and most certainly enjoyed the mind altering substances that the many
planets in their galaxy provided, right now he was about to get his ass kicked.

“
Lukin
, all you’re doing
is frightening her.” Brawn didn’t stop his voice from rising, didn’t stop his
fangs from descending more from his anger erupting. “She has had a difficult
time as it is, so take your
Monel
stick and get high
somewhere else,” Brawn growled out, and
Lukin
took a
step forward.

“Do it,
Lukin
.”
Thorque
spoke now, his voice just has hard and unyielding
as Brawn’s had been.

Lukin
looked over at
Minka
, and Brawn did the same. She
didn’t look fearful, but that might be because she was used to violence. Still,
she shouldn’t have to see any of them like this, ever. They were to protect her
and make sure she was happy, not have to fight with each other because one of
them couldn’t control himself.
Lukin
finally cursed
in their language and stormed out of the room. Brawn walked over to the
rehydration center, grabbed some fruit and meat for her, and hydrated them. He
placed the items on a stone slab and brought it over to the sitting area. “Come
and eat something. You’ll need your strength when we land and have to fly to
the cavern.” He pulled out the chair for her and gestured for her to take a
seat.

She was slow in coming, but she did take the offered
seat. “Thank you,” she said softly, and before Brawn did something stupid like
take her out of the chair, press her to the wall, and fuck her until she was
screaming his name, he called
Thorque
to follow him.

“We’ll be in the command center preparing for
arrival.” They left her alone, and as much as he needed to be with her in every
way possible right now because of the breeding lust inside of him, he forced
himself to walk away.

****

Minka
stared out the observation window and watched as the red, fiery planet of Hades
came into view. She had finished eating hours ago, and aside from when
Lukin
came in to tell her that they were arriving and that
she needed to prepare for the reentry, the three of them had left her alone.

The ship broke through the barrier of Hades, and
Minka
stared out the window as the red planet came into
view. No longer were the darkness and stars her background. All she saw was
giant black mountains, rivers of lava and fire, and a red tint that covered the
planet that was now her home. Maybe she should have fought harder and not given
in to them so easily, but the honest truth was that she had nowhere else to go.
She had nearly died back on
Arambria
, and had almost
been sold as an object in an intergalactic auction. These warriors said they
wanted to have her as their equal, and all she had to do was give
herself
to them, and allow them to take care of her. No one
knew what the future held, least of all her, but she had to start somewhere.
What she did know was that her fate without them was grim and undetermined. If
these three warriors vowed to offer her the peace and safety she desperately
wanted, why would she refuse it? They could be lying, trying to keep her calm
until they got to their home, but she didn’t think they were dishonorable. They
were warriors, and if she knew anything about a warrior species it was that
they
were
held by their
word.

The seat she was in was a gravity controlled one
that had no straps or belts to hold her down, but instead used the pressure in
the cabin to keep her stationed. It was like this heavy weight keeping her
down, not comfortable, but not painful either. The window before her showed her
every small detail in crystal clarity. The monstrous mountains came into view,
the color like the tar pit on her home planet. But there was this glossiness to
them, one that reminded her of one of the rare
Obliqua
gems that were mined from the great
Mindora
caves.
Dozens of lakes could be seen from her vantage point, but they were not the
green or blue watery ones she had seen, but ones made of bubbling, boiling,
steaming lava. The ship wove in and out of the tight confines of the mountains,
and she had no
clue
how they maneuvered the large
contraption so seamlessly.

Even though the room was overheated, and there was
metal and temperature resistant glass that kept the elements out,
Minka
swore she could feel the heat of the planet right
outside of the ship. The craft landed onto a smooth strip of rock that was
clearly used as a landing pad, and then suddenly the engines were cut off and
the silence descended upon her. She could hear the faint sounds of the ship
settling, of the engines cooling, and of her heart beating wildly. This was it,
her new home, and one that was like hell itself, although she told herself that
her life hadn’t been anything perfect to being with. Even if she had thought
about escaping once she got here, the scenery told her she wouldn’t survive one
day on her own. But truth be told, she didn’t really want to leave or escape.
What was out there for her? Even if this planet wasn’t death waiting to happen
to her, she wasn’t safe anywhere.
Minka
had had to
struggle just to live in a world that
had
necessities for her survival. She had even had men and women who had been there
to help. Well, they had been until she was in the throes of being eaten, and
then she had been forgotten. A part of her hated them for doing that to her,
but another part knew that they were just thinking about their own need to live
as well. But then there had been
Jobe
, the strong and
fearless man that she had given herself to on more than one occasion, and that
although she hadn’t loved him, she had respected him for everything he’d stood
for. But he was gone, he was in her past, and she needed to focus on what her
life was going to be like now.

The doors to the observation room she had been put
in for their arrival opened, and she glanced behind her. At the same time the
gravity hold on her lifted and she stood from her seat. The outfit she wore was
a shift type dress, more universal for men and woman when they bathed, but she
didn’t care if it was shapeless. It covered her, kept her modesty intact, and
she was thankful to have something clean on.

“Are you ready?” Brawn asked.

She nodded, not sure if she was, but she had no
other options.
Thorque
held out his hand for her, and
she took a step toward him, and then another. Before she knew what was
happening
Thorque
had her hand in his and the four of
them were walking out of the spacecraft and into the sanitation pod. As the
mist surrounded them and they were cleansed of any foreign particles that could
contaminate this world,
Minka
closed her eyes and
breathed out. Once they were properly sanitized the door opened and the heat
instantly engulfed her. She followed them out,
Thorque
still holding onto her hand as they walked out onto the black rocky ledge.

She took in the sight before her, and although she
had seen it from the observation deck, seeing it like this, without metal and
glass separating her from this planet, was surreal. They walked so close to the
ledge of a cliff that this tingling started in her belly, and her knees grew
weak. Instinctively she held onto
Thorque’s
hand
tighter, and she noticed he glanced over at her.

“It will be okay.” There was this gentleness in his
voice, and she found herself believing him implicitly. It seemed out of
character given his intimidating appearance, and if she had seen him on the
auction block she would have assumed he was an evil man wanting to hurt her.
How wrong she had been, and she knew that without a doubt even if she really
didn’t
know
him or his brothers.

Before she knew what was happening Brawn had her in
his arms. A small noise left her at the suddenness of the action, but when he
pressed her close to his chest this warmth that had nothing to do with the heat
of this planet, or the fact his body temperature was higher than hers, slammed
into her.

Brawn glanced down at her, and
she felt her heart pick up speed.
Thorque
and
Lukin
were on either side of him, and although their focus
was on the terrain in front of them, she could feel how tense they were as if
it were her own emotions. The planet of Hades was scorching hot, far more
uncomfortable than the temperature inside the ship. She swore she could feel
the heat from the lakes of lava below them, or the burning red sun above her,
and of the heat from Brawn’s body penetrating her skin as if he had gotten
hotter. She was scared, and she’d be stupid not to be. But
Minka
wasn’t afraid of these three
demon
looking alien
males, and she didn’t know if that was foolish of her, or if her instincts just
told her that they wouldn’t harm her. She had relied on her feelings this far,
and they had helped her stay alive.