Alien Warrior's Mate: Alpha Alien Romance (Alpha Aliens of Fremm Book 3) Read online

  Alien Warrior’s Mate

  Alpha Aliens of Fremm 3

  Nancey Cummings

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Craving More?

  Also Available

  About the Author

  Copyright

  What Has Gone Before:

  This is a standalone story. It is possible to enjoy the story without knowing anything about the series thus far, but if you’re interested...

  Prince Aster of Fremm found his fated mate, Evie, in the most unexpected place: a Terran space station. Even more surprising was the human woman who evoked the mate bond. So he took her. Tossed her over his shoulder and violated a dozen interstellar laws. Was Evie happy about it? No, but she was incredibly turned on by the alien warrior. Eventually Aster won Evie over.

  They returned to Fremm for their wedding. The Queen demanded Evie complete a set of three challenges to prove her worth. Evie did but at great cost. Her sister, Vera, went missing during the challenge and assassins were sent, by the Queen, to attack Evie. The Queen was imprisoned for her treachery but Vera remains missing.

  This is Vera’s story.

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  Chapter One

  Vera

  I hate crowds.

  The Juno botanical gardens were normally empty, only busy on weekends and holidays. The implanted translator chip picked up the conversations around me. I guess today counted as a holiday. The Rose Fennel was blooming. Normally this plant only bloomed and bore fruit once a decade. Allegedly the fruit of the Rose Fennel is a decadent rich red fruit with flesh like an orange but spicy like cinnamon. I’ve never had so much as a morsel. It’s way out of my price range. But the plant that’s blooming today is also unique in that it’s blossoming one year early.

  My plant mutated. I’m so giddy I skipped all the way to the gardens. If I can take a sample today and find a useful, replicable mutation, my career will surge forward. I ignored the missed message alert on my tablet.

  Okay, I should have been at the spaceport. I said I would be at the spaceport but I have a very good reason for blowing off my big blue babysitter. At least I sent my bags. That counts for something, right? Anyway, it’s not like anything runs on schedule on Juno. Things get done in time but never on schedule. A few more hours not waiting in a busy port for a launch window and a few more hours working suits me just fine.

  Charlie was waiting for me. A soil sample kit, a camera, a bag for leaf samples and a coffee occupied all four of his hands. Charlie was a Gyer, a four limbed, dark grey skinned alien. Decent guy. Well, person. Gyers didn’t really have gender, not like humans understand. The Gyer were very fluid but Charlie presented as male so who was I to question him.

  “That for me?” I ask.

  “You are late,” Charlie said, taking a sip of not-my-coffee.

  I shrugged. “I’m supposed to be at the spaceport.”

  “But you couldn’t resist.”

  I couldn’t, but why should I? I worked crazy hard for two years to get to the colony with no debt. Keeping alive the orchard which provided oxygen and food to a slow moving freighter is a lot more complicated than you’d think. The journey to Juno took two years but I had no debt when I arrived, so I was already ahead of the game. Richer passengers spent the trip in stasis. Now that I was planet side, I worked long hours and weekends to save up money for my own homestead. This trip for my sister’s wedding is the first vacation I’ve had since leaving Earth five years ago.

  My personal life was non-existent. You got to water those plants for anything to grow and I just don’t have time for that. When I needed to socialize, which wasn’t often, I had work friends. When I needed to get screwed, I had a drawer full of toys. My life was work and sleep and more work. So what if I’m excited about a mutated plant? I won’t apologize for that. “You just going to stand there holding tools or are you going to do some work?”

  I’ve had this dream since I was kid. In this dream I live in a house in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the country with fields and lots of sky and no people. Just me and a garden filled with vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants and flowers that do anything other than look pretty because why not. My garden can be a frivolous as it likes. Juno isn’t as crowded as Earth, not by a long shot, but I’m not in the middle of nowhere yet. Besides, I like the rawness of the native Juno, the strange red grasses and the rolling prairies. Right now I’m living in a small apartment which disassembled from a colony ship. I’ve been living in the same two hundred square feet for five years. If I don’t get out of it soon, I’m going to go crazy. I need empty spaces and horizons.

  My sister and I grew up in the crowded slums of Earth. Big sister got trained in culinary skills and took the first star liner off planet. I followed, getting a degree in horticulture botany and getting off crowded Earth.

  Juno was on the fringes of the habitable Terran worlds. The young colony didn’t have a lot in the way of amenities but what it did have was space, lots of wide open space. I worked at the horticultural gardens in the center of the small city. Mainly I worked to develop hardy plants and crops that will thrive in the Juno climate. My work puts food in the markets. I like to feed people, what can I say. Evie and I are the same in that regard.

  I work in the largest city on Juno and “city” is being generous. It’s definitely a town, even mid-sized if you’re generous but it was far from the sprawling megapolis I left back on Earth. No building was taller than two stories or older than twenty years. I liked it.

  I’ve been saving and depriving myself for the last five years to buy a farm in the middle of that red grass prairie. I’d raise cattle. What I knew about ranching was close to diddly-squat but grazing livestock did better on the dry Juno prairies than agriculture. Mainly I’m interested in living in the middle of nowhere and Juno had a lot to offer for middle of nowhere.

  I’d like to have someone to share that farmhouse on the prairie with but I haven’t met him yet. Sometimes I think Charlie might be my best bet. I like him well enough but there’s no spark. What I really craved was a man who worked with his hands and worked hard, had the tang of sweat on his lips and the muscles sculpted by honest labor. Juno was good for the rough around the edges type of man but I lived in town. When I wasn’t in town, I was in the field, crouching in the dirt and digging up specimens. Co-workers were the only men I ever met and I won’t go down that road again. Too many complications.

  No thanks.

  Get the farmhouse first, Vera, then find your man.

  A missed message alert beeped again. I silenced the alerts.

  That morning the news feed reported that Talmar suffered a significant Edde
r incursion. The Edder were an aggressive, spider like race. Besides having too many legs and eyes, the worst thing about them was they ate people. Like, they considered sentient beings a delicacy. The Edder conducted frequent “hunting trips” on the outer colonies. It was enough to give anyone nightmares.

  Talmar responded with increasing the number of vessels and arms. A fluff piece followed about the Fremmian Prince and his new Terran wife. I’m never going to get use to seeing my sister on the newsfeeds.

  A shout pieced through the murmur of the crowd. “Vera Hyatt!”

  Something in that voice made me stand up and pay attention. It went to the core of me, excited me and completely soaked my panties.

  I received a message from my sister a day ago about the wedding. Evie worked her way from ship’s cook to head chef on a space station and now she was marrying a Prince. I was supposed to meet my escort at the spaceport but, well, I got distracted by the Rose Fennel. That’s how he found me, kneeling in the dirt with my fingers deep in the soil.

  The crowd parted for the towering twilight shaded man. He wore the fitted grey military uniform of Fremm with a three sword emblem on his left shoulder. Mesmerized, I watched the way the muscles of his shoulders and thick thighs flexing and striding. The fabric only highlighted his form. This was clearly a man who was use to hard work.

  Delicious. Just yum.

  He moved like a beast ready to pounce, radiating masculinity and power. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He paused and sniffed the air, turning towards me.

  I gasped when I saw his face. Heavy scarring marred the sharp features of his dusky blue face. One vicious slash at the corner of his mouth tugged his lips down in a permanent scowl. Even without the scars, he was far from handsome. His features were too sharp for like, like a knife honed him out of slate.

  I kind of like the look of him.

  He frowned as he strode up to me, eyes sweeping up my form. I don’t think he liked the look of me. I’m not delusional, I know my limitations. I’m a little shorter than my sister and thinner but I ain’t hard on the eyes. Still, the way he rubbed his chin and his eyes refusing to meet me in the eye made me feel like dirt.

  “Vera Hyatt,” the large man said. “I am Glin et Garen, sent by Prince Aster. We need to leave immediately.” The translator chip worked nearly as fast as he spoke. My Fremmian escort wasn’t too thrilled with me blowing off our launch time, apparently. The weird thing is, I know this warrior is objectively terrifying but not to me. Sure, he’s big and really pissed but I can only smile back at him.

  “I got the message,” I said. I rose to my feet and brushed dirt off on my thighs. I didn’t bother to pack because I have nothing good enough for a royal wedding. Mucking about in the dirt? Sure. Fancy pants? Not so much. Evie’s message said there would be clothing waiting for me. “But I can’t leave just yet.”

  “You speak Fremmian,” he said flatly. Nothing impressed him.

  “Implant.” Sure, it’s the easy way to get along in the universe but it’s damn helpful. Juno was primarily a human colony but humans spoke lots of languages and we had other species too, like the Gyer. It’s a big universe. Not everyone speaks English.

  “We’re leaving now.” He moved to grab me.

  I swear I could see the sparks fly when he grabbed my waist. I felt them, at least. He was so big. And warm. And smelled just like a man should, of clean soap and a little perspiration. Despite my heart racing at his touch and wanting so desperately to be held in his embrace, I pulled away, remaining on the ground. His nostrils flared in irritation. “I’m not ready,” I said.

  “Woman, I was sent here to bring you back to my Prince. I will do so by force if necessary.”

  “Wow, they send you because you have the best people skills?” I tried to act offended but really his voice was deep and rumbly and I just wanted to listen to him order me around. His powerful voice shook me to my core. I bet his voice was deep and rumbly in bed, too.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What had gotten into me?

  “Now, Vera Hyatt.” He removed the battle axe from his back. The edge of the weapon glowed with a deadly blue hue.

  “Put that away,” I snapped. “This may be the frontier but we don’t brandish weapons like barbarians.”

  A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he returned the axe to the holster on his back. “Even without the ax, I am still armed.”

  Charlie stepped between the Fremmian and myself, the tall dark grey man staring down the large blue man. “You alright, Vera?” Maybe I was too quick to discount Charlie.

  “Fine,” I said, folding my arms over my chest. “Mr. Charm here is my escort to my sister’s wedding.”

  The man flexed his fingers, somehow making it a threatening motion. “You will gather your things and come with me.”

  “I told you,” I said. “I’m not ready. I need to get a few samples.”

  “We do not have time.”

  “We don’t have an hour? The trip to Fremm is like twenty six hours, what’s the rush.”

  The man snorted in irritation. “Our launch window is small. We have already wasted most of it. We must leave in the next ninety minutes or we do not leave for another seventy two hours.”

  Really? Juno didn’t have a large spaceport. My backwater colony was growing. Time to invest in expansion. “So our options are go now or miss my sister’s wedding.”

  “We leave now. I do not wish to be on this wretched colony longer than needed.”

  I couldn’t suppress a spiteful smirk. There was something about this guy that made me want to needle him. Mainly I liked watching the way he stretched and flexed his neck when he was irritated. “Don’t like the outer colonies? I’d think a guy like you’d fit right in.”

  “We leave now,” the man said, “or you miss the wedding and demonstrate exactly how much regard you have for your sister.” I fought the urge to stomp my foot and give a scream of frustration.

  Charlie touched me lightly on the elbow and stroked my arm, causing the Fremmian to snarl. Charlie ignored the brutish display and said, “I will collect the samples, Vera. You cannot miss your launch window.”

  Charlie was right. He could do the work by himself. I was being selfish in not wanting to miss a unique opportunity. Even more vexing was admitting the obstinate man the shade of twilight was right. Support my sister, the woman whose romance has been on every news program, the girl who made cookies and let me snatch the best ones right out of the oven or be part of groundbreaking research.

  I only have one sister. The Rose Fennel would bloom in another ten years. Nine if I’m lucky. I threw my hands in air. “Fine! You win! We leave now.”

  Chapter Two

  Glin

  I don’t like crowds.

  There are far too many humans here. They are loud, they stand far too close and they never stop talking.

  That’s not true. With my height and imposing build, most of the humans at the Juno spaceport are giving me a wide berth. The battle axe strapped to my back may have something to do with it. There’s one human I’m concerned with and she is standing too close to me and she will not stop talking. The crazy thing is I don’t mind. I like listening to the sound of her voice. The heat from her body is enough to set my skin ablaze. Her scent, a strange mixture of wildflowers and summer sun, is enough to get me hard. And that’s the problem.

  Humans are so fragile and weak. I must restrain myself.

  She doesn’t think I noticed her liquid dark eyes surreptitiously studying me.

  I wondered what it would be like to press my hand to the small of her back and hold her to me, the other hand free to appreciate the round firmness of her ass.

  Restrain yourself. Retain control.

  I wondered if this is what the mate bond feels like, if I’ve discovered my kompli. Certainly the attraction was instant, from the moment I saw her crouching in the dirt like a common lef farmer. My heart leapt, finding something that belonged to me. But is this at
traction greater than lust? When Prince Aster found his mate, he required several men to hold him back and keep him from carrying away his mate. He had no control.

  I wouldn't mind running away somewhere more private and exploring Vera’s form but I controlled myself. I did not lose my head. I am a man, not a monster. Marks of desire burn on my skin but I can ignore them. Fortunately, the marks are covered by my shirt and my traitorous body does not betray me.

  Vera is the sister of your princess. She is not for you, I scold myself.

  Perhaps this is just lust, then, and will pass. I will deliver the human woman to my princess and be done with this.

  “Do you ever smile?” Vera asked.

  I was slow to respond, because I do not want to be seen as encouraging conversation. “It is not in my job description to smile.”

  “Is it in your job description to be a real downer?”

  I turned away from her to scan the crowd and hide my grin. I should not grin. Her impertinence should annoy me, not amuse me. We approached a security checkpoint. A crowd slowly worked its way through the gates. I went to the side and a guard opened the gate for me.

  Vera gave a whistle. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “When the King of Fremm sends an escort, you do not wait in line.”

  “Are you flirting with me?” Vera asked. “Because that’s working. I like ‘em big and sullen.” Her voice conveyed teasing. I recognized the same tone as shared by my prince’s kompli.

  I ignored her words and scanned the crowds. I did not realize humans came in so many colors. They ranged from pink to very dark brown but I think Vera’s warm tan is best. She looked a bit like a sweet treat, caramel and I wondered if she would be sweet and melt under my tongue. What was I doing? Why do I have such foolish thoughts?

  “Seriously, are you flirting?”

  Stars, I was. The marks of desire continued to burn on my skin, branding me a fool for this Terran woman. Retain control. Do not try to impress her.