by Hope Hart
“No.” He sighs. “I’m not. Will you come with me? We will return, I promise.”
I nod, and he moves back to the mishua before grabbing a large saddlebag. He takes the entire bag with him and reaches for my hand, walking me toward the edge of the forest and away from his guards.
One look from him and they stay where they are.
I’m ridiculously curious, but I bite my tongue as Dexar leads us out of sight of the guards and pulls a blanket out of the bag before laying it on the ground.
He gestures toward the blanket, and I raise my eyebrow as I sit down. Dexar is obviously nervous because he looks like he’s itching to pace, although he sits next to me, his eyes dark.
“I was wrong to threaten to have the ships destroyed. I knew it the moment I said it. I never wanted to be someone you feared. I was afraid of losing you. The thought of never seeing you again…” His voice trails off, and I take a deep breath.
“Dexar—”
“Let me finish. Please.”
I blink, unused to hearing that word come out of his mouth.
“I don’t know if it’s fate, or luck, or if there’s another word that explains how you came to be here. With me. All I know is that from the moment I looked into your eyes, I knew that I wanted to keep looking into them for the rest of my life.”
He glances away, and I open my mouth, stunned. Then his eyes are fierce as he looks back at me, clenching his hands into fists.
“But perhaps you don’t want to stay here. I was wrong to keep the prophecy from you, and I understand that you had a life on your planet.” His lips twist ruefully, and I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat.
His voice is low, barely distinguishable. “My wishes are not more important than yours,” he says simply. “I’d kneel at your feet if I thought it would convince you of my feelings for you. But you are, and have always been, your own person.
“So that is the ship. The ship that landed here so many years ago. You can examine it as many times as you want. And I’ll also take you to the ship that brought you here so that you can compare them. If you choose to leave me, I will do whatever I can to help you get back to your home.”
Dexar moves closer to me, his gaze suddenly tender as he raises his voice. “But if you choose to stay, I will never let you go. I will love and adore you until the end of our days.”
I attempt to blink back my tears, but they spill over onto my cheeks anyway. Dexar looks as if I’ve punched him in the gut, his huge hand incredibly gentle as he wipes them from my cheeks.
“And what about the peace and prosperity for your tribe?” I ask.
Dexar squares his shoulders. “My tribe will have peace and prosperity regardless,” he says haughtily. “I will ensure it.”
I grin at him. There’s my arrogant qatai.
We’ve come full circle, the tribe king and I. I tamp down my initial instinct to promise that I no longer want to go home, and instead, I take a moment to truly consider it.
Honestly, I miss it. I miss doing the kind of work I love, surrounded by like-minded people. The kind of people who were determined to figure out just how the Arcav had managed to sneak up on us, landing their ships in capital cities across the globe.
But you know what I’d miss more? The man standing in front of me, stripped back and vulnerable, his emotions completely exposed for me to see.
I take a deep breath. “You know, so many things had to happen for us to meet. I had to be abducted by aliens. I had to crash-land on this planet. I had to be in the group of women who were rescued by Terex. And then I had to volunteer to go to your tribe to learn about Charlie. I’ve never believed in fate. I guess I never wanted to believe that I was fated to be abandoned as a newborn.” My voice tightens, and Dexar strokes his hand down the back of my hair.
I clear my throat. “But maybe now it’s easier to believe that it was fate. That everything that happened to me was supposed to happen because it led me to you.”
Dexar stills, and I’m struck by the hope in his eyes. His face is hard, his jaw like granite, but his hands reach for me before he fists them, dropping them to his sides.
“My whole life, I’ve been searching for somewhere to belong. And when I heard the prophecy, I was terrified by how much I wanted it to be true. By how much I wanted to belong with you and your tribe. Then I realized you’d kept it from me, and it felt like that hope was ripped away.” My voice breaks, and I brush at the tears on my face. “I felt homesick when I was with Varic. Because after twenty-nine years of not having a home, I found one in just a few weeks. With you.”
I sigh, staring up at the man who makes me feel everything. Love, fury, sadness, lust, impatience, amusement—the whole range.
“Yes, I’ll stay with you, Dexar. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
My voice is muffled on the last word because Dexar has already pulled me into his arms, taking my mouth like he’s drowning and I’m the only oxygen around. He buries his hand in my hair, his lips hard and insistent against mine, and I take everything he has to give, giving him everything I have in return.
Mine. This incredibly handsome, frustrating, imperious tribe king is mine.
And God I want him.
I pull away, pressing kisses along the sensitive spots beneath his jaw. He shudders against me, and I smile.
Within moments, I’m flat on my back, blinking up at him as he rips off his clothes. He’s gentle with me, kissing along my collarbone before pulling my dress down until my arms are trapped by my sides.
“Hey,” I grumble, and he grins, kissing along my shoulders, my breasts and paying particular attention to my tattoo as he nuzzles my dress out of the way.
I work one hand free and bury it in his hair, urging him back up. We kiss again, my nipples hard against his chest, and then he pulls away, his eyes so dark they appear almost black.
My dress is gone an instant later, and I gaze around us. I’ve never made love outside before, and I feel suddenly vulnerable.
“No one would dare interrupt us,” Dexar murmurs, and I grin up at him.
“Of course they wouldn’t.”
I no longer care about anything except him, and I moan as he reaches down, stroking along my damp folds.
“Hurry up, damn you.”
Dexar tuts, but his muscles are shaking as he pushes one finger inside me, and he growls as I clamp around him.
“So impatient.” He thrusts inside me, hard, hot, and deep. His body cradles mine, and I no longer care about anyone who could possibly be stupid enough to sneak up behind us.
He moves deeper, angling his thrusts to hit the spot that makes me toss my head and groan. He chuckles, and I crack open my eyes, staring up at him. His eyes seem luminescent as the breeze parts the branches of the trees above us and the sun dances across his face.
My thighs begin to shake, my nipples so tight that they’re achy, and he changes his angle again, this time grinding against my clit as he hits that same spot deep inside me.
My wave of pleasure crests, and everything stops as I contract around him, gasping as he continues his steady thrusting, dragging out my pleasure. Finally, he growls, shuddering against me, and buries his face in my neck.
He’s careful not to crush me, but we lie for long moments, catching our breath as I stroke the smooth muscles of his back.
“It won’t be an easy life by my side,” he murmurs. “People watch me constantly, and they will likely begin to bring their problems to you as well. You will know little privacy and even less peace. But I will do everything I can to ensure you never regret choosing to stay with me.”
My heart melts. He’s still trying to make sure I know what I’m in for.
“Trying to make me change my mind?”
“Never. Just preparing you.”
“I told you, Your Majesty, I’m all in.”
Dexar pulls his head back, staring down at me. “You’ll never regret it,” he tells me. “I promise.”
I grin. What do
a scrappy foster kid and an alien king have in common?
Love.
Epilogue
Alexis
One week later
I stare at the ship, my stomach fluttering as Dexar takes my hand in his.
We couldn’t hang around here for long last week, since Dexar needed to be back at the tribe to deal with the remaining people from Varic’s tribe. Unsurprisingly, many of his people were impressed with the way Dexar showed up in all his royal magnificence. The fact that his warriors took out Varic’s guards within a few moments must have left an impression as well because many of those same people have been petitioning to join us.
After what happened with Tavis, Dexar was understandably hesitant, but one glance at the barefoot women had him heaving a sigh and throwing up his hands.
Now he’s arranging for most of them to be integrated into our tribe.
“It’s strategic,” he told me firmly when I praised him.
“Uh-huh. You keep on telling yourself that, big guy.”
It’s just one of the things I adore about him. As much as he likes to play the part of the ruthless bastard, Dexar has a soft, squishy core.
Of course, even I only get to see that part of him occasionally.
Not all the warriors chose to stay with Dexar’s tribe. Some of them moved on to form their own tribe, while others left alone to either petition other tribes or live a lone-wolf life. Either way, it took some time to organize those who chose to stay. They were given positions within the tribe where they can be easily watched until they’ve built up enough trust to be allowed to stay with no strings attached.
Dexar apologized repeatedly, saying that he’d bring me back here as soon as he could. Now we’re both examining the silver ship, Dexar’s eyes narrowed on it suspiciously.
“It’s difficult to believe that you landed here on a ship like that.”
“I know. It almost seems impossible to me now.” After spending so long on a planet as uncivilized as Agron, the ship stands out like a movie prop against the lush green grass and clear blue water.
I frown at the river, where drops of that bright-orange fluid continue to drip occasionally into the clear water. Braxians get their drinking water from rivers across Agron, although they boil it before drinking.
“Dexar,” I say suddenly, “is this the river that you guys use for drinking water?”
He nods. “This river comes from those mountains, and the water is clear and pure. Our ancestors made their camps near this river, and most Braxian tribes continue this tradition today.”
I stare at the ship some more, letting go of Dexar’s hand to pace.
I don’t like seeing the ship sitting in the river we use for drinking and bathing water. But how do we remove it?
There’s just one part of the ship in the water. What we need is something huge to push against it and drag it up onto the bank.
Something like a dragon. Maybe the dragon is actually friendly? And maybe it wouldn’t mind doing us a teeny little favor?
He folds his arms. “What are you thinking?”
“It sounds crazy, but hear me out, okay?”
He nods.
“I have no idea what that orange fluid is. But here’s what I do know: Thirty-eight years ago, Elliz’s mom began to notice that there were fewer female babies being born. This got progressively worse over the years.”
“Yes.”
“Forty years ago, this ship crash-landed here. No one has touched it, right?”
“No one from my tribe. I do not know about the other tribes.”
I nod. “Okay, I need a few minutes.”
Dexar nods, planting himself on the grass in the sun while I watch the liquid until I finally see it drip. “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…” I count until I get to 178.
Three minutes. That’s how long there is between drops. I count again just to be sure, wishing I had a stopwatch or even a wristwatch right now.
Dexar is sprawled in the sun, his eyes heavy-lidded as he watches me.
“I just need a few more minutes.”
“Take your time.”
I walk back to the mishua, where Dexar’s guards are waiting. They nod at me, returning to their conversation as I reach into the saddlebag and pull out my paper and pencil.
I walk back to Dexar and sit cross-legged next to him in the sun as I scribble my calculations.
One drop every three minutes is approximately 480 drops per day. If the liquid has a consistency similar to water, it’s a little over eleven gallons a year. Multiply that by forty…
I stare at Dexar, and he raises an eyebrow.
“Four hundred and fifty gallons,” I murmur.
“Excuse me?”
“If this thing has been dripping since the crash, there has been around four hundred and fifty gallons of whatever weird space liquid that is dumped in this water.”
Dexar’s eyes narrow. “Is this a large amount?”
I shrug. “Depends on whatever the hell that liquid is. If it’s some kind of fuel, it may not be too bad—but what do I know about the type of space fuel used by people on other planets? I’d expect a ship that size to have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of gallons of fuel. But if it’s something dangerous…”
Dexar frowns, and I blow out a breath.
“I think that it’s very interesting that whatever is in that ship has been dripping into your drinking water for as long as there have been fewer females born on this part of the planet.”
Dexar’s eyes flare, and I hold up a hand.
“Look. Correlation is not causation. The two things may be completely unconnected. But for now, we know that something new has been added into your water supply. The problem is that we don’t know when this stuff started dripping from the ship. Did it happen recently? Or was it happening the whole time?”
“There were three warriors who found this ship with my father. Many other warriors have visited it over the years. We can ask if they noticed it.”
I nod. “Maybe—”
“Alexis?”
I spin, my mouth dropping open until I probably look like a fish. A woman is running toward me, a huge smile on her face.
No way.
“Charlie?”
The last time I saw her, I was seriously worried about her head wound. If she were on Earth, I would’ve called an ambulance, but instead, she had to walk for hours with us as we followed the Voildi.
Now she looks great. Her skin is flushed with health, and she’s moving easily, her eyes sparkling.
I clamp my hands over my ears as the ground seems to shake. Something’s roaring, but it sounds like thunder, and I glance at the guards, who all cringe, covering their own ears. Dexar lunges in front of me, pushing me behind him and drawing his sword as the dragon lands.
It’s huge.
Dexar’s guards step in between us and the dragon, their swords raised in front of them.
The beast is beautiful. Blue-green scales gleam like polished jewels in the sunlight, and his sheer power and strength is displayed as he bunches his muscles, crouching next to Charlie. He spreads his wings, displaying the incredible array of colors and shades spanning the entire spectrums of blues and greens.
His eyes are gold, hooded, and cunning as he examines us, the tilt of his head making it clear that he’s unimpressed by what he sees. He steps forward, each incremental move saturated with threat as his muscles seem to roll. His chest is like a barrel as he tucks his wings closer.
Then he opens his mouth, displaying rows upon rows of sharply pointed teeth. He blows out a small flame, almost like a hiccup, but the warning is obvious.
Next to him, Charlie looks at me and throws up her hands in a “what are you gonna do” motion. The dragon takes another step forward, and the juxtaposition between the cool, soothing colors of his scales and the flames that he can spit at any moment is clear.
The good news? Charlie is alive. The bad news? She’s obviously being held prisoner by a fierce
ly aggressive dragon.
I grind my teeth, frustrated.
“Are you okay?” I call to Charlie, and she steps closer. The dragon doesn’t like this, and I clamp my hands over my ears again as he roars once more. His tail is a whip that lashes the ground, communicating that he will be taking no shit.
My heart is racing, and Dexar pushes me back further, throwing me a look that suggests I shut the hell up. I scowl at him but clamp my mouth shut.
Charlie says something as she turns, glowering at the dragon. My mouth drops open again as she bops him on the snout with her fist. He snorts, smoke curling from his nose, as he narrows those dinner-plate-sized eyes at her.
Okay, then.
“I’m fine!” she yells across the space. “But—”
The dragon has clearly had enough because he shoots us one last look and wraps the claws of one foot around Charlie, scooping her up. He keeps his foot tilted flat, and she lands on her butt on top of his foot, waving at me as the dragon launches from the ground, spreading his wings in flight.
He’s like a fucking rocket, and he’s gone in seconds.
The part of me that’s obsessed with aerodynamics wants to watch that again.
The part of me that’s terrified of being eaten by a dragon wants to find somewhere to hide.
I turn to Dexar. “Told you she was alive.”
He rolls his eyes, but his lips twitch as he pulls me close, kissing me on the forehead. “Indeed.”
The one from the stars is fated to arrive
Born distantly, with those of her kind
White of hair and light of eyes
Destined for the qatai to find.
When mated three revolutions and one day
Peace will spread throughout the land
An eternal love, never to be betrayed
For one hundred years, prosperity will stand.
The End
Thank you for reading Seduced by the Alien Warrior! If you enjoyed it and you have a few moments to write a review with your thoughts, I’d sooo appreciate it!
