by Mina Carter
“They said you were dead,” she whispered, her throat thick and tight. He was here. He was actually here.
“Oh, I’m a lot harder to kill than that, angel. When I said I’d be here for you, I meant it. Since you up and switched the locations on me, I had to come track you down.”
She smiled through her tears at the reminder. He’d said he’d be waiting for her when she’d gotten out of her tank, and he had. Well, technically he’d been in the galley making pasta, but he hadn’t left the base. And he’d looked after her since, posing as her mate and putting himself at risk. Even nearly getting killed in the process.
But after all that, she was still confused. Still not sure why he’d done all of that for her.
“But why?”
“Don’t you know?”
She shook her head. She knew what he said, but how he felt was a mystery. Why would a male like him choose a creature like her? She wasn’t a natural-born organic and she wasn’t sure what secrets her biological body held. It wasn’t entirely organic, that was for sure. If it was, she’d never have been able to pilot the kasivar. Who knew what else had been altered… she might never be able to carry young, for example. She was not a good bet for any male.
“I forgot how… literal the Lathar are.” His lips curved into a smile. “Okay. So how about this? I love you, Keris. I’ve loved you since you pulled me out of that damn torture chamber and stuffed me into an escape pod. I loved you when you stood up to the Krin and I loved you more when you saved that woman’s life, even though you exposed what you were and could have been killed.”
She blinked up at him. All those incidents had happened when she’d been in her metal body. “I… wasn’t organic then.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I fell in love with you before I knew what you’d look like. I fell in love with you, Keris.”
She bit her lip, the wetness at her eyes nothing to do with fear and panic now. “So you prefer that body?”
“Fuck no!” He grinned and pulled her closer. “I really like the way you look now. You’re drop-dead gorgeous. I’m trying to say that I didn’t care what you looked like, what you look like, I don’t care you weren’t born, or whether you started life as a spark of electricity across a circuit board. You’re mine, Keris, and I will love you as long as I live and then beyond.”
She nodded, biting her lip to stop it trembling.
After a moment, he chuckled. “This is the part you’re supposed to say it back,” he whispered. “Don’t leave a guy hanging because I’d look really dumb if I threatened your father and you don’t feel the same way about me after all.”
“You love me?” she managed to croak out.
He nodded and she squealed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
“I was a little skeptical when you said she was real now,” the deep voice of her brother said somewhere behind them. “But that just clinched it.”
She ignored Rynn and buried her face into Jay’s neck. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I downloaded into a real body for you, to get you out of that torture cell.”
His arms tightened around her. “That long? I’m so glad you did, sweetheart. Otherwise, I’d never have met the woman I plan to ask to marry me.”
She gasped and pulled back to look at him. “You want to marry me?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “I mean, I don’t have a ring and I didn’t know whether you wanted a human ceremony or a Lathar one or bot—”
She squeaked and cut him off with a kiss.
He grumbled in approval, his lips soft on hers. It wasn’t one of the hard, passionate kisses stored in her memory. Instead, it was soft, gentle and full of promise. In it she glimpsed a lifetime of waking up next to him and his strong arms around her, protecting her as she protected him. Her breathing shuddered as she pulled back, feeling their souls mesh as she looked into his eyes.
“Ready to leave tall, metal, and ugly behind?” Jay asked, nodding toward the B’Kaar kasivar she’d hijacked.
She looked at the suit, grateful for it having saved her life. After having been in it a while, she realized it wasn’t a traditional suit but somewhere between an intensive care healing unit and a mobile transportation platform with onboard weaponry. Soriat had been serious about bringing the former leader back. A shudder hit her. She never wanted to be in one again.
“Yes! Let’s get out of here. Please?”
“Your wish is my command.” He smiled and scooped her up into his arms. Turning, he walked toward where Xaan and Rynn stood, thumbs looped in their belts as they watched the couple approach. Their stance and look were so identical that, even if Rynn hadn’t been a carbon copy of his father, it would have been easy to tell they were related.
Jay came to a stop in front of them and for a moment, she held her breath. What if they didn’t want her and Jay together? What if they didn’t want her to mate a human? Her jaw firmed and she looped her arms tighter around her human’s neck. If they didn’t, she would leave and go to Earth with Jay. She could… do whatever human females did when their males went into battle.
Xaan looked them up and down, his expression hard. The silence stretched out. Then the big champion nodded, approval warming his features.
“I had no idea what sort of male my daughter had chosen, but now I see you have been shaped and forged on the field of battle.” He brought his hand up to his chest, clenched in a fist. “I would be honored to welcome you formally to the M’rln clan.”
“As would I,” Rynn added, his fist clenched over his heart in an identical salute. Then his expression broke into a wide grin. “Hey, Keris, loving the new skin there. Better than that paint job I promised you, eh?”
He stepped closer, and she didn’t see any of the condemnation she’d expected to see in his eyes over her organic body. Instead, he smiled. “I didn’t get chance to catch up with you before, but now I have… thank you.” He paused for a moment and she saw the emotion buried deep in his eyes. “You saved me. You saved Jac. And for that, you get to be babysitter.”
She gasped as she spotted the mating marks around his wrists. “You mean you… Jac?”
He grinned. “You’re going to be an auntie. Get used to the idea of some sleepless nights ahead.”
She squealed again and reached out to drag him into a hug. It lasted all of a couple of seconds before both males squirmed.
“Little close for comfort here, sweetheart,” Jay chuckled, and she let go, smiling up at her brother.
“I would love to babysit. But I don’t have any experience with young. None at all.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Jay said and winked at her. “Be good practice for when we have ours.”
“Ours?” She turned and looked at him. “You want to have young with me?”
“Absolutely.” He winked. “After a lot of practice.”
“Do not need to hear that,” Rynn took a step backward, shaking his head. “Definitely do not need to hear that.”
“Get used to it, bro…” Jay grinned and hefted her higher in his arms. Turning to her father he nodded. “Thank you for the welcome, sir. I would shake your hand but I kinda have them full just now. When you have a moment, I would appreciate the chance to ask you, officially, for Keris’s hand in marriage.”
“No need for formal. You have my blessing.” Xaan smiled and looked at Keris. “Just don’t think you’re getting married without Kenna there. She’d have my balls in a sling.”
“No sir, we wouldn’t dream of it,” Jay chuckled.
“Okay… get her out of here. You know the way to the ship,” Xaan turned and his expression soured as he looked at the B’Kaar in the room. Risyn was back on his feet, a healer hovering close by, but Berr was still being treated.
“While you get settled, Rynn and I will be having a little chat with the B’Kaar about kidnapping my daughter—a daughter who has been confirmed by the emperor himself as not only Latharian, not only a M’rln, but a daughter of the throne itself.�
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She felt more than heard the shock roll around the room. If that was true, the B’Kaar weren’t just in deep shit. They were up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
“And… I, personally, as the emperor’s champion would like to talk to the B’Kaar about the attempt of the life of my son-in-law.”
Jay chuckled as they left the room. “Remind me never to piss off your father. Okay?”
“It’s okay. He likes you.” She sighed and leaned in to kiss the side of his neck. Closing her eyes, she nestled closer as he carried her from the B’Kaar ship into a new life. Together.
Against all odds, the AI had found love, a mate who accepted who and what she was, and a future with the man she loved.
Epilogue
“You wanted to see us?”
Jay stood in the doorway of the office beside Seren and looked at the B’Kaar within. Berr and Risyn turned around. Their attitudes to the two men, both Lathar and human, had markedly improved over the last couple of days. Jay grinned to himself. Funny how having a powerful father- and brother-in-law changed some people’s manner.
“Yes, yes!” Risyn strode forward and offered his arm in the traditional warrior’s greeting. Not one to hold a grudge without reason, he took it. “Thank you both for coming. We wanted to share some… unusual findings with you.”
“Oh?” His brows snapped together as he looked at the screens. There were two strands of DNA, both very similar. He still couldn’t work out the difference between a human strand and a Latharian one. They looked the same to him. “Part of this mate program the emperor has you working on?”
Risyn nodded. “So far we’ve managed to isolate a couple of matches. The first is between you and Berrick here.”
Jay raised an eyebrow. “Did you miss the part where I’m mated to the champion’s daughter? No offense, friend,” he shot at Berr. “But you’re not my type.”
“None taken,” Berr laughed. At least Jay assumed the deep rumble was a laugh. “And you’re not mine either, so don’t worry. But that’s not what we have there. Do you see the differences?” He nodded to the screen in front of him. It had changed to show two identical strands of DNA.
“Mine I assume?”
“That one is,” Berr motioned toward the one of the left. “But that one is not.”
Jay leaned in to study it. Now he looked, it wasn’t quite identical to the first. “What am I looking at? Whose DNA is that?”
“That, we believe, is the DNA of your biological mother… and Berrick’s mate.”
He blinked. “Mother? I was ad… are you telling me you can track her down just from my DNA?”
Risyn gave him a look like he was an idiot but refrained from comment. Obviously, in Latharian society, trying to kill the champion’s son-in-law was a bad move. Berrick broke in and answered the question.
“Not just your DNA, but hers as well. At some point her DNA has been entered into the Terran database.”
Jay blinked again. Today was full of surprises. “That would only happen if she had gone military or gotten a criminal record.”
“Or…” Risyn added. “Signed up for the new mate program with us.”
“You mentioned you wanted to show us both something?” Seren asked, arms folded over his chest. They were both still dressed for training, so his jacket was slung over one shoulder, replacement arm on show.
Berrick nodded and changed the screens. “Yes. We did. You’re luckier than me. I ’ave to go to Earth to find my mate, but yours is closer. Like, right here on the base.”
“What?” Seren and Jay chorused in unison. Then he looked at the alien warrior and grinned.
“Bro… it’s Gracie. She’s your mate.”
Thank you so much for reading ALIEN AI’S MARINE!
I hope you loved reading Jay and Keris’s story.
The next book in the Latharian universe will be ALIEN MERCENARY’S PRIZE!
I appreciate your help in spreading the word, including telling friends. Reviews help readers find new books! Please leave a review on your favorite book site!
Also by Mina Carter
Cyborg’s Price
He's one of the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy... so why can't she keep her hands off him?
A junior nurse aboard the Combined Fleet Ship Valkyrie, Samara's days are usually filled with minor bumps and scraps and the occasional health or workspace check. But when a dangerous prisoner is transferred aboard, she finds herself on brig duty. Dealing with the big, lethal looking military grade cyborg should be terrifying, but one look into his green eyes and she can't think of anything other than what his big, hard body would look like under the grey ship suit...
She's small, soft and fragile... he should keep his hands to himself and forget her.
Captured and en route to a medical facility for dissection and study, cyborg Lyon expects nothing but pain and degradation from his captors. But Samara isn't like the others, treating his wounds with care and igniting a fire deep within. When she neglects to ensure his cuffs are locked tight, all hell breaks loose. A hot, sensual hell against the cell wall. When his team arrives, Lyon knows he should walk away...but he can't. His little human has gotten under his skin. He'll take her as payment for his suffering, keep her in his bed and pleasure them both for as long as it takes for him to lose interest.
However, the universe, and the Fleet, have other ideas. A tracker on board brings a horde of fleet ships down on their heads. Can Lyon and Samara survive betrayal, a fleet attack, or will their happily ever after disintegrate under fire?
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About the Author
Mina Carter is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of romance in many genres. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat.
Connect with Mina online at:
minacarter.com
