Alien Romance: Surrogate To The Alien: Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Romance, Alien Invasion Romance, BBW) (Alien Protectors Book 5)

by Zena Zion

  Errion leaned his forehead against hers and pulled her close once more. With the soft bundle wrapped in her arms it was easy to pretend that this was how it might be if they had a child. Avery tried not to think about that.

  “As long as you are here,” His deep voice was soothing to her raw nerves, “I am entirely devoted to you.”

  Avery pressed her face into his chest so that he could not read her expression.

  As long as you are here. The words played like a record in her mind.

  Surely, he only meant that his commitment would only last throughout her stay. That was all that she could really expect considering that they lived on entirely different planets.

  But, something in his voice made her wonder if had meant something more. If he might be trying to tell her something important.

  Avery shook the thought from her mind. Of course, she was searching for meaning behind his words. Just because she wanted him to come out and tell her that he loved her, did not mean that she needed to read into everything that he said.

  Because, the truth was that Avery was in love with Errion. She had started to guess at it on the first night of their lovemaking, but recently she had been more certain.

  She loved this alien prince and the worst part was that she was leaving in a few short days, and once she did she would never see him again.

  Avery had contemplated telling Errion that she changed her mind about the arrangement. If she had finally come to terms with making love to him, then it was not such a far stretch to carry his child. That had been the plan from the beginning.

  Except, now when Avery thought of bearing his child the idea of leaving it behind, of giving up on two people whom she would love wholeheartedly, was more than she could bear.

  Errion had never asked her to stay after the production of an heir. Even now, with their physical involvement, they were still planning her departure.

  What would make her think that he would want, or even allow, her to remain on this planet after she had produced a child.

  No, she had decided that leaving now, though it would break her heart, was less traumatic than spending another nine months in his arms only to be forced away from all that she loved.

  In their final days, Avery attempted to conceal her emotions. She threw herself with abandon into their time together in an attempt to collect as many wonderful memories as possible.

  If Errion noticed her determination, he did not comment.

  Chapter 9: The Day of the Departure

  On their final day together, Errion was especially quiet. Avery tried to sap as much enjoyment from their last moments, but he seemed distracted.

  She reminded herself that he was likely nervous about getting caught sneaking her from the planet. If anything went wrong they would both be in trouble.

  Errion had made arrangements with an illegal smuggler to take her back to Earth in the late hours of the night. The plan was meant to allow Avery to arrive back on her own planet before anyone realized that she was gone and hopefully to discourage pursuit.

  The fact that Errion would go to the trouble to make an arrangement with a man that he would normally have arrested, spoke volumes about the dangerous nature of the mission.

  On their final evening, Avery could no longer take it.

  “You could at least pretend to enjoy the last few hours with me.” She murmured as she changed into her sleepwear.

  She had learned that Errion’s hearing was impeccable. There was no doubt in her mind that he had heard every word of her tiny rant.

  “I am enjoying the time.” He lied.

  Avery scoffed. “You’ve barely said two words to me the entire day. Even now, you won’t even look at me!”

  She knew that she was being irrational. She did not actually want to yell at him but the crushing sadness of the knowledge that she was leaving in a few short hours was magnified by the fact that Errion seemed to be acting as if she had already left.

  Had the past week meant nothing at all to him?

  Errion sat down on the bed, defeated. It was the first time that Avery could say that she had ever seen him look as if he did not have complete control of the situation. For the first time he almost seemed… vulnerable.

  “I’m sorry.” He rubbed a weary hand over his face. “I am trying to make the best of the time that you are here, but…” He fell silent and stared at his hands.

  Avery’s heart beat at a rapid pace in her chest as she moved toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “What is it?” She sat beside him on the bed. Was he regretting the danger of the mission? Was he second guessing putting his royal bloodline at stake on her behalf? Or, might she be able to hope for something different? Something much more personal.

  Errion turned and grabbed her shoulders, drawing her from her seated position to, instead, stand in front of him.

  His eyes bore into hers with a force that was alarming and then, he began to speak.

  “I know that you don’t want to be here. I know that you regret signing the contract and leaving your planet and I know that I promised to do everything I could to return you safely…”

  As the words fell from his lips Avery’s heart burst open with hope. She could not speak. She could only stare at him with disbelief as she looked down at him, her entire body shaking.

  “I know that what you thought you were coming here for is entirely different than how we’ve lived for the past months but, I also know that I have loved every minute of it. I guess what I’m saying is…” His hands tightened on her arms as if it could better express the sincerity of his words. “What if there was no contract? What if you stayed because you wanted to, not because you had to produce and heir or pretend to be with me? What if you stayed because you wanted to be with me? Because you loved me the way that I love you?”

  Avery felt her jaw drop at his proclamation. Was she really hearing him correctly? Did he really love her? Did he really want her to stay even if she did not become pregnant within the allotted timeframe?

  She shocked expression must not have revealed her total elation because Errion dropped his hands and moved to turn away from her.

  For the first time, he had read her wrong.

  Avery grabbed his face with her hands and forced him to look into her smiling eyes.

  “I love you too.” She whispered. She leaned in to press her mouth against his. “I would love to stay.” She spoke the words against his mouth and the moment she finished she felt his arms close around her waist.

  “You’ll stay indefinitely?” His hands dove into the hair at the base of her neck and pulled her more firmly against him. His kiss was crushing, as if he could not believe what he was hearing.

  “I will stay as long as you’ll have me.” She laughed. Avery could not ever remembering being happier.

  “Good.” His mouth trailed kisses along her neck. “Then forever it is.”

  Avery giggled and threw herself against him. Together, they toppled back onto the plush coverings of the bed.

  Errion passed his hands over their bodies and instantly their clothing disappeared.

  “Hey!” Avery cried. “Why didn’t you ever do that before?” She shifted her hips against his growing erection, enjoying the sensation of their skin against each other.

  Errion laughed. “It’s easier, yes, but sometimes it is more pleasurable to watch you undress slowly.”

  “But not this time?” Avery whispered into his ear as her mouth closed over the sensitive lobe.

  “Not this time.” He confirmed. “This time, I didn’t want to wait.”

  “There’s no need to rush. I’m not going anywhere.” Her hands traced the ridge lines of muscle on his abdomen. She purposefully shifted her hips above him and pressed the warmth of her center against his heated flesh.

  Errion sighed and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation.

  “I know, but all day I’ve been fearing that you would. Now that I know that you’re mine, I need to fee
l you against me more than ever."

  Avery burst with laughter. “Now that I’m yours?”

  “Aren’t you?” Errion asked in earnest. “You never could have been truly mine if you were here for a contract. Now that you’ve decided to stay of your own free will and I know that you’ll always be beside me… I’d say that makes you mine.”

  “Alright.” She laughed. “I’m yours.”

  She smiled and traced a line of kisses down the length of his neck. Her tongue trailed across his skin and he shivered.

  Avery never ceased to be amazed that she had such a strong effect on Errion.

  When his hands settled on the curve of her hips, she was reminded that the influence went both ways.

  His palms traced the curve of her wide hips, up past the indent of her waist, and even further until they cupped the heavy weight of her breasts.

  “You have the most amazing body.” His words were soft and wistful, as if he was truly amazed at the form sitting above him.

  Avery blushed.

  “Don’t do that now.” His thumbs rolled across the sensitive peaks and Avery felt her eyes drift closed. “You can’t blush for something that is true.”

  Errion bent forward and pulled the pale pink tip into his mouth. Avery sighed.

  He lavished his attentions on one before moving to the other.

  She felt her body moisten against him. The need burning inside of her was no subdued by her moment of modesty.

  She felt empowered by his love, by his clear and obvious adoration of her, both physically and mentally.

  Errion raised himself into a seated position, his legs still dangling off the edge of the bed from when they had tumbled backward.

  Avery shifted her body to rest more comfortably against him, their torsos aligned and her knees braced on either side of his hips.

  One large hand cupped the curve of her backside, holding her more firmly against him as she raised herself up to allow him to enter her.

  As Avery settled herself over him a sigh crossed her lips. For such stark contrasts in everything else, this was the one area where it felt as if they were made for each other.

  Slowly, she began to move her hips, the intensity of the motion driving them both to the brink of insanity.

  Avery cried out against him, her mouth gasping against his as he pulled her closer against him.

  As the innate urges of their bodies took over, Avery relished most in the sweet whispers that passed between the lover’s lips. For the first time, they were both able to speak the words that had long been suppressed. For the first time, they truly made love.

  The following morning Avery woke with the satisfaction of knowing that her opportunity to leave this planet had passed and that Errion was pleased to have her beside him.

  At some point in the night he had sent word to the smuggler that they would not be needing his services, though the man was initially irate, Errion appeased him by offering the agreed upon payment, plus a bonus for the cancellation.

  When they sat down in the dining hall that morning, Avery and Errion were pleased that the danger was behind them.

  All pretense was gone from their outward affections. This time, when Errion brushed his hand over her arm, or when Avery leaned against his shoulder in her exhausted state, there was no artifice.

  The lovers behaved as they had before except, rather than being obligated to put on a performance, they now acted because they could not resist the temptation.

  Halfway through the meal the king surprised them by setting his utensils down and piercing them with a serious glare.

  “I’m surprised to see you here this morning, human.” His tone was formal. He had not called Avery by her name, and the change was noted by all at the table.

  “Why wouldn’t she be here, father? She always joins me for the morning meal.” Errion spoke with a nonchalance that belied the turmoil Avery knew that he must be feeling.

  “I have word, from a very reliable source, that she was scheduled to leave the planet this very night. Therefore,” the king was clearly not willing to avoid a confrontation, “I am very surprised that she appeared this morning.”

  “Well, Avery isn’t leaving.” Errion shrugged. “She’s staying indefinitely. Perhaps your source was wrong.”

  Avery took slow breaths and stared at her plate. After all that had been solved last night, she could not imagine that it would all fall apart now.

  “Don’t you lie to me, Errion!” The king slammed his fists on the table and glared at his son. “I’ve spoken with the smuggler. I know what you were planning. Don’t pretend that you and the human don’t know the punishment for breaking a contract and that you weren’t trying to sneak her away so that she would not face death!”

  The king was in a full rage now.

  “Perhaps that was the plan, initially.” Errion admitted with a calm that Avery admired, “But, as I’ve stated. There is no plan for her departure. Not now. Not at the end of the year. Not ever.”

  “Lies.” The king shouted. He pointed down the length of the table to where the council members sat in silent awe. “I know that there has been no attempt to produce an heir. The examiners have informed me week after week that she remains without child and now, with this news of her sneaking off in the night, I know the truth. I know that you have made no attempt to fulfill the contract. Do you not want to be king? I know that you have made no attempt to produce an heir!”

  “I can assure you that many attempts have been made.” Errion’s casual flippancy towards their sexual encounters had Avery covering her face with her hand. She knew the council watched as her cheeks burned bright red, a clear confirmation of his statement.

  “Explain how so many months have passed with no result?” The king demanded.

  Avery had no idea how to counter this question. The truth was that, until recently, there had not been an attempt. The king was both right, and wrong, though she knew that Errion would never shame his family, or his kingdom, by revealing the truth.

  Avery watched the council members shift uncomfortably in their chairs. She tried to catch the eye of the lead examiner, the man who had clearly revealed her negative pregnancy results to the king, but he would not meet her eye. She supposed that, in the scheme of things, he owed her no loyalty.

  “Father, she is to remain here. She is a viable candidate, should it come to pass that an heir arrive. What more is there to discuss?” Errion’s tone was firmer now. He was no longer willing to defend his position.

  “Should it come to pass?” The king repeated in a low and dangerous tone. “Should it come to pass? There is only one purpose for her presence on this planet and you act as if it is not a certainty.”

  “I am releasing her from the contract.” Errion’s words caused a murmur to ripple through the guests. “She is to remain here as my wife and one day, as my queen.” His words brooked no argument but it was clear that his father was nearing a complete meltdown.

  “Your queen?” He sat back in his chair with a defeated sigh. “Errion you need an heir to have a queen. You need an heir to be king.”

  Avery looked at her lover with complete and utter disbelief. A queen? She had not even thought about what it would mean to be permanently bonded to Errion.

  Before he could respond, she realized that she had the solution. She knew, with certainty, that it was the right thing. That it was more than she could ever hope for, and that now, she was more than willing.

  “I am prepared to provide an heir, your majesty.” Avery’s soft voice broke the deafening silence that had fallen on the table.

  “Clearly that isn’t working.” The king’s tone was apologetic. It was as if he truly understood their affection for each other but, it was clear that he assumed that she was unable to carry a child. This, to him, was reason enough to end the relationship.

  Errion wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple. The light squeeze that she felt on her shoulder told her that he was move
d by her declaration, though he could not reveal that it was something that they had not previously discussed.

  A warbled cough echoed in response.

  Avery watched with bated breath as the ancient medical examiner rose from his position among the council members.

  Her heart sank. He was going to crush their hopes with an argument that he thought that she was not a compatible match all because Errion had not forced Avery to sleep with him.

  “Your Majesty,” The old voice wheezed. “I believe that I can solve this issue.”

  Avery felt tears well in her eyes. She wanted to explain. She wanted to tell them that they could begin to truly try now, but she could not. To admit that she and Errion had knowingly abstained would be the height of insult to everyone in the room.