The Alien Assassin’s Stolen Bride

by Michele Mills

  Fortunately, Heriot already had a lock on his target. He and his brother had been sent by R’Etor government to assassinate two targets…who also happened to be brothers. Two brothers who were assassins, stalking two brothers who were their targets. They were not expected to capture their targets and return them. They were to assassinate the insurgents and leave, without having left a footprint.

  This was easier said than done.

  Heriot was certain that T’Antor felt he was free, having left and gone to Earth. But Heriot and his brother were willing to do whatever it took to track down their targets. Even if it meant leaving R’Etor to do so.

  Heriot glanced again at his hand tablet. He had a lock. He moved in closer for a visual confirmation and identified his target—Fucyu T’Antor, who was walking into a waiting area, loading a transportation vehicle.

  He crooked an eyebrow. T’Antor appeared to be accompanying a human female. A female with skin almost the same tone as a R’Etor. But her hair…her hair was permanently flushed. It was red. Or orange. A changeable mixture of both. Heriot sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes roamed up and down her curvy body. This human was basically a R’Etor sex symbol. She looked like a female in her first flush, but no such thing existed. Only males flushed with pigment transformation.

  His nostrils flared. Her enticing pheromones alerted his senses from across the visitor center, and Heriot could immediately sense that this female was his mate. The knowledge hit him like an asteroid. Not just a female he desired. No, this human was his truemate.

  God-stars, this changed everything.

  Heriot edged closer to the alluring female. He could see her clearly, R’Etor eyesight was ten times more accurate than a human’s. He stared at her in shock.

  His truemate was human? How was this possible?

  But he could not deny the legendary possession of a mated R’Etor that swept through his mind and body. His focus and thoughts narrowed from his mission, his home world, his brother, to instead latch on the human female who was now going to be his partner for life.

  His heart hammered. His blood began to boil.

  He watched as T’Antor stood too close to his mate. How he placed his hand on the small of her back. A growl rumbled in Heriot’s chest. T’Antor’s skin was flushed with desire for the female. Now Heriot knew how this male had lived amongst the humans for twenty-two diurnal rotations without exposure—he was force mating every human female he desired. And Heriot’s mate was to be T’Antor’s next prey.

  He threw back his head and roared.

  3

  Hannah walked with T’Antor into the gathering area for the shuttle that would take them up a long, winding road to their destination at the edge of the hilltop estate, where they would exit for their tour of the castle and grounds. They lined up behind two men wearing light backpacks, chatting together in German. Lots of people were grouped there, waiting to load the bus. Languages from all over the world were being spoken. A large group of laughing, boisterous ladies, all wearing matching purple T-shirts emblazoned with the words Red Hat Society, were at the front of the line, already boarding.

  Hannah stepped forward in line. T’Antor placed his hand on the small of her back as he moved with her. She pursed her lips because, um, she didn’t really want this guy she didn’t even know touching her.

  This wasn’t a date.

  Hannah knew she was super picky and that was why she rarely dated. And that was okay. She was serious about waiting for the right guy and giving that man, the man she was going to marry for life, her virginity. Some people might think that was old-fashioned and the silliest thing they’d ever heard, but hey, to each his own.

  She was waiting.

  At twenty-three years old, it was starting to seem, though, like she was the only virgin left on planet Earth. But she was holding on to this ideal with both hands. She wanted that first time she made love to be with the man she’d vowed forever with, and she was willing to wait to find a man who respected that ideal and was willing to give it to her.

  She glanced back and noticed that T’Antor wasn’t smiling anymore. In fact, he looked angry. And she had no idea why.

  Jeez, this day was going from bad to worse.

  And right then a strange, almost inhuman sound, like a man roaring in anguish, echoed throughout the terminal. Long and mournful. Like someone raging in desperation after having been put through the worst pain imaginable.

  Goose bumps formed on her arms.

  “What was that?” someone asked.

  Hannah looked around, trying to discover the source of that haunting sound. She turned back toward the main lobby and noticed the blur of a large figure moving fast through the crowds. A few people were yelling, angry at being pushed aside. By what, or who, she wasn’t sure.

  “Get on the bus,” T’Antor gritted. She glanced back at him, surprised at his sudden urgency and the bossiness of his tone.

  Hannah shook her head and blinked, trying to keep her mind off of the disturbance, which she was certain was not her monkeys nor her circus, and instead kept her eyes in front of her.

  “Good morning.” The bus driver smiled in greeting.

  Hannah returned his smile as she stepped onto the bus. She walked past the other seated passengers, down the narrow center aisle to the only seats not yet taken, in the back of the bus. She sat down in the last row facing forward, and T’Antor sat perpendicular to her, in a row facing to the right. She stared at his profile and let out a sigh of relief that he’d chosen a spot that allowed her a bit of space.

  “This is going to be fun,” she remarked, with maybe a hint of sarcasm.

  He gave her a curt nod.

  Okay then.

  Hannah glanced longingly at the Red Hat Society ladies, who were snort-laughing at each other’s jokes and having entirely too much fun. She sighed. Maybe she could ditch T’Antor later and they would be kind enough to take her in?

  And just as the shuttle rumbled to life, someone banged heavily on the glass door. Banged and banged, ready to break the door down. Hannah’s eyes widened. Everyone turned their heads to gawk.

  The door opened, and the bus shook as someone thumped up the steps. A huge man emerged at the front, his wide chest heaving as he gulped in great breaths of air. His entire form blocked the front entrance. Wild silver eyes scanned the passengers seated inside. Finally, his gaze landed on Hannah and stopped. His entire body seemed to relax with relief at the sight of her.

  Wh…what?

  Her jaw dropped as she made eye contact with this man from across the bus. The intensity, power and force emanating from his gaze alone… Her heart sped, and her body heated up. She couldn’t look away. It was all too weird, because he kept staring as if knew her. Why was this guy looking at her? Did she know him? No. No way.

  And she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. He had that same super-pale skin as T’Antor. Which didn’t make sense, because wasn’t albinism supposed to be rare? The chances of there being two people of this same coloring in the vicinity…that had to be next to impossible, right?

  And, unlike T’Antor, this man was enormous, big and burly, dressed in severe black—black trench coat, shirt and pants. But even though his clothing and frame were harsh and badass, his features and expression were divine. Thick, glossy white hair swept back from his face, cut short in back and left longer on top. And dear God, his nicely trimmed, white-gold beard and mustache were utter perfection.

  He looked like an avenging angel. Danger and salvation. Sex and…

  A growl rumbled in T’Antor’s throat.

  What the hell?

  Hannah managed to tear her gaze away from the gorgeous male specimen at the front of the bus and noted that T’Antor’s eyes now blazed behind his lenses, like he had pinkeye. And his skin appeared—rosy tinted? “Are you okay?” she asked him. “Are you feeling sick?”

  He shook his head, pretty much ignoring her as he continued to glare at the new passenger.

  The enormous guy
with white-gold hair and Matrix-type clothing pounded his way down the center aisle. Hannah watched as his jacket swept behind him, giving her a terrific view of his trim torso and epic thighs. He stopped directly in front of her, wherein all his enormity, his potent masculinity, was suddenly right there in living color. Her breath caught in her throat.

  She lifted her chin. He grinned down at her, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. Oh shit, a dimple. Her core clenched. Dimples were her kryptonite.

  Along with beards and hard muscle.

  Jesus take the wheel.

  Then he sat down in the seat next to her—a surprisingly light maneuver, considering his size.

  Her cheeks heated. Why was he sitting so close? There was plenty of room in the back, lots of empty seats he could’ve chosen so they’d both have more space. But instead he decided to mash his giant body into the seat right next to hers?

  She couldn’t help the squeak of dismay that escaped her lips.

  His thigh was against her thigh, which, thank God, was covered by layers of clothing, because his forearm was against hers and her skin was touching his near her wrist and she was going supernova at the contact. Hannah tried to scoot further against the wall, but there wasn’t room. And then he draped an arm across the back of her seat and used his other enormous hand to reach over and pick up a curl of her long, strawberry-blond hair and rub it between his fingers.

  Like he already knew her. Like they were a couple or something.

  Strangely, his presumptuousness didn’t anger her in the least. Realistically, she should be going ballistic, shoving him off and racing out of her seat. After all, she’d been pissed off when T’Antor had touched the small of her back… But instead, she was loving this man’s nearness. And she was pretty damn comfortable next to his big, burly body. It felt…right.

  She got lost for a moment staring at his handsome features. The strong jawline and bright silver eyes. Black clothing that was a stark contrast against soft pearly-white skin over hard muscles. Exquisite white-gold stubble glistened on his upper lip and jawline. The man radiated strength and danger, but all she could think of was how his lips looked velvety and oh-so-kissable.

  “I am Heriot,” he said with a rough, deep voice, his gaze dropping to her mouth.

  She licked her lips. “Hi,” she breathed, “my name is Hannah.”

  T’Antor muttered something angry under his breath.

  Hannah shook her head, trying to dismiss the spell she was under. What the hell was wrong with her? She was completely enthralled with this guy. The bus pulled away from the curb and an automated message narrated by Alex Trebek started and she wasn’t even listening. And Christ, he smelled so good. Minty fresh, with a hint of leather and something slightly spicy that was all him.

  Heriot turned his head to glare at T’Antor. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

  Her brow furrowed. “Do you know each other?” she asked.

  “No,” T’Antor answered.

  “Yes,” Heriot replied.

  Oh God, these two were causing her heartburn. This was too much. “Which is it?” she asked again. “Do you know each other or not?”

  T’Antor shrugged and said nothing.

  “We originate from the same location,” Heriot answered.

  “Do you mean you’re both from the same country?” she asked, because they both spoke English with that same accent she couldn’t place. She cleared her throat, not sure of the etiquette in this situation. Was it okay to just outright ask someone if they were albino? “And, um, you’re both…albino, right? I thought you were albino because maybe you were originally from a country where maybe that was more common,” she finished lamely, wondering if they were from Norway, or Iceland… Her hand squeezed her dead cell phone in her pocket, desperately wishing she could quickly google “albino.”

  “Albino? What is this term, albino?” Heriot asked.

  They were both staring at her now, openly curious to hear her answer. Oh jeez, how in the hell could these two men not know what albino meant? Especially since they were both obviously albino!

  “Um, I think albino means a person with really, really light skin, eyes and hair,” she answered. “It means a person without pigment in their skin. Like you guys.”

  They both shrugged, unconcerned. T’Antor turned away, already bored.

  Heriot said something under his breath she couldn’t understand.

  T’Antor glanced back and bared his teeth.

  The two men were now completely ignoring her. She was the only one trying to listen to the recorded message about the history of the area they were passing as they drove up the long, winding road to the castle.

  “She’s mine,” T’Antor snarled.

  Hannah put her hands up. “Whoa. Hold on there. Don’t tell him that. I’m my own person. I don’t belong to anyone.”

  “She’s not yours,” Heriot said, ignoring her. “She’s mine. It’s why I’m here.” And then he proceeded to whisper-shout through a whole tense conversation with T’Antor in a language she didn’t recognize at all. It sounded vaguely German, but then not.

  Then T’Antor looked at her and back at the stranger, nodded and leaned away.

  “What was that all about?” she hissed. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Heriot,” he repeated. “And I love your scent, your pheromones.”

  “Oh, thanks,” she answered, uncertain. “That’s nice of you to say, but I’m telling you I’m not yours or his. I’m Hannah Graham. My own person.”

  “Oh my God, there are zebra out there!” a Red Hat Society lady yelled.

  Hannah smiled and glanced outside, remembering that the land surrounding the castle had originally been a private zoo. “Did you see the zebra?” she asked Heriot, knowing he hadn’t but needing a subject of conversation.

  “No,” he answered, not even bothering to glance out the window, his eyes focused entirely on her.

  A pleasant tingling, swooping sensation flitted through her stomach. He was so handsome in a dangerous, action-adventure movie star kinda way. She just wanted to lean in and run her hands all over his hard abs.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  She never reacted this strongly to men. Never. She’d been on dates, sure. There were guys she’d crushed on. But no one like this. No. One.

  “Are you here with someone?” she asked.

  He reached out and engulfed her hand with his huge fingers. Heriot leaned in close and whispered next to her ear. “No. I’m here with you, and you’re going on this tour with me.”

  She smiled. This day was finally starting to look up.

  4

  The moment he stepped onto the transportation vehicle, Heriot wanted to murder his target. Rage burst through his veins, fiery and hot. It was hard to decide if he should snap this male’s neck or use his silencer to blast T’Antor’s brains out—right there on the transportation vehicle, in front of the humans.

  This piece of R’Etor trash planned to force mate his female!

  Heriot’s hands fisted, and his muscles flexed. A growl rumbled through his chest.

  He continued to take deep, even breaths, forcing himself to remain calm and remember what was important—he’d made it to the vehicle before it exited the terminal. T’Antor was in his sights. And his female was secure.

  But when he’d sat next to his new-found mate and inhaled her luscious pheromones, taking in her generous curves and the softness of her human skin, it had taken every bit of his training to refrain from tearing T’Antor limb from limb.

  Heriot cursed under his breath, enraged at his predicament. The fragile humans surrounding him couldn’t be exposed to his species. Their innocence as a primitive society must be kept intact. This wasn’t just R’Etor law, but a universal law. Earth was off-limits, and Heriot could face serious consequences if he stayed on Earth longer than his work permit allowed, and if he exposed humans to off-worlders his pay was forfeit. He had to wait until he could find a private location on the hil
ltop to eliminate T’Antor and rush-decompose the body. Nothing could be left behind for the humans to find.

  God-stars, he hated this planet! If this were R’Etor his target would already be dead and the currency for this contract transferred into his account. Good thing he’d charged double for this hit because of the distance. Jadzion thought this mission was easy, but for Heriot it was turning into the most complicated objective of his career.

  The transportation vehicle that had been delivering them to their next location finally discontinued the prerecorded human-speak and lumbered to a stop. Heriot turned to stare again into Hannah’s mesmerizing blue eyes, which were rare within his species. A truemate was considered to be a match not only physically but mentally. He was curious to discover why his body had chosen this human female for him.

  “Let’s go.” She smiled, exposing smooth teeth.

  He muffled the groan that almost escaped from his lips as he imagined those lips, those teeth softly scraping against his cock. And he could smell her desire for him. His human wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  He stood up and held tight to her soft hand within his own larger, rough palm, because he was going to steal this female off this planet and take her home. A grim smile spread across his face. This human was going to learn very soon that other species existed in the universe.

  He couldn’t keep his hands off of her. Not while sitting on that damned transportation shuttle, and not now. Not ever. He crowded next to her as they went down the center aisle with the other humans and stepped off the vehicle and onto the sidewalk.

  An older human male with dark pigment was gathering the humans who were exiting the vehicle. He guided them onto a flat area in front of steps that led up to dense, grouped vegetation that surrounded the domicile. Heriot looked around and took a breath, sampling the air. He had to admit it was better up here. Clearer and cleaner. The morning fog and misty rain had disappeared, and the sky was a striking bright blue. Almost comparable to R’Etor.