by April Osirus
“Yes I am,” Avia responded.
The man shook his head in disbelief. Grabbing her by her upper arm, he began dragging her towards the end of the hall where Max and Vicks were standing guard.
“I can’t believe they would send a female guard,” the man said, almost to himself. “I specifically said to only send male guards. What kind of fools are they to send someone like you?”
Avia, who had been stumbling to keep up with the man’s long strides, bristled at his words. She might be a woman but she was damn good at her job. She yanked uselessly at his powerful grip. She was going nowhere. With no other choice, she kicked the man’s shin as hard as she could.
The man gave a small surprised grunt. He stopped and pulled Avia closer. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Avia countered. Looking straight up at the man’s face, she could see the long straight nose, the stubbled jawline, and his lethal dark eyes. God, no matter how arrogant the man was Avia couldn’t deny that he was drop dead gorgeous. Trying to ignore the heat spreading down her spine, she glared up at the muscular Vistran. “I am a guard of the United Earth Federation. Who the hell do you think you are to drag me around like this?”
The man’s annoyed face smoothed into one of dry amusement. Lifting his chin, he repeated her words. “Who the hell do I think I am?” His lips twitched. “I don’t know. Who do you think I am, little one?”
Doubly annoyed by his irritatingly calm demeanor and his diminutive endearment, Avia looked him over, trying to think of something scathing to say. She imagined a response like, “Oh I don’t know. I guess the first Vistran eunuch?” But seeing the definition in his huge biceps, Avia knew she wasn’t suicidal enough to say those words.
But as she looked over the man, the light caught the side of his head. Avia’s eyes widened as she saw a large scar running down his temple.
No. This couldn’t be. He couldn’t possibly be….
“You—You’re not the…the…” Avia gulped. God, was their any protocol in the UEF for sassing royalty?
The man quirked an eyebrow, clearly enjoying Avia’s sudden realization. “I’m not what?”
“King?” Avia whispered, eyes wide.
“Well, King Avistrian the Seventh, Ruler of Vistra, Leader Supreme, would be the proper form of address,” Rom replied teasingly. He nearly laughed as he watched Avia battle her annoyance at his teasing and her nervousness at being in front of royalty.
Avia’s heart raced. She could hear the blood racing in her ears. Her head pounded and she hoped she wouldn’t faint.
“No need to faint,” Rom said teasingly, catching her shortness of breath. “I just need your complete adoration and gratitude for rescuing you.”
Avia tried to think of a response but before she could speak, Rom grabbed her chin and roughly turned her head. He ran a thumb down the side of her face. When he took his hand away, it was coated in her blood.
“You were hurt,” he said, his voice immediately alert and serious. He took her more firmly in his arms.
“I’m okay,” Avia mumbled before letting the black dizziness take her. All she could feel was a warm strong embrace holding her close.
***
Avia groaned as she slowly blinked awake.
Her head was pounding with a deep ache. Instinctively, she raised a hand to ease her head. Her eyes shot open when she felt the softness of a guazy bandage.
“Wha—” she said as she tried to sit up.
A large hand squarely on her chest pushed her back down. She looked up and saw the king of Vistra standing above her, dark eyes warm with serious concern.
“Stay down,” he said. “You should limit your movements for now.”
Avia watched as the dark handsome king checked her bandages, tucking in a loose end. She felt a foreign warmth of security as the king sat over her, carefully protecting her.
“Your Majesty—” she began.
“Rom,” Rom interrupted.
“I’m sorry?” Avia asked, surprised.
“Call me Rom,” Rom said.
Avia stared at him. The king wanted her to call him by his first name as if they were old pals? How hard had she hit her head?
Unsure as to how to respond, she decided not to call him anything. “Err…where am I?”
Rom’s lips twitched, noticing the omission of either title or name. “In my study,” he answered, magnanimously letting go her direct disobedience. “You needed a place to lie down after fainting and my study was the closest room available.”
Avia slowly sat up. Rom watched her carefully, making sure he was there to catch her if she got too dizzy or fainted again. “Ambassador Tonson? The guard? They’ll be worried.”
Rom dismissed this concern with a quick wave of his hand. “They’ve been notified,” he said. His eyes darkened. “And the two soldiers you met have been disciplined as well.”
Avia sat speechless. Who was this man exactly? What kind of king took such interest in a lowly soldier? She had met alien ministers and politicians who barely looked at her, let alone try and care for her injuries.
Rom watched Avia gently touch her bandages. She hadn’t been badly injured but his heart had never pounded so hard as it did when he saw her bleeding.
He had easily caught her in his arms as she fainted. Taking her into his study, he was keenly aware of how delicate and sweet she felt in his arms.
He had laid her carefully out on the plush sofa that lined one wall of his study. She looked small and petite on the large cushions. But as he watched her chest rise and fall with her easy breathing, he appreciated all the places she wasn’t small and petite. Her soft curves pressed against her uniform, speaking loudly of the woman she was beneath the clothes.
After cleaning up her scrape and carefully bandaging up her head, he had watched her rest with a protectiveness that he had never felt before. He had almost wanted to pull her back into his arms so he could provide her the ultimate protection of his body.
And now, as he admired the sweet curve of her face and the fresh soft scent of her womanliness, Rom was aware of his feelings. A king does not become nor stay a king by being a fool.
He had found his mate, inexplicably, in this tiny feisty human.
The only thing left was for her to agree with this indisputable truth.
***
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Max asked, frowning in concern as he tilted her head to the side to get a better view of the healed scrape.
Avia nodded and shrugged away from Max. “Come on now,” she chided. “You know how tough I am. A little scrape won’t get me.” She grinned and tried to poke Max around the ribs to make him smile as well.
But Max’s frown only grew deeper. “Hmm…I knew I shouldn’t have brought you along,” he murmured.
Avia’s eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?” she demanded. She resented being treated like some burdensome woman who had tagged along on an ambassadorial envoy for kicks and giggles. She was a UEF soldier just like Max. And a hell of a good one too!
Max flicked his eyes towards her, looking down at her as if she was being naïve. “Oh come on, Avia,” he said, sighing. “This was a mission to Vistra. These people are known for their power and brutality. Captain Essex had said not to bring a woman along. Initially, I had pushed for you because I know you’ve been waiting for an off-planet mission but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea. But by the time I decided to switch you out, it was already too late.” Max sighed. “Guess that’s what I guess for not acting on instinct.”
Avia could hardly believe what she was hearing. She had always thought Max had respected her as a soldier as much as she had respected him. After all, they essentially did the same job and were nearly the same rank. She was stunned to hear this sudden condescension towards her simply because she was a woman.
But before she could say anything back, a messenger arrived. Entering the guest quarters were the
guard were staying, he nodded at both Max and Avia. “His Majesty has requested for Sergeant Truing’s presence.”
Avia felt overwhelmed by all the surprises the day had already hit her with. “He has?” she asked surprised. “Why?” She couldn’t help but blurt out the question.
Max seemed just as surprised by the invitation.
“His Majesty requested Sergeant Truing to accompany himself while inspecting the combat shipyard,” the messenger replied.
“What?” Max and Avia both cried in surprise.
The combat shipyard was where Vistrans built their heavily armored ships. It was a valued technology and many planets had come offering incredible treaties and gifts to obtain it. But the Vistrans and the King had been quite secretive over their making.
“Are you sure you weren’t supposed to find Ambassador Tonson instead?” Max asked, dubious as to the messenger’s competency. “Or at least maybe, me? I’m Senior Sergeant Max Epps, commander of our guard here.”
Although Avia agreed that this kind of invitation seemed more suited to the Ambassador, she was annoyed that Max felt he should deserve the invitation over her.
“Alright then,” Avia answered, relieved to find an excuse to leave Max. “Please lead me to His Majesty.”
Avia strolled out of the room with the messenger, leaving Max behind, completely agog.
***
“Ah, here you are!” Rom said as he welcomed Avia. He hoped he sounded casual. He had spent most of the night thinking about Avia. Every time he had closed his eyes, he had smelled her scent, felt her skin, heard her voice. He knew his heart had made its choice in mate. Now he wanted Avia’s heart to echo the same choice.
Avia’s eyes were nearly ready to pop out of her head. The combat shipyard was an incredible space that looked like it stretched on for hundreds of miles. Covered over by a high roof, the sounds of ship work echoed around the space.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had never seen a Vistran ship this close. And they were colossal. Considering how big Vistrans were, the ships needed to be just as big to accommodate the huge warriors.
Avia’s eyes traveled across the yard then rested on the King. Even amidst the giant ships and large workers and soldiers, he looked huge. Seven and a half feet and built like a tank, the man looked like he could move planets with his bare hands.
But the most lethal feature were his dark eyes. At once both piercing and passionate, Avia felt like blushing every time she locked eyes with him. Her blush only grew when she felt the wetness grow between her legs.
“Your Majesty—” she began.
“Rom,” he corrected.
“Err…yes,” she answered evasively, making Rom smother a smile. “Why have you brought me here?” Afraid she sounded ungrateful, she quickly added, “I mean, I’m flattered that you invited me but why me? Wouldn’t Ambassador Tonson be a more suitable guest?”
Rom put his arm around her waist and led her forward. He walked comfortably next to her as they toured the half-completed ships. Avia’s body tightened in surprise at his touch but then slowly eased at the warmth she felt standing next to him. The ease he exuded as he held her close made Avia feel warm and safe.
“Ambassadors are for treaties and peace. Combat ships are for soldiers and kings,” Rom said, gesturing towards the wide yard. “As a competent and quick soldier, I thought you would more appreciate such a place than the Ambassador.” And, he thought secretly, this would help her to trust him and his intent. He was showing her something incredibly valuable and much sought after. He wanted her to know he had already brought her into his heart.
Avia stared up at Rom. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. Only minutes before, Max had been denigrating her skills and aptitude as a soldier and here was Rom, King of the warrior race of Vistrans, praising her for her ability and strength as a soldier.
A warmth oozed through her heart, seeping slowly into her veins. Soon her whole body felt lit from the inside out with a deep yearning she had never felt before. She could feel Rom’s heated gaze upon her.
How many years had she had to swallow her loneliness or urges for companionship just so she wouldn’t be looked down upon as a sensitive and, therefore, incompetent female soldier? And even after all that, men like Max still saw her as someone who couldn’t be relied upon.
But Rom was different. She could clearly see that he saw her as a woman. Her curvy body was hard to deny. But he didn’t let that biological fact bias his opinion on her as a soldier. He respected her as a soldier and as a woman.
Suddenly, Rom turned to speak a word or two to a passing soldier. Avia couldn’t help but run her gaze down his tall lean body. He was built for power. He was built for stamina. As her gaze inevitably went down lower, she felt her cheeks heat up as she wondered just how far human and Vistran similarities went. If she were to undo his trousers, would she find a thick, hard, throbbing—
“Would you care to join me for dinner tonight?” Rom asked, interrupting her very vivid thoughts.
Avia’s head snapped back up. Looking up, she found herself the target of his heady and stormy gaze. Something told her that he had noticed her staring and could tell exactly what she had been thinking.
“Errr…of course, Your Maj—” Avia stopped herself. She still felt incredibly awkward calling him by name. It was so intimate. And with how intimately her thoughts have been running, calling him by name might just send her over the deep end.
“Shall I let the Ambassador know what time?” Avia quickly asked, wanting to cover up her hesitancy.
“I’m sorry,” Rom said smoothly, graciously ignoring her stubborn attempts from saying his name. “I meant the invitation only for you. Would you, Avia Truing, join me for dinner tonight?”
Avia stared up dumbly at him before nodding. “Of-Of course,” she said.
Rom smiled then followed his secretary towards his next meeting.
Avia stood staring after him.
She would be having dinner tonight with the King!
***
“You look lovely,” Rom said as he stood from his seat.
Avia looked down at herself and brushed the sweeping lilac skirts. “Really?” she asked, blushing a little as she bit her bottom lip. Rom wanted to capture those lips and kiss them till they bruised.
“Really,” he confirmed.
More than lovely. She looked breathtakingly stunning. Rom had made sure to order his secretary to find a Vistran gown for her to wear tonight. It was a tough order on such short notice since most of the gowns would’ve been much too large for her. But his secretary had managed to swing his magic and have a gown tailored and fitted just in time.
Vistrans were not shy when it came to violence or sex. Clothing can be quite revealing or sparse. As King, Rom usually wore ceremonial clothes but out in towns, it was common for men to go shirtless and for women to wear gowns that just barely covered their figures.
In her long lilac gown, Avia’s fair arms were bare and open to his gaze. Her large and creamy breasts were pushed up, as if in offering. The low back allowed Rom to get his fill of her slender waist and soft curvy hips.
He had more than reached the maturity age for mating. Standing so near and yet so still to Avia made his blood burn and his cock scream for release.
Rom gestured to the table set up in his private room. Avia nodded and took a seat.
Avia took a sip of the offered wine. It was unlike any drink she had ever had. Sweetness burst across her tongue while the heady alcohol bubbled up her head.
She looked at Rom. He was wearing a tighter fitting tunic and trousers. She could see how his biceps pushed against the material. From the minute he had touched her in that hallway to now, her skin had never once forgotten his touch. She could feel his hands and his warmth around her always.
Was she crazy? This was an alien king!
She couldn't develop feelings for someone like him. And besides, she thought forlornly, she knew about their mating g
enes. She knew when Vistran males mated, they mated for life. A Vistran king, of all people, would not throw his heart away lightly. She felt cold and empty knowing that she would never know his touch or taste.
Looking across the table, she tried to shake the feeling off. She could at least enjoy his company. “I was surprised today by your invitation to the shipyard today,” she said, breaking their companionable but charged silence. “Even if you invited me as one soldier to another, that is a very huge gesture you made.”
