His to Mate

by Selina Coffey

  She reached for him in the darkness, her mate, her protector, but he wasn’t there. She pushed up in the bed and tried to see him in the darkness. “Rager?”

  Another rumble, closer, and fear coursed through her veins. “Rager?”

  She said it a little higher this time, the fear she felt made it sound tight. She scrambled over the bed and found him busy on his side of the bed, his black cargo pants on but not zipped or buttoned as he looked for his boots. A loud noise, and then the night lit up as the explosion made her scream. Katy barked frantically at her side, and Rager jumped over her body. “Stay down, Ann. Just stay down. My men are on the way.”

  “What’s happening?” she screamed to be heard, her fingers clutched at his naked biceps. They were too wide for her hands to wrap around, but she knew she could hang onto him if she had to. He didn’t have a shirt on, she thought, as the sound of the explosion started to fade away. He needs a shirt, if something falls on him, he needs a shirt.

  “You need to finish dressing, darling,” she said, stupidly she knew, but it was some direction to go in.

  The house shook with another explosion, and she screamed loudly. But she couldn’t hear it over the sound of the explosion. She turned and clutched at the pillows beneath her head and pulled one over it to make sure it was padded from anything that might fall.

  “Alright, get up. Hurry, put something on, anything. Just hurry, darling.” He jumped off of her, threw his shirt on, and kicked his feet into the boot he’d found on her side of the bed. He stared out at the sky, lit with the glow of fire, and waited for her to move.

  She scrambled from the bed, grabbed a shirt, a pair of pants, and threw on shoes. She didn’t even take the time to put on underwear or a bra, she just threw on clothes and nothing more. She completely forgot about socks or shoes, as fear was now in control of her every movement. The urge to go, to hide wouldn’t leave her alone, and finally consumed her. Smoke had started to filter in through the windows, and she coughed as he put on the rest of his gear. She scrubbed at her face and picked up Katy. The little dog tried to scrabble up to hide in her hair, but Ann kept moving and the dog couldn’t perch there like she wanted to.

  Ann put her under her shirt and cupped her to her stomach so she could hide as another explosion went off. Ann dropped down to the floor and Rager was there with her, to protect her, as he’d promised he would. He pulled her close to him, tucked her under his body, to keep her safe if anything fell on them. She trembled in his arms and sought out his scent with her nose. She pressed her lips to his neck for a moment, just to let him know she loved him, even if she had never said it to him.

  “Come on, let’s get down to the storage area. I have a safe room for you down there. Let’s hurry, baby. Stay calm, don’t run off in a panic, stay calm and we’ll get through this. Now, follow me.”

  The news must have gotten out and they’d decided to attack tonight, she thought as she turned to him. Fear made her eyes wide, she could feel it, but he looked calm. Angry, but definitely calm, as if the world wasn’t exploding around them. She inhaled a deep breath and nodded.

  She took his hand and stood up. His hand swallowed hers, so large against the delicate bones of her hand. She was safe with him, she told herself. It didn’t matter how much the rogue aliens hated her. He’d keep her safe. He’d promised.

  Later, when this whole mess was sorted out and the rogues out there blowing up the world had been stopped, she’d tell him she loved him. She’d tell him about all the hopes she had for their future, and how she wanted a life filled only with love between them and the children they’d bring into the world. But right now, she had to survive, and that meant following her now silent mate.

  He stalked softly in the darkness, careful to scan around every corner before he took them a little further through the house. One hand was in hers, the other held his light gun out, ready for any danger that came their way. They were near the stairs, and Rager took a moment to look down over the banister. He pulled back and cursed.

  Noise downstairs meant they weren’t alone anymore. The servants didn’t stay in the house at night, Ann knew, and she was fairly certain it wasn’t them anyway. Rager moved them back to the wall the banister was attached to and tried to look down. She knew he couldn’t see anything, not from where they were. Soft voices, the shuffle of a foot moved too quickly over tile so that it squeaked, and the sound of furtive movements told them the house had been invaded. That wasn’t the servants that moved down there.

  Ann stood there, quiet, until a scent caught her attention. There must be a huge fire nearby, caused by the explosions no doubt, because the house filled with the acrid scent of smoke. “Rager, I think the house is on fire.”

  She whispered it softly, so softly she was certain he hadn’t heard her. But his hand tightened around hers and she knew he had. He turned back to her, ready to say something but he stopped. Somebody, a woman, screamed downstairs before she cut it off quickly. The silence that came after was broken by the sound of gunshots. Something hit the floor, a body, the woman’s Ann could only assume.

  “Fuck, they are in the house. Hurry, Ann.” Rager guided her to the staircase in the darkness, and all she could do was follow. He held out the gun-like thing that shot out blue lights that could kill. She hadn’t seen it in action often, only once when they’d first been taken by the aliens, but she knew what it could do.

  There were more gunshots downstairs near the back of the house, by the kitchen, quick and sharp, so it must have been automatic weapons. Ann heard men scream as Rager guided her down the hall. Suddenly, he pushed her behind him down to the floor and stood his ground as his weapon let loose with a volley of blue light.

  “Die, traitor scum!” She heard a stranger shout from in front of them, but then he screamed as the weapon’s volley hit him in the head. The body slumped to the ground, and Ann felt shock take hold. Everything went quiet around her, and she held Katy tight against her stomach. Rager tapped her shoulder and she stood up to follow behind him.

  They walked a few more feet before she heard more bootsteps, and two determined-looking men came out of the darkness. More gunshots, more blue lights, more bodies, and they moved again. Ann was on automatic, her thoughts as staccato as the gunshots that came from the automatic weapons.

  Rager had guided them down the stairs, through the hallway there, and down until they were almost to the living room. They were almost past it when something whizzed by her head. She heard the shot after it passed her head and the bullet embedded itself into the wall. She turned to stare at the hole, somehow darker in the dim light that came from the windows in the living room.

  Rager turned instantly and shot at the man hidden in the living room. The assailant fell and Rager pushed Ann behind him, but she didn’t move from his side. There was danger on every side, from every direction. She had no weapons to defend herself with, she could only rely on him, so that’s what she did. She let him lead, and she walked behind him.

  They made it past the living room, and down the hall to the storage area. He pushed aside her boxes of baby items, and the other things they’d stacked in the room, to reveal a panel that moved aside when he pushed another section of the wall.

  “In there. You’ll find food and water. Don’t open the door, don’t come out. There’s a bucket if you need the toilet. I know it’s not great, but it’s all we have right now. Stay here, Ann. Keep our baby safe, alright? Keep you safe, for me.” He kissed her deeply, quickly, and before she could even touch his face again, he was gone.

  The panel closed, and she and Katy were in darkness. Katy’s tiny frame shook against her stomach, like a butterfly trapped in a jar, and she pulled the puppy from under her shirt. She stepped carefully until she found another wall. She slid down to the floor, too afraid to do anything but hide in the cloak of darkness.

  There were people out there, people that wanted to kill her and Rager. They wanted to take over this new world and didn’t care what they had t
o do to get that power. Ann shook as badly as Katy did, but the puppy helped to soothe her.

  Katy crawled up to her neck, and Ann stroked her gently. The caress helped to soothe Ann too, helped to calm her as she calmed the puppy. “We’ll be okay, puppy. Daddy will keep us safe.”

  Katy whined, and another explosion shook the house all over again. This one was closer, and Ann heard screams this time. Screams that wouldn’t stop, they just went on and on, until Ann covered her ears to block the sound out. “Rager, please come back. Please come back to me.”

  She said it softly, too softly to be heard, her plea to the mate she hadn’t wanted. She wanted him now, she had for so long now. She loved him, and he was out there fighting off who knew how many people.

  There came the sound of transporters, and then gunshots filled the air. People ran all over the house, around it, and all Ann could do was hide. She reached around her until she found a blanket on a shelf not far away. She took it out of the plastic wrapped around it and unfurled the blanket to drape over her body.

  “Over here, get more men over here!” She heard Rager bellow outside, and then there was the sound of boots against the ground as they ran to the area beyond the wall that kept her hidden. She put her ear to the wall and listened. Gunshots, shouts, and the sound of warfare. Screams of pain, and another explosion. What were those bastards blowing up outside? There weren’t many houses around theirs, it was one of the reasons Rager had chosen it.

  “Somebody get Ann out of here, now!” Rager shouted, so close to her she could have reached out and touched him if the wall hadn’t been in the way. She held her hand up to the wall and pressed her face to the spot, but she couldn’t feel him. The wall and the battle kept them apart.

  She heard a sound, the sound of an animal in pain, and thought about the animals she’d been given. Where were the horse and cow? Had their caretaker put them in their barn? Were they safe from all of this? Ann wanted to get up and check, but fear made it impossible to move. So, she stayed where she was, with her hands over her head.

  A series of explosions rocked the house, and Ann heard more screams. The night, which had been filled with sensual release only a few hours ago, was now filled with the sounds of the dying and those in utter agony. What had happened to the beautiful night that was?

  Katy shivered against Ann’s neck, and Ann did the only thing she could do. She turned her face to the puppy and began to reassure her that everything would be alright. “You’re with me, little one. I don’t know what’s happening out there, but you’re with me, baby. I’ll keep you safe. Don’t you worry.”

  Ann kept up a steady stream of speech, and the minutes passed. Everything went quiet after a while and Ann thought it must all be over. There was no more noise, and the screams faded away, as if the injured had been carried off into the night. Her own shivers had stopped, but she could feel that her heart still raced in her chest, as if she’d run a mile in under five minutes.

  The sounds of boots on the floor, orders were shouted, and then there was the sound of rooms being torn apart. That’s what it sounded like to Ann anyway. As if doors were being kicked in and furniture was being torn apart.

  Then a noise and the panel moved aside. A light flashed down at her, blinded her, and she looked away. “Rager?”

  “There you are, madam. No, we’re not that alien scum. We’ve come to relieve you of that burden you now carry and restore the rightful place of humans in this world. To free you from his… attentions. Come with us, please. Now.”

  Ann’s heart froze in her chest and she looked up. The light moved enough for her to see a thin, mean-looking face. And behind it, something that made everything else freeze in her body. Rex’s face, covered in a nasty smirk, glared down at her with triumph.

  Terror filled her heart, unlike any she’d ever known before.

  About the Author

  Selina Coffey is a romance writer who lives happily in London with her husband and son. She is a hopeless romantic who grew up always believing in love and she is not ashamed to admit this! It is this belief that makes her so passionate about writing crazy love stories.

  A stereotypical girly girl, she loves shopping. So whenever she gets a chance and the spare cash, you will probably find her browsing online for the next pair of shoes to add to her collection.!

  You can find her online at

  www.selinacoffey.com

  Contact her at

  hello@selinacoffey.com