It was about another hour before Venay was able to come see me. His face was covered in worry lines and he wasn’t really focused on me. He was a million miles away. Thankfully my translator had been tuned and was working before he came in because every time he spoke to me, it was in his language.
This was the weird part, I heard his guttural words and at first didn’t understand but after less than one second, it all made sense to me. If I didn’t focus on his voice, then I could follow along with him no problem, but whenever I tried to focus on his voice, I would hear a combination of English and Klingon. I know they called their language something else, but it would always be Klingon to me.
“Venay, what is wrong? I know we haven’t been together long, but I haven’t seen you this worried before, nor have you ever spoken to me in your native language. Thankfully the translator is working fine. But what is going on?”
He reached for my hand and held it in his big one. “That ship I told you about yesterday? It keeps flying close to our settlement and then away again. It is almost like it is trying to get my attention. I decided we needed to make sure that it doesn’t get too close to our planet. They have no right to be here, and the inhabitants on that planet are more of the civilian type than actual warriors. They do have some training and weapons to help defend themselves, but they wouldn’t do well against a ship with advanced weapons. I have to assume they have the weapons our spies have seen, otherwise that captain is very stupid to try and goad me into a fight.”
He let go of my hand and walked towards the door to my room and closed it. When he turned around, I could tell from the way his eyes were furrowed and the way he stood tall, erect, almost too tightly so, he was debating what to tell me.
“What else is it? Is everyone else ok?”
“Yes, everyone is fine. Lisa came out of her surgery just fine as well. There are a dozen more women from your group who have gone through the process today as well, including Sheila. Somehow she and Cazon decided that it would be good if she did it today as well. But, I have asked the doctor to hold off doing anymore implants until we have dealt with this issue. I need the med-bay and all of his staff ready in case we do end up in a firefight with that enemy ship.”
He walked back towards me and sat on the edge of my bed, “Venay, is there anything I can do to help? I should be up and about in a couple of hours. How far away are we now?”
“We still have a few hours to go. By the time you are ready to go back to our quarters, we should be in reach of that planet. I have sent a message back to my commander and he has dispatched a couple of ships who are a couple of days away to come and join us. We will have back-up and that will help us to defend the planet. But I don’t want you to do anything except stay in our quarters and rest. The doctor told me it could take a couple of days for you to feel one hundred percent. That chip in your head might do something to your equilibrium. Every human is different. Most have zero side effects, but there have been a couple of humans who had issues in the past.”
“Well, let’s just hope that none of us have any issues until we are all safe. I know you don’t fully trust me, but would it be ok if I had some sort of weapon to use in case we are boarded?”
“If it comes to that, there will be a weapon provided to you, but until that time, I don’t want you near anything that could cause you to get hurt.”
“Meaning you don’t trust me yet.” I sighed as I realized he was too smart for my own good.
“No, it isn’t that I don’t trust you, it’s just I don’t want you to have to fight. You should never need to fight. That is my job, and when needed, my warriors’. We are here to protect you now.” He slid his hand through my hair and caressed the side of my face with his hand. This man had seen many years of hard work, his hands had multiple callouses on them. I think I even saw a scar from what looked like a long gash across his palm. Something told me he would protect me with everything he had and so would his warriors. I didn’t doubt that at all.
“Ok, but as your mate, I would be making these trips with you right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then don’t you think I should learn how to use a weapon in case we are ever in a fight with your enemy? What are they called?”
“They are the Zateelians, and you may be right about the future. I will see to it that you are trained in hand to hand combat as well as with multiple weapons as soon as we get rid of the current situation.”
“Thank you. And just so you know, I am pretty good at hand to hand combat. I took several years of self-defense classes, and living on the street at such a young age, I used what I learned in those classes, a lot.”
“For now, just focus on healing. Later we can discuss your training, Ok?” He leaned down and kissed my forehead before standing up.
“Ok, for now.”
“I must get back to the bridge. Make sure someone calls me before you are ready to leave so that I can be the one to bring you back to our home.”
I smiled, “I like that. It does feel like it could be my new home.” I shook my head as I thought about what the future might hold for us.
I watched him walk out of the room and then I worried about those aliens until I fell asleep again.
At some point, someone came and woke me up to tell me I was fine and could go back to my quarters. The nurse told me that Cazon would escort me back since the Commander was too busy to come and get me. That hurt, but I kinda understood. We might be going to war anytime now. He should be on the bridge.
“Cazon, I heard that Sheila got her implant today too. When did you two discuss that?” I asked as we walked towards my quarters.
“Last night, after you told her about yours. She asked me about it, so I suggested she get it done today as well. I think she is warming up to me and might say yes if I ask her to be my mate.”
“Cazon, you are a ferocious warrior! Why are you so afraid to ask her to be your mate? I just don’t understand this.”
He stopped me when we were about halfway to my place, “Paris, I can handle anything that comes my way. Except for a woman. I have never been good with females. They usually take one look at me and run. I know that purebloods look very different from the hybrids, and it seems that is what the humans like. I have never had a human flirt with me or give me extra attention.”
“Then why did you want a human for a mate?”
“Actually, I didn’t. At least not at first. But I do want children. I want lots and lots of kids. A human mate is my best chance at that. Besides, I think that Sheila is my true mate, what do you call it? Soul mate?”
“Yes, soul mates. That is so sweet. But trust me when I say you need to man up and take her already! When she is ready to leave the med-bay, ask her to go home with you. She will say yes, just don’t try anything inappropriate with her until after your mating ceremony.” I chuckled as I thought about him trying to ask her, oh to be a fly on that wall! He would probably stammer and have trouble looking at her.
We started walking again and went the rest of the way in silence.
“Paris, will you be OK on your own? I would like to be there for Sheila. She is awake now, but I imagine it would be better if I were with her.”
I thought about how Venay was on the bridge the whole time, except for a few minutes, and realized that Cazon was really sweet. Sheila was one lucky woman. “Yes, of course I will be fine. Lisa loaned me a book so I will read that.”
Cazon turned to walk away and I stopped him, “Hey, Venay told me he has watched some old Earth movies and TV shows, is there a way for me to do that?”
“Of course, he hasn’t shown you the Earth TV yet?” He had a puzzled look on his face as he asked me that question.
“No, but we haven’t spent much time together where we could have watched TV. He has pretty much told me the basics about what I need here and we have talked about the current situation… with the uh, Zateelians.” I whispered that word in case anyone was close by. He hadn’t actually wal
ked into my quarters yet, we were still chatting at my door.
To say he was shocked would have been an understatement. He gasped as his mouth fell open and then quickly ushered me into my quarters. “What did he tell you?”
“That we were most likely going to engage in some sort of battle with them. We are headed to a re-supply planet and these enemies are basically playing chicken with us. So we might end up fighting. I am actually surprised it didn’t start while I was in surgery. He did tell me that no more procedures were going to be performed after today. He wants to wait until after he has dealt with that ship.”
I motioned for us to sit on the couch. My body was actually tired. Must have been the effects of whatever they used to knock me out for the procedure.
He sat down at the other end of the couch. It was pretty comical, because he always kept a discreet distance from me.
“Do you know what to do in case something happens?” Cazon had a very serious look on his face and he was sitting up straight as a board. For someone who usually was happy and smiling, this was odd to see.
“Have you been keeping your emotions in check around me? I haven’t seen you so serious before.”
“Yes, I have. Now answer my question, please.” He started to roll his shoulders and kept breathing in and out.
“I am to wait here in my quarters, unless he calls me or you come to get me. What’s wrong, why are you so upset?”
“If they attack us, we should be able to fight them off… but should something happen, I need you to find a way to get over to Lisa’s. You will be safer with her than here, in the Commander’s quarters. If the enemy finds you here, let’s just say they will either kill you, or take you as prisoner. You don’t want them taking you as prisoner.”
“Stink, you think they might get on this ship, don’t you?”
“I can’t rule out the possibility.”
“Then give me a weapon, something to defend myself with. I won’t turn it on you guys. I am beyond that now. Please trust me.” I pleadingly looked at him, while wringing my hands.
He heaved a heavy sigh, “Alright, I will show you where you could possibly find a weapon, but only get it and use it as a last resort. The best thing is to wait with Lisa. I am going to tell Sheila the same thing if she comes home with me.”
Cazon stood up and I followed him into the kitchen.
“If we are attacked, all of the living quarters will be unlocked. No one can get in without the proper access, but all of the mates will be able to get out if they need to. And you will want to leave this room as quickly as you can. The Zateelians will want you as leverage against the Commander.” He walked over to the cupboard.
He opened it up and took his Taser out of his belt and put it in the back of the top shelf. “Come grab this if you need it, and then run to Lisa’s. You should all be safe there. I doubt they will look at regular crew quarters, not at first anyway. Just be very careful you don’t shoot any of us with it, ok?” He closed the door and motioned for me to follow him back to the living room.
“Of course, I don’t want to hurt you guys. Most certainly not while enemy aliens are boarding this ship. That would be very stupid.”
As we sat back down on the couch, I yawned and my stomach growled all at the same time. The gurgling from my stomach was even louder than normal due to my mouth being open from the yawn.
Cazon chuckled and stood back up, “Alright, I am heading back to my mate. I suggest you eat something and then get some sleep. Tomorrow just might be a really crazy day. If that ship doesn’t leave this system by tomorrow, we will have no choice but to open fire on them. You will need to be ready for that.”
I put a hand on his shoulder before he walked to the door, “Thank you Cazon, you have been a great friend these past few days. I just want you to know that I really appreciate everything you have done for me up to this point.”
“Hey now, don’t go saying goodbye! I know nothing bad is going to happen to you, but I want you prepared in case the worst case scenario does happen, it’s just me being prepared, that is all.” He walked towards the door and looked over his shoulder at me and smiled as he walked out.
“I really do hope I see him again, and that those aliens just leave the system now that we are much closer to them,” I mused aloud as I walked to the kitchen to make dinner.
After dinner I took a shower and got ready for bed. The drugs hadn’t worn off completely and I was too tired to wait up for Venay.
It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes after I fell asleep when I felt him sit next to me on the couch. “You should sleep in the bedroom, I will sleep out here on the couch. That way if I need to get up in the middle of the night I won’t wake you.” He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips.
“No, this is much better. You need the sleep more than I do. And somehow I doubt your big frame would fit on this couch very well.” I pulled my hand out of the blanket and rubbed his arms. For some reason I felt like I needed to touch him. Once I did have my hand on him, I felt pressure coming off my back and shoulders, almost like I had been carrying a heavy load, and now he took it away from me.
He smiled and leaned down and gave me an even better kiss. This time he laid down on the couch with me partially underneath him while he continued to kiss me. I put my right hand in his hair, something I wanted to do for a while now. I grabbed a handful and pulled him closer to me while my other hand made its way to his lower back.
He used both of his arms to prop himself up so he wasn’t crushing me with his body weight. The level of kissing was growing hotter and hotter as the minutes passed. I had never felt this close to any man before, and I wanted to be closer still. I pulled him as tight to myself as I could and a small moan escaped from his lips.
Venay started to slow the kiss down, and then eventually pulled away, my warmth went with him. “When this business with the Zateelians is over, will you be ready to become my mate?” He whispered in my ear and it sent chills down my spine.
I couldn’t think, all I wanted was for his lips to be back on mine, but my mind was registering what he said even as my heart was chastising me for letting his lips get away. “Yes.” That was all I could think to say as I grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back to me for another kiss.
He gave into my desires, but stopped me when it started to get heated again. “I am so sorry, but I can’t kiss you like this and not cross that line.” He looked into my eyes and used his left hand to caress my cheek. The next thing I knew he was peppering my face with soft kisses and I heard him moan, but it was more of an angry moan. He immediately stood up and walked a short distance away from the couch.
“Paris, you tempt me too much. It is probably a good thing we are not sharing a bed yet. I doubt I would get any sleep if you were next to me.”
I smiled and looked up into his eyes, and knew he was going to be my mate. And I wanted it soon! “How soon do you think we could arrange the ceremony?” I sat up on the couch and patted the seat next to me.
He shook his head, “I can’t sit next to you and not touch you Paris. The only way to keep in control is for me to stand over here.” He ran his hand through his hair, and I watched as his biceps flexed. All I wanted to do was touch his arms. “But I think we could arrange it in about a week, or less. Once we get rid of the Zateelians, I think we should have our ceremony on the planet. They have some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. It would be the perfect place for our mating ceremony. Then we could spend a night in one of their mountain cabins. Just the two of us, with no one to disturb us.”
It sounded so romantic, is he a closet romantic? Cuz that would be nice. By day he is this strong, steely warrior, and by night a soft, cuddly teddy bear? That would work for me, best of both worlds.
“I like it, a lot. It’s time, let’s make those plans Venay.” My heart was fluttering thinking of what it would be like to marry him and one day to have his children. My thoughts were just about to turn to someth
ing else, when he turned around and headed to his room.
He called out, “Goodnight my mate,” over his shoulder and closed his bedroom door.
Could we have the perfect family while flying through space and me supporting him in his mission? That wouldn’t work for me. I could not support abducting more humans. Marrying him was what I wanted, but if we did marry, I couldn’t support him in his job. I released a heavy sigh and laid back down and tried to go to sleep, but my mind wouldn’t shut off.
There had to be a way to help his people and not abduct mine in the process. But, first things first, we had to get through tomorrow.
Chapter 12
The next morning brought nothing but dread and nerves. I must have slept very lightly, because for the first time I heard Venay getting up and getting ready. He never made noise in the morning, or if he did, I couldn’t hear it.
While I was laying on the couch thinking about today, he walked out of his room all ready for the day. He looked at me but only gave me a tentative smile and a soft, “Good morning.” Normally he came over to my couch and sat down and we spoke a bit and he usually kissed me. But not today. He looked to be all warrior and no mate.
I got up and followed him into the kitchen, “Are you heading to the bridge?”
“Yes, how are you feeling today? No side effects from the procedure yesterday?”
“I am just fine. Sleep wasn’t as good as normal, but with everything going on, I am not surprised.” I shrugged my shoulders and fixed myself a cup of coffee. Before I left our quarters I would most likely need another cup.
I still didn’t know what to do about marrying him, since I can’t marry someone whom I can’t support. But, we still have a tense situation to get through first, and I certainly can’t tell him my doubts in case he goes into battle today. He has to believe I am behind him 100% today.
Worlds Away: Sci-fi Alien Romance (Alpha Alien Abduction Tale Book 1) Page 9
