Alien Romance: Astral Mates Complete Series (Book 1 - 4): Scifi Alien Abduction Romance (Alien Invasion Romance, Alien Romance)

by Chloe Joel

  The garden was behind the third wing of the house and had a lovely intimate gazebo outfit with a table that was set for breakfast. Kota held my seat out for me and pushed it in when I sat.

  “I had the cooks make pancakes, I know you like them with bananas.” I tilted my head at Kota and gave him an odd smile. It would have been a sweet gesture if he didn’t find that out by stalking me.

  “Thank you, that was…observant of you.” Kota actually chuckled as he took his seat across from me.

  “Observant, yet not considerate or sweet?” I smiled while forking a couple of pancakes onto my plate and spooning some sliced bananas on top.

  “I think you’ll have to work a little harder for considerate, and harder still for sweet.” Kota lifted an eyebrow at me, a full on smile lightening his features. He looked all the more handsome when he smiled and it was actually a little breathtaking.

  “I take that as a challenge Vanessa. One I intend to rise to.” I laughed at him and Kota’s eyes widened a fraction.

  “That was funny?” I couldn’t help but laugh at him again.

  “You’re such a dork Kota.” Kota’s expression turned to one of confusion.

  “What is that?” I thought about how I would explain that one. I doubted Titans had words like dork or geek. Loser was too strong a word and I’m sure that would offend Kota as he was clearly far from a loser.

  “It’s a term of endearment,” was my simple reply. Kota smiled again, a small smile this time that was almost shy.

  “So how far away is the capital city from here?” I asked absently while taking a bite of my pancake. It was delicious, almost exactly how the pancakes tasted at my favorite diner back in Saranac.

  “It is a few minutes ride westward if we take my private jet…it is a vehicle that is propelled by light, very fast,” Kota explained. He almost had that boyish glint to his eye that most men had when talking about their toys.

  “These pancakes are delicious by the way, your cooks are amazing.” Kota glanced up at me from his plate of what looked like bacon, sausage, eggs, one slice of toast, and a banana. I wondered briefly if Titus had all the same foods as Earth.

  “They are simply cooks…nothing that warrants amazement.” Kota was actually jealous of me complimenting his cooks. He was grumbling like a spoiled little kid.

  Before I reacted, I thought about how he must feel. Here he was with a wife, who wouldn’t have sex with him and didn’t exactly warm to him, complimenting others on top of having given such intimate attention to one of his soldiers.

  “It was a polite compliment to your staff Kota, I was just making conversation.” Kota nodded and continued eating his protein heavy breakfast. Why not just slap a couple of steaks on his plate and eat that?

  “When would it be…allowable for me to sleep in our room again?” Kota asked almost too politely.

  I had to stop myself from laughing, really I was proud of myself. I’d managed to somewhat bring this powerful being to heel, it was heady I had to admit.

  “I’ll let you know Kota,” Was my simple reply.

  I did smile when I saw the vein in his temple jump. My response must have been nearly maddening for him. We ate the rest of our breakfast in surprisingly comfortable silence.

  When we finished, Kota took my hand yet again and we walked back to our wing of the mansion. Kota led us to a sort of garage, or hangar really. The vehicles inside could only be described as hover cars and sleek, one or two person aircrafts. It reminded me of something I’d see in a sci-fi movie.

  Kota led me to a black, sleek two person craft. It looked like a cross between a fighter jet and luxury sedan. Only it didn’t have wheels at all and was hovering above the ground.

  “It runs completely on light, so when the sun rises…so does it,” Kota explained once he saw my curious expression.

  “I will help you up,” he said before placing his hand at the small of my back. There were steps that slid out of the undercarriage of passenger side and Kota made sure I didn’t lose my balance as I stepped up and into the vehicle.

  Once I was safely inside, Kota rounded the vehicle and got in with familiar ease. The seat belt was surprisingly similar to that of one in a car on Earth. Once we were buckled in, the huge garage doors slid open and Kota flew us out of there.

  The ride was smooth and seamless; I watched clouds go by and got brief glimpses of the countryside as we flew over it. It was too quick a trip to make out each detail of the towns and cities we passed.

  Kota slowed down when we neared a golden city that had impressive skyscrapers and architecture. It looked like a place for mythical beings rather than a city for mortals. The Titans must have great architects and city planners.

  Kota flew to the top of one particularly tall building, there was a hangar tucked into the building’s roof and we smoothly landed and parked inside. I found it strange that my ears didn’t pop with the altitude we were at.

  “This meeting will take but a few minutes. I figured you’d appreciate meeting with one of my most talented healers, Marx. He usually runs the nearest healing center to our home…I thought perhaps you would benefit by finding something to keep your days occupied through Marx.”

  I was surprised that Kota was actually considerate enough to set up the meeting for me. Things between us had a better chance of working now that he seemed to realize I wouldn’t be some housewife or governess.

  “That was really considerate of you Kota, I appreciate you setting up the meeting for me.” I smiled at him then and thought Kota seemed a bit smug in his reciprocating smile.

  “Good, I will take you to him now and then fetch you when my business here has come to an end.” Kota led me to the hangar’s elevator and we rode down a few floors.

  While I looked at the control panel of the elevator, I realized that the Titan language and numeric system was the same as earth.

  “Kota…has the Titan language and numeric system always been the same as Earth’s? Or well…like where I come from?” Kota smirked at me and shook his head once.

  “No, you simply understand everything as what you are used to. You are speaking Titan even now; you simply do not realize it. Before our marriage, you were given an elixir that added a few fundamental memories. You would still know and speak English if you returned to Earth. Now you have simply acquired a new language and understanding of mathematics and certain sciences.” I stared at Kota in shock.

  “That’s…convenient,” was my shocked reply. Kota chuckled at me as we arrived on the thirty-first floor.

  We stepped into a grand marble lobby and Kota walked up to a man sitting in the waiting area across from a large reception desk. He was handsome with what I’d recognize as Mediterranean features and looked the most normal, as I was used to, being just a bit over six feet tall and leanly built.

  “Marx, it is good to see you.” Kota greeted Marx with a simple nod of his head. Marx smiled good-naturedly and bowed at the waist before speaking.

  “Likewise lord Kota, many congratulations on your swift victory last night over the Zathuran pirates.” Kota inclined his head regally.

  I smiled—humored by the exchange that almost didn’t seem real. I needed to get used to the fact that Kota would technically be a king and president rolled into one back on Earth.

  “Vanessa, this is Marx, like I told you. I hope you two have a productive meeting,” Kota said concisely.

  He then nodded to Marx and surprised me by kissing me softly on the mouth before turning and heading to wherever his High Council meeting was being held.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you lady Vanessa. Kota told me much about you and your healing talents. Shall we?”

  Marx gestured me towards the seating area that had a little beverage shop attached to it. We sat at one of the tables and I smiled with nostalgia at the familiar smell of coffee.

  “So Kota told me you ran one of the hospitals—or healing center, near his mansion?” I started off the conversation as we sat. Marx settle
d into his seat across from me and smiled politely.

  “Yes I do, and we could use more skilled nurses to aid the healers, not many Titan men would allow themselves to be ‘nursemaids,’ so we are almost critically understaffed with the amount of men joining the armies and the shortage of women to mend them.”

  I thought it was a shame that Titus hadn’t really developed past such traditional worldviews. Well if they were truly stealing women from Earth, they’d soon be a progressive race, that was for sure.

  “So Marx, what would the duties of a nurse be in a Titan hospital? As you can imagine, I’m accustomed to the medical norms on Earth.” Marx seemed a bit surprised that I was speaking so professionally.

  Well just because I was female didn’t mean I had no brain. Honestly, the men on this planet needed to wake up.

  “Well, I’ve recently familiarized myself with human medical systems and hierarchies. Nurses here act as…physician assistants if I remember correctly. But here, their scope of practice stops at the more complex surgical operations.” Huh, I wonder if nurses on Titus get paid a lot more than nurses on Earth. Not that I’d need the money what with being married to Kota and all.

  “I would be very inclined to having you work with us at the center, but only if you would agree to take a few assessments and learn what you must to meet the levels of expertise our other nurses command.” That sounded reasonable enough, and I loved a challenge almost as much as Kota seemed to.

  “I can do that Marx, definitely. I’d love to work at the healing center.” I smiled at him, excited at the prospect of a job I loved. This would definitely help in making Titus home. Marx seemed momentarily dazzled as he blinked at me, doe like. I tilted my head at him slightly with an odd smile while I waited for him to reply.

  “Yes, well…wonderful, lady Vanessa. Tomorrow I will actually have Bertha, your in-house nurse, assess you and we will continue on from there.” I nodded happily and stood when Marx did.

  He was looking over my shoulder and I turned in time to see Kota striding towards us at an efficient clip. He was probably speaking with another High General. The guy was just as tall and built as Kota, he had a good-humored expression on his face though and seemed to be annoying Kota.

  “Lord Kota, lord Jaramye.” Mark greeted them with a bow and they briefly acknowledged Marx. Kota took my hand and pulled me close to his side.

  “Vanessa, this is my cousin Jaramye.” Kota introduced me to his cousin and I smiled politely at Kota’s grinning cousin. He seemed almost goofy, which warmed me to him almost instantly.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, lady Vanessa, Kota has told me so much about you,” Jaramye said before he boldly took my hand and kissed my knuckles. I glanced up at Kota, trying to hide my smile. He didn’t look pleased with his cousin at all.

  “Excuse me all, I will be taking my leave now. I will be in touch lady Vanessa. Lord Kota, lord Jaramye.” Marx excused himself and I bid him farewell before my attention was called back to Kota and his cousin. Jaramye was adorably handsome; he had the prettiest moss green eyes and disheveled golden blonde hair.

  “So lady Vanessa, how are you liking Titus and my cousin here?” I couldn’t help but giggle.

  Jaramye was obviously that annoying little cousin for Kota. Kota sighed and I caressed his arm, it was meant to be an absent minded reassurance, but Kota’s arm stiffened under my fingertips. His eyes met mine, almost blazing with heat.

  His gaze was like electricity that bolted through me, settling deep in my belly and igniting that intense yearning I felt for Kota and tried desperately to control. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

  “Um…I’m liking Titus well enough, I’ll feel a bit more settled once I get back to my chosen trade. Kota on the other hand is a work in progress,” I answered Jaramye. I smirked saucily at Kota before looking to his cousin who laughed; surprised I was so bold to answer him truthfully.

  “Clearly Vanessa is a work in progress as well,” Kota murmured, more to me than to his cousin. His gaze was still hot on mine. He needed to stop looking at me like that, especially in public.

  “Well it was lovely meeting you lady Vanessa. Until we meet again, I plan on paying my cousin a visit for a lovely family dinner soon.” Jaramye glanced at his cousin briefly before he inclined his head towards us and turned to leave.

  “Would you like to tour the city now my lady?” Kota smirked at me and I nodded, taking a deep breath to settle the butterflies in my stomach and the growing ache between my legs.

  We didn’t go back up to Kota’s vehicle; instead we descended to the ground floor once we were in the elevator. Outside, the city was dazzling. Kota said it took nearly a hundred years to build, due to the expense and detail put into the city. Not to mention that Titus was at a near constant state of war with their neighboring planets.

  Kota explained the city as a sort of Versailles and spoke about his king almost as a mythical figure. King Cronus was smart, fair, and benevolent according to Kota. No wonder he stayed in power for so long. Titus seemed like a planet well off under Cronus’s rule.

  “So tell me about your family Kota, your cousin seems nothing like you.” Kota scoffed at my observation and I smiled up at him.

  “Oh come on, you tolerate him, that must mean you like him, even a little.” Kota smiled reluctantly and I marveled at how beautiful his smile was. That slow burn in my belly peaked for a moment and I had to catch my breath.

  “I am fond of my cousin. He is now the only family I have. Our parents were killed in an ambush none of us saw coming. It was the last battle fought against the pirates. Their efforts were put down and the war ended with the proof that it was the various intergalactic pirates behind the constant battling. Jaramye and I took our fathers places together and grew closer ever since. He is the nearest thing to a sibling I have…but don’t tell him this.”

  I giggled; of course Kota wanted to keep up his silent yet strong demeanor. I was starting to see that he had a heart deep down.

  Chapter Five

  Kota

  The sound of Vanessa’s giggle saturated Kota’s senses and filled his chest with a nameless emotion that caught him off guard. Kota wanted nothing more than to whisk Vanessa home and bury himself inside of her. But no, he could not do that.

  Kota needed to court her properly so that she would trust him and allow for him to touch her and mate with her like he so desperately needed to.

  Kota could sense that she wasn’t as indifferent towards him any more. He could even sense their force strengthening between them. It wouldn’t be much longer until she would allow him into their bed.

  “So do you miss your parents?” Vanessa asked him, her eyes looking up into his curiously. Kota focused on crossing the busy street with her before he answered. They were getting closer to the Grand Walk in the center of the city, Kota was sure there would be wonders there Vanessa has never before seen.

  “I do often wish I had the guidance of my father and the kindness and wisdom my mother seemed to have an endless supply of…they would have liked you as my mate,” Kota added quietly. Vanessa heard though and she gave him a tender smile that tugged at his chest in an odd way.

  “You really think they would have liked me?” Vanessa’s tone was softly curious. Kota nodded once, his expression truthful and sincere.

  “My father would have approved of you because you are a challenge to me, my mother would have liked that as well as you being a caregiver…and the fact that you are so beautiful.” Kota added that last bit for good measure, though that didn’t mean the fact was any less true.

  Vanessa actually blushed and Kota watched her raptly as a light breeze blew her tousled hair back, revealing her slender neck and delicate skin. Kota wanted nothing more than to kiss the bit of revealed skin.

  “Oh, Kota this place is beautiful…” Vanessa spoke in awe as they reached the park’s outskirts. It was really more of an overgrown garden than a park. Grand Walk was famous for it’s beautiful sculptur
es and intricate arrangements of flowers and shrubbery. Kota smiled, pleased with himself. It had the desired effect upon Vanessa. The park never failed to awe.

  “I thought you’d like it here, come I want to show you a sculpture I’m particularly fond of.” Kota led Vanessa to the center sculpture that was the focal point of the park. The copper sculpture was of an angel rising out of flames. Her face was serene and her wings outstretched as she lifted into the sky.

  “It’s beautiful. Why is it your favorite?” Vanessa’s question comes as a surprise to Kota; he never thought of why he liked the sculpture, he just knew that he always had.

  “I suppose, it is symbolic for me. The constant struggle of the Titan people and finally we have risen from the flames. Allowed to thrive in peace now,” Kota explained. Vanessa smiled while studying the grand sculpture.

  “Yeah it’s an icon of perseverance and a beautiful sculpture. I’d see how it would be your favorite.” Vanessa smiled at Kota and he wanted to kiss her again, but there were no pretenses of appearance that he could use as an excuse to do it. Kota was still unsure if she wanted him touching her in any intimate manner.

  “Kota can I ask you a question?” Kota shook himself from his internal musings and nodded to Vanessa.

  “Why do you hold my hand all the time?” Vanessa lifted their entwined fingers and Kota smirked. He shrugged dismissively, but Vanessa wanted him to answer her seriously. It was clear in the way she looked at him with one raised eyebrow.

  “I grew up seeing my parents hold hands whenever they were together. Even when my mother was upset with my father, she’d let him hold her hand. I always assumed it was something a husband was supposed to do with his wife.” Vanessa looked at Kota again with that tender expression and soft smile.

  “Kota, you’re a sweet guy deep down inside, aren’t you?” Sweet? Kota always saw himself as strong, dependable, worthy of his position, never sweet. Perhaps Vanessa was bringing that out of him. If she liked it, he wouldn’t deny it.