by Sue Mercury
He obviously thought nothing of lying to her, and she suspected he wouldn’t take kindly to being abandoned after he’d paid for her. If by some freak chance she did make it back to Earth, she planned to warn every woman on the planet that Mail Order Human wasn’t a trustworthy business.
The forest grew louder the deeper she ran into it, the calls from strange animals frightening her, and the buzzing of what she assumed were alien insects echoing through the trees.
Suddenly, above all the unfamiliar noises of the forest, came a roar that filled her veins with ice water. She froze and leaned against a tree, her head tilted to the side as she listened for signs of the beast’s approach. The roar lasted for several long seconds, and after it ceased it reverberated around her, until the forest went completely silent.
No birds chirped. No insects buzzed. No animals called out in any form. The only sound came from the faint breeze ruffling through the trees.
The eerily silence made her heart pound faster and thump in her ears. Whatever had made that noise sounded angry. Or hungry. Maybe both. She wished she had a weapon.
Knowing she best keep going, she set out at a brisk walk, trying to keep her footfalls as quiet as possible. She pushed through the thick underbrush in her path and stumbled down into a dip in the ground. When she went to get up, her gaze locked with two large green eyes.
She tried to scream, but her throat clogged with terror and she couldn’t even take a breath. A massive catlike creature stood in her path, staring at her unblinkingly. It bared its teeth with a fierce snarl.
*
Sensing Tara was in imminent danger, Sev shifted into his bear form and bounded through the forest. He roared again, hoping his approach scared off whatever creature was bothering Tara, if it was another animal. Fear gripped him. What if she was afraid because she had taken a fall or gotten wounded? But the scent of an egrra cat reached him in the wind, and he realized she must have come face to face with one of these deadly animals.
Following Tara’s scent, as well as the snarls of the egrra cat, he burst through the thick underbrush and into a small clearing in the forest. He ran on all fours and put himself between Tara and the cat. Ruffling himself up to intimidate, he released a deep growl that had the cat immediately shrinking back into the forest, retreating slowly before turning to run away. The creature disappeared into the trees, and after a few moments, Sev no longer detected the scent of the cat in the breeze. He only smelled Tara. His mate.
Behind him, he heard her erratic breathing. He turned to face her and transformed back into his Zaxxumian form, then rose up on his feet. His clothing had torn off his body during his shift, and he stood before her completely naked.
Her eyes widened and she shook her head, muttering to herself that she must be dreaming, before her eyes fluttered shut and she started slipping to the forest floor. He caught her before she hit the ground, swept her up in his arms, and began the long journey back to his abode.
Anger bubbled up within him. When he had awoken to discover her missing from his bed, he had only been consumed with worry for her wellbeing. But now that he’d found her and she was once again safe under his protection, it riled him that she’d tried to escape him.
Hadn’t they shared an enjoyable night together? She wore his markings on her arms now, and nothing would erase them. They marked her as his mate, his woman, and yes, his property. But being owned by a Zaxxumian male, especially one as wealthy and respected as Sev, was considered an honor. Her rejection stung and shattered his hopes.
He ground his teeth together as he carried her through the forest. Even if she didn’t like him, they were still mated and she wouldn’t be permitted to leave the mountain. He had bonded with her and now that she bore the markings of his family line, it was his sacred duty to keep her as his mate, safe and happy for the rest of their lives. The keeping her safe part he could handle. After her little escape stunt today, he planned to lock her in his abode until he trusted she wouldn’t run off again. But the happy part? Worry moved through his heart, making his chest ache.
How did one make a female human happy? He thought of his relatives and friends who had taken human mates and frowned. He hadn’t met any of their human females until months after they had been mated. Perhaps there had been a reason for that. Perhaps happiness with one’s mate took time and patience.
She stirred in his arms as they entered his abode. Not putting her down, he slammed the door and locked it with his handprint, making sure she wouldn’t take another foolish run through the forest by herself. Yesterday, before he’d chased her through the woods, he had patrolled the area for the entire day, making sure no dangerous animals lurked nearby. Today was different. If he hadn’t reached her in time, the egrra cat would’ve made breakfast out of her. Foolish human female. His jaw clenched and he sat down on the sofa with her still in his arms.
Tara blinked up at him, her gaze full of questions and fear.
“All Zaxxumian males can shift into the animal of their family line. My ancestors have always shifted into mountain bears. Other Zaxxumian family lines shift into catlike creatures or large, fierce dogs.”
Some of the color returned to her face, and when she attempted to sit up, he placed her next to him on the sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?” She shook her head and held a hand up. “Wait, never mind. It doesn’t matter. You lied to me. You gave me some sort of Zaxxumian disease! And after you were so nice to me last night. I dared to believe the shit on Earth happened to me for a reason, dared to believe we might actually have a happy life together, especially after you talked about having children, and then I wake up this morning to find these rashes on my arms!”
Perplexed, Sev looked at her markings. Sunlight streamed into the windows and left the intricate wavy patterns glowing beautifully. They were the same markings his mother had had, as well as all the females mated to the males in his family before her. “Those are not rashes, and I have not infected you with a Zaxxumian disease. I have not lied to you in any way, Tara, and I had planned to tell you of my shifting abilities today. I believe in keeping no secrets, and that goes both ways. I will never lie to you, sweet Tara. I give you my word.”
“Okay, if these aren’t rashes, what are they?” She held her arms up and her lower lip quivered. Her whole body shook.
Reaching for her, he stroked his hands up and down her arms, until her trembles ceased. “Look closely at the markings, Tara, and you will see that they form a wavelike pattern. My mother got the same markings after she mated with my father. It marks you as mine, and it also indicates you belong to my family line. All women mated to males in my family have identical markings, Tara.”
“Again, you couldn’t have told me this last night?”
“Telling you of the markings slipped my mind. Forgive me. I should have told you what to expect.” He felt like a fool. Humans didn’t always mate for life, nor did their females become marked with any sort of pattern indicating they belonged to their husbands.
Tara sighed. “I’m sorry. Wow, talk about a misunderstanding. I thought you’d lied to me and given me some sort of freaky disease.” She flushed. “Thank you for saving me from the beast in the forest. You saved my life, Sev.”
He smiled. “Think nothing of it, Tara. I promised I would protect you with my life, always, did I not?”
She nodded.
“Zaxxumian males treasure their females. I realize we haven’t known one another for long, but I promise I will treasure you for as long as we shall live. I will strive to be a good mate to you, Tara, and if you promise not to run away again, I won’t keep you locked in our abode. I must confess, I thought you ran away because you were rejecting me, and when we returned I sealed the locks and didn’t intend to let you outside until I could trust you again.” He stroked her hair and she leaned into his touch. “Can I trust you, Tara?”
“Yes, Sev. I won’t run again. I promise.” She peered into his eyes, her gaze filled with wonderment. Perhap
s his shifting abilities surprised her, or perhaps she felt joyful about their future. As time went on, he would be able to read her moods better. For now, he could only detect her fear and sense her location. Such powers enabled Zaxxumian males to keep their mates, and eventually their offprint, safe from most dangers.
He grinned. “I won’t hold you prisoner then.”
Dark pink bloomed across her cheeks and her breath quickened. “Yes, I would hate for you to hold me prisoner.”
It took him a moment to realize she was teasing him, in her sweet human way, and he removed her shawl from around her waist. Tearing a strip off the garment, he wound it around her wrists and left a short length for him to hold onto. He stood and pulled her to her feet, forcing her toward the stairs. “But before I release you from your confinement, little human, I am going to claim you again, just to make sure you understand you belong to me.”
“You are very just, sir.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as he led her upstairs.
*
Sev’s playful dominance made her heart flutter. Her stomach flipped—in a delightful way—and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. He gave her a stern look and dragged her into the bedroom, still keeping the strip of cloth around her wrists. He tugged her forward and tied the end of the cloth around a bedpost.
Peering over her shoulder, she watched as he gripped the back of her dress. The sound of ripping fabric once again filled the room. This time he tore her dress to shreds, and judging by the excitement flaring in his eyes, he was enjoying himself.
“Prisoners aren’t allowed to wear clothing,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
By ripping her dress off, he had bared her completely. She hadn’t bothered trying to piece her undergarments back together this morning, so she hadn’t been wearing anything underneath her dress. He bent down to remove her shoes and tossed them on the other side of the bed.
He came behind her, pressing his nakedness against her. His erect cock pressed between her ass cheeks, and he pushed his hardness against her and took a fistful of her hair, forcing her head back.
Though he was being rough, he wasn’t hurting her. She felt safe with him and trusted him not to harm her in any way. He had already made it abundantly clear that Zaxxumian males treasured their females, and by risking his life to save hers, she knew he cared for her, in his own alien way. Had the catlike beast tried to fight him, Tara had no doubt Sev would’ve given his life to protect her.
Would any man in her town back on Earth have risked his life for hers? She seriously doubted it. She felt blessed to have been delivered to this strange planet, blessed to belong to a man as honorable as Sev.
He gave another tug to her hair and put his mouth to her ear. “Who do you belong to, Tara? Tell me.”
She gasped. “You! I belong to you, Sev!”
Another tug. His breath tickled her neck. “And whose markings do you bear on your arms?”
“Yours! I bear your markings, Sev.”
He released her hair and reached between her legs. She moaned and arched into his hand. Heat seared her face, because she knew he’d found her dripping wet. She had practically come undone downstairs as he bound her wrists together. Each time he’d given her a stern look on the way up the steps, quakes of pleasure had assaulted her, heating her blood and quickening her pulse. She ached for him to take her, to claim her as he had last night, except not as gently. She wanted him rough, wanted to experience his fierce, animalistic side.
“I am going to take you just like this,” he said, replacing his fingers with his cock. “I am going to take you from behind, little human, and pound into you long and hard, until you cry out your pleasure and come for me again and again.” He chuckled. “Perhaps I’ll leave you tied up all day, naked and waiting for me to put my cock in you.”
The aching in her center intensified and her breasts felt heavy as he pulled her hips out, forcing her to bend over slightly. Her nipples tingled and burned, wanting to be touched. She cried out when he shoved his hugeness inside her, filling her up with his hard cock in one deep plunge. Without pausing, he pumped in and out of her, holding her hips in place while he claimed her from behind.
Her first orgasm crashed over her, and she moaned and tried to undulate against him, but with her hands bound and her feet planted on the floor, she couldn’t move more than an inch. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air. True to his word, he pounded her long and hard, taking her for a much longer time than he had last night. A second and third release took her to the heights of pleasure, and as her fourth orgasm approached, she felt his cock swelling and convulsing within her. He groaned, and seconds later, the warmth of his seed filled her insides.
He immediately unbound her wrists and rubbed them, then carried her into the bathing area. He started the water running in a large tub, adding liquid soap that whirled into tiny, sparkling bubbles as the water rose.
She giggled and rested her head against his chest. “I thought you were going to keep me tied up all day.”
“I left the strip of cloth on the bed, Tara, and I have a feeling we’ll be putting it to use later. But first, I’m going to wash all the forest dirt from your body and clean your wounds,” he said, nodding at her reddened knees.
“Oh. Thank you.” She had forgotten about the scrapes she’d gotten during her great escape, and now that she actually looked at herself, she was shocked to see how much dirt covered her. She eyed all the scratches, thankful none were bleeding.
After a heavenly bath, he decided they could both use more rest before starting their day anew. He tucked her in for a nap and curled up next to her under the covers, draping one of his legs over hers and drawing her close. She shut her eyes and drifted off while he stroked her hair. The last thing she heard him say before she succumbed to sleep was, “If you aren’t in bed when I awake, little human, I shall have to teach you another lesson.”
THE END
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for purchasing or borrowing Alien’s Innocent Bride! I hope you enjoyed reading about Tara and Sev. More books are planned in the Mail Order Human series, so please check my Amazon Author Page for regular updates.
About the author:
Sue Mercury writes sci-fi romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and children, where she hopes one day she’ll turn on the television to find a breaking news report about sentient alien beings contacting Earth. She also writes romance of the much kinkier variety under the name Sue Lyndon.
Follow Sue on Twitter @SueMercury
‘Like’ Sue Mercury’s Facebook Page
If you like BDSM erotica and spanking romance, you might enjoy these naughty sci-fi titles by Sue Lyndon:
Owning His Bride
Claiming Their Maiden
Big Blue Valentine
Surrender (Alien Warriors, Book 1)
Commander’s Slave (Alien Warriors, Book 2)
His Naughty Little Mate
www.suelyndon.com
