Dekkir: An Alien SciFi Romance (Galaxy Alien Warriors #1)

by Lara LaRue

  I clambered closer as I listened, careful not to touch any of the vines, looking for a perch from which I could lever open one of the windows safely. No luck so far. I may have to get creative.

  The human straightened finally, a small carry bag hanging from one shoulder, and took a final look around. “Okay, Doctor, I don’t think it is safe for me to stay here much longer. I’m going to go do my best to climb down that damn tree—” She froze, staring out at me, wide-eyed. “Wait, I think my ride’s here.”

  Her eyes were so dark and liquid that for a few moments, all I could do was stare back. It was like peering down into the bottom of two wells, but much more pleasant.

  “Hello,” I called over cheerfully in my native tongue. “I am War Chief Dekkir. Would you like to get out of there?”

  She hurried up to the shattered window. “Well, your timing’s good,” she replied in a shaky voice. “I’m Science Officer Grace Bryant, your new Earth liaison. Thanks for coming. Do you have some rope? I can’t find my descent line.”

  “No need. If you can cross the gap, I will simply carry you.” I stowed my spear back in its sling. Grasping the branch above me, I leaned out as far as I could, testing the distance. It wasn’t that far a reach; I could get her onto the branch with me without dropping her if she could get past the windows. “Can you get to me from there?”

  Grace—what an intriguing name—stared at me speculatively for a moment. Then she nodded and reached for the rim of one of the windows. “Let me see if I can pop this thing out.”

  I heard a faint noise like a bird chirping, and suddenly, the entire cracked window burst from its frame and fell toward the ground. It startled me, but I managed to keep my grip on the branch and reached out to her after a moment’s hesitation. “Come, then. Scavengers will arrive soon to investigate the noise.”

  “Uh-oh.” Her eyes widened, and she reached out to take my hand.

  The moment her small fingers brushed against mine, I felt an unexpected rush of warmth, like the feeling when a hot drink went down my throat after I had come in from the cold. It comforted me deeply, yet hurt a little, and left me with a strange feeling I had been without for far too long. The sensation stunned me; it took all my will to keep my grip on the tree.

  She seemed to feel something, too, and for a moment, her hand hesitated in my own, and I worried she might draw it back while her balance was so precarious.

  “Hurry,” I told her. “I cannot hang on to this branch forever.”

  She hesitated a moment longer and then firmly grasped my hand with both of hers. She jumped forward, and I pulled her across, wrapping an arm around her.

  The feel of her soft, warm little body pressed against mine distracted me again, so much that for a moment I risked pitching forward and falling. But that might have hurt her, and the same strange instinct that gave me such pleasure demanded I not allow that to happen. “There,” I muttered breathlessly. “Now hold on to my back, and I will climb down.”

  She clung to the back of my armor as I descended. I felt a little surge of disappointment when I reached the ground and she let go of me.

  “We cannot remain here,” I warned quietly. “Follow me.” My heart beat very fast as I stared down at her. The warmth I had felt from her was still sinking into my bones, but I couldn’t stop to think about why right now. “Our transport awaits at the lakeshore.”

  “I understand. Let’s go.” She sounded surprisingly calm for someone who had just nearly died. She had a strange air of quiet strength about her, and it intrigued me just as much as the warmth that passed between us.

  I started back as she hurried along behind me, her shorter legs putting her at a disadvantage. I broke trail through the underbrush for her and did my best to let her keep up. We did not speak unless we had to, wary of drawing a predator’s attention. Now and again, I looked back to check on her—and drink in the sight of her again for a moment.

  Fortunately, nothing accosted us during our journey.

  “Do you know how to ride?” I asked her quietly as we broke through the tree line.

  “If you mean animals, I have never had the opportunity. Our world does not have this much wildlife. I’m not sure it ever did,” she puffed, as she followed me toward the water’s edge.

  “Is your whole world a desert?” I asked, intrigued. The doctor mentioned deserts during one of our brief conversations. What a strange idea: a place where rain never fell and plants never grew. Lyra had no regions like that at all.

  Her voice went a little sad. “No, it’s simply . . . used up. It is difficult to explain. But anyway, the answer to your question is no.”

  I grunted acknowledgement; this could be difficult. “My steed, Keer, is temperamental, but I will introduce you to her, and she should be willing to carry you as long as I am with you.”

  We walked out onto the muddy shore together. I pulled my spear back out, wary of what might be lurking under the water’s surface. Lyra offered countless dangers: there was no such thing as a truly safe place here outside of the forts.

  “I will try not to spook her,” she promised, and I had to stifle a laugh. Full-fledged Sky Eels could not spook Keer.

  “I do not think that will be a problem.” I whistled loudly.

  A dark shape burst from the treetops nearby, startling her into drawing closer to me. Powerful wings beat the air as the shape sailed toward us. “That is Keer.” I smiled faintly. “Please, do not be alarmed.”

  “‘Do not be alarmed’?” she asked incredulously, and this time, I actually did laugh. She was funny as well as beautiful! Perhaps this would work out better than I had thought.

  Keer landed nearby, close enough that the wind from her wings blew our hair around. She towered over us for a moment before settling down on her haunches. I couldn’t really blame Grace for staring. Keer’s long body rippled with muscle, her talons were the size of daggers, and her bright, golden eyes almost glowed against the velvet blackness of her fur. She stretched her narrow head toward Grace, sniffing curiously, and the human drew back a bit, her eyes widening.

  “Keer is a Rilleen,” I explained quietly as the creature continued to snuffle at her. “I have raised her since her hatching. You need not fear her.” I stepped forward and patted Keer’s neck. “Keer, this is Grace. Friend. Not food.”

  “Okay, war chief, that is not reassuring. Are you sure she won’t bite?” The skepticism in her voice almost sounded like sarcasm.

  “She will not.” Not usually, anyway. Behave, beast.

  “Okay.” Grace steeled herself visibly and stepped forward, holding out a hand, palm up.

  I murmured to Keer soothingly as my mount sniffed at her hand. The Rilleen stayed calm, her wings folded placidly against her back and her tail relaxed. Then, to my absolute shock, Keer bent her head down and rubbed it very lightly against Grace’s arm.

  “Oh, wow, I think she actually likes me.” Grace moved forward a little more, and Keer crouched down and butted her head against her hip.

  “It appears so!” So do I. How could I feel so strongly attracted to a stranger that it distracted me from my mission? A possibility nagged at the back of my head, but I couldn’t stop and contemplate it until we were safely aloft. “Can you climb onto her back? I will help.”

  She looked dubiously at the beast crouched in front of us. But then Keer let out a rumbling purr and squinted at her happily, and her worried look softened. “I’ll manage.”

  “Do not be frightened. I will hold you.” Now there’s a lovely prospect. I climbed onto the narrow flight saddle perched between Keer’s wings, buckling myself in before offering my guest a hand up. Keer barely shifted as Grace climbed up in front of me. “Here, use me as a backrest, and I will help strap you in—” I went silent as she sat back against me.

  As her small body settled against my torso, I felt that warmth again—but a hundred times stronger. It went straight through my armor and roared through me like magma, leaving me shaking a little bit with its intens
ity. The suspicion lurking in the back of my mind gained strength.

  Other Lyrans had described this feeling to me, in joyous tones: its power, its sweetness, and the protectiveness that came with it. My head fell back, eyes closed to slits as the delicious rush of pleasure ran all through me. Her scent filled my nostrils, dispelling the stench of beastvine sap, algae, and mud, and I sighed with deep contentment. This one is mine, came the unbidden thought.

  I shook myself out of my reverie and helped her buckle her straps. “Hold on,” I instructed and then clicked my teeth at Keer. The Rilleen bounded skyward, wings unfolding to catch the air, and Grace let out a little cry of shock. I wrapped my arms around her reflexively, steadying her while struggling to contain another surge of delight.

  How can this be? She is human. I cannot even breed children with her. Yet this was exactly how the others had described catching the scent of their true mate for the first time. As we leveled off just out of beastvine range, and poor fish-out-of-water Grace slowly relaxed against me, I struggled with the idea.

  Could this truly be her? My destined mate? An alien woman with an unknown agenda, who weathers a fall from the sky with stoic courage but cringes at the sight of my mount? And if so . . . how?

  I held her as we flew, baffled and dizzy with unaccustomed bliss, drawing her scent in again and again as Keer carried us past the forest to the plains beyond.

  CHAPTER 3 / GRACE

  This guy keeps sniffing me. What the hell?

  I had finally relaxed enough to notice what Dekkir was doing about halfway through the flight. He was trying to be subtle about it, at least, but it made my neck hairs prickle. There was nothing like having a guy three times your size getting touchy-feely while you’re isolated with him and can’t get away. Fortunately, all he did was hold me there against his chest and smell my hair. It might even have been pleasant, except he hadn’t bothered to see if I was all right with it—and I wasn’t, from a stranger. The doctor had reassured me that the kind of garbage Norcross pulled on women didn’t happen as much with Lyran men. But if they were so much more enlightened, then why was Dekkir creeping on me?

  Dekkir didn’t seem like that bad of a guy. That just made his behavior all the more baffling. I was an alien on a diplomatic mission. He had to know cuddling me and sticking his nose in my hair without so much as a by your leave wasn’t appropriate. But here he was doing it. Oh, no way am I putting up with this for two years, no matter what’s at stake.

  Norcross wasn’t the only creep I had run into working for Command. There was always some guy around who was going to grope my butt at a party or hit on me drunkenly or generally act like a pig whenever he thought he could get away with it. It had left me very tired of horny idiots interfering when I was trying to work.

  The worst part was I could have found Dekkir very attractive if he wasn’t creeping—but that ruined it completely. When a guy moved in on you and didn’t respect your boundaries, or even check to see if you had any, it was a giant red flag. Few things turned me off more quickly. But how was I to deal with this and save the diplomatic mission? Maybe the high chief would intervene if appealed to properly. I just hope this problem doesn’t continue long enough that I actually have to ask.

  We flew over the teeming forest—a gorgeous view, now that I wasn’t worried about crashing into it. I liked Lyra, even though the planet had already tried to kill me once. I even liked Keer, and the giant, furry saurian certainly seemed to like me. But as for Dekkir? The very thought of him left me torn and worried. If he had kept his hands and nose to himself, his instant crush on me would have been almost charming. But the eager sniffing just reminded me of the creeps back home.

  Finally, something distracted him enough to give me a brief break. “There is Highfort,” he murmured in my ear and pointed.

  I looked out at the rolling, lightly wooded plain before us, and spied a tall stone structure: a single building housing the entire town. Its broad shape circled a huge central courtyard; all its doors faced inward except for the massive main gate. Arrow towers with slit windows sprouted from its outer rim, six in all. It shocked me to realize just how small Lyra’s population was. I had looked at the numbers on paper, but it really didn’t compare to seeing the capital of the planet and realizing it housed maybe ten thousand.

  “We must hurry. My father is expecting us for an audience soon.” We spiraled downward toward the crenellated top of the fort, heading for an area lined with thatched overhangs. A few long, gray heads poked out from the shelters: more Rilleen peering at their fellow as she back-winged above them. Keer landed with a thump and crouched down for us to disembark.

  Dekkir unbuckled our straps and jumped down ahead of me, holding out a hand to help me down. I hesitated before taking it, but at least he let me go promptly. Keer head-butted me affectionately as we left; I turned back to scratch the beast briefly, glad at least something on this planet treated me well.

  The war chief walked a bit too close as we hurried toward a sunken staircase near one of the arrow towers. I tried to ignore his proximity and focus on the meeting ahead. I had to make a good impression with the high chieftain, especially since he was so wary of humans.

  We made our way downstairs into a crowded hallway that seemed to be some sort of indoor marketplace. Temporary wooden stalls lined the stone walls, with a narrow corridor in between. I could smell meat cooking, animal dung, sweat, and perfume. The overload dizzied me. A few of the merchants greeted us as we hurried past, but Dekkir held up an imperious hand, and they all backed off.

  He led me maybe a quarter kilometer down the gently curved hallway, and eventually, we reached a heavy timber gate. The two leather-armored guards standing before it gave me curious looks as we walked up. One nod from Dekkir, however, and they bowed and pulled the gate open for us.

  Beyond, I found myself in a clean, quiet hall. Multicolored banners and tapestries hung on the walls, oil lanterns and open windows on the outer wall provided light, and on either side, I occasionally saw a guard standing at attention. This place housed Lyra’s decision makers. I braced myself to spend the next hour or so on my best behavior, despite my crazy day.

  Finally, the hallway opened out into a long, heavily bannered chamber that spanned from inner to outer wall. Rows of wooden benches sat with their backs to us, loosely filled with armored and robed Lyrans, all facing the single wooden throne of a tall, bronze-bearded man in slick-looking gray armor. He lifted his head as we came in and fixed his golden eyes on me.

  “Come forward, my war chief,” the high chieftain boomed.

  I had to admit, High Chieftain Dorin really did look the part. Heroic build, Grecian curls . . . All he was missing was a golden crown. I slipped my pen-sized image capturer out of my sleeve and surreptitiously took a picture of him. This will look great in my first report.

  He waved us forward. “Show us this new human who has come to our world.”

  Dekkir took me by the hand and led me down the center aisle to stand at the foot of the throne. “My Chieftain father, I bring before you today Science Officer Grace Bryant of Earth. She is to be our liaison with the humans above and a guest in my home, as you have ordered.”

  I sketched a bow as best I could with Dekkir keeping a grip on my hand.

  Dorin nodded curtly. “I see. Good. This human is to be watched closely until she has proven herself to us. You will be responsible for her in every way.” He didn’t even look at me as he said this, focusing solely on Dekkir.

  My heart sank. Apparently, in order to have any access to the high chieftain, I was going to have to go through Dekkir. I wouldn’t have the chance to show my diplomatic chops, let alone ask Dorin to tug on his horny war chief’s leash for me.

  Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll leave me be while he’s back under his father’s eye.

  Dekkir nodded back and surprised me by smiling. “I will gladly do so, my Chieftain father, for I bring good tidings directly related to this matter.”

  Do
rin leaned forward, chin on fist. “Oh? Please enlighten me.”

  “I have recognized her scent as that of my true mate,” Dekkir declared in a ringing voice, causing a ripple of turned heads and curious murmurs to go through the crowd. “She is my intended, and I will be petitioning for a permanent union.”

  I stared at him in shock.

  “What in the hell was that about?” I demanded, as soon as the audience had ended and the two of us were alone together again. He had brought me to his chambers at the far end of the marketplace: three large rooms, fairly plain, furnished in a masculine style of mostly heavy timbers. I stalked back and forth through the front room like a caged tiger.

  He stood in a corner of the room, arms folded, his expression stern but a bit confused in the face of my anger. “You should calm down. There is no reason to be upset.”

  “You just announced to your high chieftain that we’re engaged!”

  “Yes, you should feel grateful I have accepted you as my mate so quickly.”

  Oh, he really does think he’s God’s gift.

  “What is wrong with you? We just met. You never even asked me if I was interested in you. Why would you think it would be okay to go before your leader and tell him the two of us are . . . mates?” What an ugly word. It made us sound like animals in a breeding program.

  Dekkir blinked at me. “I do not understand. I knew from your scent that you were mine. You must have sensed something from me as well.”

  “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. All I know is you just put me on the spot in front of the entire court. You have no right to just decide I’m yours.”

  His expression softened with even more confusion, the tight fold to his arms loosening. “But I did not make this decision. This was not under my control either. I did not intend to humiliate you by announcing what has been decided by fate.”

  I stared at him. Is he crazy? I need to get to a private place and ask the doctor for advice. “Look. I don’t know what kind of romantic stories you guys wrap your ideas of attraction in, but you’re missing the point. You can be interested all you want, but unless I agree, you get nothing. I am not your possession. I am a person!”