Exposed

by Tana Stone

  Katie cleared her throat. “I’m not sure if that’s what the doctor had in mind.”

  “I hope not.” Zayn traced a finger down her throat to the dip in her cleavage. “I would not want any doctor to have in his mind what I’m planning to do to you.”

  She pushed herself off his chest as she looked over her shoulder. “Zayn!”

  “What?” He gave her a look of complete innocence. “There is nothing wrong with a Drexian wanting to do these things with his mate.” The pupils in his blue eyes widened. “And you are my mate. Now and forever.”

  “About that,” Katie said. “I know when we were on the transport we said we didn’t want a wedding.”

  “You did not mean it? You would prefer a big wedding?” He ran a hand through some loose curls falling over her forehead. “Whatever you want is fine with me. As long as you are happy.”

  “No, I meant it, but I know we need to have some sort of ceremony to formalize everything.” Katie licked the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip. “But I have an idea I think you’ll like.”

  A low growl escaped his throat as he watched her wet her lip. “I already like it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “So Serge knows nothing about this?” Mandy asked Katie, as she straightened the lace swish train behind her.

  Katie ran her hands down the length of the form-fitting ivory dress and studied her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “Not unless Monti and Randi spilled the beans.”

  Mandy shook her head. “I told them not to tell him I picked up the dress early upon pain of death. They remember helping me find a dress, and from the looks on their faces, they took me seriously.”

  “Good.” Katie took a sip of the pink bubbly sitting on the marble countertop, grateful the sweet drink was helping calm her nerves. “I know Serge was hoping we’d move forward with the wedding planning, but with everything that happened, we just couldn’t. A fancy wedding isn’t either of our styles anyway.”

  “Don’t worry about him.” Mandy picked up her own glass of bubbly, taking a swig. “He’ll get over it, eventually.”

  “Are we talking about Serge?” Bridget asked, as she joined the women in the bathroom, holding a swath of tulle in the air.

  “You know it,” Mandy said, taking the tulle and handing her the champagne flute in exchange. She eyed the pile of curls on Katie’s head. “On the top or on the back?”

  “The back,” Katie said. “Zayn likes my curls.”

  Mandy slid the comb into her hair and fanned out the veil behind her. “One more thing.” She grabbed a metal bottle and spritzed something on the veil.

  “Is that hairspray?” Katie asked coughing from the smell.

  Mandy nodded. “It keeps the veil in place.”

  Bridget laughed. “And you learned this…?”

  “Being an Instagram influencer gave me some skills,” Mandy said, making a face at her friend. “I could also take a fierce selfie, if there were any smartphones up here.”

  Bridget shook her head and turned her focus to Katie. “You look amazing. Zayn is going to be blown away.”

  Katie felt a flutter in her stomach and took another gulp of bubbly. “How is he?”

  “Great,” Bridget said. “Nervous. It’s cute.”

  “Nervous like he wants to get the first shuttle off the station?” Katie asked.

  Bridget put a hand on Katie’s arm. “Nervous about being dressed up in front of so many people, I think, but Dorn’s with him and distracting him by talking about warrior stuff.”

  “I’m sorry Kax couldn’t come back.” Katie met the woman’s brown eyes. “Please tell him again how grateful we are for what he did.”

  “Are you kidding? He got to track down the doctor and discover how to disable the device and save a fellow Drexian. He lives for that stuff.”

  “I know Dorn would change places with him in a heartbeat,” Mandy said. “Although tracking your ship and getting you both off before life support failed was enough of a rush to hold him for a while.”

  “I take it he’d rather be on assignment?” Katie asked.

  “I think they all would,” Bridget said with a sigh. “These Drexians of ours love being heroes.”

  “Especially when it involves a battle,” Mandy said.

  “Does Dorn have to wait until his brother returns to go back to commanding Inferno Force?” Katie asked.

  “No.” Mandy’s cheeks flushed. “He had to…”

  Bridget grinned and elbowed the woman. “Get her knocked up first.”

  “Oh.” Katie’s cheeks burned. “They’re not kidding about this mating thing, then.”

  “Actually,” Mandy said, her eyes shifting from Katie to Bridget. “I wasn’t going to tell you until after the…”

  Bridget gave a small whoop and threw her arms around Mandy. “You’re pregnant! I knew it!”

  “Are you?” Katie asked, as Bridget hugged her friend tighter, then pulled back and touched her nonexistent belly.

  Mandy smiled and her entire face lit up. “We confirmed it this morning. Dorn’s pretty excited, even though now he’s talking about staying here longer than he planned.”

  “That’s great,” Bridget said, “I know you don’t want him to leave, anyway.”

  “I still think it will be fun to go with him as he commands Inferno Force,” Mandy said. “But I guess I probably shouldn’t do that while I’m pregnant.”

  “First Trista’s news and now this,” Bridget said. “Talk about a day of surprises.”

  “What’s Trista’s news?” Katie asked.

  “Didn’t you hear?” Mandy practically bounced on the balls of her feet. “Her mate is on his way to the station. He’ll be here in a matter of days.”

  “And Trista’s only thrown up twice since she heard,” Bridget said out of the corner of her mouth.

  A sharp rap at the door was followed by Reina’s blue hair poking into the room. “What’s going on in here?”

  Mandy waved her in. “What’s it look like?”

  Reina blinked at the sight of Katie in a wedding dress and her mouth fell open. “I thought I was coming for a party.”

  “It’s called a surprise wedding.” Mandy put a finger to her lips. “Once all the guests arrive, Katie and Zayn will walk out and announce that it’s actually their wedding.”

  Reina’s mouth had not closed as she gaped at the three women. “Does Serge know?”

  Mandy rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “Serge will get over it. All the wedding planning was getting to be overwhelming for Katie and Zayn, especially after everything they went through. When Katie told me the wedding planning was stressing her out, I suggested she do what celebrities do and have a surprise wedding.”

  “I wish I’d done that,” Bridget said. “As beautiful as our wedding was, having to plan it almost drove me crazy.”

  “I thought all human females loved wedding planning,” Reina said looking from woman to woman. “That’s why we assign every tribute bride a wedding planner and a liaison. That’s why we have dress designers, florists, cake bakers, and even famous musicians appear on the station.”

  “I think most women do want a fancy wedding,” Katie said. “I’m just not one of them.”

  Reina’s eyes darted back toward the door. “Well, I’m not going to be the one to tell Serge.”

  Bridget touched a finger to the side of her nose. “Not it.”

  “Fine.” Mandy threw her hands in the air. “I’ll do it.”

  “What exactly is this?” Serge’s voice carried into the bathroom from the suite. “I hope you people don’t think I was born yesterday. What kind of party has chairs set up in rows? Are we watching a movie?”

  “You’re up,” Bridget said, pushing Mandy toward the door.

  Mandy caught Reina by the hand and tugged her along beside her. “Then you’re coming with me.”

  Katie watched as Mandy and Reina disappeared out into the suite. She could hear the sound of voices as gue
sts were arriving. They hadn’t invited many people, because they didn’t know many people. Aside from the aliens on the station she’d met during the planning process— Serge, Reina, Monti, Randi, Sid—they’d only invited a handful of tribute brides and Drexians.

  Zayn had arranged for the captain of the space station to marry them, so she knew he would be there. Mandy had arranged for additional canvas folding chairs to be delivered to the suite, and they’d set them up facing the balcony. She and Zayn would say their vows overlooking the holographic African savannah where they’d first met. Katie couldn’t think of a more perfect setting.

  “Hey.” Trista’s blonde head appeared in the crack in the doorway. “I’ve got something for you.”

  Katie waved her forward. “Come on in. We were just talking about you.”

  “Why would you be talking about me on Katie’s wedding day?” Trista’s cheeks turned pink as she entered the bathroom.

  Bridget mimed zipping up her lips and Katie followed her lead, not mentioning Trista’s mate, even though she had a lot of questions. Luckily, Trista produced a bouquet from behind her back, and Katie gasped with delight. It was nothing more than a cluster of white orchids tied with a sheer ribbon, but Katie’s eyes misted over as she looked at it.

  “It’s perfect.” She took the bouquet and gave her fellow tribute bride a one-armed hug.

  Trista’s nervous smile broadened into a real one. “Preston’s assistant dropped it off. She said someone called begging for a bouquet.”

  “That would be me,” Bridget said, raising her hand. “I also invited Preston to sweeten the deal, so if you see a tall guy with a very bald and very shiny head, don’t act surprised.”

  Katie laughed, looking down at the long draping stems of orchids cascading from her hands. “After all the aliens I’ve seen on this station, nothing would surprise me.”

  “You think he’ll come?” Trista asked.

  Bridget shrugged. “I did tell him he’d get to see Serge potentially pitch a fit. That seemed to convince him.”

  The sound of throat clearing from the doorway made them all turn to the open gap. “Mind if I see the bride?”

  “Speak of the devil,” Trista said, as Zayn peeked in.

  “Normally, I’d say it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” Bridget said. “But I think the two of you have already had enough bad luck for a lifetime. You should be pretty safe.” She winked at Katie and then left the room, patting Zayn on the arm as she and Trista passed him on the way out.

  Zayn stepped inside, and Katie inhaled sharply. He wore the dark dress uniform of the Drexian warriors, with a sash running down one shoulder covered with insignia and metals. She’d never seen him dressed up like this, and the sight made her heart race. What was it about a man in uniform?

  “You look beautiful,” Zayn said, his gaze taking in every inch of her as he approached.

  “Thanks, so do you.”

  He chuckled. “I think you’re the first person who’s ever called me beautiful.”

  Katie put her hands on his broad chest and looked up at him. “Their loss.”

  He bent and brushed his lips across hers, sending little jolts down her spine. She licked her lips. “How is it you still taste like doughnuts?”

  “I made sure doughnuts would be part of the wedding reception,” Zayn said. He jerked a thumb toward the open door. “I just snuck one.”

  “Are you ready to do this?” Katie asked. She still found it amazing that a gorgeous Drexian warrior wanted her as much as he did.

  He met her gaze and brushed the loose curl off her forehead. “I’ve been ready since the first day I laid eyes on you.”

  Katie’s pulse fluttered. Part of her still couldn’t believe she’d found happiness with an alien, but another part of her felt like she’d been looking for him her entire life.

  “It’s a what?” Serge’s voice from outside the bathroom rose to the level of a shriek. “But she doesn’t have her something blue!”

  Zayn rolled his eyes and pulled Katie closer. “Let’s go make this official, mate. I’m very much looking forward to the part that comes after this when all the people are gone.”

  “The honeymoon?” Katie’s eyes went to the freestanding bathtub, then to Zayn, and she bit the corner of her bottom lip as he let out a low rumble. “That makes two of us.”

  Epilogue

  The Drexian slammed his fist on the hard surface of the table and peered across the room to the man standing in the shadows. “Will House Baraat ever stop being a thorn in our side?”

  The elder Drexian rocked back on his heels. “They may have prevailed this time, but they have no idea about our plan.”

  “Which is now crippled thanks to Kax and Dorn. Our Kronock friends won’t be pleased about this.”

  “It is not our fault they did not use the advantage we provided them.” The older man had thick hair that had gone almost entirely silver, and he dragged a hand through it. “Yes, we’d hoped for a more disabled station, but it was only a matter of time before Zayn’s implant was discovered.”

  “Now what?” the younger Drexian growled. “I’m tired of waiting.”

  “And I am tired of watching my people defend these inferior humans. We save them from destruction, yet they seem bent on ruining their planet regardless. These are the creatures with which we are supposed to further our species?” The elder’s lips curled into a sneer. “I think not. No, the sooner we end this unnatural dependence on Earthlings, the better.”

  “For the greater good.” The younger warrior echoed the words he’d heard so many times. “But what if Kax and Dorn decide to probe further? Can they trace the deception back to us?”

  “I am a member of the Drexian High Command and a descendent of one of the most elite families in our empire.” He spit the words out. “They cannot touch me.” His voice returned to its usual, measured tenor. “Now, I need to attend a committee meeting about our unfortunate security breaches.”

  The younger Drexian watched him sweep from the room. As much as he revered the old man, he suspected his influence and stature would not save him from charges of treason. No, it was up to him to ensure the evidence did not point their way. He thought about some talk he’d heard earlier about an incoming warrior and grinned. He knew the perfect scapegoat.

  Preview of Book 4: RANSOMED

  Chapter 1

  Torven leaned against the weathered bar and eyed the green-skinned Grindul pouring drinks behind it. He’d been to enough seedy outposts to know when his drinks were being watered down. He glanced around the dimly lit room and tried not to inhale the smoke that hung in the air like a thick haze. This place was as seedy as they came.

  “Noovian whiskey,” he said, holding the alien’s gaze. “Straight.”

  The heavyset bartender grunted, but he seemed to size up Torven’s build and the similar bulk of his Drexian shipmate, his eyes flicking to the Inferno Force insignia on their uniforms before nodding. If the Drexian uniform didn’t scare people, the flame insignia that represented the warrior race’s elite fighting force did. The Drexian Empire may have been known throughout the galaxy as a race of warriors who defended those weaker than themselves, but their elite Inferno Force was the team known for enforcing their might with equal parts justice and fury.

  Inferno Force warriors were rough and battle-scarred, and spent most of their time fighting on the outskirts of the galaxy. They weren’t a usual sight at this particular trading outpost, but one look at their tattoos and longer hair, and the various aliens in the bar had given them a wide berth.

  The bartender poured a generous amount of green liquid into a glass and slid it over to Torven.

  “Scaring the locals again?” Torven’s best friend asked, as he thumped a hand on his broad back.

  Torven picked up his drink and tossed it back in one gulp, feeling the whisky burn on the way down. He turned to Dakar. Even though his friend was tall, as were all Drexians, he still had several inches on hi
m. “No trouble this time, my friend.”

  Dakar cocked an eyebrow. “You haven’t even met her, and you’re already on your best behavior. I’m impressed.” He eyed Torven’s face. “Now, if we could only get you cleaned up a bit.”

  “There will be time before we arrive on the station.” Torven stroked a hand down his stubbly chin and brushed a strand of dark hair off his forehead. “Until then, I want others to know I’m Inferno Force. It keeps the local troublemakers in check.”

  Dakar’s gaze dropped to the thick, black lines under his friend’s eyes. “I don’t think that’s a secret.”

  Originally worn by Inferno Force before battles, many of the warriors had permanently adopted the markings as a warning to any they encountered. Considering the way creatures in the bar had flinched when the two massive Drexians had entered, it seemed to work.

  “You promised no fights during our journey,” Dakar reminded him.

  “You know I never pick fights. I only right wrongs.”

  “I know, my friend. There is no more honorable Drexian than you.” Dakar picked up his own glass and swirled the contents. “Your high standards do seem to get us into more than a few fights, though.”

  Torven raised his empty glass in salute. “The price to pay for doing what’s right.”

  His friend took a long gulp. “Who’s going to keep us in check while you’re romancing your new bride?”

  Torven leaned back against the bar, thinking of the tribute bride he’d be meeting in a few days’ time. Even though he’d seen her picture, he knew little about the human female chosen for him. Like almost all Drexians, his name was in a lottery for one of the human brides, since female babies on his world had become a rare occurrence.

  Instead of allowing their race to die out when they realized the birthing trend, the Drexians had scoured the universe for compatible species and had happened upon Earth. Even though Earthlings had some physical differences, about half of the females had enough genetic similarities to make them suitable for mating.