I nodded. “Get me on the next transport to Earth. In the meantime, send me on a mission. I must soothe the beast or I will be headed to the execution chamber on Atlan instead.”
13
Angela - Two Weeks Later
The police released my apartment two days after the incident. Two days after Braun left. There was no way I could’ve stayed with my parents that first night. They’d have asked too many questions, and I hadn’t had any answers even though I knew more than most after listening in at the hotel. I’d just wanted to climb in bed and cry. And cry.
Since my BFF Casey had still been in Paris, I’d let myself into his apartment—we’d traded keys eons ago—and stayed for three days. I’d called in sick for work because there was no way I could clean the VIP floor and listen to the contestants gossip. While I’d wanted to skip school, I couldn’t do it. I’d come this far and taken so long that I wasn’t going to blow my degree now.
Just because an alien had swept me off my feet, given me more orgasms than I could keep track of and made me happy in just two short days, didn’t mean I was going to turn into a Miss Havisham and live in an attic the rest of my life.
I’d showered and pulled myself together. Went to class.
Then I’d gone back to work. Back to my apartment, which I was going to move out of as soon as the lease was up. Everywhere I looked in the place, I thought about Kevin. More importantly, I thought about Braun.
I’d held off my parents for a week, but when they’d heard about the bachelor replacement on TV, I’d had to call and explain it all. Which had me crying again, but I’d pulled myself together and remembered Braun was happy now with his mate. He deserved happiness after what he’d survived. I remembered the integrations he’d shown us, the stories he’d told about his capture. How he’d escaped.
If anyone deserved a mate and children and a full life, it was Braun. What hurt was that it wasn’t with me. I was selfish in my thinking since we’d only known each other two days. Two days and I’d expected him to be mine!
Now who was the stupid one? Me.
So I’d pushed through all my sad shit and got back to work, focused on school. Life.
Tina met me as I was stocking my cart for my shift. “I sure don’t miss those contestants,” she said, offering an exasperated sigh. “Sending them home until the new bachelor shows up was a smart move by the producers. God, who knew twenty-four women could be so whiny?”
She’d told me they’d moped about because Braun had found a mate, or they moped because none of them were her. Either way, they were a hot mess.
She shook her head, and I gave her a small smile. I was happy to avoid those women, although once the new bachelor did arrive from The Colony, it would be crazy at the hotel once again.
I gave her a small smile.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, patting my shoulder.
I hadn’t told her about me and Braun and had no plans to. It was my secret, the two days I’d think back on as… magical. Wild. Hot as hell. There weren’t any cold winter nights in Miami for those thoughts to keep me warm, but I still wanted Braun to be mine. Just mine, even just for a little bit. I felt like whining too.
“Nothing, just not feeling great.”
She humphed. “What floor do you have?”
I pulled out my slip with the list of rooms to clean. “Six.”
A waiter pushed a tray past us toward the service elevator. I frowned. “God, those eggs smell awful.”
Tina pushed her glasses down her nose and eyed me, then laughed. “Honey, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re pregnant. My niece Carla went off all kinds of smells when she had little Michael.” She shook her head and walked away, pushing her cart down the long hall toward the service elevator on the south side of the building.
I stilled, a pile of washcloths in my hand.
Pregnant? As if.
I set them on the lower shelf of the cart, then froze.
Holy shit.
Abandoning my cart, I went to the wall outside the HR department where there was a calendar, stood there, and stared at it. Twenty-six, twenty-seven… thirty-three, thirty-four.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, putting my hand over my mouth.
I was late. I was never late. I was on the birth control pill! I couldn’t be pregnant because that was the pill’s job.
But I was. I knew I was. And I’d forgotten to take my pills for a couple of days. The days I was with Braun and the two days after when the police were breathing down my neck and Braun had ditched me for his one true match out in space.
I missed him so much my chest felt like a motorcycle was parked on top of me.
The nausea hit then, and I dashed for the bathroom down the hall, making it just in time. When I was done, I returned to HR, headed into the office, and told them I just threw up. They pushed me out the door, panicked I might spread some kind of stomach flu.
Yeah, what I had wasn’t contagious. I had to know. I drove to the nearest drugstore, bought three pregnancy tests and a bottle of iced tea to chug on the way home.
Thirty minutes later I had my answer.
Sitting on the tile floor of my bathroom, I pulled out my cell and dialed Casey. “I’m pregnant.”
Somehow.
“Holy shit,” he whispered. “I’m in a meeting, otherwise I’d be there now. Meet me at my place at seven tonight and you can tell me everything.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice small, a tear sliding down my cheek.
“It’s going to be all right. We’ll figure this out.”
His reassurance was weak, and I had no idea how anything was going to be all right.
I was pregnant. With an alien’s baby.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. I was carrying an alien’s baby. An alien who was mated to someone else. An alien who didn’t want me.
Braun - The Colony, Transport Room
I stomped down from the transport pad to stand directly before the governor.
“Well?”
He looked to the transport tech, who nodded, then back at me.
“I’m glad you were able to leave your group,” he said, taking in my battle armor and the weapon I was only now tucking into my thigh holster.
“Your comm said I could get to Earth,” I reminded him. “I pushed through a tier of Hive Soldiers and got to the Nexus Unit that controlled the entire group. His head is on the way to IC now.”
Maxim crossed his arms over his chest and made a decisive grunt. “Perhaps if every fighter had such motivation, the war would be over.”
I was breathing hard, not from battle but from the message I’d received. I was to return to The Colony immediately for transport to Earth.
It had taken sixteen days for him to get me back to Angela. It was about fucking time. My beast had pushed us through four different missions in that time, but I was barely remaining sane.
“I am to leave now?”
Glancing over Maxim’s shoulder, there was Warlord Bahre and five other Atlans. They nodded to me and went up to the platform.
“I’ve been working with Warden Egara, the human you met when you were jailed in Florida. Lord Lorvar, Prime Nial’s ambassador, has personally settled the issue—”
“There’s no issue. The guy killed himself.”
“—enough so that Bahre or another warlord can proceed with the Bachelor Beast program. We have told the human authorities that the additional warlords are being sent to work as guards at the processing center.”
“And?”
“And you will join them. You are not on the official transport list, but you Atlans are all so large that adding one more to the transport won’t bring any notice.”
“You’re transporting seven warlords to Earth and you don’t think anyone is going to notice?” I asked. This was a bit insane.
“One of them—and they are free to choose among those who are going—is to go directly to the Bachelor Beast television show and participate there. The others are to
remain at the Brides testing center.”
“I don’t need five warlords to help me find Angela.”
Maxim actually chuckled, a rare sight on a grumpy Prillon warrior’s face. “They are doing something my mate calls a walkabout.”
“Walking where?” I looked up at Warlord Tane, Bahre, and the other friends I’d made here. “There’s not much walking to be had. Especially in Miami. The city is closed in and smells of swamp.”
Tane grinned. “We’re going to find mates.”
Bahre chimed in. “Worked for you and Wulf. Fine females. Worthy mates. We tire of waiting.”
I was the one chuckling now. “The humans will not be pleased to know rogue warlords are wandering around their planet looking for females.”
Maxim crossed his arms. “That is why we did not ask permission.”
My smile was genuine as I walked up onto the transport platform to join my friends. My first smile in sixteen days. “Good hunting.”
“Thank you,” Tane replied. The others grinned at me in silence as Maxim spoke.
“Warden Egara is waiting for you, Braun. Upon your arrival, she will take you to Angela Kaur immediately. You have four hours, Warlord. Four hours to get your cuffs on your mate and transport back with her. The window will then close once more and there will be nothing I can do. The bureaucrats are still arguing, and I do not know when we will be able to open transport again. At this time only Lord Lorvar is allowed to make transport arrangements.”
“Four hours?”
He nodded.
I didn’t need to be told more. Bahre slapped me on the back, and I looked to the tech. “Let’s go.”
“Warlord,” Maxim called.
I glanced at him, and he tossed something at me. My mate’s cuffs. I caught them easily. Fuck, I’d have gone to Earth and forgotten them. I didn’t carry them into battle with me, so I was thankful Maxim had retrieved them from my quarters.
“Thank you,” I said to my leader, then looked at the tech. “Transport now.”
The tech looked my way, wide-eyed and scared, then scrambled with the controls. I felt the vibrations and sizzle; then we were on Earth.
Thank fuck.
As Maxim had said, Warden Egara was waiting for me. She looked exactly as she had two weeks earlier. Same hairstyle, same uniform. I stalked over to her, ignoring Bahre and the others. They had their own personal agendas.
So did I.
“Warlord Braun. It is good to see you again. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your mate.”
She gave me a small smile, but she didn’t linger. I had to assume she recognized the importance of my limited time here on Earth. She walked away and I followed.
Once outside, I breathed easier. The sky was dark, the barest sprinkle of stars visible and not even a fraction of what I knew existed out there. I had no idea what time it was, but I hoped the dark meant Angela would be asleep. I wished to find her in her bed. Naked, ready to be claimed. My beast was excited and eager to get to our mate. For the first time in sixteen days, he wasn’t roaring to kill or maim. He wanted to fuck.
“I’m sorry about the size of my car.”
The small vehicle beeped when she pushed a tiny button in her hand. I opened her door, then went around and climbed into the passenger seat, just as I’d done with my mate. I didn’t give a shit that my knees were in my nose. I just hoped this small machine could move quickly.
“This is not a sanctioned mission. You are not officially here on Earth, so I couldn’t make any accommodations for you.”
“I am thankful for any help you offer.”
We didn’t say anything further, just drove through the city. However, when she stopped the car, I did not see Angela’s familiar quarters.
“First floor. This building. Number four on the door.” I looked in the direction she pointed. “I will remain here in the car.” She looked at the clock on the dashboard. “You have three hours and thirty-five minutes until the transport window closes. You will be gone by then.”
She gave me a pointed look, and I had to wonder if she had children or had been a commander of some kind. There was no hesitation on her part in dealing with me, an Atlan warlord in mating fever.
“This is not Angela’s home.”
“No. It’s not. I couldn’t risk missing her, so I had a friend track her cell phone signal. She’s here. Trust me.”
I sat in silence for a few seconds, staring at the building where my mate waited for me, safe. Secure. I owed the Elite Hunter who had watched over her a debt I could never repay.
“Is the Hunter here?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I have no idea. You know how they are. Like ghosts when they want to be.”
“Angela’s grandfather?”
Now she did look at me, and her gaze was soft for the first time since I’d met her. She was quite beautiful, and I wondered why she did not have a mate to protect her.
“I took care of your request. Jassa swore not to tell a soul. He is healed.” Her gaze drifted from me to the apartment. “Angela’s heart will not be broken on my watch.”
“Thank you.”
She said nothing, so I nodded and exited the small car.
Time to make Angela mine.
14
Angela, Casey’s Apartment
It was dark outside and I knew it was too early for pajamas, but I didn’t care. This was a freaking emergency.
“I would offer you some wine, honey, but you really shouldn’t drink in your condition.”
“I know.” Grumpy and upset and fighting back tears—again—I reached for the small pint of my favorite ice cream and stuck a spoonful of the creamy treat into my mouth. Washing it down with warm tea was the best I was going to get. What I needed was about ten shots of tequila to send me into oblivion. Then I wouldn’t have to think about Braun or his face. Or his kisses. Or the way he smelled.
Somehow his super swimming sperm were as powerful and stubborn as he was, because my birth control had been no match.
I was pregnant with an alien baby and had no freaking idea what to do about it. I couldn’t go to my doctor and tell her I had an alien growing inside me. That wouldn’t go over well.
I couldn’t go to my parents about this… well, I could. I would, but not yet. I wasn’t sixteen. I was a full-grown woman and I was pretty sure they knew I had sex, but having a baby made that fact real. But even if I did tell them, what was I going to do?
How big were Atlan women? I had to assume so much bigger than me. What size baby did they have? How the hell was I going to fit an Atlan baby out of my vagina? On Earth?
Again, what the hell was I going to do?
Casey settled on the couch next to me, and I scooted closer, leaning my head on his shoulder. He had changed out of his work wear—designer suit and tie—and put on sweatpants and a T-shirt. Both our feet were bare. This wasn’t our first sleepover, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. As best friends went, he was pretty freaking spectacular. He’d even brought me the fancy Parisian shoes I’d requested.
“I don’t know what to do.” I’d already told him about meeting Braun, about our two days of nonstop sex, Kevin’s accident, the police. What I’d overheard about the show. Braun leaving me behind like old news as soon as he’d been officially matched to an Interstellar Bride. Everything. I’d shared it all and cried my eyes out. Every freaking day since Braun had left. Now I was crying because of not just Braun but a baby.
Casey wrapped his arm around me, kissed my forehead, and leaned his head down on top of mine. Gently he took the ice cream from my hands and set it back on the table next to my tea and his glass of dark red wine. “And you’re one hundred percent sure?”
“I took three tests.”
“Okay.” He squeezed me closer, and I gladly accepted his warmth, the soft movement of his hand up and down my arm soothing in the best possible way.
Braun was gone. He wasn’t coming back. But at least I wouldn’t be alone. Right? I’d thought
about ending the pregnancy, but giving up the one piece of Braun I had left… I just couldn't do it.
I loved him. How that was possible after such a short time, I had no idea. But I was in love, and pregnant and alone with no hope of changing either situation. It wasn’t like I could get on a plane, go to Braun’s house, bang on his door, and tell him everything.
He was gone. Like outer space gone.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
“I can’t believe that fool left you,” he muttered. “He’s obviously an idiot not worth having.”
I didn’t know why, but I felt I had to defend Braun. He’d done nothing wrong. Hadn’t led me on, made any promises like a Regency duke. “He found his mate. He’s an alien. It’s different with them. I’m happy for him. In the saddest way possible.”
“If I weren’t gay, I’d have married you the day we turned eighteen.”
His obvious lie made me laugh. “We would have been divorced in a month.”
“Oh, but what a marvelous month it would have been.”
The familiar banter made me smile and actually did help. Casey had been with me since my first day at a new school in the fifth grade. I’d been the new girl with a weird accent, and he’d been bullied for being who he was. Even then, the other boys knew he was not like them, and they made sure we both knew we didn’t belong. We’d teamed up, stood up for one another, and been best friends ever since. I trusted Casey with my life. No joke. The fact that he was also a genius businessman and world traveler didn’t hurt either.
“What am I going to do?” I asked.
He took a deep breath, and I knew before he opened his mouth that I was not going to like what he had to say. “First, you are going to stop crying. You are going to be a mother and that little peanut—”
“Little peanut? There’s no way an Atlan baby’s ever been compared to a little peanut.”
“—is lucky to have you as a mother.”
“True.” I already adored the baby, and I had no idea if it was a boy, a girl, or an alien beast with fur. I didn’t know, but I wrapped my arm around my abdomen with a fierce need to protect my child. But when I thought of me and Casey in school, how we’d been picked on—and we’d been human—I didn’t want this half-Atlan child to go through any of that. Of course, if he, or she, turned out to be Atlan big, it wasn’t like there’d be any issues on the playground.
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