Her Alien Protector: The Guards of Attala: Book Two

by Mira Maxwell

  “Hey, come to think of it, I have pain killers in my bag. Would you mind getting it for me?”

  He walks toward me with something in his hand. I’m distracted again by the way he moves. It’s so fluid and graceful for such a big alien.

  “I have something better,” he says, smiling.

  That smile transforms his entire face. It’s the first time he’s looked happy and not like an angry, brooding alien. I could get used to watching him smile.

  “I didn’t want to use this on you until you woke up. This will help with your pain.”

  I reach for him with an open hand, ready for any pain relief he can give. Instead, he pulls back my blanket, exposing my bare leg. I gasp from the cold but also from feeling so exposed and vulnerable.

  “I need to put it in your thigh,” he says. And there’s no mistaking the deep rasp in his voice, instantly reminding me of the dream I had. His hand wraps around my thigh and my heart starts pounding through my chest. Hopefully he thinks I’m nervous and doesn’t know that there’s a wave of arousal coursing through me from having his hand so close to my center. There’s also the fact that I’m so self-conscious about the size of my thighs and now he has them exposed between us. In all of my life I’ve never been smaller than a size ten, and that was probably high school. I’m fit and curvy and right now I’m loving the way his massive hands make my thighs look so small.

  He pauses for a moment, too. He breathes heavily but he doesn’t meet my eyes.

  “This will only hurt for a second.” And then he pushes a really big needle into my skin. I suck in a deep breath and reach out and grasp his forearm. I lay my head back against the pillow as a cool wave of euphoria spreads through my body. I release his arm and let my hand fall peacefully to my side. Or maybe Lodyn put it back on the bed. I don’t know and I don’t care.

  Whatever that is, it’s good stuff.

  I Exhale slowly and my head relaxes even more into the pillow. I’m warm all over so Lodyn must have replaced my blankets around my legs and he must be close.

  I’m ready to drift off to sleep when I hear him say quietly, right by my ear, “Why are you here,Earthling?”

  “You don’t know?” I ask.

  “No. We only knew you were coming. Not why.”

  “Then maybe I’m not supposed to tell you.” I’m having a hard time following our conversation. My mind is starting to get muddy. I start to drift off and then I hear Lodyn’s voice and it pulls me back to him.

  “Why is this mission so important to you, Margo?”

  “Eclaydian.” I say. At least I think I said it out loud. Maybe I’m just thinking it in my head. I can picture it now. We’ve only seen pictures, but it looks like a glowing green rock. Glowing from the power it holds within its core.

  “What did you say?” he asks.

  My eyes are still closed and my body is floating again on huge puffy clouds in a clear blue sky. My heart rate picks up and there’s an excitement coursing through me as I think about the reason we’re here.

  “Eclaydian. It’s a compound found only on your planet. We’re here to travel into the ice mountains where it lies scattered under the rock.”

  “And why do you need it?”

  “The planet I’m from, Earth, has a sun. Much like the sun you have but our sun is much warmer than yours. It heats the planet to a livable temperature for humans. It produces the light that makes our crops and gardens grow. Earth also has a season called summer where you can walk outside in bare feet with shorts and T-shirts and not get cold.” While I’m explaining this phenomenon to Lodyn, I can almost feel the heat of the sun on my face from summers that have passed.

  “The sun used to get so warm it could burn human skin if we stayed outside too long without something called sunscreen. Crazy, right?”

  “I can not even picture it.” Lodyn’s voice is barely more than a whisper. Maybe he’s trying to image what a sun that warm would feel like. Maybe it’s too much for him to actually believe.

  “Now our sun is dying. Temperatures are much colder than they have ever been in the past. The ground is no longer adequate for crops to grow. Many times it freezes and never fully thaws. If we can’t save the sun, Earth will no longer be habitable. It will become a huge block of ice floating through space. It will no longer be able to support life. So why am I here? We’re here to find Eclaydian, jumpstart the sun, and save my home.”

  Four

  LODIN

  She takes a deep breath and stops responding to my questions. I’m relieved; a peaceful sleep will help her body heal properly.

  So she has come to Attala in order to find a material that will save her home. My heart sinks inside of me. My heart that has felt nothing but disappointment and regret until Margo. Now, it beats strongly and fiercely - for her. Beating away inside of me like it has finally found its purpose to go on. Still, a fear gnaws at me. Fear that the mission that brought her to me is going to be the same one that will take her away. She won’t be able to stay if so many lives depend on her success.

  What an incredibly brave, smart woman. And all I can think about is how I need her to be mine. My acute senses notice everything about her. I’m surrounded by her scent. It’s intoxicating. I’d give anything if only I could bury my face in her cunt and lick her nectar like I did in our dream.

  Yes, our dream. Because though she made no mention of it, I experienced it with her. After the long excruciating day, I nodded off next to her bed and awoke to her cries of pleasure. My cock was as hard as steel and every ounce of my being wanted to delve into her warm, wet depths. It has been so long since I have been with a woman and once I claim Margo as mine, there will never be another for the rest of my life.

  Even now, I’m fighting the urge to crawl in bed with her and caress her soft skin with my hands. My body heat will keep her warm and comfortable because humans were not made for such cold. But though I know she enjoyed the dream and the things I did to her, I don’t know how she would react to my advances while she is stranded out here in a strange place.

  She is bound by her duty and it is one of the things I admire most about her. One of the things that I can easily understand because I am bound by my duty and oath as well.

  I welcome the interruption when Kjallak appears quietly in the room. I need a distraction or I’ll go crazy tossing things around in my mind all night. Going over every scenario for how things might play out.

  “A word, Lodyn?” Kjallak asks quietly.

  I stand up and hesitantly follow him out of the room. “Briefly. I can’t be gone long now that the heat is down.”

  “This won’t take long.” Kjallak walks down the corridor leading to the main control center. “Branyx is on watch, making a continuous loop between the two main access doors to the ship. If anyone comes knocking, we’ll know about it.”

  “Good,” I say, stopping for a moment to look out the small window at the top of the main door. I see nothing but white outside the window. The snow is whipping past so fast it is hard to distinguish anything. The only reassurance I feel is from the fact that the Salthu wouldn’t make it far in a storm like this either. For now, we’re safe.

  Kjallak is standing in front of the main control board once I make my way to him. I know what he’s going to say before he says it. The entire board is black, void of any signs of power, except for the red light at the top of the console that is continuously beeping.

  “A homing beacon,” I say, my arms instinctively crossing over my chest.

  “Yes. She was holding a device in her hand when we left the ship.”

  “I saw that.”

  “Was it on her when you carried her back to the ship?”

  “I didn’t see it, but I wasn’t looking for it either. I’ll check her clothes to see if it’s in the pockets.”

  “If not, we need to find it. The ship will probably be covered in snow from the storm by morning. Even though it isn’t ideal, the storm is providing camouflage from anyone looking into that cra
sh. If the Salthu stumble onto the homing device, though, it’ll lead them directly to us.”

  “Shit. Yes it will.” Before I panic and assume the worst, I turn and walk back into the sleeping quarters. Margo’s clothes are laid out so they’ll dry. I go directly to them. There’s only a small glimmer of hope as I begin to check the pockets. I already have a bad feeling that it isn’t going to be where I want it to be. Our luck just hasn’t gone that way so far.

  I check the last pocket on the coat and it is what I feared. No device. Which means it’s somewhere in the snow for anyone to find. I look over at Margo, still sound asleep bundled under her blankets. If she were awake, I know that she’d be on her feet throwing on her gear to go back out and find it. And I’d refuse to let her go so in order to placate her, I’d go instead.

  I don’t want to leave her while she’s healing but I also know that we need to recover the device. Determined to make fast progress so I can be by her side again, I rush back down the hallway. Kjallak is standing at the ready by the front hatch.

  “You know me well, Kjallak,” I say, grasping his forearm in appreciation.

  “It’s the sensible thing to do and you’re always thinking logically.”

  He hands me a guard for my face and I slip it on. It’s useful for keeping the relentless snow from being a distraction while we search for the beacon. Before we open the main door, I use the same belt to tether myself to Kjallak. The last thing we need is someone else getting lost or hurt while we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere. And with threats all around us, I can’t afford to lose Kjallak or Branyx.

  Branyx is at the door when we leave, wishing us luck as he closes it behind him. The sound of the wind is so strong, I can’t hear the bolts click behind us,. I was being completely honest when I told Margo that I can’t even begin to picture what summer would look like. I wonder if she was hallucinating from the pain medication. Either way, it’s something that would be amazing to behold.

  I’m about to turn around and tell Kjllak that I’m going to try to retrace our steps when I realize that he won’t hear me over the storm anyway. Instead, I start walking, knowing he’ll be following close behind.

  We were made for this weather, these conditions. I still feel the cold, but it doesn’t have any adverse impact on my body. I’m not susceptible to hypothermia or frostbite. That doesn’t mean I love being out in the snow. Our large bodies are well adept to handle moving through huge snow drifts and we have certain adaptations that assist us. Our boots have a wide base that we can release when on snow and it helps to keep us from constantly sinking down into the drifts.

  As we walk, my mind drifts back to Margo. She consumes most of my thoughts lately. Human bodies appear to be so fragile compared to my people. Yes, she has a fire inside of her that rivals any of my brothers but there’s also her delicate physical form. There are five hundred ways she could die on this planet but I still don’t want her to leave. All I can think about is how badly I want to feel my skin on hers. How I want to feel her lush curves under my hands, pull her large breasts into my mouth, and work her over with my tongue.

  My thoughts are interrupted by two quick jerks on the tether around my waist. I look back and Kjallak is pointing off to the right where there’s a dim red light glowing under the snow. I give him a thumbs-up and head in that direction.

  Margo is officially under my skin. I completely forgot about my purpose out here when I started thinking about her body. I was imagining what my cock would feel like deep inside of her while Kjallak remained focused. This is exactly the reason why we took an oath of celibacy when we joined the guard. Mating is a distraction and as warriors we can’t afford to let these kinds of distractions deter us from the jobs we need to do.

  Perhaps when we return to the ship, I’ll have Kjallak take a shift watching over Margo. But just the thought of it makes jealousy flare inside of me. My mating instinct has declared that she will be mine and I don’t know how to fight such a strong desire. All I do know is that regardless of what I choose to do, my life is never going to be the same.

  A few hours have already passed by the time we make it back to the ship. It took much longer than I wanted it to, but we have the device. Then without a second thought, I’m already walking back to the sleeping quarters to check on Margo.

  The dim light illuminates her form under the covers when I quietly walk inside. She’s still sleeping but I notice right away how cold it is in here now. Even using the heating cube, the room isn’t as warm as if I would have been here with her.

  As I walk over to the bed, I notice that Margo is shaking under the covers, her teeth chattering. My first reaction is to get really pissed at Branyx. He should have checked on her while we were gone, sitting in here to help warm her with his body heat.

  But the need to make sure she is warm wins out over chewing out Branyx. Instead I strip out of my damp clothes and make the impulsive decision to crawl into bed with her. I wrap a towel around my waist and recline on the covers next to her, keeping her blanket between us in the interest of propriety. Snuggling close and giving her my warmth is the fastest way to get her to stop shaking.

  she exhales a soft moan and curls into my chest. She’s already stopped shaking and her skin is warm to the touch. Her arms are tucked up against my body.

  Fuck, it feels so good to hold her in my arms. Somehow I’m supposed to fight this. I’m supposed to choose my brothers’ and my oath. I’m supposed to be a warrior defending his city from the dangers of our planet. I’m not supposed to want this feisty human who has stolen my heart.

  But I do.

  Five

  MARGO

  This time when I come to, I don’t feel pain anymore. I’m warm and comfortable. There’s no more pounding in my head and the aches and pains throughout my body are gone. Instead, I feel…horny. Once my head clears from sleep I realize that Lodyn is in bed with me, holding me in his arms.

  I don’t move at first. His strong hands are moving over my body, warming my skin and worshipping me at the same time. With every caress there’s a pulse of desire, almost like a heartbeat, making my pussy soaking wet.

  Damn, I need to find out what was in the shot he gave me. I could market it on Earth as a miracle drug. Somehow it heals wounds much faster than our capabilities on Earth and it also seems to serve as an aphrodisiac.

  He climbs onto the bunk with me, and it’s like I’m sleeping next to a life size boot warmer. I move my hands from where they’re tucked up by his chest and spread my palms. He’s still frozen in place except for the steady sound of his heartbeat pounding clearly in this cold, dark room.

  There’s a pattern on his skin, over his chest curving onto his shoulders. I open my eyes for the first time to look at what I’m feeling. It’s a pattern that looks like a tattoo, but it’s more than that. The circular design is a pattern with his skin. It doesn’t look like anything that was put there but rather how he was born.

  Lodyn’s eyes are studying me while I explore him. When I finally have the courage to meet his gaze, he’s looking at me with such intensity that my hands still. His eyes are so bright and clear and there’s no mistaking the desire that I see there. It’s coming off of him in waves.

  “Sorry,” I say, pulling my hands away and tucking them against my own chest.

  He reaches up and brushes the hair back from my face, letting his fingers trail from my temple, across my cheek to my lips.

  “You can touch any part of me that you wish. I just can’t guarantee that my self control will hold out for long.” A small smile touches the corner of his mouth and he’s looking at me so sweetly I could melt in his arms. I don’t know what changed between us, or how, but something has. My thoughts are so clouded I almost can’t remember why I’m here in the first place. Suddenly, it’s only him on my mind.

  Maybe he feels guilt that I was hurt on his watch because I never would have imagined when I met him that I’d be lying next to him in my bed. I never imagined that my body w
ould react to him this way, either. It was hard to think past all of our arguing.

  My time in the military on Earth, before I volunteered for this mission, prepared me for being around controlling, testosterone-fueled men. The men on my unit were my friends but they treated me like I was their little sister. They never saw me as their equal.

  There were plenty of other men who would flirt with me or offer me their services for a night, but I never took it seriously. And my body never reacted to them the way it is now.

  I want Lodyn like I have never wanted a man before. I want him claim my body and soul. Which is strange considering how our interaction went when we first met. But right now, he’s holding me like I’m the most important thing in the world to him. This combination of how he’s making me feel safe, taking care of me while I’m injured, and looking at me with such heat in his eyes has my body lit up with anticipation.

  I look into his eyes again and then reach up and trace my fingers over his face. His defined cheekbones compliment his square jaw, making me wonder if it’s possible to have muscle tone in your face. His features make him an alien without question but he’s so damn handsome I just don’t care. His face is chiseled with sharp lines and angles but it’s the contrast between his darker skin tone and hair with his light blue eyes that pull me in and make me lose myself.

  Feeling bold and uninhibited I brush my fingers over his lips before pulling myself in close for a taste. He’s frozen in place and I don’t know if it’s because Attalans don’t kiss or because he’ll lose control if he lets himself go. I can’t help myself, I love to kiss. And I haven’t done it very often. Or in a very long time, for that matter.

  So I indulge myself and claim his lips. They’re rough when I first touch my lips to them but he tastes wonderful. Using my tongue, I lick him to soften his lips and then I gently suck his lower lip into my mouth. The growl that rumbles from his chest spurs me on. I move my lips against his and finally feel him reciprocate. His hand grabs me possessively around my head, his fingers rubbing my cheek and jaw, pulling me in tightly, licking me back with an equal amount of enthusiasm.