Her Alien Protector

by Siren Allen

  Stars, he couldn’t wait. These new feelings were disturbing and exciting at the same time. He glanced around the room before staring down, under the table, into his lap. He was hard, had been this way ever since he heard her voice in that dark cell.

  Raynor smiled. He only grew hard when he dreamed, and then it was only when he dreamed of one day finding a mate. When he slept, those years of conditioning his body to remain unmoved disappeared.

  In his dreams he felt desire. Come morning, his hard-on always faded away. Not this time. Raynor leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Guards would soon come to take him away.

  He didn’t need them seeing him like this. He breathed in and exhaled slowly, then repeated the action. His mind thought back to each kill he’d committed in order to protect his planet. Thinking of his kills would help get his arousal in check.

  There were thousands of them and he could remember them all, each battle, each victory, each death all for the greater good. To protect his people, he’d done things he was ashamed of. He’d destroyed planets. Always in defense, never the instigator.

  He didn’t use weapons, his claws and teeth were all he needed. They didn’t call him Raynor, The Destroyer for nothing. He thought of all the bloodshed, recalling the way he’d felt when he drained his opponents dry after each victory.

  Some said his kind warred, just so they could feed with no guilt, no shame. That thought took away his erection, erasing any desire he’d felt moments ago. Raynor shoved Lark’s necklace back into his pocket as the door to the interrogation room opened. In stepped one of the Venusian guards.

  “Lark has ordered me to escort you to your next destination. I hold the remote to your collar, so don’t try anything, vampire.”

  Raynor nodded at the frail looking guard. The males here were so fragile. No wonder Lark had chosen to take a female as her lover. Raynor stood and awaited the guard’s orders.

  “Your shoes remain here,” the guard informed him.

  Raynor raised an eyebrow at that.

  “We have a hallway of bloody footprints being cleaned already because of you. The shoes remain here.”

  Understanding dawned on him. Cochran’s blood was on the bottom of his shoes. Raynor bent forward and began unlacing his boots. He didn’t miss the guard flinching at his sudden movement.

  So fragile. So scared. Who trained these men? Not my problem, Raynor reminded himself. He was only here for her. It went against everything he believed in to allow the guard to push him forward and out the door.

  He wanted to turn around, latch on to the guard’s neck and rip it out, then drink every ounce of blood his pitiful body contained. He didn’t. He couldn’t. Lark would frown upon that.

  No, she wouldn’t just frown. She would try to kill him for harming another one of her employees. His brethren were right. Having a mate was hard work. Raynor walked down the hall. The rugs beneath him were gray and felt rough against his bare feet.

  They were still softer than the rough terrain of his home planet. Silently he walked ahead of the guard. As they neared the end of the hall, he wondered if the guard would tell him which way to go next or if he would be forced to make the decision himself.

  “Turn right.”

  Raynor followed orders, ignoring the discomfort of his beast. Soon they would be with their mate. If obeying the commands of a weakling was what he had to do in order to reach her, so be it. He would shove his pride aside to claim his prize.

  They came to a set of silver double doors. Raynor stopped. The sun. He could sense it on the other side of the door. His body wouldn’t take another step, the darkness inside pushing for him to turn around. Survival instinct.

  “What are you stopping for prisoner?”

  “That door leads to the outside.”

  “So?”

  “I’m a vampire.”

  “Our buildings are under domes that are protected from the sun. Unfortunately, you’re safe here as long as you don’t leave the dome.”

  Good to know.

  “What are you waiting on now?” The guard yelled.

  “I was merely waiting for you to open the doors.”

  “Do I look like a slave to you? Open your own door?”

  Raynor raised his hands. “I’m cuffed.”

  “Stupid, you only have to push against the doors to open them.”

  Raynor gritted his teeth. He took a deep breath to control his temper. Killing this guard would upset Lark. If upset, Lark would not be open to mating with him. For that reason alone, Raynor resisted the urge to drain the dumb guard dry.

  “Not only am I cuffed,” he told the guard. “But the door is also locked and I don’t know the code to unlocking it.” Raynor stepped to his left, out the way of the keypad on the door.

  “Shit, I forgot.” With the remote control pointed at Raynor, the guard stepped up to the keypad. It took him almost five minutes to enter in the numbers. The idiot was too busy trying to keep his eyes on Raynor to get the job done.

  Once the door opened, Raynor walked out ahead of the guard. Moving slowly, he stared up at the high ceiling of the dome. The sun rays that were able to penetrate the thick atmosphere were blinding. Raynor squint, amazed to find his skin not burning.

  The dome truly protected those inside of it from the viciousness of the sun. His people could live here. They could thrive here. But would they want to? He stared around him. This place was more hellish than Mercury.

  Streams of lava flowed alongside the dome. Mountains decorated the horizon, their peaks barely visible in the thick atmosphere of the planet. The dome protected the foreigners from the harsh effects of this world.

  But the Venus-born beings thrived under these conditions. His Lark was used to long days with night only appearing for a brief time. Raynor was used to the night, lived for it. It was his constant companion. Yet, he couldn’t deny that the sun was beautiful.

  “Move it.” The guard shoved him in the back.

  Raynor didn’t budge, too busy staring up at the sky. This was a first for him. Never had he stared directly at it. He’d only seen pictures. He’d thought he’d catch a glimpse of it on the trip here.

  But the prisoners were kept in a holding cell on the spacecraft and once off, they were blindfolded and led into the hospital in shackles. Raynor in shackles, his kindred would’ve loved to have seen that.

  His best friend, Joston, would’ve laughed until his sides hurt. It was a good thing Raynor was the first of his kind to come here, having been too eager to wait with the others. All his embarrassments and failures wouldn’t be observed by his friends.

  By the time they arrived, Lark would be his, his trip a success and they’d just be beginning their uphill battle to claiming their mates. He could already imagine how irritated they would become when they learned that a day on Venus lasted for… wait, how long was a day here?

  “How long is a day here?” Raynor asked the guard. His home didn’t have days or solar flares as the Venusians’ called them, only moonrises, or wanings as the Venusians called them. Luna had tried to explain all of this to him. He should’ve paid more attention.

  “One True Day here is over two hundred Earth days long.”

  Two hundred Earth days was also two hundred moonrises on his home planet.

  “That’s a long time to reach day two.”

  “We don’t count our days based on our solar rotation. One day is counted by the solar flares. One particular flare is constant, the Aureus Flare. It rises and stays flaring for hours. That is one solar flare day. When it descends, that is one waning. When it flares again, that is day two.”

  Damn, no wonder this planet was hot as hell. “How long is one True Night?”

  “A True Night is around fifty Earth nights, wait, are you phishing for information? We’re done talking. Move it vampire.” Another shove to the back.

  Irritated, Raynor glanced over his shoulder. The guard waved the remote to remind him who was in charge. Gritting his teeth, Raynor resume
d walking. Beings like this guard were the reason vampires had such a bad rep.

  Vampires could be vicious, it was in their DNA. That didn’t mean they had to be. But when pushed, the beast inside them arose. Luckily for the guard, Raynor was good at controlling his beast… sometimes.

  “Keep straight until you reach the fork in the road. Then make a right.”

  Raynor kept his eyes straight ahead, uninterested in the beings rushing to get out of his way. In his bloodstained shirt and pants with bare feet, he knew he terrified them. He could feel their stares. He heard their whispered words.

  Vampire.

  Heathen.

  Pagan.

  Killer.

  Their words didn’t bother him. He was all those things. As long as they kept their distance and did not interfere with his plans for Lark, they would not see that side of him. After passing the fork in the road and making a right, they came upon a large building with a staircase that seemed to go on forever. Raynor stared up. Was this the bathing chamber?

  “This is the harem. Lark is waiting for you inside.” The guard shoved him. “Keep moving. I have other things to do after I deliver you to Lark.”

  Raynor walked up the steps. His mind was made up. He would kill the guard. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon. He would make sure Lark never found out. When he reached the front door, he didn’t have to wait for the guard to open it. It opened up and a female draped in red silks stepped out.

  “Welcome to the 3L Intergalactic Harem.” She bowed low revealing an impressive cleavage then stepped out of the way to let them pass.

  “Thank you Gloria,” the guard said, practically drooling.

  Raynor noted her beauty but felt nothing. As they entered the harem, his senses were instantly bombarded with scents he could not describe. Sniffing, he tried to name the smells. A hint of cinnamon was in the air, also lavender and rosewater.

  There was one scent that rose above all others, it called to him. The sweetest aroma he’d ever inhaled. The scent of his mate. Raynor stepped forward. She was near. He wanted to see her. He had to see her.

  A hand clapped down on his shoulder pulling him back. Without thinking he turned and snarled at the guard who dared prevent him from going to his mate. The guard stumbled backward, fear etched into each line of his face. Raynor advanced on him.

  How dare he attempt to stop me from going to my mate?

  Did he not know how long Raynor had waited for her, searched for it? Could he not see that Raynor was nearly insane from the need to claim her? He was a ticking time bomb, barely holding it together.

  And for some reason, this male thought it a good idea to stand in his way. He would kill him now. No waiting. He was tired of his audacity. He stalked him to the wall. Females scurried out of the way, squealing like mukrigs as they went. Raynor kept his eyes on his prey.

  It was time for him to feed. He wrapped his hands around the guard’s throat. Opening his mouth, he lets his fangs burst free of his gums. Kill, Kill, Kill. He could feel the darkness swirling inside of him and knew it showed in his eyes. His fangs grew longer, sharper.

  “Halt.”

  He stilled.

  Lark.

  Damn.

  “If you harm him I will shoot you where you stand.”

  Raynor turned to see her standing a few feet away with a gun pointed at him. Not a stun gun, this one was the real deal. It wouldn’t hurt him though. He wondered if she knew that. She spoke again when he didn’t immediately release his prey.

  “It has wooden bullets,” she told him.

  A myth. Wooden bullets wouldn’t kill him, neither would a stake to the heart. She would have to remove his head from his body to end his existence. That wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

  “Release him Raynor.”

  Raynor returned his gaze to the guard who had now pissed his pants in his fear.

  “This male has pushed me too far,” Raynor growled. “He has treated me like a fool.”

  “Until you agree to become part of the harem and be enhanced, you’re a prisoner here,” Lark reminded him.

  “I am not his prisoner.”

  “True, you’re right. Let him go and I will make sure I am the only one who guards you from now on.”

  Interesting. “Day and night?”

  “What?” Confusion was evident in her voice.

  “I need someone to guard me each solar flare and each waning,” Raynor told her, hoping she couldn’t sense the lie in his words. “Your people are frightened of me. That fear will lead to them trying to harm me, so that I won’t harm them. I need to be protected day and night.” He’d say anything to keep her near him.

  “Uh, shit, well, yes. I’ll make sure you’re protected day and night.”

  “By you.” No answer. He waited, and then asked his question again. “Will I be guarded by you, personally?”

  “Yes,” she sighed.

  “You said they would take me to the bathing chamber,” he reminded her. “They made me wait in the interrogation room until it was time for me to be brought here. Your guards wanted your people to see me like this, unclean, bloody.”

  “I see that my order did not get obeyed. I will take care of it.”

  “You will take me yourself?”

  “Yes. Now let him go.”

  Satisfied, Raynor released the guard. Because of this fool, his plan to win his mate was now in motion. Honestly, he should thank the guy. He’d rather kill him. The guard dropped to the ground clutching his hands to his neck.

  He stuttered as he scooted across the floor, attempting to put as much distance between Raynor and himself as he could. “A v-vampire a-almost k-killed me.”

  No one rushed to the male’s aid or attempted to help him to his feet. They were all too afraid of getting near Raynor. A planet of cowards. And this was his new home. Disgust rolled through him as he turned to face his mate.

  But it was all worth it.

  Even with an angry frown on her face, she was still the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. So different from the females on his planet. So different from any female he’d encountered.

  She was golden brown and her eyes were a lovely shade of red, his favorite color. Though her nails were painted black, her face was free of any artificial colors, or whatever the females called that stuff they decorated their faces with.

  Her body was just as curvy as her sisters. However, unlike her sisters, her body caused the eternal chill that had plagued him his whole life to vanish whenever she was near. Because of her, he could endure a life here. Because of her, he would not have to spend eternity alone.

  “Stop staring at me like I’m dinner and get over here,” she yelled.

  Dinner, no. Dessert, yes. With her gun, she motioned for him to come closer. Raynor moved forward. The bystanders gasped. Lark rolled her eyes.

  “He’s not going to hurt anyone,” she assured them, sounding frustrated with the whole situation.

  “How do you know?” a petite blonde with a forked tongue hissed. Raynor wondered what planet she was from.

  “Tell them you’re not going to harm them, Raynor,” Lark instructed him.

  So she wanted him to lie to her people. Because if he said those words he would most definitely be lying. Truth was, he would slaughter them all if they got in the way of his mating. But staring at Lark, her eyes pleading for him to behave, Raynor uttered the words she wanted to hear.

  “Forgive me Lark,” he bowed to her. “And citizens of Venus. I apologize for my lapse in judgment. From this moment forth I will strive to behave in a manner more fitting for this planet.” He eyed the crowd, his black eyes meeting each of their gazes.

  They smiled and nodded then went on their way. Compulsion was a vampire’s best friend. He turned to Lark. Too bad compulsion didn’t work on mates.

  “They believed you.” Her shocked expression was priceless. “I guess they’re more trusting than I am.”

  No, they’re just susceptible to my powers whil
e you’re not, he thought, but out loud he said. “Maybe one day you will learn to trust me too.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.” She stared over at the guard who was now standing on the far side of the room, pants wet. “Aron, bring me the remote.”

  He held his hand out, but didn’t come forward. With another roll of her eyes Lark stormed over to him and snatched the remote out of his hand.

  “You’re on office duty for a week,” she told the guard. She mumbled under her breath as she strode back over to Raynor. “Damn cowards, the whole lot of them.”

  His thoughts exactly. He wondered if she knew he could hear her, no matter how softly she whispered.

  “Come,” she no longer pointed the gun at him, now it was the remote.

  He followed her. Though a few people glanced his way, none of them whispered negative things about him or appeared afraid. His compulsion would keep them that way for a few more minutes, long enough for him and Lark to get where they were going, wherever that may be.

  They journeyed down a long hallway. On either side of them were doors of varying colors but they all had gold doorknobs. At the end of the hall was a staircase. His eyes were glued to her ass as he followed her up.

  Once their bond was complete he would forbid her from wearing such form fitting pants. He didn’t give a damn if it was part of her uniform. It was too tight on her ass, leaving nothing to the imagination.

  Her curves were for his eyes only. This female lover of hers would have to go also, not just out of Lark’s life, but away from this planet. The only reason he wasn’t hunting her down now was because of her gender.

  Females were rare, at least where he was from they were. There seemed to be an abundance of them here. That mattered not to him. Only one female was important. Lark. And he’d be damned if he shared one inch of her.

  She dared touch another while he was here.

  A low growl reverberated through his chest. She halted on the stairs and glanced over her shoulder at him. She’d caught him staring. That was something she was going to have to get used to.

  He would never grow tired of staring at her. It was within his rights to do so, that, and much more. A blush crept up her neck, proving she wasn’t as immune to him as she pretended to be.