Her Alien Protector

by Siren Allen

  As Isabella spoke her cheeks flamed. Lark wished she felt all those things Isabella was probably recalling from her own personal experiences.

  “Are you hearing me, Lark?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “I don’t think you are. I only told you what Raynor was doing because you’re one of my best friends and I thought you should know. But I truly don’t believe he’s cheating. It’s just not possible.”

  “Anything is possible.”

  “Trust me, a True Mate can’t do it. They can’t lie with another after they’ve found their True Mate, not as long as their True Mate lives. It would hurt them more than it hurt you.”

  “Then what is he doing, Isabella?” Lark couldn’t stop the tears from falling from her eyes. “Why is he there and not here? Why won’t he forgive me for what I said? Why won’t he touch me, make me his?” Lark’s hand flew to her mouth. But it was too late. She’d revealed what she didn’t want anyone to know.

  “Are you saying you’ve never had sex with him? I mean, I get the not being claimed yet part, but are you saying you’ve never ever in your life had sex with Raynor?”

  “Maybe.”

  “There’s no maybe. Either you’ve had his cock in you or you haven’t.”

  “Okay, well, I haven’t.” But I want it. I dream about it every waning.

  “Why not? You two are brand spanking new mates. You should be getting it on like Kure-Rats. You should be too sore to walk. You should be…”

  Wait, sore? “So it really does hurt?”

  “No, not really. Well, maybe, in a good way. The first time it hurts but, hey wait, are you saying you’ve never had sex?”

  “Of course I’ve had sex, with a female. Ana was the only person I’ve ever touched, that way.” Okay now Lark was blushing. “And look how that turned out.” Maybe she was cursed. It was possible.

  “Oh my gosh Lark. With all the males here, how have you not screwed one?”

  “None of them ever made me want to. Plus, I’m not the nicest person, you know.”

  “I know.”

  She didn’t have to agree so easily.

  “Lark,” Isabella sighed. “I can only imagine what pain that poor male is going through.”

  “What about me? I want to try the whole sex thing. He doesn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he overheard our conversation that day you treated me on his brethrens’ spacecraft.”

  “What conversation? What did we say that was so bad it made him not want to claim you?”

  “It was what I said when you told me I had to accept part of his darkness into myself.”

  Isabella thought for a moment, then her eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, I remember that. I thought you two had talked about it and gotten past it.”

  “He won’t talk to me about it. And I’ve apologized. The first few days afterward, I apologized two or three times a day. He just ignored me or told me my apology wasn’t necessary.”

  “Well damn.”

  “I know. Maybe True Mating doesn’t work the same with vamps. Maybe he is able to sleep with someone else without hurting over it.”

  “I doubt it. But there’s only one way to find out. Let’s go to the harem and spy on him.”

  “No, I can’t do that. I will seem too desperate.” Plus she didn’t think her mind could handle seeing him touch another female.

  “What do you want to do then? We can’t just sit here and stare at one another.”

  “I don’t know what to do.” Lark plopped down on her chair, the chair Raynor had ripped from his brethrens’ craft and brought into her room so she’d have it. It was little things like that that made her think he cared. But then the things he said let her know he wasn’t interested in her at all.

  “He’s so confusing,” Lark told Isabella. “He yells at me for touching his stuff. Hell, he yells at me about everything. But then, he notices when I forget to eat lunch or dinner. I’ll find a meal waiting for me on my desk with a note that says something like, what kind of ruler forgets to eat or how can you rule a world on an empty stomach?”

  Isabella laughed.

  “It’s not funny. And then, the other day, I tripped on one of the stairs leading to the nursery. I was thinking about how horrible my love life is and not watching where I was going. I bruised my knee a little, not much. When he saw the bruise he went ballistic.”

  “Is that why a ramp is being built next to the staircase by the nursery?”

  Lark nodded. “He said since I can’t walk upstairs, he’s going to see if I can walk up a ramp.”

  Isabella burst out laughing. How was her friend finding any of this funny? “I’m glad you think my failings are funny. Some friend you are.”

  “Oh my gosh Lark, open your eyes. This male is clearly besotted with you. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t care whether you ate or not. He wouldn’t care if you hurt your knee, hell he wouldn’t care if you broke your neck. But he does. Yeah, he’s trying to cover it up by being rude, but look where being nice got him.”

  “Where did it get him?”

  “It led him to heartbreak city. He fell for you and then you shunned him because of how he was created, because of something he can’t change.”

  “Thanks for making me feel even worse.”

  “Listen, you’re sensitive about your eyes. What if he told you that he loved you, but he couldn’t be with you because your eyes glow red?”

  “He wouldn’t tell me that, because he loves my eyes.” Another reason why I love him.

  “Hypothetically speaking, what if he hated them?”

  “Then we couldn’t be together because I can’t change my eyes…okay, I see what you’re doing. But I’ve already apologized. Hell, I’m willing to become part monster for him if that is the only way I can have him.”

  “Do you hear yourself? Part monster? How do you think that kind of talk will make him feel? He probably already thinks himself a monster, a savage. He doesn’t need you saying it. You’re his mate. You’re supposed to bring him comfort, share his burdens, and uplift him. You know, all those things he did for you when your planet was under attack.”

  Okay, the stupid guilt had returned full force. Lark brought her legs up and wrapped her arms around them before resting her chin on her knees. “I’m a horrible female, a horrible mate.”

  “No, you’re inexperienced when it comes to love and all that comes with it. And you’re scared. But you have to decide what you want, here and now. Do you want this male and all he brings to the table? Or do you want to let your True Mate go and be alone, enduring the insanity that comes with turning your back on your mate.”

  “I want Raynor. I just don’t know how to make him want me.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. I happen to be well versed in seduction.”

  “Oh really?”

  “How do you think I got my mate?”

  “One day you will have to share that tale with me.”

  “I will. Right now, we need to focus on you. You need to win him back.”

  “Even though he’s probably cheating on me?”

  “He’s not cheating. Leave finding out what he’s doing in the harem to me. You simply worry about getting him back interested in you. First off, you need to let him know you like his monster.”

  “What if I don’t like his monster?”

  “Pretend you do. Have you ever witnessed this other side of him?”

  “Yes, when he was protecting me and my people during the attack.”

  “And were you afraid of him?”

  “No, I was actually attracted to the darker side of him.”

  “Perfect, find a way to get him to show that side of himself. Then compliment it.”

  “Uh okay.”

  “Show him that you’re not disgusted by it.”

  “Okay and then what?”

  “Then he’ll start looking at you differently. Then start asking him to help you do little things, like rub lubricant over your skin when you ge
t out of the shower.”

  Lark could feel herself blushing. “What if he says no?”

  “Then do it yourself, in front of him. Pretend you’re struggling to get to those hard to reach places.”

  “Okay, I can try that.”

  “And then…” Isabella’s Comm-Phone began to vibrate. “Hold on a sec.” She pulled the device from its holder. A grin spread across her face. “My mate is off duty. Sorry Lark, but I have to go.”

  “But you’re not done telling me how to get Raynor back,” Lark told her friend who was now walking toward her door.

  “I gave you some suggestions. Now it’s time to come up with a few of your own. Let me know how it goes.” With a final wave Isabella left the room.

  Alone again. But this time she had homework. Operation: seduce her beast was about to begin. Lark prayed to the stars she didn’t chicken out. First, she needed to know for sure what her mate was doing in the harem.

  If he was cheating, would she be able to forgive him? She didn’t know. Technically, she’d cheated on him with Ana. Though, at the time, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure that he was her mate.

  Raynor knew he belonged to her, yet he was still at the harem doing only the stars knew what. Lark stood up. Trying to keep a grip on her anger, she slipped her shoes on and then strode to her closet in search of a hoodlet.

  A hood would camouflage her a little. She didn’t need her people wondering why she was going to the harem. Then again, she could say she was simply monitoring the progress of the renovations.

  So far only a third of the harem was up and running. The specialty rooms were still being worked on. Still, the regular pleasure rooms were thriving bringing in more currency than they had before the attack.

  That was probably because they were no longer accepting prisoners as concubines and instead were allowing interested individuals to apply for the jobs. Most of the previous prisoners stayed on to work. Those who didn’t want to work were sent to the prison on Mercury.

  Lark located her black hoodlet. As she slipped it over her she wondered whether or not the prisoners who chose to go to prison regretted their decision. More than likely they did. Only six had chosen to go.

  And they only did so because Lark wouldn’t pay them the large sum of currency they wanted to work in the harem. The concubines were paid well, but she wasn’t going to let anyone extort currency from her, she didn’t care how well they screwed.

  Hoodlet on, Lark left her dwelling, locking her door behind her. Her room was the only room on this hall. She walked to the end of the corridor. After entering in her pass code the door opened and she strode out into the dwelling lobby.

  Thankfully there were only a few beings around. The lobby had been renovated since the attack. There was now a food court in the middle. Some nights, when Raynor was away doing the stars knows what, she would sit in the lobby and snack on fruity candy, eating her emotions.

  It was starting to show on her hips. Lark, walked across the lobby, head down, not wanting to bring attention to herself. She was able to make it to the harem without anyone stopping her or speaking to her.

  Isabella told her Raynor had gone into Pleasure Room Six. Lark punched in her code and entered the seclusion area of that room. Seated on the small couch, she pressed the button on the wall and waited for the panel covering the one way viewing screen to open.

  What she saw shocked her to her core. A smile spread across her face. He wasn’t with a female. He wasn’t losing his virginity and slating his lusts on another being. Her truly magnificent mate was sparing with little ones.

  Well, not exactly little ones, these beings appeared to be in their early teens. A few of them she recognized as her friends’ off springs. They all looked adorable in their military gear. Lark rose and strode over to the window.

  Placing her hand on the glass she stared at the kids, both boys and girls, as they listened to whatever it was Raynor was saying. Lark pressed the audio button on the wall so she too could listen in.

  “Remember to keep your feet shoulder width apart for balance. If you lose your balance you could lose your head. Understood?”

  “Understood,” the kids yelled out in unison, a serious expression on their cute faces.

  “Now, today I am going to teach you how to use a new weapon.” Raynor reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small knife that looked like it was attached to a wrist band.

  That must’ve been what he’d been looking for in the closet. The kids oohed and ahh’d at the new weapon. Raynor fastened the knife to his wrist then walked by each kid so they could see it.

  “This is a Tomen Dagger. My people use it when we know we will be fighting in close quarters. It’s a handy little knife to have.” Raynor punched the air then swung his arm to the side, slicing the air. “The punch is to addle your opponent. The swipe is to end him. Any questions?” A dozen hands shot into the air.

  On her hip, her Stat-Phone vibrated. She answered and learned she was needed on the loading dock. Apparently Manuel had finally heard from her sister, Luna. Smiling, Lark closed the viewing panel.

  Raynor had wanted her to believe he was cheating, he’d wanted her to be angry, to hurt, because he was angry and hurting. Well she was tired of them both fighting their feelings. Tonight, their relationship was going to change.

  She was no longer scared of sharing herself with him. She was no longer afraid of bearing his burden with him. Her mate was truly the most wonderful male, other than her father, that she’d ever met.

  And tonight, she would claim him as her own.

  Chapter twenty six

  Lark stood at the bathroom door, waiting for Raynor to enter their dwelling.

  She’d been waiting there ever since she finished her communications with the ruler of Qoaran. Her sister was alive. Thank the stars. As soon as her craft was repaired the Ruler of Qoaran was going to send Luna home, with two of his guards as her escort.

  Of course Lark had wanted to know why her sister couldn’t simply borrow one of his crafts. But the ruler had stated her sister only wanted to travel in her own craft. That sounded like something her stubborn sister would say.

  Lark had wanted to talk to Luna herself. Unfortunately, her sister was too busy enjoying the vampires’ new and mysterious world to talk to her. Lark ignored the suspicion that was running through her.

  Her sister would return soon, that was all that mattered. And if her sister didn’t return soon, she would make Raynor return to his home planet to retrieve Luna. But first, Lark had to give her vampire a reason to return for her. Tonight she was going to do just that.

  As soon as the bedroom door opened and closed, she strode out of the bathroom, naked as the day she was born. Ignoring Raynor she walked over to her bed, unwrapped the towel from her hair and began drying her body off. For a few seconds he was silent, and then he erupted.

  “You refuse to listen to a thing I say,” he yelled.

  And for the first time since rooming with him she noticed the slight shake in his voice. Her nakedness affected him on a sexual level. And all this time she’d been thinking he truly was no longer interested in her.

  Casually glancing over her shoulder she asked, “What are you complaining about now?”

  On the outside she was calm, on the inside she was trembling with desire. Could he smell it? Would the scent turn him on further? Just imagining her vampire turned on was making her wetter. He sniffed, groaned and then stormed across the room, silent.

  “Aren’t you going to answer my question?” She asked him as she turned to face him, still drying her torso.

  Not looking her way, he said, “I don’t remember your question, therefore it must not have been important.”

  No longer hurt by his outbursts she repeated her question. “What are you complaining about now?

  “Nothing,” he mumbled as he put the dagger he didn’t think she knew about back into the closet.

  “After spending the whole day at the harem you should be
relaxed, satisfied.”

  He tensed. “I am relaxed,” he lied. “And satisfied, very satisfied.”

  Lark smiled. “If you say so.”

  She turned to her nightstand and pulled out a sweet smelling bottle of lubricant. She’d acquired it the last time she’d journeyed to Earth. Strawberries were her favorite scent. After squeezing a bit onto her palm she began to massage what humans called lotion onto her legs.

  “What do you mean if I say so?”

  Lark stared into the small mirror on her nightstand. Behind her, Raynor stood with his arms folded over his chest, a scowl on his face. But he’d yet to turn away from her. You can do this Lark, she gave herself a mini pep talk.

  Taking a deep breath and then releasing it slowly, she lifted her foot, placing it on the nightstand then bent over to massage her toes. Cool air brushed against parts of her body no male had ever seen before and there was nothing Lark could do to stop the tremor that raced over her flesh.

  And she was positive there was nothing Raynor could have done to escape the groan that surged from him. It was darker, more gravelly than his previous groans. Was that his beast? Was it pleased with what it saw?

  Feeling brazen, she glanced over her shoulder. “Was that your beast?”

  He jerked his head up then down in response, eyes swirling. “Don’t worry, my demon and I know we disgust you.”

  Lark shook her head. “Not disgusted, intrigued.”

  His eyes widened. Cocking his head to the side he asked, “Intrigued, why?”

  She shrugged, not sure if she could go through with this part of her plan. Maybe she would wait until he’d showered before she turned things up a notch. “Just intrigued. You should shower. It’s what males usually do when they leave the harem.”

  A tick in his jaw was the only sign she had that he’d heard her. Turning away from him, she finished massaging her body. The thud of his boots against the floor let her know he was headed toward the bathroom.