Cosmic Mate: Stargazer Alien Space Cruise Brides #2

by Tasha Black

  It really was quite lovely.

  Ramm had taken care of problems before, it was part and parcel of belonging to a powerful political family.

  He had never gotten his own hands dirty, of course, and he wasn’t planning on changing that today.

  But he was certainly going to be close to the action.

  The thought of what had to be done turned his stomach.

  But what choice did he have? He’d been forced to act quickly.

  Glancing over at Serena, it seemed the baby could arrive at any moment.

  How was that even possible?

  At last, the light of the meadow ahead seeped into the dim trail they walked.

  Serena stood up straighter and her pace became more brisk.

  He trotted to keep up.

  When they reached the edge of the meadow, she scanned the open space ahead.

  By the rings of Cylonius, she was as suspicious as a Maltaffian guard.

  Ramm glanced ahead and noted with pleasure that his men were well hidden.

  An element of surprise was absolutely necessary. Though this part of the forest had no video surveillance, the sound of a gun or blaster would certainly bring attention.

  His men needed to get in range to use a blade before attacking.

  A flunky had been waiting to post a “closed for maintenance” sign on the forest entry as soon as Ramm and Serena disappeared down the trail. Since there was only one way into this end of the forest, they should be able to ensure they were alone.

  But again, all it would take would be a single forestry worker to raise questions about the bogus sign and there would be company.

  His men needed to act quickly and cleanly.

  Together, Ramm and Serena stepped into the meadow and he sensed the movement to their right before he saw it.

  From the darkness, a blade flashed in the air.

  Suddenly, the blade stopped and its wielder flew upside down toward the center of the meadow, landing with a loud thump.

  Ramm spun around, and was shocked to observe Serena.

  But she was already moving, her squat form bending to kick the legs out from under her next attacker.

  When the second attacker fell to the ground, she throat punched him and then grabbed the blade he’d held, brandishing it menacingly before her as she searched the meadow for another assailant.

  Ramm stared at her in open amazement.

  Her breasts were heaving, sweat beading on her forehead. She held the blade firmly, but her knuckles weren’t white, and her expression was cool as could be.

  To Ramm, she seemed almost preternaturally calm.

  Another figure swung down from a tree branch and lunged for her.

  Serena stepped backward, causing him to fall forward on his knees. Then she knelt down fast to elbow him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold, and taking his blade as well.

  With one blade in her hand and the other in her teeth, Serena rose and spun in place, searching eagerly for the next person stupid enough to attack her.

  Ramm gasped and backed toward the trail again as two more of his men approached Serena.

  He looked away in horror, but not before he saw her do a forward roll between them and slash outward with both blades, taking out her opponents’ Achilles tendons.

  He listened to them moan as he headed for the trail.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Serena asked, her voice so cold it stopped him in his tracks.

  He glanced around frantically, desperate not to meet her eye.

  Then he saw his salvation.

  Serena had taken out his head of security with her first hit. He was still out cold on his belly at Ramm’s right foot.

  And Ramm could see the blaster sticking out of the back of his pants.

  He had no idea Serena was so good with a blade. But he doubted she was a match for a good blaster.

  24

  Ozmarck

  Oz watched with satisfaction as Ramm took the bait.

  He hadn’t been sure the idiot would notice the blaster.

  While Ramm fumbled for it, Oz closed his eyes and slid out of Serena’s form and back into his own. It felt good, like slipping on an old, worn jacket. And he was certainly more evenly distributed. Becoming Serena, even briefly, had given him a whole new appreciation for her current condition.

  Ramm rose just in time to catch the end of the shift.

  “S-Serena?” he moaned.

  But of course it wasn’t Serena he was trying to attack. It never had been.

  Oz would never have allowed any client to be in that kind of danger. And he sure as hell wouldn’t allow it for his mate.

  He waited patiently for the ambassador to take action.

  Ramm’s eyes widened.

  Then, at last, he lifted the blaster and aimed it at Oz.

  “I see Serena has a Maltaffian lackey to do her dirty work now,” Ramm spat. “Did you know you’re heart bound to serve a woman who doesn’t recognize the sovereignty of the guard class?”

  “You were going to kill her,” Oz said in a loud, clear voice.

  “That’s right, Captain Obvious,” Ramm replied. “Give the big guy a little pat on the head.”

  “Why?” Oz asked.

  “Because she’s ruining the culmination of all my plans,” Ramm replied. “Because she’s pregnant and still uppity. Because she’s a bitch.”

  “You can’t murder someone just because they don’t agree with you,” Oz told him.

  “Watch me,” Ramm said.

  “I just stopped you,” Oz pointed out. “She’s not even here.”

  “I’ll catch up with her,” Ramm said with a horrible smile.

  “So you’re still planning to kill her? Even though I just caught you red-handed?” Oz asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “That part won’t matter when I kill you and tell everyone you attacked us,” Ramm screamed.

  “Okay, that’s all we needed to hear,” a loud voice said from the shadows.

  Security agents from the ship swarmed the meadow.

  Oz watched with great satisfaction as Ramm realized that he’d been duped.

  25

  Serena

  Serena watched from the shadows, holding her breath until Ramm was fully restrained.

  Then she ran as fast as her swollen feet would carry her heavily pregnant body.

  “Serena,” Oz breathed when he spotted her.

  “Oz,” she cried, rushing into his arms and burying her face in his chest.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, pulling her back and looking at her up and down.

  He was probably amazed at how far along she was.

  She was amazed herself. In her new maternity outfit she looked like fully ninety percent of her was belly.

  “I had to go get maternity clothing, and some things for the baby,” she explained.

  “You shouldn’t have left your suite,” he said. “Your life was in danger.”

  “I had a disguise,” she told him. “Anyway, while I was there, I ran into Anna Nilsson, picking up a ball gown. And she got a call on her communicator.”

  “Anna,” Oz breathed, putting it together.

  “Yes, Anna,” Serena said. “Anyway, she put in an earpiece, but not before I heard part of what was going on. And I had this feeling, a feeling so horrible it was like my blood was freezing in my veins. I headed over here as fast as I could.”

  “Oh, Serena,” he breathed. “The bond.”

  Could it be true? Had she felt the danger to him through their mate bond?

  She looked up into his handsome face. The light from above filtered through the trees, making his horns glow slightly.

  “I know you don’t want to be my mate anymore,” she said. “But I care about you so much. And clearly you care about me.”

  “I love you, Serena,” he said simply. “Being your mate is all I want in the whole world. I thought you needed me to let you go, but I was wrong to ever leave you, even for a minute
.”

  She felt the words to the core of her being.

  A commotion behind them drew her attention from her mate.

  She spun in time to see that Ramm had somehow broken free of the security guard who held him.

  And he was brandishing a blaster.

  “You don’t have to do this, Ramm,” Serena called to him, her voice shaking slightly. “You haven’t killed anyone yet.”

  “Fuck you,” he screamed.

  Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

  She saw him squeeze the trigger.

  A blast of air lifted her hair from her shoulders.

  A flash of movement blocked her view.

  A terrifyingly loud sound echoed through the forest.

  Oz fell at her feet, just as Rex Tylarr, the Cerulean head of ship security, tackled Ramm to the forest floor and disarmed him.

  Serena felt a horrible sharp pain across her abdomen and then a strange warmth splashed her thighs.

  The forest began to spin around her.

  Then she was falling, falling…

  26

  Serena

  Serena awoke in a bright, unfamiliar room.

  She blinked, trying to remember how she’d gotten there.

  The whole scene flashed through her mind - the scuffle with Ramm, the blaster, Oz throwing himself in front of her to take the shot, and her body convulsing in pain as she collapsed to the forest floor.

  Her hands went automatically to inspect her body.

  But her tummy was smaller now, practically its normal size.

  She looked down at her hands, touching her empty belly through a hospital gown.

  Pain shot through her heart and she could hardly take a breath.

  Oz was gone.

  The baby was gone.

  The baby was gone…

  This was more than she could bear. Her vision began to tunnel as darkness pushed in from the edges. She closed her eyes against the agony of it all.

  “Serena?” a soft voice said, bringing her back to herself.

  She opened her eyes to see Dr. Bryx’s small form perched on a floating platform beside the bed.

  “How are you feeling?” Dr. Bryx asked. “Are you ready to meet the baby?”

  “Th-the baby?” Serena echoed.

  “You had a terrible shock,” Dr. Bryx said. “And a very close call. But your mate put himself in harm’s way to save you.”

  Serena nodded, her heart wrenching again at the thought of Oz.

  “The bond must have expanded exponentially in that moment of thoughtless sacrifice,” Dr. Bryx said, a dreamy expression in her dark eye. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It will be a magnificent case study.”

  “The bond… expanded?” Serena echoed again, trying to follow.

  “Yes, dear girl,” Dr. Bryx said. “The baby finished development instantly, and your water broke on the spot.”

  That must have been the warm gush she’d felt on her thighs as she was falling.

  “You passed out from the shock,” Dr. Bryx said. “At least that’s what we think. Your little one was born about thirty seconds later - a big, healthy baby, everything right where it’s supposed to be. Prettiest little thing you ever saw.”

  Happiness blossomed in Serena’s heart, even over the honeyed pain of losing her mate.

  “And Oz?” she asked quietly.

  “I’m certainly not the prettiest little thing you ever saw,” a familiar voice boomed from the doorway. “But I’m fine.”

  “Oz,” Serena cried.

  He stood in the doorway, a tiny bundle in his arms and a large bandage on his torso. He was smiling down at her, so handsome that it hurt her heart to look at him.

  “Ready to meet your daughter?” he asked.

  She nodded, tears blurring her vision.

  He bent over her, kissing her forehead, and then placed the warm bundle in her arms.

  Serena blinked back the tears so that she could focus on the little pink-faced creature in her arms.

  “She’s perfect,” Serena breathed.

  One tiny hand escaped the blanket to reach for her mother.

  Serena touched the little hand and it closed around her finger.

  “This is happiness,” Oz murmured, seating himself on the side of the bed with a small groan and pressing a kiss to the top of Serena’s head.

  Serena tucked the baby close against her chest and marveled at the heavenly smell of that tiny head.

  For a long time they rested that way.

  Dr. Bryx slipped out, leaving their little family alone for the first time.

  “You were hurt,” Serena said at last, still unable to believe what had happened.

  “A minor wound,” he said.

  “No, that’s not right,” she said. “I saw it, felt it practically.”

  “It looked worse than it was,” Oz said. “I shifted my vital organs out of the way. Ramm hit me, but he didn’t kill me. Better men than him have tried. All the doctors had to do was stop the bleeding. I’ll have a cool scar, that’s about it.”

  “You did what to your organs?” she asked, not sure she’d heard him correctly.

  “I have some shifter blood on my father’s side,” he explained. “It means I can do some neat tricks. I’ll show you later.”

  “Really?” Serena asked.

  “Really,” he nodded, kissing her head again.

  “Will our daughter be able to do any of that?” Serena asked, looking down at the little head she cradled and realizing it had no horns. “She looks so… human.”

  “Maybe,” Oz said. “The horns will come in with the teeth if they’re coming in at all. If that’s the case, we’ll have some long nights ahead of us.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that,” Serena said, stroking an incredibly soft little cheek with the pad of her index finger as the baby nuzzled closer.

  “As long as we’re together, I don’t mind anything,” Oz admitted. “Except of course we won’t always be together.”

  “Why not?” Serena asked, feeling panic rise in her chest.

  “I’m a Maltaffian guard,” he said, his voice somber. “Traveling is part of what I do. And your work is too important for you to leave it just to follow me around. Not to mention that my work is dangerous.”

  “You need to quit your job,” she said simply. “I have more important things for you to do.”

  “I won’t lie around and mooch off your credits, if that’s what you’re saying,” he said defensively. “A Maltaffian pays his own debts.”

  “You realize you’ve got a lot of hang-ups we need to deal with before our daughter gets confused by them, right?” Serena asked pointedly.

  He blinked at her.

  “Besides, I’ve got a job for you and you’ve already earned it,” she continued. “I need a head of secret service, and that’s going to be you.”

  “All ambassadors are officially accompanied by Cerulean guards,” he said automatically.

  “You hear that, right?” she asked. “I know that you must know how backwards that sounds. Can you see how off-brand that would be for Serena Scott?”

  He nodded slowly, clearly thinking the matter over.

  “And not just you,” she went on. “No jobs should be based on race. They should be based on qualifications.”

  “That would open up positions to other Maltaffians,” he said. “Public positions, not just private guard work.”

  “Heart bonds should be voluntarily given,” Serena said. “They should not be an economic necessity. Everyone deserves choices.”

  “My heart is bound to yours,” he told her ardently.

  She felt her cheeks go warm, though of course she knew he loved her, sure as she knew her own heart was beating.

  “I love you, Oz,” she told him. “And I love you too, little button.”

  Oz leaned in to cradle them both in his arms.

  She closed her eyes, basking in the joy of it.

  Oz was right. This was happiness.

>   27

  Ozmarck

  A few weeks later, Oz paced the floors of the honeymoon suite.

  “Are you sure Dr. Bryx thinks this is okay?” he called through the washroom door.

  “Yes,” Serena sang back to him. “But you can call her yourself if you want.”

  He could hear the seductive rush of water.

  Behind that door, his naked mate was bathing, readying herself for him.

  “Are you calling?” Serena’s voice was teasing.

  “You know I can’t call her and ask her that,” Oz said, opening the door and stepping into the room.

  Steam rose from the pond where Serena waited for him, her long hair wet down her back.

  She gazed at him, her eyes luminous, lips parted slightly.

  They had been waiting for this day for what felt like an eternity.

  But as much as Oz burned for Serena, he would not touch her until Dr. Bryx said it was safe.

  These last few weeks had been an exquisite torture. Oz was satisfied to his soul to have his little family together in the privacy of their suite.

  But his body was on a rack with so much close contact with Serena, knowing that acting on their attraction was forbidden.

  Her body was fuller and softer now, and she was more beautiful to him than ever.

  In the pond, Serena poured shampoo into her palm and applied it to her hair.

  “Won’t you help me, Oz?” she asked.

  He watched her, mesmerized.

  Surely Dr. Bryx wouldn’t clear them unless she was very sure.

  “I’m going to implode if you don’t get in here and make love to me,” Serena said very slowly and carefully. “Starla is having her nap. This is our chance.”

  Lust surged in his blood, and he peeled off his clothes as quickly as he could.

  Serena eyed him hungrily.

  Her proprietary gaze caused his heart to pound with need. He made his way to the water’s edge, seating himself and easing his legs in.

  The warm water soothed his muscles, but it was tepid compared to the white heat in Serena’s eyes as she moved toward him, the water rippling around her.