The Alien's Challenge: A SciFi Alien Warrior Romance (Drixonian Warriors Book 6)

by Ella Maven

  When she’d first arrived, her hair had been a brighter purple, and I assumed it was her natural color until it began to fade. I’d grown concerned, thinking she was ill, but Daz had assured me Frankie promised him Tabitha was fine, and that humans often dyed their hair different colors.

  While the color wasn’t the same vibrant purple it’d been when she arrived, apparently her and Tark’s mate experimented with dyes made from ground up flowers. Her hair once again shone a shiny purple. Sometimes I fantasized like an idiot about how her locks matched my eyes.

  Stupid. I was insufferable.

  If only … if only I was a normal Drixonian with honor, I would have sought to claim her the day we were safe. But the desires I’d ignored for years only returned with a vengeance whenever she was around, shaming me. So, this would be it. I’d get one last night to take in her beauty before I left for the most dangerous and important mission of my life.

  I shook myself. I needed some spirits. I wanted to smile and laugh and enjoy my brothers. No more of these dark thoughts.

  “Xav!”

  I turned at the voice to see Sax jogging toward me. He came to a stop and immediately gripped the back of my neck, smashing our foreheads together so hard I winced from the pain.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  I grinned at him. “It’s okay. I know you’re always eager to touch me.”

  He shoved me away with a laugh. “You wish. I know you’re always shooting Val envious looks. I’m sorry Fatas didn’t pair us, but it’s probably for the best.”

  “We’re both too reckless to belong together.” I remembered all the times we took off on stupid joyrides and nearly got ourselves killed on more than one occasion.

  “Hey, I’m tamed now. I got a chit on the way and everything.”

  “I can’t believe we’ll all be subjected to another Saxus. Fatas help us.”

  He hit me in the shoulder. “Better than another of you.”

  My gaze strayed to Tabitha, and I yanked it back before Sax noticed. But of course, the smart fleck caught it. His voice lowered. “You could have made your move, brother. I don’t understand why you didn’t.”

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter now. I’ll be leaving. And maybe not returning.”

  All humor fled from Sax’s face, and this time when he hit me, he meant it. “Don’t talk like that.”

  “I’m being realistic.”

  “I hate that you have to go.”

  “You and I both know I’m the best choice.”

  “I tried to get Daz to send a squad to help you—”

  “It’s pointless to waste any more warriors.” I held up one finger. “I can fly.” I held up another one. “And I can talk. Charm. Negotiate. Whatever I have to do.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about my best friend flying off to unknown land on this flecking planet.”

  “We all have our purpose, Sax. You had yours when you stole that data from the Uldani, and now you’ll be raising the next generation.” I patted my chest. “This is mine. You have to let me have it.”

  His eyes dropped to his feet, and he braced his hands on his hips. “I just wish it was different.”

  “I don’t,” I said. “This is what I’m trained to do.” I needed to remember who I was—a Drixonian warrior. She is All. It was best I get away from here, from Tabitha, before I did something that went against that creed. I’d never forgive myself.

  Sax sighed heavily. “You’re right,” he murmured. “You really are the best choice. If anyone has a shot at success on this mission, it’s you.”

  His confidence inflated my chest. I felt like I could breathe again. Softer this time, I touched our foreheads. “I appreciate your support.”

  “Always.”

  I drew back. “Now can you let me get the spirits so we can get this bonfire going? I’m in the mood to watch the females dance and laugh until I pass out.”

  “Dance and laugh, huh?”

  “Yes,” I cupped my hands at my chest as I backed up toward my hut. “I like watching their breasts shake.”

  His face darkened. “You better not be watching Val’s!”

  “Never!” I let out a booming laugh across the courtyard as I turned on a heel and ran the rest of the way to the sounds of Sax hollering good-natured insults at me.

  That night, the spirits flowed freely. Even though only the council knew about my important mission, it seemed everyone within the walls was aware that something was coming on the horizon. Something big. Something like… Freedom. But before that, there would be war. We’d been there before. We could feel the change in the air.

  Their cheeks reddened from my spirits, the females huddled around the fire laughing. I enjoyed the way their skin flushed when they were feeling the effects of my brew. I especially enjoyed the way Tabitha grew louder, her movements more exaggerated. Right now, she was telling a story and her arms waved wildly while Frankie laughed uproariously.

  Daz watched his mate from a short distance away. Her belly seemed to grow every day. Val and Reba too. I figured it would only be a short time before Miranda and Naomi announced they were pregnant as well.

  The females weren’t the only reason for the final upcoming battle for our freedom, but they were the push we needed. The purpose. I would do anything to keep Tabitha’s smile that bright. Tonight, she wore what the females called a dress.

  To me, it was a large shirt with no pants, and the short material showed off her legs. A strong breeze could lift the loose fabric and show everyone her cunt, which made me grouchy. I didn’t want anyone seeing Tabitha like that. The tops of her breasts spilled over the top and jiggled when she moved.

  I couldn’t look away, and my mind played in vivid detail what I would do to that creamy skin if she was my mate. I’d press them together and stroke my cock through them while she knelt below me, pretty eyes watching me with lust. And then I’d cover her large breasts with my seed, rubbing it into her skin and refusing to let her use the cleanser until the next morning. She’d remain in my bed, smelling like me while I cupped her cunt as we slept.

  I shook my head, cursing under my breath. That was why I couldn’t get near her. Because the things I wanted to do to her weren’t fit for a warrior. I didn’t trust my self-control around her, and she’d probably run screaming if she knew all the ways I wanted to make her filthy.

  She looked up at that moment, our eyes catching over the flickering flames of the fire.

  I usually looked way when she caught me staring at her, but tonight my brain was too thick with spirits and the anticipation of tomorrow. And maybe, I wanted her to have a fond memory of me if I never returned—if she even cared to have any memory of me at all.

  At times, I felt her eyes on me, but I wasn’t sure it meant anything. Tabitha liked to look at all of us, laugh with us, and sometimes brush our arms with her soft fingers. Naomi called Tabitha’s actions flirting. When I’d asked what that meant, Naomi had told me it was a way for women to show interest in a male. I tried to remember if Tabitha had ever flirted with me.

  Someone sat down on the hollow leg next to me, and I turned to greet them. I stopped short when I realized Justine was my company. And she hadn’t sat down here on a whim. She was watching me closely, her dark eyes searing into me below her fringe of black hair. “Hey, Xav.”

  I took a gulp of spirits and let the liquid fire slide down my throat to spark in my belly. “Hey there, Jus.”

  She propped her chin in her fist. “What’cha doing?”

  I raised my cup. “What’s it look like?”

  “Pretending to stare into the fire when really you’re watching Tabitha’s every move?”

  “Psh.” I made a dismissive sound. “I’m watching Val. Trying to find a way to steal her away from Sax.”

  Justine laughed. “Yeah, I’d love to see how that works out. He dotes on her.”

  “You think I can’t dote?” I nudged her with my elbow. “I’m an excellent doter.”
/>
  She rolled her eyes. “Okay Mr. Confident. Well it’s clear despite your typical avoidance that you would prefer to dote on Tabitha. I don’t really get you two.”

  “There’s nothing to get.” My voice cracked, and I tried to hide it by clearing my throat.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, and it made me uncomfortable. She was the only female who could make me squirm with one glare. If she ever chose a mate, he would have to possess the biggest balls in the clavas.

  Finally, she shook her head with a sigh. “Whatever. I don’t even know why I’m getting involved. Maybe it’s because I’m tired of listening to her get herself off through our walls.”

  My mouth went dry. “She does … what?”

  Justine shot me a knowing grin, and I realized I’d been had. “You’ll have to ask her. I swore I heard her say your name a few times during her climax.”

  While I sat frozen, she clinked her cup with mine, stood up with a flourish and pranced—I hadn’t thought Justine capable of prancing—over to the rest of the females. She only stopped once when Nero stepped into her path. He said a few low words to her, which she seemed to toss back at him with a flick of her hair. She brushed past him, and he watched her go.

  I couldn’t stop thinking of her words. Tabitha made herself climax? In a clavas full of available males, she was servicing herself. I could barely suck in a breath as my chest tightened. My cock kicked in my pants, lengthening to half hard as I imagined Tabitha with her head thrown back, legs open, fingers moving along her slick folds…

  I had to leave. If I sat here any longer, I would make a fool of myself. I wasn’t fit for company. I took one last look across the fire to catch a glimpse of Tabitha, but she wasn’t there. I straightened, glancing among the blue bodies, but didn’t see one hair of her purple head. That wasn’t like her. She loved the bonfires and the feasts. She was usually one of the last to leave, eager to remain talking and laughing with whoever would keep her company.

  What if she wasn’t safe? What if one of the warriors from another clavas had her cornered? Sometimes the spirits made them forget their creed.

  I shot to my feet, my head muddled from the spirits as I’d drank more than I usually did. I shook it as clear as I could. Before tomorrow’s mission, I had one more tonight. Find Tabitha and make sure she was safe. Then get the fleck away from her before I dishonored myself. But even as I took off into the darkness, I couldn’t stop the images of Tabitha on her knees, in my bed, at my side.

  I should have stayed on my flecking log.

  Three

  Tabitha

  I smoothed my dress on the way back to the bonfire. I’d had to run to the bathroom to break the seal, even though I hadn’t had that much to drink yet. Normally I was the first to feel the effects, even with my higher tolerance, but tonight I felt like I wanted to take it slow. To remember this night. We weren’t let out that often anymore and I wanted to enjoy it.

  I shivered as I remembered Xavy’s eyes on me. I always loved how they glowed in the fire, the orange of the flames and the purple of his irises dancing together like experienced partners.

  Tonight, he hadn’t tried to pretend he wasn’t watching me. Part of me wished he wouldn’t do that because every time it got my hopes up. If he would just … completely ignore me I could maybe focus my attentions elsewhere. But no, I only wanted that bastard.

  “Tab?” My name cut through the darkness as I walked between two huts. I knew that voice. I stopped abruptly and blinked at Xavy’s form backlit by the moon and a lone solar light on the side of a hut.

  “Xavy?”

  His gaze darted around. “Are you okay?”

  I frowned. “Um, yeah? I had to use the expeller.” I used their term for it, even though it sounded gross and clinical.

  His shoulders dropped. “I noticed you weren’t at the fire. I was worried.”

  My frown immediately lifted as goosebumps raced up my arms. “Aw, so you came looking for me like a knight in shining scales?” I took a step forward and crossed my arms over my chest. Xavy’s gaze dropped to my boobs for a split second before darting back to my face.

  His eyelids fell to half-mast and his breathing sped up as he leaned against the side of the hut, the picture of effortlessly casual. I knew better. “I’m not sure if a knight in shining scales is a good thing or a bad thing.”

  I skipped a step closer. My bare feet kicked up some dirt. I didn’t wear shoes often, and my soles had gotten pretty tough. I stood close enough I could feel the heat from his body. All the Drixonians ran hot. I laid a hand on his muscled forearm. “It’s a good thing.”

  His muscles flexed beneath my touch. “Are you flirting with me, Tab?”

  The question caught me off-guard. “Who taught you that word?”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up into a lop-sided smirk. “I’m no snitch.”

  I dug my nails into his scales. “Where did you learn that word?”

  He laughed, and I loved the deep, husky sound. Tonight, it was a little louder and looser from the spirits, which I could just detect on his breath. He tapped his temple. “I pay attention to your Earth speak. I like the slang. Now answer my first question.”

  “And what was it?”

  He moved so quick I barely blinked. With his chest pressed to mine, and my back against the wall of the hut, he loomed over me with a hand braced near my head. His eyes glowed a warm violet. “Are you flirting with me, Tab?”

  Xavy had never acted this forward with me, not in the entire time I’d been on this planet. I pinched myself discreetly on the thigh, barely able to believe this was actually happening and I wasn’t passed out somewhere dreaming. He was just so big and masculine, his nipples rings begging to be tugged and his hair calling out to me to grasp and pull. How had I thought I could find a mate in any other male here? It was only Xavy for me.

  A single claw on the side of my neck reminded me I still had a question to answer. I swallowed and peered up at him in the dark. “Yes, Xav. I’m flirting with you.”

  He inhaled sharply, and his eyes closed briefly as that claw tip ran down over my clavicle before skating along the neckline of my dress, catching on the sensitive skin at the top of my breasts. “And on Earth, what is the purpose of flirting?”

  I couldn’t think as he ran that sharp point over and over the skin, dipping just below the neckline to catch on the outer edge of my areola. “Purpose?”

  “What comes next?”

  He watched his finger move over my chest, which heaved as I sought not to pant out loud like a starving dog in front of a bowl of food. I was starving. For a Drixonian-inspired orgasm.

  “Kissing. Fucking.”

  A shudder ran through his big body as his eyes bored into mine. “Do you touch yourself and think of me?”

  “What?” I nearly shouted, and as soon as the word was out of me, I knew who was responsible for him asking this question.

  Justine. The traitor. The snitch. Our damn walls were too thin. “Xavy…”

  “Show me,” he rasped as he gathered the hem of my skirt in a fist, slowly lifting it up my thighs.

  My knees were going to give out. My nipples pebbled like marbles and my pussy clenched. If he drew my dress up any farther, he’d be able to see by the damp spot on my panties I was wet.

  I unstuck my tongue from the roof of my mouth. “Show you?”

  “Yes.” His gaze had dropped to where he held my dress in a death-grip. “In case I don’t…” he swallowed heavily. “Please. Let me see how you touch yourself.”

  I’d touched myself plenty in my bed all alone, but never had I been turned on, even with my own fantasies, as I was now. I’d never performed for a man before, but this was Xavy. And he’d said please. I was positive I’d suck his cock in the middle of the feast, in front of everyone, if he had asked me nicely with a cherry on top.

  I batted my dress out of his hand and shimmied my underwear down my legs, leaving them pooled around one ankle. He took a small step back as I t
ugged my dress to the waist with one hand, revealing my pussy to his gaze.

  “Holy Fatas,” he murmured as he took in my lower half. I would have given anything to feel that pierced tongue in my mouth, around my nipples, and pressed to my clit, but if this was all I was going to get, I was going to enjoy it.

  I pinched my nipple through my dress and let out a soft moan.

  Xavy pressed a hand to his groin, where an impressive rod had grown down the leg of his pants. He gripped it, hard, so hard I thought his claws would tear through the fabric.

  I lowered my free hand between my legs, running my fingers through the wetness gathered there. I leaned my shoulders against the wall and jutted my hips out, giving him the best view I could muster. I didn’t feel self-conscious, because he’d asked for this, and frankly, it felt fucking good to touch myself. My clit was already swollen, begging be touched just from hearing a plea fall from Xavy’s lips.

  His face twisted into a grimace as he gave his thick cock one stroke. “Beautiful, Tab,” he whispered. “Let me see your fingers. I want to know how wet you are.”

  And I just grew wetter. I pulled my fingers away and showed him the liquid glistening on the pads. “So wet, Xav.”

  “Fleck,” he groaned as his hand stroked his cock again. “Please, I want to see more.”

  I flicked my clit with my thumb as I slid two fingers inside of myself. I arched my back, letting out a long moan at the fullness. It wasn’t enough, not now I’d seen what kind of monster he was packing. What would it feel like to ride that thickness until I screamed?

  Just the image of it had me working my clit faster, pumping my fingers into my slick channel with more force. I let my eyes fall half-closed as I imagined myself on all-fours, Xavy behind me with his hand tangled in my hair, growling and snarling as he fucked me like a beast.

  I wanted that—the tug on my scalp, the heat of his hand swatting my ass, and the grip of his fingers around my neck squeezing as I raced toward an orgasm that I knew would be huge. Immense. Torin-shattering.

  “Xavy,” I murmured. “Yes. You feel so good.”