Page 7 of Royal Alien Mate

She found herself strangely attracted to this huge alien male, whoever he was.

He stepped closer and it took all her strength to remain in place. She judged him to be at least seven feet tall and she had to lift her chin higher just to hold his penetrating gaze.

Why was he staring at her with such a fierce intensity?

Her skin prickled with awareness and she felt increasingly faint in his presence.

“Who are you?” she asked.

His sensuous lips curved in a slight smile, and to her shock, his eyes lit up with what appeared to be pleasure, completely transforming his rigid, imposing features.

He reached for her hand and placed a kiss upon it, his lips branding her flesh with a tingling heat that made her shudder. He also tapped one foot against hers, ever so lightly, and she vaguely remembered it was some sort of Martian greeting—instead of shaking hands, they tapped one another’s feet.

But he soon lifted her hand to his lips again, as if unable to resist placing another kiss upon her knuckles.

In her surprise over his bold actions, she gasped, even as warmth flooded her center. She wasn’t certain if she should tap her foot to his in return, so she simply stood before him and awaited his response to her question, even though she now had a very good idea about his identity.

“I am Vaath,” he replied. “Your mate.”

Oh God. She sucked in a quick breath and was once again struck by his huge size. He was taller than most Martian males she’d seen. And she was supposed to marryhim? Nerves seized her and for several long moments, she couldn’t find her voice. When she finally managed to speak, her words issued as a shaky whisper.

“It-it is nice to meet you, Vaath,” she said as a sudden bout of shyness overcame her. She didn’t have much experience with men or dating and now she was about to become a married woman. Before she’d signed up to become a mail order bride, her life had consisted of working long grueling hours and helping to take care of her younger sisters, which had left little time for socializing with her peers, let alone dating.

Vaath. The name sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t quite place it.

Still holding her hand, he reached up with his free hand and cupped her face, stroking his fingers along her cheek in a slow, enticing caress.

The warmth flooding her center flared hotter and she found herself shifting in place. When she inadvertently pressed her thighs together, she felt the throbbing of her arousal, a steady pulsing sensation unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. And yet, despite her attraction to Vaath, she still couldn’t help but fear him.

Not only was he so much larger than her, but he was also a Martian, he belonged to a race of fierce aliens who had conquered her people. Though the war had occurred when she was too young to remember it, she’d heard stories about what life had been like on Earth before the arrival of the Martians.

The people of Earth still longed for life to return to the way it once was.

Humans still longed for freedom.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she was betraying her people, in a way, by agreeing to become the bride of a Martian.

“You are beautiful,” Vaath said in a deep rumble as his eyes shone brighter. “Your hair is like spun sunshine and your eyes are like blue bottomless lakes.” His nostrils flared as he leaned closer, taking a deep inhale as he very obviously smelled her. When she tried to back away, he released her hand and grabbed hold of her upper arm, forcing her to remain in place. “And you smell quite enticing, my sunshine.” He took another deep inhale. “You are excited. You desire the consummation of our marriage.”

She pushed against his chest, though he didn’t release her. “I-I do not,” she insisted vehemently, “desire the consummation of our marriage, and I would appreciate it if you stopped smelling me.”

He pulled back just far enough to peer into her eyes, and his face remained so close to hers that she felt the heat of his breath upon her neck and cheeks. Amusement sparkled in the depths of his dark eyes.

“Don’t worry, my eager bride. You won’t have to wait long.” He grasped her hand again and led her out into the corridor. “Come, and I will show you where you will live, and then we will find a Wise One to bless our mating union.”

Esmay’s mind whirled as they navigated the corridors of the ship and finally emerged into the brightness of a beautiful day. The sun hovered on the horizon, though she wasn’t sure if it was morning or late afternoon. Everywhere she looked, she saw green, more green than she’d ever seen in her whole life. Well, aside from pictures of rainforests. There were houses too, large structures that appeared sculpted from red clay, all of which were surrounded by thick vegetation.

In the distance, she glimpsed the largest structure of all—the palace. Her heart raced. It towered over the entire landscape, its tall red spires reaching high into the blue sky, almost touching the white, billowing clouds above.

That’s where I’m going to live.

Disbelief swept through her.

She paused on the ship’s ramp and gawked at the planet that would be her new home. She’d seen images of Mars, a rust-colored barren land, taken before the aliens had terraformed it, and the difference left her stunned.

If only the aliens would use their terraforming technology to help repair the places on Earth that had been left barren or uninhabitable due to global warming and pollution.

Was that even possible?

---