TÄ|xÇ `tàx F Copyright © January 2011, Eve Langlais Cover art by Anastasia Rabiyah © January 2011 Amira Press Charlotte, NC 28227 www.amirapress.com ISBN: 978-1-936279-64-7 No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press. Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais Chapter One “Congratulations. By decree of the oracle, I am here to announce that your accomplishments on behalf of your clan and our world have won you the highest honor. You are to be mated.” Stunned, Reg gaped at the message bearer. Panic took root in his stomach and made him feel slightly ill at this unexpected and unwanted turn of events. He wanted to rail against the injustice. Plead for mercy. Then sanity prevailed along with a deep seated need for self-preservation. “Never. Not happening. I’d rather get sucked into a black hole.” To punctuate his stubborn words, Reg crossed his arms and glared at messenger of bad news on the view screen. The light blue face of the oracle’s attendant creased in puzzlement. “You are refusing the prestige of being chosen worthy enough to claim a mate?” “That is correct. I have no interest in shackling myself to a female.” By his ancestors, he’d rather die first. Mating would mean no more space exploration and discovery. No more adventures. Binding himself to a female and, in turn, planet side was an abhorrent thought he refused to entertain. “But—but—” The attendant seemed at a loss for words. “Your ancestors are already seeking your perfect match. No one ever says no. This is supposed to be your reward for all your hard work.” “I am saying no and if you want to reward me, give me a raise. Now, if that is all, may I return to my current mission?” Flustered, the servant to the Oracle opened her mouth, probably to argue again, when suddenly, she disappeared. In her place, the veiled form of the Oracle herself, the spiritual leader for his people—a diminutive female who ruled the various clans with a titanium fist—appeared. “First class warrior Reg’iantros Vel Veratu, have I heard correctly? Do you refuse the gift we bestow upon you?” Reg was now the one caught off balance, face to face with the woman who had Reg was now the one caught off balance, face to face with the woman who had started and stopped wars. He ducked his head in respect, not daring to look her in the eye, or the veiled area he assumed hid her eyes. “Sorry, 1 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais Oracle, but the idea of settling down is repugnant to me. I appreciate the gift you would bless me with, but I would prefer to continue as I am.” “I see.” Two simple words, which held a wealth of meaning—one he didn’t understand. The covered head of the Oracle tilted to one side and when she spoke again, Reg thought he heard mirth in her tone, impossible of course. The Oracle never joked, or so he assumed. “Very well then, we will pass the prestige on to another. Now, before you resume your mission, though, we require you to perform a small task. Nothing too taxing. We need you to divert from your current course and head instead to the orbit around the planet known as Earth. The ancestral spirits are asking that we rescue an earthling who is about to be killed by a stray asteroid. The ancestors claim she is excellent Xamian mate material and is to be protected until such time as a lucky male is chosen for her.” Poor sap. Now that he’d slipped the noose of matrimony, Reg felt sorry for others caught in the trap. As to the mission, it seemed simple enough, if odd. “Why do her people not save her themselves?” “They find themselves in quandary as the female in question is in a vessel orbiting their planet and they cannot reach her before the asteroid hits and destroys the habitat in which she currently resides.” “How can they have achieved space travel and not mastered rudimentary space protection?” asked Reg baffled. “They’ve evolved differently than our own people no matter our physical similarities. Now, will you rescue the woman?” “Sure, just send me the coordinates.” Any excuse to stay in space longer was welcome. Besides, he was curious about the earthling. He’d seen a few from afar on his home planet on his few visits and they’d appeared exotic to him with their pale, almost pink skin. pale, almost pink skin. “Excellent.” The Oracle seemed well pleased with herself and, once again, Reg could have sworn he heard laughter in her voice when she signed off saying, “Good luck with your new mission.” Reg didn’t need luck. As a first class space warrior, he never failed in his duty and his skills were without compare. Rescuing a female in distress would be simple. 2 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais But as he redirected his vessel to the earthling’s location, he couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding. Why do I feel like my life is about to change? And worse, why does it seem like I can still hear the Oracle laughing in my mind? 3 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais Chapter Two “Oh fudge. I’m going to die.” Even upset as she was, Penelope couldn’t swear with real words, her upbringing with a strong emphasis on manners too strongly instilled. Her lack of strong vocabulary had made her an object of ridicule among her peers in the space program she’d signed up for, but she’d borne their jokes with gritted teeth and stayed true to herself. Her breath came fast and hard as panic clawed at her. She dropped her face into her hands, too shocked to cry at the news NASA had just relayed. Sure, when she’d undertaken this quest, she’d understood there were risks and filled out the proper forms including a will—not that she had much to give, or anybody to give it to. I wonder what they’ll do with my collection of glass cats. What a stupid thing to think of at a time like this. Who cared? She was about to die. NASA’s life changing words played over and over in her head like some sick joke. “…regret to inform you that a small asteroid is headed on a collision course with your pod. Impact is unavoidable and will occur in less than fifteen minutes. We regret that computer simulations give you no chance at survival. Sorry. We’ve already downloaded all your latest observations so that your work is not lost. Would you care to relay any last words to family and friends?” Instead of replying, she’d switched off the communicator. Somehow, she didn’t think the crew at Cape Canaveral would appreciate hysterical screaming. Penelope pressed her face up against the porthole window and squinted at the darkness, wondering if she’d even see the small rock coming to blow her into galactic bits. I wonder if my remains wil fal to the ground in a bloody Penelope rain, or will I orbit earth forever in frozen chunks? Gross thoughts, but she couldn’t help the macabre humor. It was that or give in to the hysteria bubbling inside. And to think I was so proud I’d beaten out everyone else for this job. Hundreds had jumped at the chance to be sent into space to live for one year in a pod alone with only the stars and NASA staff on the intercom for company. They wanted to conduct a study on the effects of space on a person both mentally 4 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais and physically. And Penelope had won. In a rapid blur and before she could realize what it really meant, she’d found herself examined, inoculated and given a crash course on space pod living and repair. Then, wham, she’d found herself weightless in space. Reality, of course, differed from the simulations. For one, it was much harder to pee without gravity than she’d expected. There were a few incidents before she re-learned to use the potty without having to clean up floating drops of urine—so gross. And the food, freeze dried rations, were so unappetizing she would have ended up a skeleton had she been able to exercise without bouncing off the pod’s instrument panels. However, small irritants aside, to her surprise, she discovered she enjoyed the quiet peace of space. Her living quarters were small, most of the habitat space taken up with environmental needs such as air and temperature control, but she survived in her cramped home. She used her time to read and took notes on the experience. She’d written a hundred pages for her thesis already. When she found herself getting lonely, she cheered herself by imagining her name and picture on the front page of all the major science magazines. This was to be a crowning achievement for her and a dream come true. What a nightmare instead. She’d definitely make the news now though, probably with headlines of “Asteroid Kills Geek Girl.” Pity she wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy her infamy. Penelope stamped the floor in frustration and the impact shot her up to bump her head on the ceiling of the pod as she forgot the gravity situation. The light whack didn’t actually hurt, but she rubbed her head anyway as tears brimmed. It’s not fair! I don’t want to die. Agnostic, she didn’t believe in a god or religion, but she dropped to her knees— kind of, if you counted bent knees while floating in a gravity free zone kneeling —and suddenly converted. With her eyes clamped shut and her hands clasped —and suddenly converted. With her eyes clamped shut and her hands clasped together, she prayed fervently. “Please God, Yahweh, Aslan, Buddha or whatever name you prefer, it’s me, Penelope. I know we’ve never talked before probably because, according to science, you don’t exist. But if, by chance, research is wrong and you are 5 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais actually real, I don’t suppose you’d find it in your heart, if you have a heart that is, to save me, somehow. I’d be ever so grateful.” “I am here to answer your prayer, earthling. Consider yourself saved.” At the sound of the deep voice behind her and the hand that touched her shoulder, Penelope screamed, and in a very illogical move, especially for her, passed out. Reg stared at the female in the silvery jumpsuit floating facedown in the barbaric craft and wondered why she’d reacted so strangely. He spoke aloud, switching back to his mother tongue instead of the crude language earthlings used. “Ralph, is the Earthling ill?” Alpha 400, the newest AI model for his spacecraft—intelligent and imbued of enough personality to demand a name—replied via ear transmitter. “I believe you frightened her.” “But I heard her request to be saved. Why would she be scared when I have arrived to grant her wish?” “My records indicate that females of all species tend to react in unexpected ways even when given what they’ve demanded. Now, if I might suggest, you should gather her that we might teleport off her vessel. The asteroid is due to impact in less than five hundred lunar millicycles.” less than five hundred lunar millicycles.” Reg leaned down and turned the female over onto her back. He sucked in a breath. What a lovely creature. Her skin was the white of the snows on Lentarra Five. Her hair the rich red of the fires on Altykia. Her full mouth was slightly parted and soft-looking, tempting him for a moment to kiss her awake. With a mental slap, he reminded himself she wasn’t a space doxy in some galactic brothel—if she were, she’d probably demand a high price. Bringing his mind back to the situation at hand, he slid an arm under head and gave her a light tap on the cheek. Her delicate lashes fluttered and she opened her eyes. Instead of screaming, she smiled dreamily at him. 6 Alien Mate 3 Eve Langlais “What do you know, there is a heaven. How extraordinary, but I have to say, I didn’t expect angels to be blue.” “I am not an angel, whatever that creature might be. I am a Xamian warrior here to rescue you.” “A Xamian what?” Her green eyes widened. “Oh sweet baby corn, you’re an alien.” She flailed in an attempt to right herself in the gravity-free space. “You’ve come to abduct me, how grand!” “Rescue,” he corrected. “Now hold on tight, we’re going to transport back to my vessel before this one disintegrates.” The female flung her arms around his neck and Reg wrapped his own arms around her slight frame, not understanding the instant interest his cock took in this female. Pretty face or not, her frame was slimmer than he usually preferred, but his shaft, turgid in his own jumpsuit didn’t seem bothered by it. “Ralph, we’re ready.” A heartbeat later, he found himself back in the decontamination chamber of his