Alien Mate (4 page)

Diana giggled. “What, they need to be in love?”

13

Kor frowned at her. “I am not sure I understand that word. We don’t have a translation for it in our language. What I am talking about is complete mental balance, where the souls of both join and become as one.”

Now it was Diana’s turn to frown. “What do you mean the souls join? You guys believe in souls? Life after death?”

“Yes, but we are digressing. The Oracle said she’d found a way for us to rebuild our population by bringing in female outsiders. At first this idea was scoffed at. We are a proud race, but numbers, mainly population numbers, brought us to our senses. If we did not do as the Oracle suggested, our race would die out.”

“So one person is in charge of setting all you men up with wives?”

“Not quite. The Oracle, as you said, is only one, the universe vast. She wisely turned to the spirits of our ancestors to help us in our hour of need.”

“You mean you’re letting ghosts choose your brides?”

“The spirits of our ancestors are nothing so vulgar as your world’s concept of ghosts.

They are beings of energy that retain a sense of their corporeal self.”

Diana snorted. “Ghosts.”

Kor’s brows drew together, and she could see him about to argue again, but he held himself back. With a pained expression, he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “The ancestral spirits, not being bound by the laws of physics that we are, can travel the galaxy quickly.

With the fate of our civilization at stake, the Oracle asked them for help. While some had been dead so long they’d lost their sense of self and family, many others, especially the recently dead females, still remembered and thus set themselves to the task of finding mates for their remaining male family members. As choices are made, the spirits inform the Oracle, who then notifies the lucky male.”

“Do the men not get a choice in this?”

Kor squirmed a bit. “The males are given the choice of whether or not they wish to have an alien mate found for them, as the females of our species, even so many of moon cycles later, are still too few.”

Diana watched him and had a feeling there was more to it than that. “And?” she said, arching a brow and trying to look supercilious.

“Males fill out a questionnaire with one of the Oracle’s acolytes, and the questionnaire is relayed to the spirits.”

Diana jumped up. “You mean I was chosen from some kind of shopping list you made up?”

Kor’s cheeks blushed a mauve color, but instead of admitting he was wrong, he jumped up to defend his actions. “If my ancestors had followed my list, you wouldn’t be here. I asked for a biddable female, not someone who questions everything I say or do.”

“Well excuse me, Ken, for not being your perfect Barbie doll,” she retorted, hurt that he didn’t consider her his ideal female. She was even more pissed that she even cared what this stupid blue alien thought.

“I do not know what you refer to, but before you get all annoyed, let me just say in my defense that I was simply following procedure.”

“Blah, blah, blah,” chanted Diana. “I’m not listening to you.”

Maybe it was the fingers in her ears that sent him over the edge. Whatever it was, Diana found herself wrapped in a pair of strong blue arms, looking up into a volatile pair of violet eyes that swirled with emotion.

“Let me g—” Diana never did finish her sentence, as his firm lips crushed hers and captured her voice. And to her mental chagrin—but her body’s delight—she felt that same 14

inferno as earlier go racing through her body, lighting all her senses and making her melt in his arms.

Floating on a pleasurable cloud that consisted only of his lips making hers feel
ooooh soooo
good, she didn’t register what he said at first.

“They didn’t follow my list, but,” he said, tightening his arms when she tried to push away, “I’m realizing that perhaps my ancestors knew what I needed better than I did.”

Diana stilled and looked up at him. “Really? Even though I’m not docile and I argue?”

“Well, I could do without the arguing. However”—he grinned at the glint in her eye—“it will sure make our lives more interesting, won’t it?”

With lots to ponder, he brought a dazed Diana back to the cabin. To her surprise, he left the door unlocked, a fact she discovered when she learned how to open the door by watching him. Basically she just needed to slide her hand over the wall in the right spot.
So
I’m not a prisoner on the ship, at least.

But instead of roaming, she paced, thinking about what she’d learned. Diana still wasn’t crazy about the idea of some ghosts running around the universe with a list looking for gals who could be kidnapped, but in a perverse way, it was kind of romantic.
I mean, think about it.

Of all the women in the universe, they chose me. And from what Kor’s said, they know their stuff. Me, the
perfect wife for a hunky blue
stud.

Even better, in his obtuse way, Kor had said he liked her. Diana warmed at the thought.

Then kicked herself.

Hello, Earth to Diana. What the hell am I thinking? I can’t seriously be entertaining the thought of
bonding with him. He’s arrogant, controlling, a kidnapper, not to mention part of an entirely different species.

But then again, he’s hot, he thinks I’m hot, and he makes me feel better than a cherry-topped, caramel-smothered, vanilla ice cream sundae.
Mmm, now I’m hungry again.

“Alphie,” she called.

“Yes, dear Diana.”

“I’m hungry,” she said plaintively. Although most of her hunger seemed to be centered between her legs. No matter, the between-the-lips kind would have to do. She never made important decisions on an empty tummy.

And as she sucked on her spoon, licking every creamy drop of the sundae Alphie managed to conjure up, she thought about her blue suitor and, to her chagrin, how he made her feel.

15

“No, absolutely not,” Diana said, arms crossed, shaking her head.

Kor sighed and resisted the urge to rip out his hair. “These shots are necessary to ensure your health and well-being once we arrive on my planet.” Not to mention one of them had the implant that would allow her to speak and understand all languages. He’d thought it best not to tell her about it being included in the shots, given her earlier rant about implants turning humans into killers. Earthlings had way too much imagination.

“No way. I am not letting you inject me with some weird alien cocktail,” she repeated stubbornly.

“The shots will barely hurt. Please cooperate. We need to vaccinate you.”

“Not to mention make your Earth eggs more viable,” piped in an unhelpful Alphie.

Kor mentally groaned and braced himself.

“What?”
she shrieked. “You’re trying to pump me with fertility drugs? I haven’t even agreed to marry you yet.”

Kor brightened. She used the word “yet” instead of “absolutely not.”
I’m making progress
.

Now if she’d just calm down so he could give her the shots.

But Diana was on a rampage, and he watched her through slitted eyes as she railed back and forth about aliens and their needles. Although she did lose him for a bit when she ranted about anal probes. What kind of perverted medicine did earthlings practice anyway?

When she finally ran out of breath, Kor said one word that he’d discovered during his recent research into earthlings and their behavior. “Chicken.”

Diana stopped and faced him, mouth open. “Am not,” she retorted.

“Yes, you are chicken. All your unreasonable claims of me trying to poison, kill, or maim you are just that, unreasonable. If I wanted to hurt you, I could. Yet I haven’t, even though you would provoke just about anybody else. So you know what? Don’t take the shots. And when you end up in the hospital with your stomach dissolved and coming out of your rectum, don’t complain. I’m just trying to prevent this.” Kor had a hard time keeping a straight face when he said this, but his words had the effect desired. She turned to the side and presented him with the smooth flesh of her shoulder.

Kor quickly gave her the shots and then, in another Earth custom, kissed the red mark.

“All done,” he said, pleased when she flushed at his touch. His feisty intended seemed to be melting toward him. He just wished she’d hurry it up. He didn’t want to be the first one to ever return unbonded because his chosen didn’t like him.

“Why are our species so alike?”

Her unexpected question startled Kor, so he replied with a question. “Don’t your people keep histories?”

Diana wrinkled her nose. “Of course we do, but what’s that got to do with how similar we are physically?”

“I’d say we have a lot of differences. I can show you if you’d like?” Kor said with a comical leer.

Diana giggled and blushed. “No, I’ve seen your difference. I’m talking about how we look and stuff. I mean, we’re both from different planets, right?”

“But we share the same creators.”

She gave him a perplexed look. “What, you mean to say God made you too?”

“The progenitors of our race were not gods. We are—and I am speaking of both our people—descended from a race of superior sentient beings. Space travelers that roamed the galaxies seeding populations and starting civilizations.”

16

“You mean we’re descended from aliens?” Her eyes grew wide.

“Did it ever occur to you that who is an alien is a matter of perspective?”

Diana thought about this for a second and frowned. “Wait, are you saying you’re not the alien, I am?”

“You will be when we reach my planet. But fear not, alienists are few. Rebuilding our species is more important than illogical notions. But forget about that. You want to know where we come from. Many sentient beings are descended from this super race. The differences that have evolved, such as our skin and small biological features, are a result of our different planetary environments. Our bodies’ adaptations. This shared genetic heritage is why it’s possible for us to mate. Sentient beings that evolved on their own do not share these common traits with us.”

“You mean there are real aliens out there?”

“If you mean nonhumanoids, then yes. Alphie has a catalog of charted planets and their inhabitants if you’re interested. I especially enjoy the Kergorsiams—their touch has enough hormones in it to make you orgasm on the spot. Kind of embarrassing if you’re in public when it happens.”

Diana laughed as he intended, and Kor went on to tell her more tales of alien encounters just to keep her smiling. It beat her yelling at him, and as she relaxed, he inched closer. He just couldn’t help himself. He wanted, no needed, to touch her. Even more puzzling, he wanted her to feel the same way.

Ancestors, what have you done to me?

* * * *

Diana giggled as Kor told her far-fetched stories of alien life.
I know he’s got to be pulling my
leg, but at least he’s entertaining.

After one tale on the mating rituals of the Xianmalons—it seemed odd that you needed to die in order to get married first—she broached the subject of bonding.

“Okay, so you need to explain this bonding thing to me a little better. I mean, it is why I’m here. Mind you, I’m not saying yes. I’m just curious.”

Kor, who had gotten closer to her while he talked—disturbingly close—seemed pleased with her question. “What do you want to know?”

“If I understood you correctly before, we get naked, then say some words, and we’re, like, married?”
So much for a white wedding.

“Bluntly, yes, although it is a little more spiritual than that.”

“I still don’t see why we need to be naked.” Although she had to admit that a part of her looked forward to seeing him naked again.
Surely he can’t be as big as I remember. Can he?

“As part of the bonding ritual, the shedding of our vestments symbolizes the leaving behind of our previous life and coming into our new life together as equals.”

His words startled her vision of all the smooth blue flesh, and she almost blushed. “That makes sense, I guess. In my world, we wear our fanciest clothes for the occasion. Women especially tend to wear really fancy white dresses, and the men wear tuxes.”

“I’ve seen examples of Earth weddings. It seems rather ornate and ritual-driven, not to mention crowded with spectators. On my world, it is a private matter between two individuals.”

Kor leaned even closer when he said this, his lips hovering over hers, making her breath hitch. Feeling her body betray her again, Diana moved away. She couldn’t think coherently when he got that close.

17

“I’m not saying I won’t be your mate, but I’d like more time to decide or at least feel like I’m the one making the choice and not some strange oracle.”
Although if he keeps getting close to
me, it will be my hormones making the choice soon.
Damn, he turns me on.

“I will respect your choice, for now. But keep in mind that we must have this accomplished before we arrive at my planet. While females are held sacred, that doesn’t mean that they will allow a nonmated female to walk around. Oracle or not, there are some who will claim you for their own with no regard to your wishes.”

Diana didn’t like his last remark. She didn’t like feeling pressured. She’d bond if and when she chose to. And if anyone thought—Kor included—that they could force her, she’d

. . .
Probably not have much of a choice
, she thought, sighing.

It wasn’t that she disliked Kor. On the contrary, she found him entertaining, a good listener, patient—very, very patient—not to mention super sexy. But was that enough? They were talking about a lifelong commitment. Or was he? Did they have divorce in his society?

And she still worried about adapting. Would she be lonely for others of her kind? Homesick for the things she’d lost? And what color would her babies end up being—light blue? Diana almost giggled at that thought. She must have made some kind of noise, though, for Kor looked at her oddly.

“What is so entertaining?”

Diana thought about lying, but then imagining a purple baby, giggled and told him,