Ravenous Alien Mate Read online

  “Leah? Leah?”

  Somewhere in the distance, Leah heard a man speaking her name. His deep voice vibrated over her, soothing her, despite the undeniable note of worry in his tone.

  She didn’t know where she was or what was happening, but she felt safe. She tried opening her eyes, but the effort left her exhausted, so she stopped trying for a while.

  Instead, she allowed herself to drift, only vaguely aware of the sound of two distinct voices speaking in a language she couldn’t understand.

  But she recognized the tongue. It was Martian. The telltale buzzing and clicking noises of the alien language swirled in her head.

  A familiar masculine scent reached her, and she breathed deep, trying to place it, when she heard the deep voice calling her name again.

  Something was rubbed across her forehead and her skin instantly tingled and cooled. She also felt pressure at her arm, followed by an odd whooshing noise. Had someone given her a hypospray? And if so, why? Was she sick?

  Her eyes finally opened and focused on a concerned looking purple Martian male hovering above her. He glanced behind him and called out what sounded like an order in his own tongue.

  A second later, another Martian appeared above her. This alien appeared older than the purple one, and his skin was a deep orange shade.

  All at once, her memories returned. Prison. The deal with the parole board. Traveling to Mars. Meeting Jav. Receiving a blessing upon their mating union.

  She was a mail order bride.

  A Martian’s mate.

  She recalled feeling extremely hot and then… nothing. She must have passed out. Her face flamed at the knowledge.

  She tried to sit up in the bed, only to realize she wasn’t wearing any clothing. A thin sheet was draped over her. She was still wearing a bra and panties, though, for which she was grateful. At least Jav hadn’t seen her completely naked yet. She clutched the sheet and sank back on the pillow, staring up at Jav and the orange Martian, who she surmised must be a doctor.

  “Leah,” Jav said, his voice tinged with relief. “Thank the Gods you are awake. How are you feeling?”

  “A bit tired and confused,” she admitted.

  “You lost consciousness,” he confirmed. “The doctor says you are suffering from exhaustion and poor nutrition. He believes that, combined with possibly becoming overheated, caused you to pass out.”

  “I’m sorry,” she blurted, hating that he’d had to call a doctor. She didn’t want to be any trouble to him, nor did she wish to draw attention to herself.

  “You have no need to apologize,” he replied, caressing a hand through her hair. “I am the one who is sorry. I ought to have noticed you weren’t feeling well.”

  The orange Martian cleared his throat and met her gaze. “I have given you a vitamin infusion and your first anti-aging nanobot treatment.”

  “Anti-aging what?” Still clutching the sheet over her bosom, she managed to sit up against the pillows.

  “All human females on Mars are given anti-aging nanobot treatments that allow them to match their lifespans to that of the average Marttiaxoxalian male’s. The nanobot treatments will also strengthen you and heal nearly any ailment that might afflict you. You should start to feel better very soon. However, you must consume healthy foods and not skip meals.”

  Leah took stock of her body. Nothing hurt. She was no longer as tired as when she first awoke. In fact, she felt as though her energy was returning to her rapidly. It was a strange sensation, as if she’d just consumed several cups of coffee, but without the jittery side effects of the caffeine.

  “Thank you, doctor,” she said, shooting the orange Martian a brief smile. “Um, just how long is the average Martian’s lifespan?” She’d heard they lived much longer than humans but had never really given it any thought until this moment.

  “About four hundred years,” the doctor replied in a casual tone, moving toward the bedroom door. He exchanged some words in rapid-fire Martian with Jav and then departed the room.

  She looked at Jav. “Four hundred years? Is he serious?”

  He grasped her hand and pulled it to his lips, placing a kiss upon her hand as his eyes gleamed with warmth. “Yes, four hundred years. The males of my kind mate for life. We typically become very attached to our females, so as soon as the first human females mated with us, our scientists began developing a treatment to lengthen their lives.”

  She was stunned. Not only by the sudden knowledge that she would live far longer than she’d ever imagined possible, but by Jav’s statement that the males of his kind became very attached to their females. Did that mean they usually fell in love? A lump formed in her throat at the prospect.

  “Do you feel as though you could eat something now?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.” She felt shy admitting she was hungry, but her stomach was rumbling, and it had been hours since she last ate anything. On the spaceship, she had helped herself to a quick snack in the kitchen, taken a shower and washed her hair, and then fallen asleep in one of the comfortable beds in the women’s quarters for the remainder of the trip.

  He kissed her hand again and rose to his feet. “Stay here, sweet Leah. I’ll be back soon.”

  Chapter 8

  Jav cursed under his breath. He ought to have noticed that Leah was feeling unwell, but his desire to claim her as his mate had overwhelmed him, clouding his senses.

  He stalked to the kitchen and headed for the food replicator, using it to make a large bowl of etaiak soup, one of the most nutritious dishes he could think of, for it contained an array of vegetables and lean meats.

  Next, he set about filling a tray with fresh fruit, a glass of water, and several slices of bread. He placed the soup on the tray, added the proper utensils and a cloth napkin, and hurried back to the bedroom where Leah was resting.

  Her eyes lit up when she saw the food. “Wow, you’re a fast cook,” she said. “It smells delicious. Thank you, Jav, you are most kind.” Moisture glimmered in her eyes, but she blinked rapidly and it disappeared an instant later.

  “I made it in the food replicator, but you’re very welcome.” He opened the legs of the tray and placed it over her lap, hoping this sustenance helped her feel better.

  The color had returned to her face, a good sign of her returning health, likely due to the healing nanobots, but it pained him to know she had suffered on Earth. She’d come to him starving and with no possessions to her name.

  “Mm, this is wonderful,” she said after swallowing the first bite of soup.

  He pulled up a chair and sat next to her, unwilling to leave her alone. He watched as she nibbled on the fruit and took several more bites of soup. She tried the bread and gave him an appreciative look.

  “Who took my clothes off?” she asked, her cheeks turning pink. “You or the doctor?”

  “I did,” he answered, rage filling him at the thought of anyone undressing her but him, even a doctor. “The doctor believed your attire might be the cause of your overheating, and he also wanted to ensure you weren’t injured anywhere.” Jav stifled a growl. He hadn’t liked it when the doctor had glimpsed her unclothed body, but at the time it couldn’t be helped.

  “Thank you for taking care of me and calling for a doctor, Jav,” she said, setting her spoon down on the tray. Again, her eyes shone with moisture. She blinked and the glimmer of tears vanished. He was starting to get the sense that she wasn’t used to being taken care of, and he wanted to know more about her life on Earth.

  “What family members did you leave behind in Zone 12?” he asked.

  She swallowed hard and avoided his gaze. “I, um, didn’t leave any family members behind. My parents passed away when I was seventeen.”

  “You don’t have any siblings?” he asked. “Or aunts or uncles or cousins?”

  She shook her head, and she still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “No. None. I was an only child and my parents were both only children.”

  Though he sensed this subjec
t pained her, he pressed on. “What about friends?”

  “I had friends when I was a child,” she said, her gaze becoming distant as she stared across the room, “but as I got older and started working, we sort of lost touch.”

  Her confession left him astonished. He had assumed she would be leaving someone behind that she cared about, only to learn she’d truly had no one, at least not since her parents passed away when she was seventeen. He longed to take her in his arms and hold her, but the food tray was still on her lap and he didn’t want to take it away if she wasn’t finished eating yet.

  “How old are you now?” he asked, wanting to know how many years she’d been without family.

  “Twenty-eight.”

  Not for the first time today, his heart broke for her.

  “Why did you sign up to become a mail order bride?” he asked. Her reasons for signing up might be obvious—she was without family, friends, and had likely been struggling to survive—but he wanted to hear it in her own words.

  She opened her mouth, only to close it right away. After a while, she drew in a deep breath and finally replied. “My hours at the factory where I worked were reduced and I was no longer earning enough to pay for the room I rented. I had nowhere else to go.”

  He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “You have a home now, sweet Leah, and a family. I am your family. Whatever you need, I will provide. It will be my honor to take care of you.”

  Jav was being too nice to her.

  She should want him to be nice to her, but she couldn’t help feeling as though she didn’t deserve his kindness. She’d spent the last ten years in prison, paying for her crimes. If he discovered she’d been convicted of arson and robbery—for stealing from and burning down a Martian Affairs building—he probably wouldn’t be so nice to her. Hell, he would probably put her on a ship and send her back to Earth.

  Her stomach lurched. If that happened, would she be returned to prison?

  Coldness gripped her at the thought of returning to the frigid windowless cell, only to be let outside once a week for an hour, usually when the smog was thickest over the city.

  Guilt plagued her over the lies she’d told Jav. About not having any siblings. And her claim about her hours at the factory getting reduced. She’d worked in one of the Martian-run factories from ages fifteen to eighteen, but she hadn’t been employed by anyone when she’d left Earth. She hadn’t just stretched the truth, she’d lied to his face, and more than once.

  He had treated her with nothing but kindness thus far, and this fact only deepened her feelings of guilt. She wished she could’ve been like the other mail order brides on the spaceship.

  A few of them had shared their reasons for leaving Earth with one another, and she’d eavesdropped while lying in one of the beds, just before she’d fallen asleep. Most had left for financial reasons, because their families owed back taxes or couldn’t afford rent. Most mentioned giving the ten thousand galactic credits they were given upon signing up to become a Martian’s bride to either family or friends.

  The parole board hadn’t mentioned the money and she wondered if it would be in her account if she checked. Not that she needed it. She glanced around the bedroom, still in awe over the spaciousness and beauty of Jav’s quarters. Thus far, she had only glimpsed the foyer, a sitting room, and a bedroom. But the door to the bedroom was open, giving a view of another large room. He also apparently had a kitchen.

  She’d grown up in a small home, then lived with her boyfriend for a year in a shed he’d rented from a friend, before she’d been sentenced to prison. She wasn’t used to such opulence. Or such amazing views. She sat up higher and peered out the nearby window, transfixed by the sight of Ressiktron, the capital city of Mars.

  “Are you finished eating?” Jav asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Thank you again, everything was delicious.”

  He took her tray and departed the bedroom, calling over his shoulder that he would return to her side shortly.

  Wanting to get out of bed, she looked around for her pants and sweatshirt, but she didn’t spot her clothing anywhere. Now that her energy had returned and she had a full stomach, she had the urge to explore Jav’s quarters and also get a better look out the windows.

  She pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around herself, then ventured into the large master bathroom. She closed the door, took care of business, washed her hands and face, and then resumed looking for her clothing.

  When she exited the bathroom, she spotted a bundle of gray fabric in the corner of the bedroom, on the other side of a bedside table. She hurried toward her clothing, hoping to get dressed before Jav returned, even if the sweat suit was a bit too warm for this climate. She couldn’t very well walk around naked all day or wrapped in nothing but a bedsheet.

  A gasp left her when she picked up the pants. They were shredded in pieces. She found the shirt in the same condition. Confused, she stood up and looked at the doorway just as Jav entered the room.

  “Why-why did you rip up my clothing?” she asked, shame washing through her once more. He’d mentioned providing for her, but she’d only just arrived on his planet and she didn’t have an alternate outfit to change into. She wished she’d had at least one nice dress or outfit she could’ve brought with her to Mars, just so she wouldn’t feel like such a charity case in front of her new mate.

  Jav approached her, took the shredded clothing from her hands, and set it aside on a chair. “When the doctor mentioned your clothing might be causing you to overheat, sweet Leah, I immediately tore it from your body as quickly as I could.”

  “Oh.” She found herself strangely touched by his admission.

  “I realize you have nothing to wear, and I have just called for the royal seamstress to come take your measurements. She is an older Marttiaxoxalian woman by the name of Nassia and she has promised to arrive shortly.”

  Well, Jav had thought of everything, it would seem. She felt a bit foolish for worrying over what she would wear. But she’d traveled to Mars with nothing but the clothing on her back and losing the one thing she’d brought left her feeling vulnerable, reminding her just how much she would have to depend upon Jav for everything.

  “That’s very nice of you, Jav,” she said.

  At that moment, a melodious tune filled the room.

  “That’s the doorbell. Stay here and I’ll bring Nassia to you.”

  Chapter 9

  Jav waited in the sitting room while Nassia took care of Leah. He’d told Nassia to spare no expense when creating a wardrobe for his new mate. The royal seamstress had arrived with a variety of readymade gowns in differing sizes for Leah to try on, and the older female would also make many new clothing items for Leah.

  He couldn’t wait to see Leah in her new dresses. He wanted to buy her expensive clothing and gifts, as well as surround her in luxury.

  Her impoverishment on Earth had caused her to sign up to become a mail order bride. He wanted to give her all that she had gone without, including companionship. Her description of her life on Earth made him suspect she’d been lonely.

  No family. No friends. No one to help her when she couldn’t afford decent food or pay her rent. From what he had observed of the human females who came to Mars, they were just as much social creatures as the females of his own kind, and it shattered him to imagine her all alone on Earth, struggling to meet her most basic needs.

  “Jav!” Nassia called out. “We’re all done in here. Come take a look at your beautiful mate!”

  He practically ran back to the bedroom, eager to return to Leah’s side. When he first looked at her, clothed in a flowing purple gown that flared outward from her waist, the sight took his breath away. Leah smiled at him and tucked her hair behind her ears.

  “I left five dresses hanging in the closet,” Nassia said, gathering up a bag of clothing, likely the items that hadn’t fit Leah. “I’ve provided her with undergarments and sleepwear, as well. In the top drawer
right there.” The seamstress gestured at a nearby dresser. “Only one pair of shoes I brought fit her, but now that we know her size, it won’t be any trouble to acquire more.”

  “I want her to have a pair of slippers to match every dress,” Jav found himself saying, as if he knew anything at all about Marttiaxoxalian fashion.

  “I’ll have my assistant bring by some new shoes tomorrow morning,” Nassia said, “and I should have some new custom gowns ready for Leah in a couple of days, as well as other clothing items.”

  Jav and Leah both thanked the seamstress and she departed his quarters.

  “That color sets off your eyes,” he said, unable to look away from Leah. Her dark eyes seemed more luminous than before.

  “Thanks.” She looked at her feet for a moment before raising her gaze to his. “It’s the exact purple of your skin. Nassia said it was common for human females to wear clothing in the same shade as their mate’s skin.”

  Jav glanced down at himself and then looked at the dress. “So it is.” He drew closer to her, longing to embrace her. Perhaps if he held her long enough, it would help heal some of the hurts in her past. Maybe his past, too.

  “I can’t thank you enough for providing me with so many beautiful clothes. Nassia really doesn’t need to make me anything else, though. I have plenty to wear now.”

  He reached for her hands, reveling in the softness of her skin. The smallest trace of her femininity reached him on the air and his cock instantly went rock hard. Did she long to mate with him as fiercely as he longed to mate with her? Gods, he could only hope.

  He didn’t want to force her to mate with him before she was comfortable doing so, but at the same time he wasn’t certain how long he could withstand not being inside her, claiming her as his. He had heard stories about how Vash’arr warriors became absolutely ravenous for their mates after the first claiming.

  Once he got a taste of her, he feared he wouldn’t be able to hold back.