Alien Commander’s Reluctant Bride Read online

  “We have found her, my queen. She wishes to speak to you.”

  My queen puts her fingers between her teeth and creates a high-pitched sound as she waves her arms. “Kendra get over here, the commander found Kara.”

  Suddenly, both of them are crowding into the view screen, all smiles and excitement. It’s good to see them talking and reconnecting, but I’m anxious to get them safely to our ship.

  Our food comes, and out of habit I begin putting small bits of each kind of food on a plate for Queen Kara. With a quick flick of his wrist, Timric places his knife over mine. “This is not your queen to care for, sir.”

  I believe he is out of line, but have no desire to stand between a warrior and a potential queen. He quickly serves the frail human queen who has only seen fit to order a drink for herself.

  She closes down the line with an entirely different attitude. Though they have not discussed that Timric has been chosen for her, they have verified that my queen wishes to relocate them to our home planet. The young queen seems thrilled with the idea and has a million questions as she dives into her food. Timric navigates most of her questions, pleased to be interacting with this new queen.

  “I don’t think we should wait around hours for Laura to leave a job she’ll never go back to anyways.”

  I speak up cautiously. “You did not react well to being approached by strangers. Perhaps it would be better if you make contact with Queen Laura rather than us.”

  She takes a moment to process my request before sucking down the rest of her drink and nodding. “I can definitely do that, and you’re right in thinking she will probably respond better to me than the two of you.”

  I am relieved that we will not have to approach another queen without introduction this day. “Thank you Queen Kara. We wish to gather your kin with as little disruption to their daily lives as possible.”

  We make our way to an elaborate restaurant some distance away. Queen Kara tells the person at the door that there is an emergency, and we are to fetch her kin queen immediately. The interworking of a queen’s mind is a complete mystery to me. I would have never considered outright lying to make contact with someone, but this new queen does so without a second thought.

  When the kin queen rushes out to speak with us, the two whisper with their heads together for a few minutes. Since I have the finely honed senses of a warrior, I hear enough of their words to know Queen Kara is informing her queen that they are rescued and will be leaving for our planet very soon. Her kin seems elated and skips off to alert her leader that she must leave and will not be returning. She wishes to collect something called pay. I understand this to be her wages.

  We wait for a short time and she emerges without the white covering, which designates her as a food handler on this planet. After the two queens whisper together some more, Queen Kara speaks up. “Would it be possible for us to shop? Laura wants to purchase supplies for our voyage with her earnings.” Looking from one to the other of us, she adds, “We’ll make it quick.”

  Timric answers, his voice solemn. “We would be honored to escort you on whatever activities you wish. Might I suggest that we purchase a meal for your kin? She must hunger after working so hard this day.”

  The hardworking young queen smiles up at him. “I’d love that, but I need to shop first.”

  Timric pulls a nutrient dense food bar from his waist pouch and offers it to the queen along with his drink canteen. “I know this is not food fit for a queen, but it will stave off your hunger until your shopping chore is done.” Turning to the queen he hopes to make his own, his demeanor softens. “It would be my honor to purchase whatever necessities or luxuries you require for your trip, my queen.”

  She immediately looks uncomfortable, likely thinking he is trying to lure her into a situation where she is beholden to him. I quickly speak up. “I wish to ensure my queen’s family has everything they could possibly desire for our voyage. If you will but assist me in selecting items for their comfort, you will both be rewarded with whatever you like for the trip. Does that sound fair?”

  Though still a little suspicious of our motivations, they nod. I know not why, but these younger queens are beginning to wear on my patience. I wish only to hasten this chore, spirit away my queen’s kin to the safety of our ship, and get back to spending time with the beautiful Kearney. She is mature like me, and having her under my wing is a pleasure like no other.

  The shopping turns out to be much more involved than I anticipated, and as we shop, I worry that the two young do not know enough about my queen to guide us in shopping for her. As we devour one section of the huge indoor shopping center after another, I focus on purchasing in bulk for her large family and training my eye on items my female will like best. I wish her entire family to be comfortable aboard our ship, and for that to happen, they must be outfitted with necessities from their world.

  14 Settling In

  Kearney

  Tabor and Timric somehow found Kara and our cousin Laura among the thousands of humans in the bio dome, and made it home with them in about five hours. We loaded all our possessions into the shuttle that returned after being repaired.

  Tabor actually came back with a boatload of merchandise. The man shops like it’s his job or something. He bought specially designed metal boxes and had them welded to the bottom of our shuttle. I can only assume it is so that when it comes time to fit my family and their belongings into the shuttles, there will be room for everything. He’s real considerate about most things.

  I have to admit that I’m kind of curious about what’s in those boxes. I expect that I’ll see him wearing new clothing or something in the near future. One can only imagine why one single man would need so much stuff. On the bright side, I guess that means he loves human stuff.

  All right, I’m obsessing about the hot commander, and for all I know he’s just being nice to me because I’m a woman. When he ushers us into the shuttles, we all grab seats. He had benches welded to the floor with a dozen safety harnesses while he was in the bio dome. I guess Earth has started some kind of boutique business in catering to aliens. They’re broke and aliens have credits so it’s a win-win, I guess.

  We’re ready for liftoff just after the sun sets. Watching Tabor check everyone’s safety harness is kind of cute. He’s so careful, especially with the younger kids. I heard he promised the boys flight suits and the girls princess gowns. We’ll have to see how that shakes out, cause I don’t remember there being a tailor on board our ship.

  Finally he comes to stand near my seat. Thrilled, I tilt my head up to look at him and he seems happy as a clam. The handsome commander’s pretty easy going most of the time so that doesn’t really surprise me. The only thing that really pisses him off is women being in danger, so I’m betting he’s going to be pretty thrilled to have us all on the ship under his watchful eye.

  Crew members near the door activate the closing mechanism and the door slowly closes off the view of my childhood campground. I get the very strong feeling this is the last time any of us will see what was once our property. Come to find out, my family didn’t have much in the way of possessions, so we were able to fit the warriors and all my family into the two shuttles.

  Tabor squats down to speak to me. “I had our crew on the ship prepare quarters for your family. Kara put together a list of which of your kin would be compatible for sharing space and which required private space. It appears most of them don’t wish separate quarters, as it would make them sad and lonely.”

  “I reach out and pat his shoulder. I know Draconian women avoid each other like the plague. We’re not like that.”

  “This I remembered. I just seems strange to stack several queens to a room.”

  “When things first began to go bad, our extended relatives sent their kids to us because we were the only ones in our family with property that was remotely viable. Within a short time we were forced into the caves. I’m betting that sisters and brothers want to be kept together for the vo
yage. They don’t know our crew like I do, so they’re just hedging their bets.”

  I can tell he’s slightly confused by my hedging of bets metaphor but he gets the general message. “Your sister queens report,” he continues, “that they are intent on bunking together. Therefore, I have arranged for you to have a private chamber, one befitting your station. I hope this meets with your approval?”

  “It looks like I’ll be on my own for the first time in a good long while. Make it clear that you are the only warrior with unrestricted access to my chamber.”

  His head snaps down to look at me. If he gets the hint I’m giving, he gives no indication. Instead he bows his head, murmuring, “You honor me with your trust, my queen.” I sigh, cause it’s clear I couldn’t catch a hot warrior with a fishing pole and the patience of a saint. Looking at the structure of his handsome jawline up close makes me want to touch his skin. It’s just like human skin only thicker and with different shades of green patched together to make a subtle camouflage pattern. He’s got interesting spots covering his head instead of hair, and his ears have a slight point. Draconians all have horns, but they’re not like I expected horns to be like. Theirs are somewhat pliant and seem to react to their moods by slipping back against their heads when they are embarrassed, contrite, or sad. Those horns perk right up when it comes time to mate or when they’re angry. All-in-all, he’s perfect.

  Mulling over the conversation I had with my mother earlier, I decide to take her advice about respecting Draconian customs. I’ll try to fix myself up and wear more gowns for a couple of reasons.

  First, I’m getting sick of being grubby and working my ass off all the time. It’s making me mentally and physically exhausted, and it isn’t doing anything to make our attractive commander see me as a potential mate. Secondly, Kendra and I were outsiders among the Draconians because we never dressed up or acted like queens. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to set a good example for my family. Most of them are younger and teens. I want them to fit in and feel included. I’ll still work on my ship and wear a uniform when I work, but there’s no need to dress like man all the damn time.

  The trip to our ship doesn’t take long, but I have to admit that seeing Earth growing smaller through the view screens that are shaped like small windows makes me feel some kind of way. Seeing my family distract the younger ones with the view of Earth and hearing them whispering among themselves is comforting. I’ve spent so long worrying about them that I don’t know how to act, now that they’re safe.

  Although I’m dying for a good misting, I bounce out of the shuttle, intent on making sure every single member of my family is settled before taking a much-needed break. I’ve been sent a little map on my data pad showing they’ve created a little wing for us with twelve sleeping compartments. One by one, Tabor and I settle them all into their own rooms, showing them how things work and where to stow their few belongings. They’re all fascinated with the misting units and the strange toilets that one straddles like a horse. I’m surprised they renovated the toilets so quickly. How is that even possible?

  When finally Tabor opens the door to my own unit, I’m stunned. “This room is more spacious than the other suites.” It’s large and well appointed. The only thing out of place is a huge pallet-size crate that comes up to my shoulders. I can’t deal with that right now.

  “Since you are the queen in charge of this ship, we prioritize your comfort above all the others.”

  “That’s really sweet. If you don’t mind, I’m going to hit the mister and get ready to sleep. I feel like we’ve smashed about three days into one.”

  “I will make you a warm drink to help you relax.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.” I whirl around and head for the cleanser before he can tell how happy I am to get some face-to-face time with him after my cleansing. That’s the term warriors call misting themselves clean. I shut the door, pull off my clothes, and dump them into a nearby container that looks suspiciously like a hamper. The Draconians have special cabinets for soiled clothing that uses sonic waves to clean the fabric. I know for a fact we haven’t had a chance to install anything like that yet.

  Hopping into the mister, I let the warm mist envelope my body. I smell something that scents like flowers and follow my nose. It leads me to a good old-fashioned bar of soap. I haven’t seen soap in two years and could only afford the cheap stuff before that. This is smooth, pink and smells like roses. I absolutely love roses. Suddenly, a bar of high class soap magically appearing in my cleansing unit becomes the biggest unsolved mystery of my life. I spend way too much time lathering my body and hair with the luxurious bar, temporarily forgetting the gorgeous dragon warrior waiting in my quarters.

  When I finally force myself from the cleanser, I realize there is no mechanism to blow-dry my body. Since that’s a standard feature of cleansing units, I assume it’s simply another feature they haven’t had time to install. I’m dripping all over the place, so I look around for something, anything to dry off with. It doesn’t take me long to find big, thirsty towels, which I use to dry the leftover moisture from my body. I’m honestly feeling like the queen of the world right now, especially when I discover a long human-style robe folded up on a rack to the side. I must have missed that when I snatched the towels. The last sixteen hours might have been a complete roller-coaster, but it’s turning into perfection. I finger comb my hair and head out to sample Tabor’s idea of a relaxing drink.

  I find him pulling small metal boxes from the ginormous crate and realize the larger one is merely filled with the small metal boxes from his shopping trip. He stops long enough to bring me the drink he promised. He then returns to rummaging through the boxes.

  When I take the steaming cup from him, I realize how much I miss cup handles. “Are you moving in?” My question is asked as I gaze over my cup at him. His startle response is almost amusing. “You wish me to reside in here in your quarters?” Poor guy can’t keep the shock out of his voice.

  I respond with nod towards his huge crate. “Maybe. I only asked because you brought all your shopping with you.”

  A smile lights up his face. “The shopping is for you and your kin, my queen.”

  I jolt forward in my seat, almost spilling my beverage. “I don’t have enough money to buy all this stuff.”

  “It is my honor to provide for your needs, my queen.” His eyes land on me again and his expression can only be described as warm.

  “Is this some kind of courting gesture?”

  He stops rummaging, freezing into place. A long awkward silence spins out before he turns to face me. “Perhaps it would be if warriors were permitted to pursue queens. Since we are not, please know that I am proud to support you in any way you find acceptable.”

  I’m dumbfounded. “Where did you even get this much money?”

  “Do you remember me at your side while you dug gemstone?”

  “Yep, I remember you kept coming back to stoke our fire and see that we had food, clean water, and warm clothing. Your kindness is the only reason we were able to pull this plan off.”

  Rather than being happy about that comment, he looks dejected. “I wish only to serve.”

  Setting my drink down, I walk over to him. “I don’t think that’s entirely true. Maybe in the beginning that was the reason you looked out for us, but somewhere along the line things changed.”

  “Queens always seem to know what a warrior is thinking. It is an unfair advantage.” His words may sound complaining but his voice tone is sad and dispirited.

  I bring my hands up to cup his face and his eyes go wide. His wings release from the tight fold into a half-open fan on each side of his body. I can tell he’s embarrassed by losing his wing control in front of me. I rub each cheek gently with my thumbs, keeping my voice soothing. “I left Earth two years ago, and we’ve known each other for most of that time. Being around you changed how I feel as well.”

  “You do not have to accept me merely because I am a good provi
der and protector. Any warrior would take you under his wing and treasure you for all times.”

  “What if I don’t want to be under any other warrior’s wing? I’ve only ever been under your wing, and I like it there.”

  His eyes grow warm and adoring again. Let’s face it, warriors tend to school their expressions, but you can always tell by looking them in the eyes. “Say it clearly, so I know your mind, my queen. I do not wish to presume.”

  I wrap one hand around the back of his neck, barely able to reach it on my tiptoes and drag him down. Instead of a human kiss, I rub the side of my face up one side of his face and down the other, in a traditional Draconian kiss, before whispering softly in his ear. “I want you as my Takadon. What do you say? Are you up to having the queen everyone else thinks strange as your mate?”

  “You are the only queen I have ever wished to make my own.”

  “Good, because I’m choosing you.”

  “We will take things slowly, so you can get used to having me around.”

  Giving him a tiny human kiss on the side of his mouth, I murmur, “Or maybe we can take things fast. It’s not like we’re strangers or anything.”

  He moves his face, clearly hoping to capture more of my kisses. He’s adorable and I can’t help but kiss a tiny trail down his chin to his neck. “I approve of fast only if it will not leave you regretting taking me to you,” he says.

  “I’m not one for regrets.”

  Uncertainty clouds his expression. “You have only smiled at me for a few days.”

  Turning his face to me, I try to make him understand. “I’ve been smiling at you in my heart for a very long time. I just couldn’t allow myself to be distracted from rescuing my family.”

  “You intentionally kept your smile from me?”

  “Yeah, I’m real sorry about that. Can you forgive me?”