Page 5 of A Mate for Haax

As soon as I walked off that ship, the sweetest fragrance of peaches seared my nostrils in perfume. She smells of goodness, and she looks like a goddess with those curvy hips. When our eyes first met, everything clicked into place.

Esme is my fated mate. Of this, I am sure.

She doesn’t ask any more questions, just turns on her heel to follow Paaxion. I am thankful and grateful for this small show of trust she graces me.

Chapter 3

Esme

Am I weirded out about the whole situation today? Absolutely. Does it make me want to leave, though? As I run the thought through my mind, I automatically come back with the answer no.

Haax has made an effort to make me feel more comfortable about everything, and for some strange reason, I feel safe around this big alien who could take me out with the flip of a wrist.

He is attractive, and the way he speaks with such authority does things to me that it probably shouldn’t do, given that I’ve just met him. Haax’s hand against my lower back is warm, and that warmth spreads like a fire up my body, igniting each nerve as it goes.

The Grekarian compound’s hallways are long, wide, and tall. I try to take in everything at once, but it's just not possible. There is too much to see here, between the other Grekarians and these other small aliens with three boobs, I don’t hardly know what to think.

They’re both also taller than me, so for every one step they take, I’m forced to take two, stretching my chunky legs almost into a split. I am not made for this type of activity.

I notice the way doors are set in regular intervals along our way. Some have light creeping out below with shadows, while others are pitch black.

As we follow Paaxion, my eyes greedily trace over brightly-colored blue and green hues on the walls matching their scales and skin tone. Metal artwork hangs every few feet on the walls as we pass, easily seen by the bright lights shining above us, lighting our pathway. Small pathway lights line either side of the corridor we’re currently in, and I can only imagine how pretty it is at night with only those lights lit up.

I imagine I could liken it to driving through Christmas lights, only instead of shades in red or green, these ones would be neon-colored.

We stop at a metal door down the second hallway to the left. Outside hangs a keypad, and I swear it's like something out of a space movie.

“Your quarters, Commander.” Paaxion says as he turns to give Haax a bow. I wonder where he sits on the hierarchy here. Is he a peon or someone of importance? I don’t understand what the patch on his chest means.

He steps to the side so we may enter the room. Haax goes in first, out of protective instinct or what, I don’t know. But after the events of today, I find I’m perfectly okay with him checking things out first before bidding me entrance. “Outstanding, Paaxion. That is all I require for now.”

“Certainly, sir, I will be of service while you are here. Should you need anything, just comm me, and I will be happy to assist. Your room has been thoroughly cleaned, and the Merink will be by in the morning to ensure it stays that way. Her name is Madera. She will also get your mate into the proper dress for the compound.”

My eyes widen. Shit, what does he mean by proper dress? Can I not just wear my normal clothing? What do they have against t-shirts and jeans?

Haax nods, and Paaxion turns, leaving us to it. He clicks something on his comm, and a code pops up. I am assuming the code to get into the room because he uses the same one to enter into the keypad. A green light above the door flickers briefly before the metal door starts to open with a squeak. WD40 anyone?

The lights are dim as we enter the room, and everything is hazy like right after you get those silly drops in your eyes at the eye doctor’s office during an exam. I slowly adjust, and I take a good look around. A huge floating bed sits solidly in the middle of the room. I can imagine two of Haax and myself on the bed; enough room for both of us with extra space! Even with my considerably chunky self. Across from us sits a window, proudly displaying an outside garden. On the wall to the left of it is a mural of a jungle type of cave. Yet again, the neon colors penetrate the wall.

“So… is this some place on your planet?”

His attention turns to the mural, and the corners of his lips turn up in happiness. “It is a cave on Grekaria that I used to run off to when I was a youngling. I’d slip off in the middle of the day and go to this cave deep in the mountains. You’ve seen this place with all the colors, so picture that, only magnified by one hundred. The cave is known for its elixir pool. When Grekarians find their mates, they visit the cave. It signifies new life and love. It is a tradition on Grekaria to spend the night there as it is believed that the Goddess will bless whoever stays there. When I was a youngling, I’d sneak up there and peek at the couples who bathed naked in the pool together.” The shallow dip of a frown marrs his face briefly, and I wonder if he’s thinking about the females that are no longer alive. But then he smiles amusedly as a blush covers his cheeks. “It was the first time I had a glance at breasts.”

He gestures to the bed, raising a brow as if in question, and I follow his instruction. It sits so high up from the floor that I have to hop up onto it. My feet definitely do not come anywhere near touching the ground.

My gaze continues to roam the room. “Are all the rooms the same?”

“I don’t know, but I would not say no to finding out.” He waggles his eyebrows and grins with all his teeth. I’m just noticing the two fangs currently making an appearance in the front of his mouth. I wonder how sharp they are?

The bed dips when Haax joins me, and my body crumbles into his side, his warmth heating my body rapidly. The smile he gives is pure joy wrapped in a bow and… there are those dimples again. Swoon.

He looks at me as if I am the icing on his favorite cookie, and I will admit he looks sexy enough to eat! Arousal pools at the mere thought of all the things he could be licking or doing with me. His nostrils flare, and his pupils dilate, yet he says nothing. Can he smell me?

I admire his body, taking in each solid muscle and dip below his heavily chiseled jawline.

Unlike the other Grekarians, his scales are green with a touch of iridescent purple shine. His frame is shaped with hard scales that slip over his shoulders and inlay the length of his arms. His stunning torso is covered in scales, almost as if they are a coat of armor for him. The skin peeking through is a deep black color, and I can’t stop my gaze from trailing everywhere.

Desire strikes like an arrow, daring me to run my hand down them to see if they feel like fish scales, but I refrain. Moments later, he reaches out lightly and pulls my hand to his chest. Feel. I hear the word, but he doesn’t say it. Where did that come from?

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