Page 10 of Ravenous Alien Mate

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 ofetaiaksoup, 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 subject 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 toonice 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.

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