Page 23 of Ravenous Alien Mate

On occasion, other human women who lived in the palace would join them during their adventures beyond the royal grounds. She’d met women who came from many different zones on Earth. Some of the females already had children with their Martian mates. Leah had never held a baby in her life, but during the last week she’d held at least a dozen.

And oh how she longed for a child of her very own. A child with Jav.

Would they ever be blessed with children?

She sighed and placed a hand upon her stomach, wondering if perhaps she was already pregnant. Given the amount of sex she’d had with Jav, it was certainly possible. If she was keeping track correctly, her period wasn’t due for another week or two.

As Leah rounded a corridor, she bumped straight into another woman.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, backing up. Her eyes widened when Miranda straightened in front of her, her hands upon the wall as she righted herself.

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” Miranda said, her voice shaking. It was then that Leah noticed the woman’s eyes were swollen and red, as if she’d been crying recently.

“Miranda, are you all right?” Leah grasped her arm and gently guided her into an alcove at the end of the hall, which contained a private seating area.

Miranda drew in a shuddering breath and shook her head. “Not really. Pettak and I got into an argument.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Leah said. “Would you like to talk about it?” She hadn’t run into Miranda since the night she’d spilled water on the woman, and while they didn’t know one another well, the fact that they were both mail order brides who were far from home made it feel as though there was a kinship of sorts between them.

Miranda growled under her breath and fisted her hands in her lap. “He wants to retire from being a palace guard and move to the other side of Mars, in one of the more rural settlements. He made the decision without even asking for my opinion.”

“And I take it you don’t wish to move?”

“No. My cousin, Andrea, lives right here in Ressiktron. I saw her the other day for the first time in years and it was wonderful. It was sheer luck that saw me mated to a Martian who lived in Ressiktron near Andrea and her mate, but Pettak knows how happy I was to see her again. But now he wants to move away and… and…” Her voice trailed off. She covered her face and sobbed.

Leah wrapped an arm around Miranda. “I’m so sorry. What made your Pettak decide to move so suddenly?”

“He says he’s been planning it for some time, since before I even came to Mars. But the jerk didn’t inform me about the move until today.” She sniffled. “I’d just started to feel happy here. It was starting to feel like home. But now I don’t know what will happen. I suppose I have no choice. I’ll have to move away with Pettak and be far away from my cousin.”

Leah’s heart ached for Miranda. She patted her on the shoulder, trying to think of something to say that might alleviate her grief. But it was a difficult situation, and it reminded Leah just how precarious her own situation on Mars was. Marttiaxoxalian males were in charge of this planet and their human mates were at their mercy.

“Has Pettak mentioned allowing you to return to Ressiktron for the occasional visit?” Leah asked gently, hoping the answer to the question was yes. If Pettak was refusing to allow Miranda to spend time with her cousin, that really would make him a jerk.

“Well, he hasn’t mentioned visiting yet. He was still talking when I stormed out of his quarters.” Miranda wiped her tears on the back of her hand and sat taller, looking a bit more composed. “It’s bad enough I won’t see my parents again—in person, anyway—and now to have Andrea back in my life, only to lose her again, it’s too much. Pettak doesn’t understand. He’s too stubborn.”

Leah thought about the time she’d spent with Queen Esmay and other women from the palace in recent days. Quite a few of them had mentioned their mates were stubborn or bossy. Some women also said their mates were possessive and rarely allowed them out of sight.

“It’s clear that Martian males are a bit different from their human counterparts,” Leah began, hoping she would be able to help. “I suppose all we can do is try to be patient and try to reason with them and pray that we’ll eventually find common ground. Do you think Pettak has grown to care for you?”

Miranda blushed, nodding. “Yes. He has told me he loves me several times, though I haven’t said it back yet. Seems too soon.”

Leah tried to push aside the jealousy that fell upon her at hearing Miranda’s confession. Jav hadn’t told Leah he loved her yet. She quickly reminded herself that he said plenty of other sweet things to her on a regular basis. He often told her she was a gift from the Gods. He kept telling her he cherished her and thought she was his treasure.

“You and Pettak haven’t been mated for very long,” Leah said, “and he is probably not used to having to run his plans by another person. I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but your mating union is as new to him as it is to you. It sounds as though he’s made an error in judgment, but perhaps he will come to his senses. But if he does decide to go through with the relocation, if he loves you then surely he will make sure you still get to spend time with your cousin. Perhaps you can visit the capital city and sometimes your cousin can visit you on the other side of Mars.”

“He has allowed me to speak with my parents and sisters using his video comm. They’re still all on Earth, of course. Hm. Maybe you’re right.” Miranda’s expression brightened. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have stormed out the way I did. I suppose he’s looking for me right now. Thank you for your advice, Leah. You are very wise.” Miranda gave Leah a hesitant look. “Have you been married before?”

Leah shook her head. “No, Jav is my first husband. Or mate. Whatever you want to call it.” She smiled, her heart filling with warmth as she imagined him returning home to her tonight.

“I see. Um, about last week,” Miranda said. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in the banquet hall. I just felt bad that I didn’t talk to you on the spaceship. I heard some of the other women whispering that you probably came from the prison. I should’ve ignored them and talked to you anyway. Friends?”

Leah smiled. “Friends.”

“Well, did you?” Miranda asked. “Did you come from the prison?”

Leah stared at the woman, unsure of what she should say. She had lied to Jav’s face, telling him the boring story about working in a factory and living alone. It still bothered her that she couldn’t confide in him, but she couldn’t risk being sent away.

Martians mated for life, but what would he do if he found out she wasn’t what she seemed? Would he believe she was a danger to others? As close as she was becoming to the queen, it might present a problem. The palace guards, as well as the Vash’arr, were supposed to protect the king, the queen, and all other members of the royal family at all costs.

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