Page 6 of Ravenous Alien Mate

Tears burned in her eyes and she blinked them back.

He placed an arm around her as they emerged into the sunlight.

She halted in her steps, closed her eyes, and lifted her face to the sky. During the years of her incarceration, she had rarely glimpsed the sun. Most of the time, during her weekly hour of outdoor recreation, the sky was blanketed in smog, blocking out the sun and the blue sky.

She basked in the warmth of the sun upon her face. It was so amazing an experience, she started to wonder if perhaps this was a dream. But she was enjoying the sun too much to really care. If she was dreaming or imagining this, she didn’t want to leave the blissful reverie.

“Leah?” The deep masculine voice rumbled through her, bringing her back to her current surroundings.

She was on Mars. Standing at the top of a boarding ramp of a spaceship, her new mate, Jav, by her side.

She peered up at him. “Yes?”

“Are you all right?” A look of concern filled his black eyes and the ridges of his forehead drew together.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen and felt the sun like this. I mean, where I lived on Earth in Zone 12, the sky was usually covered with smog. It’s nice to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.” She allowed her gaze to wander around the area surrounding the spaceship. Surprise filled her.

Everywhere she looked, it was beautiful and green. There were tall trees, colorful flowers, and thick greenish blue grass. How remarkable. She’d heard terraformed Mars was a breathtaking planet to behold, but she’d never expected it to be so lovely and fresh and clean.

Jav grasped her hand. Out in the sunshine, the deep purple color of his skin appeared even more vibrant than when she’d first laid eyes upon him on the ship. The sunlight glinted off the long, thick horns that curved over his head and down his broad back.

“You’re beautiful in the sun,” she said, then immediately clamped her mouth shut. Had she really just said that? Her heart quickened as she awaited Jav’s reaction to her ridiculous statement. He was a massive Marttiaxoxalian male, likely a skilled warrior among his people, and she had just called himbeautiful in the sun.

“Thank you,” he said, leaving her shocked. He reached for her hair, which she’d frantically washed several hours ago in the women’s quarters aboard the spaceship, hoping to make herself at least somewhat presentable before she met her mate for the first time. “You are also beautiful in the sun, sweet Leah. The rays of the sun catch each individual strand of your hair, making you appear like a mystical being from the blessed forest of Asitontin.” Warmth infused his voice and he stared down at her, still stroking her hair, his movements slow but certain.

She felt her face heating, and not just from the sun. His compliment was causing her to blush. She struggled to find her voice and finally managed to murmur, “Thank you, Jav, that is most kind of you to say.”

He smiled down at her. “It’s a short walk to the palace. Come, my mate, and I will take you on the most scenic route there.”

Still holding her hand, he turned and led her down the ramp. Above the treetops, she spotted hundreds, perhaps thousands, of reddish orange houses and buildings. Many of the structures, such as the palace, which she could easily glimpse over the trees, contained spires that reached to the sky.

“What is the name of this city again?” she asked as he guided her toward a wooded area that rested between the landing platform and the nearest buildings.

“Ressiktron. It’s our capital city and where the majority of our population lives. However, there are several smaller settlements in other parts of Mars.”

“Where do you live?”

“Here in the city. In the palace.”

Her stomach nearly bottomed out. The palace? Would she be allowed to live with him in the palace, in the same place the king and other Martian royals lived, if anyone on this planet were to learn about her past?

Never look back.

She latched onto Thomas’ words as if they were a lifeline. She needed to keep her wits about her and not accidently give any secrets away. She must be careful, lest Jav get a sense of the real reason she had traveled to Mars.

It unnerved her that he’d automatically known who she was, just by looking at her in the women’s quarters. All because he’d had afeelingit was her.

She hoped he was telling the truth about not being psychic or a mind reader. She had heard of several alien races who possessed otherworldly powers and hoped Martians weren’t one of them.

As they traveled through a lush, green forest, filled with flowering plants and trees, she kept stealing glances at her mate. Jav. Why was he so much larger than the other Martians she had seen? He was bigger than any enforcer she’d glimpsed on Earth, and well over a head taller than the Martians who’d boarded the spaceship to retrieve their mates several minutes ago.

She wanted to ask him about his size, but she quickly decided that might be rude. Perhaps all the males in his family were abnormally large. As she further considered his massive stature, nerves began to assail her.

Would she be able to handle him in the bedroom?

Her face heated at the thought. What if he was too large for her? She wasn’t a virgin, but it had been a long time since she’d had sex. Ten long years, to be exact. Not only was she out of practice, but she was much smaller than Jav.

They walked upon a white stone path that cut through the trees. She got the sense they almost went in circles a few times, as it seemed they were drawing closer to the palace, only to move away later, then turn back again. She appreciated that he wasn’t rushing her to the temple inside the palace and whisking her away to his bed. Walking with him in the woods, hand in hand, was nice. She pushed aside her worries about his immense size and started to enjoy herself more.

---