Page 11 of Kazzon's Human Bride
He lifted one eyebrow at her and gave her a serious look. “The Allocators have assigned you a mate, a Tarrkuan male who will become your husband.”
“A husband? But-but won’t I be sent to re-education first?”
The sexy alien’s lips curved in a slight smile and he shifted one of his hands to her hair, drawing his fingers gently through her wavy locks. She shivered at his intimate touch.
“Some Tarrkuan officials wished to have you sent to re-education immediately, but it was eventually agreed that your new husband would take on the responsibility of your re-education. Your new husband has agreed to be especially strict with you and keep you in line. You will not get the chance to disrupt the Tarrkuan way of life or incite any rebellions among the human females who already live on our planet.”
“My new husband?” Horror washed through her. It sounded as though a particular Tarrkuan male had already been selected to become her mate, and it also sounded as though he meant to restrict her freedoms and perhaps even treat her with cruelty. Tears blurred in her eyes. “So that’s my punishment? The Allocators have matched me with a cruel Tarrkuan male who will mistreat me?”
The tears finally escaped her eyes, but she couldn’t brush them away, as he was still holding her too closely to allow her to raise her arms. Her sorrow was on display for him and her cheeks burned with humiliation. She wanted to be brave and didn’t wish for him to witness her distress.
“I assure you, the Tarrkuan male you’ve been assigned to wed is not cruel, nor will he mistreat you.”
“Oh, a friend of yours, is he?” Bitterness infused her voice as more tears fell. She hated that she was crying in front of him and wished he would release her so she might wipe her tears away and better collect herself.
An amused look entered his dark eyes and she suddenly got a very bad feeling. Her stomach twisted and her breaths came rapid and shallow. Dread coiled inside her as she awaited his response. He still stared at her quietly, and she started to wonder if perhaps he enjoyed her distress. She felt as though he was toying with her, prolonging her suffering by taking forever to answer her questions and reveal her fate.
“A friend?” His lips curled slightly again. “Not quite.” He leaned closer and continued brushing his fingers through her hair. He also reached for her face with his free hand and gently wiped at her tears. He had no right, and this intimate gesture left her humiliated and furious.
He was a bastard for playing with her like this. Oh, how she hated him.
“Then who?” she asked in a whisper. “Who is he?”
His gaze, intense as ever, became heated and his nostrils flared. He shifted closer to her, crowding her along the wall behind her. His nearness overwhelmed her, and she was certain she detected the hardness of his erect manhood pressing against her through their clothing. Not for the first time in his presence, she felt trapped and completely at his mercy.
“The Allocators have determined thatIwill become your husband, little human.”
No. Please no.
She stared at him, aghast. This huge alien who had her pressed to the wall, whoever he was, frightened her and she couldn’t imagine becoming his mate.
“You don’t look pleased.” Some of the humor left his face.
“I don’t even know you,” she said, her voice cracking. She paused and latched onto the anger that surged through her veins. If she could feel more angry than sorrowful, at least she could maintain a semblance of bravery. “In fact, you haven’t even introduced yourself. I don’t know your name or anything about you. All I know is that you don’t possess an ounce of compassion and you have ruined my life.”
His visage darkened. “You committed a grave crime. You were educated as a Tarrkuan bride and your DNA was modified—at great expense to my people, I might add—in order to allow you to conceive offspring with a Tarrkuan. Many of our males have risked their lives in the space mines to procure the materials needed for the TEC600 reactors that power your cities on Earth, yet you attempted to deceive us. Not all those who go off to the mines return. Many perish in accidents, while others sustain serious bodily harm.”
“So you think you earned me just because you went to the space mines and risked your life? I never asked you to do it. I never asked to be chosen as a Tarrkuan bride.” She pushed at his chest, trying to escape his grasp, but he grabbed ahold of her upper arms and held her in place.
“Speaking out against the Earth-Tarrkua trade agreement is forbidden. This is the kind of behavior that would get you sent to re-education if the wrong people overheard you.” His voice was loud and stern, a scolding tone that sent quivers of fear through her.
She glared at him, her frustration mounting. “Then send me to your stupid re-education camp. I don’t care. I would rather go there than become your wife. Better yet, send me to prison. I would prefer that over mating with you, or any Tarrkuan for that matter.” As she spoke, a voice in the back of her mind warned her that maybe she ought to shut up. After all, as her husband, this alien male would be within his rights to physically discipline her. She would be smart to avoid rousing his anger.
“The Allocators have spoken.” His dark gaze pierced hers. “You will become my mate. You have no choice.”
Chapter 8
Kazzon staredat the trembling human female, his lust not abated in the slightest, even given her apparent dislike for him. He’d been pleased when the Allocators granted his request to become Caylee’s mate and he wasn’t sorry for it. His need to possess this small human burned through him, making his breaths rapid and his pulse race. His cock hardened further when he imagined the night to come.
He intended to claim Caylee immediately.
“Please don’t do this,” she said in a pleading tone. “Please let me go home. I promise I’ll never commit another crime again if only you’ll let me go home. I’ll also never speak out against the Earth-Tarrkua trade agreement again. I give you my word.”
“I’ve already informed Tarrkuan authorities of your crime, Caylee. What has already been done cannot be undone, even if I wished to set you free—which I do not, by the way. I find I am very much looking forward to making you my bride.”
She swallowed hard and a shuddering breath left her. “What-what is your name?” she asked. “Who-who are you among your people? And why have you come to New Leesburg in the first place?” She had ceased struggling against his hold and now wore a look of growing resignation, though little trembles afflicted her whole body.
“My name is Kazzon. I am an ambassador and I’ve come to Earth to renegotiate the treaty between our worlds. I’m on Earth to visit the dome-cities who were reluctant to agree to our new terms. New Leesburg is my last stop before I return to Tarrkua.”
