Page 5 of Keeping His Mate

“Frank” comes out of my mouth as a croaked whisper. They rush to wrap me in a hug, and as I stand there, sandwiched between them, the warmth of the embrace breaks something within me. The tears fall, and as they stream down my cheeks, a pained cry falls from my lips and I collapse on the floor. Ava and Chloe continue to hold me as I let it all out.

I haven’t spent more than twenty-four hours awake and in the same place since I was taken, so it stands to reason that I haven’t even had time to process the fact that I was abducted by fucking aliens.

This place, though, Oluura, feels different. Chloe and Ava feel like people I can trust. Not just because they’re human, but also because they were abducted too. They understand. I want to trust them. I want to believe I’m safe here. It’s the only positive aspect of this whole nightmare.

“Come on, girl,” Ava says as she wipes the snot from my nose with a cloth. “Let’s get you some food, clothes, and put you to bed. Plenty of time for tours and clan introductions tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I mumble through wobbly lips. I notice once I’m back on my feet that Ahlvo and Varrek have left, and Kaiva is the only one who remains. In her hands is a pile of clothes that look similar to what the girls are wearing.

Chloe takes the clothes from Kaiva and leads me up the stairs.

“You may stay in Ahlvo’s old room, Elle-noor,” Kaiva says in a soft voice. “My room is right above it. You let me know if you need anything at all.”

I try smiling as I nod, but I’m still crying, so I’m sure I look ridiculous.

Ahlvo’s old room is pristine with not much in it but a wide wooden chest, a bed that could fit a soccer team, and a side table. A handful of glowing orbs are scattered in the corners of the room on the floor, creating a cozy ambiance I didn’t know I needed. I haven’t slept in an actual bed since the night I was taken, and I sigh at the sight of the massive one in front of me.

Chloe puts the stack of clothes next to me on the bed as I plop down on the edge. “Here,” she says, “you get changed, and Ava and I will go grab you a plate of food so big, you’d think it’s Thanksgiving.”

I wipe the wetness from my cheeks and let out another sigh. “Okay.”

They pat my shoulder before they offer me a final smile and leave. Then I’m alone in what is apparently my new home, dozens of galaxies from where I should be.

Chloe and Ava clearly think I’m married, and that my breakdown is the result of learning I’ll never see the love of my life again.

They aren’t totally wrong.

I need to tell them I’m single and only wearing this ring on my ring finger because I was at a bar with friends the night I was taken and didn’t want random white guys with an Asian fetish hitting on me. And I should tell them the love of my life is Frank, my four-year-old spaniel/terrier mix. The one who has my heart is a dog who barks at plastic bags on the street and refuses to poop outside when it’s raining.

I should tell them all these things. But not tonight. Tonight is for food and sleep. My next round of weeping can wait until tomorrow.

CHAPTER 3

BRUVIX

Ilet out a grunt as my bare back slams into the dirt. Varrek hops to his feet and peers down at me with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

“Where is your head this day, Bruvix?” he asks, wiping blood from his forearm where my claws tore through his skin. He offers me a hand and pulls me to my feet. Brushing the dirt from my face, I take a moment to find the answer to his question because he is right. I am not focused on the training session. Varrek has bested me the last four times in hand-to-hand combat, and I lose more interest in this practice with each defeat.

It may be the knowledge that a new human female is among our clan, Elle-noor, and I cannot stop picturing her face. Her kind eyes. Her scent. Fuck, her scent was hypnotic in its unique sweetness. My mind flashes back to the moment the med room blurred around her, and she was the only thing my eyes could see clearly.

The tether. I felt it the moment she awoke.

Her high-pitched scream fills my ears, and I am reminded of the moment her eyes first landed on me. She sat up inside her med tube, and when she noticed me, Varrek, Ahlvo, and Kaiva, she shrieked. But her eyes were on me first, the acrid scent of her fear thick in my nose, and I am certain the scars covering my face were what caused her such intense horror.

I should not have been surprised by this reaction as it is one I have received many times. That, or staring, or whispers, or a curled lip of disgust. These are all quite common when people first encounter me. My face is not pleasant to look at. The mit’xcruul that attacked me when I was a young male saw to that. It was intent on killing me, but short of accomplishing that goal, it made sure I would never be the same. It is because of that gruesome beast that I am one too.

Elle-noor quickly recovered from her fright, and pretended her reaction was due to our unexpected presence in the room. But I know better. It is why I left shortly thereafter. That, and the pull of the tether toward a female who has a mate on Earth. She has been through enough trauma since being taken from her home. She does not need my ghastliness to heighten it.

“I am not at my best, I admit,” I finally tell Varrek.

His head tilts to the side and takes me in before nodding and patting me on the back. “Go,” he says. “You need not return for the rest of the session. You shall be better tomorrow.”

I should be disappointed by his dismissal and angry at myself for causing it. However, my mind has drifted to the bed of piloi flowers on my roof garden and how they are just beginning to bloom. It rained through the night and into the morning, which means many of them will be opening soon, and I wish to follow that progress closely. The pilois are a hardy flower, the only one that flourishes during the cold season. When the surrounding greenery withers and dies, the pilois remain. It takes a great deal of destruction to keep them from blooming. Their thick, pink petals are almost impossibly soft to the touch, especially considering how much they can weather. I must acquire more piloi seeds from the falls to plant alongside the newly bloomed pilois.

Anything to keep my mind off Elle-noor and her captivating dark brown eyes.

Heading off the training grounds, I stomp through the damp soil toward the falls where the largest patch of piloi flowers exists, and around it, I will find scattered seeds to plant in my garden. I am covered in dirt and sweat and bruises from today’s session, but I will not come across another soul out here. The falls are typically vacant this time of day. The clan is still waking, or busy with morning chores, or eating their first meal at the food hall.

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