Alien’s Orphan Bride

(Mail Order Human, Book Four)

by Sue Mercury

Copyright 2016 by Sue Mercury

All rights reserved

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Sue Mercury. All names, brands, characters, and settings, etc. are purely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people, real brands, and real locations is a coincidence. Contact: authorsuemercury@gmail.com

Published by Sweet Savage Press, LLC

About this book:

All Hailey ever wanted was a place to belong. After growing up in an orphanage and learning firsthand how hopeless survival on Earth has become, she signs up for Mail Order Human. An alien husband on a faraway planet is her best bet at finding the happily ever after she’s dreamed of since she was a little girl. But her heart is broken when her new husband gives her a cold reception and confines her to his property. She tries to uncover the demons haunting the huge Marrlxian so she can better understand his coldness, but he keeps his heart closely guarded and only tightens his leash on her. Will he ever bare his tattered soul to her? Or will he cast her aside after she gives him the heir he so desperately needs?

After his first mate ran away with her lover, Cav doesn’t trust females of any race. But he needs an heir, so he arranges to receive a young human woman from Mail Order Human. He’s heard humans are more easily controlled than the females of his own kind, and he thinks if his new mate fears him, she won’t dare make a fool of him like his first mate did. But Hailey isn’t easily cowed into submission, and he soon learns human females can prove as stubborn and proud as a seasoned Marrlxian warrior. Can he learn to stop living in the past before he drives Hailey away completely?

Excerpt:

He sat her suitcase beside the bed.

“Um, where do you sleep, Cav?” An adorable blush stained her cheeks.

“My room is at the end of the hallway.” He moved to her and toyed with her auburn braid, unable to resist touching her. His cock hardened at the prospect of claiming her tonight. He would take her long and hard, leaving no doubt in her mind to whom she belonged.

He cleared his throat, released her braid, and took a step back. “Though this is your bedroom, there will be many nights when you will be required to sleep in mine.”

Her blush deepened. “Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight.”

He wanted to tear that dress off her and toss her down on the bed, then spread her legs and sink into her feminine sweetness at this very moment. But ficka, he had to suffer through the formality of the mating ceremony first. To take a female before the ceremony wasn’t honorable. Only the lower classes engaged in such sinful pursuits.

Beneath her thin dress, her nipples hardened to stiff peaks, as if to taunt him and the morals he struggled to cling to. She fidgeted in place as she held his gaze, and when he detected the sweet, feminine scent of her arousal, he couldn’t prevent the growl that rumbled from his throat.

Her eyes widened and she moved around the bed, staring at him in alarm.

He supposed human males didn’t growl. Or if they did, it didn’t mean anything good. He didn’t apologize for frightening her though. If she was partly afraid of him, or thought him unpredictable, she wouldn’t dare try to escape him. Not like Lishana.

But don’t you want her to care for you? a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He clenched his jaw and growled again, this time prompting a gasp from Hailey. Her hands trembled at her sides and her chest rose and fell rapidly.

“The mating ceremony will take place at sunset. You must get yourself ready.”

“Um, okay. I’ll be sure to change into another dress,” she said, glancing at the nearest armoire.

“I will return for you soon.” He departed the room, but not before he envisioned her slipping off her dress and standing naked while she selected something new to wear. Despite being thinner than he thought a healthy female should be, she had wide hips and an ample butt he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. Perhaps the first time he claimed her, he would bend her over the bed and pound into her from behind.

Chapter One

Hunger gnawed at Hailey’s stomach. She huddled behind a storage shed in the shittiest part of the city as the sunrise broke across the dismal landscape of crumbling buildings. She couldn’t recall how she’d gotten here. A haze of confusion surrounded her. Her hands were shaking from the cold, but in the back of her mind she knew it never got terribly cold in Atlanta. Something wasn’t right.

She tried to stand up, but she was too fatigued and weak from hunger that she slipped back to the dirty ground. When she landed, her elbow struck her suitcase. Wincing, she rubbed her arm and looked out at the street beyond. People moved by, some of them carrying cups of steaming soup. A nearby church must be giving out food. Her stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time, but before she could attempt to stand again, a huge figure approached her, blocking out the light of the rising sun.

“What’s in your suitcase, boy? Got anything good?” The man came closer.

Hailey didn’t dare tell him she was really a girl. She lowered her head and hoped her hair didn’t spill out from under her hat. The haze of confusion thickened. She clutched her suitcase, because it contained everything she owned, though in this moment she couldn’t recall the specific contents within.

Light glinted off the knife he pulled. “Give me your suitcase, boy, and there won’t be any trouble.”

Slowly, she slid her hand down her leg and into the side of her boot, where she hid her own blade. “Sure, come and get it,” she said in a forced tone of defeat.

The instant the man grabbed for her suitcase, she slashed him across the cheek, then kicked the knife out of his hand. Blood trickled down his face.

Rage flamed in his eyes.

He lunged at her with a roar.

“Wake up, wake up! We’re here!”

Hailey awoke with a jolt and sat up in bed, her hand immediately seeking out the blade hidden in her boot. Except it wasn’t there. She wasn’t wearing boots and she wasn’t fighting for her life on the streets of Atlanta. She blinked as her surroundings came into focus. Thank God. It had only been a dream. Well, a dream about something that had once happened. But that part of her life had ended. She was safe now.

All around her, young women hurried to pack their belongings and primp in front of the mirrors. Her heart lurched. They must have arrived on Marrlxia earlier than expected. The captain of the Matchmaker 2 had mentioned possibly taking a shortcut through a newly discovered wormhole, and considering they’d apparently landed on Marrlxia a full two weeks before scheduled, they must have successfully traveled through this new interstellar passage.

“Hailey, sweetie, get dressed!” Angie, looking freshly showered, rushed over to the bunk they shared as she zipped up her makeup bag. “The captain says we’ll be landing on Marrlxia in the next hour.”

Once again, Hailey cursed the design of the Matchmaker 2 for not having windows in the women’s sleeping quarters. She longed to glimpse the planet from space. Her pulse quickened as she crawled out of bed.

Would she find what she was looking for on Marrlxia? Would her mate be kind and loving? She knew nothing about the alien she’d been matched with, save that his name was Cav.

At least she knew a bit about the planet of Marrlxia. One of the guards on the Matchmaker 2 had regaled the women one evening with stories of the newly discovered planet, having spent a week in one of their cities while repairs were made to the Matchmaker 2 after a drop off.

Apparently the Marrlxians had battled a race of aliens called the Searxins for many years. After finally defeating their enemy, they returned victorious to their home planet, only to discover a great flood had left their two largest cities in ruins. The loss of life—mostly women and children, since all the capable men had been fighting the Searxins—had been astronomical. Hailey’s heart broke just thinking about it.

The planet had finally recovered from the flood, with the cities repaired and two newly built dams in place to prevent any similar disasters from striking the great cities. But all the men who’d returned from war needed females. According to the guard, Marrlxian males of both the noble and working classes need heirs by their fiftieth birthday. Males without heirs must give away all of their property and wealth and go live in seclusion in the mountains. The guard claimed it was a law passed down by Marrlxian gods, though he’d laughed as he said it, clearly not believing in such divine beings.

Once it was learned that human females were compatible with their species, the Marrlxians had booked the next twenty shipments of Earth women. A shiver went through Hailey at the thought of what this meant. She would be required to provide her Marrlxian mate an heir.

She hurried to shower and get dressed, taking care to style her long auburn hair into a braid that rested on her left shoulder—a hairstyle the guard claimed was considered fashionable for Marrlxian females. Then she tossed her meager belongings into her suitcase and sat on the bottom bunk next to Angie. They exchanged a nervous look.

“We’re both going to men in the same city,” Angie said in a hopeful voice. “We’ll be able to see each other, I’m sure.”

Hailey smiled and squeezed her new friend’s hand. “It’ll be nice to have a familiar face nearby.” She blew out a breath. “I must confess to being very nervous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful I was chosen to leave Earth—there was nothing for me there—but if this planet turns out to be worse than Earth, I’ll be trapped here forever. Matchmaker 2 doesn’t take women back.”

“Yes, it’s scary that all sales are final,” Angie agreed with a smirk. “But the guard says these aliens are very humanlike. Just sort of, um…old-fashioned, I guess. They expect women to be obedient and keep house and have babies. All that stuff. But I’ll gladly cook and clean and have cute little babies if it means I don’t have to breath in dangerously polluted air and worry about being kidnapped or raped by a gang.”

A shudder ran through Hailey. She’d thought she had it bad being homeless on the streets of Atlanta, after she came of age and was kicked out of the orphanage she’d grown up in. But Angie had lived in a violent settlement just outside of where Baltimore used to stand, a place that was now ruled by the most vicious gangs imaginable. Most places on Earth had turned into violent and polluted cesspools, but outside of Baltimore was supposedly one of the most dangerous places to live. And leaving your settlement wasn’t easy. Travel between old towns, crumbling cities, and new settlements was wrought with plenty of danger in the face of reigning lawlessness.

The ship rattled faintly and silence suddenly blanketed the women’s sleeping quarters. Everyone shared anxious glances. The Matchmaker 2 had landed.

“How does my Marrlxian sound?” Hailey said, speaking the alien tongue, thanks to the language chip that had recently been implanted in her brain. All the women had received the chips, which had been provided ahead of time by the Marrlxians. It was odd to be able to switch easily from English to the alien language, without any effort.

“Perfect,” Angie said with a laugh. She scratched the left side of her temple where the tiny chips had been inserted. A small red scab was the only reminder of the quick and almost painless procedure. “Guess we should be lucky we can speak their language, huh? I’ve heard of some planets human women are taken to on Matchmaker 2 that don’t have this technology. Could you fathom being mated to an alien you can’t even talk to?”

Tall guards dressed in black entered the women’s sleeping quarters in the next moment, cutting their conversation short. Hailey’s pulse quickened. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she could barely hear the lead guard announcing that it was time to depart the ship and meet their mates.

Please let Cav be kind. She clutched her suitcase and followed Angie to the slow moving line that was forming. Each woman looked nervous, some more than others, and no wonder. If one of them were matched with an unkind mate, they wouldn’t be able to leave and return to Earth. The aliens on Marrlxia had paid the Mail Order Human company handsomely for this shipment of women. The interstellar business might bill itself as a mail order bride company, but in reality the women had all volunteered to be sold to their new mates. It was either that or face certain hardship, perhaps illness or even death, on Earth.

All the air rushed from Hailey’s chest at the first glance of the alien landscape. Green as far as the eye could see. Lush forests in the distance rose into green mountains, some of them snow-capped. White, billowing clouds roamed across a light blue sky. Flowers and crops surrounded a long, wide road that led to a city that could’ve been a city on Earth. Well, Earth before the wars that devastated her home planet, anyway. The Earth she’d only seen pictures of in old books.

Dozens of huge blue-skinned alien males crowded around the platform the Matchmaker 2 had landed on. Hailey’s stomach flipped at the size of them, and she stopped abruptly on the ramp. The girl behind her cleared her throat impatiently, and Hailey finally started walking again, following Angie and the rest of the women down the ramp where several guards motioned for them to gather in front of the alien men.

Angie glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes. “Oh my God, Hailey, they are insanely sexy!”

Hailey was too shocked by their size to respond. Many of them were easily over seven feet tall. She’d certainly never seen a human man as tall and muscular as these Marrlxian males.

“Your mates were provided images of you ahead of time, so they know what you look like,” the lead guard announced once all the women had disembarked the ship. He turned and stared at the waiting aliens. “Your new mates will claim you now.”

Panic slammed into Hailey. She watched as blue alien after blue alien stepped forward to claim his woman. Each alien took the woman’s luggage and then led her away by the hand.

Breathing became more difficult with each passing second. Oh God, this was really happening. Dreaming about finding a happily ever after on a faraway planet with an alien was one thing…actually waiting for her mate to step forward and collect her while standing on alien soil was another. She glanced around, trying to guess which alien would be her mate, the male she would spend the rest of her life with.

She spied an alien at the back of the gathering that towered over all the other males of his kind. He had straight, long black hair and a gaze so cold it caused Hailey to shiver. She prayed fervently that the angry looking and freakishly tall alien wasn’t her mate. Or Angie’s mate, for that matter. Luckily, another male soon claimed Angie.

“We’ll find each other soon, I promise. Good luck,” Hailey whispered to her friend. Angie winked at her and then focused her attention on her new mate. The tall alien murmured something in her ear that made her giggle.

When all the other women had been claimed, only the angry alien remained. Hailey gulped and blinked back tears that burned hot in her eyes. The other aliens hadn’t appeared upset. A few of them had even smiled at their women as they led them toward the city. Her heart sank. Did he find her unpleasing in some way?

She stood still as the huge alien approached, his blue arms gleaming in the sun.

“Welcome to Marrlxia, Hailey. I am Cav, your mate.”

“Hello, Cav,” she forced out. God, she was nervous. And she now had a very bad feeling about signing up for Mail Order Human. Maybe she should have taken her chances on Earth.

Except it was too late. This was the only second chance she would ever get in life. Perhaps she should give Cav the benefit of the doubt. He could be the nicest alien on Marrlxia for all she knew. First impressions didn’t always pan out.

He took her suitcase and grabbed her hand, squeezing it briefly before guiding her down the wide road. As the tall buildings drew nearer, she tried to think of something to say. Worries multiplied in her head as the silence stretched uncomfortably between them.

“This is a beautiful planet,” she finally said.

He gave her a curious glance. A gust of wind momentarily blew his hair into his face. Her neck hurt from staring up at him, but she didn’t lower her gaze. His dark eyes, still with sparks of what resembled anger, studied her with an intensity that made her stomach flip. She felt vulnerable every time he stared at her. She gulped hard and wondered how long he would wait until he claimed her body.

As if reading her mind, he said, “There will be a quick mating ceremony tonight for all the new couples in the center of our city. After that we will join our bodies together and you will be mine forever. You will give me many sons and daughters, tiny human.”

Well, that answered that question. She tore her gaze from his, but couldn’t resist stealing sidelong peeks at him as they entered the bustling city. He wore black pants and black boots. His tight and sleeveless gray shirt revealed a muscular, broad chest. And his bare arms—holy fuck were they huge. His biceps went on for days. His facial features were very humanlike, at least. If she’d been shown a photograph of his face, she would have thought him a human man. Well, if he weren’t blue.

Appearances weren’t everything though. What kind of heart did he possess? He’d mentioned having children with her already. Would he be a good father? Did he view her as anything but a vessel to bear his children?

Hailey chided herself for her romantic notions. She needed to stop hoping for a fairytale and be happy that she was no longer starving on the streets. Nor was she resting on the cold dirty floor of an orphanage as she tried to fall asleep without a blanket, because one of the larger children had taken hers. Even if Cav only wanted her for her ability to bear him children, she supposed she ought to be grateful for her circumstances. The other human women would live in the city too. At least she would get to see Angie and the others she had become acquainted with on the Matchmaker 2.

As she took in Cav’s massive features, particular his large hands, she prayed he wasn’t prone to violence. The guard had told the women that Marrlxians expected their women to be submissive and very obedient. What would happen if she had a disagreement with Cav? Or what if she displeased him in some way?

God, his hands were huge. He could probably crush her skull in a single blow, if he wanted to. Hailey became so lost in her worries that she barely noticed the city around her. She’d taken plenty of beatings in her life, but never from a man as huge as Cav. The larger children in the orphanage, and the thugs who had occasionally attacked her on the streets didn’t compare to the stature of her new mate.

On Earth, she’d never suffered more than a few bruises during an altercation. Once punches started flying, all Hailey had to do was cough violently and the thugs would flee out of fear that she had a deadly disease. Sometimes she had even painted red spots on her face to mimic Harold’s pox, an illness that spread rapidly and resulted a drawn out, painful death. The creative defensive mechanisms she’d used on Earth wouldn’t work on Marrlxia though.

Her stomach twisted to the point that she hovered on the verge of sickness. She looked up when Cav pulled her to a stop. For the first time, he didn’t gaze upon her with anger flaming in his dark eyes. His gentle expression was a welcome sight.

“Are you unwell, Hailey?”

“I…” She didn’t know what to say, and she was mortified when a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She ducked her head and wiped the moisture away, hoping he didn’t ask why she was crying.

“Are you afraid, Hailey?”

She sniffled and nodded.

“Afraid of me?”

“Yes.” Her whispered response was nearly lost in the rising wind. Her braid lifted off her shoulder.

She didn’t know what to expect, but he completely took her by surprise when he set the suitcase on the ground and cupped her face in his huge hands. He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. Heat radiated from his massive body, and his masculine scent and sudden tenderness had her relaxing a bit. No further tears welled in her eyes.

“You are to be my cherished mate, Hailey, and the mother of my children.”

* * *

It was the best response Cav could think of to calm her nerves. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say, “You mustn’t fear me” or “I will never hurt you.” Because he didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep. It would take time to learn her character. Time to determine how loyal and trustworthy of a female she was.

He’d heard human females were more submissive and obedient than Marrlxian females, which was precisely the reason he’d ordered a female from Mail Order Human, rather than seek another mate among his own kind. Gods, he hoped it was true, and hoped the temptation of betrayal never crossed Hailey’s mind.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger long enough to sense her body humming at his touch, before he pulled away and picked up the suitcase. He pointed at the house at the end of the residential road they’d traveled down.

“The white stone house is my home. Our home.” He held his breath, waiting for her reaction.

She gasped the instant her gaze landed on the house. “Wow. It’s wonderful. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d live in a house so grand. It looks like a castle from a fairytale!”

Despite himself, his face heated as a blush stole over him. He wanted to impress this small human female more than he cared to admit. Bitterness swept through him at the memory of his first mate’s betrayal, despite all he’d done to ensure her happiness. He’d built this house, with the white stone she loved, in the quarter of the city she claimed to enjoy most. He’d gotten her servants and showered her with lavish gifts, but not a full moon cycle into their union she had betrayed him, running off with a Marrlxian from a lower class and shaming Cav before the entire city.

He inhaled deeply and forced thoughts of Lishana away. He had decided long ago that he had been too lenient with her, especially allowing her to leave his property without first obtaining permission. Never again would he make the same mistakes. He would ensure Hailey understood he was in charge. He wouldn’t allow her the opportunity to betray him.

Once they reached his home, he ushered her inside and introduced her to the two servants he still retained, a cook and a maid who had nowhere else to go, so he’d kept them on even after Lishana left. Both were widows from the gehea class, which meant they weren’t free to remarry. On Marrlxia, their only path in life was to work as servants. He treated them well though and paid them a fair salary, not entirely agreeing with the Marrlxian class system, even though he had been born into the highest class.

Hailey smiled at the servant women, Brena and Niashu, and said, “I’m pleased to meet you both.”

Brena and Niashu bowed their heads politely and murmured, “Pleased to meet you, mistress,” before backing out of the entryway.

“I will show you to your room.” He guided his tiny human up the winding staircase to the room he’d had prepared for her. Again, he found himself holding his breath as he awaited her response.

She entered the room, paused near the bed, and spun in a slow circle with her mouth hanging open. “I get my own bedroom? My own…personal space?” Tears shone in her eyes as she peered up at him.

“Of course. I’ve had this room prepared especially for you. The bathroom is filled with feminine hygiene products similar to those found on your homeworld, and I’ve had a wardrobe made for you as well. I used the scans of your body provided by Mail Order Human to ensure the correct sizes. There are dresses and other clothing items in the armoires. Everything in this room belongs to you.”

“Th-thank y-you,” she stammered.

He had surmised she’d opted to leave Earth because it was war torn and polluted, but he hadn’t taken the time to ponder exactly how difficult her day-to-day life must have been. The threadbare knee-length dress she wore hung loose on her thin body. A surge of protectiveness rose up in him as he stared down at her. How often had she gone to bed hungry?

Mail Order Human had matched her name to his randomly, and the only bits of information about her that he’d known in advance were her name and her age—twenty-one. The interstellar matchmaking company hadn’t divulged her individual hardships or her reasons for signing up to become a mail order bride on a planet alien to her.

The urge to wrap his arms around her swelled in his chest, but he didn’t act on it for fear of seeming too soft. The tenderness he’d shown her on their walk to his house would have to suffice for now.

If she thought him soft, she might try to leave him for another male. And he couldn’t abide such a travesty. Not again. He would give her rules and make sure she obeyed them. Rules that would keep her sequestered from all other males. Once he got her with child though, he could relax his rules somewhat. It was, after all, punishable by death to touch a female who was pregnant or already had children with another Marrlxian. No other male would dare try to claim her once she carried his first child in her womb.

He sat her suitcase beside the bed.

“Um, where do you sleep, Cav?” An adorable blush stained her cheeks.

“My room is at the end of the hallway.” He moved to her and toyed with her auburn braid, unable to resist touching her. His cock hardened at the prospect of claiming her tonight. He would take her long and hard, leaving no doubt in her mind to whom she belonged.

He cleared his throat, released her braid, and took a step back. “Though this is your bedroom, there will be many nights when you will be required to sleep in mine.”

Her blush deepened. “Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight.”

He wanted to tear that dress off her and toss her down on the bed, then spread her legs and sink into her feminine sweetness at this very moment. But ficka, he had to suffer through the formality of the mating ceremony first. To take a female before the ceremony wasn’t honorable. Only the lower classes engaged in such sinful pursuits.

Beneath her thin dress, her nipples hardened to stiff peaks, as if to taunt him and the morals he struggled to cling to. She fidgeted in place as she held his gaze, and when he detected the sweet, feminine scent of her arousal, he couldn’t prevent the growl that rumbled from his throat.

Her eyes widened and she moved around the bed, staring at him in alarm.

He supposed human males didn’t growl. Or if they did, it didn’t mean anything good. He didn’t apologize for frightening her though. If she was partly afraid of him, or thought him unpredictable, she wouldn’t dare try to escape him. Not like Lishana.

But don’t you want her to care for you? a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind.

He clenched his jaw and growled again, this time prompting a gasp from Hailey. Her hands trembled at her sides and her chest rose and fell rapidly.

“The mating ceremony will take place at sunset. You must get yourself ready.”

“Um, okay. I’ll be sure to change into another dress,” she said, glancing at the nearest armoire.

“I will return for you soon.” He departed the room, but not before he envisioned her slipping off her dress and standing naked while she selected something new to wear. Despite being thinner than he thought a healthy female should be, she had wide hips and an ample butt he couldn’t wait to get his hands on. Perhaps the first time he claimed her, he would bend her over the bed and pound into her from behind.

Chapter Two

Hailey stared at her reflection in the tall mirror, appreciating the flattering cut of the blue gown she’d selected. It was the most elegant dress she’d even seen, let alone worn. All the material things around her left her unsettled. Why wasn’t she happier in this moment? This was her room. These were her things. The air was fresh and the food plentiful on this planet.

Shame heated her cheeks. She had everything she’d ever wanted. Except someone who really cared about her. She wasn’t so foolish as to believe in love at first sight, but she hoped in time Cav would come to truly care for her. Yes, he’d said she would be his cherished mate. But she sensed he’d only said that out of obligation. Her stomach flipped. Would he only love her if she gave him a child? A male heir? Doubt clutched at her heart. Would he despise her if she only gave him girls or if she couldn’t get pregnant at all?

She hadn’t known how desperately Marrlxians needed heirs to maintain their social status until she’d left Earth on the Matchmaker 2. The strange red-eyed alien who’d looked over her application in Atlanta before she boarded the interstellar ship hadn’t given her any details, so she’d filled them in herself by imagining the males on Marrlxia were lonely and longed for females to love and call their own.

She smoothed a hand over her braid and tried to smile. Were the other human women nervous too? Angie had seemed more excited than anxious. Hailey frowned, wishing she could be as optimistic as her friend.

A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. She turned as Cav entered the room, his long hair swept behind his broad shoulders. He wore a black jacket overtop his gray shirt, but otherwise hadn’t changed clothing. She approached him, expecting they would be leaving at once, but he stood in front of her and blocked her path.

“You’ve never been married before, is that correct?”

“That’s right. I’ve never been married.” A reasonable question, she supposed. A few of the women on the Matchmaker 2 were young widows. But not her. In fact, she’d avoided men as much as possible on Earth. She’d witnessed other girls on the street get harassed by horrible men and had always strived to stay hidden, even dressing like a man and keeping her hair concealed under ratty hats she constructed from discarded clothing. Between that and pretending to be sick, no man had ever attempted to get especially close to her.

The serious gleam in Cav’s eyes unnerved her. Didn’t he believe her? He swallowed hard and took another step forward, completely towering over her. She strained her neck to look up and meet his cold gaze.

“What about a….a lover? Have you ever had one?”

“N-no. Never.” Her throat burned, and she felt the need to explain herself further, lest he believe her a liar. “I grew up in an all-girls orphanage. Once I turned eighteen, I had to leave. With nowhere to go, I lived on the streets and…”

“Have you ever cheated on a lover before?”

She felt the blood drain from her face. What the hell was wrong with him? “I just told you I’ve never had a lover. Therefore, I’ve never cheated on anyone before. I-I’m a virgin, in case that matters. The alien looking over my application to Mail Order Human asked if I was a virgin, but I refused to answer the question. I didn’t think it was any of his business, even if virgins do fetch a higher price.”

He breathed in deeply and his nostrils flared. His face relaxed, all signs of tension vanishing in an instant. Hailey got his message though—he was worried about her cheating on him. His suspicion wounded her. Cheating on him was the furthest thing from her mind.

“You will never speak to or look upon another male, Hailey. Is that clear?” Though his gaze had softened, his tone reverberated through the room hard as steel.

Her throat closed up and for a moment she couldn’t answer. She gulped and nervously stared into his dark eyes. “Y-yes, I-I understand.” She wasn’t about to disagree with him right before the mass nuptial ceremony.

“Good.” He relaxed slightly, then grasped her hand and led her downstairs and outside.

The horizon glowed orange as the sun set over the mountains. Hailey had been asleep on the Matchmaker 2 for about three hours when they’d landed, but apparently it had been approaching dusk on Marrlxia at that time. Though she should be exhausted from lack of sleep, adrenaline kept her going. Her heart hadn’t ceased its rapid beat since the landing.

They traveled deeper into the city, hurriedly walking through streets lined with the tallest buildings she’d ever seen. There were no vehicles of any kind in the roads, but now and then she would glimpse small aircrafts zipping overhead. The streets were constructed with wide light gray stones, and the buildings all looked quaint and homey, even the tallest structures, which she supposed were huge apartment buildings, judging from the flow of Marrlxians coming in and out of the automatic doors.

Tall fruiting trees stood between buildings and houses. Colorful gardens, filled with flowers and plants, thrived atop every roof. God, compared to Earth this place was heaven.

Hope brimmed in her heart when Cav glanced down at her and gave her hand a quick, affectionate squeeze. Then he directed his gaze at the gathering crowd ahead. Pairs of blue Marrlxian males and human females stood side by side in a square surrounded by floating, circular yellow lights. A fragrant scent reminiscent of lavender hung in the air, and Hailey soon noticed the dainty purple flowers giving off the scent grew on vines that covered the nearest buildings. The entire horde vibrated with energy, even though everyone appeared outwardly calm and only the faintest of murmurings could be heard.

A tall Marrlxian male wearing a green robe stared down at the crowd from a platform that towered over the square. Cav guided Hailey further into the throng. A short distance away, she spotted Angie and gave her an encouraging smile, even though her friend didn’t look like she needed much reassurance. The petite blonde winked at Hailey and then returned her love struck gaze to her mate.

Cav released Hailey’s hand and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her close against his solid body. He stroked her braid and she sensed his eyes upon her, but a sudden jolt of shyness prevented her from looking up. He had treated her too stiffly and formally for her liking thus far. What would it be like when he claimed her tonight? Would he order her to get into bed and spread her legs with the same bold authority as when he’d ordered her not to speak to another male?

Fuck. How would she keep from accidently looking upon another Marrlxian male? She tried to remember if she’d glanced too long upon Angie’s mate or any other males they had passed in the street. Cav’s behavior was more than old-fashioned. It was controlling.

Shut up. Be thankful you’ve been given this opportunity to start over. She chided herself once again for her inability to feel nothing but absolute gratitude for being given the chance to live on this beautiful planet.

The priest on the podium rang a bell. By the time it finished clanging all conversation in the square had ceased. He smiled and said, “Before all gods, the ancient gods of Sheshemai and the new gods of Marrlxia, I bestow a thousand times a thousand blessings on each couple gathered here on this night. Stay faithful, always be kind, and love your children.” He lifted his hands and closed his eyes. “Go forth and join your bodies as one now.”

Talk about short and sweet. Cav had been right about the ceremony being quick. Hailey couldn’t believe it was over as soon as it had begun. She now belonged to Cav in the eyes of his people. Her pulse quickened.

Shouts of joy sprang up in the crowd. Hailey cautiously scanned the gathering, careful to keep from staring at any of the males for too long. It was the males who were voicing their excitement in a chorus of hollers interspersed with deep growls. Cav released a sudden growl that made her gasp, and then swept her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her from the square.

She started to protest this treatment and tell Cav she could walk perfectly fine, but all around them other males were carrying their new mates away, either held in their arms or tossed over their shoulders. She silently thanked Cav for not carrying her over his shoulder in such a savage manner. Maybe this meant he would be gentle as he mated with her. She could only hope. Large as he was, she couldn’t help but wonder if his male parts were in proportion to the rest of his body.

He set a fast pace through the streets and she rested her head against his chest, trying to silence her virginal apprehension.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she concentrated on the fast beating of his heart. Tears burned behind her closed eyelids. She couldn’t remember anyone holding her, ever. Not in the orphanage. Certainly not when she’d been living in the streets. Hell, she couldn’t even recall experiencing a simple hug. In Cav’s arms, she felt so safe that she could almost pretend he loved her. Almost.

* * *

Ficka, Cav’s heart had never felt so full and warm. This tiny human female had stirred emotions inside him that were completely foreign. Regret washed through him at the memory of how sternly he’d ordered her to stay away from other Marrlxian males. She’d looked frightened and taken aback by his command. Perhaps he shouldn’t allow Lishana’s betrayal to haunt their relationship. It certainly wasn’t fair to punish Hailey for the crimes of his former mate.

He strengthened his hold on her as his house came into sight. The full moon had risen high already and he took it as a good omen. In the days on his ancestors, mating ceremonies were only performed during a full moon.

He carried his mate upstairs, taking the steps three at a time, then brought her to his bedroom at the end of the long hallway. The door opened and shut behind them automatically after he gave it a slight push.

Several lit candles rested atop dressers and tables, flickering orange around the room. He walked to the bed and sat Hailey on the edge of the mattress, keeping his hand in her hair. Her braid had come partly undone. The look of her hair disheveled stoked the flames of his desire. Gods, he wanted her.

A rosy hue colored her cheeks. He pulled at the ribbon that tied the end of her braid, then combed her hair out with his fingers. She bit her bottom lip and peered up at him shyly. Her innocence enthralled him. It thrilled him that he would be the first to touch her and taste her. He inhaled deeply, once again detecting her sweet feminine scent.

“You’re so beautiful, Hailey.” He guided her to lay in the center of the mattress and straddled her.

She quivered beneath him, her breaths coming in short nervous gasps. Her cheeks were flushed prettily and her bosom heaved within the confines of her gown’s low neckline. His cock swelled to hardness and his balls drew up tight with longing. Cupping her face, he stared into her sparkling blue eyes as yet another growl built in his throat. The rumble didn’t startle her this time. In fact, it seemed to entice her to lift her hips against his throbbing shaft.

Ficka, he had to get her clothes off. His too. But first, he had to kiss her or he’d go mad with the need to taste her. Inhaling a quick breath, he leaned down and captured her lips, tenderly at first, as he swept his tongue along hers and reveled in the moment.

She parted her lips slightly and moaned as he deepened the kiss. The tension that had been growing between them sparked into full-fledged passion. She reached up and clutched at the sides of his face, meeting the thrusts of his tongue with fervor. Her sweet little moans joined with his deep urgent growls that echoed off the walls. Still kissing her, he cupped her left breast, squeezing and massaging the generous mound before moving to her right breast to give it the same treatment. She arched into his touches and continued lifting her hips against his hardness.

He tore away from her, panting. She was breathless and her cheeks had flushed a darker shade of pink since he’d first kissed her. She looked so lovely and enticing. And all his. He wouldn’t let another male touch her. Ever.

Though he hadn’t known Hailey a full day, the possessiveness he felt for her burned strong. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at her. Stronger than it ever had for Lishana. Why was that? He studied Hailey, excitement and hope sweeping through him with the force of a tidal wave.

Would his bond to her increase after he claimed her? His pulse raced at the possibility. He’d taken Lishana as his mate because their families had been friends and by some miracle she hadn’t perished during the great flood. It had been an arranged mating, though he’d had every intention of caring for Lishana for the rest of his days. Even if they never grew to love one another.

He could easily imagine falling in love with Hailey. He thought he could spend an entire lifetime staring into her pretty blue eyes and stroking her hair and kissing her breathless. Emotion tightened his throat as he lifted her off the bed and commenced pushing her gown off her shoulders. He guided the garment down over her wide hips, admiring her luscious full breasts and the flat of her stomach, his mouth watering at the prospect of kissing her all over. As he unwrapped her, she stood obediently in front of him with her head slightly lowered.

“Look at me, Hailey.”

Her eyes rose to his.

“We will make a good life together. A happy life.”

To his surprise, her bottom lip quivered. She pressed her mouth in a tight line and swallowed hard before saying, “But what if I cannot give you a son, an heir? Will you still want me then?”

He stepped back and gazed at her in confusion. “Are you sick? We have the best doctors, Hailey, and—”

“No, I’m not sick,” she said, cutting him off. “But I’ve heard male Marrlxians must have an heir by a certain age or they are banished from their city. If I keep giving you girls or no children at all, will you cast me aside for another female who can give you what you need?”

He shook his head fiercely. “I swear on the gods I will never cast you aside, Hailey. As I told you before, you are my cherished mate.” He ran his thumb along the curve of her jaw. Gods, she was soft everywhere his hands roamed. “If such a thing comes to pass, you can live with me in the mountains. Or you can remain in the city, if that is your wish. But I am not worried, for I plan to plant my seed inside you every night until your stomach starts to swell with my child. Besides, the first child born is always a boy. Male Marrlxians only release the seed required for the male sex until our mate becomes pregnant the first time.”

She flushed and tried to look down, but he held her chin between his fingers, not allowing her to escape his stare.

“And even once you are with child, you will not escape my attentions, Hailey. I have a feeling I won’t be able to go a few hours without claiming you.”

“Hours?” she asked, shocked, but he cut off further protests with a hard, commanding kiss that had her moaning again in no time.

Once he scented her arousal blooming, the aroma sweet and pungent in his nostrils, he released her and shed his boots and clothing in a flurry of motion and flying garments. Her eyes bulged when she glanced at his long, painfully hardened shaft.

Guiding her back onto the bed, he immediately latched onto her breast, suckling her nipple and giving it gentle pulls with his teeth. Little sounds of pleasure emanated from her. She ran her fingers through his hair and the noises coming from her grew more urgent as he traveled lower and lower, until his mouth hovered between her legs. When he darted his tongue out and licked a trail between her pussy lips, she writhed against his face and cried out.

He took his time tasting her. Forcing her legs wide apart, he splayed her intimate folds open and thrust his tongue deep in her channel. Ficka, she tasted divine, sweet yet musky and something else that was unique to her, the evidence of her budding desire.

“Oh, please, please more, don’t stop, Cav…” Her voice trailed off into an unintelligible string of pleas.

He swirled his tongue atop her pink, swollen clit, increasing the pressure and speed of his ministrations until she shuddered and groaned loudly as she found her release. When he pulled away from her, her plump sex gleamed with her essence.

“I…I…” She met his gaze, but in her breathlessness couldn’t complete her sentence.

Cav settled himself on top of her, placing his cockhead at the entrance of her womanhood. He pressed into her, sliding into her tightness until he met the resistance of her virginal barrier. Oh gods. Pausing, he waited for her to meet his gaze, but she’d closed her eyes and appeared to be bracing herself for the inevitable pain of losing her innocence.

“Look at me, Hailey.”

Slowly, she opened her eyes and peered up at him.

“Good girl.” He increased the pressure against her barrier. “This will only hurt a moment, tiny human, and just this once.”

He drove forward in one swift motion, breaking through her resistance until he was fully seated in her snug channel. Then he gripped her hips and stared into her eyes. She hadn’t cried out, let alone grimaced, and he hoped that meant she hadn’t suffered much pain. If he could’ve taken the pain on himself, he would have done so in a heartbeat.

The agony of remaining inside her and not moving was becoming too much, but he wanted to give her adequate time to become accustomed to his size before he started pounding her hard. To his relief, she shifted beneath him in encouragement. She gave him a mischievous smile and moved against him again.

Cav needed no further reassurance. He held onto her hips and thrusted in and out of her with abandon. She wrapped her arms around his waist and parted her thighs wider, and wider still, inviting him to claim her in the rough manner he craved. Dark spots swirled in his vision as he pumped into her, filling her completely with each quick plunge into her exquisite tightness.

Gods, it was as if she’d been made just for him.

Chapter Three

Hailey clung to Cav, struggling for breath but enjoying all that he gave her. She’d never expected him to put his mouth on her pussy, or to bring her to orgasm before he fucked her. The fact that he’d taken the time to ensure her pleasure before taking his own wasn’t lost on her. Because of the care he was showing her, she had barely felt the pain of losing her virginity. A twinge of discomfort followed by more mind-numbing pleasure. Despite his generous size, welcoming all of Cav inside her left her shaking with ecstasy and craving more of him.

“Mmm, yes,” she murmured, resting her face in the curve of his neck as he hovered over her, not slowing in his rapid thrusts.

He growled and shuddered, his whole body quaking as he found his release. The warmth of his seed filled Hailey, and after his trembling ceased, he slowly withdrew from her. She expected him to crawl off her, but he remained in place and stared into her eyes with a look so tender emotion swelled in her chest. Cav could act as severe as he wanted to, but he had his unguarded moments, moments when his soul was bared to hers. Like now.

“Hailey,” he said in a gravelly voice, “My Hailey, my tiny human.” Then he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and rolled off her.

During the next several hours, few words passed between them. Cav opened the windows to allow a breeze to cool their sweating bodies. He brought her water and fresh fruit, for which was grateful. If she hadn’t landed on Marrlxia today, she would be waking up around this time on the starship and eating breakfast.

Secure in his arms, she eventually drifted to sleep while he stroked her hair. In all her life, she had never fallen asleep with such a profound sense of safety. Even when she was aboard the Matchmaker 2 and away from the horrors of Earth, she’d worried the ship might meet with some disaster. The original Starship Matchmaker had been attacked by a fierce alien race who reportedly stole all the females and then destroyed the ship.

Her life up until this morning was fraught with danger and constant worry. For the first time in her life, she could breathe. And for the first time in her life, she slept through the night without a frightful dream propelling her to wakefulness before dawn.

* * *

Hailey awoke to the warm sunlight caressing her face. She smiled and stretched languorously. The sheets were softer than any she’d slept in before and brushed silkily over her naked flesh. Sitting up against the huge fluffy pillows, she blinked at her surroundings.

She was still in Cav’s room, but his side of the bed was empty. Had he gone to work? She realized she didn’t even know what he did for a living. Well, she knew he’d been a Marrlxian warrior and spent many years battling his enemies, but before that surely he’d had a different occupation. She imagined with his large muscles he could excel at building whatever he put his mind to. Perhaps he helped to construct the buildings and homes in the city.

As she speculated on what Cav did with his days, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the melodious chirping of birds and the sway of trees in the wind. The curtains fluttered as a breeze entered the bedroom, ruffling the sheets and blowing her hair about her shoulders.

Wrapping herself in a bedsheet, Hailey approached the window and gasped at the sight. Cav’s street was in the most elevated part of the city. She could see for miles and miles to the mountains beyond the clearing the Matchmaker 2 had landed in. Small crafts zipped through the air over the buildings and the fields of crops. Marrlxians moved through the streets. In the bright morning light, the city looked even more green and vibrant than it had when she’d first walked through it yesterday.

She backed away from the window, deciding she ought to get cleaned up and dressed for the day. Perhaps she could go exploring and try to find Angie. She hadn’t a clue where her friend lived, but maybe she would get lucky. The mass nuptial ceremony had ended too abruptly for the two friends to steal a moment to confer with one another.

The dress she’d worn last night was nowhere to be found, so Hailey departed the room wearing her bedsheet. She traipsed to her room and closed the door behind her, once again appreciating that she had her own space. During her time in the orphanage, she had often dreamed of having her own bedroom. Of course, in her dreams she had only dared wish for a clean bed to sleep in, a dresser to store her clothing, and a little bedside table with a lamp on it. Oh, and a door with an impenetrable lock. In giving her this bedroom, Cav had provided her with something beyond her most fantastic imaginings.

As she showered in the large, spotlessly clean bathroom, she reflected on the tender emotion she’d glimpsed in her mate’s eyes after he’d claimed her. She sure was experiencing a lot of firsts on this planet. No one had ever looked at her so tenderly before, as if she meant something to them.

When Hailey opened the armoire, she noticed the dress she’d worn last night was back in place, looking as clean and perfectly pressed as when she’d donned it yesterday. She selected a casual yellow dress that hung nearby, wondering how she was to spend her days if Cav already had a cook and a maid. It was her understanding, based on the Matchmaker 2 guard’s description of life on Marrlxia, that most homes on this planet didn’t have servants.

After styling her hair in another braid over her shoulder, she exited her room and ventured to the long, winding staircase that led to the first floor. On her way down, she passed Brena, who was carrying up laundry. They exchanged greetings and then Hailey made for the front door, anxious to venture out for a walk, even if she didn’t succeed in locating Angie today.

She’d witnessed Cav open doors by simply placing his hand on the door and giving a slight push, but when she tried doing it, nothing happened. Frowning, she pushed at the door harder, but still it didn’t budge. She turned in frustration, looking for other exits outside. She found two more doors that clearly led outside, but neither of them would open either.

The sound of a throat being cleared made her turn around.

“Mistress Hailey, breakfast is waiting for you in the dining room.”

Breakfast? Hailey had been so set on getting outside that she hadn’t even thought to eat. At the mention of food though, her stomach rumbled loudly. She flushed and decided to first inquire about the doors.

“Brena, why won’t any of the doors open? Am I trying to open them the wrong way?” she asked, giving the door another futile push.

The maid’s face reddened and her eyes danced around the hallway. Clearly, she didn’t want to answer Hailey’s question. “Apologies, mistress, but Master Cav has ordered the doors to remain locked when he isn’t at home.”

“But why? I’d wanted to go for a little walk before breakfast. It’s a beautiful day.”

“Apologies, but I cannot say why.” Brena bowed her head. “Please come have your breakfast, mistress.”

Hailey turned and glared at the door, cursing Cav for locking her inside. What the hell? It’s not like she was planning to run away. And she wouldn’t be stupid enough to get herself lost. She had planned to pay attention to every turn she took during her walk so she could easily find her way home.

She took a deep breath and faced Brena with a polite smile. Cav had locked her in, not the maid. She had no reason to treat Brena rudely.

“Breakfast sounds great, thank you.”

Maybe after she had some food in her, she could think of how to handle Cav and his backward ways. He’d ordered her not to speak or look at other Marrlxian males. She could think of no other reason he’d locked the doors. She would not spend the rest of her life locked in a house, even a house as huge and richly furnished as this one, without a fight.

Her heart sank. She barely knew Cav. Could she convince him to trust her?

* * *

Cav returned home at midday, the Marrlxian Council session concluded for the day. He found the governance of his city a boring affair, but having been born into the treman class, it was his responsibility to sit in the meetings and contribute ideas to the upkeep of his city. Before he touched the front door, he turned and gazed longingly at the rolling fields outside the city, where the lower classes of Marrlxians tended to the crops. He would much rather spend his days in the fields, and truth be told, he had enjoyed his days as a warrior fighting the Searxins because it had gotten him away from the tedious business of the Council.

With a sigh, he pushed at the door and strode inside. He glanced around the opulent entryway, looking left and right for signs of Hailey. Had she tried to go outside? If so, was she angry he’d kept the doors locked until his return?

Niashu and Brena rushed out of the sitting room area, worry marring their faces. They approached him with their heads lowered and kept giving each other sidelong glances.

“What is it?” he asked, forcing a note of kindness in his voice. For as long as the two women had been in his employment, they’d never given him an iota of grief.

“Master Cav,” Niashu finally spoke up, “your new mate has, ermm, left the house.”

“She what?”

“Apologies, Master Cav. She must have climbed down from the window you left open in your bedroom. We have looked all over the house and she’s nowhere to be found. She was a bit distressed when she wasn’t able to open the door this morning,” Brena said. “She had hoped to go for a walk.”

Ficka.

Anger and disbelief clouded Cav’s thoughts. He gave a growl and ran out of the house, his gaze sweeping down the street for signs of his disobedient mate. When he only saw a few blue Marrlxians, he walked around his house and stood below the window she’d apparently climbed out of. The stones protruded in various places, adequate for stepping upon but not entirely safe. By the gods, she could have slipped and fallen to her death. When he got his hands on her…

He shook his head and tried to calm his growing rage, but it was no use. The memory of coming home to find his house empty, Lishana gone, bubbled hot like a lava pit in his soul. By the time he’d managed to track her and her mate down in the mountains, she was already carrying his child. Even if he’d wanted to take Lishana home by force, he could no longer do so by law. Not when she’d been carrying another male’s child.

Curling his hand into a fist, he punched the hard white stone. When he retracted his hand, blood trickled upon the grass below. Calm yourself, Cav. He took deep breaths, knowing Hailey would be frightened if she found him in such an agitated state. Isn’t that what he’d wanted though? For her to fear him, perhaps just a little, so she wouldn’t dare to disobey him, let alone betray him in the same way as Lishana.

He closed his eyes and summoned guidance from the gods. Of course, the gods never answered, but he always felt better when he prayed. More at peace. He didn’t have any definitive answers by the time he opened his eyes, but he did feel a hundred times calmer.

Maybe he should confess his deepest fear to Hailey. Maybe he should tell her of the hurt Lishana inflicted. He wanted to trust his new mate, gods knew he did.

But first he had to find her.

He wiped his bloody knuckles on his pants and set off down the street. Several passersby claimed to have seen her in the nearby market, so he headed in that direction. With her reddish hair, she would be difficult to miss.

When he spotted her in the busy market, she was speaking excitedly to another human woman. As he approached, he overheard them describing to one another where they lived. He recognized the other human as belonging to Bricc, who was also a member of the Marrlxian Council. He’d seen the pair standing close by during the mass nuptial ceremony.

The women hugged and then said goodbye, promising to visit with each other soon.

Hailey turned and started to make her way out of the market. She kept her head lowered, not looking at anyone, save for the few human and Marrlxian women who were shopping in the market. He found it curious that she would take an illicit walk but still obey his command not to gaze upon Marrlxian males.

He strode to her and blocked her path. She gulped and tried to move around him, still not glancing up.

“Hailey, look at me.”

Her head shot up and she stared at him with wide eyes. “Cav,” she said breathlessly.

The urge to grab her shoulders and shake her was strong, but he kept his hands at his sides. He was angrier that she’d risked her life by climbing out the window than he was at her for taking a walk without permission. She’d receive a proper scolding once they returned home, in private, he decided.

“Come,” he said sternly. “It is time for the midday meal.”

“I…I thought you would be working all day. I meant to be back by the time you arrived home.” Her face grew red.

“We will discuss your disobedience, Hailey, after the midday meal.”

She swallowed hard and nodded, looking anxious. Around them, the market crowd thickened as workers from the fields poured in for a quick meal before returning to their jobs.

Cav put a hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the throng. Once they reached a quiet street, she took a deep breath and looked up at him.

“It’s n-not ri-rght. Locking me in the house. This city seems perfectly safe and there are plenty of other females, human and Marrlxian, walking around by themselves. I have no intention of seeking affection with another Marrlxian male, if that’s what you’re worried about. I appreciate that you think so little of me though,” she said bitterly.

His anger crept back in the face of her defiance, and he gripped her arm as his house came into sight. “We will speak on this matter after the midday meal, Hailey. For now, I don’t want to hear another word.”

Chapter Four

Cav leveled a disapproving stare on Hailey from across the dining room table, but she refused to be intimidated, at least outwardly, by his growing irritation. With her chin lifted high, she glared at a random point on the wall behind him as she ate her lunch, which consisted of fresh fruits and vegetables arranged on a platter of warm, buttery rice.

She pretended she didn’t care that he was upset with her, though deep down she was quivering. This was their first disagreement. Would he try to understand her perspective? Or would he keep her locked in the house forever, never allowing her to visit with Angie or even partake in the simple joy of an early morning walk? This planet was supposed to be her freedom and her second chance, not a prison.

Exploring the streets and the market had been a wondrous experience. Hailey didn’t regret climbing out the window, even knowing she was disobeying her mate. On Earth, she’d never once gone on a walk just for the pleasure of it. She’d moved around cautiously, always watching her back while praying no harm visited her as she foraged for food or searched for shelter.

Niashu flitted into the dining room and refilled their glasses of water, then departed just as quickly. Hailey hoped Cav hadn’t taken his displeasure out on the maids before he’d ventured out to find her.

Once she finished her meal, she sipped her water and waited for him to speak. He pushed his plate back and continued staring at her, but didn’t utter a word. The prolonged silence threatened to drive her past the brink of sanity. Her stomach wouldn’t stop performing somersaults, and her heart beat faster with each passing second.

This waiting, this nervousness, reminded her of all the times she’d sat apprehensively on her sleeping spot as a couple interested in adoption walked through the orphanage. She would cringe with her head down, her tangled red hair hiding her face, and cough hard as the couple passed her. Most of the other children would do the same, because no one with loving intentions had ever visited the orphanage. People had been too poor and life had been too fucking hard for kindness and charity. The couples who adopted orphans used them for hard labor and housed them in conditions more horrendous than the orphanage.

As Hailey sat across from Cav, she found herself looking down and wishing her hair wasn’t in a braid, because she very much wished to hide her face. A few times the couples had paused before her sleeping spot and stared at her for so long she feared she would be chosen, despite her coughing and feigning of illness.

Please say something, Cav. Say anything. Just as a scream built in her throat, he finally broke the intolerable silence.

“You are never to climb out a window again, tiny human. Gods, you could have fallen and broken your neck!” He slammed his hand on the table, causing her to gasp.

When she met his eyes, the intense look of concern reflecting in his dark depths startled her. She’d expected to see fury burning in his gaze, but she detected no anger at all. Was he really that worried she might have fallen? Scaling down the wall hadn’t been difficult and her feet hadn’t slipped once, but if she had tumbled to the ground she very well could’ve broken something, or worse.

“Cav, I don’t want to be locked up in this house day after day. Please try to trust me.”

“First, promise you won’t climb out any windows again, should I accidently leave one open.” Worry still strained his visage and his shoulders weren’t moving. He was holding his breath, she realized, in anticipation of her answer.

“Okay, I promise.” Perhaps if she gave a little, he would also give a little in return.

“Good.” He exhaled the breath he’d been holding and leaned back in his chair, much more relaxed than he’d been seconds ago. The tension in the atmosphere started to dissipate, and Hailey also felt more at ease.

“Until you are pregnant with my child, another Marrlxian male could steal you from me. That is why I locked you in the house.” Secrets lurked in his troubled gaze. There was more, but could she get him to open up?

“Surely the males will not take a mated female by force? I saw many females walking around the city today, even human women who obviously couldn’t be pregnant this quickly.”

“Marrlxian males do not take females by force. It is dishonorable to do so and punishable by death. However, a female may fall in love with another male and choose to leave her mate, as long as she hasn’t given him a child or isn’t currently pregnant.”

“So you are worried I will see a Marrlxian male I like better than you and leave you before you get me pregnant?” Hailey took a deep breath and blinked slowly, taking it all in.

“That…is…my greatest fear.” A note of vulnerability resounded in his voice. “You are my mate, Hailey, and we are meant to spend the rest of our lives together, to have children together and grow old with one another. I realize we are still strangers, but when I look at you, tiny human, I know in the depths of my soul that you are my perfect match.”

So he feared she would abandon him for another. Betray him. Hurt him.

She rose up and walked around the table to him. When he turned to look upon her, she cupped the side of his face and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. Yesterday when she’d been worried, he had kissed her in the same way to try to quell her fears. It had worked, and she hoped it eased his anxieties too.

“I’m not the first mate you’ve had, am I?”

“No,” he replied sadly.

He scooted his chair back and pulled her into his lap. She held eye contact with him and stroked the side of his face, marveling in the contrast of her pale white hand against his magnificent blue skin.

“Tell me about her,” Hailey ventured. “Tell me what happened.”

* * *

Cav inhaled a deep, steadying breath, then told Hailey everything about his time with Lishana. He had never spoken openly about his first mate’s betrayal before. What happened to him was so shameful, in his culture and especially for a Marrlxian in the highest social class, that he had endured his hurts in solitude. Even his family members and friends never spoke to him about Lishana leaving. They had learned of her betrayal through whispers on the street. Lishana had boldly paraded around the city with her new lover, creating what amounted to a scandal because they came from different classes.

Marrlxians valued their social standing and reputations over love. It was practically unheard of for a male to pair with a female from another class. The gods had separated Marrlxians into classes to keep their society functional and strictly ordered. In the time of Cav’s ancestors, it had been punishable by death to mate outside of one’s class. But during his grandfather’s youth, a movement of modernism had voided this law, as well as many other laws considered archaic, even if they were intended to curb behavior that was yet considered abhorrent.

Hailey listened intently to all he said, her expression full of sympathy.

“I can only imagine what it feels like to be betrayed by someone who’s supposed to care about you,” she said, a bit shyly, “but I am sorry for what happened, Cav. It sounds like an awful experience.”

Guilt stabbed at him as her own truth hung between them. She’d never had anyone to care about her on Earth. At least he’d grown up in a traditional Marrlxian family and had a happy childhood. She hadn’t told him what living in an orphanage had been like, but if no one had favored her there, not even a caretaker, she had undoubtedly spent her early years feeling lonely and unwanted. His heart ached for the tiny human girl who had never been loved.

“Gods, Hailey, come here.” He pressed her head against his chest and brushed a hand over her hair.

She melted into him and tucked her arms around his waist, hugging him back. He strengthened his hold on her. Where did they go from here? Despite his insecurities, he supposed he should trust her. Lishana had been critical and ill-tempered, and obsessed with material things even during the time the Marrlxians were recovering from the flood, when resources were scarce. But Hailey had a gentle, sweet spirit, and she seemed genuinely grateful for all he’d given her. She was also extremely polite to the servants, while his first mate had treated them with disdain. He couldn’t imagine Hailey ever behaving as Lishana had.

“Coming to this planet and becoming your mate, Cav, is my second chance. There was nothing for me on Earth. I’m not sure I know how to love, but it’s all I think about. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted someone to love, and someone to love me. I used to fantasize that my parents came back to take me out of that awful orphanage, and then as I grew older I dreamed about being swept off my feet by a kind man who would take me away from the streets and make me his wife. In my dreams I loved my husband unconditionally, and we were true to one another.” She pulled back and met his eyes. “I want that man to be you, Cav.”

The gods had surely blessed him. He stared at her in awe, his throat constricted and burning with emotion. Cupping her face, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. After he pulled back, she peered at him with a hopeful look.

“I’ve been a jealous fool, Hailey. Will you forgive me?”

She smiled. “Of course I forgive you. Does this mean I won’t be kept under lock and key? You will trust me?”

“I won’t keep you locked up anymore, tiny human. You can roam the city freely and visit with your friends. You can even speak and look at other males, should you have cause to. You should feel at home on my planet, not kept in a cage, my sweet Hailey. It sounds like you’ve been lonely for far too long and I want you to have the experiences that have been missing from your life.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He met her tongue with firm thrusts as he took command and deepened the kiss. To his surprise and his pleasure, she started grinding her bottom against his manhood. He went instantly rigid and swept her up in his arms with a growl, breaking the kiss so he could carry his sweet little bride upstairs.

He brought her to his bedroom. The window was still open, reminding him of her dangerous adventure down the side of the house. He sat her on her feet next to the window and gave her a mock stern look. He spun her around and swatted her bottom twice, playfully but hard. “That’s for risking your life, tiny human.”

When she turned around, her face had gone bright red. As she stared up at him, blushing adorably, she rubbed her bottom and gave him a wounded look that was quite exaggerated. Though the window was open, no one could see them from the street or from any other houses. The homes in this part of the city were spaced widely apart, ensuring plenty of privacy.

He took advantage of their seclusion and decided to strip off her dress right where they stood. He pushed it off her shoulders and down over her hips, until the silky fabric pooled around her ankles. She wore no undergarments of any kind. Females from other cultures often donned panties and breast coverings, but Marrlxians preferred their women to remain completely bare underneath their dresses, so he hadn’t provided her with any even though he knew human females typically didn’t go without undergarments.

“You’re so beautiful, Hailey.” He groped a breast and stepped closer, then reached around with his free arm to squeeze her bottom. “I’m going to bend you over the bed and take you from behind this time, tiny human. You will spread your thighs wide and bend over like an obedient little mate and take every hard thrust I give you.”

She gave a little squeal, clearly taken aback by his salacious words. Then she did something that shocked him.

She twisted out of his embrace and backed up quickly, putting the bed between them. Mischief twinkled in her light blue eyes. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

Chapter Five

Heat pulsed between Hailey’s thighs. She placed a hand on a nearby dresser and tensed in breathless anticipation, waiting for Cav to come after her. She knew he was playing around, but it still made her stomach flip when his face grew serious and his eyes darkened. He drew his shoulders back slightly, standing tall with his arms spread as he advanced on her like a stealthy predator getting ready to pounce on his prey. The animalistic growl rumbling from his throat only added to the effect.

“I can smell your arousal, tiny human.”

She pushed away from the dresser and ran for the door. But Cav grabbed her from behind and carried her to the bed. She tried to scramble off the covers, only to find herself flipped onto her stomach with her feet touching the ground. Her heart raced. He had her bent over the bed, as promised.

“So wet, Hailey.” He stroked her pussy with one hand and held her down with the other. “Now be a good girl and spread your legs.” He tapped at her inner thighs, prompting her to move her legs apart.

The ache in her core intensified as she exposed herself more fully to his ministrations. He swirled her wetness over her throbbing clit, drawing little moans from her. She arched her back, lifting her bottom high, when he trailed his rigid length up her thigh. Oh God, she needed him inside her now.

“Ah!” she cried out at the exquisite yet torturous sensation of his cock teasing her entrance. He pushed in the head of his manhood, only to withdraw a moment later and slide himself over the slit of her moist pussy lips.

Beneath her, her breasts ached and her nipples tingled. Her entire body vibrated with need, the need to claimed hard by Cav. Their conversation from the dining room buzzed through her head. She felt connected to him in heart and mind, but now she craved a physical connection. The time for talking was over. She needed him to fuck her hard, but damn him—he wouldn’t stop teasing her.

“Please, Cav, I need you.”

He chuckled. “Is that so?”

Another shallow thrust, followed by more trailing his cockhead between her weeping pussy lips, drew a frustrated groan from her. He squeezed her ass cheeks and pulled them wide apart. Her face flamed with mortification at being spread so wide, but she couldn’t have moved off the bed had her life depended on it.

“So pretty and pink,” he commented, once again dragging his length over her sensitive parts.

Then he placed his cock at her entrance and gripped her hips hard. Maybe it was the shifting of his stance, but she knew he was about to drive all the way inside her and give her what she desperately craved. She inhaled a deep breath just before he plunged deep into her pussy.

The first few thrusts were so hard they pushed her further up on the bed, causing her clit to rub against the covers. The feeling drove her wild, but with her feet no longer touching the floor, she was completely under his control. He decided how wide her thighs would remain spread and how hard each thrust was. She could only lay there and take it.

Pleasure overwhelmed her. She struggled for each breath and welcomed each rapid plunge of his huge cock into her aching center. He fucked her longer than he had last night, when he’d taken her virginity. Two orgasms swept over her before he finally found his own release, shooting his hot seed into her pussy in a series of fast, jerky thrusts as he growled above her.

After he withdrew from her center, he gently picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. Still cradling her in his arms, he turned on the shower and stepped inside. Sinking into a seat that was built into the shower wall, he uncombed her braid with his fingers and stared into her eyes.

“My sweet mate,” he said, cupping the side of her face. “My beautiful, tiny human.”

His words made her heart ache. God, it felt wondrous to finally belong to someone. The world stopped spinning as he continued to stare at her with a tender look, his dark eyes even becoming glossy with emotion.

It stunned her that a big, powerful Marrlxian male could have tears in his eyes—let alone over her. She exhaled a shuddering breath and snuggled against him as the water trickled over their bodies. In this moment, she had no doubts that she would find her happily ever after on Marrlxia—with Cav. A profound warmth that could only be love spread through her chest. She smiled up at him and reached for his damp hair, then guided his head down so she could kiss him.

When their lips met, she tasted the saltiness of his tears running down his face.

He kept her in the shower for a long while, intermittently cleaning her with a soapy cloth and kissing her and stroking her in all the right places. The heat of her arousal returned full force, and she reached between his legs to find him once again hard as a rock. A teasing grin was all it took to entice him to make love to her as the water cascaded over them. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, her urgent moans, and his rumbling growls soon echoed off the walls.

She clung to him and cried out as she came hard, her third orgasm of the day lasting longer than the first two. When the last pulsing wave of pleasure receded, she felt drained of all energy. Cav had to hold her up to keep her from slipping to the shower floor.

Once they were out of the shower, he patted her dry with a warm fluffy towel, then wrapped her up in an equally fluffy robe. He donned a robe as well, then carried her out of the bathroom and headed for a large chair in the corner of his bedroom.

He sank down in the chair with Hailey still in his arms. They snuggled and talked until the sun began to set on the horizon in a splash of brilliant oranges and reds. He told her more about life on Marrlxia, about his duties on the Marrlxian Council and how work on his planet was divided into classes. Though Hailey thought it unfortunate that an individual born in the lowest class would have to live out their days as a servant, she appreciated that Marrlxians generally treated each other well and worked together to keep their city running harmoniously.

She also told him more about her life on Earth. He tensed when she described the violence and lawlessness of her home planet, as well as the bloody wars and the various plagues that often ravaged entire cities. His embrace on her tightened and he kept kissing her forehead and stroking her hair, as if he could erase her past pains with his affectionate gestures. She welcomed each kiss and caress, and she thanked God that her first impression of Cav had been wrong. He wasn’t cruel and she knew in her heart that he’d never hurt her.

When the sun finally slipped over the horizon, the moon started rising in all its bright glory. It was three times the size of Earth’s moon and a stunning shade of orange. The stars sparkled white against the blackness of space. Outside the window, the melodious chirpings of nighttime insects lifted over the faint breeze that ruffled through the trees.

“Come, my mate—my bride. Let’s go have dinner and then we will talk some more.” Cav rose and placed Hailey on her feet. Thankfully, the effects of her mind-numbing orgasms had worn off and she could stand on her own.

With a smile and a hopeful heart, she accompanied him to dinner.

* * *

One Marrlxian year later…

Cav placed his twin boys into their cradles and tiptoed away. He held his breath, praying they wouldn’t wake up. He’d just spent the better part of the evening feeding them and rocking them to sleep. Hailey had gone to visit her friend Angie, who had just given birth to a son. Most of the human women who’d arrived with Hailey and Angie had already had their first child. It was a joyous time in the city.

Leaving the door to the nursery cracked—if one of the twins awoke, their lusty wails could be heard from any corner of the large house—he descended the stairs just as Hailey walked through the door. She looked beautiful as ever, with her long auburn hair flowing over her shoulders. She wore a purple dress that hugged her growing baby bump. Yes, by the time the twins were walking and starting to speak, they would already be welcoming another addition to their family.

He wrapped Hailey in his arms and drew her in for a quick kiss.

“Are they asleep?”

“Yes. Finally.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the dining room. “Are you hungry, tiny human?”

“Ha. I’m not so tiny anymore. And are you kidding? I’m eating for two. I’m always hungry.”

At the dining room table, Cav held up his glass of hehast wine, signaling a toast. Hailey held her glass of juice up and looked at him expectantly, her blue eyes twinkling in the light of the chandelier.

“To family,” he said.

She smiled and clinked her glass against his. “To family.”

~THE END~

A note from the author:

Thank you so much for purchasing or borrowing Alien’s Orphan Bride! I hope you enjoyed reading about Hailey and Cav. More books are planned in the Mail Order Human series, so please check my Amazon Author Page for regular updates or visit Sue Mercury Sci-Fi Alien Romance.

About the author:

Sue Mercury writes sci-fi romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and children, where she hopes one day she'll turn on the television to find a breaking news report about sentient alien beings contacting Earth. She also writes romance of the much kinkier variety under the name Sue Lyndon.

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If you like BDSM erotica and spanking romance, you might enjoy these naughtier sci-fi titles by Sue Mercury writing as USA Today bestselling author Sue Lyndon:

Human Surrender

Taken by the Admiral

Punished by the Admiral

Claiming His Human Wife

Owning His Bride

Claiming Their Maiden

Big Blue Valentine

Surrender (Alien Warriors, Book 1)

Commander’s Slave (Alien Warriors, Book 2)

His Naughty Little Mate

www.suelyndon.com