Mated to the Alien Raider: Turochs of Earth, #3

By Reba Max

My friends think I have the perfect relationship. But every time they tease me about my happily-ever-after with my alien, I have to force a smile. They don't know how badly I messed up my mating, how much of what they see is just Adak and I barely holding things together.
I think I love my mate, but I've been wrong before.
And when the sytos come for us, I might lose my chance to make it right.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Reba Max
• Release date: Aug 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215385746

Book preview

2 Penny

I poured a bag of half melted chocolates out in a bowl and shoved it into the middle of the blanket. Taz grabbed a giant handful and groaned.

I’ve eaten so much junk food in the last two weeks, but it’s like I can’t stop myself.

Hope laughed and dragged the bowl closer to her side of our picnic blanket.

I’m officially declaring it a cheat day until everything is back to normal.

We’re married to aliens and sleeping in tents, I pointed out. I don’t think things are ever going back to normal.

She shot me with a finger gun and winked.

Exactly.

I laughed as Taz tried to wrestle the bowl of candy away from Hope and leaned back against my pile of scavenged pillows. It was moments like this, where my friends were horsing around, and nothing was trying to kill us that I could pretend everything was right with the world.

In the middle of the giant tent, turochs were mobbing the roasting meat and the cooking fire lit up the whole space. 

My mate was surrounded by a group of males, no doubt hammering out the details of tomorrow's patrols. Even from across the tent I could see the tired lines on his face. He was pushing himself twice as hard as everyone else. All I wanted to do was retreat to our tent, snuggle up with him and pretend he didn’t have a reason to be so worried.

But my scarred mate knew better than anyone what the stakes were. He called this tense waiting a war. I couldn’t help but imagine the hell it would be if it actually came to fighting. Every male here was willing to die to avoid being captured by the sytos again, and I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

He finished up his huddle and headed my way, a giant sack slung over his shoulder.

Santa Adak, on his way to give the only nice girl all the presents, Taz chortled, chocolate smeared over her chin like a heathen.

I passed her a napkin and tried not to blush at her words. My friends had a lot of fun teasing me about Adak’s habit of bringing me back gifts from every patrol. He called it a hoard. Gifts a turoch collected over his life to present to his mate when he claimed her.

Since all his belongings had been left behind on Oska when he was captured by sytos, he felt the need to bring me every shiny, sparkly or sweet thing he found on patrol. Our tent was a hoarder’s nirvana, and I was starting to run out of room for all his offerings.

He dropped his sack of goodies beside me and crouched over it. 

I have brought you human things, my mate.

I lifted my face and smiled when he pressed a kiss to my lips and abruptly poured the sack into my lap. Piles of jewelry landed on my crossed legs and a party size tub of cheese puffs rolled onto the blanket. 

I lifted a heavy, diamond-encrusted choker from the mess and let the firelight sparkle over the gems.

It’s beautiful, I marveled. If it was real, it had to cost as much as a house. 

Put it on, he said, his good eye gleaming with pride.

It’s too fancy, I argued.

Oh, please, Taz rolled her eyes. Wear the damn necklace, it’s not like you can save it for a gala or something.

I carefully wrapped the cold metal around my neck and fiddled with the clasp as my friends stared at me. Settling the extravagant piece on my collarbone, I stroked the diamonds and wondered how I got here.

Thousands of dollars worth of precious gems around my neck and no running water.

It’s not nearly as beautiful as the female wearing it, Adak declared, settling down beside me. I’ll find you more tomorrow.

You really don’t have to, I said, wishing I was wearing something classier than a ratty band t-shirt and a pair of dusty leggings. 

Taz dove into the rest of the pile without an ounce of shame. Did you bring back a mirror? What’s the point of jewelry if she can’t see how bad ass she looks wearing it?

Mirror? he asked, turning his head so he could see Taz with his good eye.

It's a shiny piece of glass and metal, you can see your reflection in it, she explained, digging through the sack and pilfering a whole case of engagement rings, still nestled in their black velvet displays.

He cocked his head to the side.

"I saw ‘mirrors’ in a room with white bowls on pedestals."

Yes! Taz cackled. Please, bring back a whole restroom mirror. Preferably with employees must wash hands before returning to work still in the corner.

I will, Adak promised, nuzzling my neck, careful not to smack me with his horns. I will bring you anything that will make you happy, he murmured in my ear.

I leaned away from him, ignoring my friends’ cackling.

I am happy, I whispered, wishing he’d believe me and stop trying so hard. One of his long ears drooped and he pulled me closer, not bothering to reassure me that he knew I was.

Probably because he knew better.

You hit the mating jackpot, Hope said, face flushed from the heat of the fire and her slightly drunken giggles. I can’t imagine a human guy dumping this much bling on you.

I did my best to paint on a convincing smile.

I really did get my happily ever after, didn’t I?

I PULLED THE THIN BLANKET over my lap, watching as Adak moved around the tent, fussing over his nightly routine. It was late, too late for him to be up when I knew he planned on joining the dawn patrol. He placed his ax within reach of his side of the bed, the blade gleaming from the meticulous hour he’d spent sharpening it.

Are you coming to bed? I asked.

Soon. He stirred the coals in the brazier one last time, staring down at the glowing embers like they held the answers to all our problems.

I knew he was stalling. Anything to avoid the awkward shuffle of one of us making a move and the other turning them down for some reason or another. And then, once that bit of heartache was dealt with, he’d fall into a fitful sleep full of nightmares that had him tossing and crying out names I didn’t recognize.

If I was him, I’d be stalling, too.

But he needed sleep, badly.

Adak...

He sighed, scraping his long black hair into the loose bun he wore to sleep and stalking toward the bed. Even exhausted and reluctant, he moved with a powerful grace I couldn’t hope to replicate. Every inch of him was wrapped in coiled muscle, every move calculated and careful. 

In the back of my head, I knew he took extra care to be aware of his surroundings, he hated bumping into things because of his blindspot. The panther-like sway of his walk was just another example of him putting more effort into every second of his day than most people did in a lifetime.

He crawled onto the pallet of blankets beside me, kissing me once, a sweet, almost platonic peck on the mouth, before he settled on his back and closed his eyes. I stared down at my mate, his scarred features even more dramatic in the dull light of the dying coals.

Rest easy, Penny, he murmured.

Rest easy, I returned quietly. My heart ached that he hadn’t tried to touch me, even as I felt a wave of relief that he’d given up trying.

It only took a few moments for his body to relax into sleep, the stress lines between his brows smoothed, his mouth loosened, one hand slid down his belly to rest beside his hip. I loved seeing him like this. Without the stress of our unfinished mating or the impending syto attack on his mind.

Moving as slow as I could, I eased down beside him, my shoulder pressed to his huge bicep, my hand just close enough to his to feel his comforting heat.

I wanted nothing more than to slide under his arm, rest my head on his shoulder and wrap myself up in his presence. Falling asleep curled into him like I had the first few nights we’d been together. But he was so tired, waking him up seemed cruel. Especially if he misinterpreted my need to cuddle for something more.

That way only led to guilt and disappointment on my end, and tortured confusion on his.

It hadn’t been like this a week ago. Or maybe it had, and I just hadn’t realized yet.

I remembered my friend's good-natured teasing about finding my prince charming. I’d done a great job of convincing everyone but Adak that I was one half of the perfect couple.

They had no idea how far that was from the truth. And I had only myself to blame.

3 Penny

2 weeks ago

The alien was singing to me again. I wrapped my arms tighter around my middle and forced myself to take deeper breaths. In the hours since he’d loomed over me, haloed in dust, booming voice still echoing words I didn’t understand, he hadn’t hurt me.

No, he’d pulled me out of the rubble of a collapsed building, cradled me to his chest like I was something precious and sprinted out of town like a bat out of hell. But he hadn’t hurt me. Somehow that fact did nothing to soothe my terror.

When he’d finally stopped running, he’d sat down on the ground, still holding me on his lap and crooned and hummed into my hair. His huge hands stroked over my back, never straying anywhere inappropriate, never rough. Just slow, warm circles that lulled me into a strange state of relaxed panic.

Internally I was freaking out. But I couldn’t seem to translate that extremely valid reaction into action; I didn’t run, I didn’t fight him. I didn’t even cry. I just sat there, like a lump in his huge lap and let him pet me and hum.

He had a nice voice. The few words he murmured in my ear meant nothing to me, but from his tone I could imagine what the translation would be.

There, there, tiny frozen human. 

I’m not going to hurt you.

There, there.

I took a shuddering breath and peeked up at him.

One yellow eye stared down at me, its twin sealed shut with a twisted mess of old scar tissue. His broad features were off-kilter, from the missing eye and the other scars, subtly distorting his face on the left side. There was a little tuft of black hair at the point of his chin and no trace of facial hair anywhere else.

Huge black horns arched off his temples, reminding me vaguely of a bull’s but not so wide set. Coarse, black hair cascaded over his shoulders, long enough to tickle my face while my head rested on his chest.

He looked terrifying, but despite his war-like appearance, his mouth was soft as he crooned at me, and his only pupil was so dilated he looked like a cartoon puppy.

Pupils dilated when you looked at something you liked, right?

"Ulto, he murmured still in that strange sing-song tone. Padru im Suuhi, bened cupo su zis Ulto."

It took me a moment to realize the song he’d been singing wasn’t really a song. He was chanting, almost praying, as he rocked me in his lap like I was a baby in need of soothing.

He sounded... desperate? Scared?

Of what?

Not me. There was no doubt in my mind he could crush me like an empty beer can. 

Was he scared for me?

Rallying my courage, I slowly straightened my spine until I wasn’t curled up like a roly-poly bug anymore.

H-hello? I choked out.

His chanting died and he stared at me until I wondered if I actually spoke out loud.

"Ulto, he repeated slowly as if I had a chance of understanding him. Su zuo Ulto."

That’s not your name, is it? Ulto?

He shook his head and brought one of my hands up to his collarbone, pressing my fingertips to his skin.

Adak.

You can understand me? Adak?

It was a harsh-sounding name in his guttural accent, it matched his fearsome face and massive build, but he was still being so gentle I felt a little of my fear retreating.

He nodded rapidly and flicked one long, black-furred ear toward me, tapping a rusted metal bar that pierced the base.

That translates?

He nodded again, watching me like he was memorizing every feature on my face.

Feeling a little bolder I kept talking.

You’re not planning on hurting me. 

Adak shook his head so hard his ears smacked his temples. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at the aggressive denial.

Did you think you saved me? It was all I could come up with considering he’d dragged me out of a collapsed building, and was currently trying to pet me into a coma. Maybe this was the human equivalent of picking up a baby bird that really should have been left for its mama.

He cocked his head to the side and nodded slowly.