Sweet Alien Savage (Zerconian Warriors Book 4) Read online

  The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, right? Not that she wanted to win the heart of any of these guys.

  Grabbing the plate, she turned, stumbling over a large foot.

  Oh shit. Not now.

  Mila held onto the plate in desperation as she frantically tried to regain her balance.

  Everything moved in slow motion as she fell against one of the Zerconians, spilling the plate of food down his back. Horrified, she took a step back, watching as the red dip dripped down the back of the wide-shouldered warrior.

  He turned, swinging his arm out and catching her in the shoulder. She flew backward.

  Oomph! She landed against another male and they slammed to the ground. She fell on her side, her head rested against something warm and hard.

  At the sound of a snarl, she glanced up to find Koran glaring down at her. What the hell? Why was he angry?

  Shifting herself with a groan, she turned her head to see what she’d landed on. Horror froze her tongue as she realized her face was only inches above the crotch of a blond-haired Zerconian.

  Red filled her cheeks, making them burn as she gaped at the warrior in mortification.

  Oh hell, what had she done?

  “Are you all right?” one of them asked in Standard.

  Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She couldn’t think, couldn’t speak.

  Aline moved up to Koran and taking his arm, quickly steered him away from her.

  This was not happening. No way. She had to be stuck in a nightmare. Like the ones where you dream about turning up to school naked.

  It had to be. This was too humiliating to be real. She must be still tucked up in bed, fast asleep.

  “Wake up, Mila,” she whispered. “Wake up, now.”

  She could feel everyone staring at her. Someone spoke quietly, but she couldn’t hear what they said. Why wouldn’t she wake up?

  Because you are awake, Mila. This is not a dream.

  Mortification filled her as she heard her sister apologizing for her.

  Koran turned back to stare at her, a frown on his face. He was probably wondering how she could be such a clumsy idiot.

  “Allow me to help you stand.” Another warrior stepped forward and held out his hands to her.

  Mila reached up and took them. A low growl filled the room, and the warrior froze as everyone turned to look at Koran. He appeared just as surprised as Aline spoke to him quietly.

  “I’m not dreaming, am I?” she asked the kind warrior who had helped her up. He smiled slightly, amusement dancing in his eyes. “That really just happened?”

  “Yes. It did.”

  Mila placed her hands over her face. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I’m such a stupid klutz.”

  The warrior frowned. “Klutz?”

  “Oh, it means clumsy. I’m always tripping over my feet.” The other warriors gathered around her. Her cheeks burned as tears formed.

  With a supreme effort, she brought herself under control. She turned to the blond warrior she’d fallen on. “I’m really sorry about that.”

  He grinned. “I’m certain I enjoyed it more than you did.”

  Not knowing how to reply to that, she decided she needed to get away from these guys as quickly as she could. “If you’ll all come with me, I’ll show you where you’re staying.”

  The warrior who had helped her up reached out and gently touched her arm. “Your face is red. Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine. Well, my butt is probably bruised.” She resisted the urge to rub her aching posterior.

  The warriors all frowned.

  “Shall we take you to a healer?” another warrior asked. He scowled, his dark eyes watching her closely.

  Surrounded by a wall of freakin’ huge men, she swallowed heavily. They had to be all over seven feet tall. Their tight black pants and sleeveless vests left very little to the imagination. Bulging biceps and wide, muscular chests. She studied them, looking for an imperfection, love handles, a weak chin, squinty eyes.

  Nothing. They were perfect. Although not as perfect as Koran.

  “No, I’m used to having a few bruises. Nothing to worry about.”

  “I am Jaxan.” The one who had helped her up held out his hand. He introduced everyone else. Mila tried her best to memorize each name. The one with the dark eyes and deep scowl was Darac. The blond one she’d landed on was Safan.

  “You fall often?” Safan asked.

  “Yes, I’m certain you’ll see me humiliate myself a few times while you’re here. Just try not to step on me if I fall over in front of you.”

  “Someone stepped on you?” Darac thundered.

  “Oh, ah, it was an accident. He was walking behind me and couldn’t move in time.”

  All of the warriors just gaped at her. Why was she telling them this? Hadn’t she humiliated herself enough for one day?

  “If you’ll follow me, please.” Turning, she strode away, not looking back until she got to the door.

  She gasped, shocked to find them right behind her. “Um, you guys sure move quietly.”

  Jaxan frowned. “That is a bad thing?”

  “I guess not. Just try not to sneak up on any of the women around here.”

  “They are scared of us?” Darac asked. Did the man always look so dark and dangerous? He was almost as scary looking as Koran.

  “Most of them saw that vid warning them against you guys.”

  “They believed it?” Jaxan asked, looking around at the others. All of them looked insulted.

  Daringly, she patted Jaxan’s arm in sympathy. “They don’t really believe it. But you guys are big and kind of intimidating.”

  “How can we stop them from fearing us?” another asked as they followed her down the passage.

  Mila walked carefully, not wanting to fall again and humiliate herself further.

  “You really care about what they think?”

  “We do not enjoy scaring females,” Darac barked.

  “And some may be our mates,” Jaxan added.

  Mila led them outside and across the courtyard to a large building. “These are the guest quarters.” She unlocked the door. “There is a large living area and kitchen down here along with three bedrooms, and there are four bedrooms on each of the two levels upstairs.”

  She turned to face them all, curious. “So are you all searching for your mate?”

  They stared at one another. “Without our mate, eventually, we will go mad. We will die,” Jaxan told her.

  Wow. Then they were desperate.

  “There are few female Zerconians,” Jaxan told her. “Many of us believed we would never find our mate.”

  “So you’re hoping your mate could be human?” she asked as they moved around the room, checking it over.

  “I am not.” Darac glared at her. “You human females are too small.”

  Jaxan nodded. “We could easily hurt you.”

  “We are much stronger. Humans are weak and puny.” Darac ran his gaze over her.

  Mila straightened her shoulders. “We are not weak and puny.”

  “But you are small,” Jaxan added. “You are even smaller than the Crown Princess. And you admitted to being scared of us.”

  “I did not say I was scared of you.” Even though she still felt slightly intimidated by their size. “I said some of the women who saw that vid are a bit concerned.”

  “Perhaps you could give us advice on how to make the females less afraid of us,” Jaxan suggested.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” She’d planned on pretty much hiding in her quarters for the rest of the time these guys were here. Maybe then she might forget how she’d humiliated herself.

  “We do not want our mates to fear us,” Jaxan told us. “But if we find them, we can do nothing else but claim them.”

  “You’d force them to mate you?” Mila asked, taking a step back as fear filled her. What was she doing alone with these guys? “You’d rape them?”

  Immediately, they all scowled, looki
ng furious.

  “We do not force females,” Darac snarled.

  “That is what your females think of us?” Jaxan asked, his eyes glowing red. What the hell was that about? She didn’t know, but she was so getting out of here. Right now. That was downright freaky.

  “You fear us now,” Jaxan stated, stepping towards her. “Why?”

  “Your eyes are glowing red.”

  Jaxan closed his eyes, taking a breath. When he opened them again, they were back to brown. “I apologize. Our eyes change color with strong emotions. Red for anger. Blue is sorrow. Purple for happiness. Amber is arousal.”

  Holy crap.

  “Right. Well, I’m going to leave now.”

  “Mila, wait.” Jaxan moved in front of the door, blocking her exit.

  Her breath came faster, panic making her tremble. Her stomach rumbled. Loudly.

  “What was that? You are hungry?” Darac stared down at her.

  “I always get hungry when I’m scared.” Stupid stomach. She placed her hand on her tummy, backing away. “Aline knows where I am. She’ll come searching for me if I don’t come back.”

  By now Aline was probably playing hide the salami with Koran. And wow, didn’t that send a shaft of jealousy through her? Why was she interested in him? Here she was surrounded by gorgeous men and none of them interested her as much as Commander Al’a did. But he was so far out of her league it wasn’t funny.

  “We do not keep you here against your will,” Jaxan said, sounding insulted.

  “No?” She waved her hand at him. “Then why are you blocking my exit?”

  Jaxan immediately moved away from the door, and they all backed away from her. “We do not want you to leave until you agree to help us.”

  “You can’t force me to help you.”

  They stared at one another.

  “We are sorry, human female, for scaring you,” Torex said. “We simply wish to learn what we can about Earther females and how to care for them. But you do not need to help us. We ask too much. You are free to go.”

  They all nodded. Mila moved to the door then paused. Walk away. Don’t get involved. But there had been something in their faces. Something she couldn’t ignore.

  Desperation. Hope.

  Turning, she stared at them. “Fine, I’ll give you a few pointers on dealing with women.”

  “You will?” They all lit up. Well, except for Darac. He continued to frown.

  “Yes, but only to help you when you find your mates. Not so you can seduce them into your beds.”

  Not that she knew anything about seduction, anyway.

  “Some of us do not need any help with seduction,” Safan drawled.

  Darac rolled his eyes. “Some of us are filled with delusions.”

  Torex crossed his arms over his chest. “You know nothing about human females, Safan.”

  “But I know females. I do not need any help. These females will come to me. They cannot help it. I am perfection.”

  “Please forgive Safan,” Jaxan told her. “He lived on Moran for too long. The females on that planet gave him a false sense of his own attractiveness.”

  “Most of us are after mates, not sexual gratification,” Lucan reassured her.

  “You’d be the first males I’ve ever met who were,” she muttered. “I’ll give you some pointers. We will start tomorrow morning at seven.”

  Mila stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against it, feeling light-headed.

  What the hell had she just agreed to?

  ***

  Koran walked into the quarters he’d been assigned, relieved the day was over. He had spent the last few hours with the ambassador, touring the compound.

  At the end of the tour, she had invited him back to her quarters for a drink. He had declined, wanting to check on his warriors. The ambassador had grown quiet and he had the impression she wasn’t happy with his rejection. So he agreed to a dinner together tomorrow night. After all, he had to keep up his cover and that meant spending time with the ambassador.

  Luckily, she was logical, straight-forward, and efficient. For a human.

  That hint of arousal hadn’t reappeared and he’d decided that his initial thought had been correct. He had simply gone too long without release.

  He found his men sitting in a large living area, talking. These quarters were acceptable with big pieces of furniture that wouldn’t break under their large frames.

  “Commander.” Jaxan saw him and stood, coming to attention.

  Koran waved at them all as they stood. “Remain as you were.”

  “Did you discover anything, Commander?” Darac asked.

  All of them knew the primary reason they were here. To discover who had created and sent that vid.

  “The ambassador took me on a tour of the complex. Nearly three hundred Earthers live here.”

  “Did you see any more females?” Jaxan asked.

  Koran gave him a firm look. “I know you are eager to meet the females and discover if any could be your mates, but that is not our primary objective. We are here to ensure that the culprit who produced and transmitted that vid is contained and punished.”

  Everyone muttered angrily until he held up his hand for silence.

  “Remember the bigger picture. We want to build a relationship with Earth, to create an alliance. Have you eaten?”

  That small meal when they had first arrived had already worn off.

  Jaxan nodded. “Mila sent us over some food.”

  “Mila?”

  “The ambassador’s assistant,” Jaxan explained.

  Koran frowned. “The one who fell on Safan?”

  There were a few grins, but everyone knew better than to comment on exactly how she had fallen. He had been shocked by the surge of jealousy he’d felt as another male touched her.

  “Yes.” Jaxan nodded.

  “Should she not have gone to a healer?” She was so small and delicate he would have insisted she be examined afterwards. If she were his.

  “She said it happens to her often,” Jaxan replied. “Mila agreed to help us learn more about Earther females.”

  “Not that all of us need it.” Safan smirked.

  Koran scowled. “That is not why we are here. And the ambassador will not be pleased if you take her assistant away from her duties.”

  “She’s only going to help in the mornings and evenings,” Jaxan reassured him. “We just want to make sure we do not scare any of the females.”

  Koran nodded. “Yes. While the ambassador showed no fear, other females I met did appear to fear me. I am afraid that vid has done some damage.”

  Jaxan nodded. “Which we need to repair. Particularly as it may hinder the investigation into who did this.”

  “Very well, I will allow this female to instruct you on how to interact with other human females.” He had far more important things to do.

  “The ambassador is an attractive female.” Darac followed him into the kitchen area.

  “Did you leave me any food?”

  With a nod, Darac grabbed a plate of food and placed it in the heating unit. “She stared at you a lot.”

  “What is your point?” Koran asked. He was tired from having to engage in small talk with the ambassador. He preferred to just get to the point.

  “I believe she wishes to join with you.”

  “And you are an expert on human females.” Koran grabbed the plate of food and utensils. He ate standing up.

  Darac shrugged. “No. But there was hunger in her gaze and she looked at no one else.”

  He finished off the plate of food. It was actually quite good, considering it was human food. “I admit for a moment I was attracted to her. There was something inside that spoke to me. But it disappeared.”

  “She is attractive.”

  “For a human female, I suppose. Her eyes were wide apart and her nose not too long. Her body had pleasant curves.”

  Zerconian females were tall and muscular, similar to the ambas
sador.

  “At least she does not fear me. Unlike her assistant. I am surprised the assistant would agree to spend time with all of you, considering the level of fear I witnessed.”

  Darac tipped his head on one side. “You appeared quite angry when she fell against Safan.”

  He didn’t want to think about that right now. Didn’t want to analyse the jealousy he’d felt as he’d watched her touch another male.

  “She did not fear us until she thought we were keeping her from leaving.”

  “Why would she think that?”

  “Jaxan stood in front of the door.”

  Koran growled. “He blocked her exit?” Obviously, he needed to have a word with the younger warrior.

  “We wished to talk to her. We needed to explain that we were not monsters who forced females to join with us.”

  “She thought that?” They would never do something so abhorrent.

  “There was a miscommunication. Which is why the others need her help. They wish to ensure they do not make similar mistakes with their own mates.” Darac stared off into the distance.

  Koran noticed he didn’t include himself in that statement.

  “Are you having trouble, my friend?” Koran asked in concern. Darac was just ten years older than he, but Koran had noticed changes in Darac’s personality. The once easygoing male was becoming increasingly terse and angry.

  “At times, I have trouble controlling my temper.”

  “Should you have come here?”

  “I explained everything to the Crown Prince. He insisted I come on this mission.”

  Dex probably hoped Darac would find his mate. And soon.

  None of them wanted to lose another friend.

  ***

  Sally burst into laughter then tried to muffle the sound with her hand.

  Mila waved her hand through the air before dipping her spoon back into the creamy cheesecake. “Go ahead, have a good laugh. I’m sure if I wasn’t the one who had ended up face-planted in a gorgeous stranger’s crotch, I would be laughing too.”

  “Oh, Mila, I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how embarrassing that must have been.”