Kazzon's Human Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Tarrkuan Masters Book 3) Page 3

  Her blue eyes narrowed. “The trade agreement doesn’t give you the right to detain me.”

  Ignoring her statement, he again looked her up and down. When his gaze landed upon her heaving bosom, he glimpsed the outline of her hardened nipples pressing against her shirt. His vision momentarily blurred under a haze of lust. Tearing his eyes from her chest, he once again met her stare as his curiosity grew.

  Who was she?

  “Are you a Tarrkuan bride, Julie?” he asked bluntly, putting a mocking emphasis on her name, as there was no doubt in his mind that she’d lied about her identity. Of course, he would extract the truth from her—and he would enjoy the process of obtaining her confession. The sudden image of her kneeling before him while she professed all her secrets made his cock harden further.

  “No, I am not.” The dark aura reappeared. Another untruth.

  A Tarrkuan bride. His blood heated.

  She was a human meant to mate with his kind.

  “You’re not very good at lying, little human.” He released one of her arms and reached for her hair, smoothing his hand through her silken locks with all the tenderness of a lover. She shuddered at his touch even as her arousal increased. Not only did she press her thighs tightly together, but she gave a half-whimper, half-moan, as he curled his fingers around her neck.

  She was so tiny, so fragile. She quivered in his hold, though he didn’t squeeze her throat. Instead, he applied the smallest amount of pressure—just enough to warn her. Her pulse fluttered against his fingers.

  “Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t hurt me. Please… let me go home.”

  “With whom do you live, little human?” he asked.

  “I-I live alone,” she stammered. No dark mist appeared after this statement, and it pleased him that she finally spoke the truth. But after her next words, the darkness rematerialized to hover around her face like a black, ominous cloud. “My-my parents died several months ago. My older sister was a Tarrkuan bride and she’s already on your planet.”

  It surprised Kazzon that this human’s lies were becoming so detailed. Clearly, she was desperate to escape his questioning. But the longer they stayed in the street, the greater the chance they would be discovered, by another individual out past curfew or a human Enforcer out on patrol, and he very much preferred to handle this female without any interference.

  He gave her a pointed look. “You will take me to your home, Julie, and show me exactly where you live. Then, you will tell me the truth.”

  She gasped. “The truth? What do you mean?”

  “I mean you’re going to explain why you’ve lied to me several times in a row.”

  “I haven’t told you one—”

  “Lead me to your home now, Julie, or I will take you directly to my ship.”

  “You can’t do that! I’m a citizen of Earth.”

  Very slightly, he increased his grip on her throat. “You’re a Tarrkuan bride if ever I’ve met one, little human, and you’re lying about your name and your family. You have secrets, and I intend to extract a full confession from you.”

  Chapter 4

  How?

  Caylee’s heart pounded faster and she couldn’t stop trembling.

  How did he know she was lying?

  The huge Tarrkuan male’s nostrils flared as he held her gaze. His grip on her arm tightened, but to her great relief, he finally released her throat. Though he hadn’t choked her, she still sucked in a few deep breaths of precious oxygen. For a reason she couldn’t quite discern, simply standing near him left her flushed and breathless.

  “Which way to your home?” His dark eyes pierced her with an intense stare.

  She hesitated and looked around, as if expecting someone to emerge from the shadows to help her. But it was late, well past curfew, and no one else was out and about.

  For a second, she considered screaming for help—surely someone in a nearby house would hear her if she yelled loudly enough—but she soon pressed her lips together, rejecting the idea.

  Who would dare stand up to a scary looking Tarrkuan?

  “If you refuse to tell me where you live, little human, I can always escort you to Enforcer Headquarters, where your palm will be scanned and your identity revealed.”

  Her stomach dropped. “That way.” She pointed to the left. “The green house on Washington Street.” If anyone scanned her palm, she would be completely screwed.

  “I’m glad to see you’re finally telling me the truth about something.” He leaned closer, his breath a hot, intimate caress against her cheeks. “Let’s go.”

  The trip home was far too quick. Caylee longed for more time to think, but unfortunately, she didn’t get it. Five short minutes later, she found herself pausing in front of the green house on Washington Street, her heart lodged so painfully in her throat she couldn’t utter a word.

  She nodded at the walkway leading up to the house and her fear skyrocketed when the big alien all but dragged her inside.

  To her surprise, he locked the door behind him once they stood in the narrow entryway. She shot him a pleading look, only for him to guide her further into the house. Once he shepherded her into the living room, he released her arm and gestured for her to take a seat. She all but collapsed on the couch, no longer able to stand on her shaking legs.

  In all her life, she’d never been so terrified.

  A huge Tarrkuan male, one who apparently intended to interrogate her, stood in her living room, staring down at her with a suspicious gleam in his dark, alien gaze. She still didn’t know how he’d sensed her lies. Her mouth went dry as she fumbled for something to say, anything, in order to make him go away and leave her alone.

  Unfortunately, his look of determination increased, and his gaze sharpened.

  “Julie isn’t your real name, is it?” He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, appearing quite stern.

  Shit shit shit.

  She glanced around the living room and struggled for a response. “It-it’s the name people call me.”

  “The name people call you,” he said thoughtfully, “but not your real name.” He uncrossed his arms and looked around the living room. When his attention landed upon a framed family photo, an image showing two smiling parents and their two daughters, his eyes momentarily widened. He looked from the photo to her, then back and forth again. “That’s not you in the family photo, little human. That’s not your family, yet you’re living here in this house. Alone.” He lifted a thick dark eyebrow at her in question.

  All the air left Caylee’s lungs in the next moment, and her hands trembled harder as desperation filled her. Her worst fears were coming true. She’d remained hidden—in plain sight, no less—for approximately six months. But this inquisitive Tarrkuan was about to blow her cover.

  What would he do when he learned the full truth?

  Fear for her family—her real family—made her stomach tighten with despair.

  Before she could choose her next words, a look of understanding dawned on the alien’s handsome face, and his dark eyes glittered with excitement. He moved closer and inhaled deeply as his nostrils flared wide. He’d done that several times in her presence—took a long breath as if he were trying to smell her. She tried not to think about why.

  A shiver ran through her, even as the unwanted heat gathered between her thighs, a relentless pulsing ache that made breathing difficult.

  She couldn’t help her reaction to him.

  “You are a Tarrkuan bride, little human. But you switched places with the younger blonde in the family photo, didn’t you? And her name is Julie?”

  A mix of disbelief and self-satisfaction reflected in his eyes. Clearly, he was surprised by her actions, but he was also quite pleased with himself for having solved the mystery of her real identity.

  “Human couples are only permitted to have more than one child if their firstborn is a female who’s been chosen as a Tarrkuan bride,” he continued. “I suppose the real Julie wished to travel to Tarrkua so
she could follow her older sister who was a Tarrkuan bride.”

  “Yes,” Caylee admitted, defeat a heaviness that now blanketed her. “But no one has been harmed by the switch. Julie,” she said with a glance at the photo, “who I’ve talked to several times in the last couple of months via a video comm, is in love with her Tarrkuan mate, Varro, and he loves her, too. Julie wanted to follow her older sister, Nova, to Tarrkua after their parents died in a fire. Perhaps you heard about the fire that recently broke out in one of our factories? You see, Julie didn’t have any family left on Earth after that happened and since we looked so much alike… well, I can assure you that no one has been harmed by the switch.”

  “My people as a whole have been harmed by the switch. Julie cannot conceive children with a Tarrkuan, as her DNA was not modified when she was younger,” the alien said. “But you can conceive children with a Tarrkuan.”

  “No one has to know about the switch,” she said, her heart racing. “Please, I-I don’t have much money, but perhaps there’s something I-I can…” Her voice trailed off as a heated flush engulfed her. The only bargaining chip she possessed was her body. But as far as she knew, Tarrkuans didn’t engage in premarital or casual sex, unlike humans.

  Instead, they mated for life.

  What the hell could she offer in return for his silence?

  She stared at him, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to buy his silence. She would give anything to have him walk out of this house and never speak a word to anyone about her deceit.

  Julie wouldn’t be sent back to Earth even if Tarrkuan authorities were made aware of her true identity, as her mate, Varro, was a member of the ruling class and he would never allow it, but the probability that Caylee would be sent to Tarrkua was high.

  All human females who were chosen as Tarrkuan brides were expected to travel to planet Tarrkua after turning twenty years old. Caylee had been scheduled to leave Earth six months ago on the Zenallia, the large interstellar ship that carried the yearly supply of human females to Tarrkua. But instead of leaving Earth, Caylee had switched places with Julie.

  Since Caylee and Julie were very similar in appearance, it hadn’t been difficult to pull off the switch. Caylee’s younger brother had helped, replicating a thin copy of Caylee’s palm print to attach to Julie’s hand, which had successfully tricked the Tarrkuan guard who scanned Julie’s palm to confirm her identity as she boarded the Zenallia. After that, Caylee had moved into Julie’s house and pretended, as best she could, to be Julie.

  All had seemingly gone according to plan. Or at least it had until Caylee’s run-in with this inquisitive Tarrkuan.

  Why was he staring at her so intently?

  Why wasn’t he saying anything?

  His dark blue skin gleamed in the lamplight, and his form-fitting black pants and sleeveless shirt revealed his brute strength. She’d never seen a Tarrkuan male so tall, broad-shouldered, or hugely muscular before. And his eyes…God, she felt as if he could discern her deepest, darkest secrets from his gaze alone.

  His large black eyes seemed to pierce to her very soul, and his facial features were elegant yet masculine. He possessed high, regal looking cheekbones, a strong square jaw, and a long straight nose that was perfectly proportioned to his face. The short black locks atop his head held the slightest wave, making her wonder how untamed his hair might look if he grew it out, or perhaps missed a haircut, and his full blue lips were a slightly darker shade of blue than the rest of his body.

  God, what was she doing, ogling him like this?

  She shouldn’t be admiring his features and imagining what it might be like to run her fingers through his coarse dark hair, skim her hands over his muscular arms, or feel those sensual blue lips of his pressing against hers. Another heated flush nearly engulfed her.

  But despite her current predicament, she couldn’t help but notice how exceedingly handsome he was—whoever he was. He hadn’t yet revealed his name.

  Though she didn’t know his identity, she suspected he held a position of authority among his people. He carried himself with confidence and struck her as a male used to getting his way. Raw power emanated from his intimidatingly large body, making her ever aware of her precarious position.

  At this moment, she felt completely at his mercy.

  “Please don’t turn me in,” she blurted. “As I said, no one was harmed by the switch. I-I don’t wish to leave Earth. My family—my real family, that is—lives a few streets over. That’s why I was out past curfew tonight. I-I was visiting them, something I can only do in secret, as you might imagine. I-I can’t leave. They need me.” She held her breath, praying he decided to depart this house and forget all about her.

  But his next words made her blood run cold.

  “I cannot allow you to remain on your planet. You’re one of the rare human females capable of reproducing with my kind, and we need every last human female we can get.”

  “Please, I—”

  “Your name,” he said. “You still haven’t revealed your name.” He moved closer and cupped the side of her face in one large warm hand.

  A shudder ran through her and the heat pulsing between her thighs intensified.

  “Caylee,” she whispered, peering up at him. “My name is Caylee.”

  “You violated the Earth-Tarrkua trade agreement, Caylee, and on behalf of my people, I am taking you into custody. Your place is on Tarrkua and that is where I shall take you.”

  Chapter 5

  The streets remained quiet and dark as Kazzon escorted Caylee toward the Corrannelia. For a brief moment, he considered stopping at the New Leesburg Enforcer Headquarters to inform the humans of Caylee’s crime, but he quickly decided it best to simply detain her on his ship.

  If knowledge of Caylee’s misconduct became public, it might cause discord among the humans and threaten the success of the renegotiated trade agreement. Tensions were already running high between human and Tarrkuan officials. Kazzon didn’t want any further complications.

  Caylee tugged against his hold, but he tightened his grip on her upper arm and guided her past the alley where he’d first found her hiding in the shadows.

  “Cease your struggling, little human,” he said in a stern tone.

  She cast him a fierce glance. “I told you no one was harmed by the switch. You can’t do this. You can’t just take me!”

  “As I said before, you have violated the trade agreement between our worlds. You’ve committed a crime, Caylee.” Yes, she’d committed a crime—but as far as he knew, no other chosen Tarrkuan bride had ever once traded places with a regular human female. According to the trade agreement, any dome-cities who were unable to provide the required Tarrkuan bride each year would not be given a supply of TEC600 reactor material. In the fifty years since the creation of the trade agreement, not a single dome-city had failed to provide the required bride.

  Technically, given the seriousness of Caylee’s violation, his people were within their rights to halt the regular shipments of reactor material to the dome-city of New Leesburg, however, he thought condemning an entire human settlement to death was more than a bit harsh. Better to keep her crimes relatively secret while only informing a few select Tarrkuan officials. Then the Allocators could quietly assign a Tarrkuan husband to Caylee.

  Kazzon could escort the naughty human to his planet after completing the renegotiation of the trade agreement, rather than making her wait six months to join the next shipment of Tarrkuan brides leaving Earth on the Zenallia.

  “Please, could I at least say goodbye to my family?” She stared up at him pleadingly, her wide blue eyes now gleaming with tears.

  Kazzon paused in the street, considering her request. Her heartbroken expression caused an unexpected pang of sympathy to resound through his chest. He’d been so focused on her crime and the seriousness of it that he hadn’t fully considered her motivations for committing the violation. While he wasn’t close to his parents or siblings, it appeared this human was quit
e fond of hers.

  “I will allow you to bid farewell to your family before my ship departs New Leesburg. I give you my word. Now come with me and keep quiet, little human. If you scream or attempt to escape one more time, I will simply toss you over my shoulder and carry you onto my ship.”

  Her eyes widened and she inhaled a quick breath, but she soon nodded her understanding.

  With a firm grip on her arm, he resumed guiding her toward his ship. Once they reached the exit corridor of New Leesburg, he increased their pace, anxious to get the little human to the safety of the Corrannelia.

  He thought about the fire that had broken out in this dome-city several months ago, and, while he didn’t know the particulars of the accident, he concluded the humans’ safety protocols in this settlement must be lacking.

  For a reason he didn’t quite understand, he wanted Caylee safe on his ship.

  The corridor widened, giving way to the docking area where his ship was located. Two Tarrkuan guards stood at the vessel’s entrance. Upon his approach, one of the guards called out a verbal command and the door opened, sliding upward with a slight shudder.

  “Welcome to my ship, the Corrannelia.” He loosened his hold on her as the door zipped shut behind them.

  She swallowed hard and gazed up at him, the muted light in the corridor softening her delicate features. Not for the first time, he detected the heady scent of her arousal. He couldn’t resist inhaling the intoxicating bouquet of femininity that was Caylee, nor could he ignore the fact that it was his presence causing her lustful reactions.

  Pausing in the corridor, he slowly backed her against the wall, unable to resist the urge to press his body to hers. He placed one hand on either side of her, braced on the wall as he effectively trapped her. Leaning down, he inhaled deep yet again, seeking out her unique scent as his cock hardened painfully in his pants.