Zekke: A Scifi Alien Romance (The Azziarin Series Book 5) Read online

  “Maybe he has x-ray vision and can see through your clothes.”

  Ava smiled and shook her head. “You have watched Superman one too many times.”

  “Shut up. It’s possible,” Kim defended. She looked down at her watch. “Sooo…” she started. “I think I’ll join Carlos tonight.”

  “You and Carlos? You never said anything about that before.” Ava was a bit surprised.

  “Like you, it’s just something I enjoy from time to time. And you’re never here.” Kim stood, grinned at Ava and said, “Don’t wait up.” Then she sashayed from the room.

  Ava grinned while watching Kim’s retreat. Deciding that rest was a good idea, she shucked off her pants and climbed into bed, sleeping in only her green tee and a pair of panties.

  She was still awake when she felt Jamison crawl in behind her. When he wrapped his arm around her waist, she froze. “I was so worried about you, Ava,” he whispered in her ear.

  Most of the time, she would have gladly accepted the comfort of his arms, but now, it just felt wrong. She didn’t want him there. It didn’t make sense, but she wanted him to leave. Ava bit her lip. Her behavior felt odd even to her. She kept quiet. After being up all night and all day, it didn’t take long for him to fall fast asleep.

  Zekke

  Zekke stalked down the corridor. He hadn’t slept well in several standard days. Because of his hard shaft, he wore loose trousers instead of his military uniform. He was ill-tempered. Everyone avoided him. Every little thing caused him to growl irritably. How could he do his job if all he thought about was some tiny, shapeless human? The guilt of leaving her on the Turei-infested planet kept him up at night. When he did manage to sleep, her round blue eyes haunted his dreams.

  Before rounding the corner, voices drifted to his ears. He stopped and listened as Rhett questioned Tullan.

  “What happened while you were on the planet with the commander? Rhett asked.

  “Nothing. We fought several Tureis, just as we always do.”

  “Something else must have happened,” Rhett insisted.

  Tullan paused, seemingly trying to remember. “A female.”

  “Explain,” Rhett demanded, his voice betraying a sinking feeling.

  “We had engaged the Tureis, and just as we finished dispatching the last one, a female rounded the corner. She’d covered everything but her eyes, and when she fled, the Commander went after her. I know she was female only because of her smell.”

  “Sish!” Rhett cursed.

  Zekke rounded the corner and faced the two of them.

  “Commander,” Rhett acknowledged. They both stood at attention.

  While looking at Rhett, Zekke said, “Tullan, you are dismissed.” He nodded, turned on his heels and quickly fled. Zekke glanced at his retreating back before turning his attention to Rhett. In a stern, commanding voice, Zekke said, “Rhett, if you want to know something about me, ask.” He mirrored Rhett’s stance, crossed arms, legs slightly parted. His eyes bore into Rhett’s. It was a standoff.

  Rhett lowered his eyes in submission. “My apologies, Commander. But you have been… unapproachable.”

  Unapproachable was one word for it. Only a few males on board weren’t afraid of Zekke, and Rhett had been one of them… until now. He took a deep breath and pursed his lips while he tried to decide what to say.

  The silence grew until Rhett finally suggested, “Let’s spar.”

  That sounded like a great idea to Zekke. He needed to get rid of some pent-up energy. He nodded, turned, and led the way to the training room.

  Barefoot, they circled each other on the black training mat. A kick here, a punch there, but nothing too hard. “What happened?” Rhett asked, still circling.

  “I should’ve heeded your warning,” Zekke said and then landed a blow to Rhett’s side with his foot.

  “Explain,” Rhett’s foot caught Zekke’s thigh.

  “One fauk’n female and she’s my mate! Sish!”

  Rhett raised an eyebrow in surprise at Zekke’s choice of crude words. Zekke caught his opponent unaware and landed a hard blow to his jaw. Rhett felt the force of his rage but quickly righted himself. “You need to find her before you go mad.”

  Another kick. “You think I don’t know that?” he growled. His face twisted in anger.

  “Then what’s the problem?” Rhett kicked Zekke’s shin and then threw a punch. Zekke dodged.

  “The problem is,” Zekke growled in a deadly voice, “I don’t want a fauk’n mate!” Zekke barreled toward Rhett, tackling him to the ground. The two wrestled on the mat, each holding his own until Zekke pinned Rhett down and screamed out his frustration. He rolled off Rhett and lay on his back.

  Rhett pushed up to a sitting positon and wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to catch his breath. He finally looked over at Zekke and said, “You have got to find her.”

  Zekke threw his arm across his eyes and finally admitted, “I know.”

  Rhett jumped to his feet and extended his hand down to Zekke, who grabbed it. Rhett helped him up. “Let’s go have first meal.”

  ****

  Zekke, Tullan, and the rest of his original team were dressed in battle gear. Zekke faced Rhett before climbing into the shuttlecraft. “No objections this time?” Zekke raised his eyebrows after asking the question.

  His ill-tempered mood had lifted somewhat when he made the decision to seek out the female and bring her back to the Triumph. That was the only plan.

  Rhett grinned, “Not this time. Good luck, Commander.”

  They clasped forearms. “You are in charge while I’m gone.”

  “I’ll take good care of it,” Rhett said as Zekke and the rest of his team climbed onto the shuttlecraft heading for Earth.

  Chapter Six

  Ava

  Jamison kept acting weird. He was overly attentive, treating Ava as if she were a little girl in need of protection, and it was pissing her off. She had tolerated him lying beside her that night she rejoined her team. Then she slipped out from under the covers and climbed into Kim’s empty bed. The cots were too small for two people, anyway.

  Every morning since then, he’d waited on her, bringing her coffee. If was just odd. Different. Little touches here and there. She didn’t like or appreciate it.

  When she dressed for night patrol, Jamison knocked on her door. After pulling her shirt over her head, she threw it open, letting him in.

  “What?” she asked as she grabbed her knives and checked her rifle, looking everywhere but at him. She hoped he’d get the hint that she wasn’t interested and would leave. With her knives sheathed and her rifle loaded, she finally faced him.

  “Maybe you should stay in tonight, Ava.” His face and tone were soft, loving. She knew he worried about her, and even though it was a thoughtful gesture, she needed to put an end to it, once and for all.

  She said in a tight voice, “What is wrong with you, Jamison?” She crossed her arms.

  “Ava,” he started as he came forward to stand right in front of her. He lifted his hand and touched her cheek. “I was wrong,” he admitted.

  She squinted in confusion and cocked her head to the side. What was he talking about? “Wrong about what?”

  “Ava,” he clutched her hands in his. She looked down at them in surprise before catching his gaze again. “When you were missing, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I thought I’d lost you forever, and it made me realize how much I love you.”

  Oh, shit! This couldn’t be happening. She slowly withdrew her hands from his and carefully said, “Jamison, you don’t really feel like that.”

  “I do, Ava.”

  “No, you don’t,” she said slowly and precisely and then swallowed hard. “You would have felt the loss if it had been one of the guys or Kim. You just think you love me because we have history.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not true.”

  “It is.”

  He shook his head in denial, but Ava knew in her heart he didn’t really
love her like that. “Jamison…” She softened her tone to lessen the blow, but he needed to understand. “I love you as a friend. Nothing more, and if you had gone missing, I would be devastated.”

  “Ava…” He pressed his lips together, halting whatever he planned to say.

  “Listen,” she sighed, “You have got to stop treating me like some fragile female. If you don’t show me the respect I’ve earned, the other guys will lose all respect for me, as well.”

  He didn’t say anything, just leaned down and kissed her cheek and then quickly left her room. He left Ava standing there, her mouth gaping in frustration. All she could do was hope he got the message.

  When she came to her senses, she closed her mouth, grabbed her gloves and helmet, and then joined her squad.

  “You ready for this, Thompson?” Rick smirked. She returned his smirk and flipped him the bird. He laughed and put on his own helmet.

  She grabbed her rifle by the sling and threw it over her shoulder. “Let’s go.”

  They climbed up the metal steps one by one before fanning out in formation, rifles at the ready. The sun had just set, and each exhalation of breath showed in the chilly air. The moon was bright, and an eerie calm surrounded them.

  Jamison took point while Ava brought up the rear, defending their backs. They swept one street before moving on to another. It took a while before they encountered any of the ugly gray aliens.

  Jamison and the others let loose a spray of gunfire. Ava turned to guard the rear and came face to face with one of them. She kicked out, knocking his phaser out of his hand, then whipped a knife from her boot.

  He threw his body on top of hers, but before they hit the ground, she managed to point the knife at him. The impact of the fall shoved the knife deep into his chest. His weight knocked the breath out of her. She grunted, then gave him a big shove and rolled him off her. When she withdrew her knife, she wiped it off on his clothes and then sheathed it in her boot.

  “You okay?” Jamison asked. The rest of the squad were breathing hard, but they were okay, too. The other aliens were dead.

  “Yeah, great,” She grabbed her rifle.

  “Okay. Let’s move out.” Jamison ordered.

  There were fewer aliens out tonight, and she puzzled over the idea that the white-haired ones were helping. She automatically looked for the sexy alien everywhere, hoping for another glimpse.

  A few hours later, they rounded a building, and she froze. There he was. Her breath hitched and her stomach muscles tightened as she watched his body twist, his muscles flexing with every move. There were five of them fighting at least ten gray aliens.

  Jamison gave a hand signal, and they joined the fray, making the fight even. The gray aliens were too close to the others, so Ava quickly slung her rifle over her back, out of her way, and grabbed the knives from her boots. With one in each hand, she advanced, small in stature compared to the others, but deadly with a knife.

  She engaged the closest one to her. Dagger in hand, the alien swung straight at her head. She ducked and swiped at his stomach. Her knife barely penetrated before she jumped out of the way. He was large and slow, giving her the advantage. Dodging out of the way before diving back in, Ava got in several good licks. He sported several gashes on his arms and torso.

  The anger flared in the gray alien’s eyes, and he let out menacing growl. As he barreled toward her, she ducked quickly aside and leapt onto his back, bringing him hard to the ground, face first. Ready with her knife, Ava grabbed his hair, lifted his head, and sliced a deep gash in his throat, letting the orange blood run free.

  Ava jumped to her feet and spun around to face another attacker. She froze mid-step, encountering fierce blue eyes staring back at her.

  Desire flared in her core; her belly clenched. She wasn’t afraid this time. She circled him like a predator. He turned with her, never losing eye contact. When he sniffed the air, her breath hitched. Why did he do that? She sniffed, but smelled only the death that surrounded them. Something about him pulled at her. She wanted him. Neither of them said a word as she held his heavy gaze.

  “Ava, come on!” Finally, reluctantly, she broke away from his gaze and looked over her shoulder. Jamison and the others waited right behind her with rifles in hand. The weary look on Jamison’s face said not to test him. He didn’t trust the white-haired aliens. She turned back to the sexy alien and gave him a mischievous grin before quickly retreating with her squad.

  When they were out of sight, Jamison sounded irritated when he asked, “What were you doing?”

  “Nothing,” she supplied. Before rounding the corner, she looked over her shoulder for one last glimpse and caught his fierce eyes staring straight at her.

  Zekke

  Zekke cursed silently when his mate arrived. She could get hurt. He doubled his efforts to kill the Tureis, but before that happened, the humans had joined the fight.

  His mate was quick, lithe, and great with a knife. She had skills. He couldn’t help but admire her. A few times he wanted to intervene—to save her—but he held back. He grinned when she sent the Turei sprawling to the ground. He felt pride when she slit his throat without hesitation.

  She jumped to her feet, then spun around expecting more Tureis but faced him instead. She didn’t cower under his stare; she faced him with the courage of a leader. She circled him as if she were the predator and he the prey. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity. He sniffed the air, and his shaft hardened instantly. His breathing was labored, not from the fight, but from the strength it took to hold himself back.

  He wanted to strip her down and take her against the wall, claim what was his in the streets of the destroyed city. His emotions and energy were heightened from the from the fight, and if she stayed here…

  “Commander, you are letting her leave?” Tullan asked.

  Yes, he was, lest his soldiers see him take his mate for the first time. He needed to calm down, control himself. “Yes.”

  “But why?”

  He threw his head of security an irritated glare. “If I take her now, we would have to fight her team.” He knew that was also true. The human male who called after her didn’t enjoy the sexual tension between him and his mate. Zekke knew possessiveness when he heard it. He also smelled the human male’s jealousy when the female’s full attention was focused on Zekke.

  He sent two soldiers ahead of the human group to dispatch any Tureis heading toward his mate. She may have fought well, but he would not hide while she fought the enemy. He plotted in his head, discarding several ideas until a plan formed. One she might not like, but he couldn’t see any other way. Not unless he wanted to fight her team.

  “You stay here, I’ll be back.” Zekke absently told his team and then headed after the humans. His heart pounded with excitement, and he felt more alive now than at any other time he could remember. Not that he wanted a mate—it was the thrill of the hunt.

  He watched and waited for the right moment, staying close by but out of sight. Stealth mode. Watching their direction of travel, he grinned in triumph. Taking a different alley, Zekke got in front of them and waited in the shadows for them to pass by.

  His mate brought up the rear, and after everyone else had passed, Zekke snatched her up, covering her mouth with his hand; he quickly darted back in the shadows.

  She fought hard, but he never wavered. With her back to his front, he had one arm around her waist, holding her up so her feet dangled. It didn’t matter; she used her feet to kick at his shins. Her body wiggled against him, and he silently cursed as his shaft grew harder with the friction. When nothing worked, she opened her mouth slightly and bit down hard on his finger.

  “Stop, female!” he hissed in her ear. But she didn’t. His mate would not give up easily. She was determined and courageous!

  When her group was out of earshot, he threw her over his shoulder and headed back to his soldiers.

  “Let me go, you barbarian!” she shouted while pounding on his back with her fist.

>   “Quiet,” he said and smacked her ass.

  She quieted for a moment and then said furiously, “Don’t touch me! Let me go!”

  Zekke ignored her shouts and the blows to his back. His steps were sure as he walked with unwavering purpose. He found the three members of his team in the same place. Without slowing down, he said before walking past them, “Notify the other two that we are leaving. Have them meet us at the shuttlecraft.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Tullan said as he and the others flanked Zekke.

  ****

  They landed in cargo bay six. The ride to the ship was smooth, but the threats from the female were grating on his nerves. She didn’t like being restrained, and he couldn’t let her go on the shuttlecraft. She was furious, and who knew the damage she would inflict on the pilot? He understood her unhappiness. He would feel the same way if their situations were reversed. But this was the only way. Without a translator, he couldn’t talk to her down there, couldn’t explain things.

  He scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder again before exiting the shuttlecraft. Still shouting her protest and pounding on his back, Zekke had to tighten his grip around her legs. Rhett was waiting as he descended the steps. His eyes glanced to the female and then back to Zekke.

  “Commander,” he said with a gleam in his eyes. Rhett looked like he wanted to laugh, but he held it in. Smart male.

  Zekke leveled his eyes on Rhett and said, “Not a word.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Is everything under control?”

  “Let me go, you son of a bitch!” the female’s voice bounced off the walls of the cargo bay. He could barely hear Rhett, who stood right in front of him.

  “Yes. It’s just as you left it,” Rhett replied. Zekke noticed his lips twitch and shot him a warning look.

  “Put me down, asshole! What is wrong with you? Are you deaf or stupid?” the female screamed as she kept trying to work her body off his shoulder.