Axall: Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #4 (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Read online

  “Leave Earth?” Again, her voice escaped as an embarrassing squeak.

  When Rachel found Karla, she planned to give the meddlesome woman an earful.

  “Wait!” she said when he started guiding her toward the hallway, a firm hold on her upper arm. Did he really think he could just swoop down to the surface of her planet and fly away with her? “Wait!”

  He paused and turned to her, then settled his hands on her shoulders. He stared down at her, giving her his undivided attention. “What is it, my pretty mate? Do you wish to bring some belongings with you?” He looked around her virtually bare room for a moment before returning his eyes to hers. “It is no matter if you don’t own many possessions, Rachel. It will be my honor to provide you with anything you may need. I intend to take care of you.”

  Why did his words make her so warm all over?

  “Um, Axall,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “that’s very sweet and gallant of you, but this is a mistake. I didn’t sign up for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides.”

  He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. With his free hand, he cupped the side of her face. He leaned down, so close she thought he might kiss her, and her heart skipped a beat at the thought. After a small eternity, he finally spoke.

  “My presence here is not a mistake, Rachel. Whether you signed up for the mail order bride service or not, I believe I’m meant to be here right now. Here in your room, with you, and I’m not leaving Earth without you, pretty human. You are meant to be mine.”

  Chapter 4

  You are meant to be mine?

  Axall stared down at the beautiful female, wondering where the flowery words were coming from. Surely not from him. He was a practical male, the type who always did exactly what he was supposed to do, as expected by Vaxxlian society. He’d spent the last few years of his life training as a warrior, then defending his people during the war, and finally, helping his people rebuild.

  Now that most of their females were gone, it was his duty to take a human female as a mate and procreate with her. He was here for a purpose—to claim Rachel, take her back to New Vaxx, and produce as many children as the Star God blessed them with.

  He didn’t understand her reluctance, even if she hadn’t really signed up for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides. He couldn’t imagine why any human female would wish to remain on Earth when the planet was failing. War, famine, unrest, disease. Though this part of Rachel’s country was currently safe, he doubted it would remain a haven forever.

  “My employer, the woman named Karla who let you inside,” Rachel said with a glance at the door, “I think she signed me up for the mail order bride service. She’s told me, on more than one occasion, that I ought to sign up for it, but I always told her I wasn’t interested—and I most certainly am not interested. I can’t believe she would do this, but I can’t think of any other reasonable explanation. If you’ll just give me a moment, I need to go talk to her.”

  “Do you promise to come straight back?” Axall asked, not wishing to let her go. He didn’t want her out of his sight for the briefest moment, but he supposed the sooner she talked to Karla, the sooner they could leave. He was certain she would come to her senses and decide to leave Earth with him. Perhaps Karla, who apparently thought Rachel mating with a Vaxxlian was a good idea, would help convince Rachel to board his spacecraft.

  She gave him a stricken look but didn’t reply. When she stepped toward the door, he reluctantly let her go, certain that she would return soon.

  “I will wait for you right here, my mate,” he said, gesturing around her bedroom.

  She nodded, took two slow steps backward, then turned and bolted toward the stairs.

  “Slow down!” he called out. “Do not run down the steps.”

  He thought he heard her mutter something about him being bossy, but he couldn’t quite be sure. His English wasn’t perfect, though he suspected if he practiced the language regularly by talking to Rachel, he would soon become fluent in it. For a short time after the war, he and his brothers had briefly worked as traders, which had required frequent interaction with a variety of alien species, including humans. In order to ensure the success of their trading operation and gather the supplies his people needed to rebuild their society on New Vaxx, they’d all had to learn several Earth tongues, as not all humans spoke Galactic Common.

  He stood in the doorway, listening to the sounds in the establishment. He heard soft snoring coming from a room further down the hall, the clatter of dishes in the kitchen below, and Rachel’s rapidly retreating footsteps. She was still running, despite his order for her to stop. Perhaps she hadn’t heard him.

  Voices soon reached him. He couldn’t make out Rachel and Karla’s exact words, but the conversation sounded tense. On Rachel’s side at least.

  He peered around her room and searched for a bag. Once he found a small one, he started opening drawers and putting the clothing he found inside the sack. She didn’t own much, but he did a full sweep of her room and even the bathroom to ensure he packed all her belongings, including a lone pair of underwear he discovered under a chair.

  The last items he found were a small box of colored pencils and a thick pack of paper, which contained numerous drawings of female clothing. He flipped through the drawings, discovering they were quite detailed, and he recalled ‘clothing design’ had been listed as one of her interests. Though he was no expert on female attire, human or otherwise, he thought Rachel possessed great talent. Perhaps she could use such talents on New Vaxx. Many of the human females worked and even owned their own businesses. He carefully placed her design supplies into the sack.

  Holding the bag, he stood near the door, awaiting her return. What was taking so long? Couldn’t Rachel see the benefits of leaving Earth and becoming his mate? Lots of human women were leaving her planet these days, and many of his people believed there would soon come a time when the number of female applicants for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides exceeded the number of available males.

  The conversation in the kitchen grew quiet, though Axall didn’t hear his mate’s footsteps approaching. A knock on the front door soon sounded and he decided to meet Rachel downstairs. Since he had her belongings packed, there was no need for her to return to her bedroom anyway.

  He hurried down the steps, only to be met by two human males wearing dark blue uniforms and hats. Where was Rachel? He glanced around, his senses on high alert.

  “Where is my mate?” His muscles tensed and his hands curled into fists.

  The human males exchanged a worried look, before the tallest of them spoke.

  “Good evening, sir. I’m Deputy Sanders and this is my partner, Deputy Henderson.”

  Axall took in their uniforms, as well as the gleaming silver badges on their chests and the rudimentary weapons on their hips. “You are law enforcement officers,” he said. “Why are you here?”

  “Are you Axall?” Deputy Henderson asked.

  “I am.”

  “Right, we got a call about you trespassing on private property,” Deputy Sanders said, though his tone was hesitant, as if he didn’t wish to relay this news to Axall. “We’re going to have to ask you to leave and take your spacecraft with you. It’s parked on private property too.”

  “The owner of this establishment welcomed me inside,” Axall said, drawing himself taller. “And I am here to collect Rachel Walters and take her back to New Vaxx with me. She is my mate.”

  The officers exchanged another look. “Rachel made the call, sir. She wants you to leave. She said she’s worried you’ll try to kidnap her, which by the way, in case you aren’t aware, is illegal. You can’t take human females against their will on Earth or in the surrounding sector of space.”

  With a growl, Axall pulled up Rachel’s information on his wrist comm, displaying the completed mail order bride form as a three-dimensional image so the officers could both easily read it. He could physically remove them from the house, but he didn’t wish to resort to viol
ence unless diplomacy failed.

  “This form shows Rachel has agreed to become my mate,” Axall said, even though she’d insisted her employer had been the one to fill out the form.

  “Even if this is the case,” Deputy Sanders said, “you still can’t force a woman to go with you. Women who sign up for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides can opt out at the last moment. It happens sometimes.” The man displayed an awkward smile and took a step back.

  They’re afraid of me, he realized. Axall stood even taller and gave another low growl. This caused both the officers to edge backward, closer to the door.

  Deputy Henderson looked at Axall’s hip and his eyes widened. It was then that Axall realized he’d unconsciously placed his hand upon his blaster, though he hadn’t drawn the weapon yet.

  “Those are illegal on Earth,” the deputy said.

  Axall tightened his hold on the weapon. He lifted his eyebrows and gave each deputy a look of challenge. “I know, but I came armed anyway. My ship is armed too. You’d be surprised how much damage a Vaxxlian cruiser can inflict with a single shot.” Though his words were menacing, he kept his voice calm and steady, a method he’d long ago discovered could be even more effective than brute force and outspoken anger. “Is that your hovercraft in the driveway? It would be a shame if someone vaporized it.”

  Chapter 5

  Rachel stood against the wall, just inside the dining room, as she listened to the ridiculous conversation unfolding in the foyer. She couldn’t believe Axall was threatening to harm the cops. She felt a bit guilty for calling them, but she’d figured it would be the easiest way to make Axall leave—and she also wasn’t entirely certain he wouldn’t try to force her onto his spacecraft. Up in her bedroom, he had seemed adamant that he planned to take her away with him. He also didn’t seem to care that she hadn’t been the one to fill out the mail order bride application.

  When she heard Axall threaten to destroy the deputies’ hovercraft, she decided she’d had enough of the alien’s high-handed ways. Just who did he think he was? She stepped into the foyer, her arms crossed over her chest, and glared at Axall.

  “Karla admitted that she filled out the mail order bride form, Axall. It wasn’t me. I am not going anywhere with you. Now, you need to leave right now and go back to New Vaxx. Or find another human female who’s willing to become your mate, I don’t care, just leave. And don’t you dare hurt either of these officers. They’re here because I called them. They came to help me and keep me safe.”

  Both deputies shifted uncomfortably in place. Not that she could blame them. Axall looked rather scary at the moment and they were right in the center of a weird interstellar romantic dispute. Not romantic, she corrected herself. She’d just met Axall, after all, even if he did seem infuriatingly certain she was his mate.

  Axall narrowed his eyes at Rachel, though he didn’t appear angry. A bit confused and perhaps even a little wounded. An odd feeling of guilt spread through her chest. She didn’t like the idea of hurting Axall. She ought to have no problem telling him to piss off and be on his way, but try as she might, she couldn’t summon harsher words. The prospect of causing the hurt in his green gaze to deepen left her saddened and she didn’t understand why.

  The big sexy alien opened his mouth and started to speak, but Karla interrupted with a loud clearing of her throat, appearing beside Rachel holding a tray of cookies and tea. She wore a bright smile and looked as though she hadn’t a care in the world. Clearly, meddling in the lives of others didn’t leave her unsettled in the least.

  “Axall, would you like to have a seat in the tearoom? I made fresh ginger cookies, though I used one of Rachel’s recipes, so really she ought to get the credit for them. Sanders and Henderson, you’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.” Karla grinned at everyone standing in the foyer.

  “Very kind of you, Karla,” Deputy Sanders said, “but we’ve got to be going.” The officer regarded Axall. “Sir, if Karla, who is the owner of this property, asks you to leave, you will be expected to vacate the premises at once. Do you understand?”

  Axall’s eyes darkened. “As I’ve stated previously, I am not leaving without Rachel. She is my mate.”

  Deputy Henderson blew out a breath and opened the door. “Right, then. We’d best be on our way. Good evening, Rachel, Karla.” He nodded at Rachel and her employer, then both officers departed the bed and breakfast. A peek out the window showed they were jogging to their hovercraft, obviously not wanting to linger when a trigger happy Vaxxlian warrior was hanging around.

  Rachel whirled on Axall, her hands on her hips. “How could you threaten to shoot them? They were here because I called them, and they were just doing their jobs. Do you threaten to shoot everyone who gets in your way?”

  Axall’s hand fell from his blaster and his stance softened a bit. God, she wished that strange warm feeling would stop flowing through her every time he so much as glanced in her direction. She felt as though she were blushing and shivering all at once. And then there was that most unwelcome ache developing between her thighs…

  His nostrils flared for an instant and his eyes became a darker shade of green. She swallowed hard and awaited his response.

  “Well?” she asked, growing impatient.

  “I don’t threaten to shoot everyone who gets in my way,” he said, speaking slowly as if carefully considering his words, “however, I won’t hesitate to use force if I must when you are concerned.”

  “Force?” She glared harder. “Are you saying you’re going to force me onto your spaceship? You really think that’s the best way to start a relationship? Not-not that we’re starting a relationship—we most certainly are not—but if we were, threatening force is not the way into my heart.” Her face flamed. She needed to shut up. Not the way into my heart? Had she really just said that?

  Hope flared in his gaze. He stepped closer and reached for her hands. “I meant that I would use force against anyone who threatened our union, pretty human,” he replied in a gentle tone that made her feel all fuzzy inside, despite her mounting frustration. “As for forcing you onto my spacecraft, I will only do so if it is a matter of safety. If this area of your country becomes too unsafe, I will not hesitate to take you away with me, whether you’re willing at the moment or not.”

  “Well, lucky for me, this area of the country is pretty safe. We’re basically in the middle of nowhere with only a handful of neighbors, all of whom are perfectly law-abiding.” She tried to extract her hands from his, but he tightened his grip and pulled her closer, until the heat of his body wafted to hers, making her ever aware of his massive size. Her neck hurt from staring up at him.

  “Well, I think it’s just lovely that you’re both talking and getting to know one another,” Karla said in a jovial voice. “Now, I insist the two of you come to the tearoom. We mustn’t let these cookies go to waste. I baked them just for you.”

  Before Rachel could respond, Axall turned her to follow Karla into the tearoom, keeping an arm around her the entire way. His touch elicited so much warmth within her, an immense bloom of heat mixed with tingles and delicious aching, that she almost wondered if she were coming down with a fever. The throbbing between her thighs became much more pronounced when she took a seat on the loveseat and squirmed for a second. She immediately stilled and took a deep breath, trying to will the unwanted sensations away. Never in her life had she experienced such an extreme visceral reaction to a man.

  “You are very kind to provide us with sustenance,” Axall said with a nod at Karla as he took a seat next to Rachel, sitting far too close for comfort. His big thick thigh was nestled right beside her much smaller one, his body heat once more emanating onto her.

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure.” Karla set the tray of cookies and tea down in front of Rachel and Axall. “Now, I’ve got to go clean up in the kitchen. You two enjoy.” She spun on her heel and departed the room, leaving Rachel all alone with the sexy alien.

  She glanced at him and her thoughts became
muddled. When Axall picked up a cookie and placed it to Rachel’s lips, she found herself opening her mouth and taking a small bite. Oh God. What the hell was she doing, allowing him to feed her like this? It felt far too intimate, but it was too late to undo her acceptance of his gesture.

  Her heart thudded when he took the same cookie and bit into it himself. He chewed twice and swallowed, his gaze not leaving hers, an aura of confidence surrounding him.

  “It’s very sweet,” he said, “but I have a feeling your lips are far sweeter.”

  He leaned in to kiss her and the whole world faded. She didn’t stop him. She didn’t make the slightest sound of protest or move an inch back. She parted her lips and allowed him to kiss her, and the achingly tender kiss drew a soft moan from her throat.

  Not for the first time since awakening from cryosleep, Rachel wondered if she was dreaming. Surely she wasn’t sitting in the tearoom of Karla’s Kove while a hot Vaxxlian warrior kissed her senseless. He grasped her head and deepened the kiss, a low growl rumbling from him, a sexy noise that vibrated through her, all the way down to her toes.

  She knew she ought to stop this, but she couldn’t summon the willpower.

  She very much liked kissing this alien named Axall.

  What the hell was happening?

  Chapter 6

  The pretty human was responding to him beautifully. Axall continued kissing her, holding her delicate face between his hands as he drank her in, drawing his tongue along hers and reveling in her every little moan and whimper. She was sweet and pliable, allowing him to control the kiss, and a sense of power and responsibility surged through him.