Alien's Reluctant Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Mail Order Human Book 3)

Alien’s Reluctant Bride

(Mail Order Human, Book Three)

by Sue Mercury

Copyright 2015 by Sue Mercury

All rights reserved

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Sue Mercury. All names, brands, characters, and settings, etc. are purely from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people, real brands, and real locations is a coincidence. Contact:
[email protected]

Published by Sweet Savage Press, LLC

About this book:

Ally can’t believe her late father really arranged for her marriage to an alien through Mail Order Human. She attempts to remain on Earth, but ends up aboard the
Starship Matchmaker
anyway, bound for a planet called New Protemeda. Her promised mate, a tall and sinfully handsome alien named Naad, greets her at the landing site with a smile…only to go all caveman on her and toss her over his shoulder moments later. But her barbarian soon proves to be gentle, and she finds herself yearning for his touch and thinking perhaps life on this strange world might not be so bad. That is until he betrays her.

Naad doesn’t understand why Ally would run off after their week of nonstop, passionate mating. Intent on tracking down his reluctant bride, he tears down the mountain, desperate to find her before she meets with trouble. But even if he finds her in time, will she accept him into her heart?

Excerpt:

“Put me down, Naad!” She wriggled around, but he already had her inside his cave. He entered the code on the security pad to activate the invisible barrier at the mouth of the cave. They could stand at the entrance and look upon the mountainside, but no one could see inside with the seal activated. He explained this to Ally but wasn’t certain if she heard him over her protests.

“Be still, little human.” He carried her to the large bed against the back wall. Additional bedrooms would be carved into the stone once they started a family, but for now the cave consisted of one massive room.

“You can’t do this!” She pounded his back and clawed at his flesh with her nails. He hissed through the pain and tossed her, as gently as possible, onto the bed. She landed with a bounce atop the thick, fur coverings.

“Ally, listen to me. Try to understand. My family dreamed of a future for me. My uncles and father met to decide which one of us, me or one of my male cousins, would procure a female from Earth. It was decided that I was the strongest and most intelligent, and they combined their gold to secure a bride for me with Mail Order Human, and that is how we became betrothed. Your presence on this planet has been anticipated for many moons. My entire family has awaited you, Ally.
I
have waited for you all these years.” He tried to speak in as gentle a voice as possible. He hated to see her frightened. If she understood the ways of his people, perhaps she might soften toward him and open her heart.

His cock stiffened further when his eyes fell to her bare leg. Her dress had drifted up to her thigh during her tumble onto the bed. Another deep growl emanated from his throat.

“Your father told me you were usually an obedient daughter, a sweet girl. I had thought…” He had thought what? That she would spread her legs willingly? That she would drool over his massive-compared-to-human-male’s physique and fall in love with him?

Well yes, actually, he had thought she would become instantly smitten with him when she stepped off the
Starship Matchmaker
. Instead, she’d tried to run away. Twice. He supposed he didn’t know much about her culture. Was he going about this the wrong way?

The Protemeian way was to conquer. His people had long been kidnapping and claiming their mates, females from a variety of distant planets. He saw nothing wrong with taking a female. It was for the betterment of his race, the continuation of his people, and it wasn’t as if Protemeian males didn’t treat their brides with kindness. Though rough on the surface, the males of his kind became fiercely attached to their females, protecting them with their lives and putting the needs of their brides and children above all else.

He straddled her on the bed and cupped her face. “I will be gentle, Ally. Do not fear.”

Chapter One

All the muscles in Ally’s body ached as she carried the water jug through the village. The day was overcast and cold. Winter loomed on the horizon, and she shuddered to think how much snow would fall upon the mountain this season.

Last year the heavy snows had resulted in the village being cut off from the valley below. All the roads had become impassable under several feet of snow, and all but one of those same roads had washed out thanks to the rapid melting. At present, there was only one way off the mountain, and the Hanz gang owned the bridge on this particular road and decided who was allowed to pass.

Ally’s family wasn’t allowed to pass. Her father had tried numerous times to bribe the gang for passage off the mountain, but after each attempt he’d come home looking defeated. When Ally asked what the gang demanded in return for safe passage, her father had kept silent. Judging by the various brothels the gang reportedly managed in the village and below the mountain, she had an idea, and she had no wish to endure such a fate. Though there were days when her future seemed bleak, she still held fast to the notions of love and romance she’d entertained as a child.

She didn’t have a dowry, but she had her innocence and an upstanding reputation, and she had hoped that might be enough to entice a decent man to marry her. Almost twenty, she supposed her father would announce a match for her any day, and while she wished for a say in whom she married, she trusted her father would select a good man. She was also convinced whoever the man was, they would get to know one another and fall deeply in love.

It had to happen. There wasn’t much happiness left in the world, and she simply wanted a little bit of joy for herself. A caring man and a few beautiful children. She was determined to make the best of her life on the mountain.

Once upon a time, marriages in the former States weren’t arranged. Once, women had been free to make their own choices regarding marriage. But the wars and the plagues had changed everything. Women had become a commodity, and men who wished their daughters to marry well had to set aside a dowry. She’d often wondered why her father hadn’t at least set a little money aside for this purpose, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she never asked.

She supposed she was luckier than most girls her age. Many men had sold their daughters to the Hanz gang in exchange for food, warmer shelter, and other favors. But her father hadn’t even seemed tempted when their roof had collapsed under the heavy snows last year. He’d rallied his friends to help repair the damage as quickly as possible, brushing the Hanz men off when they’d showed up to speak with him. She’d spied on them from a distance, knowing the awful men had come to make an offer for her. Her reputation as a good girl had obviously spread to the gang, making her a desirable acquisition.

Every few weeks, the Hanz men organized virgin auctions. The use of an innocent girl fetched a high price, or so she’d heard. She appreciated that her father tried to shield her from the dark underbelly of the village, but she heard the whispers clear enough. She knew times had never been so desperate for all who lived on the mountain, and likely the rest of the world as well.

Maybe dreaming about a husband and children was foolish. It certainly seemed selfish to bring a child into a world gone to shit. But there was something hopeful about love and babies and children. She couldn’t help wanting a family of her own, even though she and everyone else on the mountain likely faced a difficult future.

The frigid wind swirled down from the sky, piercing through Ally’s cloak and making her shiver. She was tired of being cold all the time. The woodstove in their house put out adequate heat, but the house wasn’t insulated very well, so unless Ally was standing right in front of it, her toes were usually numb from the cold. With the memory of last winter’s brutal duration in her thoughts, she shivered at the prospect of spending another winter freezing day after day.

She passed the village square and turned onto her street. In front of their house, her father was busy chopping firewood. Children dashed here and there, running errands for their parents. They certainly weren’t on their way to or from school, as the Hanz gang had taken over the large schoolhouse to use as their headquarters.

Guns. It was because they had all the guns. They also had grenades, and if rumors were true, a stockpile of missiles hidden in a cave somewhere outside the village. Why they needed missiles, Ally didn’t know. She suspected war was coming. Another war, anyway. She’d seen plenty of fighting as a child, when the town they’d lived in below the mountain had been attacked. Many had perished during the bombing, including her mother.

Their new home had seemed safe…until the Hanz gang showed up. They arrived under the guise of helping, and people had liked them at first. They’d brought medicine, books, food, clothing, and other supplies badly needed. Then they’d offered to protect the village.

The rest was history. Soon the Hanz gang became tyrants, and everyone was too afraid to fight back.

She’d heard similar groups terrorized other villages all across this land that had once been considered one of the greatest countries in the world. She knew little about the times before the wars and plagues ravaged Earth, but she knew things used to be better. She knew people hadn’t always been so desperate and driven by fear.

“Careful, Dad, you’ll hurt your back again.” She placed the water jug down on the porch, then drew her cloak around herself tighter and nodded at the house across the street. “Why not have Heath help you?”

Her father split another piece of wood before pausing to rest his weight on the ax. His grave expression told her something terrible had happened, and she held her breath, praying her instincts were wrong.

“Heath was found stabbed to death early this morning, sweetheart.”

“What?” Tears prickled in her eyes and her throat clogged with emotion.
Not Heath. Please not Heath.
He’d been one of the few good guys left, and he happened to be around her age. She’d secretly hoped he might become her husband one day. She’d even imagined what their children might look like. They were supposed to have two boys and a girl. God, Ally had even picked out their children’s names.

“I’m sorry, Ally. I just found out.” He cast a weary glance up and down the street. “You had best go inside. I’ll be in soon, and we’ll talk then.”

Blinking back tears, she sniffled and heaved the water jug up into her arms. She carried it inside and sat it down in the kitchen, her mind spinning and her heart aching with an intensity that stole her breath. Surely, she must be dreaming. This had to be a nightmare. Heath had no enemies. He had been the nicest man she’d known, aside from her father. He had been quick to help others and well-liked in the village. His parents were probably devastated.

She
was devastated.

Ally sat at the table and wept into her hands. When she heard the front door open and footsteps approaching, she quickly wiped her face and rose under the semblance of preparing dinner, keeping her back to her father. With his health in rapid decline, she needed to be strong for him. She could cry later in the privacy of her bedroom.

“Ally?” called a feminine voice.

She gave a start and spun around.

Mrs. Fraser stood in the kitchen doorway, her eyes wide and her face pale. She held her newborn baby in her arms, bundled up in a thick pink blanket. The wind blew into the house, ruffling the curtains. Beyond the open door, a crowd gathered on the front porch and in the street.

“What’s going on?” she rushed from the kitchen and past Mrs. Fraser. Where was her father? Why was everyone standing around and giving her sorrowful looks?

The crowd parted when she stepped onto the porch. In the center of the gathered circle, her father lay motionless on the ground, his eyes open and staring into oblivion.

“Dad!” She knelt at his side, grabbed his shoulders, and gave him a harsh shake. “Dad, wake up!”

He didn’t move. He wasn’t breathing. She clutched him to her chest and cried, rocking him in her arms as if she could will him back to life by the sheer force of her grief. He couldn’t be dead, couldn’t be gone forever.
Please God, no
.

No no no
.

Time slowed and everything around her faded. She heard murmurs and felt the cold wind blowing through the street. Her cloak had fallen off at some point, and someone placed it back over her shoulders. Gentle hands pried her from her father’s lifeless body, and she watched as Mr. Fraser ran a hand over her dad’s face, closing his eyes.

“Must have been his heart,” said a voice behind her.

Soft voices, gentle touches, the cold wind. She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know where to turn. What came next? Someone had placed an arm around her and was trying to lead her back into the house, but her legs seemed rooted to the earth. She felt dizzy and found herself gazing from face to face, thinking if she searched the crowd long enough, her father might emerge and wrap her in his arms.

Must have been his heart.

This wasn’t happening. She wasn’t here.

No no no
.

She closed her eyes and willed the last day to be a nightmare. But when she opened her eyes, the crowd was still gathered thick around her. Across the street, Heath’s mother was sobbing in his father’s arms.

Though surrounded by her neighbors, Ally drifted alone in her sorrow and utter disbelief. All the noises around her faded to a low hum.
No no no
kept repeating inside her head.

* * *

The funerals came and went, first Heath’s, then her father’s. A numbness took hold of Ally that she couldn’t seem to shake. She realized she needed to be strong and form a plan before the Hanz gang swept in to take advantage of her. It was only a matter of time.

As a woman, she wasn’t allowed to own property in the village. The Hanz men had changed the laws after their arrival. She had thirty days before the house became the property of the village, unless a male relative arrived to make a claim on it. She probably had a few cousins alive in the former States, but she had no clue where they lived, or even if they would be willing to make the journey up the mountain.

The bridge. Damn it to hell. Even if they tried to help, the Hanz men probably wouldn’t let them pass over their fucking precious bridge. The nefarious gang probably had plans to turn her house into another brothel.

Heath’s parents had offered Ally a room in their house. Should she accept their offer? She supposed she didn’t have any other options. Her throat burned at the thought of Heath, and she raged against the unknown persons who had left him beaten and stabbed behind the schoolhouse. Like the majority of murders in the village, Heath’s would probably remain unsolved.

An Elder was scheduled to visit this afternoon, and she dreaded the meeting. The Hanz gang owned the Elders. Hell, they owned everything. The Elder would probably feign sympathy, only to say she would be better off working in one of the brothel’s since she had no dowry.

Her father had built this house with his bare hands over ten years ago. She’d been young but had helped him as much as possible, passing him tools or carrying small boards and nails.

Anger burned hot under her skin. She had never felt such rage in her life. If she’d been born a man, she would be allowed to keep the house. She banged a fist on the table and sat down, wishing she could turn back time and somehow prevent her father’s death. If she’d been firmer with him about how hard he’d been working, maybe he wouldn’t be dead.

A knock sounded on the door. The Elder was early. Her stomach flipped and for a moment, she considered not answering. What would they do if she hunkered down in her house and refused to leave? Would they drag her away, kicking and screaming?

She sighed. Probably.

She went to the door and let the cloaked Elder inside. He lifted back his hood to reveal a shock of white hair that tumbled past his shoulders. It was Aiden, one of the original Elders, one of those who had led the survivors up the mountain after the bombing.

“Good afternoon, dear.” He glanced around and then quickly shut the door behind him. He gave her an odd, hesitant look, before grabbing her wrist and leading her further into the house, down the hallway in the direction of the bedrooms.

Ally’s heart leapt and she yanked against his firm hold. What the fuck?

“You must hurry and pack your things.” He released her wrist and loomed over her. “Before the Hanz men come looking for you.”

“Right, and where am I supposed to go? If I try bypassing the bridge on the way down the mountain, their search dogs will find me in the forest. No one ever makes it down alive.” The heads of those caught trying to escape were mounted on spikes that circled the perimeter of the village, left to decay until nothing remained but an empty skull. She had no wish to join those poor souls.

Aiden thrust a crumpled sheet of paper at her. She held it in her hands, staring down in disbelief as she scanned the content. It was her father’s will, and he had made provisions for her in the case of his untimely death.

“Mail Order Human?” She gasped and looked at the Elder. “Aliens don’t exist. This can’t be real, can’t be…” Her voice trailed off. Her father had obviously thought it was a real thing.