The Princess and her Bounty Hunter: Alien Romance (Fated to the Alien: The Psychic Matchmaker Book 2) (6 page)

“I’ll ride shotgun,” she said as he pulled the door open at the back of the rover.

“Good idea,” he agreed, pulling himself inside, and then reaching his hand out to help her. She took it, and he could feel the strength in her upper body as she climbed in. “Are you some kind of bounty hunter too?”

She looked up at him, those green eyes flashing and he wondered if he should be as scared of her as he was of the beast that was now within two hundred feet of them. “Don’t you think you can start the engines? Or is this thing eating us for its supper?”

He grinned, thinking how he would very much like to eat her, in the most intimate of ways, and then grabbed the back of his seat and hauled himself into position, slamming his hand on the ignition. Mak grabbed the steering wheel, then his foot hit the gas and they lurched forward. He turned the steering wheel hard, turning them around one hundred and eighty degrees in a split second and then accelerating away. The tires bit into the dirt, sending stones flying upwards, and then as they approached the bog, he switched to hover mode.

Immediately they slowed, the transition from wheels to air slowing them down.

“Stellia,” he called into the radio, worried there were still no rendezvous coordinates flashing up on the screen. Silence. He tried again. “Stellia, do you hear me?”

“Who’s Stellia, your girlfriend, or your accomplice?” the woman yelled from the back of the rover.

“She’s our only hope of getting out of here.”

“I’m so pleased you have at last acknowledged that you need me,” Stellia’s voice said.

“Good to hear from you. Where are you?” he asked, not in the mood for her jibes, but needing her to act fast to pull them out of here. In the back he could hear his new acquaintance letting off a couple of rounds from her laser, followed by an enraged roar from the creature.

“I’m close. I can’t land anywhere, some kind of worm tried to eat me.” She sounded affronted. From Stellia, that was not good.

“So do you have a plan?” he asked.

“Of course.” The withering sarcasm was back, which relieved him.

“Care to share?”

Then in front of him, he saw her big bulk, flying low to the ground, and he knew they were going to board her in the same way he had exited.

Well, if he ever planned to impress a woman, this was it. “Hold tight,” he yelled and throttled forward, as Stellia’s cargo bay opened like a gaping mouth to swallow them up.

Hold tight! What the hell was he thinking?
She looked past him, through the windshield of the rover, to where a ship of some kind was slowing, bringing them onto a collision course.

They were going to die. She could see it, she could feel it, and when she turned back to look out of the rover, she could smell it, the dank stagnant breath of the beast that had somehow caught up with them.

“Hurry!” she yelled, over the howl of the creature. Its jaws were open; she could see its teeth, sharp, jutting out like shards of deadly glass.

Aiming the laser, she let off two rounds, right into its mouth; the thing barely flinched. Risking the laser not being up to full power, but needing to buy them some time, she grabbed hold of the door of the rover, swinging herself outwards to change the angle, and fired at the monster’s eye.

A direct hit. It reeled back, the howl escaping its mouth so loud, it left her ears ringing. She had bought some time but at what cost? The rover was accelerating forward, and she was in danger of being left behind.

“Damn it.” She scrambled back towards the door, looping her leg around the opening and pulling herself back in. The rover jolted forward, and she had to jam her foot against the back panel to stop herself falling back out.

Knowing there was nothing else she could do, and that their fate now rested in the hands of her alien rescuer, not that she would ever call him that to his face, she slammed the door of the rover shut, and hauled herself to the front, sliding into the passenger seat.

“Are you sure you can make it?” Tiana asked.

“Yep.” The concentration on his face was intense. He was checking the speed, lining up the rover with the space ship, while a woman’s voice counted down from ten.

“I’m glad you are so confident,” Tiana said, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the control console.

“Well, if I’m wrong, neither of us are going to know anything about it. If I miss, we’re either going to crash and burn, or be eaten by that thing.” He turned to her and grinned. “So I might as well sound as if I know what I’m doing.”

She rolled her eyes. “Men.”

“Do you know a lot about men?” he asked.

“Not the time,” she said. She hated to admit that the only man she wanted to know more about was him. He was so different to anyone else she had met. Even on the planets she had visited with her father, when he decided to drag his lowliest heir around to generate good will, she had never met a man so big, and so, well, charismatic. His smile made her insides squirm, and she figured if her father would find her a man like this to marry for the good of her people, she might just agree with it.

No. No, she wouldn’t.
Tiana wanted a marriage born out of love and respect, and she doubted this man had any respect for her, or any other female. The way he had spoken to her back on the ground had told her that.

“One.” The female voice reached the end of its countdown, and he throttled forward and then quickly eased off, to slow them down. The darkness around them gave way to red flashing emergency lights. They had successfully landed inside the ship.

Just as she thought they were safe, an alarm began to sound. “What does that mean?”

“Ship’s going to stall.”

“What?” Then she realized why. They were climbing steeply—the rover was somehow locked in place to stop them rolling back out—but the back door was still open. Or at least closing very slowly, but the creature was back after them, its jaws snapping shut, nearly taking a chunk out of the tailgate of the ship. If that happened, she doubted they would make it off the planet, the atmosphere would burn them up, or else the emptiness of space would suffocate them.

She slipped out of her seat, the laser gripped tightly in her hand as she slid to the back of the rover. Flinging the door open, she aimed and let off a round. It glanced off the creature’s nose, doing no real damage, but it did flinch, knocking itself off balance, and by the time it had righted itself they were beyond its reach, and the doors were nearly closed.

A hand gripped her gloop-stained jacket, hauling her back to the front of the rover and into the seat. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he asked, his eyes blazing, the blue streaking across it like forked lightning. He sure was different. Unique. And mad.

“No. That’s why I went after him with the laser.” She titled her head on one side, wanting him to know she thought he was an imbecile. OK, so he had got them aboard the ship against the odds, but still, she knew what she was doing. The creature could have brought down the whole ship.

“Thank you, Princess Tiana Oliatro,” the woman’s voice said through the console.

He laughed. “You are a princess?”

Damn, how did the ship know?
“What does it matter to you? Or are you expecting a bounty for rescuing me?”

“I’m sure Mak will give you sanctuary,” the female voice said.

“Sanctuary? What am I, a charity now? We were on the trail of a nice juicy fee, and now we are stuck with a princess.”

“It is common courtesy to offer shelter to those in need. I thought that was the Virdian way? Especially since she helped save me.”

Tiana raised one eyebrow at the man. “See, your friend has manners.”

He chuckled. “I should have known women stick together.”

“I do not know what you mean, Mak,” the woman’s voice said. “I was simply thanking Princess Tiana for her quick action.”

“What about my quick action? It was me who docked the rover.”

“Because I directed you. If I hadn’t lined it up perfectly…”

“I give up,” he said, and opened the door of the rover and slipped out.

Tiana followed. “Are we leaving the planet?”

“Yes. We should go to the control deck and buckle up.” He raised his voice. “Although with Stellia piloting, it will be smooth sailing.”

“I cannot guarantee that, Mak, so please make yourselves secure.”

He didn’t look back, only stalked out of the cargo bay, leading her through the ship, along two corridors and into the control deck. Which was empty.

“Where is Stellia?” Tiana asked, sure they would have found the woman here, in the heart of the ship.

“All around you. She is the ship.”

“Wow. I never knew a ship’s computer could have such a personality.”

“I am truly blessed. Now sit.” He indicated a seat, and she sat down, clicking the seat belt into place. “We’re good to go, Stellia.”

“Preparing for exit.” The ship’s gravity shifted. They were heading straight up through the atmosphere, the force knocking her back in her seat.

“This is one powerful ship,” Tiana said, her head back against the headrest, not able to move.

“She likes to think so,” he said.

The ship vibrated, her teeth chattered, knocking against themselves, while her hands gripped the arm rests. They climbed and climbed; it was if the monster below them had hold of them between its teeth, not letting them go.

Then they were free, launching into space, and she let out her breath, letting go of the tension that had built up inside her. With it went the last of her strength. Her muscles became heavy, and she could hardly lift her hand to undo her seat belt, and when she did, and tried to stand up, her legs wouldn’t support her. Worse, the laser she had clung onto, in the hope she would be able to use it to overpower him, slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.

His strong arms caught her, stopping her hitting the floor. “Easy.”

“I just need to rest for a minute.”

“You look done in. It’s going to take more than a minute for you to recover.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.” He lifted her up into his arms, and she couldn’t help it, she rested her head against his chest, liking the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. It was comforting, somehow.

His muscles clenched, and not just those of his arms. Every part of him contracted, wanting to close around her and protect her.

“Heart rate elevated,” Stellia said helpfully.

He growled. Deep in his chest the rumbling vibrated out, making other parts of his body come alive. Being attracted to her was not a thing he had anticipated. Up until he met her, he had considered all women, and princesses in particular, to be a pain in the ass.

Unless he wanted to take her to his bed, which didn’t happen often these days

Unlike many of the other bounty hunters, he was not a girl-in-every-star-port kind of guy. Women were few and far between, and as he had matured, the in-betweens had become longer. On day he hoped to find the right woman to settle down with and raise a family. Could this princess fulfill all of his needs?

Damn it, he was picturing himself living in a fairy tale. And everyone knew those things were not real!

“Set a heading for the planet Kalisov,” he ordered Stellia.

“No,” the woman in his arms protested, lifting her head and then placing her hands on his chest to push back from him. “I’m not going home.”

“Yes, you are. I have a job to do, a bounty to hunt down, and you have already wasted enough of my time,” he said, his jaw clenching, his feelings once more returning to irritation. Did she really think she could order him around? On his own ship?

“I am not going home. You can drop me off at the nearest space port.”

“No. I am taking you back to your home planet, and back to your father,” he said, through teeth that ground together. Mainly to stop himself saying any more. Mak was not good at holding his tongue, not unless there was a bounty involved.

“Please,” she said, and her eyes conveyed such emotion, he wanted to look into them, dive into them and be lost to her.
Romantic rubbish
.

“Give me one good reason why not? I’m suspecting your father has money and would be more than willing to compensate me for my time and trouble if I return you to him.”

“Is that all everyone is to you? A way to earn money?” she spat, her strength returning enough to look at him with loathing.

“No. But I’m not a charity either. If you were poor, I’d return you for free, but if Daddy can pay, then why shouldn’t he?”

Her face was so pale, she reminded him of a frozen moon, yet the heat in her eyes was still there, burning hot. “I have money.”

“I don’t want it.” His conscience wouldn’t rest if anything happened to her out here in space. “Space is not safe for a princess alone.”

“It’s more than my father will pay you. Please.”

Her teeth were chattering, she looked on the verge of exhaustion, and he wondered how she still stood on her feet. This must mean a lot to her. Now he understood: she was running away, maybe she had fallen in love with an unsuitable man and was eloping, only to get stranded on that foul planet.

“Make me an offer,” he said.

“I don’t have money,” she said, wriggling out of his grasp completely.

“I don’t work on promises and credit,” he said bluntly.

“I could have guessed that,” she retorted, tearing at the lining of her jacket. “I have these.”

She took out a ring and matching necklace. Holding them in her hand, she offered them to him. He moved to take the ring, sensing her attachment to it, as her fingers involuntarily curled around it.

“I want to check they’re not fake.”

“They’re not. They were my mother’s. The finest Darkarian rubies.” Her voice caught in her throat. Running away must mean an awful lot to her.

“And how much of a distance do you expect these Darkarian rubies to put between you and Kalisov?” he asked.

She shook her head and her whole body wobbled with it. “I’m not running away.”

“That’s not what it looks like. What’s wrong, fall in love with the wrong man?” He couldn’t resist trying to hurt her, although he knew it was petty. Only she didn’t react as he had imagined.