Craving: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 8) (10 page)

W
hen Jenn woke up
, several Anquesh women hovered around her, staring down at her and smiling. She wondered how long they had been watching her sleep. One spoke to her in the alien language and pulled insistently at the thin blanket covering her body. Jenn didn't understand what the woman was saying to her. She looked around for help and saw Rotan standing by the door.

"Can you help me out here? Why are they looking at me?"

Rotan's face didn't show any emotion. "They are here to prepare you for your wedding fight with Prince Warrel."

"Right now? I thought someone would train me in weapons or something. What if I lose?"

"Calm down. You're going to alarm the women."

"That's ok with me. I'm plenty alarmed myself at the moment."

The woman spoke with Rotan. "Jennifer Carden, they are concerned and think they might have angered you. Please stand slowly and let them do their work. Being in the presence of a mighty Earth warrior terrifies them."

Jenn gave Rotan a sideways glance, then looked up at the alien females. They were all a head taller than her and began to wrap blankets around her as she rose from the bed.

"Why do they think I'm a fighter?"

"It's possible someone told them you had some abilities." Jenn wasn't sure, but she thought Rotan had a glint of amusement in his eye.

Jenn closed her eyes. She wasn't ready to fight someone. She would never be ready. "What do they expect?"

"After they finish with you, your security team will bring you to an arena. It's not far from here. We can escort you to the entrance, but you'll have to move to the center on your own. Prince Warrel will be waiting for you. You'll fight him until only one of you is standing. Pretty simple."

"Seems romantic. Why do the Anquesh perform this ridiculous ritual?"

Rotan blinked. "I thought it would be obvious to an intelligent Earth woman like yourself. Only a worthy warrior deserves a mate. The male has to prove he is worthy of the bride. It's her responsibility to test him in battle." The explanation sounded natural coming out of his mouth. From Jenn's perspective, Rotan could hardly understand the question.

"Why would you bother going through with this charade? Anquesh men are obviously stronger than the women."

"The battle rage makes up for deficiencies in strength. If the male is unworthy, nuxmunit will fall on the woman, and she will easily vanquish him."

Jenn looked at Rotan with disbelief in her eyes. "That sounds great if you're from Anquera. I'm from Earth. Humans don't have battle rage."

"Somehow, you'll have to find inner strength for the task ahead. I believe you are a warrior."

Jenn wasn't sure if the vote of confidence was hurting or helping her. She knew she could not prevail against the Anquesh prince.

"What happens if he wins?"

"If he wins, you'll be his wife. If you win, honor is satisfied."

"What does that mean? Honor is satisfied? Will Warrel send me home?"

One of the women started brushing her hair and made a tsking noise. That didn't need translation.

Rotan didn't answer her at first. He didn't look her in the eyes, keeping his gaze averted. He seemed to be staring at the door. "It's not my place to say anything more."

Were Anquesh warriors genetically modified for stubbornness? "And what if Warrel wins?"

Rotan's eyes narrowed. "Warrel has a previous marriage contract with another royal daughter. The rumor is thst he intends to follow through with it."

"Sounds kinky. Do Anquesh typically take more than one wife?"

"No, Jenn, we do not."

The implications of what Rotan revealed and kept hidden were clear and chilling. Warrel had no intention of letting her live if he won the battle in the arena. If she wanted to see Kai again, she was going to have to win.

"Where is Commander Imwaden?"

The longer she was apart from Kai, the more concerned she grew about him. He talked a lot about honor, and it seemed like he took his duties seriously. She was surprised he had let her be in this situation for so long by herself.

Thinking about Kai brought a flood of memories. Being in the taxi alone together. Daily visits each day on the Ruvien during the journey to Anquera. The feeling of tightly pressing against him when the bomb exploded, shielding her body from the worst of the blow.

Jenn was sure Kai wouldn't let harm come to her. Right?

"It's not my place to say anything more."

Jenn rolled her eyes and groaned, startling the women. Nevertheless, they began their work earnestly and after two hours of grooming, hairdressing and primping, Jess wore the wedding outfit of an Anquesh woman.

She looked at herself in a mirror. One of the women had twisted and styled her hair, shaping it into the dreadlocks and braids favored by Anquesh females. Another had trimmed and buffed Jenn's nails to a high gloss.

All of them worked together to put Jenn into an elaborate garment that featured pantaloons in a pattern of yellow, orange and brown. There were slits on the side from her upper thigh down to the ankle. They spent time adjusting a metal breastplate similar to the ones Anquesh warriors used. In the end, it was obviously too large for Jenn. Ballet-like slippers on her feet completed the ensemble.

The women bowed and murmured to themselves as they backed away and out of the room, leaving Jenn alone with Rotan.

"We should go now," said the warrior. "It is time."

Jenn trembled. Would she be able to defeat Warrel by herself?

* * *

J
enn had
a sinking feeling in her stomach when she walked into the hot, bright Anquesh sun shining into the arena. She looked around to see an enormous stadium surrounding her, filled with thousands of Anquesh. She had been nervous before, but now she knew there were going to be a lot of people watching the spectacle of her wedding battle.

If what Rotan said was correct, losing the fight was going to be the least of Jenn's problems. In the middle of the huge fighting area was a tent with flimsy transparent cloth covering the sides. In theory, if Warrel won, she would be having sex in that tent. From what she could tell, the fucking would be visible to the entire arena.

Hell no!
There was no way she was going to perform a sex show on any planet. And she didn't want to mate with him in the first place! The thought made her insides burn. She resolved to get the best of the pompous prince somehow.

Jenn lost her confidence when Warrel stepped out of the tent. He looked more imposing than ever. Even though he wasn't as muscular as Kai, he was still taller than her and weighted a lot more. Jenn had one hope. The gravity on Anquera was slightly weaker than Earth's. She thought her muscles might be equal to or even stronger than his. She had spent the past few days working on Tai Chi forms to help control her body's response to the lighter gravity.

Warrel put his hands together and bowed his head slightly, looking up at Jenn over his hands with a fiendish gleam in his eye.

Her breastplate bothered her. It was too big and restricted her movements. She needed to get rid of it if she was going to have a chance. Jenn unlatched the breastplate, letting it fall to the ground. She shook her head, slowly moving her limbs into a Tai Chi defensive pose. A roar went up through the crowd. They wanted a good show and approved of Jenn's defiance.

The prince scoffed, and the sound reverberated around the enclosure. Apparently the acoustics in the stadium were outstanding. Jenn wondered if she could use it to her advantage. "You'll never beat me, Warrel. Are you even a match for a puny human female? You might as well give up now."

Apparently there were translators because someone repeated her comment in Anquesh over loudspeakers. Her words earned laughter and guffaws from the crowd. Warrel's face turned red.

"You need a lesson in respect, human."

Jenn stuck out her index finger and curled it toward her body, inviting Warrel to engage her.

"Bring it," she shouted. Another cheer rang around the walls.

Warrel strode forward. Jenn carefully watched his steps. He seemed overconfident, swaggering and not bothering to defend himself.

She would show everyone he was making a big mistake by underestimating her. As Jenn patiently waited, he stepped inside her range, reaching for her shoulders. Jenn leaned back slightly, then jammed the heel of her hand into the underside of his jaw, causing him to retreat. The crowd roared.

Warrel lurched forward angrily. Jenn shifted to her right foot while bringing her left knee and left hand up. Warrel found himself stumbling into her. Jenn's knee connected with his groin and her left hand struck his face. When his head snapped back, she went for his throat. He gasped and stumbled.

If she ever got back to Earth, she was going to take her Tai Chi instructor out to dinner.

The crowd got to its feet and started making loud noises, pounding on the footboards of the arena.

The follow-through from her lunge left her right leg behind Warrel's right knee. She reached under his left arm. With a quick movement, she rotated it up into a painful, off-center position. When she pushed him with her left arm, he fell to the ground.

If she had thought the crowd was wild before, getting Warrel off his feet sent them into a new frenzy. Someone started chanting her name, and the group picked it up. The arena rumbled as the aliens cried out, "Jenn! Jenn!"

She had never seen a look of hate like the one she saw on Warrel's face. He sat on the ground studying her, scrubbing his jaw and rubbing his throat with his hands.

"I will kill you," he murmured.

No one heard his threat over the roar of the crowd. Jenn was surprised he had the balls to challenge her again. "Not today." She kicked him as hard as she could in the groin. When he started howling in pain, she turned and headed toward the exit of the arena. She ran as fast as her slippered feet would carry her.

Then the real attack of the day began.

As she tried to escape, bolts of intensely bright laser fire scored the floor of the arena. People began to scream and scrambled for the exits.

* * *

W
hen the cell door opened
, Kai thought his luck might finally be turning. He moved into a relaxed position to camouflage his true intentions. He formed his hands into fists at his sides and waited for a chance to escape.

The light spilling in from the hallway blinded him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the faint light.

"Is he in there?"

"Commander." Kai recognized the voice. It was Sevit, his second-in-command. "Are you able to stand and walk?"

"Sevit! I never thought I'd be this glad to see you."

"We've all been worried about you since your arrest."

"Well, I'm still alive. But why are you here? I've haven't seen a soul since they locked the doors on me. I thought I might rot in here."

"I don't believe you have to worry about that. Prince Warrel hasn't forgotten about you. In fact, he's announced a public trial for your crimes. Once they find you guilty, you'll be executed."

"It's good to know I'll be getting a fair trial, at least."

"We've done the orbital sensor sweeps you requested, and we have a problem. There's a large fleet at the edge of our solar system. It would only take one quick jump to bring them within the range of Anquera. I tried to inform central command, but no one will take my calls."

"Do you have a plan?"

"I've contacted many of the fleet commanders. The good news is half of them are ready to follow you into battle. The bad news is the others have reported me for treason. We've hidden the Ruvien behind one of the fourth planet's moons. I have a shuttle tucked away in the northern palace gardens for our escape."

"You know they can execute both of us at the same time, right? They don't have to wait for your trial."

"I cannot allow the destruction of Anquera. If they call me a traitor, so be it. I know I will have fulfilled my duty as a protector of the empire."