A Kiss on Kaidava Read online

  That at least should cover the trouble of finding another female to pose as his mate. As his grandsire always said, never be so caught up that you let an opportunity to turn a profit slide by. He never stole from clients; he had scruples, after all. However, since she terminated their contract, it was fair game.

  ***

  Cara looked at the viewscreen and out into the wide expanse of space, her fingers clenching and unclenching nervously. This had been, without a doubt, the worst trip she’d ever had the misfortune to take. Cara hated traveling but would have endured any discomfort to spend a romantic weekend with Ben on Kaidava. Instead, she was approaching the rose-gold planet as a jilted woman. She begrudgingly had to admit that it was gorgeous, even if it harbored man-stealing females.

  One of the crew members turned to the captain. “Sir, we have a single passenger shuttle comming. Identifies himself as Kadesh.”

  The captain nodded and gestured for the comm to be put through.

  Cara’s eyes widened when she looked upon the alien in the viewscreen, and she was pretty sure her mouth hung open. This was a Kadesh male? How the hell could that delicate, tiny female belong to the same species as the large, thick male in front of her?

  Where the female had been a delicate rose pink, his scales were a deep burgundy and gleamed almost like a ruby when the light hit them just right. Her hand had been delicate and slender, but his were thick and veined, and each hand bore four sharp black claws. His lips were coal dark, as was the hair drifting around his shoulders on some invisible current.

  His features were broad and wholly masculine with a strong jaw and chin. His nose and the region under his eyes had heavy-pitted ridges that looked like they might serve an olfactory purpose. Above his brow, he had a thick crest with several short horns curving back toward his hairline. He even had long ears flattened against the sides of his head with tall tips that ended in a narrow point, almost like some sort of elf from a fairy tale.

  But it was his yellow eyes that she found the most disturbing. He had barely a slit of a pupil and those eyes were fastened on her. His lips twitched upward as he bared his teeth in a broad grin.

  “This is starship Gorvado. Please identify yourself,” said the captain.

  The Kadesh male turned his eyes to the captain. “My apologies. I am Lerix Morkrav of Kaidava.”

  “And how may we be of assistance, Kadesh Morkrav?” the captain asked as he flicked a speck off his shoulder.

  Cara almost thought she could see this Lerix guy grit his teeth as he smiled at the captain.

  “Naturally, I do not want to be of any trouble, but it seems that the reserves on my shuttle are running low. I would be happy to pay for passage to the next port.”

  “What is your destination, Kadesh Morkrav?”

  “I was due to arrive on Kaidava, but it seems there has been a change in my plans. I will be happy to disembark at your next port of call, with fair compensation of course.”

  The captain drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair, the only sign of interest from the male.

  “Very well,” he sighed. “Prepare to dock.”

  Cara felt a vise of anxiety seize her stomach. The captain was actually going to let him on board? The male looked intimidating and more than a little roguish. He certainly didn’t strike her as the trustworthy sort.

  It wasn’t so much his size. She’d known plenty of big guys in her life. Her sister had always gone for the jocks when they were younger. This guy? Not only was he alarmingly huge, his mannerisms gave her the impression he was slick as shit too. Cara was not too certain how she felt having him for a travel partner for the remaining hours of her trip. Not that she had any choice.

  Cara sighed and went back to chanting her mantra in a whisper to help find some sense of calm.

  “There is peace in the gods. The gods are in all things. Where you welcome them, peace always reigns…”

  Chapter 3

  Lerix hissed out an irritated breath as he powered down his shuttle. He was glad that soon enough he would no longer have to beg and barter for passage. Soon he would be back home and enjoying the pleasures of his estate, separating easy tourists from their money.

  He’d been concerned when Koriee abandoned him on the shuttle just outside the planetary limits, but the sight of that vulnerable human female made his palms twitch in anticipation. She looked just innocent enough that he may be able to gain her cooperation with little personal cost to himself.

  All it would take was the right story.

  He gave it some consideration as he exited the shuttle. Females of many species fell for a sad story. He suspected that it would be the case with an Earthen female too. What should it be? Sick kin? Lerix shook his head. No, that was too predictable. Anyone with half a brain would probably see through that. He didn’t look like a particularly sentimental male.

  Lerix frowned as he analyzed his target. She was very small, even for a human. Fine features, with big innocent eyes. No claws or defensive attributes at all. A creature completely vulnerable to anyone or anything around her. Suddenly, he had it. His lips pulled back in a triumphant grin.

  He could play up how much she needed a local to show her around and help keep her safe while she was planet-side. All she needed to do was pass him off as her mate so that he could lawfully accompany her. Once they were planet-side, he would dump her as soon as he got her checked in. He wasn’t a monster; he would make sure she was safely in her room before he made his escape. He patted his pocket. Then, at the first opportunity, he would sell his acquired goods before making his way to the family estate.

  Lerix whistled under his breath and nodded to the crew in the docking hold. Most frowned at him, but a few did return a small nod. An intimidating Lorgor stood at the door with his arms crossed. Lerix felt his steps falter and slow a bit. Even his cocky smile felt like it wilted by several degrees.

  What was a Lorgor doing on a passenger transport ship way out here? Lorgors almost never left the direct employ of the Calysii. The male narrowed his eyes threateningly at him and Lerix kicked his smile back up a few degrees.

  He wasn’t entirely helpless. His long, thin tail made an effective whip when he was cornered, and the stinger at the end that delivered a temporary nerve paralysis was a pretty good deterrent. Not to mention he had as much bulk as the other male. However, as his grandsire said, it was always more profitable to avoid conflict than to jump into it. He raised his hands to show he was unarmed.

  The Lorgor circled him once before grunting. “Come this way.”

  Lerix followed the other male at a leisurely pace and looked at his surroundings, taking in the starship. It wasn’t anything fancy, or even particularly new. A rather low-budget transporter if he had to guess. That told him another detail about his target: she didn’t have much in the way of money. That made him feel a slight pinch of guilt, but he ruthlessly shoved it aside. It was none of his business. Obviously, she was going to Kaidava for her own reasons.

  The command center was sparse but clean. The Vazith captain turned in his chair and regarded Lerix with a polite, cool demeanor. The male was so sedate that even the tentacles on his head framed his face in calm curled coils rather than stir lightly as was their usual wont. Lerix flicked his tail. It was always the cool ones who were dangerous. They were unpredictable. Lerix grinned in what he hoped would be interpreted as a friendly manner.

  “Thank you, captain, for your timely rescue.”

  The captain nodded. “Please present your credit transfer device for transfer of funds.”

  Clearly the captain was not trusting him to independently wire it. The male was no fool. Then again, he never met a Vazith who could easily be deceived. With feigned indifference, Lerix handed his credit chip to a crew member holding a palm-held scanner. He made a show of curiously looking around the cabin, when in reality all of his attention was locked on the small female. In person, she was even smaller than she’d appeared to be on screen.

  She stood of
f to the side, near the viewscreen, humming something under her breath. She had not yet noticed his presence, which gave him the opportunity to study her. Lerix felt a mix of admiration and horror toward her unusual pale scale-less skin. Not that he hadn’t met plenty of aliens that lacked scales, but none appeared quite so fragile. If it weren’t for a slight pinkish tint, he would almost think her colorless. Her appearance had been an almost shocking sight at his first glimpse of her.

  Even without the kiss of pink to her skin, she did possess startling color in the wealth of neatly bound gold hair that begged to be released from its confines and vibrant green eyes. Lerix took a deep breath through his scent receptors, drawing the smell and taste of her into his sensory ducts. Her sweet, tangy flavors ran across his senses, and he had to close his eyes for just a moment to appreciate them. Until he drew in the sharp musk of the male pheromone coating her natural scent. Lerix sneezed, trying to remove the foul smell from his olfactory receptors.

  “Kadesh Morkrav, did you hear me?”

  Lerix turned his head, flashing a guilty smile at the captain.

  “Sorry, my attention wandered for a minute. Please repeat what you said.”

  The captain scowled. “I said that I hope you do not prove to be more trouble than you are worth. Do not make me regret hauling your shuttle off the descent zone of Kaidava. I will also remind you that you are here as our guest and at my goodwill. Behave while you are on board so that you do not make me retract it.”

  Lerix merely upped the voltage on his smile and adopted the most inoffensive pose possible.

  ***

  Hearing voices raised behind her, Cara turned and blinked wide eyes at the gigantic male as her eyes climbed yards of hard, masculine frame. She felt her mouth drop open and her brain barreled straight to her mouth without filter.

  “Damn, you are big!” she squawked.

  Even that glimpse of him on the viewscreen hadn’t prepared her for how big he was in person. A trickle of unease wormed its way through her. Were all the males on Kaidava going to be that big? He wasn’t bulky. Rather, his physique was corded long and lean like a swimmer. Built for speed rather than bulk. Still, the male was at least seven feet if not a few inches more, and each groove of muscle was noticeable on his narrow frame.

  The Kadesh male flashed her a predatory smile filled with a wealth of humor.

  “And you, female, are very, very tiny,” he observed, his lips inching up in a wider grin, baring an impressive set of double fangs and several large sharply-edged teeth.

  The captain cleared his throat, rocketing her gaze back to him. He gave her a small firm smile. “Human Bennett, please proceed back to your cabin and prepare for arrival on Kaidava.”

  He turned and regarded the Kadesh with displeasure.

  “And you, Kadesh Morkrav, you are in cabin eight. Please keep yourself there until we part ways.”

  Despite the biting tone of the captain, Lerix didn’t appear to be the least bit concerned. Instead, he thanked the captain and whistled to himself as he walked just behind Cara, following her down the long hall to the cabins.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the fan of his breath on her neck. With a yelp, she stumbled forward and nearly plowed into a door before a massive hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back, holding her steady until she regained her balance.

  Cara turned and frowned at the male. He grinned impishly back at her.

  “My apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you. I didn’t realize your kind was so… so…” He rolled his hand, his eyes fastened on her speculatively. He snapped his fingers as the descriptor he was looking for came to him. “So unstable on your feet.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Rude! I’m not clumsy. As it happened, I wasn’t expecting you to be right on my ass.” Cara immediately regretted her words when his eyes slid down to her ass. She rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry—were you saying something?”

  He grinned. “Yes, I was asking what brings you all alone to Kaidava.”

  She frowned again. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Not at all, it is just… unusual. Kaidava is the planet of lovers and romance. Haven’t you heard? Most females come to spend time with their males. Or maybe you are coming to seek a little romance for yourself?” His smile turned suggestive and she scowled.

  “Actually, if you must know, I’m with someone. I’m meeting him on Kaidava.”

  The Kadesh looked shocked. “Your male made you journey all the way from Earth to Kaidava by yourself?”

  “Mister Morkrav—”

  He visibly shuddered. “You humans and your weird formalities. You are almost as bad as the Vazith. Just Lerix.”

  Cara breathed out a sigh of impatience. “Lerix, I’m really not sure what business it is of yours, but yes, I’m meeting my fiancé there. And of course he normally wouldn’t want me to travel by myself, but he doesn’t exactly know I’m coming.”

  Lerix raised his brows. “A surprise, then? For your, what word did you use… fiancé? I am not familiar with this word.”

  “A fiancé,” she explained with a small smile, “is someone who, after a long period of commitment, you formally marry. We’ll be getting married in a month.”

  He stared at her and let out a loud bark of laughter. “You humans. Such an odd species. You make everything so complicated. So many rituals and formalities. There is only the one you instinctively know is your mate, and then there is everyone else. You find your mate and that is that.”

  It was Cara’s turn to stare. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. What about falling in love and romance? There’s more to a lasting relationship than… chemistry.”

  “And you think that all these formalities you play with your male is what makes it a ‘lasting relationship?”’ he asked as he leaned against the door of her cabin, nonchalant.

  “Well of course!” she stammered.

  He peered down at her. “Then why is your male not expecting you?”

  Cara felt her face flush hot with embarrassment.

  “Not that it matters, Ben’s just… a little confused since he arrived on Kaidava. Maybe it’s something in the air or water that affects humans. I don’t know. He says that he ‘fell in love’ with a Kadesh female he only just met there. Once he sees me, he’ll remember all our plans for the life we were going to spend together.”

  Lerix smirked, his eyes blatantly laughing at her. “Clearly he was very attached to them. In any case, I guarantee there is nothing in the air or water. Kaidava is a planet like any other. Species from all over the universe go there to capture the romance, but if you aren’t bringing it, you aren’t going to find it. If he found another mate on Kaidava, it has nothing to do with the planet. Yet you think all it will take is him seeing you and poof everything will be back the way it was?”

  Cara wrung her hands slightly in distress. “Of course! We were really, really happy and in love.”

  He let out a boom of laughter and grinned down at her. “Female, any time someone uses the words happy and love in the same sentence, it makes my scales itch. You sound like a naïve youngling.”

  She glared at him as he continued to laugh. “Is this advice free or is there a charge? In either case, move—you’re blocking my door.”

  He slid away from her door, still chuckling with his deep, resonant voice. As he passed by her shoulder, he leaned forward to whisper, “A word of advice for free: never tell strange males that your mate is not expecting you. Some would take advantage of that.”

  Mouth dropping open, she turned to watch him continue down the hall to his cabin. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his smile mocking.

  “Not me, of course,” he called. “You are far too tiny and strange looking. But if you need help planet-side—someone to show you around and make sure you get to your male safely—let me know. We may be able to come to an arrangement.”

  She was still staring as he slipped through his own door.

  Fu
ming, Cara stomped into her own cabin.

  Of all the nerve…!

  But as Cara sat on her bunk, she began to consider his offer in a more serious light. It could be useful to have someone help her just a little, just until she was with Ben again.

  She fidgeted with her pendant, her mind spinning in circles, until she couldn’t stand it and began to pace circles in her room as well.

  Cara thrust her arms out to either side in a silent command at herself to stop.

  “All right, I’ll ask him. Having a native of Kaidava could only be beneficial.”

  Steeling her nerves, Cara left her cabin and resolutely approached his. Not allowing a moment’s hesitation, she slapped her hand on the pad outside of his door, requesting entrance.

  Within minutes the door slid open and Lerix lounged, his weight leaning on one arm braced against the side of the entrance.

  “May I help you?”

  Cara took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  The corners of Lerix’s eyes crinkled as he grinned down at her.

  “Excellent. All it will take is passing you off as my mate so I can get down onto Kaidava, and then I am all yours until you are reunited with your male.”

  She looked at him speculatively. “That’s all?”

  His grin spread. “That is it.”

  As long as it was just until she was with Ben again, she didn’t see any harm in letting him pose as her mate. She took a deep breath and stuck out her hand.

  He stared at her hand in confusion.

  “Uh, humans shake hands to seal a deal.”

  He wrapped his long, warm fingers around hers, his hand practically engulfing hers in his huge palm.

  “Very well. We have a contract.”

  Chapter 4

  Cara couldn’t help but gawk at the hustle of the metropolis on Kaidava. It looked like Paris meets Honolulu to her—a perfect blend of exotic beachside city and romantic high-end culture. Even the sea air didn’t smell fishy or salty but carried the heavy perfume of exotic flowers and a strange citrusy bite.