Alien General's Beloved: SciFi Alien Romance (Brion Brides) Read online

  Lana suddenly found herself hoping for a miracle. It was exactly like back on the Raptor. A large, strong group of Brions turned up dead with no explanation. Even hearing it had been the Torons didn't manage to quash her wish to see Corden again. Could he have escaped her ship after all?

  Still, whoever it was, it left Lana with the unpleasant task of informing Worgen. The general had made his way back to the Abysmal for a reason he didn't feel like sharing with her.

  "Dead," the general growled at her, the image of him crackling on the holoprojector. The Brions had jammed the communications systems, but left the short-range hololinks for easier communication than sending fighters back and forth.

  Lana watched the crew shrinking back from the figure.

  Strong, you have to be strong.

  "Dead, General. Torn to pieces by the Torons," she said.

  Worgen gave her a hard look, one that nearly made Lana fall over the edge of her own platform. She stared back, knowing this time she had nothing to hide.

  "Why would they go to the beasts?" Worgen asked, his cruel eyes poring over Lana. "My warriors had no business with them for now."

  "I don't know," Lana said honestly, trying to ignore her heart and mind having a shouting match with Corden's name. "Perhaps they were lured there."

  Worgen's eyes narrowed, but Lana added as calmly as she could:

  "You can't be surprised, General. The crew tried to fight back. A few of them apparently succeeded."

  That was a fair account with no lies, Lana thought, at least to the best of her knowledge. She prayed that Worgen didn't know anything more.

  A thin smile played on the general's lips.

  "I will send someone to examine the bodies," he said with vicious joy. "You better be telling the truth."

  "Yes, General," Lana said. "But I'm told there isn't much left. The Torons were very thorough."

  It occurred to her again that Worgen took the loss of his men very lightly. The general shrugged and said nothing more on that topic. Instead, he added:

  "I will return to the Flora tomorrow. Round up all the Terran women and all the Palians. I will meet with both."

  "I don't think that's possible," Lana said carefully.

  As she'd thought, the general frowned, his piercing look making Lana wish she could back down.

  "There are about twenty thousand of each," she said. "There is no place big enough to gather them all and you wouldn't be able to see them all in one day."

  With that, she could hopefully buy time to find out what it was that Worgen wanted.

  The general seemed to consider that.

  "Gather as many as you can," he said, cutting the feed.

  "That went well," Yarel said, standing a bit further away, so as not to appear on the projector.

  If that was anyone else, Lana would have thought it was a sarcastic remark, but Palians had an odd sense of humor.

  "Thanks," she said. "I try."

  "What do you want to do, Captain?" Yarel asked.

  "As he said," Lana said, smiling sadly. "Gather as many as we can. Let him look and see. Maybe afterward we can hear what he asked and start figuring this out."

  "And if he finds her? The fated?"

  Lana thought of all the stories she'd heard about the sacred bindings and what they meant for the Brions. She was also relieved he was still looking, which meant it wasn't her.

  "If he does, there is nothing we can do."

  The captain sighed, heading for the door. "I'm going to go and get some sleep," she said, but stopped right before the doorway. "Yarel."

  "Yes, Captain?"

  "Tell me honestly. Do you have any idea what he wants with your kind?"

  The bridge commander gave her the saddest smile she'd ever seen on a Palian. It was one of heavy, deep regret.

  "Many, Captain," Yarel said, taking her seat. "Each worse than the next. Go sleep. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

  Lana wanted to stay and listen, but her body was convincing her that she needed rest. It had been a long, long day.

  The old captain's quarters were a bit eerie, but that was where she'd been taken. She supposed it was fine, they were hers now. Comfortably close to the bridge and equipped with everything the captain could need. Lana figured it would take a few weird days, but she'd banish the ghost of the previous owner from the quarters.

  She headed straight for the bedroom, discarding clothes as she went. All the bad emotions—grief, fear, exhaustion—threatened to overtake her, but Lana refused them. Once she let them in, they wouldn't be going out. She needed sleep and a clear head, that was all.

  The coat slid over her shoulders and dropped to the floor. Lana stood before the bed, dressed only in her white long-sleeved tunic and panties, wondering where she might find clean sheets. She winced and a cry escaped her lips when a pair of strong hands slid around her.

  "Did you miss me?" a deep voice whispered.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Lana

  Lana's body reacted faster than she did. She knew who it was, holding her in his strong embrace. But while her mind struggled to find a logical explanation for it, her entire being resonated to the scent of him. Corden's touch seemed to have an almost magical effect on her, instantly soothing all her worries, taking away her fears. Lana knew it wasn't true, strictly speaking, but she just felt safe.

  Warring emotions were completely overwhelming her. The blinding relief that he was alive, the incredible pleasure of being in his arms, the hope that everything would be better.

  Lana's voice shook when she finally managed to whisper: "I thought you died."

  Saying that out loud allowed her to come face-to-face with that eventuality at last and she felt her heartbeat quicken. She'd come so close to losing him—even if she hadn't fully figured out what he meant to her—that seeing him again made her re-live watching the Raptor being destroyed.

  Corden swiftly turned her around in his arms and Lana was greeted by the cocky smile she had missed.

  "My gesha," he said and the word meant beloved. "I wouldn't die now that I have you."

  Well, that's reassuring.

  Hearing his voice, being able to touch him, was slowly driving the truth home. Corden was alive, he had never died, and that meant a world of trouble for everyone. While her body made insistent demands that she give in to the general at once, Lana's mind was starting to catch up to the implications. To keep a cool head, she wiggled out of Corden's grasp, but that did absolutely nothing to solve her problems.

  On the contrary, now she could see him clearly, even if she had to crane her neck a bit to meet his eyes. Corden was a head taller than the average Brion, making her feel ridiculously small compared to him. Lana had to bite her tongue not to moan, her body immediately reacting to the sight of the amazing warrior before her.

  Lana's treacherous mind was not focusing on the tactical situation like she wanted it to, instead parading image after image of increasingly hot scenarios before her eyes. What it would look like if Corden shrugged off that armor of his, what his tan skin would feel like under her touch... how good it would be to be held in his powerful, thick arms again.

  The general's green eyes were watching her with amusement, but Lana didn't miss the desire burning in them. The two long braids fell over his eyes as his gaze undressed her. Lana had no doubt that it was exactly what he was doing when a low growl escaped his lips. Feral, like a beast ready to pounce.

  She took a step back, although her body wanted to take several closer, much closer. What had begun as simple lust was now threatening to drown her, making every inch of her ache for the warrior. Her gerion, for God's sake.

  That ripped Lana out of her daze. She wanted to say something about the matter, but her tongue seemed glued to her mouth. No words were enough to express what she felt. Hope and desire, yes, but above all, she felt like the world was not broken anymore.

  The desire was growing inside her, however. Lana knew it would have that effect. The Brion bind
ings were always like that. The couple was pulled toward each other with unseen cords, never breaking, never easing up. It was so much worse for Corden, but Lana couldn't deny she felt it too. She whimpered in need before she could regain control of herself, but of course Corden had heard. The Brions heard a lot.

  The warrior took a step closer, coming for her like a storm she had no chance of stopping. But no, he was not just any warrior. A general.

  "You lied to me," Lana said, taking one more step back.

  A part of her was distinctly aware of being practically naked. The tunic hanging loosely was long enough to almost reach the bottom edge of her panties, but not quite. She knew the Brions had keen senses; there was no way Corden didn't know exactly how turned on she was.

  "You lied," she repeated, mostly to keep talking and distract herself from the fact that she was alone with the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. "You should have told me."

  "Told you what?" Corden asked with a grin, coming closer with slow, predatory steps.

  "That you were a general," Lana said, lifting her eyes to catch his gaze. "I would have—"

  "I wasn't sure I could trust you," Corden said, his voice deep and lined with passion. "Now I know I can."

  That's nice, but there's still the whole lie thing.

  "I could have done something different," Lana protested, lust diminishing when she thought of the Raptor. "I could have hidden you or—"

  She wasn't able to continue. Corden was alive, but the pieces of her ship were still out there, floating, empty of all life.

  "There was nothing you could have done to stop him," Corden said, and the reassurance in his voice was enough to make Lana listen. "He is not someone you can reason with, only bargain."

  "But the Raptor, my crew..."

  Then Corden knocked the air out of her lungs for the second time in a few minutes.

  "They're alive," he said. "At least most of them. I sent them away before the Abysmal opened fire. I believe they were able to reach the other ships."

  Lana stared at him, willing him to expose the truth, as if her eyes could pry it from him.

  "How? Are you sure?" she asked, fighting down the urge to go, run, and check every ship in the fleet.

  "They slipped away under the cover of the Raptor," Corden said. "The Abysmal didn't pick them up or didn't care to."

  Alive, Lana thought, starting to laugh. It was a relieved, thankful, unrestrained laugh. She hadn't gotten her crew killed! The Raptor was gone, but it was only a ship. She'd miss it, but it was not a living, breathing person she was responsible for.

  She had to sit down on the bed and catch her breath. Lana closed her eyes, envisioning her friends, still alive. When she opened them, Corden was standing right before her.

  "You saved them," Lana stated.

  She didn't need to ask. Worgen had dispatched another unit down to the Raptor right before it was destroyed. There was no way her crew would have been able to make the escape on their own. And if she'd guessed he was behind the Toron attack too, now she was sure. She wasn't alone.

  Corden said nothing, only reached out one hand, helping her stand. Straight into his arms, of course. Lana gasped, meaning to protest, but all thoughts of resisting were gone with the touch of his lips on hers.

  So far in her life, Lana's first kisses had always been awkward, slow, clumsy. Careful, most of all, like every movement was asking permission before continuing.

  Corden didn't ask for anything. His lips on hers were strong, demanding, and Lana gave in like it was the most natural thing in the world. She let him in, relishing the way his tongue explored every corner of her mouth, hungry for more of her. There was no restraint, only need, and it was driving her out of her mind.

  The way his arms tightened their hold around her told Lana exactly how much he had wanted to kiss her. She knew that, because she answered in kind. Her hands were clawing at the general's armor, moaning into the kiss, feeling Corden's tongue dance with hers. The need to breathe was forgotten when everything that mattered was that she get closer, deeper into the heated kiss that made her dizzy.

  He wasn't lying about the bond.

  That was a sobering thought. Lana pulled back, feeling more conflicted than ever before. Her body was already betraying her to the bond, but she wasn't going to give in that easily. The momentary sensation of safety was gone when she remembered where they were. Corden saw the change and released her with unmistakable regret in his eyes.

  "I can't do this," Lana said, her voice apologetic for some reason. "This can't happen."

  "You feel it," Corden said simply.

  That much was true. Lana was willing to admit to it. Ever since she first saw him in the hallway, emerging from the shadows like a warrior god, she had felt drawn to him. Not by attraction alone, not even by the fact she needed him.

  By a force stronger than her. Lana wasn't very religious—it was difficult to be with so many species in the galaxy. Thousands of gods, none of which had ever given their believers a single sign that they were real. But Corden made her feel like there was a presence out there, pushing her to him. Perhaps not a god, but fate maybe.

  Lana felt like she had the right to make up her own mind. She was attracted to Corden, there was no denying that, but she also knew nothing real about him. So far, what she'd seen was impressive, but that was no reason to give in to him.

  She doubted I need to know a man before I commit myself to him for life worked for Brions. They didn't see life that way. Their bindings were absolute.

  "Worgen seems to hope I'm his," she said. "But he's still looking, so I can't be."

  The look in the general's eyes got very dark all of a sudden. Even knowing it wasn't directed at her, Lana jumped back, landing on the bed. Before she could blink, Corden was on top of her, his green eyes flashing with passion.

  "You are mine," he hissed, but the care in his voice was replaced with possessiveness.

  Lana felt like she was seeing double. She'd heard about the Brion bindings and learned about their culture. No Brion man forced himself on a woman. On the contrary, it was customary for the geshas to resist the idea of the bond. It showed the fated couple fought to be together in the end. Knowing that, Lana kept repeating to herself that Corden wouldn't hurt her. That he was incapable of hurting her. The bind might have meant less to her, but it was the world to the general.

  But it was all wrong. Bringing up Worgen's name had been a huge mistake. Now, Corden's eyes were as dark and cold as the space around them.

  "I belong to no one," Lana snapped back.

  She'd meant to sound angry, to show Corden he was crossing a line, but her voice shook.

  "Has he touched you?" the general asked, his deep voice so low it gave her goosebumps. "If he has laid a finger on you, I will keep him alive for another century before I permit him to die."

  "No," Lana said, more angrily this time, trying to push Corden away, but it was like moving a mountain. "Get off me."

  There was a single moment of clarity in Corden's eyes, but it was drowned out by rage in the next. His hands were sliding up her body, pushing the tunic out of the way. Lana could not deny her body was melting under his touch, arching involuntarily into it, needing more. But it was wrong, it had all gone terribly wrong so quickly.

  She kicked him as hard as she could.

  Physically, Lana felt she probably hurt herself more than him. The armor he was wearing was made of metals that could hold against any weapon in the galaxy. Her fists would do nothing but scrape themselves on it. But the gesture itself did what Lana was not able to do.

  It woke Corden up. She didn't miss the change happening, saw the way his eyes were filled with horror all of a sudden. The angry red light of his valor squares dimmed, leaving them almost as dead as those on the necks of the other Brions. Without saying a word, the general got up. He remained standing next to the bed, watching as Lana curled up in the opposite corner.

  Confusion racked her. What had happened to Corde
n? Lana had seen the shock in his eyes, telling her it hadn't really been him pushing himself on her, but she couldn't shake the unease either.

  For several long moments, it seemed like Corden was about to speak, but the general said nothing. Finally he drew a long knife from his hip. Lana yelped, but he didn't point the weapon at her. Instead, Corden took one of his braids and cut it clean off.

  Lana waited, not daring to speak. Something bad had just happened, other than the obvious.

  "It's been a long time since I last surrendered to the rage," Corden finally said.

  Lana had heard his voice drop to a heart-stopping growl, but even that hadn't been as bad as hearing it completely devoid of emotion. There was no mistaking what he was talking about. The Brion rage was the reason everyone in the Galactic Union still tiptoed around them, long after they'd started to make up for their reputation. All Brions, but especially the warriors, carried a dark secret within them, passed down to them by their ancestors. The mindless, aimless rage that Worgen was the symbol of.

  The general held the cut braid in his hand, looking at it like he'd removed one of his limbs instead.

  "I had this to remind me of it," he said. "To be a sign that I had put it in my past where it belongs. Like all the Brions, I tried to suppress the rage in me. Hearing you speak his name, like you doubted who you belong with, it brought it all back. Seems we can't destroy that part of ourselves after all."

  Lana wanted to say something, but didn't know how to make it better. She felt sorry for Corden, battling a dark urge that he wanted to be rid of. But it didn't excuse him and she wasn't about to find justifications for him attacking her. Even knowing that the bond between them made him weak to it, that his every breath belonged to her... she couldn't trust him anymore. And the fact he still insisted on her belonging to him showed Lana that there was a whole world between them.

  For a second, while they were kissing, she'd thought it would be fun. An alien general for a fated, how romantic. To have a man like that, whose name instilled terror in the hearts of his enemies, love her above everything else?