Fire Planet Warrior's Passion Read online

  Fire Planet Warrior's Passion

  Calista Skye

  Published by Calista Skye, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  FIRE PLANET WARRIOR'S PASSION

  First edition. February 22, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Calista Skye.

  Written by Calista Skye.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

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  19

  20

  21

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  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  More Books from Calista

  Epilogue

  1

  - Lily -

  “Oh my goodness. Think I can get him to spank me?”

  Lily followed Charlotte's gaze and immediately saw who she was talking about. A large Acerex warrior sauntered across the room, all muscle and flame tattoos and confidence. Everyone around him unconsciously moved to get out of his way, even those who had their backs to him. Which weren't many. All eyes were on him. Yep, that was just the kind of guy Charlotte would like.

  Lily shrugged. “If you're his Mahan, I think you can probably get him to do anything. If you're not, well ...”

  Charlotte adjusted her dress to show just a little more cleavage, not taking her eyes off the warrior. “Maybe I just have to convince him that I am his Mahan and that we're fated mates. For a little while, anyway. They can't be that different from Earth guys, can they?”

  Lily took a sip of her drink, wishing she was back in the lab with the holo display fired up on the immersive VR and a different drink in her hand. Huge social events like this one was never her favorite, and being dressed to the nines even less so. But she felt that she had a duty to be here. It was the first big social occasion on the spaceship Friendship that Earth had sent to the Acerex world to show exactly that: friendship.

  The interstellar ambassador thing had seemed fun to start with, when all the girls were dizzy with happiness after they were saved from the Fire Planet and Harper married the king of Acerex and everything looked so rosy. But gradually she had learned that she wasn't that good at representing Earth on an alien planet. Too quiet, too introverted and too direct whenever she'd say something. The Acerex warriors were nice enough, but she was sure they didn't really respect her like they did Harper. And the few females on the planet ignored her completely.

  She shrugged. “They seem pretty different to me. Most of the time. I mean, look at them. They're all totally jacked, but have you ever seen a gym on their planet?”

  Charlotte brightened when she seemed to catch the warrior's eye, then sighed when he looked away again. “No, can't say that I have. But yeah. They're different. That Mahan system is getting to me, Lily. I haven't gotten any since ... well, since Earth. And here we're surrounded by the hottest males in the universe, and they won't even check out our boobs. Dammit, it can't be right.”

  Lily nodded in sympathy, but she didn't really feel it. Charlotte did have a nice chest that she liked to show off, and men from Earth always did double takes when they spotted it. She was pretty sure Charlotte had never been ignored by any guy. Unlike herself. “Oh, I don't know. Mating for life seems like a pretty good deal to me. If you can find your Mahan. But I'm sure Harper being Vrax'ton's Mahan was a total fluke. I mean, we are aliens to them, after all. It's probably too much to expect.”

  Charlotte growled when another warrior gave her a polite nod and a cool smile instead of letting his gaze wander down her body. “Well, at this rate, I won't be coming back from my next leave. I'll just stay on Earth. Maybe the guys there aren't as noble and hot and confident as these ones, but at least they'll see me as a woman and not just as an alien ambassador. Heck, we're not that alien! Hey, you!”

  Another warrior raised his eyebrows politely as the translator device that Charlotte wore discreetly around her neck spoke in his own language. “Warrior dude!” she continued. “Do I have antennas on my head? Is my skin green and scaly? Do I have six arms or five boobs?”

  The innocent warrior who was just passing by through the crowd had a puzzled look on his face and was about to say something when Charlotte smiled sweetly. “Never mind. Alien stuff. Earthling ritual. Take no heed.”

  The warrior gave a confused smile and walked on, his flame tattoos flexing with each step.

  Lily hid a smile behind her drink. She knew that Charlotte would keep coming back to Acerex for as long as she was allowed there. She was too conscious of duty and too responsible to not see the value she had for Earth. The Acerex people really liked her and she liked them. She was a spaceship pilot and career soldier, and they understood her mindset.

  But not Lily's. She was more into computers and tech and healing, and those were fields where the Acerex appeared to have no interest at all. They were not strangers to high tech like spaceships and communication devices and so on, but they only treated those things as necessary evils. Computers were rare and usually ignored, and they didn't care for medicine at all.

  Harper came over to them and clinked her glass to Lily's and Charlotte's. “So I would never have thrown this party if I'd known that the Acerex have no idea how to have fun. It was supposed to be a mixer, but they just don't mix very well. Stars, you two must be bored to death.”

  Harper looked pretty radiant in her dress, a bright green thing that worked well with her vanilla caramel skin tone and her ample curves. The only sign that she was a royal now was a little golden crown in each ear. Still Lily didn't feel envious, just proud of her friend. Becoming queen of Acerex by marrying the king of the planet hadn't changed Harper at all, and that was one reason Lily was still here. It still felt like they were in this together, the four girls from Gideo Station that had crashed on the Fire Planet and then been rescued by Vrax'ton and his warriors. They were still a team, still representing Earth in a universe that had turned out to be both much more dangerous and much more interesting than they had ever thought. Three of them were here, but their old station chief Ava had other business elsewhere and had succeeded in avoiding this party. Lily was starting to envy her for that.

  “That's true,” she said and straightened her own black dress, but it still wouldn't hang right off her hips. “But they can learn. I hope. It's uphill work. They just need to get used to some of our ideas, maybe.”

  Charlotte tried to catch the eye of another passing warrior, but failed as the man in question slapped a friend on the back and greeted him in the usual noisy manner.

  “Oh for fuck's sake, do I have to strip naked to get anyone to see me here?” she seethed.

  Lily and Harper exchanged amused glances at Charlotte's frustration.

  “They're not the greatest flirts,” Lily said in support of her friend. “I mean, it's not that I'm used to turning heads, but just a little interest would be nice.”

  Harper nodded in understanding. “I know, right? That Fated Mates thing could really do a number on your self esteem. Girls, seriously, I wouldn't blame you at all if you just took off and went back to Earth forever, where they guys will at least acknowledge your existence.”

  Charlotte drained her glass. “Yeah, we'll just see. I'm not admi
tting defeat just like that. Maybe a little more directness is needed.” She stomped off towards the bar, radiating determination.

  Harper smiled. “How about you, Lily? Does this race of warriors rub you the right way?”

  Lily took in the warriors in the room. None of them were looking her way at all. “I'm not sure they're my type. I mean, fine, they're hot as hell and that fated mates thing sounds pretty great in some ways. If you find one. But you know, the alpha viking was never quite my type. I usually like them a little - brainier, I guess. Not implying that they're stupid!” she hurried to add. After all, Harper was married to one of these guys now. “I know they're not. I guess I just like the other kind of smartness. They don't really have any nerdish guys here, as far as I can tell.”

  Harper lightly touched her arm in support and friendship. “You know what? I totally hear you. All that natural muscle and honor and swords and axes kind of gets a little much after a while- oh my.” Her gaze shifted to over Lily's shoulder.

  Lily turned to see what Harper was looking at. There had to be fifty different warriors in the room, along with about the same number of Earthlings and even a handful of the rare Acerex females. They were all calmly chatting in groups. But another man had just entered. He was clearly an Acerex warrior, but he stood out even so. His hair was black, so different from the usual golden blonde that most of them had. While most warriors would walk around with bare torsos, displaying the Fire tattoos that they were so proud of, this one was wearing a black garment that looked like a t-shirt made from thin leather. And while the other warriors all carried swords, this one had a strange wooden contraption strapped to his back that Lily couldn't identify at all.

  He was just as muscular as any of the other warriors, but he seemed stringier and more ... real, somehow, as if he'd had a tougher life than the other ones here. His hair was an anarchy of bluish black, and his face had a shade of dark stubble on each hollow cheek.

  His deep-set eyes swept around the room, and Lily noticed that none of the other warriors acknowledged him like they did others that entered. No one came running to slap his back. Rather, it seemed that they were carefully ignoring him while at the same time keeping careful track of him. At the same time, all the Earthlings in the room were taking a good look at the newcomer.

  Lily realized that she was staring. But fuck it. That guy there had something about him that sent a spark of interest through her mind. Something dangerous, something ... different. She wouldn't have minded getting to know that one. To look at, he was more to her taste than all the perfect warriors here.

  And then suddenly he shifted his gaze and they were looking at each other from opposite sides of the room. He had the greenest eyes she had seen, and she had to catch her breath at the intensity of his stare. A fiery, green stare that seemed to go straight through her and that totally surprised her by sending a hard tingle to her girly parts.

  “Any idea who that is?” She tried to sound casual, but she noticed that her mouth was dry.

  Harper squeezed her arm lightly. “Some idea. Vrax'ton mentioned those. The ones that dress in black and come from the North. They're the Ytter tribe, I think he said. Seems there's some bad blood between them and the other tribes on this planet. They were invited to this thing because I insisted every tribe should be, but Vrax'ton didn't expect them to come. They tend to keep to themselves.”

  Lily took another sip, keeping an eye on the newcomer over the rim of her glass, noticing that her hand was shaking just a little. And there was a definite heat down below. “Like they're outcasts?”

  Harper shrugged. “Something like that. I didn't ask too closely. But I'll check with Vrax'ton later.”

  Lily nodded, unable to take her eyes off the warrior as he prowled the room like a predator. He ignored the other Acerex warriors just like they ignored him, but he seemed to have no trouble talking to various groups of Earthlings, saying things that made them laugh and then casually moving on to the next group. The women especially seemed like they wanted his attention, and Lily saw that every female in the room was keeping him in their field of vision. Including the Acerex women.

  The brief hope and excitement that he'd ignited in her when their gazes had met vaporized. Yep, all the other women here liked him. And just like every other party she'd been to, the cutest guys would ignore her and go for someone they found more bubbly.

  “So. How are things going with everything?” she said to take her mind off the guy. “Are we making an impression on these people?”

  Harper took a sip of her non-alcoholic drink. “I'm not sure. I mean, they like us fine. They're set in their ways, though. You know how they seem to see us as amusing upstarts as a civilization. Which isn't totally wrong, I guess. Their society is much older than ours.”

  Lily nodded. “And so they're ridiculously slow in wanting to adopt the tech we have. I thought Vrax'ton was interested enough. I know he has pushed for more computers and medical devices and things like that.”

  “He has, but the tribes have a lot of say in their own affairs. Some of them are so conservative most museums on Earth seem like fireworks of innovation next to them. But things are happening. Thanks to you and Charlotte, too. I know the demonstrations you've given to the tribes have been very successful.”

  “Except none of them have ended in anyone wanting any of our tech,” Lily sighed. “They take a look and smile, and then they lose interest. I'm starting to think it takes more patience than I have.”

  She suddenly noticed that Harper was looking past her, and then it felt as if her back was heating up.

  She knew what it was. That dark warrior had to be standing right behind her. She turned calmly and almost dropped her drink when she was suddenly looking up into those green eyes from up close.

  “Good evening,” the man said and inclined his head, keeping Lily's gaze locked to his. “I see Earth can produce actual women too, not just mindless decorations. Oh, and good evening, Your Highness.”

  For a moment Lily was stunned. He spoke English! Most of the warriors saw no reason to learn any alien language, and would rely on the translators that the Earthlings had with them.

  This one had actually taken the time to go through the language learning trance that Acerex could use. And he had less of an accent than even Vrax'ton did.

  The man had an aura of confidence and danger and amusement, too. And he had greeted her first. Before the queen. Somehow that sent a spark of glee to her mind.

  Harper recovered first. “Good evening, warrior. May I ask your name?”

  “You may.” The warrior kept his attention on Lily with such intensity that she thought she might faint. There was definite tunnel vision going on. “I am Ravex'ton. The Ytter tribe. Just in from the cold.”

  “You are well met,” Harper said in the formal Acerex way. “Nice to meet you. I'm glad you could come. Can I get you a drink?”

  Lily was distantly aware that two other warriors had drawn close to Harper, one on each side. Her bodyguards, no doubt, probably discreetly assigned by Vrax'ton. She had never seen more fiery eyes than this man's. They made it impossible for her to look away.

  Ravex'ton briefly took his attention from Lily's face long enough to send Harper a cool smile. “The queen offers to serve a mere warrior? Indeed King Vrax'ton has chosen well. No need, Your Highness, I won't be long.”

  Lily almost gasped when he fixed his intense stare on her again. Those were some crystal clear eyes, like shining emeralds with an intense fire in them. He was so close she could feel his scent, dry and spicy.

  He looked her up and down. “Though some things make me want to remain.”

  It was an invasive look, but it didn't make her uncomfortable at all. Other men might have smirked, but this one was so serious it almost scared her.

  “Okay,” Harper said again. “Won't you stick around? I mean, this whole thing is just for Acerex warriors like yourself to get to know us Earthlings and what we might be able to offer.”

&nbs
p; His tight smile had amusement in it. “To offer?”

  “Yes. We have different technology than the Acerex people, and we'll happily offer you anything you might like. Most of the tribes are interested in the communication tech, it seems. I mean, we'd be happy to give you a demonstration ...”

  “At exorbitant cost, no doubt,” Ravex'ton said calmly, still fixing his attention on Lily.

  Harper's bodyguards growled at the irreverent tone, but the queen herself didn't seem to notice.

  “At no cost, Warrior Ravex'ton.”

  Again the warrior took his eyes off Lily to look at Harper. “Indeed? It is not the habit of the powerful on this planet to offer anything to the Ytter for free. Except our deaths, of course. Our lives seem cheap to Acerex royals. But you are an alien. You can't be expected to know how things work here. No worry. You soon will.”

  Harper's bodyguards took one step closer and tried to crowd him away, but he stood his ground.

  Lily suddenly realized what he was carrying on his back – it was a weapon, a hunting bow with an elaborate design that had nine separate bows that were elaborately attached to just one string. It would have to be immensely powerful.

  Harper frowned. “Warrior, if some injustice has been done-”

  Ravex'ton laughed, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. “Some injustice! Perhaps, your highness. Perhaps some injustice has been done. Perhaps one day your husband will tell you all about it.”

  The two bodyguards had had enough. They exchanged glances and then pounced on Ravex'ton, but they were warriors and not primarily bodyguards. They were obviously not used to working closely together, because they got in each other's way and gave him time to move first. He yanked one to the ground, and then used an elaborate move with his arms to throw the other one several feet away.

  Other warriors around them drew their swords and seemed about to assault the dark warrior, but Harper calmly held up her hand. “Everyone stand back. He was attacked.”

  The huge hall was dead quiet, and all eyes were on Ravex'ton.