Free Alien Romance: The Alien's Bliss: A Sci-fi Alien Warrior Invasion Abduction Romance by Ruth Anne Scott Page B

some agreement with the other Alphas? I’ll never see you again.”
    “But I thought....” she stammered. “You helped Anna, and that was long before we ever met.”
    He lowered his eyes. “That was then. I thought peace was a good idea. Now I know it’s a necessity.”
    She hesitated. “I didn’t know....”
    He finished her sentence for her. “You didn’t know I felt that way about you? Do you remember what you said to me this morning—about seeing a part of you that wasn’t there? Well, you’ve seen a part of me that wasn’t there, too—at least, it wasn’t there until you saw it.”
    Her eyes flew open. “You too? I thought you were so strong and in control.”
    “I was,” he replied. “I’ve always been in control. I’ve been in control of the whole Avitras faction for decades, at least as long as Aquilla has been Alpha—probably longer.”
    “How can you be in control when someone else is Alpha?” she asked. “If that was true, you would be Alpha instead of him.”
    He nodded. “I’ve been Captain of the Guard, and the Captain always has more power than the Alpha. My father was Captain before me, and Aquilla’s father was Alpha before him. My father told me I would take over for him when he retired to the village, and he explained the whole thing. He said I would be the power behind the Alpha, that the Alpha would never make any decision or take any action without my approval, and he was right.”
    “And you want to give that up—for me?” she whispered.
    “I don’t have to give it up,” he replied. “At least, I won’t give up the power. I couldn’t give it up if I wanted to. The Avitras depend on me to control our faction. Aquilla couldn’t do it without me, or someone to take over for me, and I’ve been doing it so long I’m the best man for the job.”
    “So what changed?” she asked. “What did I see that wasn’t there before?”
    He rolled onto his back and looked up into the sky. “You saw me, for the first time. No one else has ever seen me before.”
    “You?” she asked.
    He shot her a smile. “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I’ve been Captain of the Guard. I’ve been Aquilla’s shadow Alpha since I first learned to fly, but no one has ever seen me for who I really am. I could patrol the borders for years and never feel hunger or pain or loneliness. I never dreamed of a life in the village with a mate and children and friends. I’ve never been a flesh and blood man, who felt heat and cold and sadness and joy—until today. You gave me that. I was living death, and you brought me to life.”
    Aimee tucked her head into his chest and closed her eyes. “Me, too. I was never a living woman until you came.”
    They lay in their nest for hours until the sun fell behind the treetops. Aimee raised her head first. “I guess I better go.”
    She glanced at her clothes again, but she turned away without touching them.
    He watched her. “Don’t forget to put your clothes on.”
    She stole a look at his face. Then they both laughed. “That would give them a shock if I showed up like this.”
    She sat up. Her skin chilled without the sun to warm it. She picked up her pants. “I don’t want to put these on again.”
    “They look warm enough,” he remarked.
    “They’re warm,” she replied, “but too rough. They remind me of the person I was before. They make me the person I was before.”
    “What was that?” he asked.
    “A warrior,” she replied.
    He nodded and sat up, too. “We have some work to do before we can shed these shells of the past.”
    She sighed and slipped the jacket around her shoulders. “When did you say Aquilla wants to meet the other Alphas?”
    “Sunrise tomorrow,” he replied. “At the big rock.”
    She set her teeth and pulled the pants up her legs. The skins scratched her, and she shuddered. “We’ll be there.”
    He stood up next to her. Without a word, he took her in his arms and kissed her. Her feet left the firm surface of