Luna Touched: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Brides of the Aashi Book 1) Read online

  The Chosen males from the Taanin Clan were the first to arrive at the craft and point to claim a female. They had claimed the one with the darkest colors with spirals for hair.

  “We must use haste, Axoh. We must make sure our clan has the best female. They will not be happy if we don’t attempt to choose.”

  I agreed, but all these females did not look anything like an Aashi female, so I wasn’t sure which was the best. They were small, smaller than me. I didn’t understand why the M’Mori would bring such small females. After the Taanin Clan chose, the other clans were rushing to the door of the craft and choosing their females. Vallyn ran out from the tree line.

  “Vallyn, wait,” I hissed, I ran as fast as I could to catch him. But Vallyn was much faster than me.

  “You are not the Chosen from Zaali. Why send such a weak male as Chosen to mate a female?” one of the Chosen from Yaayi Clan taunted. He was walking back to the tree line, his female protected between the five Chosen males, followed by their takxe. “Does your queen not have any real males left? We have many strong warriors. We will take her if you have no Chosen.”

  I ignored his rude words and met Vallyn at the entrance to the craft.

  “You are the Chosen males for Clan Zaali?” the M’Mori warrior asked Vallyn with his strange device, but even I could understand the mocking tone at seeing Vallyn and me. I bent over in a bow and rose.

  “We await our Chosen males to arrive. You have come early, M’Mori. I am Axoh, takxe of Zaali Clan. I am here for our Chosens’ female. I am to be her personal healer.”

  The female that stood in front of me had skin that was so pale it almost glowed in the twin suns’ light. Her hair also had spirals, but it was the color of the water that ran though the many rivers and streams on Aarzyn. It was that of reds and browns. She only had two arms, just like the M’Mori, yet her size and height were more like that of a takxe. She almost looked like a young teen Aashi.

  “How long till her Chosen are here?” his strange device asked once more.

  “They will be here this night,” I replied, hoping they would be. We’d left days earlier than the Chosen to prepare the clan hut in case we needed to spend the night. I’d made sure I had all required supplies to take care of a female. I’d never been appointed such a task before, and I would not fail my queen. I was not a high-born takxe, so to have this position given to me was a great gift.

  “This is your female, Clan Zaali. Take care of her until her Chosen arrive.”

  Then the warrior spoke to the female, and she nodded her head as she turned and smiled. Was she smiling at me? I rubbed my eyes in disbelief.

  She walked down to us with her hand outstretched. Vallyn and I glanced at it and then each other. What is this female doing? We are not her Chosen. But how did she smell so good? The scent from her was powerful; it almost made me want to take her hand. My body felt as if it was alive for the first time.

  “Female, I am Axoh, your takxe. I am not your Chosen. Please follow me to the clan hut until your Chosen arrive.”

  When she spoke, her voice was beautiful. The sounds she made were almost that of a melody. The device on her wrist, I realized, spoke to us.

  “I am Luna. Happy to meet you.”

  Chapter Three

  Luna

  You know what the shittiest feeling in the world was? Being picked last.

  After all the other girls had been chosen, one Aashi ran over, followed by a slightly smaller one. The other girls had large groups of males to escort them to their new clans, but I had only two. Was I not to their liking? Why did they come last?

  I shouldn’t be upset over something so silly, I was here to be married to one of them. Well, obviously not to either of these two. The shorter one—and by short, I meant he was probably six foot, whereas the other was maybe six-four—had told Agent Chadwick that they were not my Chosen.

  I heard Agent Chadwick call out, “Good luck, Luna,” but I didn’t turn back.

  As I followed the two males, I watched their tails in fascination. And those arms… wow. Even on the smaller of the two, his arms were defined by strong back muscle. And with four arms, that was a lot of arm porn right there. I couldn’t wait to see who my Chosen husband was—if he looked anything like these guys did, I would be one very happy woman.

  We reached a hut, which looked exactly as we’d been told to expect. It was made from the wood of their trees— which was purple and I was still trying to get used to it—it had leaves covering the top but it was taller than I had expected. As I stepped inside I realized the clan hut was not as small as it looked from the outside—it would be able to house ten Aashi men easily. They pointed to a small stool at wooden table with what looked like hand-carved purple wooden cups filled with liquid. So much purple.

  “Is this water?” my translator asked them a few seconds after I spoke. It was brown with a tinge of red, and I was not going to drink that. The smaller one nodded and gestured to it again.

  “Um… no thank you.”

  The taller of the two stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Had I offended him by not drinking the dirty water? Shit. I clutched my backpack tightly against my lap, feeling a little out of my element here. Hell I was way out of my element here. I wish I had more information on the Aashi people and their planet. At least some of their customs would have been appreciated so I didn’t offend anyone. Which I obviously have already, and I had only been here for ten minutes.

  There was a long silence, so I did what I do best. I started some nervous small talk.

  “I am sorry if I upset him,” I told the shorter one. I had already forgotten his name, but hoping he would understand I wasn’t trying to be rude about the water, it was just… it looked like rust.

  He shook his head and told me no. But he didn’t speak to me the way he spoke to the M’Mori solider. No, he spoke as if he was… afraid. It made me a little more nervous than it should. He sat on a stool on the other side of the hut, almost as far away as he could get from me. It gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The light in here wasn’t as bright as outside, but I could see him clearly as we studied each other.

  “What is your name again, sorry?” I hoped to break the silence, but sound rude that I had already forgotten it, it wasn’t something easy to remember. Plus I was overwhelmed when I first saw them all. He looked around the hut as the translator spoke to him.

  Then he said, “Axoh. I am your takxe, your personal healer, female Luna. And Vallyn is a warrior.” I heard that earlier, but I didn’t fully understand. Thank goodness for the translator, or I wouldn’t understand anything at all. Although the word “takxe” didn’t translate into English, I could hear the word as he spoke it.

  Their language would not be easy to learn, but I hoped to try. That was one of the goals I had set for myself before I got here. That I would not need the translator forever. That I would be able to speak freely with them all.

  “Do you know who my Chosen is?” I asked. I hoped that maybe if he knew him, he would be able to tell me more about him. But if he looked anything like him, or Vallyn, I had nothing to complain about.

  As I waited for Axoh’s answer, I looked him over again. I just couldn’t get over the purple skin. It was beautiful. Axoh’s was more a soft lavender and his hair just that little darker was smooth and straight, pulled into a long braid. Whereas Vallyn skin was darker, but nowhere near as dark as the other Aashi I had seen earlier. I could see how it was good camouflage with the purple trees. They could hide in the forest from predators.

  Shit. Were there predators here?

  “Your Chosen are my clan brothers. Queen Fraryn has chosen well. She has chosen you the best warriors from Zaali Clan.”

  Huh, the best warriors? Was this thing broken? Warriors, brothers… it seemed like he was saying more than one. Did I get to choose?

  “Do you mean I get to choose one that the queen has picked? I don’t think my translator is working correctly,” I said as I tap
ped it a few times. I didn’t think that would fix it, but it was what I did when my cell would glitch and freeze up, and it made me feel like I was doing something.

  He looked at me, and his facial expression didn’t change at all as he listened to the translator. Then he grabbed the end of his braid and played with his hair. I wondered if this was a nervous habit of his. It was a universal trait I understood well. I was tempted to grab my own hair and play with it, but instead I held onto my bag tighter.

  When the translator finally stopped speaking to him, he sat up straighter. That was when I really noticed his abs. I had seen a six-pack before, but Axoh had more—he had an eight pack. Dang, what did they feed these guys? They were all muscle, no fat on their bodies whatsoever. Plus, thanks to whoever decided this “almost loin cloth” thing was clothes, I was able to get a good look.

  He opened his mouth then closed it, I saw him tilt his head like he wasn’t sure what to say. But then he spoke, and my translator kicked in.

  “There has never been a female who does not accept all Chosen males. They are the best warriors. Queen chose only the best for female Luna. It would be insult to Queen Fraryn to only accept one of her Chosen and claim other lesser warriors as mates when presented with five of the strongest warrior males, all matched evenly in skill.”

  It took about four seconds before I understood. My translator wasn’t broken.

  Those asshole M’Mori and the Agents had kept this secret. They would have known. There was no way they wouldn’t have. I knew that Agent Booker was a dick.

  I was being presented to five Chosen guys and was expected to marry them all? All five of them would be my husbands… or mates, as Axoh called them. My mouth became dry and I suddenly didn’t feel well.

  “I come from Earth. We get to choose, and when we do, we only choose one.” Usually. But he didn’t need to know that part. I assumed this must be their culture but I needed to tell him mine.

  I didn’t know what I would do with five. One mate was plenty good, especially when on an alien planet that you knew nothing about. Not five. That was four mates too many.

  Axoh shook his head and glanced down to his feet. When he finally spoke he whispered so low my translator had a hard time picking it up. “Female Luna, Queen chooses. Female accepts. Lives with clan. Have many kits. I am takxe. I will take care of you. You must accept all Chosen males.”

  Chapter Four

  Vallyn

  When I heard the female raise her voice at Axoh, I was glad to not be in the hut. Females were aggressive. I had seen what happened if you did not please your female, and I would never want that. I was glad to be a smaller warrior. It meant I went unnoticed.

  But I was upset that I would no longer be by Axoh’s side as his protector. I had come with him this one last time, but after this, he would have the protection from his female and her mates. I would see him in passing, but we would no longer share our days talking and enjoying each other’s company like we had for most our lives.

  The door to the clan hut opened fast, and I turned to see a concerned look on Axoh’s face. “Vallyn, please help me explain that she does not choose her mates. That the queen chooses. I do not think she understands me. I am concerned for my wellbeing, clan brother. I have upset her. I am fearful that she will punish me.”

  Just then, the female came out through the door, her scent intoxicating. It was hard to think with the way my body was reacting to her. What was this scent?

  I focused my attention to her and stood tall. I wouldn’t let her punish Axoh for speaking the truth. It was against clan laws to speak to a female unless I had been spoken to, but she was not yet from our clan, so I decided to take the chance she did not know the rules of our clan. If I was punished, then so be it. But Axoh had worked very hard to be the best takxe our clan had so he might one day be selected for the position of caring for a female. I had to try, for him.

  “Female Luna, you do not choose your mates. Your Chosen have been picked from the best warriors from the Zaali Clan. The queen has chosen. You will have five of the best warriors.”

  When her communicator finally repeated what I said in her language, she made a strange face and sound as her small foot slammed into the ground. I flinched away. I was unsure what that meant, but I understood anger. And I was waiting for my punishment for speaking out of turn.

  She rubbed her two hands over her face, but when she took them away, her face was not filled with anger. She looked different than I expected this close, her beautiful face with those strange-colored eyes. I was not sure what to do, so I stood still, waiting to see what punishment she would give me.

  She let out a deep sigh and her shoulders sagged.

  “Thank you for telling me. I just didn’t know that your females have more than one mate. I’m sorry I yelled. I was shocked more than anything.”

  And with that she walked back into the clan hut. I turned to Axoh, who looked just as stunned as me. I let out a deep breath.

  “She did not punish me. Do you think she is saving up a punishment for when her Chosen are here? I would rather get it over with now.”

  “Me too, clan brother. I don’t want Nezyn to find out we upset his Chosen. I must bring her food and make her happy until he arrives.”

  Axoh quickly hurried back inside the hut, and I resumed my guard position outside. Even though most outcasts—those who had been banished from their clans—lived in the unclaimed lands. Near where the M’Mori mined the rocks that made them float in the air, there were many outcasts out here in the Goddess Arena, and I did not want them near our female.

  I could smell the meat that Axoh was cooking. My stomach growled. I was hungry, and I always enjoyed the taste of meat on feast day. But that was not for another three days, so I would not be able to have any of the tasty ahnn he was cooking. I would eat the other foods we had brought with us… after the female had her fill, of course.

  I heard my name, spoken by female Luna. It did not sound the same as when any Aashi spoke it, it sounded almost song–like. Her voice was not deep like Aashi females; it was lighter, like that of the koheli birds that lived among the forest canopy.

  When I didn’t move, I heard it again. And Axoh called out for me to enter fast. I hesitated, wondering if she would punish me now for speaking out of line earlier, but decided it would be best if she did this now rather than have Nezyn make the punishment.

  “Vallyn, are you not hungry?” the strange translator spoke to me. Her voice was almost lost beneath it, which made me feel… sad. This was new to me. I had never thought to feel like this over a female’s voice. I wanted to hear her speak, even if I did not understand the words she said.

  I stood and looked around the room. Axoh had set up a feast table and had many foods laid out, but Luna sat with an empty plate in front of her.

  “Please sit down, eat.”

  I didn’t know how to react to this, and when I glanced to Axoh, he didn’t know what to do either.

  “You eat, female Luna. Eat till your belly is full. We will finish what you don’t,” Axoh explained to her. Maybe she was not used to eating so much? She was not from our world, and she might not have realized this was how Aashi females feasted.

  She gestured with her hands to the empty stools by the feast table, and when we did not move, she stood. I instinctively flinched away. I did not mean to, and I could see that it had offended her.

  Oh, goddess, tell me what to do.

  She stood there, still not reaching for any foods. Axoh and I worried and tried to speak to each other without her translator hearing us, but this made her even more upset.

  “Please don’t talk about me when I don’t know what you are saying. That is not fair to me.”

  We froze at the sound of her words. Then I noticed she had been crying. The female had tears running down her face. I had never seen a female show tears before, and this worried Axoh instantly. I wanted to run away, go back to my post by the door. Away from this mess I had caused.
br />   I would for sure be punished tomorrow when the Chosen arrived. If they arrived.

  Chapter Five

  Luna

  None of this made any sense. I wanted to speak to the other girls, but I knew that wasn’t going to be possible. Maybe one day soon. I wanted to talk about how the M’Mori and the Agents didn’t mention the group of guys I was to be married to. But from what Axoh had told me, females stayed on clan land and did not travel unless they were unmated and going to live with their Chosen.

  Maybe I would be lucky and the M’Mori would send more humans here, and I would have someone I could talk to about all this stuff. Because they had left out way too much information.

  But then I would be the one to break the news to the new girl about the whole “five Chosen” thing, and that wasn’t something I wanted to do either.

  “Axoh, I need to use the… pot.” That was what he called the restroom when he’d shown it to me earlier. It was nothing more than a clay pot in the corner, and he insisted he’d help me.

  Obviously, that hadn’t happened. I didn’t need help to pee. I’d managed to make him give me some privacy, but he wouldn’t let me take the pot outside to empty. I had a feeling that I was supposed to stay hidden in the hut until my Chosen arrived, so I had no choice but to allow him to clean it. I’d been embarrassed, to say the least.

  “Yes, female Luna. I will do as before and look at the door.” I shook my head and almost laughed at that. He was such a strange guy. This had been a strange day, and the night was shaping up to be even stranger.

  The moon was out, only one. I could see that from a window, which I was told I wasn’t to look out of again. Well, he didn’t say that, exactly, but he made sure I understood that I was to stay inside and away from the window.