Read Alien's Innocent Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Paranormal Shifter Romance (Mail Order Human Book 1) for Free Online Page B

You lied to me. You gave me some sort of Zaxxumian disease! And after you were so nice to me last night. I dared to believe the shit on Earth happened to me for a reason, dared to believe we might actually have a happy life together, especially after you talked about having children, and then I wake up this morning to find these rashes on my arms!”
    Perplexed, Sev looked at her markings. Sunlight streamed into the windows and left the intricate wavy patterns glowing beautifully. They were the same markings his mother had had, as well as all the females mated to the males in his family before her. “Those are not rashes, and I have not infected you with a Zaxxumian disease. I have not lied to you in any way, Tara, and I had planned to tell you of my shifting abilities today. I believe in keeping no secrets, and that goes both ways. I will never lie to you, sweet Tara. I give you my word.”
    “Okay, if these aren’t rashes, what are they?” She held her arms up and her lower lip quivered. Her whole body shook.
    Reaching for her, he stroked his hands up and down her arms, until her trembles ceased. “Look closely at the markings, Tara, and you will see that they form a wavelike pattern. My mother got the same markings after she mated with my father. It marks you as mine, and it also indicates you belong to my family line. All women mated to males in my family have identical markings, Tara.”
    “Again, you couldn’t have told me this last night?”
    “Telling you of the markings slipped my mind. Forgive me. I should have told you what to expect.” He felt like a fool. Humans didn’t always mate for life, nor did their females become marked with any sort of pattern indicating they belonged to their husbands.
    Tara sighed. “I’m sorry. Wow, talk about a misunderstanding. I thought you’d lied to me and given me some sort of freaky disease.” She flushed. “Thank you for saving me from the beast in the forest. You saved my life, Sev.”
    He smiled. “Think nothing of it, Tara. I promised I would protect you with my life, always, did I not?”
    She nodded.
    “Zaxxumian males treasure their females. I realize we haven’t known one another for long, but I promise I will treasure you for as long as we shall live. I will strive to be a good mate to you, Tara, and if you promise not to run away again, I won’t keep you locked in our abode. I must confess, I thought you ran away because you were rejecting me, and when we returned I sealed the locks and didn’t intend to let you outside until I could trust you again.” He stroked her hair and she leaned into his touch. “Can I trust you, Tara?”
    “Yes, Sev. I won’t run again. I promise.” She peered into his eyes, her gaze filled with wonderment. Perhaps his shifting abilities surprised her, or perhaps she felt joyful about their future. As time went on, he would be able to read her moods better. For now, he could only detect her fear and sense her location. Such powers enabled Zaxxumian males to keep their mates, and eventually their offprint, safe from most dangers.
    He grinned. “I won’t hold you prisoner then.”
    Dark pink bloomed across her cheeks and her breath quickened. “Yes, I would hate for you to hold me prisoner.”
    It took him a moment to realize she was teasing him, in her sweet human way, and he removed her shawl from around her waist. Tearing a strip off the garment, he wound it around her wrists and left a short length for him to hold onto. He stood and pulled her to her feet, forcing her toward the stairs. “But before I release you from your confinement, little human, I am going to claim you again, just to make sure you understand you belong to me.”
    “You are very just, sir.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as he led her upstairs.
     
    * * *
     
    Sev’s playful dominance made her heart flutter. Her stomach flipped—in a delightful way—and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. He gave her a stern look and dragged her