Chapter 2

Kor'iander Vel Menos stared at the slightly snoring form of his soon-to-be mate asleep on the floor and shook his head in disbelief.

The Oracle had to be wrong. Of course, that had never happened before, but in this instance, Kor really had to question the Oracle's choice.

Surely, this feisty, argumentative female could not be his life mate? Docile. He'd specifically written docile when he'd filled in his request for a mate. And this is who the spirits of his ancestors had chosen? A celestial jest on their part perhaps?

Her looks at least seemed passable. Perhaps once she groomed herself, she'd even be attractive. The kogi nest that currently adorned her head made him want to shave it for fear of unsavory little critters. As for her shape, the ugly garment she wore did not give a proper indication, although she did seem plump and healthy. Thank the Three Moons. His poor childhood companion Rex'Anor had been given a very slim mate for bonding, and it had taken him many moon cycles to plump her up 'til he'd found her attractive enough to bed.

Kor sighed. And to think he'd been so excited when he'd been called to see the Oracle. He'd felt honored and thrilled to be chosen. What a joke, he thought, staring down at his chosen's limp form.

Well, at least there was no one here to witness his ignoble attempt to go through with the mating rituals of his people, somewhat adapted to take in the new reality that they needed to mate with females from outside their species.

The problem with being alone, though, was who in the silvery moons did he ask for help?

"Alphie, please search archives for anything on the subject of reluctant earthling females."

Kor could have sworn he heard Alphie-Alpha 350, the ship's artificially intelligent computer who someone mistakenly had given a sense of humor-snort.

"This is not entertaining. My chosen refuses to acknowledge me as her leader and won't bond with me."

"Could it be because you demanded instead of asking?" came the computer's smooth voice.

"Why would I ask? I'm doing her a great honor and following ritual. I think maybe I didn't get the right female."

"The coordinates were exact. But perhaps you should have done a little more reading on earthlings, their women to be precise, before ordering her about. On their planet, the concept of arranged marriages is almost nonexistent, especially in the area she resided in. As a matter of fact, many of the Earth women choose to not enter into a pair bond."

"What? But that's preposterous," said Kor, appalled at the thought of thousands of females roaming around without the guiding hand of a male.

"Preposterous or not, that's this planet's custom. And furthermore, I did recommend you read the file on your future mate. But what did you say to me?" reminded Alphie.

Kor grumbled. "I said it would be fairer if we met at the same time without preconceived notions about each other. You could have warned me." When he'd made the decision at the time, it had seemed like the right choice and still would have been had his intended been docile like he'd asked for. But a feisty mouth might mean a feisty bedmate. Her bed skills, though, would become apparent only once he convinced his earthling she had no choice but to bond with him.

"You should have listened better," continued Alphie in a matter-of-fact voice. "What's the point of having access to a supercomputer like myself if you don't take advantage of it? Now stop your complaining. What's done is done. There's still time for you to catch up a bit before she wakes. Now, are you ready for the decontamination process? Might as well get it done now while she's still unconscious."

Kor straightened his intended's limbs then sighed and braced himself for the low-level laser cleansing. The process, accomplished painlessly-actually, truth be told, it could be quite arousing-was necessary to ensure that alien microbes did not survive and cause havoc back on his home planet. During the course of the voyage, his soon-to-be mate's body would be cleansed and prepared to adapt to life on his planet, something he just knew she'd argue about too.

Unmoving, she lay as he'd positioned her on the floor, and he decided that perhaps it would be best if he gave her the first of the several inoculations she'd need to ensure her body adapted to the slightly different atmosphere and consumables of his planet. He injected her quickly with only a slight red pinprick left behind to show he'd even touched her. With that done, he also decided he'd better relocate her just in case the sedative wore off sooner than expected and she awoke on the hard floor.

Picking her up, Kor found himself pleased at the soft curves that pillowed against his body, making his blood pound faster through his veins and other places, creating an erection that was impossible to hide in his still undressed state. But with no one to see him except a machine, Kor relaxed and decided to enjoy holding his chosen female without her haranguing him.

The cruiser, thankfully, had a well-appointed cabin, one with a large bed that took into account the new service the males of his planet required. The cruiser's primary use now consisted of fetching female mates from around the galaxy so that the males of his world could mate with them and make sure his people did not die out. A pleasant task for most, or so he'd heard, he thought with a disgruntled look at the still sleeping female who had refused to do as he told her.

Kor laid the earthling on the covers and stood back, looking at her again pensively. The garments she wore were truly awful, and given her earlier stance about keeping them on, with a mischievous grin, he stripped them off her. When he'd disposed of them-permanently-he looked at her again, interest making his violet eyes glow and his body firm up in arousal.

Lush curves met his gaze, her smooth, unblemished skin tempting his hands to touch. She had a very full bosom, heavy handfuls with light pink areolas that puckered as if sensing his interest. She had an indented waist, a rounded tummy, and a thatch of ebony curls that hid pinker delights, which he'd explore and taste later when she finally accepted her fate.

Kor found a brush and painstakingly combed out her messy hair, the texture so silky between his fingers that it made him shiver as he imagined her dragging it across his sensitive skin. With her dark hair fanned across the bed's pillows, sensuous full lips slightly parted, and serene face, Kor found himself mightily attracted to his future mate. Perhaps this wouldn't be so horrible after all.

Tempting as he found her, though, he would wait 'til she awoke and completed the bonding ritual with him. He wanted their first joining to be mutually pleasurable, something he'd trained for with great success, according to his teachers. Now if only he could get her to feel the same attraction when she awoke. Then they could mate properly and satisfy the sexual urges that now consumed his body.

However, the sedative he'd given her would last a few more hours still unless she proved resistant, so with time to waste, Kor dressed in loose slacks and a billowy shirt before going to check on their travel status and other ship functions that needed tending. But while he worked, his mind strayed often to the lusciously obstinate female in his bed.