Claus (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #7)

Chapter 3

It is only logical that you become my mate.

The Vaxxlian warrior’s bold proposal stunned Aubrey. She struggled to breathe as she held his luminous green gaze. His massive hand squeezed slightly around her much smaller one, his skin warm and rough. She was very aware of her nephews peeking through the window. She could feel their curious eyes boring into the back of her head. No doubt they were wondering why the hell their aunt was holding an alien’s hand.

“I don’t know what to say.” She took a deep inhale and wished holding Claus’s hand didn’t feel so… right. She knew she ought to withdraw from his touch, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to extract her hand from his. Not yet.

Claus stared at her with an earnest expression. She supposed from his standpoint, a marriage of convenience was nothing but logical. In his culture, arranged marriages were the norm. Having lost most of their females during the war against the Irrcons, Vaxxlian warriors needed women with whom they could procreate. He’d come all the way to Earth and likely wouldn’t leave without a female to call his own.

“Say yes ,” Claus said, leaning closer. He began stroking the inside of her wrist. Goosebumps rose on her arms and the back of her neck prickled with blissful awareness. “Say yes and I will take care of you and your nephews always. I will help raise them in a safe environment.”

“Sorry, but I must decline your offer. We don’t know one another, Claus. We’re total strangers. Besides, I can’t leave Earth.” She pulled her hand from his and angled her knees away, putting as much space as possible between herself and the huge alien warrior. He was the sort of temptation—and distraction—that she absolutely didn’t need right now.

Hurt flashed in Claus’s eyes ever so briefly, and a second later she experienced an increasing tightness in her chest. Why did his sadness affect her so deeply? How strange that his emotions would bother her. They’d just met. She shouldn’t feel so attuned to him, nor so drawn to him. Yet there was a charge in the air whenever she met his gaze. It felt like magic.

“Why can’t you leave Earth?” His eyes glowed brighter.

Aubrey opened her mouth to reply, then quickly pressed her lips together. No. She couldn’t tell him about her money troubles. It was none of his business. Besides, he would only use it as another reason to convince her to accept his proposal. She reminded herself that mating with a Vaxxlian warrior came with a huge catch, the catch being there was no escape, no way out if things went bad. She didn’t want to find herself trapped on an alien world with a cruel mate. She also had the boys to consider.

“Please tell me,” Claus prompted with an encouraging look. “Please tell me why you can’t leave Earth.”

“Because this is my hometown and it’s where Emily raised the boys. It’s all they know. I can’t rip them away from the only life they’ve ever known. Especially so soon after they lost their mother. It wouldn’t be right.” Her tone sounded desperate and skeptical to her own ears. She wasn’t quite lying, and she’d just listed some good reasons for staying in the small Western Maryland town of McHenry, but she absolutely couldn’t allow Claus to discover how eager she was to leave Earth. He seemed charming and sweet, but so had Pete, at first.

“The human children who’ve relocated to New Vaxx with their mothers tend to adapt quickly to life on an unfamiliar planet. Starrzia, the main settlement on New Vaxx, has schools and daycare facilities, markets, parks, theaters, bakeries, restaurants, and more. I’ve heard many human women say it’s a paradise compared to where they used to live on Earth. I can assure you it’s the perfect place to raise children.” He reached for her hand again, but she scooted back and gave him a warning look. He awkwardly retracted his hands.

“I’ve seen pictures of Starrzia. I know it’s a beautiful city. But there’s something else you need to understand—I’m not my sister,” Aubrey said. “Emily obviously wanted to marry a Vaxxlian, but I do not . I prefer my freedom and would never want to be trapped in a marriage I could never leave.”

Claus appeared taken aback. “Trapped? It is not my intent to trap you, Aubrey. It is my intent to help you and the boys. The four of you need a strong male to protect you, and I need a female. As I said previously, it is only logical for you to become my mate. The arrangement would be mutually beneficial.”

“Vaxxlians mate for life. If we didn’t get along, I wouldn’t be able to escape you. I would be stuck on New Vaxx for the rest of my life.” She sighed. “So there you have it. I have some pretty good reasons for declining your offer of marriage, and I won’t be changing my mind. I am sorry you had to find out about Emily this way, but I am sure if you contact Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, they will assign a new woman to you. I recently heard that VAMOB has more human applicants than they do single Vaxxlian warriors, so the odds are in your favor.” She stood and headed for the door. “I wish you luck,” she called over her shoulder as she entered the house. Once inside, she was quick to lock the door.

Marcus, Wyatt, and Finn descended on her, all three shouting questions. Clearly, Emily hadn’t informed them about her plan to marry a Vaxxlian warrior. Aubrey stood silently and pressed a finger to her lips as she waited for the boys to settle. After they finally quieted, she shepherded them into the kitchen, promising a full explanation over breakfast.

“Tell us who that alien was!” Marcus blurted around a mouthful of pancakes. “Please,” he added in a somewhat more polite tone.

“Why did he want Mommy?” Finn asked.

“Yeah, why did he want Mommy?” Wyatt echoed. “Did he really want to marry her and be our father like he said?”

She sighed and joined them at the table. Would the truth upset them? After a few moments of deliberation, she opted for a gentle telling of the facts. “Well, it sounds like your mother promised to marry a Vaxxlian alien named Claus, and that is why this man showed up on our doorstep.”

All three boys were silent for a long minute, then Finn asked, “Claus? His name is Claus? Like Santa Claus?”

“Yes, that’s his name.” Aubrey drew in a calming breath. “I let him know what happened to your mommy.”

“He looked like the aliens from the commercials and the big sign near the grocery store,” Wyatt said.

Aubrey nodded. “Yes, I suppose you’ve all seen the commercials for Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides, and there’s a billboard advertisement in town.”

“Will you marry a Vaxxlian one day, Aunt Aubrey?” Marcus asked.

“No, I don’t think so, dear.” She rose to her feet and started clearing the table.

“Wait, Aunt Aubrey! You didn’t eat yet,” Finn said in a sweetly concerned voice. He nodded at the serving plate, which contained a few untouched pancakes. “We made sure to save you three pancakes because that’s how many you always eat. One. Two. Three.” He nudged the plate in her direction, and she found herself sitting down for a quick breakfast, deciding it probably wasn’t wise to skip a meal when she was running on zero sleep.

“Thank you, boys.” She slathered her pancakes in butter and syrup. Warmth filled her heart as she peered at the faces around the table. Her life had changed drastically in the last two months. She was thankful she’d been near Earth when she received the devastating news about Emily, thankful she’d managed to arrive just two days after her sister’s passing.

Safe , she promised herself. No matter what, I will keep them safe.

The floorboards creaked on the porch, and she pulled up the security footage on her phone again, casually watching Claus as she tucked into the pancakes. He stood at the top of the stairs, shuffling awkwardly and sometimes glancing over his shoulder at the camera.

Why was he hanging around?

And why did she feel so conflicted over declining his offer of marriage?