Balarr (Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides #9)

Chapter 1

Balarr stared at the message on his wrist comm. Disbelief swept through him, along with a wave of anger and a heavy dose of uncertainty.

Vaxxlian Warrior Balarr of Planet New Vaxx: Congratulations! Your application to Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides has been accepted, and you have been matched with a human female named Luna. Please continue reading for more information about your mate and her pickup location on Earth.

He read the message again, then verified the sender of the message—the Intergalactic Dating Agency. Not only had it been sent to his unique comm number, but it was addressed to him by name. It wasn’t a cruel prank, nor had the message been sent by mistake.

The problem? He’d never signed up for the VAMOB program.

Though all Vaxxlian warriors were expected to sign up for the VAMOB program, take human brides, and procreate as quickly as possible, he had hoped to avoid the obligation.

In the aftermath of the terrible war against the Irrcons—his people’s greatest enemy—he was still mourning the loss of his beloved mate, Keissa, and their two offspring, Hunna and Calarr.

How could he take a human female as a mate when he was still so deep in the throes of grief?

Fluxx. He cursed again and lowered his wrist comm, wishing he could erase the message and pretend it didn’t exist. Dark suspicions crept into his mind.

He hadn’t signed himself up for the VAMOB program, yet he’d been matched with a human female from Earth.

A human woman named Luna who apparently lived in a place called Colorado.

He gazed around the arena where his fellow warriors were gathered for daily warrior training. Thousands of Vaxxlian males were engaged in a variety of combat drills. He was currently awaiting his turn for a round of hand-to-hand fighting in the grassy area in the center of the open-air arena.

Had one of his comrades signed him up for the VAMOB program?

He shot a scathing look at his friend, Warrin, wondering if the male had somehow signed him up without his permission.

Warrin stood in the next line over, also awaiting his turn for a session of hand-to-hand combat, but his attention was fixed on his wrist comm, a joyous expression on his face.

“What do you look so happy about?” Balarr asked with a growl.

Warrin glanced up, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

“I’ve finally been matched to a human female.

I just received a message from Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides.

There was also an apology note for the delay in processing my application—apparently, there was a glitch on the Intergalactic Dating Agency’s end that held things up.

But I’ve finally been matched with a human female, and I couldn’t be happier.

Her name is Elora and she’s from a place called Tennessee. ”

“Congratulations,” Balarr forced out. Under normal circumstances, he would be more exuberant and happier for Warrin, but these weren’t normal circumstances—someone had signed him up for the VAMOB program.

But… who? He narrowed his gaze on Warrin, wondering if his friend would dare to overstep his boundaries in such a way.

Though Warrin remained smiling, some of the light left his eyes, and he eventually settled a concerned look on Balarr. “What troubles you, my friend?”

Balarr suppressed another growl. “I will tell you later.”

Before Warrin could respond, Commander Marrx stepped between them and peered intently at Balarr. The elderly warrior cleared his throat. “Warrior Balarr. Come with me please.”

As Balarr followed Commander Marrx across the grassy field and outside the arena entirely, his dark suspicions from earlier only kept growing.

How many times had Commander Marrx given speeches to the assembled warriors about their responsibility to help grow their population?

Too many to count. Balarr tensed as the commander paused in a secluded area on the edge of the dense forest that surrounded Starzzia, the main settlement on New Vaxx.

Commander Marrx faced Balarr, and his demeanor turned hesitant, but only for a moment. The elderly male was quick to stand taller and summon an air of authority. If he had signed Balarr up for the VAMOB program, he likely wouldn’t apologize for it.

“By now, you have probably received a message from Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides,” the commander said.

“A fresh wave of warriors recently received their acceptances and were matched with human females. Given that your application was fully processed a few days ago, I am assuming you’ve received… news.”

“Yes, I just received a message from the VAMOB program informing me that my application was accepted and I’ve been matched with a human female from Earth named Luna.

” Balarr paused and glared at Commander Marrx as he gave serious thought to challenging the male in the training arena.

“However,” he finally continued in a voice thick with accusation, “I never applied for the VAMOB program.”

Some of the severity left Commander Marrx’s face, and a smile tugged at the elderly warrior’s lips.

It was an uncharacteristic display of humor for the highly decorated commander who was known for his ruthlessness on the battlefield.

Despite his advanced age, Commander Marrx could fight as well as any skilled Vaxxlian warrior in their prime.

The commander sighed and he leaned against a tree, crossing his arms over his chest as he assumed a casual stance.

“Warrior Balarr, as you have probably already guessed—I took it upon myself to sign you up for the Vaxxlian Alien Mail Order Brides program,” he said.

“I know you are grieving the loss of your mate and offspring, but so are countless other warriors. It’s important that we regrow our population as soon as possible—take human mates and procreate.

Though we were victorious against the Irrcons, we still lost millions during the war.

We lost an unfathomable number of females and offspring when those bastards destroyed our planet, but we must stay strong, and we must rebuild.

Rebuilding means every capable Vaxxlian warrior must take a human female as a mate.

As far as I am concerned, there should be no exceptions to this directive. ”

Balarr stood in silence as he absorbed the news Commander Marrx had just imparted.

A mate.

The meddling commander had signed him up for the VAMOB program, and now Balarr was honor-bound to travel to Earth to collect his assigned mate—a female named Luna.

Despite his dislike for the situation, her name-sound kept echoing in his head in a not unpleasant manner. In fact, he found himself wanting to repeatedly utter her name. Just to savor the vibration of it on his tongue.

“Well?” Commander Marrx said. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“I cannot believe you signed me up for a human female,” Balarr blurted. “How dare you?” His blood heated with anger.

The commander’s visage softened. “As a commander, I am within my rights to order you to sign up for the VAMOB program, or to directly sign you up to receive a human bride, but I didn’t do it just because I had the power to do so.

I did it because I consider you a friend, and I believe taking a human mate will help you heal.

I would never expect you to forget about Keissa and your offspring, but it’s my hope that claiming a human woman will help you move on from the darkness that’s been plaguing you.

It’s my hope that a human female will bring some much-needed light to your life—especially if you procreate with her. ”

Balarr was stunned. He stood on the edge of the forest, staring at Commander Marrx, as a cool breeze descended from the blue skies of New Vaxx.

The rustling leaves created a swelling, harmonious noise that nearly drowned out of the clash of weapons in the nearby arena.

For the briefest instant, he thought he heard Luna’s name on the breeze.

Surely he must be imagining it.

He straightened and looked Commander Marrx in the eye.

“I appreciate that you consider me a friend, Commander. But I would be lying if I claimed I was happy about the action you’ve taken.

This human female—Luna—likely expects me to arrive on Earth soon.

She’s probably hoping I’ll rescue her from a dangerous situation.

Most human females who sign up for the VAMOB program are desperate to leave Earth for one reason or another.

What choice do I have but to go fetch her? ”

Commander Marrx stepped forward and patted Balarr on the shoulder. “Go to Earth and rescue your human female, Warrior Balarr. Then bring her back to New Vaxx and impregnate her as quickly as possible. It’ll be good for you—I am certain of it.”

Balarr emitted another growl as he considered the predicament the commander had placed him in. He truly felt honor-bound to travel to Earth and whisk the female named Luna to safety. But would he follow through and claim her as his mate?

Why did he keep hearing her name on the fluxxing breeze?

“I’ve been told that your friend Warrin was just matched with a human female from Earth.

Perhaps the two of you can depart New Vaxx at the same time and travel to the human homeworld to collect your mates.

And perhaps now that you and Warrin are taking mates, that quiet engineer friend of yours—Lorrd—can also finally be convinced to take a human bride.

” The commander inclined his head briefly in a show of respect, then spun on his heel and headed back to the arena.

Overcome with a sudden need for solitude, Balarr stalked into the forest and walked until his legs began to ache. Eventually, he paused in a flower-covered meadow and peered at the message on his wrist comm again.

Luna. He’d been matched with a human female named Luna.

If he refused to travel to Earth and collect her, what would happen to her?

He couldn’t help but wonder. He didn’t see an option on the acceptance letter from the VAMOB program to withdraw his application.

If he contacted the Intergalactic Dating Agency, would they quickly assign Luna to another Vaxxlian warrior?

But for a reason he couldn’t fathom, the idea of another warrior taking possession of Luna filled him with… jealousy. How strange. It was an emotion he hadn’t experienced in ages.

The VAMOB acceptance letter didn’t provide many details about Luna—only her age, location, and personal interests.

No picture was included. All he knew about her was that she was twenty years old, she lived in Colorado, and she enjoyed hiking, baking, reading, and listening to music.

He had no idea what she looked like or what circumstances had prompted her to sign up for the VAMOB program.

The wind increased, rustling the leaves further and causing the multi-colored flowers in the meadow to shimmer beneath the midday sun.

Luna.

There it was again.

His future mate’s name on the wind.

He raked a hand through his hair and turned in a circle, scanning the trees for any sign of Warrin or any other warriors who might’ve followed him into the forest. But there was no one. He was alone, and the wind kept whispering Luna’s name.

Perhaps it was a sign from the Star God.

He heaved a sigh and started the long trek back to Starzzia, and as he neared the main settlement and heard the distant laughter of children and other sounds of life, he came to a decision.

He would travel to Earth, and he would claim Luna as his mate.