Read Online Naima: A SciFi Alien Mail Order Bride Romance (TerraMates Book 7) by Lisa Lace - Free Book Online Page A

small community of humans stationed on Maztek. The man was intelligent and sincere, which garnered the respect of Upa and my father. The three had met a couple of years before I was born. The way I heard it, they became instant friends.
    Even though Marshall was not a fighter, he always accompanied them when they went out on the field. He risked his life numerous times in different Xylo war zones tending to injured warriors. When the frequency of the Xylo attacks decreased, he dedicated his time to helping Maztek in impoverished villages afflicted with mysterious and debilitating diseases.
    When my blood family perished in the Fallgold battle, Marshall made sure to check on me when he could. He never tried to refill the hole Upa and my father left in my life, but he acknowledged it existed. That was all I needed. The visits were brief, but they remained some of the most pleasant memories I had.
    In a cruel twist of fate, Marshall died a horrible death under the hand of Synic. Synic had taken command in place of his father, Dyron, who perished in Fallgold. Thirsting for blood and having something to prove, Synic executed Marshall when he refused to give up information he knew about the Maztek forces.
    The deaths of all three males in my life had a long-lasting effect on me. I knew I needed to be the one to take down those Xylo sons of bitches. I joined a military academy funded by Maztek royalty and began training at the age of fifteen.
    I made a left turn, heading back to camp. Now that I was thinking about Marshall, I remembered one time I had seen his composure challenged. The man had a reputation for a consistently chipper mood and the ability to keep calm under pressure, making him respected by most Maztek. His exterior remained stoic and calm through Upa and my father's death, but it was finally put to the test two months after Fallgold.
    Treating thousands of dying Maztek civilians had preoccupied him, making him miss the birth of his daughter. At the time, he hadn't seen me, but I was lurking in the back of the stock room when he burst inside on one of his breaks. Not knowing what to do, I hid behind one of the massive containers.
    Without warning, I saw the person I knew as an unbreakable, happy-go-lucky man collapse on the ground. He sobbed more than I had ever seen any grown man cry. The sound of helpless emotion in his voice was unforgettable.
    I suppose even he had a breaking point.
    Maybe I needed to rethink my strategy with Gabriella. At this stage, I hoped an open-minded approach would work. It would be in both of our best interests if I put in the effort to make her journey to a foreign, war-torn planet a little more pleasant.
    It was an uncomfortable feeling. I had been looking for my naima for many years. Now that I had the chance for companionship, I realized I was unprepared. It was like being a rookie all over again. I could only rely on what I knew – to improvise, conquer, and overcome whatever situation came my way.
    I wasn't sure what to do, but I knew I didn't want to scare her away forever.
    As I inched closer to the cave, something made me halt in my tracks. I moved into a crouch and concealed myself behind the trunk of a tree. The pungent odor of rotting fruit drifted down from above, penetrating the rag on my face and burning in my nose. I fixed the rag's knot behind my head and put my hands on the tree trunk as I looked at our camp from a distance.
    A pair of Xylo hitchhikers hobbled out of the cave on their hands and feet. One carried winoa meat in his pockets and under his arms. The other had his hands full with a pot of bone stock.
    One Xylo had a green eye and a brown one. He barked to his companion in a high-pitched local dialect. The other screeched in agreement. The pair moved east toward an inclined path.
    They were headed straight for the waterfall and Gabriella.

Chapter 8
    GABRIELLA
    "Crap!" I caught the square of soap just before it slipped through my fingers. My lips broke out into